Downtown Newsmagazine | Birmingham/Bloomfield

DOWNTOWN05.25

29

POLLINATORS’ THREAT OF CHEMICAL OVER-USE

Homeowners’ dream of a perfect lawn, and the use of herbicides and pesticides to achieve that goal, has a severe impact on pollinators which serve a critical role I n the environment

12 FROM THE PUBLISHER

Republican members of Congress and the Michigan legislature are attempting to balance budgets on the backs of those who can least afford it – food insecure members of the general population and school students

17

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

20 OAKLAND CONFIDENTIAL

John James for governor; who’s running for James’ U.S. House seat; Natalie Price looks at possible move up; Rogers trying another time; the crowded GOP clown car; Runestad on the state party treadmill; plus more

39 MUNICIPAL

City and library meet over millage cut suggestion; community center bond options; Aging In Place plan; city generator ordinance; township water and sewer rates; plus more.

Photo by Laurie Tennent

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The strength of the social safety net has always been a top personal concer n of mine, which has less to do with political leanings and more to do with values developed as I grew up

I am par t of the Baby Boomer generation (19461964) which, according to those who study generational characteristics, have as group hallmarks an emphasis on diversity, collective action for societal change, social justice, equal rights, civil rights and gender equity Of course, that’s a pretty broad br ush but accurate none the less

My values were in par t shaped by parents who were par t of the Silent Generation which is credited with the creation of the first society safety nets

I have been for tunate to be paired with a life par tner with inclinations similar to my own We have both been involved in the community for decades, be it schools, dr ug rehab groups, ar ts endeavors, and the like In her case, a heavy involvement in the world of the non-profits, including years in a variety of roles with Gleaners Community Food Bank in the metro Detroit area

So it logics that we both are a bit dishear tened by what we see happening with lawmakers in Washington D C and Lansing who seem hell-bent on balancing gover nment budgets on the backs of the foodchallenged members of society

In the case of Gleaners, which ser ves families in Oakland, Macomb, Wayne, Monroe and Livingston counties, the supplier of food pantries in this par t of Michigan estimates that it would cost the organization about $850,000 to replace food because the feds have cancelled $43 million in deliveries of poultr y, cheese, eggs and milk For the folks at Gleaners, it means replacing 1 4 million pounds of food they were scheduled to receive

Nationwide, an estimated 8,000 food banks, including programs involving 84 tribal gover nments, will be impacted

Cer tainly lawmakers in Congress can look for other budget items that can be reduced in their search for ways to trim spending to suppor t tax breaks for top tier individuals and companies

What grinds me the most – all of this plays out against what national news agencies have estimated that in the first six weeks of the new administration, Tr ump ’ s trips to play golf at his personal courses have r un an estimated $18 million in expenses (movement of people, security, vehicles, etc ) under written with public taxes And then there is the proposed militar y parade on the president’s bir thday, estimated to cost $92 million Total BS

Beyond the increasing needs of the food banks and the declining federal funding, there’s the issue of the threat to the school breakfast and lunch programs which look like they too will be cut or eliminated as Congress and state lawmakers lock up budgets for the coming year

Discounted or free meals to income-based qualified families have always been par t of the school lunch program But the COVID -19 pandemic forced national leaders to include school meals, both breakfast and lunch, under written with funds from the 2021 American

Rescue Plan Act President Biden’s administration expanded the program fur ther And then Michigan, under Gover nor Gretchen Whitmer, was one of seven states to contribute annual funds – $25 million per year – to provide free meals to all students, regardless of family income

Then when the federal money for the program ended, Whitmer kept the program going About $200 million was built into the state education budget for the 2023 – 2024 school year in which 1 4 million public school students are fed All told, 76 3 million breakfast and 135 6 million lunches were ser ved through the program, which was also under written for the 2024-2025 school year

The r ub is that federal regulations for par ticipation in the discounted lunch program are being toughened up and Republican members of the Michigan House of Representatives, at this point in time, have not included the extra money for the next school year

On the federal level, a couple of things are happening For star ters, under the cur rent school lunch program a district could sample three percent of its families to qualif y for the discounted lunches Under proposed new r ules from Washington D C , verification of income from all households will be required, rather than keeping the sampling method It is estimated that nationwide 24,000 school districts will likely drop from the program, impacting 12 million students Fur ther, the feds are looking to cut from the program $12 billion over a 10-year period and will be requiring that a larger percentage of the population in a district will qualif y on an income basis So in Michigan alone, 1,327 schools will be impacted in 338 districts, which means over 503,000 students will be affected

The Michigan approach to providing free breakfast and lunch to all students, regardless of family income, has already proven to increase attendance and it eliminates the problem with older programs where students who could not afford lunch or qualified for discount meals were stigmatized at school Imagine, if you can, if that were your child

Some studies have shown that providing food – and a better quality at that – has a direct cor relation on student test scores

The attitude in the nation’s capital? U S Agriculture Secretar y Brooke Rollins has been quoted as labeling the food effor ts as “nonessential,” which tells you ever ything you need to know

Cer tainly an argument can be made that some families can no doubt afford to pay full boat for school breakfast and lunch But an equally strong argument can be made that there are probably one in ever y four families for which the meals provided at school could be the only food these students might receive on any given day So you decide if the program should continue

Our household feels that making sure kids have food so that they are prepared physically and mentally to lear n should be a priority It’s one par t of the society safety net that must not be allowed to disappear

David Hohendor f Publisher DavidHohendor f@DowntownPublications

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DOWNTOWN NEWSMAGAZINE GOALS/MISSION

The personnel at Downtown Newsmagazine bring a special commitment to the publishing effort, reinvesting in the local communities and working to make sure the Birmingham/Bloomfield area reaches its highest potential Our mission dictates that we strive each month to provide a solid news and advertising product that local residents look forward to reading Our goal is to build a community of informed citizens through the efforts of our passionate team We are innovators producing products that go well beyond what others offer

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INCOMING/READER FEEDBACK

We welcome feedback on both our publication and general issues of concern in the Birmingham/Bloomfield community Opinions can be sent via e-mail to news@downtownpublications com or mailed to Downtown Publications, PO Box 1630 Birmingham MI 48012-1630 If you are using the mail option, you must include a phone number for verification purposes

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I N C O M I N G

Endless Twilight Zone

Thank you for (David Hohendor f ’s) concise and factual column (April/Downtown)

While living in an endless Twilight Zone episode, it is good to know there are people in this community who are as alar med as I am

Karen Marzella Bir mingham

Perfect column

David Hohendor f ’ s ar ticle in the April issue of Downtown is per fect

Thank you

Nancy Soisson Bir mingham

Trump’s autocratic behavior

Thanks for writing the editorial on autocracy in the April 2025 edition

I totally agree with David Hohendor f ’ s perspective on that issue I'm disgusted with most of what the Tr ump administration has been doing recently

For tunately, many people are pushing back against their autocratic behavior I hope it continues

Mark Sayers Bir mingham

Freedom of speech/thoughts

Sadly, in this day and age, it takes monumental courage to address the many controversial actions taken by the cur rent administration led by second ter m (although not consecutive) President Donald Tr ump, so I strongly applaud David Hohendor f ’ s decision to valiantly express his thoughts on the publisher ’ s page of the April edition

I wonder how many Bir mingham/Bloomfield readers will take the time to contact you regarding the editorial Let us hope, no matter what their political persuasion their comments are respectfully made

What has made our countr y great is the freedom of speech (thought) guaranteed by the 1st Amendment of the Constitution of the United States

This is cer tainly no time to allow “fear of reprisal” to stop anyone of us from “taking a stand ” Pat Hardy Bir mingham

Letter to Birmingham

Af ter over a decade of being a Next Board Director, I have resigned I continue to wholehear tedly believe in the work that the dozens of

volunteers and few paid staff per for m for our community They are a community asset and we are lucky to have them

The reason for my timing is that I can no longer put on the “ game face” needed to work toward developing a new Senior Center that is well on its way to being this city commission’s own Nor th Old Woodward Project debacle that went

SPEAK OUT

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Although we do not have a fixed maximum length for letters sent to us, we recommend a maximum length of 175-200 words We also reserve the right to edit letters for length if necessary

Opinions can be sent via e-mail to news@downtownpublications com or mailed to Downtown Publications, PO Box 1630 Birmingham MI 48012-1630

down in flames at the polls in 2019 I know many members share my fr ustration but have succumbed to the fact that the city commission has gone off the rails and that the only possible deal will be difficult to swallow and a lopsided compromise, at best It is ironic that several of the cur rent commissioners campaigned on the Nor th Old Woodward fiasco Let’s review the facts:

• The discussion on a per manent senior center has spanned decades There never was any serious community-wide discussion on a general community center, nor was it contemplated in our Master Plan that involved thousands of residents

• The YMCA Bir mingham branch was deemed no longer financially viable due to decreasing enrollment and a decaying building so they sold the building to the city for $2M

• The YMCA previously raised funds to renovate the Bir mingham facility The money raised however was diver ted elsewhere and the money was not used to renovate the Bir mingham YMCA Fur ther, they indicate their outreach doesn’t include our city

• The city has NO obligation to the YMCA past June 2026

• Force fitting the YMCA into this project devastates its viability:

• Will make the facility suboptimal for seniors

• If properly sized would require paving a por tion of the park for parking

• Necessitates significant thrif ting of needed elements for seniors to offset the YMCA burden

• Nearly triples the amount of the bond request of the taxpayers

• Burdens the city with significant risk by constr ucting a building for an outside organization who can’t even sign a real lease because of their dire financial situation (af ter we gave them $2M!)

The city commission’s strategic goals promised to “develop a plan for a per manent senior/community center to house Next senior ser vices and to offer space for multigenerational programs ” No mention of being a benevolent developer and landlord for an independent organization that won’t contribute to any upfront cost

When city manager Tom Markus lead the city in the purchase of the YMCA, he did so to simply provide our seniors a quality, per manent home like so many sur rounding communities And, while I continue to appreciate the work the commission does for our community, this process has frankly become embar rassing The initial missteps in hiring the right people unnecessarily wasted hundreds of thousands of taxpayer money and the majority of aware residents I interact with have noticed that the commission meetings have tur ned in to the equivalent of verbal waterboarding Moreover the financial fr ustrations of the commissioners are self-created as the project scope did not call for attaching a new YMCA to the modest Senior Center Actually, the project has morphed into a YMCA with a small attached Senior Center since the dedicated space for the YMCA is more than twice that of Next

Let’s take care of OUR seniors, let the YMCA and other private organizations take care of themselves We have patiently waited for decades Stuar t Jeffares

Bir mingham

(Stuar t Jeffares owns a local business and is a member of the Bir mingham Planning Board)

OAKLAND CONFIDENTIAL

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.

GUBERNATORIAL STAKES: As we have been calling it, Republican Congressman – and perennial candidate – John James of Shelby Township officially announced his run for governor in 2026. A top Republican pol said James will have President Donald Trump’s endorsement, acknowledging that for many nonMAGA Michiganders, it’s uncertain if that’s currently a good thing. James, in his second term representing Michigan’s 10th congressional district, previously ran for Senate in both 2018 and 2020, and has been a Trump ally since his first run, and received the prez’s endorsement in 2022. His entry into the race was followed a week later by the announcement of Republican Mike Cox, former Michigan Attorney General (2003-2010), that he was also running. Cox tried for the post in 2010 but did not survive the primary. Other announced candidates for Michigan’s top job are Republicans Senate Majority Leader Aric Nesbitt (R-Porter Township) and former U.S. House candidate Anthony Hudson (R-Grand Blanc), Democrats Jocelyn Benson, currently the state’s termlimited Secretary of State, Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist and Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson, as well as mayor Mike Duggan of Detroit, who is running as an independent. Insiders say it’s a safe bet that 2020 GOP gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon will be joining the field.

WIDE OPEN: U.S. Rep. John James’ (R-Shelby Township) announcement he is running for governor has created a mad scramble for the next person to fill MI-10’s seat – and Democrats see an opportunity to flip the seat blue. Democrat Christina Hines of Warren, who unsuccessfully attempted to oust Macomb County Prosecutor PeteLucido in 2024, is a career prosecutor who has worked in both the Wayne and Washtenaw counties’ prosecutor offices, and is an adjunct professor at Wayne State University Law School, announced her run and received former prosecutor and past (twice) MI-10 Democratic candidate Carl Marlinga’s endorsement. Alex Hawkins, a 30-year-old Army vet from Rochester announced he’s also running. Then Pontiac Mayor Tim Greimel announced he’ll be moving back to where he was born and raised and previously served on the school board and county commission to run for the open seat. Prior to being elected mayor of Pontiac, Greimel was a state representative for Rochester and Auburn Hills, and worked as a union-side labor lawyer and civil rights attorney. He announced he raised over $200,000 in the first 24 hours of the campaign. While no one has officially announced on the Republican side, an insider teased that the son of a very well-known official will soon announce that could shake up the race.

