Sterling Heights Sentry

Published April 29, 2015

Salmon release program spawns anew at Harvey Elementary School

Harvey Elementary sixth-graders’ plans to raise, then release, more than 100 salmon into the Clinton River have gone swimmingly, according to students and staff.

Harvey teacher Beth Swartz said this is the second year that her school has raised salmon, though she said other schools in Utica Community Schools have done it longer.

Published April 29, 2015

Local defense industry recalls ‘Arsenal of Democracy’

METRO DETROIT — As artillery and troops traveled overseas to fight in World War II, metro Detroiters who remained at home stayed productive by making the equipment needed to defeat the Axis powers.

Ron Lamparter, who owns the Defense Corridor Center for Collaboration and Synergy in Sterling Heights, said dozens of books and tens of thousands of pages have been written about Detroit’s role as the “Arsenal of Democracy” in World War II.

Published April 29, 2015

Stories of V-E Day: Vince Giles

Editor's note: This story was included in a full-length C & G Newspapers feature commemorating the 70th anniversary of V-E Day, the end of World War II in Europe. The war in Europe ended with the surrender of Nazi Germany on May 8, 1945. Metro Detroit residents graciously shared their stories in interviews conducted between January and April 2015. Click here for more V-E Day stories from our coverage area.

Vince Giles, 89, Sterling Heights

Published April 29, 2015

The women who won the war

METRO DETROIT — Not every American who fought for victory during World War II wore a uniform on foreign shores.

You won’t find their tales often in history books, but rather in journals and family photo albums.

The work done and sacrifices made by women during the war are heroic in their own right, though those ladies aren’t always given the full credit they’re due.

Published April 28, 2015

The end and the beginning

METRO DETROIT — The most destructive war ever fought in Europe ended on May 8, 1945. That point in time will forever be known to history as V-E Day.

For those who lived through the war, it was both the end and the beginning.

Gone forever were millions of lives. Millions more were left grieving, homeless and hungry, struggling to pick up the pieces of their shattered world. Towns that had stood for centuries were obliterated. It was a cataclysm never before seen, the end result of maniacal nationalism and industrialized war.

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Published April 27, 2015

Detroit Zoo crowdfunds to harness energy from poop

ROYAL OAK — The Detroit Zoological Society is seeking $55,000 through online donations to construct a “biodigester,” a device that would collect the methane from animal waste and turn it into electricity.

The money is part of the final effort needed to construct the digester, Detroit Zoo Chief Operating Officer Gerry Van Acker said. The zoo already has raised $900,000.

Published April 27, 2015

List of intersection accident data released

Several of Michigan’s traffic intersections with the most total accidents or related injuries or deaths in 2014 were found in Oakland and Macomb counties, according to top 10 lists recently compiled by a law firm.

Using data from the Michigan State Police Traffic Crash Reporting Unit, the Michigan Auto Law firm’s website posted in March that the Michigan intersection with the most accidents last year was South State Road at West Ellsworth Road in Ann Arbor, with 170 accidents.

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Published April 24, 2015

New kiosk to assist Stony Creek cyclists

Mountain bikers who ride the trails of Stony Creek Metropark now have a new information kiosk that also serves as a bicycle rack and repair stand.

Sterling Heights Police Lt. Aaron Burgess and members of the Clinton River Area Mountain Bike Association worked to install the kiosk April 17. The kiosk is located near the park’s Westbranch parking lot “B,” by some restrooms — an area Burgess said marks the official trailhead for the park’s paths.

Published April 22, 2015

Michigan International Women’s Show celebrates 20 years

NOVI — Men, you might as well look away now.

There will be a lot to see and do during the 20th annual Michigan International Women’s Show from April 30-May 3 at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi.

“It has definitely grown,” Beth Anderson, executive show manager of Southern Shows, said. “It has changed, and we hope that everyone enjoys it as much today as they did 20 years ago when it first started at the Novi Expo Center.”

