An annual traveling exhibit featuring photos of older children in the foster care system will appear at a gala adoption event in Royal Oak.

The Michigan Adoption Resource Exchange, a program of the human services agency Judson Center, will reveal its Michigan Heart Gallery from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21 at the Emagine Theatre, 200 N. Main Street.

This year, the photographs of 71 young people are on display. Some of them will be in attendance.

The event includes a red carpet for the arrival of the youth and guests, a film presentation, formal program and lunch.

Attendees will have an opportunity to talk with experienced adoptive parents who can offer guidance.

“It’s a one-stop location for anyone who is thinking about giving a young person a permanent, loving home,” said Judson Center President and CEO Lenora Hardy-Foster.

“Not only can they view the beautiful photos of the older children and teenagers looking for permanent homes, but their questions about the adoption process can be answered right on the spot.”

The exhibit will travel across the state following the Royal Oak event.

“The young people are the stars of the Michigan Heart Gallery,” said MARE Director Michelle Parra. “The event is a celebration of these youth and their hopes for a bright future with their forever families.

“This is MARE’s version of the Oscars. It’s our biggest event of the year, and we’re looking forward to welcoming our young people, adoption professionals and any family or individual with an interest in adoption from foster care.”

Admission to the event is free, but attendees are encouraged to pre-register through the MARE website at www.mare.org. Parking vouchers will be available.

A Royal Oak residents’ group plans to object at an upcoming Planning Commission meeting about proposed changes in the city’s master plan that the group says will pose a threat to single-family neighborhoods.

The meeting begins at 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 16, in the Commission Chambers, Room 121 at Royal Oak City Hall, 203 S. Troy St.

The Planning Commission will hold a second meeting to review the proposed revisions to the master plan at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 17, in the same location. That meeting is also open to the public.

According to the group Protect Royal Oak, the proposed changes eliminate the term “single-family,” replacing those words with “neighborhood residential.”

The group said in a statement that the proposed new term “is code for allowing a variety of new high-density rental units including duplexes, apartment buildings and accessory dwelling units, that are currently not allowed in ‘One-Family’ zones.

“Increasing the maximum allowable building height in ‘Mixed Use Corridor” and ‘Neighborhood Edge’ districts blocks sunlight, obstructs views, impedes privacy and undermines nearby property values while pushing increased parking demand into adjacent neighborhoods. This is not the Royal Oak that we invested in,” the statement said.

City officials could not be reached for comment.

The group said the city argues that changing the master plan doesn’t mean the zoning ordinance will change.

“That is dishonest. Sure, they are different documents. But the master plan directly informs the zoning ordinance. Otherwise, why bother creating a master plan?” the group’s statement said.

The group says that after Monday’s meeting, the Planning Commission will set a date for a formal public hearing on the proposed master plan. The Planning Commission will then decide whether to recommend approval to the City Commission.

“Royal Oakers don’t get to vote on the master plan – only the mayor and the commissioners do,” the statement said.

The public is invited to a groundbreaking ceremony for a new cricket field at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 10, at Boulan Park in Troy.

The park is off Crooks Road between Wattles and Quarton roads.

Troy residents have been asking the city for a cricket field for years. City officials were open to the idea but didn’t have the funding.

At the urging of state Rep. Sharon MacDonell, D-Troy, the city received a $900,000 grant to develop a cricket field. The area’s cricket community also supported the project, according to a release from the city.

The game resembles baseball but is played on a round field much bigger than that used for football or soccer.

Instead of a bat, the batter uses a flat stick that resembles a canoe paddle to hit a ball.

The game has British origins. It’s popular in India, Pakistan, Australia and other areas that the British colonized.

MacDonell said about 30% of Troy’s population is Asian or South Asian, hailing from countries where cricket is popular.

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Henry Ford Health and Ascension Michigan plan to launch a combined organization Oct. 1 that will employ 50,000 people at more than 550 sites in southeast Michigan.

