The Road Commission for Oakland County (RCOC) has a new operating board for the coming year, but not everyone is happy about how the county’s newest road commissioner was appointed. At its Wednesday, Jan. 5 meeting, the Oakland County Board of Commissioners appointed Ronald Fowkes as the newest member of the Oakland County Board of Road Commissioners. Eric Wilson is serve as chairman of the road board, and Greg Jamian will serve as vice-chairman. Wilson [...]

The Walled Lake Fire Department recently purchased new technology to streamline basic life support (BLS) patient transport service operations that have exceeded projected goals. On Dec. 7, the Walled Lake City Council approved the purchase of AccumedWeb software and a laptop computer for $6,000, of which $2,500 will pay for an annual license fee and $3,500 will cover the laptop computer, software installation, a docking station, printer and router for the equipment. The council also [...]

Lakes area residents will have the opportunity later this month to lend a hand in monitoring sites in three area river watersheds for the presence of stoneflies. Considered a good indicator species, checking west Oakland river sites for stoneflies will help advocacy groups track water quality trends along the Huron, Clinton and Rouge rivers. Because each of those rivers flows through multiple area lakes, the upcoming stonefly searches can indirectly benefit those lakes by pinpointing [...]

As the managing director of the largest county road system in Michigan for the last 17 years, Brent Bair continues to steer the Road Commission for Oakland County (RCOC) despite being faced with flat revenues since 1998 and declining revenues for the past five years. Bair heads up the second largest system of adaptive traffic signals in the nation, is widely respected as a leading expert on road funding in Michigan, and has been an [...]

Most bugs are usually seen during the spring and summer months, not at the end of January. However, three local watershed advocacy groups — the Clinton River Watershed Council (CRWC), the Huron River Watershed Council (HRWC), and the Friends of the Rouge (FOTR) — will be searching their respective river watersheds for a particular insect this month. According to Michele Arquette-Palermo, education and stewardship director at the CRWC, the winter stonefly has “very stringent water [...]

A recent ruling by the Michigan Supreme Court has restored the public’s right to file suit against the state over permits that could result in actions that contaminate the environment. During the last few days of 2010, the Michigan State Supreme Court reached a 4-3 decision in the Anglers of the AuSable, Inc. vs. Merit Energy and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) case, essentially reversing the court’s 2004 ruling in the Preserve the [...]

Generous giving from the staff, students, and families of the Walled Lake Consolidated School District once again took place this past holiday season, as over $70,000 in food, toys and monetary donations were raised by the district, according to Judy Evola, the school district’s director of community relations and marketing. “We have a very, very generous school community,” she said. “Our students, staff, and families are truly giving people, and we are very fortunate that [...]