Features

Published December 1, 2015

Rochester Hometown Christmas Parade to spread holiday cheer this weekend

ROCHESTER — The Rochester Hometown Christmas Parade will make its way through the streets of downtown this weekend, marking the 64th anniversary of what has become a cherished holiday tradition for many.

“You can’t come to the parade and not see people that you know that are going down Main Street,” Parade Chair Tim Crawford said.

Beginning at 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6, the 2015 Rochester Hometown Christmas Parade will roll down Main Street, from the corner of Tienken and Rochester roads south to Third Street.

Published December 1, 2015

Woodward Talk

Hometown Holidays, lights parade bring festive spirit to downtown Berkley

BERKLEY — The holiday season is in full swing, as Hometown Holidays and the Holiday Lights Parade will return Dec. 5 to downtown Berkley.

Hometown Holidays is entering its third year as a daytime event that sees the Berkley Downtown Development Authority and local businesses collaborate to offer specials, treats and activities throughout the day leading up to the Holiday Lights Parade.

Published December 1, 2015

Southfield Sun

Berkley, Woods artists to take part in Potters Market

SOUTHFIELD — Looking to have an activity to do with her daughter, Huntington Woods resident Judy Bruttell began working in pottery nearly three decades ago in a class at the Huntington Woods Recreation Center.

After expanding her pottery scope with classes at Oakland Community College, Bruttell got interested in raku, a Japanese technique of firing and cooling pottery to create various colors on pieces.

Published December 1, 2015

Fraser - Clinton Township Chronicle

Township offers tips to combat winter hazards

CLINTON TOWNSHIP — The winter flurries have already arrived and local officials are doing their best to educate the public on the perils of the season.

The National Weather Service has predicted a slightly warmer winter when compared to last year, with the same amount or less snowfall. However, more wet snow is expected.

Published December 1, 2015

Fraser - Clinton Township Chronicle

Local potter uses history to impact her own imagination

FRASER — As Sue Bertolini-Fox continues to work in her fourth decade of making pottery, there seems to be no end in sight.

The Fraser resident became in tune with her craft in the early 1980s while attending Oakland Community College, when her children were still relatively young.

Published December 2, 2015

C&G Newspapers

Oakland County Market opens late for holiday shoppers

WATERFORD — Shopping local has never been more popular with consumers. But small businesses can’t always stay open as long as their big box competitors, and customers sometimes choose between conscience and convenience.

Luckily, the Oakland County Market will host its popular Holiday Shopping Nights again this year, so busy buyers can shop from local farmers and artisans during special evening hours.

Published December 1, 2015

Birmingham - Bloomfield Eagle

BBAC holiday gift shop opens with ‘bubbly’ party

BIRMINGHAM — Why just deck the halls when you can “put on your dazzle?”

That’s what’s happening at the Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center these days, according to President and CEO Annie VanGelderen, as the nonprofit art center gets ready to open its seasonal holiday shop, loaded with unique handcrafted gifts made by local artists.

Published November 30, 2015

Birmingham - Bloomfield Eagle

New nonprofit for local women to host ‘hopeful’ holiday launch

BEVERLY HILLS — Like so many of us, Joanne Ewald has been busy planning a holiday party. But her gathering, to be held on Friday, will be more than just a celebration of the season — it will be a celebration of hope for those who have gone without.

Published December 2, 2015

Farmington Press

Senior program promotes community, socializing

FARMINGTON HILLS — Farmington Hills resident Millie Burns, 81, has enjoyed her life raising her eight children with her husband in metro Detroit.

But when her kids grew up and left the house and her husband passed away, Burns decided to venture out and experience Detroit in a new way with a senior group.

Published November 30, 2015

Farmington Press

Holly Days to ring in holiday cheer

FARMINGTON — Winter is here and the year is winding down, which means the annual Holly Days event is upon us.

“Holly Days is such a great family event, and a lot of the activities are free,” Greater Farmington Area Chamber of Commerce Director of Communications and Events Kristin Curle Houchins said recently. “It is very nostalgic — a great way to enjoy the holidays and not spend a ton of money.”

Published November 30, 2015

Shelby - Utica News

Local potter to represent Shelby Township

SOUTHFIELD/SHELBY TOWNSHIP — The 40th annual Potters Market, featuring 140 artists, will return to Southfield from Friday to Sunday, Dec. 4-6.

The popular holiday shopping destination runs 9:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. Parking and admission are free.

