This week, residents of Grand Rapids, MI, welcome a brand new citizen-powered news initiative created by the Grand Rapids Community Media Center. The Rapidian, a first-round winner of the Knight Community Information Challenge, has already enlisted dozens of local residents to receive training in covering their communities. Here’s more, from Michigan Radio:

As a professional reporter, I can tell you, this is a real newsroom. A half-eaten muffin sits on a desk, coffee cups are everywhere. There are no windows. But there is a huge white board, with different colored writing that no one can understand except the people who work here.

One of the people who works here is Laurie Cirivello. She’s the head of the Community Media Center. She likes to say she’s the mom of The Rapidian. And it’s a big family.

“We have 500 people on our Facebook group,” Cirivello tells me. “Some of them came to a meeting, some of them have written in comments. Some of them have stepped up and put in massive amounts of hours trying to sort through editorial policy and mechanics. We have 97 people so far who’ve signed up to be reporters.”

Ninety-seven people. Each one of them says they’ll put in the grueling, thankless job of being a news reporter. And they’re going to do this work voluntarily for The Rapidian. As in, they won’t be paid.

Impressed by what the folks from the Grand Rapids Community Media Center and the Grand Rapids Community Foundation have accomplished here? You’ve got till September 23 to submit your application for the Knight Community Information Challenge. Applications must satisfy three rules:

* Applicants must be U.S. community or place-based foundation (though community partners are welcome); * Projects have to meet a local information need; * Foundations must match Knight Foundation’s investment.

Read more about the Info Challenge at InfoNeeds.org.