2/21/24 St. Clair Shores Sentinel

Effort underway to save St. Germaine Catholic School

BY ALYSSA OCHSS aochss@candgnews.com

Fundraising is now underway to support a parent-led effort to keep the St. Germaine Catholic School in St. Clair Shores open.

According to an email sent Feb. 13 by principal Colleen Maciejewski to the school’s parents, a proposal was made to save the school, which was slated to close by the end of this academic year.

The proposal was written by Michael Kaddis, a parent at St. Germaine.

“I am grateful to Father Joe, the parish financial council, our Family of Parishes and to the Archdiocese of Detroit for their openness to considering this proposal and granting approval for the group to move forward with the process,” Maciejewski stated in the email.

The Rev. Joe Barron said in a letter, sent on Jan. 16, that the school near Martin Road and Little Mack Avenue has been running at a deficit of around $150,000 for many years. He also stated in the letter that the Our Lady of Hope Parish had been subsidizing the deficit, which was possible due to money gained from the sale of the St. Gertrude Campus, but that the

ABOVE: Plans to keep the St. Germaine Catholic School open were presented to parents at a meeting on Feb. 15.

Photo by Alyssa Ochss

LEFT: Parents were notified Jan. 16 of the planned closure at the end of this school year. File photo by Patricia O’Blenes

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LOGO CHOSEN FOR HARPER CHARITY CRUISE

BY ALYSSA OCHSS aochss@candgnews.com

The Shorewood Kiwanis, in collaboration with Macomb Community College, announced the winners for the Harper Charity Cruise logo design contest on Feb. 9.

The winning students are Nicole Renaud in first place, Kieontae Warren in second place and Dana Eckert in third place. First, second and third place won a cash prize in the amount of $1,000, $650 and $350, respectively. The money was awarded by both the Shorewood Kiwanis and the Foren Family Foundation.

Deanna Sheehan, a professor of collaborative media and communicative arts at MCC, said this is the first project she gives her class at the beginning of the year. Due to snow days, the project had to be fast tracked this time.

The design class is the last class in the design and layout program before they reach the finish line. Other projects they complete during the year include designing a Coke can based on a movement of art history, designing a hero image for a coffee mug and designing a food truck concept, including a menu and the logo.

For the Harper Charity Cruise

logo, the students were limited to six colors, they were not allowed to use gradients and they had to learn how to use spot colors. They had to use a Mustang on the logo as it is the famous Ford car’s 60th anniversary this year. Last year, the featured car was a Woody.

“There’s a lot of rules that they have to follow,” Sheehan said. “And it’s like a real client job, which is what I think they enjoyed.”

Sheehan also said the entire class gets the T-shirt with the logo on it as well. She is really proud of the students.

“All three winners and all the other 14 people who submitted, they

just all did a great job,” Sheehan said. “They just impressed the heck out of me. They made Shorewood’s job really hard in picking the top three winners.”

Associate Dean of Engineering and Advanced Technology Mark Jewett was also present at the event.

Scott Holmes, president of the Shorewood Kiwanis, said the process of choosing a logo for the cruise is really exciting.

“Because it gets us actively involved with our community and allows us to really just kind of get the Kiwanis name out there and what we do,” Holmes said.

Photo by Patricia O’Blenes

The three winners, Nicole Renaud (first place), Kieontae Warren (second place) and Dana Eckert (third place), stand by their winning designs, revealed on Feb. 9.

City Council approves purchase of 80 new golf carts

BY ALYSSA OCHSS aochss@candgnews.com

City Council members passed three motions regarding the purchase of golf carts for the St. Clair Shores Golf Club at their Feb. 5 meeting.

They awarded the purchase in a 5-1 vote with Councilwoman and Mayor Pro Tem Candice Rusie opposed, designated an auction for the current carts in a 6-0 vote and approved a related budget amendment in 5-1 vote, also with Rusie opposed.

Councilman Chris Vitale was excused for the meeting.

The agenda item was the recommended purchase of 80 new 2024 Club Car Tempos and one new 2024 Club Car Café Express beverage cart. St. Clair Shores Parks and Recreation Director Rob Spinazzola said they were also seeking council approval for Rowleys Auctions to auction off the current golf carts on behalf of the city.

Right now, they have 75 golf carts. They are asking for 80 because they might need them for larger outings.

“A lot of times when we get these larger golf outings, our 70 carts aren’t sufficient enough to have the 80 players plus all the people they have volunteering,” Spinazzola said. “So we end up renting carts which costs us more money in the long run.”

Matt Crippen, the golf course manager, was also there to present the item with Spinazzola.

According to documents attached to the meeting’s agenda, the carts went out to bid in November and the city received two bids.

Spinazzola said at the meeting they also went through cart resellers, but no one got back to them with numbers or a serious offer. The documents also said they prefer purchasing over leasing, as purchasing the carts will give them some equity when they want to trade them in.

“If approved tonight for the full purchase of the 80 carts and new beverage cart (it) would be in the amount of $503,897.99 to be paid out of the general fund,” Spinazzola said.

See GOLF CARTS on page 12A

Council tables Transportation Asset Management Plan

BY ALYSSA OCHSS aochss@candgnews.com

At their Feb. 5 meeting, the St. Clair Shores City Council voted 6-0 to table consideration of its Transportation Asset Management Plan.

Councilman Chris Vitale was excused for this meeting.

Community Development and Inspections Director Denise Pike and City Engineer Mike Freckelton presented the item. The TAMP was prepared by Hennessey Engineers Inc.

