January 24, 2020 Your source for All Livonia news. All the time. All ways positive.
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Livonia's State Senator Dayna Polehanki introduces SB 633
Michigan's new strict reading rule could harm 3rd graders |
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A statement from State Senator Dayna Polehanki on Michigan's 3rd grade reading rule and the impact it will have on our students and her solution:
The educational future of 5,000 kids. That is what's at stake if we fail to improve Michigan's third-grade reading law. Experts agree that mandatory retention isn't an effective way to help kids achieve literacy by third grade.
What's worse? In some cases, this one-size-fits-all approach can actually hurt success in the classroom and have a lasting psychological impact.
Mandatory retention of third graders isn't innovation - it's regression. No two students are alike, and every kid deserves a world-class education that prepares them for a good-paying job. That's why I've introduced a bill to repeal mandatory retention, while continuing to invest in education - from literacy coaches to read-at-home resources.
Retaining kids based solely on a test score isn't innovation - it's regression.
Mandatory retention can yield negative effects on academic outcomes and pyschological stress, even in elementary-aged students. Retention may also disproportionately penalize African American, special education and economically disadvantaged student.
If we want to give every student the world-class education they deserve, it means doing away with our test-and-punish model and investing in education.
Senate Bill 633 would eliminate mandatory grade retention based on a student's test score, while still:
- Monitoring of student progress on reading abilities, using early literacy coaches and reading intervention programs;
- Providing K-3 teachers with professional development opportunities on reading; and,
- Notifying parents of early literacy delays and providing them with "Read at Home" plans.
We cannot rely on a one-size-fits-all solution. Let's give families and teachers the ability to tailor a path for every child to build the literacy skills they need.
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Stevens and former Michigan Lieutenant Governor Brian Calley discussed healthcare, trade, and
workforce development with local small business owner
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 Congresswoman Haley Stevens (MI-11) Thursday convened a roundtable discussion with local small business owners to discuss issues facing the small business community in Southeast Michigan.
Also participating in the roundtable were former Michigan Lieutenant Governor Brian Calley, President of the Small Business Association of Michigan, and Greg Doyle, who leads Oakland County's One Stop Shop Business Center.
During the roundtable, Congresswoman Stevens led a discussion on healthcare, trade, workforce development, and other policy issues that are important to the success of small businesses in Michigan. A wide variety of industries were represented including child care, education, fashion, and health care. Business owners from Clawson, Wixom, Livonia, Waterford, and Troy participated in the event.
"Small businesses are such an important part of Michigan's economy, but creating and maintaining a successful small business can be daunting," said Congresswoman Stevens. "Today, I had the opportunity to hear from a diverse group of small business owners about the challenges they face, from finding and retaining top talent to addressing the rising costs of healthcare. I look forward to taking the stories I heard back to Washington to help shape our economic agenda for the middle class."
Former Lieutenant Governor Brian Calley, President of the Small Business Association of Michigan, said that finding and retaining skilled workers is one of the biggest challenges facing small businesses in Michigan today. "It's just difficult to find enough people with the skills that line up with what the economy requires these days," said Calley.
Calley also thanked Congresswoman Stevens for voting to pass the USMCA, noting that the agreement is the first U.S. trade deal with a chapter focusing specifically on small and medium-sized exporters, which make up a majority of the businesses that export to Mexico and Canada.
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| Livonia Lions High Nooners Club shows support for Seedlings. You gotta love Livonia partnerships. |
for our outside outings and six new office chairs!
Seedlings says that they "cannot thank the Lions enough for all the support Seedlings Braille Books for Children and our community receives from your club. As always, thank you so much and keep up the great work!"
~Left photo is of a golden yellow canopy tent and the photo on the right is in the Seedlings office showing four of the six chairs at one of our production tables.~
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February in Livonia. Take your pick. One or all.
