Westend: October 2013

ENDNOTE: WALLED LAKE SCHOOLS BOND ISSUE DESERVES SUPPORT OCTOBER 2013

WESTENDMONTHLY.COM

WESTEND C O M M E R C E • WA L L E D L A K E • W O LV E R I N E L A K E • U N I O N L A K E

COMMON CORE FOR SCHOOLS NEW EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS HAS DETRACTORS, SUPPORTERS

HEROIN: DEFINITE RISE IN OAKLAND AMONG YOUTH AND ADULTS BENTIVOLIO: ACCIDENTAL CONGRESSMAN HAS A CHALLENGER ECRWSS Postal Customer PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID ROYAL OAK, MI 48068 PERMIT #792

425 Glengary Rd. Wolverine Lake, MI 48390 Ph: 248-624-1710 Fx: 248-624-3536

The Villager Village of Wolverine Lake

Fall 2013 Edition

www.wolverinelake.com Fall Reminders

th

Yard Waste: The last day for yard waste pick up by Waste Management is Tuesday, November 26 . st st Lake Draw Down: The lake draw down will begin on October 1 . By December 1 we expect to reach our winter level at 916.75 Septic Tank Maintenance: If you haven t had your septic tank pumped out recently (every 2 to 3 years for typical family systems) do it now and avoid backups and looking for your tank covered under snow.

Community Wells: Last day to schedule a purge so that you avoid decreased water pressure levels through the winter is Tuesday, October th 15 . Call today 248-624-1710.

Tink Claw Leaf Collection: Please remember this is a bulk pick up service. Small piles should be placed into recycle bags or cans no larger than 32 gallons marked compost . The first round of leaf collection will begin when the leaves throughout the Village have fallen approximately 50%. Watch for the orange and white signs posted at the entrances of your subdivision. The Claw will visit a second time once most of the leaves are down. NOTE*** Leaves should be raked next to the street on a flat area, void of hazards, ONLY after your subdivision has been posted with signs. Do not mix grass, mulched leaves, debris, branches, etc. with the leaves. Please remember to do your part to help keep the Village beautiful and clean up the residual debris following each pick up.

NEW Waste Collection Rules and Regulations

Support our Troops

In order to keep the Village of Wolverine Lake a beautiful place to live, Village Council has established new procedures and guidelines for waste collection. All refuse must be set out in proper containers or properly bundled no earlier than noon the day before collection and all refuse containers must be removed from the road edge by 9:00 am the day after collection. To review the entire list of rules and regulations please contact Village Hall. Thank you for your cooperation.

Donations now being accepted Residents from Wolverine Lake, in conjunction with Military Families United of Michigan and Support Military Working Dogs, are hosting a packing party to send items to the military troops and working dogs serving on the battlefields. Visit www.wolverinelake.com or Village Hall for a list of items to donate. Box packing will take place Saturday, th October 12 from 9:30 a.m. to Noon at the Shepherd of the Lakes Lutheran Church 2905 S. Commerce Rd. in Wolverine Lake.

25th Village Festival & Corn Roast In the rain and sunshine, our

Shake your mail box As the sports saying goes, the best

th Village residents were at the park on the 7 of Sept. enjoying the band, inflatable s and great food. Many thanks go out to the sponsors and the wonderful raffle donations. Of course our faithful volunteers, none of these events would be possible without you!!

14th Annual Fishing Contest

At 6:00 am on August 24th the fishing contestants began their quest to catch the big one! In fact, 31 Bass were caught in those early morning hours! The smallest was 12 inches and the largest was a 24 inch beauty! One of the contestants even managed to bring in a whopping 27 ½ inch Walleye! Congrats to all of the participants and many thanks go out to the sponsors and volunteers!

Snacks with Santa

Save the date: Dec. 7th Santa will be visiting from 1 pm to 3 pm at the Richardson Center.

Pre-registration is required at the Village Hall.

Sewer Connection Currently Village Staff is collecting names for residents interested in connecting to sewer and developing a Special Assessment District in order to pay most of the costs over a 10 year period of time on their Village taxes. For more information contact Village Hall 248-624-1710.

Halloween Trick or Treating hours are 6:00 to 8:30 pm st Oct. 31 .

Bus trip to the Auto Show January 20, 2014 $13 tickets at the door--$5.00 Pre-registration at Village Hall. Call 248-624-1710 for more info.

Winter Parking is prohibited on

Village Streets November 1st through st March 31 between 2 am and 6 am

offense is a good defense . Snow and ice coming off the plow at 25 MPH in mass quantities packs a much bigger punch than any snowball ever could! Before the ground freezes is a good time to check your mailbox installation to be sure it can weather the upcoming winter season by answering the following questions. **Is the wood board your mailbox is setting upon in good condition? **Are the nails to the board loose? **How about the wood post in the ground; is it split or starting to deteriorate? ** A simple check: If you can physically jiggle your mailbox and it gives a little, it will give out when the snow removal season is here. **If your mailbox has been in place for any length of time, weather can compromise a good installation.

Oakland County Home Improvement Program 100% Deferred and Interest free loans are available to income qualifying residents. Only the principal is to be repaid when you sell or lease your home.

Call: 248-858-5401

Also available A Step Forward Mortgage and/or Tax rescue program is available for residents in need.

Call: 866-946-7432 or 800-382-4568

Waterfront Wisdom

Above: garden buffer with native Michigan plants

Excess nutrients from fertilizers, yard waste and pesticides from home lawn and garden activities can enter waterways in storm water runoff. Creating a garden buffer along the lake shore is not only beautiful but easy to do! It slows runoff, prevents erosion and provides added filtration to the lake.

Utilize natural materials, such as wildflowers, grasses and shrubs, to stabilize shorelines. Native Michigan plants have extensive root systems that cut down watering needs, help infiltrate water back into the ground, minimize shoreline erosion and filters pollutants before entering the lake. ***Seawalls greatly reduce or eliminate riparian habitat. If you have an existing seawall, try supplementing the area in front of the structure with native aquatic vegetation to help restore lost aquatic habitat. They hold bottom sediments in place and protect the shoreline from the erosive forces of wind and ice action along with restoring aquatic habitat.

Keeping Informed The Village of Wolverine Lake has an email information line available. This hot line keeps everyone up to date on news and events in the Village. There are now 808 subscribers and the list continues to grow! To join, simply visit the web-site www.wolverinelake.com click on the envelope icon and follow the prompts.

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• 3,143 Sq Ft, 5 Bedroom, 2.5 Bath, 3 Car Garage, Formal Dining • Great Rm-Fireplace, Family Room, Granite Island Kitchen • 1st Floor Laundry, Basement-Egress Window, Large Deck #213075165 Ext. 199

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WESTEND10.13

21

11 29

Heroin use increasing Oakland County is experiencing an increase in heroin use and it is taking hold among younger adults and teenagers.

Common Core debate

Righting the GOP

The latest evolutionary change in education is Common Core, which has its supporters and detractors.

Kerry Bentivolio, often referred to as the “accidental congressman”, has a GOP challenger David Trott.

9 CRIME LOCATOR A recap of select categories of crime occurring in the past month in Commerce, Walled Lake, Wolverine Lake and the Union Lake area, presented in map format.

40 MUNICIPAL Township DDA finalizes budget for 2014; multi-family development focus of master plan update; board appointment policy debate; interim city fire chief; sheriff command officer moving out; final okay on housing plans.

42 EDUCATION Details of the bond proposal for November ballot; court says district to remain part of parent’s lawsuit.

49 BUSINESS MATTERS Cycletherapy, URRHOUZZ, Goodwill Industries, American Diner, Joe Cornell Event Planning Expo.

THE COVER

50 ENDNOTE Common Core is common sense; school bond vote on more than just safety issues.

The Commerce Township Burying Ground on Commerce Road, first known as the Commerce Village Cemetery, dating back to 1834 where many township pioneers were buried. Westend photo: Laurie Tennent DISTRIBUTION: Mailed monthly at no charge to homes in the Commerce, Walled Lake and Union Lake area.. Additional free copies are distributed at high foot-traffic locations.

For those not residing in the free mail distribution area, paid subscriptions are available for a $12 annual fee. Go to our website (westendmonthly.com) and click on “subscriptions” in the top index and place your order on-line or scan the QR Code here.

4

FACES 19: Jim Edelman 24: Drew Clayborn 34: Lindsey Stakoe 39: Drew Fralick 43: Annie VanGeldere

DOWNTOWN P

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DOWNTOWN • WESTEND • BLACK BOOK • THE GUIDE 124 WEST MAPLE ROAD BIRMINGHAM MI 48009 P: 248.792.6464 downtownpublications.com facebook.com/downtownpublications • twitter.com/downtownpubs

Publisher: David Hohendorf Ad Manager: Jill Cesarz Ad Sales: Matthew Swigart Graphics/IT Manager: Chris Grammer News Editor: Lisa Brody

News Staff/Contributors: Allison Batdorff, Rachel Bechard, Hillary Brody, Kevin Elliott, Sally Gerak, Eleanor & Ray Heald, Austen Hohendorf, Garrett Hohendorf, Kathleen Meisner, Laurie Tennent

WESTEND

INCOMING: We welcome feedback on both our publication and general issues of concern in the Commerce/Union Lake community. The traditional Letters to the Editor in Westend are published in our Incoming section, and can include traditional letters or electronic communication. Your opinions can be sent to westend@downtownpublications.com; or mailed to Downtown Publications, 124 West Maple Road, Birmingham MI, 48009. Letters must include your full name, address and daytime phone number for verification.

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You know your lake property is different, special. And to get the best deal, buying or selling, you need an experienced, practiced professional. A helper and a guide. That’s what I do. With a superior listing service and an exclusive team that has a special touch for lake properties — an interior designer, an aerial photographer, a top professional virtual tour guru and more. It’s all designed to get you the highest sale price. For two decades I’ve been around the lakes and around the business block. If you want a sold sign on your lawn and a smile on your face call me. You’ll be glad you did.

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WEIR MANUEL

FROM THE PUBLISHER

M

y second son, Austen, graduated from Michigan State University this past spring with a Bachelor of Arts in Advertising, with an emphasis on the creative side, along with a specialization in Public Relations. He was hired several weeks ago by a major public relations agency in New York, but his attempt over the summer to enter the working world full time brought back the realization that for the last several decades we, meaning for the most part the leaders of the state, have failed this new generation when it comes to providing an opportunity to make their mark in the world where they grew up.

Austen has certainly paid his dues in terms of public relations internships, paid and unpaid, at Team Detroit one summer, the Detroit Zoo another, and last year at Nickelodeon in Manhattan, a couple of publications in metro Detroit, plus volunteer stints helping with special events during the school year .

But his search took him outside the confines of the state, like so many others in recent years who have left Michigan once they graduate.

Why? Because for several administrations in Lansing, leaders have paid lip service to diversifying the business base in this state even though, dating back several administrations, it was generally agreed that Michigan could no longer be tied solely to a manufacturing (i.e. automotive) base of businesses. For sure, manufacturing, and in particular automotive manufacturing, has been Michigan's claim to fame and it has allowed for the development of a stronger middle class here.

But it had also lulled us collectively into a false sense of security without much thought about the future if the bottom ever fell out, which it did with this last recession.

For too many years and administrations in Lansing, we have lacked a consistent vision of what needed to be done in terms of diversification.

Part of leadership must entail being a visionary; but no governor, in one or two four-year terms, can change the nature of the state's business community. So every change in leadership brings with it a different vision, which for the most part means starting all over every four to eight years in terms of what the direction of the state should be.

Couple that with the fact that beginning with the Jim Blanchard administration, almost every administration has had to expend considerable effort and time attempting to right the financial ship of the

state, leaving precious little time to pursue visions of what the future should hold.

Then throw into the mix an almost vitriolic dose of politics from both parties and you basically have a stalemate when it comes to moving the state forward. The end result is no change in our reliance on manufacturing to fuel the state, and a never ending (and worsening) roller coaster ride as the fortunes of manufacturing has ebbed and flowed.

Little wonder now that state university graduating classes in the last decade have been seeking out other states when it comes to finding employment.

Graduates in the last 10 years have been seeking careers that are not necessarily tied to one industry - auto and manufacturing - and they seek a more diverse economy for stability reasons. The new generation also has a different set of goals and desires, as evidenced by the growth of Zip car rentals rather than car ownership, the desire for mass transportation, walkable communities, vibrant city nightlife – the list goes on. Unfortunately, few of these items have been addressed or are just starting to hit the radar screen of government leaders in this state, but probably too late to stem the tide of the brain drain we have been experiencing.

Is it any wonder that major corporations, in many fields, from other states are aggressively pursuing college graduates here?

In my case, I have adjusted to the idea that my second son will follow our first son, Garrett, a supervising producer for MTV in Manhattan, who called me several years ago to ask whether there was any future in the Michigan film industry if he desired to return home. My answer then was the same advice I gave him when he graduated college five years ago – make your mark somewhere else.

For those of us still remaining here, all of us must address these issues, whether or not we still have children at home.

The future of the state demands it.

David Hohendorf Publisher DavidHohendorf@downtownpublications.com

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CRIME LOCATOR

NORTH

Map key

Sexual assault

Assault

Murder

Robbery

Breaking/entering

Larceny

Larceny from vehicle

Vehicle theft

Vandalism

Drug offenses

Arson

These are the crimes reported under select categories by police officials in Commerce Township, Walled Lake and Wolverine Lake Village through Sept. 25, 2013.

Placement of codes is approximate.

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COMMON CORE PREPARING STUDENTS FOR THE FUTURE

BY LISA BRODY AND KEVIN ELLIOTT

E

ducation is an evolution. Once, it was believed the best way to teach students was through rote repetition and memorization. A specific curriculum was mandated throughout school districts, homogenizing them, and included classic literature, mathematics, basic science, some language skills, including Latin, physical education, and art. There was usually home economics for girls in high school, and shop for boys.

Then the 1960s and 70s hit, and education, and the research of how students learn, began to change. “New math� was introduced, which was a brief, dramatic change in the way mathematics was taught in American elementary schools. Educators stressed that it was important to introduce new math early so that students could easily cope with more advanced mathematic theorems.

Yet there were many parents and teachers who really hated new math, contending that the curriculum was too far outside of students' experiences, parents didn't understand how to do it and couldn't help them with their homework, and teachers claimed it put heavy demands on them to both learn and then teach it.

English classes also changed, with the classics morphing into more contemporary literature, from phonics to a whole language approach to teaching reading in the 1980s and 1990s, a literacy philosophy which emphasizes that children should focus on meaning.

