Focus West Michigan 8-13-26 Benson at Michigan's Adventure

This is Focus West Michigan for Thursday, August 13, 2026. I'm Joe Balecki with your local news. Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson took her gubernatorial campaign to Muskegon on Thursday laying out her vision for state tourism. WGVU's David Limbaugh was there. Secretary of State, Jocelyn Benson, took a tour of the state's only amusement park. In Muskegon, she spoke with leaders from Michigan's adventures, new management, enchanted parks about promoting the state's tourism industry. excited to see how this park grows over the next five to ten years. It needs and can be easily a national and global destination for park enthusiasts all around the world. And I want to do everything I can as governor to make it that. Guy Benson was joined by state representative Will Snyder, who in two weeks will introduce legislation to create a travel commission. It would remove Pure Michigan from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and elevate it to a type one agency within state government. So that we can quit having this fight to fund Pure Michigan. in and you're out, which should not be a partisan fight. This should be something that we can get together on so that we can be a leader on tourism throughout the country right here in Michigan. Guy Benson also hinted at a potential running mate. Stay tuned. I know we'll be making a decision in the coming weeks, and so I'm sure we'll get to talk more then. The latest epic MRA poll has Guy Benson nine points ahead of Republican John James in Michigan's gubernatorial race. I'm David Limbaugh. Major tech upgrades are arriving at Grand Rapids Gerald R. Ford International Airport. On Wednesday, the U.S. Secretary of Transportation visited, announcing tens of millions in federal funding to bring local air traffic control into the digital age, WGVU's DeM Morrison, was there. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says aviation equipment across the country dates back as far as the 1960s, relying on outdated copper wiring, analog networks, and paper systems. For you all specifically here in Grand Rapids, we are bringing you a new surface awareness system on its way. New voice switches, new radios. We're replacing your paper strips, which, if you haven't seen this, the controllers, when they pass off one airplane from one controller to the other, they use paper strips like it's 1954. The Gerald R. Ford International Airport is receiving $25 million from President Trump's working family's tax cuts. The airport's old copper telecommunications have already been replaced with new high-speed fiber, laying the groundwork for new software. That's one of the biggest challenges that we have in all of the build is a switchover from analog to digital, and then we have to reconstruct our whole network. We can't even get to the cloud. This system is so bad. Future upgrades also include a new radar system scheduled for 2028. Additionally, the airport received $6 million from the department for family waiting rooms and restrooms in the terminal B concourse. I'm D. Morrison. A proposed project in the North Monroe area of Grand Rapids would add a 20-story residential tower to the city skyline. WGVU's Phil Dawson reports a Chicago developer is planning a $185 million apartment, hotel, and parking ramp complex. Part of this is driven just by the growth in North Monroe. Representing Chicago developer Jay Johnson, attorney Jared Belka, told the Monroe North Tax Increment Financing Authority the project between Bond Avenue and the 800 block of Monroe has three components.

six-story hotel, a 20-story tower with 342 apartments. Adjacent to that would be a nine-story parking deck with 500 parking spaces. Belka estimates the investment at $185 million. Hotel is around $35 million of investment. Apartments, about $150 million. So a significant investment in the North Monroe area. The 20-story apartment building would be a noticeable addition to the city's skyline, taller than the 18-story McKay Tower. Mayor David LeGrand says the project will bring hundreds of new residents downtown. This is obviously really exciting. It ticks all the boxes through getting more people living downtown. That couldn't be happier. The developer already owned. the mixed-use city-built brewery building at 820 North Monroe. Belka says they want to start on the new project, ASAP. Hotel would be ahead of schedule than the apartments. They would actually like to get going this fall. Yeah, they would love to get going this fall. Michigan consumers are again being warned about imposter scams regarding banks and credit unions. WGVU's Jennifer Moss has more. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel on Wednesday reissued her consumer alert on imposter scams. This move follows report. of scammers impersonating banks or credit unions to steal financial and personal information. Her office says the fraudsters have reportedly used spoofing technology to make the caller ID appear to be from a legitimate source. They then may falsely claim there's an issue with a consumer's account. And during these calls, the scammer asked for account credentials or personal information, which they can use to access and even drain accounts. A.G. Dana Nessel says, quote, bad actors rely on urgency and spoofing technology. to trick Michigan consumers into giving up access to their hard-earned money, end quote. Dana Nessel's office says consumers can protect themselves from imposter scams by never transferring or sending money, cryptocurrency or gold to someone you don't know in response to an unexpected call. Michiganers should report any suspicious activity related to insurance and financial services either online or by calling the Department of Insurance and Financial Services at 877-99- 6442. I'm Jennifer Moss. A multi-million dollar expansion and dozens of new high-paying medical tech jobs are coming to Byron Center. WGVU's David Limbaugh has the details. Shoulder Innovations is investing nearly $5 million moving its current headquarters from Grand Rapids to Byron Center, where it's creating 42 new jobs with starting wages of at least $24 per hour plus benefits. That's above the current regional median wage of $22.61 per hour. The new jobs include positions in accounting and finance, IT, quality control, supply chain, and administration. Shoulder Innovations is a medical technology company exclusively focused on shoulder surgical care. The company plans to build its new two-story headquarters, including office and warehouse space, on Venture Hills Boulevard between Byron Center and Burlington Avenue. Shoulder Innovations was founded in 2009, establishing its headquarters in Holland, Michigan, before moving to Grand Rapids in 2020.

