St. Joseph Mercy Oakland enhancing hospital environment

A hospital isn’t usually a place most would consider a haven for ceramic sculptures, watercolor paintings or colorful collages. But St. Joseph Mercy Oakland aims to make art part of the patient experience and wants transformative works to enhance its environment. More

Learn how to appeal your property tax assessment

How to Appeal Your Property Tax Assessment, a class presented by Schoolcraft College's Continuing Education and Professional Development department and open to the public, is 6-8 p.m. Thursday at 18600 Haggerty Road, Livonia. More

Pets of the Week: Laverne and Shirley

Pets: Meet Laverne and Shirley! These two sisters have been with the Michigan Humane Society for more than 5 months and have plenty of cuddles for that special someone. More

Producer, director Craig Rice presents free lecture

Craig Rice, producer and director of the HBO documentary “Half Past Autumn” about photographer, director and journalist Gordon Parks, will present a free lecture at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, 315 E. Warren Ave., Detroit. More

Medical officials find mercury in lightening cream

San Francisco— California health officials became alarmed when a 39-year-old Mexican-American woman in Alameda County was diagnosed with mercury poisoning, giving her headaches, numbness, depression and forgetfulness. More

U.S. drafts plan to fight Alzheimer's disease

Washington — The Obama administration declared Alzheimer's "one of the most-feared health conditions" on Wednesday as it issued a draft of the nation's first strategy to fight the devastating disease that is on the rise as the population ages. More

Ohio church offers drive-thru for Ash Wednesday

Cincinnati — An Ohio church is offering a drive-thru Ash Wednesday blessing for parishioners pressed for time or reluctant to come inside the church for the Lenten observance. More

Undertaking the way home: Funeral profession revered in Detroit

They have cared for their community's dead for more than a century. More

9 southeast Michigan hospitals named among country's best for emergency care

Nine hospital emergency departments in southeast Michigan have been named to a Denver-based independent health care ratings company's list of the best emergency medicine departments in the country. More

Inspect bricks once a year for defects, spalling

Q. You have written about spalling or flaking bricks and why they're that way. More

Bridal dress shopping a major commitment

Those who have never been married might wonder why brides-to-be make such a big deal out of selecting a wedding dress. But analyze the components, and you'll begin to see why. More

Help count local frogs and toads

The local chapter of FrogWatch USA needs volunteers to help identify frogs and toads in the area for inclusion in a national database. Training sessions for the citizen science program are 1-4 p.m. March 3 and 11 at Detroit Zoo's Ford Education Center, 8450 W. 10 Mile, Royal Oak, and 1-4 p.m. More

You can do it

"Sew What You Love: The Easiest, Prettiest Projects Ever" by Tanya Whelan (Potter Craft, $24.99) offers readers a collection of easy sewing projects, from purses and totes to an ottoman and quilt. More

Metro Detroit Black History Month Events

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FDA: New suppliers to ease 2 cancer drug shortages

Trenton, N.J. — Federal regulators said Tuesday that they've approved new suppliers for two crucial cancer drugs, easing critical shortages — at least for the time being — that have left patients and parents frightened about missing life-saving treatments. More

Southern Baptist leaders OK adding 'Great Commission' to name

Nashville, Tenn.— Some Southern Baptists worry that their denomination's name still carries the stigma of a 19th century split with northern Baptists over slavery. Others who fought hard to build the brand and its conservative theology and politics don't want to see it go. More

Catholic churches learn their fate

Detroit— Just days before the beginning of holy season of Lent, local Catholics learned the fate of their parishes from their priests during Sunday Masses that were tinged with curiosity and sadness. More

Sex-changing treatment for kids: It’s on the rise

Chicago— A small but growing number of teens and even younger children who believe they were born the wrong sex are getting support from parents and from doctors who give them sex-changing treatments, according to reports in the medical journal Pediatrics. More

Southern Baptists to hear proposed name change

Nashville, Tenn.— A panel for the Southern Baptist Convention recommended Monday that its leadership endorse a new, add-on description for the denomination — "Great Commission Baptists" — but stopped short of a complete, legal name change. More

FDA to review inhalable caffeine

Boston — U.S. Food and Drug Administration officials plan to investigate whether inhalable caffeine sold in lipstick-sized canisters is safe for consumers and if its manufacturer was right to brand it as a dietary supplement. More

During NY Fashion Week, a new look for layers

New York More

Saudi female athletes challenge Muslim norms

Behind concrete walls and out of sight of men, Saudi women wearing shorts and short-sleeve shirts meet three times a week to play soccer in an all-female club in Saudi Arabia’s port city of Jeddah. More

22 cardinals join club to elect pope's successor

Vatican City— Pope Benedict XVI on Saturday brought 22 Catholic churchmen into the elite club of cardinals who will elect his successor, cementing the Italian majority in a future conclave but also giving New York's garrulous archbishop a position of prominence. More

Weekend Wine: Avissi Prosecco Sparkling Wine Italy

The current “it” bubbly is the affordable, approachable, lighter-style and ever-so-peppy Prosecco, named for the grape from which it is made. This example, imported from the Veneto region of Italy by Trinchero Family Estates in Napa Valley, has Prosecco’s typical 11. More

Living the Aspen dream

Karen Rockind's former home in Southfield was all white wood and all traditional. But after 16 trips to Aspen (both summer and winter), the Bloomfield Hills resident began to dream of creating a Rocky Mountain-style home for herself, her husband and her three children. More

Infant Tylenol recalled over bottle design

Trenton, N.J.— Johnson & Johnson is recalling all infant Tylenol on the U.S. More

Enter bathroom to warm, fluffy towels

Towel warmers are bathroom fixtures that gently warm bath linens. They come in designs ranging from simple, plug-and-use metal towel bars to ornate, even custom-built-ins that can coordinate with just about any bathroom design, from Victorian to Art Deco. More

Empty Bowls soup fundraiser to benefit Gleaners food bank

The 18th annual Empty Bowls fundraiser to benefit Gleaners Community Food Bank is 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 25 at Pewabic Pottery, 10125 E. Jefferson Ave., Detroit. More

DSO offers July workshop for young musicians

Got a talented young musician in the family? Detroit Symphony Orchestra musicians will lead a six-day summer intensive program, the Avanti Summer MusicFest, for 140 musicians ages 14-18 at Birmingham's Derby Middle School. The festival will conclude with a live student performance at Orchestra Hall. More

Get $2 off Detroit Zoo admission next week

In recognition of Presidents' Day, the Detroit Zoo, 8450 W. 10 Mile, Royal Oak, will offer a $2 discount off regular-price admission tickets from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. next Monday through Friday. More