Livonia Community Theatre February 16 Ian Clemens Trivia Night February 23
The Arc of Northwest Wayne County February 29 Livonia Symphony Orchestra February 22 |
  
Livonia Symphony Orchestra February 22nd
"PASSPORT TO SCANDINAVIA" Louis Schmidt Auditorium - Clarenceville H. S. @ 4:00 featuring
Japanese born pianists, Yuki and Tomoko Mack have dazzled audiences on three continents. From Bach to Piazzolla, their diverse repertoire includes a broad range of four-hands piano music and orchestral works. After winning strong recognition as soloists, Yuki and Tomoko partnered to form the award-winning piano duo. "The Mack Sisters". Together they've won top prizes in several international competitions, including the "Dranoff International Two-Piano Competition" in Florida, and the "Ellis Two-Piano National Competition" in South Carolina. They've also received both the first and "Kodama" prizes at the "International Piano Duo Competition" in Tokyo. Most notably, in 2006, they were selected as Steinway Artists - joining an impressive roster of world renown pianists.
Additionally, the Mack Sisters have been featured in the "Gilmore International Keyboard Festival in Michigan, the "Symposium for Two Pianos" in Florida and the keyboard festival at the "Quebec International Two-Piano Festival". Beyond the main-stage, they've performed live on radio in Sweden, Italy, Poland and the U. S. In Chicago, Yuki and Tomoko performed on multiple WFMT radio programs. They also were featured as guest artists on PBS in Michigan and in Florida. Motivated by their passionate belief of music's ability to empower the human spirit, they have developed Master Classes and Community Outreach Programs that are very popular with students and audiences.
Currently, Yuki and Tomoko reside in Michigan. With their deep roots in the musical community they've established themselves as highly sought-after educators and performing artists. When not teaching or performing, they're recording. Their collection of CDs include "Rhapsody", "American Mosaic", "Fantasy", and "Danse Montage" - all of which exhibit their unique sense of interpretation and flawless technique.
This summer they will once again join the faculty of the "International Summer Music Festival" in Naleczow, Poland.
No one else does it better than our hometown Livonia.
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Click on this image for all movie times at the Phoenix
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Musings follows our City Council
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The Next meeting of the Livonia City Council and City Council Study Meeting is Monday, January 27.
Livonia City Council Study and Regular Meeting -
January 15, 2020
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Livonia City Council Study Meeting -
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| Livonia City Council Regular Meeting - |
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Musings reader survey results
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Mass Transit Survey
68.4% Yes
26.3% No
5.2% Undecided
Detroit Institute of Arts Survey
62.5 % Yes
29.1 % No
8.3 % Undecided
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January in Livonia
Dickerson Art Gallery will be presenting recent works from the following artists at the Bennett Civic Center Library during the month of January:
Durwood Coffey, Barb Gibson,
Mark Krecic, Jon Lange, Vic Leo,
Kay Masini,
Marcia Polenberg,
Ted Ramsay, Mireille Ripley,
Gwen Roth,Tim Tonachella,
Paul Zenian, and guest artist,
Danny Rebb
February in Livonia
February 1 @ 2:00 - 4:00 or 6:00 - 8:00
Daddy-Daughter Dance
Elk's Lodge 31117 Plymouth Road
For more information, call (734) 466-2900.
