MI Best - Weekend Edition - April 2, 2023

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WHERE TO FIND MICHIGAN’S BEST CONTENT

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Twitter | @mlivemibest

When we chose the stories for this edition, all the events and dates were accurate. As always, find the mostup-to-date information on the event/activity website, Facebook page or other direct information source.

Letter from the Editor:

Delivering news that impacts our neighbors, our families, our communities, has always been at the heart of MLive.com. As our VP of Content explains in the Letter from the Editor below, this is our home too. We also count ourselves lucky to live in a time

It’s very gratifying when I order a Caesar salad at a restaurant and the server says, “No anchovies, dressing on the side –right, John?”

There’s a special comfort one feels when familiar knowledge personalizes a common experience. MLive’s local news team is leaning into that approach with some new approaches to content, and it’s

BY JOHN HINER | MLive.com

when there are many ways to deliver this news – on our website, delivered to your doorstep, social media, eNewsletters to your inbox, and podcasts. We’re especially excited with the possibilities that the podcast medium opens up; we can explore, in depth and we can

reporters the same way it affects the rest of the community,” said John Counts, who along with Leanne Smith is a news leader for The Ann Arbor News.

“We’ve got reporters who were born and raised in Ann Arbor and still live here. We have reporters who live in Ypsi and all over the county. So, it’s that kind of local engagement.”

Because we’re journalists, we turned those discussions into coverage. Since

speak to more timely, in the moment topics. Inside this edition is an introduction to our current podcast options, and a QR code and links to listen for yourself. We hope you’ll find something that interests you and know that we are adding to our podcast library every day.

our normal day-to-day coverage of government, crime and other local news and features. The intent is to lean into what makes living in Ann Arbor not only special, but what makes it a communal experience.

“We send out our education reporter, Marty Slagter, to the bars to take on the tough assignment of sampling a cocktail every week,” Counts said. “These tavern owners see him come in are like, ‘Hey, we know who you are, Marty – you’re the cocktail man for The Ann Arbor News! So that feels kind of good.”

Traf c and road construction may seem like common topics for any community, but it has special signi cance in Ann Arbor, where getting around is compounded by a sprawling campus, diagonal and one-way streets, ubiquitous bike lanes and maddeningly multiple street closures out of the blue.

Ann Arbor reader – a breaking news update, and weekly letter from Counts called “Hello, Ann Arbor,” delivered every Friday morning.

What we report on a ects our reporters the same way it a ects the rest of the community

Counts writes “Hello, Ann Arbor” in a conversational tone that captures our most interesting stories of the week, along with personal experiences and insights from someone who lives here, too.

“My 8-yearold falls off a bunk bed and breaks her arm – very, very painful. At the same time, we were writing about the nurses going on strike at the University of Michigan Hospital,” he said. “She had to have this elaborate surgery, so that’s obviously going to bleed into the weekly column because I was just at the hospital.”

producing some satisfying results. For us, and for readers.

Earlier this year in Ann Arbor, our journalists had discussions about what makes the community unique: What particular interests, both culturally and as a news town, color the experience of living there? This is not an academic exercise – it’s as relevant to our employees as it is to you.

“What we report on affects our

spring, reporters at The News have written stories on topics they know are of high interest to people who live in and around Ann Arbor – food and drink, traf c and road closures, outdoor activities and recreation, business development.

This has been in addition to

Speaking of bikes, Ann Arbor has a very active outdoor community. That led us to offer more content this summer on bike trails, connector loops and other useful information for recreation, and that proved popular with readers. Last, you can’t turn your head in Ann Arbor without seeing a construction site or a business being re tted for a new tenant. So, our staff at The News leaned in with more stories on commercial development.

Another part of this effort is how we get the information to you. We have launched two newsletters geared to the

Readers in Ann Arbor have responded positively in all the ways we can measure – with metrics, and anecdotal responses – showing there is great engagement around topics that matter in daily life.

We are encouraged, but not surprised. Local news is based on local knowledge, and every one of MLive’s eight traditional communities are different than any other. That has been reinforced with our Ann Arbor content exploration this year, so we plan to bring the approach to all of our communities in coming months.

It’s not simply more – it’s more in touch with you.

“Our staff loves the fact that we’re getting deeper on a community level,” Counts said. “They live here, too, and this is the job they’ve always wanted to do.”

They live here, too, and this is the job they’ve always wanted to do.

Live local, eat local, report local –our teams know their towns

not simply more – it’s more in touch with you.

Sponsored by:

MLive podcasts,

a local listen to the latest daily headlines and sports, in depth investigations, True Crime, Michigan’s Best and more

Michigan Crime Stories is MLive’s podcast exploring murder, mysteries and mayhem in the Mitten. Our new four-part season, “What happened to Breanna?” is out now. Produced by Jessica Shepherd and reported by Gus Burns. Got a tip for us? Email Gus at fburns@mlive.com.

