April is National Autism Awareness Month and the fifth annual World Autism Awareness Day is April 2nd. This is an excellent time to learn about the impact of autism on citizens and to promote treatment methods and research developments. According to the CDC, 1 in every 110 children has an Autism Spectrum Disorder.

In 2003, Governor Granholm declared April as Autism Awareness Month. Corner Pieces, has launched Light It Blue Michigan in recognition of autism awareness. The Mackinac Bridge will be lit blue at sundown on April 2 to kick off the month-long campaign.

National Nutrition Month is a nutrition education and information campaign created annually in March by the  Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The campaign focuses attention on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits. This year's National Nutrition Month theme is "Get Your Plate in Shape." The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics encourages consumers to remember to include a colorful variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins and dairy on their plates every day.

Brown’s novel Lethal is this year’s choice for the annual community reading program sponsored by metro Detroit public libraries in Oakland and Wayne counties.

Royal Oak Public Library cardholders can enter a raffle for 29 pairs of free tickets to see Brown on Thursday, March 22 at 7:00 PM at the Adat Shalom Synagogue, 29901 Middlebelt Road, Farmington Hills. Just visit the library to submit a raffle entry. Entries must be submitted by Thursday, March 15 at 5:00 PM.

Join experts from the Michigan Office of Financial and Insurance Regulation for seven free, non-commercial financial workshops on Monday nights from February through May at the Royal Oak Public Library. These non-commercial presentations will not contain sales pitches for any particular products. The state is offering these programs free to Michigan citizens with the help of funding from the Investor Protection Trust in Washington, D.C.