About us
GrossePointeToday.com is a non-profit community news and information website covering Grosse Pointe, Michigan. We are committed to giving a voice to all members of the Grosse Pointe community. Our mission is to provide accurate, responsible reporting on all issues, especially those that more traditional media won't address. We encourage community participation and invite you to submit content and comments or tell us what you would like to see covered. Email us at submissions@grossepointetoday.com
CONTRIBUTORS AND CONTACT INFORMATION
Ben Burns, publisher/people editor bburns@grossepointetoday.com; 313-882-2810. Ben is responsible for overall operations and directs our People coverage. He's also our gatekeeper and arbiter for matters of taste, policy, ethics and accuracy, as well as recruiter for columnists for our Comment page. (If you want to write one, he's your first contact.) Finally, he writes GP FY, a human-interest column focusing on Pointers here and elsewhere, past and present.
Sheila Young Tomkowiak, associate publisher/community liaison sheila@grossepointetoday.com; 313-881-1734. Sheila is responsible for marketing, advertising, site design and some editing chores. Contact Sheila if you or your company would like to contribute to the site as a sponsor, advertiser, partner, reporter or content contributor. She is also the person to call if you need help registering or using the site.
Nancy Nall Derringer, editor/columnist nderringer@grossepointetoday.com; 313-417-0122. Nancy oversees news coverage for all sections and writes an occasional column. A relative newcomer to the area – she and her family moved to the Woods in 2005 – she brings a non-native perspective to the editorial troika. A prolific blogger since 2001 (at nancynall.com), she's interested in how to improve our reporting with digital technology. Contact Nancy with news tips or story ideas.
Michael (Mick) McKiernan, web programmer mick@tech-sa.com. Mick built the site and keeps its backrooms tidy. If you have any problems with the site, please contact Sheila: sheila@grossepointetoday.com; 313-881-1734. If things are working perfectly or if you need someone to design a website, feel free to contact Mick directly.
Alex Cruden, copy editor CrudenAlex@gmail.com. Alex left the Detroit Free Press after 34 years, most of them spent running its copy desks. A resident of the City, he helps bring high standards and consistency to our stories. Contact Alex to argue the fine points of grammar and style, or to debate the serial comma.
Larry Froelich, copy editor pilsnerman40@hotmail.com. Larry retired from full-time journalism in 2005 after 38 years with Knight Newspapers and its successor, Knight Ridder Newspapers Inc. During that time he served in a variety of reporting and editing-management assignments at the Akron (OH) Beacon Journal, Detroit Free Press and Lexington (KY) Herald-Leader. Larry, a former resident of Grosse Pointe Farms, was once featured on the entire back page (with mug shot) of the National Enquirer for creating the very first Neighborhood Watch program in the U.S. The page hangs on his "wall of shame."
Larry Peplin, photographer larry@larrypeplin.com; 313-882-0063. If you admired a photo on our site, chances are it was shot by Larry. He spent the first part of his career as a news photographer at the Times Herald in Port Huron, before establishing Peplin Photographic in 1979, which he runs out of his home in the Park.
Laurie Smolenski, contributing editor laurie.smolenski@gmail.com. Laurie is a writer and part-time community organizer. A graduate of Grosse Pointe South, she recently moved back to the United States after completing a master's degree in international relations from the Autonomous University of Madrid, Spain. Laurie hopes to use her writing to explore cultural phenomena and social issues, as well as to give voice to individuals worldwide who might not otherwise be able to speak out.
Columnists
Jackie Anderer, food columnist janderer1713@yahoo.com. Jackie is a personal chef and a resident of Grosse Pointe Farms, who trained through the Culinary Arts Academy of Atlanta. She has a passion for cooking and enjoys sharing her ideas and recipes with others. She welcomes feedback and comments.
Anne Marie Gattari, Aging America columnist, am.gattari@brightstarcare.com. A former Detroit journalist and Ford Motor Company public relations manager, Anne Marie is owner and operator of BrightStar of Grosse Pointe/Southeast Macomb. Her company provides companion, personal and skilled nursing care to seniors, children and disabled in their own homes. Ann Marie learned the value of in-home care through personal experience. She cared for her 90-year-old father in his home the last month of his life, and continues to care for her 88-year-old mother. She shares her experiences and advice with readers in her weekly column.
Brent Steepe, personal training columnist, bsteepe@traininyourhome.com. A personal trainer since 1992, Brent is CEO of Advanced Training Techniques Inc. in St. Clair Shores.A former bodybuilder and powerlifter, Brent earned a bachelor's in exercise science at Michigan State University, and holds a number of certifications in personal training, senior fitness, sports nutrition, and from the American Red Cross. Brent, who has a fully formed neck and doesn't wear spandex, shares practical fitness advice.
Interns/Student Reporters
Dunia Jomaa
Amy Lafnea
Jana Miller
Samantha Scannell
PRIVACY POLICY
GrossePointeToday.com does not collect personal information from visitors or registered users and does not share information on registered users with any other party. You may browse our site without disclosing personal data.
When you register to the site, we capture your e-mail address, zip code and user name. No other personal data is collected. If you register through Facebook Connect, we respect the privacy settings you have chosen for your Facebook account.
To better serve our visitors and to analyze traffic on our site, we collect and use log-file data. This includes your IP (internet protocol) address, your ISP (internet service provider, such as Comcast or AOL), the browser you used to visit our site (such as Internet Explorer or Firefox), the time you visited our site, and which pages you visited. Cookies are used to store small amounts of information that is collected for traffic analysis only. We do not use cookies to store personal data, nor do we link non-personal information stored in cookies with personal data about specific individuals. When you access our site, the pages you visit and a short text file, or cookie, are downloaded to your computer. You may set your browser’s preferences to block/refuse cookies, and/or notify you before they are downloaded.
If you have any concerns about our privacy policy, please contact Sheila Tomkowiak, 313-881-1734, sheila@grossepointetoday.com
