1/21/26 C & G Special Edition — Oakland

NEWSPAPERS Special Edition

Royal Oak Library’s Friends book shop gives back in big ways

BY TAYLOR CHRISTENSEN tchristensen@candgnews.com

ROYAL OAK — Located in the Royal Oak Public Library is a small but mighty bookstore dedicated to raising money for library programs.

The Friends Shop includes a large variety of books including children’s books, DVDs, and games that are priced at 50 cents or a dollar. All of the proceeds from sales go directly to the library.

Books are available for purchase on the first floor inside the Friends Shop or on the shelves located outside the shop. There is also a children’s section of buyable books located in the children’s area of the library.

Yvonne Busby-Dean, member of the Friends volunteer board and book shop manager, said that their goal is to spread awareness about the bookshop, and hopefully bring in more customers.

Busby-Dean said that the bookstore is open all the time, which is new this year. Even if there is not a volunteer at the desk in the Friends Shop,

See BOOK SHOP on page 10A

Oakland County Parks and Rec keeps a full schedule in winter months

BY SCOTT BENTLEY sbentley@candgnews.com

OAKLAND COUNTY — The holiday season is over, but Oakland County Parks and Recreation is still offering a full schedule of events and activities for metro Detroiters this winter.

Not only are there a handful of planned events for residents to attend over the next two months, there are also parks, lakes and trails that are open for anyone to enjoy.

“I’m a parks and rec nerd. I love being out here,” Parks Supervisor Jeremy Brown said. “I love the fact that we’re able to provide these recreational opportunities for people.” The budget for West Lincoln Well Park playground was approximately $225,000 and the budget for the Pumphouse Park

See PARKS on page 6A

Officials strive to get ‘back to basics’ with historic preservation master plan

BY MARY GENSON mgenson@candgnews.com

BIRMINGHAM — When the city of Birmingham sent out a survey in 2024 that asked residents if they believe historic preservation is a worthwhile goal, 94% of the 201 respondents said “yes.”

This public response echoes the ongoing efforts of Birmingham Planning Director Nicholas Dupuis and the Historic District Commission, Dupuis said. Though the city has been working on historic preservation since the 1970s, there has never been a historic preservation master plan.

In hopes of building a strong culture of historic preservation in Birmingham, the city has been working on a historic preservation master plan. The survey they sent out in 2024 was intended to seek public feedback from residents.

“That survey really helped us. Frankly, it kind of told us what we already felt, but we felt it really

See PRESERVATION on page 7A

Southfield Public Schools implements metal detectors

BY MCKENNA GOLAT mgolat@candgnews.com

SOUTHFIELD — Southfield Public Schools has been in the process of getting metal detectors into its buildings for the past year, and it rolled them out at Southfield High School for the Arts and Technology when students came back from winter break on Jan. 5.

Southfield Public Schools Chief of Staff James Jackson said this is the first time that walk-through metal detectors are being used within school district buildings. However, the district has used detector wands at games and events, so this should not be entirely new for students.

Jackson said these metal detectors are another layer of security and protection for students and staff.

“We have learned that there is no true profile for what schools are susceptible to gun violence,” he said. “At the end of the day, our top priority is to keep our students and staff safe.”

Jackson said the push for added security from parents has been strong in the last few years, especially after the Oxford shooting and last year’s incident of a 15-year-old student bringing a concealed firearm into Southfield A&T.

Jackson said the school district received seven metal detectors. Four were placed in

See DETECTORS on page 9A

The secrets to their success

NEW BUSINESS OWNERS TALK ABOUT PLANNING, GROWTH

BY MARIA ALLARD allard@candgnews.com

METRO DETROIT — When starting a business, entrepreneurs think about all aspects that will make it successful: daily operations, building a customer base, hiring employees, managing cash flow, city zoning ordinances and much more.

After navigating over the hurdles, making it through the first year feels like a milestone.

‘The biggest challenge has been getting the word out’

Bricks & Minifigs Novi, located at 49881 Grand River Ave., in Wixom, opened Sept. 21, 2024. In that first year, the store owners learned a lot about what worked and what improvements can be made.

“I think what got us through is our positive attitude and amazing customers,” said Cara Suksi, who created the store with her husband Kevin. “We have so many repeat customers. They’re so supportive. They take part in some of our events

AFTER YEAR ONE

we’ve done. It’s hard to walk in our store and not have a huge smile on your face.”

Bricks & Minifigs Novi is every Lego fan’s dream.

“We sell everything Legos. We sell new and boxed Legos. We sell bulk Legos including bins,” Cara said. “Legos are made well. They don’t lose their value. They always fit together.”

