Program sponsored jointly by Bloomfield Historical Society and the Bloomfield Township Library.
Monday, September 30, 2013
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Detroit Symphony Orchestra String Quartet at Baldwin Public Library. This Wednesday October 2nd at 7pm.
The Baldwin Public Library and the Detroit Symphony
Orchestra (DSO) will present an evening of music at the Library on Wednesday,
October 2 at 7 p.m. The event features a performance by a string quartet comprised
of DSO musicians.
The quartet consists
of First Violinist Laurie Goldman and Assistant Concert Master Hai Xin Wu, both
on violin, Paul Wingert on cello, and Hang Su on viola. Their concert will feature String Quartet #2 by Alexander
Zemlinsky and Lullaby by George
Gershwin.
“The Library is
proud to offer cultural programming of all kinds, but we are particularly happy
to welcome members of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra to perform in our
community,” said Library Director Doug Koschik.
This performance is
funded through the support of the Jane Cameron Endowment Fund and will be
offered free of charge to the public. The concert will take place in the Rotary
Room, in the lower level of the Library.
To put you in the mood we have included this You Tube Clip of the Paray String Quartet playing Beethoven Opus 18 no.4 at Masta (Michigan Chapter of American String Teachers Association).
Amazing the power and range of just four instruments.
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Michigan Library Association Picks Local Resident Larry Neal as Librarian on the Year.
The efforts that resulted in a Library for the City began in the Summer of 2010 when Mr. Neal first appeared before Commission to discuss ideas for renewed library services.
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
New Stephen King and Sandra Browne novels highlight Baldwin New Titles 9/24/2013
The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri: Brothers
Subhash and Udayan Mitra pursue vastly different lives - Udayan in
rebellion-torn Calcutta, Subhash in a quiet corner of America - until a
shattering tragedy compels Subhash to return to India, where he endeavors to
heal family wounds. Check Availability
Doctor Sleep by Stephen King: On highways across America, a tribe of people
called the True Knot travel in search of sustenance. They look harmless - mostly
old, lots of polyester, and married to their RVs. But as Dan Torrance knows,
and spunky twelve-year-old Abra Stone learns, the True Knot are quasi-immortal,
living off the steam that children with the shining produce when they are
slowly tortured to death. Haunted by the inhabitants of the Overlook Hotel,
where he spent one horrific childhood year, Dan has been drifting for decades,
desperate to shed his father's legacy of despair, alcoholism, and violence.
Finally, he settles in a New Hampshire town, an AA community that sustains him,
and a job at a nursing home where his remnant shining power provides the
crucial final comfort to the dying. Aided by a prescient cat, he becomes
"Doctor Sleep." Then Dan meets
the evanescent Abra Stone, and it is her spectacular gift, the brightest
shining ever seen, that reignites Dan's own demons and summons him to a battle
for Abra's soul and survival. Check Availability
Deadline by Sandra Brown: Dawson
Scott is a well-respected journalist recently returned from Afghanistan.
Haunted by everything he experienced, he's privately suffering from battle
fatigue which is a threat to every aspect of his life. But then he gets a call
from a source within the FBI. A new development has come to light in a story
that began 40 years ago. It could be the BIG story of Dawson's career one in
which he has a vested interest. Soon, Dawson is covering the disappearance and
presumed murder of former Marine Jeremy Wesson, the biological son of the pair
of terrorists who remain on the FBI's Most Wanted list. As Dawson delves into
the story, he finds himself developing feelings for Wesson's ex-wife, Amelia,
and her two young sons. But when Amelia's nanny turns up dead, the case takes a
stunning new turn, with Dawson himself becoming a suspect.
Killing Jesus by Bill O’Reilly: Millions
of readers have thrilled to author Bill O'Reilly and historian Martin Dugard's
Killing Kennedy and Killing Lincoln, page-turning works of nonfiction that have
changed the way we read history. Now the anchor of The O'Reilly Factor details
the events leading up to the murder of the most influential man in history:
Jesus of Nazareth. Nearly two thousand years after this beloved and
controversial young revolutionary was brutally killed by Roman soldiers, more
than 2.2 billion people attempt to follow his teachings and believe he is God.
Killing Jesus will take readers inside Jesus's life, recounting the seismic
political and historical events that made his death inevitable - and changed
the world forever. Check Availability
Monday, September 23, 2013
City Celebration Day Like a Mini World's Fair.
Sunday September 22nd was a day in which the City of Bloomfield
Hills hosted a mini world’s fair and threw open its doors to welcome all from anywhere.
