Week Thirteen Recap

Week Thirteen Recap

by | Nov 26, 2024 | Feature Writers, High School Sports

Week Thirteen Recap.

Written Saturday November 23rd at 3:45 PM

Hudsonville 27, ADAMS 7. The Highlanders have had chances but mistakes were the story at Okemos on Saturday afternoon. They had an opportunity to go up 14-7 but fumble at the one yard line cost Adams their second touchdown. Nolan Farris found Tommy Oliver for a 39 yard passing touchdown to respond to Hudsonville’s 80 yard touchdown drive to start the game.  The Highlanders went for it on fourth down and couldn’t convert which led to the Eagles touchdown. Hudsonville got an interception off a tip ball to close the third quarter which led to another rushing touchdown. Hudsonville quarterback Griffin Baker had three rushing touchdowns and a passing touchdown for the Eagles. Adams had chances as mentioned but they made too many mistakes in this game which denied them a trip to Ford Field.

 

Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 28, GROVES 27. The Falcons had a really tough and heartbreaking loss at West Bloomfield on Saturday afternoon. Groves answered every Orchard Lake St. Marys drive with Noah Sanders 50 yard rushing touchdown tying the score at 7-7. Ryan Counts had a  seven yard pass to Wyatt Shortridge to tie the score at 14-14. Sanders added his second rushing touchdown for Groves tying it at 21-21. Chris Little got a huge interception for the Falcons giving them a chance to take the lead. He has two picks so far for Groves but they couldn’t convert and the game to overtime. Sanders added his third touchdown of the game in overtime but missed the two point try which was a really interesting decision to go for two. The miss proved costly as Bryson Williams scored his second touchdown of the game giving the Eaglets the tie and the extra point gave them to win and denying the Falcons a trip to Ford Field. Big plays hurt Groves and a questionable call by Flaherty to go for two proved costly. There are going to be a ton of what ifs in this game.

 

Goodrich 28, HARPER WOODS 14. The Pioneers had a rough time with a motivated Goodrich team on Saturday afternoon at Stoney Creek. Chase Burnett three rushing touchdowns for the Martians. Harper Woods made a really questionable call going for it on fourth and one from their own 30 yard line which led to the winning score for Goodrich. The Martians defense shut the high octane Pioneers offense down holding them to 14 points. Harper Woods has a lot of proven experience coming back next season but this is a tough pill to swallow.

AG Announces Missing Indigenous or Murdered People Task Force 

AG Announces Missing Indigenous or Murdered People Task Force 

by | Nov 22, 2024 | Regional News

Nessel Email Header
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

November 22, 2024

Media Contact:
Danny Wimmer

AG Nessel Announces Missing or Murdered Indigenous People Task Force

LANSING – Today, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced the formation of the Missing or Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) Task Force to address the high rates of violence against Indigenous people in the state of Michigan. This interagency collaboration brings together tribal, federal, and state and local prosecutors, law enforcement officers, victim advocates, and human services specialists to identify, develop, and implement solutions to the MMIP crisis.

“The MMIP Task Force marks a critical first step in combatting abuse and violence against Indigenous people in Michigan,” said Attorney General Nessel. “By prosecuting and tackling the root causes of these crimes, working directly with this broad coalition of MMIP Task Force members, we can build safer communities and pave the way for justice for the families and victims impacted by this crisis. I look forward to working alongside tribal leaders and state, federal, and nonprofit partners to create real, systematic change for Michigan’s Indigenous population.”

Studies indicate that a significant majority, nearly 85 percent, of Indigenous women experience violence in their lifetime. The MMIP Task Force will focus on improving the investigation and prosecution of MMIP cases, bridging gaps in the law enforcement systems, and identifying best practices. By examining the factors that contribute to the vulnerability of Indigenous individuals, particularly women, children, and two-spirit people, the Task Force aims to develop a holistic, victim-centered, and culturally honoring approach to prevention, response, and support.

