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Kids could win a bicycle, get a free helmet at Kalamazoo bike rodeo

KALAMAZOO, MI -- Kzoo Parks and the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety (KDPS) will host a free bike clinic from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 11, at Mayors’ Riverfront Park, 251 Mills Street. This “Bike Rodeo” will teach children biking skills and make sure their bikes and gear are ready for the summer, the city of Kalamazoo said in a news release. At the end of the event, kids can ride their bikes around the edges of the baseball field (weather permitting). 100 bike helmets will be provided at no cost to kids who don’t have their own, from Safe Kids Kalamazoo County, led by Bronson Children’s Hospital. Read more:Vehicle drives through wet concrete, causes $3,000 in damageNew roundabouts coming to Kalamazoo County to slow down speedersI-94 bridge section demolished over Portage Road; final span to come down nextDNR to conduct controlled burn near U.S. 131 in Kalamazoo County

mlive.com

Dear Abby: Mom ready for divorce after kids get into dad’s pot stash

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I are going on 19 years of marriage and have three teenage girls. I told my husband that I’m done and I’m ready for a divorce. What happened cannot and should not be ignored, but ending a good marriage because your husband likes to use pot OCCASIONALLY seems extreme. Am I wrong to bring it up after many years and a great marriage? If you are looking for a divorce after “many years and a great marriage,” keep digging.

mlive.com

U-M’s Matthaei-Nichols launches #everydayoutdoors challenge

ANN ARBOR – University of Michigan’s Matthaei-Nichols botanical gardens and arboretum has launched a fun new campaign to encourage families to enjoy the outdoors this month. Its #everydayoutdoors campaign challenges families to complete a series of outdoor activities like rolling down hills, finding animal tracks and foraging for acorns. The only thing you need to do is get outside!”Every Day Outdoors challenge activities for December 2020. (University of Michigan Matthaei-Nichols)Share your photos with @matthaeinichols on Instagram with the hashtag #everydayoutdoors. Enjoy the winter fun!

If You love the “Housewives” franchise, you’ll love Amy Phillips

Host, Tati Amare got a chance to talk to Amy Phillips, a Grosse Point native, who can be seen on “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen" doing impersonations of the different ”Housewives" cast members. She did impersonations of many different people but when she started doing impersonations of the “Housewives” she caught Andy Cohen’s attention. She says she enjoys everyone from the “Housewives” franchise but her favorite person to impersonate is Theresa from Real Housewives of New Jersey. She was able to create a radio show based on the “Housewives” called “Reality Checked” which is on Sirius XM-Radio Andy. Watch the video to learn more about Amy Phillips!

St. Charles haunted house hosting alternative event amid coronavirus

ST. CHARLES, MI — Although Saginaw County’s Village of the Living Dead won’t open for the 2020 Halloween season because of the threat of coronavirus and COVID-19, organizers are planning an outdoor event with safety precautions instead. Members of the St. Charles Haunted House Association announced their decision not to open for the season via the St. Charles Haunted House Facebook page in July. Village of the Living Dead is the oldest nonprofit haunted house in Michigan, and this is the first year in 35 years that it won’t open. Guyton said last year nearly 6,000 people visited the haunted house, which is normally open on weekends from late September through the month of October. Find St. Charles Haunted House on Facebook to learn more.

mlive.com

How fear of Trump's China tariffs will cushion a toy company from coronavirus outbreak supply issues

Fear of impending China tariffs may have actually given some toymakers a cushion against the early impacts from the recent coronavirus outbreak. "If there's a delay of two, four, six weeks in getting the flow going again, we should be able to cover that. Still, Foreman said workers at the company's factories live throughout China, so many need to travel from central and northern China to the southern provinces where the factories are located. "We're searching all over to get masks to send over to China because the people can't return to work and really can't even leave their homes without the masks." Foreman said his company has been exporting masks made in the U.S. to China.

cnbc.com

Toymaker CEO: I would have had to lay off employees if Sunday's tariffs were imposed

Basic Fun CEO Jay Foreman told CNBC on Friday that the company would have had to lay off employees in the new year if an initial trade deal with China didn't work out. If the levies were implemented, Foreman said, about 15% of Basic Toys' U.S. workforce and a handful of international employees would have been laid off. Reports of a potential phase one trade deal began circulating this week, with sources telling CNBC on Thursday that a phase one deal had been reached between the world's two largest economies. However, confusion ensued Friday morning when Trump tweeted that a report was "completely wrong, especially their statement on Tariffs." But I really am happy to hear the president announce the phase one deal."

cnbc.com