NEWSPAPERS n o i t i d E l a i c e p S
MARCH 27, 2024 candgnews.com
Oakland County papers
Novi High School math teacher Jamie Allcorn takes a pie in the face as part of the school’s Wish Week activities March 14. Photo by Patricia O’Blenes
ABOVE: For Monique Carter, her career in real estate is a “God-given assignment” put on her life. Photo provided by Monique Carter
LEFT: Oakland County Commissioner Yolanda Smith Charles is a proud product of Southfield. She hopes to continue to see her community grow and thrive. Photo provided by Yolanda Smith Charles
Group ranks Southfield as best U.S. city for Black women WOMEN IN COMMUNITY SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCES BY KATHRYN PENTIUK kpentiuk@candgnews.com
NOVI SCHOOLS MAKE WISHES OF CHRONICALLY ILL CHILDREN COME TRUE BY CHARITY MEIER cmeier@candgnews.com
SOUTHFIELD — The city of Southfield was ranked the top U.S. city for Black women to flourish financially by MoneyGeek. The article, “The Best Cities for Black Women to Flourish Financially,” by Erin C. Perkins, analyzed 164 cities across the U.S. based on income, cost of crime, homeownership and poverty levels. Southfield ranked No. 1 among the 25 Best Cities for Black Women. “As long as I can remember, I’ve always thought of Southfield as an economic hub in the county of Oakland, knowing that Oakland was an economic hub in terms of the state of Michigan and also the whole country. I always kind of carried that as a mark of ours, just like a point of pride,” stated Southfield-grown Oakland County Commissioner Yolanda Smith Charles. “We had economic abilities in this town. Families owning homes and raising families. I also can think back and know that education is really important in the Black community in general.” Smith Charles said she is a cheerleader for Southfield — she even has the pom poms from her time as an actual cheerleader at Southfield High School for the Arts and Technology. After obtaining her bachelor’s degree in management information systems from Hampton University, Smith See BLACK WOMEN on page 10A
NOVI — The Novi Community School District came together during Wish Week at the schools March 12-15 to help make the wishes of two chronically ill children come true. The money raised during Wish Week, often through the purchase of $1 paper stars, will fund an all-expenses-paid trip for each child and their family to go to Walt Disney World through the Make-A-Wish Foundation. “They’ve granted a wish of a lifetime, basically, for him to get to go to Disney and have the ultimate Disney experience,” said Heather Trammell, whose son, Charlie, is one of the recipients. Six-year-old Charlie Trammell, of LivoSee WISH on page 7A
Charlie Trammell sits in the bleachers during the students vs. staff basketball game at Novi High School March 15. He will go to Disney World in May thanks to the efforts of the Novi Community School District and the Make-AWish Foundation. Photo provided by Heather Trammell