CONFIRMED: The National Weather Service has confirmed an EF-1 tornado with 110 mph winds touched down in Kent County. the tornado's path was 8.7 miles long, with its path width hitting 100 yards. fox17online.com/news/local-new…

Got married over the weekend and came across this message while going through the guest book today. Kathryn Havrilla this is the greatest compliment my wedding could have received 👏🏻

Getting letters like these is by far my favorite part of working on FOX 17 and the Scripps Howard Fund and Scripps Howard Foundation’s annual #GiveABook campaign! Reading through these made my day. Xavier’s letter gave me a good chuckle 🤭

Rev. Jared Cramer filed a lawsuit alleging the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners and Chair Joe Moss declined his requests to lead meetings in prayer due to his religious beliefs. fox17online.com/news/local-new…

Happy #GlobalCatDay to the two most dramatic cats I know 🐱

A documentary by a local filmmaker is showcasing the transformative journey of incarceration, with the hope of inspiring a path forward from prison to a second chance in society. fox17online.com/news/a-path-fo…

A recent lawsuit says a school system in Van Buren County and its staffing agency violated federal law when they did not pay an employee overtime.  fox17online.com/news/local-new…

UPDATE: The officer involved in the shooting death of a beloved deer in Lawrence last week has been fired, according to the Pokagon Band Tribal Police Department. fox17online.com/news/local-new…

A Hamilton Middle School teacher surprised one of her students on Wednesday by taking him sledding for the first time. Esteban is a 6th-grade student from Venezuela who, until yesterday, had never seen snow before. fox17online.com/news/local-new…

Some professional news: After nearly 3 years with FOX 17, I learned last week that my position is being eliminated. My last day will be January 12. Looking for new opportunities in the digital world!

This week marked my last at FOX 17. As I sat at my desk on my last day reflecting on the past 3 years and wondering if I’d be missed, our receptionist walked up to me and said, “ILENE! A woman just called for you and…” Oof 🤦🏼‍♀️😂.

Here are some of our favorite collective names for animals: a murder of crows a tuxedo of penguins a bask of crocodiles a destruction of cats a tower of giraffes a parliament of owls a cackle of hyenas a smack of jellyfish an ambush of tigers a wisdom of wombats

A few random thoughts since being laid off: 1.Twin Peaks is a comedy. Anyone who thinks otherwise is wrong. 2.I know Aaron Sorkin likes to reuse lines in his work, but the number of repeat lines in The West Wing and The Newsroom is ridiculous. 3.I’m watching too much TV.

Guilty… My mother has resorted to texting my husband to make sure I’m still alive if I take too many days to reply to her.

Career update: If you’ve worked with me at all in the past decade, you likely know how much I love Social News Desk. I’m happy to announce that I’m transitioning out of local news and joining the Social News Desk team as a customer success manager!

Found a blue leaf outside my apartment and I am perplexed 🤔

Fun fact: My birthday cake when I turned 17 featured a picture of Chauncey Billups. It was delicious. That is all 😊

#BREAKING: The FTC voted 3-2 to ban non-compete agreements that prevent tens of millions of employees from working for competitors or starting a competing business after they leave a job. trib.al/zrvzIeH

Hi Kristi Noem! 👋Barb Byrum, here! This is my Puppers. She isn't good at hunting, but I love her and she doesn't deserve to be shot at the gravel pit, like you did to your dog. Just a reminder that abuse of animals is a leading predictor of violent crimes against humans.