With the current pandemic still holding on like it is, after the first of the year the US Government made a move to help those who need insurance coverage be able to get it through the Affordable Care Act with a special enrollment period that lasts from February 15th 2021 - May 15th of 2021.  This special enrollment period will allow individuals and families in states with Marketplaces served by the HealthCare.gov platform to enroll in 2021 health insurance coverage.  It's very much needed as we have all seen what impact can happen with our health in all kinds of situations.

Anytime you can involve the prowess of facial hair and a fundraiser....why wouldn't you?  It's an idea that pops up a few times over the course of a year here or there and it's generally a good time for a great cause and with the Beards for Books event with the United Way of the Lakeshore it takes on an educational flare as well bringing the amazing gift of early reading to kids all across the Lakeshore as well as something a little more fun, let's explain.

Well, it's not a message of gloom and doom this week as we speak with Kathy Moore who's the Director of Public Health - Muskegon County.  A momentary ZERO figure at Mercy Hospital with Covid.  How we are all overly fatigued on all things Covid.  The UK variant was found in the county, but it was handled appropriately.  A question from a viewer on finding variants.  How does it work?  The pace of Muskegon's vaccination is improving, learn some more.  The low average numbers for a while and things are in the right direction.  Stay safe!

Muskegon has been making head way when it comes uplifting our youth. More and more we are discovering young entrepreneurs and apprentice. It's amazing, the talent that's right here in our very own communities. Ranging from the free spirited hearts to the highly motivated entrepreneurs. I love it when I get to introduce young people such as this. A young man who's love for food has sparked the interest of one of Muskegon Heights’ very own Soul Food Chefs.
DaRice Brown is well on his way of becoming the next up and coming local soul food culinary artist.

Jason Ryan from State Farm Insurance joins us again this week to talk about some of the things you may not always have come to the top of your mind when it comes to insurance.  Yes, with insurance we all tend to know we have to have it, we all look for the best deal on it and then we all like to just put it on the back burner and make the payment.  Jason brings in a view point that's a little more broad and explains why some things in his world need to be discussed on a more regular basis because, let's face it, insurance is for what's not planned.  When it's all on the back burner, we're not planning.

The never ending modified events continue as we still manage to take what is near and dear to all of us in Muskegon by the horns and get stuff done.  The big gatherings filled with laughter and cheer are still working angles to fill the gaps and some have even found ways to make what they have done in the past take on a new, larger presence online with how they are extending their outreach past a ball room or event center.  It comes back to the idea that Muskegon takes care of it's own every single time and nothing or no one will get in the way.  We're all Muskegon Strong!

It's our partnership with Mercy Health that affords us the incredible opportunities to bring the most incredible guests right to you when it comes to health and wellness in Muskegon.  I mean, it's not every day you get to sit down and speak with a Structural Heart Specialist like Dr. Noah Thormeier.  Not only do you get the chance to talk with him, it's not limited to 30 second sound bytes that may leave you with more questions than answers.  It's an amazing way of engagement and we're so thankful to the organization and the good Dr. for the time.

Up and at 'em and let's get to another glorious week kicked off by the one and only Fit and Healthy With Becky!  It's been a great way for Becky to continue her passion for fitness for all and to help stem the tide of all the shutdown's and restrictions and the difficulties they have caused for so many.  While all the numbers are down and the restrictions lift, things are slowly creeping back to normal.  The Gym in North Muskegon is once again open, as are other work out facilities, but...we were into home workout programs before they were even cool.  So, here we are to get this week started again!

A year ago there wasn't much choice in the matter, we had just had the shoe drop on the pandemic we've been dealing with since and there was a lot of figuring out pretty much everything, everywhere and how we'd all manage.  Like many of the pre-planned events that got caught up in the immediate wash of closures, the Cheers and Chocolate event at the Culinary Institute of Michigan to benefit Every Woman's Place went dark.

It's a Sunday morning and it's a chance to decompress a little.  We welcomed Caitlin Anderson at the beginning of 2021 to assist with that and to help her get her feet planted a little as she works to grow her life's passion of sharing yoga with people and one day, maybe open a studio to complete her dream one day soon.  Opening a studio at the moment?  Might be a little on the challenging side as we're riding out the tail end of all we've been through, but hey, we can adapt and Caitlin has too offering more personal experiences via digital classes and introductory segments like you'll see here today.

