🌱 Patch AM: What Grand Rapids residents just revealed about safety, parks and city services

Good day Grand Rapids! We're here again with what you need to know today. Grab a cup of coffee and read on. ☀️

In today's newsletter:

• What Grand Rapids residents just revealed about safety, parks and city services
• How one Grand Rapids daycare is raising confident bilingual kids
• How a Grand Rapids lab just landed $4.6M for discovery

Also on today's calendar: Spooky Sprint - Grand Rapids and 9 more events.

Today's riddle: What do you call a paper airplane that can't fly? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

• Wednesday: Mostly sunny and pleasant, with a high of 73 and low of 51 degrees.
• Thursday: Mostly sunny, temps: high: 67, low: 45.
• Friday: Partly sunny, with a high of 68 and low of 52 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

• Results published from survey covering Grand Rapids (woodtv.com) — A new quality-of-life survey of Grand Rapids residents shows safety ratings still trail national averages but are improving, while parks, recreation, and arts receive stronger marks. City leaders will use the findings, gathered from a representative sample of about 400 residents, to help shape upcoming budget and strategic planning decisions that affect daily services.
   

• Grand Rapids daycare connects children to language and culture through bilingual learning (fox17online.com) — A Grand Rapids daycare is helping local children grow up bilingual by blending English and Spanish into everyday play, songs, and stories. Owner Clarivel Martinez and her team also share their Dominican and Mexican heritage, giving families a welcoming space where kids can keep their home language while building confidence in English and connecting with their cultural roots.
   

• NIH Backs Bold Epigenetics Quest to Decode How Immune Cells Walk the (scienmag.com) — A Grand Rapids-based scientist at Van Andel Institute has secured a prestigious NIH New Innovator Award, bringing nearly $4.6 million over five years to support cutting-edge epigenetics research. His team will refine new tools to study how immune-cell genes are controlled, using patient blood samples to better understand conditions like myelodysplastic syndrome and lupus and potentially guide future therapies.
   

📸 Around Grand Rapids

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🗓 Upcoming Events in Grand Rapids

Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!

★ Featured events ★

Wednesday October 7
• Music Bingo at Cheers Good Time Saloon →
  Cheer's Good Time Saloon, 3994 Plainfield Avenue Northeast, Grand Rapids
  8:00 pm

Want to see your event featured? Click here!

Other local events

Thursday October 8
• Grand Rapids Danfoss Week — Morning →
  R L Deppmann, 4121 Brockton Drive Southeast, Grand Rapids
  7:30 am
• Board of Commissioners Meeting →
  Administration Building, 300 Monroe Avenue NW, Grand Rapids
  8:30 am
• TEFAP Food Distribution →
  Kent County Human Services Complex, 121 Martin Luther King Jr. Street SE, Grand Rapids
  9:00 am
• Weathering Emotions Exhibit at Grand Rapids Children's Museum →
  Grand Rapids Children's Museum, 11 Sheldon Ave NE, Grand Rapids
  9:00 am
• Plat Board Meeting →
  Kent County Treasurer's Office, 300 Monroe Ave NW, Grand Rapids
  9:00 am
• AHA CPR Instructor Course →
  Life EMS Innovation and Education Centre – Grand Rapids, MI, 1050 Fuller Ave. NE, Grand Rapids
  10:00 am
• Bowling - That's How We Roll!!! →
  Park Center Lanes, 2222 28th St SW, Grand Rapids
  10:00 am
Saturday October 10
• Spooky Sprint - Grand Rapids →
  Caledonia High School, 9050 Kraft Ave SE, Caledonia
  8:00 am
Sunday October 18
• Sacred Sundays Breathwork - Grand Rapids Edition →
  Bamboo Grand Rapids: Coworking & Events Center, 2 Fulton St W, Grand Rapids
  10:00 am
Friday October 23
• Candlelight: A Haunted Evening of Halloween Classics →
  Wealthy Theatre, 1130 Wealthy St SE, Grand Rapids
  8:45 pm
Saturday October 24
• Puppy Yoga Grand Rapids →
  2455 29th St SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49512
  9:00 am

📣 Grand Rapids Shout Outs!

Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!

Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.

Want to see your business here? Click here to connect with local customers.

💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

• Hardhat worker says fences should be gone in 7 to 10 days and access to the Canal Park fully open at last, including the kayak/canoe launch near the former waterside crescent.
  The playground incorporates Native American elements like sturgeon and canoe shapes and the entire ground has been elevated 3' to protect against… (Nextdoor Diamond)
• Does anyone happen to have a hospital type boot?
  That they no longer need or never used? I guess it would be more of a shoe than boot? (Nextdoor Eastown)

• Grand Rapids Public Schools posted a job opening for LOOP Activity Leader in Grand Rapids. Apply here.
• Southern Rock Restaurants, LLC posted a job opening for Back of House Team Member in Grand Rapids. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Grand Rapids here.

🗞 Nearby News

East Grand Rapids

• East Grand Rapids Harvest & Beer Festival returning to Gaslight Village this weekend (wzzm13.com)

Walker

• Walker police locate missing, endangered 14-year-old girl (meigsindypress.com)
• Where to Find Spirit Halloween Stores in West Michigan (rivergrandrapids.com)
• Morning Buzz: October 6, 2026 (fox17online.com)

Wyoming

• The Haitian Sensation: Chef at ResLife Church competing on Hell's Kitchen (fox17online.com)
• Wyoming candidates talk food policy (therapidian.org)

Ok Grand Rapids! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: "What do you call a paper airplane that can't fly?" — Stationary (Thank you David H. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!

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