Tea Party Rallies in Novi and More News Near You

Patch's 30 sites throughout Southeastern Michigan reported on a ton of big news this week. Here's a look at some of the headlines outside of the Greater West Bloomfield area.

1. The Tea Party Express is rolling through the country, and it made its first of two stops in Michigan in Novi on Thursday afternoon, wrote Novi Patch.

The "Winning for America" bus tour held a two-hour rally in the parking lot of Suburban Collection Showplace, and more than 100 people from numerous local cities attended.

Local speakers included Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard; Republican Michigan Supreme Court candidates Justice Brian K. Zahra, Justice Stephen J. Markman, and Judge Colleen O’Brien; and state board of education candidate Todd Courser.

The Tea Party Express, the nation’s largest tea party political action committee, is traveling through 22 battleground states to rally support for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and other conservative candidates in November.

• Read more: Tea Party Rallies in Novi -

2. White Lake Patch on Thursday profiled White Lake resident Melanie Prapotnik, whose home purchased in foreclosure received a free rebuilding job from the Farmington Hills Home Depot outlet this week.

Melanie's husband, U.S. Army First Lt. Joseph Prapotnik, is currently deployed in Afghanistan and their family has faced financial struggle. The charity is part of a Home Depot Foundation campaign to help military families this month, Prapotnik explained.

• Read more: Military Family Gets Fresh Start Thanks to Home Depot Volunteers -

3. A trail of leaking fluid led Birmingham and Troy police officers straight to a man being charged with drunk driving and hitting a parked car around 12:35 a.m. Sept. 15, Birmingham Patch reported.

The owner of the parked car on the 2300 block of Derby in Birmingham told police they saw the car that hit their car flee the scene. When police arrived on the scene, they followed a trail of leaking fluid until they discovered the suspect vehicle traveling northbound on Coolidge in the southbound lane.

The driver, a 42-year-old man from Livonia, was taken into Troy custody on drunk driving charges. The man also faces charges in Birmingham of leaving the scene of an accident.

• Read more: 

4. Bloomfield Patch on Thursday profiled Ana Chaves, a senior at International Academy who recently completed a paid, eight-week summer internship with Focus: HOPE in Washington, DC, where she was immersed in political culture. 

The 16-year-old from Bloomfield Township was among 225 students selected nationwide in Bank of America's Student Leaders Program, which recognizes high school juniors and seniors who demonstrate a commitment to their community and volunteerism.

She and other youth volunteers participated in leadership training, workshops and briefings on Capitol Hill, and met with U.S. Sen. Carl Levin and U.S. Rep. Hansen Clarke.

• Read more: 

5. Farmington Patch reported on 17-year-old Farmington Hills teen facing charges of trespassing and marijuana possession, after students at a Harrison-North Farmington game at Farmington Hills Harrison High School Sept. 14 told police about a fight involving the teen, who no longer attends the school.

Reportedly, the teen had been warned by a school administrator that he would be charged with trespassing if he came onto school property. The officer searched the teen after taking him into custody and discovered two small bags of marijuana.

• Read more: 

Patch local editors Rebecca Jaskot, Art Aisner, Brooke Tajer, Joni Hubred-Golden and Laura Houser contributed to this report.