By Megan Kelley
With another year in the books, we take a look back at some of the top stories from the pages of The Clarkston News during September, October, November and December of 2024.
September 4
Independence Twp. Board approves budget amendments: At its regularly scheduled meeting on Aug. 27, the Independence Township Board of Trustees approved two budget amendments and approvals for design services for the water main extension project as well as a two-year rental agreement with Flock Safety Cameras.
Wolves return!: The Clarkston Varsity Football team, hit the field for warm ups before kicking off the season opener against Belleville at Wayne State University Aug. 30.
Clarkston Area students celebrate first day of school: Aug. 26 was the first day of school for students across Independence Township. Students from Clarkston Community Schools and Everest Academy were up bright and early, excited to see their friends and meet their new teachers.
September 11
Clarkston City Manager Smith receives performance evaluation: The Clarkston City Council approved the acceptance of city Manager Jonathan Smith’s performance evaluation last week at the council’s regular meeting on Aug. 26.
All seven categories had various individual subjects of review and for each of the individual subjects, Smith was given a rating of zero to three. Zero being not applicable or not enough information, one being unsatisfactory, two being satisfactory and three being outstanding.
Smith received twos and threes across the board with the exception of a few subjects that were not applicable in the fiscal management category.
Clarkston triumphs over Southfield for shutout on the road: Clarkston Varsity Football shutout defending 2023 Division 1 State Champions Southfield Arts & Technology on Sept. 6, 48-0.
Wolves place in top five teams during Milford Invitational: The Clarkston High School Cross Country teams opened the season at the Milford Invitational at Kensington Metropark, Aug. 29.
The boys team finished in first place with 54 points out of 19 teams.
The girls team finished in fourth place out of 17 teams with 148 points.
September 18
MDOT to reconstruct intersection at White Lake and Dixie 2026: Officials in Independence Township received news recently from the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) indicating its intention to reconstruct the intersection at White Lake and Dixie Highway in 2026.
Independence Twp. Board of Trustees adopts millage rates: At its regularly scheduled meeting on Sept. 10, the Independence Township Board of Trustees unanimously approved the township’s 2024 tax rates and adopted the 2024 millage rates that would be levied for the 2025 fiscal year budget.
The four millages; general fund, fire fund, police operations fund and safety path fund all saw decreases from the originally voted upon millage rate. The general fund millage rate for 2024 is .9395, the fire fund millage rate for 2024 is 3.3720, the police operations millage rate for 2024 is 2.8531 and the 2024 millage rate for the safety path millage is .4140.
Wolves soar in second half for OAA Red win: The Wolves were victorious in their home opener against Oxford Varsity Football Sept. 13, 23-15.
“Tonight was a great OAA Red battle,” said Clarkston Varsity Football Head Coach Justin Pintar. “Two teams that play hard and compete, and play the right way. Hats off to Oxford, they gave us everything we could handle.”
He shared the Wolves knew going in they would have to be ready for everyone and not just a few key players especially with a group with 24 returning seniors.
Everest unveils newly renovated athletic field: Everest Collegiate Varsity Football welcomed family, friends and fans to their home opener with an athletic field ribbon cutting and blessing, Sept. 7.
It was through the generous support and sacrifice of many over Everest’s 33 years and, most recently, the Phyle families and Milosch family the Mountaineer athletic field was completely redone.
September 25
Clarkston Community Schools to place nonhomestead millage proposal on Nov. 5 ballot: During its meeting on Sept. 16, the Clarkston Community Schools Board of Education further discussed its plan to place a non-homestead millage proposal on the Nov. 5 General Election ballot. The board voted to put the measure on the ballot at its meeting last month.
The proposal is not a new tax but rather a millage renewal that would allow the district to levy 18 mills on non-homestead property for the next 10 years starting in 2026.
Youth rocketeers take up space: Members of the Oakland County 4-H Sport Rocket Club sent their rockets upward at the Seymour Lake Township Park, 2795 Seymour Lake Road. The event attracted 22 rocketeers and about 50 spectators who watched about 30 rockets head to the heavens with most safely returned to earth.