It's time for a good old fashioned celebration and time too for a moment of truth from the author.  Navarro's Mexican Take Out has been a local, family run business since 1978 located just off Sherman on 8th in Muskegon Heights.  They specialize in traditional, authentic Mexican food and the celebration is of the grand re-opening is a part of the story for sure, but there's that moment of truth thing too...43 years in business, and I have never been there.  I almost lost out on something incredible even though I only live a couple miles away from it simply because I roam around in my own little bubble most of the time.  Well, after reading the story a little on Facebook I figured it was time to break that bubble and get to the bottom of this and what a story!

Shon Cook is an awesome sponsor of what we do and she's also all about an outreach to help people understand the legal world in simple terms that are easily understandable for the common person.  Legal speak can be very difficult to understand and for an attorney of Shon's caliber to understand that helping clients know what's going on, it's a resource that is worth it's weight in gold.  We're always thankful for our visits with Shon.

What was your first?  Was it baseball cards?  Maybe it was Star Wars that got you going?  Could it have been action figures, movies or doll collections?  Chances are as a kid, you had your hooks into something that was more valuable than gold and on the mean streets of "the playground" if you had the right card, action figure or game....YOU got to be king of the heap!  We've all got memories of what we held dear and we've all seen too how the industry has not only rebooted, it's exploded and being one of those "collector geeks" it's pretty en-vogue now more than ever before.

It's a time to remember. Would like you to think back to when you were little and first forming your thoughts about going to the Doctor for any number of things.  Maybe is was a check up, maybe it was for those shots we all had to have as kids, or maybe you were a kid that needed a little more attention.  Those formative years probably dictate how you see visiting a Dr. now and how you were treated, that can continue to have an impression.  Today, I got to do something most grandparents don't, I got to visit with a Pediatrician and we talked a little about the importance of making sure that your kids are still being seen for all the "normal" kid stuff while they are growing up and we talked too about some of the extenuating circumstances that he as a physician sees today.

Muskegon - we have some know it all's, and yes, I thought I was one of them.  I thought I had a pretty good grip on what kind of business were here, what kind of things they do and who worked there.  After all, we're a big enough town that we've got most everything we need, and small enough that we all pretty much know about who's doing what, right?  Well, I am driving along Norton one day and rounding the corner and I see a small sign that says "Scherdel Muskegon is Hiring".  My first reaction?  What's Scherdel?

Kathy Moore, Director of Public Health - Muskegon County joins us for her update on Feb 17th. Numbers are averaging down, it's a sigh of relief. Doesn't mean all bets are off when it comes to safety needs. Supply is short and coming in as fast as it can. The question about vaccine lists and how to get on them. There are a few. Great info here. We try to clear up some of the confusion around who and when gets their shot. How fragile are these vaccines? It's all been a moving target for almost a year. It continues to change all the time. Kathy asks that you help those who might not know how to get on a list to be vaccinated. We close for this report. 

It was back in July, and it was HOT!  We were at the very beginning stages of a beautiful new development of a complete neighborhood in Norton Shores called Atwater Springs.  We had all the primaries on hand for the beginning.  The developer, the realtor, the home builder and off in the distance, you could hear the sound of the large, heavy equipment all working to bring the first phase of this awe inspiring new development to life.  Well, we have managed to pick right back up when it comes to weather extremes, because for our second visit, it's COLD!

We're super proud today!  We began the Step it Up Muskegon program back in December when our sponsor Shon Cook said she'd like to do something that could help some of our area non profits out with some much needed funding and we decided that we'd jump in, both feet and see what happened.  Shon began by putting down $500 bucks.  Well, it didn't take very long until the idea caught on and we had another area company want to be part of this, Scherdel of Muskegon got a hold of us and said, "It's our turn to help in Muskegon a little and we'd like people to know a little more about us...what do you have?"  Well, we have a great way for you to help....so, we welcome Scherdel Manufacturing to the fold and throughout the rest of the year, it's at least $1000 bucks a month to an area non profit.  Scherdel will be featured more in depth later this week with a full welcome and introduction, and of course, Shon will be along Saturday with her weekly segment!

Winter finally hit us.  For some, enduring the pandemic has been hard.  The days grew short over the last few months and the never ending cycle of everything we see in traditional media......it's getting to the point of needing to blow off some serious steam and a stationary bike might not exactly be enough of a release.  It's time to use physical fitness to hit something!

What would Valentine's Day be without a story from a chocolatier?  Well, it would still be Valentine's Day and all, but if you get word down from one of your most regular places to shoot that something is going on, and someone is down there really putting in overtime making some chocolate, you load up the camera and go.  This is how the story of us meeting Addy Kinziger of NOVA Super. Natural. Bakery. comes about.

