Medicaid Expansion Passes Senate (C. Proxmire, Aug. 28, 2013) After a bunch of partisan back-and-forth, made more complex by disagreements within the Republican Party, the state Senate approved expanding Medicaid to cover a larger group of low-income residents. A similar bill passed the House earlier this year, and the next step is for the House…
Officers Train for Tactical Response to Active Shooter in School (video) (Crystal A. Proxmire, Aug. 27, 2013) Dripping in sweat beneath body armor and masks, police from several cities moved deftly in tight formation through Jefferson Middle School in Pontiac, with guns drawn and eyes wide open. Following the sounds of a shotgun blast, they…
Ferndale Selected as a Pilot Community for MI Solar Works Program (City of Ferndale Press Release, Aug. 27, 2013) Michigan is part of a national race to get affordable solar installed on homes and small businesses. The MI Solar Works program is bringing together a variety of partners around the state to bring down solar…
Study Shows Results for Mental Health Court (Michigan Supreme Court Press Release, Aug. 23, 2013) A three-year evaluation of 10 Michigan mental health courts finds that participants re-offend at significantly lower levels than comparable groups of offenders who do not participate in the mental health courts. The evaluation, which was conducted by the State Court…
2013 Ferndale Voter Information MAYOR – 1 open seat Incumbent David Coulter, http://www.davecoulter.com Craig Covey, http://coveys-corner.blogspot.com/ Linda Parton, https//www.facebook.com/linda.skoniecznyparton Sherry Wells, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sherry-A-Wells-for-Mayor CITY COUNCIL – 2 open seats, four year term Incumbent Melanie C. Piana, http://www.melaniepiana.com Greg Pawlica, http://pawlica4ferndale.com/ LIBRARY BOARD – 2 partial term seats expiring January 1, 2018 Frank Castronova Adrienne Fazzolara LIBRARY…
Henry Gold and Barb Evoe Announce Retirement from Ferndale Schools (Ferndale Schools Press Release, Aug. 20, 2013) The Ferndale Schools Board of Education unanimously voted at their August 19, 2013 meeting in support of the retirement resignations to two of its top administrators, Henry Gold, Deputy Superintendent, and Barbara Evoe, Executive Director of Curriculum and…
Readers Share their Dream Cruise Pictures (Aug. 19, 2013) The 19th annual Dream Cruise has come and gone, and Ferndale 115 News readers have the pictures to prove it! Readers from all along the Woodward Corridor have shared their Dream Cruise memories, including Jim Thienel of Waterford who saw a pretty blue Mustang lose control…
Galloway Not Seeking Fourth Council Term (video) (Crystal A. Proxmire, Aug. 14, 2013) As Ferndalians start to think of who they will vote for Nov. 5, one name they may notice missing from the ballot is that of Scott Galloway. The co-owner of Galloway and Collens Law Firm and 12-year city council veteran has decided…
Marijuana Ordinance Goes to Nov. 5 Ballot (Crystal A. Proxmire, Aug. 12, 2013) Councilperson Dan Martin was the lone voice on City Council advocating for the adoption of the citizen’s petition for an ordinance to decriminalize marijuana for people over the age of 21 possessing less than an ounce on private property. The matter came…
Council to Vote on Marijuana Ordinance Monday (video) (Crystal A. Proxmire, Aug. 11, 2013) Ferndale City Council is scheduled to take up the matter of marijuana permissiveness at the Monday night council meeting. Ferndale resident Andrew Cissell filed petitions requesting that the city change the code of ordinance to exempt persons over the age of…
Which Sculptures Will Stay? Your Vote Helps DDA Decide (Crystal A. Proxmire, Aug. 9, 2013) The ARTWN exhibit is coming to an end, but the Downtown Development Authority is taking votes now to see which of the 11 public art sculptures are going to remain permanent fixtures here in Ferndale. The sculptures were here as…
Board of Appeals Hears Clinical Relief Case (Crystal A. Proxmire, Aug. 9, 2013) The seven people cleared of drug-related offenses in conjunction with the Clinical Relief medical marijuana dispensary raid are not free and clear just yet, as they await the decision of the Court of Appeals. The dispensary was opened on Hilton Road in…
TRU Executive Director Talks About Public Transit (video) (C. Proxmire, Aug. 2, 2013) Advocating for better public transit and keeping the public informed has been the task of Transportation Riders United for the past 15 years. And with all the changes and discussions taking place, the nonprofit transportation advocacy group has been keeping very busy.…
Record Number of Cities Get Main Street Accreditation (video) (Crystal A. Proxmire, July 10, 2013) With the flair of a fire-twirling roller-skater and the pep of the Clawson High School cheerleaders, members of Main Street programs from throughout Oakland County got together at Leon and Lulu on Wednesday to celebrate a number of Main Street…
Flood Destroys Donations for Massive School Supply Nonprofit (Crystal A. Proxmire, July 10, 2013) When volunteers arrived at the Operation Kid Equip. headquarters in Clinton Township on Wednesday, they expected to begin sorting the massive amounts of items for their various statewide programs that equip low income students with pens, paper, crayons, backpacks, books and…
Teen Hospitalized After Car-Bike Accident on Woodward (Crystal Proxmire, July 9, 2013) A 17-year-old male from Huntington Woods was struck by an SUV on Woodward Tuesday afternoon around 3:15pm near Sylvan in Pleasant Ridge while riding his bike. According to those who know him, the teen is hospitalized with serious injuries, including a head injury.…
Ferndale Sets Fees, Holds Off on Credit Card Fees for Now (Crystal A. Proxmire, July 9, 2013) Every two years Ferndale City Council votes on how much to charge for various city services, and the most recent round happened at Monday’s council meeting. Many of the changes in fees happened because of state-mandated fees, and…
Finding a Place in the Grid: Energy Experiments Go Big at Midwest Analytical (video) (Crystal A. Proxmire, July 7, 2013) Two years ago, Kevin O’Mara was all about getting off the grid. In a July 2011 interview, he explained how he’d begun doing alternative energy experiments on the roof of his laboratory business, Midwest Analytical…
SEOC Cautions “Parents Who Host Lose the Most” (C. Proxmire, July 7, 2013) “Parents who host lose the most.” That is the message sent home by the South East Oakland Coalition in their push to curb underage drinking and drug use at parent-sanctioned parties over the summer. According to Carly Podzikowski, the Director for the…
Fireworks Safety, Code and Consequences (C. Proxmire, July 4, 2013) Fireworks season is in full effect as communities throughout Michigan struggle to find the balance between fun, safety, tranquility, and economy. Cites have been scrambling to keep up with new provisions of state law regarding fireworks usage. Previously local governments had more say in their…