🌱 KDPS Launches New Survey Program + Zone 23 Gets State Funding

Hello, friends. It's me, Michelle Paul, your host of the Kalamazoo-Portage Patch newsletter — back in your inbox with all the most important things happening in town these days.

But first, your local weather:

• Wednesday: Showers of rain and snow. High: 39 Low: 19.
• Thursday: Mostly cloudy. High: 47 Low: 44.

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

1. The Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety (KDPS) is launching a new survey program to help them better engage with the public and gather feedback after service calls. The new program called My90 will send a survey requesting confidential feedback via text hours after a call. The new survey program will go live on Saturday, Apr. 1. (WKZO)
2. Michigan has approved $1.2 million in state funding to go towards a new development project that will add 13 housing units and a childcare facility on Kalamazoo's Northside. The development is the first to come out of Jamauri Bogan's company Bogan Developments LLC. Bogan was a running back on Western Michigan University's football team from 2016 through 2018; the development, named Zone 32, includes the number that he wore when he played on the football team. (MLive.com)
3. As part of the search for a new superintendent, the Kalamazoo Public Schools Board outlined the characteristics they would like to see in potential superintendent candidates. The primary objective that the board outlined is to find someone who can effectively "respond to the opportunities challenged by a diverse student body and community." The Kalamazoo community is racially and economically diverse, and community members emphasized the need for a new superintendent familiar with challenges related to diversity during listening sessions hosted by Ray & Associates, the firm hired to conduct the search. (MLive.com)

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Today and tomorrow in Kalamazoo-Portage:

Wednesday, March 29

• Electronics Recycling Day At DeNooyer Chevrolet (10:00 AM)
• Rootead Village Playdate At Rootead (10:00 AM)
• Community, Police, & Convo At Edison Neighborhood Association (5:00 PM)

Thursday, March 30

• Move With Joy: Yoga For The Family At Move With Joy Studios (5:00 PM)
• Jean-Yves Thibaudet At Stetson Chapel (7:30 PM)

From my notebook:

• Calling all house hunters! Check out this roundup of newly-listed properties in and around the Kalamazoo-Portage area, including a three-bedroom, one-bathroom house for $189,900. (Kalamazoo-Portage Patch)
• Bring home a new book at the next Friends of the Library Book Sale! The event will be held on Saturday, Apr. 1 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. April's sale will feature vintage books, auto repair manuals, Chinese language books, other media, and more. (Portage District Library via Facebook)
• Looking for a great way to give back to the community and save a life? Kalamazoo College's Red Cross Club will be hosting its spring blood drive on Thursday, Mar. 30 from noon to 5 p.m. in the Hicks Banquet Room. (Kalamazoo College via Facebook)
• God's Kitchen of Michigan and Broncos Kitchen are partnering together to co-host a free Easter dinner. The dinner will be on Thursday, Apr. 6 from 5-6 p.m. at the Kalamazoo Wesley Foundation meal site at 2350 Ring Road North. (WKZO)

Thanks for following along and staying informed! I'll see you around.

— 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.