There also is a preview event from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 3, which will cost $10 per person. With an annual attendance of approximately 8,000 visitors, the preview sale is a way to get first dibs on the show’s approximately 35,000 pieces.

Published December 1, 2015

Shelby - Utica News

Utica’s Christmas tradition to light up tree and faces

UTICA — The sounds of carolers, sleigh bells and Santa’s belly laugh will fill the streets of downtown Utica beginning at 6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6.

The city’s annual Christmas and tree-lighting program will feature the arrival of the jolly old saint on a fire truck, and together he and Mayor Jacqueline Noonan will light the decorations at Utica City Hall.

There will be a craft table set up for children to make a holiday decoration, and everyone will be invited to enjoy hot cider and doughnuts at the Utica Fire Department, located at 7609 Auburn Road.

Published November 30, 2015

St. Clair Shores Sentinel

Tree lighting set for Dec. 4 at City Hall

Santa Claus is coming to town, and he’s ready to help light up St. Clair Shores City Hall and tree this week.

The annual tree lighting ceremony will kick off with an opportunity to check out live reindeer starting at 6 p.m. Dec. 4 at City Hall, 27600 Jefferson Circle Drive.

It’s “the event that starts the Christmas season” in St. Clair Shores, said Activities Committee Chair Maureen Wark.

Published December 2, 2015

Warren Weekly

Local organizations provide a merrier Christmas for others

WARREN — ’Tis the season for giving.

That’s the philosophy behind two organizations seeking volunteers to help carry out their missions to benefit children and senior citizens.

Socks for Seniors, which is based in Columbus, Ohio, is looking for coordinators in the Warren area to help with collecting socks this year for local senior citizens. The nonprofit community service project organizes, collects and distributes new socks for senior citizens in communities all over the country.

Published November 30, 2015

C&G Newspapers

Wreaths to be laid on hallowed ground Dec.12

METRO DETROIT — About 20 members of the Osak family, their friends and supporters packed into vans and headed to the Great Lakes National Cemetery in Holly last December.

They went to honor Edward John Osak Sr., the family’s patriarch, a Warren resident who had served honorably as an infantryman in the U.S. Army during World War II. Osak had remained as sharp as a tack through the years. He’d kept his wit, was spry enough to bowl and continued to be an ardent supporter of veterans until his death, just days after his 90th birthday in September 2014.

Published November 30, 2015

Sterling Heights Sentry

Group unveils tentative list of crash-prone intersections

Wish lists are on many minds this season, and a common-but-unstated desire among drivers is to avoid getting into a traffic accident.

A list compiled by the Traffic Improvement Association of Michigan has tentatively revealed some local intersections with the highest number of vehicle crashes in 2015 thus far.

Published December 2, 2015

Roseville - Eastpointe Eastsider

Experts expect Great Lakes water levels to stay near or above average

Water levels in most of the Great Lakes are expected to stay at or above the long-term average over the next six months, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Army Corps of Engineers.

Water levels have rebounded after more than a decade of being at near-record lows the past two years, according to NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab hydrologist Drew Gronewald. With the exception of Lake Ontario, they are all currently seasonally above the long-term average. That average was compiled using data from 1918 through 2014.

Published December 2, 2015

Roseville - Eastpointe Eastsider

El Niño could lead to warmer, drier winter

This year’s El Niño event is one of the strongest in recorded history, and researchers believe it is increasing the likelihood of a winter that is both warmer and drier than usual.

El Niño is a periodic natural occurrence where warm water cycles around in the Pacific Ocean and reaches the surface. The increase in sea surface temperatures in turn impacts how storms and air pressure regions form and impacts global weather patterns — typically in the Northern Hemisphere’s winter months.

Published November 27, 2015

Roseville - Eastpointe Eastsider

Transit authority seeks public input on Gratiot changes

EASTPOINTE — The Regional Transit Authority is gathering public input on a proposed rapid bus service along Gratiot Avenue — from downtown Detroit to Mount Clemens — and would like public input before making a recommendation in early 2016.

Published November 27, 2015

Sterling Heights Sentry

City to present A Sterling Christmas

Sterling Heights is getting ready to celebrate tradition and light the tree once more during its 39th annual A Sterling Christmas event Dec. 5.

Kyle Langlois, the city’s parks and recreation manager, said organizers plan to stay “about status quo” when it comes to the event’s offerings, adding that the event has grown to a point where “we’re pretty expanded out.” He said the city anticipates a turnout of around 4,000 people every year.