Pleasant Ridge Picks John Zech For Interim City Manager (Crystal A. Proxmire, Dec. 13, 2013) After interviewing five potential candidates, the Pleasant Ridge City Commission has chosen former Wayne City Manager John Zech to serve as Interim City Manager while a long-term replacement for Sherry Ball is sought. Zech retired from Wayne in 2010, after…
Deadlines For CDL Drivers And Their Medical Providers Fast Approaching (Michigan Secretary of State Press Release, Dec. 12, 2013) Secretary of State Ruth Johnson strongly encourages Michigan residents with a Commercial Driver License (CDL) to self-certify to which type of commercial motor vehicle (CMV) operation they perform to avoid losing CDL privileges after Jan. 30.…
EAA Expansion to be Voted On (Crystal A. Proxmire, Dec. 11, 2013) Michigan legislators are considering bills this week to expand the State’s authority to take over schools and run them as part of a State-controlled school district known as the Education Achievement Authority. The EAA takes over failing schools and puts them in a…
How Michigan Funds Schools (Kevin Deegan-Krause, orig. Ferndale Friends/ KevinDeeganKrauseForFerndaleSchools.com, Dec. 10, 2013) Please put away your notes and let’s begin our discussion of school funding with a high-stakes multiple choice test: 1. Does Michigan fund schools from: A. Local sources B. Federal sources C. State sources 2. Does the revenue come from: …
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…
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…
Meet the Mayor: Kurt Metzger of Pleasant Ridge (video) (Crystal A. Proxmire, Nov. 29, 2013) With less than a month on the job, Pleasant Ridge Mayor Kurt Metzger has one main goal on his mind – how to get people more involved in a more transparent government. The 66-year-old data specialist is part of a…
Holiday Shopping Legal Tips (Guest Columnist Atty. Tim Burns, Nov. 29, 2013) It’s November and for many people that ushers in the start of the Holiday shopping season. As you are hitting the stores and shopping on the Internet it’s important to be proactive in knowing your legal rights so that your gift giving experiences…
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…
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…
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.…
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,…
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…
Ellen Cogen Lipton Shares EAA Concerns, Education Alternatives (video) (Crystal A. Proxmire, Nov. 21, 2013) As Democratic Vice Chair of the Education Committee of the Michigan House of Representatives, Ellen Cogen Lipton saw first-hand the way The Michigan Education Achievement Authority has taken shape. Beyond that, she has looked into the results of having the…
Salmon in the Classroom Comes to Ferndale’s Kennedy School (Crystal A. Proxmire, Nov. 19, 2013) The sixth graders in Greg Williamson’s class at Kennedy School in Ferndale have some company in their classroom this year as they get to raise nearly 200 fish until they are large enough to be set free. The Salmon in…
Woodward Rapid Transit Public Meetings in Several Cities in December (Crystal A. Proxmire, Nov. 18, 2013) The Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) is hosting a series of community meetings so people can learn more about the potential for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) along Woodward Avenue. Information that will be presented includes: ~Proposed Alignments: What…
New Testing Standard for Teachers Announced (Michigan Dept. of Education Press Release, Nov. 15, 2013) Better prepared and effective teachers will be available for Michigan students with the advent of a more rigorous teacher certification exam this year. “We want the best and brightest teachers in Michigan classrooms,” said State Superintendent Mike Flanagan. “Increasing the…
Coolidge Offers After-school Basketball Mentoring Program (Ferndale Schools Press Release, Nov. 13,2013) More than 50 Coolidge Intermediate School students are getting lessons about life and the game of basketball on the court each week as part of an After-School Basketball Mentoring Program. “As educators, we are naturally focused on improving our students’ academic needs. It’s…
View: Ferndale Fights for Fair Funding for our Schools (Karen Twomey, Nov. 8, 2013) I am writing you as a board member, teacher, parent, neighbor and friend of education. Recently, Michigan State University’s Education Policy Center published a school finance analysis for our state which describes a crisis of long-term disinvestment, demographic shifts, and structural…
Easy Night for Most Oakland County Mayors and Other Election Results (Crystal A. Proxmire, Nov. 6, 2013) Election Day is over and in cities across Oakland County candidates are dealing with the wins and losses of the democratic process. For most of the Mayors facing re-election, the night was an easy one though, since most…