Co-sponsored by Livonia Elk's Lodge and
Livonia Parks & Recreation
February 1 @ 6:30 -- 9:30
Soup, Chili, Bread, Pierogies
Livonia Democratic Club
UAW Local 182
February 2 @ 2:00 - 3:00
Coffee Hour with Representative Laurie Pohutsky
Coffee + Cream
February 4 @ 6:30
Livonia Garden Club
Civic Park Senior Center
Tips for preparing for a flower show
February 7, 8, 9
Friends of the Livonia Library Used Book Sale
February 11
Nonviolence: The Way to Peace/ Colleen Mills
Livonia Citizens for Peace
Livonia Senior Center
February 12
Livonia GOP Lincoln Day Dinner
February 16 @ 3:00
Livonia Community Theatre
St. Paul's Persbyterian Church
February 16 @ 1:00
Cardboard Boat Races
Jack Kirksey Recreation Center
Registration begins on Monday, Jan. 6
February 22 @ 4:00
PASSPORT TO SCANDINAVIA
Livonia Symphony Orchestra
Clarenceville's Historic Louis Schmidt Auditorium
February 23 @ 2:00
Friends of the Livonia Library
"A Meeting Between Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth" performed by Madelyn Porter, Story Teller. Livonia Bennett Civic Center Library auditorium
February 23 @ 4:30 - 8:30
The Ian Clemens 4th Annual Trivia Night
Hosted by The Ian Clemens Foundation
St. Mary's Cultural Center
February 29
The Arc of Northwest Wayne County
Laurel Manor
Ball for All Leap Year Fundraiser
March in Livonia
March 3 @ 6:30
Livonia Garden Club
Civic Park Senior Center
Four seasons of garden interest
March 10 @ 7:00 am -- 8:00 pm
Presidential Primary
March 14
33rd Annual Bowling for Braille Books
Novi Bowl Family Fun Center
March 15 @ 2:00
Friends of the Livonia Library
"Through Her Eyes Women Artists in the Detroit Institute of Arts."
Livonia Bennett Civic Center Library auditorium.
March 16 @ 2:00
Livonia Historical Society presents Joe Oldenberg discussing "The First Native Tribes of Michigan." Alexander Blue House, Greenmead Historical Park
March 21
@ 9:00 - 3:00
April in Livonia
April 7 @ 6:30
Livonia Garden Club
Civic Park Senior Center
Sustainable Food System
April 14
Today's Africa Through American Eyes
Dr. Peggi J. Tabor, PhD
Livonia Citizens for Peace
Livonia Senior Center
May in Livonia
May 5 @ 6:30
Livonia Garden Club
Civic Park Senior Center
Plant Legends and Stories
May 16 @ 9:00 - 10:00
Livonia Garden Club Plant Sharing Event
Greenmead Historical Park
Rain or Shine
Everyone is encouraged to come and take plants whether or not they have plants to share
May 17 @ 3:00
Red Wing Alumni v Livonia All Stars
Eddie Edgar Arena
June in Livonia
June 7 @ 3:00
Livonia Civic Chorus Spring Concert
Churchill High School Performing Arts Center
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Musings follows the 2020 elections
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Joe Biden D
Michael Bloomberg D
Cory Booker D
Pete Buttigieg D
Julian Castro D
John Delaney D
Tulsi Gabbard D
Amy Klobuchar D
Bernie Sanders D
Joe Sestak D
Tom Steyer D
Elizabeth Warren D
Marianne Williamson D
Andrew Yang D
United States Senate
Gary Peters (D-I)
John James (R)
United States House of Representatives
Haley Stevens (D-I)
Whitney Williams (R)
Eric Esshaki (R)
Michigan House of Representatives
Laurie Pohutsky (D-I)
Martha Ptashnik (R)
Wayne County Commissioner
Terry Marecki (R-I)
Livonia Board of Education
Dan Centers
Karen Bradford
Tammy Bonifield
Crystal Frank
Clarenceville Board of Education
Matt Boettcher
Brenda Uren
Shari Krazel
Jeffrey Bunker
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| Musings keeping up with Wayne County Commissioner Terry Marecki |
Wayne County Commissioner Terry Marecki filed Thursday for her
 4th term on the County Board.
Terry Marecki is chair of the Committee on Public Services and serves on the committees on Health and Human Services and Ways and Means.
She also serves on the Special Committee on the Criminal Justice Center.
Marecki was first elected in November 2014 to represent the Wayne County Commission's 9th District, which covers the city of Northville, Northville Township and most of the city of Livonia.
The lifelong Livonia resident graduated from Bentley High School and Madonna University with a bachelor of science degree in dietetics. She is a registered dietitian who worked at the University of Cincinnati and University of Michigan medical centers in the cardiac surgery and rehabilitation departments.