The investment is supported by a $252,000 Michigan Business Development Programme performance-based grant. I'm David Limbaugh. Grand Haven City Planning Commission on Tuesday approved site plans for the $10 million Chinook Pier project, as WGVU's DeMorrison tells us, groundbreaking is scheduled for next year. The approved plan covers three acres along the north side of Grand Haven's waterfront walkway. Led by Grand Rapids-based Copper Rock Construction, the mixed-use project features restaurant, retail, and office space, plus public green space, a gas fire pit, and farmers market. Copperock Senior Development Specialist Greg Taylor highlighted recent changes to the plan. Obviously, we're very excited about the new configuration on the multi-purpose building. They have both interior and some limited exterior farmers market utility, which would double as covered parking in non-market hours. Details such as lighting, landscape, signage, and relocating a nearby mini golf course are still to be finalized, but Planning Commissioner Amy Kozinecke is satisfied with the overall plans. this is a vast improvement from the plan we saw a month ago. I'm ready for subsequent meetings for tweaks. City manager Ashley Lash discussed the years of research and public input that went into the planning. We ultimately feel very confident that this is aligned with what the community originally saw. Copper Rock plans to break ground in the spring, with construction projected to take up to 18 months. I'm Dee Morrison. Coming up soon, WGVU, Shelley Irwin talks to a local author about her new book, but first, news from around the state. Some Michigan Republicans are raising alarms after an online video that purports to confirm a non-citizen's presence on the state's voter role. Colin Jackson has more. The video comes from conservative pundant James O'Keefe, who's known for posting highly edited gotcha style videos online. In the new video, a person seems to pose as a non-citizen while asking a Michigan poll worker to confirm his voter registration. Republican State Representative Rochelle Smith says public records obtained by a third-party group appear to show he had voted before. We need answers on that. How was he on the rules? Why is he not removed? How is he able to vote in the last three of the presidential elections? The Michigan Department of State says it investigates all claims of illegal voting. It notes the video doesn't show non-citizens voting, rather someone posing as someone else. That could be a felony in itself. I'm Colin Jackson in Lansing. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has approved a permit for a proposed tunnel project under the Straits of Mackinac as one of the last... required permits for Enbridge's Line 5 project, although several lawsuits are still pending. The Corps says the tunnel is not contrary to the public interest and does not, quote, impermissibly impair treaty rights. Nicole Kiway Byber, with the Little Traverse Bay bands of Odawa Indians, disagrees. It was a farcical process, kind of predetermined to do the bidding of industry. Enbridge Energy says the Corps' review was comprehensive. The company says it's committed to protecting the Great Lakes.

Focus West Michigan is brought to you by listeners like you. To support the show and everything we do here, visit wGVU news.org and click the donate button. And for a weekly dose of news right to your inbox, sign up for the WGVU newsletter. When Squirrels Fly is described as a cozy mystery that delivers laughs and thrills, WGVU Shelley Irwin talked to D.E. Carr about her warmth and wit in writing, plus an Ann Arbor-based setting. It's described as a cozy mystery delivering laughs through. and wormholes galore. It's a debut novel, When Squirrels Fly. That'll get your attention. A missing aunt, a charming neighbor, and a secret wormhole turns one quiet neighborhood upside down. I'm kind of laughing already. I'm going to bring you on for conversation. You author Diane Carr, D.E. Carr in another world as well with your author words, When Squirrels Fly. I like the title. Good morning to you, Diane. Good morning. Saying that a couple times because I do. Good that you are here, Michigander here on the, as they say, beautiful other side of the state, but yet your book available for all of this. Diane, when did you know that When Squirrels Fly would be your title? Well, it went through a few title iterations. Originally, there's definitely an underlying flying squirrel plot there. Originally, I had a different title on it, but the title was the tree-pound trellis, I think, originally, and it sounded too much like a children's book. So when I threw out the idea of When Squirrels Fly, publisher liked that. So we stuck with that. Nice. I love the behind the scenes. All right. Tell us your storyline of When Squirrels Fly, Diane. So I started writing the book in 2020 during the pandemic. And what had happened was. In 2017, I lost a brother to suicide. In early 2020, I was just starting to feel like I was coming out of the grief period. And then COVID hit. And I was thinking at the time that, you know, maybe picking up some light reading material, something to light in my mood, because, you know, we had to cut back so much in all of our leisure activities. Most of us had much more solitary time. And I couldn't find the book that I wanted to read. So I decided to write it and spent quite a bit of time while I wasn't able to get out and go to work or, you know, other leisure pursuits, writing. And it gave me an opportunity to actually also use my brother as inspiration for one of the characters. So that was pretty much a cathartic process for me.

