Ferndale Considering Council Meeting Time Change (Crystal A. Proxmire, Dec. 7, 2013) The Ferndale City Council is considering moving meetings to earlier in the evening, and is looking for public input on that potential change. The City’s website now has a survey where residents can chose between 6:30pm, 7pm, and 7:30pm for their preferred meeting…
SEMCOG Approves I-94, I-75, US-23 Amendment to Expand (David Sands, SEMCOG, Dec.7, 2013, orig. http://wearemodeshift.org/node/1055) Although plans to widen the I-94 and I-75 expressways have been generating a bit of a buzz this week, dissenting voices seemed to have little sway over the bulk of the Southeast Michigan Council of Government’s Executive Committee. At a Friday meeting, the…
Royal Oak Police Department Weekly Update Nov 28- Dec 5 (Royal Oak Police, Dec. 7, 2013) Home Invasion 2600 block of Ferncliff, 11-30-13 – 12-2-13, 9:00pm – 12:30am: Complainant reported an unknown suspect attempted to break into the residence through the rear door. The door frame was damaged but the suspect did not gain entry…
Berkley Kids Get SMART in the Classroom (Berkley Public Schools, orig. Berkley Beat, Dec. 6, 2013) Classrooms at Rogers Elementary School look, for the most part, the same. But what’s happening in the classrooms has changed since the arrival of the SMART Interactive projectors. In November, each K-5 classroom received a SMART projector that is…
Police Report: Waterford Man Wanted to go to Jail (Oakland County Sheriff’s Department, Dec. 6, 2013) INCIDENT: 13:56 hrs, Dec. 5 – City of Pontiac MDOP Police Property #13-187102 SUMMARY: A subject entered the Pontiac substation and threw a chunk of asphalt against a window in the public entrance vestibule. The window was shattered. The…
Transgender Day Of Remembrance Lists 242 Killed (Crystal A. Proxmire, orig. Between the Lines, Dec. 6, 2013) 242. That is the number of transgender individuals whose murders and suicides have been reported in the past year around the world. Groups like Gender Identity Network Alliance (formerly Transgender Detroit) know that this number is low due…
Ferndale’s UHS Partners with Wayne State University (Wayne State University Press Release, Dec. 6, 2013) A group of more than 100 Detroit-area high school students are learning firsthand how to navigate the college experience thanks to a newly formed partnership between Wayne State University’s College of Education (COE) and the Ferndale Public Schools’ University High…
Could Bikeshare Come to Royal Oak? Info Meeting Dec. 11 (Tom Regan, Dec. 4, 2013) “Bikeshare” is an automated, dispersed bike rental network that provides free or low-cost access to bikes for short trips. Use bikeshare once and you immediately become an evangelist. It is such a good idea–inexpensive, convenient, healthy, green, and immensely popular…
Disabled Veterans Property Tax Exemption Deadline Nears (Oakland County Press Release, Nov. 28, 2013) Counselors in Oakland County’s Veterans’ Services Division are ready to help totally disabled veterans meet the Dec. 5 deadline to retroactively claim their homestead property tax exemption for 2013. Under a new Michigan law, Public Act 161 of 2013, totally disabled…
December programs at the Berkley Public Library (Berkley Library Press Release, Nov. 27, 2013) Three great programs will be taking place at the Berkley Public Library in December. Adopting and Fostering Household Pets Interested in learning about adopting and fostering household pets? Laurie Stadther, Community Outreach Coordinator for the Michigan Humane Society, will cover a…
Madison Heights Police Sued in Death of Transgender Woman (Crystal A. Proxmire, Between the Lines, Nov. 27, 2013) The October 2011 death and dismemberment of 19 year-old Shelly Hilliard (Moore) sent shock waves through the community and has reappeared in media reports this week, as Detroit investigates another brutal murder of a transgender individual that…
Small Turtles Not a Good Pet Choice: Risky and Illegal (Oakland County Health Dept. Press Release, Nov. 27, 2013) According to the Michigan Departments of Community Health (MDCH) and Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) small turtles with shells that measure less than four inches in length…
Ferndale Resolution Supports Ending Corporate Personhood (Crystal A. Proxmire, Nov. 26, 2013) How much power should corporations have in the Democratic process? The recent Citizens United court decision gave unprecedented spending ability to big business interests, and across the country Americans are coming together to fight back. This includes Ferndale. At the Nov. 25 Ferndale…
Senator Stabenow Speaks to Women Elected Officials (video) (Crystal A. Proxmire, Nov. 25, 2013) In her over 34 years in public office, Senator Debbie Stabenow has seen the faces of leadership change in Michigan and in the nation. In particular she’s witnessed the impact of increasing the number of women holding elected office. On Nov.…
Ferndale Launches Quick Zone Free Parking Option (City of Ferndale Press Release, Nov. 25, 2013) Beginning on Wednesday December 4, select parking spaces in the downtown district will be designated as “30 – minute free” quick zones. The purpose of the free 30 minute parking spaces is to help local store merchants whose customers need…
Royal Oak’s Holiday Magic Parade Brings Communities Together (video) (Crystal A. Proxmire, Nov. 25, 2013) The Royal Oak Holiday Magic Parade brought people from all over SE Michigan together for an afternoon of fun. Students from Southfield, Ferndale, Royal Oak and Detroit marched in the parade. Many community groups did as well, including Brownie Troops,…
Think Small Exhibition at Lawrence Street, Reception Dec. 6 (Lawrence Street Gallery Press Release, Nov. 25, 2013) 22620 Woodward Ave. Suite A Ferndale, MI 48220 248-544-0394 Artwork no bigger than 12″ x 12″ x 12″ November 27 – December 20, 2013 Opening Reception – December 6, 2013 6-9 P.M. Gallery Hours are Wed & Sat, noon…
Free Kids Environmental Calendar, Order Online (Oakland County Water Resource Commission Press Release, Nov. 24, 2013) For the ninth year in a row the Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner’s office (WRC) is proud to offer its 2014 Kids’ Clean Water Calendar free of charge to the public. The Kids’ Clean Water Calendar was designed to…
Metaliclaus Given Key to City at Tree Lighting Ceremony (video) (Crystal A. Proxmire, Nov. 23, 2013) With an denim vest, rock star glasses, black beard and howling headbanger voice, Metaliclaus has endeared himself to the Ferndale community by becoming a part of the holiday tradition. On Saturday night the big guy joined city officials and…
Burn Demo Shows Value of Residential Sprinklers (video) (Crystal A. Proxmire, Nov. 22, 2013) Students from The Detroit Carpentry Apprentice Training School in Ferndale got a first-hand lesson in fire prevention on Thursday as they watched a side by side demo of two residential rooms in flames. One room had a sprinkler installed, while the…