Author Kevin Young says P.T. Barnum didn’t invent the hoax, but he came close to perfecting it. The author of Bunk: The Rise of Hoaxes, Humbug, Plagiarists, Phonies, Post-Facts and Fake News says Barnum provided people with a good show. But Young says some the acts are troubling “when you look at his shows up close.” Updated January 30th 1:45p.m. Young's lecutre scheduled for January 31st at WMU has been canceled due to weather . The University Center for the Humanities says it will be

Writer Ben Lando says he wanted to focus on three key developments in Kalamazoo “that I thought personally were cool” and give a snap shot of what developer PlazaCorp is doing in the city. Lando’s article Building Skyscapers and Saving History appears in the January edition of Encore Magazine. PlazaCorp is involved in several high profile projects in Kalamazoo. Lando says in addition to big new structures like the Exchange Building in downtown Kalamazoo, the company has also redeveloped several

Initially, it was a place for African-American soldiers stationed in Fort Custer to socialize. Then the Douglass Community Association, which turns 100 years old this year, became a hub for recreational programs and outreach services for children, adults and families living on Kalamazoo's northern end, says new Executive Director Sidney Ellis. He says commemorating reaching the century mark has been one of the immediate priorities since coming on-board in October. Other goals are increasing

NOTE: The Jan. 22nd event is canceled due to inclement weather. The new date will be announced on kalfound.org . Healing circles are among the next steps in a racial healing project underway in Kalamazoo. The city is one of 14 nationwide being funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to work to eradicate structural racism. Hear an update from Lanna Lewis of the Kalamazoo Community Foundation and activist-rapper Ed Genesis, as well as details about the local observance of the National Day of Racial

Kalamazoo Schools Superintendent Michael Rice says the Kalamazoo Promise helped boost enrollment. But he says other programs have helped drive up the graduation rate. Rice says the increase in graduation has outpaced the rate of growth in enrollment. Two Kalamazoo schools started their academic year in July. Rice says he believes a different school calendar is likely the way of the future. He says both schools have the same number of days and hours of instruction, but don’t have the long summer

Jane Simons says people reading stories from Southwest Michigan’s Second Wave On the Ground series in Battle Creek and Kalamazoo will find some commonalities between the two cities. Those include people wanting to make positive change in their communities. But Simons, who is Project Editor for On the Ground Battle Creek says Battle Creek and Kalamazoo are different, and the stories show those characteristics. On the Ground Battle Creek Engagement Editor Jeff Cotton says Battle Creek is still

Western Michigan University Economics Professor Susan Pozo says that when the debate over immigration heated up in 2016, it was important to hear from economists who had studied the issue. She says several of them came to the Western Michigan University campus during the 2016-17 academic year for the Economics Department’s Werner Sichel Lecture series. Pozo is the editor of The Human and Economic Implications of Twenty-First Century Immigration Policy . The book published by the Upjohn Institute

On Dec. 27, WMUK replayed our interview with Kalamazoo builder Jeremy Cole on the WestSouthwest news and public affairs show. HGTV is expected to air a pilot about his efforts to rehab vacant homes. It originally aired July 23, 2018.

On New Year's Day, WMUK rebroadcast our interview with Shannon LaNier, believed to be a great-grandson of President Thomas Jefferson and enslaved woman Sally Hemings. It first aired on Feb. 19, 2018 on WestSouthwest.

On Dec. 27, WMUK replayed our interview commemorating the 50-year anniversary of the Fair Housing Act on the WestSouthwest news and public affairs show. It originally aired May 10, 2018.