The Department of Attorney General held the first MMIP Task Force meeting in September 2024, where tribal leaders, state and federal agencies, and advocacy groups discussed raising awareness, identifying contributing factors, and developing Michigan-specific solutions to the MMIP crisis. The next MMIP Task Force meeting will be in December 2024.

To gather information and connect with MMIP victims, the Attorney General has established a tip line. This tip line is in addition to the federal and tribal resources that have been put in place, including the tribal community response plans that many of the Michigan tribes have adopted. Individuals with information about missing or murdered Indigenous people in Michigan can now call 517-284-0008 in addition to the other available resources.

“I am grateful to Attorney General Nessel for her leadership addressing the persistently high levels of violence that Tribal communities have endured for generations,” said U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark Totten. “We are 100% committed to working with our federal, state, local, Tribal and other partners to swiftly investigate these cases and secure justice.”

“The Michigan State Police sincerely appreciates the work of the Attorney General to bring much needed attention to the high rates of violence against Indigenous people in Michigan,” said Col. James F. Grady II, director of the Michigan State Police. “The MSP supports the efforts of the MMIP Task Force and is fully committed to supporting victims and working with our law enforcement partners to improve collaboration and communication in the investigation of these cases.”

“The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians is pleased to join forces with Attorney General Nessel, other tribal nations within Michigan, and the rest of the MMIP task force to work collaboratively on awareness, prevention, response, and support of missing or murdered indigenous people,” said Matthew Wesaw, Tribal Council Chairman of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians. “Too many of our sisters and brothers live with the devastation of having prematurely lost a loved one due to violence.  We hope that this new collaboration will build upon and advance our previous efforts to make a meaningful difference.”

“My hope is that this task force will help develop and support such a robust multi-jurisdictional response to the epidemic of missing and murdered indigenous people that it can be felt by communities throughout Indian Country, and that real change occurs to make our people feel safer, more protected and heard, and that we not only find justice for victims but realize a reduction in the number of future victims through a focus on prevention,” said James Williams, Jr., Tribal Chairman of the Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians.

“The Gun Lake Tribe appreciates the collaboration with Michigan Attorney General Nessel and her office on the formation of the MMIP Task Force,” said Virginia Sprague-Vanderband, Gun Lake Tribal Council Member. “This grassroots cause which began as MMIW and has turned from the focus solely on women to people are important to our tribal community.  In a community that focuses on the wellbeing and protection of all our citizens, we knew we had to participate.  Our tribe also has an internal task force focused on policies and procedures that protect these rights from National Indian Child Welfare Association, Domestic Violence, and MMIP.  It is an honor to have three Gun Lake Tribe leaders on this statewide task force: Jodie Palmer, Tribal Council Vice-Chair, Liz Cook, General Counsel, and myself Virginia Sprague-Vanderband, Tribal Council. We are excited to be a part of this effort and applaud the state’s commitment to this movement.”

“We’re grateful that Attorney General Nessel is leading this new effort to address the heartbreaking issue of violence impacting Indigenous people,” said Dorie Rios, Chair of the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi. “For too long this issue has been largely ignored by local, state and federal law enforcement officials, leaving Tribal members to feel like second-class citizens. This task force will help bring change to a long-overlooked human rights issue.”

“As someone who has worked as a social worker in tribal governments here in Michigan and across the country, I have witnessed up close the need to bring greater attention to reducing the high rates of violence within indigenous communities,” said Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians Chairman Austin Lowes. “I applaud Attorney General Nessel for working to address this issue and look forward to partnering with the MMIP Task Force to help improve coordination and build better relationships between our tribe and state and federal law enforcement agencies.”
Week Thirteen Recap

Waterford Schools have applied to join the OAA

by | Nov 21, 2024 | Feature Writers, High School Sports

Waterford Schools have applied to join the OAA.

