Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Todd Hasak-Lowry, author of "33 Minutes" presented his debut novel to students at Warner Middle School this week.
In middle school, author Todd Hasak-Lowry learned the hard way that not all friendships last forever. It’s a lesson he took and turned into his debut children’s novel, “33 Minutes,” which he presented to his former Farmington Hills middle school. The Observer & Eccentric reports how Hasak-Lowry returned to Warner Upper Elementary School earlier this week to talk about his new book that he hopes will “teach a lesson.” According to his website, “33 Minutes” tells the story of Sam Lewis, a seventh grader, who is anticipating getting “his butt kicked in exactly thirty-three minutes. He knows this because yesterday his ex-best friend Morgan Sturtz told him.” Read the full story on hometownlife.com
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Joan Freedman, Hillel Day School’s Director of Library Services, was named one of the top five teachers of Metro Detroit.
After hundreds of submissions from readers of Metro Parent Magazine, Joan Freedman, Hillel Day School’s Director of Library Services, was named one of the top five teachers of Metro Detroit. Freedman, a resident of West Bloomfield, has been at her position with Hillel Day School for 8 years, according to an announcement on Farmington-Farmington Hills Patch. “There were hundreds of nominations every year so being chosen as one of the top five is a wonderful acknowledgement of the work these teachers do,” the announcement read. According to metroparent.com Freedman's influence has moved beyond the K-4 classrooms as she also help with developing literacy appreciation, computer technology and other programs to augment class learning. Who are …
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
These Farmington area residents are making a difference in the world.
This past year, we met a number of people who are going the extra mile to help others here and in other countries. Just in case you missed them, here are their inspiring stories: Long-time Farmington Hills resident Don Nichols ran 7.5 miles in Tennessee to help stock the small African country's first public library. He connected with Rwanda through a young refugee who came to Oakland Community College to prepare for a career in nursing. Jill Babcock says the City of Farmington immediately made accommodations for her wheelchair when she was appointed to the planning commission. She can't say the same thing about her employer. This would be a problem in any case, but Babcock's employer is the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, and …
Friday, December 7, 2012
The movie, which follows a Detroit Fire company for a year, opens Friday at AMC Livonia 20 and at AMC Forum in Sterling Heights.
Dennis Hunter didn't start out wanting to be a firefighter. Once a barbershop owner, the Farmington Hills resident decided to try out for a position 14 years ago, after a cousin told him the Detroit Fire Department was hiring. He took a written test, a physical test, then trained for four months. "As I'm learning about this, and the more I saw what they actually do, the more I said, 'I gotta get this job'," he said. Now devoted to his career, Hunter is among the Detroit firefighters featured in Burn: One Year on the Front Lines of the Battle to Save Detroit. Produced and directed by Tom Putnam and Jenna Sanchez, the film opens today at AMC Livonia 20 and AMC Forum in Sterling Heights. Executive producers are actor Denis Leary and Jim …
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Skupin grew up a stone's throw away from the Farmington Community Library Main Library, where he'll be speaking on Saturday.
Michael Skupin is all about living a "less ordinary" life. And the reality television star, author and speaker will bring that message to the Farmington Community Library Main Library on Saturday. Skupin, who grew up near the library in Farmington Hills, has twice been a cast member on Survivor, a reality TV game show. He said he believes everyone can live a life filled with adventure, the way he does. "It just lays dormant in them," the 50-year-old father of seven said. "Sometimes, I just bring it out of them. I show people the fun side of just doing it." Getting a second shot is also a big theme for Skupin. His first Survivor experience, in the Australian outback 12 years ago, ended after just 17 days, when he inhaled smoke and fell …
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Friday, November 2, 2012
Erika Golden says she may have been tapped to film the commercial because of the time she spends in front of the public promoting the PTA's Reflections program.