Pike said in an interview that the TAMP lays out the framework for how they achieve continuous quality improvement of their road system and bridges. A TAMP includes information from the pavement surface evaluation and rating, which is an evaluation of road conditions.

Freckelton stated at the meeting the TAMP document is a couple years overdue.

“As you guys are aware of, this is a little bit overdue in submitting to the state, so it is imperative that we do get something in front

of them sooner rather than later for them to review,” Freckelton said.

The document was due in 2021. In an interview, Pike said when the report was initially due, she was new to the position.

“So it wasn’t something that I was aware (of) until January of this year,” Pike said.

St. Clair Shores City Councilwoman Candice Rusie asked when Hennesey started working on the TAMP and Pike said they created the initial draft in 2021.

“We paid for it, but they just never gave it to us. It just doesn’t make any sense,” Rusie said. “They were aware of this outstanding project, that they were doing this on behalf of the city at the request of the previous CDI director. I just don’t understand how this fell through the cracks for a number of years.”

Pike said they are working to remedy the absence of the plan. She also said the information they had at the meeting was two to three years old. Rusie said the council wasn’t aware of the plan until the previous Friday when they received their packets and that the plan had no council input.

See TRANSPORTATION on page 18A

Ehlers-Danlos awareness helps early diagnosis

BY ALYSSA OCHSS aochss@candgnews.com

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome causes severe pain and takes a long time to diagnose.

Amanda McLeroy, 32, of St. Clair Shores, who has EDS, searched for 10 years before she finally got her diagnosis around three years ago.

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is a connective tissue disorder and there are 13 different types. McLeroy described connective tissue as the glue that holds the body together.

“Mine’s not good,” McLeroy said. “It’s falling apart.”

According to the Ehlers-Danlos Society, EDS is caused by genetic changes in the connective tissue. According to the group’s website, the main mission of the society is to advance and accelerate research and education in EDS and hypermobility spectrum disorders.

Those who have EDS all suffer with it differently, McLeroy said, at different levels of severity.

“The symptoms and issues present different in each of us,” McLeroy said. “Especially because there is 13 types. So you know some are more severe than the other type.”

Nina Fernandez, community support coordinator of the Ehlers-Danlos Society, said the prevalence of EDS is hard to answer. There are multiple studies reporting different statistics. She said at the Ehlers-Danlos Society, they support separating the statistics into the different types of EDS.

“We know some types of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome are rare or ultra rare whereas some are more common,” Fernandez said.

Fernandez said the hypermobility spectrum disorders and hypermobile EDS are estimated to be one in 600 to one in 900 and other types are more rare.

Before McLeroy lived in Michigan, she lived in California and started searching for answers there. McLeroy said she started developing chronic pain after her first child.

“I started seeing doctors out there,” McLeroy said. “Nobody knew what was wrong or like why nothing was working

Amanda McLeroy, who has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, said it took 10 years to find a diagnosis.

Photo provided by Amanda McLeroy

Cultural Committee to go to the DIA

The St. Clair Shores Cultural Committee invites residents to join them on a free bus trip to the Detroit Institute of Arts on March 14. Registration by Feb. 28 is required.

The group will enjoy a highlights tour as well as a one hour self-guided visit of the museum’s collections. The group will receive a coupon for a free cup of coffee or tea and one free cookie from the Cafe DIA and a 10% off coupon to the DIA gift shop.

On the day of the bus tour, check-in starts at noon and departure to the DIA is at 12:15 p.m. Reboarding starts at 2:14 p.m. and departure is at 3 p.m.

For more information contact the St. Clair Shores Cultural Committee at scsculturalcommittee@gmail.com.

Optimist Club to host second Annual Golf Outing in July

The Optimist Club of St. Clair Shores is hosting their 2nd Annual Golf Outing on July 14 at the St. Clair Shores Golf Club on 22185 Masonic in St. Clair Shores

Tickets are $120 per person and they include an 18 hole scramble with a cart, continental breakfast, lunch at the turn, buffet dinner and a goodie bag. There is a dinner-only option available for $35.

There will be first-, second- and third-place prizes as well as a $5,000 prize split between those who get a hole in one. Also included are door prizes, a closest to the pin prize, a longest drive prize, 50/50 raffle, raffle prizes and more. The celebrity host was yet to be determined at press time.

Registration and check-in starts at 8 a.m. on the day of and the shotgun start is at 9 a.m. Checks can be made payable to the Optimist Club of St. Clair Shores and mailed to 22424 Raymond Court., St. Clair Shores MI 48082, or by Venmo to Optimists of St. Clair Shores. For more information call (586) 530-4203.

St. Clair Shores Library to host donut event

The St. Clair Shores Public Library and Delightful Donuts are hosting a Donut Decorating Class from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 2.

This class is for kids 12 years to 18 years. Each teen will receive donuts to decorate and take home. Registration is required and starts on Feb. 20. It is available online through the library’s website, by phone at (586) 771-9020 or by email at SCSYouth@libcoop.net. Space is limited.

PAWS AND LAWS

St. Clair Shores City Councilman David Rubello, center, with his beagle, Teddy, joined Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in her Lansing office on Feb. 6 for a ceremonial bill signing for “Teddy’s Law.” The package of bills, sponsored by state Sen. Kevin Hertel, second from left, D-St. Clair Shores, and state Sen. Dayna Polehanki, D-Livonia, to the right of the governor, requires research facilities to offer dogs or cats that would otherwise be euthanized to an animal shelter for adoption, and it establishes penalties for failing to do that.