Eight Ascension acute care hospitals that are included in the partnership are:

– Ascension Genesys Hospital in Grand Blanc Township

– Ascension Macomb-Oakland Hospital, Warren and Madison Heights campuses

– Ascension Providence Hospital, Novi and Southfield campuses

– Ascension Providence Rochester Hospital in Rochester Hills

– Ascension River District Hospital in East China Township

– Ascension St. John Hospital in Detroit.

All of the hospitals’ related sites of care will also be included, as well as Ascension Brighton Center for Recovery, according to a release from Henry Ford Health.

All of Henry Ford’s acute care hospitals and other facilities and assets, including Health Alliance Plan, will be included in the partnership.

Ascension hospitals outside of southeast Michigan will remain part of the Ascension family.

The two health care companies announced the joint venture last fall. Henry Ford said at the time that the deal is not a merger or acquisition.

A Henry Ford spokeswoman said the entire joint venture will be branded Henry Ford Health. More information about the names of the affected hospitals will be released after Oct. 1.

Henry Ford said in a release in early September that “the joint venture will bring together Ascension’s southeast Michigan and Genesys health care facilities and assets with Henry Ford’s, enabling the newly combined organization to make a dramatic impact on the health of the communities it serves – improving outcomes, access and experience; prioritizing population health and value-based care, championing equity for all, and partnering to advance innovation, academic medicine and advanced, complex care.”

“Words can’t express how excited we are to find ourselves at this moment,” said Bob Riney, president and CEO, Henry Ford Health. “Since we announced our proposed joint venture last fall, we’ve been engaged in thoughtful planning across our organizations – all focused on how we plan to come together to build the future of health on behalf of those we serve.”

Carol Schmidt, senior vice president, Ascension, and CEO, Ascension Michigan, will partner with Riney in the first phase of the transition.

Seven Lakes State Park in Holly Township will be closed seven days a week, starting Tuesday, Sept. 3, for road paving.

The park has been closed on weekdays for the past several months.

No firm reopening date has been set, but park officials expect it will be in early January.

Here is the status of several construction projects at the park:

– Electrical work in the campground is nearing completion.

– The footings for new shelters have been poured and the cement pads will be completed soon.  Shelters most likely won’t be erected until next year.

– New signage on the trails is planned that will direct visitors away from non-maintained areas.

Several Birmingham residents report receiving calls from alleged DTE Energy employees on Thursday, Aug. 29, offering to provide them with generators or hotel accommodations due to a widespread power outage.

About five residents reported the calls to the Birmingham Police Department; all of them recognized the calls as a sca, said Capt. Ryan Kearney.

DTE does not provide accommodations or generators to those without power.

Police said the number displayed on caller ID in several cases as a DTE phone number.

“Please do not provide any personally identifying information or tell them when you will or will not be home,” Birmingham police said in a Facebook post.

“If you feel you have been a victim of this scam, please contact Birmingham PD to report the incident at 248-530-1870.”

Detroit police took a Royal Oak High School student into custody for allegedly having a firearm on school property before a home football game on Thursday, Aug. 29.

Detroit police came to the school campus at 1500 Lexington Blvd. to make an arrest related to an incident outside the city, according to a statement from Principal Don Loomis.

When police investigated, they discovered the gun, the statement said.

“We are cooperating fully with law enforcement,” Loomis said in the statement. “If your student believes support is needed at school, please contact their school counselors, myself, or any of our school administrators.”

No further details of the incident were released.

Birmingham police are looking for a man visiting the Woodward Dream Cruise who brandished a handgun after a dispute over parking.

The argument broke out at a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant on Woodward at Lincoln Street, said Capt. Ryan Kearney of the Birmingham Police Department.

The restaurant was closed; its owner was hosting a party in the parking lot, which was taped off. A motorist attempted to enter the lot and was told he could not park there.  A passenger got out of the car and brandished the gun, Kearney said.

Police are reviewing surveillance video; the car and its occupants were on the scene for less than a minute, he said.

