Oakland County News

By GINA DAMRON GANNETT NEWS SERVICE Marine divisions at sheriff's offices across metro Detroit plan to increase patrols over the Fourth of July weekend in anticipation of large crowds of cash-strapped residents flocking to area lakes and beaches.

The following is a list of recent achievements by businesses and business leaders in Oakland County: The Michigan Defense Trial Counsel announced that Plunkett Cooney medical malpractice attorney Emily M. Ballenberger was named a 2009 recipient of the Young Lawyers' Section - Golden Gavel Award.

State legislators may soon decide whether to change Michigan election laws to allow local clerks to transmit ballots electronically to members of the military overseas.

The Orion Oaks county dog park is located in Lake Orion Michigan, at 2301 Clarkston Road, and is a must see place for any dog owners that like to socialize with their pets.

Oakland County Clerk Ruth Johnson says clerks from Michigan's three largest counties will gather in suburban Detroit to propose fixes to what she calls the state's "broken" military voting system.

Broken doorwall at foreclosed, vacant house. Damage to property reported at Goldenpointe Court.

A 71-year-old Lyon Township man, who apparently slipped and fell while putting a cover on his boat, nearly drowned in Haas Lake on Sunday.

A man who drowned at Haas Lake Park in New Hudson on Sunday has been identified as Elias Makhoul, the Oakland County Sheriff's Office reported on Monday.

Faced with budget tasks and an ongoing desire to save money where possible, the Oakland County Clerk/Register of Deeds Office has eliminated eight summer staff positions to further tighten the county government's belt.

Authorities have released the names of a 34-year-old man and his two male passengers who were killed when a car struck a tree in Livingston County.

Police say a 2-year-old girl is dead after being found hanging with the cord of a window blind around her neck.

Commerce Township -- The Oakland County Medical Examiner's Office has ruled the death of a young girl found hanging from a mini blind cord to be an accident.

The state deal to upgrade and enlarge Cobo Center not only will keep the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, it forges a frank relationship between Detroit Mayor Dave Bing and Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson.

Deputy Reports Monday, June 15, disorderly conduct reported on Regency Drive. Tuesday, June 16, reckless driving citation issued at Thistle Valley Lane and Clarkston Road.

Michigan officials are reporting two more state residents have died from swine flu.

Severe thunderstorms have moved through southeast Michigan, leaving about 100,000 electrical customers without service.

Michigan Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land said she won't run for governor in 2010 and is backing Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard for the job.

Home foreclosures in Michigan are among the highest in the nation, and one sobering example can be found in Oakland County.

A Detroit-area prosecutor says she's suing Michigan to get a list of prison inmates who are being considered for release to ease a budget crunch.

Until bacteria that causes Legionnaires' disease are removed from the Madison Heights Police Department's water system, employees will be drinking bottled water and using hand sanitizer and portable toilets.