MDOT paying residents for survey

STATEWIDE — The Michigan Department of Transportation wants your opinion and will pay you for it.

The agency is surveying residents across Michigan about replacing the gas tax with a road usage charge. By completing the survey at Michigan.gov/ MIRoadCharge, state residents can learn more about this different way to fund roads and give MDOT their opinion about it. Eligible respondents will receive a $10 gift card. The survey ends March 1.

Photo provided by Executive Office of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer

Local caddies honored with prestigious Evans Scholarship

BY JONATHAN SZCZEPANIAK jszczepaniak@candgnews.com

METRO DETROIT — Twenty

high school seniors and caddies in the state of Michigan were ecstatic to receive letters from the Western Golf Association holding opportunities that they’ve longed for since their caddying journeys began.

“I found out after I got home from school,” St. Clair Shores Lakeview senior Sara Linsdeau said. “When I opened the letter from the WGA, the first thing I pulled out was a green flag that said, ‘New Scholar Class of 2024.’ As soon as I read that, I got up and hugged my mom.”

Linsdeau, who caddies at Country Club of Detroit, was the lone Macomb County recipient of the prestigious scholarship.

The WGA Chick Evans Scholarship, founded by Chicago amateur golfer Charles “Chick” Evans Jr. in 1930, is in its 94th year of awarding college scholarships to high school caddies across the nation. The scholarship provides housing and pays the full tuition to the

See CADDIES on page 20A

Sara Linsdeau

City: St. Clair Shores

Sponsoring club: Country Club of Detroit

High school: St. Clair Shores Lakeview

Caddying experience: Three years

College: Undecided

Major: Undecided

On the impact of caddying: “Caddying has taught me a lot about communicating with others and helping others. I wasn’t awful talking with adults before caddying, but it really helped me get out of my comfort zone.”

On CC of Detroit: “I was really nervous when I started caddying, but as soon as I got there I met one of the members and he was super nice and told me where to go. I never met a rude person there. All the caddies are super helpful and want each other to succeed.”

Most famous golfer she caddied for: USGA Senior Amateur Tournament golfer

from page 3A

He also said it’s a good experience for the students at the college.

The Shorewood Kiwanis connected with the college 10 years ago to create the design contest. It provides the students with a scholar-

ship and gives them opportunities to show their creativity, Holmes said.

“It was a way for us to kind of give back,” Holmes said. “We’re all about helping children from diapers to adults. So it helps us provide back to somebody that’s helping us.”

All three winners are design and layout students.

Eckert, 22, who also studies motion design and 3D animation, has always loved cars even as a child and said that the project was exciting and remarkable.

“I enjoyed every tidbit of it, every moment of it,” Eckert said. “I enjoyed this project very well.”

Warren, 23, also a graphic design student, said she loved working on the project, but she was very nervous.

“Getting to it was tiring. It was stressful,” Warren said. “But you know once I got the colors together and once I got the car made it was like making a painting. It was easy to do once I got to it.”

Renaud, 40, said she loved working on the project and that she has always loved cars. She visits the Harper Charity Cruise, and other cruises.

“I loved it, actually,” Renaud said. “I was very excited about it because I heard it was coming up since I was in Design 2 last semester.”

Renaud also has an old Mustang. She said

she was going to go retro for the logo but since it’s the 60th anniversary, she went with a classic vehicle.

Amy O’Brien-Kravitz, new vehicle sales manager at Roy O’Brien Ford, said they’ve been a part of the cruise from the beginning.

“I can tell you every year it does get bigger and better,” O’Brien-Kravitz said. “And (a) huge thank you to the Shorewood Kiwanis.”

Holmes said he thinks others should get involved with their community.

“We’re all people on this earth and we try to help each other and part of that is being active in your community,” Holmes said.

The Harper Charity Cruise is Aug. 28, which is the last Wednesday in August.

Call Staff Writer Alyssa Ochss at (586) 4981103.

Photo by Patricia O’Blenes

The Harper Charity Cruise contest winners were announced on Feb. 9. This is the winning design by Nicole Renaud.

LEADING THE WAY

Women in medicine: a carefully selected career path

BY MARY BETH ALMOND malmond@candgnews.com

METRO DETROIT — Despite differing reasons for entering the medical field, women have long played a role in the advancement of medicine.

For Dr. Tiffany Inman, her reason was her grandfather.

Whether he was picking her up from school or taking her to sporting events, Inman’s grandfather was the one who showed up for everything.

“When I was growing up, my grandfather was my favorite person in the world, and I think it was because he was a very young grandfather,” she said.

So, at the age of 7, when he stopped talking to Inman and his other grandchildren, it was heartbreaking.

“What we didn’t know at the time was

Photo provided by Dr. Megan Bergeron Dr. Megan Bergeron pursued a career in medicine as a podiatrist.

Golf carts

from page 4A

Moving forward, the golf course is requesting to pay back the costs of the golf carts only.

“So it would be the cost of the carts minus what we would receive back from the auction,” Spinazzola said. “And if we do that over seven years it would be somewhere in the neighborhood of $47,000 to $50,000 based on how many carts are sold and what price they’re sold at.”

Spinazzola said the golf carts were originally slated to be replaced in fiscal year 2025, but they pushed it to 2024 because they’d like to sell them before the new season, and they might lose value due to use.

“If we ran them through the spring, they went out for more rounds, we lost battery life, more wear and tear, more repairs out of the budget for this year,” Spinazzola said.

Rusie asked if the purchase was listed in the 20232024 budget and Spinazzola said it was not listed. Rusie also asked if this was part of their replacement schedule. Spinazzola said that it is.