Seven attractions vied for attention. They included St. Hugo’s
of the Hill, The Public Safety Department at City Hall, The Village Club, Cranbrook Institute of Science, Cranbrook Art Museum, Cranbrook House and Gardens
, and Christ Church Cranbrook.
That is two churches, a
fire department, a police department, a landmark community club that was once a barn, two museums
and two historic
homes and gardens.
Not bad for a day’s work and impossible to accomplish in a 1pm and 5 pm half day.
.
To whom do we owe this unique and wonderful experience?
To many and few. The many would be the extra efforts of the
seven attractions whose staff provided an outstanding experience with the enthusiasm
that would be the envy of a Disney attractions.
The few are the City’s greatest asset, its residents. There
are those who play on the world stage and there are those who just have a good
idea that clicks.
Every year for the last
five years residents have come forward with initiatives or ideas that have benefited the city in one way
or other.
In 2009 residents Margaret Brophy and Robert Toohey working independently, on separate issues started mailing letters to residents about
what irked them about the City. The letters written at their own expense were sometimes
funded by friends and neighbors who also signed on. This direct mail campaign is thought to have an effect in 2010 city election.
In 2010 resident Larry Neal came up with what he believed would be a
solution to the City’s lack of a library. The proposal he put on the ballot lost
at the polls . The Library issue however, thanks to his efforts was revitalized
and in 2011 the City signed a three year contract with the Baldwin Library.
That same year Mark Kapel with the assistance of the Oakland Press Blog
Workshop started the City of Bloomfield Hills Blog which you are now reading.
In 2012 Michael McCready a veteran of
nothing more than our City Commission decided to run for State Representative. No
one nominated him or asked him do so. He was on his own and at his own expense.
In fact many of the political pros thought he was entering a crowded field late
and gave him little chance. They were wrong and today Michael McCready is our State Representative.
In 2013 City Resident
Mary Juras came to City Commission with the idea of expanding the 2012 Public
Safety Open House into multi attraction event.
She chaired a committee which
included the Mayor, resident Nancy Olin and some of the principals who
hosted events. Juras told this publication that her Committee worked wonderfully and she gave them most of the credit.
Those are five years of the few, whose individual efforts
have benefited many.
When the Celebrate event was first announced in January, meeting
minutes and the word provided to the press said the event would be held at
no expense to the City.
If that is true then all concerned benefited from a
whole lot of donating.
The City of Bloomfield Hills has many friends. Nevertheless money is money and the negotiation
efforts of Chairperson Juras, committee member Mayor McClure, committee member and City resident Nancy Olin, and Public Safety Director
Hendrickson are not to be discounted. Donations included....
The Village Club provided an afternoon long no charge Ice
Cream Social.
Christ Church Cranbrook provided the free services of docents
by the dozens (or so it seemed) who picked up new arrivals quicker than a sales
person working a used car lot. Virtually one on one
unforgettable tours of one of the City’s most fascinating landmarks, was then
provided.
The Beaumont helicopter as part of the event landed across
street from City Hall and what seemed to be hundreds of kids ran across traffic
controlled and blocked off Long Lake Rd. for a closer look. One observer from a half mile away said it
looked like the greatest mad dash since the Red sea parted for Moses.
.
Books and Bites Fundraiser to benefit outreach efforts of Baldwin Public Library.
Tickets are now on sale for Baldwin Public Library’s “Books &
Bites at Baldwin.” Join us for Books & Bites at Baldwin on Thursday, November 21 from 6 p.m. to 9
p.m. Be part of this evening at $50 per
person by calling 248-554-4683 to make your reservation. Opportunities for
donors and sponsorship are also available. See www.baldwinlib.org/booksbites
for event details.
Attendees will have
their choice of wine and beer provided by Big
Rock Chophouse and Griffin Claw
Brewing Company. A strolling dinner is being prepared by Bistro Joe’s, Café Via, Churchill's Bistro & Cigar Bar, Frank Street Bakery,
Townhouse and What Crepe?. Live music will be performed by Sean Blackman. Complimentary valet parking is provided by In House Valet.
“We have a wonderful team putting together another big night
for Birmingham. We are grateful for the continued support of our sponsors and
the community,”
said Doug Koschik, Library Director.
You won’t want to miss
out on this year’s fabulous chance-style auction which promises to be even
better than last year’s auction!
The proceeds of this
event will benefit the library’s outreach programs that target children and
adults with different learning styles, physical needs, and limited language
skills by expanding its collections and programming, as well as purchasing
equipment and software.