Clarkston leads the league on the links: Clarkston Girls Varsity Golf dominated the second OAA Red tournament of the season as they finished in first place at Pine Knob Golf Course, Sept. 16.
Clarkston had four golfers finishing in the top ten with sophomore Lily Fishtahler in fifth place with a 79; senior Lauren Fishtahler, seventh, 82; senior Emily Sherman, ninth, 85; and sophomore Camila Garcia, tenth, 87.
October 2
Clarkston City Council holds special meeting Sept. 23: The Clarkston City Council held a special meeting on Sept. 23 directly after its regularly scheduled meeting that same night. The council expressed interest in holding an informational meeting to discuss a proposal that will be presented to voters on the Nov. 5 General Election that would impact the Historic District Commission (HDC).
Taste of Clarkston a resounding success: It was foodie heaven last Sunday in downtown Clarkston. Main Street was flooded with visitors excited to try out food from a wide variety of food restaurants, food trucks and bakeries during the 26th annual Taste of Clarkston event held by the Clarkston Area Chamber of Commerce, the City of the Village of Clarkston and Independence Township Parks Recreation and Seniors.
Wolves’ defense puts a stop to Lakers in OAA Red win: Fans cheered and rallied behind the Clarkston Varsity Football team in their homecoming game last Friday as they defeated West Bloomfield, 35-20.
October 9
Master plan gets green light for distribution from township board: The Independence Township Board of Trustees approved the distribution of the 2035 Opportunities Master Plan as was recommended by the township planning commission, at its regular meeting on Sept. 24.
“This was a pretty rigorous update,” Planning and Zoning Director Brian Oppmann said. “We had a tremendous amount of public input, a survey was conducted (and) I don’t know that we’ve ever gotten so many responses from people, which was great and the website saw a tremendous amount of traffic.”
Four candidates vie for two six year seats on Clarkston Board of Education: There are five candidates formally running for three seats on the Clarkston Community Schools Board of Education in the Nov. 5 General Election.
On the ballot for two six year seats are: Sharon Blumeno, Mike Clark and incumbent board members Stefanie Crane and Jaclyn Sivers. Jessica McDonald will also be on the ballot but has informally withdrawn from the race, having missed the deadline to withdraw her name.
Incumbent board President Greg Need is running unopposed for the lone two year seat that is also up for election.
Clarkston volleyball hold second in OAA Red: Clarkston Varsity Volleyball has been ruling the court.
They opened last week with wins over two of the three Rochester schools, with 3-0 wins over Rochester Adams and Rochester.
October 16
Residents take on township over proposed rezoning: Independence Township Hall was packed with residents last week during the township’s board of trustees regular meeting on Oct. 8. Nearly every person in attendance for the meeting was there for the same agenda item, a recommended rezoning of a parcel of land on the west side of Dixie Highway, just south of Big Lake Road.
While the rezoning had been recommended by the planning commission to the Independence Township Board of Trustees, the board ultimately voted 6-0 to not approve the rezoning request after hundreds of residents spoke out against the rezoning.
Two candidates face off in race for Independence Twp. supervisor: After the Nov. 5 General Election, Independence Township will have a new supervisor. Voters will be selecting between Republican Chuck Phyle and Independent Darwin Moore.
Phyle won his republican primary in August of this year and will now take on Moore, who, as the lone independent candidate, was not on the ballot in August.
Candidates run for city council seats, one mayor seat: There are six people running for positions on the Clarkston City Council, including three council member seats and one mayor seat.
For the three available council member seats, there are four candidates running, three of which are running as write-ins. The lone candidate whose name will appear on the ballot is Erica Jones. Running as write-ins are Alfred A. Avery, Amanda Catherine Forte and Mark Lamphier.
For the mayor seat, there are two candidates running as write-ins. These candidates include incumbent Mayor Sue Wylie and previous council member Theodore Hugh Quisenberry.
Dragons down Wolves 20-13: Clarkston Varsity Football wrapped last week with a 20-13 loss at Lake Orion High School last Friday.
“Hats off to Lake Orion, they made just enough plays tonight and early on,” said Justin Pintar, head coach. “They made some adjustments defensively that gave us some trouble today. They had a good game plan and I thought we competed hard. I thought they competed hard. It was a good football game.”
