Southfield, Ferndale and Royal Oak Urge State to Restore Funding (Crystal A. Proxmire, Feb. 9, 2014) Elected officials in Southfield, Ferndale and Royal Oak have a message for the legislature in Lansing: restore municipal funding. At the most recent Council and Commission meetings, each City passed a nearly identical resolution calling on state leaders to…
Southfield, Ferndale and Royal Oak Urge State to Restore Funding (Crystal A. Proxmire, Feb. 9, 2014) Elected officials in Southfield, Ferndale and Royal Oak have a message for the legislature in Lansing: restore municipal funding. At the most recent Council and Commission meetings, each City passed a nearly identical resolution calling on state leaders to…
Southfield, Ferndale and Royal Oak Urge State to Restore Funding (Crystal A. Proxmire, Feb. 9, 2014) Elected officials in Southfield, Ferndale and Royal Oak have a message for the legislature in Lansing: restore municipal funding. At the most recent Council and Commission meetings, each City passed a nearly identical resolution calling on state leaders to…
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 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 (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…
79-Year-Old Dies in Royal Oak Fire (Crystal A. Proxmire, Feb. 2, 2014) A 79-year-old man was found dead Saturday in a condo fire in the 3200 block of Coolidge in Royal Oak at around 4:30pm. The Royal Oak Fired Department called in Oakland County Sheriff’s Office to assist in the investigation. More information will be…
Graffiti on the Rise and other Royal Oak Police Reports (Royal Oak Police, Jan. 31, 2014) Royal Oak Police Department Weekly Update For the week of January 23, 2014 through January 30, 2014 Unlawful Driving Away of an Automobile 5150 Coolidge (Meijer Department Store), 1-27-14, 1:45 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.: Complainant parked his 2002 Dodge…
Royal Oak Fleeing and Eluding Suspect Captured (Royal Oak Police Department, Jan. 29, 2014) On Thursday, Jan. 9, 2014, Royal Oak officers attempted to stop a red Dodge Avenger for a traffic violation in the area of E. Sixth Street and Knowles. The driver of the Avenger refused to stop the vehicle; he fled from…
Closure at 12 Mile and Stephenson Today and Tomorrow Due to Water Main Break (Crystal A. Proxmire, Jan. 29, 2014) The Oakland County Road Commission has issued the following alert for travelers in the 12 Mile and Stephenson Hwy. area, also affecting those exiting southbound I-75: The City of Madison Heights is expected to open…
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,…
40 Under 40 Announced, Public to Pick Top Winner (Oakland County Press Release, Jan. 27, 2014) Starting Jan. 27 the public can cast an online vote to choose the winner of the Oakland County Executive’s Elite 40 under 40 Class of 2014. More than 500 applications and nominations were reviewed by a panel of judges,…
Oakland Chamber Network Learns From National Trends (Crystal A. Proxmire, Jan. 27, 2014) Collaborating to improve the environment for business success is the core strength of Chambers of Commerce in general, and the Oakland Chamber Network doubles up on that principle by bringing 27 local Chambers together. At their annual meeting on Jan. 22, OCN…
Group Seeks Ballot Measure to Increase Minimum Wage (Mothering Justice Press Release, Jan. 27, 2014) Community organizing, social justice and labor groups today formed a committee to explore a ballot campaign to raise the minimum wage in Michigan. The minimum wage in Michigan –currently $7.40 an hour – hasn’t been raised since 2008, leaving many…
The Return on Investment from Michigan Passenger Rail (Dan Sommerville, Michigan Environmental Council, Jan. 26, 2014, orig. Michigan by Rail Blog) Passenger rail has been booming nationwide and in Michigan. Record-breaking ridership was recorded in 10 of the last 11 years (1) (2), and there has been a whopping 78% growth in Michigan ridership since…
Bad Checks, Cell Phone Thefts and More in Royal Oak Police Report (Lieutenant David Clemens, Royal Oak Police Dept., Jan 24, 2014) For the week of January 16, 2014 through January 23, 2014 Larceny from an Automobile 400 block of N. Main, 1-18-14 – 1-19-14, 8:00pm – 11:00am: Complainant parked her vehicle in a nearby…
Suspect Wanted in Theft and More Royal Oak Police Updates (Royal Oak Police Department, Jan. 19, 2014) For the week of January 9, 2014 through January 16, 2014 Larceny from an Automobile 2800 block of Woodslee, 1-7-14 – 1-8-14, 7:00pm – 8:00am: Complainant reported she parked her vehicle in the parking lot. When she returned…
Royal Oak Mayor Learns Lesson in Fire Prevention (Crystal A. Proxmire, Jan. 18, 2014) Royal Oak Mayor Jim Ellison and his wife Jodie learned first-hand the importance of keeping dryer vents clean, as a fire damaged their house Friday afternoon. The Royal Oak Fire Department acted quickly to put out the fire, which stared at…
Ferndale Police Arrest Suspect in Devon Square Murder (video) (Crystal A. Proxmire, Jan. 15, 2014) When they learned of a body found at Devon Square Apartments around noon on Tuesday, Ferndale Police acted quickly to investigate and capture their suspect in less than a day and a half. The victim’s identity has not yet been…
Tips to Avoid Crimes Targeting Seniors (Troy Police Dept. Press Release, Jan. 8, 2014) Health Insurance Frauds Medical Equipment Fraud: Equipment manufacturers offer “free” products to individuals. Insurers are then charged for products that were not needed and/or may not have been delivered. “Rolling Lab” Schemes: Unnecessary and sometimes fake tests are given to individuals…