A look back: Hometown Life teams won 15 high school state titles in 2019 - Hometown Life
A look back: Hometown Life teams won 15 high school state titles in 2019 - Hometown Life |
- A look back: Hometown Life teams won 15 high school state titles in 2019 - Hometown Life
- Reporters Pick Their Favorite Global Stories Of The Decade - NPR
- 10 Great LGBTQ Novels for Young Adults - Advocate.com
| A look back: Hometown Life teams won 15 high school state titles in 2019 - Hometown Life Posted: 31 Dec 2019 03:35 AM PST CLOSE  It's been an exciting sports year in Hometown Life land. The northwest metro Detroit area saw plenty of success in the high school varsity sports world with a quite a few state titles. Detroit Catholic Central and Detroit Country Day each won the championship in their respective divisions for ice hockey. Mercy High School and Birmingham Seaholm each brought home a state title for girls swim and dive. Farmington gymnastics, Catholic Central wrestling, Harrison High bowling, Brother Rice lacrosse, Marian soccer, Novi girls soccer, Country Day girls tennis, Academy of the Sacred Heart girls tennis, Northville girls golf, Marian Girls golf, Mercy volleyball Some other teams came oh so close. Detroit Country Day advanced to the state football finals. Brother Rice reached the state semifinals in baseball. Westland John Glenn reached the state semifinals in wrestling. Wayne Memorial girls basketball fell in the state semifinals, as did the Salem boys and John Glenn girls bowling teams. Milford, Lakeland and Birmingham girls skiing reached the state finals along with Bloomfield Hills boys skiers. Birmingham Groves boys swim and dive reached the finals before falling to perennial powerhouse Dexter. Catholic Central and Marian reached the finals in lacrosse, and Birmingham girls and Cranbrook Kingswood girls made it to the semifinals, but all fell short on claiming the title. Plymouth girls soccer reached the finals, too, before a loss to Novi, one of the top teams in the country. In girls tennis, Bloomfield Hills, Seaholm and Cranbrook Kingswood all earned a spot in the state finals before falling to the eventual champions. South Lyon girls golf and Cranbrook Kingswood boys tennis each reached the finals but couldn't eke out that last victory. Individuals shined, as well, like Catholic Central's Kevon Davenport winning four straight individual wrestling title, Plymouth's Carter Solomon winning the individual boys cross country championship or Northville's Emily Roden and Mercy's Greta Gidley winning individual swim titles, to name a few. There's been a lot of excitement internally, too. Why? It's a new sports staff. Longtime sports reporters Brad Emons, Marty Budner and Tim Smith accepted early retirement offers at the beginning of 2019. Andrew Vailliencourt and Colin Gay have grabbed the baton in the local sports world. Vailliencourt started in February and Gay joined the team in August. Vailliencourt, an Indiana Hoosier, can be reached at availlienc@hometownlife.com or 810-923-0659. Follow him on Twitter @AndrewVcourt. Gay, an Ohio State Buckeye, can be reached at cgay@hometownlife.com or 248-330-6710. Follow him on Twitter @ColinGay17. General sports information, stats and game results can be sent to liv-sports@hometownlife.com (both Andrew and Colin will receive the email) and also follow @htlsports on Twitter to catch all the sports updates. Top 10 stories of 2019We appreciate our sports readers who helped make 2019 our strongest one yet. Online, we had more readers than ever, something we expect to continue in 2020. Here's a look at the most popular local sports stories read on hometownlife.com. Farmington High Homecoming football game canceled after Pontiac incident A shooting in Pontiac the day before the Farmington vs. Pontiac high school football game prompted Pontiac's decision to cancel its road game. Farmington proceeded with its homecoming activities like the parade and tailgate. Farmington had two bye weeks this season, a relatively uncommon happening. The Falcons earned a spot in the playoffs, beating North Farmington in the opening round before falling to U of D Jesuit in the district finals. Detroit Catholic Central soccer forfeits seven games after self-reporting ineligible player The private high school in Novi contacted the Michigan High School Athletic Association this fall to report the school had an ineligible player on its soccer team at the beginning of the season. That resulted in the team — at the time ranked seventh in the state — forfeiting seven games. The team showed plenty of success, earning a spot in the postseason regional finals where the Shamrocks lost to Novi High School. Video of fight after Brother Rice-Catholic Central hockey game hits social media Catholic schools have been in the news quite a bit in recent weeks for less than ideal reasons. Among them? A video circulating online apparently shows a brawl