Judge McNabb Appointed As Chief Judge Pro Tempore
Chief Judge Mark Trusock has appointed Judge Deborah McNabb to serve as Chief Judge Pro Tempore of the 17th Circuit Court. Judge McNabb replaces Judge Feeney in this role after Judge Feeney’s election to the Michigan Court of Appeals. In Judge Trusock’s announcement to the other judges, he remarked that Judge McNabb “… has the experience, qualifications, and demeanor to be the next Chief Judge…”
Judge McNabb was elected in November 2016 to fill a new judicial position. She received her B.A. from Alma College and her J.D. from DePaul University College of Law. Before being elected circuit judge, Judge McNabb served as a Circuit Court Referee in the Family Division for 25 years. She is a Fellow of the Michigan Bar Foundation and the American Bar Foundation.
Judge McNabb is assigned to the Family Division of the Circuit Court and was appointed as part of the leadership judges’ team as the Presiding Judge of the Family Division in January 2017. Judge McNabb also presides over the Kent County Juvenile Treatment and Support Court (JTASC).
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Welcome New Commissioners
A warm welcome to our new commissioners - Jennifer Merchant (District 3), Katie DeBoer (District 4), Dave Hildenbrand (District 5), Lisa Oliver-King (District 15), Tony Baker (District 17), Kris Pachla (District 19) - who joined 13 incumbents on the Board.
The new commissioners were officially sworn in during the Board of Commissioners Organizational Meeting on January 3. Click here to view the full Board and the committees they currently serve on.
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Submit Challenges to the FCC National Broadband Map
Kent County’s work to improve broadband access and quality includes monitoring activity at the federal level of government and advocating for policies that support county residents and businesses.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released an updated National Broadband Map that provides property level data – a significant improvement over previous mapping of census tract level data. This is the first time that individuals can search any address in the U.S. for information about access to the internet and what internet providers service the address. The map is an important tool that will impact broadband funding distributed to states and ongoing efforts to bring broadband to unserved and underserved communities.
The release of the map also kicks off the public challenge process to improve the map’s accuracy. Property owners can challenge the data on location of properties (that is, confirming that a residence is on the FCC map) and the availability of internet service at each property location.
You can review and confirm the accuracy of the data for your home or business by entering the address at the FCC map home page. If the Selected Location information for the address is not correct, select the Location Challenge button and submit the online form. If the Broadband Provider information is not correct, select the Availability Challenge button and submit the online form. The FCC will use the challenges to add missing properties to the map and collaborate with internet service providers to correct inaccurate service information. For more information and instructions on the challenge process, please visit https://www.merit.edu/community/moonshot/challenge/.
An Analysis of Infant Death in Kent County
The death of an infant brings unfathomable pain to a family and snuffs out a tiny life before it has gotten the chance to get started in this world. A major effort at the Kent County Health Department has always been to address infant mortality, not only as a public health issue, but also as an indicator of overall health in our county. In order to have interventions that are targeted and effective, it is necessary to know the causes and contributors to infant mortality that are specific to our county. That is the role of our Fetal Infant Mortality Review Program.
For the past two years, the Health Department has been leading a group of community partners in data collection, evaluation, and analysis of infant mortality. This work has been funded through the Ready By Five Early Childhood Millage, and Marissa Brown, BSN, RN, has been leading this important charge. We are proud to announce that the first publication of the Kent County Fetal Infant Mortality Review Program is now available. The data in this report shines a bright light on the demographics, causes, contributors, and includes recommendations for improvements that should help reduce infant death as a whole and decrease the disparities that persist.
Kent County Business Expo Feb. 8
Are you a Michigan supplier interested in learning how to do business with Kent County? Join the MEDC’s Pure Michigan Business Connect (PMBC) team and the Kent County Purchasing Division for the virtual Kent County Business Expo On February 8 from 8:15 a.m. to 12 p.m. Kent County seeks a qualified and diverse vendor database to provide goods and services. Suppliers do not need to be located in Kent County to participate; all Michigan businesses are welcome to attend. Contact pmbc@michigan.org with questions about participation.
Veterans Services Event Centers on New Law
Kent County Veterans Services is joining forces with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to connect veterans to services that may be available to them under the new PACT Act. The legislation, signed in August of last year, expands coverage and benefits to more than 5 million veterans who may have been impacted by toxic exposures such as burn pits and Agent Orange while serving.
Veterans who attend the event on February 2 will have an opportunity to learn more about the new law, their eligibility, and begin the process of collecting the available benefits. More information about the PACT Act can be found here or by calling (800) 698-2411 (TTY:711)
Grand Rapids Griffins Visit Animal Shelter
Our friends from the Grand Rapids Griffins stopped by the Kent County Animal Shelter last week to meet some of our amazing animals and learn about volunteer opportunities. We thank this group for stopping by for a visit and look forward to them becoming familiar faces around KCAS!
Join Our Team!
Impacting the Community Starts with You. Click here to see current career opportunities.
County Offices Closed on Monday
Kent County offices and clinics will be closed on Monday, January 16, 2023 in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. All offices will reopen on Tuesday, January 17, 2023 at 8 a.m. For more information on how to access Kent County departments and offices, visit www.accesskent.com.
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