Roseville - Eastpointe Eastsider

Published February 25, 2015

NOVI — Coming in on the heels of the Detroit Boat Show, the eighth annual Cottage and Lakefront Living Show taking place this week in Novi will reinforce the belief of many Michiganders that the state’s spring and summer months are the best in the country.

The Great Lakes State offers almost unending choices of outdoor recreational activities during the warmer months — though ice fishing during the winter also has a huge following — and that especially holds true for those who live or own a cottage on one of those great bodies of water.

Published February 25, 2015

Eastpointe passes public safety millage

Voters in Hazel Park and Eastpointe decided to approve the 14-mill public safety millage on the ballot during the special election Feb. 24, which will raise money for both cities under the South Macomb Oakland Regional Services Authority.

Eastpointe voters approved the measure 1,602-1,025, while in Hazel Park, 616 voters approved the measure and 227 opposed it. Under Michigan law, the total number of votes between both cities determined if the measure passed, so the total vote was 2,218-1,252.

Published February 25, 2015

Historical exhibit will focus on what made Michigan

CLINTON TOWNSHIP — When Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. called for civil rights supporters to meet in Selma, Alabama, in March 1965 for a peaceful march, Detroit homemaker Viola Liuzzo didn’t hesitate.

The white activist felt so strongly about the Civil Rights Movement that she left her five children and husband, got in her Oldsmobile, and made the trip to demonstrate for the rights of black Americans.

It ultimately cost Liuzzo her life when she was gunned down by members of the Ku Klux Klan.

Published February 25, 2015

Semrau family honored for 99 years of business

EASTPOINTE — The Eastpointe City Council issued a proclamation during its Feb. 17 meeting to thank the Semrau family for owning and operating Semrau Garden Center, following the sale of the long-standing store after nearly a century of business.

Co-owners Jim Semrau and Karen Regan were on hand to accept the proclamation — their brother Dan Semrau did not attend — in a ceremony that Regan said was special for them.

Published February 24, 2015

Frozen February puts cold-weather car tips to test

As temperatures recently fell below zero across metro Detroit, the arctic air has taken a toll on some vehicles too, according to AAA.

AAA Michigan Public Affairs Director Susan Hiltz said her association has seen an increase in service calls during a particularly cold night and morning following the Valentine’s Day weekend and culminating on Presidents’ Day, the Monday afterward.

“We had a 154 percent increase in the morning for service calls compared to the same time period last week,” Hiltz said.

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Published February 20, 2015

Woman charged with newborn’s death bound over to circuit court

The Eastpointe woman who allegedly left her newborn in a garage and found the child dead a few days after the child’s birth in December has been bound over to Macomb County Circuit Court following an examination Feb. 20 at the 38th District Court.

Angela Alexie, 24, is charged with second-degree murder and first-degree child abuse in the death of an infant discovered at the ReCommunity Recycling Center in Roseville Jan. 14, and she will have a pre-arraignment hearing at the circuit court March 2.

Published February 18, 2015

Tips to avoid tip-overs

In the last decade, Safe Kids Worldwide Director of U.S. Programs Tareka Wheeler said that there has been a 31 percent increase in the number of children who have been killed or injured by TV tip-overs.

“We know we can prevent these things. Many families just don’t think about it. It’s an emerging issue — we call it a hidden hazard — in homes, but there are simple things families can do,” Wheeler said.

Published February 18, 2015

Don’t just think spring; taste it

Heavy layers of clothes, heavy layers of snow and heavy layers of blankets.

It’s no wonder that when it comes to food, many diners are longing for something that’s anything but heavy.

As soon as temperatures begin to take a dive in September, restaurants start pulling out their repertoire of comfort food recipes chock full of spices, rich flavors and hearty ingredients designed to keep your tummy full and your body warm.

Published February 18, 2015

Pleasantview student wins county oratory competition

EASTPOINTE — A Pleasantview Elementary School fourth-grader won accolades for her rendition of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Drum Major Instinct” sermon last month in a countywide oratory event.

Alajah McGee, 10, was selected as the elementary grade winner of the 28th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Celebration of Macomb County, an event that took place on Martin Luther King Jr. Day Jan. 19 at Dakota High School in Macomb Township. The Interfaith Center for Racial Justice judged the contest winners.

