You don't buy a new house if you're worried about feeding your children.
"Many of the houses people are trying to sell are already vacant," said State Sen. Nancy Cassis (R-Novi). "People have lost hope that Michigan will ever make a comeback. People are looking for a way to hang on. This may help."
Robert Spencer can look back on many years of service to the Bloomfield Township Public Library, but his gaze is set squarely on the future.
Spencer has been a member of the township library board for more than 25 years, possibly a record for such a board, and attended his first board meeting in October 1981.
U.S. Rep. Joe Knollenberg, R-Bloomfield Township, is getting his message out in a variety of ways. First, there was the billboard on I-75, blasting California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a fellow Republican, for pushing for higher vehicle fuel standards.
Then came the flyer mailed to some of his constituents in Oakland County, touting his vote to stop lobbyists' practice of paying for congressional meals and junkets.
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WEST BLOOMFIELD -- Good news, walkers, bikers and inline skaters: West Bloomfield's stop-and-start safety paths should be finished sooner rather than later.
Under the township's previous pay-as-you-go approach using proceeds from a 2004 safety path millage, the paths wouldn't have been complete for 15 years.
"Instead of over 15 years, we can get it all done in five," said Supervisor David Flaisher. " I think residents will be happier and get to enjoy them sooner."
Digital 10 Network, Farmington Hills, hired James Lavender as director, venue services.Education
The Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at Wayne State University appointed Michael G. Stephen of Detroit to grant administrator.Finance
Citizens Bank, Troy, appointed Peter Lambropoulos assistant vice president of the treasury management team.Industry groups
A series of 22 candid photographs are now on display at the Birmingham Historical Museum & Park's current exhibit, "Birmingham Photographic Album." Up until recently the name of the amateur photographer who appears to have spent one summer afternoon in the late 1890s taking photos of downtown Birmingham was unknown.
Fortunately, through the collective detective work of Jenny Ezzo, museum assistant, and Pam DeWeese, museum volunteer, the photographer's name was revealed as Guy C. Wallace. Their sleuthing explained how these unique photos ended up at the museum, and more importantly who was Guy C. Wallace?
That's what local Realtors want to convey to potential buyers. They wanted the township Board of Trustees to approve at Monday's meeting an amendment to an ordinance that prohibits "sold" signs to be placed in yards.
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Buddhists believe individuals have the power to undo negative forces.
Sikh followers don't believe in making fun of others.
Unloading a new house will be easier under a Republican plan to deal with the real estate pop-up tax.
"Fixing Michigan's struggling real estate market will take time, which is why a long-term solution is necessary," state Rep. David Law (R-Commerce) said. "Anything we can do to alleviate the cycle of foreclosure and bankruptcy is a start to getting Michigan back on track. This package will help make homeownership more affordable and provide stability in our housing market."
Robert Nunez bristles whenever anyone assumes public schools aren't held accountable.
The West Bloomfield School District parent and activist wanted the state Senate Finance Committee to know that whether or not a proposed 2-percent tax on services is the answer to the education funding crisis, the answer isn't more budget cuts to schools.
Robert Nunez bristles whenever anyone assumes public schools aren't held accountable.
The West Bloomfield School District parent and activist wanted the state Senate Finane Committee to know that whether or not a proposed 2-percent tax on services is the answer to the education funding crisis, the answer isn't more budget cuts to schools.
Robert Nunez bristles whenever anyone assumes public schools aren't held accountable.
The West Bloomfield School District parent and activist wanted the state Senate Finane Committee to know that whether or not a proposed 2-percent tax on services is the answer to the education funding crisis, the answer isn't more budget cuts to schools.
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Larry White holds a rifle as he threatens his then-wife, Heather Fredrickson, in this image from a 2001 video. The video is being used to drum up support for a bill that would ban domestic abusers from possessing firearms. Image courtesy of Iowa Attorney General?s office.
