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Pollution Patrol
Volunteers keep river clean, get first-hand nature lessons
Sunday, April 16, 2006
The morning sunlight shone through the still-barren trees and long, thin blades of grass pushed through the carcass of last winter's shed skin.
The only sound was the chattering of birds and the whoosh of paddles in water as six canoes filled with volunteers headed east, picking up debris along the Macatawa River Saturday.
"Can someone grab that bottle?" asked Alaina Parton, 20, a sophomore at Hope College.
Meredith Praamsma, 19, also a sophomore, wearing green rubber gloves, reached out of the canoe and picked up the dirt-smeared plastic juice container and threw it into a white bucket at the bottom of the boat.
Business keeps kosher
Local food processors follow strict rules to earn certification
Sunday, September 4, 2005
If you're picking up a bottle of soy oil at the supermarket, you might notice a small, inconspicuous symbol on the label -- a "U" in a circle -- and wonder what it means.
This symbol identifies the product as "kosher" and represents a divine covenant for observant Jews and millions of others. And to stay competitive, food manufacturers in Holland and Zeeland, say earning a kosher certificate each year is just part of doing business.
Brian Terborg, vice president and controller of Zeeland Farm Services, which produces both soybean meal and oil, said the plant has been kosher since 1996.
"If you really want to participate in the industry you need to be kosher certified," Terborg said of the vegetable oil industry. "The entire industry is kosher."
Bryon's Neighborhood
Friends, neighbors gather to celebrate life of disabled man
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Bryon Carter loves "The Price is Right" and "Judge Judy." He attends Little League games and goes for long walks. But most importantly he is the common thread that ties a small neighborhood in Park Township together.
Tuesday night his neighbors gathered to celebrate his life and how knowing him has changed how they view people who live with disabilities.
"We want everyone to be a part of his life," said his mother, Carol Carter.
At the age of three months, Bryon, now 27, almost died. He stopped breathing and was without oxygen for so long he was left with permanent brain damage.
Families cope with autism
Monday, April 11, 2005
As Andrew Broussard opens the screen door to let guests in, there is nothing that would lead one to believe this boy is anything but a typical 6-year-old who loves to play video games and watch "Blue's Clues."
But as his mother instructs him to say hello to the visitors, he repeats several times, "People are coming. People are coming. People are coming."
Although he is articulate, his speech lacks spontaneity and his syntax is awkward. However, his mother says he's come a long way since being diagnosed with autism, a neurological disorder that impairs the development of a child's ability to communicate and interact with others.
April is Autism Awareness Month and area families are sharing their stories to help parents learn more about the importance of measuring their child's social and emotional progress in the first few years of life. Autism is the third most common developmental disorder in the United States and recent estimates indicate that up to one in 166 children have a condition in the spectrum of what can be called autism.
Running For A Cause
Antarctica Marathon will test woman as she raises funds to fight cancer
Sunday, January 9, 2005
In the kitchen of her Saugatuck condo, Annie Hotwagner stares at the faded photo of two young girls -- suntanned and smiling on a West Michigan beach. The girls -- Hotwagner and Tasha Morris -- had met while working at Coral Gables in Saugatuck in 1980 and became fast friends.
Through college, their first jobs and the birth of Tasha's daughter, they kept in touch until November 1993 when Morris lost her battle with cancer at the age of 32.
"She had a smile that could light up a room," Hotwagner said.
After losing her friend, Hotwagner began her own journey to help conquer the disease -- raising money for cancer research by running a marathon on each of the seven continents. Her next event is the most exotic -- the Antarctica Marathon on Feb. 26.
A Life In Limbo
Because of a 1996 law and Sept. 11, Hamok Yun may be deported for his guilty plea in 2000
Sunday, December 5, 2004
It's hard for Hamok Yun and his new wife, Amanda, to plan for the future since they have no idea where -- even in what country -- they will live.
The couple married Friday in Hudsonville and are staying for now with family members.
Yun has lived in the United States since he was 2 and is an honorably discharged veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard. But the Holland resident never became a U.S. citizen and now, because of a brush with the law five years ago, faces deportation to his native South Korea.
"The only thing Korean about him is his outward appearance," Amanda Yun said.
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