RH rezoning vote pushed back to July meeting
A rezoning request by Restoration Hardware scheduled for Monday, June 14, will be delayed a month due to a public notice error at the proposed property along S. Old Woodward between E. Brown and Daines streets. >>>
Outdoor dining restrictions to be reinstated
Outdoor dining restrictions lifted by Birmingham officials for restaurants struggling during the pandemic will be reinstated on July 1 as state limits on the indoor dining capacity are lifted, after Birmingham city commissioners took no action on the the temporary COVID-19 off-season outdoor dining standards at their meeting on Monday, June 14. >>>
Vinewood Kitchen pulls bistro application
Birmingham city commissioners will review two new bistro submissions in July, as applicants behind the proposed Vinewood Kitchen and Cocktails, 720 N. Old Woodward, withdrew their submission to the city this month. >>>
Birmingham scales back Dream Cruise events
Birmingham city commissioners on Monday, June 14, agreed to scale back the city’s involvement in the annual Woodward Dream Cruise this August as COVID-19 deaths in the United States topped 600,000. >>>
Drinking water replacement loan plan approved
Bloomfield Township trustees unanimously approved a plan for an application for loan funds from the Drinking Water State Revolving Loan (DWSRF) program to replace water mains in the Birmingham Farms subdivision at their meeting on Monday, June 14, despite learning their application would not be funded by the state for this year, but is valid for five years. >>>
Short-term rental properties under scrutiny
Legislation intended to protect individual property owners’ rights by stripping local governments’ ability to eliminate short-term rental homes, such as Airbnbs, was the topic of discussion on Monday, June 14, during an hour-long workshop with Birmingham city commissioners. >>>
Township to conduct study of water rates
After issuing a request for proposals (RFPs) at a May meeting for a water and sewer rate study and receiving two proposals back, Bloomfield Township trustees unanimously approved accepting the proposal from Raftelis at their meeting on Monday, June 14. >>>
Former Country Day School to become a home
An introduction to a lot split request for the former Detroit Country Day School located at 3600 Bradway Boulevard, which would allow it to be renovated into a large single family home along with two other single family lots, received unanimous support from Bloomfield Township trustees at their meeting on Monday, June 14. >>>
$6,000 sunglasses stolen at auto dealership
A pair of gold designer sunglasses were allegedly stolen from a vehicle being serviced on Thursday, June 10, at a Bloomfield Township auto dealership, police said. >>>
Township police investigate home break-in
Bloomfield Township police are investigating a daytime break-in that occurred sometime on Wednesday, June 9, in the 700 block of Brockmore Lane. >>>
Downtown Newsmagazine has launched a membership campaign for donations to the publication to allow us to remain strong and grow while still remaining free to most homes in the Birmingham/Bloomfield area. Publisher David Hohendorf’s letter to the local community explains the background on the membership effort. >>>
Karen McDonald: Moving the needle of justice
Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald surprised the legal and political communities in 2019 when she resigned from her position as an Oakland County Circuit Court Judge shortly after being re-elected in November 2018 to run against longtime prosecutor and fellow Democrat Jessica Cooper, without any assurance that she would be sitting in the chair she now occupies as a more progressive voice in the county. >>>
Avoiding meltdown: Michigan’s nuclear future
Driving along the I-75 corridor between Detroit and Toledo, one can catch glimpses of the twin curved silos of the Enrico Fermi Nuclear Generating Station, known as Fermi 2, that sits on the shores of Lake Erie. Owned by DTE Energy and in operation since 1988, Fermi 2 has produced more than 200 billion kilowatt-hours (KW) of electricity per year – enough electricity to light up a city of one million people at any given time. >>>
Oakland Confidential had been teased for a few weeks by several high level local Republicans that they had a “big name” that we would “never guess,” who they were working on to run for governor in 2022 against incumbent Democrat Gretchen Whitmer. Now we all know now that soon-to-be-former Detroit Police Chief James Craig is their ‘big fish’ – at his retirement announcement, while cagey about his future, he confirmed, “I am a Republican.” >>>
