GRAND RAPIDS (WZZM) -- Electricity has been restored this evening to more than 2,700 people after a crash on the city's northeast side.

Around 2 p.m. Monday, two cars collided at Four Mile Road at Miramar Avenue NE.

One of the vehicles hit a utility pole, knocking it over before ending up in the woods.

The lines connected to that pole provided power to about 2,700 Consumers Energy customers that live within a one-mile radius of Emerald Lake.

Shortly after 5 p.m., the Consumers Energy outage map (at this link) showed power had been restored to most of those affected customers.

In this day and age, a personal letter from someone seems to be a rarity. Not so though with my friend and former neighbor, Sally Howard.

Sally has a hobby of collecting autographs from “Potentially Famous People” and has done it for years, knowing that one day one of these autographs will pay off, whether in notoriety or value. She has hundreds of them filed away in order.

Just recently, Sally told me a story about an unusual experience she had and how it turned out. This is her story:

Sally attended the Michigan State Diving Championship meet in March of this year being her grandson, Cameron, a sophomore, was diving for Grandville High School. She said, “While I was attending, I got the chance of a lifetime to experience the true meaning of what it takes to be outstanding in performance and character. Sally is referring to Will Brenner who is a senior at Huron High School in Ann Arbor, MI.

News Release:

Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development’s (MDARD) State Veterinarian Dr. James Averill announced the Michigan Companion Animal Welfare Fund check-off will fund projects totaling over $155,500 for 26 registered shelters in 2015. 

The Michigan Animal Welfare fund was established under Public Act 132 of 2007 as a tax check-off to support animal shelters statewide. This year’s awards will go to the spaying and neutering of animals, fund registration fees for anti-cruelty training conferences, and help cover costs for protecting and caring for Michigan animals subjected to cruelty or neglect.

“Thanks to the generous support of Michiganders, local shelters will be able to train more staff on anti-cruelty, care for animals looking for their forever home, and conduct spay and neutering programs in their communities,” said Averill.