Possible Suicide in Oakland Township (Oakland County Sheriff’s Dept, March 27, 2014) INCIDENT: 15:24 hrs. March 25, 2014– Oakland Township – Death Investigation – 14-43331 SUMMARY: Deputies responded to the 300 block of Birchhill for a deceased person. The deceased had been committed by Deputies for an attempted suicide in the past. She was found…
Mayor Penny Luebs Gives Clawson State of City Address (video) (Crystal A. Proxmire, March 24, 2014) In “the little city with the big heart,” Mayor Penny Luebs says “we create energy in the day to day activities of living a good life.” Since being elected Mayor of Clawson in 2007, Luebs and other city leaders…
State Won’t Recognize Same Sex Marriages Made Over Weekend (Crystal A. Proxmire, March 26, 2014) Governor Rick Snyder announced today that over 300 same-sex marriages performed on Saturday, during the window of time when they were legal, will not be recognized until after a stay on Friday’s District Court decision has been lifted. Judge Bernard…
$41 Million Furniture Contract Controversy Hits Governor’s Office (Crystal A. Proxmire, March 26, 2014) Documents obtained by the Michigan Democratic Party reveal that Governor Rick Snyder’s cousin has benefited to the tune of $41 million in furniture sales to the state. According to documents, the state contracted with Holland-based Haworth Inc. to the tune of…
Ferndale Mayor Dave Coulter’s 2014 State of the City Address (video) (Dave Coulter, March 25, 2014) Thanks Jennifer for that introduction and for hosting us here at the Rust Belt Market, a true Ferndale original and certainly worthy of the all attention they have received. Chris Best and his wife Tiffany have created something very…
“Dial-a-Prayer” Being filmed today in Downtown Ferndale (Crystal A. Proxmire, March 25, 2014) W. 9 Mile Road is blocked today due to filming taking place. Producers for the film “Dial-a-Prayer” chose Downtown Ferndale for parts of their film, which stars William H. Macy and Brittney Snow. The story is about a woman who has lost…
Six Year Old Playing with Lighter Starts House Fire (Crystal A. Proxmire, March 24, 2014) A six year old boy set fire to a pile of clothes Monday morning in the bedroom of his Royal Oak Township home on Glenlodge Street. The fire began at approximately 7 A.M., said Ferndale Fire Chief Kevin Sullivan, whose…
State Spent $40,000 on Testimony in DeBoer Case, Plans Appeal (Crystal A. Proxmire, March 24, 2014) According to the Associated Press, the State of Michigan has spent about $40,000 so far on expert testimony in the DeBoer v. Snyder trial. More bills are expected to come, said Joy Yearout, a spokeswoman for Attorney General Bill…
Death in Pontiac Possibly a Suicide (Oakland County Sheriff’s Department, March 24, 2014) INCIDENT: 10:14 hrs. March 23, 2014 – City of Pontiac – Death Investigation/Possible Suicide # 14-42205 SUMMARY: OCSO Deputies were dispatched to the 120 block of W. Yale for a report of a 39 year old female who was found not breathing…
Ferndale Councilman’s Kitchen Damaged by Fire (Crystal A. Proxmire, March 23, 2014) When a fire started in his home Saturday night, Ferndale City Councilperson Mike Lennon was grateful for the city services that he’d long been an advocate for. The retired Ferndale Policeman and lifelong Ferndale resident contacted the Ferndale Fire Department at about 8…
Jewish Fund Grant Helps FernCare Expand Services (FernCare Press Release, March 23, 2014) FernCare received $21,000 in recognition of the need of people in Ferndale and surrounding communities for health care services. This grant is spread over three years. The services will be offered through FernCare and will be free to patients. FernCare will use…
Revenue Sharing Reviewed: How Cities Have Been Impacted (Michigan Municipal League Press Release, March 23, 2014) Communities from Marquette to St. Joseph and everywhere in between are among the Michigan cities that lost hundreds of millions of dollars in “statutory revenue sharing” over the past decade because the governor and Legislature diverted the funds to…
VIEW: EAA Update (Viewpoint by Steve Norton, Michigan Parents for Schools, March 23, 2014) As you may have heard, House Bill 4369 (the “EAA expansion bill”) passed the state House of Representatives late last Thursday. After close to two hours of maneuvering and floor speeches, it passed by the thinnest of margins: 56-54. The bill…
First Gay Marriages in Michigan (video) (Crystal A. Proxmire, March 22, 2014) Happiness filled the Oakland County building on Saturday as hundreds came during special hours to take part in what ended up being a brief window of opportunity for same-sex couples to marry. When 6th District Court Judge Bernard Friedman ruled in the case…
Same Sex Marriages Put on Hold As Temporary Stay is Granted (Equality Michigan Press Release, March 21, 2014) The U.S. Appeals Court for the Sixth Circuit has issued a temporary stay in the DeBoer v. Snyder marriage equality case until Wednesday. Earlier Saturday, the appeals court issued a one-page order directing the attorneys for the…
Judge Rules: Gay Marriage Ban Struck Down (Crystal A. Proxmire, March 21, 2014) Judge Bernard Friedman has ruled in favor of the Hazel Park couple who sued the State of Michigan and Oakland County for the right to marry and to adopt each others’ children. The Judge did not issue a stay, meaning that there…
Gary Meier Announces Retirement from Ferndale Schools (Crystal A. Proxmire, March 20, 2014) After 14 years as Superintendent of Ferndale Schools, Gary Meier has announced that he is retiring. In a memo to Ferndale Schools staff, Meier wrote: “It is with many mixed emotions that I write this letter to formally advise you of my…
Preferential Polices Stricken from Ferndale Schools Contracts (Crystal A. Proxmire, March 20, 2014) At some point in the 1970s, language giving preference to the hiring and promotion of minorities, including non-Christians, made its way into teacher contracts at Ferndale Schools. The wording “Special consideration shall be given to women and/or minority defined as: Native American,…
Waterford Businessperson and Ferndale Teacher Learn from Each Other (Ferndale Schools Press Release, March 19, 2014) Coolidge Intermediate teacher Jason Gillespie exchanged his teacher experiences for a day this week with a local business leader as part of Oakland Schools’ Teacher-Business Leader Exchange Program. Because Gillespie was the 2013 Teacher of the Year for Ferndale…
Ferndale’s Judge Longo Returns After Major Illness (video) (Court Press Release, March 19, 2014) On March 19th, a very grateful and much healthier Judge Longo returns full time to the bench in the 43rd District Court. The Judge expressed his sincere appreciation to all the caregivers he encountered in his recovery from a serious illness,…