Published February 16, 2015

Dealership gives car to long-distance walking commuter

A Detroit man’s hours-long walking work commute is over now that he can put his foot on the accelerator of a new Ford Taurus, courtesy of Suburban Ford of Sterling Heights.

James Robertson, who regularly walked more than 20 miles when he ventured out to his Rochester Hills employer and back to his Detroit home because he owned no car, recently shared his story to local media.

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Published February 11, 2015

Looking Back: The sheetmetal building

ROSEVILLE — This month’s photo is of the Frank Biehl Sheetmetal & Electrical Work building on Gratiot Avenue in what is now Roseville, circa 1926.

The Biehl family lived in an apartment at the back of the building during the 1920s — note the side porch in the photograph — and Frank Biehl eventually became Roseville Village president.

Published February 9, 2015

Award-winning car and truck greeted at showrooms

The North American International Auto Show’s exhibits and displays have left Detroit’s Cobo Center until next year, but some local dealerships say the intense public interest has made an impact on selling award-winning vehicles in the showroom.

At the most recent auto show in January, the Volkswagen Golf won the award of 2015 North American Car of the Year, and the Ford F-150 took North American Truck/Utility of the Year. The announcement was made at a Jan. 12 press preview day.

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Published February 4, 2015

Working in the kitchen depends on space, preference

METRO DETROIT — Many adults probably remember coming home from school in their youth, slinging their backpacks on the kitchen table and then getting a start on their homework.

While some children and adults still do that today, it’s not as prevalent as it used to be.

It really comes down to how a house is divided. Older homes are notorious for not offering the abundance of space that new homes today have, especially in the form of cabinets and countertops.

Published February 2, 2015

Car exhibits shift to tech-assisted driving future

Hundreds of thousands of people flocked to Detroit’s Cobo Center in January during the North American International Auto Show to get a driver’s seat perspective of upcoming cars and concept vehicles.

Published January 28, 2015

After the dress — what next?

Being a bride isn’t what it used to be.

Once the flowers are chosen and the gown is found, the styling for her big day isn’t over — it’s only just begun.

A wedding dress is only part of an overall look, according to experts, and each detail needs to be planned to perfection from head to toenail.

Published January 28, 2015

Test for radon to avoid health risks

Radon gas is the leading cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers, and high levels of the gas in a house meet the equivalent of smoking eight cigarettes a day, say World Health Organization officials.

Radon gas invades homes and buildings through foundation cracks and openings, and is invisible with no scent. If a test kit determines high levels of radon in a home, simple fixes can lower health risks.

Published January 26, 2015

The future of auto design has some curves

The North American International Auto Show is all about the visuals: the screens, the exhibits and, of course, the design of the vehicles themselves.

During the auto show, which was open to the public Jan. 17-25, the College for Creative Studies in Detroit maintained an exhibit presence while displaying some models of aerodynamic vehicles that its students made.

On a Jan. 12 press preview day, Paul Snyder, CCS chair of transportation design, was on hand to answer questions and make observations about the future of auto design.

Published January 21, 2015

House hunters can have city life or square footage, but not both

If you’re house hunting in metro Detroit, you’ll inevitably come to a point where you need to make a major decision — what means more to you, having a big house or living near Woodward?

That was the question Royal Oak native Karly Wingart had to ask when she started shopping for a home.

“We bought our house in September. We had only been looking for a couple of months, maybe three months,” she said.

Published January 21, 2015

Looking Back: The Kaiser Building

This month’s photograph is of the Kaiser Building, formerly located in Eastpointe on the southeast corner of Nine Mile and Gratiot. The basement of this building was used for the village of Halfway’s municipal offices, as well as for the city’s first library. The village of Halfway was the local government from 1924-1929, when it became the city of East Detroit. The photo itself is undated.

Published January 20, 2015

Judge orders state to recognize 300 same-sex marriages

METRO DETROIT — Three hundred same-sex couples who married last spring in Michigan are celebrating after a federal judge sided with them and said the state must recognize their marriages as legal.

In his ruling Jan. 15, Judge Mark Goldsmith, of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, said that the couples’ rights to due process and equal protection had likely been violated by the state’s actions. He granted a preliminary injunction and put it on hold for 21 days, at which point the decision will take effect.