“I just don’t understand how we can have a half million dollar request go out to bid that wasn’t part of the budget and not get any sort of, ‘Hey, heads up, what do you guys think about this?’” Rusie said. “And now we have a half million dollar request for 80 golf carts that we didn’t talk about back in April when we approved this year’s budget.”

The carts are replaced every seven or eight years. Previously, they used to replace 25 carts at a time.

See GOLF CARTS on page 20A

Photo by Alyssa Ochss

The St. Clair Shores City Council recently approved the recommended purchase of 80 new golf carts and a beverage cart for the St. Clair Shores Golf Club.

CRIME WATCH

Police investigate fleeing and eluding, stolen vehicle

At 1:18 a.m. on Feb. 3, a report was made about a fleeing and eluding case and a stolen vehicle investigation near 11 Mile Road and Interstate 94.

A call was placed to the dispatch center reporting that a car hit a sign near the freeway at that location. The caller stated when they were about to exit onto 11 Mile Road, the vehicle lost a tire. There was also a report that Eastpointe had similar circumstances with a recent stolen vehicle in that city.

Once on scene, officers didn’t see any property damage, but they did find a loose tire near the flower bed by the “Welcome to St. Clair Shores” sign. When they headed westbound on 11 Mile from Little Mack, they found a vehicle with its hazard lights on driving eastbound.

The vehicle was gold in color and was missing a tire. As the officers got closer, the vehicle proceeded to turn to enter an east-

bound entrance ramp. The officers checked the license plate and it was indeed the stolen vehicle from Eastpointe. An officer activated the lights and aired the location on the radio. The vehicle initially pulled to the shoulder but when the two officers stepped out of their vehicle, the driver took off.

After a pursuit on the highway, the vehicle crashed behind a business at 12 Mile and Congress Street. The driver, a 22-yearold man, and two passengers, a 22-year-old man and a 28-year-old man, exited the vehicle and fled the scene. After a pursuit on foot, two of the men were found in two different backyards and one was found in a truck bed with the help of residents. There were two other passengers in the vehicle who stated they didn’t know the vehicle was stolen.

Break-in reported

At 3:18 a.m. on Feb. 4, a report was made about a forced entry of a dealership that occurred at 2:50 a.m. on the same day in the 22000 block of Nine Mile Road.

Upon arrival, an officer observed a red vehicle in the middle of Lakeview Street.

The garage door at the north entrance of the business was damaged.

The red vehicle was reported stolen out of Detroit, per dispatch. The officer then made contact with a 66-year-old man who stated he received a call from an alarm company. He initially thought it was just related to staff cleaning the location but checked out the scene anyway. The man observed the red vehicle blocking Lakeview Street with the engine still on once he arrived. The brother of the man arrived at the dealership and provided the officers with security footage showing the red vehicle traveling eastbound toward the north entrance garage. It then reversed and four suspects exited the vehicle.

They reportedly made entry into the

business and attempted to steal one of the showroom vehicles. One of the suspects reportedly ripped the alarm system off the wall. The suspects then allegedly ran through the business rummaging through the offices before gaining entry to three vehicles that already had keys inside near the service entrance/exit. All three vehicles were driven toward the north entrance of the garage as one of the suspects held up the damaged garage door to let the others out of the business.

Inside the red vehicle were 34 stolen key fobs that were taken for evidence. An evidence technician processed the scene and the investigation remained ongoing.

— Alyssa Ochss

Women

from page 11A

that he had a congenital disorder that was eating away at his middle ear. At some point, his middle ear cavity collapsed, and part of his brain fell into his middle ear — he’s fine — but because of that, he stopped talking to all of his grandkids,” she explained. “When you have hearing loss, some of the hardest voices to hear are children’s voices. They talk fast. They are high-pitched. They talk about things you don’t know. They don’t look at you when they talk to you. So, he just sort of isolated. He would talk to the adults, but not us anymore, and as a child who doesn’t understand, that was just devastating.”

Once the family figured out what was going on, Inman was determined to make it easier to communicate with her beloved grandpa.

“When I found out it was because he needed hearing aids and couldn’t afford them, I made the resolution that I was going to fix this problem,” Inman said.

So she got creative.

“If I was talking to him and noticing he’s not really paying attention, he’s not really listening, I would get right up in his face and grab his cheeks and make sure he was lis-

tening. He wanted to participate, so that was a really important component. He wasn’t checked out. He just knew he couldn’t participate, so if I made sure he knew I wanted him to participate too, he would put in that effort. I would come face to face with him and raise my voice … and it worked. He still attended every game and everything,” she said.

Staying true to the goal she made as a child, Inman went on to pursue studying audiology and speech pathology in college. She received her doctorate in audiology from Western Michigan University in 2014, and from there she worked in various practice before opening her own private practice — Inman Audiology in Troy — in September 2020.

Last Christmas, Inman held true to her promise to herself and gifted her grandfather a pair of hearing aids.

“It felt like the smallest thing that I could do for him, because he has done so much for me in my life, so being able to do this was the easiest thing that I’ve ever done,” she said.

Inman has personally experienced tinnitus since the age of 6 or 7 and has worn hearing aids since 2014 to treat it. The way people experience tinnitus — which fills your ears with sounds no one else hears —

varies. Some hear a tone, a white noise, a buzzing, a ringing or even a whistling.

“When I have a patient that comes in the door and says that they have tinnitus, and I disclose that I do as well, it becomes so much easier for them to explain what is actually going on in their head,” she said.

