http://www.mlive.com/northwestadvance/index.ssf/Latest News & OpinionenMon, 13 Jul 2009 13:28:53 PDTMovable Type Enterprise 1.52 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/noLatest News & Opinionnorthwest_advancehttp://feedburner.google.comhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/northwest_advance/~3/XrQSr_FXDe4/just_good_neighbors.htmlNorthwest AdvanceAdvance NewspapersMon, 13 Jul 2009 13:28:53 PDTtag:www.mlive.com,2009:/northwestadvance/index.ssf//2449.3226906 ]]>Cathy Runyon Face painting, a cookie walk, and free hot dogs, cotton candy and beverages drew hundreds of neighbors to a recent party at City View Baptist Church, 936 Alpine Ave. NW. Above, a cookie walk becomes a colorful parade...http://www.mlive.com/northwestadvance/index.ssf/2009/07/just_good_neighbors.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/northwest_advance/~3/G7bZGwhiZBM/brake_gets_life_in_prison_for.htmlNorthwest AdvanceJeff CunninghamMon, 13 Jul 2009 13:25:00 PDTtag:www.mlive.com,2009:/northwestadvance/index.ssf//2449.3226869 ]]>Troy Robert Brake, of Grant, will spend the rest of his life behind bars for the murders of Sharmaine Zimmer, 53, her sons Jeremy, 20, and Tyler, 17, of Wright, and Jeremy's girlfriend Katherine Ann Brown, 18, of Conklin....http://www.mlive.com/northwestadvance/index.ssf/2009/07/brake_gets_life_in_prison_for.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/northwest_advance/~3/2mkdUc4_vWI/sparta_church_hires_new_youth.htmlNorthwest AdvanceAdvance NewspapersMon, 13 Jul 2009 13:21:58 PDTtag:www.mlive.com,2009:/northwestadvance/index.ssf//2449.3226853 ]]>Loren Mote has been appointed youth director at Sparta United Methodist Church. He succeeds the Rev. Eric Branch, who resigned to take a full-time position in Greenville....http://www.mlive.com/northwestadvance/index.ssf/2009/07/sparta_church_hires_new_youth.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/northwest_advance/~3/xnVlwSwjsSA/berlin_fair_running_this_week.htmlNorthwest AdvanceAdvance NewspapersMon, 13 Jul 2009 13:20:52 PDTtag:www.mlive.com,2009:/northwestadvance/index.ssf//2449.3226851 ]]>The 154th annual Berlin Fair kicked off yesterday and revs up today as the first of the grandstand events starts along with the lumberjack shows and everything else the fair has to offer....http://www.mlive.com/northwestadvance/index.ssf/2009/07/berlin_fair_running_this_week.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/northwest_advance/~3/yLZXk8HIsSA/authorities_hunt_for_suspects.htmlNorthwest AdvanceSherry KuytMon, 13 Jul 2009 13:19:30 PDTtag:www.mlive.com,2009:/northwestadvance/index.ssf//2449.3226839 ]]>A cat who was a victim of malicious act is being treated at the Humane Society of Kent County facility in Walker. On Friday, July 3, the owners brought the 18-month-old male cat to the facility after they discovered he...http://www.mlive.com/northwestadvance/index.ssf/2009/07/authorities_hunt_for_suspects.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/northwest_advance/~3/Cfgff2l5GGI/painting_the_town_white.htmlNorthwest AdvanceAdvance NewspapersMon, 13 Jul 2009 13:14:23 PDTtag:www.mlive.com,2009:/northwestadvance/index.ssf//2449.3226805 ]]>Jeff CunninghamCoopersville Department of Public Works employees Mark Titus, left, and Mike Hammond spent several days last week painting stop lines and cross walks around Coopersville, making the city look its best as it gets ready for the upcoming Summerfest...http://www.mlive.com/northwestadvance/index.ssf/2009/07/painting_the_town_white.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/northwest_advance/~3/QPdbkZsQhp8/west_michigan_club_shines_at_h.htmlNorthwest AdvanceAdvance NewspapersMon, 13 Jul 2009 13:11:00 PDTtag:www.mlive.com,2009:/northwestadvance/index.ssf//2449.3226800 ]]>Dan Myers, of Byron Center, shows an entry in the cut leaf show at the National American Hosta Society Convention. The National American Hosta Society Convention was held June 24 through 27 in Lansing. Bob Sinke, of Kentwood, served as...http://www.mlive.com/northwestadvance/index.ssf/2009/07/west_michigan_club_shines_at_h.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/northwest_advance/~3/TfsmMaXRk0A/still_life.htmlNorthwest AdvanceAdvance NewspapersMon, 13 Jul 2009 13:08:12 PDTtag:www.mlive.com,2009:/northwestadvance/index.ssf//2449.3226786 ]]>l Zoo.Tom FirmeFine art always requires patience, whether it's on canvas or a little girl's skin. In the photo, Chloe Hunter, 8, of Comstock Park, sits motionless while teen volunteer Sierra LaHaie paints a penguin on her face during a...http://www.mlive.com/northwestadvance/index.ssf/2009/07/still_life.