Once again, some parents and educators objected to this educational approach, asserting that students could not read well, spell, had lost grammatical ability, and did not know classical literature. No Child Left Behind in 2001 brought a resurgence of interest in phonics, and like other educational trends, in the 2000s whole language receded as a dominant reading model.

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12

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No Child Left Behind brought back standards-based education, with assessments for basic skills. While the act did not establish a national achievement standard, in order for states to receive federal school funding, they had to give all students these assessments at select grade levels.

Which leads us to today, where 45 states, including Michigan, have adopted the Common Core for reading, math and writing standards. Like other educational developments, it too, is facing supporters, dissenters, controversy, and calls in the state's legislature to prohibit funding it in educational budget appropriations despite Gov. Rick Snyder's support.

“Content area standards are not new. These standards have been in place for a decade and a half. What was found was that we had too many standards, they weren't rigorous enough, and they weren't clear cut enough,” explained Birmingham Public Schools Superintendent Daniel Nerad. “There were calls for higher standards in the nation's schools, and a clear call for students to be more internationally competitive.”

The K-12 Common Core State Standards (CCSS) were developed through a state-led initiative coordinated by the National Association Center for Best Practices and the Council of Chief State School Officers, representing superintendents from across the country, and according to the Michigan Department of Education, participating states, including Michigan, worked with them alongside a wide range of educators, content experts, researchers, national organizations, and community groups. In 2009, the National Governors Association, a bipartisan but primarily Republican organization, hired Student Achievement, a non-profit organization that assembles educators and researchers, to write curriculum standards in literacy and mathematics instruction after a 2004 report titled “Ready or Not: Creating a High School Diploma That Counts” found that employers and colleges are demanding more of high school graduates than in the past, and that many high school grads were not prepared for college.

The National Governors Association initiative's stated purpose was explicit: “to provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them. The standards are designed to be robust and relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills our young people need for success in college and careers.”

The goal was clear cut. To place American students in a position in which they can compete effectively in a global economy.

“The Common Core State Standards were developed by states, for states, to provide a consistent set of clear K-12 expectations that outline the knowledge and skills students need in English, language arts and mathematics to lead to career and college readiness. Prior to the CCSS, every state had their own unique standards. As a result, what students are expected to learn varied widely from state to state,” according to the Michigan Department of Education. “The CCSS does not represent a curriculum; instead they serve as a framework around which a curriculum can be built.

This common platform provides states opportunities for providing the necessary curricular resources to local education entities. The standards also support collaboration in building state-of-the-art assessment systems required by school and educator accountability legislations. The standards promote equity by ensuring all students, no matter where they live, are well prepared with the skills and knowledge necessary to compete with their peers in the United States and abroad.”

As of fall 2013, 45 states, the District of Columbia, four territories, and numerous private and parochial schools across the country have adopted the Common Core, including Michigan. Only Texas, Virginia, Alaska, and Nebraska haven't adopted it; Minnesota has adopted the English language arts standards, but not the mathematics standards.

Despite misinformation to the contrary, the federal government has been completely uninvolved in the development and implementation of CCSS. It has been a state-led and state-driven initiative from the beginning, led first by the National Governor's Association, and then by state educational leaders.

Standards for CCSS were not developed or mandated by the federal government, either under former President George W. Bush or President Barack Obama, but by the NGA Center for Best Practices, which copyrighted them, along with the Council of Chief State School Officers. The NGA Center said the copyright ensures that the standards will be consistent nationwide, and have international benchmarks.

The copyright is waived for State Departments of Educations as long as the state using it is in support of the standards, and only if the state has adopted the standards “in whole”. The effect of the copyright and public licensing to states creates a consistency across the states; because the standards can't be changed or modified, in essence it creates a national curriculum of standards which local districts then customize into their own curriculum.

By and large, teachers and other educator are pleased with CCSS. The American Federation of Teachers, National Education Association, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the National Council of Teachers of English, and other organizations have all endorsed and supported CCSS. Michigan first adopted CCSS by the State Board of Education in June 2010, and began implementing it in the 2010-2011 school year, with full implementation to be complete by the 2014-15 school year. “We are competing with China and Iowa. It's based on the needs of Michigan students and educators. Michigan participated in the development and validation of the standards,” said Michigan school superintendent Mike Flanigan.

“It's absolutely efficacious,” said Delia DeCourcy, literary consultant for Oakland Intermediate Schools, who got involved with Common Core work when she was teaching writing at University of Michigan and kept discovering students were not well prepared for college. She then did a workshop with Oakland Intermediate School District to discuss college preparatory work, looking at the standards for K-12 students, “and I ended up writing nine units of the English curriculum for middle schools. I'm a big believer in Common Core standards and curriculum.

“It's a big shift for teachers,” she continued. “Students work much more independently and take more responsibility for their own learning and their work. They learn to ask more questions and to think more critically. I'm finding that teachers are very excited by how engaged their students are.”

“It's a shift from previous content expectations. These standards utilize modeling and relevant educational and real life applications,” said Heidi Kattula Ed.D., director of learning services for Bloomfield Hills Schools.

Director of Learning Services at Oakland Intermediate Schools Michael Yocum, who also serves on the county's Common Core Standards Initiatives Steering Committee, said the intermediate district worked with school districts in the county to develop ELA (English Language Arts) and math curriculum materials that would be in line with CCSS, which has since been made available to districts to be used as a framework or complete curriculum they may choose to implement. The materials were drafted, tested and revised by more than 2,000 teachers and administrators over a three-year period before being finished in August and made available to districts.

“There is no specific, mandated curriculum. No one is saying you have to use these books. The curriculum we wrote as an ISD are generic enough a teacher can choose their own books and tools,” DeCourcy explained. “It creates a very student-centered classroom with more more discussion in the classroom. There's no more 'sage on the stage.' It's learning by discovery, how you learn in the real world. Administrations are overwhelmingly positive and excited to provide professional support for it.”

"We can put the curriculum materials into Rubicon Atlas, and in a sense, push it out to the districts," Yocum said. "Some (districts) copy it right into their curriculum and others make changes. It's a significant amount of money they are saving because they have a whole curriculum to work from. They are now heavily involved in that curriculum implementation."

Local districts are quick to point out that CCSS isn't a specific curriculum that must be used by all districts, but rather a set of standards that incorporates teaching methods and best practices. The standards also require districts to use benchmark assessments, such as tests, which are written in line with the Common Core standards. In Michigan, that will mean the eventual phasing out of current MEAP and MME and transitioning into a new set of state assessments based on CCSS. DeCourcy explained that Michigan is part of the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, which has been creating and piloting computeradaptive tests. “They are different from the MEAP test. They require deeper thinking than current standardized tests,” she said. “Students watch videos and answer questions, they answer multi-part questions, and they write essays, all on computers. They have to think more critically. The concern is mostly about getting kids accustomed to computer screen testing.”

Assistant Superintendent for Instruction for Birmingham Public Schools Joe Hoffman noted that “Common Core is a guide for what students should be learning, not a curriculum. In Birmingham, we've passed the standards through a 'Birmingham lens', determining how to transform that into a teachable curriculum. What that does for us is determine which standards to spend more time on and which standards to spend less attention with. We've determined that not all Common Core standards are created equally. We want our students to get a Birmingham education, not a Common Core education.

In many areas, we already go above and beyond the standards. In others, such as our resources and textbooks, we determined we had too many gaps, and we spent time the end of the last school year and this summer consensus building for two new text book series for mathematics.”

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Lisa McFee, director of curriculum, instruction and assessment at years to revise curriculum to be aligned with CCSS, including how they assess Waterford Schools, said the district is following the framework established by students.

Oakland Intermediate Schools.

"We have been working on having multiple ways to assess student learning," "Mostly, it's about instruction and best practices," said Lisa McFee, director she said, "not just traditional multiple choice, but having project-based learning of curriculum, instruction and assessment at Waterford School District. "Most by having application-based questions that align with the Common Core of that is stuff that we have been tying into our curriculum for a long time standards and their application to the real world. It's not just memorization of now. We have been working with Oakland Schools to make sure that teachers facts." are teaching to high levels of accountability and standards, and getting Coratti said Oakland Schools has been helping develop instruction units that students to learn how to learn, which is a big focus of best practice." support the CCSS so teachers may use them as references, as opposed to having McFee said the Waterford district will continue to use MEAP tests until the each district create new instructional units on their own. "They have also been state mandates a new assessment method. doing training sessions so that people understand the 'why' behind the Common Walled Lake Schools Executive Director of Assessment, Instruction and Core," she said.

Technology Mark Hess said the district plans to start transitioning to a new Yocum said Oakland Schools brought in school building leaders from districts state test assessment next school year. The new tests, he said, will be more to discuss how to lead their staff in implementing the new standards in a way aligned to Common Core standards. that will raise student achievement across the entire curriculum. One challenge, "We are required to administer the MEAP test, which has been around for which he said has long been an issue teachers try to address, is how to about 30 or 35 years, and that's administered in all grades three through nine, approach the special needs of students. and in grade 11 they take the "You have a very diverse Michigan Merit Exam. All that range of students with a lot of is about to change," Hess said. different learning needs. That's Michigan School Accountability Scorecards "The MEAP and MME have always a challenge of teaching, The Scorecards for schools and school districts replace Michigan's Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) been aligned to state and Common Core is more report cards that were required under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, but are not part of the standards; this is the final year demanding and rigorous than Common Core, as it will not be implemented until at least 2015. for that. Beginning next year, what we had before. They will Scorecards use a color coding system: Green: attain 85 percent or greater of possible points; Lime: attain at least 70 percent but less than 85 percent of possible points; Yellow: attain at least 60 percent we will transition to a new set be pretty rigorous assessments," but less than 70 percent of possible points; Orange: attain at least 50 percent but less than 60 percent to state assessments. Those Yocum said, adding that he of possible points; Red: attain less than 50 percent of possible points. – Compiled by Kevin Elliott are all based on Common Core anticipates test scores to dip standards." during the initial Oakland School officials and implementation. "They are other educators in Michigan are pretty demanding performance working with the Smarter tasks that involve a lot of Balanced Assessment multistep problems with a Consortium (Smarter Balanced) significant amount of writing to "develop next generation and problem solving."

AVONDALE assessments that accurately One of the strengths of the BERKLEY measure student progress Common Core standards, toward college and careerYocum said, is that they were BIRMINGHAM readiness." The consortium is developed by a huge BLOOMFIELD HILLS one of two multi-state consortia consortium of states working BRANDON that has received federal together which provided very funding to develop an clear targets in comparison to CLARENCEVILLE assessment system aligned to various state standards CLARKSTON the Common Core Standards by throughout the nation. the 2014-15 school year.

"There's a much more CLAWSON "Smarter Balanced carefully articulated progression FARMINGTON assessments will be given at of learning across grade levels," FERNDALE the state level, and districts will he said. "In other words, the get a better vision of what that expectations of second grade HAZEL PARK looks like as we get closer," math in this particular topic HOLLY Yocum said, adding that weekly progress appropriately, for HURON VALLEY or daily assessments are also instance. Being able to track part of curriculums aligned to through the curriculum will be LAKE ORION CCSS. "Districts will try to helpful to districts because it LAMPHERE create their own assessments in will allow for rich conversations their districts that mirror that, across grade levels in where MADISON so their kids are ready for the there is learning and what the NOVI demands of the new tests. needs are."

OAK PARK We've built some of those Another step forward, he assessments into the said, is that CCSS requires OXFORD curriculum over the past few students to work with more PONTIAC years." informational texts, which will Hoffman said in Birmingham need to be utilized to form and ROCHESTER they are not discounting any of support their work, projects and ROYAL OAK the standards when it comes to test answers. Under CCSS, SOUTH LYON the testing, as he believes informational texts must consist Birmingham students will be of 50 percent of all texts that SOUTHFIELD well prepared in all English, students read in elementary TROY language arts, and mathematic school, with literary texts WALLED LAKE areas for the assessments. making up the other 50 percent.

Huron Valley Schools Deputy The percentages change in WATERFORD Superintendent of Instruction middle school to 55 percent WEST BLOOMFIELD Nancy Coratti said the district informational texts, and 70 has been working for several percent in high school.

Requirements of informational texts are one of six major shifts from previous state standards in Michigan in English and language arts and literacy and eight points in mathematics required in order for curriculums to be aligned with CCSS in terms of curricular materials and classroom instruction. Additional changes include an increase in writing from sources for students to respond to ideas, events, facts and arguments presented in texts they listen to and read; increased literacy instruction in all content areas; more text-based answers; an increase in academic vocabulary; and increased text complexity.

Because there is an increased focus on literature, such as stories, drama and poetry, in later grades, as well as literary non-fiction, a great deal of informational reading in grades 6-12 must take place in other classes, according to the national Assessment Governing Board. While much of the focus of CCSS has focused on the method of teaching, the shifts indicate districts may have to realign what is being taught and where.

"It will change what's being taught. There will be more clear indications for that grade level, but the way you approach that instructionally will make a difference as to those kids who are ready to have the opportunity to move ahead," Yocum said. "It doesn't dictate a type of instruction, but the standards won't hold you back from helping students move ahead more rapidly."

For instance, Yocum said if a math class is focusing on fractions, the standards will allow teachers to assess student needs and provide more help to those students who need it or more elaborate, multi-layered projects to those who are performing at more advanced levels.

"The notion that every student in a class of 35 kids is going to be in the same spot isn't going to happen, and it shouldn't happen," he said.

"The targets are very clear, and that's important with standards. Unlike state standards, there's a much more carefully articulated progression of learning across grade levels," Yocum said. "In other words, the expectations of second grade math in this particular topic progress appropriately. Being able to track results through the curriculum will be helpful to the districts because it will allow for rich conversations across grade levels in where there is learning and what the needs are."

Ultimately, local districts will still determine what literature is read in classes and how they meet literacy standards across the curriculum. Teachers and administrators in the Walled Lake district are currently looking at how best to integrate new requirements into their lesson plans.

"Traditionally, reading, writing and speaking was focused on literature classes," Hess said. "In Common Core, it's emphasized across all classes.

Students will write more and there will be less multiple choice. Instead of selecting A,B,C or D for an answer, they will have to articulate their answer.

That's a big change for us. The integration of the studies, how the arts, science and humanities connect, teachers are looking at that and working together. It's a more comprehensive approach to educating."

Bloomfield Hills' Kattula said CCSS falls in line with other curricular efforts the district has implemented in recent years, such as International Baccalaureate and visible thinking. “Teachers are pleased with the richness, relevance and rigor because Common Core adds that depth of understanding we've been doing with IB and visible thinking, which we've had at Way and Eastover elementaries. Within IB and visible thinking, we have put a lot of emphasis on inquiry thinking, where we're constantly pushing students to deepen their understanding to use it to apply to real life. In Common Core, there may be less topics but there is a greater depth of student thinking.”