OPEN STATE SEAT: Much has been written about the U.S. Senate seat for which Democrat state Senator Mallory McMorrow has announced and the possible runoff against Congresswoman Haley Stevens. A primary battle between the two could leave open both of their current districts for the 2026 elections, but for certain the state Senate district will be in play with McMorrow at the end of her current term. The rumor mill is now starting to churn with possible replacements for the upper chamber. The name getting the most attention is that of Democrat Natalie Price, state Representative for House District 6 which covers Birmingham, Bloomfield Township, Berkley, Huntington Woods, Southfield and Royal Oak, a close

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match to the area served by McMorrow’s current district. Price told us she is seriously “exploring the state senate seat.” Price is serving her second term after winning her first election by 78 percent and the 2024 contest in a redrawn district by taking 60 percent of the November vote. She has developed a reputation, after serving on the Berkley city council, as a nose-tothe-grindstone type of public servant in Lansing, a pragmatic Democrat who actually lives up to her campaign promises of taking to Lansing her values of equity, concern for the environment, inclusion and reproductive freedom. She’s also a tough campaigner, still going door-to-door even in a safe Democrat district. Price has built up party support with herPrice Majority Fund PAC that helps fund other Democrats. By the way, the PAC is hosting an event on May 4 at the Fifth Avenue in Royal Oak with special guest Jocelyn Benson, Michigan SOS. Stay tuned for other Democrats and some Republicans to throw their hats in this ring.

LONE COWBOY: Speaking of that open Senate seat of Senator Gary Peters (D-Bloomfield Township), former Congressman and 2024 Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers (R-White Lake) announced he will be going for the brass ring a second time after losing to Democrat and now Senator Elissa Slotkin in 2024 by about 19,000 votes. He was immediately endorsed by Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) and Republican Senatorial Committee Chairperson Tim Scott of South Carolina. “I don’t know if Trump will endorse him (he did in 2024) but he will likely have the field to himself,” said a Republican insider, who added that Republicans who are mulling the seat will likely stay on the sidelines.

BATTLE ROYALE: On the Democratic side of the tracks, it is unlikely there will be a party anointment for this Senatorial primary, unlike when the Dems rapidly coalesced behind Elissa Slotkin. State Senator Mallory McMorrow (D-Royal Oak, Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Huntington Woods, Oak Park) announced her candidacy in early April following the launch of her book, Hate Won’t Win. McMorrow has been a national progressive darling (she calls herself a “pragmatist”) since her 2022 speech in response to former state Sen. Lana Theis (R-Brighton), accusing her of being a child predator, went viral for countering that “I am a straight, white, Christian, married, suburban mom who knows that the very notion that learning about slavery or redlining or systemic racism somehow means that children are being taught to feel bad or hate themselves because they are white is absolute nonsense.” In her campaign launch, she said doing the same old thing in Washington will not produce different results. “The same people who got us into this mess are not going to be the ones to get us out of it… “We need a real partner in the Senate seat who understands how things work in the states and is going to move us forward in a way that Michigan is no longer taking scraps.” McMorrow raised $1 million in the first 24 hours – and one prominent Dem couple, Erica Peresman and David Jaffe, immediately announced their support. “We are confident that Mallory’s positions and her skill at communicating them are right for the country, for Michigan, and for this political moment.” Rumored to be competing against McMorrow in the Democratic primary in 2026 is Congresswoman Haley Stevens of Birmingham, whose district represents most of Oakland County. Word is she it taking her time to figure out if running for the Senate is the right decision for her, or if staying in the House, where she holds leadership positions – and would potentially grow in leadership – would be the right move. “Her story is the story of Michigan – the story of resilience, having parents who had small businesses, working for the auto industry rescue, for manufacturing,” said a colleague, noting it would play well with Michiganders against Republican Mike Rogers. As for McMorrow? She’s allegedly not a factor in Stevens’ decision making. A new entry into the Senate race in the past week was Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, former Wayne County Health Department Director, a 2018 candidate for governor and a past graduate of Birmingham Seaholm.

ONE MORE TIME: Former state Sen. Adam Hollier (D-Detroit) is giving another go at attempting to take down Congressman Shri Thanedar (DDetroit, Grosse Pointe). Thanedar, a three-term self-funded congressman who

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has drawn the ire of the Black community as there cur rently is no Black representation for the city of Detroit, was recently spotlighted as the single largest congressman in the countr y utilizing official office funds – known as franking – to promote himself in adver tising, spending almost $1 million, which is half his office’s annual budget In 2024, Hollier ’ s attempt to topple Thanedar came to naught as he was forced to drop out over forged and duplicated signatures He told The Detroit News he is motivated to r un again “by the people he’s talked to in the district who feel no one is tr ying to do anything about their str uggles to buy their first home, afford their rent or why their hours are being cut back at work amid tariffs imposed by President Donald Tr ump ”

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• Oversee daily living needs

CROWDED CLOWN CAR: If it seems like the same cast of Republican characters, several of which are from Oakland County, show up on the off-thewall goings on in Lansing, it’s not your imagination Now comes two state Reps from Oakland, Matt Maddock from Milford and Josh Schriver from Oxford, along with six other state House members, to ask the U S Supreme Cour t to hear a challenge of voter-approved ballot proposals that created the citizen-led redistricting commission (2018) and a separate one (2022) allowing no -reason absentee voting, early voting and same-day registration Both were passed over whelmingly by voters The pack of House members is being joined by two Republican state Senators, one of which is James Runestad from White Lake who happens to be the recently installed head of the Republican state par ty The gaggle of lawmakers first filed this action in U S District Cour t in late 2023 where it was tur ned down A U S Cour t of Appeals judge late last year rejected the group ’ s appeal, r uling that the individuals filing suit had no standing to bring the federal cour t action when the lawsuit should have been filed as representatives of the legislature as a body

RIGHTING THE SHIP:

As for White Lake-based state Senator and Michigan GOP chairperson James Runestad, it sounds like things are in pretty rough shape at state headquar ters, according to an inter view by J P Isabell, a writer with the Michigan News Source, an online (michigannewssource com) news outfit first launched in 2015 In the inter view, the state par ty chief said he took the position thinking that the GOP was $330,000 in the red but quickly discovered the number was more $770,000 Some in the par ty say there have been no emails sent out by the state office and no Facebook postings and it takes too long to update the GOP website Fur ther, some complain that phone calls are slow to be retur ned, if at all Runestad is quoted as saying: “So I’m spending most of my time tr ying to have an operation, and right now I feel like the CEO who unlocks the door in the mor ning and takes the trash cans out, and then star ts typing his letters and answering the phone and meeting with people coming through the door and r unning like crazy ever yday all day long with nobody there other than a couple of volunteers ” The par ty boss says he is on the par ty treadmill seven days a week, raising the question many had when he was selected at the state convention – how can you do justice to the elected position as a state Senator and r un the Republican par ty at the same time?

HIT THE GROUND RUNNING:

Michigan’s newest U S Senator Elissa Slotkin is wasting no time in her new position, posting in mid-March to X (for merly Twitter) straight ahead criticism of the botched handling of classified infor mation by Tr ump administration officials on a public communication channel – advance battle plan infor mation about the countr y ’ s attack on the Houthis in Yemen The militar y plans were shared on the encr ypted but unsecured social media channel Signal and the group included National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Pete Hegseth, Defense Secretar y, not to mention the inadver tent inclusion of The Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg Said Democrat Slotkin: “I’ve worked at the White House for both Democrat and Republican Presidents and I’ve never seen this kind of mishandling of classified info It’s sloppy at best and puts the militar y involved in these sensitive operations at risk ” Slotkin, a one-time graduate (1994) of Cranbrook Schools in Bloomfield Hills, speaks with more than a modicum of knowledge, having ser ved as a for mer CIA analyst with three tours alongside the militar y in Iraq, plus national security roles under two Presidents, along with ser vice as an acting Assistant Secretar y of Defense at the Pentagon Oh yeah, then there’s her cur rent committee assignments of Ar med Ser vices and the Homeland Security and Gover nment Affairs panel A voice of experience

RUNESTAD

FA C E S

Sam Abdelfatah

Sometimesa pizza is just a pizza, but for Sam Abdelfatah, owner of Brooklyn Pizza in downtown Birmingham, it has been his life’s passion and legacy

He first arrived in America from Egypt at the age of 19 to study engineering –taking a job making pizza in New York City to pay his rent The Bloomfield Hills resident says it was “love at first pizza,” and he soon changed his focus from engineering to owning his own pizza restaurant.

“One of my buddies, Michael Shinder, worked at the pizzeria with me and he suggested the quaint location in Birmingham, to start our own place Never having been there, we took a risk and opened it in 1996, and it was the best business decision of my life, ” Abdelfatah reminisced

Determined to recreate an authentic Brooklyn style pizzeria in his prime corner on Maple Road, ultimate attention to detail was given to the new business, including the Brooklyn hand tossed, thin crust, oven-fired pizza recipes, artwork gracing the walls depicting Brooklyn’s Coney Island, Old Long Island, and a 10foot Statue of Liberty welcoming patrons near the entrance

“I’d have to say what I really love about my business is making people happy Food is love and I get to share my love with families by serving them the best pizza in a casual, kid friendly place That’s hard to find in downtown Birmingham,” said the family man and restaurateur

Known to many as ‘Mr Birmingham, Abdelfatah gained the reputation as a fixture in the community for nearly three decades by connecting and giving back whenever he could and through fund-raisers and donations to non-profits like W ish Upon a Teen and the Birmingham Education Foundation.

“Kids have always been my biggest clients,” said the father of two “After almost 30 years, some of kids that come in to eat are now coming in pushing strollers with kids of their own I’ve watched them grow up with birthday parties, anniversaries and graduations and I feel honored to be a part of their lives ”

Aside from the love he has for his community, Abdelfatah attributes his success to his talent for great marketing and embracing change, including new technology “I was the only pizza restaurant in town to do a trial with an autonomous electric delivery robot from a company in Troy, built by Canadian auto supplier Magna International Inc Maybe it goes back to my engineering history but I was very interested to try it We had hundreds of pizzas delivered this way, and it was a great experience even though the trial has ended.”

Wanting to grow in both space and provisions, Abdelfatah recently expanded the restaurant and added a liquor license for the first time in its history The space also now has a pedestrian entrance and a walk-up window, perfect for serving guests who plan to have a casual dinner or drink on the patio

More changes are in the works – the current plan to step down and sell his beloved Brooklyn Pizza hasn’t come easy for the devoted owner

“I felt the time was right to turn it over to a father-and-son team that will bring all of the youthful energy and commitment to the community that I have had for so many years here,” said Abdelfatah

While nothing is yet written in stone, his next chapter will be filled with travel and spending more time with his own family. And one thing never gets old for Abdelfatah, he said “Every time I drive by Brooklyn Pizza I can feel the love I’ve put into it, and I’m very proud of the legacy I am leaving ”

Story: Susan Peck

Photo: Laurie Tennent

BAT TLING THE BUGS

NEG ATIVE IMPACT FROM OVER-USE OF CHEMICAL PESTICIDES, HERBICIDES

B Y STACY GIT TLEMAN

ith the heralding of summer comes the pressure to have the greenest, most weed and pest-free lawn in the neighborhood. As early as March, our suburban subdivisions are abuzz with lawn and garden contractors They blow away the remnants of fall leaves and twigs and apply herbicide and pesticide chemical treatments to lawns Though it has become highly coveted to have a lush green lawn that is free from pests like mosquitos and gr ubs, suburbanites are aggravating a situation that is already in crisis – the rapid decline of beneficial insects - by unnecessarily over-treating lawns with chemical pesticides and herbicides

Scientists war n that the Ear th is undergoing a sixth mass extinction That includes organisms from the largest mammals that swim the oceans and roam the African continent to the tiniestwinged creatures responsible for pollinating flowers crops and other vegetation If you are noticing fewer butter flies, caterpillars, or bumblebees in your backyard or while out on a walk, it is not in your imagination There is a staggering decline in nearly 4,000 species of wild native bees These losses for m par t of a larger across-the-board trend that has been considered an insect apocalypse Since the mid-2010s, monarch butter fly populations shr unk up to 72 percent and several native bumblebee species declined nearly 96 percent

As grim as the situation seems, researchers and ecologists insist that there are tangible and immediate things residents from apar tment dwellers to lakefront homeowners can do to lend a hand to pollinating creatures

