MADISON HEIGHTS — The city of Madison Heights recently held a candlelight peace vigil in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

TROY — A family in Troy got a surprise gift this Christmas after a long journey filled with war and hardships.

ROYAL OAK — There is a mystery afoot in Stagecrafters’ next production, which is set to bow later this month.

SHELBY TOWNSHIP — The Burgess-Shadbush Nature Center at River Bends Park in Shelby Township will host its annual Family Fun Day to teach about winter survival from 1 to 4 p.m. Jan 22.

BIRMINGHAM — “Harold and Maude: The Musical” will make its community theater debut Jan. 13. The Birmingham Village Players are the first community theater in the world to put on this production.

ROCHESTER — It’s been two years since downtown Rochester teamed up with Oakland County for the annual Fire and Ice Festival, and organizers say this year will be bigger and better than ever.

ST. CLAIR SHORES — The Aqua Freeze Festival is coming back this year with all the things people love and something a little new.

WEST BLOOMFIELD — The Greater West Bloomfield Historical Society has entered into the third phase of a project that has chronicled the history of the West Bloomfield School District.

WARREN — Pastor Tsegayesus Hurisa Hunde has traversed the globe spreading the good news of Christ.

METRO DETROIT — Michigan is no dry state, and not just because of the rain and snow. Walk into any grocery store, restaurant, or party this season, and you will be sure to find some kind of Michigan-made craft drink.

METRO DETROIT — Each winter, staff and volunteers from the Clinton River Watershed Council brave the cold and take to the watershed in search of bugs.

SOUTHFIELD — Many wouldn’t dare enter a war zone, but for Ethan Gross, the CEO of Globe Midwest Adjusters International, visiting Ukraine was vital for him to see firsthand what he could do to help.

SOUTHFIELD — They say that “there’s no place like home for the holidays,” but a stable and affordable home is not within reach for many.

EASTPOINTE — If you made it out to the Holly Dickens Festival or visited the Plymouth Historical Museum earlier this month, perhaps you saw a performance from local singers Simply Dickens.

GROSSE POINTE WOODS — Christmas is always a sacred time for churches, but for one church in Grosse Pointe Woods, this year is extra special.

GROSSE POINTE PARK — For her recent eighth birthday, Makenna Markley, of Grosse Pointe Park, could have asked for toys or trinkets for herself. Instead, the young animal lover asked her friends if they could bring donations for Grosse Pointe Animal Adoption Society or the Michigan Humane Society to her birthday party.

WARREN — The holidays are here, and this is the season for giving.  Organizers said that is what the “Shop with a Hero” and “Shop with a Warthog” events are all about.

WARREN — Visiting the home of Gina and Ron Jenkins during the Christmas season is like taking a trip to the North Pole.

STERLING HEIGHTS — Frank Blowers’ artistic style may often be abstract, but the culmination of his seven decades of artistic work is clear and on display as the Sterling Heights Featured Artist for December and January.

STERLING HEIGHTS — Three new decorative monuments in Sterling Heights are more than the latest examples of Sterling Heights’ rollout of new public art — they are also meant to memorialize three police and fire personnel who died while performing their jobs.