Kim Root, director of communications for Huron Valley Schools, said while many parents have questions about CCSS, most are simply trying to find out more about what it means.

"They want to know really what it is," she said. "We talk about it in education and we talk about things in academic terms, and one of the things I always talk to our folks about is making sure it translates for the parents whose child is going to be educated in a Huron Valley School."

Coratti said parents appear to be receptive once they learn what the CCSS means to their children's education.

"When their kids are enthusiastic because they are more involved in projectbased learning and to what they're doing in school relates to the real world, and they see their kids happy, then parents are very understanding. I think what the Common Core is trying to accomplish is based on sound teaching and learning principles, so I think all schools will be working on this in different ways."

Jim Cipielewski, associate professor at the School of Education and Human Services at Oakland University, has mixed feelings about Common Core.

“There's a lot of very good ideas with Common Core, especially if it's looked at as goals for our children, and not limited to just the standards on the paper.

But it can be narrowed down too much. Teachers can just teach to the test, and then you're not really educating, you're just teaching how to take a test.

“I'm particularly frightened when (districts) have texts that are meant to be exemplary and using the texts as the only one, rather than as an example of a text,” he continued. “You have to create readers and have a variety of texts. They do not have to be the same across a classroom, a school, or a district, especially since one of the values of Common Core is the interdisciplinary analysis of texts as they look for commonalities.”

There are disagreements about Common Core in Michigan's state legislature, as state representatives and senators are currently debating whether to halt implemention, and whether or not to fund it through the state's education budget, which should be done by October 1.

There's a lot at stake for Michigan, which could affect a waiver in complying with strict rules on No Child Left Behind law; for state and local school districts, which have been investing considerable time and money aligning curriculums with the new standards, training educators and upgrading technology; and students, whose college-preparedness could be held hostage.

Sen. John Pappageorge (R-Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Bloomfield Township) said that he sits on the K-12 appropriations committee in the state Senate, and “It is my understanding of Common Core that it is an upgrading of the standards already in place. It was led by the Republican governors, and begun at a governor's conference. Now there are people who are concerned about it, and that's OK, we'll deal with it. It's a little early to be concerned about the curriculum, which is focused on critical thinking. I'm impressed it's something we did right by adopting it.”

Sen. Mike Kowall (R-White Lake, Commerce Township, Walled Lake, Wolverine Lake, West Bloomfield), said that while he hasn't had time to study the whole issue, he noted that former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has been a big proponent of Common Core.

“Like a lot of conversations, there have been a lot of urban legends about it,” he said. “I'm going to wait and see. But math does not lie. One plus one always equals two.”

State Rep. Mike McCready (R-Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Bloomfield Township, West Bloomfield) said, “The Tea Party isn't going to like it, but I'm going to support Common Core. It's a basic skill set for K-12. It's based on ability, and not everyone is at the same place in the same class. A quarter of what kids learn are dealt with in Common Core – it's skill sets for our kids in English and math.

“I wrote all of my superintendents and asked them if they supported Common Core, and they all do,” McCready said. “I have to listen to my educators and the superintendents in Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills and West Bloomfield all support it. I have to support my district, and not the Tea Party. The Tea Party said get rid of it but they don't have anything to replace it. They said they want to because it's a federal program and they want local control. It's not a federal program, and we do have local government control. And we have the best performing schools in the state.

End of story.”

Rep. Tom McMillin (R-Rochester) is actively opposing Common Core, sponsoring House Bill 4276 which would have Michigan opt out of the Common Core curriculum and deny its funding. “Before Common Core, we owned the discussions. With Common Core, we don't. We don't make the decisions. I oppose Michigan having their state rights, their authority taken away from them,” he said.

McMillin claimed the standards “are not all that good. We don't know how they'll change down the road. Shouldn't we have more flexibility here in Michigan, rather than the National Governor's Association in Washington D.C.? And adaptive testing is confusing on computers. You must type. Lots of kids don't know how to type. We aren't even teaching because we don't have the money, so teachers are teaching what's on the test.”

On the other hand, he did say that local school districts can implement whatever parts they want whenever they want. He did not provide examples to substantiate any of his claims.

“For these politicians to now be questioning if we should have these standards, I worry that they're the same politicians who complain about our students not being globally competitive,” Birmingham's superintendent Dan Nerad pointed out.

“I believe in our superintendents. They're excellent, and I need to listen to them,” McCready said. “When the teachers come to you and tell you they like it, I have to listen to them. They're right on the front lines, and they think it's making our kids college eligible.”

“Common Core gives kids different formulas to get to two. Kids aren't widgets. They all learn at different rates. Teachers constantly have to be creative,” Kowall pointed out.

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hrough the Emmy Award-winning program, Under the Radar Michigan, Jim Edelman introduces PBS viewers to Michigan’s majestic scenery, innovative entrepreneurs and unique businesses.

“It’s a very collaborative effort,” Edelman said. His main job is marketing and sales, but he also runs the camera, writes and story edits. “It keeps the creative side of me happy.”

With Tom Daldin and Eric Tremonti, Edelman journeys across the mitten to highlight interesting towns and profile small business owners.

“The three of us do research on locations and pick where we are going to go. Then, we hit the road. We laugh the whole way there.”

The first episode aired in July of 2010 after Daldin and Edelman found themselves without jobs.

“I’d lost my job due to a massive downsize and we were both just sitting around,” he said. “We cooked up this idea to create this television show.

We took it to public television, found the funding and we were off and running.”

The trio has traveled from Marquette to Detroit and everywhere in between.

“I got to go to the top of the Mackinac Bridge,” he said. “Not many people get to do that.”

One of Edelman’s favorite episodes was covering the dogsled races in the Upper Peninsula.

“We went to Marquette in our first season and we were shooting the dogsled race,” he said. “It’s an absolutely brilliant and beautiful city. There

were 7,000 people along the streets cheering them on. It had this real special quality to it.”

Edelman has no formal training in film, but through on-the-job training, he has helped to create a program that has earned extraordinary accolades.

“To be associated with a show that has won three Emmys is unreal,” he said. “It’s a great feeling when people in the industry look at what you’ve created and give you recognition. It makes you want to do better next year.”

Under the Radar Michigan is entering its fourth season and is scheduled to premier on Saturday, October 5 at 10:30 a.m.

“At a time when there is no shortage of bad news, we are picking these vibrant businesses to profile,” he said. “They’re very tough, very tenacious and they are great stories. They make you feel good about what you’re doing.”

With a long list of cities and towns to choose from, Edelman chooses Detroit as his favorite place in the state of Michigan.

“The soul of the city isn’t judged by the city politicians; it’s judged by the people who live there and defend it. I’d love to create a show called Under the Radar Detroit. The sheer number of stories to tell in Detroit will always make my job easier.”

The Walled Lake Western alumnus is looking forward to continuing the program for as long as viewers tune in.

“We can do this forever,” Edelman said. “There’s no reason why a show like this can’t run until we drop. I have no desire to strap on a suit everyday again.”

Story: Katey Meisner

Photo: Laurie Tennent

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HEROIN THE SHOCKING RISE IN TEEN USE

BY KEVIN ELLIOTT

I

t's a dangerous secret that goes unacknowledged in even the most private of relationships. While teens may boast about smoking pot, and many parents will concede their kids smoke or drink while they're still underage, heroin use isn't something that friends, or even relatives, recognize or discuss.

And those missing prescription pills? Probably misplaced.

Except they likely weren't misplaced, but taken out of bathroom medicine cabinets and drawers by teens and young adults seeking an easy high, who then move on to the latest “in� drug, heroin, which when used creates a state of transcendental relaxation and intense euphoria. The problem is, it is highly addictive.

There has been a marked increase in heroin use in Oakland County, where the drug was the primary substance being abused by 26 percent of all people who received some form of service for addiction in 2012 from the Michigan Department of Community Health, second only to alcohol. Once only

associated with street junkies and strung-out musicians, more and more teens and young adults are smoking, snorting or injecting heroin, and it has made its way into some of the county's most affluent suburbs, according to court, health and law enforcement officials. Yet, despite the apparent knowledge of an ongoing rise in heroin use in the area, discussions at the local law enforcement level often parallel that of parents, and don't always reveal the burgeoning problems in a community. As in, it couldn't be happening here, not to our kids.

"Luckily, we haven't seen a big increase in this city," Bloomfield Hills Police Chief David Hendrickson said. "Heroin is a big thing right now in surrounding cities. So far, when we run across it, it's usually during traffic stops, on Woodward usually, and they usually aren't our residents."

Hendrickson said there does appear to be a bit of an increase in the illegal use of prescription drugs, as evidenced by calls from some residents in the city that have requested help. But he said there hasn't been a spike in use or any related overdoses in Bloomfield Hills.

"If they get addicted to (painkillers), a lot turn to heroin because it's cheaper and it's the same high," he said. "We haven't seen it a lot here, but it's definitely a problem in surrounding cities."

Birmingham Police Chief Don Studt also said he is aware of reports about increased heroin use in Oakland County, however he claimed to not see it in the city.

"We know it's out there, but we haven't seen much at all. We aren't seeing much use in prescription drugs either," he said. "We only see it if we arrest someone or there's an overdose, and we aren't seeing either right now. I can't give you any statistics on increases at all because we aren't seeing it."

In some cases, the presence of heroin in a community is undeniable. In August, Walled Lake police confiscated a half gram of heroin from a home in the 1800 block of Swaney Road after a man told police he found his wife's stash of drugs in a medicine cabinet. In June, an Oakland County Sheriff's deputy seized hypodermic needles, prescription pills and crack cocaine from teenagers during a traffic stop in Commerce Township. While no heroin was found, two of the teens admitted to using it, with one agreeing to tell her parents in front of a deputy. olverine Lake Village Police Capt.

John Ellsworth said the grip of the drug on some residents was apparent last year when he resuscitated a woman who had suffered a heroin-related overdose. Despite the neardeath experience, Ellsworth said the same woman was arrested months later for heroin use.

While he said there doesn't appear to be a noticeable increase of heroin use among the community's current teenage population, he suspects many young adults who abused prescription medication as teens have since begun using heroin in their early 20s.

Psychologist Susie Gross, who specializes in adolescent substance abuse, depression and suicide treatment in the Birmingham/Bloomfield area, said waiting to acknowledge the existence of a drug problem until there is undeniable proof is a form of denial that can result in tragedy for parents.

"It's not just heroin that is killing our adolescents – it's the denial of the parents. It's a two-pronged kind of animal that is killing our kids," she said. "I can speak about it because it was me. I'm the one

W

who had the police officer in my garage, who made excuse after excuse that my son was 'just tired,' or that it was normal to fall asleep in the bathtub with your clothes on. All the signs were there, but you see, it was much easier for me to escape to work. It was easier for me not to see what was going on than it was to intervene."

Gross said she denied that her own son, David, was suffering from a serious addiction problem that started when he was a sophomore at Bloomfield Hills Andover High School around age 16. It wasn't until she discovered David had sold her wedding ring at a Waterford pawn shop four years later that she finally accepted his problem and attempted to intervene. David later moved to California. At 22, he ended his struggle and his life when he jumped from a building in Los Angeles. The tragedy led Gross to earn her PhD and find a deeper understanding of drug abuse and addiction.

"Addiction has so much shame attached to it. I can't tell you how many times I would dive behind the canned peas and tuna at the market because people would look at me and give me those eyes – you know those pity eyes. I was so embarrassed," she said. "We all like to think we are perfect parents, but addiction is the one disease that happens in families that is still kind of the hidden disease. It's this kind of underbelly of the community."

In her own practice, Gross said she takes a hardline approach to treatment with her patients, by requiring them to check in with her at frequent intervals, submit to regular drug tests, and by using any additional resources she can find for them. She also requires parents to participate in their own therapy.

"I hold them accountable,” she explained. “In many cases, these are kids who have never been held accountable, so it's kind of a tough love approach. But I'm not waiting for them to fall. I'm here to catch them. I'm not going to let them fall, because my son fell seven stories."

Gross said at least one of the adolescent patients she treats has abused heroin; but many use prescription narcotics, heroin and other drugs interchangeably.

"There's a code – the kids around here think crack is dirty, and meth is dirty. And, God forbid, they would never huff. That's for kids on the other side of town. 'We don't do those things.' Heroin is the Marc Jacobs of our society. You have to have money to do heroin, and you have to know where to go," she said.

"I asked a kid the other day, 'if I wanted to do heroin, how long would it take me?' He said, 'you could probably have it by the end of our appointment.' It's that easy to get. It's that plentiful. It's like – open your eyes."

According to the Michigan Department of Community Health's Bureau of Substance Abuse and Addiction Services, Oakland County organizations receiving funding from the state registered 5,340 admissions in 2012, with 26 percent of all of those admitted listing heroin as the primary substance being abused. Heroin was listed as the primary substance of 23 percent of admissions in Washtenaw County; 35 percent in Detroit; 38 percent in Macomb County; 33.2 percent in Wayne County, not including Detroit; and 20.7 percent of admissions statewide. The increase in heroin use is evident when comparing the county's admission numbers over the previous six years, which rose from 13 percent in 2006 to 25 percent in 2011 for Oakland County.

Christina Nicholas, chief of substance abuse

services for the Oakland County Health Division, said the number of heroin users seeking services from the division has gone up among all ages in recent years. Additionally, the percentage of people admitted for services who reported using heroin for the first time increased 17 percent among 11 to 14year olds from 2011-12; and increased 8 percent among 15 to 17-year-olds from 2011-12. The number of first time users decreased slightly from 2011-12, she said.

"Prescription drug use is something we are really paying attention to as something that can lead to heroin use," Nicholas said. akland County Circuit Court Judge Mary Ellen Brennan, who conducts hearings for the court's Family-Focused Juvenile Drug Court program, also said that heroin has gained acceptance among many of the young people coming through the program. Often, she said, juveniles begin abusing prescription medications before moving on to heroin.

"We have always had one or two kids where heroin is the main drug of choice, but what stands out in my mind when planning for a court session is that heroin is just so deadly that it requires a heightened sense of awareness because it's so addictive and so deadly," Brennan said. “It used to be considered a gross, hardcore street drug. It's considered a little more chic now.

"What we have in Oakland County, being one of the wealthiest counties in the state, they have more access to funds. The ones that are using it are the ones that have access to money. By the time they get to me, they have usually hit their rock bottom and committed a crime that has a significant connection to drug use," Brennan explained.

