Ferndale Schools Tackling Challenges with Discussions on Restructuring

Ferndale Schools Tackling Challenges with Discussions on Restructuring (Crystal A. Proxmire, Jan. 28, 2015) You could take every single resident student in the Ferndale School District, and move them to the High School/Middle School, close all the other buildings, and still have room left over. While that is not an option that the district would…

Ferndale Recreation Dept. and Schools Recognize Families in Youth Programs

Ferndale Recreation Dept. and Schools Recognize Families in Youth Programs (Ferndale Schools, Jan. 23, 2015) Ferndale Public Schools and the Ferndale Recreational Center teamed up this past Tuesday to put on Community Night – a celebration of local families and their participation in Youth Recreational Programming. The event was held during the boys’ varsity basketball…

Confirmed Measles Case in Oakland County

Confirmed Measles Case in Oakland County (Oakland County Health Dept, Jan. 23, 2015) Oakland County Health Division announced today that the Michigan Department of Community Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have confirmed a measles case in an adult Oakland County resident. This case may be associated with the recent Disneyland outbreak in…

Keeping with King’s Dream RO Twp. Asks What’s Going on? (video)

Keeping with King’s Dream, Royal Oak Twp. Asks What’s Going on? (video) (Crystal A. Proxmire, Jan. 20, 2015) For 25 years, Royal Oak Township has hosted a celebration in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, and while the event was a fitting tribute, the speakers also raised painful topics for the community to consider.…

Pleasant Ridge Celebrates 25th Birthday of I-696

Pleasant Ridge Celebrates 25th Birthday of I-696 (Cheryl Weiss, Photography by Thomas Treuter Photography, Jan. 18,2015) The Historical Society of Pleasant Ridge held a 25th birthday celebration for I-696 on Thursday, January 15, 2015 with approximately 80 residents and interested residents from neighboring communities. They gathered at the Pleasant Ridge Community Center to view a…

Michigan Students will get SAT Instead of ACT Starting in 2016

Michigan Students will get SAT Instead of ACT Starting in 2016 (Michigan Department of Education Press Release, Jan. 18, 2015) All Michigan high school juniors will begin taking the SAT as the state-administered college assessment exam beginning in 2016 after the College Board won the three-year competitively-bid contract, the Michigan Department of Education and Department…

Ferndale Schools Sues Former Superintendent Gary Meier

Ferndale Schools Sues Former Superintendent Gary Meier (Crystal A. Proxmire, Jan. 13, 2015) Ferndale Superintendent Blake Prewitt announced that today that a civil suit has been filed against former Superintendent Gary Meier. Meier’s last couple of years as Superintendent were marred by scandal as details of his side consulting, and use of Ferndale Schools resources…

Ferndale Adding STEM Program in Middle School

Ferndale Adding STEM Program in Middle School (FPS Press Release, Jan. 9, 2015)   The Ferndale Board of Education recently approved a new STEM program for 7th and 8th grade students at Ferndale Middle School (FMS) starting next school year.s STEM which stands for science, technology, engineering and math, is an interdisciplinary and applied approach…

Remembering Patricia Hill Burnett, 2012 Interview (video)

Remembering Patricia Hill Burnett, 2012 Interview (video) (Cherie Wyatt Rolfe, Crystal Proxmire, Jan. 4, 2015) At the age of 94, the co-founder of Michigan National Organization for Women (NOW) and celebrated portrait artist Patricia Hill Burnett passed away last week. Burnett was a face for feminism spanning across socioeconomic and political lines. She was well-dressed,…

Community Foundation Awards $150,000 to Orgs. Across the Region to Benefit Youth

Community Foundation Awards $150,000 to Orgs. Across the Region to Benefit Youth (CFSEM Press Release, Dec. 27, 2014) The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan announced the distribution of $150,000 in grants to fund 18 projects through its YOUth Voice Social Justice grant program. Earlier in 2014, the Metropolitan Youth Policy Fellows, a diverse group of youth…

Pontiac Honors Those Who Make the City Shine

Pontiac Honors Those Who Make the City Shine (Pontiac DBA Press Release, Dec. 18, 2014)   Every year the community of Pontiac, organized by the Pontiac Downtown Business Association (PDBA) honors volunteers and organizations that help make the community shine.  Glen Konopaskie, President of the PDBA, honors each awardee along with a co-presenter Patrice Waterman,…

Novelty Lighters Could be Dangerous Holiday Choice…(video)

Novelty Lighters Could be Dangerous Holiday Choice Fire Marshall Says (video) (Crystal A. Proxmire, Dec. 15, 2014)   Lighters are not toys. It seems like an obvious statement for adults, but for Ferndale Fire Marshal Brian Batten it is a lesson that cannot be stated enough. Even in the Ferndale area there are about six…

Southfield Skyscraper’s Demolition Felt Miles Away (video)

Southfield Skyscraper’s Demolition Felt Miles Away (video) (Crystal Proxmire, video by Amy Probst, Dec. 14, 2014) At 8:30am Sunday a rumble like thunder was felt at least five miles away from 9 Mile and Northwestern Highway, where a 17-story building was demolished by implosion. North Park Plaza was built 42years ago. Oakland Community College bought…