A face familiar to Farmington Public Schools PTA (Parent Teacher Association) members showed up last month in a state-wide television ad supporting a ballot proposal on collective bargaining. Farmington Hills resident Erika Golden speaks the first words on camera for the 30-second spot sponsored by the Novi-based "Protect Working Families" political action committee. Golden speaks on behalf of the Michigan PTA, whose board voted to endorse Proposal 12-2. It would add to the state constitution the right of public and private employees to engage in collective bargaining. Golden, who also serves as vice president of the Farmington PTA Council, said she believes she was selected because of the work she does as state coordinator of the PTA …
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Stan Barnes and Friends will play their seventh concert at the Michael A. Guido Theater in Dearborn.
Whether he's on the job as a veteran Farmington Hills firefighter/paramedic or on stage sharing his love of jazz, Stan Barnes likes helping people. On Oct. 6, his seventh annual "Stan Barnes and Friends" jazz concert aims to leave those who attend feeling better than when they walked in the door. The concert brings musicians from around metro Detroit to the Michael A. Guido Theater in Dearborn, where they perform and just have a good time. "We do R&B, neo-soul, jazz, and some classical music," said Barnes, who works out of Fire Station No. 2 on Middlebelt. "It's wholesome entertainment in a stress-free environment. We try to create a musical Nirvana." Barnes began playing the saxophone in high school and moved on to learn other woodwind…
Friday, September 7, 2012
Author Scott Seegert and illustrator John Martin bring back Vordak the Incomprehensible – with his cloned son – in 'Double Trouble'.
Super-villain Vordak the Incomprehensible is known to thousands of young readers as an evil mastermind. But deep down, is Vordak really evil? Author Scott Seegert of Farmington said that question is raised in "Vordak the Incomprehensible #3: Double Trouble", the third book in a series he and illustrator John Martin of Farmington Hills created. Vordak faces off against his "I'm better than you" nemesis, The Blue Buzzard, who wins a super-villain and son contest. "Vordak doesn't have a son, so he clones himself as a 12-year-old," Seegert explains. "He finds out his son isn't evil, he's nice, and chaos ensues. He starts doubting his own inner evil." That chaos is told not only in words, but also in detailed, black and white illustrations. …
Monday, August 27, 2012
Sehrish Salah-Ud-Din continues to work with the City of Novi after completing the 12-week Michigan Local Government Management Association fellowship.
When Sehrish Salah-Ud-Din switched her focus in graduate school from the private to the public sector, things just started rolling her way. Her interest in public service was piqued by professors at Eastern Michigan University who were city managers and shared more "real world" experience. But when she started attending city council meetings, "that's when I think my curiosity took off," she said. She served as an unpaid budget intern for the City of Farmington in the first four months of this year, an experience that she said "exceeded expectations". That led her into the Michigan Local Government Management Association (MLGMA) fellowship, a highly competitive honor awarded each year to just two Michigan students. "It was supposed to be…
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Karl Rausch pursued his passion for music by working on the documentary film “Louder than Love – The Grande Ballroom Story" and gets to meet filmmaker Michael Moore.
Karl Rausch said he would never forget filmmaker Michael Moore shaking his hand and introducing him on stage at the 2012 Traverse City Film Festival, which Moore founded. Rausch, 45, of Farmington Hills, edited the documentary film “Louder than Love – The Grande Ballroom Story,” which was produced and directed by Tony D’Annunzio. It is described as an all-access pass to the 1960s Detroit Rock Music Scene. “I donated my time to edit the whole thing. And it has taken four years,” Rausch said. The Grande Ballroom was the start for rock musicians in the late 1960s. “While the West Coast was grooving to the sounds of the “Summer of Love” in 1967, Detroit was pumping out a hard-driving, gritty, raw sound,” according to the film’s web site. “…
Erika Golden
9:59 am on Friday, November 9, 2012
Homer, Just a point of clarification - no PTA funds were used in support of Proposal 2 or any other political initiative. PTA dues go directly to serve members of the association and will never be used to support any candidate or issue. The Michigan PTA Board of Directors and I as a member and proud representative of that organization felt that the passage of Proposal 2 would be in the best … more ›