They include Nick Haddad, a professor of ecology at Michigan State University where he ser ves as a faculty member at the WK Kellogg Biological Station and Depar tment of Integrative Biology

He was one of the nearly two dozen authors of a recently released study published in the March 2025 issue of Science which revealed that multiple species of butter flies are in decline across the nation, according to data collected by 35 citizen science groups

“Rapid Butter fly Declines Across the United States During the 21st Centur y ” included records of 12 6 million individual butter flies from over 76,000 sur veys across 35 monitoring programs The study characterized overall and species-specific butter fly abundance trends across the contiguous United States According to the study, between 2000 and 2020, total butter fly abundance fell by 22 percent across the 554 recorded species Species-level declines were widespread, with 13 times as many species declining as the few which were increasing The prevalence of declines throughout all regions in the United States highlights an urgent need to protect butter flies from fur ther losses

Haddad has studied butter flies for 30 years, including some of the rarest species in the world Two species, Mitchell’s Satyr and the Poweshiek Skippering, have more specimens in captivity in Haddad’s lab and the John Ba Zoo in Grand Rapids than there are in the wild The populations of these species went from hundreds in Michigan up through Manitoba, Canada to only three specimens over the last 30 years

“ The rarest butter flies number in the hundreds to the thousands globally, and they ’ ve already been in threat of decline and even fur ther decline until one day they may reach extinction,” Haddad said

This prompted him to expand his research into the broader effects of insect decline with more common butter flies Haddad’s lab began to work with butter fly population data sets collected by academic and citizen scientists in Ohio This month Haddad launched a program at the biological station modeled af ter the Ohio method called the Michigan Butter fly Sur vey Right now, he is seeking citizen scientists to volunteer and train to par ticipate

In Ohio, obser vers tallied butter fly counts along the same stretch of a path or a road ever y week for up to 20 years That’s where it was discovered that populations were dropping by an average of

two percent per year for the last two decades In an interest to fold this Ohio count into a broader count across the nation, he and other researchers looked at 35 data sets of population samples across the nation collected by thousands of volunteers And the findings were staggering

“ What is most shocking is to see how general this downward trend is in butter fly numbers,” said Haddad “ The data taken from thousands of people in tens of thousands of sur veys points to the fact that there is a rapid population decline in even the most common butter flies Even the cabbage white, which is an invasive species from Europe that har ms cer tain (cr uciferous and leaf y crops) is in decline And we don’t see any end in sight ”

Though Haddad said while a few species are increasing in abundance -13 times more of other species are declining On average, the overall butter fly population has declined by 40 percent in 20 years

A separate MSU study published in 2024 explained that the main culprit of butter fly, bee, and insect decline are pesticides that are broadly applied in agriculture

“In that study, we looked to the three top causes of population decline: habitat loss, climate change and the use of insecticides,” Haddad said “ We had data sets from multiple regions in the Midwest and we compared them apples to apples And in each case, the cause that rose to the top as the main cause of population decline was the use of pesticides Cor responding to our latest butter fly study, in the last 20 years, there has been a shif t to this new class of insecticides – neonicotinoids - that are broadly spread on crops ”

Haddad pointed to three main reasons for butter fly decline They include habitat loss, climate change, and the over use of pesticides

What is the impor tance of healthy butter fly populations? Most people regard domesticated bees as the workhorses of the agriculture industr y The common adage is that pollinators provide one out of ever y three bites of food But Haddad remarked that butter flies have equal impor tance For example, research from Texas showed that the presence and abundance of butter flies around cotton crops are essential for production and yield A healthy butter fly population added up to $100 million in pollination production per year for Texas cotton

But the use of neonics is showing up in our neighborhoods too as a method of pest control Haddad said because there are no regulations as to how we chemically treat our lawns, there are no measurements or data sets on how chemically treated lawns and gardens impact pollinators

“ Though there are no data sets that can be measured, we know that we are using a ton of chemicals on our lawns,” Haddad said Haddad explained homeowners can help sustain the birds, bees, and butter flies by shrinking the square footage of their lawns and increasing the size of gardens to host native grasses, plants, and flowers Even small changes can have an impact, Haddad advised

“It can star t with a patch of garden that contains milkweed, black-eyed Susans, and Echinacea (purple coneflower),” he said “ You can pick up simple pollinator mixes at any hardware store ”

Haddad added that residents can also plant milkweed to encourage monarch butter flies to visit, feed and lay eggs, though

their numbers were down and sightings were few last year

The professor also suggested that residents and homeowners hold off from cleaning out too much leaf cover or twigs in early spring and leaving the leaves on the ground in the fall These areas provide habitat for insects throughout the coldest months By cleaning them out too thoroughly, one is also blowing away the dor mant eggs or lar vae of beneficial insects

At the Kellogg station, Haddad said his researchers are working on an encouraging technique called “prairie strips,” where swaths of native plants, flowers, and prairie grasses are planted alongside treated soy and cor n crops There have been sightings of caterpillars and butter flies that are “doing better than expected” even though they are planted next to pesticide-laden crops

“ This demonstrates that even if far mers take out small areas of their crops and plant for pollinators, or if suburban residents or even people living in urban settings can clear small areas for plants that attract pollinators, there can be a benefit,” Haddad said Haddad added that other beneficial areas in “plain sight” are highway medians that can be planted with flowering natives instead of grasses that require mowing

For example, he pointed to the work of a colleague from Iowa who studied butter flies flourishing along a stretch of highway median planted with wildflowers Other areas that can nur ture pollinators are the 20 percent of Michigan’s agricultural lands that lay fallow in any given year when they are not producing crops

Hadad said that crops pretreated from seed with pesticides are not producing higher crop yields, according to studies out of Canada

“Our studies show that with the trend of planting more disease and pest-resistant genetically modified crops, there is less of a need to pretreat crops with insecticides,” Haddad said “It is a detriment to the beneficial insects and the cost of the far mers who are locked into paying for insecticide-treated crops The pesticides are also a detriment to the health of far mers It is a lose-lose for ever ybody

This is not to say there are times when insecticide must be applied when there is an infestation of har mful insects But in Europe and par ts of Canada, these broad-spectr um pesticides have already been banned It is too early to know if this will help stabilize or even increase butter fly numbers We are still ver y early into this experiment ”

Daniel Raichel, director of pollinators and pesticides for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), delved into the dangers of neonicotinoids, or neonics for shor t To offer perspective, Raichel said the thin neonic coating on a single seed of cor n or soy is potent enough to kill 250,000 bees One square foot of a neonictreated lawn can kill one million bees Before widespread use of neonics, beekeepers repor ted a 10 percent loss of their colonies each year, due to winter cold or parasitic disease Now, keepers can lose up to 50 percent of their colonies and 2025 is set to be the worst year on record for bee colony collapse

Neonics break down slowly in the environment and persist for many years af ter application in soil and water When it rains, the poison seeps into ground, sur face and eventually drinking water supplies

The NRDC considers this class of chemicals to be the most

har mful pesticide to pollinators in histor y, even more so than the now -banned DDT These pesticides mimic the addictive proper ties of nicotine and affix to the ner vous system of bees Raichel said studies have shown that bees can become so addicted to neonics, which infiltrate even a plant’s pollen, that they begin to prefer water treated with the substance over uncontaminated water Then, essentially, they overdose

“Neonics attach themselves to those ner ve cells in insects and they never let go, making them only want more of the chemical until they die,” Raichel said “ We have obser ved bees acutely poisoned with neonics and they will shake uncontrollably until they become paralyzed and die ”

Leading up to World Bee Day on May 20th, the NRDC in 2024 released an ar ticle “ The Bees are Not Okay,” recognizing the nonnative honeybee’s impor tance as a kind of domesticated livestock that has been decimated by a rapid decline beginning in the mid2000s even though beekeepers are cultivating twice the number of beehives to stave off the large losses The repor t said that weaker bee colonies will soon signal a weaker food supply

Raichel said the plummet of insect populations is evident just by taking a long drive in the countr yside

“ Think about this the next time you go out on a summer road trip and drive through a r ural area, ” Raichel said “Are you using your windshield wipers to clear off the dead bugs like you used to 20 years ago? I am guessing no Bees, butter flies, and other insects are the ecological canaries in the coal mine They are telling us that our ecosystems are getting hollowed out from the bottom up ”

Raichel cautions that the toxic nature of neonics has a detrimental effect on the entire food chain from water-striding insects and other inver tebrates that are food for fish in Great Lakes Neonics at cer tain levels can kill off songbirds, which are also dropping in numbers in Michigan

Humans are also not immune Raichel pointed to a 2016 study from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) that revealed that half of Americans had neonics in blood or urine samples The CDC also repor ted that 95 percent of pregnant women tested from 2017 to 2020 had exposure to neonics in their bodies which poses concer ns for neonatal neurological development

Raichel said the only ones benefitting from these treated seeds are the big chemical corporations And many of these companies have the far mers over a bar rel

“It's like going to the car wash and the hot wax treatment comes with the package,” explained Raichel “ You don’t need the hot wax, but you are paying for it anyway, so why not? The far mer must buy the seed from the seed dealers, which are subsidiaries of these big (chemical) companies However, far mers are not reaping the benefits of these treated seeds Ver y rarely do we see higher crop yields ”

The good news is that there is a movement to ban neonics in several states, Canada s regions, and the European Union (EU) The EU banned three main neonics in 2013 and then in 2018, it expanded the ban to the entire class of chemicals

According to the University of Califor nia Agriculture and Natural Resources (UCANR), all products containing neonics have been banned from retail shelves as of Januar y 2025 The chemicals are

$2,450,000

By Minoru Yamasaki

also banned or restricted from residential use in Colorado, Maine, Mar yland, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Ver mont and Washington Limiting lawn and garden neonicotinoid applications to trained professionals is intended to eliminate significant pollution from these pesticides in urban and suburban areas, protecting pollinators, aquatic organisms, and human health, according to UCANR

Though Michigan has not banned these chemicals, Raichel advised home gardeners to check the labels of pesticides for ingredients such as acetamiprid, clothianidin, imidacloprid, dinotefuran, and thiamethoxam They are commonly found in twoin- one or three-in- one insecticide products

“If you see a product that feeds your rose garden and also kills bugs, odds are it contains a neonic chemical,” Raichel said “ When it comes to not using these chemicals, homeowners have to do their homework and read the labels While a lot is happening at the federal level related to neonics, I wouldn't hold your breath (right now) for dramatic federal action in reigning in the use of these pesticides The EPA pesticide office has consistently lagged behind Canada and Europe in regulating har mful pesticides ”

Though the precipitous drop in pollinators may be discouraging, ecologists say there are tangible and effective actions homeowners can take to task to slow the disappearance of these beneficial insects It can be as big as ripping out par ts of a lawn and replacing it with native plants and pollen-rich flowers and holding off on the insecticides It can be as small as planting pots full of bee, butter fly or hummingbird-attracting flowers on a sunny deck, patio, or apar tment balcony

“Ever yone needs to know just how valuable a backyard or small pocket of space can be for our pollinators,” said Aimee Code, pesticide director of the Xerces Society of Inver tebrate Conser vation “ The beauty of pollinator conser vation is that it can happen at home It need not be far away (at a national park) or in the distant long-ter m future You can create a habitat this spring for bees and pollinators And when you create a habitat, the pollinators will come ”

Code said she witnessed this on her Bend, Ore , proper ty when she cleared a section of her lawn to accommodate native bees to nest Code said that 70 percent of native bees need subter ranean nesting spots

Code said another pesticide commonly used to control insect populations such as mosquitoes are pyrethroids Although mosquito spray companies say this class of pesticides is chemically derived from the chr ysanthemum flower, Code said they are just as deadly for bees and butter flies And while homeowners may want to protect their proper ties from mosquito -bor ne diseases such as West Nile Vir us and the rarer Easter n Equine Encephalitis, declining mosquito populations in Michigan due to hotter, drier summers make routine spraying in most par ts unnecessar y Instead of blanket spraying for mosquitos, Code recommends only spraying targeted areas where mosquitos have been detected to car r y diseases Better yet, Code said to keep mosquito populations down, homeowners should diligently empty their proper ty of standing water in gutters, change water in bird feeders, or install a water fountain A r unning water source in one ’ s yard not only disr upts the mosquito egg-lar vae life cycle, but also attracts bees, butter flies and birds

Code said another good defense against mosquitos is installing a

bat house away from buildings Bats, which are also pollinators, are har mless to humans and devour hundreds of mosquitoes daily

