Madison - Park News

Published September 2, 2015

Veterans ministry provides free food packs, meals

MADISON HEIGHTS — A new veterans ministry at Madison Heights United Methodist Church wants to help those who served in the military. A monthly brunch the second Sunday of every month, where veterans eat for free, will help raise money for the program. Veterans also eat for free at community dinners held the third Saturday of every month.

Published September 2, 2015

Stage play tells coming-of-age tale set locally

HAZEL PARK — When award-winning author and playwright Frank Anthony Polito wrote his novel “Band Fags!” and set it in his hometown of Hazel Park, he didn’t know that one day it would be performed there as a play.

This is the third time that the novel, winner of the 2008 Best Fiction Award from the InsightOut Book Club, has taken the stage. The first time was when SNAP! Productions in Omaha, Nebraska, produced it in June 2012. Next, the play made its West Coast debut at the New Conservatory Theatre Center in San Francisco in September 2013.

Published August 31, 2015

State says to watch for invasive beetle on Michigan’s doorstep

METRO DETROIT — An invasive, tree-killing insect working its way across the U.S. is closing in on Michigan, and the Department of Natural Resources is asking residents to be watchful.

The Asian longhorn beetle, first found in New York back in 1996, bores into trees to lay its eggs, which then hatch and bore deeper to the heart of the tree, according to DNR spokeswoman Joanne Foreman.

Published August 31, 2015

Volunteers give Senior Citizens Center a facelift

MADISON HEIGHTS — The Madison Heights Senior Citizens Center has long been a nondescript building unnoticed by many, but thanks to the work of a group of volunteers, it’s looking more vibrant than ever, both inside and out.

Published August 26, 2015

‘We all need to look out for each other’

MADISON HEIGHTS — “You’re beautiful.” “You’re smart.” “You’re talented.”

It’s one thing to hear it from a parent, someone you’d expect to say nice things. But to hear it from your peers? Much more impactful.

Published August 24, 2015

New staff announced for Hazel Park Public Schools

HAZEL PARK — The Hazel Park Public Schools have revealed seven new staff members who will be filling important roles within the district.

First are the principals at Hazel Park High School, Hazel Park Junior High and Webb Elementary, replacing principals who were working on extended contracts and are now fully retired.

Published August 24, 2015

Themes announced for ‘Around the Globe in Madison Heights’

MADISON HEIGHTS — The popular “Around the Globe in Madison Heights” Taste Festival and Cultural Show is normally held on a single night at Wilkinson Middle School, but this year the concept has gone on the road, with monthly promotions highlighting the cuisines of different cultures.

Published August 18, 2015

Microbrewery opening this fall in Hazel Park

HAZEL PARK — The revitalization of the John R corridor in Hazel Park continues this fall with the addition of a new destination attraction: Cellarmen’s, a microbrewery with a tasting room, retail space and production on-site.

Sourcing their honey, hops, apples and other ingredients from local suppliers, cider makers Ian Radogost-Givens and Jason Petrocik will make all kinds of cider, beer and mead.

Published August 17, 2015

Hazel Park Junior High sees improved performance

HAZEL PARK — The state recently removed Hazel Park Junior High from a list of low-performing Michigan schools, citing progress made over the last four years. The school will continue to prepare yearly improvement plans for the state, but the milestone comes as welcome news for Hazel Park Public Schools.

Published August 17, 2015

Refinery issues blamed for higher gas prices

Even the lowest oil prices in around six years do not guarantee a cheaper August road trip in Michigan, and experts are blaming it on reports of technical problems at an Indiana refinery.

On Aug. 12, the price of West Texas Intermediate crude oil hovered around the $43 per barrel mark. Nevertheless, AAA Michigan reported a major recent swing in gas prices — although the state’s gas prices averaged around $2.48 per gallon Aug. 11, that increased to $2.58 per gallon Aug. 12 and to around $2.81 per gallon Aug. 13.

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Published August 16, 2015

Michigan carbon emissions to decrease under Clean Power Plan

METRO DETROIT — President Barack Obama unveiled his Clean Power Plan on Aug. 3, tasking the Environmental Protection Agency with setting goals for carbon emission reduction from power plants and leaving the states to figure out how to reach those targets.

