A Grosse Pointe Woods man found ashes believed to be cremated human remains in a flowerbed at his home recently, police said. The tag found with the ashes pointed investigators to a crematorium in Georgia, and the facility said the remains belonged to a widow. But that Georgia woman says she already has her husband’s remains at her home. Just whose remains were found at the Grosse Pointe home and why they were spread among his flowers is still a mystery. Construction Season is Back From I-94 in Macomb County to M-39 in Wayne County, everyone's favorite time of year is here: road work season. …

Here's a roundup of news in Patches around southeast Michigan in the past week: Pastor Terry Jones Thwarted in Dearborn, Vows to Return Terry Jones, the Quran-burning pastor from Florida whose planned appearance in front of a Dearborn mosque on Good Friday was met with a groundswell of public protest, was jailed Friday for at first refusing to post a $1 "peace bond.” Jones, who along with associate Wayne Sapps planned a protest at the Islamic Center of America, said he would return next week to file a lawsuit and to protest in front of Dearborn City Hall. The weeklong saga brought hundreds of…

Here's a roundup of some of the news and features throughout southeast Michigan in the past week: Michigan Teachers May Lose Jobs School districts in Michigan are struggling to balance budgets as they face fewer dollars from the state and, in some cases, dwindling enrollment and increases health care costs for employees. One solution being proposed is cutting teachers. Here are some of the districts discussing that option: The Clawson School Board voted Monday night to lay off 15 teachers, citing a loss in federal and state funding as the key reason for district cuts. The district expects to …

Hundreds Join Protests in Ann Arbor, West Bloomfield  Saline teachers joined hundreds of other public sector workers from the region in Ann Arbor on Monday to protest Gov. Rick Snyder's proposed budget cuts and the state's new emergency financial takeover law. The protest was one of many We Are One rallies held throughout the state and country on the 43rd anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., including one in West Bloomfield, where about 250 teachers and supporters held a candlelight vigil. Legislators Talk Redistricting, Gov. Snyder's Cuts It was standing-room-only at …

Here's a roundup of some of the news and features throughout southeast Michigan in the past week: MEAP Results Show Ups, Downs, Trends School districts around Metro Detroit analyzed the results of the MEAP scores released this week. The Fall 2010 results provide comparisons from year to year and school to school on how many students are showing "proficiency" in certain academic subjects. In the Rochester district,  students showed a higher level of proficiency in every grade level and every subject than students statewide, while percentages of students meeting standards were up and down from …

Here's a roundup of some of the news and features throughout southeast Michigan in the past week: Census Figures Released in Michigan The population for the state of Michigan decreased by .5 percent and is now at 9,883,640, according to census numbers released Tuesday, but some Macomb, Oakland, Livingston and Washtenaw counties have experienced growth since 2000. And some suburbs are seeing more diversity than ever before. Here's a look at some of the numers: The 2010 U.S. Census figures showed Ferndale's population had dropped in population by 10 percent. Surrounding communities also lost …

What's been going on around Michigan Patches this week? Well, any week where we can get Tiger blood, George Clooney, a Super Moon and robots in the same roundup has to mean it's been eventful. We Saw George Clooney! Some of at Patch swooned when we spotted George Clooney filming his picture, The Ides of March, around town this week. We caught up with him in Clawson and snapped a few pics of the superstar in action. (Sigh.) Got Tiger Blood? These T's Show Baseball Spirit Trying to cash in on the Charlie Sheen frenzy, a Wyandotte man has turned Sheen's infamous "tiger blood" phrase into a T-…

Here's a roundup of some of the news and features from around southeast Michigan this week: Royal Oak Turns Irish for the Day Royal Oak kicked off St. Patrick’s Day week with its annual parade hosted for the ninth year by the Norman O’Brien Division of the Ancient Order of Hibernians. An enthusiastic crowd enjoyed the festive clash of the clans. Jeff Collick marched with his family, including 8-year-old son, Brendan, and dog, Chloe, as part of the Hennessey Clan. "It's all about who is the loudest, who is the craziest," he said. "It's a nice day." The Henry Ford to Partner with Pure Michigan …

The past week held a lot of anticipation about the end of the winter sports season as student-athletes prepared for trips to state finals. Gymnasts from several schools, including Canton and Northville earned a trip the finals next week, for instance. But this week was all about wrestling, as the individual competition ended Saturday at the The Palace of Auburn Hills. Here is a look at how athletes in the Mitten fared: Lake Fenton was the big winner this weekend. Three of the school's wrestlers brought home state titles. Seniors Zach Corcoran, Justin Melick and Connor Brancheau each earned …

