Random, arbitrary and otherwise miscellaneous ramblings from your friendly, neighborhood editor. . . As we get back to so-called “normal” here in the new year, a lot of folks have asked, “How were your holidays?” Ever mindful of the biblical and moral mandate to be truthful, the answer from here has been, “I was sick.” […]
Copyright laws being what they are, it would be difficult to prove this, but I believe I was the first to coin the term “NIMBY.” You know, the acronym for “Not In My Back Yard?” I was working for a newspaper chain in the Chicago suburbs in the late 1980s, covering public protests against new […]
GROVELAND TOWNSHIP – It was difficult to find a place to park at a public hearing designed to discuss off-street parking. A standing-room-only crowd lodged protests Tuesday, Jan. 28, and the planning commission agreed to table a proposed ordinance that would impose restrictions on “parking” and “storage” of vehicles on residential property. The discussion will […]
ATLAS – Atlas Community Baptist Church has ministered for more than 150 years in this unincorporated community. With a new pastor, the congregation has taken radical steps to continue the tradition. When they called Rev. Jim Combs to be their new pastor, they also voted to withdraw from the American Baptist Churches USA, become an […]
BRANDON TOWNSHIP – The northeast corner of Oakland County often feels removed from the arms of regional government. Brannon Brown wonders how many people are even aware of the entity called Oakland Schools. The local resident is among those calling for major reform of the intermediate school district structure, especially in light of recent financial […]
BRANDON SCHOOLS – Superintendent Bart Jenniches has little sympathy for those involved in alleged scandals at Oakland Schools. “It’s a shame these other issues overshadow what they do well,” Jenniches said. The controversy over former intermediate superintendent James Redmond’s involvement with the MINDS Institute gets his harshest rebuke: “Of all the controversies, that’s the most […]
Local school officials were bracing for a state aid freeze in the 2003-2004 fiscal year. They were surprised, however, when Governor Jennifer Granholm announced a reduction in the promised state funding for the current year. The Michigan Legislature had until Friday, Feb. 14 (after The Citizen’s press deadline) to pass an alternative package, but figures […]
It’s not buying votes, but it is possible to “buy” a spot on the ballot for local school boards in the Monday, June 9 election. A revision to Public Act 431 now allows a candidate to pay a $100 fee instead of filing the traditional nominating petitions. “You don’t even need to go out and […]
BRANDON TOWNSHIP – The fire department’s new ambulance is in, and plans for their new fire station are close to being off the drawing board and into the hands of builders. The 2002 Ford 450 chassis was augmented by Wheeled Coach of Wichita, Kan. With equipment, the total cost of the new rig came to […]
Have we had the discussion about how true journalistic “objectivity” is a myth? The summary: objective, impossible; fair and balanced, absolutely. Anyway, your humble editor is hardly objective about the Boy Scouts of America, which celebrates its birthday in February. As a former Cub Scout, Boy Scout and Explorer, I continue to view the experience […]