WYOMING, Mich.—A Wyoming company is asking for used cell phone donations to help soldiers stay in touch with their loved ones for free.

CBI Telecommunications is partnering with the non-profit group Cell Phones for Soldiers, to recycle and repurpose old cell phones so they can be used by soldiers away from home.  Their goal is to collect 1,000 cell phones that will offer approximately 60,000 minutes worth of talk time.

You can drop off your gently used cell phones at CBI Telecommunications, located at 437 44th Street SW in Wyoming.  For more information, visit the CBI or Cell Phones for Soldiers website.

The Cell Phones for Soldiers program was founded by Robbie and Brittany Berquist when they were just 12 and 13 years old.  So far, the charity has provided more than 168 million minutes of free talk time to military members stationed around the world.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.-- Experience Grand Rapids and the Kent County Lodging Association have opened the 6th Annual WAVE Award nominations.

The annual awards program recognizes outstanding service providers in the Grand Rapids and Kent County hospitality industry. Nominations will be accepted from employers and guests from April 30 to Oct.7, 2013. One award will be presented in each of the following categories: Transportation, Retail & Service, Attractions/Events, and Nightlife. New categories to the 2013 awards program include: Restaurants/Breweries, Lodging, and Volunteer in Hospitality.

If you have a card to the Kent District Library, you can now check your energy usage for free.

Visitors to the library can check out an energy usage monitor to gauge their home appliance electricity use.  Kent District Library launched the pilot program in February at its Englehardt branch in Lowell, through a partnership with Lowell Light & Power.  Consumers Energy is also backing the program.

Kent District Library has nearly 250,000 cardholders at 18 branches representing 26 Kent County communities.