The Suksis own Bricks & Minifigs Novi with two other partners: Cathy Drapeau, who is Cara Suksi’s mother, and Sean Krabach. Everyone took on different roles to make the store a success.

Kevin, who still works his full-time job outside the family business, takes care of the finances for Bricks & Minifigs Novi and assists with the inventory. Cara handles the marketing, events and birthday parties. Krabach is responsible for the inventory, and Drapeau was put in charge of human resources. Cara and Kevin’s teenage son Jack also helps out, along with a group of dedicated staff members.

Kevin always had an interest in Legos. Cara said he’d buy

See BUSINESS on page 5A

Business

and sell them online, and one day suggested they open up their own Lego store. Along with sales, Bricks & Minifigs Novi buys and trades all Lego products.

Because of Kevin’s hobby, the Suksi already had a lot of inventory to stock the store. It was a long process to open the business. The Suksis traveled out of state to meet with the Lego CEO and founder. They also completed a week of training. They were required to give a presentation as to why they wanted to own such a business and also spent a few days working in the company’s flagship store.

“It was pretty intense,” Cara said. “It’s a risk. The biggest challenge has been getting the word out. People are still finding us for the first time. Every market is different. What sells in one market may not sell in another market.”

The owners continue to come up with new ideas as the business grows. Bricks & Minifigs Novi, for instance, will participate in National Lego Day on Jan. 28. Cara suggests customers check on the store’s social media pages — Facebook, X and Instagram — for updates.

“Star Wars” is probably the biggest seller. The botanical flower themes, superheroes, “Lord of the Rings” and Friends sets also are popular. Cara said that many people come in to build their own creations or sometimes find missing pieces from a set they already own.

‘I knew I had to keep going’

In the summer of 2025, Mariah Moore fulfilled a longtime ambition of opening up her own business called EverCare Home Health. The virtual office is located in Bloomfield Hills and provides home health care services throughout metro Detroit.

Moore always had an interest in helping others. She started caregiving when attending Ferris State University. After graduating from college in 2011, she worked for Child Protective Services in Michigan but also continued with caregiving on the side. At first it was to make extra money, but then Moore discovered how much she enjoyed working as a caregiver.

“I worked for different agencies in metro Detroit,” Moore said. “I knew I loved it.”

She eventually left CPS. In 2023, the budding entrepreneur decided it was time to open up her own home health care business. She wasn’t sure how to get started but met a mentor who offered a number of tips to help in the beginning. Moore paid attention to every detail to make sure she was on the right path to opening EverCare Home Health.

“She taught me how to do it from beginning to end,” Moore said. “She went over

Moore is a new business owner. In the summer of 2025, she opened up her own business, EverCare Home Health, to provide non-medical home health aid to families. The virtual office, located in

everything with me.”

That included putting together a business plan, setting policies and procedures, and registering as an LLC business. EverCare Home Health offers a number of nonmedical services including dressing, bathing, companionship, light housekeeping, and transportation for doctor’s appointments and running errands. Currently, Moore has 10 caregivers on staff and four clients. One strategy Moore uses to find new clients is to pay a company for referral leads.

“The most challenging part was finding clients in the beginning. No one was calling. It was disappointing,” she said. “I knew I had to keep going. It took about two months to find my first client. It seemed like it was never going to happen.”

Moore makes sure to get to know the clients and their families to find out what the needs are. Some clients receive short-term care while others need long-term care. One client is receiving care 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“I stay involved so families feel comfortable contacting me,” she said. “We have to make sure the caregivers are reliable.”

While Moore is “glad my company is a little bit smaller,” she does have plans to expand in the future. She would like to add more 24/7 clients and offer medical care. She knows the hard work involved in operating her own business, and she is willing to put in the time.

“I want to continue to grow, and I still want to be able to have good relationships with each family,” Moore said. “I never thought I would have my own company. Focusing on my company full time is the most rewarding part. I truly enjoy it. I am doing what I love.”

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Parks

playground was approximately $153,500.

Brown is a certified parks and recreation professional and is the supervisor of Independence Oaks County Park and Orion Oaks County Park.

There are sledding hills, hiking trails, ice fishing spots, snowshoeing trails and cross country skiing trails all locally available.

“At Independence Oaks we have groomed cross-country skiing trails — 10 miles’ worth,” Brown said. “We also have a cross-country ski program that’s a two-hour program where somebody can come out and get their skis, poles and boots, and some instruction. Then they use the skis for a couple hours.”

Ice fishing has always been a staple in Michigan, but it has become more popular in Oakland County in recent years. There are plenty of lakes where you can ice fish, weather permitting. The lakes contain pike, bass, sunfish, bluegill and more.

