Honoring the 80th Anniversary of D-Day

Honoring the 80th Anniversary of D-Day

by | Jun 10, 2024 | Regional News

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Friend ­­––

Last week, our nation — along with allies from across Europe — honored the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion.

On June 6, 1944, Allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy to beat back the Nazi army and gain a foothold in continental Europe. It ultimately marked the turning point in World War II that led to victory for the Allied Forces. D-Day was a historic moment for our country and the entire free world.

It was an honor to join President Biden and a bipartisan group of my fellow senators in France to mark this hallowed occasion and pay our respects to the servicemembers who made the ultimate sacrifice so that future generations of Americans could live in freedom.

This anniversary is also personal to me. My father didn’t invade the beaches at Normandy, but he crossed them four months later when he was deployed to France with the U.S. Army. My mother — who grew up in France — was forced to live under Nazi occupation for several years. They met during the war, fell in love, and came back to Michigan to start our family.

 

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Click HERE to watch more.

 

My mother and father taught me to never take our freedoms for granted. They told stories of Nazi oppression and the brave men and women who gave everything to fight against it. They were powerful reminders of this history and of the sacrifices made to save democracy and liberty around the world.

Let’s honor those sacrifices – and the thousands of Americans we lost on D-Day – by continuing the fight for freedom that is the bedrock of our country.

 

Thanks for reading,

Gary Peters
United States Senator for Michigan
Final Week Previews

Final Week Previews

by | Jun 10, 2024 | Feature Writers, High School Sports

Final Week Previews.

Written Sunday June 9th at 5:45 PM

We’re into the final week of the season. Here is the Girls Softball State Quarterfinal and Girls Soccer State Semifinal Previews.

Softball

LAKE ORION vs Lakeland @ Marysville

INSIGHT: This is shaping up to be a very interesting matchup of two teams that have very strong softball traditions. The Eagles are coming off a sweep of Troy Athens (15-0) and Bloomfield Hills (8-3) by a combined 23-3 which gave them their first regional crown since 2012. This will be Lakeland’s biggest test of the postseason as they face a Dragons team that has been battle tested and been put through the gauntlet. Lake Orion beat Stoney Creek and Macomb Dakota by 5-4 scores in the district and regional finals respectably. The winner of this State Quarterfinal matchup will see either Hartland or Ava Bradshaw and South Lyon in the State Semifinals at Michigan State.

PREDICTION: This will be the Eagles toughest test in the postseason. Lakeland has played against fellow Lakes Valley Conference rivals South Lyon and South Lyon East. The tough schedule favors the Dragons and that’s why they’ll be heading to Michigan State for the second straight year and likely see Bradshaw and the Lions. PICK: LAKE ORION.

Soccer

ADAMS vs Plymouth Salem @ Troy

INSIGHT: This is shaping up to be a very interesting matchup between two teams that have made surprising runs this postseason. Plymouth Salem had a big district final win over Livonia Stevenson in the district final. The Rocks had to see Plymouth and Plymouth Canton have deep runs but this season was their time to shine and it’s their first regional crown since 1995. Adams had to go through Rochester and Troy to get to this point. The Highlanders seen Stoney Creek make a deep run last season but it’s their time. The winner will see Hartland or Grand Haven in the State Finals at Michigan State.

PREDICTION: This should be a good one, I see the Highlanders winning this one being it’s a shorter drive from Rochester to Troy unlike Plymouth to Troy. I see Adams winning in a classic. PICK: ADAMS.

National Recognition to 21 Main Street OC Communities

National Recognition to 21 Main Street OC Communities

by | Jun 10, 2024 | Regional News

Main Street America Gives National Recognition to 21 Main Street Oakland County® Communities

Post Date:06/07/2024 10:51 AM

 

 

  • Berkley, Clawson, Farmington, Ferndale, Franklin, Highland, Holly, Ortonville, Oxford, Lake Orion, Rochester and Royal Oak earned accredited status.
  • Auburn Hills, Birmingham, Clarkston, Hazel Park, Lyon Township/New Hudson, Lathrup Village, Oak Park, Pontiac and South Lyon received affiliate status.
  • More than $88 million in new public and private investments have been made to Main Street Oakland County downtowns.

Pontiac, Mich. – Twenty-one out of 28 Main Street Oakland County (MSOC) communities have been recognized by Main Street America for their commitment to improving their downtowns using preservation-based economic development and community revitalization through the Main Street Approach™.

This annual accreditation process has two tiers of national designation: accredited and affiliate. The accredited status is Main Street America’s top tier of recognition. It proves a community has met the six Community Evaluation Standards, such as strategy-driven programming, and baseline requirements, including a revitalization budget. Affiliate communities have shown efforts toward meeting those standards.

Berkley, Clawson, Farmington, Ferndale, Franklin, Highland, Holly, Ortonville, Oxford, Lake Orion, Rochester and Royal Oak earn accredited status.

