1. Special Olympics Michigan kicked off a fundraising campaign for a remodeling project at the former South Christian High School in Grand Rapids Kicked.
About $6.7 million has been raised already through their Building Tomorrow's Champions campaign but will need about $14 million more to reach their goal.
When finished, it will be 127,000-square-feet with 17 acres of sports fields, expanded programming, administrative offices, educational, and wellness space. Their goal is to be the world's largest Special Olympics Facility.
The campus will host competitions of all different kinds. To make a donation, visit somi.org.
2. There's a new spot to grab a morning cup of coffee in Grand Rapids, Sparrows Coffee.
Sparrows Coffee has officially opened a new, full-service cafe at Kingma's Market. To start the location will be open 7-4 while they ramp up staff and continue training. After that, hours will be 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week.
The location will offer a variety of delicious brews and blends including the Joven Coffee Brand, which was founded by the cafe owner's daughter, Frankie Volkema.
Frankie is the youngest Coffee Q Grader in the world. She'll be working there this summer before she has to head back to school.
3. Grand Rapids is bringing a new festival to Calder Plaza.
Confluence Fest calls itself the first-ever convergence of music, art, science, and technology for the area.
The festival relies on high-tech sensory displays and lots of hands-on activities, as well as a craft fair.
The festival is aimed at highlighting the innovations in art and science happening in the area.
The free event will be from September 23-25.
For more information, visit confluencefest.com.
4. Subway may be serving fake tuna. A lab test done by the New York Times found there's no actual tuna DNA in its tuna sandwiches and wraps.
Subway was accused in a lawsuit earlier this year alleging the fish is made from a mixture of various concoctions but not tuna.
Tuna sandwiches from three different Subway restaurants were tested. Experts note that when the tuna is cooked, its protein breaks down making it hard to identify, so the lab results are inconclusive.
Subway did not give a comment on the situation.
5. For those who head into the office, don't forget to bring Fido with you today, because it's National Take Your Dog To Work Day.
It's observed every year on the Friday after Father's Day.
Dogs of all shapes and sizes are delighted to see their owners when they return home from work, so take the opportunity to share some of that joy and unconditional love with co-workers today!