The OPTIONS juvenile court program provides specialized intensive services to youths, ages 13 to 15, who are non-violent, repeat offenders who have been charged with a drug, alcohol or related offense.

After being assessed, those admitted into the program are given weekly judicial supervision, intensive drug treatment, frequent, random drug testing and regular probationary counseling within the program. They are also expected to attend Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous meetings, as assigned. The program administers consequences for non-compliance with the court's expectations, which may consist of a curfew, community service hours, letters of apology, loss of privileges, home detention or short-term incarceration.

"I see terrified young people and terrified families that are wrestling with this addiction, and will be wrestling with it for the rest of their lives, if they live through it with this addiction," Brennan said. "By the time I see them, they realize they can't control it anymore."

Brennan said while the program is intensive, it doesn't offer inpatient treatment. In some cases, the extent of the drug problem is to the point where outpatient services are no longer an option.

Still, she said, the program is sufficient to help those who are admitted. The circuit court also offers an adult drug treatment court for offenders older than 18. Treatment for heroin addiction may be particularly challenging for adolescents in the area, as there aren't any inpatient treatment facilities for adolescents currently available in southeast Michigan.

The Oakland County Sheriff's Office narcotics

O

task force in 2012 seized about 800 grams of heroin in 2012, compared to about 6,300 grams of cocaine. However, seizure numbers may not accurately represent the availability of a specific drug in the county.

"Our narcotics enforcement team sees things kind of ebb and flow based on new things brought into the marketplace by those who wish to peddle this trash," said Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard. "For a while, we saw a tick up in pharmaceutical drugs that may be in mom or dad's or grandma or grandpa's medicine cabinet for legitimate medical purposes, but are taken sometimes by young people and either sold or used on the street. Heroin is very much on our radar and very much on our priority list in terms of things we go after because of the extreme possibility of really destroying lives because of the death and suffering that comes to families from some of these situations."

In August 2011, the sheriff's office and Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) seized about 69 kilograms of heroin and more than 10 kilograms of cocaine from a home in Pontiac. The drugs had an estimated street value of $150 million.

"We seized the largest amount of heroin in the history of the state about two-and-a-half years ago in a house," Bouchard said. "It was directly related to a Mexican drug cartel, so it's got international pipelines that can end up virtually anywhere in the country. It's something that we are constantly monitoring and attacking." ccording to the federal DEA's 2011 National Drug Threat Assessment, the increase in heroin production in Mexico and increased involvement of Mexican traffickers in the distribution of South American heroin have contributed to wider heroin availability in many U.S. markets, including some areas where the drug was previously unavailable.

"The demand for most illicit drugs in the United States is rising, particularly among young people," the report stated. "Adolescents appear to be abusing illicit drugs at a greater rate than most other segments of society."

Locally, the DEA's annual report included Oakland County among counties reporting increases in heroinrelated overdoses from 2008 to 2010. The findings were based on fatal and nonfatal overdoses from heroin that were reported to either law enforcement, medical examiners, or both.

The Oakland County Medical Examiner's Office said while it tracks the number of drug-related deaths in total, staff doesn't differentiate between specific types of drugs in its annual statistics. In fact, neither Bouchard, nor emergency room officials at Beaumont Health System or Henry Ford Health System categorize overdoses by drug types.

"Certainly drug overdoses, sadly, aren't uncommon. It's something we investigate and try to determine who put them in the situation to take that lethal, or potentially lethal, dose. Unfortunately, it occurs everywhere, including Oakland County," Bouchard said. "I have had my kids grow up in this area, and my oldest (child) knows three people that have overdosed and died from the BirminghamBloomfield area, so it's an equal opportunity family tragedy. It doesn't matter what city you live in, the possibility of a child getting into some very bad drugs and overdosing is there in any community."

In June, the Oakland County Health Division issued a public health alert regarding an increase in heroin overdoses reported to the Michigan Poison Control Center. Health officials said the cause of

A

many of the overdoses was related to heroin containing fentanyl.

Fentanyl is an extremely potent synthetic opiate analgesic that is often prescribed to treat severe pain.

Its potency is about 100 times stronger than morphine, with variants of the drug made in clandestine labs and sometimes added to low-quality heroin. The potent mixtures have been responsible for overdoses in Michigan, as well as at least 20 others outside the state. Because of fentanyl's high potency, its presence can go undetected in heroin mixtures until it has already entered the user's system.

While fentanyl-related overdoses are one risk for heroin users, prescription drug overdoses exceed the number of cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine deaths combined, according to the DEA. Across the state, the number of hospitalizations involving opioids – including heroin, morphine, hydrocodone, oxycodone, opium, and other synthetic drugs with a morphine-like effect -- increased 120 percent between 2000 and 2011, from 9,157 to 20,191 in that 11-year time span.

Hospital officials with Beaumont Health System's Emergency Center in Royal Oak, the only Level 1 Trauma Center in Oakland and Macomb counties, said there were 134 drug overdoses from January to July 2013, which includes overdoses related to overthe-counter drugs, prescription drugs, illegal drugs, as well as fatal and nonfatal, intentional and accidental overdoses. Of the 134 overdoses, 15 involved teens between 12 and 18 years old; and 17 between the ages of 19 and 24. The facility recorded 262 overdoses in 2012, with 28 between the age of 12 and 18; and 33 between the age 19 and 24. The center saw 252 overdoses in 2011, with 29 involving patients between the age of 12 and 18; and 41 between the ages of 19 and 24.

Jacqueline Howes-Evanson, who supervises the juvenile and adult drug courts at the Oakland County Circuit Court, said the number of juveniles who have offenses related to heroin use made up about 3 percent of all cases last year, up from about 2.3 percent in 2009. However, heroin use among adult offenders in the 19-24-year-old age range is "off the chart,” she said.

Howes-Evanson said many of the young adults who are using heroin in the 19-24-year old range started using prescription pills as early as 13 years old. As the cost of opiate-derived prescription pills becomes too expensive, she said, teens move on to using heroin, and subsequently commit more severe crimes.

"At least 30 percent of our current population are heroin addicts, in that age group,” she said. “They aren't coming in as alcoholics. They are coming in as Vicodin and heroin addicts. It's amazing to me how the medical community hasn't caught on. There are many doctors out there who ask about addiction, but it seems so easy to get an opiate script. Many seem to start out of the medicine cabinet, right out of their home."

Nationally, the number of new heroin users increased from about 90,000 in 2006 to about 178,000 in 2011, with some belief that the increases have been caused by those transitioning from non-medical pain reliever use (NMPR), according to a study released by the Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality released in August.

"There is a concern among treatment providers, policymakers and others that NMPR use can progress to heroin use," according to the report. "Anecdotal reports and localized small-scale studies have suggested that some individuals who have been

abusing OxyContin switched to heroin after the reformulation in late 2010 made OxyContin more difficult to crush. Street price data from the Rocky Mountain Poison Control Center Drug Diversion Monitoring Program indicate that the street demand for the new formulation was much lower than the old formulation, which was more powerful and produced highs similar to those produced by heroin. Data showed that the street price of the new formulation was nearly 20-30 percent lower than that of the old formulation, indicating lower demand for the new formulation. However, the reformulation may have led potential abusers of OxyContin to switch to heroin." he study, which used data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, conducted annually from 2001-2011, found the rate of heroin use is 19 times higher among those who reported prior nonmedical pain reliever use than those who didn't, with four out of five (79.5 percent) first-time heroin users previously using pain relievers for non-medical reasons. Conversely, only one percent of first-time non-medical pain relief users had previously used heroin. However, according to the study, the vast majority of NMPR users haven't progressed into heroin use, with only 3.6 percent of NMPR initiates beginning heroin use within five years of their first NMPR use.

Meghan Perrault, the adolescent substance abuse program group facilitator for Oakland Family Services in Berkley, said the majority of teens coming into the group have issues with marijuana use, but that there has been a sharp increase in prescription medication use acting as a gateway to heroin. She said about one in seven in the group, which consists of teens from 14 to 18 years old, are using heroin. Several teens from the Berkley and Pontiac offices have had non-fatal overdoses.

"We are seeing more reports of use in the communities, with a lot more knowledge by younger kids about where to get it, how to use it and who is doing it," Perrault said. "It has changed a lot in recent years, especially as people are finding heroin to be cheaper than prescription pills. It's almost like a trendy thing to say, 'I've tried it.' But kids are trying it and getting hooked on it."

Robin Walsh, a therapist at Henry Ford Maplegrove Center in West Bloomfield who specializes in adolescent addiction outpatient services, said about one in 10 of her patients are struggling with heroin use. The program, she said, is a 12-step program that consists of six weeks of treatment, including three, three-hour therapy sessions each week, group meetings and workshops.

The program also uses peer-mentoring volunteers.

"We have been seeing an increase in kids saying they need help and are telling their parents," Walsh said. "I'm hoping that is because of some of the education, but mostly parents are bringing their children in."

Perrault said while many teens recognize they have a problem with drugs, it's common for most of them to still believe they can control their addiction.

"They minimize the addiction. When working with adults who use, they complain more about withdrawal. Teens don't complain about that, because it's more about staying high or the social status of using," she said. “A lot of parents know something is wrong, but it's hard to imagine it would be heroin. Once schools and communities become more aware and actually start looking at heroin as something that is being used, then we can come together and combat it."

T

FACES

Drew Clayborn

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n March 26, 2010, Drew Clayborn survived an accident that left him paralyzed from the shoulders down. But his unwavering positivity has carried him through unthinkable circumstances.

“It was a pretty normal day,” the Walled Lake Central alumnus said. “I got up at five as usual, got ready for school and went to the bus.”

Clayborn had been taking tumbling classes and was preparing for the Dr. Seuss school musical. After band class, he and some friends waited at his sister’s locker. “I thought it would be cool to do some backflips in the hallway,” he said. “The last thing I was thinking was, ‘Just jump. What’s the worst that could happen?’ Next thing I knew, I was in the hospital.”

The following months consisted of intensive rehabilitation and an abundance of visits from Clayborn’s family, friends and members of his church.

“I remember a ton of people coming in and out,” he said.

The Drew Crew foundation was immediately started by a friend and taken over by his family to help fund Clayborn’s care.

“As far as care goes, it’s been a lot of family,” he said. “The community has helped us fund the nurses we have. Our insurance covers 12 hours a day, but I require someone to be with me for 24 hours a day because my ventilator could pop off at any moment.”

The Drew Crew, largely run by Clayborn’s father, hosts an annual 5K run in September and a golf outing every July.

“My dad has been the driving force for all of this,” he said. “He’s been

doing it all pretty much since I came home from the hospital and he runs all the fundraisers we do. He’s my primary care person.”

Although Clayborn is a quadriplegic, his goals have remained intact.

Prior to the accident, the now 19-year-old was simply looking forward to graduating and getting into a good college. Today, he is a student at the University of Michigan studying bioinformatics, the science of collecting, and analyzing complex biological data.

“I’d love to do research to cure a major illness,” he said. “And, it’s on my bucket list to work for Google or Apple.”

The Commerce Township resident has done some public speaking and has visited other victims of paralysis to support and encourage them through their recovery. It is Clayborn’s intention to help others who have suffered spinal cord or brain injuries through his foundation.

Throughout the week, Clayborn stays in Ann Arbor to attend school and returns to his Commerce Township home on the weekends to spend time with his dad, stepmother, brother and sister. Not only is Clayborn achieving academic success and enjoying his independence at college, he has not allowed this life-changing incident to alter his spirit.

“I have no reason to be down. My life is great,” he said. “I know one day I’ll be up and walking. My priority now is to remain healthy and be ready for the cure. By miracle or medicine, I believe it will happen.”

Story: Katey Meisner

Photo: Laurie Tennent

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Well maintained and updated cape cod w/all sports Cedar Island Lake privileges. Beautiful gardens in front and side yards. 213075660. $91,500

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Gorgeous well maintained home in Settler's Point sub.

1st floor master with large bath, hardwood floors, 1st floor laundry. 3 bedrooms and bath on second level.

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Great updates and features throughout. Hardwood floors, coved ceiling in bright living room. Separate dining room, updated kitchen with appliances. Sun room. 213071711. $159,000

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Spacious main lakefront on Wolverine Lake. Beautiful location on one of the largest parts of the lake. You’ll love the lake views from the wide open great room and wall of windows. Large lakeside Master suite.

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First offering on prime Middle Straits main lakefront home. Home sits on 4 forty foot lots with 160 feet of frontage. Well cared for by original owners. Lakeside master suite with glamour bath. 2 story greatroom with terrific lake views. 213094152. $689,000

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Enjoy 4 large bedrooms & fenced backyard. Just down the street to all sports Commerce Lake.

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BENTIVOLIO VS. TROTT CAN THE OAKLAND COUNTY GOP RIGHT ITSELF?

BENTIVOLIO

TROTT

BY LISA BRODY

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akland County's Republican Party had been feeling pretty secure. In 2010, after 12 years of Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm, Republicans regained not only the state's governor's office, but were also able to maintain control of the state House of Representatives. Redistricting favored their candidates in most instances, leading to allegations of gerrymandering. In 2012, for the first time in years, all three chambers of the state government, the state Senate, House of Representatives, and the governor's office, were in solid Republican hands, and a homegrown boy, Mitt Romney, was running for president of the United States.

While certain races were of concern, the U.S. 11th Congressional District was not one of them.

Thaddeus McCotter, a Livonia resident and former state senator, had been the U.S. Representative for the district since 2003, and while from July 2 to September 21, 2011, he was a candidate for the Republican nomination for president in the 2012 election, his candidacy never gained traction, and he was never included by Republicans and others in any national debates. With a safe and securely redistricted seat that now spread from Livonia, Westland and Novi into Commerce Township, Walled Lake, White Lake, and Birmingham and Bloomfield Hills, it was a campaign no-brainer. He just had to get the required signatures filed for the August 7, 2012 primary, where only one other candidate had filed to run against him, a former U.S soldier, teacher, and current reindeer farmer and Santa Claus, Kerry Bentivolio of Milford.

But strange events can happen in politics.

McCotter is proof of that. In late May 2012, after the official filing deadline, it was discovered that an overwhelming majority – 85 percent – of the signatures on his filing petition were invalid, a fraud perpetuated by his staff, it was discovered, since 2006.

The fallout led McCotter to resign from Congress on July 6, months shy of the end of his term, leaving his constituents high and dry, and forcing voters to not only choose a replacement for him in the August primary and November general election, but in a special September election in which Democrat David Curson prevailed to finish the six weeks left in McCotter's term.