A love of science drove Dr. Megan Bergeron to pursue a career in medicine.

“Growing up, science was my favorite subject, so I figured I might enjoy something in the medical field,” she said. “It was always biology of some sort that I always thought was interesting.”

It wasn’t until high school, where she took a pre-medical course that allowed the class to visit different hospitals in the area and shadow various doctors, that she really solidified her career path.

After graduating, Bergeron went on to study human biology at Michigan State University, where she joined a pre-professional club with presentations from many different doctors.

“That’s when I heard about podiatry for the first time. Before that, I didn’t even know it existed,” she said, with a chuckle. “That summer I actually went and shadowed a podiatrist … and I liked how it was focused on one area of the body, and I was like, ‘All right, I like this.’ So I started looking into

podiatry schools and applying.”

After earning her doctorate from Dr. William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine, Bergeron returned to Michigan to complete her residency at Henry Ford Macomb Hospital in Clinton Township last July.

Bergeron currently provides care at Hosey & Murphy Foot & Ankle Centers in Clinton Township, Sterling Heights and Mount Clemens.

Every day, she said, brings a new challenge.

“We’re focused on the foot and ankle, but within that … there are so many different things we can do. We do surgery — whether it’s an elective bunion, an amputation for an infection, broken bones or things like that — we do wound care, and there’s even simple things like ingrown toenails. It’s a variety,” she said. “There’s some very straightforward cases, there’s some very complex cases, and then, within all that, it’s a good combination of seeing patients in clinic and surgery, so it keeps things interesting.”

One of her favorite parts of the job is interacting with and helping her patients.

“It’s a really gratifying feeling knowing you’re helping people and making their day better — whether you are doing something

See WOMEN on page 17A

St. Germaine

from page 1A

funds have run out.

Barron said the other part of the subsidy was taken from the regular operating budget of the parish “often in lieu of paying other bills.”

Efforts were made to lower this deficit over the years “including low salaries for teachers, fundraisers for textbooks and supplies, etc.,” Barron said in the letter.

Maciejewski said in the email that while this proposal does not guarantee the school will stay open, “it does represent an openness from all parties to explore the possibility together.”

“The focus now shifts to ensuring that all parameters set forth in the proposal are met diligently,” the email said. “This includes significant fundraising, adhering to financial guidelines, and meeting enrollment targets, among other requirements.”

The deadline to meet all requirements is March 1. Information was provided at a meeting for parents on Feb. 15, where the details of the proposal were presented.

John Carlisle, who has a seventh grader at St. Germaine and is also an alumnus of the school, said parents received the email about the proposal on Feb. 13. He said they have been working for weeks to come up with a plan to save the school.

“Now, the archdiocese has given us two weeks to try to save the school, and we think we can do it,” Carlisle said.

There were ongoing meetings between the archdiocese and the parents at St. Germaine before the proposal was announced.

“They set the bar high, but I think we can go higher,” Carlisle said.

He said as of now, they need 150 kids enrolled, $150,000 in donations and $150,000 pledged for the future to save the school.

When the potential closure was announced in January, St. Germaine Catholic School had 163 students enrolled in preschool through eighth grade, according to the Archdiocese of Detroit.

Carlisle said donations were not collected previously because they weren’t officially al-

See ST. GERMAINE on page 19A

Women

from page 14A

small, like trimming their toenails, or something big, like fixing their broken ankle. No matter what you are doing, it’s helping them and making their day better. It feels good.”

Since COVID, Abhinav C. Krishnan, the associate dean for admissions and enrollment management at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, said medical schools across the nation have seen an increase in female applicants.

“What is remarkable is we are actually seeing a skew of more female applicants than we are male applicants. … Prior to the pandemic, it was almost a 50/50 split, and following the pandemic, we started to see this skew toward women,” he said.

OU school of medicine is an approximate 60% female to a 40% male ratio.

Krishnan says the medical school has experienced an overall increase in women accepted into the school over the past four years, with a female to male ratio of around 58% to 60% for students in their fourth year, 69% to 47% in their third year, 77% to 47% in their second year and 74% to 50% in their first year.

“It’s this insane skew that’s been hap-

pening,” he said. “It’s been a national trend for a while now, in terms of women in medicine. For us to find men to apply to medical school and come here, now they are a rarity.”

Bergeron encourages other women to pursue their dreams, whatever they might be.

“If you find something you love, don’t stop yourself from going for it,” she said. “If there are hurdles in your way, there are always people that are there to help you and support you.”

Photo provided by Oakland University Oakland University William Beaumont Medical School has experienced an overall increase in females accepted into the school over the past few years.

Transportation

from page 5A

She also stated it wouldn’t be the City Council’s fault if it wasn’t approved that night.

The TAMP is due every three years and Pike said in an interview that the current one is due on Oct. 1, 2024.

“It would be our hope that once we submit it that we are within the cycle for the next three years,” Pike said. “So the goal would be ideally to not to have to resubmit it after October 1 or before October 1. So that’s the path we are working towards right now.”

Rusie also mentioned the number of errors she saw throughout the document presented to the council. She said she found accuracy errors, grammatical errors and other errors throughout the document. She was the first to speak, but she waited until all the other council members spoke before she pointed out each error she caught in the document.

“I just don’t understand why the couple year delay happened,” Rusie said. “The (reason) why it was not very well conveyed to council. This represents none of our input at this point.”

Pike later said the plan is to internally make the edits that Rusie called out.

“I anticipate that we will take it back to council or that we will release it back to council because they do want time to read as you heard at the meeting, and rightfully so, sometime next month,” Pike said.

