by orionontv | Sep 25, 2023 | Feature Writers, High School Sports
Written Saturday September 23rd at 3:30 PM
West Bloomfield: The Lakers had a really tough with Adams winning 36-32 on Friday night in the Swamp on their homecoming. Reqez Nance had a big game with three passing touchdowns but there are some concerns with the defense going forward for West Bloomfield. They have a big one with Clarkston looming next week.
Lake Orion: The Dragons had a hard fought game with Stoney Creek winning 49-28 on Friday night. Billy Roberson had four touchdowns and Andrew Parker had an interception and an onside kick score for Lake Orion. The Dragons have a big one looming with Adams next week.
Clarkston: The Wolves earned a 39-13 win over Oxford on Friday night. The offense had a great night especially Brady Collins whom was impressive on the night. Clarkston has a tough test looming with West Bloomfield next week.
Adams: The Highlanders had a tough loss to West Bloomfield 36-32 on Friday night in the Swamp. Adams has really grown in the past few weeks which is a great sign going forward. Ryan Watters looked solid as did Drew Heppner whom I thought played well against West Bloomfield. They have a big one with Lake Orion looming next week.
Oxford: The Wildcats had a tough night on their homecoming falling 39-13 to Clarkston on Friday night. Oxford needs to get things back in the right direction with a very good Stoney Creek team looming next week.
Stoney Creek: The Cougars had a tough one with Lake Orion falling 49-28 on Friday night. They got it to 28-21 in the fourth quarter but the Dragons got an onside kick return for a touchdown and things went south. Stoney Creek will be fine. They have a big one with Oxford looming next week.
Southfield Arts and Tech: The Warriors had no issue with Farmington winning 46-0 on Friday night. Isiah Marshall and Tashi Braceful had big games for Southfield Arts and Tech. They have Bloomfield Hills looming next week.
Harper Woods: The Pioneers have been dominant in the last two weeks including a 49-0 win over Bloomfield Hills on Saturday afternoon. Harper Woods has outscored their opponents by a 105-26 in the last two weeks. They have a big one looming with Groves next week.
Groves: The Falcons had no issue with Rochester on Friday night winning 42-7 on Friday night. Noah Sanders and Nick Hardy are names to know in Beverly Hills to go along with their proven experienced players. Groves has a big one looming when they head to Wayne County to play Harper Woods next week.
Farmington: The Falcons were blown out by Southfield Arts and Tech 46-0 on Friday night at Falcon Field. Cam Pettaway did not play as he got hurt in their game against Bloomfield Hills last week. Farmington has Rochester looming next week.
Bloomfield Hills: The Blackhawks were outmatched by Harper Woods on Saturday afternoon falling 49-0. Bloomfield Hills had a really tough time moving the ball against a stout Pioneers defense. The defense had a rough time as well. It does not get any easier for the Blackhawks as they have Southfield Arts and Tech looming next week.
Rochester: The Falcons were blown out by Groves 42-7 on Friday night. Rochester had a rough night on all phases. They have Farmington next week.
Seaholm: The Maples had no issue with Troy Athens on their homecoming winning 49-14 on Friday night. Colton Kinnie was dominant all night and the offense has scored 153 points in the last three weeks. Seaholm has a big one looming with Troy looming next week.
North Farmington: The Raiders earned a huge win over Troy winning 24-6 at Don Colt Stadium on Friday night. North Farmington is starting to put it together which is a great sign going forward. They have Oak Park looming next week.
Oak Park: The Knights had a tough loss to Avondale on Friday night falling 25-20 in Auburn Hills. Oak Park took the lead behind a 69 yard touchdown run from Artrell Guyton late but the defense could not get the stop late in the game. It’s no question that Oak Park has played much better despite this heartbreaking loss and they have some solid players in Guyton and Michael Jones whom both had monster games. They have North Farmington looming next week.
