Today’s sponsor:
News You Need To Know
Kzoo native makes Forbes’ ‘30 Under 30’ list
It started with K-pop. Tinashe Chaponda initially found success posting K-pop reaction videos to YouTube while a student at Western Michigan University. Now, he’s been named to Forbes’ influential “30 Under 30” list for 2025. “Dad posted it in the family group chat,” he told WOOD TV 8. “He told me while he was out in the community. He was telling everyone about it.”
Chaponda is a Promise Scholar. He graduated from Loy Norrix High School in 2013 and WMU five years later. He followed his online success by founding Sosani Studios, a marketing agency focused on the intersection of big businesses and online influencers. “Since its founding in 2020, Sosani has executed approximately $3 million worth of campaigns and consulted on an additional $2 million of creator deals,” reads a section of Chaponda’s profile on Forbes.
Chaponda barely made the list – he turns 30 tomorrow. To celebrate both the Forbes listing and his birthday, he’s launching something he’s calling “Project 30-30-30.” It’s a career incubator for Gen Z. “Because I had noticed that a lot of employers are having a difficult time training and retaining Gen Z. Gen Z, on the other hand, are having a very difficult time acquiring the right skills because it’s such a fast-growing digital society,” he said. The program will start in Kalamazoo with eight courses led by other members of the Forbes list. [WOOD]
Eggs and rental restrictions
A couple of new rules are going into effect in Michigan. The first has to do with eggs. As of Tuesday, all the eggs you can buy in Michigan grocery stores must be cage-free. Legislation signed into law in 2019 set Dec. 31 as the deadline for the new rules. The law was pushed by animal rights activists, though some people worried it would lead to a rise in egg prices. As of midnight, the cost of a dozen Meijer brand eggs was $3.99. Experts have said prices will eventually stabilize…