Revenue Sharing Reviewed: How Cities Have Been Impacted (Michigan Municipal League Press Release, March 23, 2014) Communities from Marquette to St. Joseph and everywhere in between are among the Michigan cities that lost hundreds of millions of dollars in “statutory revenue sharing” over the past decade because the governor and Legislature diverted the funds to…
VIEW: EAA Update (Viewpoint by Steve Norton, Michigan Parents for Schools, March 23, 2014) As you may have heard, House Bill 4369 (the “EAA expansion bill”) passed the state House of Representatives late last Thursday. After close to two hours of maneuvering and floor speeches, it passed by the thinnest of margins: 56-54. The bill…
First Gay Marriages in Michigan (video) (Crystal A. Proxmire, March 22, 2014) Happiness filled the Oakland County building on Saturday as hundreds came during special hours to take part in what ended up being a brief window of opportunity for same-sex couples to marry. When 6th District Court Judge Bernard Friedman ruled in the case…
Same Sex Marriages Put on Hold As Temporary Stay is Granted (Equality Michigan Press Release, March 21, 2014) The U.S. Appeals Court for the Sixth Circuit has issued a temporary stay in the DeBoer v. Snyder marriage equality case until Wednesday. Earlier Saturday, the appeals court issued a one-page order directing the attorneys for the…
Judge Rules: Gay Marriage Ban Struck Down (Crystal A. Proxmire, March 21, 2014) Judge Bernard Friedman has ruled in favor of the Hazel Park couple who sued the State of Michigan and Oakland County for the right to marry and to adopt each others’ children. The Judge did not issue a stay, meaning that there…
Gary Meier Announces Retirement from Ferndale Schools (Crystal A. Proxmire, March 20, 2014) After 14 years as Superintendent of Ferndale Schools, Gary Meier has announced that he is retiring. In a memo to Ferndale Schools staff, Meier wrote: “It is with many mixed emotions that I write this letter to formally advise you of my…
Preferential Polices Stricken from Ferndale Schools Contracts (Crystal A. Proxmire, March 20, 2014) At some point in the 1970s, language giving preference to the hiring and promotion of minorities, including non-Christians, made its way into teacher contracts at Ferndale Schools. The wording “Special consideration shall be given to women and/or minority defined as: Native American,…
Waterford Businessperson and Ferndale Teacher Learn from Each Other (Ferndale Schools Press Release, March 19, 2014) Coolidge Intermediate teacher Jason Gillespie exchanged his teacher experiences for a day this week with a local business leader as part of Oakland Schools’ Teacher-Business Leader Exchange Program. Because Gillespie was the 2013 Teacher of the Year for Ferndale…
Ferndale’s Judge Longo Returns After Major Illness (video) (Court Press Release, March 19, 2014) On March 19th, a very grateful and much healthier Judge Longo returns full time to the bench in the 43rd District Court. The Judge expressed his sincere appreciation to all the caregivers he encountered in his recovery from a serious illness,…
Gov. Snyder Confirms Financial Emergency in Royal Oak Township (State of Michigan Press Release, March 19, 2014) Gov. Rick Snyder today confirmed his earlier determination that a financial emergency currently exists in Royal Oak Township. Under Public Act 436 of 2012, the Local Financial Stability and Choice Act, elected officials in the township now have…
Local Celebrities Read to Roosevelt Students (video) (Crystal A. Proxmire, March 18, 2014) To an adult, it is twenty minutes away from their day jobs. But to the youngsters at Roosevelt Primary in Ferndale, the guests who come to their classrooms on Reading Day are celebrities and heroes. The tradition takes place each year in…
Rochester Hill Introduces Phone App (Rochester Hills Press Release, March 18, 2014) Our new mobile app keeps you informed with features such as the Alert Center, News Flash and Notify Me. It offers three calendars so you know what’s happening in the Parks at Public Meetings and in the Community. Hiking the trails just got…
Giuseppe Ciccone’s Exchange Student Experience (Giuseppe Ciccone, March 17, 2014) I arrived at the Detroit Metropolitan airport on August 21st. Everything started that day. I remember every single moment: My host mom Karen and two of my three siblings, Ash and Violet, waiting for me with a colorful poster which said, “Welcome home Giuseppe.” That poster didn’t…
Possible Heroin Overdose Death in Pontiac (Oakland County Sheriff’s Dept., March 17, 2014) INCIDENT: 12:41 hrs. March 16 – City of Pontiac Possible Overdose Death #14-038543 SUMMARY: Deputies responded to the 900 block of Kettering Ave for a report of subject with trouble breathing. OUTCOME OF INCIDENT: Upon arrival deputies spoke to the complainant who…
Roaring 20s Dinner Raises Money for Ferndale Education Foundation (Crystal A. Proxmire, March 15, 2014) The Ferndale Education Foundation had it’s annual dinner Friday with a Roaring 20’s Theme. With feathers, fringe and furs the fine ladies of Ferndale mingled with dapper gentlemen in suits. They enjoyed a delicious meal, watched dance, band and acting…
Homes to be built on sold Royal Oak Schools property, Churchill to be renovated (Royal Oak Schools Press Release, March 15, 2014) The Royal Oak Schools Board of Education, meeting on Thursday, March 13, 2014, approved contracts for renovations at Churchill School. The Churchill building houses several district programs, including the Churchill Community High School,…
Rochester Hills Mayor Barnett’s State of the City Address (Bryan K. Barnett, March 13, 2014, presented March 12, 2014) • Good evening. It is my privilege to welcome you here tonight as I present the 2014 Rochester Hills State of the City from the totally radical Emagine Theatre. • This is my 8th State of…
Savvy Senior Avoids Getting Tricked by Scam (Crystal A. Proxmire, March 14, 2014) When Jeannie Davis got a phone call saying that she had won $1.4 million she figured that something was wrong. The retired real estate appraiser and President of the Ferndale Seniors group knows that “if something sounds too good to be true,…
MDOT Posts Tips for Driving During Terrible Pothole Season (MDOT Press Release, March 13, 2014) Record snow and cold may be departing, but they’re leaving in their wake one of Michigan’s worst pothole seasons ever. The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is suggesting some ways that motorists can avoid hitting potholes, and to minimize damage…
Guest View: Education Achievement Authority Expansion Moving Forward (Steve Norton, Michigan Parents for Schools, March 13, 2014)I’m reaching out to you with an urgent request. We need you to call your State Representative today. The Education Achievement Authority, the bad idea that won’t go away, is on the verge of being expanded across the state.…