breaking out between students at Birmingham Brother Rice and Detroit Catholic Central following a Dec. 7 hockey game between the two schools at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth. Snapchat footage reposted on Twitter shows a group of students fighting, many wearing orange. Plymouth Township police were still investigating the incident. Catholic Central released a statement stating that "two of our students were attacked by a group of individuals who do not attend our school." Brother Rice declined to comment on the incident. Michigan high school football playoff projections through week eight With one week left in the regular season, everyone wanted to know whether or not their favorite team was poised to make the high school playoffs. Livonia Stevenson twin sisters take on Friday night football as player, cheerleader Twin sisters Maya and Jenna Millis prepared for Friday night football, hopeful for a Livonia Stevenson victory. The twist — Maya plays on the football team, while Jenna is a member of the cheer team. In Maya's first year on varsity football, she tallied 25 points: 22 extra points and a field goal. "We've always been waiting for the year we're both on varsity and I can cheer her on," Jenna said. "It's so cool, all of my friends know she's my sister so when she kicks we all go crazy, it's so much fun." Local baseball players shine in Michigan High School All-Star game at Comerica Park It was a night to remember for the 50 Michigan High School baseball all-stars who closed out the season at Comerica Park in Detroit this past spring. The East All-Stars came out victorious, defeating the West, 11-3. Almost a dozen players from the Hometown Life coverage area participated in the game, nine on the East and two on the West. Two of the game's biggest contributors hailed from the Plymouth-Canton school district. The East squad also featured two area coaches. Leading the East was Livonia Franklin's Matt Fournier, who was joined by John Glenn coach Lawrence Scheffer as an assistant. To add even more local flavor, Novi's Sophie Psiakis sang the National Anthem and God Bless America. This South Lyon man, 87, was in a class by himself at Free Press Marathon Bob Ranta was in a class by himself at the Free Press Marathon Sunday as the only person age 80 or older to finish the race: 26.2 miles in a time of just under 8 hours, 19 minutes. The race was his 21st Free Press Marathon, and his 91st marathon overall, which includes 26 ultra marathons, in 38 years of running. He has also run countless smaller races and also competes in triathlons, including four in 2019. Salem interim AD Tim Baechler fires football coach Justin Reed Losing seasons are never fun. After the Salem Rocks went a combined 2-16 in the past two seasons, Salem interim Athletic Director Tim Baechler fired coach Justin Reed. Injuries didn't help this fall; the entire JV team was promoted to the varsity team toward the end of the year. Baechler was the Canton football coach for 20 seasons before retiring after the 2017 season. He took over as Salem AD after Brian Samulski left to take the same position this fall at Northville High. Hockey community, Redford Union Schools mourn loss of Mike Humitz It was a sad start to the new year when Mike Humitz, who had been gravely ill and fighting cancer in hospice, died New Year's Day. Humitz, who coached at Livonia Stevenson High for three seasons (2004-07), not only left a legacy in hockey, but also in education as an assistant principal at Redford Union High School. MHSAA high school football playoff bracket announced With the regular season over, the Michigan High School Athletic Association announced who made it to the playoffs with hopes of making it to Ford Field and a state title. Locally, 15 teams earned a playoff berth. Only one, Country Day, made it to Ford Field, though the team fell short in the finals. Starting next year, the MHSAA will use a new point system to determine the playoffs. Contact content strategist Philip Allmen at pallmen@hometownlife.com. Follow us on Twitter @hometownlife and @htlsports.  |
| Reporters Pick Their Favorite Global Stories Of The Decade - NPR Posted: 31 Dec 2019 11:19 AM PST  From left: Sekou Sheriff, of Barkedu village in Liberia, whose parents died at an Ebola treatment center; a polio vaccination booth in Pakistan; a schoolgirl in Ethiopia examines underwear with a pocket for a menstrual pad; an image from a video on the ethics of selfies; Consolata Agunga goes door-to-door as a community health worker in her village in Kenya. From left: John Poole/NPR; Jason Beaubien/NPR; Courtesy of Be Girl Inc.; SAIH Norway/Screenshot by NPR; Marc Silver/NPR hide caption  From left: Sekou Sheriff, of Barkedu village in Liberia, whose parents died at an Ebola treatment center; a polio vaccination booth in Pakistan; a schoolgirl in Ethiopia examines underwear with a pocket for a menstrual pad; an image