Home » Archive » November 2009

Santa Claus Parade starts the season

One thing you have to credit the Pointes with–we don't rush the season here (too much). Christmas starts when it's supposed to, the day after Thanksgiving, in chilly weather, with a parade that ends in a shopping district. No Black Friday here, it's all red cheeks and pink and green clowns, sleigh bells and cash registers and a whole lot of hot coffee going out the door, to the cadence of a passing drumline (the Eastside Fury, in this case). The holidays are here, folks. Here's hoping yours are merry and bright. read more...

Brendan Walsh, left, and John Steininger heard public comments as the Grosse Pointe Public Schools board began budget considerations at its November meeting.

School board starts to wrestle with
declining revenue expectations

With the "new normal" of budget cuts ahead, the Grosse Pointe Board of Education set to work this week on considering just what that means.

The school board’s meeting yesterday (Nov. 23) at the North High School library began with an hour-long special work session.

School board vice president Brendan Walsh led that event as he and his colleagues examined updates on staffing utilization, enrollment projections, elective attendance, proposed class sizes, health care and budget cuts. read more...

Ask the Doctor: Hernia repair for
outpatients, and advice for runners

This is the first of a monthly question-and-answer session with a Henry Ford Cottage Hospital physician on a specific health issue. This month, Dr. Tom Knuth, a general surgeon and head of the Henry Ford Cottage Hospital Hernia Center, talks about hernias. More than a half million hernia repairs are done in the United States each year. The hernia center in Grosse Pointe Farms opened last year.

What is a hernia?

It is a weakness or tear in the muscles of the abdominal wall that allows tissue read more...

Jim and Mary Garlough have devoted their retirement years to service to others.

'Peacemakers of the Year' set example
for service in retirement and life

It is a simple record of caring for others that could serve as an example for us all:

Eight trips to the Gulf Coast near New Orleans to help fix the catastrophic damage wreaked by Hurricane Katrina; a month at a Heifer International farm in Arkansas where they rented a house and labored by day; one a volunteer at Crossroads and Gleaners; the other works at Habitat for Humanity each day.

One is organizing and planning an international mission trip to Honduras next year and both were instrumental in getting the kitchen repainted at the Ecumenical Theological Seminary in Detroit so the recipients of the Everyone Eats program could dine in fresh surroundings.

Jim and Mary Garlough of the Park are both retired teachers from the Grosse Pointe Public Schools system. Jim, who started his career as a football coach, ended it at South teaching Advanced Placement history courses. Mary, once the South choir director, ended her career a few yards from their home as a music teacher at Defer. read more...

Arts and crafts fair at Cottage
benefits American Cancer Society

It's time to start thinking about holiday gifting -- or maybe buying something nice for yourself.

Swarovski crystal encrusted flip-flops, hand-crafted wooden toys, pens and puzzles, gallery-quality pottery, decorative night lights, nature photography, beaded jewelry, accessories, and embroidered gifts are among the handcrafted items featured Friday (Nov. 20) at In Praise of Hands: An Arts & Crafts Fair at Henry Ford Cottage Hospital.

Employees and friends of Henry Ford Cottage Hospital are exhibiting and selling their creative works from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. The show is in the main lobby of the hospital at 159 Kercheval Avenue in Grosse Pointe Farms.

The fair is a fundraiser for the hospital’s “Wings of Hope” team benefitting the American Cancer Society (ACS) Relay For Life of Grosse Pointe. Admission is free. read more...

A bigger, better Village Grille
will emphasize sports, outdoor seating

The Village is about to become livelier.

Village Grille restaurant and bar owner Dan Lemanske is remodeling, expanding and adding two outdoor seating areas to his spot on Kercheval Avenue.

“We’re happy to see the Village Grille investing in the Village,” said John Jackson, Grosse Pointe City planner and executive vice president of McKenna & Associates in Northville. read more...

Shores council looks at the numbers
and doesn't like what it sees – red

In its most civil meeting in months, the Grosse Pointe Shores City Council invited private accounting firm Plante & Moran to address the city’s less than optimistic financial status.

The presentation, given by Dave Herrington and Jenny Cederstrom, was divided into two audit periods – a one-year audit that ended on March 31, 2009, and a three-month audit that ended on June 30. The difference between the two periods is the Shores emergence from a village to a city. read more...

Comment: Notes on bike diplomacy
as we face the winter ceasefire

Our recent spell of Indian summer notwithstanding, cycling season is just about over. It’s a bittersweet time for me. Bitter: It’ll be months before my next fine jaunt down to the Village on two wheels, wind in my face, the top-of-the-world feeling exercise can bring filling my heart. Sweet: Barring a truly freak accident in spinning class, I’ll be a lot less likely to suffer compound fractures or other blunt-force trauma for the next few months. read more...

A frame from Nicole MacDonald's short film about Detroit, "A City to Yourself," shows the hand of man–and the recovering force of nature.

Filmmaker finds bounty of inspiration
in Detroit's decay and evolution

There’s a lot of ugly in Detroit. The demolition of both historic structures and residential homes has left abandonment throughout the city. The transition from prospering industrial power to what many are now calling an “urban prairie” leaves some in disgust, while others find beauty in the city’s converted landscape.

Nicole MacDonald, a 30-year-old filmmaker and artist from Grosse Pointe Park, is in the latter group, fascinated by Detroit and its present-day terrain. Instead of seeing the ugly, MacDonald uses a camera to capture Detroit’s allure and possibilities. Her film, “A City to Yourself,” won the Detroit Make It Here Award for Best Michigan Filmmaker at the 47th annual Ann Arbor Film Festival this year. It will be among those screened at the Ewald branch of the Grosse Pointe Public Library, as part of the festival's tour, on Wednesday (Nov. 18). read more...

Comment: Vets served us, and now
we must make sure they're served

Happy Veterans Day to the millions of veterans who have served our country well! Throughout history, brave men and women have protected our families and preserved our freedoms. They deserve our respect and gratitude for their service and sacrifice.

Also remember the courageous young men and women fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. More than 5,200 have sacrificed their lives, and more than 35,000 U.S. troops have been wounded. read more...

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