October 23
I-75 project end in sight: A temporary end to a summer-long bridge and road work project along I-75 between M-15 to the Oakland/Genesee county line is expected in November.
Township board approves 2024-25 sewage rates: At its meeting on Oct. 8, the Independence Township Board of Trustees approved the 2024-25 sewage rates. Home owners in the township will see a quarterly increase of $4.44 on their sewage bill. The rate increase was approved 6-0 by the board.
Wolves clip Blackhawks’ wings in shutout: There is no place like home as Clarkston Varsity Football shutout Bloomfield Hills 41-0 last Friday at home after being on the road for two weeks.
Clarkston runners finish on the top at final OAA Jamboree: Clarkston High School Cross Country teams finished in first place at the third and final OAA Red Jamboree at Clintonwood Park last Thursday.
The Clarkston Boys Varsity team finished in first place with 32 points, finishing the regular season as league champions.
The girls varsity team tied with Rochester Adams for first place with 57 points.
October 30
Independence Twp. Board votes to approve building dept. fee increases: During its meeting on Oct. 22, the Independence Township Board of Trustees voted unanimously to approve changes and increases to the building department’s fee schedule.
“This is a dramatic increase of over 100% in the last three years and has been absorbed by my department. This is due in part to the fact that we have three very active projects – single family, multi family and apartment projects as well as a vast number of homeowners who are staying put in their existing homes and investing in these homes with improvements,” said David Moran, Director and Official of the township’s building department.
Local boy scouts get hands-on experience with SRT: Over the summer, Boy Scout Troop 189 were treated to an interactive presentation from a Special Response Team (SRT) where the boys were able to learn a little bit about the group and get some hands-on experience with some of the equipment the team uses.
Halloween fun at the CIDL Trunk or Treat: From walking down the colorful path of Candy Land to meeting Beetlejuice to Frankenstein’s lab, children of all ages saw a little bit of everything at Clarkston Independence District Library’s Trunk or Treat, Oct. 18.
Children dressed up for the holiday event in their Halloween costumes and collected candy from 15-plus decorated trunks by local businesses and nonprofit organizations.
November 6
Independence Twp. Board of Trustees approves budget increase: At its meeting on Oct. 22, the Independence Township Board of Trustees voted unanimously to approve a budget increase for legal fees and health insurance.
Rick Yaeger Budget and Operations Analyst presented the request to the board outlining the two budget amendments; an increase of $100,000 in the township’s legal account and an increase of $14,000 to the township’s health insurance account.
To serve is to be selfless: U.S. Marine recalls service in Vietnam: Lee Reyes has a long history of caring for others in a way that one can only describe is completely selfless.
Perhaps one of the most selfless things he has done in his life was enlist in the United States Marines in 1968 right after he finished high school in order to try and help his older brother who had been drafted.
Wolves down Dragons in playoff opener: The Wolves ran towards the Jungle, the student fan section, holding up the Clarkston/Lake Orion Football trophy after avenging their previous loss to the Dragons with a 34-16 win in the district semifinal last Friday.
November 13
Nov. 5, 2024 General Election results: With 100% of precincts reporting, all vote totals are from the Oakland County Clerk’s Office unofficial election results and represent only Oakland County voters.
City of the Village of Clarkston charter amendment proposal to specify Historic District Commission authority, obligations and procedures:
The only proposal on the ballot in the City of the Village of Clarkston, a charter amendment proposal that would specify authority, obligations and procedures for the city’s Historic District Commission.
The charter amendment proposal request was rejected in the city with 389 (63.36%) against the proposal and 225 (36.64%) for the proposal.
Clarkston Community Schools Operating Millage Renewal Proposal:
The only proposal, which was passed by voters, was a non-homestead millage renewal of 25.8457 mills. However, the district is only able to levy 18 mills due to the Headlee Amendment in Michigan’s constitution.
The proposal request was approved by voters with 17,029 (62.44%) voting for the proposal and 10,245 (37.56%) opposed.
