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OCTOBER 17, 2024 • Vol. 4, No. 22
MDOT contractor crash results in gravel spill and freeway closure BY CHARITY MEIER cmeier@candgnews.com
BY CHARITY MEIER cmeier@candgnews.com
Children in the Novi Middle School theater department will bring the classic fantasy world of J.R.R. Tolk-
ien to life with a presentation of “The Hobbit” on Oct.18. “I chose to do ‘The Hobbit’ because it is a classic story from many years ago, but with the film adaptations a few See HOBBIT on page 5A
ABOVE: Novi Middle School theater director Joseph Green helps Aarav Chakravartti with his costume, as other students watch, during a dress rehearsal of “The Hobbit” Oct. 12. Photo by Patricia O’Blenes
PARKS MILLAGE Vote Nov. 5 Great Parks and Connected Communities A Greener, More Resilient Future Learn more at OaklandCountyParks.com
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See SPILL on page 11A
Novi Middle School to bring fantasy to life with presentation of ‘The Hobbit’
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A section of Interstate 96 was closed for nearly five hours Oct. 10 after a truck hauling gravel hit a large freeway sign and spilled gravel across the highway. According to Diane Cross, of the Michigan Department of Transportation, the truck was being driven by an MDOT contractor. She said the contractor was driving a gravel hauler when he hit the overhead sign on the gantry. “One of our contractors driving a gravel hauler hit the overhead sign on the gantry, which is the three new 96 Flex signs, and the freeway had to be closed to remove the very large sign using cranes,” said Cross. A gravel hauler tractor has a large piston that can be raised and lowered to transport and empty out the gravel. According to Michigan State Police 1st Lt. Michael Shaw, public information officer for the Michigan State Police, the driver had his truck tipped upward when he hit the sign. “A semi driver had his trailer up and struck one of the electrical signs,” Shaw said. Cross said that no other vehicles were involved in the incident. According to Shaw and Cross, nobody was hurt as a result of the accident.