Auburn Hills, Birmingham, Clarkston, Hazel Park, Lyon Township/New Hudson, Lathrup Village, Oak Park, Pontiac and South Lyon received affiliate status.

In 2023, more than $88 million in new public and private investments have been made to MSOC downtowns, helping to establish 185 new businesses generate almost 250 jobs and restore 123 buildings. In that same year, Main Street America honored John Bry, MSOC program coordinator with the Mary Means Leadership Award, the organization’s highest honor.

Established in 2000, Main Street Oakland County is the first and only county in the U.S. to operate a full-service, countywide Main Street coordinating program.

 

About Main Street America

Main Street America leads a movement committed to strengthening communities through preservation-based economic development in older and historic downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts. For more than 40 years, Main Street America has provided a practical, adaptable, and impactful framework for community-driven, comprehensive revitalization through the Main Street Approach™. Our network of more than 1,600 neighborhoods and communities, rural and urban, share both a commitment to place and to building stronger communities through preservation-based economic development. Since 1980, communities participating in the program have generated more than $107.62 billion in new public and private investment, generated 175,323 net new businesses and 782,059 net new jobs, rehabilitated more than 335,675 buildings, and levered over 35.3 million volunteer hours. Main Street America is a nonprofit subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. For more information, visit mainstreet.org.

Severe weather in Michigan

Severe weather in Michigan

by | Jun 10, 2024 | Regional News

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Hi there,

I’m heartbroken to hear about the tragic loss of a 2-year-old in Livonia due to severe weather in Michigan this week. It’s a terrible loss for a family and highlights that severe weather season is fully upon us.

A month ago, we saw a frightening outbreak of tornadoes in West Michigan, and last August, tornadoes caused destruction in the Williamston area and Metro Detroit. According to the National Weather Service, this season has already been one of the busiest and most damaging on record.

In 2023, severe weather claimed the lives of nine Michiganders. As we think about those affected by recent storms, I wanted to share some reminders on ways to prepare and respond to severe weather.

  • Following heavy storms, it’s essential to allow emergency crews to clear downed power lines and debris efficiently. Avoid traveling to hard-hit areas if possible, as it can hinder clean-up efforts and put both yourself and emergency responders at risk.
  • One non-emergency resource you can call following a storm is 211. Their response partners and resource managers can connect you to resources like temporary housing, transportation, and financial assistance.
  • If your home or business is damaged, document the damage with photos and report it to your county’s emergency management team. This documentation helps officials assess the full scope of damage and allocate resources effectively.

Lastly, one of the most effective ways to prepare is by creating an emergency plan for your household. Visit Ready.gov to learn more about creating a plan and preparing for severe weather events.

– Rep. Elissa Slotkin
OC Juneteenth Event Spotlights Underground Railroad

OC Juneteenth Event Spotlights Underground Railroad

by | Jun 6, 2024 | Regional News

Oakland County’s Juneteenth Event Spotlights Underground Railroad

Post Date:06/06/2024 1:18 PM

Juneteenth

  • Oakland County has four official Underground Railroad sites: Birmingham, Farmington, Royal Oak, and Southfield with a local historian advocating for a fifth in Pontiac.
  • Juneteenth festivities are open to the public and will run from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 12 near the south entrance of the Oakland County Circuit Court building at 1200 N. Telegraph Road in Pontiac.
  • Speakers include County Executive Dave Coulter, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, and Oakland County Commissioners Angela Powell, Yolanda Smith-Charles, and Linnie Taylor.

Pontiac, Mich. ­–  The Underground Railroad, a secret network of people and safe places used by enslaved Black people to escape to freedom, is the focus of Oakland County’s second annual Juneteenth celebration on Wednesday, June 12 on the south side of the county’s Circuit Court building in Pontiac.

The public and news media are invited to attend the ceremony, which will culminate in the raising of the Juneteenth flag, to mark the official end of slavery in the United States on June 19, 1865.

Carol Bacak-Egbo, historian for Oakland County Parks and Recreation, will weave together the story of the Parker family who escaped slavery from Wood County, Va. They used the Underground Railroad to make the dangerous trek to freedom, concluding in Pontiac. The Parkers were founding members of the Newman African Methodist Episcopal Church and are buried in unmarked graves in Oak Hill Cemetery, which is highlighted on a keepsake card featuring the family’s story that will be handed out during the event.

“Juneteenth is a powerful reminder of the struggle for freedom and equality, and this year’s celebration in Oakland County will highlight the courageous efforts of the Underground Railroad, including its significant stops within our community,” County Executive Dave Coulter said. “Together, we honor the legacy of those who sought liberty and those who aided in their journey to freedom.”

Joining Coulter during the festivities will be Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson; Oakland County Commissioners Angela Powell, Yolanda Smith-Charles, and Linnie Taylor; Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer Harry Weaver; and Sheriff’s Office Capt. Melissa McClellan.

“It’s an honor to once again be part of the county’s celebration of our community, culture, history and dedication to moving forward,” Powell said. “Juneteenth is a new holiday for some, and I look forward to taking part in an event that recognizes the experiences that form Oakland County and create a vibrant place to call home.”

