Pontiac, Oakland County | featured news

RJ Balde and Ricky Hernandez, high school friends from Oxford, have quickly gained a following as hosts of "Airtime Tonight," a new show on the mobile video platform Airtime.Their show, which debuted at the end of March, targets high school and college students and focuses on current events, life, nerdism and culture.

The Rochester branch of the American Association of University Women announces the winners of their 2018 Eighth Grade Essay Contest: "A Woman of Significance to Me."First place winner Gemma Ugorowski from Van Hoosen Middle School wrote about Olympic and world champion swimmer Katie Ledecky.

A Troy native and 2010 Lahser High School graduate is serving in Guam in the U.S. Navy aboard the submarine tender, USS Emory S. Land.Adan Weisgerber is a Navy supply officer, responsible for managing USS Emory S. Land's store, operations, electronic currency and payments. The ship routinely deploys to protect alliances, enhance partnerships and respond if a natural disaster occurs in the region.

Oakland Community College's Committee for Diversity and Inclusion awarded Pamela Micallef, a long-time counselor at OCC's Orchard Ridge campus, as the 2018 Diversity Champion.She was honored by the area Race Relations and Diversity Task Force on May 3 at the Birmingham Community House.Micallef's department colleagues at the Orchard Ridge department nominated her.

Clarkston High School senior Kylie Kalinowski, Katharine Shao of Detroit Country Day and Richard Yang of Troy High School were three of 150 students who received $20,000 college scholarships from Coca-Cola. They were selected from more than 150,000 students nationally. Kalinowski, Shao and Yang were selected for being passionate and positive change agents in their schools and communities.

Ferndale's interim police chief and city manager are preparing to oversee a vast review of the police department following a recent shakeup there and controversial actions by some police officers.The City Council this week approved hiring law enforcement consulting firm KRW Associates for $37,500 to look at the department and help Interim Police Chief Vincent Palazzolo and City Manager April Lynch in their review.

Couple open art education franchise in Farmington HillsAnna and Chris Firestone of Farmington Hills, have opened an Abrakadoodle franchise in Farmington Hills.Abrakadoodle is a mobile art program, offering visual arts classes, camps, workshops, in-school field trips and special events, delivered at schools, community centers, and other sites, for the public.

As of today, it looks like consumers will be paying a little more at the pump.According to recent survey done by AAA Michigan, for the first time in three years, the statewide average daily gas price rose above $3 to $3.02. Metro Detroit's average also hit $3 a gallon.AAA says the higher gas prices have to do with increased oil prices, increased demand as the summer driving season begins, the switch over to more-expensive-to-produce summer blend gasoline and regional gasoline inventories steadily declining.

Metro Detroit restaurateur Randy Ayyar announced that he will bring his vision of "hot dogs done better", to Troy this summer.He plans to open a new American-style hot dog bistro named Loaded Links, featuring gourmet products like Wagyu and Kobe 100-percent beef hot dogs, with toppings such as tempura avocado and truffle mayo, as well as bacon wrapped and brisket cuts.

The Oakland County Health Division is reminding all homeowners with a private well to test the quality of their drinking water regularly and at the first sign of color, odor or taste change. "Testing your private well water regularly is the only way to ensure safe drinking water for you and your family," said Leigh-Anne Stafford, health officer for the Oakland County Health Division.