“Some people may not know it … but we have Upper Bushman Lake and that is the only designated catch-and-release lake in southeastern Michigan,” Brown said. “We bought the property … and the DNR did a creel census and found that the hatchery and size were larger than average. That’s why it’s that way.”

One of the many upcoming events planned in the county is Fireworks and Flannels, where residents will run a 5K on Feb. 13 and bundle up to watch fireworks on Feb. 14 at Waterford Oaks County Park.

“There will be food trucks, games, ac-

tivities and they even roll up with a beer tent and music,” Brown said. “It’s cool. They finish it off with a fireworks display.”

If you’re looking for activities to do indoors in the winter, Oakland County Parks and Recreation offers plenty of opportunities as well. One of the big draws in the cold months is the nature centers around the county, such as Wint, Red Oaks and Johnson nature centers.

“I’m really proud of the schedule that my staff was able to put together, because it does have something for everyone,” said Mary Blumka, recreation program supervisor for nature education at Oakland County Parks. “I think a lot of people think the nature centers are geared towards little kids,

and we have tons of stuff for families with young children, but we also offer a series of wellness programs that are geared towards adults.”

Wellness in the Woods is one of the more popular adult-centered activities. It usually involves crafts for participants and a chance to relax in nature.

Of course, there are still plenty of activities for children and families to attend. Nature at Night is an event that Wint (at Independence Oaks) and Red Oaks nature centers both offer, which allows participants to be guided by a naturalist after the park closes for the evening. There are also monthly programs made for children who are homeschooled, which gives the families a

chance to be hands-on with nature.

One of the most popular programs is the Early Childhood Hour Out program. ECHO takes place at Wint Nature Center every Thursday from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. and is free for Oakland County residents.

“It’s a caregiver-guided activity … with tea, coffee and snacks for the adults,” Blumka said. “It’s for anyone who is caregiving for young children… They get to see other adults while the kids have a good time. I’ve seen as many as 37 people attend that program.”

Other activities this winter include Winter Foods for Hungry Lil’ Dudes on Feb. 22 at Wint Nature Center, Ice Age Giants on Jan. 24 at Red Oaks Nature Center, Snowshoes and Stamps on Feb. 21 at Red Oaks Nature Center and Maple (syrup) Magic on Feb. 28 at Red Oaks Nature Center, among many others. Let’s Be a Geologist Minicamp is also open to children on March 7 at Independence Oaks County Park.

The county is doing work all year to make sure that the residents in the area have places to go and events to attend even when the weather gets frigid. Using these resources will not only benefit you, but the community as a whole.

“There’s a healing aspect to it. I think the more you can get out and feel that, the better off mentally and physically you’re going to be,” Brown said. “All you have to do is come out and look and you’re going to find so many different things to do.”

The cost per person for these programs, except ECHO, ranges from $5 to $15 per person.

For more information on cost, registration and scheduling, visit oakgov.com.

Preservation

valuable that we confirmed it with our community,” Dupuis said.

Historic District Commission member Dustin Kolo said it’s an important moment for Birmingham. “So many of our resources are going to become historic over the next decade or two decades,” he said.

Kolo said the city wants to give residents the opportunity to designate their house as a historical resource and “make sure that we’re capturing those resources that are commercial in the downtown districts that are becoming historic, so we can make sure that they’re preserved and protected.”

Approaches to historic preservation

There are regulatory and non-regulatory approaches to historic preservation. Regulatory approaches are “managed through laws and ordinance, and the application of strict guidelines,” while non-regulatory approaches rely on “voluntary action, incentives, and education,” according to the draft plan.

According to the survey, almost 70% of respondents wanted a combination of both

regulatory and non-regulatory approaches, which Dupuis said is “right on, in terms of what we feel a good historic preservation program should be.”

The draft historic preservation master plan

In the draft, there are three goals stated for the plan: “Get Back to the Basics,” “Embrace Proactivity” and “Inform and Engage.”

For each goal, there is a list of actions that include projects that will help the city achieve each goal. However, the draft plan notes that it is “aspirational,” and timelines may “ebb and flow.”

Some examples of actions in the draft include, “adopt a demolition delay ordinance,” “produce updated historic plaques for all designated historic buildings in the Central Business Historic District” and “increase and regularize enforcement of maintenance requirements to ensure that historic materials are not lost to neglect.”

This topic was an agenda item at the City Commission meeting Jan. 12. For updates on the approval of the master plan, visit bhamgov.or, where the agenda, meeting packet and videos of City Commission meetings are available.

