NEWSPAPERS n o i t i d E l a i c e p S
DECEMBER 4, 2024 candgnews.com
Oakland County papers
Heritage Rooms showcase exhibit on legendary wrestler BY ANDY KOZLOWSKI akozlowski@candgnews.com
MADISON HEIGHTS — Stepping into the elevator at Madison Heights City Hall is like traveling back in time. Visitors are instantly taken to a museum with exhibits like a re-creation of the one-room Kendall School, which stood in the early 1900s when Madison Heights was still Royal Oak Township. But before one enters the museum, called the Heritage Rooms and maintained by the city’s Historical Commission, there is a super-sized photo on the wall of the late Jim Myers (1937-2017) — a hometown hero and namesake of the stadium at Madison High School where he once taught and coached football, wrestling and track. Myers is an inductee in both the Michigan High School Coaches Hall of Fame and the Michigan Football Coaches Hall of Fame. Growing up, he was quite the athSee EXHIBIT on page 8A
In this file photo from 2013, Jim Myers, center, hugs brothers Mark and John Davis during a book signing for his autobiography “Animal” at the Royal Oak Barnes and Noble. Myers was a coach for the Madison Schools who moonlit as pro wrestler George “The Animal” Steele. Exhibits about his life and career are featured at the Heritage Rooms, the historical museum at Madison Heights City Hall. File photo by Deb Jacques
TROY MALLS FIND WAYS TO KEEP COMMUNITY INTEREST BY SARAH WRIGHT swright@candgnews.com
TROY — Though some malls appear to be struggling in the metro Detroit area, shopping centers in Troy, like Somerset Collection and the Oakland Mall, appear to be adapting or looking for different ways to continue to bring in more foot traffic. “I am in frequent contact with the ownership and management of both the Somerset Collection and The Oakland Mall,” Troy Mayor Ethan Baker said in an email. “While two very different properties and experiences, both seem to be the anomalies in the overall trend
of mall suffering and closures throughout Metro Detroit and the nation. Having good relationships with the decision-makers for both, it seems both continue to evolve and work hard to provide unique retail stores and overall ambiance. “Somerset is the premier shopping destination in the Midwest, and the Oakland Mall is reinventing itself as both a shopping mall, and also a place for family entertainment. I look forward to watching their continued success and growth, and am thankful for their partnerships and commitment to Troy.” See MALLS on page 7A
Santa Claus’ crystal holiday castle is available to guests for the holiday season at Somerset Collection, located at 2800 W. Big Beaver Road. Photo provided by Somerset Collection