Downtown Newsmagazine | Birmingham/Bloomfield

DOWNTOWN06.25

14 FROM THE PUBLISHER

A member of the Oakland County board of commissioners has proposed that the county move to a financial disclosure system similar to the one governing state officials – certainly worth supporting.

ADDED CONCERNS OVER BIOSOLIDS AND FARMING

The use of biosolids as a fertilizer was a boon for farmers because it was typically free But now there are serious concerns over forever chemicals’ and the impact on humans and the farmland itself 35

21

CRIME MAP

A recap of select categories of crime occurring in the past month in Birmingham, Bloomfield Township and Bloomfield Hills, presented in map format, plus a reminder about our online interactive map with story details on public safety incidents

26 OAKLAND CONFIDENTIAL

Growing U S Senate field; Moss targets Steven’s post; the return of David Trott as a Democrat; tough recruiting for the Republican party; Birmingham commission mystery; plus more

51

MUNICIPAL

Library wins debate over independence; proposed community center talks postponed; liquor sales at gas stations; more requests for outside dining platforms; Alison Gaudreau new TCH president; plus more

Mark Adler Homes new construction. June 2025 completion. 3 Car Garage. Birmingham Schools.

Photo by Laurie Tennent

F R O M T H E P U B L I S H E R

Oakland County Commissioners may, or may not, be grappling with gover nment transparency and ethics proposals in the months ahead

I say may or may not because board and personal politics ver y well could have already doomed both proposals before they could get a fair hearing or any hearing at all

The first proposal, in the for m of a resolution, was put for th by county commissioner Kristin Nelson (D) from the 10th district which includes Water ford, West Bloomfield, Keego harbor, Sylvan Lake and par t of Pontiac

Introduced in early May, her proposal would establish financial disclosure for county officials, including the county executive, commissioners, county-wide elected officials (clerk, treasurer, prosecutor, water resources commissioner and sheriff) Also included would be members of boards and commissions appointed by the county board, the board chair and the county executive, as well as non-merit appointed positions

Basically what she is proposing is the adoption by the county to mir ror what voters approved for state officials in 2022 when the electorate ushered in Proposal 1 Although the enactment by lawmakers was not per fect, the way it is str uctured now, state officials and candidates for those offices must file each year financial disclosure repor ts to includes sources of income, assets and liabilities

At the county level, Nelson proposes annual disclosure to include, at a minimum, sources of ear ned and unear ned income, assets and liabilities, positions held in businesses, nonprofits and other organizations, spouse/household financial interests, gif ts, travel and reimbursements from any entity doing business with the county

Before anyone writes off the proposal as overkill, I share an incident from decades ago when the state had proposed bringing the M-275 highway through the wester n lakes of Oakland County to connect fur ther nor th with I-75, and the prosed highway was stalled just south of Novi At the time Dan Murphy was the county executive and he assigned one of his deputy executives to head up an effor t to break the logjam to bring the highway through the lakes area Coincidentally, as I was r unning a news organization in the lakes area at the time, we had assigned a couple of people to track all vacant parcels of land along the proposed highway routes and deter mine ownership We discovered that as par t of a group owning vacant land on the highway route was the ver y deputy county executive appointed by Murphy to push for the highway

Needless to say, had financial disclosure been the law of the day, anyone, not just the media, would have had access to the infor mation which proved a major conflict of interest

Nelson tells me that her proposal has been sent to the legislative affairs and gover nment operations committee where she says the committee chair is unlikely to give her proposal a hearing at all, despite her description of the transparency proposal as a “ cor nerstone of democracy ”

A similar fate is likely facing a second gover nment refor m proposal, this one by Democrat commissioner Charlie Cavell, whose 19th district ser ves par t of Bir mingham, Royal Oak and the communities of Berkley, Fer ndale, Huntington Woods and Pleasant Ridge

Cavell submitted a resolution to “establish an ad hoc Board of Ethics within Oakland County as par t of an effor t to moder nize the county's standards of conduct, which have not been updated since 1990 In

response to the evolving needs of county gover nment and public expectations for transparency and accountability ” The board would field ethics complaints against elected county officials and county employees

I spoke with Cavell recently and he admitted that his proposal is dead on ar rival, laying the blame at the feet of board chair and fellow Democrat David Woodward, whose district encompasses par ts of Bir mingham, Troy and Royal Oak

Cavell admits that as board chair it is Woodward’s prerogative to suggest to committee chairs what resolutions (proposals) to move I think that proposals for increased transparency and refor m at the county level are at least wor th a hearing and discussion

Personally, as a long-time advocate for gover nment refor m, I draw the line at the local level where I was convinced by a group of local township super visors many decades ago that financial disclosure at the local level would prove to be a major deter rent for those willing to volunteer to be involved at the local level on boards and committees where pay is token at best, if at all But when we talk about the county board and the county-wide elected officials, I think it’s a legitimate concer n

If you are so inclined, take the time to tell Woodward to at least give these proposals a consideration Woodward’s email address is WoodwardD@oakgov com I like Woodward and have found him reasonable in the past Who knows, in that he admits he is considering a r un for the 11th congressional district now ser ved by Haley Stevens, he may just be willing to listen directly from local residents

To me, it’s a no -brainer to at least consider having a legacy that includes added transparency, probably a first for the 83 counties in Michigan, and right in line with the leadership position Oakland holds on so many other issues

Downtown SPJ awards

The Detroit chapter of the Society of Professional Jour nalists (SPJ) have released the results of the 2024 competition and members of our publishing team picked up recognition in a few categories Judges were SPJ members in other states

Our team members compete in the Class C (under 50,000 circulation) categor y

Cover Design: Chris Grammer took third place for his December issue design of the cover for the Restaurant Inspections longfor m stor y

Health Repor ting: Mark Stowers took second place for his December stor y on Restaurant Inspections

Environment Repor ting: Stacy Gittleman took second place for her July longfor m on Fluoride in Water, many months before it became a national issue

I remind readers that locally we are the only publication still committed to providing longfor m stor y-telling on critical issues These stories are planned out months in advance and require weeks of work on the par t of the repor ter writing these pieces So recognition by jour nalism piers is an honor

David Hohendor f Publisher DavidHohendor f@DowntownPublications

com

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David Hohendorf

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Lisa Brody

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C R I M E M A P

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. W a n t w e e k l y u p d a t e s o n p u b l i c s a f e t y s t o r i e s ? S i g n u p f o r o u r w e e k l y u p d a t e e m a i l n e w s l e t t e r a t d o w n t o w n p u b l i c a t i o n s c o m

S e x u a l a s s a u l t A s s a u l t M u r d e r / H o m i c i d e R o b b e r y B r e a k i n g / e n t e r i n g

L a r c e n y V e h i c l e t h e f t L a r c e n y f r o m v e h i c l e V a n d a l i s m D r u g o f f e n s e s A r s o n M a p k e y N O R T H

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N C O M I N G

Return to original plan

Prior to my retirement as Bir mingham‘s city manager, we established a clear, strategic plan to address the critical gap in sustainable senior ser vices funding This plan is now being abandoned at great cost to our senior community

THE FACTS: Next has ser ved as Bir mingham‘s tr usted senior ser vice provider for over 45 years, delivering comprehensive ser vices at minimal cost to the city Building space for Next has been provided by the Bir mingham public school district (BPS) star ting several years ago BPS wisely collaborated with BASCC (now Next) to provide a home for Next Under the guise of lifelong lear ning BPS and Next were benefited BPS gained a suppor tive relationship with Next through senior voter suppor t of bond issues and Next found a semiper manent home albeit without a lease

The school administration and board have decided they need to reclaim the space and have established a deadline for Next to move out Financing through the Bir mingham school district was a more equitable financial approach as BPS’s taxing jurisdiction includes our neighboring communities that also receive Next ser vices

In July 2022 the city wisely recognized the need for Next to secure a per manent home Af ter a thorough evaluation of available proper ties, the YMCA building was identified as the optimal solution On June 5, 2023, the commission unanimously approved: 1 The purchase of 400 E Lincoln specifically for Next; 2 Memorandum of understanding with Next for occupancy;

3 An Interim use plan provided about a third of the space for the YMCA to maintain a presence while the YMCA pursued an effor t to combine the Royal Oak and Bir mingham YMCA‘s space in a new or expanded/rehabilitated YMCA space in Royal Oak; 4 The 33 senior mileage for the November ballot; and 5 The transition plan for Next

CRITICAL CONCERNS: 1 The building size cannot adequately suppor t both organizations; 2 The limited parking will create constant problems and disr upt the sur rounding neighborhood; 3 The city never intended to share this building with the YMCA, except for a limited amount of space and time period Initially, the YMCA building was purchased to house Next, not as a community center; 4 For over two years, the city has bent over backwards, tr ying to accommodate the YMCA’s extensive amenity demands This approach is clearly failing and is just too expensive; 5 The cur rent

economic climate would suggest a $37 million bond issue will stand a ver y slim chance of approval by the electorate

THE SOLUTION: The YMCA has a viable alter native at the Royal Oak branch just four miles away Next has no such option In fact, the clock is ticking on Next as they are expected to vacate the BPS school location

With Bir mingham‘s rapidly growing senior population and Next’s proven 45year track record of high quality, cost efficient ser vices, we must refocus on our original mission, addressing Bir mingham‘s most significant ser vice gap – senior care It is also appropriate to mention the significant financial contribution by Next ($700 thousand +/-) to the city for this project

I strongly urge you to abandon this flawed attempt to create a new facility that ser ves ever yone poorly, and instead honor your unanimous commitment to properly suppor t our seniors by following the ter ms of the memorandum of understanding between the city and Next

In conclusion, as the Dakota proverb suggests “ When you find you are riding upon a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount “ Thomas M Mark us (Thomas Markus, a senior citizen, ser ved a total of over 24 years as Bir mingham’s City Manager)

Community Center option

Thank you for your attentive coverage of the impending train wreck in relocating the Next senior center from Midvale School to 400 E Lincoln Now that we're looking at a rebuild, the pause for review that you recommend in your May Endnote is especially appealing

As a way out, I suggest that the entire project be reimagined to place the Bir mingham Public Schools (BPS) early childhood center at Lincoln and allow Next to expand into the space vacated by the existing center at Midvale This would remove Next from the equation entirely while ensuring a purpose-built, tailored design for BPS's needs at Lincoln, likely costing less than now foreseen The YMCA involvement is curious, but if a pool there must be, BPS could manage it as it does others at various schools No shovel has yet broken ground at Lincoln, so if there was ever a chance for a re-look, this is it

My social media post as above gar nered two objections, that Bir mingham taxpayers should not bear the costs for relocating a facility that also ser ves non-residents and that the Lincoln project is deflecting the

commission's attention from other budgetar y imperatives

As a Bir mingham resident-cumtaxpayer, I well recognize the relevance of these concer ns, but I propose first cutting the Gordian knot around the Lincoln site The anticipated megabond issue recalls the two rejected in 2014 (librar y expansion) and 2019 (Nor th Old Woodward project), as today's planners should bear in mind Paul Seibold Bir mingham

Transparency for everyone

Transparency It’s a word we ’ ve heard a lot from Lansing over the past several years, but what does it really mean?

To me, transparency means telling the tr uth to my citizens, keeping them infor med about the policies I suppor t, and ensuring their tax dollars are used fairly and responsibly As a member of the House Appropriations Committee I’ve been clear about my plans to lower taxes for Michigan families, improve our roads and infrastr ucture, and invest in public safety

Last year, however, Attor ney General Dana Nessel and Secretar y of State Jocelyn Benson issued opinions redefining what they believe transparency should look like par ticularly for legislators According to Attor ney General Nessel, ever y bottle of water a lawmaker drinks at an event, ever y conference ticket purchased, and ever y legislative dinner attended must now be logged and repor ted to the secretar y of state Legislators have been given a deadline of May 15 to repor t nearly ever y detail of their personal, professional and financial lives

Meanwhile, Gov Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Economic Development Corp (MEDC) have spent recent weeks traveling through Europe and the Middle East, negotiating with foreign entities using taxpayer dollars without the same level of scr utiny

Taxpayer-funded giveaways are not new for this administration or the MEDC Over the years, billions of dollars have flowed into the agency with little to show for it The state promised that these investments would create more than 123,000 jobs in Michigan over the last two decades Repor ts show the MEDC ’ s actual success rate in job creation is less than nine percent

In the private sector, a nine percent success rate wouldn’t cut it

To make matters worse, the MEDC has a troubling histor y of dodging Freedom of Infor mation Act requests

On the rare occasion infor mation is disclosed, we lear n things like $20 million grants going toward items such as $4,500 coffeemakers Yet the attor ney general has remained largely silent aside from announcing more than a year ago that she would “investigate” an isolated incident, which never materialized into action

So, I ask this: If we ’ re going to investigate ever y bottle of water a lawmaker drinks and ever y family dinner we attend, why isn’t that same level of scr utiny applied to the gover nor and the state’s corporate welfare programs?

There’s nothing wrong with transparency it’s overdue But the kind our constituents are asking for goes beyond receipts for diet soda They want transparency in how their money is spent and accountability for how their tr ust is used

We still have a long way to go when it comes to fiscal responsibility If the state is serious about transparency, then it should star t with the people handling billions in taxpayer dollars not just the ones drinking coffee at a conference

Donni Steele

State Representative District 54

(House district 54 includes Bloomfield Townshjp and par t of Bloomfield Hills)

Environmental justice

As we reflect on the tenure of Pope Francis, there is one aspect of his legacy that should not be overlooked: his commitment to environmental justice

Shor tly af ter his appointment in March 2013, climate change became a central issue, stating, “If we destroy creation, creation will destroy us ” This was a year before the Paris Climate Agreement was adopted

In 2019, he addressed leaders of global fossil fuel companies, imploring them to make a rapid transition to renewable energy sources, going so far as to declare this a “climate emergency ” He made it clear that this is not merely an environmental crisis

In the words of Mark Watts, Director of C40 Cities, “he established for a worldwide audience that the climate crisis is not just an environmental challenge but a profound social and ethical issue, exacerbated by greed and shor t-ter m profit seeking, dispropor tionately affecting the world’s most marginalized communities ” Luke Daniels Rochester

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Oakland Confidential is a column of political gossip/news, gathered both on and off-therecord We welcome possible items for this column which can be emailed to: OaklandConfidential@DowntownPublications com All sources are kept strictly confidential

ON YOUR MARK: The race to succeed Rep Haley Stevens (D - Oakland County) for the 11th congressional district is officially on First to the star ting blocks is state Senator Jeremy Moss (D - Southfield, Bloomfield Hills, Bloomfield Township, Aubur n Hills, Lake Angelus, Lathr up Village, Pontiac, par ts of Detroit, Water ford and Southfield Township), who cur rently ser ves as Michigan Senate President Pro Tempore and has spent his tenure in the state legislature tackling the biggest issues facing Michiganders, and noted that in 2023, when the Democrats controlled the state House, Senate and gover nor, he had the most bills signed in the Senate He said he has successfully fought to protect reproductive freedom, pass Michigan’s first gun safety laws in a generation, repeal taxes on seniors, expand the Working Families Tax Credit and expand the Elliott-Larsen Cvil Rights Act to include the LGBTQ+ community He’s also been the legislature’s leading champion to safeguard voting rights and make state gover nment more transparent Moss, 39, was Southfield’s youngest city council member before he moved to the state House of Representatives and state Senate, where he made histor y as the first openly-gay state Senator He said he is r unning because he is frequently hearing voters’ “fr ustration and anxiety about the economy and about democracy ” Moss said he doesn’t believe he fits into a “categor y, ” such as progressive or moderate “I consider myself effective,” he said “I’m rising to the challenge brought on by the times ” Technically, Moss lives just outside the district in Southfield but members of congress are not required to live in the district and it did not stop Moss from raising $200,000 in the 24 hours af ter announcing, or from picking up the endorsement of several Oakland state reps and Attor ney General Dana Nessel While several names are being bandied about, from Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter, who word is is not considering r unning, to for mer Congressman Andy Levin (D -Bloomfield Township), Oakland County Board of Commissioners Chair Dave Woodward (D -Royal Oak, Bir mingham) said he is seriously considering r unning “I plan to make a decision in the next couple of weeks,” he said, and he is working to put a team together The for mer state representative noted he has 20 years of public ser vice experience, and is consulting with his family – notably his wife of 20 years

THE RETURN OF TROT T: A potential surprise Democratic candidate for the 11th congressional district may be for mer Republican candidate David Trott (R-Bir mingham), who was the congressman for the 11th District before Stevens – and is r uminating on dipping his toes back into the D C waters “I’d r un as a Democrat – I’m no longer a Republican with (President Donald) Tr ump, ” Trott told Oakland Confidential a few weeks ago “I didn’t leave Congress because I didn’t like it ” Trott said he’s had entreaties from “ a few people who have reached out to me to r un for the seat, and I’m considering it I’m cer tainly not afraid of Donald Tr ump I’d be a moderate – someone interested in solving problems and not pandering to a base ” He said the only area he’s not hearing enough of from Congress is the deficit and debt ceiling –“and the solution is not the way DOGE is doing it We need to reign in spending and raise taxes, especially on the rich On social issues, I’m completely a Democrat compared to 10 years ago I feel so badly on how so many are being treated If I could be a voice of reason to call out Republicans, that would be a great reason to r un Republicans today are a cult ”

THE GOP DILEMMA: The Republican par ty is facing a real problem this election cycle While there are plenty of names of Democrats being tossed about as possible contenders for public office next year – be it for the congressional seat now held by Haley Stevens, the state senate seat now held by Mallor y McMor row, or the state House seat now held by Democrat Natalie Price, should she seek McMor row ’ s senate seat – the r umor mill is

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still when it comes to possible GOP contenders for any of these posts As for the 11th congressional district, one top Republican honcho said “nobody wants it because they know they can’t win ” The same would seem to apply for the other two potential openings in 2026 Good infor mation several weeks ago had it that the county par ty has what is being called a “ recr uitment committee” that includes some notable Republican stalwar ts, for mer state Senator Mike Kowall among them, which is being charged with finding some names to at least put on the ballot So far, no takers for three districts that have clearly gone “blue” in recent years So come next year if you see a Republican r unning in these three races, you can assume these folk have agreed to fall on their sword, so to speak, for the sake of the par ty ’ s reputation

THE BIG KAHUNA: Speaking of Rep Haley Stevens, she for mally jumped into the open U S Senate Democratic race on April 22 Stevens, of Bir mingham and a Seaholm High School grad, joined state Senator Mallor y McMor row (D -Royal Oak, Bir mingham, Bloomfield Hills), for mer Wayne County Health Depar tment head Abdul El-Sayed, who grew up in Bloomfield Hills and graduated from Andover High School, and the crew has since been joined by for mer state Speaker of the House Joe Tate of Detroit

While McMor row, 38, has positioned herself as a voice for a new generation, realistically all four cur rent candidates are fellow millennials and of similar ages Stevens is focused on both her long histor y fighting for the auto industr y, going back to ser ving as chief of staff of President Obama’s auto rescue, to her signature “Manufacturing Mondays,” where since first being elected in 2018 she has retur ned to the district and spent ever y Monday touring over 200 manufacturing and technology businesses in the district In addition, she can boast a string of legislative victories, including the signature bipar tisan Chips and Science Act of 2022 “ That congressional delegation behind Stevens, tapping into that infrastr ucture, gives you a leg up, ” said one Michigan DNC member “McMor row is a star in her own right, and will allow her to raise money She’s shooting above her weight class,” he said, noting she has the poise and charisma to car r y her to the top The question is what are the impacts of Tate and El Sayed from people of color, even if they don’t win? Tate, like Stevens, is a centrist – “I’m a fighter ” – while El Sayed is a progressive liberal Stevens, who is cur rently racking up endorsements, notably from the west side of the state, cites an online poll indicating that if voters were to vote today, she would receive 46 percent of the vote; McMor row, 6 percent; El Sayed and Tate, each one percent – and Republican challenger for mer Congressman Mike Rogers, 45 percent While Rogers is cur rently the only Republican in the Senate race, and has received numerous top Senate endorsements, word is that Rep Bill Huizenga (R-Battle Creek) has hired a top consulting fir m and is planning to jump into the race According to Punchbowl, Huizenga has hired for mer Vice President Mike Pence’ s chief strategist and his brother, for mer Rep Greg Pence’s (R-Ind ) chief of staff Most Republicans are urging him to stay in his (ver y safe) seat, and clear the path for Rogers Rogers is holding a fundraiser on June 17 in Washington with 19 senators joining on the invite list and Senators John Thune and Tim Scott special guests “On the right, people don’t like Rogers because they don’t think he’s far right enough,” said a Republican insider