Troy: The Colts had a rough night with North Farmington at Don Colt Stadium winning 24-6 on Friday night. Troy’s offense has only scored six points in two years against the Raiders. It will be very interesting to see what the Colts have especially with Seaholm looming next week.
Troy Athens: The Red Hawks fell 49-14 to Seaholm on their homecoming on Friday night. Troy Athens has really struggled this season. They have Pontiac looming next week.
Ferndale: The Eagles bounced back by winning 33-14 over Royal Oak on Friday night. Cullen Hock had a nice game for Ferndale. They have Berkley looming next week.
Avondale: The Yellow Jackets earned a 25-20 win over Oak Park at Dick Bye Field on Friday night. Avondale dominated the game but gave up a controversial touchdown with 1:08 left but Tyler Herzog brought the Yellow Jackets back and scored the winning touchdown with eight seconds left in the game. Myles Moore had 143 yards and three rushing touchdowns. Avondale is red hot right now and they are peaking at the right time. They have Royal Oak looming next week.
Berkley: The Bears got their first points of the season but they fell 34-28 to Pontiac on Friday night. Berkley is getting better despite the record. They have Ferndale looming next week.
Royal Oak: The Ravens are a pure Jekyll and Hyde after falling 33-14 to Ferndale on Friday night. Both sides of the football struggled all night. Royal Oak has Avondale looming next week.
Pontiac: The Phoenix snapped a losing streak by beating Berkley 34-28 on Friday night. Coach Wendell Jefferson has this team believing and that’s big. They have Troy Athens looming next week.
by orionontv | Sep 21, 2023 | Regional News
Oakland County Budget Passes in Unanimous Vote
Post Date:09/21/2023 12:29 PM
● The Oakland County Board of Commissioners gave unanimous approval for County Executive Dave Coulter’s budget which makes significant investments in services for Oakland County residents.
Pontiac, Michigan – The Oakland County Board of Commissioners today approved County Executive Dave Coulter’s balanced, transparent, and fiscally-responsible budget for fiscal years 2024-2026 in a unanimous vote.
“This bipartisan, unanimous budget is proof we can accomplish great things together on behalf of our residents,” Coulter said. “It provides quality services to our residents in an efficient, responsible and equitable manner. And it builds on the programs and services that will allow us to maintain our AAA bond rating that will be so important for our future plans.”
The budget makes significant investments in initiatives and services that help residents and businesses thrive in a welcoming county such as expanding economic development programs that help small businesses grow, sustainability initiatives, and public health clinics and outreach programs that keep residents healthy. County parks and public transportation are among the areas also receiving significant support to boost the quality of life for residents and enable them to get to jobs.
Another highlight of the budget includes a three percent general salary increase for employees with the goal of attracting and retaining a talented and diverse workforce.
Oakland County’s budget is structurally balanced with no use of the budget surplus for ongoing operations and maintains a fund balance level of well above 30 percent of the county’s general fund, both of which are key practices for maintaining the county’s AAA bond rating. The general fund budgets for fiscal years 2024-2026 are $539.8 million, $547.4 million, and $560.9 million, respectively. The total recommended budgets for all funds for fiscal years 2024-2026 are $1.080 billion, $1.088 billion, and $1.108 billion, respectively.
To view the balanced budget, go to www.oakgov.com/fiscal.
by Becky Andrus | Sep 21, 2023 | Regional News
Oakland County to Host Little Amal
Post Date:09/20/2023 3:57 PM
- Little Amal is a 12-foot-tall puppet of a 10-year-old Syrian refugee girl who is trekking an epic 6,000 miles across the United States from Sept. 7-Nov. 5.
- She will arrive at the Funky Ferndale Art Fair Sunday afternoon in a car parade.
- She walks for the hundreds of thousands of refugees and displaced people of all ages roaming the world in search of safety.
Ferndale, Mich. – Little Amal, the 12-foot-tall puppet of a 10-year-old Syrian refugee girl who is trekking an epic 6,000 miles across the United States from Boston to San Diego, will appear at the Funky Ferndale Art Fair on 9 Mile west of Woodward on Sunday, Sept. 24. She will arrive by classic car parade that begins at Ferndale High School at 3:30 p.m.
