I first came across the Midland County Courthouse when I was in Midland, Michigan for a business…read moreconference.  I noticed it when I was driving at night out of town looking for a supermarket.  The building kind of 'jumps out' at you because it is well lit.  That's not the only attraction about the place.  It is uniquely designed.  The shape of the building is attractive, strong and reassuring.  Not like a faceless, bureaucratic building at all. I must say, however, that an addition was put on the building, thankfully in the back, and it is a dull, glass and brick affair.  In the manner of such buildings that side tries to appear antiseptic and professional but comes off as intrusive to the eye. The main building that I am describing is much more a part of the community.  The cornerstone was laid by Professor Dow of Dow Chemical.  Much of the paint materials and other items on the outside of the building are or were derived from various Dow products.  Almost the entire courthouse, except for the addition, was made from local materials.  What an accomplishment! The building is decorated with historic paintings including images of representatives of local Native American tribes and pioneers.  It is a very touching set of scenes.  Along with the building comes a descriptive historical marker (read both sides!) and a wonderful tribute to members of the armed forces of the United States.

Kent County is what some recognize to be Grand Rapids proper and also known as West Michigan. It is…read morethe larger economic and manufacturing hub known for such entities as Steelcase, Meijer, Founders Brewing Co. and a few other booming businesses. It is staunchly conservative but as you near the center of the city the economic and cultural diversity begins to show itself. This is my hometown and as much as I love it I also am so glad to not be there anymore. It's a small city that is starting to get a bigger city feel. This is due to all the revitalization that's occurring from the epicenter of downtown. Not much more to say except you either hate it or love it.

I wish I could rate as ZERO! So furious about how my elderly handicapped father was treated…read morerecently AND FINED. Utterly disgusted to find a parking ticket under the wiper blade while parked IN A RESTAURANT PARKING LOT. My father parked close to the restaurant to help my disabled mother inside and forgot to put his CURRENT handicapped placard in the window! By the way my mother hadn't been put of the house in 2 months because of an ongoing leg infection!!! My dad found a nearby Kent County officer and was told "there's nothing I can do, you'll have to call them for the ticket cost". My dad called the county office and was told that the traffic fine was $250.00. What the h3ll?!?!? My dad was told that it was HIS FAULT for not putting a PLACARD in the van window. My parent, like many others I'm sure are on a fixed income and can barely afford legitimate medical copays....and now an UNJUSTIFIABLE so-called "violation". My dad had to drive the 50 miles to Kent county police station IN PERSON to try talking to someone in person. My handicapped father who has a pacemaker had to endure the indignity of being searched and scanned before being admitted to the building. Then the person he talked to also said "there's nothing I can do, you have to pay the full $250.00 and you'll have to mail it to us". What the h3ll?!? He was standing right in front of her!! Finally another person came up to help, finally a friendly and compassionate person that told my dad that the only amount to pay would be $25.00 and he could pay right there. My dad lost sleep (he has a CPAP machine and sleep is already difficult for him), made multiple phone calls and talked to several people, treated disrespectfully, STILL had to pay the unjustified fine. IF ANYONE HAS SIMILAR EXPERIENCES WITH KENT COUNTY OFFICES, LET THEM KNOW!!!! This unjust indignity toward senior citizens and handicapped HAS to be addressed. Shame on you Kent County.

This is a perfect mid size Midwest city. There are a ton of great restaurants, breweries, and…read morethings to do for all types of people. Do you like the outdoors? Check out all of the park and gardens, including the Meijer Gardens. One of the best sculpture gardens I have ever been to. There is also a river walk which is nice. This town has a lot of college opportunities as well. It has multiple satellite campuses as well as Grand Valley. Ferris, MSU, Western, and more are all represented here There are a ton of places to eat. We found quite a few that I wrote reviews on. Highly recommended to come here. A little of something for everyone.

Great beer and great art Cheers Beer City USA!…read moreI'm a Brewsader I had been wanting to get to Grand Rapids to visit for probably ten or more years now. It is the long reigning Beer City USA. Founders is the most well known of their breweries and lived up to the hype. I also really enjoyed City Built which is just north of Downtown, Two Guys to the South, and Perrin to the North. Lots of public murals and I have heard nothing but great things about their annual Artprize event every fall. Although I did not partake, there is a free public bus that does loops around the Downtown area (I guess they call it Center City there). The metro population checks in at a little over a million which is not that much smaller than Buffalo or New Orleans. Not quite big enough for any pro sports teams yet. If you decide to go there for the beer like me, make sure to download the BeerCity Brewsader app on your phone. Check into eight different breweries and score a sweet T-shirt which you now pick up at Founders. Hope I make it back to Grand Rapids at some point in the future!

UNLAWFULLY PREDETERMINING CHILD CUSTODY UNILATERALLY AND ALLOWING PEOPLE TO PRE-PURCHASE CHILD…read moreCUSTODY BEFORE DIVORCE IS FILED. Please read in case you or someone you know has had inexplicable issues with local friend of the court. I stumbled across documents that showed my ex wife had predetermined child custody, court outcomes, case numbers and child support set up months before she filed for divorce, and a plan of action to unlawfully remove our daughter from household utilizing an individual at foc that will attempt to cajole me into forfeiting my rights to custody. He is identified as , "assistant foc, field services". According to the foc bureau this doesn't exist and has no authority promulgated to it. This individual is actually a mediator. Their plan was obvious and easy to stymie knowing this. My ex took $40k from out savings before this occurred. So that's probably what it cost. I noticed the director of the friend of the court took point on all foc matters in lieu of a case worker, so I presume she is the culprit, and one that is paid for services of predetermining child custody, court outcomes, and guaranteed child support. don't jump at the opportunity to pre-purchase custody of your child because she is now under investigation. But if you've had an inexplicable experience with foc, I would check your records for her taking lead on your paperwork. Chances are you're child's custody was purchased before the divorce was filed. One of the give aways was my ex wife already had a mi child account and court case number months in advance before she filed for divorce. All well before legally possible. I've only gotten the response, "no comment " when I asked for an explanation; then my child support unlawfully quadrupled next month even though I was jobless for three years because of crippled hands. When i asked how, they said they can impute any amount of potential for income they want, and don't have to justify it. Family court judge inexplicably agreed they don't have to justify it. It took filing a grievance with chief judge and foc bureau for them to drop it back to where it was, but definitely exploited their willingness to grossly overstep their scope of authority.

Thanks to officer Meyers, I'm starting to understand why people are trying to defund the police. Me…read moreand several other orv enthusiast got civil citations for not having our orv stickers to the furthest part of or recreational vehicle even though we all had them, he had to be a prick head and fine us all instead of being a good officer. So pretty much he just filled his own ego instead of being a decent human being. Thanks for nothing!