Macomb Township Chronicle

Published April 1, 2015

METRO DETROIT — Elegance and simplicity are essential elements of award-winning home design.

“Our clients want quality architectural details,” said John VanBrouck, of Luxe Homes, one of the winners of the Detroit Home Design Awards, held March 24 at The Fillmore Detroit. “They are looking for something that is different, unique and creative with classic styling.”

Published April 1, 2015

Frankenfoods: Are GMOs as scary as people think?

METRO DETROIT — With spring right around the corner, it won’t be long before farmers markets open up, ready to bring shoppers the locally grown produce that may not have all the chemicals that larger grocers might sell.

Published April 1, 2015

Dakota students prepare for ‘West Side Story’ production

MACOMB TOWNSHIP — Jake Hill’s grandparents lived it, and now he’s going to be acting it.

Hill, a junior at Dakota High School, will be playing the character of Tony Wyzek in the school’s production of “West Side Story.”

The musical is centered around a pair of rival teenage gangs, a Caucasian gang called the “Jets,” and a Puerto Rican gang called the “Sharks.” The production is set in the upper west side of New York City in the 1950s.

Published March 31, 2015

Township oil drilling moratorium expires

MACOMB TOWNSHIP — During the clerk’s comments section of a Macomb Township Board of Trustees meeting on March 25, Township Clerk Michael Koehs discussed the expiration of a six-month moratorium on oil and gas well drilling in Macomb Township.

The moratorium expired on March 10, and Koehs recommended that the board take action to address the issue.

Published March 30, 2015

Maintenance can keep high-mileage cars humming

Most auto owners want their cars to go the distance on durability, but it often requires driver diligence to succeed, according to some auto repair businesses.

According to Hal Collins, owner of Hal’s Auto Clinic in Farmington Hills, his business sees lots of cars with around 200,000 miles on their odometers.

“The manufacturers have done a great job of making the cars more durable,” he said.

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Published March 27, 2015

Regina will ‘Step into Fashion’

WARREN — It has become a tradition flanked with its own Paris-like runway.

Every year, Regina High School parents, students, alumni and friends gather for the school’s annual fashion show that the Regina Mothers Guild sponsors. The goal is to raise money for the school.

Published March 26, 2015

Stories sought for end-of-war feature

Did you, a parent or grandparent fight in World War II, work in a factory to support the war effort, or plant a “victory garden” to feed the family when wartime rationing made things scarce?

If the answer is yes, then we want you, or them.

World War II ended 70 years ago this year with the formal surrender of Japan on Sept. 2, 1945. On May 8, the world will recognize the 70th anniversary of V-E Day, which marked the end of the war in Europe.

Published March 26, 2015

‘To love and equality’

METRO DETROIT — For more than 300 same-sex couples across the state of Michigan, March 22, 2015, was a very special day, for it marked the one-year anniversary of their weddings.

Their marriages took place in the brief window of time last year after a federal district court judge struck down the state’s same-sex marriage ban, but before the state appealed to the Sixth Circuit Court and had that decision put on hold.

Published March 25, 2015

Local author publishes sixth novel

MACOMB TOWNSHIP — Macomb Township resident Tony Aued long thought about diving into novel writing, but other commitments prevented him from following through with the idea.

Raising a family and a 25-year career in the automotive industry that was sandwiched by stints as an English teacher kept Aued plenty busy, but the events surrounding a family tragedy caused him to finally write his first novel a decade ago.

Published March 25, 2015

Setting the stage: Why details are important when selling a home

METRO DETROIT — In William Shakespeare’s “As You Like It,” the revered poet and playwright said that “all the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.”

More than 400 years later, that quote can be attributed to something more traditional and commonplace: interior design and real estate.

Home staging is arguably more popular than it’s ever been before. The process of preparing a home to make it more appealing to potential buyers has become vital to those who sell homes.

Published March 25, 2015

C & G photographers share tips for taking perfect prom pictures

METRO DETROIT — Let’s face it: When it comes to snapping prom photos, seniors are probably more concerned with what their Instagram feed will look like than how the actual printed photos will turn out.

