Chris Aldridge
Govtech.com
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Past articles by Chris:
Four Michigan Counties Get Nearly $6 Million in Flood Relief
By day’s end on Monday, more than 1,200 residents had registered with FEMA for help based on individual, housing, and other needs. → Read More
The Crane Wives to spin ‘cathartic’ show at Larkin Beer Garden
Larkin Beer Garden has billed one of its biggest acts with Grand Rapids-based The Crane Wives, set to perform Friday as part of a new "Indie Go Nights - Summer Street Concert." Larkin Beer Garden, at 233 E. Larkin St., is an outing on Thursdays and Fridays in the summer from 5 to 10 p.m. where a rotating beer selection is served from a pop-up, outdoor bar in an otherwise nondescript parking lot.… → Read More
Four counties get nearly $6M in flood relief
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved more than $4.7 million to help residents in Midland, Isabella, Gladwin, and Bay counties affected by the June 22 and 23 flooding, and the Small Business Administration reports approving over $1 million in low-interest loans. By day's end on Monday, more than 1,200 residents had registered with FEMA for help based on individual, housing, and… → Read More
Things get wild at fair with animal show
The duo raises and trains 150 wild, exotic animals for the show - some big, some small, others "ugly, creepy, or crawly." The Kemmerers don't operate an animal rescue per se; their goal is education and outreach, Jaimie said. Jaimie brought out a snapping turtle, that, when tickled on his neck, opened wide for parents and children bunched up near the stage, in bleachers, and a gazebo at the… → Read More
Royalty pageant ushers in Midland County Fair
Opening day at the Midland County Fair was Sunday, but for 31 contestants and their families that packed the grandstand at Glover Arena, the true start was Saturday. A brief afternoon downpour lifted and the sky reopened as the Midland County Fair Royalty Pageant got started. The 31 contestants, from Bullock Creek to Pinconning schools, Pine River Elementary to Meridian Early College and Delta… → Read More
City hears update on Tridge flood damage
Water pressure had caused the scaffolding crews had set up to push against the deck of the Tridge, raising it 7 inches, Karen Murphy, director of public services for the city of Midland, told the Parks and Recreation Commission this week in an update on flood damage in city parks. “The Tridge really stood the test of time,” she said, adding the city brought in a structural engineer to ensure… → Read More
Plymouth Pool open after fix of 'major' leak
"We had a major (underground) leak at the pool," Karen Murphy, director of public services for the city of Midland, told the Parks and Recreation Commission this week. Plymouth lost some 2,500 gallons of treated pool water, according to Murphy. The city brought in specialized welders from Three Rivers Corp., the contractor that completed a renovation at the pool in 2006. Photos posted on the… → Read More
Dow breaks ground on $100 million innovation center
In the morning, the company unveiled its new headquarters building in Midland on East Patrick Road. Dow says it has already begun hiring for 100 new full-time research and development jobs at the innovation center, scoping out potential new employees in the Great Lakes Bay Region, the state of Michigan and elsewhere. The plan also involves bringing another 100 jobs from global facilities to join… → Read More
Dow unveils new headquarters in Midland
On Monday, The Dow Chemical Co. unveiled its new headquarters building in Midland, soothing a swell of uncertainty that stemmed from the pending merger with DuPont Co. to create one of the biggest chemical companies in the country. Some 500 listened to remarks from Dow executives, board members and Congressman John Moolenaar at the dedication for the six-story, 184,390-square-foot new facility… → Read More
Drainage issues displace Midland County family after flood
The single-story ranch on Coleman Road off M-20 and near School Road and the Chippewa River is near where Midland and Isabella counties meet, the two counties hit hardest by widespread flooding on June 22 and 23. Raging floodwater did not spare them: the damage left a tainted well and resulted in the natural gas line being shut off, which left the home effectively unlivable. Floodwater also… → Read More
After flood, Midland plans storm, sewer system review
The Midland City Council on Monday is scheduled to vote on whether to hire consultants to evaluate the city’s storm and sewer systems and identify improvements. At the city’s wastewater treatment plant, water flow was 10 times the standard daily flow and reached maximum-ever total flow, City Engineer Brian McManus wrote in a letter dated July 12 to Interim City Manager David Keenan. [...] flash… → Read More
Veterans to the fight: They help Midland, Isabella after flood
Recovery efforts have not ceased since historic floods swamped mid-Michigan in late June. Damage costs exceed $100 million in Isabella and Midland counties. Officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, state police, Small Business Administration and city and county divvied up into teams, going door to door. Many businesses and philanthropic foundations have chipped in, as have many… → Read More
Alliance gets half million diapers, helping families after flood
[...] with more than 800,000 diapers on hand, the nonprofit says it will be able to funnel the supply to partner agencies in Midland, Bay, Saginaw and Clare counties for the rest of the year and into 2018. Heavy floods on June 22-24 left Midland underwater for days — completely destroying 50 homes, leaving another 250 unlivable and damaging at least 3,000 homes in all, according to officials'… → Read More
Lucky’s Steakhouse opens in Midland, plans more hires
The steakhouse is known for its top choice aged Midwestern beef and prime rib options, but the menu also features "a lot of seafood," from crab legs to lobster and grouper, and pastas, burgers, and other entrees. [...] armed with 100 employees, Vasilakis said he plans to hire another 20 people and adjust staffing levels as needed. [...] we're open. [...] developers and city officials said they… → Read More
Jerome Street and its bumps in line for makeover
The city council amended the major street fund to account for project costs. MDOT wants to fortify Jerome to take on increased traffic loads, as the bridge would be reduced to two-way traffic along the current eastbound side while westbound lanes are closed. [...] for where Jerome connects to Buttles, MDOT, consultants and city officials are eyeing a more than $10 million "road diet" for the… → Read More
EPA says flood did not affect dioxin levels
Dioxins are highly toxic and can cause cancer, reproductive and developmental problems, damage to the immune system, and can interfere with hormones. Dow, the EPA and Michigan Department of Environmental Quality routinely monitor dioxin levels in river sediment, and "when it is safe to do so, the riverbank and sediment remedies will be inspected to ensure that they are intact," an EPA… → Read More
Midland council approves raise for city attorney
The city council agreed to change his benefits to be more in line with unclassified employees, which reduces a multiplier in his pay package. Branson’s days are filled with meetings, court hearings, phone calls, training with department heads and other duties, Adams said. In the absence of a permanent city manager, the city council said Branson has taken on expanded duties and that the full… → Read More
Flooding damages Midland Cogeneration Venture
When the Tittabawassee River level reaches 26 feet, Poseyville Road near Putnam bridge typically floods and closes. Off Poseyville Road, Midland Cogeneration Venture reported it had "experienced significant water levels and some damage to buildings along the perimeter of the plant such as the main security gate." "Fortunately, the water did not affect the operational equipment in any way so MCV… → Read More
Dow, DuPont gain merger OK in Canada, Mexico
The Dow Chemical Co. and DuPont Co. have collected the majority of approvals needed from global antitrust regulators for a proposed $130 billion merger. Approvals from Canada’s Competition Bureau and Mexico’s Comision Federal de Competencia Economica (COFECE) come with similar conditions set by the European Commission and others around the globe, including requiring DuPont to divest part of its… → Read More
Alpine Village: ‘We probably evacuated 150’
The scene at Alpine Mobile Home Village was one Junior Hoover, 62, had never seen. Water poured from the sky in a series of thunderstorms. Alpine Mobile Home Village soon turned into an island, its 260 homes accessible only by boat. Which was the vessel firefighters and other officials would use to evacuate residents on Friday. “Between the fire department and us we probably evacuated 150… → Read More