Written Wednesday November 20th at 10:18 PM

The OAA could have two potential new members as early as next school year.

The Waterford school district (Waterford Kettering and Waterford Mott) have applied to rejoin the league.

The vote or the site visit hasn’t been confirmed yet.

MIPrepZone and Brandon Folsom confirmed the articles but neither school is in the OAA yet. In Folsom’s article, Tom Flynn, former Groves Athletic Director mentions that there is a committee of principals and athletic directors that do site visitations and typically the school applying will have to do a presentation of their programs and what they bring and it will be up to the committee of principals to allow entry into the OAA.

“We are grateful for the competition we have been privileged to experience as a member district of the LVC (Lakes Valley Conference) for the past eight years. Many factors went into our decision to apply for membership of the OAA such as competitive alignment with like districts, game proximity, and academic and student leadership advantages. These opportunities will best serve our Waterford School district athletes, coaches, and families now and in the future” said Waterford Schools communications director Sarah Davis to MIPrepZone.

Waterford Kettering and Waterford Mott were original members of the league when it formed in 1994 but they left the league for the Kensington Valley Conference in 2008. The KVC became the Kensington Lakes Activities Association but the league saw a mass exit and the Waterford schools joined the Walled Lake schools (Walled Lake Northern, Walled Lake Central, Walled Lake Western), the Huron Valley schools (Lakeland and Milford), and the South Lyon schools (South Lyon and South Lyon East) to form the Lakes Valley Conference in 2016-2017.

The OAA has 23 schools and uses a competitive balance system (Red,White, Blue, Gold) when it comes to divisions with the best playing against the best and the teams that are struggling play against other struggling teams. The league realigns with teams who win the division gets a chance to go up while those who finishes in last goes down a division.

It will be very interesting to see how Waterford Kettering and Waterford Mott fit into the league if they are approved. It will be very interesting to see what happens.

Stay tuned to OAA Now for the latest on this developing story.

Folsom story

https://www.hometownlife.com/story/sports/2024/11/19/leaving-the-lvc-waterford-mott-kettering-apply-to-rejoin-oaa/76424849007/

Week Thirteen Recap

Week Thirteen Picks

by | Nov 21, 2024 | Feature Writers, High School Sports

Week Thirteen Picks.

Written Wednesday November 20th at 7:05 PM

Here are the pickers and the picks for week thirteen.

SANDY DUNES: Sammy Taormina, host of OAA Now, blogger and host of Between Taorminas, and Last Three Brain Cells on Orion Neighborhood Television.

TIM: Tim English, writer, and blogger-Lake Orion 1996 Alumni.

COTTER: Sean Cotter, Walled Lake Western video coordinator, and North Farmington boys basketball scouter.

KEITH: Keith Dunlap, writer works as a free lance writer for the MHSAA.

SCOTT: Scott Burnstein, writer for MIPrepZone and State Champs.

SANDY DUNES: 115-42

TIM: 119-38

COTTER: 125-32

KEITH: 121-36

SCOTT: 122-35

 

WEATHER FORECAST: Mostly Cloudy 45 degrees.

We’ll get Tim and Scott’s pick when we can.

 

Frankemuth vs Grand Rapids Catholic Central @ Mount Pleasant: This is a really interesting matchup of two teams that are red hot right now. Grand Rapids Catholic Central had to survive 21-14 over Kalamazoo Hackett Prep last week. Frankenmuth had no issue winning 35-0 over Gladwin last week. This should be really interesting to watch.

SANDY DUNES: FRANKENMUTH 35, GRAND RAPIDS CATHOLIC CENTRAL 31.

TIM:

COTTER: FRANKENMUTH 42, GRAND RAPIDS CATHOLIC CENTRAL 14

KEITH: GRAND RAPIDS CATHOLIC CENTRAL 31, FRANKENMUTH 28.