When it comes to our relationship with insects in general, Code said there is a misconception that they are all pests In reality, she insisted most are beneficial but misunderstood Instead of always reaching for a pesticide, Code advised different methods such as removing cer tain vegetation that causes cer tain insect infestations

“Instead of reaching for a can or bottle of pesticides, get busy planting,” Code advised She recommended planting daisies, yar row, leaf borage and fennel around rose bushes or vegetable gardens to attract aphid-gobbling lacewings and ladybugs

The Xerces Society provides educational resources to municipalities, including Royal Oak, which are incorporating best practices for pollinators into their sustainability plans This includes taking on a proclamation to be recognized as a Bee City USA

By passing a Bee City USA proclamation, Code said municipalities will pledge to add more pollinator habitats, create an integrated pest management plan that incorporates concer ns about pollinators and provide outreach, education and suppor t to its residents who want to create habitats on their proper ties

“Municipalities need to keep in mind,” cautioned Code, “that signing a Bee City USA proclamation is just the beginning of creating a hospitable place for pollinators ”

In April of 2022, Royal Oak passed a Bee City USA proclamation It recognized the impor tance of pollinators in the ecosystem and agriculture and pledged to create an integrated pest management system that would beautif y the city ’ s landscapes while minimizing har m to humans and wildlife It appointed the city ’ s environmental advisor y board to host public educational and outreach events, encourage the creation of rain gardens filled with native plants, flowers and grasses, and maintain educational resources on the city ’ s website

New to her position in Royal Oak but no stranger to the Bee City USA initiative from her work for the city of Fer ndale, Royal Oak Communications Director Kara Sokol said the city is kicking off the war mer months by encouraging residents to plant for pollinators and par ticipate in “No Mow May ” Residents are encouraged to let their grass grow and their landscaping rest from being cleared of any fall underbr ush throughout the month

“ When I worked for the city of Fer ndale, helping pollinators was a pet project of mine,” Sokol said “I was hor rified at what chemicals were doing to the environment and amazed to lear n that something as simple as putting off mowing or cleaning out one ’ s garden beds could be so helpful to our pollinators ”

Sokol said a big hurdle is changing the culture and mindset that idealizes the greenest widest weed-free lawns

“ The idea of the green carpet of a lawn is not native to our area and comes from European models or having a lush English pasture on the front of one ’ s proper ty,” Sokol said

She continued: “Michigan was once covered with prairies and high grasses that were filled with wildflowers I think many of us grew up with parents who treasured manicured lawns and believed they had to keep up with the neighbors However, the younger generation of homeowners do not want to spend their weekends mowing their lawns We want to plant more perennials and native flowers The culture is star ting to swing, and there are small actionable steps ever yone can take in the shor t ter m ”

For those who still prefer a manicured front lawn, Sokol

suggests the “mullet effect ” Named aptly for the 1980s hairstyle, residents can keep their front yards trimmed and neat, and let their backyards take on more natural, wilder conditions such as less mowing, eliminating the use of pesticides and herbicides, and raking the leaves and underbr ush from the front yard into the back

Sokol said the challenge is in educating privately contracted lawn care companies To make the biggest profit, most ser vices want to get a jump on the season and can be seen pretreating lawns with pesticides and herbicides and cleaning away leaves and underbr ush as early as March

Sokol said she would eventually like to see these companies market themselves as more eco -friendly But Sokol said most companies will not sign on clients unless they agree to begin their ser vice ver y early in the season

“ That would be an incredible thing, but I’m just not seeing it yet,” Sokol said

Once residents commit to creating a more pollinator-friendly back or front yard, they can register and join a network of thousands of other Americans committing to do the same with the Homegrown National Parks program at homegrownnationalpark org Nationwide, over 43,000 families and individuals have registered their yards into the program covering nearly 105,000 acres In Michigan, about 1,800 have registered their backyards covering a little over 3,100 acres Potentially, there are 20 million acres of suburban and developed land that can become ecologically friendly to pollinators

The project was co -founded in 2021 by University of Delaware Entomology Professor Douglas Tallamy on the notion that there are millions of acres of backyards in the United States that have the restorative potential to become natural habitats for pollinators and other beneficial wildlife

When Tallamy and his wife purchased a homestead on a for mer hay far m in southeaster n Pennsylvania 20 years ago, the 10-acre proper ty was overgrown with invasive, exotic plants such as autumn olive and oriental bittersweet Over the years, the couple restored the land with native plants, beneficial oak tree groves, and gardens abundant with pollinating flowers

Tallamy ’ s research concludes that ever y piece of land matters to protect pollinators, manage watersheds, absorb carbon, and suppor t a healthy food web

Lawns, he insisted, do none of these things

"If you're going to own a piece of the ear th, you've got to take care of it," Tallamy said "Lawns are the worst plant for carbon sequestration Traditional grass landscapes do nothing to pull carbon from the atmosphere or suppor t local wildlife In contrast, native plants and diverse ecosystems can dramatically improve environmental health ”

Tallamy advises homeowners to plant vegetation that will attract caterpillars, which are the “meat and potatoes” for food webs and hungr y songbirds

Looking at this from a local perspective, the Michigan Depar tment of Natural Resources recommends 10 or more blooming species with at least three of these species blooming at any phase of the growth period between frosts for a successful pollinator garden While milkweeds such as common milkweed and butter fly milkweed are essential for attracting monarchs, gardens should also include perennials such as wild bergamot,

purple coneflower, and black-eyed Susan for attracting various butter flies and moths

Gardens and landscapes should also include native grasses such as little blue stem or Indian grass for habitat

Tallamy said the Homegrown National Park movement represents a cultural shif t to make homeowners understand that their residence is not outside of the ecosystem but a par t of it

"What happens on your proper ty doesn't stay on your proper ty,” Tallamy said “It either helps or hur ts the local ecosystem By reimagining our relationship with the land, we can collectively rebuild the intricate web of life, one backyard at a time ”

One organization that has taken Tallamy ’s message to hear t is the Rochester Pollinator Society, founded by ar tist, marketing strategist, and civic leader tur ned ecologist Marilyn Trent

Trent ser ved on the board of the Rochester Downtown Development Authority for 15 years Under her leadership, she facilitated initiatives to install more rain gardens and replace some lawns around the city ’ s municipal buildings and parks with butter fly gardens

In 2022, Rochester was designated by the National Wildlife Federation as a Monarch Champion City for its pledged commitment to provide more habitat for these winged creatures

Trent founded the Rochester Pollinators Society in 2019 to create more habitat for monarch butter flies in town Over the years, the organization has recr uited 250 volunteers, sold over 60,000 milkweed and native plant species, and donated thousands of other natives to schools and other nonprofit organizations The organization also advised the Por tage Chain of Lakes Association about ideal plantings for lakefront homeowners to not only attract beneficial insects but to use plants to filter nutrients and other contaminants that contribute to har mful algal blooms

The society is taking orders for native plants and grasses on its website at rochesterpollinators org and will be having a native plant sale on May 17 at the Rochester Far mer ’ s Market

This summer, Rochester Pollinators will also inaugurate the city ’ s 1,000 square-foot mini forest project located behind the community garden In addition to flowers and native plants, native trees, especially oaks, ser ve as “ ver tical pollinator habitats” capable of suppor ting hundreds and thousands of beneficial insects and birds

Drawing on a method devised in Japan and replicated in cities around the world, the mini forests will become a self-sustaining ecosystem in three years

Ann Arbor already has a mini forest, and a 30,000-square-foot mini forest is planned for War ren

Trent said on one ’ s proper ty, shrinking your lawn and growing more native grasses and plants is within ever yone ’ s reach

“Ever yone wants to be an environmentalist or save the elephants or polar bears,” Trent said “ You can donate money and send it away and may not see the results But building habitats for bees, butter flies, caterpillars and birds is something you can do and see the results Right in your backyard ”

FA C E S

James Kaye

Artist James Kaye’s most recent exhibition, “Descriptive Intuition,” opened at the Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center in March and will be on display until May 1

The colorful mixed media collection is representative of Kaye’s many talents, with a blend of abstract expressionist artwork that includes textural paintings, sculptures, and wood pieces

“I always knew art is what I wanted to do I come from a long line of hands-on creators – cobblers, seamstresses, and my father was in auto advertising Growing up, there were always art supplies around the house – pencils, rulers, paper and a 1949 Cadillac in the garage,” he explained. “My dad was a huge influence. He taught me about car design, plumbing, woodworking, and electrical We even restored houses together ”

Kaye was born in Dearborn and grew up in Bloomfield Hills He currently lives in the distinctive Art Deco “Lone Ranger” house in Huntington Woods “The universe sent the home to me,” he said. “It’s definitely my father’s style and I found it right after he passed ”

After graduating from Lahser High School, he received an associate degree in welding and art from Oakland Community College followed by a bachelor's degree in arts and crafts from College for Creative Studies He also became a master welder, fabricator, and designer

“I liked the combination of auto design plus hot-rodding and fine art,” he said. Following college, he and his brother, David, formed Detroit Brothers Custom Cycles and the duo worked alongside their father, John, to bring their passion for stylized designed and engineered custom-made motorcycles to life Their talents garnered industry attention leading to appearances on Discovery Channel’s Biker Build-Off in 2005, and their own show, Motor City Motors, in 2009-10.

Kaye has moved between Michigan and California several times; the most recent was when he opened Detroit Brothers West, and began focusing on creating fine art However, he found it financially challenging to work as an artist in California “I was barely making enough money to survive I found myself living in a storage unit ”

After suffering a shoulder injury while surfing that required surgery, he returned to Michigan about 12 years ago. “I knew something was missing and figured I needed to expand my art education ”

The mixed media artist attended master's programs at both Cranbrook Academy of Art and College for Creative Studies

His artwork can be seen throughout the metro Detroit area including Corktown, Huntington Woods and Ferndale as well as a large piece for the exterior of the Daxton Hotel in Birmingham Most recently, he is the artist behind the newly installed 24-foot tall signature metal sculpture on Maple at Southfield roads The sculpture, titled Connection, took a year to create in his Detroit studio

“The sculpture is about connection – mainly connecting the generations I’ve observed while teaching at CC S that the younger generation is not as hands-on as previous generations,” he described. “It’s made from exhaust tubing which required 300 feet of welding, so you think ‘automotive’ when you see it Since it’s polished stainless steel, it will forever be as bright, stable, and strong as it is now while taking on and reflecting the ever changing colors around it ”

In 2017 he co-founded, with his mother Gayle, a Detroit-based business called Alpha 6 Corporation that produces professional quality lettering enamels, sign acrylics as well as artist tools and supplies.

He encourages those with artistic aspirations to pursue their passion: "If you believe you’re an artist then DO NOT STOP I know I’m an artist so there’s no quitting Everything will get in the way if you let it Get in the studio or your basement or your sketchbook every single day because if you don’t you will miss out on growth and what’s on your mind each day.”