Oakland County has four sites that are part of the National Parks Service’s “Network to Freedom,” which features fully-documented historic locations connected to the Underground Railroad:

  • Abolitionist Elijah S. Fish and freedom-seeker George B. Taylor burial sites at Greenwood Cemetery in Birmingham
  • Abolitionist Nathan Power burial site at the Quaker Cemetery in Farmington
  • Freedom-seekers Henry and Elizabeth Hamer’s final resting place in Royal Oak Cemetery
  • Southfield Reformed Presbyterian Church, which was committed to the anti-slavery cause, abolitionism, and aiding formerly enslaved persons on their journey to Canada

Bacak-Egbo is working with the Oakland History Center and other local historians to nominate Pontiac’s Oak Hill Cemetery to be the fifth Oakland County “Network to Freedom” location.

New this year, donations may be dropped off to support Forgotten Harvest to assist in providing families in our local community with fresh and nutritious food free of charge. Items include nutritious snacks – dried fruits, nuts, trail mix and granola bars, pasta, canned soup, peanut butter, and more. A full listing can be found on our website.

Entertainers will include a choir, drummers and dancers, and storytellers. Attendees can experience diverse and sumptuous flavors from around the world with food trucks including Fork in Nigeria, Seoul Rolls on the Go, and Flavors of Jamaica.

Oakland County’s Juneteenth event will run from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on June 12 by the south entrance of the court building at 1200 N. Telegraph Road in Pontiac. The formal program begins at noon. Parking is available in the lot off County Center Drive East between the courthouse and Telegraph.

AG to Review, Contest Consumers Energy’s Rate Hike Request

AG to Review, Contest Consumers Energy’s Rate Hike Request

by | Jun 6, 2024 | Regional News

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

June 6, 2024

Media Contact:
Danny Wimmer

Attorney General to Review, Contest Consumers Energy’s Latest Rate Hike Request

LANSING – Attorney General Dana Nessel filed a notice of intervention this week in Consumers Energy Company’s latest electric rate case (U-21585) before the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC), filed on May 31, 2024. Consumers Energy seeks a rate hike of approximately $303 million annually which, if approved, would take effect in March of 2025. Only three months ago, the MPSC approved a $92 million electric rate hike for Consumers, which took effect this March.

Consumers Energy also seeks to recover an additional $21.8 million in deferred distribution expenditures through a separate 12-month customer surcharge beginning in March 2025. If the annual rate increase is approved, it would increase rates overall by 6.5% and if the separate surcharge is also approved, the total rate increase would be 7% for the period March 2025 through February 2026.

“Our intervention in these cases is vital to ensuring corporate utilities aren’t successful in their efforts to stuff unjustifiable costs into their rate hike requests,” said Nessel.  “There are standards concerning what costs Consumers Energy, DTE, and our other utility companies are allowed to pile onto their customers’ bills in their rates and other charges. My office is working diligently to hold the utilities accountable and keep unjustified expenses off the monthly bills of ratepayers.”

Attorney General Nessel is intervening in this rate case as she does in all utility rates cases before the Commission. The Department of Attorney General’s staff, along with its experts, will carefully scrutinize the filing to ensure customers do not pay any costs that are not associated with a commensurate, quantifiable benefit to them. In Consumers Energy’s last electric rate case, the company originally sought a rate hike of $216 million, but the Commission only approved a $92 million rate increase based on the arguments made by the Attorney General and other parties. In that case, the Attorney General’s experts successfully argued that Consumers Energy’s requested rate hike was excessive and not supported on the record. The Attorney General argued Consumers’ projections and expenses were unreasonable and did not provide commensurate customer benefit. The MPSC slashed Consumers’ rate hike request by nearly 60%.

The Attorney General is currently seeking a similar 58% reduction in DTE’s latest requested gas rate hike, finding the utility included in their request unsubstantiated costs, including an attempt to pass on to customers the expenses of executive corporate jet travel. In its own ongoing gas rate case, Consumers Energy filed an application seeking a 37% increase in its residential monthly charge alongside a $136 million rate hike, and the Attorney General has argued that more than 96% of this requested sum is unjustified.

“We’re winning significant cuts to proposed bill increases when we make our case before the Commission,” Nessel added. “We will continue putting resources into scouring these rate hike requests to defend Michigan bill-payers in every rate case before the MPSC.”

Consumers Energy’s latest rate hike request is in large part predicated on implementing its $7 billion Five-Year Distribution Plan that the Attorney General previously criticized as lacking in affordability, reliability, and accountability.

Consumers Energy Company is a subsidiary of CMS Energy, headquartered in Jackson and billing approximately 1.9 million electric customers. Consumers Energy additionally sells natural gas to 1.8 million customers, which is used primarily to heat homes and businesses during the winter as well as for other uses.

Since taking office, Attorney General Nessel has helped save Michigan ratepayers more than $3 billion.