from a video on the ethics of selfies; Consolata Agunga goes door-to-door as a community health worker in her village in Kenya. From left: John Poole/NPR; Jason Beaubien/NPR; Courtesy of Be Girl Inc.; SAIH Norway/Screenshot by NPR; Marc Silver/NPRIt was quite a decade. Ebola swept through Africa as never before – and has returned again just this past year. Polio was almost wiped out – but not quite. The issue of menstruation became a headline topic. And a selfie debate began --- what are the ethics of posing for pictures in developing countries. Our global health and development blog, Goats and Soda, did not start until 2014, but many of our contributors have been on their global beats for the full decade. We asked them to pick one story from the 2010s that was a personal favorite – and that captured a pivotal moment in global health and development. Here are their selections. Jason Beaubien: Taliban In Pakistan Derail World Polio Eradication (July 28, 2014) If I had to choose one of my pieces it would be this one from 2014 — about the Taliban's efforts to stop polio vaccine teams in Pakistan. In the multibillion-dollar effort to wipe polio off the face of the planet, the persistence of the virus in Pakistan remains a primary obstacle to success. That was true in 2014 and is still true today. In fact, this year, the number of cases in that country has spiked dramatically. There were eight in 2018; the total in 2019 is 101. Ben de la Cruz: Life After Death: The World Is Starting To Forget About Ebola. The Village Of Barkedu Can't (February 20, 2015) NPR was one of the first U.S. media organizations on the ground in West Africa after the Ebola outbreak of 2014-15. Our teams of reporters and photographers filed more than 200 stories and won a Peabody award for their efforts. Ben de la Cruz, the lead visuals editor for our Ebola coverage, selected this story because its photos and text (by NPR's John Poole with additional images by freelancer Tommy Trenchard) and audio (by NPR's Sami Yenigun) offer an intimate look at a town ravaged by the virus. The story of Barkedu serves as a reminder that epidemics don't end after the last case: A catastrophic outbreak can cause trauma and disruption that affects the lives of survivors and their families for years to come. Nurith Aizenman: People Are Finally Talking About The Thing Nobody Wants To Talk About (June 16, 2015) The premise of this story — that talking about menstruation is a big taboo — seems almost quaint today. But at the time – almost the exact midpoint of this past decade – it was still rare for the media to cover the difficulties that girls and women in low-income countries face around managing their periods, let alone how these difficulties might hampering their ability to get an education or well-paying work. Back then even many global health advocates were, at best, oblivious to the issue and, at worst, squeamish about exploring it. The reader response to this piece offered a hint of the change that was brewing. It was among the most widely read stories in Goats and Soda history. And over the ensuing months the topic of menstruation burst into the public discourse in such a big and varied way that by year's end NPR's health team declared 2015 "The Year of the Period." Since then activism on this topic has only accelerated — including campaigns to lift taxes on menstrual products across the United States, end bans in India that prevent menstruating women from entering temples and stop the practice in Nepal of requiring girls to wait out their periods in "menstrual sheds." Early this year a movie about tampons even won the Oscar for best documentary short. Rhitu Chatterjee: So Maybe Washington, D.C., Should Ask Delhi How To Run A Metro System (March 17, 2016) Back in 2016, the Washington D.C. metro was shut down for about a day for critical maintenance work. My editor emailed me – I was living in New Delhi at the time — to ask if there was a story to write about metro rail systems in India. I jumped on the assignment because I'd been looking for an excuse to write about the Delhi metro. The New Delhi metro system is a great example of how stories about developing countries don't have to be about things that are terrible, like disease, corruption, violence, pollution. Developing countries often innovate to solve their own problems, and sometimes, their creativity and innovation far outpaces what's happening in the West. Tim McDonnell: How Water Gets From The Nile To Thirsty Refugees (April 2, 2017) In early 2017, northern Uganda was the setting of one of the world's fastest-growing refugee crises, as hundreds of thousands of people fled civil war in neighboring South Sudan. When they reached safety in Uganda, there was a new challenge: the lack of access to water. As aid workers struggled to drill wells and truck water in from the Nile River, refugees like Leya Jogo, a schoolteacher supporting several