Each week on “Behind the Headlines,” MLive.com’s journalists will break down the biggest stories, and tell the stories behind the stories, that Michigan can’t stop talking about.

Find MLive podcasts on Spotify, Audible, Apple Podcast,

The latest analysis on Michigan State football, basketball and recruiting. From Spartan Stadium to the Breslin Center and everywhere in between, join host Brandon Champion and MLive.com’s Kyle Austin and Matt Wenzel as they breakdown all the biggest stories from the banks of the Red Cedar.

Called Michigan’s Best, this movement is one that harnesses the power of social media to tell and share our state’s best stories. These stories are for foodies, adventurers and business men and women. They are about innovation that uplifts our communities and the many things that make the Mitten a remarkable place to live and thrive.

MICHIGAN CRIME STORIES

SPARTAN CONFIDENTIAL

MLIVE BEHIND THE HEADLINES

MI BEST: AN MLIVE PODCAST

MLIVE DUNGEON OF DOOM; DETROIT LIONS ANALYSIS

The Dungeon of Doom is a Detroit Lions podcast from MLive hosted by Ben Raven and Kyle Meinke. Six decades of uninterrupted losing is almost mathematically impossible. Yet here we are and you are too. Ben and Kyle will capture what it means to root for the one NFL team that is guaranteed to break your heart with stories from the road, interviews with your favorite players, breakdowns of the X’s & O’s and so much more. Tune in weekly.

THE YEAR 2042: AN MLIVE PODCAST

The U.S. census projects that by 2042, minorities in America will outnumber non-Hispanic whites. How will diversity change our daily lives and what will your community look like in 2042? MLive reporters Bob Johnson and Dana Afana break it down with the experts to better understand Michigan’s future.

EVERYTHING IS MARKETING – AN MLIVE MEDIA GROUP PODCAST

On Everything is Marketing presented by MLive we tackle what is happening right now in the world of marketing discussing tactics, tools, and strategy while separating the art of what digital marketing is from some of the noise that surrounds what it isn’t.

WOLVERINE CONFIDENTIAL

Wolverine Confidential is the definitive podcast for University of Michigan sports news and analysis. Hosts Andrew Kahn, Aaron McMann and Ryan Zuke cover the football, basketball and hockey teams as well as other sports.

MANDATORY

MLive’s Emily Lawler brings you a deep look into mandatory topics, from business dealings to politics and beyond.

For more than 20 years and in more than 20 states, benign-looking letters have solicited businesses for products and services they sometimes don’t need. MLive traces them back to three Michigan brothers whose companies have kept up the mailings for decades, dodging complaints from consumers and attorneys general while making millions.

Google Podcasts, and wherever you list to podcasts.

Michigan’s Best Local Eats: This Middle Eastern family is living the dream at More andShawarma

FENTON, MI

born in the Middle Eastern country of Jordan, Belal Khirfan has had plenty of relatives own various businesses.

Khirfan has been a Flint resident since 1986, but he was never quite happy working in other industries.

Opening Shawarma and More, located at 1383 N Leroy St. in Fenton, three weeks ago, Khirfan has realized that this restaurant is what truly ful lls him.

“This is a dream,” he said. “I’ve had other businesses, but it wasn’t what I wanted to do. This is a family business. My wife (Etemad) loves cooking, and she likes to see the happiness on people when they eat their food.”

Inside the store can be seen pictures of Khirfan’s homeland, and renovation

is not done yet. He plans to install a 60inch TV monitor displaying the menu, along with adding a buffet option and drive-thru for customers.

Khirfan was a business owner from 1995-2006 in Flint but was never satis ed. He made sure the next store he opened would be something his four children would be proud of.

Khirfan, a Muslim, purchases his halal meat from Dearborn, which is meat that is prepared under Islamic dietary guidelines. In 2006, he moved his family back overseas to spend more time around his father, who died eight years later. He returned to Flint in 2017. His wife and son, Bassel, assist him in the kitchen. They have not of cially had a grand opening as they are still testing, but the customers have already expressed their love of the menu with 5-star Google reviews.

“No matter what business I have been in, I have succeeded,” Khirfan said. “Even the stores I owned, when I bought them, they were nothing. But I made it work. I have my way to work things out.”

ON THE MENU Chicken shawarma is o ered as both a sandwich wrap and meal. Other dishes also o ered are ke a kabob and six-piece chicken wings. All meals come with a choice of rice or fries and a choice of fattoush, tabbouleh or Caesar salads. Customers also can choose from side dishes such as chicken shawarma, grilled chicken breast, French fries, grilled ke a kabob, and kabsa.

Appetizers include hummus, lentil