These Moms are Winners to Their Families Every Day

Proud kids nominate their special mothers, grandmothers and mother figures for all that makes them special. Share your photos and stories of mom today, too.

We asked you to tell us why your mom (or grandma or mother figure) is so special in anticipation of Mother's Day and you shared stories and photos that made us laugh and cry. Congratulations to our three winners (chosen at random): Maureen Krasner of Grosse Pointe Farms: Kranser was nominated by her husband, Charles, who said: "Whether we're hiking, biking, picking blueberries, playing in the sand or relaxing at home, Maureen (Mo, Mom) is happy wherever we are as a family. A phenomenal mother, wife and friend, she's always ready to dig in for fun and adventure." Krasner wins dinner at The Root Restaurant & Bar in White Lake. The Rev. Dona Gilsdorf of Birmingham: Gilsdorf, pastor at Unity Church of Rochester, was nominated by Danielle Boes…

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Q&A: Temple Israel Rabbi Hopes to Help Tigers' Young, Jewish Community Heal

Rabbi Joshua Bennett, of Bloomfield Hills, says Delmon Young is committed to show he's no bigot.

The Detroit Tigers' outfield slugger Delmon Young had some explaining to do. Following his arrest last month for scuffling with a panhandler and allegedly using anti-Semitic remarks outside the team’s hotel in New York City, the public’s perception about Young began to change, even among some of the most ardent Tigers fans. That was the case initially presented to Joshua Bennett, a longtime season-ticket holder who when he isn’t cheering on the Tigers, mentors youth, officiates religious ceremonies and tends to a large congregation as a rabbi at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield. But when the Tigers called looking for help, Bennett, a father of three from Bloomfield Hills, accepted the opportunity to counsel Young as he returns to the …

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Enter to Win a Ticket to the Coney Bus Tour Saturday

We have some seats on the tour of Metro Detroit Coney Island Restaurants to give away. The contest closes at noon Friday, May 11, so enter now!

What's your favorite coney island restaurant? Tell us below in comments and you could win a ticket to a coney island bus tour Saturday, May 12. You can join authors of the new book Coney Detroit — Joe Grimm of Bloomfield Township and Katherine Yung of Brighton — on a bus tour by D:Hive Detroit of Metro Detroit for a tasting of their favorite coney island hot dogs. Patch is also sponsoring the tour. The tour runs 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday and includes samplings of coneys at the restaurants where the bus stops. The tour will visit some coney local treasures – including a stop at Dearborn restaurant Joe's Top Dog Coney Island – home of the Jim Padilla Special, named for the former Ford Motor Co. president. Also included is a stop at a Greek …

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Reform Bill an Important Step in Preserving U.S. Postal Service

Sen. Carl Levin says U.S. Postal Service faces "an extraordinary financial challenge" in the future.

In late April, the U.S. Senate approved an important bill to reform the U.S. Postal Service. Though the bill was not perfect, it makes important changes to help the Postal Service adapt and thrive in the 21st century. And it includes an amendment that I helped write that I believe will help protect postal facilities in Michigan and across the nation from unjustified closures. There is little doubt that change is necessary; the Postal Service faces an extraordinary financial challenge, and it must make changes to take into account a new reality in which physical mail has in many cases been replaced by electronic communication. But in making these necessary reforms, we must ensure that all the American people can continue to rely on the U.S…

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Safe and Sound

Falls Pose Serious Threat to Older Adults

Farmington Hills firefighter/paramedics respond to a fall-related incident every week. Here's how to help prevent them.

Living in a society where older adults can live to their full potential should be expected. However, falls remain a threat to the health and independence of the older adult population and can significantly limit their ability to remain self-sufficient. According to the American Trauma Society, falls have become a public health crisis and are the leading cause of injury-related deaths among older adults. One out of every three adults age 65 and older falls each year. Of those, two out of three will fall again within six months. Of those reported, 20 to 30 percent will sustain moderate to severe injuries, which will prevent them from returning home or living alone again. “Over 60 percent of the emergencies that the Farmington Hills Fire …

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Screen-Free Week: Three Tips for Cutting Back on Your Family's Screentime

Metro Parent magazine offers these tips for Screen-Free Week, an opportunity for families to cut back on time spent in front of TV and computers.

  Experts have been cautioning parents for decades to limit the time children  spend in front of a screen. Yet here we are, in the middle of Screen-Free Week (April 30-May 6), and screentime is higher than ever. Children ages 6 to 11 watch an average of 28 hours a week of TV, according to a Metro Parent Magazine special report, "The Great Screen Debate." And according to a 2009 study by The Nielsen Company, children ages 2-5 are consuming an average of more than 32 hours weekly "boob tube" time. Every year since 1996, Screen-Free Week – organized by The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood – helps families cut back on the amount of time they spend in front of the various screens that captivate us. Here are three tips from metroparent.…

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Forgiveness Connects Horrific Crimes, Committed Seven Years Apart

A new movie project shares stories of forgiveness, the surprising message in Tanner Cipriano's eulogy for his murdered father.

The crime is unimagineable; the grief, overwhelming. As family members struggle through the darkest of days, friends and neighbors surround them with support and encouragement.  The scene is playing out today in Farmington Hills, with the brutal assault on the Cipriano family, as it did in 2005, when Judith Weinstein, along with her sons, Alex, 12, and Sam, 9, were killed in a horrifying alcohol-related crash at 12 Mile and Orchard Lake Roads.  Tom Wellinger is now serving time in prison for Weinsteins' deaths. Tucker Cipriano and his friend Mitchell Young are in jail awaiting a preliminary examination on five felony counts in connection with the beating death of Tucker's father, Bob, and assaults on his mother, Rosemary, and his brother, …

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Have You Read 'Fifty Shades of Gray'?

A Rochester Patch blogger writes a scathing review of a book that more than 100 Farmington Community Library patrons are waiting to read.

Even though Farmington Community Library has 17 copies of Fifty Shades of Grey, more than 100 patrons are on the waiting list for the racy New York Times bestseller.  But while most reviewers on the library's website give the book high marks, a Rochester Patch blogger Ann O'Neill, who works as a counselor, has posted a scathing review that's generating an interesting conversation on that site. Without giving away too much, O'Neill criticizes both the writing style and the content of the book, which describes a BDSM (Bondage, Discipline or Dominant, Sadism or Submissive, Masochistic) relationship Read her review (The post contains mature content, the language and subject matter are not appropriate for all readers.) and join the conversation…

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Does Adoption Detail Belong in Murder Story?

Farmington Hills native says media included irrelevant information in Cipriano pieces.

To the Editor: After reading the article about the brutal attack on the Cipriano family, my stomach was in knots and my heart truly goes out to all of them. I could not believe that a boy I had gone to school with for years was capable of committing such a heinous act. The story is heartbreaking and I do not intend to demean it in anyway by saying that there is another tragedy involved here. The media has chosen to relay irrelevant information in the developing story that may be seemingly unimportant, but could cause prejudiced ideas to circulate. With that being said, all stories should be reported accurately and with as much detail as possible, but not at the expense of others. Frankly, I am offended that his adoption was deemed …

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Joni Hubred-Golden

10:40 pm on Sunday, April 22, 2012

Thanks to everyone for the lively discussion. Comments on this article are now closed.   more ›