- Jan 31, 2020
Trio takes off with cart full of goods
The manager of a Bloomfield Township home store called Bloomfield Township police around 7 p.m. Sunday, January 26, to report that three people had taken off with a cart full of merchandise.
Officers responded to a retail fraud that had just occurred at At Home, 2101 Telegraph Road. The store manager informed officers that two black females and a black male had entered the store and filled a shopping cart full of merchandise. The trio then pushed the cart out the main entra


- Jan 28, 2020
The Interview: County Executive David Coulter
Oakland County is in the midst of change – after 27 years as county executive, L. Brooks Patterson passed away last August, leaving a unique legacy and hole to fill at the top of the administrative tower. After political maneuvering and shenanigans on the part of both Republicans and Democrats, a surprise arose as the newly chosen one – Ferndale mayor Dave Coulter – became the first Democrat to ever fill the county executive seat and the first openly gay individual to hold


- Jan 28, 2020
Current state of recreational cannabis business
Michigan's Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) announced adult-use marijuana sales had crossed the $10 million mark on January 12, for the first time since the first recreational sales were permitted on December 1. That works out to approximately $1 million in excise taxes from adult-use marijuana sales, and another $665,969 in sales tax for the state.
The figures are tiny in comparison to other states whose adult-use, or recreational, marijuana sales have


- Jan 28, 2020
February 2020
Looking for a vivid example of how money, special interests and industry lobbyists change the course of public policy in Washington? Look no further than the latest assault on rules designed to upgrade the nutritional quality of school lunch/breakfasts, first in effect under the Obama administration.
With all the hoopla surrounding the Trump impeachment/trial and the push by the House/Senate to reign in the administration with a War Powers Resolution, I suspect many people,
- Jan 28, 2020
Excellent microplastics story
I received the copy of Downtown newsmagazine with Kevin Elliott’s microplastics story (January). Excellent job.
It was a much bigger story than I was expecting. Elliott did a tremendous job and talked to all the right people. Sherri A. "Sam" Mason, Ph.D.
Sustainability Coordinator
Penn State Behrend
- Jan 28, 2020
Silver anniversary
Crimson Rose Antiques, 205 Pierce Street, is flourishing in downtown Birmingham. The antique and vintage boutique is celebrating its 25th year in business, specializing in a wide variety of collectibles. Owner Sandra McElroy said she originally opened in Franklin, and two years later moved to Birmingham. Crimson Rose has an extensive collection of fine and costume vintage jewelry, with real jewelry – including rings, necklaces and earrings – from the Victorian era to the 1950
- Jan 28, 2020
Oui, Oui
Who wouldn’t enjoy a French meal? That’s just what Claude Pellerin is anticipating, as she opens The French Lady, 768 N. Old Woodward in Birmingham, a traditional French restaurant, in April. The French Lady is making the move from Rochester, where Pellerin has cooked and catered gourmet delights such as quiches, bourguignon, cassoulet, and others. “It’s all of the traditional recipes that my family had, and some I am revisiting,” she said. The new Birmingham locale will have
- Jan 28, 2020
Change on the mat
After several years, Center for Yoga, 555 S.Old Woodward, owned by Jonny Kest, has closed, having been bought out by Life Time Fitness. Yoga devotees of the spot urged two of the yoga teachers, Jacquie Ciavaglia and Missy Rush, to open a new studio. With the assistance of a GoFundMe account – which raised more than $100,000 in two weeks – and contributions from the community, in mid-January the duo opened Community Yoga Studio, 555 S. Old Woodward, downstairs from the former
- Jan 28, 2020
Soup’s on
Soup lovers have something new to celebrate. On January 20, Zoup! opened a Bloomfield Township location at 42983 Woodward Avenue at the southwest corner of Square Lake Road. “At Zoup!, we offer a wide variety of daily soups, including recipes that are low fat, made with gluten-free ingredients, vegetarian, dairy free, and spicy – each served with a big hunk of freshly baked bread,” the company stated on their website. Enjoy soup, but looking for something besides the smooth s
- Jan 28, 2020
Glittering retail addition
Transitioning from her family’s wholesale jewelry business, Goldcorp in Oak Park, to her own retail jewelry business, The Diamond Club of Bloomfield Hills, 2527 W. Maple Road at Cranbrook in Bloomfield Township, has been a blast for owner Karina Khalife-Mass. The outgoing jeweler said The Diamond Club features a full line of jewelry offerings, as well as a custom-designed earring line, called Elev8ted Jewelry, she creates with her partner, Sarah Hermiz, and sells at the store