🌱 Increased Patrols, Security For Today + Portage Community Workshop

Hello, everybody! I'm back with your new edition of the Kalamazoo-Portage Patch newsletter, fresh off the presses. Follow along to find out everything you need to know about what's happening in town.

But first, your local weather:

• Friday: Showers of rain and snow. High: 44 Low: 20.
• Saturday: Breezy with snow, 1-2". High: 26 Low: 21.

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

1. The Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety and Kamazoo businesses prepared for St. Patrick's Day today with plans for increased safety measures. As the day ranks as one of the deadliest holidays for accidents, the city of Kalamazoo will see an increase in officer patrols. Lt. Chuck Mason said of the patrol increase, "We want people to have fun, absolutely. We're not out there to crash people's St. Patrick's Day, but we want people to enjoy it safely. We want everyone who goes out tomorrow looking for a good time to go home safely." (WWMT-TV)
2. The City of Portage is inviting the public to attend a Community Visioning Workshop on Monday, Mar. 20 from 6-8 p.m. at the Portage Zhang Senior Center. The interactive workshop will challenge groups of participants to create their own plans for the city's priorities and future projects. The initiative is part of the city's efforts to gather public input as it prepares to update the City of Portage Master Plan, which needs to be updated every five years and was last updated in 2014. (WKZO)
3. Kalamazoo's Meals on Wheels, a daily meal delivery service for seniors in the community, is celebrating its 60th anniversary this month. Milestone Senior Services staff member Taylor Rossi said, "It’s wonderful to see that we've reached 60 years and hopefully more 60 years to come, making sure our seniors are getting not only nutritious meals but having connections, preventing falls and isolation." (WNWN-FM)

From our sponsor:

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Today and tomorrow in Kalamazoo-Portage:

Friday, March 17

• Family Storytime At Kalamazoo Public Library (10:30 AM)
• Hip Hop With Speak It Forward At Alma Powell Branch Library (3:30 PM)
• Lucky's St. Patrick's Day Crawl At Tin Can Bar (4:00 PM)

Saturday, March 18

• Kalamazoo Living History Show 2023 At Kalamazoo County Expo Center (9:00 AM)

From my notebook:

• Kalamazoo's Spring Clean-Up, the monthly curbside yard waste collection, begins in April. City residents will also have the option to participate in two free drop-off days in April to dispose of bulk trash items. (WKZO)
• A new antique shop has opened in downtown Kalamazoo! Haggle held its official grand opening on Thursday, Mar. 16. (wbckfm.com)
• Housing Resources Inc. will be hosting its annual 5K Walk to End Homelessness on Saturday, Mar. 18. The event starts at 10 a.m. at the Growlers Stadium in Kalamazoo. (WWMT-TV)
• Join the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts to celebrate the Young Artists of Kalamazoo County this weekend. The event will run on Saturday, Mar. 18, and Sunday, Mar. 19 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Kalamazoo Institute of Arts via Facebook)

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.