SCOTT:

 

Pontiac Notre Dame Prep vs Flat Rock @ Westland John Glenn: This is a really interesting matchup between Flat Rock and Pontiac Notre Dame Prep. The Irish have been tested and had an impressive 45-19 win over Armada in the regional semifinals last week. Flat Rock was really impressive in a 41-0 win over Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard last week. This should be a really interesting matchup in Westland.

SANDY DUNES: PONTIAC NOTRE DAME PREP 42, FLAT ROCK 14.

TIM:

COTTER: PONTIAC NOTRE DAME PREP 49, FLAT ROCK 14.

KEITH: PONTIAC NOTRE DAME PREP 28, FLAT ROCK 24.

SCOTT:

 

Goodrich vs HARPER WOODS @ Stoney Creek: This is a rematch of a 35-24 Pioneers win in Livonia in the Division Four State Semifinals last season. Goodrich started off strong but Harper Woods bounced back and took over behind an opportunistic defense. The ground attack has fueled the Martians all season long. This should be a really interesting matchup between two teams that know each other quite well.

SANDY DUNES: HARPER WOODS 35, GOODRICH 21.

TIM:

COTTER: HARPER WOODS 38, GOODRICH 28.

KEITH: HARPER WOODS 28, GOODRICH 20.

SCOTT:

 

Niles vs Grand Rapids South Christian @ Three Rivers: The Sailors looking to get back to the Division Four State Championship game. Their path hasn’t been that easy especially in the last two weeks. Grand Rapids South Christian had to beat Whitehall 28-21 in the regional finals and Hudsonville Unity Christian 35-28 in the district finals. The Vikings hadn’t really been tested until last week when they had to survive Portland 37-34 in the regional final. This should be a really interesting State semifinal in Three Rivers.

SANDY DUNES: NILES 38, GRAND RAPIDS SOUTH CHRISTIAN 35.

TIM:

COTTER: GRAND RAPIDS SOUTH CHRISTIAN 49, NILES 14.

KEITH: GRAND RAPIDS SOUTH CHRISTIAN 17, NILES 14.

SCOTT:

 

Byron Center vs East Lansing @ Greenville: This is a really interesting matchup between the Bulldogs and the Trojans. Byron Center has been battle tested which included a 30-23 in the district final win over Muskegon Mona Shores. East Lansing had to survive Dexter 50-49 in the district final. These are two teams that are battle tested. This should be a really interesting matchup.

SANDY DUNES: BYRON CENTER 35, EAST LANSING 21.

TIM:

COTTER: BYRON CENTER 38, EAST LANSING 31.

KEITH: BYRON CENTER 27, EAST LANSING 17.

SCOTT:

 

Orchard Lake St. Marys vs GROVES @ West Bloomfield: There are a ton of storylines heading into this game. The Falcons had to survive 21-19 over Warren DeLaSalle last week in the regional final. They will head to the Swamp to play another Catholic League foe in Orchard Lake St. Marys. The Eaglets have played North Farmington and Farmington in the district rounds and had a 27-3 win over Carlson in the regional finals. Another storyline is Nick Merlo is on staff at Orchard Lake St. Marys as their offensive coordinator. This should be a fun matchup in the Swamp.

SANDY DUNES: GROVES 35, ORCHARD LAKE ST. MARYS 31.

TIM:

COTTER: ORCHARD LAKE ST. MARYS 21, GROVES 14.

KEITH: GROVES 31, ORCHARD LAKE ST. MARYS 30.

SCOTT:

 

Detroit Cass Tech vs Novi Detroit Catholic Central @ Troy Athens: This is a really interesting matchup of two teams that have faced each other in the State Finals in the past. Novi Detroit Catholic Central has seen teams that are very similar to Detroit Cass Tech, perfect example, Belleville. The Shamrocks beat the Tigers and ended Bryce Underwood’s high school career with a 35-21 win last week in Novi. The Technicians who have similar traits to the Tigers had to survive 21-14 over Macomb Dakota last week. This should be a really interesting matchup.