WAYNE STATE TO HOST BORN IN DETROIT BASEBALL CAMP

BY SCOTT BENTLEY sbentley@candgnews.com

DETROIT — Registration is open for all four sessions of the Born in Detroit Baseball Camp that will be held at the Wayne State University athletics campus on Jan 31 and Feb 7.

The sessions will be broken up by position and age and will all take place at Harwell Field and the Doris J. & Donald L. Duchene Sr. Athletic Facility.

“This event is a great opportunity for our programs to connect with the motivated participants and empower them by providing both educational and impactful experiences that will help their development and carry over to their high school and youth baseball seasons,” Wayne State University head coach Ryan Kelley said in a press release. “Our dedicated coaches, staff, team and partners like Born in Detroit help make this opportunity come together.”

Sessions one and two will focus on pitching development and will be held on Jan 31. Session one will be for ages 8-13 and will take place from noon to 2 p.m., and session two will be for ages 14-18 and will be held from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.

The pitching development sessions will focus on arm care, strength and conditioning education, drills and bullpens. Participants will also have the opportunity to work with current Wayne State University baseball players and members of the Wayne State coaching staff, who will also lead classroom instruction.

Sessions three and four will focus on hitting and offensive development and take place on Feb 7. Session one will be for 8- to

13-year-olds and will be held from noon to 2 p.m., and session four will be for ages 14-18 from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Wayne State will provide detailed hitting instruction; strength, speed and flexibility education; instruction on the mental aspects of hitting; and base running drills. According to Wayne State’s press release on the camp, participants can anticipate a high volume of repetitions in a fun atmosphere hosted by Wayne State players and staff.

“The baseball camp at Wayne State is an extraordinary opportunity for Born IN Detroit to support our city’s youth and foster the development of the next generation of players.”Anthony Tomey, co-owner of Born in Detroit, said in the press release.

Tomey was a standout pitcher who played for Detroit Catholic Central and Eastern Michigan University before being drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 30th round of the 2003 MLB Amateur Draft. He then played minor league baseball for the Tigers and Dodgers organizations until 2008.

“We’re honored to help young athletes build their skills and confidence on the baseball field,” Tomey said in the release.

The Born in Detroit brand was trademarked in 2015 by brothers Michael and Anthony Tomey, and brothers George and Alex Bourkoulas. The brand has officially licensed apparel for the Tigers, Lions, Red Wings and Pistons as well as a handful of local colleges.

All participants will receive a Born in Detroit T-shirt. The cost for each baseball session is $75. Register for sessions at WayneState Baseball Camps.com.

David Wallace | (586) 498-1053 dwallace@candgnews.com

Brian Louwers | (586) 498-1089 brianlouwers@candgnews.com

Sports: Scott Bentley (586) 498-1090 sports@candgnews.com

Classifieds: (586) 498-8100

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Legals and Obits: (586) 498-1099

Once

Detectors

from page 3A

Southfield A&T for the beginning of the semester. The remaining three will eventually be placed at University K-12 Academy.

The metal detectors were purchased using 31aa grant funding, which are state funds that can be used to enhance student safety. The name “31aa” refers to the section of the Michigan School Aid Act that governs these funds. The metal detectors cost $8,800 per unit. Students, staff and parents were made aware of the metal detectors by the school district. Students were given a demonstration of how the detectors work during an assembly on Dec. 17.

Student opinions on the metal detectors were mixed. While some said they appreciate the added layer of security, others said they have concerns about how well they will work. Additionally, some students said the metal detectors should have been implemented sooner.

Senior DaSani Gavin said she likes the idea of having the metal detectors. She said it sounds like a safe system to have within the building. “It’s going to protect us and keep stuff that shouldn’t be in the school away,” Gavin said.

Junior Khalid Jones said the metal detectors are a good idea to have, and that he has faith it will work.

Senior Reese Robinson said she feels the metal detectors should have been implemented sooner.

“I feel like it’s too late, and that it should have been done sooner,” she said. “So much stuff could have been prevented.”

Junior Jason Davis agreed with Robinson and said he has concerns about the effectiveness of the metal detectors.

“I feel like the metal detectors won’t work, and that people will find a way to still bring stuff in,” he said.

The metal detectors were placed at the main entrances of the high school. People remove their keys, phones and laptops so as to not cause a false reading. Once people walk through, the metal detectors will be able to detect any large amounts of metal on the body and indicate to security where the item is located.

If the detector is tripped, security will pull that person to the side and do a wand search. Security measures at Southfield Public Schools include the metal detectors, wands, its 20-person private security team and four school resource officers from the Southfield Police Department.