Besides being appalled by the fraud and scandal that McCotter left in his wake, state and local Republicans by and large weren't thrilled with the only choice they had on the ballot, Bentivolio, who had previously only run once before for any elected office. In 2010, he was unsuccessful in his bid for the state senate in the 15th district, against the more experienced Mike Kowall. Party members sought a write-in candidate, approaching local businessman David Trott, amongst others, who declined. Former state Sen. Nancy Cassis (R-Novi), who had been term limited, bit the bullet for the team, and launched a write-in campaign.

A write-in candidate is a candidate whose name does not appear on the ballot, but who voters may vote for by writing in their name.

Write-in candidates rarely win. In the case of Cassis, despite pledging to spend $200,000 to defeat Bentivolio, wider name recognition and having the support of mainstream Republican party members in Oakland County, she failed to win the primary.

B

entivolio went on to win the general election in the Republican district having raised only roughly $41,000 himself, and is the current representative, where he is still paying off campaign debts of approximately $112,000, according to reports, while trying to raise money for a 2014 run. To date, he has raised roughly $100,000, according to Republican sources.

In comparison, U.S. Rep. Gary Peters (DBloomfield Township), who has announced he is seeking the senate seat currently held by U.S. Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI), has raised more than $1 million, and has $1.8 million cash on hand. House Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp (RMidland), has received contributions of $785,000, and has reported more than $3 million of cash on hand.

However, Bill Ballenger of Inside Michigan Politics, said Bentivolio may have had more money behind him than just what he personally raised.

“Ron Paul and the Libertarians came in with a lot of money,” Ballenger said. “They may have actually outspent Cassis; more money may been spent on his behalf than on her. And I expect the same thing will happen in this (2014) primary.”

Dave Dulio, a political science professor at Oakland University, said there can be a problem

going forward with a party floating a write-in candidate against an unapproved party candidate. “You can find yourself in a spot like they did the last time with a write-in candidate, which did not win,” he said. “The problem is going forward they can have a bad relationship. If the party does not want him going forward, they can rally a different set of primary voters. Who turns out the most matters more than incumbency.”

By and large, local Republicans have not been happy with Rep. Kerry Bentivolio, although Oakland County Republican chairman Jim Thienel hesitated to say that, noting that the county Republican party is no longer just the GOP. “There are fiscal Republicans, social Republicans, Tea Party Republicans, so called Liberty Republicans. The problem is there is no longer just the straight Republican party anymore,” he said.

"As a policy, the Michigan Republican Party doesn't get involved in primary races," Darren Littrell, spokesperson for the Michigan Republican Party, said.

“Bentivolio has a Tea Party streak that works for him. It will be interesting to monitor the group going forward to 2014 to see how much strength the Tea Party will have,” Dulio said.

Why don't mainstream Republicans like Bentivolio? He is Libertarian-leaning and an outspoken opponent of the Federal Reserve, and a Vietnam, Desert Storm and Iraq war veteran who does not want America involved in overseas conflicts. He is primarily supported by various Tea Party groups. In August 2013, as a U.S. Congressman, he announced that he had consulted lawyers about potentially impeaching President Barak Obama, but discovered you had to have a reason and evidence in order to do that.

He said that he examined impeaching Obama after he met the president, which left him disgusted just by standing next to him.

At a Republican town hall meeting in Birmingham in August, he told attendees, “I went back to my office, and had lawyers come in.

These are lawyers, PhDs in history. And I said, 'Tell me how I can impeach the President of the United States. What evidence do you have?'

You've got to have evidence.”

He said he acknowledged that it's not plausible, but said he'd still like to. “If I could write that bill, it'd be a dream come true,” Bentivolio said. “But because he is president, I have to respect the office. That's my job as a congressman.”

“Bentivolio may have done things to embarrass the Republican party and himself, but has he actually cast any strange votes that the Tea Party would not expect or like?” Ballenger asked. “The guy may look bad and sound bad and not be the guy the Republican establishment would like, but he hasn't been any worse than 50 or 60 other Tea Party congressmen. He doesn't stick out like a sore thumb in Washington.”

His record reflects Ballenger's statement, voting in step with other Republican congressmen, including voting to repeal the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) several times in the eight months he has been in office. Bentivolio,

through his spokesperson, was not available for an interview.

Prior to being a U.S. Congressman, Bentivolio listed his occupation as reindeer farmer and Santa Claus. He served in Vietnam, during Operation Desert Storm, and spent a year as a platoon sergeant in Iraq before a neck injury in 2008 caused him to be medivaced out to a military hospital at Fort Knox in Kentucky. He told the National Review in 2012 that one weekend he drove around in a rented car where he saw what appeared to be Revolutionary War re-enactors, and he pulled over. They told him they were the Tea Party, standing for “Taxed Enough Already.”

Rand Paul was speaking at the rally.

He said it inspired him to run for office in 2010 in the state senate primary.

D

uring that election and the 2012 primary election, it came to GOP and press attention that Bentivolio had had a troubling record as a teacher in Milford, with the Detroit Free Press noting that Bentivolio earned a reprimand from superiors “for intimidating and threatening students by grabbing their desks and yelling in their faces or slamming their fists on their desks.” He stepped down.

Bentivolio said he began playing Santa Claus in the late 1980s as part of an effort to help draw shoppers to downtown Milford. Some merchants bought a sleigh and he bought the reindeer.

Currently, he has six reindeer, which he also said can produce milk. He once testified under oath in a court deposition, “I have a problem figuring out which one I really am, Santa Claus or Kerry Bentivolio. All my life I have been told I'm Kerry Bentivolio and now, I am Santa Claus, so now I prefer to be Santa Claus. Maybe I should have went to see a shrink.”

He told the reporter from the National Review that's what you do when you get in character. “I think I'm Santa when I'm Santa.”

Voters in the 11th District will have to determine who Kerry Bentivolio is.

On September 4, 2013, Birmingham businessman David Trott announced that he would run for the congressional seat in the 11th District in the Republican primary in August 2014, citing his record of job creation, problem solving ability and commitment to conservative values as his motivation to serve the constituents of the district.

Oakland University's Dulio said the Republican challenge is a remnant of the McCotter political fallout. “Given the fact that there is this primary challenge for this seat, which is rare, the McCotter debacle is continuing to play out for this seat.”

Trott, whose name was floated as a possible write-in candidate in 2012 by Oakland County Republicans, is a partner in the Trott & Trott law firm which specializes in foreclosures and bankruptcy issues, which has already made him a target of Democrats who claim he's a guy who throws people out of their houses, noted Steve Mitchell, of Mitchell Research and Communications, Inc. “The Tea Party people will

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also jump on that. But Trott has pointed out that he's helped a lot of people too, and helped a lot of people stay in their homes, helping them with housing work out situations.”

A poll Mitchell released September 6, indicates that Trott's timing may be right, with one third, or about 36 percent, of Republican primary voters saying that they would likely re-elect Bentivolio, while another third, 30 percent, would vote for “a new person to do a better job.” Another third aren't sure who they would vote for. Mitchell concluded that Bentivolio is vulnerable to a Republican challenge.

T

rott is a graduate of Cranbrook Schools, University of Michigan and Duke University Law School and “has earned his Republican stripes,” said Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson, who calls Bentivolio the “accidental congressman.”

“He's not Simon LeGree. He did more than foreclosures. He did a lot of workout programs, he owns a real estate company (Coldwell Banker Weir Manuel) and several title companies (Seaver Title, Greco Title, Midstate Title Agency), too,” Patterson said. “He's one of the best fundraisers I've ever had. When he called and told me he was going to run, I told him he had my support.”

Thienel said he believes Trott's career will give him advantages and disadvantages. “The fact is, he's a proven leader and being a successful businessman is an advantage. Dave is one of the few people who relates extremely well with the grassroots across the board, with candidates across the board, and with people across the

westendmonthly.com

board,” Thienel said. “There is no air of arrogance with Dave Trott.”

His success also allows him the ability to selffund his campaign, although his spokesperson Megan Piwowar said she did not know if Trott would use his own money. “I believe his campaign will be completely fueled by local donors,” Piwowar said.

“Bentivolio is an ineffective congressman. He does not do town halls; his district staff does all of his meetings for him. Trott is trusted more by the Republican establishment, as someone who won't scare away as many constituents. But many people have questions about him,” said Frank Houston, Oakland County Democratic chairman.

“When you have someone who is the Microsoft of foreclosures, someone who has made money off of every step of the foreclosure deal, there are questions. If Bentivolio does an effective job, he'll raise those questions.”

Thienel said it's going to be a very interesting race. “Dave Trott and Kerry Bentivolio are two people with different backgrounds, with two different personalities who present two different choices for Republican primary voters,” he said.

Trott said he is a lifelong Oakland County resident who has supported numerous local, state and national candidates who “embrace our conservative values.” He's also been an active member of the community, sitting on the boards of Detroit County Day School, The Community House, Karmanos Cancer Center, Michigan State Building Authority, and the Michigan Chamber of Commerce. He's also been a team player, supporting many Republican candidates for various offices, going back to his days as a high

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school student, when he updated voting lists for then-Oakland County Republican chairman and former congressman Joe Knollenberg.

“It's a redo of last year. It's the same group backing Trott that were behind Cassis,” Ballenger said. “But the power of the incumbency is quite powerful. The notion that the establishment can wade right in and take it back is going to be very difficult. They'll find it's much more difficult than they expect, and I'm not sure they can do it. Look, obviously Bentivolio hasn't been better than they thought he'd be. But he's certainly no worse than they expected. (U.S. Speaker of the House John) Boehner endorsed him and came out and raised money for him. Congressman (John) Amash (RGrand Rapids) has endorsed him.”

Ballenger said he believes it will likely remain a Republican district, and Houston acknowledged that in a way, as well. “It's a very gerrymandered district,” Houston said. “We have to focus on attracting a strong candidate and getting people back to work.”

“If Trott beats Bentivolio, the Democrats will probably not feel it's worth going after Trott,” Ballenger said. “They would not feel like spending a lot of money or effort to beat Trott. But they won't know if he's the guy who will win the primary and have to find someone until August, and the filing deadline is in May. Who will come to the fore for the Democrats to get in the position to win in November by next May? “The Democrats must be questioning, do we really make an effort, when we have too many other fish to fry in other districts, in a 55 percent Republican district, in a non-presidential election year,” Ballenger noted.

33

FACES

Lindsey Stakoe

L

indsey Stakoe is an actor, dancer, choreographer and teacher in California who began performing as a young girl at the American Dance Academy, now located in Commerce Township.

“When I was two, they realized I was pigeon-toed. They put my legs in casts for a little bit,” Stakoe said. “So, when I was five, my mom thought it would be a good idea to put me in ballet. Little did she know I’d be doing it for the rest of my life.”

Growing up in West Bloomfield, the Walled Lake Central High School alumus never entertained another career possibility. She had confidence she would succeed in a profession she is incredibly passionate about.

“I always wanted to be a performer,” she said. “I applied at Michigan State University for the theater scholarship and got it. Elizabeth Rexroat was the theater teacher at Walled Lake Central, and she helped me get that scholarship and helped me decide what my priorities were my senior year.”

Stakoe earned a degree in theater with a specialization in dance from MSU while attending Michael Howard Studios in New York City for acting.

“I’ve done film and television,” she said. “I’ve done small commercials and music videos for new artists. I did three independent films in Michigan and a lot of print work.”

Stakoe also worked as the assistant director and choreographer for high school productions at the prestigious Interlochen Center for the Arts.

In 2003, she journeyed to Hollywood and has been performing in the production "A Faery Hunt" for seven years. She has also been performing with “The Satin Dollz,” a 1940’s cabaret group, for eight years.

“We perform all over,” she said. “We’ve been to Miami, New York, and we perform in Vegas once a year. I do a lot of choreography for the ‘Dollz.’ We tap, we sing, we do jazz. We do it all.”

Throughout much of her thriving career, Stakoe has had her husband, Steve Neumann, by her side. The two met in college and, ironically, moved across the street from one another in Hollywood. They were married three years ago and together they founded Sunset Theater Company, a youth theater company that operates in California and Michigan. The teaching artists have also been working to bring theater classes to public schools in both states.

“We have after-school musical theater enrichment classes in Walled Lake, West Bloomfield, and Bloomfield Hills school districts,” she said.

“It’s important to have (performing arts) in the curriculum. It’s another outlet for children. It’s a way for them to express themselves and learn communication and learn about life.”

Stakoe dreams of owning a summer home in Michigan.

“I miss those boats and it’s a great place to raise children,” she said.

“And, when we come to Michigan, we have to go to Multi-Lakes Conservation for a burger.”

In the meantime, Stakoe is working hard to grow Sunset Theater Company and is grateful to be teaching an appreciation for performing arts.

“It’s a dream come true.”

Story: Katey Meisner

Photo: David Page

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FACES

Drew Fralick

B

y day, Drew Fralick is a translator for a mental health journal in China; by night, the Wolverine Lake native is a stand-up comedian in Shanghai.

“It’s awesome,” Fralick said. “My work environment is really busy and serious. At night, it’s nice to be light-hearted and joke around a little bit.”

As a Walled Lake Western alumnus, Fralick would never have imagined he would be living in China or performing as a stand-up comic.

“I studied Spanish at Harding University, just outside of Little Rock. I moved to China right after I graduated and I’ve been here ever since,” Fralick had planned to visit the country for less than a year, but has been living in China with his wife for seven years now.

“My wife and I have a lot of friends there and we are there indefinitely.

It’s kinda home for us.”

Fralick’s wife, Laurie, also attended Harding University. They discovered they had taken two classes together at Harding, but the couple didn’t meet until they were living in China.

“My wife was the one who got me into (stand-up comedy),” he said.

“She’s an actress and was doing improv. I wanted to see what the improv group was like.”

Fralick ended up doing a five minute set with the group. The founder of Kung Fu Komedy club in Shanghai happened to be in the crowd that night and Fralick was asked to attend their open mic night. “I’ve been doing shows for (Kung Fu Komedy) for two years now. The Asian comedy scene is really up-and-coming.”

The audience generally consists of people residing in China who originate from countries all over the world, Fralick said. His sets are typically performed in English and he uses a lot of material about being an American living in Shanghai.

According to Fralick, American humor and sarcasm translate well in China. The audience, however, can be more aggressive than crowds in the U.S., he said.

“From what I know, the hecklers in China are worse than in the U.S. It’s no-holds-barred. No one stops them and you’ve got to be quick on your feet because they are not going to get kicked out. I’ve had shows where I spent 20 minutes just going back and forth with one or two guys. It can be very entertaining.”

