Email leslie.ellis@patch.com
Phone 248-303-4434
My family was a news family - we got the daily paper and discussed the nightly news over dinner. On the weekend, CBS News Sunday morning was part of our breakfast routine and we spent the first part of the day reading and swapping sections of the newspaper. With all that information floating around in our heads, you'd think one of us would have been able to beat my Dad at Trivial Pursuit. But, we never did - even when we teamed up against him! My first internship was in high school with the Rochester Eccentric newspaper. But I really caught the news bug at Michigan State University, where I studied history and journalism. I found a way to combine both subjects with jobs at The State News and the Lansing State Journal. Journalism, after all, has been called "the first rough draft of history." As luck would have it, I landed my first professional job near home at The Oakland Press and from there moved to The Detroit News. Despite its ups and downs, journalism has been a rewarding career that has allowed me to learn something new every day, meet fascinating people, be creative and serve the community!
Royal Oak and Berkley will have to live with portable generators and transformers until permanent repairs are made following a Tuesday night substation fire, the utility says.
A deadly shooting early Friday during a showing of "The Dark Knight Rises" at a Colorado movie theater has reignited debate about whether stricter gun laws can prevent such tragedies.
A deadly shooting early Friday during a showing of "The Dark Knight Rises" at a Colorado movie theater has reignited debate about whether stricter gun laws can prevent such tragedies.
The department is looking to fill a school crossing guard position.
A DTE spokesman said the utility restored service Thursday night to the remaining customers who lost power Tuesday after a fire at a Royal Oak substation.
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Service should be restored later this afternoon and all programs are going on a scheduled, officials say.
Two free, family-friendly events – the Jaycee Park Jamboree and a Robina Rhapsody concert – were scheduled, but the concert was canceled due to inclement weather and power outages, organizers say.
Games would be held Saturdays at 8, 9 and 10 p.m. over the course of a 23-week season, according to Parks & Recreation officials, who want to hear from interested players.
The gift will be used to purchase books for at-risk students; it serves as part of the local group's effort to build a partnership with the district and earn Rotary International's 2012-13 Presidential Citation.
Ten residents received prizes including water bill discounts and gift cards Tuesday night; more incentives will be offered to encourage sign-ups for the national recycling rewards program and $100,000 SC Johnson Green Choices Recycling Challenge.
Frigid April temperatures ruined apple crops and now a drought is leaving farmers perplexed. "This is approaching a disaster year like we saw in '88," said Ferndale farmer Trevor Johnson.
The Berkley-based kosher food bank will use the funds to help feed families in its Healthy Choice Groceries program.
The utility improves its service restoration estimate after a substation fire Tuesday night knocked out power to 10,000 in Berkley and Royal Oak, but more than 300 new outages cropped up Wednesday afternoon in Berkley.
DTE attributes Tuesday's outages to record-high temperatures and a substation fire.
City officials will talk with residents about the Municipal Operating, Police and Fire Millage Proposal at 6:30 tonight at the Community Center.
Consumers Energy will be making repairs to a gas line Wednesday through Friday or Saturday just south of 13 Mile Road on the border of Royal Oak and Southfield.
The accident occurred Monday evening in Oak Park and prompted the closure of the 11 Mile and Greenfield Roads intersection, as well as some evacuations in Berkley.
The donation will help fund Public Safety and Public Works overtime, as well as barrels and barricades, during the classic car parade Aug. 17, during which the utility will promote its energy-saving services and give away a new Energy Star appliance.
The Berkley Public Safety Department and a hazardous materials response team from Troy assisted the Oak Park Public Safety Department with cleanup Monday; stay tuned to Berkley Patch for updates.