Other than that, police departments in communities along Woodward report a quiet Dream Cruise.

Kearney said Birmingham police issued less citations than last year for typical offenses like parking violations and reckless driving. He did not have totals available.

The Ferndale Police Department reported three accidents; two were minor and a third sent a man to a hospital with a head injury. He was expected to recover, said Evan Ahlin, Ferndale police community liaison.

Ferndale police wrote a total of 75 parking tickets for Friday night, when the city hosted a parade, and all day Saturday.

Police issued most tickets for offenses like blocking residents’ driveways and otherwise impeding travel.

There were nine moving violations for offenses such as reckless driving and speeding. That’s about average for the Dream Cruise, Ahlin said.

The Royal Oak Police Department had one accident. A motorcyclist lost control, crashed and was hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries, said Lt. Rich Millard. There were two unrelated arrests for disorderly conduct.

The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, which helps local police patrol the entire cruise route on Woodward between Ferndale and Pontiac, issued the following citations:

– Two for unregistered vehicles

– One for careless driving

– One for unsafe start.

The numbers do not include incidents in Pontiac, which were not available at press time. Pontiac does not have its own police department and is served solely by the sheriff’s office.

The dream cruise attracts at least 1 million visitors every year and more than 40,000 classic cars. It is billed as the largest one-day car festival in the world.

Some years ago, a young man with an opioid addiction was well known to staff at the Birmingham Fire Department.

Firefighters revived him after overdoses several times. The last time, they couldn’t save him.

“It really affects all of us,” said Fire Chief Paul Wells. “We want them (overdose victims) to lick that addiction.”

Those kinds of cases are the motivation for a new program by the Birmingham police and fire departments to provide “leave-behind” kits after an overdose incident.

The kits contain two doses of naloxone, a drug that reverses the effects of opioids; instructions on how to use them; and a list of resources that can provide help.

Most importantly, Wells said, the surviving overdose victim is connected with the police department’s co-responder, a staff member with mental health training, who can connect the addict with recovery experts.

“We really don’t have an opioid problem in Birmingham,” Wells said. But in his more than 20 years with the department, he’s seen a few cases per year.

“The kits are on all the trucks,” he said. So far, firefighters have yet to experience an incident where it’s appropriate to leave a kit with a family.

Birmingham’s first responders have teamed up with Oakland Community Health Network and the Alliance of Coalitions for Healthy Communities and Corewell Health, which assembles the kits.

Funding comes from OCHN via a federal grant program for organizations that are addressing what has been called an opioid crisis.

From 1999-2021, nearly 645,000 people died from an overdose involving any opioid, including prescription and illicit drugs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Of the 107,000 overdose deaths in 2022, 75% involved an opioid, the CDC said.

Opioids are a class of drugs that produce a variety of effects, including pain relief.

Firefighters can offer the kits in situations other than just responding to an overdose. Maybe someone in the household is on powerful pain medication after surgery. Even though there isn’t an addict in the household, the family may have teenagers who have friends who could access the medication, Wells said.

Naloxone is easy to administer, requiring the user to spray it into the nostrils of the affected person, Wells said. Firefighters are even willing to demonstrate how to use it when they leave the kits at a home.

Organizers hope to expand the program into other Oakland County communities.

They’ve already placed dozens of “Save A Life” stations around the county, where people can access free naloxone kits, no questions asked.

The stations are placed in front of police and fire stations, municipal buildings, motels and other locations. For more information, visit https://alliancemi.org/overdose-prevention/save-a-life-stations.

McLaren Health expects to eliminate the recent disruptions in patient care at its Macomb and Oakland hospitals by the end of August.

The health care company disconnected its network systems from the Internet in order to investigate after discovering on Aug. 5 the criminal effort to attack the company.

That resulted in a reliance on paper records in some cases, said Tracey Franovich, president and CEO of McLaren Oakland Hospital in Pontiac and McLaren Macomb Hospital in Mount Clemens.

