1.2 Mill Proposal to go on Nov. 8 Ballot for “Rapid, Reliable, Regional” Transit (Crystal A. Proxmire, June 1, 2016) Southfield, MI – The RTA unveiled their Regional Master Transit Plan on Tuesday, including information on a proposed 1.2 mill tax to fund it. Voters in Oakland, Macomb, Wayne and Washtenaw Counties will have their…
Suicide Prevention Efforts Grow Across Oakland County, Training Available (Crystal A. Proxmire, May 27, 2016) Troy, MI – Southfield Police Officer Mark Zacks used to have trouble asking the question “Do you think about hurting yourself?” or “Have you thought about suicide?” With 28 years on the force including 15 on the special entry and…
2016 Candidate Interview: Lisa Brown Oakland County Clerk and Register of Deeds (video) (Crystal A. Proxmire, May 26, 2016) West Bloomfield, MI – Former State Representative and current Oakland County Clerk Lisa Brown is seeking re-election. Brown faces challenger Michael D. Smith in the Aug. 2, 2016 primary. The winner of that race will face…
2016 Candidate Interview: Bill Bullard for Oakland County Clerk and Register of Deeds (video) (Crystal A. Proxmire, May 26, 2016) Highland Twp, MI – Longtime Republican politician Bill Bullard is running for Oakland County Clerk and Register of Deeds, a position that he had been appointed to for 2010-2012 before losing the position to Democrat…
Candidate Interview: Mike Goetz for OC Prosecutor (video) (Crystal A. Proxmire, May 2, 2016) Lake Orion, MI – A former Assistant Prosecutor is running for Oakland County Prosecuting Attorney against his former boss. Lake Orion resident Mike Goetz will be on the ballot against the incumbent Democrat Jessica Cooper who was elected in 2008. Election…
Pre-Election Gag Order Not Enforceable Due to Agreement in Federal Court (Michigan Municipal League, April 28, 2016) LANSING, MI — U.S. District Judge John Corbett O’Meara has accepted an agreement between the Secretary of State’s office and local governments and school groups, permanently enjoining Secretary of State Ruth Johnson from enforcing a law passed in…
Oakland County Schools Vary on Testing for Lead in Water (Crystal A. Proxmire, April 27, 2016) Oakland County, MI – As they see the images of children in Flint lined up to get bottled water or crying over blood tests, people around the country have been wondering about the safety of the water they and…
Plans in the Works to Test Water for Lead in Oakland County Schools (Crystal A. Proxmire, April 25, 2016) Pontiac, MI – As dozens of teenagers from high schools throughout Oakland County sat eager to learn about the safety of their community’s drinking water, officials revealed that plans are in the works for testing of…
Officers from 13 Communities Get Narcan Training (OCCMHA, April 17, 2016) Pontiac, MI – Approximately 30 police officers from 13 Oakland County communities attended a free training to become Naloxone trainers during an event hosted by Oakland County Community Mental Health Authority (OCCMHA) on Friday, April 15, 2016 at the Resource and Crisis Center. Naloxone,…
Stuff to Know When it Snows (C. Proxmire, Feb. 2, 2015) Did you wake up to find your neighborhood covered over with a layer of sparkly white frozen precipitation and a Facebook feed full of various warnings, advisories, and complaints? Though it can be disconcerting, don’t worry. It’s called snow, and it’s something we’ve dealt…
Data View: Voting Data in Pontiac School District (Kurt Metzger, Feb. 23, 2016) Pontiac, MI – The Pontiac School District (PSD) includes all or part of Pontiac, Auburn Hills, Sylvan Lake, Lake Angelus, and the townships of Bloomfield, West Bloomfield, Waterford and Orion. Declining birth rates and population out-migration from Pontiac have combined with schools…
High Winds, Scattered Power Outages Reported (Crystal A. Proxmire, Feb. 19, 2016) Waterford, MI – Wind storms with some lightning blew though Oakland County Friday night, sometimes reaching in the 30-40 mph range. Pockets of power outages happened through the area according to the DTE website. As of 11pm, Waterford, Clarkston and Ortonville had the…
Water Resources Commissioner Jim Nash talks about Water Quality (video) (Crystal A. Proxmire, Jan. 13, 2016) Madison Heights, MI – Turning on the faucet and having clean water come out is something easily taken for granted. They wash their hands, take a shower, brush their teeth, cook, clean, and drink without stopping to think about…
How to Donate Water to Flint (Compiled, Jan. 10, 2016) Flint, MI – Residents of Flint are suffering from a lack of water due to contamination. Much has been written about the causes of the dangerous, lead-contaminated water, the question on many people’s minds is how to help. The Rachael Maddow Show compiled a list…
Questions About Ballot Issues? New Law Signed by Snyder Prevents Discussion (Crystal A. Proxmire, Jan. 6, 2016) Cities, school districts, libraries, police departments and other groups rely on tax funding that comes from millages, which must be voted on by the public. There are also ballot proposals that directly impact governing bodies, for example, the…
Local Government Leaders Ask Snyder to veto SB 571 (Michigan Municipal League Press Release, Jan. 5, 2016) Lansing, MI – Local government leaders from across the state today joined to ask Gov. Rick Snyder to veto Senate Bill 571, which would gag local officials seeking to provide constituents with factual information on election matters 60…
No More Straight Ticket Voting in Michigan as Governor Signs Bill into Law (Crystal A. Proxmire, Jan. 5, 2016) Michigan Governor Rick Snyder signed a bill into law that eliminates straight ticket voting in the State. Because the bill has a $5 million appropriation attached to it, voters can not reverse the law on referendum.…
oc115.com – Best Stories of 2015 (Crystal A. Proxmire, Jan. 1, 2015) Ferndale, MI – 2015 was an amazing year for the Oakland County 115 News as we began growing in new communities, and as we tackled some challenging stories. We also got some nice recognition in other publications, including The Detroit News, Downtown Publications,…
US Postal Service Raising Shipping Rates, Service Fees (Crystal A. Proxmire, Dec. 30, 2015) Washington, DC – The price of first class stamps will stay the same, but the costs of shipping and other services offered though the United States Postal Service (USPS) are going up. The increases, approved in October, begin Jan. 17, 2016.…
Resources for Adults Seeking Counseling (Nan Kerr-Mueller, Dec. 28, 2015) Oakland County, MI – Last month I started a quest to find some counseling help for a young adult in my life. They did not currently have health insurance and were having trouble finding someone that would see them. I started with Easter Seals as…