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…
Royal Oak Gives Golf Course One More Year (Crystal A. Proxmire, Feb. 18, 2014) City Commissioners voted 5-2 to continue negotiating with the manager of Royal Oak’s two golf courses, while agreeing to keep Normandy Oaks open for one more year while the city considers alternative uses for the land. The golf course cost the…
Equality Activist Henry Messer Passes Away (Emily Dievendorf, Equality Michigan Press Release, Feb. 18, 2014) Dr. Henry Messer passed away peacefully this morning around 5am at the age of 86 in his Dearborn Heights, Michigan home. His partner of 63 years, Carl House, as well as close friends were with him at the time of…
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…
Rochester Hills Suicide Reported (Oakland County Sheriff’s Department, Feb. 18, 2014) INCIDENT: 06:43 hrs. Feb. 12 – Rochester Hills- Adult Suicide – #14-021492 SUMMARY: Deputies responded to a welfare check at an address in the [removed by editor] . The caller stated she and her husband were to go to court today to finalize a…
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,…
Running Home Author Visits Berkley Third Graders (Berkley Schools, Feb. 14, 2014) Jennifer Charron Ward, a local Berkley author, visited Angell third graders this week to talk about her book, Running Home. The book is a work of fiction loosely based on two separate events in her life that she has woven together in her…
Knife Threats and More in Royal Oak Police Report (Royal Oak Police, Feb. 14, 2014) For the week of February 6, 2014 through February 13, 2014 Unlawfully Driving Away an Automobile 700 block of S. Washington, 2-9-14, 5:00 p.m. – 5:40 p.m.: Complainant parked his vehicle in the alley behind a business. When he returned…
State Board of Ed Adopts Snow Day Policy Statement (Michigan Board of Education Press Release, Feb. 14, 2014) LANSING — The State Board of Education this week unanimously adopted a statement on the replacement of Snow Days, when a local school district exceeds the six days allowable by state law; encouraging districts to replace the…
Lisa Brown and other Catalyst Award Winners Announced (Equality Michigan Press Release, Feb. 14, 2014) Equality Michigan today announced the recipients of their annual Catalyst Awards, being presented at the organization’s Annual Dinner on February 22 at Motor City Casino. Equality Michigan’s Catalyst Awards recognize individuals and organizations for excellence in service to Michigan’s LGBT…
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…
Oakland University, MSU & U of M get new Fundraising License Plates (Crystal A. Proxmire, Feb. 14, 2014) Grizzly fans, as well as folks who like the Spartans and the Wolverines, can now get newly designed license plates from the Secretary of State. SOS has an entire line of special fundraising plates depicting each of…
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…
Oak Park Selling Furniture and Equipment at Low Cost Feb. 14 (City of Oak Park Press Release, Feb. 13, 2014) The City of Oak Park Surplus Furniture and Equipment sale will take place tomorrow, February 14, 2014 from Noon – 2PM at the old Public Safety building (13700 Oak Park Blvd.) Items available: Chairs, desks,…
Patterson Gives State of the County Address (Crystal A. Proxmire, Feb. 12, 2014) Oakland County Executive Director L. Brooks Patterson gave his 20th Annual State of the County Address Wednesday evening. In it he welcomed the 40 Under 40 winners, addressed the controversial New Yorker article, and listed over 20 pages worth of accomplishments. Use…
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…