Published March 24, 2015

Logan’s Law reintroduced to House to create animal abuse registry

LANSING — Third time’s the charm.

At least that’s what Matthew Falk is hoping when it comes to Logan’s Law, a bipartisan bill his own dog helped to inspire.

Michigan Rep. Paul Muxlow, R-Brown City, reintroduced the legislation to the Michigan House of Representatives on March 17 in hopes of getting support from the House and eventually the Senate to create a registry database for convicted animal abusers.

Published March 23, 2015

New construction season poised to begin

The spring starts a new season of construction, but awareness could keep drivers from being barraged by sights of barrels during their commutes — or at least let them plan for a longer drive.

Oakland and Macomb counties’ road commissions have announced several upcoming projects for the spring and beyond.

According to Bob Hoepfner, director of the Macomb County Department of Roads, his agency plans to do about $42 million in roadwork this construction season.

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Published March 18, 2015

Pothole season hits Macomb Township

MACOMB TOWNSHIP — As the first week of consistent above-freezing temperatures arrived last week, so did the emergence of fresh potholes on Macomb Township roadways.

Although the Macomb County Department of Roads has already begun dispatching its patching crews throughout the county to repair potholes, addressing underlying problems with area roads will have to wait until the underground frost leaves, said Macomb Township Clerk Michael Koehs.

Published March 17, 2015

Technical academy touted in visit from U.S. Rep. Miller

MACOMB TOWNSHIP — “It’s not your grandpa’s factory anymore.”

That was one of many messages delivered by U.S. Rep. Candice Miller and leaders of PTI Engineered Plastics during a visit from Miller on March 11.

Miller was on hand to tour PTI’s plant in Macomb Township and present a certificate of special congressional recognition to the company for several accomplishments, including the creation of its technical academy for high school students.

Published March 17, 2015

Legoland Discovery Center to be built inside Great Lakes Crossing

Lego lovers rejoice.

Michigan’s first and only attraction based on the world-famous Lego brick is coming to Great Lakes Crossing in Auburn Hills next year.

The schedule calls for construction to begin this summer on Legoland Discovery Center Michigan and for the project to be completed in spring 2016, according to an announcement by Merlin Entertainment, which operates Legoland attractions worldwide.

Published March 16, 2015

Pinball leagues and Michigan expo demonstrate game’s resurgence

ROCHESTER — After years of fading into the background, the sounds of bells, whistles, digitized music and flippers hitting pinballs are coming back.

That old arcade mainstay has seen breaths of new life during the past few years, and enthusiasts around metro Detroit are helping put pinball machines back into the spotlight with local leagues running throughout the year, and a four-day annual event — the Michigan Pinball Expo — scheduled for April.

Published March 16, 2015

Palette of auto paint choices awaits drivers

A car with chipping, scratches, fading or worse cannot hide under winter grime forever, but repainting options exist just in time for a spring makeover.

Allan Edwards, owner of Maaco Collision Repair & Auto Painting in Shelby Township, said drivers get their cars repainted for a number of reasons, such as collision work, corrosion restoration or a simple refreshing.

“A lot of times, they’ve just got older cars looking pretty bland,” he said. “Sometimes they want to do a totally different color.”

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Published March 11, 2015

A close shave for cancer research

METRO DETROIT — A few years ago, when Jason Davidson’s hair was completely shaved off during the St. Baldrick’s Foundation cancer fundraiser, a young girl battling the illness came up to him and said “thank you.”

Touched by her words, “It was hard to come up with a response,” Davidson said.

Published March 11, 2015

Ice dams can bring winter problems indoors

METRO DETROIT — They have a certain austere beauty and create remarkable sculptures when they begin to thaw and refreeze around trees, bushes or just the ground, but those large icicles growing from your roof could be an indication of a larger problem — ice damming on the roof.

An ice dam is a buildup of ice on roofs caused by melting snow that refreezes around the eaves of a house; it is usually quite easy to spot, experts say, because of the large icicles and pieces of ice that form on the edge of the roof of the house.