“I'm especially
thrilled about our focus in helping to fund our community outreach programs. Expanding
services, such as homebound deliveries and acquiring a collection dedicated to
people with special needs, is exciting new territory for us. I look forward
to us fulfilling this need,” said Janelle Boyce, Birmingham resident and event
coordinator.
Brad Pitt Word War Z DVD, Novels by Pynchon Bleeding Edge,and DeMille The Quest top new releases at Baldwin..
World War Z
DVD): Gary Lane travels the globe in an effort to eliminate the zombie pandemic that is endangering the existence of humanity.
Bleeding Edge by Thomas Pynchon:
Maxine
Tarnow is running a nice little fraud investigation business on the Upper West
Side, chasing down different kinds of small-scale con artists. She used to be
legally certified but her license got pulled a while back, which has actually
turned out to be a blessing because now she can follow her own code of ethics:
carry a Beretta, do business with sleazebags, hack into people’s bank accounts;
without having too much guilt about any of it. Otherwise, just your average
working mom: two boys in elementary school, an off-and-on situation with her
sort of semi-ex-husband Horst, life as normal as it ever gets in the
neighborhood - till Maxine starts looking into the finances of a
computer-security firm and its billionaire geek CEO, whereupon things begin
rapidly to jam onto the subway and head downtown. She soon finds herself mixed
up with a drug runner in an art deco motorboat, a professional nose obsessed
with Hitler’s aftershave, a neoliberal enforcer with footwear issues, plus
elements of the Russian mob and various bloggers, hackers, code monkeys, and
entrepreneurs, some of whom begin to show up mysteriously dead. Foul play, of
course. Check Availability
The Bones of Paris by Laurie R. King: Paris,
France: September 1929. Private investigator Harris Stuyvesant, on the hunt for
a missing twenty-two year old woman from Boston, must descend into the darkest
depths of perversion to find a killer hiding in the Theatre du Grand-Guignol in
Montmartre. Check Availability
The Quest by Nelson Demille: After
receiving a tip from a dying priest, four unlikely partners begin a quest to
find the Holy Grail in the jungles of Ethiopia. Check Availability
Disconnect (DVD): A couple is drawn into a dangerous situation when their
secrets are exposed online. A widowed ex-cop struggles to raise a mischievous
son who cyber-bullies a classmate. An ambitious journalist sees a career-making
story in a teen that performs on an adult-only site. They are strangers,
neighbors and colleagues and their stories collide in this riveting dramatic
thriller about ordinary people struggling to connect in today's wired world. Check Availability
Thursday, September 12, 2013
State Rep Michael McCready,Chief of Police David Hendrickson, and LT. Noel Clawson during 9/11 Memorial Services Ceremony to honor First Responders.
A year or so ago then Chief Maltot told City Commission that Lt.. Clawson then taking advanced training in Colorado had a line on a possible free Hummer for the City. There were however a couple of complications The Hummer needed work and there would be the cost of getting it to town from 1500 miles away. The Commission later passed on the offer Just the idea however created quite a buzz. What could the City PSD do with a Hummer ? Cut through the brush ? Break up beer parties at Cranbrook ? Parades and more were some of the suggestions.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Star Trek Into Darkness DVD and Sue Grafton "W" Novel Highlight Baldwin New Titles 9/10/2013.
![[Cover]](http://www.syndetics.com/index.aspx?isbn=9780765337054/LC.GIF&client=baldwinplsd&type=xw12&upc=&oclc=827256798&)
Beloved Enemy by Eric Van Lustbader: When the Secretary of the Homeland
Security is murdered, Jack McClure is framed for the killing and Jack has no
choice but to go on the run and find the mole and the Syrian terrorist reponsible
for the secretary's death. But he knows that ultimately he will have to
confront the Syrian's lover, Annika Dementieva, the woman Jack once loved and
lost.
Second Watch by J. A. Jance: Getting
old is hell. J. P. Beaumont is finally taking some time off to have
knee-replacement surgery. But instead of taking his mind off work, the
operation plunges him into one of the most perplexing and mind-blowing
mysteries he's ever faced. A series of dreams takes him back to his early days
on the force with the Seattle PD, and then even earlier, to his days in
Vietnam, reminding him of people and events he hasn't thought about in years.