During the meeting, Pike also said there are plans to

Photo by Alyssa Ochss

The St. Clair Shores City Council recently tabled an item about the Transportation Asset Management Plan.

St. Germaine

from page 15A

lowed to ask until now. Contributions can now be made online through the Archdiocese of Detroit’s website.

“It’s like a race,” Carlisle said. “Suddenly, the starter pistol went off and we have to start now. But until we had this agreement in place, we couldn’t ask anyone for anything.”

There are no fundraising events planned as of yet due to the suddenness of the information, Carlisle said.

“This came up very suddenly and so we’re scrambling to react to it and come up with ideas,” Carlisle said. “It’s a fluid situation but I think there will be many opportunities for people to contribute.”

He also said the good thing about the situation is that if the school is shut down, the money people donate and the money put down by families that register for the school will be refunded.

“Nobody has anything to lose in this. It’s risk free,” Carlisle said.

He said there is still time to enroll at the school.

“We’re not past that date. There’s plenty of time and all of the other school’s deadlines haven’t hit yet, either,” Carlisle said. “So people do have time still to make this their choice.”

He called the school a second home.

“You can drop your kids off there and know they’re safe,” Carlisle said. “It’s like dropping them off with family members. Everyone takes care of everyone there.”

He said it’s an atmosphere of kindness and nice behavior, where kids who are different aren’t picked on but protected.

“It’s just a very special place, and that’s why people want so bad to save it,” Carlisle said.

In her email, Maciejewski added, “Together, I am confident that we can overcome any challenges and work toward a bright future for our beloved community.”

To contribute to the St. Germaine Catholic School Fund and support the effort to keep the school open, go to osvhub.com/archdiocese-of-detroit/forms/stgermainefund.

Call Staff Writer Alyssa Ochss at (586) 498-1103.

Caddies

from page 9A

24 universities across the country that participate in the program. Roughly 340 caddies nationwide are expected to receive the scholarship this year.

The University of Michigan and Michigan State University are home to the majority of the in-state scholarship recipients with 59 currently at Michigan and 87 at Michigan State. The program has had more than 12,040 graduates since its founding.

Evans Scholars are determined by numerous factors, including a strong caddie record, academic excellence, personal character and financial need. The scholarship is valued at more than $125,000 over four years.

“We are thrilled to welcome this new group of student caddies to the Evans Scholars family,” WGA Chairman Steve Colnitis said in a press release. “Their dedication in the classroom, on the golf course and in their communities represents what our Program has been about since 1930.”

The scholarship has been a calling card for local country clubs, as Lochmoor Club in Grosse Pointe Woods added to its history last year with three recipients. This year, Oakland Hills Country Club topped the in-state list with seven recipients, while Bloomfield Hills Country Club came in second with four.

State of Michigan recipients for 2024 Evans Scholarship

Name (hometown/sponsoring club/high school)

• Luke Deighan (Birmingham/Oakland Hills CC/Ernest W. Seaholm HS)

• Mustafa Hamadah (Bloomfield Hills/Bloomfield Hills CC/Bloomfield Hills HS)

• Nilah Hughes (Brownstown/Meadowbrook CC/Inter-City Baptist School)

• Liliana Chaney (Commerce Township/Oakland Hills CC/Pontiac HS)

• Grayson Johnson (Dearborn/Plum Hollow CC/U of D Jesuit HS)

• Lillee-Ann Jacobs (Flint/Warwick Hills Golf & CC/Luke M. Powers Catholic HS)

• Andrew Blood (Jackson/CC of Jackson/Jackson HS)

• Ryan Winter (Lansing/CC of Lansing/home schooling)

• Dane Benner (Lathrup Village/Red Run Golf Club/Berkley HS)

• Nathan Lee (Livonia/Bloomfield Hills CC/Detroit Country Day HS)

• Mia Hamdan (Novi/Meadowbrook CC/Novi HS)

• Sebastian Alvarado-Ruiz (Pontiac/Oakland Hills CC/Pontiac HS)

• Rene Belmares (Pontiac/Oakland Hills CC/Pontiac HS)

• Hector Herrera (Pontiac/Oakland Hills CC/Pontiac HS)

• Marco Martinez (Pontiac/Oakland Hills CC/Pontiac HS)

• Mohamed Erreghaoui (Southfield/Bloomfield Hills CC/Berkley HS)

• Payden Pittman (Spring Lake/Wuskowhan Players Club/Grand Haven HS)

• Sara Linsdeau (St. Clair Shores/CC of Detroit/Lakeview HS)

• Kevin Myrtollari (Troy/Bloomfield Hills CC/Athens HS)

• Emanuel Rodriguez (West Bloomfield/Oakland Hills CC/Pontiac HS)

For some recipients, they’re continuing the tradition of receiving the scholarship in their families.

City of St. Clair Shores

“My sister is a current Evans Scholar and so are my cousins, so it’s really been something that’s run in my family for years,” Novi High School senior Mia Hamdan said. “That’s also how I got into caddying.”

Call Sports Writer Jonathan Szczepaniak at (586) 498-1090.

March 2024

City of St. Clair Shores

City Council Meetings

March 2024

Monday, March 4, 2024

City Council Meetings

Monday, March 18, 2024

Monday, March 4, 2024

Monday, March 18, 2024

7:00 p.m. City Hall, Council Chambers 27600 Jefferson Ave, St. Clair Shores

7:00 p.m. City Hall, Council Chambers 27600 Jefferson Ave, St. Clair Shores

Scan QR code or visit www.scsmi.net/councilagendas to view agendas online.

