1. Petcare has become a priority for many people during the pandemic, but getting immediate care can be difficult. To address the backlog, one West Michigan vet is expanding in a major way.
Cedar Animal Hospital in Cedar Springs is building a 24-hour emergency center, attached to its current building on Gentle Way.
This expansion will allow for more pets to get help, in a timely fashion. This expansion will triple the building's square footage and open space for 40 new jobs.
2. Calling all middle school gaming enthusiasts! Kzoo Parks is partnering with Western Michigan University to offer a Mario Kart eSports League this spring.
It's a six-week league and runs from March 14 through April 20.
Students will compete weekly for points, racing their favorite character in Mario Kart for Nintendo Switch at WMU's eSports Arena.
An end-of-the-season tournament will be held on Saturday, April 23 to determine the Mario Kart champion.
Registration is available online at kzooparks.org/mariokart or in-person at the Kzoo Parks Office.
3. Ford is announcing plans to split its traditional automotive and electric car businesses.
It's a historic move by the automaker, that they believe will increase profit while improving quality and innovation in EV production.
The two separate branches each have their own names and leadership. "Ford Blue" will focus on traditional cars, and "Ford Model E" will focus on electric cars.
They'll operate as separate businesses under the Ford umbrella.
4. Governor Gretchen Whitmer has signed an executive directive aimed at speeding up pothole repairs in Michigan.
It calls on MDOT to use "all available resources" to prioritize fixing seasonal potholes. This includes overtime pay and contracted services.
The directive also notes that MDOT should continue with road improvement projects to prevent potholes from developing in the first place.
5. If you love Apple products, mark your calendar app for March 8. That's the date for Apple's first big product launch of the year.
A virtual event where the company will unveil a series of new Macbooks and iMacs, along with a 5G version of its iPhone SE and an updated iPad Air.
Given the theme for the event, "Peak Performance," Apple will probably play up its rumored M2 silicon chip, Apple's in-house processor.
