I can't tell you how many times I've overheard someone talk negatively about police officers and other law enforcement officials. All too often, I believe, the police are painted as the bad guys, writing tickets and making arrests. But they're also the first people you call when you need help. I bring this up now because May 13-19 is National Police Week. Police Week began in 1962 when President John F. Kennedy signed a proclamation declaring May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day and the corresponding week as Police Week. This resonates with me because I grew up with a police officer - my dad…

I have to be honest. When Patch first came calling in 2011 with the prospect of taking over its Plymouth site, I didn't immediately anticipate spending the next two years in Plymouth and probably couldn't initially point it out on a map.  Intrigued by the prospect of taking over the then-fledgling Plymouth Patch, I made the trek from Port Huron one night, pointing my GPS to the center of Plymouth to see what I could discover. As I rolled into downtown, it's perhaps fitting my first impression was driving over the large compass at the Ann Arbor Trail and Main Street intersection. I was clearly…

Welcome, readers, to Plymouth-Canton Patch. Starting today, all the news and features you'd find at Plymouth Patch and Canton Patch are now in one spot, the new Plymouth-Canton Patch. You can expect the same in-depth coverage of both communities, as we continue to highlight news and events in the City of Plymouth, Plymouth Township and Canton Township. Why combine the two sites? One thing we've noticed about Plymouth and Canton is that, besides sharing one of the state's largest school districts, residents of each town often frequent the other. The communities, while vastly different in …

We've got exciting news for Patch readers. Starting June 28, Plymouth Patch and Canton Patch will combine to become Plymouth-Canton Patch. You can expect the same in-depth coverage of both communities, as we highlight news and events in the City of Plymouth, Plymouth Township and Canton Township. One thing we've noticed about Plymouth and Canton is that, besides sharing one of the state's largest school districts, residents of each town frequent the other. Whether it's for shopping, dining, festivals or sporting events, the communities complement one another. After hearing feedback from …

I was disheartened this month to hear news of a young Plymouth-Canton student in his first year with the district receiving hurtful taunts from his peers on the playground at Field Elementary School. While I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting ten-year-old Zachary Greenshields, I feel for him and what he and his family are going through. Greenshields has dealt with several instances of bullying in the past couple of months, including three instances in which his jacket was torn. The worst offense, however, was when a well-known children's song's lyrics were altered to verbally threaten …

Wondering how to blog on Patch? Ever wanted to add an event to our calendar? Do you have a business that is looking to get the word out about a new product or service? Meet John McKay, editor of Plymouth Patch and Canton Patch, and Susanne Spruit, advertising manager, from 1-3 p.m. today at Espresso Elevado in downtown Plymouth. We'll be available to answer questions you might have about Patch, to receive story tips and show you how to use tools available to readers and business owners on Patch. Today kicks off our first coffee hours segment. We'll alternate between Plymouth and Canton in the…

Armed with mittens, a jacket and a smile, I had the pleasure of representing the Salvation Army Plymouth Corps on Wednesday as a volunteer bell-ringer at Kroger in Plymouth Township. This was my first time ringing the bell for the Salvation Army. Having covered a guest bell-ringing event featuring some Detroit Red Wings and recently doing a story on how the organization still needs plenty of donations to meet its 2011 Red Kettle Campaign goals, I jumped at the chance to chip in. I knew the organization had plenty of kettle vacancies and I wanted to help. I'm not particularly in a position to …

On Wednesday, we reached a milestone on Plymouth Patch's Facebook page: 900 "Likes." Well, 921 as of this writing. When I took over as editor of Plymouth Patch in May, we had just hit 500. To be honest, it's still mind-boggling that so many people rely on us for up-to-the-minute news and information. It means even more to run into people in public who tell us they read "the Patch" each day. I can't thank you enough for the support. Today marks one year since the launch of Plymouth Patch. We were the first Michigan Patch site to go live, and Patch couldn't have picked a better first community …

We're excited to inaugurate a new series for our Patch Readers: "Dispatches: The Changing American Dream."Every day, the national media is full of stories about how American families, businesses, and neighbors are adjusting to these trying times. There are so many changes happening so fast that it's dizzying: national debates about unemployment, foreclosures, debt, religion, government and private enterprise all touch on fundamental ways in which we see ourselves and our communities. At Patch, we want to explore that conversation on a daily basis so we can better understand how our neighbors …

