Township takes actions on water quality

After an Independence Township family found their well contaminated by petroleum, officials are beginning to take local action. “We are implementing more oversight locally rather than relying on state or county officials,” said township Supervisor Pat Kittle. The Robinson family live on Maple Road, off Dixie Highway, and received shipments of bottled water from the […]

Andrea’s Anecdotes A column by Andrea Beaudoin

In August I began a mental journey which was deeply environmentally focused. It was a process in which I felt funding by those charged with protecting our environment could be much better spent. I have written much in recent columns on how I believe our schools and local governments would handle these funds much better. […]

School survey

Clarkston Community School officials are looking for residents’ opinions on buildings, traffic flow, safety, and other issues, so they’re conducting an online survey. ‘A strong and vibrant school system is important to community unity and success,? said Deputy Superintendent Shawn Ryan. A facilities evaluation of school property and facilities is underway, Ryan said. ‘In this […]

School policy for violence

Clarkston Board of Education approved revised school safety policies at their Dec. 14 meeting. The policy will now include threat assessments at school, following guidelines created by the U.S Secret Service and U.S Department of Education. Threats include crime and violence inside and outside the school system. ‘We want to interact with and engage students […]

Icy sendoff to 2015

After unseasonably warm weather for Christmas, winter returned with an ice storm, Monday. The Clarkston area was under a Winter Weather Advisory in the afternoon starting about 1:30 p.m., with state offices closing early. About half an inch of freezing rain and sleet fell, and winds whipped throughout the night, with gusts of up to […]

Recreation guide on the way

Delays in the beginning stages caused a delay in delivery of the 2015/16 Independence Township Winter and Spring Recreation Guide. The guide is available now, and can be viewed at www.itpr.org. Registration forms are available online also, but online registration is limited. Parks, Seniors and Recreation Coordinator Tim McNiel said the guide will be available […]

Dozens of leaks

The Robinson family’s water supply at their Maple Drive home in Independence Township has been contaminated with gasoline for the past year. And, they’re not alone. According to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), the Clarkston area has dozens of ‘open,? unaddressed contamination cases at local gas stations and businesses, ‘Whoever owned the tank […]

Andrea’s Anecdotes A column by Andrea Beaudoin

Santa, I have found this land is no longer my land or your land. Instead, this land is owned by gas and oil companies, making huge money while polluting communities. I believe it is worse than we know. People, possibly you, are unknowingly drinking contaminated water caused by environmental polluters as our ‘leaders? make laws […]

M-STEP results present new baseline, officials say

District officials received results from the 2014-15 MSTEP state-required test, implemented on students in various grades. This is the first year the test, which replaced MEAP testing, was implemented. Students in grades 3-8 and also grade 11 were tested in language arts and math. Students in grades 4, 7, and 11 were tested in science, […]

Water woes

Options are limited for Maple Drive residents suffering from water contaminated by gasoline, officials say. Christine Robinson’s family has dealt with the issue for over a year. They cannot drink water from the tap, give it to their pets, cook with it, nor use it for showers. Every 20 days, the Michigan Department of Environmental […]