While Fralick is making a name for himself in comedy, his chosen career is psychology. He is studying to earn his master’s degree in the field and will then pursue his doctorate.

He returns to the states about once a year to visit family and is looking forward to visiting Long's Family Apple Orchard while in town this month.

Fralick said he misses the fresh air, the lakes and nature in Michigan, but his life is in Shanghai where he intends to nurture dual careers.

“I hope to grow (as a comedian). It’s something I’m passionate about,” he said. “If I can do psychology and comedy, that’s ideally what I really want to do.”

Story: Katey Meisner

Photo: Jean Lannen

MUNICIPAL Commerce DDA submits ‘14 budget

By Kevin Elliott

The Commerce Township Downtown Development Authority (DDA) on Tuesday, September 17, submitted a proposed 2014 operating budget that includes more than $2.7 million in contributions from the township.

The proposed budget, which was approved by DDA board members and will go to the Commerce Township board of trustees for final approval in October, includes $4.5 million in expenditures, which includes $4.2 million to pay for debt service related to bond debt and principal. The budget assumes no property tax sales next year, a one percent increase in property values and no new levy of taxes.

The DDA's proposed budget assumes about $1.3 million in revenues from property taxes in 2014, down from about $1.5 million in 2013 and $1.7 million in 2012; about $2,000 in interest income, down from $10,000 in 2013 and $20,000 in 2012; and $3,500 in building rentals, down from $7,200 in 2013 and $24,000 in 2012. The proposed budget includes an advance of $2.7 million from the township, up from about $1.8 million in 2013 and $1.02 million in 2012.

The township board of trustees, at their meeting on September 10, approved advancing $1.8 million to the DDA from the township's debt sinking fund.

Additional advances from the township included $800,000 on March 19, 2013; $150,000 on Jan. 29, 2013; $150,000 on Nov. 13, 2012; $1.3 million on Aug. 14, 2012; and $850,000 on March 15, 2012.

The advances make up the majority of debt service payments for the DDA, which include $2.6 million in interest and administrative costs, and $1.55 million in principal debt in 2014.

Debt owed by the DDA includes interest and principal on bonds used for the $10 million purchase of the former El Dorado Country Club in 2004, and $14 million spent to purchase the Links of Pinewood golf course in 2006 and 2007, as well as 50 acres of Huron Clinton Metropolitan land and contiguous parcels. The goal of the project, north of M-5 between Welch and Haggerty Roads, was to alleviate traffic congestion, enhance the economic stability of the township and to allow for the preservation of open space.

Key to repaying the DDA's debt is the development of a mixed use area that includes commercial and residential developments, named Commerce Towne Place. This year, the 40

Questions arise about appointments

By Kevin Elliott

A

n appointment to the Commerce Township parks and recreation committee recommended by township Supervisor Tom Zoner was tabled by the township board at their meeting on September 10 after a board member questioned the method of some board appointments Zoner had recommended appointing Wolverine Lake Village resident Liza Munro to the parks and recreation committee to replace Richard Zimmin, who resigned from the board on August 1 to attend to personal obligations. Zoner said only two people applied for the committee position, which must be filled by a Wolverine Lake Village resident, as mandated by an agreement with the village, for which Commerce Township provides some services.

Commerce Township trustee Bob Berkheiser recommended tabling the appointment after questioning Zoner as to why the board hadn't been provided with information about both candidates that applied for the position.

The board then voted to table the appointment, with only Zoner voting against the motion.

Zoner said the law allows the supervisor to recommend and appoint committee appointments which then go to the full township board for approval. He said he didn't see an advantage to having board members go through each application he received when making appointments.

"The supervisor has the authority to appoint for certain positions. If other elected officials don't like it, they are welcome to make a motion to change it.

I've never broken a procedure that is in place. If you want to make a new policy, then speak up. Policy is the board's decision. It's just my chair, and my way of doing it," Zoner said.

Berkheiser made a motion at the September 10 meeting to establish a procedure for committee appointments, but withdrew the motion after further discussion, failing to gain support for the motion. He said he would like more information on applicants who weren't chosen before the board made a decision.

Zoner said he and Wolverine Lake Village Administrator Sharon Miller met after Zimmin resigned from the parks committee, and she placed notices to Wolverine residents to submit resumes to the Commerce Township supervisor.

They allowed 30 days to receive applications and at the end of the 30 days he had received only two applications. Each applicant complied by sending background information and had personal interviews.

"I was surprised there was only two applicants from Wolverine Lake, but I interviewed them both. I'm saving you time," Zoner said, in explaining his own process of recommending committee appointments to the board and not providing trustees with the information. "I bring them in, and you vote yes or no, or you can make a policy. Right now, it's my policy and I like it. There has never been a complaint before."

DDA accepted the first two purchases for portions of the land from developers, including a $5.15 million purchase agreement between the DDA and M. Shapiro Development Company, which occurred on June 25. The DDA accepted an agreement on August 20 from Hunter Pasteur Homes of Novi to purchase 14.9 acres for about $1.04 million for a residential housing development. While the purchase agreements have been accepted, the final closings and full payments will not be made to the DDA until due diligence by the developers is completed.

The DDA's 2014 budget includes an $8,000 reduction to the DDA director's compensation; $10,000 less for property maintenance and utilities from 2013 projections; and $94,500 less for road projects. The budget includes a

projected starting balance for 2014 of about $473,993.

Commerce DDA member Jose Mirkin said he expects some changes to the budget before its final approval.

"You'll have to go back and forth with the board as they will pick it apart," he said.

The DDA approved the proposed budget.

"We never anticipate problems with the township board, but we will deal with them if we have them," said DDA chair James Gotts. "These are accurate numbers."

Commerce substation command to change West Oakland County native Lt. Clay Jansson of the Oakland County Sheriff's

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Office Commerce Substation left his command position, effective Sept. 21, to accept a promotion and reassignment to support the county's corrective services division.

Lt. Dennis Servis, who has been with the Commerce Substation for six years, will take over the command position.

Jansson, who will be promoted to the position of captain, has served as the Commerce substation commander for more than five years and has been with the sheriff's office since Sept. 16, 1976. A native of west Oakland County, Jansson was raised in White Lake Township and attended Milford High School.

"I'm a west sider. I love it out here," Jansson said. "I leave here with some mixed emotions. I'm excited about the new challenges, but will miss the friends I have here in Commerce. I've been at the Commerce substation for five years and nine months, and enjoyed every single minute of it."

Prior to his command position in Commerce, Jansson was assigned to the sheriff's special investigations unit.

He also served as commander of the Lyon Township substation and has worked with the office's fugitive apprehension team, narcotics unit, court services division and other assignments.

"I think the fugitive team was my favorite assignment of all the ones I had," Jansson said. "Chasing down the bad guys, it was exciting there and there was never any downtime. That was in the late 1980s and Oakland County had seated a grand jury and indicted a lot of really bad people, so we were part of the investigative process.

That was a really exciting time in my career."

Jansson said he's also excited about his latest assignment with the sheriff's Corrective Services Satellites Division, where he will review security issues at various district courts, the Oakland County Sixth Circuit Court and the East Annex at the county's jail facility.

Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard, who personally selected Jansson for the assignment, said he worked closely with him while Jansson led the investigation into the I-96 serial shooter and other assignments.

"He has certainly proven himself in a variety of roles," Bouchard said about Jansson's experience with the office. "It was an extremely tough choice to make because we have so many great men and women here, but he certainly has the skill set and motivation to be a great captain. From that position, the choice was an easy decision."

10.13

Commerce tackles its master plan

By Kevin Elliott

Efforts to control the future construction of apartment, condominium and other multiplefamily housing developments in areas of Commerce Township began on Monday, September 16, as members of the planning commission started the process of updating the community's master plan at the commission's meeting.

Commerce Township Planner Kathleen Jackson directed questions to planning commission members in order to get some direction on how to proceed with revising the master plan, which serves as a document that lays out the community's vision for future development in the township. The process of updating the master plan, she said, will take about six to nine months. It will then need to be approved by the township's board of trustees in order to be implemented.

Jackson said the update will focus specifically on multiple-family zoning in order to fast-track the process because of developments in the township within the past six months.

Commerce Township Supervisor Tom Zoner said in August that board members had previously discussed plans to revisit and update the township's master plan in regard to multiple-family residences. Board members, at that time, were in discussions with a Farmington Hillsbased developer who was seeking a zoning variance to build a 225-unit apartment development at Maple and Beck Roads.

The land, which was zoned for single-family residential use when purchased by M. Shapiro Development, calls for multiple-

family zoning under the township's master plan. The project, which had come before township officials in December 2011, was met with resistance by board members and township residents who opposed multiple-family development in the area. After undergoing several revisions, township board members on August 13, 2013, approved a conditional rezoning of the land by a 5-2 vote.

Jim Galbraith, of Shapiro Development, told board members prior to the conditional rezoning approval that the parcel was purchased and project planned in accordance with the township's master plan. Board members, prior to voting on the matter in August, discussed undisclosed issues regarding the development with Commerce Township attorney Phil Adkison in a closed executive session. Board members approved the conditional rezoning agreement with the developer to allow the project to proceed, with board members Rick Sovel and Robert Long voting against it.

Township resident Susan Averbuch said at the planning commission meeting that the development appears to be another step in dividing the township into high-priced single-family development in the northern portion of the township, with higher-density, multiple-family housing developments in the southern portion of the township.

"We fought hard to keep open space in our neighborhood," said Averbuch, who lives near another Shapiro-owned parcel where a multiple-family development is planned along Welch Road. "Now we have this multiple apartment complex, which they are calling 'luxury' so it will make it easier to swallow. We came here to Commerce

Walled Lake appoints interim fire chief

By Kevin Elliott

W

alled Lake Fire Marshal Jim Coomer has been appointed as the city's interim fire chief to replace former fire chief Ken Van Sparrentak, who left the department on August 23.

Walled Lake City Manager Dennis Whitt said Coomer has about 25 years experience in fire service and will head up the department while the city decides which direction to go in replacing Van Sparrentak.

because it was a beautiful bedroom community. We have since lost a golf course and a lot of trees."

The loss of natural areas and open space combined with more high-density developments, such as apartment complexes, she said, leaves little buffer between singlefamily neighborhoods. The result is a louder neighborhood with more traffic, which could subsequently hurt home values.

"It seems the township is dividing into north and south, with the southern portion having many multiples and the northern having higher priced, large acreage homes," she said. "It seems almost discriminatory."

Apartments constructed in Shapiro's complex at Maple and Beck will consist of rental units, meaning the development company will retain ownership and management.

Planning commission members on September 16 said they would prefer the master plan distinguish between multiple-family developments that are occupied by their owners, such as condominiums, and those occupied by renters.

"Multi-family has traditionally been used almost as a buffer between commercial and residential areas. I'm not sure how that applies to Commerce Township today," said planning member Brian Winkler. "It seems rental units, in the very recent past, have been popular because of the number of foreclosures and short sales. Not that I favor them, but it may be something the township needs."

Commission members said they feel the master plan should distinguish between owner-occupied and renter-occupied developments, with the plan favoring those developments where the person living in the unit is the owner.

"I know three people who own

"I appointed Jim as the interim chief, and he will serve until we decide which direction to go," Whitt said. "He's the senior guy and has been around for quite a few years, and he lives in the city – not that that's the standard or criteria for the position – but we don't have a plan at the moment.

The city council may want to move forward, but at this stage, it's my call and I'm going to take it slow and easy."

Whitt said he's aware that Coomer has ambitions to head up a fire department and that he has applied to other departments in the past.

Whitt said he has spoken with Coomer and decided to give him the opportunity to offer his

rental apartments and they have a lot of problems with people leaving them in disarray," commission member Tom Jones said. "I think owner-occupied is the way to go."

Jackson said the master plan can include preferences that distinguish the type of ownership that will occur in a development, as long as there isn't any discrimination regarding income levels or violations of federal fair housing laws.

"The purpose of a master plan is to provide vision for the township," she said. "You can't discriminate. But keep in mind, the state law requires you hold public hearings and get input from the public, so what you see is a vision of the community.

When people get into trouble is when they don't have a vision and they exclude things without previously having them written down."

Commission members also discussed how the township may best address the impact of largescale multiple-housing developments on area schools, roads, and police and fire services. Because impact fees aren't assessed to developers in Michigan, the burden of additional police or fire service, education or road infrastructure is shared by all taxpayers in the community.

"The impact on all of these things should go into answering whether we should have more (multi-family developments), and where, if we should have them. I think that needs to weigh pretty heavily on the decisions we make going down the road" said commission member David Law. "We don't want to be looked at as discriminating, and we can't be discriminating against some types of projects, but it doesn't mean we have to have an unlimited number either. Going down the road, we may want to change some areas on the master plan."

input and thoughts as to what direction the city should go in filling the chief's position.

"I'm not sure he expected to be appointed," Whitt said. "It's still preliminary. He is still doing regular operations as the fire marshal and is still doing his shift."

Van Sparrentak left Walled Lake on August 23 after accepting a job as the fire chief in Lyon Township. He served as the Walled Lake fire chief for 10 years. Prior to serving as the city's fire chief, Van Sparrentak worked for the Ferndale Fire Department for 16 years, including seven as the city's fire marshal. He also instructs classes at Oakland Community College.

EDUCATION School bond issue placed on ballot

By Kevin Elliott

A $67.5 million bond issue to address school safety, security and technology, along with other district needs, will be decided by Walled Lake School District voters in the November 5 election.

The safety, security and technology bond would allow the district to complete the final phase of a safety and security plan the district began implementing following the traumatic school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., in December 2012. The bond also includes technology improvements at all of the district's schools, as well as additional projects at many buildings.

If approved, the bond would generate a maximum of $67.5 million over no more than 30 years, with an average of .99 mills levied annually to retire the bond, at a rate of .78 mills the first year. One mill is equal to $1 per $1,000 of the taxable value of a home per year, meaning the average cost to a homeowner of a home with a market value of $200,000 would be about $99 annually.

Walled Lake Schools Superintendent Kenneth Gutman said the first phase of the district's safety and security plan was implemented last winter and included locking all school doors during school hours, as well as hiring door monitors to identify all visitors before they entered school buildings. The second phase, which was completed over the summer, consisted of using sinking fund proceeds to install intercom systems at all of the schools.

The third and final phase, which would be paid by the proposed bond, Gutman said, includes installing video surveillance systems at each school, reconfiguring entrances at many of the

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buildings so that visitors would be required to check in at a school's main office before entering the rest of the building, several technology improvements, as well as additional proposed projects.

