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1/26/2023: Keeping time again
The daily newsletter for those who live, work, and play in Kalamazoo County.
Thursday, January 26, 2023
High 33°/Low 20° Snow
A long-broken clock tower is keeping time again thanks to a Kalamazoo neighborhood group. Also: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer set an ambitious agenda during her State of the State Address. And find out about a one-of-a-kind cooking class from NowKalamazoo’s Channon Mondoux.
Long-broken clock tower is keeping time again
The clock tower at Woodward School for Technology and Research in Kalamazoo had been stuck at 6:35 for decades. Now, thanks to a neighborhood group, the clock is keeping time again. Cynthia Whittingham with the Stuart Historic Neighborhood Association said the group had been interested in repairing the clock for some time, but it took a lot of digging around to find someone who could do the work. “We found somebody that fixed it in the 80s. And it hasn’t worked for 30 years,” she said. Kalamazoo Public Schools renovated the building about a decade ago. They upgraded utilities and made the building more energy efficient, but clock repairs weren’t part of the project. Whittingham said the clock tower is historically significant, which is why they were interested in getting it up and running again.
More News You Need To Know
Whitmer: Tax cuts, gun reforms, LGBTQ rights, and more on the agenda
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer gave her fifth State of the State Address last night and she laid out an ambitious agenda for the coming year. Those priorities may be achievable thanks to a majority-Democrat legislature – the first in decades. But the Democrats’ majority is a slim one and they will likely need to work with their Republican colleagues to get some things done.
Whitmer’s speech called for universal preschool, K-12 student tutoring, tax relief, gun control measures, and LGBTQ protections. Some of those priorities have bipartisan support, but others will require every Democratic lawmaker to vote in favor in order for it to pass. Notably absent from Whitmer’s speech was a call to repeal so-called right-to-work laws. Some Democrats, including Whitmer, are pushing to do away with rules that allow non-union workers to join union workplaces. Republicans are fiercely opposed to such a proposal and said the fact she left it out of the speech was a hopeful sign. [Bridge Michigan]
Oshtemo board weighs next steps in sewer expansion
Oshtemo Township will reopen bids for contractors to do Phase One of a sewer expansion project as soon as possible. The township previously opened bidding earlier this month only to discover that all available crews were already booked up. Township trustees learned about possible next steps during a board meeting Tuesday night. Their hope is to pick a contractor in time to begin work in late summer or early fall. Once things get moving, crews could work through the winter or hit pause once cold weather hits and resume in the spring. The goal is to have all sewer work completed by the end of 2024.
This sewer expansion project has had a rocky history. Voters in 2020 rejected a bond proposal that would have funded the work. Township officials then figured out a way to fund the project without needing to go to voters. Petitions and lawsuits followed and were resolved late last year. Many homeowners are unhappy that they will have to pay thousands of dollars to connect their homes to the new sewer lines once they are completed. [MLive]
Scotts Cafe to reopen in new location
A recently closed restaurant in Scotts will reopen in a new location next month. Sadly, the new home for Scotts Cafe will not be in Scotts, but in Richland. “Our desire was for the restaurant to always be in Scotts and even though that wasn’t possible we still know God is faithful,” read a Facebook post from cafe owners Josie and Bekah Coburn. The new location will be 9678 E D Ave. in Richland. It will open Feb. 7. Scotts Cafe closed abruptly on Jan. 12. No reason was given for the closure, but the Coburns promised they were seeking a new home. [WWMT]
NowKalamazoo reporter and Chef Channon Mondoux takes your tastebuds to ancient Turkey
Don’t miss the free virtual master class For the love of Baklava! with Chef Channon Mondoux on Friday, Jan. 27, 7-9pm. Sign up for free here!
For the love of Baklava! will Zoom you into the medieval kitchens of the Turkish Sultans as Chef Channon explores the history and lore of ancient and modern baklava. Plus:
Full instruction on how to roll your own baklava dough!
Learn a modern recipe to make baklava in 20 minutes!
Learn several variations on baklava!
This is the first stop on a journey for your tastebuds of one of the oldest deserts in the world.
Chef Channon is not only a reporter for NowKalamazoo’s Kzoo Kitchens series. She’s an experienced chef, food historian, and researcher for more than three decades. Chef Channon has created numerous historical cuisine events around the country from Ancient Roman, to Early European, High Middle Ages, Middle Eastern, Japanese and most intensely, Ottoman Palace Cuisine. In 2009, Chef Channon published Celebration at the Sarayi: A Feast in the Palace of Suleyman the Magnificent, which won a silver medal at the Living Now Book Awards, following a research trip to Turkey as a guest of the Turkish Cultural Foundation.
Now she’s heading back at the invitation of the master chefs at Güllüoglu Baklava in Istanbul, a family operation of five generations who will help her unlock the secrets of the ancient recipes her research has uncovered. In late February 2023, Chef Channon will also travel deep into southwest Turkey, near the border with Syria, where she will visit with chefs, home cooks, food historians, and museums for one-of-a-kind research and hands-on learning from people whose baklava recipe and techniques are innately part of their heritage.
Upon her return, Chef Channon will present her work at Western Michigan University’s Medieval Congress on May 13.
There will be additional opportunities to sample, learn about, and purchase various types of baklavas that aren’t available in the average bakery in the U.S.
It all starts with For the love of Baklava! with Chef Channon Mondoux on Friday, Jan. 27, 7-9pm. Sign up for free here!