Marecki served on the Livonia Public Schools Board of Education, including as vice president and secretary, from 2001-03. She served on the Livonia City Council from 2004-10, including the final two years as vice president, and as Livonia city clerk from 2010 -14.
She has volunteered for years in her hometown and is active with the Livonia Community Foundation, Livonia Prayer Breakfast Committee, Community Opportunity Center Advisory Board, the Livonia Public Schools Education Foundation, as an honorary board member, and as a trustee on the Madonna University Committee on Planning and Mission Effectiveness. Her family attends Oak Pointe Church in Novi.
Marecki and her husband, Mark, have four children and four grandchildren.
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Proud sponsor of the Detroit Red Wings v Livonia All-stars coming to town May 17, 3:00.
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| Penny Crider announces for State Representative |
FridayMusings, as has been its long standing practice will run announcement press releases for candidates seeking office. Here today is the announcement of Penny Crider:
Penny Crider Thursday officially
announced her Republican candidacy for the 19
th
House District to
represent the city of Livonia. Penny, who was born and raised in Livonia,
raised her family and attended local schools, and is running to take back
the state's 19
th
house seat following a democrat, Laurie Pohutsky, winning the seat for the
first time in 35 years in 2018.
"Unfortunately, I believe the people who want the best for this city no longer
have a voice in Lansing. I am running to be that voice," said Crider.
Penny will be running on a "Family First" platform which focuses on
supporting Livonia schools, bringing more jobs to city, defending policies
which protect families, seniors and the unborn and supporting public safety
initiatives and personnel.
She worked for six years for the State of Michigan as the District Manager for Senator Patrick Colbeck
of the 7
th
State Senate District. Penny is also a graduate of Clarenceville
High School in Livonia, where she met her high school sweetheart, Ken.
The two have been married for 35 years and raised their son in the Livonia.
When elected, Penny will be fighting for 2
nd
amendment rights, making sure
"Michigan does not turn into another Virginia" and has vowed to get
personally involved in fixing the city's road issues.
"Our roadways in Livonia are crumbling and we need to find the money
already in our existing state budget to fix our roads without raising taxes,"
she said.
Penny will be hosting her political launch party this Saturday, January
25 at Senate Coney Island in Livonia from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Learn more about Penny at PennyCrider.com and on Facebook at
facebook.com/PennyCriderMI19.
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Parks and Recreation says it is not too early to start
filling your March calendar |
 SAVE THE DATE!
Livonia Parks and Recreation
is hosting their first-ever Mom 2 Mom and Used Sports Sale at the  Kirksey Recreation Center on Sunday, March 22. Browse tables of gently used children's clothing, toys, books, and sports equipment available at a fraction of the cost of buying them new.
Buyers: Come see what everyone has to offer! Early Bird admission is available from 8 - 9 a.m. for $2
per person. $1 admission after 9 a.m. and the sale ends at noon.
Sellers: Purchase table space to re-sell your child-related items and sports equipment. $30 for one table and a 10x10 selling space. Extra tables are available for $12 each. Contact Billy by email at wkeppen@ci.livonia.mi.us to register as a seller.
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Former City Councilman Fernon Feenstra Kiwanis
Scholarship Packet now available |
 The Fernon Feenstra Scholarship Program provides a variable number of $1,000 scholarships each year to Livonia high school students  demonstrating a desire to better themselves through education and a passion to help others.
The late
Fernon Feenstra was one of the founding members of the Livonia Kiwanis Club, founded in 1981. Described by a former Livonia Mayor as "Mr. Sunshine", Fernon's positive attitude and philanthropic outlook will always be remembered. It is our honor to name this scholarship program after him and our hope that the award recipients will enrich the lives of others in their communities for decades to come.
For any questions regarding the scholarship program, please contact:
AVAILABLE SCHOLARSHIP
Mr. Sunshine Scholarship
- This scholarship is available to all graduating high school seniors who meet the requirements below. A GPA of 3.0 or higher is recommended.
