NEWSPAPERS n o i t i d E l a i c e p S
MAY 15, 2024 candgnews.com
Oakland County papers
File photo by Patricia O’Blenes
A proposed bill in the Michigan Legislature would see increased punishments for car owners if they have modified vehicles that make excessive noise.
State Representative introduces bill to police excessive noise from modified cars
Habitat for Humanity Rocks the Block in Southfield BY KATHRYN PENTIUK
kpentiuk@candgnews.com
SOUTHFIELD — “I’m trying not to cry,” Eugenia Ballard said as a team of four Habitat for Humanity volunteers from Aptiv, an automotive supplier, got to work in her yard April 25. “This is not about me,” she said. “This is about bringing light to Habitat. When I talked to one of the people, he was like, ‘Well, this is your moment to shine.’ I said, ‘No, this is your moment to shine. People really need to know what you do, the sacrifices you guys make, and if I can contribute anything that’s gonna help with your funding so that people really understand what See HABITAT on page 11A
TOP: Jemimah Kwoba, a volunteer from Aptiv, gets to work cleaning up Ballard’s yard. ABOVE: Habitat for Humanity Oakland’s first neighborhood revitalization event of the year took place April 25 and 26. Homeowner Eugenia Ballard and her niece Erica Davenport pose with volunteers Jemimah Kwoba, Matt Wahler and Susan Santoni. Photos by Patricia O’Blenes
BY MIKE KOURY mkoury@candgnews.com
METRO DETROIT — A new bill introduced in the Michigan House of Representatives aims to curb excessive noise from vehicles. The legislation, House Bill 5696, was introduced by state Rep. Natalie Price, D-Berkley, and would “crack down on vehicles intentionally modified to create excessive noise while being used,” a press release states. Price said the legislation will update the vehicle code and allow local law enforcement to enforce the current prohibition on modifying a vehicle to cause it to make excessive noise. According to the representative, one problem found in the code was that there was some language that was considered to be contradictory by the courts that needed to be revised. “Even though in one point in the vehicle code it says that you can’t modify your vehicle and have it make excessive noise, there was another part where it said that modifications couldn’t be made above a certain decibel level,” she said. “That was interpreted that then you would need to have very specific devices to measure decibel levels, and out on Woodward with all the various vehicles, it was really impractical for our officers to be able to measure that.” Price said the code didn’t get rid of decibel limits, because those are able to be measured in very controlled environments. “It’s required that the manufacturers, the dealerships, they are doing those measurements, and we are not changing that path, but in terms of modifications to vehicles, we made it so that that language did not apply,” she said. “We’re just talking about modifications that create excessive noise are now going to be clearly illegal, as we believe that code was intended.” Adam Bernard, president of the Detroit chapter of the Lambda Car See BILL on page 11A