The Grand Blanc-based McLaren Health delayed some cancer treatments, diagnostic testing and other services at its 13 hospitals statewide after the attack.

Many services are already back to normal, and Franovich expects McLaren will eliminate the remaining interruptions in the next week.

“We’re very confident and comfortable that services are being provided in a safe way,” she said.

Both the Pontiac and Mount Clemens hospitals remained operational after the attack; some trauma patients at the Pontiac location were temporarily diverted after the attack. A diversion means emergency teams transport patients to the next closest facility.

McLaren is working with cybersecurity specialists and law enforcement on the investigation, she said.

As the investigation is ongoing, she could not discuss details on the nature of the cyberattack.

After the attack, McLaren had encouraged patients who had appointments to bring written records of prescriptions they take; printed physician orders for tests or treatments; printed results of tests, which are available in patient portals; and a written list of allergies.

Franovich said that’s still a good idea.

“You should always bring written records if you can,” she said.

She said the company is still investigating whether patients’ or employees’ personal information was compromised in the attack. Those affected will be notified if necessary.

A long-vacant school building in downtown Farmington is being demolished to make way for 53 townhomes that will be offered for sale in the mid-$300,000 range.

The former Maxfield Training Center, on Thomas Street one block north of Grand River Avenue, has been vacant for about 12 years.

Robertson Brothers Homes will begin construction later this year on Hillside Townes, a $16 million development consisting of seven three-story buildings, for a total of 53 townhomes, according to a release from the city of Farmington.

The company expects completion of the first units next year.

City officials say the project is the first significant downtown residential development in decades. They say it will boost local merchants and fill a need for housing in walkable neighborhoods.

“This empty vacant structure will be replaced with new, vibrant housing that will benefit

Farmington residents for generations to come and allow more people to enjoy our energetic and engaging downtown,” Mayor Joe LaRussa said in a statement.

City and state officials say the project will help fill a gap in “missing middle” housing, a term used to describe units that fall between single-family homes and mid-rise apartment buildings.

It can include duplexes, triplexes, townhomes, bungalows, cluster homes and cottage courts.

Missing middle housing is often more affordable than single-family homes and can help increase residential density and create more walkable neighborhoods.

The project includes the reconstruction of Thomas Street with water and utility infrastructure upgrades, as well as walkability and Americans With Disabilities Act improvements.

The city is using federal funds to add an ADA-compliant connection to nearby Shiawassee Park.

The city is also planning a ribbon park, also known as a pedestrian promenade, that will connect the new housing to Grand River Avenue and the nearby Riley Park.

The city bought two houses on Grand River that will be torn down later this year as part of the connection from the new development to the business district.

Farmington Public Schools sold the 3-acre parcel of land and school building to the city several years ago.

The site had been home to a school building since at least 1880, including a high school and junior high before the training center.

Several proposed residential developments on the site fizzled before the city approved Hillside Townes.

According to the U.S. Census, the 2020 population of Farmington was 11,597 and the surrounding Farmington Hills stood at 83,986 people, making it Oakland County’s second largest city in population, behind only Troy.

West Bloomfield Township is seeking a $20 refund per household from GFL for poor or non-existent service the waste hauler provided in June, the last month of its contract.

The refund for about 19,500 households would come from a $1.5 million performance bond by GFL to guarantee its service, said township Supervisor Steven Kaplan.

The township is also eying the remainder of the performance bond.

After the proposed refunds are paid out, the remaining bond of a little more than $1 million would compensate the township for attorney fees and staff time spent on taking as many as 500 calls per day from disgruntled residents, Kaplan said.

Township officials and GFL are in negotiations, but the matter may end up in litigation, he said.

Priority Waste bought GFL and began picking up trash, recyclables and yard waste in West Bloomfield and dozens of other Detroit-area communities on July 1.

For the four weeks in June, while GFL was still serving the township, pickup was “abominable,” Kaplan said. Residents reported that rubbish languished at the curb for weeks in some cases; many said yard waste wasn’t picked up at all.