Story: Tracy Donohue

Photo: Laurie Tennent

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Next board resignation over city center project

By David Hohendorf

A member of the board of directors of the senior citizen group Next, Stuar t Jeffares, has resigned his position with the non-profit over his dissatisfaction with how the city of Bir mingham, including its city commission, has handled the effor t to create a per manent home for the senior citizens organization

Jeffares, a local real estate business owner and a long-time member of the Bir mingham Planning Board, has been a community membe of the Next board for over a decade

The Next board, an ad hoc committee, city officials and the city commission have been dealing for the past two years with a proposed facility to house the senior ser vices group The city, in 2023, purchased the YMCA building at 400 E Lincoln as a location for Next which for decades has operated out of a Bir mingham school building but the district has plans to put it to use as an early childhood center

The decision was made to demolish the E Lincoln building and replace it with a new str ucture to house Next, the YMCA and community center activities, estimated to cost about $30 million City officials are expected to place on the ballot this November a bond issue which if approved would under write the new building, paid for with a 2025 year annual millage that could be in the neighborhood of $144 for an average homeowner in the city under one proposal now being discussed

Jeffares said that his resignation should not be viewed as indicating there is not strong suppor t from other members of the Next board, but he could “ no longer put on the ‘ game face’ needed to work toward developing a new Senior Center that is well on its way to being this city commission’s own Nor th Old Woodward Project debacle that went down in flames at the polls in 2019 ”

In written cor respondence with Downtown Newsmagazine, which appears in this issue, Jeffares raised a number of questions about the new proposal along with criticism of the city commissioners and how they have handled Next members at public meetings which he compared “to the equivalent of verbal waterboarding, ” reflecting what others in the community have obser ved over the last year

City, library officials, lawyers meet

Officials and legal counsel from the city of Bir mingham and the Bir mingham Baldwin Public Librar y were expected to meet on Thursday, April 17, in an effor t to resolve a long-standing disagreement over whether the city has any control over millage rates levied to suppor t librar y operations or whether the librar y board can be convinced to lower its millage rate to help under write a proposed community and senior ser vice center

City manager Jana Ecker and city attor ney Mar y Kucharek were scheduled meet with librar y director Rebekah Craf t and the librar y ’ s legal counsel, Ann M Seur ynck, an attor ney with the Foster Swif t Collins & Smith law fir m

The meeting was prompted by a proposal from the city manger in recent weeks to possibly have the librar y millage rate retur ned to the 1 1-mill level that existed prior to the constr uction in recent years of $9 million in improvements made to the librar y building, which is owned by the city The librar y millage rate was increased to fund the building projects The millage rate reduction would take effect for the 2026-2027 budget year

The city manager, at the Monday, March 24, city commission meeting made the proposed librar y millage reduction proposal, which got mixed reviews Ecker suggested that the librar y millage be reduced and the last year of the voter-approved special millage for the librar y not be collected The end result would mean that taxpayers would basically not see an increase in taxes to fund the 20-25 year bond proposal for the new community senior center that will either appear on the November ballot this year

The proposed new building at 400 E Lincoln would house the Next senior ser vices group, the YMCA which sold the building to the city and would also be open as a community center

Baldwin Public Librar y Director Rebekah Craf t told commissioners at the meeting that the proposal was pitting the librar y against the Next group Fur ther, Craf t said the librar y is improperly being treated as a depar tment of the city but it was established as a PA164 Librar y, giving them specific authority, including setting the millage rate Craf t and several librar y board members emphasized that cutting the librar y ’ s funding is not legal under state law and would be detrimental to the librar y ’ s operations

In cor respondence to the city, Craf t also recounted how in the past the city had dictated the librar y millage amount but that was illegal under state law The librar y ’ s attor ney also supplied a letter to the city detailing the state law under which the librar y was for med, which provides autonomous control of librar y funds

Although some officials have said that the city char ter is the controlling document relative to the librar y, even that document says “It shall be the duty of the (librar y) board of directors to prepare an estimate of the amount of money necessar y for the suppor t and maintenance of such librar y for the ensuing fiscal year, which estimate shall not exceed one and three-quar ters (1¾) mills on the dollar of the taxable proper ty of the city and to repor t such estimate prior to April 1 of each year to the city commission for assessment and collection as provided by law ” The city char ter also provides that the librar y board “shall have the exclusive control of the expenditure of all moneys deposited to the credit of the librar y fund ” However, past city attor neys have issued opinions saying that the city commission has the power to set the librar y millage

The city commission took no for mal action on the millage reduction proposal but asked for city officials to meet with librar y officials to see if an agreement could be negotiated

ign a real lease because of their dire inancial situation (af ter we gave hem $2M!) ”

Many of the issues raised by effares are similar to what members of the public have been raising over he past year

In ter ms of the latest news about he new building, city and Next officials met with representatives of he fir ms contracted on the project ast week to discuss rapidly ncreasing costs of constr uction, ome say in large par t due to the evying of tariffs by President Donald Tr ump which has created tur moil in he inter national supply market City and Next officials are epor tedly now looking at reducing he size of the building to eliminate $8 million in costs of the project, ome sources say, although there has been no official announcement by the ity yet

Community center bond proposal review

By Grace Lovins

Discussions on a potential bond proposal to fund the future Bir mingham community and senior enter, the home for Next senior er vices and the YMCA at 400 E Lincoln, continued during the Monday, March 25, city commission meeting Commissioners first reviewed bond proposal language in mid- Januar y, during which time the commission agreed that a May bond vote wouldn’t leave enough time for public outreach They also wanted more details about the project itself, ncluding building and operating osts, before discussing the language of the ballot question

Jeffares was also critical of the city

including the YMCA in the proposed senior center noting that in doing so “nearly triples the amount of the bond request of the taxpayers ” Fur ther, Jeffares notes that inclusion of the YMCA in the project “necessitates

significant thrif ting of needed elements for seniors to offset the YMCA burden,” which he said “burdens the city with significant risk by constr ucting a building for an outside organization who can’t even

The bond proposal is required to ell voters the dollar amount to be bor rowed, the duration of the bond, he purpose of the bond issue and the milage estimate, said Patrick McGow, bond counsel with Miller Canfield Af ter deciding during their last discussion that a May special election was too soon, the city is ooking at either an August special election or putting the proposal on he November election ballot when ome city commission seats will be decided If the city were to hold an August special election, they would need to file the ballot proposal with the city clerk by May 13 A November election would require filing by August 13

For a $32 million bond amount, McGow said that a 20-year bond

would have an annual estimated rate of 0 52 mills and a 25-year bond would have an estimated rate of 0 4446 mills

Commissioners Andrew Haig and Clinton Baller offered the most criticism of the ballot language, both saying the language doesn’t adequately tell voters what they need to know about the project Baller highlighted the fact that the ballot language doesn’t mention Next senior ser vices or the YMCA, which will be located in the center, while Haig argued that voters need to know they are going to be paying more at the end of the bond due to interest

City manger Jana Ecker explained another potential, and more controversial, option to fund the bonds which would entail decreasing the annual Baldwin Public Librar y millage rate Per Ecker and city attor ney Mar y Kucharek, the city could decide to retur n the librar y ’ s millage rate to its pre-constr uction level and choose not to levy the final year of the senior ser vices millage already approved by voters, which would generate funding for the community center without increasing

the overall annual millage rate paid by taxpayers “ The city administration’s recent actions have put the librar y board and me in the unfor tunate position of pitting the librar y against Next,” said Rebekah Craf t, director of the Baldwin Public Librar y

Craf t told commissioners that the librar y is improperly being treated as a depar tment of the city but it was established as a PA164 Librar y, giving them specific authority, including setting the millage rate Craf t and several librar y board members emphasized that cutting the librar y ’ s funding is not legal under state law and would be detrimental to the librar y ’ s operations

City commissioners took no for mal action on deciding bond options, but directed city staff and bond counsel to adjust the language of the proposed ballot question based on their feedback before they move to decide a bond duration They also suggested retur ning with a different proposal negotiated with the librar y Commissioners Katie Schafer and Jason Emerine were absent from discussions

City reviews design of community

center

By Grace Lovins

Bir mingham’s vision for a new community and senior center to be located at 400 E Lincoln continues to move for ward as city commissioners reviewed multiple schematic design options for what the building could look like during the Monday, March 25, meeting

While four designs were originally made, the two options reviewed by the commission were the two recommended by the ad hoc senior and community center committee, said Jim Stock, design director with architect Neumann Smith Stock said that the fir m tried to follow the programming as closely as possible for an efficient building, preser ve as much of the site as possible for parking and respect the sur rounding context of the residential neighborhood with each of their designs

The first option put the building on the nor thwest cor ner of Edgewood and Lincoln with 18 f t building height from the ground The gym and pool were

pushed into the ground 16 f t in this design to ensure the building height made sense in the area, Stock said The lower level featured a 7,200 sq f t gym, pool and lock rooms, while the main level held a small lobby space, access to the walking track, administrative space, kitchen, child watch area and multi-purpose rooms

On the third level of the first design, Stock showed a fitness area for Next senior ser vices placed by the stairs and elevator Neumann Smith also added a roof top patio space for patrons and suggested it could be used for things like rentals or par ties This design option would provide roughly 35,062 sq f t of usable building space

The second schematic design option, while similar to the first, had differences on the main and upper levels of the building Multi-purpose rooms can be found on the main level of this design, but they don’t have windows, Stock said A large wellness area was also able to be added to the upper level due to extra space from the design’s footprint

The gym and pool were still designed to be 16 f t into the ground on the lower level of the building This

design would allow for roughly 36,291 sq f t of usable building space

In ter ms of parking, Neumann Smith and city staff were able to identif y over 200 potential parking spaces in the area According to Stock the building’s east parking lot has 45 spaces and the larger west lot has 110 spaces Adding spaces from St James Park, sur rounding businesses and street parking on Floyd, Lincoln and Edgewood, Stock said there are 103 parking spaces available around the building

City manager Jana Ecker added that Grace Baptist Church and the Michigan United Credit Union near the building have indicated they would be amenable to letting patrons use their parking lots during non-business hours

Par t of Neumann Smith’s schematic design for parking includes moving into the neighboring St James Park by 42 f t That space would be used for parking, but the design would also include a walking path that connects the sidewalk lining the perimeter of the site and an area for YMCA camps next to the tennis cour ts

Commissioners mostly agreed that the first option for the building design

was the most efficient use of space, which they liked Several commissioners, including mayor Therese Longe and Anthony Long who sit on the ad hoc senior and community center committee reiterated comments and concer ns that were brought up by the ad hoc committee including the sizing of the pool and how the plans to cut into St James Park might impact the baseball field

Since the item was a progress repor t on where Neumann Smith and city staff have gotten in the design process, the commission took no for mal action

Aging in Place Action Plan under review

By Grace Lovins

During the Monday April 7 city commission meeting, Bir mingham commissioners reviewed a comprehensive draf t of the Aging in Place Citywide Action Plan, a document nearly 18 months in the making that outlines strategies to suppor t older adults wishing to remain in their homes and community as they age

The plan, explained assistant city manager Mark Clemence, was developed by the city ’ s Ad Hoc Aging in Place Committee (AIPC), which was for med in 2023 following direction from the commission Its for mation came from demographic trends showing an increasing senior population across the countr y

Committee members were tasked with creating a citywide aging in place action plan that outlines the vision and goals to encourage senior residents to age comfor tably in Bir mingham

According to Clemence, the committee used public input through a community-wide sur vey as well as the AARP ’ s 8 Domains of Livability to str ucture the aging in place plan The framework included community and health, outdoor space and buildings, communication and infor mation, social and civic engagement, housing, community suppor t and health ser vices, and transpor tation

One of the plan’s central recommendations is the development of a new community and senior center that would house Next, Bir mingham’s primar y provider of

senior ser vices A new community and senior center is cur rently in the works to replace the existing Bir mingham YMCA building located at 400 E Lincoln

Other suggested actions include expanding communication channels about ser vices available to older residents, enhancing transpor tation options and revisiting the zoning ordinance to allow for more flexible housing solutions such as senior living facilities

The repor t emphasizes coordination with the city, local ser vice providers and regional par tners While it doesn’t indicate an immediate fiscal impact on the city, the repor t also suggests that ongoing implementation could be suppor ted through existing par tnerships and potential millage revenues

With the meeting nearing midnight, commissioners agreed to bring the discussion to a future workshop to give themselves and the public more time to digest the plan

The commission took no action and asked city staff to look at making the presentation the focus of an upcoming workshop

Liquor license set for Sidecar Slider Bar

By Dana Casadei

A class C liquor license for Sidecar Slider Bar was approved unanimously by the Bloomfield Township Board of Tr ustees at their meeting on Monday, April 14

Clerk Mar tin Brook noted that all of the requirements for their class C liquor license were met in the application they submitted last December; and recommended to the board that they move for ward with the consideration for the approval of license which was contingent with four conditions

Those conditions include prior site plan and special land use approvals for Sidecar Slider Bar, which they were granted in an earlier agenda item at the board’s meeting on Monday; signing of the Bloomfield Township Liquor License Agreement; and that all recommendations from both the fire depar tment and Bloomfield Township Building Division were met

Af ter the board of tr ustees approval of this license, there are four more available in Bloomfield Township

The future Sidecar Slider Bar will be located at 1952 S Telegraph Road within the Bloomfield Marketplace Shopping Center and occupy three vacant tenant spaces This space was for merly occupied by a Biggby Coffee and then High Octane Coffee but has been vacant for years

This Bloomfield Township location of Sidecar Slider Bar will add to their por tfolio across the state that includes locations in Plymouth, Grosse Pointe, Sterling Heights and Bir mingham, among others

Pielack appointed to state commission

Bir mingham Museum Director

Leslie Pielack has been appointed to the nine-member Michigan Historical Commission (MHC) by Michigan Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks

The MHC advises the director of the Michigan Depar tment of Natural Resources, approves Michigan Historical Markers and takes on special projects and initiatives of interest to Michigan’s histor y and its commemoration

Pielack will ser ve a two -year appointment with possible reappointment Her first of five annual meetings will take place on Friday, April 25, in Lansing Pielack said she views ser ving on the MHC as an oppor tunity to recognize the impor tant role of the Bir mingham community in Oakland County's histor y "I look for ward to representing Bir mingham and Oakland County with my colleagues in Lansing and the chance to share new perspectives for our mutual benefit," she said

