West Bloomfield Beacon

Published September 17, 2021

Hospitals, labs stretched thin as Delta variant surges

OAKLAND COUNTY — There’s no doubt about it: COVID-19, and specifically the virus’s Delta variant, has tightened its grip on metro Detroit, and medical professionals at multiple levels are feeling the squeeze.

A West Bloomfield Schools bus heads out to begin its afternoon route.

Published September 16, 2021

Birmingham, Bloomfield districts struggle to find bus drivers

BIRMINGHAM/BLOOMFIELD/WEST BLOOMFIELD — It took some finagling, but public health experts and school administrators were able to figure out how to get kids back into classrooms this fall.

Published September 10, 2021

West Bloomfield residents help grant wishes for children facing critical illnesses

WEST BLOOMFIELD — Like others before him, when West Bloomfield resident Mark Kuhn agreed to take part in a charity bike ride that benefits Make-A-Wish Michigan, he didn’t do so with the intent of making a long-term commitment.

Published September 9, 2021

Silver medalist, Berkley native recounts journey that led to Olympic dreams

BERKLEY — More than a month ago, weightlifter Kate Nye was in an arena in Tokyo waiting to go before judges in an attempt to pursue her dreams of becoming an Olympic medalist.

Published September 9, 2021

Pandemic creates ‘crazy’ journey overseas for West Bloomfield woman’s family

WEST BLOOMFIELD — West Bloomfield resident Alison Schwartz recently returned from a “crazy” journey overseas.

Published September 8, 2021

Experts discuss dorm room glow-ups

METRO DETROIT — As colleges and universities welcome students back, those who opt to reside on campus are faced with the challenge of how to decorate often small and blank-walled dormitories.

Published September 8, 2021

It’s time for a screen time reset

METRO DETROIT — Screen time has been in the spotlight for years, and there are even apps that monitor and enforce limits on the amount of time users spend on a phone, tablet or other electronic device.

Drummer and “huge” Rolling Stones fan Brian Pastoria, of Warren, got an autograph from Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts after they both appeared in the book “Sticks ‘N’ Skins.” Watts died Aug. 24.

Published September 8, 2021

Local fans, musicians remember drummer Charlie Watts

METRO DETROIT — Rock ‘n’ roll fans around the world were saddened when Charlie Watts — one of music’s best-known drummers who, for decades, provided the backbeat for the Rolling Stones — died Aug. 24.

Published September 8, 2021

West Bloomfield's Township Center District Overlay making ‘slow but steady’ progress

WEST BLOOMFIELD — In 2015, the West Bloomfield Township Board of Trustees created what is known as the Township Center District Overlay on Orchard Lake Road, from 14 Mile Road to about a quarter mile north of Maple Road, according to Township Supervisor Steven Kaplan.

Michigan Chapter Walkers — like those pictured here — will return to the Detroit Zoo for the annual Alzheimer’s Association Detroit Walk to End Alzheimer’s this fall.

Published September 8, 2021

Walkers hope to make strides in battle against Alzheimer’s disease

ROYAL OAK — Alzheimer’s disease stole Colton Dale’s chance to get to know his grandfather, who developed it when Dale was very young. What sticks in Dale’s mind is the way his otherwise stoic father reacted to his own father’s deteriorating mental state.

Published September 7, 2021

RTA finalizing master plan on area’s transit needs

OAKLAND COUNTY — For the past several months, the Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan has been holding open houses to gather information for an update to its regional master transit plan.

Published September 1, 2021

West Bloomfield, Walled Lake schools return to class with mandatory masks

WEST BLOOMFIELD/WALLED LAKE — Folders, pencils and new sneakers all took a backseat last week to the most important back-to-school item for West Bloomfield School District and Walled Lake Consolidated Schools students: masks, of course.

Published August 30, 2021

Michigan State Fair to return to in-person programming

NOVI — After a year of fully virtual programming, the Michigan State Fair, hosted at the Suburban Collection Showplace, will return to in-person festivities for the 2021 season.

Published August 27, 2021

Change of clothes leads to children’s book for resident

FARMINGTON HILLS/WEST BLOOMFIELD — Maria Ragone said writing a children’s book is something she wanted to do for a long time.

Pictured is a Habitat for Humanity of Oakland County home in Southfield. Habitat has helped make home ownership a reality for some local residents.

Published August 26, 2021

Habitat for Humanity continues to help in altered housing market

OAKLAND COUNTY — For many people, owning a home is one of their greatest aspirations in life.

Published August 25, 2021

Get an inside look at the homes of interior designers

METRO DETROIT — If you’ve ever toured a designers’ show house or hired an interior designer, you’ve seen how interior designers can reimagine a space in a host of astonishingly inventive ways. But how do these designers decorate their own homes?

Published August 25, 2021

Nursing and paramedic shortages reported in Michigan

METRO DETROIT — The labor shortages that have been occurring across the state have also affected two industries that have a direct impact on the health of residents.

Published August 24, 2021

Custom-made pickup truck is built to last

METRO DETROIT — What started out as “a big, old, ugly truck” was transformed into a shiny, custom-built vehicle when Michael Loudermilk flexed his mechanical skills.

Published August 24, 2021

Elected officials, nonprofits call on utilities to do more to avoid outages

METRO DETROIT — Just as local utilities restored electricity to the last of the customers who lost power during the storms Aug. 11, a number of government and nonprofit groups publicly demanded the companies take responsibility — in some cases, monetarily — for multi-day outages.