Two recall petitions targeting West Bloomfield Township Trustee Larry Brown were approved by the Oakland County Elections Commission at a hearing held today, Wednesday, Jan. 26 at 1:30 p.m. The petitions were submitted by township resident Betty Hyman on Jan. 5. “She now has the legal authority to collect signatures,” said Oakland County Clerk/Register of Deeds Bill Bullard Jr. Hyman is asking for a recall, citing in both petitions Brown’s decision in 2009 to have [...]

Preliminary information released by the Oakland County Equalization Division indicates assessed residential property values in western Oakland County have continued to fall significantly in the last year — but not as sharply as they did in each of the previous two years. Property values reportedly fell across the lakes area for the third year in a row, according to the preliminary data. According to preliminary figures provided by Dave Hieber, manager of the Oakland County [...]

The White Lake Township Board of Trustees has unanimously appointed Greg Baroni as the new township supervisor to replace Mike Kowall, who is now serving in the state Senate. Baroni’s appointment was approved during a special Board of Trustees meeting held Monday, Jan. 24. Like at previous meetings, motions to appoint Trustee Mike Powell failed in a 3-3 vote on Jan. 24, with Clerk Terry Lilley, Trustee Carol Burkard, and Baroni all voting against the [...]

Proposed recall petition language targeting West Bloomfield Township Trustee Larry Brown has been filed with the Oakland County Clerk/Register of Deeds Office. The petition language was submitted by township resident Betty Hyman on Jan. 5 and a hearing to evaluate the petition has been scheduled for today, Wednesday, Jan. 26. Hyman is asking for a recall, citing Brown’s decision in 2009 to have his $125 meeting stipend diverted to a township Water and Sewer Benevolent [...]

Because it’s expensive and also because special elections tend to have even lower than normal voter turnout, the county clerk is asking state lawmakers representing Oakland County communities to change election law as it pertains to county commissioners. Oakland County Clerk/Register of Deeds Bill Bullard Jr. is asking the state to modify the way it allows communities to replace county commissioners. Particularly, he wants to see a change in the way voters replace commissioners who [...]

A lakes area state lawmaker is resurrecting a controversial subject on behalf of lakes area residents and officials by seeking to revise the way speed limits are set along the county’s approximately 800 miles of dirt and gravel roads. State Rep. Eileen Kowall (R-White Lake, Highland) introduced House Bill (HB) 4037 on Thursday, Jan. 13. It would amend Public Act (PA) 300 of 1949 and applies to a speed limit that was posted as of [...]

A 48-year-old Detroit man was charged Wednesday, Jan. 19 with three felony counts — including murder — after he and his brother broke into a Walled Lake home, leading to a shootout that killed both an undercover Livonia police officer and one of the suspects. Terry Neil Bowling appeared before 52-1 District Court Judge Dennis Powers on charges of felony murder, which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison without the possibility of parole; [...]

During a board meeting held Monday, Jan. 24, the Huron Valley Schools Board of Education shot down the possibility of creating two fifth-through-sixth-grade middle school buildings along with two seventh-through-eighth-grade buildings while continuing deliberations on whether a middle school should close. The school board visited the Hartland School District — which is currently configured with fifth-through-sixth-grade buildings and seventh-through-eighth-grade buildings — prior to making its decision in tandem with researching other districts that have the [...]

The clerk’s office in Highland Township is already ordering supplies in preparation for the upcoming special elections to select a new District 2 county commissioner. The candidate filing deadline for that race is a little less than two weeks away. In November, Oakland County Clerk/Register of Deeds Bill Bullard was re-elected to serve as the county commissioner for District 2, which represents the village of Holly, as well as Highland, Holly, Springfield and Rose townships. [...]

Drivers frequently use GPS systems to help them get to their desired destination. The Wildlife Division of the state Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DNRE) hopes to do the same with their own recently implemented “GPS” in an effort to help them reach their goals for wildlife conservation and management over the next five years. The department’s GPS — which stands for Guiding Principles and Strategies — is a new strategic plan approved in [...]