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The Missouri Court of Appeals Southern District ordered the stop of a psychiatric evaluation for a 13-year-old boy charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action. Owen Welty of rural Bloomfield, Mo., is accused of the November murder of 64-year-old Don McCollough of Dexter. The pretrial psychiatric evaluation that was scheduled for April 13 at the Southeast Missouri Mental Health Facility in Farmington, Mo., was ordered March 9 by Stoddard County Judge Stephen Mitchell. Welty's attor...
-- Dexter Daily Statesman
One Bloomfield girl's commitment to clogging will soon pay off as she sets foot on stage at the Grand Ole Opry for the performance of a lifetime.Meagan Evans - the daughter of Mark and Jamie Evans of Bloomfield- explained that prior to clogging she was enrolled in gymnastics but soon found it wasn't her forte.“My mom wanted me to try clogging,” the 13-year-old said.After enrolling at the Rise and Shine Studio - formerly in Bloomfield - she was hooked....
Her upcoming performance in Nashville is an opportunity that was awarded to the Rise and Shine Cloggers after winning a competition last September.“I was so shocked because my team didn't win overall grand champion,” she explained, noting that the team that was awarded overall grand champion believed they would also appear at the Grand Ole Opry.“I was happy. The happiest I think I've ever been,” she added.Now her team has been practicing double time for their upco...
Bartlett, 35, is charged with making a false statement to a gun dealer. Last August, Bartlett tried to buy two guns at a West Allis gun shop while he was under criminal indictment, a violation of federal law, according to an indictment. Bartlett, who is being held in jail, had pleaded not guilty.
Bartlett, who last year was convicted in an unrelated case of making a bomb threat against his former police district station, was set for trial April 2. On Tuesday, a hearing was set in the case indicating a change of plea hearing would be held on March 30.
Bartlett's attorney, Bridget Boyle, said Tuesday she does not anticipate the case going to trial but said no plea agreement has been signed "as of yet." The federal prosecutor handling the case was not available for comment.
Patrick Higdon and Margaret Brooks Higdon of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan were killed in the blast last July. The couple's three children and other relatives were injured.
DA Ray Pelrine says he won't file charges. But, the family of the victims has filed a civil lawsuit against the resort, construction companies and a utility, claiming negligence caused the pipeline to explode.
Much of the tiny tourist town closed in the days following the explosions. A 136-year-old grocery store eventually had to be demolished.
The shaky economy didn't encourage large numbers of restaurant openings last year.
But several bright, new contenders with casually upscale menus bucked the trend and debuted to positive reviews.
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Today, the first full day of spring, is also New Year's Day or Nowruz in Iran, the biggest holiday of the year. About 5,000 Iranian Americans in Michigan will celebrate with special meals, freshly cleaned houses and new clothes.
THE CENTER
Michigan's Iranian community is based at the Presbyterian Church of Our Saviour in West Bloomfield. On Sunday afternoons and many Friday nights, the one-story building near Middlebelt and Maple is transformed into the Persia House of Michigan, an apolitical cultural group. Persia is another name for Iran.
DETROIT -- J.C. Penney Co. Inc., one of the nation's largest retailers, plans to anchor a new $80 million shopping mall next to the Michigan State Fairgrounds on Woodward, giving Detroiters their first opportunity to shop at a department store in the city in at least a decade.
Bernie Schrott, a Bloomfield Hills investor and part owner of The Shoppes at Gateway Park, said Tuesday that Penney will provide a strong anchor and lure upscale shops and restaurants to the 330,000-square-foot shopping center at the southeast corner of Eight Mile and Woodward.
"The anchor store is the catalyst to the whole project," Schrott said. "Penney stores are trendy, modern and have the right merchandise. It gives you a great feeling just walking into their stores."
U.S. Rep. Joe Knollenberg, R-Bloomfield Township, is getting his message out in a variety of ways. First, there was the billboard on I-75, blasting California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a fellow Republican, for pushing for higher vehicle fuel standards.