Are they just drug-induced hallucinations? Beaumont isn't so sure. When tugging
on those threads from long ago leads to present-day murders, Beau's suspicions
are confirmed. Some bodies from the second watch just won't stay buried. A
masterful demonstration of J. A. Jance's superb craftsmanship, Second Watch is
a thought-provoking novel that is also a poignant look at one of the most
painful and divisive moments in our history—Vietnam—and a reminder of the
staggering cost of war and the debts we owe to those who served then . . . and
those who do now. Check Availability
W is for Wasted by Sue Grafton: Two dead
bodies changed the course of my life that fall. One of them I knew and the
other I'd never laid eyes on until I saw him in the morgue. The first was a
local PI of suspect reputation. He'd been gunned down near the beach at Santa
Teresa. It looked like a robbery gone bad. The other was on the beach six weeks
later. He'd been sleeping rough. Probably homeless. No identification. A slip
of paper with Millhone's name and number was in his pants pocket. The coroner
asked her to come to the morgue to see if she could ID him. Two seemingly
unrelated deaths, one a murder, the other apparently of natural causes. But as
Kinsey digs deeper into the mystery of the John Doe, some very strange linkages
begin to emerge. And before long at least one aspect is solved as Kinsey
literally finds the key to his identity. "And just like that," she
says, "the lid to Pandora's box flew open. It would take me another day
before I understood how many imps had been freed, but for the moment, I was
inordinately pleased with myself." In this multilayered tale, the surfaces
seem clear, but the underpinnings are full of betrayals, misunderstandings, and
outright murderous fraud. And Kinsey, through no fault of her own, is thoroughly
compromised. Check Availability
Star Trek: Into Darkness (DVD): When the crew of the
Enterprise is called back home, they find that an unstoppable force of terror
from within their own organization has detonated the fleet and everything it
stands for, leaving the world in a state of crisis. With a personal score to
settle, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one-man
weapon of mass destruction. Check Availability
Tyler Perry Presents
Peeples (DVD): Sparks fly when Wade Walker crashes the preppy Peeples annual reunion in the Hamptons to ask for their precious daughter Grace's hand in marriage.
Check Availability
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Public Act 523 allows Cities to hold municipal elections in even numbered years coinciding with State and National Elections. What do you think ?
State Bill 810 became Michigan Public Act 523, When Governor Snyder signed it this March and it became law.
It gives cities which vote in annual elections (we used to) or in November odd year only elections (we do now) the option of changing to elections held in even number years in November. That would mean our City elections would coincide with State and Federal elections. Prior to Public Act 523 that cities were excluded from doing so.
This fall, on November 5th the City will vote in it's first November odd year election in its 81 year history. As of this writing an
overwhelming voter turn out is not anticipated. The four candidates are the usual number our City produced in an odd numbered year going back almost a decade. The City will also carry the entire election costs because there is no common community to share the ballot with. In 2012, in the City's May election, the City piggy backed with Bloomfield Hills Schools who paid for a special spring election. Bloomfield Hills Schools however by state mandate vote in even not odd years. A small portion of the City votes in Birmingham Schools and but they too vote in even years eliminates any sharing of cost there.
It was a year ago today (September 11th 2012) that the City of Bloomfield Hills City Commission voted to replace the Annual City Election held in May, with a bi-annual election to be held in November in odd years only.
Proponents of the change (The Mayor, City Commissioners and the City Staff) cited
- cost savings
- the fact that other Cities voted in November on a bi-annual basis.
- the prospects of a larger voter turnout because as the City Manager put it "people know to vote in November."
- The City Manager also suggested that if the change were not made the Governor might make us do so at a later date.
Advocates of the annual May election mostly residents, stressed
- the importance of residents participating in annual election
- and the value of an election which focused on just local concerns..
It was issue that could have been debated a number of ways with good arguments on both sides, but it was never debated. City Commission also could have elected to put the issue on the ballot for the residents to decide. That was not done
It seemed to one observer that City was a mission to change the City's election cycle as fast as possible as soon as possible. You may form your own opinion by watching the filmed City Commission Meetings on the City web site.They are the June, July, and September meetings of 2012.
Questions that did come up during those meetings included a four year terms for City Commissioners to maintain staggered terms. That was brought up by the City Attorney but rejected by the commission. Staggered two year terms don't work with an every other year election cycles. That means in the current arrangement the entire commission will be up for re-election every two years.
Last September the the most significant election change in the City's eighty year history was decided after a short public hearing required by law. The City began the hearing with a twenty minute presentation of how the City would benefit from a change to a November odd year only election cycle. After which three or four residents spoke with various degrees of enthusiasm for the November odd year switch and one spoke against it. Then the commission voted 5-0 to make the change.
