Good morning, Portage.

Consumers Energy is modernizing 135 miles of its natural gas pipelines—12 miles of which are in Kalamazoo County—as part of its Natural Gas Delivery Plan this summer.

Crews have begun work near Westwood/Oshtemo and eastern Kalamazoo, with some projects set to finish this summer and others scheduled to continue into November.

A local event marks the 75th Anniversary honoring Rem Wall and the Green Valley Boys for their show 'Green Valley Jamboree'—the longest-running country music TV series that aired from 1945 to 1980— which helped launch local music careers and continues to inspire performances by Rendal Wall and Bob Rowe.

Michigan's average gas price rose by eight cents per gallon to $3.23 at the start of the week, Triple-A Michigan said.

The price is 7 cents lower than last month and 56 cents lower than last year, with Grand Rapids marking the highest cost (at $3.30) and Marquette the lowest (at $3.02); a 15-gallon fill costs about $48 on average.

Ryker Risner is starting fourth grade in Harper Creek School District with extra help for dyslexia, and his mother says his reading confidence is higher than before.

Across Michigan, new literacy programs have been set up — Portage Public Schools now have 175 educators taking part in a training course as the state will start screening every kindergarten to third grader three times a year beginning in the 2027-2028 school year.

Portage city officials are discussing adding local preference to the bidding process for the trash pickup contract after opponents complained that awarding it to Waste Management hurts local jobs+ council members Nicole Miller and Chris Burns noted that despite existing policies in other jurisdictions, the local firm Best Way's bid would have been too expensive to qualify.

Western MI Parade of Homes 2025

6 PM – 7 PM — Home Builders Association — Cost not specified — Experience inspiring home designs at the 35th Annual Parade of Homes.

BrickUniverse LEGO Fan Expo - VIP

9-10:30 a.m. — Kalamazoo County Expo Center — VIP Admission $28.99 — Experience the largest collection of LEGO creations under one roof and meet professional artists.