Friday, May 17, 2013
Michael Rubenstein travels to Lansing to watch as May is declared Crohn’s and Colitis Awareness Month.
On the heels of a successful fundraiser for the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA), 20-year-old Farmington Hills native Michael Rubenstein watched May 8 as the Michigan House of Representatives declared May, 2013 Crohn’s and Colitis Awareness Month. State Rep. Vicki Barnett (D-Farmington Hills) introduced the resolution, which acknowledges that the inflammatory bowel diseases affect about 1,400,000 people in the U.S., 30 percent of whom are diagnosed as children. Rubenstein, a Harrison High alum, was just 11 years old when he started holding fundraisers, about two years after his own diagnosis. Since then, according to his website, he has raised more than $25,000 for CCFA, including $5,000 at the April 26 event in Midland…
Thursday, February 21, 2013
State Rep. Vicki Barnett (D-Farmington Hills) tells Detroit News columnist Neal Rubin about a plan that she describes as an 'economic development tool'.
Would you vote for a percentage point increase in state sales tax to provide free tuition for every high school student in Michigan? State Rep. Vicki Barnett (D-Farmington Hills) described her Michigan College Trust Program (MCTP) to Detroit News columnist and Farmington Hills resident Neal Rubin in a column published Thursday at detnews.com. Funds raised by increasing the tax from 6 percent to 7 percent would provide funds for high school graduates to attend a 2-year or 4-year Michigan school. Barnett called her program an "economic development tool" and said she hopes her colleagues in the legislature will recommend it for a state-wide ballot. If not, Barnett said, she'll launch a petition drive. Read complete details in "State …
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
The senator represents Farmington and Farmington Hills and other Oakland County communities.
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Wednesday, January 23
State Senators on Wednesday elected Sen. Vincent Gregory (D-Southfield) as Senate Associate President Pro Tempore. Gregory was nominated by Senate Democratic Leader Gretchen Whitmer, seconded by Republican Senator Goeff Hansen, and elected unanimously by the full Senate. “Senator Gregory is a proven leader in both his current and previous professions, and through his time in the Marine Corps, in the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department and in local and state government, he has dedicated his life to public service and serving and protecting the people,” Whitmer said. “He is always collegial in his demeanor, judicious in his decision-making and ardent in his advocacy, and will serve this body well in this position.” In his new post, Gregory …
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Some Farmington Public Schools teachers were in the crowd in Lansing as bills were passed.
LANSING - People came from as close as down the street and as far as Chicago and Wisconsin, joining thousands of union members in a protest against right-to-work legislation Tuesday in Lansing. Despite the roar of the crowds lining the lawn of the Capitol building and surrounding streets, two pieces of legislation passed by the Senate last week made their way through the state House of Representatives and were signed into law by Gov. Rick Snyder Tuesday afternoon. 10,000 on the Capitol lawn Michigan State Police estimated that protesters at the Capitol, including some Farmington teachers, numbered around 10,000 on Tuesday. Most were union members and supporters, while a small contingent of tea party and Americans for Prosperity members—…
Superintendent Susan Zurvalec says several pieces of legislation moving through the 'lame duck' legislature could have serious impacts on the district.
While attention has focused on school reform bills moving through Michigan's lame duck legislature, Farmington Public Schools Supt. Susan Zurvalec says other proposed legislation could have a serious impact on the district: HB 6022, 6024, 6025 - Eliminating personal property tax "The tax is really not a good tax," Zurvalec said, but school officials want to see full replacement of the revenue generated by taxing business furnishings and equipment. The current proposal would replace 80 percent. Zurvalec said the loss of that revenue would force the district to raise its millages for bonded debt payments. The owner of a home with a $100,000 taxable value would end up paying an additional $22 a year. "Our local residents are really footing …
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Post your views on the proposed right-to-work legislation by adding it to the Local Voices section of Farmington-Farmington Hills Patch.
Friday, December 7, 2012
Post your views on the proposed right-to-work legislation by adding it to the Local Voices section of Farmington-Farmington Hills Patch.
Do you have an opinion on the proposed right-to-work legislation? Then we would like you to let everyone know about it by sharing it on Farmington-Farmington Hills Patch. All you need to do is add your opinion—it could be as short as a sentence or as long as a term paper—to our Local Voices section. It’s quick and easy to do. Just click here to post your opinion. Whether you are for or against the right-to-work bills, we would love for you to share your voice with the Farmington-Farmington Hills community. Blogger Dick Jaeger has already made his contribution; you can read it here.
The Farmington-Farmington Hills lawmaker's floor speech before yesterday's vote is broadcast on YouTube.
Interrupted several times by applause, State Rep. Vicki Barnett (D-37th District) gave an impassioned plea yesterday for her colleagues to vote "no" on right-to-work legislation that eventually passed through the House and likely will become state law. In the speech, which was broadcast and shared on YouTube.com, Barnett said unions are not imposed on businesses and, under the National Labor Relations Act, no one is required to be a union member. She said workers go through a process that includes an election to form a union. "It's called democracy," she said. Barnett represents both Farmington and Farmington Hills. In making the announcement Thursday that he would support right-to-work legislation, Gov. Rick Snyder, a Republican, said…
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Take our poll and tell us what you think about Snyder's announcement Thursday morning that he would sign right-to-work legislation if it is passed by the Michigan Legislature.
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder announced Thursday that he would pursue right-to-work legislation for public and private employees in the state, according to the Detroit Free Press. The law would include an exemption for firefighters and police officers, but it would apply to 17.5 percent of Michigan's workforce, according to the Detroit News. Congressman Gary Peters (D-9th Congressional), who represents Farmington and Farmington Hills, said Snyder is "ushering in an era of divisiveness across Michigan by launching an attack against working families." “By trying to jam this through a lame duck session, Governor Snyder is trying to prevent voters from seeing how he is dividing Michigan instead of working to ensure the future of our state during …
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Farmington Supt. Susan Zurvalec is among the featured guests on The Craig Fahle Show Tuesday, speaking out against controversial education bills.
Three local school district superintendents spoke together Tuesday on WDET-FM's Craig Fahle Show against legislation currently in the Michigan House and Senate concerning public education. Farmington Public Schools Supt. Sue Zurvalec, West Bloomfield's Gerald Hill, Bloomfield Hills' Rob Glass joined Oakland Schools Superintendent Dr. Vickie Markavitch to protest House Bill 6004, Senate Bill 1358 and House Bill 5923, which could still pass through the "lame duck" session of the state legislature. Opponents say the bills would create a state-wide Educational Achievement Authority (EAA) or "super district" with little accountability, overseen only by the governor's office. The bills would also expand charter and cyberschools and allow per …
Steve
9:04 am on Saturday, February 23, 2013
I think your caps button is stuck more ›