1. Big congratulations going out to East Kentwood teacher, Matthew Vriesman, honored as the 2023 Michigan History Teacher of The Year.
The honors come from the Gilder Lehrman Institute - the nation's leading organization dedicated to K-12 history education.
Mr. Vriesman is known for creating an engaging classroom environment where students learn and discuss complex issues. The assistant principal says you will often hear shouts, debates, and laughter coming from his classroom where scholars find joy and success.
Mr. Vriesman won a thousand dollars, a core archive of American history books, and is now a finalist for the National History Teacher of The Year Award.
2. Are you a nonprofit in need of some money? Well, the Consumers Energy Foundation wants to help.
They're asking nonprofit organizations across the state to submit letters of intent for the 2023 prosperity awards. The grants will provide as much as $250,000 to two or more Michigan nonprofits who are looking to revitalize their neighborhood or complete arts and culture projects.
Letters of intent must be submitted by 5 p.m. on Friday, August 11 to be considered for the next phase of the application process.
Learn more at consumersenergy.com.
3. Enjoy a late summer afternoon of music surrounded by the rich history of W.K. Kellogg's former home and estate.
The W.K. Kellogg Manor House's Annual Tours and Lakeside Concert Event is happening on Sunday, August 20 from noon to 5 p.m. The family-friendly concert and tours are free, but donations are appreciated.
You can bring a picnic lunch, take self-guided tours of the manor house and grounds, and learn more about the Kellogg Biological Station.
4. Grand Rapids has been named the Best Beer City in the U.S. according to USA Today's 10Best Readers' Choice Travel Award.
Readers from across the country voted Grand Rapids number one among 20 finalists that had been selected by a panel of beer experts.
To celebrate, Experience Grand Rapids is inviting craft beer lovers to become Beer City Brewsader. You can access special offers from select breweries by using the app.
The top 10 include Philadelphia, Indianapolis, San Diego, Asheville, Milwaukee, Tampa, Chicago, Atlanta, and Minneapolis.
5. Speaking of beer, Fox 17 is hosting the first-ever Battle of the Brews.
Over the next month, we're going to introduce you to "6" local breweries. During this time, you can go online to fox17online.com and vote for which one is your favorite brewery. Remember, you can only vote once per day.
Then at the end of the month whichever brewery has the most votes will be crowned our "Battle of The Brews" winner and they'll be taking home a trophy too.
So once again visit fox17online.com and visit the Morning Mix page to place your vote for the Battle of The Brews.
6. One lucky person can win what could be the largest jackpot in Mega Millions history.
The jackpot now sits at $1.55 billion after no one won the grand prize on Friday.
It's now been 31 straight drawings without a winner. The jackpot is so hard to win because the odds are 1 in 302.6 million.
The next drawing is tomorrow night. Whoever wins could take a $752-million lump sum payment.