children, waited in line all day, every day, for a few gallons for cooking, drinking and bathing. This profile touched on two key challenges of the decade: The unprecedented number of displaced people globally, and the growing specter of water shortages. Leya's story touched me deeply on a personal level. I became much more conscious of my own water consumption. The day I finished reporting this story, I went back to my hotel, which didn't have running water, and was handed a bucket of water. I used half of it just for a shower. Leya would have spent all day searching for that much water. That was a humbling moment. Ofeibea Quist-Arcton: To Save Her Children, She Pretended To Be Crazy (October 14, 2017) Ingenuity, inspiration, an elaborate ruse and a touch of madness. That is what it took for Zainabu Hamayaji to protect her family from Boko Haram. Her husband was killed by the terror network. And then the 47-year-old mother of 10 — four biological and six orphaned children ranging from age 5 to 15 — had to feign insanity to keep the insurgents away. Her story speaks to the great pain inflicted by terrorists — but it's not just a tale of suffering. It's a reminder that even in the face of terrible events, which were all too frequent in the 2010s, the human spirit is truly, deeply resilient. Malaka Gharib: Volunteering Abroad? Read This Before You Post That Selfie (November 26, 2017) One of my favorite (and most popular) stories explored a guide on how to take ethical selfies while volunteering in low-income countries. Created by a group of international development students and academics in Norway, the guide urges people to think before they post photos of themselves with those they are trying to help – especially children – warning that these images perpetuate the idea that only Western aid, charity and intervention can save the world. The how-to clearly resonated with NPR readers, pulling in more than 1.3 million views. But what I liked about the story most is that it reflects changing attitudes about how volunteers should act in these parts of the world – and a willingness to show respect to the places they visit. Kamala Thiagarajan: In Interviews With 122 Rapists, Student Pursues Not So Simple Question: Why? (December 16, 2017) As a woman, living in India, I've given great thought to my country's struggle to deal with the rising number of rape cases. Since 2012, India has been engaged in meaningful conversations about how to keep women safe. Our laws have been strengthened and so have our punishments, and yet, we're still reeling under reports of violent rapes. This story, in which a young woman tries to assess the mindset of the rapist, without judgement and condemnation, holds some key answers as to why rape occurs. What are the ingredients that brew the personality of the rapist? Criminal reform should be an important conversation in the decades ahead. It matters when it comes to keeping our communities and our women safer. Michaeleen Doucleff: Is There A Ticking Time Bomb Under The Arctic? (January 24, 2018) To do this story, I walked through a door to a red shed a short drive north of Fairbanks, Alaska, and came face-to-face with a ticking time bomb. The door leads to a tunnel that goes 1,000 feet deep so scientists can study the potential risks posed by permafrost that thaws out. As the temperature at some permafrost sites rises because of climate change, ancient bacteria, frozen for 25,000 years, could come back alive again "given the right environmental conditions," said my guide, Dr. Thomas Douglas, a geochemist at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. I hope that this story had an impact on the way people think about the Arctic and climate change. And it doesn't look as if the temperature will dip in the near future. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has reported: "Arctic shows no sign of returning to reliably frozen region of recent past decades." Marc Silver: How Can A Burden Be A Joy? Ask A Community Health Worker (April 29, 2018)  Community health workers play a vital role in health care but are an underappreciated group. In fact, people may not quite understand who they are. They're not certified medical professionals. They may have only a high school education, if that. And they are vital to keeping a community informed and healthy, whether during a crisis like Ebola or the day-to-day tasks of making sure kids get vaccinated and people are treated for diseases. Consolata Agunga, a community health worker in her Kenyan village, sums up her work: "I feel good because I have the burden of serving my people." Susan Brink: A Promising Anti-HIV Drug Poses A Dilemma (April 19, 2019) The story I'd select is about the HIV drug dolutegravir — a breakthrough that is changing the face of AIDS. But because a very small number of women taking the drug had babies with severe birth defects, it's not being given to women of childbearing age in poor countries where there may not be access to reliable birth control. Because dolutegravir is so undeniably good at not only treating HIV patients but controlling the spread of disease, countries in the years ahead will have no choice but to beef up their health systems so that young women can obtain reliable birth control that will enable them to take dolutegravir. The two go hand-in-hand: a gold standard AIDS drug and reliable birth control. Share with us: What was your favorite Goats and Soda story this decade? Email us at goatsandsoda@npr.org and your response may be featured in our weekly newsletter.  |
