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Morning Buzz: April 6

Posted at 10:39 AM, Apr 06, 2021
and last updated 2021-04-06 10:39:30-04

1. Dust off those capes, kids can meet their favorite superheroes this week at John Ball Zoo. Thursday is Superhero Day!

Black Panther, Captain America, and Thor are just some of the characters that will be there and socially distanced pictures will be allowed.

The meet-and-greet is included in admission, but there are a limited number of tickets available each day, so the zoo recommends you buy them online ahead of time.

The zoo is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Members will be allowed in an hour early on Thursday.

2. The Kentwood Police Department is taking applications for its Youth Academy.

It's open to all graduating seniors and high schoolers who will be a sophomore or above starting in the fall. The academy will run July 26-29 from 10-4 each day.

Students will learn about things like traffic stops, handcuffing, and building searches. Applicants will need to be interviewed and pass a background check.

The good news is people don't actually have to live in Kentwood to take part, and it's free.

Applications are due in person or via mail by May 14.

3. Dino stroll, a life-size dinosaur exhibit is coming to the Delta Plex in June.

Visitors will be able to walk through this pre-historic adventure, getting up close and personal with almost 75 life-like creatures, reptiles, and life-sized dinosaurs, with most standing over 25 feet tall and spanning over 60-feet long.

Also, there will be entertainment by the Dinoband, various roaming dinosaurs to encounter during the stroll, photo ops, and more.

Limited capacity sessions will be offered with timed tickets, which are on sale now at deltaplex.com.

4. Plainfield Township has the vision to change up the area with a plan called "Reimagine Plainfield."

It's a 20-year plan where they want to develop three town centers that would be "mixed-use" with retail and housing.

The plan also calls for making the area more driver and bicycle-friendly. They also want to add more landscaping.

The township has a series of webinars to get feedback this month, with the first one this Wednesday.

5. After getting about 850 entries, you can now vote on a name for the new Turf Painting Robot in Grand Rapids.

The city's Parks and Rec Department will use it to paint lines on athletic fields.

They've narrowed the entries down to their top 25 suggestions.

They include Sir Linesalot, Meryl Stripe, and Lawn Order. To learn more on how to vote, click here.

The robot will start painting lines later this month.

Officials say it will save about $5,000 a year in labor and material costs.