Then came the flyer mailed to some of his constituents in Oakland County, touting his vote to stop lobbyists' practice of paying for congressional meals and junkets.
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Drop by the Beverly Hills Grill for dinner on a Monday or Tuesday, the slowest nights of the week, and the wait can be 30 minutes or more.
Come for Sunday brunch and it might be an hour.
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In one classroom at Derby Middle School in Birmingham, students are using colorful paint to make large signs that will hang in the hallways. A few doors down, they're practicing their sign-language skills. And downstairs in the cafeteria, a lively group of kids is trying to keep up with the dance steps on a video screen above them.
This is a snapshot of what you'd see during Derby's Explore classes, a way to offer students a variety of activities at a time when many electives are getting the ax as school districts wrestle to control budgets.
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The Door County's District Attorney says he won't file any criminal charges in the deadly explosion in Ellison bay last year.
Investigators determined the series of explosions at the Cedar Grove Resort was caused by a severed propane line.
Patrick Higdon and Margaret Brooks Higdon of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan were killed in the blast last July.
ELLISON BAY, Wis. (AP) -- No criminal charges will be filed in the deadly propane explosions that rocked this tiny resort community last summer, killing a Michigan couple and injuring 12 others, Door County District Attorney Ray Pelrine said. "There is not evidence that would support the issuance of criminal charges against any person or entity with respect to this tragedy," he said in a statement released Tuesday. Five explosions early July 10 killed Patrick M. Higdon, 49, and his wife, Mar...
ELLISON BAY No criminal charges will be filed in the deadly propane explosions that rocked this tiny resort community last summer, killing a Michigan couple and injuring 12 others, Door County District Attorney Ray Pelrine said.
There is not evidence that would support the issuance of criminal charges against any person or entity with respect to this tragedy, he said in a statement released today.
Five explosions early July 10 killed Patrick M. Higdon, 49, and his wife, Margaret Brooks Higdon, 45, of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., who were vacationing in a cottage along with their children and other family members at the Cedar Grove Resort.
Karl Rove, live and in person? Front and center at the Oakland County GOP's biggest fund-raising dinner of the year? This weekend?
Sufferin' subpoena servers! And I thought Michigan Republicans were out to improve their image.
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Fourteen high schools in Metro Detroit were among the 20 in Michigan to receive the Award of Excellence from the Michigan Association of Student Councils.
It is the highest award of achievement for the state's 396 student council member schools.
The Oakland County schools to receive the award were Troy Athens, Avondale, Brandon, Rochester and West Bloomfield. Redford High School earned the award in Wayne County. In Macomb County, the high schools included Sterling Heights Stevenson, Dakota, Utica Eisenhower, Fraser, Sterling Heights Henry Ford II, Harper Woods Regina and Utica.
It was 12:30 Friday afternoon, and those driving through the Bloomfield Hills area with their radios tuned to 88.1 FM found themselves on a trip down memory lane as DJ Corey Berkowitz played everything from vintage Aretha Franklin to the Beatles.
"It's time to rock out on the Biff," Corey, a junior from Andover High School, told his WBFH listeners before playing "September" by Earth, Wind & Fire.
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The Post-Gazette's comprehensive listings of recent deaths include two types of obituaries. News obituaries, prepared by our staff, are published at the discretion of our editors. Links to staff-written obituaries contain the individual's name. To suggest a news obituary, call 412-263-1601.
The "Latest Deaths" report below is provided as a public service. We accept information for this list only from funeral directors and representatives of crematoriums and memorial societies, who may call 412-263-1601 from 9 a.m.to 8:30 p.m.
Some names in the list of latest deaths are followed by a "CO", which indicates that a Classified Obituary has been published for this individual. Funeral directors may place classified obituaries by calling 412-263-1371. To go to our list of classified obituaries, click here. Those wishing to express condolences or share memories can sign a guest book or post photos of the deceased at that section of the Web site.