"The need for increased safety and security in our schools is paramount," Gutman said. "We have pared down this bond significantly so that it only includes issues related to safety, security, technology and other timesensitive needs. This bond doesn't represent a wish list; rather it represents needs that offer a safe, secure environment in which our children can prosper."

William Chatfield, director of operations for the district, said some security projects in the bond proposal include keyless entry systems at all of the district's schools to require key fobs on exterior and interior doors, including classroom access; updated fire alarms and mass notification systems, which would allow for specific messages and alarms to be used for different emergency situations at each building; video surveillance systems at all schools, including interior and exterior cameras; and the installation of a new VOIP phone system that offers better reliability and communication features than the current analog system.

Some of the projects included in the bond as "additional needs" include the purchase of about 70 school buses; a new bus wash system; outdoor grandstands and a press box at Walled Lake Central High School; renovating the auto shop at Walled Lake Western High School; an automatic pool cover at Walled Lake Central High School; kitchen improvements at several schools; parking lot and roof replacement at several buildings; new copy machines at all buildings; classroom fixtures and furnishings at all schools; and new bunk beds at the outdoor education center.

Chatfield said while voters last year renewed a half-mill sinking fund tax levy that generates about $2 million for building maintenance and upkeep, the fund isn't enough to meet the district's current needs.

"We simply don't have enough funds from the sinking fund to cover those needs," Chatfield said about the inclusion of parking lot and roof replacement projects included in the proposed bond. "If you don't address them, then they will become safety problems."

For instance, Gutman said a deteriorating press box and grandstands at Walled Lake Central High School,

which was built in the early 1970s, have become hazardous and led to injuries to people using them; parking lots and roof repairs could lead to other health and safety issues. Other projects will save the district money over time, he said, such as a new energy management system that is expected to cut energy costs by as much as 30 percent.

Judy Evola, director of community relations for the district, said much of the momentum behind the proposed bond issue has come from parents who voiced concern about safety and security. In looking at additional needs at the district, she said the committee that worked on creating the bond had proposed millions of dollars in projects, paring the total bond proposal down from about $200 million to $67.5 million.

The reduction in projects, she said, made it possible to keep the proposal from exceeding a one mill tax-levy proposal.

"We didn't want to increase taxes last year," she said, regarding the .5 mill sinking fund renewal. "The culture that the sinking fund came to voters last year is the same culture as this; this is updating to meet our day-to-day needs."

Projects listed in the bond total about $66.82 million, including the following: $4.2 million for video surveillance systems; $5.5 million for keyless entry and access systems; $920,000 for updated security alarm systems; $500,000 for emergency responder signage; $4.2 million for office entry reconfigurations; $4.4 million for new fire alarm and mass notification systems; $1.9 million for digital master clock systems; $2.2 million for emergency generators; $5.3 million for emergency lighting; $2.4 million for network switching replacements; $2.5 million for VOIP phones; $7.2 million for classroom technology equipment; $1 million to replace multi-function copiers; $7.9 million for digital energy management systems; $1.4 million for kitchen renovations; $2.9 million for parking lot replacements; $3.6 million for roof replacements; $25,000 for bunk beds; $6 million for replacement buses; $1.8 million for classroom fixtures and furnishings; $980,000 for grandstands and press box; $100,000 for an automatic pool cover; $125,000 for new fuel dispensers and fuel leak detection equipment; $125,000 for a new bus washing system; $80,000 for a new gym divider wall; and $250,000 to renovate an auto shop.

Under state law, the proposed bond couldn't be used for general operating budget expenses, salaries or benefits, or anything other than what is listed in the

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bond application as submitted to the state of Michigan. If approved, the bonds will be guaranteed by the state of Michigan School Bond Qualification and Loan Program. The district currently has about $115.3 million of qualified, outstanding bonds under the program.

Appeals court finds suit can continue A U.S. District Court of Appeals ruling on Wednesday, Aug. 28, found officials with the Walled Lake Consolidated School District accused of gross negligence that resulted in a faulty sexual abuse case against a West Bloomfield family aren't subject to governmental immunity protecting them from being sued.

Thal and Julian Wendrow, and their minor children, claimed their civil rights were violated by the district officials, Oakland County prosectors and staff with Michigan's Department of Human Services, which assisted in the criminal investigation and prosecution of Julian Wendrow in connection from Julian's alleged sexual abuse of his daughter, who is unable to meaningfully communicate in any conventional manner as a consequence of her severe autism.

Julian Wendrow was arrested and jailed from December 2007 to February 2008, when prosecutors dropped the case against him, finding a lack of evidence and inability of the daughter to testify in court. During that time, the couple's children were also removed from the home and placed in protective custody.

The appeals ruling also reverses a district court's final order dismissing claims against defendants Oakland County, Deborah Carley and Andrea Dean on absolute and qualifiedimmunity grounds for their actions in their respective prosecutorial roles.

Judy Evola, spokeswoman for the Walled Lake Consolidated School District, said Thursday the district had no comment regarding the case and is working with the district's attorney before making an official statement.

Thal and Julian Wendrow allege their children were improperly removed from their home and that they were maliciously prosecuted following statements allegedly made by their daughter through "facilitated communication," in which she reported abuse by her father.

The daughter is autistic and almost entirely nonverbal.

10.13

FACES

Annie VanGelderen

A

nnie VanGelderen spent childhood summers in Paris where her mother saturated her soul with a love of art. That early appreciation for art and culture led her to later embrace a position as CEO of the Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center (BBAC).

“My mother was a fashion designer in Paris. Both my parents were born and raised in Paris,” VanGelderen said. “My mother was adamant about taking us to the museums. We would take trains to other countries. I would always sketch and draw. I was very creative.”

VanGelderen’s initial relationship with the BBAC began in her late 20s when she took advantage of the classes offered at the center. She soon became a printmaking instructor, then a volunteer, and eventually a board member.

VanGelderen instituted the center’s largest annual fundraiser, “Shop and Champagne.” The ticketed affair, slated for December 4 this year, serves as an opening event for the center’s Holiday Shop.

“We take over the gallery spaces and it’s an opportunity to buy artists' work,” she said. “You will see every type of art available. (The Holiday Shop) is a great opportunity if you don’t want to hit the malls or if you want something unique. It runs from December 5-21, and is open and free to the public.”

After working as an ultrasound technologist for many years, becoming CEO of the BBAC was an exciting venture for the lakes area art aficionado.

“I felt so fortunate to have been given this opportunity,” she said. “It’s really made a full circle. I started as a student and I am now running the

organization. Walking through these doors every day and to be surrounded by art is inspirational.”

A professional artist herself, VanGelderen’s medium is printmaking.

“I work on a printing press,” she said. “I do mixed media work and threedimensional work. I create kind of a storybook in what I call my narrative boxes.”

VanGelderen immerses herself in art at work and at home. She displays an art collection mainly consisting of cutting edge and contemporary pieces.

“We’ve been living in Commerce Township for a little under five years. It’s a quiet little hamlet,” she said of her respite. “Some rooms still don’t have furniture, but there is art on the wall.”

VanGelderen jokes that her husband, Glenn, has become an art enthusiast by osmosis.

“He’s the other side of the brain,” she said. “He’s an engineer and an attorney, but he’s now very comfortable walking into a gallery. Even if he’s on a business trip out of the country, he will visit museums. We really share that passion.”

The BBAC extends its services to Alzheimer patients and mentally challenged students. VanGelderen insists art should be available and accessible to everyone.

“Art allows you to paint outside the lines and lets you know it’s ok to be a little different. We are a warm and welcoming place.” she said. “I thank goodness I was allowed to explore art as a child. It’s important that everyone have some thread to the creative process.”

Story: Katey Meisner

Photo: Laurie Tennent

Expires 10-31-2013

PLACES TO EAT The Places To Eat for Westend is a quick reference source to establishments offering a place for dining, either breakfast, lunch or dinner. The complete Places To Eat is available at westendmonthly.com and in an optimized format for your smart phone (westendmonthly.com/mobile), where you can actually map out locations and automatically dial a restaurant from our Places To Eat.

Amazing House Chinese Restaurant: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, Monday–Friday, 3-10 p.m. No reservations. 1130 E. West Maple Road, Walled Lake, 48390.

248.669.8896.

Anaam’s Palate: Middle Eastern. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 2534 Union Lake Road, Commerce Township, 48382. 248.242.6326.

Applebees Neighborhood Grill: American.

Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

Liquor. 9100 Highland Road, White Lake, 48386. 248.698.0901.

Backyard Coney Island: American.

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 49378 Pontiac Trail, Wixom, 48393. 248.926.9508.

Bayside Sports Grille: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 142 E. Walled Lake Drive, Walled Lake, 48390.

248.669.3322.

Biffs Coney Island: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

WHAT’S COOKING? W eddingT raditions:

3050 Union Lake Road, Commerce Township, 48382. 248.366.7400.

Big Boy Restaurant: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

Beer & Wine. 5834 Highland Road, Waterford, 48328. 248.674.4631.

Big Boy Restaurant: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

800 N. Pontiac Trail, Walled Lake, 48390. 248.624.2323.

Big Boy Restaurant: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

Beer & Wine. 7726 Cooley Lake Road, Waterford, 48327. 248.363.1573.

Billy’s Tip N Inn: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 6707 Highland Road, White Lake Township, 48383. 248.889.7885.

Blu Nectar: American. Lunch & Dinner, Monday - Saturday. Reservations. Liquor.

1050 Benstein Road, Walled Lake, 48390. 248.859.5506.

Boon Kai Restaurant: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 1257 S Commerce Road, Commerce, 48390.

248.624.5353.

Buffalo Wild Wings: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

5223 Highland Road, Waterford, 48327.

248.674.9464 Carino’s Italian Restaurant: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 500 Loop Road, Commerce Township, 48390.

248.926.5300.

Confections for Today’s Bride Presented by: Presented by: Gwen Borders, Executive Chef and Gwen Borders, Owner ofChef Triflesand Executive Owner of Trifles

Delicious samples will be served.

No reservations required.

Presented by the Friends of the West Bloomfield Public Library

Thursday, October 3 at 7pm West Bloomfield Library -Main Library Meeting Room

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OPEN TO SERVE YOU:

1050 Benstein Road, Commerce Twp., MI 48390

Sun. thru Thurs. 1am to Midnight; Fri. & Sat. 11am to 2am

1.248.859.5506 westendmonthly.com

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Carrie Lee’s of Waterford: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

7890 Highland Road, Waterford, 48327.

248.666.9045.

Casey’s Sports Pub & Grill: Deli. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 1003 E West Maple Road, Walled Lake, 48390.

248.669.5200.

China Garden: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner daily. No reservations. 49414 Pontiac Trail, Wixom, 48393. 248.960.8877.

China House: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 901 Nordic Drive, White Lake Township, 48386.

248.889.2880.

China King: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

No reservations. 4785 Carroll Lake Road, Commerce Township, 48390.

248.363.9966.

China Queen: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 1130 E Maple Road, Walled Lake, 48390.

248.669.8896.

CJ’s Brewing Company: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

8115 Richardson Road, Commerce Township, 48390. 248.366.7979.

Coffee Time Café: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

1001 Welch Road, Commerce Township, 48390. 248.624.0097.

Coyote Grille: American. Lunch, MondayFriday; Dinner, Monday-Sunday. No reservations. Liquor. 1990 Hiller Road, West Bloomfield, 48324. 248.681.6195.

Dairy Queen: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 10531 Highland Road, White Lake, 48386.

248.698.2899.

Daniel’s Pizza Bistro: Pizza. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 2510 Union Lake Road, Commerce Township, 48382.

248.363.7000.

Dave and Amy’s: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

9595 Highland Road, White Lake, 48386. 248.698.2010.

Dave’s Coney Island: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No Reservations.

901 Nordick Drive, White Lake, 48383.

248.889.3600.

Dickey’s Barbecue Pit: Barbecue. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 4825 Carroll Lake Road, Commerce Township, 48382. 248.360.4055.

Dobski’s: American, Polish. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 6565 Cooley Lake Road, Waterford, 48327.

248.363.6565.

Eddie’s Coney Island: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

1749 Haggerty Road, Commerce Township, 48390. 248.960.1430.

El Mariachi Mexican Restaurant: Mexican.

Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

602 N Pontiac Trail, Walled Lake, 48390.

248.926.6180.

El Nibble Nook: Mexican. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations for 6 or more. Liquor.

2750 Haggerty Road, West Bloomfield, 48323. 248.669.3344.

El Patio Mexican Restaurant: Mexican.

Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

7622 Highland Road, Waterford, 48327.

248.666.5231.

Five Guys Burgers & Fries: American. Lunch

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& Dinner, daily. No reservations. 5134 Highland Road, 48327. 248.673.5557.

Gest Omelets: American. Breakfast & Lunch, daily until 4 p.m. No reservations.

39560 W 14 Mile Road, Commerce Township, 48390. 248.926.0717.

Golden Chop Sticks: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 47516 Pontiac Trail, Wixom, 48393.

248.960.3888.

Grand Aztecha: Mexican: Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 6041 Haggerty Road, West Bloomfield, 48322.

248.669.7555.

Greek Jalapeno: Greek, Mexican. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

6636 Cooley Lake Road, Waterford, 48327. 248.363.3322.

Green Apple Restaurant: American.

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 7156 Cooley lake Road, Waterford, 48327. 248.366.9100.

Haang's Bistro: Chinese/Thai. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. 225 E Walled Lake Drive, Walled Lake, 48390.

248.926.1100.

Highland Grille: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 7265 Highland Road, Waterford, 48327.

248.666.8830.

Highland House: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 2630 E. Highland Road, Highland, 48356.

248.887.4161.

Highland House Café: American, Pizza.

Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

10719 Highland Road, White Lake, 48386. 248.698.4100.

Hong Kong Express: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 5158 Highland Road, Waterford, 48327.

248.673.7200.

It’s a Matter of Taste: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 2323 Union Lake Road, Commerce, 48390.

248.360.4150.

Jennifer’s Café: Middle Eastern. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 4052 Haggerty Road, Commerce Township, 48390. 248.360.0190.

Jenny’s Restaurant: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

1186 E West Maple Road, Walled Lake, 48390. 248.669.8240.

Kennedy’s Irish Pub: Irish/American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

1055 W Huron Street, Waterford, 48328.

248.681.1050.

L George’s: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 1203 S Commerce Road, Walled Lake, 48390.

248.960.5700.

Leo’s Coney Island: American/Greek.

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 6845 Highland Road, White Lake, 484386. 248.889.5361.

Leo’s Coney Island: American/Greek.

