We’ve all heard the adage “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” However, another should be “Don’t judge a book by its title.” Unfortunately, I’m guilty of the latter. Fortunately, however, I’ve realized my mistake. Monday, I fell in love with an elephant. And an orangutan for that matter. Granted they are fictional, but nevertheless I absolutely fell in love with them. But that would’ve been impossible to do if I hadn’t gotten over my initial, [...]

Memorial weekend is soon upon us and that brings a special excitement for me. Why? It’s not because of the first summer barbeques or parades, it’s the Detroit Electronic Music Festival. The Detroit Electronic Music Festival, or “Movement” as is properly titled these days is a three-day music festival in Detroit at Hart Plaza. Most of the musical acts on the three stages are electronic based, featuring the likes of such types of music including, [...]

After a bloody conflict in which 600,000 Americans of all walks of life — soldiers and civilians alike — perished and the United States embarked on the long and arduous road to reconciliation, people began observing what was then known as Decoration Day, a day of healing, remembrance, and memory. Initially enacted to honor Civil War veterans, the holiday was extended following World War I — when another 117,000 soldiers were killed — to honor [...]

A month after the West Bloomfield Board of Education implemented a 10-percent salary cut for the district’s teachers, the West Bloomfield Education Association (WBEA) is answering back in court. The WBEA filed a lawsuit earlier this month in the Oakland County Circuit Court against the West Bloomfield Board of Education and the West Bloomfield School District. The lawsuit calls for a preliminary injunction against the board’s decision to impose the salary cuts and a retroactive [...]

After months of studies and surveys focused on building utilization issues, Plante Moran officials presented both their short-term recommendations and long-term considerations to the Walled Lake Consolidated School District’s Board of Education on Thursday, May 19. Based on the facility study, Plante Moran’s short-term recommendations include closing four buildings within the district — Maple and Twin Beach elementary schools, as well as the Twin Sun Facility and the Community Education Center. According to Walled Lake [...]

The Lakes Area Rotary Club surprised Pat Wlodarczyk, the owner of Modern Floors, with a Paul Harris Fellow Award at a luncheon in her honor on Tuesday, May 17 at Bayside Sports Bar. The Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce, the Walled Lake Downtown Development Authority (DDA), Hospitality House, Relay for Life, and Rebuilding Together joined the Lakes Area Rotary Club in thanking Wlodarczyk for a lifetime of service in helping others in the community. “I [...]

Fridays will not be an ideal time to visit the Commerce Township Hall this summer because it won’t be open, due to the implementation of a trial four-day work week for township employees this summer. The first Friday the office will be closed will be June 10, and the first Friday it will reopen will be Sept. 30. “Our rationale is two-fold,” said Clerk Dan Munro. “First, to provide additional service hours to residents by [...]

The Milford Township Board of Trustees has asked the township’s attorney to review a proposed amendment to the township’s business ordinance that would regulate peddlers, canvassers and solicitors in the community. Township Clerk Holly Brandt said the proposed amendment wasn’t introduced at the township board’s Wednesday, May 18 meeting, but is going through a review process. The proposed amendment would require solicitors and peddlers to obtain an identification card from the township in order to [...]

Highland Township residents will now be asked to pay a refuse collection fee of $140 per year as opposed to the $120 of previous years, an increase the township Board of Trustees approved on Wednesday, May 11. The fee hike will cover the scheduled contracted increases that have been occurring per stop since 2005, which have been covered along with fuel surcharges by the Refuse Fund’s fund balance. However, with the fee increases every year [...]

A teenager and a 48-year-old Milford resident both drowned near a dam along the Huron River in Milford Township on Saturday, May 21, after the teen fell out of his canoe and the man tried to rescue him. According to Sergeant Matthew Brumm of the Milford Police Department, the incident took place around 12:50 p.m. around the lower portion of the Huron River near the dam. One canoe on the river was being paddled by [...]