Around the Mitten This Week: Teacher Protests, Stranger Danger Seminars and Kidney Donor Found Through Facebook

Hundreds Join Protests in Ann Arbor, West Bloomfield 

of other public sector workers from the region Monday in Ann Arbor 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 , where about 250 teachers and supporters held a candlelight vigil.

Legislators Talk Redistricting, Governor's Proposed Cuts

It was standing room only at state  Saturday in Farmington, and the topic for discussion was redistricting. Barnett (D-37th District) invited Christina Kuo, director of Michigan Common Cause, a nonpartisan and nonprofit advocacy organization, to talk about how lines are being drawn around political districts following the 2010 census. On Thursday in Birmingham, from Kiwanis members, some of whom criticized the governor's tax reform plan and proposed cap on the Michigan film incentives. 

Martial arts expert Denny Strecker offered the community a free seminar on how to fight off an attacker after he heard about four recent attempts in Shelby Township where a man has tried to lure children into his vehicle. 

The Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS) is celebrating its 40th anniversary. Leaders at the organization talked with Dearborn Patch about what has changed over time and what the future holds for one of the country's largest nonprofit organizations serving Arab-Americans.

The small but determined cast of Lutheran High School North's production of Cinderella has faced numerous setbacks, but the show must go on. After changing directors a month into rehearsal, losing a stepsister one week before curtain and meeting the orchestra with only one rehearsal left, the cast will perform Thursday-Saturday. Check out this of rehearsal photos. 

Wyandotte school officials, grappling with the state's budget uncertainty, informed 25 educators they would not have jobs next school year. Some may be called back to work–but that depends on the state budget.

Jeff Kurze of Royal Oak was reunited this week at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak with the kidney donor Kurze's wife found for him on Facebook. Ricky Cisco responded to a Facebook status posted in November by Kurze's wife, Roxy, and donated one of his kidneys to Kurze two weeks ago. 

Forty-eight teams of middle school students–with names such as Sisters of Oz, Reading with the Stars, The Bookbusters and Dumbledore's Army–showed off their book trivia knowledge Wednesday at Northville High School. The quiz bowl-style event drew a record 227 students, many of whom were dressed in costume, to answer questions about the seven books they had to read.  

The Frankel Jewish Academy’s Diversity Club hosted students from Gabriel Richard Catholic High School of Riverview on Thursday to help all the teens get to know others of a different faith. Frankel club president Anna Eisenberg, 18, of Birmingham said the annual event is designed to help religious school students prepare for higher learning. “When we leave and go into college, it’s important to know that you can find similarities and relate with others,” she said. 

A 36-year-old Macomb Township woman was pinned between two vehicles early Saturday after a good Samaritan's attempt to tow her car out of ditch in Chesterfield went terribly wrong. 

How do students and schools prepare for the ACT? How important is the test for admission into college? Fenton Patch talked to high school administrators and several university admissions officials to find out how important the sometimes-dreaded test is. 

The Wooden Spoon, a new "artisan market, gourmet carryout and bistro" is coming to Brighton. Steve Pilon, executive chef for Oak Pointe Country Club, plans to carry fresh produce, hard-to-find culinary specialties and Michigan-made products such as Mama Mucci's Pasta of Canton, Zingerman's Delicatessen of Ann Arbor, Cantoro Italian Market of Livonia and Erie Bread Co. of Monroe.

Cooking for Special Diets columnist Alissa Malerman writes from Berkley about the Dinner Divas, an Oakland County group working to ease the transition for those who've recently been diagnosed with conditions that require special diets. She also offers news tidbits from the gluten-free world, along with delicious recipes.

Dexter has a new store in town. Lucky Haskins Antiques, which opened in mid-March, features jewelry, toys, magazines and books, furniture and collectible knickknacks for every collector. The store is located right off Main Street in downtown Dexter and is open Tuesday-Sunday.

Rochester-based Trent Design has been busy lately, designing and implementing a guerrilla marketing campaign for Art X Detroit. The company planted yellow X's all over downtown Detroit and even illuminated the side of the Detroit Public Library with a giant projected X.