There is a saying in regards to both Michigan weather and elections.
It goes Don't like it ? Hang around. It will change.
It has. The debate going on elsewhere in the State about the advantages of a November election in either odd or even years exclusively seems to center around the pros and cons of a small election as opposed to big election.
Off hand one would imagine a small election works better for a small community if it can be afforded. The City of Bloomfield Hills can afford it but our Communion chose otherwise for cost savings and voter turn out neither of which has yet to materialize. A Big election offers the highest return in terms of cost sharing and voter turn out but at a price.
Public Act 523 means that now the residents of the City of Bloomfield Hills will have some say in the matter. Lansing gives all the election decision making to the local government (which is our City Commission) but there is only a small buffet to choose from. Going back to annual May election does not seem to be a current option. November odd years only (which we have now) and November even years only seem to be the only alternatives.
Because there is an alternative residents are not without some power. 2013 is after all an election year. Four candidates seek three vacant seats on the five person City Commission. Each voter will have one vote per vacant seat or three all together when voting on November 5th.
"So what do you thing of Public Act 523," is a perfectly good question to ask a candidate seeking your vote. We are told it is often heard in the best salons and ballrooms statewide. \
Monday, September 9, 2013
Rocks in the Road Right of Way Ruckus for City Commission Meeting of 9/10/13
May 15th 2012. Agenda Item 8. The commission will consider the request of the property owner for permission to install landscaping in the city road right of way.
 |
| Leningraders on Nevsky Prospekt during the siege, 1942 |
So perhaps 482 days of drama is worth more than a passing glance. Robert Frost, once poet laureate of the United States. concluded his famous poem Mending Walls with, "Good fences make good neighbors."
The Good Book tells us we should love our neighbor. The Good Lord in a rather dramatic incident from New Testament, full of finger pointing, and accusations says "he who is without sin many cast the first stone."
Tonight's City commission meeting offers Agenda Item 4: The Commission will consider the request of the property owner for approval of construction in the road right-of-way will be discussed. Yes it is the same property owner and the same property as the one discussed 482 days previous. Last year the subject was "landscape". This time it is "construction." If that sounds vague it is intentional. At the last commission meeting neighbors, (a husband and wife) were quite
 |
| Rock of Gibraltar |
Of course the City has a specific ordinance concerning the matter but has not been specific about enforcing it perhaps because some residents answer only to the Almighty.
The property owner as per the agenda item is expected to attend the meeting and state his point of view.
The commissioners have in their agenda packet a fifty page document on the matter which reads like the Book of Job with the City being the injured party. It is available on the City's web site and since the problem seems city wide it might be of interest to home owners or homeowner associations. The document written by the City Manger concludes by strongly suggesting that the City seek an indemnification clause for itself.
Friday, September 6, 2013
Joyce Carol Oates "Evil Eye" and Margaret Atwood "Maddam" Top Baldwin New Titles for 9/3/2013.
EVIL Eye by Joyce Carol Oates: In "Evil Eye," we meet Mariana,
the young fourth wife of a prominent intellectual. When her husband's brazen
first wife visits one night, Mariana learns a terrible secret that could be a
harbinger of doom for her marriage and very soul. In "So Near, Anytime,
Always," shy teenager Lizbeth meets Desmond, a charming boy who offers
this introverted girl the first sparks of young romance. Yet just as their
relationship begins to blossom, Lizbeth realizes that beneath Desmond's perfect
facade lies a dark soul that could wreak havoc on Lizbeth and her loved ones.
In "The Execution," spoiled college student Bart Hansen has planned
the perfect, brutal crime to get back at his parents for their years of condescension.
Yet what he didn't plan for is a mother whose love is more resilient than he
could have ever imagined, who threatens to derail his carefully laid-out plans.
And in "The Flat-Bed," childhood trauma has prevented Cecelia from
enjoying the pleasures of physical intimacy with a man, but when she finally
meets the love of her life, Cecelia realizes that finding intimacy will mean
coming face-to-face with the despicable man from her past who robbed her of her
innocence years ago. Check Availability
MaddAddam by Margaret Atwood: Months after the Waterless Flood pandemic
has wiped out most of humanity, Toby and Ren have rescued their friend Amanda
from the vicious Painballers. They return to the MaddAddamite cob house, which
is being fortified against man and giant Pigoon alike. Accompanying them are
the Crakers, the gentle, quasi-human species engineered by the brilliant but
deceased Crake. While their reluctant prophet, Jimmy--Crake's one-time
friend--recovers from a debilitating fever, it's left to Toby to narrate the
Craker theology, with Crake as Creator. She must also deal with cultural
misunderstandings, terrible coffee, and her jealousy over her lover, Zeb.
