St. Clair Shores Sentinel

Published June 3, 2016

ROSEVILLE — With some of the school’s former students old enough to be grandparents by now, and two generations of children sharing the same caring preschool teacher, parents and children were saddened by the news that Jack and Jill Nursery School would close this month.

First opened in 1964 in St. Clair Shores, the original owner retired in 1979. That was the year another teacher at the school, Fran Timmerman, bought the business.

She’s been educating preschoolers ever since.

Published June 1, 2016

Summer reading clubs encourage kids, adults to get moving

ST. CLAIR SHORES — Ready to read?

The St. Clair Shores Public Library is ready for throngs of summer readers to hit the shelves in anticipation of this year’s summer reading clubs for children and adults, both of which have themes designed to encourage reading as well as exercise.

Published June 1, 2016

Revamped fee structure to recoup costs of CDI

METRO DETROIT — Trying to close a deficit of about $64,000, the Community Development and Inspections Department will charge higher application fees for some permits to better take into account the time spent working on the permit, driving to the building and other overhead costs.

When the proposal was first brought before City Council in January, the department was trying to close the gap by increasing fees on many of the permits it offers residents and builders in the city.

Published May 30, 2016

St. Clair Shores celebrates Memorial Day with parade

ST. CLAIR SHORES — The 64th annual St. Clair Shores Memorial Day Parade took place Sunday, May 29, along Harper Avenue.

The parade, one of the largest around, included military members and vehicles, local marching bands, floats and more.

This year’s celebrity guest was former Detroit Red Wing and Hall of Famer Ted Lindsay.

Check back later this week for the full story.

Published May 25, 2016

Annual parade to honor veterans, military members on Harper May 29

ST. CLAIR SHORES — With military members and vehicles, local bands and even Clydesdales taking to Harper Avenue May 29, the 64th annual St. Clair Shores Memorial Day Parade will be a sight to see.

“Every year we say it’s the largest, but I think this one really has a good chance of being the largest,” said Parade Committee Chair Cheryl Furdos. “We have something for all interests, in addition to all the veteran entries.”

Published May 25, 2016

City changes liquor license ordinance

ST. CLAIR SHORES — A new Italian market and eatery planned for Harper Avenue just north of 11 Mile Road may become a “destination” in the city, according to City Council members, but only because council voted to change its ordinance to allow a venue with fewer than 150 seats to apply for one of the city’s remaining three liquor licenses.

Published May 25, 2016

Students partner with local nursing center for virtual trip

ST. CLAIR SHORES — With a little help from their friends, residents at a local nursing home are taking a trip around the world this spring.

This is the second time residents at St. Mary’s Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in St. Clair Shores have taken a virtual cruise, and this time, they headed to Italy.

Published May 25, 2016

Children of original owners hope to restore Gaudino’s to greatness

ST. CLAIR SHORES — Seeking to “blend a traditional Italian market experience with a modern approach to casual dining,” the son-in-law and daughter of the original owners of the building at 27919 Harper Ave. hope to restore it to greatness and bring a unique shopping and dining experience to St. Clair Shores.

Published May 25, 2016

School to honor veterans with flag raising, music

ST. CLAIR SHORES — A few days before the country remembers those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to the United States, students at Kennedy Middle School will take time to thank veterans with a flag raising in their honor.

Lake Shore Public Schools Superintendent Joe DiPonio, who helped start the tradition about five years ago when he was principal of the school, said that with all the curriculum focus trained on reading and math, “The history of this country gets lost.”

Published May 25, 2016

City pledges ‘limited’ full faith and credit to back loan

ST. CLAIR SHORES — The city has pledged its full faith and credit to back the U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Section 108 loan the city will receive to expand and renovate the Senior Activities Center.

Published May 24, 2016

Food drive nets 500,000 pounds of food

MACOMB COUNTY — The Macomb Food Program recently received more than 300,000 pounds of food thanks to the 24th annual National Association of Letter Carriers and U.S. Postal Service Food Drive.

The May 14 countywide drive netted a total of 500,000 pounds of food. The food helps feed families, seniors, veterans, children and the homeless throughout the county.

Published May 18, 2016

VonHiltmayer named new South Lake superintendent

ST. CLAIR SHORES — After interviewing a half-dozen candidates and narrowing the list down to just three people, the South Lake Board of Education offered the position of superintendent to a man with 20 years of experience in the district: Ted VonHiltmayer, the current director of human resources.

Published May 18, 2016

Golfers, managers and business experts weigh new booking technology

METRO DETROIT — In large part, the days of calling the golf course clubhouse, asking for a tee time and hoping there’s an opening have faded into the past.

For many golfers, the decision of where to go, how much to pay and what time they’re teeing off is now just a few clicks away.

GolfNow was founded in 2001 and has become the leader in discount golf. The service (www.GolfNow.com) is affiliated with the Golf Channel and is a member of the NBC Sports Group.

Published May 18, 2016

C & G’s Community GiveBack makes a comeback

METRO DETROIT — Last year, three local nonprofit organizations received thousands of dollars in cash donations and advertising as part of C & G Newspapers’ inaugural Community GiveBack contest, and now C & G is teaming up with Suburban Hyundai in Troy once again to offer the program for a second year.

Published May 13, 2016

Screen-free for a week — Could you do it?

ST. CLAIR SHORES — With children today spending an average of seven hours a day on TV, computers, phones and other electronic devices, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, and excessive use of media leading to attention problems, school difficulties, sleep and eating disorders, and obesity, one local school thought it was time to take a break.

Published May 11, 2016

Games gone green

ST. CLAIR SHORES — Bean bag toss. Basketball shoot. Skee ball.

It might be the makings of a great time at Chuck E. Cheese or Dave & Buster’s. Or it might be the beginnings of a cardboard arcade being designed by a group of ecologically minded students at Avalon Elementary School within South Lake Schools.

Published May 11, 2016

District will continue hosting Chinese students

ST. CLAIR SHORES — Continuing an agreement that has been in place for at least five years, Lake Shore Public Schools will continue to welcome overseas students to spend a year in the district.

The Board of Education voted April 25 to extend its contract with its Chinese sister school for the next six years.

“They are still paying a tuition, (and) we added a health insurance component to the contract,” said board President Shannon Ketelhut.

The prior contract, she said, had been for five years.

Published May 11, 2016

Paying for recreation programs is problematic in tough budget

ST. CLAIR SHORES — In a budget season when St. Clair Shores faces a potential multimillion-dollar shortfall between revenues and expenses, requests from different departments in Parks and Recreation were met with concerns and questions from City Council during the fiscal year 2016-17 budget hearings.

Recreation programs, like the swimming pool and the Special Needs Playground Program, are costing more to run this year because of the increase in the minimum wage, City Manager Michael Smith said.

Published May 11, 2016

Naturalists tout benefits of nature camps

METRO DETROIT — The average child in the U.S. spends seven hours a day in front of a screen.

This excessive media use can lead to attention problems, school difficulties, sleep and eating disorders, and obesity, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

So what can you, as a parent or caregiver, do to help minimize your child’s screen time during those school-free months? One option, local experts say, is to have them explore nature.

Published May 11, 2016

Michigan traffic fatalities up in 2015

Michigan traffic fatalities were up in 2015, keeping in line with what is a national trend. The first months of 2016 also appear to show an increase in traffic deaths, but the provisional numbers change daily.

The harder question to answer is what caused the increase in traffic deaths.

“Things have changed so quickly that we’re just now kind of catching up on the data side,” said Anne Readett, communications manager for the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning. “We still have a lot of ground to cover and a lot of progress to make.”