🌱 School Bus Wreck + Board Of Education Interviews + Missing Teen

Hello, neighbors! It's me, Michelle Paul, your host of the Kalamazoo-Portage Patch newsletter — here to tell you everything that's fit to print about what's happening in town these days.

But first, your local weather:

• Friday: Low clouds may break. High: 78 Low: 61.
• Saturday: Turning cloudy and warmer. High: 87 Low: 65.

From our sponsor:

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Here are the top three stories today in Kalamazoo-Portage:

1. Earlier this week both sides of East Michigan Avenue were shut down in Comstock Township due to a car crash that involved a school bus filled with children. The accident occurred Thursday morning just before noon near 28th Street and 30th Street when an SUV collided with a bus seating 40 elementary and middle school-aged children. Three people were injured, two on the bus and the other being the driver of the SUV. After the Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Office responded to the scene, the road was reopened to traffic. (WWMT-TV)
2. After reviewing applications for the vacant position on the Kalamazoo Public Schools Board of Education, six candidates have been selected to interview this coming Wednesday to fill the spot left by Tandy Moore. All of the pending interviewees have familiarity with Kalamazoo and the board plans to select the newest member by Jul. 6. They will fulfill the remainder of Moore's term which ends in December 2024 before they would need to run for re-election. (WWMT-TV)
3. The Battle Creek Police Department is currently requesting help from the local community in locating 13-year-old Kyra Lynee Jones-Kelley who is believed to be in the Kalamazoo area. The teen was last seen on Thursday, Jun. 15 when she left her Bedford Township home around 10:00 p.m. that night. Since Jones-Kelley's disappearance, her parents have received suspicious messages from her Facebook page indicating that she may be in danger. The teen stands at about five-foot-five inches and weighs around 150 pounds. (95.5 FM)

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Today and tomorrow in Kalamazoo-Portage:

Friday, June 23

• Family Storytime At Kalamazoo Public Library (10:30 AM)
• Magician Brad Lancaster At Washington Square Branch Library (11:00 AM)
• Friday At The Flats At The Celery Flats Historic Area (4:30 PM)
• Movies In The Park - Guardians Of The Galaxy At The Celery Flats Historic Area (9:00 PM)

Saturday, June 24

• Smart Cycling - Traffic Skills 101 Course At Portage Parks & Recreation Building (9:00 AM)
• KPL Tech Days At Kalamazoo Public Library (10:00 AM)
• Music Through The Decades At Green Door Distilling Co. (7:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• REMINDER - On Saturday, June 24 Western Michigan University will proudly be celebrating the hard work and dedication of more than 1,000 students receiving their bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degrees. There will be two different programs, one at 9:00 a.m. and one at 12:00 p.m., the ceremony will also be livestreamed here. (Western Michigan University via Facebook)
• After a long time of waiting, Kalamazoo Central High School finally broke ground on the baseball and softball field renovations that have long been waited for. The renovations are being supported by Kalamazoo Central alumni Derek Jeter's "Turn two Foundation," and several key figures spoke at the ceremony. (Kalamazoo Public Schools via Facebook)
• The Kalamazoo Farmers Market is changing it up this coming Tuesday with its first Kids' Market of the season. From 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. you can find several different items made by those 17 and younger, more information can be found here. (Kalamazoo Farmers Market via Facebook)

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• Building Wealth in Your 40s Webinar (June 26)

Now you're in the loop and ready to head out the door on this Friday! I'll see you soon.

— Michelle Paul

About me: Michelle Paul is a Utah-based writer and photographer with a professional background in content management and registered nursing. When not working on projects ranging from photo editing to copywriting, they enjoy traveling, video games, and expanding their skills.