oc115 Online Community Garden Update

oc115 Online Community Garden Update
(Crystal A. Proxmire, Editor & Publisher, July 1, 2015)
This has been a great month for the oc115. There were over 34,000 unique visitors for the month of June, and we were the subject of a column written by Laura Berman in The Detroit News.
Two major stories came to their apex this month. A court battle that took several years started out in Hazel Park with a lesbian couple wanting the right to jointly adopt each others children. The case grew to include same-sex marriage and it made its way all the way to The Supreme Court. Because of April DeBoer and Jayne Rowse, and couples from other states with similar battles, couples through the country can now get married and have legal recognition for their families.
Another important series of articles has been exposing the wrongdoings in the Ferndale Housing Commission. This series of work led to a HUD investigation, a change in leadership of the board, and major work being done to right the wrongs left by the previous administration. In June the oc115 reported on the Director being sentenced to jail time, the items uncovered in the HUD report, a demonstration from Autumn House to City Hall, and the latest meeting where the Commission voted to hold the final payment to the former director and to sell the car she had purchased. Seeing the tide turn from uncovering wrongs, to watching the way people are working to fix things is probably one of the most rewarding parts of journalism. For the whole list of stores click here.
There were other fun things this month as well. The tour of the Michigan State Police Oak Park post was insightful. Learning about Farmington Hills’ new goat was delightful. The Ferndale Community Band had their grand debut. A 911 operator helped a woman in Walled Lake give birth, and we got a sneak peak at new shooting range technology in Madison Heights. And one of our sponsors, Candlewick Shoppe, cut the ribbon to open their new location at 175 W. 9 Mile in Downtown Ferndale.
And for those looking for fire works, we’ve got a nice listing here.
There is also a chance to vote for two local teens to win the Stuck at Prom duct tape prom dress contest. Look at the amazing Starry Night-themed dresses make of Duck Tape brand duct tape.
We hope you’ll read these stories and others you may have missed. And of course we must give our thanks to everyone who supports this site, and a pitch for you to join them…
The oc115 has begun a new fundraising push through Patreon where readers can pledge monthly amounts towards the website. The plan is pretty simple, with the basic monthly expenses being met by pledges from readers, any money brought in from advertising can be used for the things that would make the site even better. This means more writers, a more mobile-friendly site, better literature and ways to reach new readers, have better transportation and be involved in membership-based organizations. It’s exciting to finally have a good platform for this fundraising effort. Check it out at https://www.patreon.com/oc115.  Our bare minimum expenses are $1,000 per month and our dream goal is $2,000 per month, so please invite others to join the garden too!
Thanks everyone!  Here are this month’s flowers!  Sign up for yours here!





 

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