| 10 Great LGBTQ Novels for Young Adults - Advocate.com Posted: 31 Dec 2019 02:05 AM PST The Importance of Being Wilde at Heart by R. Zamora Linmark is the story of a 17-year-old's first experience with love and loss, with guidance provided by the surreal appearances of Oscar Wilde. Ken Z has always been a master of words. Lists, poems, haikus, and more flow effortlessly and provide comfort to the boy. All that changes when he meets the mysterious and beautiful Ran at the mall food court. He experiences his first kiss, his first love, but also his first heartbreak when Ran disappears from his life just as quickly as he had appeared. Refusing to let his life be written as a tragedy, Ken Z turns to his friends and his writing for solace and explanation. He is also guided by several surreal appearances of his personal hero Oscar Wilde, who helps the struggling youth learn that sometimes love is worth the price of heartbreak. Author Linmakr is a poet, novelist, and playwright who was born in Manila and educated in the Honolulu. He has written four collections of poetry as well as the novels Leche and Rolling the R's which he adapted for the stage. (Delacorte Press) — Donald Padgett The Infinite Noise by Lauren Shippen answers the question of what would happen if a young, questioning superhero in high school went to a therapist instead of just saving the world on a daily basis. Based on the author's wildly popular and award-winning Bright Sessions podcasts, The Infinite Noise follows a star running back named Caleb as he comes to terms with his ability to empathetically experience the emotions of others. He always knew he was different, until a violent encounter occured that opened the doors to his abilities. It sounds cool, but it comes with a lot of unexpected consequences and dangers. His therapist, the aptly named Dr. Bright, helps but she also seems to know a lot more about her patient than she reveals. His life becomes even more complicated when he keeps getting pulled into the emotional orbit of classmate Adam. With the encouragement of Dr. Bright, Caleb befriends the bullied and alienated Adam and the two become closer that either boy could have imagined. The Infinite Noise is a refreshing look at the superhero genre, focusing not an action and adventure but instead on the emotional impact of one's abilities and feelings. This is a story that draws the reader into their own empathetic experience through their bonding with the characters. (Tor Teen) — DP Fresh Ink is a young adult anthology edited by Lamar Giles (founder of We Need Diverse Books) that feels like a novel even though it's really a collection of short stories, a graphic novella, and even a one-act play. Fresh Ink includes the work of 13 young adult authors, many of them award-winning writers of color, including Daniel Jose Older (Shadowshaper), Melissa de la Cruz (Blue Bloods series), Gene Luen Yang (American Born Chinese), Aminah Mae Safi (Not the Girls You're Looking For) and Schuyler Bailer (the Korean American who became the first out trans man to compete on a Division I men's team swimming at Harvard). The characters are equally diverse: a Native American schoolboy, a lesbian Asian-American Comic Con geek, a Muslim rocker girl, a Black superman, Black and Latinx boys killed by gun violence (left tagging in purgatory), and so much more. (Random House Children's Books) — Jacob Anderson-Minshall Reverie by Ryan La Sala is a page-turning magical mystery that follows gay teenager Kane Montgomery after he is discovered near death in the local river with no memory of how he got there. As Kane begins to piece together clues, he meets three strangers who claim to be friends — but can they be trusted? Enter a drag queen sorceress who plots to unravel Kane's reality, and the story kicks into high gear in this dark, mysterious adventure. In this exciting debut, La Sala touches on the transformation that occurs when our deepest secrets come to light. (Sourcebooks) — Desiree Guerrero All the Dirty Parts by Daniel Handler is an unblinking look at teenage desire from the author best known as Lemony Snicket. This gutsy novel takes an honest look at the erotic and sometimes uncontrollable sexual impulses of young men. Cole is consumed by thoughts about sex. He fantasizes