Scan QR code or visit www.scsmi.net/councilagendas to view agendas online.

Agendas are posted, by the end of business day, two Fridays before each meeting.

Agendas are posted, by the end of business day, two Fridays before each meeting.

Golf carts

from page 12A

“When the economy took a downturn, we stepped away from doing that so when we had to replace the fleet last time, we had to do everything at once which is how we ended up getting on this type of schedule,” Spinazzola said.

Rusie said she isn’t a fan of this schedule.

“In seven years, we’re going to have 80 old carts we have to replace, and we’ll just always be on the schedule then,” Rusie said.

Councilman Ronald Frederick asked if any of the carts are worth keeping and Spinazzola said not for golf use.

“They’re way beyond what, I guess, their golf-useful life would be,” Spinazzola said.

Councilman John Caron said the motion needs to have a budget amendment included as well.

“If they’re going to be here before June 30, it’s definitely on this year’s budget and needs a budget amendment as well,” Caron said.

Spinazzola said he spoke to St. Clair Shores Finance Director Renae Warnke to include the amendment in the set of budget amendments she has. Caron said if they’re doing something different, he prefers to do the budget amendment the same night so Warnke doesn’t have to come back to council with the request.

“When we’re making a change to the budget, it’s got to be in the motion and in the statement that that’s what we’re doing and just to be open and honest about it,” Caron said.

Call Staff Writer Alyssa Ochss at (586) 498-1103.

Transportation

from page 18A

update the PASER this year with Freckelton at the lead.

“So we’ll be able to better know the road conditions once the PASER is revisited,” Pike said.

Councilman John Caron also went through the document and found issues. He said it goes back to Hennesey.

“One of the reasons we have outside firms is that they work with multiple municipalities (and) they know what to do,” Caron said. “They know what people need to do and they were given the assignment and then two years, never bring it back up.”

The second issue he mentioned was the roads listed as planned projects. Some of the roads were already done, while others, the city was not responsible for, such as private roads.

“So you begin to struggle with why people can’t connect all the dots and we have to wait for a large document to come to council and two part timers to go through and find this all on a weekend before we’re getting asked to approve it,” Caron said.

Councilman Dave Rubello asked how they can avoid the typos and the inaccura-

cies within the document. Freckelton said he thinks the documents need to be looked at a little closer.

Pike said the initial review would be done by staff.

“This affects all of us,” Rubello said. “Because we’re sitting here, and we like to have things run smooth.”

Councilwoman Linda Bertges pointed out they had two other council meetings, and the information is still two years old.

“To me it probably never should have been brought here today,” Bertges said.

Pike later said the TAMP is a written version of what they already do.

“The city is committed (to) continuous quality improvement of our infrastructure,” Pike said. “So the document itself is not as important as the way we propose our plans and we execute those plans.”

She said they have a plan for continuous quality improvement.

“We talk with council about the roads that we’re going to be improving every year. The plan is less important to us than the execution of work that is ongoing and has been ongoing for decades in St. Clair Shores. So it’s a requirement, it needs to be done. Will it change the way we do our work? Not a bit,” Pike said.

Ehlers-Danlos

from page 6A

that would usually work for normal or would help subside the problem.”

She added she had to keep going to specialists in California and no one had any answers. When she moved to Michigan, someone mentioned going to the University of Michigan hospital system.

“I remember, one day, we drove all the way out there to go to the ER, and I waited in the ER for literally 13 hours,” McLeroy said.

Before this, McLeroy visited the ER before due to severe pain from migraines and other issues. She later said that she deals with chronic pain, popping and clicking throughout her body.

“I deal with different types of pain,” McLeroy said. “Lots of nerve pain, muscle pain, then the joint pain, then the rare forms of headaches, migraines I get.”

After waiting, she finally saw a specialist who was able to identify what she’d been going through.

“When I’d seen the specialist, he instantly knew, I guess by my features as well, about the Ehlers-Danlos syndrome,” McLeroy said.

McLeroy never heard of EDS before the diagnosis and started her research after that.

“It took that one special doctor after 10 years of trying to get answers from people,” McLeroy said. “To know what he was doing and then it was confirmed through rheumatologists and genetics. Yeah, I’m really thankful I waited the 13 hours.”

McLeroy said when she looks back to her childhood, she did have signs and symptoms of EDS. She said she saw it in her features such as her hypermobility, bladder problems and abnormally stretchy skin.

“My parents didn’t. They don’t have any of these health issues and they wouldn’t have known what to look for when I was a kid, but I did have signs,” McLeroy said.

She also said that EDS can skip generations and she could also be the one that started with EDS. Her eight half brothers and sisters as well as her parents don’t have EDS.

She sees 14 specialists because the symptoms of EDS cause other health issues throughout the body.

“For me personally, it’s affected also my GI tract, my muscles, joints,” McLeroy said. “Even my eyeballs. But I look so normal on the outside. So no one knows unless I were to say something because all my problems are on the inside.”

Ever since the diagnosis, she’s been in physical therapy and receives injections.

“Because there’s currently no cure, so it’s

more of just managing, I guess, your symptoms,” McLeroy said.

McLeroy said early diagnosis is crucial to EDS.

“It’s just better to know things early on,” McLeroy said. “Because I didn’t know before having children and now, they show signs. So it would have been nice to know all that stuff and do preventive things to not be as severe.”

McLeroy said she wants to bring more awareness to EDS. She said she knows people who haven’t been diagnosed until they were in their 50s or 60s.