‘DA GOVERNOR: According to a new poll by Target Insyght of Lansing, if the 2026 gover nor ’ s race were held today, it wouldn’t be much of a race, with 48 percent prefer ring independent candidate Mike Duggan, cur rent mayor of Detroit, over Democrat Jocelyn Benson, 32 percent, and Republican John James, 3 percent James, cur rent two -ter m congressman for Rochester, Rochester Hills and Macomb County, saw a significant decline from Target Insyght’s Febr uar y poll, which had him at 10

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percent This despite James receiving a massive financial windfall – a $5 million campaign contribution from Dan and Pamella DeVos of Grand Rapids to James’ campaign PAC Financially, that sets James ahead of the Republican pack, which cur rently includes Republican Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, for mer state attor ney general Mike Cox and Anthony Hudson, a one-time U S House candidate Benson has Democrat competition from Lt Gover nor Garlin Gilchrist and Genesee Sheriff Chris Swanson More candidates are expected – including Bloomfield Hills businessman and 2022 failed guber natorial candidates Per r y Johnson, who is r umored to be coming in with $30 million of his own money, Tudor Dixon and Kevin Rinke “ The MAGAs don’t like James – they think he’s too liberal He’s a member of the Problem Solvers Caucus(in Congress),” said a top Republican politico “(Vice President) JD Vance told James not to r un for gover nor because they didn’t want to risk the seat, and he did it anyway He’s a professional campaigner and doesn’t want to do the job ” The same politico believes President Tr ump will stay out of the endorsement game for James this go -round Duggan, however, is sweeping them up, receiving endorsements from more than 150 faith leaders and 24 unions

“Duggan definitely has appeal in lots of circles, and he brings a lot of executive experience,” said a Democrat leader of the for mer Democrat, believing that Duggan will potentially take more votes from Democrats, “because about 70 percent of people will vote straight par ty ”

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FACTS:

While the president set some new record as his inaugural committee raked in money ($239 million) for his late Januar y swearing-in, companies and individuals from Michigan coughed up about $6 million in the process Taken straight from federal records, in descending order, here’s who gave from the mitten state: Breeze Smoke LLC, Hazel Park, $1 million; Stellantis Nor th America, Aubur n Hills, $1 million; General Motors, Detroit, $1 million; John Rakolta, Detroit, $500,000; Ter r y Rakolta, Detroit, $500,000; Dow Chemical, Midland, $500 000; Daniel DeVos, Grand Rapids, $250,000; Suzanne DeVos, $250,000; Ford Motor, Dearbor n, $199,000; Betsy DeVos, Grand Rapids, $125,000; Dick DeVos, Grand Rapids, $125,000; Doug DeVos, Grand Rapids, $125,000; Maria DeVos, Grand Rapids, $125,000; Matthew Lester, Southfield, $100,000; Thomas Broad, Detroit, $100,00; Ron Boji, Orchard Lake, $100,000; Argus Logistics, Troy, $100,000; Schostak Brothers Company; Livonia, $100,000; Rajan Patel, Nor thville, $50,000; Brian Demkowicz, Grosse Pointe, $50,000; Scott J Seligman (tr ust), Southfield, $50,000; Carol O’Keefe, Bloomfield Hills, $25,000; Patrick O’Keefe, Bloomfield Hills, $25,000; and Kur t Foulds, Westland, $500

BIRMINGHAM SUSPENSE: We were not sure how to read the lack of response when we emailed Bir mingham City Commissioner Katie Schafer a month ago to confir m what some told us was “ common knowledge” that she was not going to seek another ter m of office on the November ballot this year, due to both family and medical practice considerations Her ter m of office and those of Andrew Haig and Jason Emerine expire this November Now we hear that some members of the commission are lobbying her to make a r un for a second ter m We also hear from a couple of people that when they reached out to the laundr y list of people who applied for appointment to the commission, which went to Emerine, they ran into a wall of reluctance because many of those folk were not thrilled with the thought of ser ving with a couple of cur rent members of the commission The filing deadline is this July

STATE AG CONTEST: Although both the Republicans and Democrats next year at their conventions will nominate their respective candidates for state attor ney general, the list is already star ting to grow for both par ties On the GOP side, attor ney Kevin Kijewski, a Bir mingham resident, has announced that he will be seeking the par ty nomination A for mer superintendent of Catholic schools in the Detroit archdiocese, Kijewski is cur rently representing one of the 15 “fake elector ” defendants As for Democrats, for mer federal prosecutor from the wester n side of the state Mark Totten has announced, as has Washtenaw Prosecutor Eli Savit

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Amjad Rass

Born in Syria, Amjad Rass – a physician who lives in Bloomfield Hills and has an internal medicine practice in Ohio – dedicates his life to helping others that stretches beyond his profession For 13 years, Rass has been a volunteer with the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS), where he organizes medical missions to help rebuild that country's health care infrastructure

Rass, who is married with five children, survived the 1982 Hama Massacre when as many as 40,000 people were killed “I was one of the lucky survivors,” he said

His dream was to be a physicist, but Rass was denied at the school he applied to in Syria for security reasons

“A 17-year-old was a threat to our country,” he said. “I decided to go to medical school because I thought medicine would give a wider range of options to leave the country I came to love medicine It was my destiny ”

After attending medical school in Damascus, Rass came to the United States in 1991 “The issue for me was more survival and escape, more shelter from the Hama prosecution,” he said “For many of us, for all youth, we were fearing prosecution or arrest. They don’t have to have a reason to arrest you. I felt that deep When I went to college and medical school, I was surrounded by informants ”

The situation Rass faced in Syria would lead to a new career path and a new home “It made me feel like I was living in a country I love, but was not wanted there,” he said. “When I came here, I considered myself a refugee at that time.”

Rass has a passion for his practice. “I love my specialty. Being a doctor is being a human being,” he said “I love my patients I sit and talk with them and hear about their families I have four generations in one family This is my reward to get to know them and what they face in life beyond the medical part ”

Through the years, his roles in SAMS have included chairman and president “We are always encouraging everyone to stay connected and involved,” said Rass “We don’t provide free surgery; we provide doctors to do surgery and to become proficient in that procedure ”

The physician is in charge of medical education for the global medical relief organization based in Washington, DC “All activities are about training, even activities that involve patient care,” he explained “Some procedures are done for the first time in Syria, such as those that are minimally invasive.”

In addition to the important volunteer work the organization continues to do, Rass believes Syrians have what it takes to rebuild the country “We have experience, we have creativity, and we are educated and hardworking,” he said Until recently, Rass had not been able to visit the home he has in Syria since 2010.

“I couldn’t go back because I was listed as a terrorist,” said the physician, who now has been able to return since the Assad regime fell on December 8, 2024

During 13 years of conflict, an estimated half million people lost their lives “The situation is fragile, but getting better,” said Rass “I am looking forward to a very good future for young Syrians. I’ve been there twice since December 8th and I’m still celebrating ”

Story: Jeanine Matlow

Photo: Laurie Tennent

BIOSOLIDS

ADDED CONCERNS OVER IMPACT ON FOOD CHAIN AS WELL AS FARML AND ITSELF

B Y STACY GIT TLEMAN

In the early 1990s far mers across the nation, was well as in Michigan, began applying biosolids – fer tilizer sludge produced from human waste processed at wastewater treatment facilities – to far mland where produce for humans and animals were grown.

The biosolids use was a boon for far mers because it was typically free, with perhaps a small fee for applications on the land where crops would be planted. And the biosolids fer tilizer was high in nitrogen and other elements that aided crop development.

But even in the early days of biosolids application on far mland, there were critics who questioned the safety of the process and the impact on human health. Now, years later, the concer ns are proving even more valid thanks to presence of per- and polyfluoroalk yl substances (PFAS) – of ten refer red to as forever chemicals If present in high enough concentration levels, these forever chemicals can pose a threat to not only the food chain but in some cases can render far mland not safe enough to produce crops in the future, which has taken place in other states as well as in Michigan where in neighboring Livingston County a far m has been rendered unable to be used

The United States Environmental Protection Agency(EPA) in May announced a renewed vigor on attacking the presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), in our drinking water and biosolids, the waste that is lef t over af ter treating wastewater

In an earlier April announcement, the EPA announced it would aggressively tackle the nation’s forever chemicals dilemma by advancing research and testing to understand PFAS absorption levels in food, stopping PFAS from getting into drinking water systems, holding polluters accountable, and providing cer tainty for passive receivers, meaning the thousands of far ms around the countr y that voluntarily received or continue to receive biosolids

“ With this approach, EPA will provide the foundation and investment necessar y for a toolbox that will help states and communities dealing with PFAS contamination,” said EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin in a May press release “ This list is the first, not the last, of all decisions and actions EPA will be taking to address PFAS throughout the Tr ump administration There will be more to come in the future across EPA’s program offices to help communities impacted by PFAS contamination ”

While these developments may signal the creation of a highlyanticipated comprehensive federal roadmap on PFAS remediation that state regulators have been waiting for, that’s going to be a tall order to fill considering the Tr ump administration wants to slash the agency ’ s budget by 64 percent

States have been largely on their own in regulating and mitigating PFAS in biosolids, with many of them looking to Michigan as setting the bar in ter ms of pioneering an approach that heads off forever chemicals at the source with its Industrial Pre-Treatment Program (IPP)

In 2022, the Environmental Council of the States (ECOS) released the findings from a sur vey of state environmental regulator y agencies on policies, testing, research gaps, and risk communication challenges related to PFAS in biosolids Thir ty-four states, including Michigan, responded to the sur vey

All states are subject to federal regulations under Par t 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations Par t 503 for biosolids use and disposal

These regulations allow for the land application of biosolids on food crops while also giving states the authority to make independent decisions about how to fur ther manage biosolids, while allowing some states to prohibit the practice

Michigan is the only state that responded to the sur vey repor ting that it has industrial pretreatment standards for PFAS

Maine is the only state with a ban on applying biosolids to lands Maine and Michigan are the only states that have any prohibitions or restrictions on biosolids’ beneficial use based on PFAS concentrations

Nine states (Arizona, Colorado, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Nor th Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas) repor ted that they have counties, municipalities, or other jurisdictions that have established individual standards, bans, monitoring regimes, or other regulations related to biosolids disposal or land application

Six states (Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, and Ver mont) require sampling for PFAS in biosolids

Three states (Colorado, Michigan, and New Hampshire) require source control and repor ting based on PFAS concentrations Four states (Connecticut, Michigan, Nevada, and New Hampshire) implemented industr y-specific pretreatment programs, meaning industrial plants must treat their wastewater and cannot release the effluent to municipal wastewater treatment plants unless it first reduces PFAS levels onsite

Forever chemicals are a class of thousands of long-stranded molecular man-made compounds that gar nered their name because their molecular bonds are the strongest manmade on ear th and they do not degrade or break down in the environment According to researchers, 99 percent of organisms on ear th, from humans living in metro Detroit to polar bears living in the Arctic Circle, have these forever chemicals in there systems And unlike other toxins that enter the body, they do not get excreted and tend to stick around and accumulate over a lifetime

The most per vasive and har mful of these compounds include

per fluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and per fluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), the kinds used by the militar y for firefighting drills Both mentioned chemicals are commonly known as PFAS They were eventually linked to kidney, liver, and thyroid cancers, as well as many other ailments PFOS was phased out of production in 2002, and U S manufacturers eliminated PFOA emissions and product content by 2015

Treated wastewater sludge, also known as biosolids under the Clean Water Act, is the byproduct of the thousands of municipal wastewater treatment plants around the countr y responsible for keeping our drinking, sur face, and groundwater supplies clean and free from contaminants and har mful pathogens

Before the passage of the 1988 Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act, it was per missible for coastal regions of the countr y to dump it into the ocean

When that disposal method ended, three options remained Landfills for biosolids are r unning out of space and incinerating it is highly energy-intensive, contributing to high carbon emissions and other har mful pollutants emitted into the air and land

Some say that recycling our biosolids by applying them onto land –either to far ms, forests, or recreation areas, is the best option to deal with the waste we generate ever y time we flush the toilet, r un our dishwasher or washing machine, or pour stuff down the kitchen sink

Proponents say that recycling biosolids this way enriches soils with organic, nutrient-rich matter and reduces reliance on synthetic fer tilizers

There is a risk however, that land application of biosolids introduces PFAS to the environment, allowing it to damage far mland and water sources

Researchers are only beginning to understand how PFAS interacts with soil and how crops absorb the chemicals into their roots, leaves and fr uit

Regulated somewhat by federal policies and mostly from state to state, biosolids are divided into two classifications

Class A biosolids cannot contain measurable quantities of pathogens and must meet stricter EPA guidelines for land application They are per mitted to be used for agriculture, public residential and commercial applications

Class B biosolids can be applied on land but are more strictly regulated Food, feed and fiber crops cannot be har vested for a minimum of 30 days af ter the last application Above-ground food crops must not be har vested for a minimum of 14 months af ter the last application Below -ground food crops must not be har vested for a minimum of 20 months af ter the last sur face application where the material remains on the sur face for four months or longer before incorporation, or a minimum of 38 months af ter the last sur face application where the materials remain on the sur face for less than four months before incorporation

When Class B biosolids are applied, livestock and domestic

If present in high enough concentration levels, these forever chemicals can pose a threat to not only the food chain but in some cases can render farmland not safe enough to produce crops in the future.

animals are prohibited from grazing on them for a minimum of 30 days Tur f raised cannot be har vested until one year af ter the last application and public access is restricted at least 30 days and up to a full year af ter application

Janine Wells is executive director of the Nor theast Biosolids Residuals Association (NEBRA), a pro -land-applying nonprofit organization that promotes the benefits of recycling the nutrients found in biosolids over the risks of disposal methods

“ There’s incineration, landfilling, and recycling,” explained BurkeWells “ That’s a pretty shaky stool I wish we had something like a sturdy couch to sit on I think in 20 years; we will have many more options on how to dispose of and recycle biosolids But for now, it’s going to be pretty ugly ”

Speaking to Downtown between plenar y sessions at the May 2025 Water Environment Federation Biosolids Conference in Baltimore, Md , Wells commended Michigan’s clamping down on PFOS and PFOA threshold levels and its pioneering approach of attacking these substances at industrial sources in wastewater before they head to municipal treatment plants

“Source reduction is key to the problem and that is the thing to get done first and fast,” Wells said “Michigan has succeeded in getting PFAS levels in biosolids down to ver y low levels in a ver y shor t amount of time I can't say enough good stuff about that adaptive management approach and I wish the EPA had initiated something similar ”

Wells said understanding how plants absorb PFAS through their roots is extremely complicated Var ying factors include soil composition, density and nutrient distribution to name a few

Wells said that on Maine’s contaminated far ms, studies by the United States Centers for Disease Control show that plant uptake of forever chemicals in leaf y greens or hay used for livestock happens more quickly than crops such as cor n and wheat As far mers made multiple cuts of hay or grass during a single season, PFAS levels in those crops tended to be higher in the second or third cuts

While capturing forever chemicals that come from industrial sites in Michigan before these waters hit our municipal wastewater treatment plants is a step in the right direction, there still lurks the problem that so much of our consumer products – from clothing to makeup to carpeting – still may be made with forever chemicals

“ There’s a Minnesota study saying that 75 percent of the load of forever chemicals headed to our municipal wastewater treatment plants is coming from residential areas ever y time we wash our clothes or clean our carpets,” Wells said “ We need to get back to the source and that is reducing or eliminating forever chemicals used in consumer products ”

Wells added that it is cr ucial to solve this problem so the application of biosolids on far mlands can be implemented without hesitation to reap the benefits they supply

“Biosolids offer overall soil improvements and are a wonder ful source of phosphor us, nitrogen and potassium,” Wells said “ We are talking 92 percent of the potassium far mers need without having to mine for it or impor t it from China Biosolids land applications also offset carbon emissions because the soil sequesters the carbon into the ground instead of releasing it into the atmosphere ”

Stephanie Kanner is the emergent pollution section manager of Michigan EGLE’s Water Resources Division Kanner ’ s team is dedicated to implementing strategies to address PFAs in municipal and industrial wastewater and the residuals, or biosolids that are pulled from treated wastewater In offering a brief histor y of the state’s approach to PFAS in biosolids, Kanner said in 2017 the thencalled Michigan Depar tment of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) began testing municipal wastewater and identified 80 municipal WT TPs that had high levels of PFAS in their effluent, which could be traced back to untreated water discharges from nearby factories and other industries

In 2018, the state launched its statewide Industrial Pretreatment Program (IPP) and required 95 municipal wastewater treatment plants located in industrialized areas to identif y industries that were releasing wastewater into their treatment plants that were using forever chemicals as a par t of their industrial process

Before the passage of the 1988 Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act, it was permissible for coastal regions of the country to dump it into the ocean, so now there are three options for disposal.