I knew when I moved to Plymouth Township that my proximity to the I-275 Bikeway would be beneficial to me. Well, it certainly wasn't for my love of cycling. I took my 15-speed mountain bike that I've owned since fifth grade (in an embarrassingly 1990s-style array of purples and blues) out on the path near Ann Arbor Trail on Friday afternoon. In addition to being in no shape to bike seriously, I also fought a loose chain and walked most of the way back.  Well, so much for that. Before I continue my story, I'll provide some insight into the life of a Patch editor. Being a completely mobile news…

I became a Plymouth resident on May 7 and was immediately thrust into the heart of the city. I moved here from Port Huron, where I had worked for nearly two years as a copy editor at a daily newspaper, to take over as editor of Plymouth Patch. My last box of belongings had hardly been moved in when I was due downtown to cover the Green Street Fair. So began this new venture. As your new Plymouth Patch editor, my job is to become immersed in the community. As a resident of Plymouth Township—and frequent downtown visitor—the issues I cover affect me. The learning curve, as always, can be a bit …

It's been a month full of transitions here on Plymouth Patch, including my big transition into motherhood last month which took me away from my job as local editor. Now I'm about to embark on my next step as associate regional editor with Patch, which means I will be leaving post as Plymouth editor to help oversee about 12 local Patch sites. While I'm sad to stop covering a community I love, I'm looking forward to my new position and I can't wait to introduce you to Plymouth's new local editor. John McKay comes to Patch from the Port Huron Times Herald, where he worked as a copy editor. …

In the past few days, you might have noticed my absence from Plymouth Patch and the Plymouth community. That's because on Thursday, I was busy giving birth to my first child, Sonya Annabel Nunez. And since then, I've been busy getting to know everything I can about my new sweet daughter. For all of you who have seen me and my ever-growing belly and have been waiting for news, here are all the details (minus the gory ones). Sonya was born on April 14 at 11:32 p.m. at Garden City Hospital, weighing in at a strong 9 pounds and measuring 21 inches long. Since then, I've been stumbling my way …

I've alluded to it a few times in this column, and for those of you who see me around town on a regular basis, by now it's quite obvious – I'm pregnant. In 10 short weeks, give or take, I'll be introducing a child into the world for the first time. As a soon-to-be mom, I find myself coming up with questions every day about car seats (why are there so many options?), day care, pediatricians, breastfeeding vs. formula and so much more. And I know that before long, those questions about my newborn will turn into even more questions about my infant, toddler, third-grader, teenager, and even my …

We'd like to say we have all the answers to any question you could ask about Plymouth. But if we're going to be completely honest, we don't. However, if we can't help you when you're looking for advice on the best yoga studio in town or want information about a new development on Main Street, we'd like to think someone else in the community can. That's why we're lucky Patch built a feature called Q&A, an area of the site where people can go to ask questions – and we mean questions about anything – and get responses from others in the community. As you can see by visiting the Q&A page, it hasn…

The year 2011 is just around the corner (at the time of this article it's 12 hours away, to be exact) and somewhere in the near vicinity, Plymouth's first baby of the new year will be born. As a New Year Baby myself (my birthday is Jan. 3), I know that being born at the beginning of the year doesn't mean much -- except maybe that the gift-receiving season lasts a little bit longer for us than for most people. But if I have to be honest, I do get a little bit of satisfaction in knowing that my age lines up neatly with the beginning of each year. And, yes, part of me just loves knowing my …

On Thursday, I heard from people in Kellogg Park about what their holiday traditions were. Some said baking cookies, others said  coming back to Plymouth to spend time with family -- one person even said bowling on Christmas Eve. Hearing from so many families about traditions they have established over the years got me thinking about the traditions I will set for my own family. By this time next year, I will have an 8-month-old daughter (something I still can't believe!) and I know whatever routines I establish around the holidays will stay with her for the rest of her life, just like the …

One of the best parts of the holiday season is visiting family, especially those family members you don't get to see very often. The journey to see half of my family – specifically, my husband's family – involves 3,300 miles, three planes and one overnight bus. Needless to say, we don't get to see my husband's mother, sisters, brother and slew of nieces and nephews very often. They live in Chimbote, Peru, an industrial fishing town on the Pacific coast about 300 miles north of the capital city Lima. That's where my husband and I will be spending the next two weeks, catching up with his family…

I come from a big family. My dad grew up in Westland with 10 brothers and sisters, and while many of those siblings and their children have moved out of state, Thanksgiving is the one holiday that brings most of them back to Michigan to feast on turkey in the same brick house where they grew up. Given that for many of us, this is the only time we see each other all year, we've created a Thanksgiving Eve tradition that allows us to spend a little more time together. It started at Mama Mia, an Italian restaurant in Livonia, in 2006, where we would stuff ourselves with pasta and wine and canoli…