🌱 Why Kentwood’s fire chief says your home may hide a deadly gas

Hello Kentwood! Here's our latest buzz. Let's get into it. ☀️

In today's newsletter:

• Why Kentwood’s fire chief says your home may hide a deadly gas
• How a Kentwood TikToker turned food insecurity into foodie influence.
• Which rising star from East Kentwood made MLive’s Mr. Basketball watch list?

📸 Have a great pic of holiday decorations from around Kentwood? Post it to Kentwood photos of the day! ☃️ 🟢-🟠-🟣-🔴-🟡-🔵 ☃️

Today's riddle: Can February March? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

• Tuesday: Not as cold, becoming breezy, with a high of 35 and low of 31 degrees.
• Wednesday: Breezy in the a.m.; clearing, temps: high: 39, low: 26.
• Thursday: Windy with rain, with a high of 41 and low of 20 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

• The One Silent Killer That Puts Every Michigan Home At Risk This Winter (mix957gr.com) — Kentwood’s fire chief is warning residents after firefighters entered a home with carbon monoxide levels 50 times higher than normal during a recent medical call. As winter tightens homes across Michigan, he’s urging families to install CO alarms, maintain furnaces and appliances, and avoid running vehicles in attached garages to prevent this odorless, potentially deadly gas from building up indoors.
   

• West MI TikTok creator: from food assistance to food reviews (woodtv.com) — A Kentwood-based TikTok creator is turning her past struggles with homelessness and food insecurity into a platform that highlights West Michigan restaurants and encourages support for local businesses. She now uses her 50,000-follower audience to demystify dining out, celebrate diverse cuisines and urge neighbors to give time and resources to fight hunger and homelessness in the Grand Rapids–Kentwood area.
   

• First look at MLive's 2026 Michigan Mr. Basketball watch list (mlive.com) — Kentwood hoops fans get a nod in MLive’s first 2026 Mr. Basketball watch list, which highlights East Kentwood guard RJ Chapman among players to keep an eye on. The statewide rundown focuses on top juniors’ stats, college commitments and early-season performances, including games played at East Kentwood’s GottaGetIt Hoop Classic in Kentwood.
   

📸 Around Kentwood

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📣 Kentwood Shout Outs!

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🗓 Events Nearby

Tuesday December 16

• Hudsonville Girls JV Basketball @ Byron Center
  Byron Center High School , 8500 Burlingame Ave SW , Byron Center
  7:00 pm

Wednesday December 17

• December Board of Review
  Caledonia Charter Township, MI Calendar Caledonia, MI 49316
  9:00 am
• Holiday Celebration Lunch
  Kentwood Activities Center , 355 48th St. SE , Kentwood
  12:00 pm
• Steve Troyer
  Community Pace- Newaygo , 231 W Pine Lake Dr , Newaygo
  12:15 pm
• Christopher Sloan
  Clearstream , 240 E North St. , Hastings
  2:00 pm
• The Grand Castle
  The Grand Castle Apartments , 2655 Grand Castle Blvd , Grandville
  4:00 pm
• Grandville Middle School vs North Rockford Middle School
  Grandville Middle School , 4900 Canal Ave SW , Grandville
  4:00 pm
• Township Board Meeting
  Caledonia Charter Township, MI Calendar Caledonia, MI 49316
  7:00 pm

Friday December 19

• CSFP Food Distribution Table
  Kent County Community Action , 121 Franklin St SE #110 , Grand Rapids
  7:00 am
• The Nutcracker
  East Grand Rapids Performing Arts Center , 2211 Lake Dr SE , Grand Rapids
  7:00 pm

Saturday December 20

• KCCL Open 10-5 pm
  KCCL , 8461 Conservation , Ada

Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

• Hello, neighbors!
  I am giving away a slow cooker (I think it’s 6qt). Works very well, I only used it a couple of times. Please send me a message if you’re interested… (Nextdoor Kalamazoo Ave/52nd St)
• Unreal.
  This is a heavily trending scam on Facebook. There is another one of a guy saying his dad passed away and is giving away the car to someone in need… (Nextdoor Kalamazoo Ave/52nd St)

🗞 Nearby News

East Grand Rapids

• EGR graduate describes experience during Brown University shooting (fox17online.com)

Grand Rapids

• Grand Rapids school board approves 11.8% budget increase for teacher pay, benefits (mlive.com)
• Grand Rapids park hosts lantern walk, community night (woodtv.com)

Ok Kentwood! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I don't know, but April May!
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

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