Amal, whose name means “hope” in Arabic, is sharing her message of hope as she traverses the country from Sept. 7-Nov. 5. Along the way, she will join more than 1,500 artists and participate in 100-plus local events in 40 towns and cities, including Metropolitan Detroit with stops in Ann Arbor, Detroit, Ferndale, Dearborn, and Flint.
“Little Amal is a powerful symbol of the plight of refugees around the world and we’re honored that she will spend a few days in Michigan to shine a light on the need for understanding, compassion and resources for displaced people,” said Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter. “Oakland County is a welcoming county for all people, including immigrants, refugees, displaced people and Little Amal.”
From 3:30-5 p.m. Sunday, Amal will be participating in a vintage car parade through Ferndale which will drop her off at the Funky Ferndale Art Fair, where she will walk among the shoppers and artisans and receive a gift before heading toward the parking lot of Ferndale Foods where the car parade participants will be on display in a mini car show. Viewers can follow Amal in Ferndale on County Executive Office social media (@oakgov.EO).
Amal walks for the hundreds of thousands of refugees and displaced people of all ages roaming the world in search of safety. She has journeyed across 15 countries, meeting more than one million people and engaging tens of millions of followers online. She will visit Ann Arbor, Detroit, Ferndale, and Dearborn and Flint on Sept. 23, 24, 26, and 27. Then she heads to Chicago.
For more information, go to oakgov.info/WelcomingWeek or WalkWithAmal.org.
by orionontv | Sep 20, 2023 | Feature Writers, High School Sports
Written Wednesday September 20th at 7:40 AM
Welcome to the 2023 football season, here are our pickers for the season. Here are everyone who is doing picks this season.
SANDY DUNES is Sammy Taormina, OAA Now host and blogger.
COTTER is Sean Cotter, Walled Lake Western football and North Farmington basketball video coordinator
DUNLAP is Keith Dunlap, WDIV freelance writer
STICK is Dan Stickradt, North Oakland Sports writer
BURNEY is Scott Burnstein, MIPrepZone and State Champs sports writer.
TIM is Tim English, High School Sports Historian and Blogger.
SANDY DUNES 39-15
COTTER 46-8
BURNEY 36-18
DUNLAP 36-18
STICK 41-13
TIM 40-14
We’ll get Tim’s picks when we can.
Stoney Creek at 1. Lake Orion: The Cougars have been an up and down team despite their record, they have been very competitive. The Dragons are coming off an emotional 17-13 win over West Bloomfield last week. The Lake Orion defense has been the story, allowing 33 points in three weeks which was the same amount of points they allowed against Livonia Stevenson. That unit should be tested against a Stoney Creek program that likes to run a ton of time possession football. The Dragons need to be careful in this game, the Cougars are playing with nothing to lose and everything to gain.
SANDY DUNES: LAKE ORION 38, STONEY CREEK 10.
COTTER: LAKE ORION 24, STONEY CREEK 10.
DUNLAP: LAKE ORION 31, STONEY CREEK 17.
STICK: LAKE ORION over STONEY CREEK.
BURNEY: LAKE ORION 33, STONEY CREEK 16.
TIM:
- Southfield Arts and Tech at Farmington: Farmington TV-10 should be in for a treat when the Warriors come to Falcon Field. Southfield Arts and Tech has been battle tested and has beaten four quality teams which three of them were at home. Tashi Braceful and Isiah Marshall have been the real deal for Southfield Arts and Tech. The Falcons we don’t know the status of Cam Pettaway after he got hurt in their 21-19 win over Bloomfield Hills last week. If Pettaway can’t play then Farmington is in big trouble against a very high octane offense.
SANDY DUNES: SOUTHFIELD ARTS AND TECH 45, FARMINGTON 14.
