Although residential property values continued to decline last year in most Oakland County communities, the rate of decline, on average, is less than half of what it was the year before. Better yet, some county communities are actually experiencing increases in residential property values, including one in the lakes area. The 2012 residential property assessment figures are prompting some area assessors and other officials to speculate that property values are close to, or have finally [...]

Walking on water: Wouldn’t that be an amazing feat to accomplish? Of course, that type of talent is reserved by one of a divine nature and is only a remote possibility for us mortal beings, but an exhibit at the 54th annual Detroit Boat Show beginning this weekend, Saturday, Feb. 11, and running through Sunday, Feb. 19 at Cobo Center in downtown Detroit, will offer the rare chance to tread across the water. With the [...]

A tattoo machine whirs like a cicada in the summer as Todd, wearing a knit cap, extends a muscular forearm. Dano Collins, donning a long ponytail and gray Harley-Davidson hat, has been doing this for 38 years — a timeframe that he says is the second-longest among all tattoo artists in the state. Todd already has the drawing of his new body art wrapping around his right forearm. Now, it’s just a matter of getting [...]

Prior to the recent descent into more wintry temperatures, west Oakland County had been experiencing unseasonably warm weather for the month of January, meaning that snow has not been a common sight this winter and the white stuff that has accumulated has had a short lifespan — not exactly the weather conditions to bring to mind cozy ski lodges and hitting the slopes. However, a lack of natural snowfall hasn’t been a problem for local [...]

Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor and Michigan native who has secured victories in the early voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire in the Republican presidential primary season, will appear on your Feb. 28 Michigan presidential primary election ballot — but only if you indicate that you want to vote as a Republican. That’s because state lawmakers again last year designated the state’s 2012 presidential primary election as a closed process, meaning that voters [...]

Operations at the Oakland County International Airport (OCIA) in Waterford Township may not be exempt from the strains of the economy or fluctuating fuel costs, but for the first time since 2000, the decline in 2011 airport operations figures wasn’t as drastic as in years past. Given the nominal decrease in airport operations last year, officials are beginning to see the very modest decline as a bellwether of an economy finally turning the corner. Unofficial [...]

Millions throughout the country and billions around the world ushered in 2012 this past weekend by celebrating with champagne, and watching the ball drop in New York’s Times Square and fireworks. With the fun and joyous start of a new year comes a bevy of personal resolutions to make the upcoming 365 days better than those that just ended, whether the resolution is learning to play guitar, stop gossiping, trying something new every day such [...]

Cross over the rickety bridge and one can be sure to find flocks of waterfowl frolicking in the river, nibbling on bits of bread tossed by children. The picturesque scene is complemented by the quaint antique and old-fashioned candy store across the way, reminiscent of a Charles Dickens novel. Take a stroll into those years gone by, in which pioneers labored from sun up until sundown and simplicity was the way of life. Step into [...]

Oakland County may be Shangri-la for white-tailed deer. There is an abundance of food and water, adequate shelters of wood lots and undeveloped fields to frolic and roam, relatively mild winter conditions, private land sanctuaries safe from hunters, and nearly no natural predators — which is one of the contributing factors explaining why the local deer population has grown so profusely. As a result, special deer hunts used as a population management tool are being [...]

For those curious and adventurous students willing to stretch their wings and fly far from the nest to live in the land of their choosing for a spell, a foreign exchange program is just the ticket. In the world of cultural exchange programs, learning transcends the walls of classrooms. Bilingual students don’t make the trek merely for the academics, but also for the bevy of activities and freedoms for which America is renowned. A foreign [...]