Schoolcraft College Technical Scholarship
- This scholarship is available to all graduating high school seniors who meet the requirements below, and who plan to enroll fulltime in a technical skills program at Schoolcraft College in the fall. Recipients of this award may also be eligible for a scholarship-matching program offered by the Schoolcraft College Foundation. A GPA of 2.5 or higher is recommended.
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9th Annual Shamrocks and Tea.
Livonia Symphony Orchestra does it right. |
| Cole, Newton & Duran ready to help area reservist and National Guard members |
Cole, Newton & Duran CPAs is offering complimentary tax preparation services to all area reservist and National Guard members currently called to active duty as well as regular military currently receiving combat pay. Contact Bryan Besco, chief marketing officer, at Cole, Newton & Duran CPAs at (734) 427-2030 or bbesco@cndcpa.com to schedule an appointment.
"We are very proud and honored to support the brave men and women who fight for our freedom to keep us safe," said Arthur Cole, managing partner of Cole, Newton, and Duran CPAs. "We are happy to help these courageous men and women with the preparation of their taxes. We thank these heroes and are grateful for their patriotism."
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It's time to register to bowl with Seedlings and
celebrity bowler Justice Richard Bernstein of the
Michigan Supreme Court
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Come bowl with Seedlings and celebrity bowler Justice Richard Bernstein ofthe Michigan Supreme Court to help bring the gift of literacy to blind children locally and all around the world! Join in our bowl-a-thon, auctions and prize raffles to help raise $60,000 for 6,000 braille books for children with vision loss. Click "Donate" to make a donation or "Join Now" to register to bowl at
https://www.firstgiving.com/event/seedlingsbraille/33rd-Annual-Bowling-for-Braille-Books
Thank you to the Headline Bowling sponsors!
Alpha USA, Bill Brown Ford, Canton Lions Club,
Community Financial Credit Union, Financial & Portfolio Advisors, Ltd., Kennedy Industries,
Livonia Builders, Masco, Plymouth Lions Club, SkyOak Wealth and Valassis.
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Only 4 months, May 17, until the hometown favorites
Livonia All-stars take on the Detroit Red Wings Alumni
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FridayMusings says mark your calendar for May 17 at 3:00, at the Eddie Edgar Ice Arena for the Red Wings Alumni versus Livonia All Stars captained by City Councilman
Brandon McCullough
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Sponsoring the event is AlphaUSA,
Arthur R Cole
@ Cole Newton Duran,
Dan MacIver
@ Financial & Portfolio Advisors in partnership with City Councilman Brandon McCullough.
Proceeds of the hockey game will be divided with Livonia Kids @ Family and Friends of Greenmead.
One of the skaters will be Andrew Palushaj, who played on the Stevenson High School Hockey team and is still skates on a local team, shown here with AlphaUSA's Veronica Cruz presenting a sponsorship check to McCullough.
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| Madonna University Cheer Clinic this Saturday |
Come support the Arthritis Foundation Michigan with Madonna University Athletics at Madonna University!
Madonna University will be hosting a cheer clinic in January, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020 | 9-11:30 AM (K-8th Grade) and then inviting all participants back on February 8th to support the men's & women's basketball teams as they cheer from the sidelines.
If you'd like to join this awesome set of events please email Madonnacheer@gmail.com
You can register cheerleaders online! See below
https://mucrusaders.com/registrations/#!/camps/
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| Time to register for Livonia baseball and softball |
LJAL (Livonia Junior Athletic League), an inductee into the 1835 Livonia City Hall of Fame, has been around since 1957 to provide children 8 to 17 who reside in Livonia & Clarenceville school districts the opportunity to play organized sports. They offer baseball, softball, basketball, football, cheerleading & lacrosse.
LJAL House Baseball & Softball registration for Spring 2020 season is open through March 22, 2020.
Please follow this
link, click
here
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Tickets are now on sale and they have added a matinee on Saturday.
This is in the Black Box theatre and only 100 seats are available!
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Seedlings wants to send a shout out to the