about having sex with whomever he's observing at any given moment. He consumes porn equally voraciously. He develops a well-earned unsavory reputation among girls as a result of his many sexual exploits. Soon, he is ostracized and isolated with only his best friend Alec remaining by his side. Then something startling unfold between them, and Cole begins to wonder if he's been looking for sex (and perhaps even love) in all the wrong places. Things are thrown into even greater turmoil, though, when he meets Grisaille. Handler is the author of the 13-volume children's collection A Series of Unfortunate Events as well as his four-book series All the Wrong Questions. His latest endeavor truly leaves in all the dirty parts and the result is an engrossing, thought-provoking novel. (Bloomsbury Publishing) — DP A Student of History by Nina Revoyr is the story of a young man from the wrong side of the tracks who gains entry into the old money aristocracy of modern-day Los Angeles. With a nod to Great Expectations and The Great Gatsby, Rick Nagano is Nick Carraway and young Pip rolled into one. The Japanese-American's roots are in the working class, historically mixed-race, and largely African-American neighborhoods of south L.A. His heritage is one of immigration, hard work, racism, internment, and perseverance, but especially family and community. He was the first in his family to go to college and then graduate school, but he stops work on his dissertation to transcribe the journals of elderly heir to an oil fortune. The job gives him access to a hidden city where he falls for the socialite Fiona Morgan, who soon cons him into revealing one of his boss's secrets. Blind to machinations against him, Nagano sees his relationship with Morgan as an entry into the L.A. elite. Lambda Award-winner Revoyr focuses on the impact of race in the construct of class and society, and how there are some doors that will always remain closed. (Akashic Books) — DP Falling by Trebor Healey is the award-winning author's latest anthology of short stories. Characters fall and lose their way, figuratively and literally, as they confront the profound displacement often found in modern life. Each story is a vivid world unto itself. An American man of mystery suffers amnesia after falling from an Acapulco hotel tower, and his only memory is of butterflies. A gay man fills the role of Evita Perón in one story, while in another a widower finds solace caring for orphaned migrant children. Healey's humor can be dry, direct, and droll. The settings and characters may be diverse and unique, but Falling examines stories of emotional displacement and deprivation that all can relate to. His previous works include Through It Came Bright Colors and A Horse Named Sorrow. (University of Wisconsin Press) – DP Either Way: Story of a Gay Kid by Sandra Levins, illustrated by Euan Cook, marries a boy's coming of age and coming out story with a subplot about a gay solider, and lessons about the repeal of "Don't Ask Don't Tell" and the Supreme Court's ruling on same-sex marriage. Published by the American Psychological Association and aimed at teen readers. (Magination Press) — JAM Poison in the Colony: James Town 1622 by Elisa Carbone is the fictional account of a young girl in 17th century James Town who has second sight. Virginia Laydon was just an infant at the end of the award-winning historical novel Blood on the River: James Town 1607, but now she is growing into a young woman. Survival on the frontier is tough and is made all the more difficult by a corrupt governor. Virginia can sense the growing unease between the settlers and the indigenous peoples. Can her gifts prevent a bloody confrontation — or will they get her burned as a witch? When accusations fly, Virginia learns it is better to live with the truth than a lie. (Viking Books for Young Readers) — DP In The Whispers by Greg Howard a boy copes with the loss of his mother while struggling with his burgeoning sexuality. Eleven-year-old Riley's struggles are made more difficult because his mother has simply vanished. His once-vibrant father is now quiet and somber. His older brother has become just another bully. The police keep questioning him instead of looking for his mom's kidnappers. It's as though everyone blames Riley for her disappearance. Now he's having strange feelings for handsome eighth-grader, Dylan. With nowhere else to turn, Riley reaches back to his secret fairy world of the whispers. Can they grant his wish to make his world right again, or will his friends in the real world help him figure things out? Set in a small Southern town, The Whispers is a moving and poignant tale of friendship, family, loss, and the lengths to which a child's imagination and friends will go to help him find the truth and closure. (G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers) — DP  |
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