Kanner said the IPP was a successful way to identif y reduce, and monitor sources of PFOS

“At the beginning of this initiative, 69 percent of the 95 wastewater treatment plants had already met their water quality standards,” Kanner said “ Through aggressive source reduction effor ts, the remaining facilities have continued their effective PFOS concentration reductions in treated wastewater by 49 to 99 percent compared to pre-2018 levels The program marked a significant step in managing and mitigating the impact of these contaminants on Michigan's water resources by tracing high levels of PFAS in effluents back to untreated discharges from nearby factories and other industries ”

Kanner continued: “ We identified five facilities that had what we considered industrially impacted biosolids They included Wixom, Bronson, Lapeer, Ionia, and the K I Sawyer Air Force base in Marquette They contained PFOS/PFOA at higher levels than the rest of the state, and they were usually medium or small plants whose effluent came from industrial sites ”

The WRD in 2018 halted land application of biosolids from those five plants and continued with a study that examined PFAS levels in biosolids at 42 plants around the state to develop PFAS/PFOA threshold levels that would be classified as industrially impacted biosolids If counts reached this level, it was no longer allowed to par ticipate in the state’s applied biosolids distribution program

“As far as where these biosolids can wind up, that is the milliondollar question,” Kanner admitted “Some of the facilities were able to landfill the waste, but at least two of the facilities are keeping these contaminated biosolids in containers onsite because they have not found an economical way to dispose of them There's no grant program to help them offset the cost for disposal, so there it sits until there is a viable place for these biosolids to be disposed ”

Under its 2021 interim strategy, Michigan banned the land application of industrially impacted biosolids containing more than 150 par ts per billion (ppb) of PFOS and now requires testing of all biosolids before land application By 2021, with the IPP well under way, Kanner said EGLE expanded its effor ts testing PFAS/PFOA levels in biosolids at the state’s municipal wastewater treatment plants

“ We wanted to ensure that not just the IPP facilities but all wastewater facilities that would be land applying their biosolids would need to sample them before they land applied them,” Kanner said “ The 2021 interim plan required that any municipal wastewater treatment plant wishing to land apply their biosolids would have to provide a sample to EGLE and submit those results to EGLE and compare the thresholds in the sample to our acceptable thresholds

The r ules allow us to take a site-specific approach We developed our own r ules to develop this strategy and so far, ever ybody ’ s complying ”

While effor ts in the 2021 Interim plan focused on PFOS, in 2024, EGLE tur ned its attention to bringing down levels of PFOA

Kanner said though EGLE had not seen high concentrations of

$2,325,000

By Minoru Yamasaki

PFOA in most municipal wastewater supplies, it wanted to put a second focus on this chemical because there were a few facilities with elevated levels Kanner added that EGLE focuses on PFOS and PFOA because they are the most federally studied forever chemicals with the longest molecular str uctures that are most likely to accumulate in tested organisms such as fish and wild game We wanted to bring this chemical into the spotlight because there were a few plants that

Kanner said EGLE is prioritizing its effor ts on managing PFAS/PFOA levels in biosolids at the industrial and municipal wastewater level rather than sampling soils on far mland for these chemicals

“Sampling soils on far ms is not par t of our strategy for now, ”

Kanner said “ Testing for forever chemicals in soils is a costly and complicated process Michigan has in the past taken samples from some fields and many variables go into this, such as soil depth and mineral concentration to name a few Testing the soil would open up many questions, such as how and who would conduct the testing, and who would pay for it all down the road, we would like some guidance from the EPA on this,” Kanner said “At this point, we are not focusing on testing soils ”

EGLE also requires additional monitoring and quality requirements for biosolids that are designated as exceptional quality under its updated 2024 r ules According to Scott Dean, EGLE spokesperson

“ With the implementation of the IPP PFAS initiative and the interim biosolids strategy, we have seen an overall decrease in PFOS and PFOA concentrations in both municipal wastewater treatment plant discharges and biosolids,” Dean said “Our updated strategy in 2024 includes lowering counts down to 20 par ts per billion Any facility that has PFAS levels that exceed this count requires WWTPs to sample its effluent within 60 days if it is not already being conducted through the industrial pretreatment program ”

Dean stressed that EGLE’s focus remains on protecting the safety of the state’s drinking and sur face waters against elevated levels of forever chemicals For this, they have created a model program for the rest of the countr y

“ We have states calling us all the time to lear n about our program because of where we are putting our focus,” Dean said “People typically buy food from a global market and therefore that makes PFAS exposure hard to pin down EGLE sees the best place to put our resources on reducing people’s exposure to PFAS is in the quality of our drinking water ”

All wastewater treatment plants in the state that land apply their biosolids work through EGLE’s residual management program for per mitting Sampling is conducted once per calendar year before land application

Detroit’s Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) dominates Michigan’s biosolids production

In 2024, GLWA processed 30,000 dr y tons through incineration, 74,000 dr y tons were processed through a heating and dr ying facility to be used for land applications, and 862 tons were landfilled for an annual total of 105,3000 tons of biosolids, according to Majid Khan, director of wastewater operations

GLWA contracts the operation of its biosolids dr ying facility to Synagro/New England Fer tilizer Company, which is responsible for the distribution of its class A fer tilizer pellets expor ted to Canada

In 2024, four GLWA biosolids samples were evaluated for PFOS, resulting in an average value of 4 9 ppb which is 75 percent below the threshold levels Khan stated that GLWA continues to implement its PFOS/PFOA minimization program to reduce the concentration found in biosolids

In 2022 the Clinton River wastewater treatment plant, r un by the Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner and ser ving 13 municipalities in Oakland County, launched its $32 million resource recover y biosolids project to not only reduce forever chemicals in its biosolids but shrink biosolids volume by 20 percent and cuts disposal costs by 50 percent

Although EGLE has listed the facility ’ s biosolids as Class A, the biosolids produced here since 2019 have been shipped to Canada for

far ming fer tilizer, according to Michael Daniels, plant manager

Daniels said in the past the biosolids were being used by far mers in Michigan and the levels of PFOS were well below the 20 ppb threshold

Daniels said because of the lack of nearby industr y, the effluent headed to the plant was not impacted by heavy amounts of forever chemicals as other facilities experienced that were close to tanneries, automotive chrome plating plants, or Air force bases Any PFAS coming into the wastewater plant as effluent originates in leachate from local landfills, which have been issued pretreatment per mits to remediate levels on site

Daniels said because of the plant’s proximity to the Canadian border, it is cheaper to pay a Canadian company to haul its annual 3,000 tons of biosolids away at $30 per ton than pay for the state to land apply it in Michigan at $60 per ton

“For us, it was about the money, not the forever chemicals,” Daniels explained “ We have an exceptional quality of biosolid that is going to Canada, which has a much more relaxed level of a PFOS threshold, which is about 50 par ts per billion ”

In 2024, the Walled Lake Novi wastewater treatment plant produced 393 dr y tons of class B biosolids

These biosolids are land-applied in Oakland, Genesee and Washtenaw counties

The plant has been proactive in managing PFAS contamination, maintaining low levels of 7 8 ppb for PFOS and 1 8 par ts per billion for PFOA -- well below the state's 20 ppb limit for biosolids, according to Mar y Koeger, assistant chief engineer with Oakland County Water Resources

Koeger said this is well below EGLE’s threshold counts and attributes this low number to local commercial and industrial entities in its ser vice area which are closely adhering to their sewerage industrial pretreatment program

“ We want to do what's best for the environment and use the community ’ s funds wisely,” Koeger said “Instead of putting millions of dollars into this equipment that might not necessarily work to remove PFAS once it reaches the wastewater treatment plant, it is best to educate our communities and our commercial users to tr y to get them away from these chemicals to begin with ”

One of the most severely impacted WWTPs in the area is the Wixom facility located downstream from automotive supplier Tribar Manufacturing

Tribar used PFOS as a fume suppressant to protect workers around its chromium plating baths In 2015, facing a federal deadline to stop using PFOS, Tribar switched to a different type of PFAS chemical

Wixom had been distributing its biosolids to agricultural land under EGLE’s residuals management plan since 2000

In 2018 EGLE ran tests at the facility as par t of its statewide PFAS study and found that high levels of PFAS, specifically PFOS,

Under its 2021 interim strategy, Michigan banned application of industrially impacted biosolids with more than 150 parts per billion of PFOS and requires testing of

all biosolids before land application.

were being passed through the treatment process at the plant PFOS levels were 269 par ts per trillion (ppt) in the effluent and 2,150 ppb in the biosolids

When it was discovered that it was receiving contaminated effluent from Tribar and other local industries, EGLE in 2018 ordered Wixom to halt land applying its biosolids and they have been sent to a landfill ever since

Tim Sikma, Wixom’s public works director said since 2018, his plant has worked with EGLE and its IPP and has been able to drastically reduce PFAS counts It also hired a private environmental consultant company to remove forever chemicals from the one million gallons of heavily impacted wastewater sludge that were held onsite so that the treated water could eventually be discharged under the WWTP ’ s national pollutant discharge elimination system per mit

Cur rently, Wixom’s forever chemicals count meets or exceeds PFAS standards without requiring additional treatment because of EGLE’s IPP

Overall, Sikma said regulating legacy pollutants, and what that can mean for the practice of land applying biosolids, remain a huge concer n across the entire wastewater industr y That is why he is hopeful that regulators move in the direction of abating forever chemical uses at their sources and continue to research in enhancing abilities to remove and remediate forever chemicals from wastewater and biosolids

By constantly testing and monitoring all phases of the wastewater cycle, Sikma believes the practice of applying biosolids can and should continue

“If the regulations change so that we're no longer able to land apply biosolids as a whole, far ming is going to become more expensive, and so is the treatment of solids from water resource recover y facilities,” Sikma said “ This is the concer n across my industr y The analytical procedures we have now are so much better than they used to be If we are scr upulous with our treatment, research, and testing at the industrial pretreatment and biosolid phases before they are applied on land, and if we are meeting the standards, that is what we are supposed to be doing It makes sense not only at the wastewater side of things but for the far mers, who need the nitrogen, phosphor us, and potassium our biosolids can provide ”

That sentiment is not shared though by far mers who have been severely impacted by contaminated biosolids

For decades, unchecked biosolids that were spread on far ms caused contamination so acute in states like Maine and South Carolina that swaths of far mland can be considered federal Super fund contamination sites

While the problem appears to be not as per vasive in Michigan, there is one impacted far m that can no longer be cultivated due to the presence of forever chemicals in its soil

Cattle far mer Jason Grostic in Livingston County unknowingly received contaminated biosolids from Wixom Now, his 400-acre far m, land his family has owned for over a centur y, has the distinction as the only one shut down by the state due to high PFAS contamination

Grostic, his wife, and his children still live on the far m, which is going bankr upt He wants to pass this far m down to his children They care for the livestock the state bought for him at cost because he can no longer bring them to market for meat consumption When he is not caring for his far m or his family, or raising money to pay his bills, he is actively speaking and raising awareness of the devastating effects of PFAS on agriculture

In Januar y 2022, EGLE deter mined that the cattle had consumed feed that had absorbed dangerous levels of PFAS that were detectible in beef samples taken from the far m ’ s freezer Although the far m's beef results didn't fit cur rent USDA criteria for a recall or market withdrawal, Michigan’s Depar tment of Health and Human Ser vices deter mined that prolonged consumption of the beef from this far m could increase PFOS levels in the human body

State agencies and Grostic notified customers who had recently purchased the meat, including a nearby elementar y school

Grostic said that he has received little to no financial suppor t from

Testing for forever chemicals in soils is a costly and complicated process...Testing the soil would open up many questions, such as how and who would conduct the testing, and who would pay for it all...

the state outside of buying off the heads of cattle to take them out of the consumer market Over the years he has filed a lawsuit against Tribar Manufacturing for allowing heavy amounts of PFAS to contaminate the wastewater stream that headed to Wixom’s treatment plant

“ The state did not outright condemn my far m, but on my proper ty, there is a sign that says we can no longer use our far m for agricultural purposes, to grow crops or cultivate livestock for human or animal consumption ever again,” Grostic said “ When they came to sample my soil for a study in 2019, they knew already that my land had been contaminated ”

He continued “It took them three years to ser ve me a seizure notice I knew it was going to be really bad when they next came to sample my beef Af ter a few Zoom meetings at the beginning of 2022, the state then washed its hands of me and walked away They could care less ”

Jennifer Holton, spokesperson for the Michigan Depar tment of Rural Development, said her depar tment works closely with MPART in suppor ting any far ming sites that have been contaminated in the state and relies on the effor ts done at the wastewater treatment level to protect soils on the far m Holton said she could not comment fur ther on the situation at Grostic Far ms because the case is in litigation

“In Michigan, we need a high quality of soil and water to suppor t a strong agricultural economy, ” Holton said “ When it comes to the issue of testing soils, we need stronger federal guidance A lack of this guidance is a big hole in our plans to move for ward ”

Grostic said though he is closed for business, he has opened his far m to PFAS researchers at Michigan State University

Professor Emeritus Ar thur Jones is the interim director of the MSU PFAS analytical laborator y, which is embarking on research projects with Grostic on forever chemical uptake in crops and livestock and how forever chemicals interact with soil

Jones explained that there are cur rently no state or federal regulations for PFAS in soil and far mland While drinking water regulations exist, agricultural lands remain largely unprotected He said this regulator y gap became starkly evident through the case of Grostic’s far m

Jones said his team of researchers is investigating how PFAS move from contaminated soil into crop plants and studying how to bind PFAS to the soil to reduce uptake into crops, especially leaf y greens, and how livestock can go through “detox” to clear their systems of forever chemicals, evidence is showing that cattle can clear their systems of PFAS more quickly than humans

“It was the fact that Michigan was so ahead of the game in monitoring and testing biosolids for PFAS that led the state to test his far m for it, and it’s a sad situation,” said Jones, whose son is a cattle rancher in Califor nia “I think the regulators in Michigan were motivated by the right concer ns, that they were in danger of the

public consuming contaminated meat, but they shut his far m down without providing a solution ”

Jones is skeptical that Grostic’s far m is the only one that received impacted biosolids but the state legislature is not calling for additional tracing

“Grostic’s far m is not the only far m that could have received these biosolids,” Jones mused “And if that’s the case, where did it all go?”

According to data from EGLE, in 2015, 21 percent of the biosolids were land-applied in Michigan with 42 percent landfilled and 28 percent incinerated

In 2017, the year before the state initiated its IPP program and began testing biosolids for PFOS, 43 percent of the biosolids were land-applied in-state and 11 percent were expor ted to Canada That was when applying biosolids in Michigan was at its height

By 2024, percentages of land-applied biosolids were trending up again with 32 percent of biosolids applied to land in Michigan and 24 percent of its land applied out of state

Jones said the MSU Cooperative Extension staff has hosted listening tours with concer ned Michigan far mers Some are confidentially having their soils and water tested at MSU laboratories Overall, Jones and EGLE officials said because of the global food market, and because that biosolids are spread on far mland all over the world, the problem is ver y hard to pinpoint Most of us are already walking around with forever chemicals in our blood

And for now, most in the state’s $125 8 billion agricultural industr y that provides the economy with 800,000 jobs are making sure their lands remain economically viable

“Most far mers are a skeptical bunch as it is,” Jones said “ They cer tainly don't want the state to come in and test for the soil with the prospect that their far m could get shut down too without having a solution for what to do about it ”

Most environmental advocate organizations give a nod of approval to Michigan’s effor ts to head off PFAS contamination of biosolids at the source However, they say there is still more aggressive work that needs to be done to eliminate the presence of forever chemicals in manufacturing and commercial products and processes to avoid these chemicals from getting into the environment in the first place

Cher yl Vosburg is executive director of the Michigan Water Environment Association (MWEA), which advocates for robust and clear state and federal policies that emphasize source reduction as the most effective way to address PFAS contamination while providing training and suppor t to water utilities in their mission to safeguard public health

Her organization believes the state’s IPP program is only the star t in PFAS remediation from biosolids and the environment in general

“ The industrial pretreatment and removal technologies are not the complete answer, ” Vosburg said “ We are advocating for removing these chemicals from the manufacturing processes and more immediately product labeling so consumers can know when they are buying something that contains PFAS ”

When it is done properly, Vosburg said MWEA suppor ts applying biosolids on far mland and works to dispel misconceptions about the practice

"Nobody wants what happened at Grostic Far ms to happen anywhere else," Vosberg said "We all produce biosolids, and they have to go somewhere Landfills are r unning out of space and are reluctant to accept liquid waste, while incineration is energyintensive and expensive The state’s industrial pre-treatment programs have significantly reduced PFAS levels entering wastewater treatment systems ”

On the other end of the spectr um is the three-year- old New England nonprofit Just Zero which believes all biosolids should be diver ted to lined landfills for disposal

“ There was a public relations campaign a while back to come up with a new name for treated sewerage sludge and they picked the ter m biosolids,” said Laura Orlando, a senior scientist working with Just Zero

Raised on a family far m in Benton Harbor, Mich , Orlando remembers sludge being spread on nearby far ms on cold winter days, though her family opted out of receiving land applications A faculty

member at the Boston University School of Public Health since 1993 where she has for decades focused on wastewater health, Orlando said that Michigan's thresholds for PFAS in biosolids are too high Also, by only going af ter two of the thousands of forever chemicals that have been pumped into the consumer and industrial market, Orlando said EGLE and MDARD are giving the public a false sense of safety

Instead, Orlando favors a complete ban on land application of biosolids as practiced in Maine There, the state has also put aside a fund to compensate for the livelihood of impacted far mers

“Spreading biosolids poisons soil, food and people," Orlando said "Michigan's program by going af ter only two out of thousands of kinds of forever chemicals is not protective of water quality, soil health, human health, or wildlife "

Orlando criticized MDARD’s reluctance to look and monitor for PFAS on far mland compared to Maine’s effor ts, which include a $100 million fund to aid far mers with contaminated land

“ That’s because when you star t looking, you are going to find appalling levels of forever chemicals wherever the sludge has been spread,” Orlando said

Back at his far m, Grostic said that not only has he lost his livelihood as a far mer, but he has also lost connections with the tightknit community of far mers nearby He knows of a few far ms that are still using biosolids, but he said they would never allow the gover nment to take soil samples as he voluntarily did

“ Technically I am not a far mer anymore, so I am no longer in that circle,” Grostic said “ The few far ming friends I have lef t, we just don’t talk about far ming anymore; we talk about life ”

Grostic has connected with groups like Just Zero and far mers in Maine who share a common plight of having a non-working far m There is talk in Maine of researching what crops are less likely to absorb PFAS While leaf y green crops have a high absorption rate of PFAS, crops like cor n and maybe wheat are slow to uptake the chemicals, he said

He is also working on research projects with Myconaut, a Nor ther n Michigan biotech star tup using fungi to remove PFAS from soil They are exploring the potential of mycoremediation, where cer tain mushrooms and other fungi can break down these toxic chemicals

In 2024, Myconaut received a $275,000 grant from the National Science Foundation and funds will go toward expanding the lab and its research staff

Grostic with Myconaut is planting three acres of fiber hemp treated with microorganisms designed to break down forever chemicals

“ This is the second research project I am doing with this lab, and I am highly encouraged by the results they are seeing so far,” said Grostic “Maybe, in 10 years time, we’ll have the ground cleaned up again ”

Unchecked biosolids that were spread on farms caused contamination so acute in states like Maine and South Carolina that swaths of farmland can be considered federal Superfund contamination sites.

Meredith Fleischer

Holding her first camera to her eye at age six, Meredith Fleischer was on her way to her future career in fine art photography

”By the time I was 13, I had my 35 mm Fuji point-and-shoot camera, and I spent hours documenting my friends and the world I lived in,” said Fleischer, who later went on to study Fine Art Photography at the College for Creative Studies (CC S) in Detroit, and Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills

After graduation with a master’s of fine arts degree from Cranbrook, the burgeoning artist followed her passion for photography and fashion to the epicenter of it all – New York City – and completed internships with Men’s Journal magazine and several advertising agencies

“I was recognized as having a keen eye for photography, styling and makeup,” said Fleischer Climbing the ranks as art director and a member of the art department at leading creative management firms there, Fleischer sharpened her photography curatorial skills in the fashion millieu. “I was given the responsibility to curate portfolios for internationally acclaimed fashion and portrait photographers, including Miles Aldridge, Gilles Bensimon, Francesco Carrozzini, Walter Chin and Pamela Hanson, among others,” she said

Jumping forward to 2020, after a decade of personal loss and career rebirth, the Birmingham native put her heart and soul into establishing MF Gallery – an online exhibition space and print shop, specializing in her personal favorites –street photography, celebrity portraits and music photography, by both modern and contemporary fine art photographers The entrepreneurial Fleischer says her passion and mission were “to create an online platform for photographers to exhibit their work, help build their reputation and connect with audiences worldwide ”

The trend towards online art and photo galleries was gaining momentum after the pandemic and MF Gallery joined the ranks of innovators like American contemporary art gallery dealer David Zwirner, who has been presenting online viewing rooms since 2017 The trend is being driven by factors like increased accessibility, cost-effectiveness for galleries, and the growing comfort of art buyers with online purchases.

