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…
Fatal Accident on Woodward Tuesday in Ferndale (Crystal A. Proxmire, Feb. 27, 2014) The Daily Tribune is reporting that there was single-car fatal crash on Woodward at 11:25 am Tuesday. A 58-year-old Oak Park man driving a 2006 Jeep SUV struck a light pole in front of McDonald’s near Albany Street. An investigation is on-going…
Police Report Ferndale Man Found Passed Out on Stranger’s Floor (Lt. William Wilson, Ferndale Police Dept., Feb. 25, 2014) This morning (02/25/14) at about 5:30, a man who lives in an apartment on Leland woke up to find strange cloths strewn about his bathroom floor. The resident noticed an unknown man (JAGGER) sleeping on his…
Citizen Award Turns to Talk of Transgender Respect (video) (Crystal A. Proxmire, Feb. 24, 2014) When Victor Walker called the Ferndale Police to report a suspected purse thief back in January, he referred to the suspect as a woman. Yet when police arrived they addressed the suspect as a man in spite of their feminine…
Parents Rock Out to Raise Money for FernCare (video) (Crystal A. Proxmire, Feb. 23, 2014) Charity shows at local bars are one of the ways that the grown-ups of Ferndale teach the youngsters about civic responsibility and community love. Among the neighborhood favorites are 3d Invisible, Jawbone and The Grateful Dads, made up of parents…
Ferndale to Hire Parking System Management Company (Crystal A. Proxmire, Feb. 23, 2014) Ferndale City Council is expected to approve a three-year contract with Republic Parking System to manage the city’s new multi-space parking meters. Over the past year Ferndale launched a Park Plus system to replace quarter-operated machines. This enabled them to increase parking…
First Stop Friday Featuring The Heaven & Hell Cotillion and Juniper Baby, March 7 (Ferndale Public Library Press Release, Feb.21, 2014) The Ferndale Public Library’s monthly rock-centric concert series, First Stop Friday, will feature all emerging female musicians at its Mar. 7 show. The Heaven & Hell Cotillion, a gothic do-wop quartet with old country…
Ferndale Schools Take Advocacy Trip to Lansing (video) (Crystal A. Proxmire, Feb. 19, 2014) Dozens of concerned parents, teachers, students, administrators and Ferndale School Board Trustees gathered in front of Ferndale High School for an early morning rally and photo opportunity Wednesday, and to send a caravan off on an advocacy trip to Lansing. Armed…
$800,000 Bequest Left to Affirmations (Crystal A. Proxmire, Feb. 19, 2014) Affirmations Community Center has been named the beneficiary of an anonymous bequest of nearly $800,000, reports Between the Lines. A press release by Affirmations did not disclose the amount, but did state that the gift was “transformational.” Reports suggest that money will be used…
How Are Michigan Schools Funded: Kevin Deegan-Krause Explains (video) (Crystal A. Proxmire, Feb. 18, 2014) How Michigan schools are funded is a complicated subject, but one that Ferndale School Board Trustee Kevin Deegan-Krause hopes to help the public better understand. Deegan-Krause, who is also a political science professor at Wayne State University, gave two presentations…
Fashion for FernCare at Mother Fletchers Feb. 22 (FernCare Press Release, Feb. 18, 2014) Please join us for a night of fashion, music, cocktails and shop for a cause! MF Vintage by Mother Fletcher’s 210 W. Nine Mile Rd., Ferndale, Michigan 48220 Sat. Feb. 22 from 8pm to midnight Admission is free, but donations appreciated!…
Oak Park and Ferndale Declare Snow Emergencies (Crystal A. Proxmire, Feb. 18, 2014) Oak Park and Ferndale are among the communities that have established a Snow Emergency to begin at 7am on Feb. 18. This means that vehicles must be removed from the streets so that plows can get through. Those who do not move…
Ferndale Changes Council Meeting Start Times (Crystal A. Proxmire, Feb. 18, 2014) After weeks of surveying the community and discussion at council meetings, Ferndale City Council has voted to move council meeting start times to 7pm from their traditional 7:30pm. Councilperson Melanie Piana voted against the earlier start time, having stated in earlier discussions that…
Hazel Park Schools to Expand Great Start Program, Restructure K-5s (Crystal A. Proxmire, Feb. 17, 2014) Students at Webster Elementary in Hazel Park will be assigned to other schools in the fall so that the district can expand the Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP) which gives four-year-olds a pre-school learning and childcare experience. The decision…
School Funding Discussions Feb. 18, Advocacy Trip Feb. 19 (Crystal A. Proxmire, Feb. 16, 2014) The Ferndale School Board and other advocates are focusing some of their efforts on Lansing as they grapple with the problem of less funding for public education. On Tuesday, Board Trustee Kevin Deegan-Krause will give two presentations on school funding,…
Jim O’Donnell’s State of the Ferndale Schools Address (Jim,O’Donnell Ferndale Schools Board President, Feb. 14, 2014) NOTE: Ferndale School Board President Jim O’Donnell presented this speech on Feb. 12, 2014 to the community through a Ferndale Area Chamber of Commerce gathering held at Local Kitchen and Bar. Below is the full text of the speech…
Ferndale Police Report: Burglar Tracked by Footprints in Snow (Lt. William Wilson, Ferndale Police, Feb. 13, 2014) On 02/11/14 at about 1:40 p.m. officers responded to a home on Ardmore where residents reported their home was burglarized. The couple reported they left their home in the morning and when they returned, found somebody had broken…
Ferndale Superintendent Takes Pay Cut, Hopes Others Will Too (Crystal A. Proxmire, Feb. 12, 2014) Concessions continue as Ferndale Schools tries to negotiate their way out of a $2.4 million budget shortfall by asking employees for temporary pay cuts. Superintendent Gary Meier and Director of Finance Maureen Adams accepted 7.38% reductions in their contracts for…
Oakland University Freshman Died in Ferndale Home (Oakland University Press Release, Feb. 12, 2014) The Oakland University community is mourning the loss of an 18-year-old freshman, who passed away at his home in Ferndale on Monday, Feb. 10, as a result of cardiac arrest. DeMal Coleman was a resident in Hamlin Hall and a participant…
DEQ Called in for 390 Gallon Ethanol/Gasoline Spill in Ferndale (Crystal A. Proxmire, Feb. 11, 2014) Extremely cold temperatures have helped the Ferndale Fire Department in their efforts to contain a chemical spill at Gage Products at 625 Wanda at around 10pm Tuesday night. Fire Chief Kevin Sullivan said that 390 gallons of ethanol from…