With the reductions, the president hopes to slow carbon pollution into the atmosphere and reduce the severity of global warming in the long term.

Published August 14, 2015

Senator announces legislation to review proposed nuclear waste site

DETROIT — U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Michigan, unveiled a bill in Detroit on Aug. 10 that would require an international review of a Canadian power company’s proposal to bury nuclear waste less than a mile from the Lake Huron shore.

If passed, the legislation would invoke the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909 between the U.S. and Canada, which would require the International Joint Commission to study the risks to the Great Lakes watershed and the State Department to negotiate with Canada to wait for those study results before approving a waste site.

Published August 14, 2015

Remembering the ‘great flood’

MADISON HEIGHTS/HAZEL PARK — It’s been more than a year now since the historic storm of Aug. 11, 2014. Rain blasted the metro Detroit area, and in mere hours, I-75 in Hazel Park was a deep river, and Civic Center Plaza in Madison Heights was a lake. The vehicles that weren’t underwater were carried off with the stream — as happened to Hazel Park Mayor Jan Parisi’s car — and municipal buildings and residential homes alike suffered flooding and unsanitary conditions.

Published August 10, 2015

Car clubs share what catches their eye at Dream Cruise

It typically brings in more than a million people each year, and this year’s Woodward Dream Cruise promises to be no different.

On Aug. 15, car connoisseurs and casual fans will flock together to watch classic cars careen down Woodward Avenue. from Ferndale to Pontiac. Also in attendance will be auto clubs, many of which bring some of their favorite vehicles to the event.

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Published August 10, 2015

Hazel Park Art Fair coming soon

HAZEL PARK — More than 70 artists and nearly 20 unique musical acts are set to appear at the fourth annual Hazel Park Art Fair. And partial proceeds will benefit the Hazel Park Promise Zone, which sends graduating Hazel Park High seniors to college.

The event will take place at Green Acres Park, 620 W. Woodward Heights Blvd. (Nine 1/2 Mile) in Hazel Park, during the weekend of Saturday, Aug. 22 and Sunday, Aug. 23.

Published August 7, 2015

Museum to host V-J Day program Aug. 15

ST. CLAIR SHORES — The Detroit Arsenal of Democracy Museum in St. Clair Shores will remember the final end of World War II on Aug. 15 with an event showcasing rare photographs, artifacts and a chance to meet veterans who fought in the Pacific.

Published August 6, 2015

FDA suggests including daily value for added sugars on nutrition labels

METRO DETROIT — Nutrition facts labels may receive a face-lift in the future.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration proposed July 24 that food companies include the percentage of the daily value for added sugars on labels of packaged food. The proposal comes after the FDA recommended March 3, 2014, that added sugars, in addition to the sugar content, be displayed separately on labels.

Published August 5, 2015

Put proper hydration on your summer to-do list

METRO DETROIT — There’s no doubt about it. It’s hot out there.

Got a bottle of water with you? Good. But many don’t think to snag some aqua as they rush out the door each day during the summer, and experts say that could lead to some serious consequences.

Dr. Supak Sookkasikon, with Emcura Urgent Care in Bloomfield Township, said that this time of year, she sees at least one patient each day with symptoms of dehydration.

Published August 5, 2015

Techniques reduce water use in your own home

METRO DETROIT — While people have been told for years that they can help conserve water by turning off running sinks and taking shorter showers, new technology is combining with old techniques to provide residents with additional measures they can take around the home.

Water shortages and restrictions are not the issue here that they are in the American Southwest, but some of the things developed there can be — and have been — exported to other parts of the country.

Published August 4, 2015

Dental hygiene program to open at Baker

CLINTON TOWNSHIP — Smile … there’s a new dental program in town.

This fall, Baker College officials will open the doors of the Clinton Township campus’s new Center for Dental Hygiene Education, which will house the new Associate of Science in dental hygiene program.

School officials renovated more than 32,600 square feet of the former “C” building to create the new hygiene education center, which features a state-of-the-art dental clinic, classrooms, a practice laboratory and 20 patient care operatories.