“It’s all about building connections between artists and also those buying the art,’ said Fleischer “There’s no barrier of entry when stepping into the world of the online gallery – you can feel uninhibited and comfortable to view at your own pace, and at any time ”

The MF Gallery showcases limited edition and archival prints by rotating photographers from the United States, Canada, Paris, France and more, that can be shipped globally Among the talented artists represented are Michael Ansell, Leah Frances, Jim Frank, Michael Grecco, Amy Sacka and Wolf Weintraub

Some of her gallery’s acclaimed “must see” collections are internationallyrenowned photographer Michael Grecco’s ”Days of Punk” – capturing the captivating ground-breaking 1980’s punk rock music icons; scenes from Flipper’s Roller Boogie Palace – the legendary West Hollywood version of Studio 54; and Street Dogs – artfully celebrating canine charm and character A ten percent charitable donation is made from the respective collections to MusiCares org and ASPCA

An accomplished photographer in her own right, Fleischer, now relocated to Royal Oak, offers her own work through MF Gallery that favors “black and white, candid, street art that’s gritty and full of irony

“It’s my ongoing goal to get photography the respect it deserves, like that of painting and other mediums,” she said Momentum for the gallery continues to grow as the innovative owner has plans to include a variety of pop-up galleries in curated locations, so buyers can have a bit of the brick and mortar experience as well. “Stay tuned for events rolling out that are helping to grow the photography collective,” Fleischer said “It’s something I will always be totally committed to ”

Story: Susan Peck

Photo: Laurie Tennent

FA C E S

M U N I C I PA L

City halts action on community center

By Grace Lovins

In a surprising move by the Bir mingham City Commission, commissioners voted during the Monday, May 5, meeting to table actions toward the development of a new city community and senior center, intended to also ser ve as a new home for Next senior ser vices and the Bir mingham YMCA on E Lincoln in the city

The suggestion was proposed by mayor Therese Longe prior to discussions on the final schematic design for the community center and potential bond vote, which were both on the meeting agenda “ With the final design and cost estimates in hand, I think it behooves us to have a conversation about reevaluating and reconsidering this project ” she said Since the star t of the project, Longe explained that the city has lost federal funding that was expected to cover about one-third of the constr uction costs and the cost of constr uction has increased due to supply costs increases and tariffs The city had anticipated a roughly $32 million building, but af ter test fits schematic designs and developing a detailed cost estimate of the building, the anticipated cost increased to approximately $36 1 million

“I don’t know if spending $36 or $37 million on a community center right now in the economic climate that we have with costs skyrocketing is the righ thing to do right now I’m in favor of at the ver y least pausing at the moment to have a greater discussion,” said commissioner Anthony Long

All seven commissioners stated their suppor t for taking a step back to reevaluate the project and discuss whether it is fiscally responsible to move for ward While representatives of Next senior ser vices did not speak at the meeting, Par rish Under wood, president and CEO of the YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit, said the YMCA intends to remain par t of the project

“ We respect the direction and the decision of the commission and as you move for ward for continued discussions, I just want to signal and state that we intend to continue to par ticipate with the hopes that we would be able to stay involved and we would be invited to stay involved,” Under wood said Commissioners voted unanimously, 7-0, to table approval of the schematic design and work on the bond proposal and move to discuss the project at a later meeting

Assessment policy for road project modified

By Grace Lovins

Af

ter a nearly four hour discussion on Monday, May 5, Bir mingham City Commissioners voted 4-3 to modif y the special assessment roll for Phase I of the Wimbleton Road reconstr uction project, changing the cityresident cost share from the original 85/15 split to a 50/50 split in response to dozens of residents from the area expressing fr ustration over the financial burden of the project

Wimbledon Road, designated as a major street under state guidelines per city manager Jana Ecker, is among the few major streets in Bir mingham that remains unimproved, meaning there is no asphalt, curbs or gutters Because the city does not fully maintain these roads until they are considered improved, the cost of these upgrades is typically covered through special assessments on the adjacent proper ty owners

Ecker explained that the city received roughly $1 8 million per year from the state for the 22 miles of major roads in Bir mingham to cover things like pothole repairs, traffic signal, pavement marking and snow removal Historically, the city has used special assessments for unimproved streets because those roads haven’t been fully accepted into city maintenance

Residents pushed back during public comment period of the meeting, expressing their fr ustration with being charged for the improvements “Please don’t drive us out of our neighborhood that we love so much,” said one Wimbleton homeowner Another called the assessment “oppression ” while others raised concer n about fair ness saying there was a lack of resident control over the street design

Commissioners debated several proposed approaches, including delaying the project for a year to explore alter natives or fixing the aging water and sewer infrastr ucture under the road and laying a cape seal af ter the fact Some raised the point that delaying the project for a year could have its own consequences such as the cost being even greater or potential issues with the old water infrastr ucture that needs to be replaced

Ultimately, the commission approved a motion to redo the special assessment for Phase I of the project with cape seal based on a 50/50 cost split and to include Twin Oaks Lane and Abbey Road Commissioners Clinton Baller, Andrew Haig and Jason Emerine opposed the motion Despite the vote, several commissioners, considering the resident blowback, stated they were interested in revisiting the city ’ s established policy on funding road improvements

A 20-25 year bond to finance the constr uction was originally proposed to appear on the August or November ballot this year and would cost for the average homeowner just under $200 annually

New center design, name under review

By Grace Lovins

During the Monday, April 21, Bir mingham City Commission meeting, commissioners continued their review of a schematic design for the new community and senior center, considering updated building designs and setting the stage for future discussions on the facility ’ s official name and long-ter m cost

The revised designs for the project,

tandards for competitive swimming Stock explained that the new design ncludes 131 on-site parking spaces and avoids expanding into St James Park for additional spaces, which helps o reduce the overall expense Key eatures for Next and the YMCA, both f which will occupy the building at 00 E Lincoln, were still included in he design, such as the wellness ooms, walking track and multipurpose rooms, but representatives rom both organizations explained that he reduced square footage would make it difficult for them to operate Concer ns over increased costs of the enter project have dominated some discussions in recent weeks against he background of potential rising upply chain costs with recently mposed tariffs by the Tr ump administration

Cris Braun, executive director of Next, and Par rish Under wood, president and CEO of the YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit said they are pleased to see improvements in the design from the prior SCC meeting, but here still needs to be some work to nsure that each organization has the pace they need to maintain their programming

Overall, the commission said they were happy to see the progress being made and that there is consensus that hey like the design of Option 1D 1 No or mal motion was made for this item but the commission plans to revisit the design once they receive cost stimates

called Options 1D 1 and 1E 1, were presented by Jim Stock, design director of Neumann/Smith Architecture Both designs now feature reduced building footprints and revised layouts with different placements of the gym Per feedback from the ad hoc senior/recreation center committee (SCC), Option 1D 1 was the favored design

Option 1D 1 shows both the gym and pool at grade, a difference from the previous designs that sunk the building into the ground to shor ten the building’s visible height According to Stock, the option to sink the building into the ground would increase the cost of the overall project significantly The design also proposes a four-lane pool, though several SCC members and commissioners said they suppor t adding a fif th lane to meet the

In a separate discussion under tems proposed for future agenda, ommissioners also considered if they wanted to bring the center s name and ong-ter m costs to a future meeting as a for mal agenda item Commissioner Brad Host advocated for both items to be discussed fully

The commission voted 7-0 to bring the discussion of project costs to date as a full agenda but voted 6-1 to move discussion of the center ’ s name to a full agenda item

Anthony Long voted against bringing discussions on the name as a full agenda item, saying that the commission has come “full circle” since Host had previously requested the change to have the building called a community center

The Community House in Bir mingham has raised the issue of the name of the new city center because of potential infringement on its name and the likely confusion in the local area if the word “community ” were par t of the new Bir mingham center ’ s name

Planning board reviews new community center

By Grace Lovins

During a special meeting on Wednesday, April 30, Bir mingham’s Planning Board held a pre-application discussion on the plans for the new community and senior center building set to take the place of the for mer YMCA building at 400 E Lincoln and ser ve as a new home for Bir mingham YMCA and Next senior ser vices

The review of the city project comes as the city commission and planning board work to reimagine the process for designing and constr ucting municipal str uctures

As explained by planning board chair Scott Clein, projects on land zoned as public proper ty do not have requirements laid out in the zoning ordinance The board worked to put together design guidelines and a process for reviewing public projects to alleviate the issue Their task for the meeting was to review and discuss at a high level the design for the new center

Design director of Neumann/Smith Architecture Jim Stock presented the design showing a two -stor y building excluding lower level storage, just over 47,000 sq f t in area and 36 f t in height

The main level of the building incorporates a lobby and check-in area, a child watch area, multipurpose rooms a five-lane pool and basketball cour t On the same level but accessed through a separate entrance, Next will have a separate living room and administrative space

On the second floor, patrons will have access to a walking track, the YMCA wellness area a Next fitness area, multi-purpose rooms with movable par titions, built-in booths overlooking the pool and enclosed study rooms

Stock explained that the materials included in two designs were chosen from an online study conducted in Febr uar y Concrete, steel, brick, panels and glass window walls were deemed appropriate materials based on the sur vey results and incorporated into Neumann/Smith’s designs Board members generally favored the design that incorporated neutral colors and materials but some expressed concer ns about the amount of windows around the building impacting the neighbors

Most board members took time to comment on the parking situation for the building The designs presented

by Stock show 125 on-site parking spaces and along with street parking and agreements with sur rounding businesses to make up the 40 additional spaces typically required for a building this size

Stock said the designs also incorporate a reconfiguration of Floyd Street to now have parking Board member Stuar t Jeffares said he wor ries about encroaching on the neighborhood with the reconfiguration of Floyd and added that street parking on Lincoln can be difficult and to park at the church, one of the sur rounding proper ties Stock suggested, patrons would have to walk around the entire building to get to the entrance of the center

Several board members noted they were concer ned about the traffic flow of the site with some suggesting a traffic study would be beneficial for the project

As the meeting was held for a preapplication discussion, no for mal action was taken by the board Stock said the item will be back on the city commission agenda on Monday, May 5, to talk about costs, sustainability and materials

Changes to ordinance on small cell wireless

By Dana Casadei

Multiple changes to the small cell wireless communications facilities ordinance were approved by the Bloomfield Township Board of Tr ustees on Monday, May 13

Ordinance 695 had four amendments in total, each which will hopefully make it easier for small cell wireless companies to come into the township and set up equipment to help improve cell phone ser vice in the area

“ The intent here was to streamline the process to maintain our control of the extent of what we ’ re allowed to by law, but also make it a little more effective for the businesses that want to do this work for us in the township to help improve cellular coverage, ” said clerk Mar tin Brook

The board voted on the changes with little feedback to a contrast presented by township attor ney Alana Knox about the ordinance at the board's meeting on Monday, April 28

At that meeting, multiple tr ustees discussed how good this would be for the township

Two of the approved changes were about the size of cell phone poles; allowing for 45 foot poles in

residentially zoned areas and 50 foot poles in commercially zoned areas Knox said that this change came about af ter receiving feedback from small cell wireless companies that taller poles would allow them to use fewer poles within the township She also mentioned that had been a lot o applications for poles over 40 feet

The township board may grant a waiver for the height requirements in residential areas and per mit a pole of over 45 feet, or in commercial areas, per mit a pole over 50 feet

Given how many of the small cell wireless companies are repeat customers in the township the ordinance passed will no longer make them meet again with the township’s small cell wireless committee if they decide to do more work in Bloomfield Township

New small cell wireless companies will still be required to go through the pre-meeting process

The four th amendment to the ordinance regarded the application itself that a company tur ns in

Within that application there is a list of items that the applicant needs to tur n in, like having the number of wireless facilities that will be deployed or a site plan Ordinance 695 removed a few of items off of that list

Applicants are already demonstrating industr y standards with their application, so township engineers felt comfor table removing items such as the need for a company ’ s demonstration of compliance with ANSI/TIA 222- G -2 standards, which can be found online and are industr y wide

The goal of these removals is not to lower standards, but nar row in on the items that are actually impor tant to the township, and ones that the township can review and have the experience that they know what they ’ re looking at, officials said

Two bistros get okay to pursue license

By Grace Lovins

Two new Bir mingham restaurants were given the green light by the city commission during the Monday, April 21, meeting to pursue the two bistro liquor licenses available

Af ter Monday ’ s meeting, there are cur rently three restaurants given per mission by the commission to pursue one of the two available licenses

The two restaurants Amalfi Coast and Kemosabe are both

Shell station now able to sell alcohol

By Dana Casadei

For the first time in the histor y of the township, the Bloomfield Township Board of Tr ustees on Monday, May 12, voted unanimously to approve a local gas station the right to sell alcoholic beverages on site

The request is the first since township tr ustees adopted an ordinance last November to allow for automobile ser vice stations to ser ve alcohol if specific criteria could be met

The Shell station, located at 6490 Telegraph Road, met the ordinance’s lengthy list of requirements in order to sell alcoholic beverages, which are still not as lengthy or stringent as what was previously required

“ We spent a lot of time deliberating the amendment to the ordinance and I think this is a good result; I’m pleased to suppor t this,” said treasurer Michael Schostak

Located within a B -3 general business district, the existing ser vice station maintains a minimum 750 foot distance to a local school; exceeds the required 0 51 acres land area; does not have a drive thr u or offer vehicle repair; and also exceeds the minimum building requirement of 2,000-square-feet for alcohol sales This ser vice station stands at 2,340square-feet

The station’s cur rent hours will also remain the same, with no changes proposed, even though they were given approval to be open for 24 hours through a special land use approval in 2019

No changes are planned for the outside of the store either, and there were no public comments when the public hearing was held at the board’s meeting on Monday

“I know this has been a long process for the proper ty owner over 10 years, cer tainly he and his business have been thoroughly vetted,” said tr ustee Neal Bar nett “As someone who was originally opposed to this ordinance, I’m ver y confident in the owner and ver y suppor tive of this request that’s been presented ”

The gas station will plan to sell wine, beer and liquor Selling beer, wine, and liquor may be uncommon in Bloomfield Township, but not the rest of the area, with many municipalities around Bloomfield Township allowing for this kind of sales at gas stations

As of last spring, Bloomfield Township had never had one of its gas stations submit a site plan application for a liquor license, causing the board of tr ustees to wonder why They asked the depar tment of planning, building and ordinance to investigate, leading to the new requirements

With those original standards only three of the township’s 12 gas stations even qualified to be able to apply

The new amendments will allow for a few more of Bloomfield Township gas stations to obtain either a SDD or SDM license to sell alcohol

The next step for the Shell gas station is to appear before the zoning board of appeals so they can obtain a liquor sign that would go on the outside of the building

Approval passed 5-0, with tr ustees Valerie Mur ray and Chris Kolinski not in attendance

located on N Old Woodward at the nor ther n end of Bir mingham’s downtown

According to planning director Nick Dupuis, Amalfi Coast will ser ve Mediter ranean-Italian style food, calling it an under represented cuisine in the nor th side of the city The owners, Marks and Sam Lanfear, explained that the food and atmosphere would combine Italian with Middle Easter n/Mediter ranean food with a war m, authentic aesthetic that draws people to the

be opposition to that,” per mayor Therese Longe

The second restaurant vying for one of the city ’ s bistro licenses is Kemosabe, set to inhabit the location of Cafe Succo at the nor ther n end of downtown Bir mingham Owner Rober t Esshaki and developer Brian Najor said the restaurant will be a French bistro style restaurant modeled af ter the well-known Au Cheval restaurant in Chicago

Dupuis explained the restaurant is ooking to have 54 indoor seats and 16 outdoor seats with both a ground loor outdoor dining area and roof top dining area on the second stor y of the building They would build an addition out into the patio space to accommodate the roof top dining Commissioners voted 7-0 to allow both restaurants to move for ward to he planning board level to pursue a bistro license The city allows two new bistros and two restaurants to ransition into bistros per cycle, which star ts ever y October, per Dupuis

There are cur rently three estaurants given per mission to pursue a bistro license: Amalfi Coast, Kemosabe and Mar row, which has not yet submitted any plans to the planning board for review

nor ther n par t of the downtown The preliminar y designs displayed to the commission showed the layout is similar to the for mer The French Lady restaurant which used to occupy the space They are planning to have about 28 seats total with an outdoor dining deck in the rear of the building, facing the river to the east Commissioners cautioned the Lanfears about proposing a deck in that location, telling them to be mindful of sound and lighting for the platfor m because “there will no doubt

Gaudreau to lead The Community House

Alison Gaudreau, with a strong background in the nonprofit world, has been named as the new president of The Community House in Bir mingham, effective Monday, May 5

The Community House is an conic, nonprofit organization with a mission to impact lives through educational, social and outreach experiences to provide the funds to help others in need It employs approximately 50 individuals

According to background nfor mation supplied by the Community House, Gaudreau and her family have resided in Oakland County for 27 years She received her Bachelor of Science degree from Michigan State University, with a major in engineering She has also par ticipated in the Bloomberg Philanthropies Ar ts Innovation and Management Program through the DeVos Institute of Ar ts Management Her career has been focused on the nonprofit world, star ting as a consultant in fund development for nonprofits such as Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings; St Joseph Mercy

kland Hospital; and New Center mmunity Ser vices Her career then her to higher education in executive development positions at both Oakland University and Michigan State University, achieving success in engagement and donor elations, major gif ts and board management

Camille Jayne, cur rently the board chair and a past president of The Community House who has been helping for several months in both he search for a new president and a evitalization of the institution, issued he following statement about Gaudreau taking over: “I could not be more pleased to have Alison come on board to continue to lead the evitalization in The Community House s life cycle I am proud that over the last few months our team has successfully put TCH back on rack delivering on its mission of giving back to those in need and being a community umbrella helping other charities to their good work,

and we are ver y grateful to the community for their suppor t ” she added

Jayne said that in their search, The Community House looked for a candidate with strong career exper tise in fund development and strategic planning, who was principled, of high integrity and had the ability to take the nonprofit to the next level of sustainability “ We are confident that Alison is the right person at the right time to lead our ver y dedicated TCH team and the revitalization to new heights due to her years of astute and successful donor relations experience, operational excellence and events management ”

Gaudreau said she was “honored to ser ve as president of The Community House a nonprofit organization that has a long legacy of ser ving the sur rounding community I am committed to upholding our promise that ever yone with whom we connect will experience heightened lear ning, camaraderie, and the

satisfaction of knowing they are helping others through our community outreach programs ”

“I look for ward to building on the strong foundation of programs and tr usted relationships that Camille and the team have cultivated, fostering an environment where connections begin, generosity grows, and together, we continue to make a lasting impact "

Jayne will continue on as board chair assisting Gaudreau “I, the employees and the entire board are looking for ward to par tnering with and lear ning from Alison,” said Jayne, “and I look for ward to being a TCH ambassador and suppor ter in the years ahead ”

Bell Bistro proposes more outdoor dining

By Grace Lovins

In a unique situation with outdoor dining along N Old Woodward, Bell Bistro has brought plans to the city of Bir mingham for expanded outdoor dining that extends into the storefront of neighboring business Paris Baguette, which Bir mingham’s Planning Board reviewed during its Wednesday, April 23, meeting

Bell Bistro, a newly renovated and recently opened restaurant at 185 N Old Woodward, worked through numerous approaches with city staff to expand their outdoor dining, said planning director Nick Dupuis

The bistro was originally approved for one table with four seats in front of the facility during their initial application as the reconstr uction of N Old Woodward eliminated their ability to put out the outdoor dining deck that the for mer Mad Hatter bistro had in the street The new proposal shows a facility with 22 seats sur rounded by a required 42 inch tall par tition

Dupuis said that the dining facility extends beyond Bell Bistro’s storefront into Paris Baguette’s, but does not necessarily extend into different proper ties as both buildings are owned by the same proper ty owner Paris Baguette, Bell Bistro and city planners have worked with the proper ty owner but written approval would be needed before going in front of the city commission, Dupuis said Wednesday ’ s meeting only included plans for Bell Bistro, so before the plans are presented to the city commission, Paris Baguette must also submit a revised site plan that shows the changes recommended for approval by the planning board

Board members generally stated they liked the creative solution but had

GAUDREAU

concer ns about recommending the bistro’s plans for approval if it could negatively impact Paris Baguette The owner of Paris Baguette, who attended the meeting with Bell Bistro told the board they were okay with the change as long as both plans are approved

