Overall, 2009 succeeded in being a damp, uncomfortable year. There were so many bad things that happened in 2009 that heavily overshadowed the positives of the year. From world to local headlines, it was like a ripple effect of suppressive news.

Good news that spread out nationally and even touched the world was the historic inauguration of Barack Obama as the first minority president in America. click here His slogan of faith touched many and helped him to win in his campaign. The mere fact of the history he made by becoming president would hands down make 2009 a special year despite all else that happened.

Yet even something that special can be weighed down by all the negatives that have plagued Southfield, the State of Michigan, America and the world.

The biggest news in Southfield this year was the task force proposal to close rival Southfield-Lathrup High School due to the ever-increasing budget deficit in Southfield Public Schools. It could possibly be closed after the 2009-2010 school year. It seems likely that the School Board will adopt the proposal. And Thompson will likely close as a middle school, as the task force proposed, and reopen as the home for all incoming ninth graders in the district.

This would mean that Southfield High would likely take on new life as the base for tenth- through twelfth-grade students in an effort to cut costs.

This decision, if it is enacted, will have the effect of an earthquake or a tsunami, as more teacher layoffs will undoubtedly take place in the near future. This would also mean that the 2009-2010 school year would be etched in stone as the last year of the age-old rivalry between the Southfield High Blue Jays and the Southfield-Lathrup Chargers.

Nationally, the big news was the economy dropping at high rates. It gave many in 2009 little hope of paying their mortgage, getting or keeping a job or providing the basic essentials for their families.

The car company woes were another big story of 2009. After billions of tax dollars were poured into the struggling auto companies, Chrysler and General Motors filed for bankruptcy anyway. But it wasn’t all bad news for the auto industry with the Ford Fusion winning Car of the Year from Motor Trend Magazine, and having the Ford-F series truck as the number one selling car of 2009.

One of the biggest shocks of the year was the senseless loss of music icon Michael Jackson. No less important in 2009 were the countless deaths resulting from ruthless wars in Africa and Israel. It was a year of depressing stories of death and hopelessness. It was not a faithful year; it brought many tears and much anger, which probably means that 2010 could only be better. It’s time to kick 2009 to the curb and pray for a turnaround in 2010.