SANDY DUNES: NOVI DETROIT CATHOLIC CENTRAL 42, DETROIT CASS TECH 14.

TIM:

COTTER: NOVI DETROIT CATHOLIC CENTRAL 42, DETROIT CASS TECH 21.

KEITH: DETROIT CASS TECH  25, NOVI DETROIT CATHOLIC CENTRAL 24.

SCOTT:

 

Hudsonville vs ADAMS @ Okemos: The Highlanders get to head west for their State Semifinals matchup but to Ingham County to play Hudsonville. Adams is coming off a tough 21-14 win over Grand Blanc last week and had an impressive 41-0 win over Clarkston two weeks ago. The Eagles were really impressive coming into Livingston County and stunning top seeded Howell 35-6 last week. Hudsonville also had a 19-16 district final win over Grandville. It should be a really interesting matchup to say the least.

SANDY DUNES: ADAMS 28, HUDSONVILLE 20.

TIM:

COTTER: ADAMS 28, HUDSONVILLE 21.

KEITH: HUDSONVILLE 24, ADAMS 14.

SCOTT:

 

My podcast

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQMC3Vnscwg&t=2596s

RESOURCES AVAILABLE FOLLOWING EXPLOSION AT KEATINGTON

RESOURCES AVAILABLE FOLLOWING EXPLOSION AT KEATINGTON

by | Nov 20, 2024 | Local News

CHARTER TOWNSHIP OF ORION
OFFICE OF THE SUPERVISOR

CHRIS BARNETT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Orion
Township

248-391-0304 ext. 2009
ORION TOWNSHIP CONFIRMS NO FATALTIES AND OFFERS RESOURCES
FOLLOWING EXPLOSION AT KEATINGTON NEW TOWN ASSOCIATION
Orion Township, MI (November 20 2024) – Orion Township Fire Department and
Oakland County Sherrif Department can confirm that there are still no fatalities following
yesterday’s tragic explosion at Keatington New Town Association. However, numerous
residents were affected and displaced from their homes after last night’s event. The
Township advises all affected residents to use the following resources to seek aid or
information, or to help those impacted:
FOR THOSE DISPLACED OR IN NEED
Any victims in need of immediate support, please call the American Red Cross at 1-800-
RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767). You can also call the Township at 248-391-0304 at ext.
2009.
DONATIONS AND CONTRIBUTIONS
Any cash donations can be sent through Love INC of North Oakland County by phone
at  248-693-4357 or online at https://loveincofnoc.org/.
All clothing and food locations can be dropped off at Woodside Bible Church, located in
Canterbury Village at 2500 Joslyn Road. Residents in need of food can also make use
of Woodside’s Village Food Pantry, also located in Canterbury Village at (2325 Joslyn
Court); their phone number is 248-391-1900.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Orion Township will host a press conference at 4PM today to provide additional
information. All are invited to attend in person or virtually at Township Hall: 2323 Joslyn
Rd, Lake Orion, MI 48360.

Expanding Veterans Options for Long-term Care Act

Expanding Veterans Options for Long-term Care Act

by | Nov 19, 2024 | Regional News

Image
Hi there,

I have some great news to share: last night the House passed my Expanding Veterans Options for Long-term Care Act with overwhelming bipartisan support. It was passed as part of the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act, which is a larger veterans package.

My bill creates a three year pilot program at the VA that would allow senior veterans to receive assisted living care paid for by the department, giving them more options for independent living and reducing VA spending on nursing home care. The purpose is to lay the groundwork for senior veterans to live their lives independently and without undue financial stress.

When we send our men and women in uniform into harm’s way, we make a solemn promise to take care of them when they return home – including in their later years. This bipartisan vote delivers on that promise.

It’s also a reminder that we can work together and find common ground to deliver results for our veterans. I hope my Senate colleagues do the same by taking up this bill.
– Rep. Elissa Slotkin