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Happy Holidays from the Staff at C & G Newspapers
DECEMBER 21, 2023 • Vol. 19, No. 29
‘We are very much in the crosshairs’
Oakland Township’s historic big red logging wheels have been restored. Photo by Frank Ferriolo
SHERIFF CREATES TASK FORCE TO COMBAT RISE IN OC HOME BURGLARIES BY MARY BETH ALMOND malmond@candgnews.com
See TASK FORCE on page 18A
TOWNSHIP’S ‘BIG RED LOGGING WHEELS’ RETURN AFTER COMPLETE REBUILD BY MARY BETH ALMOND malmond@candgnews.com
OAKLAND TOWNSHIP — The big red logging wheels that have been a fixture in front of the Paint Creek Cider Mill for decades have returned following a complete rebuild. The Oakland Township Historic District Commission, with support from the Oakland Township Historical Society, dedicated funds for the big
2024 Subaru Outback
wheels’ restoration. The historical society gave over $10,0000 — $5,000 in fundraising from donors, with a $5,000 historical society match — toward the restoration project, which cost around $30,000. The remainder of the funding came from the township’s Historic Preservation Millage Fund, which is overseen by the Oakland Township Historic District Commission. “Our HDC’s mission is to preserve our rich
2.9%
See WHEELS on page 20A
up to 48 months
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OAKLAND COUNTY — An increase in thieves breaking into multimillion-dollar homes across northern Oakland County and stealing valuables has prompted Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard to create a new task force targeting what he believes is a transnational crime ring. The Southeast Michigan Collaborate Arrest and Prosecute team, or SEMCAP, is a multi-jurisdictional task force made up of over a dozen police departments throughout southeast Michigan, the Michigan State Police, the FBI and others. The task force is working together to combat organized and trained thieves who have been targeting certain areas of the United States — including Michigan — breaking into affluent homes in search of cash, jewelry, high-end clothing, purses and other products that can be easily shipped and sold. “All of the agencies involved have committed to do all they can to partner and share resources and information,” Bouchard said. “The reason it’s so important is because this group is so highly functional, they are well-trained, and they are targeting our region and other places across the country. We are very much in the crosshairs.” Since September, there have been at least 30-40 home burglaries across various communities in Oakland County, according to Bouchard. “We are trying to get a handle on it,” he said. “All of us getting together starts to put the picture on how big this is and how long it’s been going on.”