In response to the board’s concer ns, member Daniel Share proposed approval with the condition that plans from Paris Baguette are submitted and administratively approved by Dupuis before the commission reviews the item

Board members voted unanimously, 5-0, to recommend approval of the special land use per mit amendment and final site plan and design to the commission with the aforementioned conditions Alter nate board member Naseem Ramin voted in place of a regular member as Ber t Koseck, Br yan Williams and Stuar t Jeffares were absent from the meeting

Social Kitchen pulls renovation plans

By Grace Lovins

Af ter being denied a variance request by the Bir mingham Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA), Social Kitchen & Bar, 225 E Maple, withdrew its application for a special land use per mit amendment from the city commission before the star t of the Monday, April 21, meeting

Social Kitchen, a Bir mingham staple in operation since 2012, is in the process of designing a new outdoor dining patio to replace the cur rent one on the east side of the building The new design featured an aluminum pergola with a roof and glass transom, which goes against the city ’ s outdoor dining ordinance

The bistro’s plans also showed that they would have an excess seat count on the outdoor dining patio of 21 seats As a bistro, outdoor dining seats are limited to 65 seats per bistro, but Social’s plans showed 86 seats in the dining patio

While at the planning board level, board members recommended approval of Social’s new patio to the city commission on the condition that the bistro obtain two variances from the BZA, or that the roof and transom be removed from the designs and the seat count drops to 65 seats Social went before the BZA on March 24, 2025, and was denied variances for both the excess seats and outdoor dining enclosure

Social withdrew its application for the final site plan and design review of the outdoor dining patio before

Monday ’ s meeting, and as such commissioners did not review the item fur ther

Teuta outdoor dining plans not complete

By Grace Lovins

Br unch restaurant Teuta, located at 168 W Maple Road in Bir mingham, is looking to add an outdoor dining area to the business’s amenities but the planning board members reviewed the proposal which ultimately ended with postponement due to the plans being incomplete

City planner Leah Blizinski noted that the restaurant is proposing to add an outdoor dining platfor m in the W Maple right- of-way with four tables and eight total chairs As of the meeting on Wednesday, May 7, there is only one other outdoor dining platfor m in the area at Dick O’ Dows, two storefronts down from Teuta Blizinski wrote in the memorandum to the board that Cafe Origins, across the street from Dick O’ Dows, is also in the process of applying for outdoor dining

The plans submitted by Teuta, said Blizinski, did not include specification sheets for the proposed materials as well as the details for outdoor dining elements including trash cans, overhead protection and heating elements

On top of the missing materials, planning board members took issue with the platfor m's displacement of an ADA parking space on the street

According to Blizinski, the city planning depar tment would not recommend approval of the plans if the ADA space is lost, but staff are looking into the possibility of transitioning the next parking space over to an ADA space Teuta would have to pick up the associated costs as a condition of approval

Several board members expressed fr ustrations over the representatives from Teuta not attending the meeting to fur ther explain the plans and address the missing materials

Planning board chair Scott Clein said Teuta was just one of multiple businesses over the past few meetings that have not attended meetings where their applications were on the agenda

The board’s last meeting included the postponement of outdoor dining plans for Luxe and Origins Cafe as questions were lef t unanswered due to no business representation being in attendance

Board members voted unanimously to postpone consideration of Teuta’s plans until the Wednesday, June 11, meeting

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City agrees library can set its millage rate

By David Hohendorf

It appears that a longstanding question of who sets the millage rate for the Bir mingham Baldwin Public Librar y has been resolved in favor of the librar y board following a May 8 meeting between Bir mingham City Manager Janna Ecker and Baldwin Public Librar y Director Rebekah Craf t and legal counsel for both gover nment units

compare with ser vices now provided by the city, prompted by a debate over ser vice charges from the city that were increased substantially in late Febr uar ty

The city provides and bills the librar y for human resource ser vices, payroll ser vices and financial ser vices, along with levying a charge for collection of the millage and a por tion of proper ty assessment costs

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Although neither the city nor the librar y has made a for mal public announcement of the decision reached at the early May meeting, officials from both organizations say that the city agreed that Baldwin Public Librar y is a totally independent librar y and is entitled to set its own millage rate when planning budgets each year

The issue of whether the city commission could tell the librar y what millage rate the librar y could set was rekindled in recent weeks when it was proposed that the librar y might lower its millage rate now that the three-phase constr uction project for the librar y was completed The suggestion of a millage decrease was made as a means of buffering taxpayers if a bond issue to build a community center was placed on the ballot There have been other instances in past years where the city commission has attempted to exer t control over the librar y ’ s millage rate

In advance of the May 8 meeting, librar y legal counsel, Anne Seur ynck of the Foster Swif t fir m, presented the city with suppor ting documents outlining how the librar y was originally for med and how it is now operating as a city librar y under state law Public Act 164 Section 10a as opposed to being gover ned by the city char ter as officials for the past 20 years have maintained

With this issue resolved, the librar y board on Tuesday, May 20, voted to reconfir m the millage rate for the next fiscal year at 1 2789 mills When the librar y was originally for med through a vote of the electorate, the maximum millage was set at 1 75 mills but the Headlee Tax Limitation Amendment rolls back the millage rates each year, hence the lower rate for the coming fiscal year

At the librar y board meeting this week, board members authorized the librar y director to research the cost of ser vices from third par ties to

The charges from the city, which have not been updated in over 15 years, according to city officials, were at $105,000 annually and in the new proposal have been raised to $219,000

Librar y director Craf t explained to the board that legal counsel has advised her that collecting of taxes and assessment of proper ty is a function of the city and librar y law does not provide that such charges can be passed on to an independent librar y Craf t shared with board members that she felt a “ more equitable amount of payment” would be $89,454, with the librar y paying for ser vices of human resources, payroll and financial work only

The librar y director said she has compared how other neighboring libraries handle such items and felt an obligation to gather cost infor mation from private companies before engaging in fur ther discussion with city officials

Marrow seeks outdoor dining deck permit

By Grace Lovins

New butcher shop Mar row, 283 Hamilton Row in Bir mingham, is pursuing an outdoor dining area for patrons and presented their application to the city ’ s planning board during the Wednesday, May 14, meeting

Mar row, which opened in December, is a butcher shop and eater y featuring hot and cold sandwiches and burgers among other items As written on their website, the shop also offers retail sales of fresh meat cuts, house-made deli meats, sausages, sundries, dr y goods and takeout wine

Preliminar y plans showed an outdoor dining deck in the street with five tables and a total of 20 chairs Per city planner Leah Blizinski, the deck would take up two parking spaces and slightly extend into the fur nishing zone of the sidewalk to provide a ramp from the sidewalk to the deck

If Mar row ’ s proposal were to be

approved, the deck would be the four th on the street behind Greek Islands, Bir mingham Sushi and Commonwealth

Pauline Knighton-Pr ueter, vice president of operations for Mar row, told the board that Mar row ’ s team had scaled back the design to take up only one parking space and the’X’ next to it which allows room for cars to pull in and out of the parking space The submitted plans, however, didn t reflect the new concept which the board stated they would need to see if the shop continues to pursue the deck

Board members also suggested Mar row consider switching from placing an outdoor dining deck in the street to utilizing the fur nishing zone to place tables and chairs which would eliminate the need for a deck Planning board chair Scott Clein indicated that while Mar row may have to lose some outdoor seats from their original proposal, using the sidewalk would alleviate any issues with occupying onstreet parking spaces

Because this was a pre-application discussion, no for mal action was taken by the board Board members provided feedback that Mar row talk with

planning director Nick Dupuis to discuss the feasibility of using the sidewalk instead of installing a deck, sor ting the design of how the deck would fit into the on-street parking spaces and, when the times comes in the process, retur n with images that show Mar row ’ s proposed deck in relation to the existing decks at other restaurants

Plans for two bistros postponed by city

By Grace Lovins

Reviews of plans for outdoor dining areas for two Bir mingham bistros Luxe at 525 N Old Woodward and Origins Cafe at 163

West Maple were delayed by the city ’ s planning board during the Wednesday, April 23, meeting because board members were lef t with questions regarding both restaurants' plans that went unanswered as no representatives from either bistro were in attendance

Per planning director Nick Dupuis, both bistros submitted plans for outdoor dining facilities, Luxe for a

renovation of their existing facility and Origins Cafe for a new outdoor dining platfor m

Origins Cafe’s proposed platfor m would be located in the West Maple right of way with space for five tables and 20 seats Dupuis noted that several elements required for site plan approval were missing from the plans including the pedestrian walking path and the material of the proposed bar riers The plans also indicate the bistro will expand beyond their proper ty line which required approval of the proper ty owner to proceed

When it comes to Luxe bistro, the planning board has held preapplication discussions on the bistro’s outdoor dining plans during the March 26 and April 9 meetings

Luxe’s previous outdoor dining area was located on both sides of the sidewalk, which is no longer allowed under the outdoor dining ordinance

The new proposal looks to add retractable awnings over the dining area while also moving all tables and chairs to one side, reducing their seat count to 36 seats but meeting the ordinance requirements

As with Origins Cafe, representatives for Luxe were not in attendance for the meeting, so questions raised by board members during their previous discussions could not be answered Board members agreed to push the discussion and asked Dupuis to bring the bistro’s cur rent outdoor dining set up and pictures of the area to the next discussion on the topic

A for mal motion by the board was made only for postponing discussions on Origin Cafe’s outdoor dining proposal as Luxe’s plans were par t of a pre-application discussion Board members voted 5-0 to postpone the final site plan and design review of Origins Cafe and agreed to push discussions on Luxe’s proposal until representatives are able to attend a meeting

Major grant for the South Eton project

Bir mingham has been awarded a $2 23 million grant to fund a major por tion of a S Eton Road bike lanes project in the Rail District of the city

2025 Birmingham Bloomfield Cultural Arts Awards

Our 30th Year

Nominations are due by July 18, 2025

In 2023, the Multi-Modal Transpor tation Board worked with residents and businesses to create an updated S Eton road design that incorporated pedestrian enhancements and bike lanes on each side of the street The city has been working to secure a TAP (Transpor tation Alter native Program) grant to fund a large por tion of the project

The SEMCOG Regional Review Committee recently announced the S Eton Road bike lanes project has been selected to receive the TAP funding for a total award of $2,231,297

Project design work will be completed from fall 2025 through spring 2026, and constr uction along S Eton between Maple and 14 Mile will begin in the summer of 2026

Birmingham budget, water rates okayed

By Grace Lovins

Bir mingham City cCommissioners approved the 2025-2026 fiscal year budget and water and sewer rates during the Monday, May 19, meeting, giving the green light for the roughly $53 8 million budget to begin on July 1, 2025, for the fiscal year

The city ’ s budget shows major expenditures toward public safety, accounting for $21 4 million of the general fund, and public works, which includes streets, sidewalks,

water and sewer utilities and the parking system, accounting for $6 1 million of the general fund Overall, city expenditures are decreasing from last fiscal year ’ s budget by approximately five percent

Finance director Mar y Chavez said that following the April 26 budget hearing, city staff incorporated the commission’s feedback and were able to adjust the budget for cer tain items, namely road projects

Commissioners emphasized prioritizing pavement improvements to multiple streets Cole, Oak and E Lincoln during the public hearing Chavez explained that the budget was adjusted to include the resur facing of Cole Street and Oak Street had already been planned for the year She said that the city plans to include E Lincoln in the next fiscal year budget

Other adjustments to the budget following April’s hearing include an increased budgeted amount for assessing ser vices provided by Oakland County due to increased rates, as well as an increase in the planning depar tment budget for wayfinding initiatives Changes were also made to reflect the final sewage and stor m water costs from the Oakland County Resources Commission (OCWRC), which Chavez says were higher than originally anticipated

Af ter commissioners unanimously approved the budget in a 5-0 vote, they moved on to approve the water

and sewer rates for the fiscal year Chavez explained the water rates are recommended to increase to approximately $11 per month or a total of $134 10 for a year for the average homeowner Sewer rates will increase to approximately $13 per month or $145 80 for the year for the average homeowner

Chavez said the water rates are increasing in par t due to funding for capital improvements to the water system, and the sewer rates similarly are increasing due to higher cost of stor mwater rates and needed maintenance of drains

The commission unanimously, 5-0, approved the increased water and sewer rates for the fiscal year Commissioners Andrew Haig and Jason Emerine were absent from the meeting

New ownership and name for Sprazzo

By Grace Lovins

Sprazzo, located at 115 Willits in Bir mingham, will be replaced by a new fine-dining Italian restaurant called e Fiore af ter city commissioners approved the ownership change during the Monday, May 19, meeting, marking the second ownership change over the last year\ for the business

E Fiore’s new owners, Luciano DelSignore and Nicole Antakli, underAbr uzzese Hospitality, are

known within the city for their cur rent venture, Casa Per noi bistro at 310 E Maple Delsignore additionally owns and operates as the chef of Bacco Ristorante in Southfield and Bigalora Pizza in several metro -detroit locations

According to the restaurant’s attor ney, Kelly Allen of Adkison, Need, Allen & Rentrop, the business will feature a sophisticated and relaxed ambiance with an Italian lifestyle dining experience

While there will not be a major renovation of the existing building per planning director Nick Dupuis, there will be changes to the interior of the space Dupuis said the restaurant’s seat count will also decrease from 190 indoor seats to 170 seats The restaurant will also continue to hold a liquor license to provide alcohol to guests

Per Dupuis, the restaurant ownership was previously transfer red in July 2024 to Bir mingham Omni Hospitality to become Sprazzo Prior to the new ownership and name change, the business was Màre Mediter ranean

City commissioners, with no comments on the presentation, voted unanimously 5-0 to approve the transfer of ownership to Abr uzzese Hospitality Commissioners Jason Emerine and Andrew Haig were absent from the meeting

FA C E S

Howard Emmer

Successful, self-made and energetic business owner Howard Emmer was inspired to explore his creative side in a new way by writing his first book, “A Father’s W ish,” which was published last year

The easy-to-read book is a work of fiction rooted in family, spirituality and humor The story and lessons are inspired by real life and Emmer’s desire to pass along to his only child, Max, the wisdom of his father, who died in his fifties.

“I knew I had a story to tell It’s something to see my voice coming off the pages along with my often very dark, funny sense of humor,” he explained “The book is fiction plus fantasy plus a hell of a lot of truth The story is very deep, and it will make you laugh, smile and cry ”

Emmer admits he always tests those who say they have read his book “One of my brothers said he read the book, and I asked him what he thought of the part about one of our dogs we had while growing up He said it was touching, poignant – then I replied that I didn’t even mention the dog,” he said laughingly

He added, “Unlike in the book, I never had a bad relationship with Max In fact, we see each other every day I wanted to make sure to teach my son everything my dad taught me...and then pass it on to his son, Rocky.”

Emmer also credits his editor, Samantha Ziegelman, with helping his story reach publication

The author grew up very modestly as one of three brothers in Los Angeles, California When he was in ninth grade, the family moved to Oklahoma for a year, where he learned about metaphysical science from a teacher who deviated from the planned curriculum.

He revealed that this serendipitous exposure has positively affected his outlook on life by opening his mind to spirituality, fantasy travel, meditation, numerology and more

The Bloomfield Hills resident and his wife, Ilene, met in California on a blind date 45 years ago They married and moved back to her home state of Michigan where they have built a life and family together. They are grateful to have their son, daughter-in-law and grandson living nearby The couple now spends winters in L A , which is where Emmer started writing his book

Since Emmer would like to see “A Father’s W ish” turned into a movie, he regularly leaves copies of his book on tables of famous people when dining out in Beverly Hills, California. “I’ve been selling things since I was five years old – the worst thing they can say is 'no '”

For much of his life, Emmer said he used his creativity to write children’s poems and stories as well as playful songs for special occasions, but now that he has published a book, he would like to write a one- or two-person comedy play or show “I’d love to involve my wife, but she says, ‘no way ’”

Emmer has spent over four decades as the owner of successful Michiganbased companies, Specialty Kitchens and Baths and Quick Shower Glass, and offers aspiring entrepreneurs the same advice he received from his father: “Be truthful and honest with family, friends and in business – and treat everyone with respect ”

He adds, “Organization and integrity are important to success and being late is disrespectful – if you’re not 15 minutes early, you’re late I built my own wealth and success this way ”

When he’s not working or writing, Emmer enjoys staying active with pickleball, tennis, golf and daily walks with his son He and his wife also love to travel

“I was put on this earth to love life, share stories, laugh, and make people feel good,” he said. “I’m blessed.”

Story:

Tracy Donohue

Photo: Laurie Tennent

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B U S I N E S S M AT T E R S

Drop 02 boutique open

A new advanced contemporar y menswear boutique, Drop 02, has opened its doors at 230 E Mer rill Street in downtown Bir mingham Founded by brothers Hass, Mo, and Ali Saleh, the store blends high-end streetwear with globally sourced contemporar y fashion The Saleh brothers are no strangers to the retail world They grew up working in their family ’ s boutique, Fashion Connection, in Kalamazoo, where they developed a deep-rooted passion for fashion and customer ser vice Af ter four years in the corporate world, Hass Saleh felt the pull back to his retail roots “It’s one of those things that I always missed since I moved here,” said Saleh “ We had a lot of friends in Bir mingham that we did Facetime sales with from our store in Kalamazoo, and we thought, why don’t we just open a store in the Bir mingham market?” Drop 02 is more than just a store it’s a curated experience The brothers travel to Paris Fashion Week and Milan Fashion Week to hand-pick collections Marquee brands include Casablanca, Rhude, Represent, Purple, and Drôle De Monsieur But what tr uly sets Drop 02 apar t is its personalized approach When customers visit Drop 02, they can get help with stylizing to achieve a new look from top to bottom “ We like to sell them an experience it’s more than just selling them a pair of jeans, we want to know what the occasion is to let us help you elevate the look,” Saleh

A sweet location

Michigan-based chocolatier Bon Bon Bon has opened its fif th brickand-mor tar located at 217 S Old Woodward, next to the Bir mingham 8 Theatre Additional locations include Midtown Detroit, Parker ’ s Alley in downtown Detroit, Fer ndale’s Rust Belt Market, and in Nickels Arcade in Ann Arbor On Saturdays, Bon Bon Bon chocolates can also be found at Detroit’s Easter n Market “Bon Bon Bon is thrilled to announce the upcoming opening of our fif th Michigan location this time in beautiful downtown Bir mingham,” shared Mar Manzanares-Brock, Bon Bon Bon’s Communications

Super visor “ We can’t wait to bring our good goodies to the Bir mingham community and share our handmade chocolate creations in a sweet new space ” Bon Bon Bon is headquar tered in Hamtramck and was founded in 2014 by head chocolatier

Alexandra Clark Clark and her chocolate company have received numerous accolades from various national publications and organizations including Martha Stewart (American Made Honoree), Crain’s (20 in their 20s), Forbes Magazine (30 Under 30 list) The chocolatier is known for its innovative, handmade chocolate bonbons, and has become a local favorite for both its flavors and its philosophy: “good people deser ve good chocolate ” For more infor mation, visit bonbonbon com

The

Birmingham Tailor

Since establishing his Bir mingham shop in 2000, Ali Cheaib has been meticulously altering, repairing, and reimagining his clients’ most beloved gar ments transfor ming wardrobe dilemmas into per fect fits Now, af ter more than two decades on the second floor of 139 W Maple Road, Cheaib is preparing to move his thriving tailoring studio to a new, customdesigned space in downtown Bir mingham The relocation to 280 N Old Woodward, Suite 107, is set for the first week of July and will offer customers enhanced convenience with ground-floor access Cheaib’s career in tailoring began in Lebanon, where he was raised in a family deeply rooted in the craf t Af ter immigrating to the U S in 1997, he followed local advice and opened his Bir mingham shop, quickly ear ning a reputation as a premier tailor Today, his business employs a team of five skilled tailors and seamstresses and holds contracts with luxur y boutiques in the Somerset Collection, including Her mès, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, and Prada While his client list reads like a who’s who of fashion and film, Cheaib points to two moments as defining highlights of his career: being credited for his tailoring work on

the blockbuster film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, where he altered costumes for stars such as Ben Affleck, Jeremy Irons, and Amy Adams; and his company ’ s response to the COVID -19 pandemic, during which his team produced over 15,000 face masks including 2,500 surgical-grade masks for local hospitals “It’s all about oppor tunity at the right time,” Cheaib reflects “I’m a guy who believes in the universe when luck comes to your door, just be there to open it ”

Mister Style American HQ

Mister Style will be expanding its physical presence into Michigan with an all-new boutique design studio and showroom located at 288 E Maple Road in Bir mingham Mister Style is an interior design and home staging company based in Windsor, Ontario The new location will become the US headquar ters, expanding its suite of design and home fur nishing offerings even fur ther across Nor th America The company offers a range of ser vices, including full home staging, mixed staging and interior design, aiming to help clients prepare and present their homes for sale “ While we of ten frequent showroom visitors from across the river at our flagship location in Windsor, we are ecstatic to now welcome American clients into a place of their own We will continue to update you as we prepare this space for our opening, and will announce more details ver y soon Mister Style will continue to ser ve you thoughtfully designed interiors, home staging ser vices, and our expansive showroom in Windsor, ON and our South team will continue to offer design ser vices and proper ty outfitting solutions in Naples, FL,” reads a post on the company ’ s Instagram page

Business Matters for the BirminghamBloomfield area are reported by Gigi Nichols. Send items for consideration to GigiNichols@downtownpublications com Items should be received three weeks prior to publication

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DOLLARS– LET US HELP YOU SLEEP BETTER AT NIGHT.