We're back on a Sunday and that means a super chill start with some Tranquil Waves Yoga With Caitlin Anderson.  This is a great way to clear your mind, set a relaxed pace for the day and the week and maybe even try something out new in the comfort of your own home before you take it to the next level.  Super cool too that your helping Caitlin as she's working toward her goal of opening her own yoga studio some day here in town where the masses will attend and grab some collective Zen while practicing this ancient discipline.

Sometimes in life we can work with others and still not realize what they endure at home.  I met Sheik Tyler Sr. while working as a manager for Taco Bell /KFC years ago. Last week I'm scrolling through Facebook as I normally do and I noticed these drawings beautiful sketched. I saw that the caption had read that his son had drawn them. Amazed at Sheik Jr.’s craft, I quickly reached out to his father and began asking questions regarding his son’s drawings.

Sheik Jr. is a 13 year old artist, who attends Timberland Academy. His passion for drawing started when he was just in kindergarten. As he got older his autism developed but that didn't effect his ability to progress as an outstanding artist. As a fifth grader, he received an art award for Best Talent and was able to draw the calendar for the month of April. It is currently being displayed at the Muskegon Hackley Public Library.

During this heartfelt interview, it lead me to the conclusion that sometimes we overlook the talents children have verses the challenges that they may face.  As his grandmother, Vanessa Taylor, was proudly showing me Sheik Jr.’s art work and telling me of all his accomplishments, it suddenly became a very heart warming moment. I must say, that during this interview, it was hard for me to hold back my tears. I have a soft spot for children and this young man’s story is one the most inspiring I've had the pleasure of sharing with everyone.

We should all use this story to reflect on the importance of helping our youth of tomorrow, and helping make their dreams come true.  It matters.  Whether they want to become athletes, doctors, artists, lawyers, police, teachers, or labor workers. Some may even want to become entrepreneurs. Regardless the case, we must encourage all of our youth to be great.  Sheik Jr.’s art work is available for sale and he is also willing to sketch art upon request. His favorite things to draw are cartoon characters, but he can sketch other things as well. We wish him the best of luck as he continues to strive to become one of our communities successful artists.

The arguments have been had.  The mediation was attempted.  The lines have been drawn and it's time to settle things with the filing of a divorce in a court.  As we've talked in just about every one of our Saturdays With Shon episodes that deal with divorce, it wasn't exactly planned for in the happily ever after part of things, but it does happen and this step, well when you actually file the divorce, it's a contract that is for the rest of your life past the marriage.

Allow me to begin this article by saying you may encounter all kinds of bias here, because I am very fortunate to have been a small part of Read Muskegon over the years and have watched the work going on from way back when the organization got started in a couple of rooms in the upstairs of a Downtown Muskegon church.  They have grown in both operating space as well as reach in to the community focusing on how damaging that illiteracy is and how long the effects of it permeate everything in our community.  I was afforded a very heavy focus on reading when I was little and it was maintained all my young life, not everyone gets that. 

Here's a little something that you might not be aware of, State Farm and Rocket Mortgage are partners in home lending and Jason Ryan can help you with the amazing power of both brands to get you a mortgage that will make the house of your dreams a reality.

It's a name local fans are familiar with and a name we've been proud to have join us on a Muskegon Tonight Live in the past too, Chad Flores has been working away at his career even in the "downtime" and with all that work, we thought maybe it would be time to catch up before we're all standing around saying "We knew him when...."

Was the invention of dumbbells the greatest step in the history of working out?  It might very well have been because Becky is able to find more things to do with them than just about any other implement in The Gym on the 4 Corners in North Muskegon and she's here today to help put them to use for the betterment of everyone in this weeks episode of Fit and Healthy.

It was a great first night for Muskegon as professional hockey returned to Muskegon at the Lakeshore Sports Center and we we're on hand to make sure that as we prepare to carry all the home games, well, we were ready to go with the minimum of things.  Yes, making sure we get it right is a very big part of all we do, so rehearsals and dry runs...all part of the program.

If you can't pronounce it, it's gotta be good when it comes to yoga right?  Hey, it's all new to us as well and Caitlin Anderson is here with another episode of Tranquil Waves Yoga on the Muskegon Channel.  This week, the discipline is called Ujjayi Pranayama.  It's pronounced "ooh-JAH-yee prah-nah-YAH-mah".  You'll want to fill your lungs completely and breathe through your nose.

Shon Cook breaks down the most complicated legal matters every week for us in her feature Saturdays With Shon.  It's an extension of her work for her clients, and the easiest way to reach a big audience?  Find a bigger platform.  We love being able to bring you the expertise and we love the fact too that Shon believes in sharing her knowledge with those who frequent our publishing's.  Everyone wins!