West Bloomfield residents pay the trash contractor directly. Kaplan estimates the average cost at $5 per week per household. So, they are due a refund of $20 for four weeks of unsatisfactory service in June, he said.

“You have a duty to your residents to make sure the service is provided,” Kaplan said.

GFL officials could not  be reached for comment.

Kaplan said GFL is still in business but no longer provides residential service; it now concentrates on industrial waste hauling.

When Priority took over on July 1, its crews had to catch up on services that hadn’t been provided, and the company “struggled” for the first two weeks, Kaplan said.

Since then, the service has improved, and the number of calls to report problems has dropped from about 500 per day in June to only about 20 per day, Kaplan said.

When Priority took over GFL’s residential contracts on July 1, company officials were told GFL had 60 vehicles that needed repairs. Once the vehicles were delivered, it turned out the number was almost four times that, Priority officials have said.

.“What was inspected at that time was not what was delivered,” said Matt Allen, director of public relations and urban affairs for Priority, in an earlier interview.

He said the truck repairs should be done by November. Even once the trucks are repaired, about 200 of them currently on the roads still need to be retrofitted to Priority’s standards.

Allen said they’ve sent trucks across the state and even to Ohio to speed up the repair process.

The company has enough employees to do the work, as Priority hired most of GFL’s crews, Allen said.

In a May 29 letter to employees that was leaked online, GFL said the sale includes the transfer of contracts with about 75 municipalities, as well as homeowners’ associations and subscription residential customers in Oakland, Washtenaw, Livingston, Macomb, Genesee and Wayne counties.

McLaren Health Care, which operates 13 hospitals in Michigan, has confirmed a criminal cyberattack that is affecting some patient services.

McLaren hospitals are in Pontiac, Mount Clemens, Mt. Pleasant and other locations around the state. The health care company also operates a facility near Clarkston that has an emergency department, outpatient surgery center and more.

The attack occurred Tuesday, Aug. 6, according to a post on McLaren’s Facebook page on Wednesday, Aug. 7.

“Our information technology team continues to work with external cyber security experts to analyze the nature of the attack and mitigate the impacts of the threat actors. At this time, we have not determined if any patient or employee data was compromised,” the post said.

McLaren said its hospitals and outpatient facilities are largely operational.

But while it has limited access to its systems, some non-emergency appointments, tests and treatments are being rescheduled.

McLaren said it is also working with vendors and insurance companies to make sure the supply chain is not impacted and insurance authorizations are processed.

McLaren said patients with scheduled appointments should plan to attend unless they are contacted.

Patients should bring the following to their appointments:

– A list of current medications or prescription bottles

– Printed physician orders for imaging studies or treatments

– Printed results of recent lab tests available in the patient portals

– A list of allergies.

McLaren said it could not estimate when all systems would be back to normal.

Earlier this year, a similar attack affected patient services at Ascension hospitals around the country. Ascension, which operates numerous hospitals in southeast Michigan, reported the attack in early May. It took about two months before all system issues were resolved.

A ramp and a road are closed to allow reconstruction and repair on I-696.

The northbound M-10 ramp to westbound I-696 in Southfield closed Monday, Aug. 5, and will remain closed until 3 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 8, according to the Michigan Department of Transportation.

The ramp closing is part of the $275 million Restore the Reuther project, a reconstruction of I-696 from I-275 to east of Telegraph Road.

Also, northbound Coolidge Highway closed over I-696 in Oak Park on Monday and will remain closed until Sept. 9. The Coolidge closing will allow crews to repair a bridge.

Warm summer evenings can bring pleasant times outdoors.

Sometimes, that pleasantness is interrupted as you swat mosquitoes.

In isolated cases, the insects can carry diseases that, in many people, produce no symptoms or mild ones. But a small number of people experience life-altering complications or even death.

The best way to protect yourself is to avoid mosquito bites, experts say.

