The Birmingham City Commission conducted their annual review of all Class B, Class C and microbrewery liquor licenses for establishments in the city at their meeting on Monday, February 26, and all were renewed for operation for 2018 except the Mad Hatter Bistro, due to an outstanding tax bill. A public hearing was set for the commission meeting on Monday, March 12, to determine if the city will file an objection with the Michigan Liquor Control Commission to the renewal of

Bloomfield Township attorney Bill Hampton introduced an ordinance amendment to add neighborhood compatibility as a requirement to new platted property, and trustees approved the introduction at their meeting on Monday, February 26. Hampton said the introduction to Ordinance 650, amendment to land divisions, subdivisions, engineering design and standards, would be for situations when trustees are presented with cases of newly platted land only, where they would be allowed to c

The final site plan for Villas at Bloomfield Grove, a new planned unit development (PUD) to be developed into a single family residential development, on the site of the former Hickory Grove Elementary School, to be developed and built by Robertson Brothers Homes of Bloomfield Hills, was approved by Bloomfield Township trustees on Monday, February 26. Patti Voelker, planning, building and ordinance director, presented the final site plan, explaining that the land is under con

As students across the country become energized and speak out politically, two Bloomfield Hills High School students have founded a non-profit organization, Engage18, which will be hosting a gubernatorial primary debate on Sunday, March 11, involving most of the Democratic candidates running for Michigan governor in 2018. The event, to be held at Bloomfield Hills High School from 6-8 p.m., is free and open to the public. It will be telecast on Bloomfield Hills Schools cable T

Burglars broke a glass window during the early morning hours on Sunday, February 25, to get inside of a Birmingham pizzeria and steal a small amount of cash in the 1000 block of Adams Road, Birmingham police said. Officers dispatched about 2 a.m. to the notification of a motion alarm going off at Primo's Pizza, 996 S. Adams, arrived to find a glass window on the front entrance cracked. Police said there were two holes in the window near the door handle. The owner said a small

Police are asking for help identifying a woman wanted in connection with the theft of a purse from a shopping cart on Thursday, February 22, at a Bloomfield Township grocery store. Bloomfield Township police said the victim was shopping about 10:12 a.m. at Hollywood Market, 1525 South Opdyke Road, and had her purse in her shopping cart. Police said another woman was parked in a white Oldsmobile outside of the store and went into the store, took the victim's purse from the car

A $2.9 million facility in Oakland Township purchased by the Rochester Community Schools will be used to expand the district's pre-kindergarten program, district officials said. The facility, at 3838 North Rochester Road, includes a 36,000-square foot building and 23.58 acres of land. The purchase will facilitate a year-round, extended-hours childcare and preschool program that will operate from 6 a.m to 6:30 p.m. The new program is expected to serve children six and younger,

Rochester Community Schools will be adding a strings program to its music curriculum for the 2018-19 school year, following approval for the new program on Monday, February 12, by the board of education. The strings program will include violin, viola, cello and double bass, and will be available to students starting at the sixth-grade level. "Adding new programs to the curriculum is an indication of the strong financial health of our school district. Our ability to accomplish

Smoke shops and vaping outlets would be prohibited along Main Street and University Drive, as well as several other locations in downtown Rochester under ordinance revisions proposed by the city to curb underage useage and exposure to tobacco and tobacco related products. The proposed measures stem from discussions in 2017 about efforts to stub out underage use of e-cigarettes and vaping following a presentation to Rochester City Council members by Rochester Police Department

First quarter amendments to the Rochester Avon Recreation Authority's (RARA) 2018 budget intended to grow the authority's fund balance were approved on Monday, February 26, by the Rochester Hills City Council. The amendments, which include cutting total expenditures by $290,211 from its originally approved FY 2018 budget, should add an additional $65,041 to RARA's fund balance. The amendments are an effort by RARA to restore its fund balance to about 20 percent of its overall