MML#3 – Cities and Civic Tech, How Local Governments Serve Residents Online (Crystal A. Proxmire, Sept. 18, 2016) Mackinaw Island, MI – Cities vary on how much effort they put into their websites, apps, social media, and online presence. Yet clearly the internet is important to residents and those wishing to do business. How can…
MML#2 – Cities Facing Increasing Lawsuits over Fees (Crystal A. Proxmire, Sept. 18, 2016) Mackinaw Island, MI – Class action lawsuits against municipalities are becoming more common, particularly those over water and sewer billing. Litigation attorney Soni Mithani, a Principal at Miller Canfield in Ann Arbor, took time to educate officials about these types of…
MML #1: From Pork to Pollination, Best Ways to Support Local Development (Crystal A. Proxmire, Sept. 15, 2016) Mackinac Island, MI – Development professionals often use the phrase “attract and retain businesses” as their main job functions. But economist and author Michael Shuman is determined to change that. “You cannot attract a local business,” Shuman…
I-75 to Close this Weekend for Bridge Demolition at Squirrel Road (MDOT, Sept. 115, 2016) Auburn Hills, MI – Weather permitting, both directions of I-75 will be closed this weekend between Crooks Road and M-59 in Oakland County, according to the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT). The closure begins at 11 p.m. Friday, Sept. 16,…
Readers Urged to Check Thermostats for Recall Notices after Fire in Troy (Crystal A. Proxmire, Sept. 15, 2016) Troy, MI -The folks at Troy Medical Plaza had no idea that the thermostat in their building had been similar to one ordered recalled by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (SPSC) until it caught fire on Wednesday…
Eye on Oakland Features oc115 Publisher Crystal Proxmire (Crystal A. Proxmire, Aug. 28, 2016) Bloomfield Township, MI – Oakland County 115 News Editor and Publisher Crystal A. Proxmire was recently the guest on Eye on Oakland, a public access program hosted by Dave Potts and Chuck Moss and produced by Bloomfield Public Television. Apart from…
Help Control Rats in your Neighborhood (City of Oak Park, orig. Aug. 31, 2104, republished Aug. 24, 2016) The City of Oak Park sent out the following guidelines to help residents control rats and rodents in the community. The tips are useful for any community: Here are seven actions you can take to control the…
How to Spot Signs of Domestic Abuse (Guest blog by Beth Morrison, HAVEN, orig. Feb. 27, 2015, republished Aug. 21, 2016) Domestic violence is a pattern of coercive behavior including emotional, verbal and physical abuse, used by an abuser to gain and maintain power and control over a current or former spouse, intimate partner or…
2016 Election: Candidate Interviews and Issues (ongoing main coverage page) Oakland County, MI – Now that the primaries are over, it’s time to think about the 2016 Presidential Election. There are many local races happening as well, plus ballot issues. The official list is not ready from the County Clerk yet, however we’ve been doing…
Troy Community Coalition Gives Safety Tips for Pokemon, Applauds Benefits (Troy Community Coalition, Aug. 10, 2016) Troy, MI – Pokemon GO has taken the world by storm and it’s likely that your children, regardless of their age, are playing it. The mobile phone app has caused a lot of positive effects in communities around the…
2016 Candidate Interview State Rep Tim Greimel 29th District (video) (Crystal A. Proxmire, Aug 9, 2016) Auburn Hills, MI – Democratic State House Chair and the State Representative for the 29th District Tim Greimel is running for re-election. He has served for nearly five years and is eligible for one more term. Greimel is being…
2016 Candidate Interview Vicki Barnett for Oakland County Executive (video) (Crystal A. Proxmire, July 31, 2016) Farmington Hills, MI – The race for County Executive is now down to two people. Democrat Vicki Barnett of Farmington Hills is challenging incumbent L. Brooks Patterson for the position. Barnett is the former Mayor of Farmington Hills and…
2016 Primary Election Results and oc115 Readers’ “I Voted” Sticker Selfies (Crystal A. Proxmire, Aug. 2, 2016) Pontiac, MI – The results are in from the Aug. 2 Primary Election. Scroll beyond the “I voted” sticker selfie photos to check out how the voting went. In Oakland County, 97,506 people cast ballots in the Republican…
Regional Transit Plan Blocked from Going on Ballot (Crystal A. Proxmire, July 28, 2016) Detroit, MI – Plans for a $4.6 billion regional transit system were expected to go to the ballot for a vote of the people in November, but board members from Oakland and Macomb Counties have blocked the measure at the request…
Regional Transit May Not Make it to the Ballot (Crystal A. Proxmire, July 27, 2016) Pontiac, MI – Efforts towards a regional transit plan could be stopped in their tracks if representatives on the RTA Board from Oakland and Macomb Counties do not vote to put the 1.2 mil question on the ballot. Oakland County…
2016 Candidate Interview Pete Trzos for State Rep 29th District (video) (Crystal A. Proxmire, July 21, 2016) Keego Harbor, MI – Republican Peter (Pete) Trzos is one of two Republicans on the ballot for the Aug. 2 primary. Garren W. Griffith is his opponent. The winner of that election will be running against Incumbent Democrat…
Federal Judge Blocks Michigan Ban on Straight-Ticket Voting (Crystal A. Proxmire, July 21, 2016) Detroit, MI – US District Court Judge Gershwin A. Drain placed four preliminary injunctions to prohibit Michigan from enforcing a new law that bans straight-ticket voting. According the The Detroit News, “the real question the court must answer, Drain wrote, is…
Patterson Presents Proposed Budget, Announces New 911 System (Office of Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson, July 21, 2016) There is a major public safety enhancement in County Executive L. Brooks Patterson’s recommended three-year budget covering fiscal years 2017-2019. Oakland County provides for replacement of its 911 copper network which has reached the end of…
Renew for the Zoo Offering Free Animal Themed Signs to Promote Detroit Zoo Millage (Renew for the Zoo, July 20, 2016) ROYAL OAK, Mich. – Penguins, frogs and tigers are staking out their territory on lawns across Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties to encourage support of the Detroit Zoo millage renewal. The signs read, “Renew…
Auburn Hills Police Officer Reflects on Ramadan Dinner (Guest Blogger, Officer Farah Hilliker of Auburn Hills Police Department, July 20, 2016) Rochester Hills, MI – A couple of weeks ago I had the honor to represent the Chief at the 4th annual Ramadan dinner at the Detroit Islamic center in Rochester Hills. Multiple elected officials,…