Around the Mitten This Week: A Piece of the WTC; Pickleball; Nicklas Lidstrom; Wake for 'Gus' at O'Connor's
Here's a look at stories from Michigan Patches this week, from the newsy to the quirky.
JANUARY
When Gus O'Connor's decided to drop the "Gus" from its name, Rochester Patch columnist Laura Cassar suggested they hold an Irish wake to memorialize the name.
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From taking photos at the auto show Charity Preview to passing out coffee and cocoa at the Winterfest in Grosse Pointe, Patch was out and about the area this week. Here's a roundup of the top headlines and other curiosities from Patches around Southeast Michigan:
- Farmington: A piece of the World Trade Center will be used in a sculpture that commemorates North Farmington High School's 50th anniversary.
- Fenton: Nearly 800 people turned out to for “Katie’s Game,” a fundraiser organized by middle school classmates of 14-year-old Katie Wyatt, who is battling kidney cancer.
- Canton: Red Wings great Nicklas Lidstrom shared tips on exercise, nutrition and hockey in a visit to Field Elementary School, one of 20 school visits held throughout Metro Detroit.
- Northville: Families and friends of two Northville elementary students mourned their tragic deaths after the boys and their mother were slain by their father in their Novi home before he killed himself.
- Macomb: The pickleball craze is sweeping the nation, and seniors at Macomb Township Recreation Center are on the forefront of the game with the strange name.
- Berkley: The nonprofit kosher food bank Yad Ezra has seen a dramatic increase in people seeking assistance.
- Saline: Snowman Building Championship competitors are keeping a watchful eye on the weather as the all-important Jan. 29 date for the snowman-building frenzy approaches. Stockpiling the white stuff is key, we’re told.
- Trenton: The trial date has been set for Jeniffer Petkov, who made national headlines for taunting a dying 7-year-old. She is accused of trying to run over one of her neighbor’s friends.
- Dearborn: Patch takes you on a tour of the just-opened Midwest Medical Center, a dream come true for founder and CEO Mark Saffer.
- Birmingham: Former Country Day star Ray McCallum was widely recruited, but he is happy with his decision to stay home and play college basketball for his dad at University of Detroit Mercy.
- Royal Oak: Officials will review an ordinance banning panhandling on city sidewalks after the ACLU of Michigan files a letter calling the action a violation of the Constitution.
- St. Clair Shores: Joe Foodie takes a look at the 24-hour Travis Coffee Shop diner, an institution in St. Clair Shores known for its late-night hours and greasy grub.
- Rochester/Rochester Hills: It wasn’t your typical day on Main Street in Rochester Thursday, where fans of the Gus O’Connor’s Public House carried a beer-filled coffin and held a wake for “Gus” as that part of the pub’s name was retired.
- Clawson: In an age when downloading dominates, independent music stores such as Flipside Records explore creative ways to stay in business.
- Shelby-Utica: A Ypsilanti man was arraigned in the fireplace poker beating and carjacking of a 60-year-old woman in Utica.