Members of the political action group MoveOn held candlelight vigils in Milford, Royal Oak, Troy and West Bloomfield on Monday night to protest on the fourth anniversary of the war in Iraq.
Rochester Hills' Bruce Fealk, 53, a spokesman for the group, said he hoped the vigils would show that Oakland County residents want an end to the war.
"It's time to stop the escalation, bring our troops home safely and end this war," Fealk said. "We have over 3,200 soldiers that are dead and 20,000 that are injured, and the suffering of the families is enough. It's time to bring the troops home."
Ralcorp Holdings Inc. said Monday that it completed its $139.6 million in cash purchase of Bloomfield Bakers.
Ralcorp agreed earlier this month to buy the California-based baker and its affiliated entity, Lovin Oven LLC.
Bloomfield and Lovin Oven will continue their operations in Azusa and Los Alamitos, Calif.
The Yak says hooray -- because spring rolls in tonight.
This issue celebrates the signs of spring in Michigan -- from the maple sap being tapped (story at right) to the return of the red-winged blackbird, Pages 4 and 5.
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An 18-year-old Macon woman died Sunday night after crashing her car into a tree and wall off Rocky Creek Road near Bloomfield Road.
Whitney Denese Kemp of Leone Drive in the Village Green neighborhood was pronounced dead about an hour after the 10:15 p.m. accident not far from her home, Bibb County Coroner Leon Jones said.
"She was traveling at a high rate of speed," Jones said.
Hours after returning from a week of antiwar protests -- and an arrest for illegal assembly in Washington, D.C. -- Alan Pollock joined a protest in downtown Detroit on Monday afternoon to mark the fourth anniversary of war in Iraq.
Pollock, 50, of Clinton Township joined nearly 100 members of the Detroit Area Peace with Justice Network, who peacefully protested at the federal courthouse while the names of Michigan soldiers killed in the war were read aloud.
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Detroit Board of Education member Jonathan Kinloch has been caught driving drunk three times since 2001 and, despite the convictions, continued to drive without a license.
Kinloch still owes $2,500 in state fines for the drunken driving convictions. And -- until earlier this month, when the Free Press began asking questions about his driving record -- he faced two warrants for his arrest in Allen Park because he hadn't paid fines there for driving with a revoked license and an expired plate last May.
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Jazzercise, Jazzercise Express, Step, Circuit and Step-Circuit, Body-Sculpting, ongoing. Jazzercise Fitness Center, 250 N. Main St., Plymouth. (734) 416-5527 or jazzercise.com.
Sit & Be Fit, PACE (people with arthritis CAN exercise). Wayne Senior Activity Center, 35000 Sims St. (734) 721-7400.
Cardio Kick & Punch, cardio-kickboxing, ongoing. The Forum Fitness Center, 34250 Ford Road, Westland. (734) 729-7000.
Surgical Weight Loss Options, 6-8 p.m. Free. Education Center, St. John Oakland Hospital, 27351 Dequindre Road, Madison Heights. (866) 823-4458 or www.stjohn.org/weightloss/seminars.
Bariatric Surgery Seminar -- Reshaping Lives,6 p.m. Allan Breakie Medical Office Building, Garden City Hospital, 6245 Inkster Road. (734) 458-4568.
Beaumont Weight Control Center program, informational seminar.7 p.m. Free. Beaumont Hospital Weight Control Center, 4949 Coolidge Highway, Royal Oak. (888) 899-4600.
DETROIT – With bidding stalled on some of the least desirable residences in Detroit's collapsing housing market, even the fast-talking auctioneer was feeling the stress.
“Folks, the ground underneath the house goes with it. You do know that, right?” he offered.
After selling house after house in the Motor City for less than the $29,000 it costs to buy the average new car, the auctioneer tried a new line: “The lumber in the house is worth more than that!”
BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich., March 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- TriMas Corporation will hold a conference call with investors on Thursday, March 22, at 10:00 a.m. EDT to discuss its fourth quarter results, provide a general business update and respond to investor questions. TriMas Corporation President and CEO Grant H. Beard and Chief Financial Officer E.R. "Skip" Autry will co-host the call.
To participate in the earnings conference call, please dial: 866.256.9295 (reservation #1061437) and ask to be connected to the TriMas fourth quarter earnings conference call.
If you are unable to participate during the live teleconference, a replay of the conference call will be available beginning March 22 at 1:30 p.m. EDT through March 29 at 11:59 p.m. EDT. To access the replay, please dial: 866.837.8032 (access code 1061437).
Eight women will talk about their experiences with ignorance during a program called A Dialogue in Diversity: Women Facing Prejudice at the Northwest Regional Library from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday .
The program also includes three musical performances and will conclude with a presentation by Jack Bloomfield, author of One Planet United: The Problem, the Solution and a Plan of Action.
For more information, contact Peiro Falci at 954-914-1202. The library is at 3151 University Drive.
U.S. home resales dropped last month and construction of new homes held near a nine-year low, evidence that the ailing housing industry continues to be a drag on economic growth.
Sales of existing homes probably fell 2.5 percent to an annual rate of 6.3 million, according to the median estimate of economists surveyed before a March 23 National Association of Realtors report.
A report from the Commerce Department on Tuesday may show housing starts rose to a 1.45 million annual pace from a 1.408-million rate that was the lowest since August 1997.
In a new wrinkle for Michigan's battered economy, plastic surgeons are experiencing the worst downturn ever for cosmetic procedures while the treatments soar elsewhere in the country.
The pinch began two years ago and by mid-June of last year, "everything suddenly came to a standstill," said Dr. Michael Busuito, a Troy, Mich., plastic surgeon. "Husbands told their wives, 'I don't care if you want a face-lift. I could lose my job.' "
With job cuts, home sales stalled and profit-sharing checks gone, demand in Michigan has dwindled for cosmetic procedures, particularly big-ticket surgeries such as breast augmentation and tummy tucks.
BOSTON — Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney said Wednesday he's taking the first step in a 2008 presidential bid, joining an increasingly crowded field of Republican hopefuls.
"We've filed exploratory papers today, so the process is moving forward on that front," he told reporters Wednesday, his final day in office.
A spokesman for Romney later said the paperwork officially would be filed late Wednesday afternoon in Washington with the Federal Election Commission. The formation of an exploratory committee allows Romney to raise and spend money for a presidential run.
Marceline J. Perkins, 79, of Charlotte, died Tuesday, March 13, 2007. Marcy was born Aug. 12, 1927 in Hollister, Wis., the daughter of Arthur and Blanche (Pratt) Roberts.
Marcy was a tac welder in a shipyard in Sturgeon Bay, Wis. on Liberty Ships during World War II. She was a member of St. Joseph's Church in Adrian and worked on Habitat for Humanity houses in Lenawee County. She belonged to the Ladies Elks Society at one time serving as president. She enjoyed camping with the Hitch Up and Go Club. She also taught ballroom dancing and in 2000 she moved to Charlotte and became a member of St. Mary's Church. She also joined Eaton Area Senior Center and was on the A...
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Reggie Talbot will never forget the moment he heard about the death of Lance Cpl. Michael Hanks, killed Nov. 17, 2004, in Iraq.
He had stopped in at Lucky's Pub, across the street from his barbershop on Grand Street in Fowlerville to unwind after work.
"A bunch of his buddies were over at Lucky's, and I heard it there at the bar," Talbot recalled. "All of a sudden, the whole bar was just quiet."
Spaghetti in the Merrill Hall basement today means dinner for students and funding to match kids in need with mentors.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Isabella County is hosting the spaghetti dinner from 9 p.m. until 11 p.m. to raise money for the program.