Published April 22, 2015

Opposing sides sound off on Proposal 1

MACOMB COUNTY — State lawmakers and department heads are communicating to the public about Proposal 1 and how funds would be dispersed if voters approve the proposal.

On March 23, officials held a Proposal 1 town hall meeting at the Macomb Intermediate School District. Anyone from the public could attend and ask questions.

State Rep. Marilyn Lane, D-Fraser, helmed the meeting. She is the vice chairwoman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Published April 21, 2015

Jazz pros, students to celebrate music of past and present at April 30 concert

DETROIT — Local leading jazz musicians will be sharing a famous stage with some aspiring jazz greats of tomorrow when the University Liggett School Jazz Band opens for the Scott Gwinnell Jazz Orchestra on April 30 at the Music Hall Jazz Café.

Published April 20, 2015

Don’t be behind the curve on roundabouts

With the right frame of mind, drivers navigating a roundabout in metro Detroit can turn going in circles into a positive experience, according to road and driving safety representatives.

Construction recently began on an upcoming roundabout at 14 Mile Road at Orchard Lake Road at the border of West Bloomfield and Farmington Hills, according to Craig Bryson, spokesman for the Road Commission for Oakland County. The RCOC expects the project to be finished this autumn.

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Published April 19, 2015

Polish club’s new Heritage court crowned

STERLING HEIGHTS — A Polish-American cultural and fraternal group recently named the next holders of a yearlong reign representing the group’s history in metro Detroit.

The American-Polish Century Club Ladies Auxiliary held its 2015 Heritage Queen Contest on April 15 at the Century Banquet Center in Sterling Heights.

Contest co-chair Kathy Gadzinski said the contest was open to women between the ages of 17 and 25 who are of Polish-American descent.

Published April 17, 2015

C & G Newspapers staff writer wins prestigious fellowship

C & G Newspapers Staff Writer Kevin Bunch is one of 10 journalists nationwide selected for the University of Rhode Island’s Metcalf Institute for Marine & Environmental Reporting’s 17th annual Science Immersion Workshop for Journalists. Bunch writes about Eastpointe and Roseville for the Eastsider, and he has carved out a niche as C & G Newspapers’ science writer.

Published April 17, 2015

C & G Newspapers staff wins seven awards

Five members of the C & G Newspapers team took home awards at the Society of Professional Journalists Detroit Chapter’s annual Excellence in Journalism competition at the San Marino Club in Troy on April 15. The awards recognized work from 2014.

Published April 15, 2015

As Earth Day nears, experts discuss new trends in camping technology and conservation

METRO DETROIT — Ain’t progress grand? Our phones rarely keep us tethered to the wall anymore. Thanks to email, our messages are as fast as lightning and don’t require a stamp. With MP3 players, we don’t have to wait for the radio disc jockey to play our favorite tune.

With so many changes in our everyday lives, it only makes sense that other activities we’re used to — like camping — would evolve with the times, too.

Published April 15, 2015

Experts discuss new trends in camping technology and conservation

With so many changes in our everyday lives, it only makes sense that other activities we’re used to — like camping — would evolve with the times, too.

Published April 15, 2015

New water heater efficiency standard might drive up price tag and size

METRO DETROIT — Starting April 16, water heater manufacturers must comply with mandatory new standards issued by the U.S. Department of Energy geared toward conserving energy.

The new water heaters will be larger in size, due to increased insulation, and will have more expensive price tags, but they will save more energy.

Published April 15, 2015

CARE’s ‘Bike Path’ introduces 60-mile cycling route

MACOMB COUNTY — Grab your helmet and your favorite bicycle because it’s almost time to pedal your way around metro Detroit.

Macomb County will soon be inundated with bikes and riders, all traveling specific routes of differing lengths as part of CARE of Southeastern Michigan’s third annual Bike PATH fundraiser.

Published April 15, 2015

Children’s productions take center stage

CLINTON TOWNSHIP — Children who enjoy live theater are invited to check out two productions coming to the Macomb Center for the Performing Arts this month.

“My Heart in a Suitcase” is scheduled for 9:45 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. April 21.