NEXT NOTEBOOK

For nearly 50 years, Next has been our community's best-kept secret — perhaps because the most meaningful connections often happen quietly, one person at a time.

But in an attempt to raise awareness, I’d like to share our story. The genesis of Next is important to understand in order to appreciate why we are a 501(c)(3) and not a municipal department as in most other communities. Next was created in 1979 out of a vision of the Birmingham Public Schools to engage the entire community with life-long learning opportunities. The schools provided space and, in turn, Next has served the senior residents that fell within the Birmingham Public Schools borders, strengthening community ties.

Next has been where people come when they're not sure where else to go. When someone retires and suddenly has too much time on their hands. When a spouse dies and the house feels too quiet. When health challenges make driving difficult but the isolation is unwelcome.

We are the place where former teachers find new students to mentor. Where experienced professionals pass along decades of wisdom. Where someone celebrating their 85th birthday has friends to share cake with. Where seniors discover new beginnings.

In 2012, as more seniors needed our services, our four Birmingham Public Schools partner communities formalized their support in an Interlocal agreement. Today, Birmingham, Beverly Hills, Franklin, and Bingham Farms contribute about 18 percent to our operating budget. The balance of our budget is generated through fundraisers, sponsorships, donations, grants and fees. This diverse funding model allows us to efficiently provide quality programs and services, while maintaining a strong positive net income every year, ensuring we can continue to reliably serve our communities. As an independent 501(c)(3) , Next strategically leverages every dollar in order to deliver comprehensive services that would cost municipalities significantly more to provide independently.

We are proud and humbled to see our steady growth over the years. Our numbers tell the story of success — and community need:

• In 2014: 1,000 members, 35 weekly operational hours, 400 visits per week.

• Today: 2,300 members, 52+ weekly operational hours, and 1,500+ weekly visits to attend over 250 monthly programs.

• Yearly, over 13,500 times non-member and member residents receive critical resources and services to remain independent.

As Next continues to grow, we look forward to better serving seniors as we transition to a space suited to their unique needs. Currently, in the constraints of just 10,000 square feet, we often have to cap programs or have long wait lists — nor do we have the space or amenities needed to accommodate a rapidly growing senior population.

Next has served as Birmingham’s trusted senior service provider for almost 50 years. Our mission has not changed. We continue to passionately promote the power of healthy aging and positively transform lives. We remain steadfast in our commitment to care for, advocate for and protect seniors.

Aging can look very different for each of us as we face the inevitabilities of growing a bit older but Next will always be a dependable constant. Next is about making sure your neighbor — or you — have somewhere to turn when life changes. Because it will change. That's the one thing we all have in common.

THE COMMUNITY HOUSE

TCH Names New President: Camille Jayne, Board Chair of The Community House (TCH), announced that Alison Gaudreau was named new president as of May 5, 2025. In their search, TCH looked for a principled leader of high integrity with strong career expertise in fund development, donor relations, strategic planning and operational excellence with the ability to take the nonprofit to the next level of sustainability. “We are confident that Alison is the right person at the right time to lead our very dedicated TCH team and the Revitalization to new heights due to her years of successful efforts at MSU, Oakland University and Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings,” Jayne said.

“I look forward to building on the strong foundation of programs and trusted relationships that Camille and the team have cultivated, fostering an environment where connections begin, generosity grows and together we continue to make a lasting impact," stated Gaudreau.

“With grateful support from the community, over the last few months our team has put TCH back on track delivering on its mission of giving back to those in need, “ Jayne added. Jayne will continue as board chair.

Celebrating Nonagenarians! 90 & Beyond Luncheon, Wednesday, June 18th 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.: Come thank those who built our community by honoring people in their 90s. Keynote speaker Alan Cobb, FAIA, Chairman Emeritus Albert Kahn Associates, Inc. will give a retrospective on architecture in Metro Detroit over the past 90 years. 90+year-olds attend free ($35 for others). Sponsored by Mills Pharmacy, Clark Hill, and Daville Consortium. Complimentary photography by Aly Darin. A percentage of the proceeds will benefit FAR.

Come For Free Coffee, Workspace or Conversation on Wednesday and Thursday Mornings: As the “Community’s House” for gathering, stop by on Wednesdays and Thursdays, 9 a.m.-noon for free coffee/tea, a place to work or just to “get away” in our Hoglund Room. Cards and board games available. Sign in at our front desk. We welcome everyone 18 years or older. Maximum 30 people.

40th Annual OUR TOWN Art Show & Sale Call for Entries: An iconic, allmedia juried art show of Michigan artists selling one-of-a-kind art pieces. Artists over 18 can visit communityhousehelps.org to submit entries by September 10th. VIP First Look Reception on October 30th and open to the public with no admission charge Oct. 31-Nov. 1. Sales benefit our nonprofit partners Friendship Circle clients and Oakland University undergraduate artists.

Register for June Classes! Master Series Cocktail Class; Expert-level mixology; Hatha Yoga and Gentle Yoga with Marianne - both eight-week series; Mat Pilates six-week series; Balance Workshop With Physical Therapist Dawn Thomas; Kindermusik Playdates; NEW Summer themed Soccer Stars series; Family Style Etiquette - a family evening of fun learning; Etiquette for Adults led by The Etiquette Guru; Get Your Groove Back - a Coaching Workshop for Divorced Women; Thriving in the In-Between - a three-part Mental Fitness Workshop for the Sandwich Generation; First Time Homebuyer Seminar.

Summer Camps that Spark Creativity June 16-August 15th: Youth Theatre; Teen Etiquette Reboot; Etiquette Camp; Chess Wizards; Youth Theatre; NASA Academy; Science in Motion; Eureka STEM-Makers Camp; Gymnastics & Cheer with Tumblebunnies; All Sports with Tumblebunnies; Storytime Art with Kidcreate Studio; Paw Patrol with Kidcreate Studio; Sesame Street Gang with Kidcreate Studio.

Register for any of the above at: communityhousehelps.org or call 248.644.5832.

Save September 27th Evening: Pillars of Vibrancy Jubilee: Celebrate seven distinguished Pillars in Education, Wellness, Culture and Philanthropy. Lois Shaevsky, chair. Sponsors: Bank of America, Corewell Health and Daville Consortium. Details to follow. Tickets available July 1.

Camille Jayne, Board Chair, and Alison Gaudreau, President.

Cris Braun is Executive Director of Birmingham Next

Cris Braun

P L A C E S T O E AT

48302 248 540 7220 cityscapedeli com

Commonwealth: American Breakfast & Lunch, daily No reservations 300 Hamilton Row, Birmingham, 48009 248 792 9766 gocommonwealth com

The Places To Eat for Downtown is a quick reference source to establishments offering a place for dining, either breakfast, lunch or dinner The listings include nearly all dining establishments with seating in the Birmingham/Bloomfield area, and then some select restaurants outside the immediate area served by Downtown.

Birmingham/Bloomfield

220: American Brunch, weekends, Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 220 E Merrill Street, Birmingham, 48009 248 646 2220 220restaurant com

5th Tavern: American Brunch, weekends, Lunch & Dinner daily No reservations Liquor 2262 S Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Township, 48302 248 481 9607 5thtavern com

Adachi: Japanese. Lunch & Dinner daily. Liquor. Reservations 325 S Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham 48009 248 540 5900 adachirestaurant com

Dick O’Dow’s: Irish Lunch & Dinner, TuesdaySunday Reservations Liquor 160 West Maple Avenue, Birmingham, 48009 248 642 1135 dickodowspub com

Eddie Merlot’s: Steak & seafood Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 37000 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304 248 712 4095 eddiemerlots com

Einstein Bros. Bagels: Deli Breakfast & Lunch, daily No reservations 4089 West Maple Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48301 248 258 9939 einsteinbros com

Elie’s Mediterranean Grill/Bar : Mediterranean Lunch, Thursday-Saturday, Dinner, MondaySaturday No reservations Liquor 263 Pierce Street, Birmingham, 48009 248 647 2420 eliesgrill com

Andiamo: Italian Lunch, Monday-Friday, Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 6676 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Township, 48301. 248 865 9300 andiamoitalia com

EM: Mexican Lunch, Saturday, Dinner, TuesdaySaturday Reservations Liquor 470 N Old Woodward Ave, Birmingham, 48009 947 234 0819 embirmingham com

Embers Deli & Restaurant: Deli Breakfast & Lunch, Tuesday-Sunday Dinner, TuesdayFriday No reservations 3598 West Maple Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48301 248 645 1033 embersdeli1 com

Beau’s: American Brunch, weekends, Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 4108 W Maple Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48301 248 626 2630 beausbloomfield com

Bella Piatti: Italian Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday Reservations Liquor 167 Townsend Street, Birmingham, 48009 248 494 7110 bellapiattirestaurant com

Bell Bistro: American Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday Liquor Reservations 185 N Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009 248 829 7900 bellbirmingham com

Beverly Hills Grill: American Lunch, TuesdaySunday, Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday Liquor No reservations 31471 Southfield Road, Beverly Hills, 48025. 248.642.2355. beverlyhillsgrill com

Beyond Juicery + Eatery: Contemporary Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations 270 W Maple Road, Birmingham, 48009; 221 Cole Street, Birmingham, 48009; 3645 W. Maple Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48301; 4065 W Maple Road, Bloomfield Township, 48301; 1987 S Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48302 beyondjuiceryeatery com

Bill’s: American Breakfast, weekends, Lunch, Wednesday-Sunday, Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 39556 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304 248 646 9000 billsbloomfieldhills com

Birmingham Pub: American Brunch, weekends, Lunch & Dinner, TuesdaySunday Reservations Liquor 555 S Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009 248 885 8108 thebirminghampub com

Birmingham Sushi Cafe: Japanese Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 377 Hamilton Row, Birmingham, 48009. 248 593 8880 birminghamsushi com

Bistro Joe’s Kitchen: Global Brunch, Sunday, Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday Liquor Reservations 34244 Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009 248 594 0984 bistrojoeskitchen com

Bloomfield Deli: Deli Breakfast & Lunch, Monday-Friday No reservations 71 W Long Lake Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48304 248 645 6879 bloomfielddeli com

Brooklyn Pizza: Pizza Lunch & Dinner, daily Liquor No reservations 111 Henrietta Street, Birmingham, 48009 248 258 6690 thebrooklynpizza com

Café Dax: American Breakfast, daily, Lunch, daily No reservations Liquor 298 S Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009 248.283.4200. daxtonhotel.com

Café ML: New American Dinner, daily Liquor Reservations 3607 W Maple Road, Bloomfield Township 248 642 4000 cafeml com

Café Origins: Global Breakfast and Lunch, daily, Dinner, Monday-Saturday. No reservations. 163 W Maple Road, Birmingham, 48009 248 742 4040 originsbirmingham com

Casa Pernoi: Italian Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday Reservations Liquor 310 E Maple Road, Birmingham, 48009 248 940 0000 casapernoi com

Churchill’s Bistro & Cigar Bar : Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 116 S Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009 248 647 4555 churchillscigarbar com

Cityscape Deli: Deli Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, Monday-Saturday No reservations 877 W Long Lake Road, Bloomfield Hills,

Flemings Prime Steakhouse & W ine Bar : American Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 323 N Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009 248 723 0134 flemingssteakhouse com

Forest: Continental cuisine Dinner, TuesdaySaturday Reservations Liquor 735 Forest Avenue, Birmingham, 48009 248 258 9400 forestbirmingham com

Greek Islands Coney Restaurant: Greek Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations 221 Hamilton Row, Birmingham, 48009 248 646 1222 greekislandsconey com

Griffin Claw Brewing Company: American Lunch, Thursday-Sunday, Dinner, TuesdaySunday No Reservations Liquor 575 S Eton Street, Birmingham 248 712 4050 griffinclawbrewingcompany com

Hazel’s: Seafood Brunch, weekends, Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 1 Peabody Street, Birmingham 248 671 1714 eatathazels com

Honey Tree Grille: Greek/American Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, daily No reservations 3633 W Maple Rd, Bloomfield, MI 48301 248 203 9111 honeytreegrille com

Hudson’s Place: Pizza/Coffee/Takeout Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday No reservations 1087 W Long Lake Road, Bloomfield Township, 48302 248 540 2266 hudsonsplacepizzeria com

Hunter House Hamburgers: American Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations 35075 Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009 248 646 7121 hunterhousehamburgers com Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse: American Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 201 S Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009 248 594 4369 hydeparkrestaurants com

IHOP: American Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily No reservations 2187 S Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48301 248 333 7522 Ihop com

Joe Muer Seafood: Seafood Brunch, Sunday, Dinner daily Reservations Liquor 39475 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304 248 792 9609 joemuer com

Kaku Sushi and Poke’: Asian Lunch, MondayFriday & Dinner daily No reservations 869 W Long Lake Road, Bloomfield Township, 48302 248 480 4785, and 126 S Old Woodward, Birmingham, 48009 248 885 8631 kakusushipoke com

Kerby’s Koney Island: American Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations 2160 N Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304 248 333 1166 kerbyskoneyisland com

La Marsa: Mediterranean Lunch & Dinner daily Reservations 43259 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48302 248 858 5800 lamarsacuisine com

La Pecora Nera: Italian deli. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, daily No reservations 135 Pierce St Birmingham, 48009 248 940 5613 lapecoraneradetroit com

La Strada Italian Kitchen & Bar : Italian Dinner, Monday-Saturday Reservations Liquor 243 E Merrill Street, Birmingham, 48009 248 480 0492 lastradaitaliankitchen com

Leo’s Coney Island: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations 154 S Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham,

48009 248 593 9707 Also 6527 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48301 248 646 8568 leosconeyisland com

Lincoln Yard and Little Yard: American Little Yard take-out hours: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily Lincoln Yard hours: Brunch, weekends, Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 2159 E Lincoln Street, Birmingham, 48009 248 653 5353 eatlincolnyard com

Little Daddy’s: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations 39500 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304 248 647 3400 littledaddys com

Luxe Bar & Grill: American Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 525 N Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248 792 6051 luxebarandgrill com

Madam: American Brunch, weekends Lunch, Monday-Friday, Dinner daily Reservations Liquor 298 S Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009 248 283 4200 daxtonhotel com

Mare Mediterranean: Seafood Brunch, weekends, Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 115 W illets Street, Birmingham, 48009 248 940 5525 maremediterranean com

Market North End: American Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 474 N. Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009 248 712 4953 marketnorthend com

Marrow: American Butcher shop and eatery Breakfast and Lunch, Tuesday-Sunday No reservations 283 Hamilton Row, Birmingham, 48009. 734.410.0405 marrowdetroit com/restaurant

MEX Mexican Bistro & Tequila Bar : Mexican Brunch, weekends Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 6675 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Township, 48301 248 723 0800 mexbloomfield com

Middle Eats: Mediterranean Lunch and Dinner, daily No reservations 42967 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield, 48093 248 274 328 middleeats com

Nippon Sushi Bar : Japanese Lunch, MondayFriday, Dinner daily No reservations Liquor 2079 S Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Township, 48302 248 481 9581 nipponsushibar com

Olga’s Kitchen: American Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations 2075 S Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48302 248 451 0500 olgas.com

Original Pancake House: American Breakfast & Lunch, daily No reservations 33703 South Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009 248 642 5775 oph-mi com

Phoenicia: Lebanese Lunch, Monday-Friday, Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 588 S. Old Woodward Birmingham, 48009 phoeniciabirmingham com

Roadside B & G: American Brunch, weekends, Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 1727 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield, 48302 248 858 7270 roadsidebandg com

Salvatore Scallopini: Italian Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations Beer & W ine 505 North Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009 248 644 8977 salsbirmingham com

Shift Kitchen & Cocktails: Small plates Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 117 W illits Street, Birmingham, 48009 248 792 2380 shiftbirmingham com

Sidecar : American Lunch and Dinner, daily Liquor 117 W illits Street, Birmingham, 48009 248 792 2380 sidecarsliderbar com

Slice Pizza Kitchen: Pizza. Lunch and Dinner, daily Liquor 117 W illits Street, Birmingham, 48009 248 792 3475 slicepizzakitchen com

Social Kitchen & Bar : American Lunch & Dinner, daily Brunch, Saturday & Sunday Reservations Liquor 225 E Maple Road, Birmingham, 48009 248 594 4200 socialkitchenandbar com

Steve’s Deli: Deli Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday Breakfast and Lunch, Sunday No reservations 6646 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield, 48301 248 932 0800 stevesdeli com

Streetside Seafood: Seafood Lunch, Thursday & Friday, Dinner, daily Liquor 273 Pierce Street, Birmingham, 48009 248 645 9123 streetsideseafood com

Sushi Hana: Japanese Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations. Liquor. 42656 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304 248 333 3887 sushihanabloomfield com

Sy Thai Cafe: Thai Lunch, Monday-Saturday, Dinner, daily No reservations 315 Hamilton Row, Birmingham, 48009 248 258 9830

sythaibirmingham com

Sylvan Table: American Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 1819 Inverness Street, Sylvan Lake, 48320 248 369 3360

sylvantable.com

Tallulah W ine Bar and Bistro: American Dinner, Monday-Saturday Reservations Liquor 55 S Bates Street, Birmingham, 48009 248 731 7066 tallulahwine com

Terra Kitchen & Cocktails: New American Lunch and Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 260 N Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009 248 556 5640 dineterra com

Teuta: Diner Breakfast and Lunch, daily No reservations 168 W Maple Road, Birmingham, 48009 248 590 2113

teutabirmingham com

Thai Street Kitchen: Thai. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday No reservations 42805 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Township, 48304 248 499 6867

thaistreetkitchen com

The French Lady: French Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday Reservations 768 N Old Woodward, Birmingham, 48009. 248 480 0571 zefrenchlady com

The Gallery Restaurant: American Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations Beer & wine 6683 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48301 248 851 0313

galleryrestaurant2 com

The Moose Preserve Bar & Grill: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 2395 S Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48302 248 858 7688 moosepreserve com

The Rugby Grille: American Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 100 Townsend Street, Birmingham, 48009 248 642 5999 rugbygrille com