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/northwest_advance/~3/1vhnmmdCZn0/long_way_from_home.htmlNorthwest AdvanceAdvance NewspapersMon, 13 Jul 2009 13:04:19 PDTtag:www.mlive.com,2009:/northwestadvance/index.ssf//2449.3226751 ]]>Megan Thompson, whose family lives in Walker, reaches the finish line during a recent 5K race in Senegal, Africa. Thompson is working in the Peace Corps, and will return to the U.S. for a short visit in September. The youth...http://www.mlive.com/northwestadvance/index.ssf/2009/07/long_way_from_home.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/northwest_advance/~3/vPTmMgjYXJI/grand_rapids_schools_issue_mor.htmlNorthwest AdvanceChris HecoxMon, 13 Jul 2009 13:02:12 PDTtag:www.mlive.com,2009:/northwestadvance/index.ssf//2449.3226742 ]]>Last week, Grand Rapids Public Schools officials issued pink slips to 54 teachers in response to shrinking revenues, anticipated cuts in state funding and increasing costs. Superintendent Bernard Taylor Jr. said the layoff notices are a cautionary action taken because...http://www.mlive.com/northwestadvance/index.ssf/2009/07/grand_rapids_schools_issue_mor.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/northwest_advance/~3/ucV8UbRoW8k/ready_to_serve_1.htmlNorthwest AdvanceAdvance NewspapersMon, 13 Jul 2009 12:58:26 PDTtag:www.mlive.com,2009:/northwestadvance/index.ssf//2449.3226717 ]]>Brandon Newton, 17, recently led a picnic table repainting project at Richmond Park in Grand Rapids. He has been active in Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts for 12 years, including Boy Scout Troops 892 and 325, and worked on the...http://www.mlive.com/northwestadvance/index.ssf/2009/07/ready_to_serve_1.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/northwest_advance/~3/PG1p9wHFBZ4/fundraising_campaign_begins_fo.htmlNorthwest AdvanceChris HecoxMon, 13 Jul 2009 12:56:03 PDTtag:www.mlive.com,2009:/northwestadvance/index.ssf//2449.3226690 ]]>An effort is under way to raise some $200,000 to build a sculpture of civil rights icon Rosa Parks in the park that bears her name in Grand Rapids. The city's Rosa Parks Sculpture Committee recently launched the second phase...http://www.mlive.com/northwestadvance/index.ssf/2009/07/fundraising_campaign_begins_fo.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/northwest_advance/~3/tmTPGyyWEOw/spartas_150th_birthday_quilt_n.htmlNorthwest AdvanceCurtis WildfongMon, 13 Jul 2009 12:45:30 PDTtag:www.mlive.com,2009:/northwestadvance/index.ssf//2449.3226601 ]]>Curtis WildfongThe Sparta sesquicentennial quilt represents the 150 years of Sparta's existence and is on display at the Sparta Township Library. The quilt contains 30 handmade squares, each depicting a piece of Sparta's history. It represents 150 years of history,...http://www.mlive.com/northwestadvance/index.ssf/2009/07/spartas_150th_birthday_quilt_n.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/northwest_advance/~3/n6f06ljcYWg/selfdefense_class_for_women_be.htmlNorthwest AdvanceCurtis WildfongMon, 13 Jul 2009 12:37:48 PDTtag:www.mlive.com,2009:/northwestadvance/index.ssf//2449.3226544 ]]>The attempted abduction of a 19-year-old Sparta woman in January convinced the Sparta Police Department, along with local martial arts experts, to provide its first women-only self-defense seminar....http://www.mlive.com/northwestadvance/index.ssf/2009/07/selfdefense_class_for_women_be.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/northwest_advance/~3/iNKTCa8BOFA/scheduling_for_2_events_change.htmlNorthwest AdvanceAdvance NewspapersMon, 13 Jul 2009 12:36:21 PDTtag:www.mlive.com,2009:/northwestadvance/index.ssf//2449.3226531 ]]>Two events planned during Sparta's Town and Country Days celebration this week have been updated....http://www.mlive.com/northwestadvance/index.ssf/2009/07/scheduling_for_2_events_change.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/northwest_advance/~3/eb1i8sNTWyo/scare_tactics.htmlNorthwest AdvanceAdvance NewspapersMon, 13 Jul 2009 12:34:26 PDTtag:www.mlive.com,2009:/northwestadvance/index.ssf//2449.3226497 ]]>Sparta Baptist Church recently hosted a Wildwood Forest vacation Bible school program. In the photo, Paige Longcore, 4, and Joshua Childs, 5, explore a craft display. The event drew over 200 participants this year, prompting Pastor Bruce Kalish to make...http://www.mlive.com/northwestadvance/index.ssf/2009/07/scare_tactics.htmlnonadult