In addition to her position at the Bir mingham Museum, Pielack is a published author whose 2018 book, titled The Saginaw Trail: From Native American Path to Woodward Avenue, highlighted the histor y of the Saginaw Trail now Woodward Avenue and sur rounding communities

Pielack and the Bir mingham Museum led the award-winning Oakland County Underground Railroad Public Histor y project, which identified and documented almost 60 people who were active abolitionists or freedom seekers in local communities The findings of this project are cur rently

circulating in free public settings around Oakland County and have been seen by over 80,000 people so far

“Leslie’s background in historic preser vation makes her an excellent fit for the Michigan Historical Commission,” said Bir mingham City Manager Jana Ecker “She has worked on several historic sites in Oakland County and is a strong advocate for the impor tant role of local histor y in bringing communities together and recognizing our shared heritage ”

Reduced pesticide use in public spaces

By Grace Lovins

During the Monday, April 7, Bir mingham City Commission meeting, commissioners briefly analyzed the city ’ s progress in eliminating the use of insecticides and herbicides in public areas

According to the repor t included in the meeting packet and written by depar tment of public ser vices (DPS) director Scott Zielinski, the city has been shif ting away from chemical treatments toward more environmentally conscious

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strategies for a number of years The goal with the shif t, Zielinski wrote, is to encourage the growth of native plant species and prevent invasive species without the use of chemicals

Historically, the city has tried to remove nuisance plants by hand when possible, but cer tain invasive species can continue to spread if pesticides are not used The city ’ s golf courses have also been areas with more prevalent pesticide uses due to a higher aesthetic standard

Zielinski repor ted that the city has limited chemical treatments to control diseases, such as using West Nile insecticide treatments of mosquitos in stor m water collection points No insecticides were used in 2024 at all, he wrote

While pesticides have historically been used throughout the city, par ticularly on the golf courses, the depar tment of public ser vices notes that herbicide use on tur f grass in parks has declined significantly over the last 10 years Zielinski said this is in par t due to unwanted weeds in grass becoming more culturally acceptable

In instances where pesticide use is unavoidable, the staff responsible for using the pesticides are cer tified

applicators through the Michigan Depar tment of Agriculture and Rural Development, Zielinski said These staff members work to protect personal safety and limit the impact on the sur rounding environment

Moving for ward, Zielinski said the city hopes to continue working toward eliminating pesticide use altogether and even mentioned limiting the use of fer tilizers and fungicides Zielinski’s repor t concludes by assuring commissioners and the public that DPS staff will continue to work with the city ’ s environmental sustainability committee to address new and better ways of eliminating pesticide usage

New residential generator rules

By Grace Lovins

Following an elevated number of carbon monoxide scares in 2024, Bir mingham has some new r ules around standby generators in residential areas af ter city commissions adopted a zoning ordinance amendment during its Monday, March 26, meeting

According to city planning director Nick Dupuis, the ordinance amendment was brought to the table by the city ’ s building and fire depar tments in September 2024 The fire depar tment had responded to several carbon monoxide (CO) incidents involving standby generator use, prompting new ordinance language to address health, safety and welfare concer ns

CO is a colorless, odorless gas that is dangerous and potentially fatal in cer tain amounts The gas is produced and released as exhaust as a result of combustion in a generator ’ s engine

The city ’ s planning board held several study sessions on the topic before for mally recommending approval to commissioners following a public hearing in Febr uar y Dupuis explained that the ordinance establishes regulations on the placement of generators, the direction of generator exhaust outlets as well as when generators are able to be used Per the new language, all generators must be placed in the rear yard of a proper ty at least five feet from any principal building or habitable space

On top of the placement of the generator itself, exhaust outlets are required to be directed into the rear yard, or rear open space, and can’t be pointed towards any principal building or habitable space within 20 feet Residents looking to install a generator are not required to obtain a per mit from the community development depar tment

The new language also gives the fire depar tment authority to issue cease and desist orders for usage of generator units if the depar tment deems a generator unsafe due to CO readings If that happens, they can require a generator to be relocated in accordance with the new regulations

Fire marshall Jeff Scaife noted that 92 percent of the recent generator installations reviewed by the fire depar tment were already located in the rear yards A smaller number have been installed on side lots, but Scaife said this was generally seen in cases where proper ty sizes were larger Commissioners voted unanimously, 5-0, to approve the ordinance amendment Jason Emerine and Katie Schafer were absent from the meeting

City bistros want to update outdoor setups

By Grace Lovins

Two Bir mingham bistros, Wilders, 458 N Old Woodward, and Luxe, 525 N Old Woodward are seeking to update their outdoor dining setups which were reviewed by the city ’ s planning board during its Wednesday, March 26, meeting

Wilders, owned by Bir mingham restaurateur Sammy Eid, was originally approved for a dining platfor m in 2022, according to planning director Nick Dupuis They retur ned to the board with a revised design showing a shif t from a rectangular shaped deck to a trapezoidal shaped deck

Per Dupuis, there is an elevation difference in the grading along the street, causing an issue with the platfor m being flush with the curb, which is required per the city ’ s new outdoor dining ordinance Wilders is seeking to elevate the nor th side of the platfor m to make the whole platfor m level with the street

Dupuis noted the bistro is still maintaining the 24 seat count and they will still be leasing a parking space

Board members gave Dupuis the green light to approve the changes to Wilders platfor m administratively and did not take for mal action

Just down the street from Wilders, city bistro Luxe retur ned to the board with an updated pre-application proposing two changes to its outdoor dining setup: the addition of retractable awnings and a reconfiguration of seating

Luxe’s original outdoor dining layout approved in 2020, Dupuis said, had seating on both sides of the sidewalk Under the cur rent ordinance, tables and chairs are not per mitted in both the fur nishing zone and up against the building Their new proposal reduced the total number of outdoor seats from 48 to 36 eliminating the tables and chairs and the fur nishing zone and moving all seating along the building frontage

They are also looking to install two retractable awnings above these tables on the nor th and south ends of the restaurant A prior attempt by Luxe in 2023 to have a revised design that featured awnings was denied due to concer ns about it projecting into the walking path in the area

While most board members didn’t

express any concer ns with the proposal, Janelle Boyce said she wor ries about the stanchions with ropes that are shown in the plans to divide the spaces between the walking path and dining area

“ This is really tight and I don’t tr ust that it s not going to go all over the place like it always happens to do down there,” Boyce said

The board agreed to send their concer ns, if any, related to Luxe’s proposal to Dupuis before the bistro submits a revised proposal and comes back for another pre-application discussion

Advisory road panel named in township

By Dana Casadei

Approval was given for the creation of a volunteer road advisor y committee at the Bloomfield Township Board of Tr ustees meeting on Monday, March 24

Township Super visor Mike McCready brought the idea of this committee to the board, and mentioned the sheer amount of concer n he’s heard, as have others,

from residents about the state of the roads, and how bad their cur rent condition

“ We wanted to for malize this committee, and raise the level of impor tance but also recognize the work they would have to put into it,” McCready said I think our communitiy is going to be passionate about it ”

The volunteer road advisor y committee will be a communication tool to use with residents, home owners associations, and others to discuss how decisions are made regarding the roads and give status repor ts on the completion of projects They will work together to find feasible options to maintain and improve Bloomfield Township roadways, and examine the cur rent challenges happening within the township, and hopefully, find some solutions to present before the board of tr ustees, McCready said

“ We’ve been talking about doing something a clean slate type of approach Nothing is off the table; ever y comment, ever y suggestion would be addressed to find new and creative ways to address the problem of local, subdivision roads,” said Jeff

Salz, chair man of the Bloomfield Township Planning Commission Salz was one of the local residents who McCready spoke with before bringing this idea to the board

One of the problems cur rently happening in Bloomfield Township is that the county doesn’t replace or upgrade subdivision roads and they have to be paid for by the residents There is also no control over the roads because the county owns them

“ We can’t put up stop signs, we can’t put up speed limit signs, we can’t put speed bumps up we have no control whatsoever,” Salz said

Ideally the volunteer road advisor y committee will be able to create some ways of controlling the roads more while also repairing the roads, much to the residents benefits, officials said

The committee – a group of about 10 people – will be a mix of residents from a variety of neighborhoods, and depar tment heads too, such as Corey Almas, director of the engineering & environmental ser vices depar tment; and Noah Mehalski director of the depar tment of public works, both of whom have been asked to join

McCready will also ser ve on the committee

Multiple board members agreed that this committee was something that needed to be created

The motion, which unanimously passed at the board of tr ustees meeting on Monday, March 24, was to authorize the creation of the committee

Alternative meeting space extension set

By Dana Casadei

The Bloomfield Township Board of Tr ustees, and all other township boards and committees, will continue to hold meetings in the Cable Studio through the end of April as the auditorium undergoes renovations

Clerk Mar tin Brook – who brought the extension before the board on Monday March 24 – said that renovations could be done by the originally anticipated date of Saturday, April 5, but that they had to vote to extend it now in case they were not If no vote had been taken on an extension and renovations had not been finished by April 5, the

board would have had nowhere to meet for their April 7 meeting

The potential new end date for renovations, April 25, will not impact the cost of the project, Brook said “If you haven’t gotten over there it’s ver y exciting and looks good,” said Mike McCready, township super visor “It’s all coming together ”

Within the auditorium, chairs for the public and board are being replaced, the room is getting painted, and an update will be made to the dais On the electronics side, ever ything will be updated in the auditorium to allow for improved amplification, broadcasting, and overall presentation

All meetings of Bloomfield Township boards, commissions, and all other township public bodies, including the board of tr ustees, zoning board of appeals, planning commission and design review board will continue to meet in the Cable Studio, 4190 Dublin Road, Bloomfield Township

Electronics, meds disposal event May 3

Bloomfield Township will be holding its annual electronic waste

recycling, medication disposal and paper shredding event on Saturday, May 3, for township residents

Eligible electronic items include laptops, cell phones, outdated TVs and more While electronic waste, also known as e-waste, only represents a small por tion of the waste stream, the potential impact on the environment is high according to township public works Manager Adam Roose, who said “ we look for ward to this event ever y year and know township residents enjoy this oppor tunity to safely dispose of electronics ”

On the day of the event, from 9 a m to 3 p m , there will be two entrances to the event at the township complex, south onto Andover Road from Long Lake Road or west onto Andover Road from southbound Telegraph Residents are asked to remain in their vehicles and volunteers will unload ever ything The event is open to township residents only, and proof of residency is required, so drivers are asked to have their identification ready

FA C E S

Mayas Smith

Currently a junior at Bloomfield Hills High School, Mayas Smith has already had an impact on other children and earned recognition for his efforts. After visiting a second-grade classroom at Riverside Elementary in Waterford Township when he was a freshman, Smith created the Young Citizens Academy, a youth-driven program dedicated to educating elementary-age students on government, public service and civic responsibilities Initially, his brother ran book drives at the school and they would read to the students. Then, Smith brought strategic board games like chess to teach to the class

His impressive program would soon follow “This year I moved into civics,” Smith said as he explained his own education “Last year, I took American History and Intro to Government This year, I took U S Government Over the summer, I interned at the city of Bloomfield Hills Clerk’s Office, which included being a poll worker and stuffing ballots and responding to citizens.”

Smith was eager to share what he had learned “I am interested in civics and I wanted to know how to help students in underprivileged communities,” he explained “I was motivated by the election, but we didn’t talk about who was running Some students didn’t know a lot about the election, so I wanted them to know more about it in the first place.”

At such a young age, Smith already knows how to handle such a hot topic. “I was trying to find a way to teach inherently political things without getting political myself,” he said “My work at the clerk’s office did teach me that nonpartisan feeling, so I usually try to talk about the system myself ”

For instance, he held a mock election in the classroom where the students voted on different Dr. Seuss books.

“I was able to teach them about anonymous voting and majority and plurality voting,” Smith said “How, for example, elections may seem like a simple thing, but in reality, they have a lot behind them ”

Smith also had students make a class flag on paper that represents themselves “It might have yellow for respect and orange for kindness,” he explained He feels grateful for this opportunity. “In terms of rewards of the experience, I would say the satisfaction that I was able to make an impact Bloomfield Hills High School is very insulated from such communities When you get into a broader world, it can be very meaningful,” said Smith “I had no idea something like that would be possible ”

In February, Smith received a prestigious honor for his program from state Representative Donni Steele (R-Orion Township, Bloomfield Township, Bloomfield Hills) at the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing The tribute was signed by Representative Steele and state Senator Jeremy Moss (D -Southfield, Bloomfield Township), currently serving as President Pro Tempore of the Senate For the Young Citizens Academy, his efforts were recognized with a legislative Special Tribute from the Michigan House of Representatives and the Senate.

