Phil in the Blank A column by Phil Custodio

For the past four years, the “blank” in “Phil in the Blank” referred to this space in the newspaper. I’m the editor in charge of laying out the newspaper, and when it’s my turn to write the column, this spot is blank until I fill it. Now it means something else ? a blank spot […]

Festival for Youth Day

Friends Shannon Disalle, Mary Smith, Mikayla Thibodeau, Annie Toohey plan to attend World Youth Day next summer. It’ll cost about $3,000 each because it’s in Madrid, Spain, so fund raising has already started. ‘We’ll be fund raising all year,? said Smith. ‘I want to share experiences with people my age, and grow in my Catholic […]

Mediterranean flavors at Pita Way

Brandon Bahoura earned a business marketing degree from Oakland University in 2007 and opened his first business, Pita Way in Independence Township, this past April. ‘I always planned to open up my own business,? said Bahoura , 26, of West Bloomfield. ‘I like working with my hands. I did some research and went into Middle […]

Spotlight’s new sprung floor to help dancers? feet

With more than 20 years of dance experience, Wendy Harris knows the difference a floor can make. “Dancing on concrete floors, tiles with no give, and the shin splints and leg pain that comes with them ? I know what safe flooring is,” said Harris, owner of Spotlight Dance Center. “I never want my dancers […]

Find a job at Job Fair

A wide range of employers are signed up for a Job Fair, Sept. 20 at St. Daniel Church in Independence Township. “Jobs for old and young employees, part-time and fulltime, in administration, sales, technology ? a good representation in this economy,” said Ronald DeLorme, organizer. “We expect hundreds of job seekers.” Seventeen employers in shipping, […]

Lights, camera, action in Springfield Township

Local moviemakers Raphael Buechel and Brandon Culp want their film to be as realistic as possible. When shooting a scene set in a psychologist’s office, they filmed in the office of a real mental health therapist, Stan Garwood of Independence Township. “They’re nice people to work with ? they’re fun,” Garwood said. “All I want […]

Donations keep troops in touch

John Manzella of Oxford, a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, knows how important keeping in touch with home is to troops overseas. To help them stay in contact with loved ones, he collects donations for the Cell Phones for Soldiers program. He donated a World War II footlocker full of them to Al Hall, […]

Sisters bring Reiki to Clarkston

Missie Irish Mellen and September Racine are sisters, raised in Clarkston. They’re now Clarkston business owners, at Just the Right Touch Reiki Therapy, in the Attuned Mind center, 3 E. Washington Street. “It’s wonderful ? after my first class, I used it on myself for self healing,” said Mellen, a registered nurse and certified Reiki […]

Fire shakes faith in emergency response

Living in Independence Township for the past seven years, Diane and Jon Alband never worried about fire protection. They do now, after a house fire on their road, Sept. 7. “It was a very poor response,” Diane Alband said. “Thank God no one was home.” According to 911 dispatch records, requested under the Freedom of […]

Use it or lose it for Springfield PEG funds

It’s back to the drawing board for officials looking to spend Springfield Township’s cable fund balance. Clerk Laura Moreau worked with Parks and Recreation Director Jennifer Tucker and Program Specialist Rich Ashley on a plan to spend about $48,000 of it. Think bigger, other Springfield Township Board members told them. ‘We need to develop the […]