“It just needs to be more recognized and taken serious especially in the medical field,” McLeroy said.

She went on to say even though there’s no cure she still has to live with the symptoms.

“It’s just been a little bit of a struggle, I guess, going to all the different doctors and injections,” McLeroy said. “But it’s pretty much all you can do for now.”

Fernandez wants people to know that not everyone with EDS presents their symptoms the same. She said if doctors and people could understand the different presentations that those with EDS could get the help they need.

“You know, not everyone has the same phenotype. It could help lead to earlier diagnosis and better care,” Fernandez said.

Fernandez said people should be more aware of EDS and the people who have it.

“I think the more people that know about it the better care people will be able to receive,” Fernandez said.

Call Staff Writer Alyssa Ochss at (586) 498-1103.

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champ and Tournament of Champions semi-finalist Sandie Baker, 2 p.m., Michigan Military Technical & Historical Society Museum, 16600 Stephens Road in Eastpointe, teams of 3-4 people can register through mimths@ mimths.org or (586) 872-2581, spectators welcome, facebook.com/MichiganMilitaryMuseum

FEB. 29

Reverse Raffle Night: Gourmet dinner and open bar at 6 p.m., raffle at 7:15 p.m., ends 9 p.m., Assumption Cultural Center, 21800 Marter Road in St. Clair Shores, (586) 779-6111, assumptionculturalcenter.org

MARCH 2

Hootie Hoo 8K & 2M: Both run/walks start at 9 a.m., Lake St. Clair Metropark, 31300 Metropolitan Parkway in Harrison Township, eastsideracingcompany.com

MARCH 3

Fish fries: 4-8 p.m. Fridays until March 29, Cpl. Walter F. Bruce VFW Post 1146, 28404 Jefferson Ave. in St. Clair Shores, dine in and carryout, cash only (ATM on site), vfw1146brucepost.org

• 4-7:30 p.m. Fridays until March 29, Our Lady of Hope Parish, 28301 Little Mack Ave. in St. Clair Shores, dine in and carryout, olohscs.org, (586) 771-1750

• 4:30-8 p.m. Fridays until March 22, St. Isaac Jogues, 21100 Madison St. in St. Clair Shores, saintisaacjogues.com, (586) 778-5100

• 4-7 p.m. Fridays until March 22 and 3-7 p.m. March 29, St. Margaret of Scotland, 21201

E. 13 Mile Road in St. Clair Shores, dine in and carryout, stmargaret-scsmi.org, (586) 293-2240

more games, St. Clair Shores Senior Center for Active Adults, 20100 Stephens, (586) 445-0996

St. Gertrude Senior’s Club: Meets 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Mondays, St. Margaret of Scotland, 21201 E. 13 Mile Road in St. Clair Shores, (586) 293-2240

PEAKPAINTING Custom-Painting, Commercial/Residential, interior/exterior. Drywall-repair,paper removal,carpentry. 30-yr.-exp.Free estimates,senior discounts,insured. Credit-cardsaccepted References 586-722-8381

Winter concert: Performance by Warren Concert Band, 3 p.m., Warren Woods Community Auditorium, 13400 12 Mile Road, warrenconcertband.com/concerts.php

MARCH 8

Night at the Races fundraiser: Hosted by St. Clair Shores Fire Fighters Local 1744 to fight cancer, includes dinner, drinks and virtual horse betting, 21 and older, 7 p.m.-midnight, Blossom Heath Inn, 24800 Jefferson Ave. in St. Clair Shores, www.facebook.com/ stclairshoresfirefighters, scsffulocal1744@gmail.com

MARCH 11

St. Clair Shores Community Chorus: Rehearsals for ages 14 and older, 7 p.m. Mondays, spring concert May 2, Triumphant Cross Lutheran Church, 22360 13 Mile Road, scscommunitychorus.org, (586) 980-5844

Lakeside Palette Club of St. Clair Shores: Open studio events, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesdays, St. Clair Shores

Adult Education Center inside North Lake High School, 23340 Elmira, lakesidepaletteclub.org, club has works on display until Feb. 24 at Anton Art Center, 125 Macomb Place in Mount Clemens, theartcenter.org

Book Discussion Group: Meets 1 p.m. every second

Wednesday of month, St. Clair Shores Public Library, 22500 11 Mile Road, scslibrary.org/bookdiscussion.

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Yardeners of St. Clair Shores: Free presentation about Monarch butterflies in Mexico, 7-8 p.m., St. Clair Shores Public Library, 22500 11 Mile Road, scsyardeners@gmail.com

ONGOING

Art exhibits: “Tiny Art Show” features residents’ 4-by-4 creations with “Winter Wonderland” theme, on display until Feb. 29, also Life on the Home Front During the Civil War,” on display until April 10, St. Clair Shores Public Library, 22500 11 Mile Road, (586) 771-8935

Activities for seniors: Crafting, movies, knitting and crocheting, dominoes, euchre, pickleball and many

Overeaters Anonymous meetings: 10-11 a.m. Saturdays, St. Margaret of Scotland, 21201 E. 13 Mile Road in St. Clair Shores, (586) 293-2240

Sweet Mountain Strings: Dulcimer music group for all levels, 10:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Tuesdays, Big Family of Michigan, Suite 1, 23500 Pare St. in St. Clair Shores, (586) 777-4602

Lakeshore Ukulele Strummers: Jam sessions for all levels, 1:30-3:30 p.m. Wednesdays, Lakeshore Presbyterian Church, 27801 Jefferson Ave. in St. Clair Shores, (586) 321-9535