For now, the bright student keeps learning and looking ahead

“Outside of civics and government and my interest in politics, I do have an interest in business and economics,” said Smith, who participates in DECA (formerly Distributive Education Clubs of America) and plans to extend his reach to more students in the near future. “I want to expand the program in the next few months to other elementary schools and maybe other middle schools in the area ”

Story:

Jeanine Matlow

Photo: Laurie Tennent

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

Shop MSXC opens Shop MSXC has opened a new retail location in downtown Bir mingham, at 640 N Old Woodward Avenue, Suite 201

The store offers a curated selection of high-demand sneakers, streetwear, and luxur y goods on the secondar y resell market The store is co - owned by two young men who grew up in the community Jake Schreier, who is a graduate of Bloomfield Hills High School, and Kyle Scofield, who is a graduate of Seaholm High School Schreier founded Michigan Sneaker XChange in 2013 at the age of 14-years- old Af ter conducting sneaker transactions both locally and nationally via Facebook groups, it was evident a community was being built in the Metro Detroit area There was a demand for an event where people could come to safely buy, sell and trade their sneakers

With the first event taking place at a skate park in Royal Oak gar nering 150 attendees and 40 vendors, MSXC has since grown to a 40,000 square foot space in Detroit’s Grand Ballroom of Huntington Place and is also in its 12th year at Oakland Expo Center in Water ford, featuring over 150 vendors and 2,000+ attendees at each event Schreier connected with Scofield through their shared passion for sneakers and invited him to collaborate in founding Shop MSXC The store features a diverse ar ray of carefully sourced items, including rare and limited-edition sneakers, high-end streetwear, and designer goods all inspected for quality and authenticity

Customers can expect a premier shopping experience, with a rotating inventor y of coveted and unique pieces “ We’re beyond excited to open our doors in downtown Bir mingham,” says coowner Jake Schreier “Growing up in the area and always spending time here, it’s incredibly rewarding to see all our hard work from Michigan Sneaker XChange events and social media come to life with our own business Opening a store here in Bir mingham is tr uly ever ything we ’ ve ever wanted We finally

have the oppor tunity to build the store we ’ ve always envisioned, right where we wanted it ”

Ace Pickleball Club

Ace Pickleball Club (APC), a rapidly expanding national pickleball franchise with a community-focused approach, is opening a facility in Bloomfield Township The pickleball franchise cur rently has 125 locations in various stages of development, working on fulfilling its mission to make pickleball accessible to ever yone, while empowering franchisees to build thriving businesses that energize their communities The Bloomfield location at Hulet Drive and Franklin Road will become the second location in the state of Michigan when it opens in the fall of 2025, with a Grand Rapids location slated to open this summer APC claims that they have per fected a game-changer in the industr y of pickleball facilities by offering the following amenities: flexible all-day open play, with no need for reser vations; cour ts that are organized by skill level for effor tless pick-up games throughout the day; top-tier facilities with cushioned professional-grade cour ts; PlaySight camera tech for instant highlight reels; fresh balls for ever y match, and free paddle demos to ensure a premium experience; a community-centered approach with all-inclusive memberships, similar to a traditional gym, allowing for a hassle-free experience This membership style also makes it easy to play, join clinics, or use ball machines all included at one price “Pickleball isn’t just a spor t; it’s a movement bringing people together,” said Conor Hawks, VP of Franchise Growth at APC

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

N E X T N O T E B O O K

Next takes pride in offering programming that is unique, educational and inspiring while ensuring accessibility for all who want to par ticipate

We are excited to share our plans for our continued series, Making Connections - Cultural Series that explores different countries and regions around the world through speaker presentations, religious studies, music, cuisine ar t and travel

Through our Cultural Series, Next aims to connect our community to lesser known regions of the world highlighting cultural heritage historical resources and the study of the human experience

Beginning in May, we will look towards Japan, a land of profound contradictions that have shaped its identity An island nation with scarce natural resources that became an economic powerhouse through manufacturing excellence and technological innovation yet maintains deeply traditional social str uctures and imperial continuity spanning 2,600 years

With a layered approach, we will take advantage of the many valuable resources throughout the area We will hear directly from the Consul General of Japan’s office on the relationship between Japan and Detroit, be witness to a beautiful ar tistic per for mance of traditional Japanese calligraphy from a master instr uctor who recently per for med at the Detroit Ar t Institute We will hear from professors, historians and scholars to lear n about the histor y, cultural identity and geopolitical tensions of moder n Japan Tur ning our attention to the ar tistr y that is uniquely Japanese, we will lear n the timeless craf t of Origami, Ikebana flower ar ranging and the ar t of dressing in a Kimono And to bring the study closer to home, we welcome Ms Keiko Nkakjima who is visiting the United States from Rotto Japan, Bir mingham’s sister city

These cultural oppor tunities are not just for those able to attend Next in person, but also for our numerous Suppor t Ser vice clients, who for a variety of reasons, may not be able to come to Next

In collaboration with our Suppor t Ser vice depar tment, Program Coordinators and many volunteers, Next will provide several alter native ways to par ticipate in the Cultural Series Through outreach, home visits, easy to follow ar t projects, readings and materials brought directly to each resident, we hope to engage and connect with members of our Bir mingham community that are susceptible to feelings of isolation

We present our Making Connections – Cultural Series on top of all our regular programming, ensuring a wide variety of offerings to appeal to many different interests Health and wellness presentations, classes in ar t and fitness, special interest gatherings, clubs, games and enter tainment all under one roof where seniors not only enjoy life-long lear ning, but more impor tantly, find Next a safe and welcoming space, conducive to fostering friendships and making meaningful connections

To lear n more about Next, a 501(c)(3) providing essential senior ser vices to Bir mingham residents, please stop in for a tour We also invite you to visit our website for cur rent programming and details on the resources and suppor t ser vices available to all senior residents and their families, whether you are a member of Next or not

Next is located at 2121 Midvale | (248)203-5270 | www Bir minghamnext org

Cris Braun is Executive Director of Birmingham Next

FREE Social Time at The Community House: We have been honored to be the “Community ’ s ” house for social gathering for 102 years With no membership fee, the use of our facilities are open to ever yone We are excited to reinstate a free social time on Wednesdays and Thursdays 9 a m-noon where we welcome people to come by to gather and enjoy free coffee and tea Tables will be set up to play bridge, chess, backgammon, etc , or just mingle with old friends and make new ones People are also welcome to sit on our Van Dusen and Miller ter races Just sign in at our front registration desk and enjoy the mor nings Must be 18 years or older Maximum capacity is 30 people

Get & Give a Basket Event a Success!: Thanks to all who donated and bought gif t baskets and our sponsors bank313 and the Daville Consor tium TCH raised enough funds to provide nourishing food boxes to feed 600 food insecure families through our nonprofit par tner United Community Family Ser vices An example our of Charity Helping Charities effor ts

Celebrating Nonagenarians! 90 & Beyond Luncheon, Wednesday, June 18th p m : Join us from 11:30 a m - 1:30 p m to celebrate and thank those who built our community A high energy room of multiple generations honoring people in their 90s Keynote speaker Alan Cobb, FAIA, Chair man Emeritus Alber t Kahn Associates, Inc will give a scintillating retrospective on residential and commercial architecture in Metro Detroit over the past 90 years 90+year- olds come free ($35 for others ) Sponsored by Clark Hill Complimentar y photographs by Aly Darin

OUR TOWN Ar t Show Call for Entries Star ts April 30th: Download entr y for ms at communityhousehelps org for Michigan ar tists 18 years or older The “House” is transfor med into the largest, juried ar t show in the area outside of an ar t galler y or museum Register for the VIP Reception on October 30th to be the first to purchase all for ms of ar t No admission charge Friday, October 31 - Saturday, November 1 Benefits our nonprofit par tners Friendship Circle clients and Oakland University ar tists who keep 100% of the sale price

Register for May Classes!

• Get Your Groove Back: Three Par t Coaching Workshop for Divorced Women star ts May 8th

• Thriving in the In-Between: Three Par t Mental Fitness Workshop for the Sandwich Generation star ts May 10th

• Yoga for Runners (6 weeks)

• Ver y Gentle Yoga (6 weeks)

• YIN Yoga and Massage (6 weeks)

• Instant Piano for Hopelessly Busy People (May 5th)

• Instant Guitar for Hopelessly Busy People (May 6th)

• Master Series Cocktail Class (May 8th)

• Piano by Ear (May 10th)

• Sandra Krafsur, Master Yoga Instr uctor Sandra’s Gentle Yoga and Mixed Yoga classes star t April 28th

Sign Up for Summer Camps That Run From June 16-August 15: Join us for just a few sessions or a full summer of fun Designed to spark creativity, build skills, and keep kids active! Spots fill up fast

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 Spor ts with Tumblebunnies; Stor ytime Ar t 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

Have Your Corporate Event at TCH For a Great Value: For corporate meeting planners looking to maximize both value and impact, take advantage of a 15% discount on all room rentals for events scheduled Monday-Thursday, between 9:00am – 5:00pm The per fect oppor tunity to host a professional gathering, board meeting, workshop, or employee appreciation in a versatile space while staying within budget Call our professional event managers for details at 248 594 5832

TCH Charity Helping Charities Effor t: Bir mingham Youth Assistance invites all kids and families to their 15th annual Touch a Tr uck event on May 17th Experience a variety of amazing vehicles and lear n how they benefit our community Location: Bingham Far ms Elementar y, 10 a m -2 p m Call 248 203 4300 or bir minghamyouthassistance org Suggested donation: $5/car

Cris Braun

P L A C E S T O E AT

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

Andiamo: Italian Lunch, Monday-Friday, Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 6676 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Township, 48301 248 865 9300 andiamoitalia 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 Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 3147 Southfield Road, Beverly Hills, 48205 248 642 2355 beverlyhillsgrill com

48302 248 540 7220 cityscapedeli com

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

EM: Mexican Lunch, Friday-Sunday, Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. 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

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

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

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

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

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

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 Dinner daily Reservations Liquor 39475 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304 248 792 9609 joemuer com

Café ML: New American Dinner, daily Liquor Reservations 3607 W Maple Road, Bloomfield Township. 248.642.4000. cafeml 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

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,

La Marsa: Mediterranean Lunch & Dinner daily Reservations 43259 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48302 248 858 5800 lamarsacuisine 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 Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 260 N Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009 248 556 5640 dineterra 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. 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: Lunch, Saturday & 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, Wednesday-

Saturday 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

NM Café: American Lunch, Monday-Saturday Reservations Liquor 2705 W Big Beaver

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

All about the vive

West Bloomfield welcomes Vive to 33080 Nor thwester n Highway The name “Vive” is a clever twist on the word “vibe,” reflecting the restaurant’s mission to create a dynamic, vibrant atmosphere infused with elegance and energy Vive specializes in moder n cuisine craf ted from the finest ingredients, per fectly complemented by ar tisanal cocktails The culinar y team is led by Chef Jared Bobkin Driven by a passion for food Bobkin embarked on his culinar y jour ney at culinar y school His career includes roles as Sous Chef at Bir mingham Athletic Club, followed by stints in public restaurants, wine bars, and catering A standout moment in his career was competing on Hell’s Kitchen, where he placed four th Later, Bobkin ser ved as Executive Chef at the Detroit Yacht Club and as culinar y director for Ventures Events, before bringing his exper tise to Vive Notable menu highlights include lamb chops with quinoa, olives, golden raisins, sweet peppers, and Italian salsa verde; grilled branzino with olive oil, sea salt, and white bean ragout; and roasted half chicken with brined garlic whipped potatoes, red pepper glaze, ajvar, fresh greens, and dukkah For star ters, guests can enjoy caviar fries, charcuterie, and oysters The bar offers a selection of craf t cocktails, mocktails, beer, and a thoughtfully curated wine list 33080 Nor thwester n Highway, West Bloomfield viverestaurantmi com

Detroit Chefs host fundraiser

Chef Jimmy Schmidt along with Cer tified Master Chef Brian Beland and the Countr y Club of Detroit will host a star-studded culinar y gala of James Beard-winning and nominated chefs on May 30th at the Countr y Club of Detroit, Grosse Pointe Far ms The countr y ’ s first woman Master Wine Sommelier, Madeline Triffon, will be selecting the wines for the event The featured chefs will focus their creations for the plated dinner and tasting reception around the vast ar ray of Michigan’s rich food and wine resources Featured reception chefs include: Javier Bardauil, BARDA; Colin Campbell, Alpino; Anthony Lombardo, She Wolf Pastificio & Bar; Omar Anani, Saffron de Twah; Mike Ransom, Ima; and Brian Polcyn, for merly of Forest Grill Dinner chefs include: Brian Beland, Cer tified Master Chef, Countr y Club of Detroit; Doug Hewitt, Freya; Sara Welch, Mar row; Takashi Yagihashi (for merly of Tribute); Jimmy Schmidt, for merly of Rattlesnake; Desser t Chef, Warda Bouguettaya, Warda’s Patisserie The funds from the evening’s celebration will benefit the James Beard Foundation as well as enable the local Michigan Chefs de Cuisine association to award two $5,000 scholarships to culinar y students selected from metro Detroit’s culinar y ar ts programs Tickets are $300 per person To register, contact mccachef org

Game on!