Toast: American Breakfast & Lunch, daily; Reservations Liquor 203 Pierce Street, Birmingham, 48009 248 258 6278 eatattoast com

Tomatoes Apizza: Pizza Lunch & Dinner daily Carryout. 34200 Woodward Avenue, Birmingham 48009 248 258 0500 tomatoesapizza com

Touch of India: Lunch, Tuesday-Thursday, Saturday & Sunday Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday No reservations 297 E Maple Road, Birmingham, 48009 248 593 7881 thetouchofindia.com

Townhouse: American Brunch, weekends Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 180 Pierce Street, Birmingham, 48009 248 792 5241 eatattownhouse com

Whistle Stop Diner : American Breakfast & Lunch, daily; Liquor No reservations 501 S Eton Street, Birmingham, 48009 248 566 3566 whistlestopdiners com

W ilder’s: American Lunch, Monday-Friday, Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 458 N Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009 248 771 0900 wildersbirmingham com

ZANA : Modern American Dinner, TuesdaySunday Reservations Liquor 210 S Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009 248 800 6568 zanabham com

Zao Jun: Asian Lunch, Tuesday-Sunday, Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 6608 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Township, 48301 248.949.9999. zaojunnewasian.com

Royal Oak/Fer ndale

Ale Mary’s: American Brunch, weekends, Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 316 South Main Street, Royal Oak, 48067 248 268 1917 alemarysbeer com

Anita’s Kitchen: Middle Eastern Lunch and Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 22651 Woodward Avenue, Ferndale, 48220

248 548 0680 anitaskitchen com

Beppé: New American Lunch, Saturday and Sunday, Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. No reservations Liquor 703 N Main Street, Royal Oak, 48067 248 607 7030 eatbeppe com

Bigalora: Italian Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 711 S Main Street, Royal Oak, 48067 248 544 2442 bigalora.com

Blind Owl: International/American comfort

Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 511 S Main Street, Royal Oak, 48067 248 216 1112 blindowlrestaurant com

Cafe Muse: French Breakfast & Lunch, Wednesday-Monday Reservations Liquor 418 S Washington Avenue, Royal Oak, 48067 248 544 4749 cafemuseroyaloak com

Coeur : New American Small Plates Brunch, Sunday, Dinner, Wednesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 330 W Nine Mile Road,

Ferndale, 48220 248 466 3010 coeurferndale com

Como’s: Pizza Brunch, weekends Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 22812 Woodward Avenue, Ferndale, 48220 248 677 4439 comosrestaurant com

Crispelli’s Bakery and Pizzeria: Italian Lunch and Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 28939 Woodward Avenue, Berkley, 48072 248 591 3300 crispellis com

The Fly Trap: Diner. Breakfast & Lunch, daily. Dinner, Thursday-Sunday No reservations 22950 Woodward Avenue, Ferndale 48220 248 399 5150 theflytrapferndale com

Grand River Brewery: American Brunch, Saturday & Sunday Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations. Liquor. 1 E. 14 Mile Road, Clawson, 48017 248 607-3631 grandriverbrewer

Gus’ Snug: Irish Lunch and Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 38 S Main Street, Clawson, 48017 248 607 3631 gussnug com

HopCat: American Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 430 S Main Street, Royal Oak, 48067 248 744 2544 HopCat com

Howe’s Bayou: Cajun Lunch & Dinner, TuesdaySaturday No reservations Liquor 22949 Woodward Avenue, Ferndale, 48220 248.691.7145. howesbayouferndale.net

Imperial: Mexican Lunch and Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 22848 Woodward Avenue, Ferndale, 48220 248 691 7145 imperialferndale com

Inyo Restaurant Lounge: Asian Fusion Brunch, weekends, Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations Liquor 22871 Woodward Avenue, Ferndale, 48220 248 543 9500 inyorestaurant com

Kacha Thai Market: Thai Lunch and Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday Reservations 205 S Main Street, Royal Oak, 48067 248 942-4246

KouZina: Greek Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations 121 N Main Street, Royal Oak, 48067 248 629 6500 gokouzina com

Kruse & Muer on Woodward: American Lunch, Monday-Saturday, Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 28028 Woodward Avenue, Royal Oak, 48067 248 965 2101 kruseandmuerrestaurants com

Lily’s Seafood: Seafood Brunch, weekends, Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 410 S Washington Avenue, Royal Oak, 48067 248 591 5459 lilysseafood com

Lockhart’s BBQ: Barbeque. Brunch, Sunday. Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 202 E Third Street, Royal Oak, 48067 248 584 422 lockhartsbbq com

Masala: Indian Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations 106 S Main Street, Royal Oak, 48067. 248.850.8284. food orders co/royaloakmasala

Mezcal: Mexican Bruch, Sunday Lunch and Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 201 E Nine Mile Road, Ferndale, 248 268 3915 mezcalferndale com

Noori Pocha: Korean Lunch & Dinner, TuesdaySunday No reservations Liquor 1 S Main Street, Clawson, 48017 248 850 7512 nooripocha com

Oak City Grille: American Dinner, TuesdaySunday Reservations Liquor 212 W 6th Street, Royal Oak, 48067 248 556 0947 oakcitygrille.com

Oak Parker : American Lunch and Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 13621 W Eleven Mile Road, Oak Park, 48327 oakparkerbar com

One-Eyed Betty’s: American Breakfast, weekends, Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor. 175 W. Troy Street, Ferndale, 48220. 248 808 6633 oneeyedbettys com

Pastaio: Italian Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 208 W 5th Street, Royal Oak, 48067 248 565 8722 eatpastaio com/royal-oak

Pop’s for Italian: Italian Brunch and Lunch, weekends, Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 280 W 9 Mile Road, Ferndale,48220 248 268 4806 popsforitalian com

Redcoat Tavern: American Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 31542 Woodward Avenue, Royal Oak, 48073 248 549 0300 redcoat-tavern com

Ronin: Japanese Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 326 W 4th Street, Royal Oak, 48067 248 546 0888 roninsushi com

Rosita’s Cocina: Columbian Dinner, TuesdaySunday. Reservations. Liquor. Inside Café Muse, 418 S Washington Avenue, Royal Oak, 48067 586 354 0929 rositastreats com

Royal Oak Brewery: American Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday No reservations Liquor 215 E 4th Street, Royal Oak,

48067 248 544 1141 royaloakbrewery com

Sozai: Japanese Dinner, WednesdaySaturday Reservations 449 West 14 Mile Road, Clawson,48017 248 677-3232 sozairestaurant com

The Modern Vegan: Vegan Brunch, weekends, Lunch and Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday No reservations 304 N Main St, Royal Oak, 48067 248 206-7041 tmvrestaurants com

Three Cats Café: American. Brunch, weekends, Lunch, Tuesday-Sunday, Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday Reservations Liquor 116 W 14 Mile Road, Clawson threecatscafe com

Tigerlily: Japanese Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 231 W Nine Mile Road Suite A, Ferndale, 48220 248 733 4905 tigerlilyferndale com

Toast, A Breakfast and Lunch Joint: American Breakfast & Lunch, daily No reservations 23144 Woodward Avenue, Ferndale, 48220 248 398 0444 eatattoast com

Tom’s Oyster Bar : Seafood. Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 318 S Main Street, Royal Oak, 48067 248 541 1186 tomsoysterbar com

Trattoria Da Luigi: Italian Dinner, TuesdaySunday Reservations Liquor 415 S, Washington Avenue, Royal Oak, 48067 248 542 4444 trattoriadaluigi business site com

Vinsetta Garage: American Lunch and Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 7799 Woodward Avenue, Berkley, 48072 248 548 7711 vinsettagarage com

Voyager : Seafood. Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. Reservations Liquor 600 Vester Street, Ferndale, 48220 248 658 4999 voyagerferndale com

Troy/Rochester

Antica Nova: Italian Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 1695 E Big Beaver Rd, Troy, 48083 248 422 6521 anticanova.com

Cafe Sushi: Pan-Asian Lunch, Tuesday-Friday, Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 1933 W Maple Road, Troy, 48084 248 280 1831 cafesushimi com

Capital Grill: Steak & Seafood Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 2800 W Big Beaver Road, Somerset Collection, Troy, 48084 248 649 5300

CK Diggs: American & Italian Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday Reservations Liquor 2010 W Auburn Road, Rochester Hills, 48309 248 853 6600 ckdiggs com

The Dime Store: American. Breakfast and Lunch, daily No reservations Liquor 6920 N Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 48306 248 963 0941 eatdimestore com

Ernie’s on the Creek: Modern Mediterranean Dinner, Wednesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 543 N Main St #201, Rochester, 48307 248 710 8808 erniesonthecreek com

Firebird Tavern: American Brunch, weekends, Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 4845 Rochester Road, Troy, 48085 248 289 9650 firebirdtaverntroy com Grand Castor : Latin American Lunch and Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 2950 Rochester Road, Troy, 48083 248 278 7777 grancastor com

The Jackson: Modern American Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday Reservations Liquor 184 N Adams Road, Rochester Hills, 48309 248 709 9453 thejacksonrestaurant com

Kona Grille: American Brunch, weekends, Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 30 E Big Beaver Road, Troy, 48083 248 619 9060 konagrill com

Kruse & Muer on Main: American Lunch, Monday-Saturday, Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor. 327 S. Main Street, Rochester, 48307 248 652 9400 kruseandmuerrestaurants com

Loccino Italian Grill and Bar : Italian Lunch, Monday-Friday, Dinner, daily Liquor Reservations 5600 Crooks Road, Troy, 48098 248 813 0700 loccino com

The Meeting House: American Brunch, weekends, Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday No reservations Liquor 301 S Main Street, Rochester, 48307 248 759 4825 themeetinghouserochester com

Mon Jin Lau: Nu Asian Dinner, daily Reservations. Liquor. 1515 E. Maple Road, Troy, 48083 248 689 2332 monjinlau com

Morton’s, The Steakhouse: Steak & Seafood Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 888 W Big Beaver Road, Troy, 48084 248 404 9845 mortons com

M E T R O I N T E L L I G E N C E R

Metro Intelligencer is a monthly column devoted to news stories, tidbits and gossip items about what s happening on the restaurant scene in the metro Detroit area Metro Intelligencer is reported/created each month by Gigi Nichols who can be reached at GigiNichols@DowntownPublications com with news items or tips, on or off the record

Franklin Village welcomes new eateries

Af ter extensive renovations to the historic str ucture built in 1848, The Franklin Oyster Bar & Eater y plans to open on June 10 in Franklin Village The Franklin, which blends the aesthetic of Charleston with the ambiance of Napa, is led by Executive Chef Nick Gef tos, who craf ts the culinar y vision, and Ger ti Begaj, who oversees the hospitality program As the team behind the award-winning BESA Detroit they bring their exper tise and passion to create an exceptional dining experience “ The Franklin offers an inviting dining experience that goes beyond seafood,” Gef tos said “ While fresh seafood like our raw oyster bar is a highlight, the menu also features premium steaks, pasta, burgers, exper tly craf ted dishes and an elevated weekend br unch, ensuring a well-rounded selection for all guests ” Jay Far ner, founder of Ronin Capital Par tners, acquired the proper ty in 2024, and Nicole McGrail, led the design, concept and restoration of the historic red car riage house through Thyme and Place Hospitality, the newly for med hospitality division of Ronin Capital Par tners As par t of McGrail’s exciting vision, Thyme and Place Hospitality will soon launch Polly ’s, a neighborhood café coming directly next door to The Franklin at 32750 Franklin Road Polly ’ s will offer a scenic outdoor back patio, shared with The Franklin, creating a serene spot to relax and dine al fresco “It’s not just any café,” McGrail said “Polly ’ s will offer a wide selection of pastries, hear ty sandwiches, crisp salads, savor y charcuterie, and treats, all complemented by freshly brewed coffee And with rich, handcraf ted ice cream ideal for summer, it’s a refreshing destination for war m summer days Whether you ’ re grabbing a quick bite or lingering over a relaxing cup of espresso, Polly ’ s will provide a wonder ful setting for getting energized, recharged, or simply taking a break ” 32760 Franklin Road, Franklin thefranklinmi com

Slows coming to Berkley

Downtown Berkley dropped some mouthwatering news on their Facebook page, teasing, “Get your napkins ready, Berkley Something slow -cooked and delicious is on its way ” The big reveal? Detroit’s legendar y Slows Bar BQ is coming to town, bringing its iconic flavors to the hear t of Berkley The new Slows location, in the previous Berkley Common space at 3087 Twelve Mile Roa, will feature full-ser vice dining downstairs; a future patio/parklet on Griffith Avenue and a second-floor space for private events and catering “ With strong roots in the community co - owner Josh Keillor grew up in Royal Oak and attended Shrine High School alongside fellow co - owners Brian and Ter r y Per rone this expansion tr uly feels like a homecoming,” shared Downtown Berkley The Slows Bar BQ flagship location in Corktown will be celebrating its 20th anniversar y in September Over the years, Slows Bar BQ became famous for putting a gour met spin on barbecue cooked fresh ever y day and for its dedication to community The restaurant has appeared on Adam Richman’s Man vs Food and the “ Yardbird” sandwich was featured in the first season of Adam Richman’s Best Sandwich in America Slows has also been featured on other national television shows and in publications, including the Food Network (top places to eat) and The New York Times Watch for the Berkley Slows location to be open sometime this fall 3087 12 Mile Road slowsbarbq com

A ramen experience

When guests step into Royal Oak’s newest culinar y destination, JINYA Ramen Bar, they ’ re greeted with an enthusiastic “Irasshai!” a traditional Japanese welcome cheer fully echoed by the entire staff This marks JINYA’s first location in Michigan, expanding the Los Angeles-based brand’s growing presence, with over 70 restaurants across the U S and Canada Located at 129 S Main Street the new restaurant will ser ve JINYA’s acclaimed ramen featuring broths simmered for 20 hours to develop rich, complex flavors Guests can also enjoy traditional Japanese rice bowls, small plates, and an ar ray of authentic ramen toppings “Bringing JINYA to Michigan has been a long time coming, and we couldn’t think of a better place to star t than Royal Oak,” said JINYA CEO Tomo Takahashi “ The city has an incredible food scene, and we ’ re excited to introduce our signature ramen to the community

NM Café: American Lunch, Monday-Saturday Reservations Liquor 2705 W Big Beaver Road, Troy, 48084 248 816 3424 neimanmarcus com/restaurants

Oceania Inn: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations Liquor The Village of Rochester Hills, 3176 Walton Boulevard, Rochester Hills, 48309 248 375 9200 oceaniainnrochesterhills com

Ocean Prime: Steak & Seafood Lunch, MondayFriday, Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 2915 Coolidge Highway, Troy, 48084. 248 458 0500 ocean-prime com

O’Connor’s Irish Public House: Irish Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 324 S Main Street, Rochester, 48307 248 608 2537 oconnorsrochester com

Orchid Café: Thai Lunch, Monday-Friday, Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations. 3303 Rochester Road , Troy, 48085 248 524 1944 orchid-cafe com

P F Chang’s China Bistro: Chinese Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor Somerset Collection, 2801 W Big Beaver Rd , Troy, 48084 248 816 8000 pfchangs com

Recipes: American/Brunch Breakfast & Lunch, daily No reservations Liquor 134 W University Drive, Rochester, 48037 248 659 8267 Also 2919 Crooks Road, Troy, 48084 248 614 5390 recipesinc com

RH House: American Brunch, weekends, Lunch and Dinner, daily 2630 Crooks Road, Rochester Hills, 48309 No reservations Liquor 2630 Crooks Road, Rochester Hills, 48309 248 586 1000 rh house com

RH Social: Pizza/Sports Bar Brunch, Lunch, Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 6870 N Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 48306 248 759 4858 rochesterhillssocial com

Rochester Chop House: Steak & Seafood Lunch, Monday-Friday, Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 306 S Main St , Rochester, 48307 248 651 2266 kruseandmuerrestaurants com

Ruth’s Chris Steak House: Steak & Seafood Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 755 W Big Beaver Road, Troy, 48084 248 269 8424 ruthschris com

Sedona Taphouse: American Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 198 Big Beaver Road, Troy, 48083 248 422 6167 sedonataphouse co

Silver Spoon: Italian Dinner, Monday-Saturday Reservations. Liquor. 6830 N. Rochester Road, Rochester, 48306 248 652 4500 silverspoonristorante com

Stumblebum Beer Co : American Lunch, Thursday-Sunday, Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday No reservations Beer 1965 W Maple Road, Troy, 48084 248 307 7204 stumblebumbeer.com

Too Ra Loo: American Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 139 S Main Street, Rochester, 48307 248 453 5291 tooraloorochester com

West Bloomfield/Southfield

Aurora Italiana: Italian Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 6199 Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield Twp., 48322. 248.782.3000. auroraitaliana com

Aurora on the Lake: Italian Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 2323 Union Lake Road, Commerce Township, 48382 248 360 6650 auroraitaliana com

Cornbread Restaurant & Bar : Southern Lunch & Dinner, Thursday-Tuesday Reservations Liquor 29508 Northwestern Highway, Southfield, 48034 248 208 1680 cornbreadsoulfood com

Bigalora: Italian Lunch, Monday-Saturday, Dinner, daily. No Reservations. Liquor. 29110 Franklin Road, Southfield, 48034 248 544 2442 bigalora com

The Fiddler : Russian Sunday, Dinner, ThursdaySunday Reservations Liquor 6676 Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield Township, 48322 248 851 8782 fiddlerrestaurant com

Mene Sushi: Japanese Lunch & Dinner, TuesdaySunday No reservations Beer & W ine 6239 Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield Township, 48322 248 538 7081 menesususi com

Nonna Maria’s: Italian Dinner, TuesdaySaturday Reservations Liquor 2080 Walnut Lake Road, West Bloomfield, 48323. 248 851 2500 nonamariasbistro com

Pickles & Rye: Deli Lunch, & Dinner, daily No reservations 6724 Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield Township, 48322 248 737 3890 picklesandryedeli com

Prime29 Steakhouse: Steak & Seafood Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 6545 Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield, 48322 248 737 7463 prime29steakhouse com

Redcoat Tavern: American. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday No reservations Liquor 6745 Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield Township, 48322 248 865 0500 redcoattavern com

Shangri-La: Chinese Lunch & Dinner, Wednesday-Monday Reservations Liquor Orchard Mall Shopping Center, 6407 Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield Township, 48322 248 626 8585 dinesangrila com

Stage Deli: Deli Lunch, & Dinner, TuesdaySunday No reservations Liquor 6873 Orchard Lake Rd , West Bloomfield Township, 48322 248 855 6622 stagedeli com

Yotsuba: Japanese Lunch & Dinner, TuesdaySunday Reservations Liquor 7365 Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield, 48322 248 737 8282 yotsuba-restaurant com

West Oakland

Volare Ristorante: Italian Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 48992 Pontiac Trail, Wixom, 48393 248 960 7771 ristorantevolare com

North Oakland

Clarkston Union: American Breakfast, Sunday, Lunch, & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 54 S Main Street, Clarkston, 48346 248.620.6100. clarkstonunion.com

Kruse s Deer Lake Inn: Seafood Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 7504 Dixie Highway, Clarkston, 48346 248 795 2077 kruseandmuerrestaurants com

The Fed: American Brunch, Saturday & Sunday Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 15 S Main Street, Clarkston, 48346 248 297 5833 thefedcommunity com

Rudy’s Steakhouse: Steak Dinner, TuesdaySunday Reservations Liquor 9 S Main Street, Village of Clarkston, 48346 248 625 3033 rudysprimesteakhouse com Via Bologna: Italian Dinner, Monday-Saturday No reservations Liquor 7071 Dixie Highway, Clarkston, 48346 248 620 8500 joebologna com

Union Woodshop: BBQ Lunch, Saturday & Sunday, Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 18 S Main Street, Clarkston, 48346 248 625 5660 unionwoodshop com

Detroit

Adelina: Italian Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday Reservations. Liquor. 1040 Woodward Ave, Detroit,48226 313 246 8811 adelinadetroit com