Meanwhile, Zeb searches for Adam One, founder of the God's Gardeners, the
pacifist green religion from which Zeb broke years ago to lead the
MaddAddamites in active resistance against the destructive CorpSeCorps. Now,
under threat of an imminent Painballer attack, the MaddAddamites must fight
back with the aid of their newfound allies, some of whom have four trotters. At
the center is the extraordinary story of Zeb's past, which involves a lost
brother, a hidden murder, a bear, and a bizarre act of revenge. Check Availability
Never Go Back by Lee Child: Former military cop Jack Reacher makes it
all the way from snowbound South Dakota to his destination in northeastern
Virginia, near Washington, D.C.: the headquarters of his old unit, the 110th
MP. The old stone building is the closest thing to a home he ever had. Reacher
is there to meet, in person, the new commanding officer, Major Susan Turner, so
far just a warm, intriguing voice on the phone. But it isn't Turner behind the
CO's desk. And Reacher is hit with two pieces of shocking news, one with
serious criminal consequences, and one too personal to even think about. When
threatened, you can run or fight. Reacher fights, aiming to find Turner and
clear his name, barely a step ahead of the army, and the FBI, and the D.C.
Metro police, and four unidentified thugs. 
The Iceman (DVD): Inspired by actual events, The Iceman
follows notorious contract killer Richard Kuklinski from his early days in the
mob until his arrest for the murder of more than one hundred men. Appearing to
be living the American dream as a devoted husband and father, in reality
Kuklinski was a ruthless killer-for-hire. When finally arrested in 1986,
neither his wife nor his daughters had any clue about his real profession. 
The Place Beyond the Pines (DVD): A motorcycle stunt rider
turns to robbing banks as a way to provide for his lover and their newborn
child, a decision that puts him on a collision course with an ambitious rookie
cop navigating a department ruled by a corrupt detective.
:
World Language Classes taught at Birmingham Community Education This Fall.
To truly appreciate what is being offered at Birmingham Community Education World Languages one should note that the BCE offers some languages that are rarely taught in a classroom setting except on the university level. Modern Farsi (Persian) the language of Iran is being introduced this fall at the BCE. There is also Old Persian, A Journey to Cuneiform.
Modern Farsi is also taught at Ohio State and The University of Michigan.
Since April of 2012 the BCE has been teaching Hungarian. This language appeals to those of Hungarian, Slovak, and Croatian heritage of which there is an estimated 20 million worldwide. Of note is the fact that the Hungarian of today is not much different than the Hungarian of the 13th Century. That's because it is the language of a small population that stayed more or less on place. Chinese, the language of a vast population has may dialects. Spanish, Portuguese, and English hopped continents. Old English which changed with Norman invasion of 1066, is not the language of Shakespeare or anything like the English of today.
The University of Michigan does not teach Hungarian. Ohio State does but adds in parenthesis "courses taught rarely."
Years ago at the Ohio State University if you were interested in the languages of Eastern Europe you had to start with Russian. Proficiency in Russian 400 was a requirement for additional study in Polish or Serbo-Croatian. Today incoming Freshman can start by learning Czech, Slovak, Polish, Serbian, Croatian, Romanian,and on rare occassions Hungarian.
The University of Michigan also has offers courses in in many Eastern Europe languages and makes up for it's lack of Hungarian and Romanian by offering Yiddish, and if this writer is not mistaken Uzbek from Uzbekistan in of all things a German-Slavic Language Department.
Both universities offer a healthy compliment of cultural and history courses to make for a country by country minor or major area of study. There are even non-language minors available.
Russian which has taken a bit of a hit after the break up of the Soviet Union still has a prominent place at the Birmingham Community Education however. Sometimes as many as four course levels are offered. Two courses levels are available this fall and the second level says you will be writing cursive Cyrillic.
This writer not being particularly adept at languages can attest to going from zero to low intermediate after approximately a year excluding summers in BCE Hungarian, a language not known to be particularly easy.
Below are the language courses available for this fall. Quite a variety from conversational to the more intense. French and Spanish are widely spoken on the North American Continent.
Hungarian is not but American films dubbed in Hungarians have turned up on You Tube. The exploits of Miami street gangs who are fluent in Hungarian is usually the tip off.
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