Ballpark concessions have evolved significantly in recent years gone are the days when the food options were limited to just hot dogs and nachos smothered in cheese sauce This season, in par tnership with Delaware Nor th Spor tser vice, the Detroit Tigers have teamed up with local Detroit restaurants to bring a wider range of food options to Comerica Park Fans can now enjoy a variety of authentic, hometown flavors throughout the ballpark, suppor ting small businesses while savoring the best of Detroit’s culinar y scene Breadless, a restaurant famous for its signature breadless wraps, will be ser ving up healthy, flavor ful options such as Jerk Chicken & Mango: oven-roasted jerk chicken, peach mango salsa, BBQ sauce, pepper jack cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers, fresh mango slices and onions, wrapped in Swiss chard; and Avocado Turkey: fresh sliced turkey, avocado spread, champagne vinaigrette, white cheddar cheese, tomatoes, sweet pickles, onions, chopped romaine, wrapped in a romaine lettuce wrap Slows Bar BQ will also bring some of its fan-favorite dishes to the ballpark A few of the featured selections from Slows include: The Yardbird with smoked chicken, sauteed mushrooms cheddar applewood smoked bacon whole grain honey mustard and BBQ sauce; and Put Me in Coach which features shredded brisket bathed in Kansas City-style BBQ sauce, topped with sliced onion and dill pickles Rotating local food tr ucks will be stationed on weekends, offering fans the chance to indulge in delicious fare from popular vendors like

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

Detroit’s Lobster Food Tr uck, ser ving up lobster rolls, lobster BLTs, and shrimp tacos Additionally, Griffin Claw Brewing Company will have a standalone beer car t located at Section 136 along the third base line behind the Tigers dugout, offering Nor m ’ s Raggedy Ass IPA and Griffin Claw Lager

Bringing a taste of New York to Michigan

New York Pizza Pie opened over five years ago in Rochester Hills and has recently added a second location in Bir mingham at 33901 Woodward Avenue

The business is owned by Jason McCallum who has deep roots in the restaurant industr y as par t of the family behind Tubby ’s Sub Shops, founded in 1968 in St Clair Shores McCallum considers the Bir mingham New York Pizza Pie store to be the first official franchise location, while the Rochester Hills location will function as the main corporate hub and training center A key philosophy of New York Pizza Pie is its commitment to freshness “ We make our own sausage, all of our produce is fresh nothing comes from a can, ” McCallum explains “ The dough is made fresh daily and we grate our own cheese,” he added While freshness sets them apar t, it’s the New York-style pizza that tr uly distinguishes them from other competitors “ We are playing off the New York-style pizza which really doesn’t have anyone else that is tr ying to take over that lane in Michigan,” he said By definition, a New York-style pizza, which is of ten ser ved by the slice, is characterized by its thin, yet foldable and sturdy cr ust, a generous amount of cheese and flavor ful tomato sauce New York Pizza Pie has slices to go along with many other options including several varieties of full pizza pies (including a gluten free cr ust option) calzones, salads, pastas, wings and desser ts (also with glutenfree options) 33901 Woodward Avenue, Bir mingham nypizzapie com

Carajillo opens in Ferndale

Mexican eater y Carajillo has opened in downtown Fer ndale in the space that was the for mer home to The Emor y Prior to opening Carajillo, chef and owner Ara Sotelo operated Cafe de Olla which was located inside Cafe Muse in downtown Royal Oak “Carajillo” is named for a popular coffee drink in Spain and Spanish-speaking countries, that has various theories about its origins, including that it was a Spanish soldier ’ s invention of coffee and r um for courage ( coraje”) before battle This restaurant concocts their boozy coffee drink with Licor 43, Kahlua 40 and a shot of espresso In addition to traditional Mexican drinks, the bar features Mexican and domestic beers, wines and cocktails On the food side of the menu, guests will find authentic Mexican cuisine, sourced with fresh ingredients from local markets and Mexican stores throughout Detroit Chef Ara Sotelo comes from a family of restaurateurs in Mexico and she went to culinar y school in Mexico City as well Popular entrees include: Pionero del Mar-a combination of shrimp, calamari, mussels and baby scallops wrapped in a cheese tor tilla; Huarache Azteca- grilled cactus topped with mahi mahi and melted cheese laid in a bed of salsa verde ser ved with a side of steamed vegetables and rice; and Pork Pionero -a combination of ham, bacon and pork loin wrapped in a cheese tor tilla with a side of flour tor tillas and Pico de Gallo salsa Carajillo is open for lunch and dinner, Tuesday-Sunday 22700 Woodward Avenue, Fer ndale carajillofer ndale com

Lakefront dining Italian-style

Back in December, Barbat Holdings, a West Bloomfield based real estate investment and management company, announced that it had acquired It’s a Matter of Taste a gour met restaurant and event space nestled on 11 acres, located at 2323 Union Lake Road in Commerce Township Prime Concepts Detroit, Barbat Holdings’ hospitality group, has transitioned the restaurant and its event venue to “Aurora on the Lake, ” an extension of the group ’ s Aurora Italiana restaurant brand in West Bloomfield “ With its original location opened in September 2023, Aurora Italiana, one of metro Detroit’s premier dining destinations, captures the Amalfi Coast’s coastal flavors and dining experiences Aurora on the Lake brings these beloved traditions to Commerce Township,” said Stolion Liti, managing par tner and director of operations at Prime Concepts Detroit Aurora on the Lake offers stunning lake views with exceptional hospitality to deliver a dining experience capturing the Amalfi Coast’s coastal flavors Guests will enjoy steaks fresh seafood and refined Italian cuisine all set against the per fect backdrop for any occasion The to -go shop, Café Aurora, provides gour met cuisine, along with some new unique selections sourced directly from Italy A Happy Hour, with drink and food specials, is held Monday-Friday 4-6 p m , Monday-Friday 2323 Union Lake Road in Commerce Township auroraitaliana com

Pause and take a look at new center project

The proposed community and senior center project in the city of Bir mingham that has been on the drawing board for the past two years could well be at a critical juncture, brought on by national economic circumstances along with some challenges that are self-inflicted – making us wonder whether there should be a momentar y pause to allow the city commission to go back and review what the original goal was when this under taking was first launched

As a quick review, the effor t was originally billed as a senior center project a way to find a home for the Next senior ser vices program which has been operating out of a school district building for decades Most community leaders agreed that the ser vices provided by Next would complete the overall ar ray of ser vices that most communities are providing for their residents as the population here and in other communities continues to age

Next and the city of Bir mingham had been attempting to develop a long-ter m lease for the Midvale school building where the senior group now operates However, the school district has plans for the school building In the summer of 2023 the city purchased the building housing the YMCA at 400 E Lincoln in Bir mingham The city paid the YMCA $2 million, $500,000 of which was put up by the Next organization, a private non-profit that has been working with the age 50+ members of a community that includes Bir mingham, Beverly Hills and Bingham Far ms Early on in this endeavor it was deter mined that it seemed more logical to replace the

existing building rather than tr ying to rehab an older building that had not been maintained well and presented too many ADA compliance concer ns

The YMCA suggested that it wanted to remain in the building on a ver y shor t-ter m basis because it was going to be par t of a new YMCA building in the Royal Oak area, which was cancelled we suspect because as an organization it was facing some serious financial challenges So then the YMCAC said it wanted to remain in Bir mingham and be par t of the new building

As a result, the Bir mingham City Commission made its first mistake by allowing the needs of the YMCA to become almost a controlling factor in the effor t to provide a home for Next The commission also fell prey to a lobby from a community faction connected with the YMCA which intensely pressured the commission to make a swimming pool as par t of this project

The next thing we know, a new building to house Next, the YMCA and act as a community center became the focus of the city ’ s effor ts A minor millage that voters had approved to make alterations at the E Lincoln facility to house Next now became a massive and expensive project in the neighborhood of $30-32 million, under written by the sale of bonds to be paid off by taxpayers over 20-25 years

Then in recent weeks came the new national tariff policy, or lack there of, that has upended all planning on the par t of businesses, gover nment units and residents, both here and around the world The impact has quickly become a litany of canceled

building projects and plans put on hold

In ter ms of the Bir mingham project, there was a meeting held just recently to review massive cost increases for the new building some say to the tune of $8 million The building will now be downsized once again, hopefully not at the expense of Next like in the past

Yes, we recognize that hundreds of thousands of dollars have already been invested in the new building, but we think the city should put a hold on ever ything so that a broad community and city commission conversation can be held

Among the questions that need to be addressed, and should have been addressed already but were not: Is it the responsibility of the city to find a home for the YMCA? Is that even a safe financial venture? How does a so -called community center fit with the 2040 Master Plan that has been adopted? What is the overall community sentiment about a community center? Should the city retur n to its original vision when the E Lincoln building was bought – rehab the first floor for Next and wor r y about the second stor y down the road? Or downsize the new building to just house Next and a community center?

We question whether a bond proposal on the November ballot will prove successful with voters, for a variety of reasons So the shif ting national/inter national economic picture is a per fect time in our view to look at all options before just pushing ahead

Time to finally settle library millage question

The time has long passed for the city of Bir mingham to settle once and for all the decades long argument over who tr uly has the authority to set the millage rate for the independent Baldwin Public Librar y

The question is once again back before the city because of a recent suggestion that if the librar y would lower its millage rate in the future, then the proposed bond issue for constr uction of a community center to house the Next senior citizen group and the YMCA could be paid off without an increase in the overall millage rate for taxpayers

It’s nice in theor y but the librar y has objected to the proposal Librar y officials say the city is treating it as if it were a depar tment of the city rather than a tr uly independent gover nment unit And dictating to the librar y what millage can be sought is a violation of state law, according to librar y folk City and librar y officials, along with legal counsel for both were scheduled to meet as we were going to press with this issue to see if the librar y and city could come to some agreement to lower the Baldwin millage rate that was raised in past years to help fund a $9 million series of constr uction projects at the librar y building, which is owned by the city Under the proposed suggestion for a lower millage rate, the librar y would retur n its tax rate to what existed before the constr uction projects star ted

Regardless of whether librar y officials agree to some reduction in the Baldwin tax rate, the overall argument about who has the power to set the librar y millage rate still needs to be resolved

Here’s how the argument stacks up The char ter for the city of Bir mingham calls for a public librar y, which was for med according to Michigan Act 164 (1a) That state law gives specific autonomy to the librar y

Some city officials say that the controlling document is the city char ter, which does not say that the city commission has the power to set the tax limit for the librar y In fact, the char ter is vague on this specific point, saying “It shall be the duty of the (librar y) board of directors to prepare an estimate of the amount of money necessar y for the suppor t and maintenance of such librar y for the ensuing fiscal year, which estimate shall not exceed one and three-quar ters (1¾) mills on the dollar of the taxable proper ty of the city and to repor t such estimate prior to April 1 of each year to the city commission for assessment and collection as provided by law ” The city char ter also provides that the librar y board “shall have the exclusive control of the expenditure of all moneys deposited to the credit of the librar y fund ”

When we point this out to city officials, they say past city attor neys have issued opinions on this,

giving control to the city commission When we counter that an opinion from the Michigan Attor ney General says other wise, we are told that the opinion involved a township librar y, not a city librar y We say that is nonsense – the Michigan law gover ning for mation of libraries covers all libraries, township, village and city ones You get our drif t – both sides are prepped for endless debate

To finally settle the issue, the librar y and city have two choices

First, the city or librar y could ask state Representative Natalie Price to request that the state Attor ney General clarif y that a past opinion should also gover n the cur rent debate in Bir mingham or perhaps issue a new opinion itself, keeping in mind that the office of Attor ney General does not have to honor all requests

Failing to get a review from Lansing, then the librar y could file a friendly lawsuit to ask a cour t to decide this issue for the city It has been done before in other municipalities where the cour ts have deter mined that independent units of a gover nment, like a parks and recreation commission for example, are not beholden to the overall gover nment unit

Regardless of whether the recent city and librar y meeting produces and agreement, it is time for this issue to finally be put to rest