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 4895 Carroll Lake Road, Commerce Township, 48382.

248.366.8360.

Leo’s Coney Island: American/Greek.

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 2210 Teggerdine, White Lake, 48386. 248.779.7085.

Leon’s Food & Spirits: American. Breakfast,

Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

Liquor. 29710 S. Wixom Road, Wixom, 48393. 248.926.5880.

Lion’s Den: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 4444 Highland Road, Waterford, 48328. 248.674.2251 Lulu’s Coney Island: Greek. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

1001 Welch Road, Walled Lake, 48390.

248.669.1937.

Maria’s Restaurant: Italian. Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 2080 Walnut Lake Road, West Bloomfield, 48323.

248.851.2500.

Mexico Lindo: Mexican. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 6225 Highland Road, Waterford, 48327.

248.666.3460.

Mezza Mediterranean Grille: Mediterranean.

Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

1001 Welch Road, Commerce Township, 48390. 248.926.2190.

Moonlight Mediterranean Cuisine: Mediterranean. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 1123 E West Maple Road, Walled Lake, 48390. 248.859.5352.

Nick & Toney’s: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday; Sunday until 3 p.m. No reservations. 9260 Cooley Lake Road, White Lake, 48386.

248.363.1162.

North Szechuan Empire: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 39450 W. 14 Mile Road, Commerce Township, 48390. 248.960.7666.

On The Waterfront: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 8635 Cooley Lake Road, Commerce Township, 48382. 248.363.9469.

Panera Bread: Bakery, Deli. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

5175 Highland Road, Waterford, 48327.

248.618.0617.

Pepino’s Restaurant & Lounge: Italian.

Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. No reservations.

Liquor. 118 W Walled Lake Drive, Walled Lake, 48390. 248.624.1033.

Red Lobster: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 479 N Telegraph Road, Waterford, 48328.

248.682.5146.

Red Robin: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

No reservations. Liquor. 3003 Commerce Crossing, Commerce Township, 48390.

248.926.2990.

Root Restaurant & Bar: American. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday. No reservations. Liquor. 340 Town Center Blvd, White Lake, 48386. 248.698.2400.

Rudy’s Waffle House: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

674 N Pontiac Trail, Walled Lake, 48390.

248.669.7550.

Samuri Steakhouse: Japanese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 7390 Haggerty Road, Wet Bloomfield, 48322.

248.661.8898.

Shark Club: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 6665 Highland Road, Waterford, 48327.

248.666.4161.

SIAM Fushion: Thai. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

No reservations. Liquor. 6845 Highland Road, White Lake Township, 48386.

248.887.1300.

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Siegel’s Deli: Deli. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 3426 E West Maple Road, Commerce Township, 48390. 248.926.9555.

Sizzl in Subs & Salads: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 2051 N Wixom Road, Wixom, 48393.

248.960.0009.

Swasdee Thai Restaurant: Thai. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 6175 Haggerty Road, West Bloomfield, 48322.

248.926.1012.

Sweet Water Bar & Grille: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

7760 Cooley Lake Road, Waterford, 48327. 248.363.0400.

Taqueria La Casita: Mexican. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 49070 Pontiac Trail, Wixom, 48393.

248.926.1980.

Thai Kitchen: Thai. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 7108 Highland Road, Waterford, 48327. 248.886.0397.

The Lake’s Bar & Grill: American. Lunch, TuesdaySunday; Dinner daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 2528 Union Lake Road, Commerce Township, 48382.

248.366.3311.

The Library Pub: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 6363 Haggerty Road, West Bloomfield, 48322.

248.896.0333.

TJ’s Sushi & Chinese Restaurant: Japanese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 8143 Commerce Road, Commerce Township, 48382.

2484.363.3388.

Town Lake Family Restaurant: American.

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner daily. No reservations. 1186 E. West Maple Road, Walled Lake, 48390. 248.669.7550.

Uptown Grill: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 3100 West Maple Road, Commerce Township, 48382. 248.960.3344.

Village Grill: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

1243 N Commerce Road, Commerce Township, 48382. 248. 366.3290.

Volare Risorante: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 49115 Pontiac Trail, Wixom, 48393. 248.960.7771.

VR Famous Fried Chicken: American, Cajun. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 47520 Pontiac Trail, Wixom, 48393. 248.926.6620.

Walled Lake Coney Island & Pizza: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 1203 Commerce Road, Walled Lake, 48390.

248.624.8531.

White Palace: Mediterranean. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 6123 Haggerty Restaurant, West Bloomfield, 48322. 248.313.9656.

Wilson’s Pub n Grill: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

2256 Union Lake Road, Commerce Township, 48382. 248.363.1849.

Wonton Palace: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 5562 Cooley Lake Road, Waterford, 48327.

248.683.5073.

Woody’s Café: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 235 N. Pontiac Trail, Walled Lake, 48390.

248.624.4379.

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BUSINESS MATTERS Bicycle shop closing Ernie Dell of Cycletherapy, 141 E. Walled Lake Dr., in Walled Lake, said the bicycle shop will be closing its doors at the end of September. The shop sells bicycles and accessories for mountain biking, gravity, road, city, junior dirt and street cycling. The shop also offers maintenance services.

The shop is the second site for Cycletherapy in west Oakland County, with the business’ first store opening in 2004 at 3545 Elizabeth Lake Road in Waterford. Dell said operations will continue at the Waterford location, on Elizabeth Lake Road, just west of Cass Lake Road.

Event show has two days An annual trade show for events planners held at the West Bloomfield Jewish Community Center, 6600 W. Maple Road, West Bloomfield, will be extended this year as the Joe Cornell Event Planning Expo will run Oct. 6 and 7 at the JCC. The event, which is free and open to the public, has been conducted each year for more than a decade. This year’s event will feature a second day for “The Corporate Blitz” to help coordinators learn how to

strengthen their internal communities and networks, and show appreciation and gratitude for clients and vendors.

Joe Cornell Entertainment has been in business since 1950 and offers dance and etiquette programs for tweens and schools, emcee services and other entertainment services.

Handcrafted furnishings Traverse City-based Woodland Creek Furniture has opened a URRHOUZZ showroom at 6648 Orchard Lake Road in West Bloomfield. The new showroom features handcrafted, fine-furnishings that are made with a stress on reclaimed woods and sustainable materials. More than half of the products at the showroom are made in the United States and more than 30 percent are from Woodland Creek’s workshop in the East Bay area of Traverse City.

New Goodwill store Goodwill Industries of Michigan has opened a 15,000 square-foot retail space in Commerce Township at 3281 Crumb Road, just west of Haggerty Road, north of Maple, next to the Meijer store. The new space is the first resale store operated by Goodwill Industries of

Greater Detroit in Oakland County, and the third in the metro Detroit area. The store was expected to generate jobs for more than two dozen people. Proceeds from the store go to fund Detroit-area Goodwill job training, education and placement programs that help the region’s unemployed with jobs. The store is open from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and from noon until 6 p.m. on Sunday.

The new store accepts donated items, including clothing and other home items, and sells them in a retail environment. Jeffrey Urainec, director of donated goods, said the Commerce Township store offers great deals on high quality merchandise, giving the store more of the feel of a department store than a traditional resale shop.

Goodwill Industries has placed more than 2,400 people in jobs in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb Counties in the past two years, and provided job training, education and placement services for more than 39,000 people in the region.

Diner, but the signature, slow-cooked corned beef that the Lucaj family used to help build the restaurant’s reputation remains very much the same. Originally opened in 1995, Arta’s closed more than 10 years ago, but opened again this Memorial Day at the former El Mariachi space on Pontiac Trail. Barlet Lucaj, who was raised in the area and attended Walled Lake Western High School, was attending Oakland University and working at the Bread Basket Deli when he decided it was time to reopen the family’s shop.

“It’s been going well, we are getting good feedback,” Lucaj said, who runs the restaurant with his mother, File.

“We changed the sign to American Diner, because people thought all we had was corned beef and ham. We serve breakfast, lunch and dinner.” Still, the signature dish remains the corned beef, which is slow cooked, then steamed and served best with cole slaw as a Rueben sandwich. The corned beef is made fresh each morning and sliced thin to order.

Diner reopens

Business Matters for the west Oakland area are reported by Kevin Elliott. Send items for consideration to KevinElliott@downtownpublications.com. Items should be received three weeks prior to publication.

Arta’s Corned Beef and Ham at 602 N. Pontiac Trail in Walled Lake has changed its sign to the American

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ENDNOTE

Common Core standards: common sense

E

ducational changes have once again come to Michigan and a majority of the United States in an effort to create a set of national standards to better prepare students for college, careers and international academic competition. Called the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for K-12 in English, language arts and mathematics, they were developed through a state-led initiative coordinated by the National Governors Association, the National Association Center for Best Practices and the Council of Chief State School Officers, representing superintendents from across the country.

Participating states, including Michigan, worked with them alongside a wide range of educators, content experts, researchers, national organizations and community groups.

The federal government was never involved in any way in shaping or mandating Common Core, despite some politicians claims that they are an effort by the Obama administration to wrestle control from individual states or local districts. It has been a stateled and state-driven initiative from the beginning, with Gov. Rick Snyder a strong supporter. The Common Core initiative first began back when President George W. Bush was in office, led by the National Governors Association, a non-partisan organization with a strong Republican bent.

The national initiative began in 2009, and was adopted in June 2010 by the Michigan State Board of Education which began implementing it in the 20102011 school year, with full implementation to be complete by the 2014-15 school year. Michigan is one of 45 states, the District of Columbia, four territories, and numerous private and parochial schools across the country to have adopted the Common Core, which is a set of standards for English, language arts and

mathematics, not a set curriculum that every district has to follow specifically. Rather, it offers guidelines and benchmarks for where students should be at given grades and levels, and invites teachers to find innovative ways to instruct different types of learners to help them achieve successful results.

Local superintendents and teachers are supportive of the Common Core.

"Traditionally, the reading, writing and speaking was focused on literature classes," Walled Lake Schools Executive Director of Assessment, Instruction and Technology Mark Hess said. "In Common Core, it's emphasized across all classes.

Students will write more and there will be less multiple choice. Instead of selecting A,B,C or D for an answer, they will have to articulate their answer.

That's a big change for us. The integration of the studies, how the arts, science and humanities connect, teachers are looking at that and working together. It's a more comprehensive approach to educating."

“There is no specific, mandated curriculum. No one is saying you have to use these books. The curriculum we wrote as an ISD are generic enough a teacher can choose their own books and tools,” Delia DeCourcy, literary consultant for Oakland Intermediate Schools, explained. “It creates a very student-centered classroom with more discussion in the classroom. There's no more 'sage on the stage.'

It's learning by discovery, how you learn in the real world. Administrations are overwhelmingly positive and excited to provide professional support for it.”

Yet, Michigan legislators are currently debating whether to support and fund Common Core, held hostage by a Tea Party contingent led by Rep. Tom McMillin (R-Rochester), who sponsored House Bill

4276 which would have Michigan opt out of the Common Core curriculum and deny its funding. He told Downtown his motivation is because “before Common Core, we owned the discussions. I oppose Michigan having their state rights, their authority taken away from them.”

He also doesn't like that students will have to take assessment tests on computers because “you must type. Lots of kids don't know how to type.”

Really? Isn't the point of Common Core to make our students more competitive? One way is to become computer-literate.

Several local legislators, such as state senators John Pappageorge (R-Birmingham, Bloomfield Township, Bloomfield Hills) and Mike Kowall (RWhite Lake, Commerce Township, Walled Lake, Wolverine Lake, West Bloomfield), said they were impressed with Common Core, but hadn't made up their mind yet about their vote.

However we applaud state Rep. Mike McCready (R-Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Bloomfield Township, West Bloomfield) for standing up for his principles, and his principals, when he said, “The Tea Party isn't going to like it, but I'm going to support Common Core. It's a basic skill set for K-12. I have to listen to my educators and the superintendents in Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills and West Bloomfield all support it. I have to support my district, and not the Tea Party.”

Common Core makes a lot of common sense to us. Educators and administrators are seeking the best English and math standards for our children, to prepare them for college and careers that will help them succeed. It's time for lawmakers to recognize that, and provide that support.

Vote 'Yes' on Walled Lake Schools bond

T

he Walled Lake School District is coming before the voters this November 5 with a $67.5 million bond issue to address school safety, security and technology, along with other important district needs.

If passed, the millage will pay for numerous important security and technology advances which the district needs in order to protect its students, faculty and staff, and to technologically update its buildings and services. We recommend a YES vote on the bond proposal in order for the district to improve and modernize itself while safeguarding its students in this post-Newtown era.

The Walled Lake School District, which has students from nine different municipalities, is the largest school district in the county, and the 10th largest in Michigan. The safety, security and technology bond would allow the district to complete the final phase of a safety and security plan the district began implementing following the traumatic school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., in December 2012. The bond also includes technology improvements at all of the district's schools, as well as additional projects at many buildings.

If approved, the bond would generate a maximum of $67.5 million over no more than 30 years, with an average of .99 mills levied annually to retire the bond, at a rate of .78 mills the first year. The district currently has about $115.3 million of qualified, outstanding bonds, which they anticipate will be retired by 2024. The last time a bond millage was proposed, and passed, was in 2004.

There are important projects which would be funded by the passage of this bond, which was pared down to only include the most needed in terms of security, technology and other enterprises that administrators, parents and staff all recognized as necessary for safe and functional schools. Included in the proposed project listings if the bond passes are $4.2 million for video surveillance systems for all district schools, with interior and exterior cameras; $5.5 million for keyless entry systems at all of the district's schools to require key fobs on exterior and interior doors, including classroom access; $4.4 million for updated fire alarms and mass notification systems, which would allow for specific messages and alarms to be used for different emergency situations at each building; $6 million for the replacement of their fleet of

busses; $2.5 million for the installation of a new VOIP phone system that offers better reliability and communication features than the current analog system.

There is also $2.9 million allotted for parking lot replacement and $3.6 million for roof replacements, in order to avert potentially dangerous situations, out of a list of $30 million in parking lot and roofing needs.

"The need for increased safety and security in our schools is paramount," Walled Lake Schools Superintendent Ken Gutman said. "We have pared down this bond significantly so that it only includes issues related to safety, security, technology and other time-sensitive needs. This bond doesn't represent a wish list; rather it represents needs that offer a safe, secure environment in which our children can prosper."

We agree. While we at first questioned some of this bond issue in terms of actual need beyond the safety issues, we feel more than comfortable recommending that voters back this proposal. The district and parent committees that help devise this bond issue have done their homework and district officials have taken a conservative approach while placing this before voters.

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