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Morning Buzz: 5 things to know for February 27

Posted at 10:32 AM, Feb 27, 2017
and last updated 2017-02-27 10:31:46-05

1. Kids at Kalamazoo Public, Gull Lake Community, and Climax-Scotts are back at school today.

All three districts were closed last Friday due to widespread illness. In fact, Kalamazoo Public reported 1,900 cases on Thursday.

County Health Officials say the flu, respiratory illness, and norovirus are all on the rise across southwest Michigan.

2. They say laughter is the best medicine, and Gilda’s Club Grand Rapids and Laughfest are teaming up with Michigan Blood and Blue Care Network to host blood drives during the festival.

They’ll be at the donor center off Fuller Avenue in Grand Rapids until 7 p.m. tonight.

There will be more blood drives at Grandville United Methodist Church on Thursday and at King Memorial Youth Center in Lowell on March 13.

Anyone who attempts to donate will get some Laughfest goodies and could win tickets to some of the shows.

3. The City of Kentwood turns 50 this year, and a tasty event returns to kick off the celebration.

The 16th annual Taste of Kentwood starts at 6 p.m. tonight with a special city commission meeting, and Lieutenant Governor Brian Calley is expected to be there.

Local food and drink sampling is set for Thursday at the Kentwood Activities Center, and Railtown Brewing created a special beer for the event.

4. AT&T announced two new optional “unlimited” wireless plans today, joining a recent wave of unlimited-mania.

The first plan, “Unlimited Plus,” lets Direct TV and U-Verse TV subscribers receive a $25 credit on their monthly video bill.

The second is called “Unlimited Choice,” which aims at budget-conscious consumers, who can get unlimited data for $60 a month.

The catch is it’s a maximum speed of three megabytes per second.

Earlier this month, Verizon became the last major U.S. carrier to offer a fresh unlimited data plan.

5. The cost of being the Tooth Fairy is going up.

Delta Dental’s annual Tooth Fairy survey shows cash payouts have soared during the past year, hitting an all-time high average of $4.60. That’s a 75 cent increase from 2015.

About 89 percent of the homes the tooth fairy hits receive money, but the fairy is also known to occasionally leave gifts that promote dental health like toothpaste or toothbrushes.