Jake Gabrielson has mentored and been a friend to children through Big Brothers Big Sisters.
Only two things are clear about the convoluted jockeying among states for the pole position in the 2008 presidential nomination contests: No one likes how this is going. And it can only get worse.
For Michigan, which is among two dozen or more states scrambling to move its nomination contests earlier in the campaign calendar, the unsettled process carries big implications. It could bring more national attention to the state's economic plight and that of its embattled manufacturers. Or, Michigan voters could be lost among the sea of balloting.
"The system today is ridiculous," said state Republican chairman Saul Anuzis.
Flat-screen TVs, room service just some of the new amenities
Special to the Tribune
When the dust clears on Chicago's hospital-building boom, it may be
In this new era of religious self-expression, thousands of Michigan congregations are developing user-friendly marketing campaigns. But one of the state's fastest-growing churches refuses even to hang a sign out front.
Each Sunday, 11,000 people manage to find Mars Hill Bible Church in Grandville in a drab old building that used to be a shopping center. But at a recent international conference of pastors hosted by Mars Hill's founder, the Rev. Rob Bell, someone passed a frustrated message to the podium:
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Macomb Township mom Laurie Hempel went from doing zero to 20 hours of church work a week over the last year -- all because she finally found a church where she could "give my
2 cents and shape something new."
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FARMINGTON, N.M. Farmington police have arrested a 22-year-old man in the fatal shooting of a Bloomfield resident.Farmington Lieutenant Dan Calkins says authorities issued an arrest warrant for Julian Cesar Trujillo after last night's shooting and arrested him this afternoon.He's charged with tampering with evidence and an open count of murder in the death of 22-year-old Russell Smith Junior.Calkins says Smith had a faint pulse when police arrived at the scene but died a short time later at the San Juan Regional Medical Center.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Michigan Democrats Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow voted in favor of a failed U.S. Senate proposal for the nation to begin withdrawing military forces from Iraq within 120 days, with the goal of a total pullout by March 2008. The measure set no fixed deadline for completion of the redeployment, but set a goal of March 31, 2008. The vote Thursday was 50-48 against the measure, 12 short of the 60 needed for passage. Senate Democrats promptly said they would try again to force...
Four years after the start of the war in Iraq, many metro Detroiters with ties to the country are dispirited.
While Iraqi Americans are generally glad that Saddam Hussein's regime has crumbled, they fear for family members inside Iraq and for the country's future.
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The United States was involved in World War II for 3 1/2 years, World War I for one year and the Korean conflict for three years.
On Monday, the United States will have had troops fighting in Iraq for four years.
Because the war has affected so many in our area - from families who have lost loved ones and to those with military members who are serving - The Oakland Press contacted a cross section of residents and politicians to ask their thoughts on this anniversary.
"MICHIGAN FINE ARTS COMPETITION 2007": Works by 66 artists from 38 Michigan cities are featured at the Birmingham-Bloomfield Art Center. Above, "Headswimmer," by Brian Kirschensteiner. 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Mon.-Thu., 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Through April 13. 1516 S. Cranbrook Rd., Birmingham. 248-644-0866.
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"HAVE YOU BEEN EXPOSED?": Painter Amy Chenier's portion of a group show that includes photography by Elaine Redmond and Pat Izzo and composite creations by Tim Burke. Pictured is "Rasta Darwin." 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Mon.-Thu., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat. Through May 12. 3024 Biddle, Wyandotte. 734-246-9880.
DETROIT -- Five defendants have pleaded guilty to racketeering charges resulting from an investigation into illegal sports gambling that federal authorities said netted $5.9 million between 1998 and 2006.
The case features relatives of notorious Detroit-area mobsters.
Jack V. Giacalone, 56, of West Bloomfield, the nephew of Anthony Giacalone and the son of convicted Mafia figure Vito Giacalone, has pleaded not guilty and plans to go to trial on racketeering and extortion charges, officials said.