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🌱 Patch AM: Why a downtown Grand Rapids murder conviction is getting a new trial

Coming up on the Grand Rapids Patch calendar: L3 Open: BG 14-16 Grand Rapids, MI

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What's up Grand Rapids! Let's start this morning right by getting caught up on what's going on around town. Keep reading to stay in the loop. ☕️️

In today's newsletter:

  • Why a downtown Grand Rapids murder conviction is getting a new trial
  • How will new Stocking School Apartments reshape Grand Rapids' West Side?
  • Which free AI sessions are coming to downtown Grand Rapids next week?

Also on today's calendar: Tanger Outlets Grand Rapids Invites Community to Annual Fall Harvest Day Festival, Sept. 19 and 9 more events.

Today's riddle: I'm a rock group with 4 members; one member was assassinated. What am I? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

  • Friday: Warm with plenty of sunshine, with a high of 80 and low of 63 degrees.
  • Saturday: Partly sunny, a shower; warm, temps: high: 81, low: 62.
  • Sunday: A shower in the afternoon, with a high of 78 and low of 53 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. New trial ordered for man convicted in downtown Grand Rapids shooting (mlive.com) — A state appeals panel has ordered a new trial for Genesis Kevin-Xavier Lewis, whose 2022 downtown Grand Rapids shooting case on Pearl Street led to a second-degree murder conviction and 28-year minimum sentence. Judges say jurors should have been allowed to consider mitigating circumstances and a lesser charge like voluntary manslaughter, meaning the high-profile case will return to court and could lead to a different outcome.
   

2. Stocking school housing project gets initial approval (woodtv.com) — Grand Rapids' Planning Commission has given initial approval for converting the closed Stocking Elementary School into a 48‑unit affordable housing complex, with strict construction hours and added green space. The Stocking School Apartments project will preserve the historic gym as community space, include deeply affordable units tied to area median income, and follows the school board's earlier decision to sell the property to the developer.
   

3. Ferris State's Tech Week Grand Rapids sessions focus on the growing role of artificial intelligence (ferris.edu) — Tech Week Grand Rapids is bringing more than 160 free events to the city Sept. 14–19, with Ferris State University leading several AI-focused sessions at Kendall College of Art and Design on Pearl Street NW. Locals can register for talks on rural digital equity, healthcare data, pharmacy practice, and practical AI adoption, all designed to help residents and professionals navigate fast-changing technology.
   

4. MAYBE HAPPY ENDING Tickets to Go on Sale for Broadway Grand Rapids Run (broadwayworld.com) — Grand Rapids theater fans can now buy tickets to the Tony-winning musical Maybe Happy Ending, coming to DeVos Performance Hall November 10–15, 2026. Original Broadway stars Steven Huynh and Claire Kwon will lead the cast, with tickets available through Broadway Grand Rapids online, by phone, or at the Lyon Street office, where purchases are limited to nine per account.
   

5. Remembering Sept. 11: A small gesture of comfort from West Michigan to New York (woodtv.com) — From Grand Rapids, WOOD TV8 journalists recall how West Michigan responded to the Sept. 11 attacks, from airport coverage to prayer vigils and a teddy bear drive for New York children. A month after 9/11, a local-led caravan delivered stuffed animals to a Staten Island school, offering comfort and underscoring the sense of unity that briefly bridged the distance between Michigan and New York.
   

📸 Around Grand Rapids

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • I have 2 kittens who won't leave my porch.
    And are attempting to feed from my shitzu who do I contact about this (Nextdoor Madison Area)
  • Guess what day it is?
    Yep, Hump Day Let's get it over with. Whoot, whoot! (Nextdoor Ridgebrook)
  • Creative Financial Staffing posted a job opening for Part-Time Accounts Receivable Specialist in Grand Rapids. Apply here.
  • Buckle posted a job opening for Freight Coordinator (Part-Time) in Grand Rapids. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Grand Rapids here.

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: Mount Rushmore (Thank you J.J. W. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!

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