“You should take precautions and protect yourself, but don’t panic,” said Mark Hansell, environmental public health chief for the Oakland County Health Division.

So far this year, the risk is low, he said. But the potential for serious illness or death is the reason the county cooperates with Michigan officials to collect and test mosquitoes for disease.

State grants cover much of the cost of the testing, he said.

The tiny blood-sucking creatures are collected at 20 sites around the county, where traps collect a group of mosquitos, called a pool. Diseases tend to run in certain species, so county officials identify them and send them to a lab for testing.

No infected pools of mosquitoes collected have been identified in the county this year, but mosquito-borne diseases tend to peak in late July through September, Hansell said.

A warm, wet spring could result in a greater population of mosquitoes this year, experts say. But Hansell said that doesn’t mean there will be more mosquito-borne viruses. The state is not predicting an increase in mosquito-borne illness this year, he said.

Last year, six mosquito pools tested positive in Oakland County for at least one disease. There was one human case each of West Nile virus and Jamestown Canyon virus.

The two viruses usually produce no or few symptoms. But in isolated cases, they can produce serious complications, such as encephalitis, meningitis or paralysis.

The West Nile virus was first isolated in the West Nile district of Uganda in 1937. Jamestown Canyon virus was first identified in 1961 in mosquitoes from Jamestown Canyon, Colo.

West Nile virus is now found around the world and Jamestown Canyon around the country..

Of greater concern is another disease that mosquitoes can carry: Eastern Equine Encephalitis. About 30% of people ill from EEE die and many others have permanent neurologic damage.

Statewide, there were no human cases from 2003-2009 and a total of eight human cases from 2010-2018.

But a statewide outbreak of EEE in 2019-2020 infected 14 people and 91 animals; eight people died. There were no human cases in Oakland County. Most of the human deaths were in mid-Michigan and southwest Michigan.

EEE can also be dangerous for horses, though there is a vaccine available. There is no vaccine for humans for EEE, Jamestown Canyon or West Nile.

There is also no specific treatment for the three viruses, other than rest, fluids, pain relief and, in some cases, hospitalization.

During the EEE outbreak of 2019-20, the state conducted spraying in some counties other than Oakland to control the mosquito population, Hansell said.

The state reports no human cases this year of any mosquito-borne viruses.

As of mid-July, five birds from Delta, Luce, Marquette, Mason and Saginaw counties have tested positive for West Nile virus. Mosquitoes contract viruses by biting birds or other animals that are infected. Mosquitoes then spread disease by biting humans. Often, the animal carrying the virus is unaffected by it.

You cannot contract mosquito-borne viruses from another person or from an animal such as a horse or deer.

So far this year, seven mosquito pools from Bay, Kent and St. Clair counties have tested positive for West Nile. Ten pools from Bay, Calhoun, Dickinson, Kent and Saginaw counties have tested positive for Jamestown Canyon virus.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services says mosquito-borne viruses usually produce symptoms within a few days up to two weeks after exposure.

Symptoms vary by the type of infection, but often include fever, headache and fatigue.

Mosquitoes are most active at dawn and dusk. MDHHS recommends following these steps to avoid mosquito bites:

– Apply insect repellents that contain the active ingredient DEET or other EPA-approved products to exposed skin and clothing. Insect repellents will also help protect against ticks, which can also carry disease. Follow the manufacturer’s directions for use.

– Insect repellents are not recommended for infants under 2 months. Cover your child’s arms and legs and use mosquito netting on strollers and other baby equipment when outdoors.

– Wear light-colored, long-sleeved shirts, long pants and socks and shoes when outdoors.

– Maintain window and door screenings to help keep mosquitoes outside.

– Empty water from mosquito breeding sites outside, such as buckets, birdbaths, unused kiddie pools, old tires and other water-holding containers.

For more information, visit Michigan.gov/EmergingDiseases or https://www.cdc.gov/vector-borne-diseases/prevention/index.html.