COTTER: SOUTHFIELD ARTS AND TECH 42, FARMINGTON 14.
DUNLAP: SOUTHFIELD ARTS AND TECH 42, FARMINGTON 7.
STICK: SOUTHFIELD ARTS AND TECH over FARMINGTON.
BURNEY: SOUTHFIELD ARTS AND TECH 39, FARMINGTON 19.
TIM:
- Adams at 3. West Bloomfield: Civic Center TV and Tyler Kieft should have a very interesting matchup with the Lakers and the Highlanders. West Bloomfield has lost three straight to Adams and is coming off a tough 17-13 loss to Lake Orion last week. The Lakers should be motivated against the Highlanders that has found ways to win with Matteo Humbert, Ryan Watters, Drew Heppner, and Brady Prieskorn. West Bloomfield still has proven players in Nigel Dutton, Requen Nance, Brandon Davis-Swain, Jamir Benjamin, and Bryce Rowe. Discipline has been the Lakers problem lately, if Coach Zach Hilbers can clean that up then it should be a happy Homecoming for West Bloomfield in “the Swamp.”
SANDY DUNES: WEST BLOOMFIELD 45, ADAMS 14.
COTTER: WEST BLOOMFIELD 31, ADAMS 7.
DUNLAP: WEST BLOOMFIELD 28, ADAMS 20.
STICK: WEST BLOOMFIELD over ADAMS.
BURNEY: WEST BLOOMFIELD 23, ADAMS 21.
TIM:
- Avondale at Oak Park: This is a very interesting matchup of two teams that are on winning streaks. The Yellow Jackets are red hot right now winning four straight games and have a ton of confidence behind a changed offense and they can beat you in so many ways. The Knights have won two straight since their losses to Detroit University-Detroit Jesuit and Oxford by beating both Troy schools which is big points since they are in Division One. This should be a very interesting matchup in Knight Valley and the coaching matchup is not too shabby either between Coach Greg Carter and Coach Bob Meyer.
SANDY DUNES: AVONDALE 17, OAK PARK 12.
COTTER: AVONDALE 21, OAK PARK 12.
DUNLAP: AVONDALE 24, OAK PARK 20.
STICK: OAK PARK over AVONDALE.
BURNEY: AVONDALE 30, OAK PARK 24.
TIM:
- Seaholm at Troy Athens: The Maples are back to themselves since their hiccup against Detroit University-Detroit Jesuit. The Kinnie brothers along with Kyle Robbins are back to their normal selves which means great things for Seaholm and their athletic trainer Bill Watson. The Red Hawks have been struggling allowing 52 points in the last two weeks. That’s not going to make new principal Vernon Burden too happy. It should be a very interesting matchup but it could also be a long night for Troy Athens.
SANDY DUNES: SEAHOLM 63, TROY ATHENS 14.
COTTER: SEAHOLM 49, TROY ATHENS 14.
DUNLAP: SEAHOLM 27, TROY ATHENS 17.
STICK: SEAHOLM over TROY ATHENS.
BURNEY: SEAHOLM 45, TROY ATHENS 22.
TIM:
- Clarkston at Oxford: The Wolves defense has been the story since allowing 24 points to Northville in week one. They have allowed 17 points in the last two weeks. Clarkston has relied a ton on Desman Stephens to carry them in games. He had a touchdown run in their 14-10 win over Stoney Creek last week. The offense is still a work in progress but Brady Collins and the Bowman twins have started to settle in and they still have Brody Kosin. The Wildcats have really struggled moving the football. Luke Johnson has been their best option thus far but he needs his quarterback in Jack Hendrix to step up and create that balance. It’s a big game for Oxford if they want to turn things around.
SANDY DUNES: CLARKSTON 17, OXFORD 14.
COTTER: CLARKSTON 28, OXFORD 7.
DUNLAP: CLARKSTON 24, OXFORD 14.
STICK: CLARKSTON over OXFORD.
BURNEY: CLARKSTON 26, OXFORD 20.