Representative in Congress – 9th District:
Republican incumbent Lisa McClain beat out democratic opponent Clinton St. Mosley. McClain received 81,089 votes (62.11%) while St. Mosley received 45,243 votes (34.66%)
State Representative – 52nd District
Republican incumbent Mike Harris of Clarkston won the race against democrat Caroline Dargay. Harris received 34,802 votes (61.96%) while Dargay received 21,280 votes (37.90%).
County Commissioner – 8th District:
Incumbent republican Karen Joliat defeated democrat Jesse Brown. Joliat received 25,578 votes (62.14%) and Brown received 15,505 votes (37.67%)
Independence Township Board of Trustees:
Newcomer, republican Chuck Phyle decisively won the election for supervisor against independent candidate Darwin Moore. Phyle received 14,864 votes (77.69%) to Moore’s 4,120 votes (21.53%).
Incumbent clerk Cari Neubeck ran unopposed, receiving 16,463 votes (98.44%).
Incumbent treasurer Paul Brown also ran unopposed, receiving 16,292 votes (98.41%).
The township’s trustee race saw four republican candidates running unopposed for their seats.
The candidates were incumbent Jim Tedder who received 14,440 votes (25.38%), newcomer David Hayward who received 14,151 votes (24.87%), incumbent Sam Moraco who received 13,951 votes (24.52%) and incumbent Terri Nallamothu who received 13,875 votes (24.38%).
Clarkston Community Schools Board of Education – six year term:
There were two seats for six year terms up for grabs on the Clarkston Community Schools Board of Education.
Winning the two open seats were newcomer Mike Clark and incumbent Stefanie Crane. Clark received 8,840 votes (26.39%) and Crane received 7,795 votes (23.27%).
Clarkston Community Schools Board of Education – two year term:
Incumbent Greg Need ran unopposed for the lone seat for a two year term. Need received 14,820 votes (98.61%)
City of the Village of Clarkston Mayor:
Due to issues with applications for the election, both incumbent Mayor Sue Wylie and former councilmember Theodore Quisenberry ran for the mayor seat as write-in candidates.
Because the tallying of these write-in votes will take time, the unofficial results for this race are not expected for at least two more weeks.
City of the Village of Clarkston city council:
There were four candidates for the three open council seats. Only one candidate appeared on the ballot, Erica Jones, while the other three, Alfred Avery, Amanda Forte and Mark Lamphier, ran as write-in candidates.
Jones received 256 votes (36.57%) and there were 444 unassigned write-in votes (63.43%).
Because the tallying of these write-in votes will take time, the unofficial results for this race are not expected for at least two more weeks.
Wolves claim district crown: The Wolves defeated Lake Orion for the second time of the season to claim the MHSAA Division 1 Volleyball District 26 Championship last Thursday at Holly High School. Clarkston swept the Dragons 3-0.
Clarkston closes out fall season to Rochester Adams: Clarkston Varsity Football wrapped the season in a 41-0 loss to Rochester Adams in the MHSAA Division 1 Football District 4 Final last Friday.
November 20
Senior and youth services receive Independence Twp. CDBG funding: At its meeting on Nov. 12, the Independence Township Board of Trustees awarded a portion of its Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) to both senior services and youth services (Clarkston Area Youth Assistance) within the township as well as allocated funding to the township’s Minor Home Repair program.
Clarkston City Council approves two road projects: The Clarkston City Council approved the purchase of crossing flags as well as the installation of concrete curbing at its meeting on Nov. 12.
CJHS honors local veterans at Veterans Day ceremony: Last week, local veterans Bill and Joette Kunse were honored by students at Clarkston Junior High School at the school’s Veterans Day ceremony.
The event featured several student speakers who spoke about the importance of Veterans Day and gave introductions and background on the Kunses.
Oreo reigns supreme after election at Everest Academy: Earlier this month, second graders at Everest Academy held their own election between Oreo and Chocolate Chip cookies.
Students participated by casting their ballots and working as poll workers who supervised the ballot deposits.
November 27
Officials in Independence Township swear in: With the election complete, Independence Township held its swearing in ceremony last week at Oakhurst Country Club.
Officials took their oath of office and were sworn in by lifelong Clarkston resident and judge for the 52nd District Court Judge Joe Fabrizio.
