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Morning Buzz: 5 things to know for March 28

Posted at 10:24 AM, Mar 28, 2018
and last updated 2018-03-28 10:25:05-04

1. A multi-million dollar project is finally taking flight at Ford International Airport.

On Monday, crews started work on a $30 million repair project, to the area where aircraft are parked, loaded, and refueled.

Airport officials say there are seven phases to the project, eventually making more space at the gate.

The work includes replacing the old pavement with new concrete, new LED lights, and upgraded the storm water drainage system. The project is expected to be complete in two years.

2. The need for affordable housing in Grand Rapids has once again surfaced, and the Grand Rapids City Commission is working to find more ways to create it.

On Tuesday, the commission held a public meeting, to discuss the "Housing Now" project, which started in 2015.

It includes 11 different goals to create more affordable housing in the city, and last night, officials discussed amendments to four of those goals. Those goals include incentives to build multi-unit homes by changing zoning ordinances, and allowing homeowners to add residential spaces to their primary residence.

Some neighbors say they feel these considerations are rushed, and lack transparency. The commission didn't make any decisions last night, and there are still more recommendations they need to discuss.

3. Michigan has a winner in a contest to find a way to prevent Asian Carp from invading the Great Lakes.

A software consultant at Harvard Medical School in Boston won the top prize of $200,000. He proposed using special propellers to create a wall of bubbles in the water, that the carp would find noisy and painful.

He suggested installing the device in the Illinois River, which provides a path to Lake Michigan. The idea is that the bubbles would force the carp to turn away.

Three other proposals won cash awards.

4. There's a new product called "Slice of Sauce."

The company behind it is currently raising funds on Kickstarter to manufacture and package the condiment sheets.

The Slice, which resembles a thin piece of fruit leather, is made from vine-ripened tomato puree, distilled vinegar, cane sugar, kosher salt, onion and garlic powders and fruit pectin.

Co-founder and CEO Emily Williams, whose father is a restaurateur in Michigan, created the recipe while developing a barbecue sauce.

Rather than discarding the unused parts of vegetables she was using, Williams "mixed them, ground them and dried them," and ended up with a literal slice of spices and veggies.

5. Since Toys 'R' Us is shutting down, you're probably wondering when the best time will be to score the biggest deals.

Turns out, the good deals probably won't come at the beginning of the liquidation.

Analysts say that retailers generally bring the price of a product up to the manufacturer's suggested retail price, and then apply a discount. That means, you probably won't see really deep discounts for weeks.

If you want popular toys, you'll have to shop early; the big name items like Lego, Star Wars, or Barbie may go quickly, even if there isn't a big price cut.

Remember, if you do plan to go to Toys 'R' Us, you can only use their gift cards through April 21.