TIM:
- Harper Woods at Bloomfield Hills: This is a very interesting matchup of two teams that are getting better. The Blackhawks despite the losses have lost two close games by a combined nine points. Kierran Crossley and Jace Reed have been the main catalysts for Bloomfield Hills. The Pioneers snapped a two game losing streak with a 56-26 win over Rochester last week. Harper Woods has a proven offense but the defense has had some issues lately. It should be a very interesting matchup in Bloomfield Hills.
SANDY DUNES: HARPER WOODS 56, BLOOMFIELD HILLS 0.
COTTER: HARPER WOODS 44, BLOOMFIELD HILLS 7.
DUNLAP: HARPER WOODS 35, BLOOMFIELD HILLS 14.
STICK: HARPER WOODS over BLOOMFIELD HILLS.
BURNEY: HARPER WOODS 35, BLOOMFIELD HILLS 18.
TIM:
Rochester at 9. Groves: These are two teams of Falcons that are at a crossroads. Rochester has really struggled all season long especially defensively. Groves has played Southfield Arts and Tech and West Bloomfield which are two really good teams. Groves has more talent on paper but it doesn’t always happen that way. Groves needs to be careful.
SANDY DUNES: GROVES 28, ROCHESTER 14.
COTTER: GROVES 35, ROCHESTER 7.
DUNLAP: GROVES 31, ROCHESTER 10.
STICK: GROVES over ROCHESTER.
BURNEY: GROVES 31, ROCHESTER 14.
TIM:
North Farmington at 10. Troy: This is a very interesting matchup of two teams that are in a crossroads. The Colts gave up their first points of the season and fell 28-21 to Oak Park last week. The Raiders have played a brutal schedule but picked up their first win by winning 22-7 over Troy Athens last week. Troy will have a big test against a proven quarterback in Ryan Shelby. North Farmington has to deal with a solid Colts defense also let’s not forget the Raiders won 9-0 with a third string quarterback in this game last season.
SANDY DUNES: NORTH FARMINGTON 24, TROY 14.
COTTER: NORTH FARMINGTON 17, TROY 7.
DUNLAP: NORTH FARMINGTON 24, TROY 21.
STICK: TROY over NORTH FARMINGTON.
BURNEY: TROY 29, NORTH FARMINGTON 27.
TIM:
Berkley at Pontiac: This is a big game for both teams for different reasons. The Phoenix is coming off a really tough 40-14 loss to Royal Oak. The Bears have been outscored 160-0 in four weeks. It’s Berkley’s first road game. Pontiac needs to get that magic they had the first two weeks. It’s an interesting matchup between two teams finding their ways.
SANDY DUNES: PONTIAC 49, BERKLEY 35.
COTTER: PONTIAC 20, BERKLEY 14.
DUNLAP: PONTIAC 21, BERKLEY 7.
STICK: PONTIAC over BERKLEY.
BURNEY: PONTIAC 25, BERKLEY 17.
TIM:
Royal Oak at Ferndale: The Ravens have been up and down this season but the two wins they have had doubled their win total from last season. The Eagles had high expectations coming into the season but things have not gone their way as of late. This is a big game for both teams just for confidence sake.
SANDY DUNES: FERNDALE 34, ROYAL OAK 8.
COTTER: FERNDALE 20, ROYAL OAK 7.
DUNLAP: FERNDALE 17, ROYAL OAK 14.
STICK: FERNDALE over ROYAL OAK.
BURNEY: FERNDALE 38, ROYAL OAK 28.
TIM:
My Podcast
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xypkzTDrBU
Sept. 19, 2023
“We’ve heard reports of spotted lanternflies swarming New York City and covering beaches on the Jersey Shore. We’d like to prevent similar scenarios in Michigan,” said Rob Miller, MDARD’s invasive species prevention and response specialist. “Everyone can help by looking for spotted lanternfly and reporting suspected sightings.”
Take a few minutes to become familiar with spotted lanternfly life stages.