I'd managed to, you know, maybe work through some things in that way. I'm the only one from a large family that moved away from home. I'm originally from Indianapolis. And so when he passed, I realized how little time I'd actually spent with him. I went away to college before he started high school, and I never really went home. And then whenever I would be home to visit, it was mostly during holidays or special occasions. So I didn't really get a lot of one-on-one time with him. So my book gave me an opportunity to spend a little bit of one-on-one time with him. Nice. Let's talk about your main characters. The main character, Allie, completely ignores her instincts and keeps making the wrong choices. Somehow we love her for it. Let's talk about this character. Okay. I gave her a little bit of a background that's a little bit similar to mine. I think people tell you, write what you know. But I like the fact that she's strong-minded and adaptable and a good problem-solver with the particular issue that she runs into, and yet she still has some of her own issues that she hasn't quite worked through. And I think those make for good amateur sleuth, you know, that she's, you know, smart and capable. And she's able to prove that to herself in the course of the mystery she's trying to solve. I see that the angry flying squirrels show up in her dreams to warn her. So let's talk a little bit about where this comes from. Okay. So I think most of us have some type of stress dream that we've experienced at different points in our lives when we're under stress. And mine were actually tornadoes. You know, the tornadoes are bearing down on the neighborhood and not trying to get everyone to take cover and no one listens to me. But I wanted to pick a stress dream that was something that she could actually encounter in real life. And, you know, thankfully, tornadoes don't hit Ann Arbor very often. I have kind of a love-hate relationship with squirrels. You know, I live in a college town, and the squirrels tend to be pretty bold here because they don't really have natural predators and people hand-feed them a lot. And I have two big black walnut trees at the back of my yard. And so my yard is typically filled with squirrels. And I tried to feed the birds. And those squirrels, no matter what obstacles I put out there, they seem to be able to figure out how to get into the hanging baskets. and into the bird feeder, and I could never figure out how they did it. And we do have flying squirrels in our area. I've never seen one, but I did accuse some of my backyard squirrels of flying. But they caused me a little bit of stress in trying to keep enough bird seed out for the birds. But they're also, squirrels are resourceful. And in the book, the anger in the squirrels somewhat represents her anger that she has with her father who's missing from her lives. Dankart with us, When Squirrels Fly, her debut novel. Tell me about your career. You worked in neurop psychology and community health. Did that background find its way into Allie's story?

Yes, it did. So that was, before I moved to Ann Arbor, I was actually managing a neural psychology unit. And so I worked a lot with people that had had strokes and head injuries and that sort of thing. So I know a lot about neural anatomy. And the main character in the book, Allie Caldwell, as a neuroscience background. And, you know, giving her a little bit of my background was helpful because I needed to do a lot of learning as far as how to get a book published, even how to write a book. But I didn't have to do so much research with regards to her background. And then since I've been here in Ann Arbor, I've mostly worked in community programs, community like with the YMCA and other organizations where I actually got to interact with community health over chronic disease prevention. And so I also have had an opportunity to work with the University of Michigan Institute of Clinical Health Research as a community-based. consultant for medical research, which has been incredibly rewarding. And there's a little bit of a medical research underlying subplot in the book as well. This, again, is touching because much of you in this, including your brother in form. much of your inspiration and more. What other themes do you ask us to take from your work? So the importance, I think, of family, family loyalty in the book, which is similar to my real life, my worldview is so different from the rest of my family. As I said, I'm the only one that moved away. And that comes out a little bit in the book that they have very different views of the world. And, you know, that can cause a lot of challenges, especially, you know, the last... 10 years that we've seen and how that can tear families apart. And yet, the sibling relationship is still strong. The brother and sisters still love each other and care for each other. And so they're able to get past that part. And then there's another underlying theme that involves pharmaceutical research, which I won't give away too much. You know, the idea that we treat most of our ailments and illnesses with drugs as opposed to maybe some other alternative options comes out a little bit. Will there be another novel under the Diane Carr, the D.E. Carr signature?

I sure hope so. I like these characters. I think they have good chemistry, and I leave enough unanswered questions in the book. to give me an opportunity for a sequel. And I now know a little bit more about what I'm doing with the writing process and the publishing industry. And so, yes, I have been working on an outline. And hopefully I would be able to complete this one a little bit faster than the five years this last one took, but I had so much to learn. Now with some of that behind me, I think it would be a quicker process. Practice makes perfect. Something like that, but obviously just doing it has been done by you. When squirrels fly, how do we find out more information? So you can go to my website. It's carwrites.com and it will give you all the background information and also provide links. The book is available anywhere where books are available. And I do have several links on my website where you can go right to a site to purchase if you have an interest. Got it. All right, on it, continue our read. Congratulations on a debut novel after a long career in a completely different field, inspiring Diane D.E. Carr, we'll talk again. Thank you. Thank you.

This has been Focus West Michigan from WGVU for Thursday, August 13, 2026. I'm Joe Bilecki. Our audio operations manager is Rick Beirling and our news and public affairs director is Patrick Center. Don't forget to like and subscribe and we'll be back with more news and events in West Michigan tomorrow. Thanks for listening.