Two people taken to the hospital after Orion Township condo explosion, many more left homeless: A massive explosion at the Keatington New Town Condominiums on Tuesday evening destroyed at least one condominium and heavily damaged several others, authorities said.
Two people with critical injuries were transported to the hospital, and a couple more individuals sustained minor injuries, said Orion Township Fire Chief Ryan Allen.
Mountaineers shutdown Ubly, Hancock to make it to state final: Clarkston Everest Collegiate marked a return trip to the state championship after they defeated Hancock 3-0 in the MHSAA Division 4 Volleyball Semifinal at the Kellogg Center last Thursday.
December 4
Clarkston City Council swears in at Nov. 25 meeting: With the votes finally tallied, there will be two familiar faces and two new faces on the City of the Village of Clarkston’s City Council.
There were 364 votes cast for the city’s mayor race, with incumbent Sue Wylie receiving the bulk with 205 votes while former council member Theodore Hugh Quisenberry received 141 votes. Both candidates ran as write-ins.
The lone council member who appeared on the ballot, Erica Jones received the most votes in the council member race with 256 votes.
Write-in candidates newcomer Al Avery and incumbent Amanda Forte also won their election bids with 152 and 166 votes respectively.
Everest seals fate as back-to-back champs: The Mountaineers of Clarkston Everest Collegiate left the Kellogg Arena as repeat state champions with a 3-1 win over St. Joseph Our Lady of the Lake in the MHSAA Division 4 Volleyball State Final, Nov. 30.
Wolves shut out Cougars 7-0 in OAA Red opener: The Wolves opened the OAA Red with a 7-0 shutout against Stoney Creek, Nov. 21.
Clarkston Varsity Hockey Head Coach Nathan Bryer rolled four forward lines all night and it was a very up tempo game with several breakaways and a scoring barrage by a total of five different Wolves.
December 11
New Independence Twp. Board of Trustees meets for first time: Just ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, the new Independence Board of Trustees met for its regularly scheduled meeting on Nov. 26. This was the first meeting with the township’s newly-elected members including Supervisor Chuck Phyle and Trustee David Hayward.
Team RUSH prepares for 24th annual Holiday Lights Parade: Clarkston High School’s Team RUSH 27 Robotics team invites the community to come to downtown Clarkston this Saturday, Dec. 14 for the 24th Annual Clarkston Holiday Lights Parade.
Grapplers top Lightning, Mules in home opener: Clarkston Varsity Wrestling opened the winter season with two wins in their first dual last Wednesday with victories over Lapeer and Bedford.
December 18
Clarkston Schools review pupil accounting data: The Clarkston Community Schools Board of Education held its last regular meeting of the year on Dec. 9 where the board heard an enrollment analysis presentation from John Lucido, Assistant Superintendent of Administrative Services, specifically regarding pupil accounting data.
As of the Dec. 9 meeting, the district’s total full time equivalent (FTE, or students enrolled in the district full time) count was 8,926.4, showing a total FTE gain of 275.06.
“I never thought twice about trying to help them:” At about 3 p.m. Wednesday, June 12 Clarkston teenager Sam Yerian’s fast thinking and heroic acts likely saved a grandfather and two of his grandsons on Deer Lake.
“Even though I could hear a woman yelling, I wasn’t really aware of the situation, honestly I thought probably someone needed to be towed, which happens a lot on the lake,” said Sam, 16, a junior at Clarkston High School. “It wasn’t until I got to the end of our dock and saw people in the water about 150 yards away that I realized it was an emergency.”
Wolves down Northville 66-40, start OAA play this week: The Wolves were successful with a 66-40 victory over Northville in the OAA/KLAA Challenge at home last Friday.
December 25
Annual Holiday Lights Parade brings holiday cheer to downtown Clarkston: Downtown Clarkston was full of spirit as many filled the streets for the 24th Annual Holiday Lights Parade hosted by Clarkston High School’s Team RUSH 27 Robotics team on Saturday night.
The theme for this year’s parade Innovate and Illuminate and the 35 entries did just that.
Team RUSH 27 handed out six awards before the parade began.
Editor’s note: This is the third and final part of our Year in Review coverage. To view the first two parts of the series, please visit our website at clarkstonnews.com.