Sterling Heights Sentry

Published May 13, 2015

METRO DETROIT — Native fish like walleye, steelhead, lake trout and, to an extent, yellow perch populations are doing well, leading to a positive fishing outlook on the Great Lakes this year.

Todd Grischke, Lake Huron Basin coordinator with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, said that while specific fishing is different across the north-south areas of the lake, walleye populations are booming to near record levels.

Published May 13, 2015

Beck students evacuated after fog machine trouble

A group of Beck Centennial Elementary students were reportedly sent to seek medical treatment May 13 after a fog machine apparently made them feel ill at the school, according to a Utica Community Schools spokesman.

According to school district spokesman Tim McAvoy, 36 students were sent to receive medical treatment after being near the machine.

“We had a group of (fifth)-grade students who were sickened,” McAvoy said. “They were rehearsing for an upcoming performance when the fog machine was activated for a performance.”

Published May 13, 2015

Sterlingfest fine-tunes its summer music lineup

The Sterlingfest Art & Music Fair might not have the “Margaritaville” beach party theme of last year, but it will feature a Beach Boys tribute band and a broad mix of other musical acts, according to city officials.

The annual Sterling Heights festival will occur this year July 23-25 in the area around the Richard J. Notte Sterling Heights City Center.

Published May 13, 2015

Youth auto career expo to move to Warren

A vocational expo that started in Utica Community Schools to expose young people to automotive industry careers is shifting into a higher gear.

The 2015 Automotive Design & Engineering Career Expo will take place May 20-21 at the Macomb Community College Expo Center in Warren. During the event, major automakers will hold exhibits on different career fields in the auto industry.

Published May 13, 2015

Experts say painting trends are going back to basics

METRO DETROIT — For both the interiors and exteriors of homes, customers are opting to go back to classic color schemes and neutrals, according to experts in the field.

The return to basics is, in some cases, a nostalgic choice and, in other cases, a more strategic move to increase home value and appeal to a wider audience.

Published May 13, 2015

Tailored day camps give kids the chance to do what they love

METRO DETROIT — Once upon a time, there were just a few types of summer camps: sports for the jocks, Scouts for the adventurers and math camp for those who would just rather be back in the classroom.

How times have changed. Now, there’s a daytime summer escape to suit every child and any taste.

Published May 11, 2015

State, federal governments issue car seat guidelines

Auto safety experts are inviting parents to sit down and review the facts of properly securing small children in the back seat to avoid accident-related injuries.

Alyson Kechkaylo, occupant protection program coordinator for the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning, is also a certified child passenger safety technician.

She said Michigan law basically requires kids to be secured in a car seat until they are at least 8 years old or 4 feet 9 inches tall. But parent compliance often varies depending on the child’s age, she explained.
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Published May 7, 2015

Asthma’s in the air

METRO DETROIT — May is Asthma Awareness Month, and local doctors and the American Lung Association are urging the approximately 25 million people in the United States who suffer from asthma to learn how to take control of the disease.

Published May 6, 2015

Before buying a home, get some tips from the pros

METRO DETROIT — Embarking on the search for a new home can be daunting, especially for first-time buyers, so C & G Newspapers asked several experts, including real estate agents and a representative from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority, for guidance.

John Kurczak, a Keller Williams Realtor, said the best way to start is to find out what you can afford.

Published May 6, 2015

C & G staffers share stories of moms’ warmth and wisdom

METRO DETROIT — Mother’s Day is just around the corner. But when a special lady in your life has given you cherished memories or sage advice to take with you through the years, isn’t every day Mother’s Day just a little bit?

Published May 6, 2015

Students design boats for swimming pool races

Hundreds of Utica Community Schools students were recently all aboard an idea to build and race boats big enough to climb inside and use.

Eisenhower High School career and technical education students joined physics students to compete in the first-ever CTE/Physics Cardboard Boat Regatta on April 24 to test the construction and durability of their handcrafted vessels. The boat race was conducted in a high school swimming pool.

Published May 6, 2015

Plant exchange ready to sprout again

Plenty of green will change hands at an upcoming Sterling Heights gardening event — no money involved.

The Sterling Heights Beautification Commission will hold its annual plant exchange May 9 at the Sterling Heights Nature Center. During the free event, local gardeners and green thumbs will swap plants. Selling plants is against the rules.

Published May 5, 2015

Voters say no to Proposal 1

Michigan roads are a disaster. That’s no surprise, as residents in C & G Newspapers’ coverage area have voiced their concerns about the dilapidated roads and growing potholes.

Voters were asked to decide on a proposal to amend the Michigan Constitution, increasing the sales/use tax from 6 percent to 7 percent. And on May 5, 80 percent of voters turned down Proposal 1, 1,405,716 votes to 349,813 votes, according to the state of Michigan’s unofficial election results.

Published May 5, 2015

Detroit Jazz Festival strikes the right chord with famed guitarist Pat Metheny

DETROIT — The Detroit Jazz Festival has been attracting some of the top jazz players in the world for years, but the 36th annual festival scored a particular coup this year with artist-in-residence Pat Metheny.

The jazz guitarist and composer, who has won 20 Grammy Awards and has sold more than 20 million records, will be performing with a number of other jazz greats — including Kenny Garrett, Ron Carter and the Gary Burton Quartet — during the festival, which takes place over Labor Day weekend, Sept. 4-7, in downtown Detroit.

Published May 4, 2015

Stamping out hunger

MACOMB COUNTY —
Last year’s magic number was 300,000.

That was approximately how many pounds of food Macomb County residents donated during the National Association of Letter Carriers and U.S. Postal Service “Stamp Out Hunger” Food Drive held in 2014.

Macomb Food Program coordinator Linda Azar said the donations fed more than 140,000 Macomb County residents and that without the Postal Service’s food drive, “I don’t know what we would do.”

Published May 4, 2015

Motorcycles require extra attention in traffic

Warmer weather means it’s more likely for bikers to take their prized possessions for a ride on Michigan’s roads. And that means everyone on the road needs to be cautious, whether on two wheels or four.

AAA Michigan Public Affairs Director Susan Hiltz said drivers should never tailgate a motorcycle or abruptly change lanes in front of one.

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Published April 30, 2015

Legislature considers changing no-fault system

Michigan’s no-fault insurance law, which has existed for around four decades, could face significant changes if the state Legislature and Gov. Rick Snyder pass through pending legislation, according to activists on both side of the debate.

Senate Bill 248 passed the Senate April 16, and a state House version passed in a House committee April 23. A full House vote is expected to take place soon.

Published April 30, 2015

U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments on marriage equality

The eyes of the nation were on the U.S. Supreme Court on April 28 as it heard arguments for and against same-sex marriage. The cases were brought forth by Michigan, Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee.

The first issue, directly involving Michigan, is whether it’s constitutional to deny same-sex couples the right to marry. The other issue is whether all states must recognize same-sex marriages conducted in other states.

Published April 29, 2015

When it comes to decorative art, the writing is on the wall

Walking into a home without wall art would be almost as jarring as stepping inside an observatory and seeing no telescopes, or eating at a Mexican restaurant and not being served chips and salsa.

People sense the ambiance when standing inside a building. And no matter what the setting is or what is taking place in that particular environment, people often expect to see aesthetically pleasing and visually stimulating art.

Published April 29, 2015

From the heart: Grad gifts mean more when they have a personal touch

It’s so easy to honor a new graduate’s accomplishment with a gift card, a fancy tech device or even just some cash tucked into an envelope.

But there are other gifts you can give that student starting a new chapter in his or her life that involve a bit more thought and creativity. Those gifts, of course, mean so much more than their monetary value.