Alpino: Alpine cuisine Brunch, Sunday Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 1426 Bagley Street, Detroit, 48216 313 524 0888 alpinodetroit com

Ash-Bar : Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 1509 Broadway Street, Detroit, 48226 313 277 4736 ash world/hotels/the-siren com

Bar Pigalle: French Brunch, Sundays Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 2915 John R Street, Detroit, 48201 313 497 9200 barpigalle.com

Barda: Argentinian Dinner, Thursday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 4842 Grand River Avenue, Detroit, 48208 313 952 5182 bardadetroit com

Basan: Asian Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 2703 Park Avenue, Detroit, 48201 313.481.2703. basandetroit.com

Bucharest Grill: Middle Eastern Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 2684 E Jefferson Avenue, Detroit, 48207 313 965 3111 bucharestgrill com

Chartreuse Kitchen & Cocktails: Seasonal American Lunch, Thursday & Friday, Dinner, Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations. Liquor. 15 E Kirby Street D, Detroit, 48202 313 818 3915 chartreusekc com

Cliff Bell’s: American Dinner, WednesdaySunday Reservations Liquor 2030 Park Avenue, Detroit, 48226 313 961 2543 cliffbells com

Coriander Kitchen and Farm: Farm to table. Brunch, Sunday, Lunch & Dinner, Monday and Thursday-Saturday Reservations Liquor 14601 Riverside Boulevard, Detroit, 48215 313 338 9466 corianderkitchenandfarm com

Corktown Taphouse: American and Mexican No reservations Lunch & Dinner, daily Liquor

1611 Michigan Avenue, Detroit, 48216 313 362 8184 corktowntaphouse com

Cuisine: French Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 670 Lothrop Road, Detroit, 48202. 313.872.5110. cuisinerestaurantdetroit com

The Eagle: The Eagle: American Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 3461 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, 48201 313 334 4530 eaglerestaurant com

El Barzon: Mexican Lunch, Tuesday-Friday Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 3710 Junction Street, Detroit, 48210 313 894 2070 elbarzonrestaurant com

Fishbone’s Rhythm Kitchen Café: Cajun Lunch and Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 400 Monroe Street, Detroit, 48226 313 965 4600 fishbonesusa com

Freya: Price fixed Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday Reservations, Liquor 2929 E Grand Boulevard, Detroit, 48202 313 351 5544 freyadetroit com

Giovanni’s Ristorante: Italian Dinner, TuesdaySaturday Reservations Liquor 330 S Oakwood Boulevard, Detroit, 48217 313 841 0122 giovannisrestaurante com

Green Dot Stables: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 2200 W Lafayette, Detroit, 48216 313 962 5588 greendotstables com

HIROKI-SAN: Japanese Dinner, TuesdaySaturday Reservations Liquor 1265 Washington Boulevard, Detroit, 48226. 313 597 8344 hirokisandetroit com

Javier’s Downtown: Steakhouse Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 1452 Brush St, Detroit, 48226 313 816 0007 javiersdowntown com

Joe Muer Seafood: Seafood Lunch, MondayFriday, Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 400 Renaissance Center, Detroit, 48243 313 567 6837 joemuer com

Johnny Noodle King: Japanese Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 2601 W Fort Street, Detroit, 48216 313 309 7946 johnnynoodleking com

Lady of the House: New American Dinner, Wednesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 4884 Grand River Ave Unit 1C, Detroit, 48208 313 230 4678 ladyofthehousedetroit com

Leila: Lebanese Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 1245 Griswold Street, Detroit, 48226 313 816 8100 leiladetroit com

Lena: Dinner, Wednesday-Monday Reservations Liquor 2720 Brush Street, Detroit, 48201 313.262.6082. lenadetroit.com

Le Supreme: French Brunch, weekends, Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 1265 Washington Boulevard, Detroit, MI 48226 313 597-7734 lesupremedetroit com

Lone Goat: British Pub Lunch, MondaySaturday, Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 33 John R Street, Detroit, 48226 thelonegoat com

Mad Nice: Coastal Italian/American Lunch, Wednesday-Sunday, Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 4120 2nd Avenue, Detroit, 48201 313 558 8000 madnicedetroit com

Mario’s: Italian Lunch, Saturday & Sunday, Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 4222 2nd Avenue, Detroit, 48201 313.832.1616. mariosdetroit.com

Mezcal: Mexican Brunch, Weekends, Lunch and Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 51 W Forest Avenue, Detroit, 48202 313 974 7441 mezcaldetroit com

Midtown Shangri-la: Chinese Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor. 4710 Cass Avenue, Detroit, 48201 313 974 7669 midtownshangril-la com

Motor City Brewing Works: American Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations Beer & W ine 470 W Canfield Street, Detroit, 48201 313 832 2700 motorcitybeer com

Oak & Reel: Italian Seafood Dinner, Wednesday-Monday Reservations Liquor 2921 E Grand Boulevard, Detroit, 48202 313 270 9600 oakandreel com

Ostrea: Seafood. Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations Liquor 536 Shelby Street, Detroit, 48226 313 403 2111 ostreadetroit com

PAO Detroit: Asian Fusion/Pan Asian Dinner, Wednesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 114 W Adams Avenue, Suite 200, Detroit, 48226 313.816.0000. paodetroit.com

Parc: New American Brunch, Saturday & Sunday Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 800 Woodward Ave, Detroit, 48226 313 922 7272 parcdetroit com

Prime + Proper : Steak House Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 1145 Griswold St, Detroit, 48226 313 636 3100 primeandproperdetroit com

Prism: Steak & Seafood Dinner, WednesdaySunday Reservations Liquor 555 E Lafayette Street, Detroit, 48226 313 309 2499 hollywoodgreektown com

Red Smoke Barbeque: Barbeque Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor Trappers Alley Shopping Center, 573 Monroe Ave , Detroit, 48226 313 962 2100

Selden Standard: American. Dinner, daily. Reservations Liquor 3921 Second Avenue, Detroit, 48201 313 438 5055 seldenstandard com

Sexy Steak: Steakhouse Dinner, daily Reservations. Liquor. 1942 Grand River Avenue, Detroit,48226 313 403 1000 sexysteakdetroit com

SheWolf Pastifico & Bar : Italian Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 438 Selden Street, Detroit 48201 313 315 3992 shewolfdetroit com

Sinbad’s: Seafood Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 100 St Clair Street, Detroit, 48214 313 822 8000 sindbads com

Slows Bar BQ: Barbeque. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations Liquor 2138 Michigan Avenue, Detroit, 48216 313 962 9828 slowsbarbq com/locations/corktown

Soraya: Japanese Lunch, Monday-Friday, Dinner, Mondy-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor. 160 W Fort Street, Detroit, 48226 313 262 6078 sorayadetroit com

Sullivan’s Steakhouse: Steakhouse Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 1128 Washington Boulevard, Detroit, MI 48226 313 591 2495 sullivanssteakhouse com

Supergeil: Berlin Doner Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday No reservations Liquor 2442 Michigan Avenue, Detroit, 48216 313 462 4133 supergeildetroit com

Tap at MGM Grand: American Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 1777 Third Street, Detroit, 48226 313 465 1234 mgmgranddetroit com

The Apparatus Room: New American Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 250 W Larned Street, Detroit, 48226 313 800 5600 detroitfoundationhotel com

The Block: American Brunch, Weekends, Lunch & Dinner, Wednesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor. 3919 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, 48201 313 832 0892 theblockdet com

The Dime Store: American Breakfast & Lunch, Thursday-Tuesday No reservations Liquor 719 Griswold Street #180, Detroit, 48226 313 962 9106 eatdimestore com

The Peterboro: Chinese American Dinner, Wednesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 420 Peterboro Street, Detroit, 48201 313 462 8106 thepeterboro com

The Statler : French Brunch, Dinner, TuesdaySunday. Reservations. Liquor. 313 Park Avenue, Detroit, 48226 313 463 7111 statlerdetroit com

Townhouse Detroit: American Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 500 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, 48201. 48226. 313 723 1000 townhousedetroit com

Vecino: Mexican Dinner, Wednesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 4100 3rd Ave, Detroit, 48201 313 500 1615 vecinodetroit com

Vertical Detroit: Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday Reservations Liquor 1538 Center Street, Detroit, 48226 313 732 WINE verticaldetroit com

Vivio’s Food & Spirits: American Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 2460 Market Street, Detroit, 48207 313 393 1711 viviosdetroit net

The Whitney: American Brunch, Sunday Wednesday-Friday, Tea Service, Friday & Saturday, Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 4421 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, 48201 313.832.5700. thewhitney.com

Wright & Co : American Dinner, TuesdaySaturday No reservations Liquor 1500 Woodward Avenue, Second Floor, Detroit, 48226 313 962 7711 wrightdetroit com

Zuzu: Asian Fusion Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 511 Woodward Ave suite 100, Detroit, 48226 313 464 7777 experiencezuzu com

We can’t wait for locals to experience the flavors and quality that make JINYA special ” Guests can savor slow -simmered, thick, and flavor ful broths per fectly paired with handcraf ted noodles Toppings like tender pork chashu, shrimp wonton and seasoned eggs add depth to ever y bowl, while inventive cocktails, craf t beers and wine selections complete the dining experience 129 S Main Street, Royal Oak jinyaramenbar com

Street Beet’s brick and mortar

Led by owner and chef Meghan Shaw, Street Beet, the popular plant-based comfor t food pop-up, is preparing to take over the for mer Bobcat Bonnie’s space in Corktown Street Beet will continue ser ving its signature fast-foodinspired vegan dishes at Third Street Bar in Detroit until the transition to the new location is complete expected sometime this summer Eva Guillen will step in as general manager, while Mar y “Lou” Hammer takes on the role of pastr y/sous chef, craf ting fresh pastries and adding her special touch to the menu Once open, the eater y will ser ve breakfast, br unch, lunch and dinner, seven days a week Plans include a full-ser vice dining experience, a walk-up window for quick bites, an innovative bar program featuring mocktails, and a brand-new in-house baker y and a vibrant third-space vibe, complete with game nights, live DJs, and a multifunctional community hub Another new addition at the Corktown location is Washed Up Coffee, offering a curated multi-roaster coffee program with exceptional beans sourced from top roasters around the globe Launching alongside Street Beet’s breakfast ser vice, Washed Up Coffee brings fresh flavors to Detroit’s already thriving coffee scene The space has been designed as a welcoming spot for work, relaxation and community connection 1800 Michigan Avenue, Detroit

Award-winning restaurant shutters

Exactly one year ago, chef Hajime Sato was on stage accepting the coveted James Beard Award for Best Chef: Great Lakes With little notice to his customers, his Clawson restaurant Sozai has per manently closed Sato made a statement on Instagram stating “Af ter an extended time of reflection, it is clear that the best thing for my family is for us to retur n to the Pacific Nor thwest,” reads his statement “It will be extremely difficult to leave Sozai behind I put ever ything I had into building something special for my customers and to fur ther my work as a sustainable seafood advocate Thank you to ever yone who has shared wonder ful times with me at Sozai I will cherish those memories My sincerest hope is that you will continue to tr y new things!” Sato, who was bor n and raised in Japan, is a champion for sustainable seafood Before moving to the Detroit area, he owned an award-winning Seattle restaurant, Mashiko, and became one of the first sushi chefs to commit to using only sustainable seafood Today, Sato estimates only about 10 restaurants in the entire nation are tr uly dedicated to utilizing sustainable sushi Af ter opening Sozai in 2021, Sato was asked about his commitment to sustainable seafood With unmistakable passion in his voice he replied “ When people ask why, I say why not! Ever yone should be doing it It’s responsible It’s done to protect our oceans and save us from global war ming ”

Make way for Little Ghost

Four Man Ladder Hospitality, the team behind Grey Ghost, Second Best, and Basan, announced the name of their newest fast-casual concept: Little Ghost, set to open this summer in Fer ndale Located at 22305 Woodward Avenue, the nearly 1,000-square-foot space marks the group ’ s first foray into the fast-casual dining scene Little Ghost will offer a focused, scratch-made menu highlighting the team’s beloved burger, chicken sandwich, and signature sides Designed with efficiency and bold flavor in mind, the concept will primarily cater to takeout customers “ We’re really excited to bring this new project to life,” says chef and co - owner Joe Giacomino “ The Grey Ghost burger has built quite a loyal following - we ’ re thrilled to be able to offer it in a playful new way in Oakland County ” This new venture represents an exciting chapter for Four Man Ladder Hospitality, led by chefs Joe Giacomino and John Ver miglio, along with par tners Will Lee and Michael Gray The team sees Little Ghost as the first of additional locations The restaurant will be open daily and will offer local deliver y and catering ser vices for large par ties and events Constr uction is cur rently under way, with a grand opening planned for early summer More details will be announced as the project nears completion 22305 Woodward Avenue, Fer ndale

Return to original Next plan; nix new vote

The city of Bir mingham and its two -year effor t to develop a community center is at a critical juncture In simple ter ms, what star ted out many years ago as an effor t to find a home for Bir mingham’s senior ser vices organization, Next, looked like it was solved in mid-2023, at a cost in the neighborhood of $3-5 million but has since blossomed into a $30-32 million project, to be paid off by taxpayers over 20-25 years, to house Next, a financially challenged YMCA and a community center of sor ts, a vision that is now battered by rising costs from ill-defined tariff threats from the nation’s administration

As background, Next, a non-profit offering suppor t for older citizens for around 50 years, has used space at Midvale School in Bir mingham provided by Bir mingham Public Schools The organization provides comprehensive ser vices for mature adults, such as infor mation, refer rals, classes and activities, transpor tation and access to social, legal, health, housing, educational, emotional, nutritional and recreational help The school district has other plans for Midvale School, leading the city to help Next find a per manent location for the city's over-50 population, which demographics indicate is rapidly growing It has long been seen by the community leaders here as an essential ser vice, one that completes the por tfolio of amenities offered to local residents

Two years ago, in June 2023, the city of Bir mingham purchased the YMCA building and its land for the future home of Next, at 400 E Lincoln, for $2 million Next contributed $500,000 towards the purchase price, with Bir mingham paying the remaining $1 5 million A memorandum of understanding was agreed to by the city and Next The YMCA had wanted to remain for a shor t period

of time at which point it would combine with the Royal Oak YMCA in a new building but that project fell apar t due to financial concer ns

Residents resoundingly approved a 33-mill tax for three years to provide funding for building improvements

When building advisors were first consulted about improvements at the E Lincoln proper ty it was suggested that a new building would be a better approach, rather than improving what already existed at the site The YMCA expressed an interest in remaining in Bir mingham and wanted to be par t of the new building project, all at no cost to their organization

And that’s where this project went off the rails The YMCA needs have seemed to dominate space considerations over the last year and the needs of Next seemed to be a lesser consideration Not counting shared space in the new building, Next would be lef t with somewhere around 3,000 square feet, or less, as opposed to the 10,000 square they now have at the school building We also think that a mixed use building will mean that seniors coming to Next will have to navigate mixed age groups which is not a great situation for elderly members

Then there’s the likelihood that a new YMCA home will draw more members than today from a larger geographical area, adding fur ther to space demands and pressure on any concepts of shared space in the new building, not to mention increased traffic and parking needs that could impact the sur rounding neighborhood where the larger building will sit

Meanwhile, special interests have continued to exer t pressure through letters and emails to city commissioners to move ahead on this project The first

wave of lobbying came early on from those who insisted that a pool must be par t of any project And in the last week nearly two dozen emails – many with similar phrasing – were sent to commission members insisting that the issue be placed on the ballot to “let voters decide ”

Our position on this: The voters have already decided when they agreed to tax themselves to fund the original plan for Next, which is what city leaders must retur n to immediately Do not put the expanded building proposal on the ballot

Yes, serious amounts of money have been spent on the cur rent project which in our estimation is unworkable and so far from the original plan that was put before voters Like it or not, sometimes you have to cut your losses and star t over

Go back to the original plan Spend the money to renovate the first floor of the building for Next, and wor r y about the uses and needs of the second floor and basement in coming years Get rid of the pool, a liability waiting to happen Let the YMCA members go four miles down the road to the Royal Oak facility Focus exclusively on the new home for Next

The city has already lear ned the value of a multiple stage approach as evidenced by how the Baldwin Librar y achieved its building goals Several years ago the librar y planned a $21 million complete renovation, and Bir mingham voters responded with a loud “NO ” The librar y got back to work with a reasonable, and much more creative, three-phase plan to renovate their spaces and now have a beautiful and user-friendly librar y

A similar approach will work on the Next building, so let’s get going now

Farmland testing essential with biosolids

Treated wastewater sludge, also known as biosolids under the Clean Water Act, is the byproduct of thousands of municipal wastewater treatment plants around the countr y responsible for keeping our drinking, sur face and groundwater supplies clean and free from contaminants and har mful pathogens For years, it has been considered an excellent fer tilizer for far m crops, as it is rich in nutrients and enriches the soil with organic, nutrientrich matter and reduces the reliance on synthetic –and of ten toxic – fer tilizers However, in the last decade, research has increasingly indicated that there is a risk that biosolids introduces PFAS to the environment, allowing it to damage far mland and water sources

As this month's longfor m stor y explains, in 2022 the Environmental Council of the States (ECOS) released the findings from a sur vey of state environmental regulator y agencies on policies, testing, research gaps, and risk communication challenges related to PFAS in biosolids Thir ty-four states, including Michigan, responded to the sur vey

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and PFOA – also known as forever chemicals because they do not break down in the food chain or in people, and are believed to be in almost all human bodies and are a recognized danger Unlike other toxins that enter the body, they do not get excreted and tend to stick around and accumulate over a lifetime While linked to

kidney, liver and thyroid cancers, as well as many other ailments, medical researchers continue to test and assess the shor t and long-ter m consequences of PFAS in our systems – meaning we don't yet completely know all of the ramifications of having PFAS stored in our bodies – much less in the food we eat and the water we drink and the soil it is grown in

All states are subject to federal regulations under Par t 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations Par t 503 for biosolids use and disposal These regulations allow for the land application of biosolids on food crops while also giving states the authority to make independent decisions about how to fur ther manage biosolids, while allowing some states to prohibit the practice Michigan is the only state that responded to the sur vey repor ting that it has industrial pretreatment standards for PFAS, and Maine and Michigan are the only two states nationwide that have any prohibitions or restrictions on biosolids’ beneficial use based on PFAS concentrations Because of that, a family- owned Livingston County far m was shut down due to high PFAS contamination by the EGLE, deter mined that the cattle had consumed feed that had absorbed dangerous levels of PFAS that were detectible in beef samples taken from the far m ’ s freezer

But much more testing must be done to assess how contaminated Michigan's far m s are While there are drinking water standards to test for PFAS and other contaminants, there are cur rently no state or federal

regulations for PFAS in soil and far mland EGLE has said that sampling of far ms and soils is not cur rently par t of their strategy, and they would need guidance from the U S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) They also acknowledge they require additional monitoring and quality requirements for biosolids that are designated as exceptional quality under its updated 2024 r ules What good are these requirements if there is no monitoring?

We feel for the Livingston County far mer whose livelihood has been walloped by PFAS, especially since the chemical was discovered af ter the fact, in beef samples If monitoring and requirements are followed, hopefully more far m closures can be aver ted before the application of toxic biosolids The EPA must be proactive, either on its own or in conjunction with states, like Michigan's EGLE, to test soil depth and minerals before the sludge is applied – and to test the biosolids themselves well before they are applied to the ear th as fer tilizer, where molecules are residing forever

While the state tells us that far mers are not suppor tive of soil testing on far mlands, out of fear they may be shut down like the Livingston County far mer, mandator y soil testing must be enacted if far mers want to apply biosolids to their land Michigan, considered by many to be a model when it comes to forever chemical policies, should take the lead on this issue and mandate far mland testing