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Morning Buzz: 5 things to know for January 24

Posted at 10:47 AM, Jan 24, 2019
and last updated 2019-01-24 10:47:46-05

1. Grand Valley State University and two medical manufacturers will be bringing 3D printing technology to the next level, and it's all thanks to a half million dollar grant.

The grant will fund a two-and-a-half year program looking at carbon 3D printers as a whole and how it can be used in final medical device manufacturing.

3D carbon printers are only being used at six universities across the nation. This is the first one being used in the Midwest.

2. The state's largest energy provider is applauding an energy distribution setup in one West Michigan city.

Consumers Energy says downtown Grand Rapids is one of the first in the country that makes renewable energy both reliable and cost-effective.

Consumers recently finished installing nearly 1,800 solar panels atop the Bridge Street Market, and adjacent building within the Circuit West District.

The company says this new setup can power up to 100 homes. It also hopes this local system will make the grid more efficient and sustainable.

3. Weezer has just dropped an entire album of covers including hits from Toto, Michael Jackson, A-Ha, and TLC.

Weezer's rendition of "Africa" by Toto was such a huge hit with music fans last year, the band decided to do a whole album like it. The band released "The Teal Album" at midnight.

It includes "Everybody Wants To Rule The World," "Happy Together," and "Take On Me," just to name a few.

Weezer will be coming to Van Andel on March 20.

4. A new study out this morning shows something in your kids' room, may be worth more than gold. A professor looked at the value of Lego sets from 1987 to 2015 discovering the plastic toys bested gold returns on investment by about 11 percent per year.

The building bricks also outperformed the benefit rate on stocks and bonds during the same period.

Do research before selling your Lego collection though, experts say the toy market is volatile and making money is never a guarantee.

5. Remember conversation heart candies? They're not going to be on the shelves this year.

The company that makes Sweethearts Candy, Necco, went out of business last July after more than 100 years. Spangler Candy Company later purchased Necco but didn't have enough time to mass-produce the Sweethearts Candies.

Don't worry, Spangler's CEO says they'll be back on the shelves next year.

Leave it to Amazon to come through, for a hefty price. Boxes start at $9, and an eight-pack box is going for $12.