Democrats Pack Cobo for Fmr. President Bill Clinton Speech (video)

Democrats Pack Cobo for Fmr. President Bill Clinton Speech (video) (Crystal A. Proxmire, April 27, 2014) Raising over $500,000 for the Michigan Democratic Party, the 2014 Jefferson-Jackson Dinner at Cobo Hall featuring Former President Bill Clinton was considered “a rousing success” by Democratic Party Chair Lon Johnson. Johnson and others took time to share their…

White Nosed Syndrome Hurting Michigan Bats

White Nosed Syndrome Hurting Michigan Bats (DNR and Organization for Bat Conservation Press Releases, April 12, 2014) The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has announced that the DNR survey team has discovered the presence of the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans and White-nose Syndrome in Michigan. Officials have confirmed the diagnosis in Little Brown Bats sampled at…

Oakland County Clerk Lisa Brown Running for Lt. Governor

Oakland County Clerk Lisa Brown Running for Lt. Governor (Crystal A. Proxmire, April 3, 2014) Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Mark Schauer has announced his running mate for the upcoming election – Oakland County Clerk and former State Representative Lisa Brown. The announcement came this morning, just a day after Schauer appeared with President Barack Obama in…

Oakland County Clerk Lisa Brown Running for Lt. Governor

Oakland County Clerk Lisa Brown Running for Lt. Governor (Crystal A. Proxmire, April 3, 2014) Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Mark Schauer has announced his running mate for the upcoming election – Oakland County Clerk and former State Representative Lisa Brown. The announcement came this morning, just a day after Schauer appeared with President Barack Obama in…

Local Districts Named 2014 Best Communities for Music Education

Local Districts Named 2014 Best Communities for Music Education (Crystal A. Proxmire, March 27, 2014) The NAMM Foundation rates school  districts across the county in music programs, and this year they have named 376 districts to their 2014 Best Communities for Music Education List.  In Oakland County, Berkley, Bloomfield Hills, Ferndale, Oxford and Rochester Schools…

Middle School Students Learn How Not to Break Eggs in Engineering

Middle School Students Learn How Not to Break Eggs in Engineering (W. Bloomfield Schools Press Release, March 27, 2014) Abbott Middle School students visited Engineering Academy at West Bloomfield High School to learn more about Engineering Academy and engineering, architectural and industrial technology courses that the high school offers starting in 9th grade. The middle…

WA3 Welcomes Mayors Metzger and Waterman to Board

WA3 Welcomes Mayors Metzger and Waterman to Board (Adapted from WA3 Press Release, March 12, 2014) 2014 and the recent mayoral elections bring three new leaders to the Board of the Woodward Avenue Action Association (WA3), a collaborative effort to promote the 11 communities along M1. From the far north is Pontiac’s mayor Deidre Waterman. …

WA3 Welcomes Mayors Metzger and Waterman to Board

WA3 Welcomes Mayors Metzger and Waterman to Board (Adapted from WA3 Press Release, March 12, 2014) 2014 and the recent mayoral elections bring three new leaders to the Board of the Woodward Avenue Action Association (WA3), a collaborative effort to promote the 11 communities along M1. From the far north is Pontiac’s mayor Deidre Waterman. …

MEAP Scores Released, Improvement in Reading Celebrated

MEAP Scores Released, Improvement in Reading Celebrated (Michigan Dept. of Education Press Release, Feb. 28, 2014) Reading test scores for Michigan fourth graders improved for the fourth consecutive year, the Michigan Department of Education reported today. Results from the Fall 2013 Michigan Education Assessment Program (MEAP) are reflective of what children had learned the previous…

Bridge Magazine Ranks Michigan School Districts

Bridge Magazine Ranks Michigan School Districts (Crystal Proxmire, Feb. 9, 2014) Bridge Magazine looked at public school districts and public charters and compared them based on performance weighted by economics to determine how schools are performing compared to expectations.  The publication used three years’ worth of data and ranked the schools.  A score of 100…

Unlocked Car Left Running Unattended Stolen in Royal Oak, and…

Unlocked Car Left Running Unattended Stolen in Royal Oak, and More Crime Briefs (Royal Oak Police Dept., Feb. 6, 2014) Larceny from an Automobile 600 block of Woodlawn, 2-4-14 – 2-5-14, 11:00 p.m. – 6:30 a.m.: Complainant parked his vehicle on the street near his residence. When he returned to his truck he discovered an…

Mode Shift’s Road Map To Understanding SEMCOG

Mode Shift’s Road Map To Understanding SEMCOG (David Sands, Mode Shift, Feb. 2, 2014, orig. wearemodeshift.org/mode-shifts-road-map-understanding-semcog) It was a noteworthy 2013 for the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments. The organization not only helped jumpstart the new Regional Transit Authority, but it’s been busy developing a regional non-motorized transportation plan and conducting an analysis of rapid transit…

Cold Prompts School Closings for Tuesday

Cold Prompts School Closings for Tuesday (C. Proxmire, Jan. 27, 2014) School administrators across SE Michigan have declared Tuesday a “snow day” due to temperatures and wind chills below zero.  Classes and events will be cancelled in many districts, including Berkley, Birmingham,  Clawson, Farmington, Ferndale, Hazel Park, Madison Public Schools, Pontiac, Rochester Schools, Royal Oak,…