1. The Gun Lake Casino will soon be home to sports betting and online gambling.
The plan is to make Stage 131, an entertainment venue inside the building into a sports betting area.
It'll feature a full-service bar, restaurant, and dozens of televisions. The casino is also adding self-serve kiosks so guests won't have to visit Stage 131 to place a sports bet.
Gun Lake hasn't said how soon these features are coming, but it'll be introduced in phases: first is on-site sports betting, and then online sports betting will come sometime after.
The casino says to follow them on social media for updates.
2. Inclusion is a theme being embraced at a local museum. The Holland Museum is hosting two new programs in the month of March.
The first is happening March 16 in honor of Down Syndrome Awareness Day. A Holland-based author will share the story of her son who has down syndrome, and the second presentation is March 19 focusing on diversity in the corporate level.
The Holland Museum is planning future inclusion events.
Learn more by visiting their website.
3. Penguins, tigers, and Pikachu? Nintendo fans will soon be able to catch 'em all at John Ball Zoo.
A new exhibit called "Pikazoo" is featuring characters from the popular game, Pokemon Go.
Guests will see ceramic Pikachu, Charizard, and Squirtle, and many others all created by young local artists.
The event is similar to last year's exhibit at Blandford Nature Center.
The exhibit will run through April 3-30.
4. A new compostable cup is coming to Starbucks, and customers may not even notice the difference.
The chain is testing out the new recyclable and compostable container in select stores, including locations in New York, San Francisco, and Seattle.
The new cups are still made of paper, but the inside is coated with a compostable liner.
Currently, standard Starbucks paper cups have a plastic liner, a feature which means they can't be broken down by industrial composters.
Officials say they will also be testing the new cups in select stores across London and Vancouver.
5. It's National Johnny Appleseed Day. He may seem fictional, but he was a real guy.
Born John Chapman in 1774, he walked, often barefoot, across the national and the frontier, planting trees and pears.
Fun fact: the apples he planted were too bitter to eat. Instead they were used to make cider, a safe alternative to drinking water on the frontier.