DETROIT ZOO’S WINTER YOGA UNDERWAY

ROYAL OAK — The Detroit Zoo will be hosting winter yoga at the zoo on Mondays in February, March and April.

The yoga will take place in various locations within the zoo, far away from any cold air that might be hanging around outside.

Classes are held on select mornings and evenings and guided by certified instructors. Participants can be seasoned yogis or new to the mat, as the classes are built for everyone.

Classes are 60 minutes long, and tickets include complimentary parking and zoo admission. Class sizes are limited for a more focused experience.

Prices for tickets begin at $30-$35 for the a la carte sessions, including admission to one morning or evening session, complimentary Detroit zoo admission ticket, and parking.

Prices for a five-class punch pass are between $125 and $145 and include admission to five morning and or evening yoga sessions, five complimentary admission tickets, and parking.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit detroitzoo.org.

— Taylor Christensen

Book shop

from page 1A

people can still purchase books at the library front desk.

“We have an automatic light system, so it goes dark in here, so the idea to have this sign outside of the store is to let people know that if they just step in, the light goes back up,” she said. “It was kind of confusing people and putting them off that the light was off in here.”

The bookstore has seen a significant increase in sales over the past few years, according to Friends board President Larry Baker.

“During the 2024-2025 fiscal year, which ended Aug. 31, the Friends spent $22,666.30 supporting the library materials (including Libby Overdrive materials), multiple programs for all ages, outdoor musical instruments, and ice cream for the summer reading program,” Baker said via email. “Thanks to a solid year for us, we are increasing our funding to the library to $33,000 for the new fiscal year.”

Connie Ewalt, a member of the Friends board and a volunteer at the Friends Shop, said that the majority of the growth can be attributed to the increase of social media advertising.

“We have some younger librarians that are really enthusiastic and they are very adept at social media advertising,” Ewalt said. “Last year, one of the staff put out tons of information about a book sale that we had, and two different organizations drove out to participate.”

In August, the Friends Shop hosts a book drive for teachers, which always has a good turnout, according to Ewalt.

“The teachers come from all over, even

Ask the Low Vision Doctor

Hand-held magnifiers are useless –

Can you help me?

Q.

downriver and out in South Lyon,” she said. “There were almost 100 teachers, and we gave away around 2,000 books. A lot of the teachers come from Detroit, where they don’t have their own libraries, so this is a way they can fill their own classrooms up.”

The store also sells T-shirts, making $1,620 in sales, according to Baker. One of the shirts has a graphic saying “I’m with the Banned” and the other shirt is a Pride shirt. Each shirt costs $20.

“We have become really community focused, very community oriented in the last several years,” Baker said. “You know, we have the teacher giveaways that we have every year, we donate books to prisons, to Little Free Libraries around the area. We have several special groups that we support in the summers; we support senior centers.”

Library Director Sandy Irwin said that the Friends Shop is a major help to the library’s programs, and the volunteers do a lot of work to keep it all running smoothly.

“The Friends are so supportive of everything that the library does and what we need. Everything they do is for the library; it’s such a strong volunteer group,” Irwin said. “They help us in a variety of ways, and they have generally helped us with programs, but they help us a lot with the purchasing of e-books that are growing in demand for our library.”

Between donations and sales in the shop, the Friends have generated a total revenue of $41,153.32, in the fiscal year 20242025, an increase of nearly $4,800, according to Baker.

“We are looking forward to another year of contributing to this Royal Oak community of ours and to lending our support to and making more money for our library,” he said.

For more information and to apply to volunteer for the Friends, visit ropl.org.

Dr. Jacobi I love my four kids and they love me.  They feel badly for me because I have macular degeneration and fnd vision keeps me away from doing those things I like to do.  If any of them sees something online that might help people with low vision they purchase it for me.  So, I have dozens of hand-held magnifying devices that are useless because my hands aren’t free to use my computer or do other things which require 2 hands.  Should I give up on using my computer or is there something you can do to help?

Dorothy M.

A.

I have good news for you Dorothy, you can say good-bye to handheld magnifers. There are a variety of different devices available to help that are hands-free, so you can use your computer but do a variety of other things you have probably already given up on. The majority are in a wearable form similar to eyeglasses.

You didn’t mention if there are other activities you want to do besides work on your computer, such as watching television, reading the bible, seeing the faces of your loved ones, or driving. During your initial evaluation we can determine what is needed to help you achieve each of your goals.

The frst step is to evaluate how much usable vision you have. In addition, we need to identify all of your needs. The best thing to do is to schedule an appointment so I can show you how we can help.

Stop struggling with poor vision –call today to schedule an appointment.