Got a sweet ride? Chances are you're at Cobo Hall this weekend with the thousands who will be ogling the souped up Chevys and cool-cat Corvettes at Autorama. Among those showing will be Macomb residents Dan and Peggy Kelly, who have a bright silver metallic 1964 Plymouth Sport Fury at this weekend's 59th Detroit Autorama being held at the Cobo Convention Center. Did you know the annual gearhead Olympics is planned from a well-known lawnmower repair shop in St. Clair Shores? The team that puts together the event shared with Patch their strategy for putting on an awesome Autorama. And here's …

Gov. Rick Snyder's proposed budget is expected to have devastating effects across the region. It will cost each school district $470 per pupil in state funding, but Farmington Public Schools officials say the district expects to lose $700 per pupil – as much as $10 million – for the coming school year because of additional increased retirement costs. In Hartland, the school superintendent is asking parents to oppose Snyder's proposed cuts, saying that otherwise, there will be reductions in elective classes and teacher layoffs. In Birmingham, Kathy Sullivan, a parent of three, summed it up: "I…

Children at Lanigan Elementary School in Farmington Hills crafted some of the more than 500 Valentine greeting and letters that were sent this week to Farmington’s military men and women based overseas. With help from the Groves-Walker American Legion Post, the students made sure there won’t be one Farmington combatant without a construction paper heart or hand-written note Monday. Click here to read all about it: Elsewhere, around the Mitten: Dates Set for Birmingham's Uptown Film Festival Save the date! Birmingham's Uptown Film Festival, which will spotlight Michigan-made films, is slated …

A Dearborn city employee was clearing snow from sidewalks in west downtown  when she got her tractor stuck on train tracks and was hit by an Amtrak train. Amazingly, she survived and sustained only broken bones. Click here to read all about it. Elsewhere, around the Mitten: Woman Who Taunted 7-Year-Old Sentenced A Trenton woman who gained national attention after taunting a 7-year-old girl dying of Huntington's disease on Facebook pleaded guilty and was sentenced Tuesday to an assault and battery charge at the Frank Murphy Hall of Justice in Detroit. Judge Carole Youngblood sentenced Jennifer…

Royal Oak: You’re going to Hollywood! Drew Machak, an American Idol contestant who went to Country Day for high school and calls Royal Oak home, is moving to the next round. And how sweet is this: He felt horrible his best friend did not receive the coveted yellow ticket, too. Here's more news from Around the Mitten: New Microbrews Coming to Fenton Michigan Brewing Company got the OK and will be opening a new location inside Fenton's historic old fire hall. Scoutmaster Sentenced in Plymouth A former Scoutmaster of a Boy Scout troop was sentenced to three to 20 years in prison Thursday on …

The week started off with many honoring the legacy civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and  ended with a near-full moon beautifully captured by a Hartland reader. Check out what we and your neighbors have been up to. Here's a roundup of the top headlines and other curiosities from Patches throughout southeast Michigan: Wyandotte: Artist Brenda Oelbaum has created a stir with her storefront window display at a Wyandotte art gallery. She is attacking the dieting industry with a life-size photo of herself posing nude amid diet books. Northville: Police are still investigating whether …

From taking photos at the auto show Charity Preview to passing out coffee and cocoa at the Winterfest in Grosse Pointe, Patch was out and about the area this week. Here's a roundup of the top headlines and other curiosities from Patches around Southeast Michigan: Farmington: A piece of the World Trade Center will be used in a sculpture that commemorates North Farmington High School's 50th anniversary. Fenton: Nearly 800 people turned out to for “Katie’s Game,” a fundraiser organized by middle school classmates of 14-year-old Katie Wyatt, who is battling kidney cancer. Macomb: The pickleball …

Check out what your neighbors have been up to this week. Here's a roundup of the top headlines and other curiosities from Patches around Southeast Michigan: St. Clair Shores/Grosse Pointe/New Baltimore-Chesterfield: A Patch writer took a journey on the Coast Guard Cutter Bristol Bay, and showed us stunning images from Operation Coal Shovel—a joint U.S.-Canadian ice-breaking operation. Brighton: What's your pet's New Year's resolution? This dog in Brighton just might be hitting the treadmill to lose a few pounds. Northville: More than 400 people attended the downtown premiere of Northville's …