The Lenawee Voice — May 2024

THE LENAWEE VOICE

‘A

piece of home’

By Erik Gable The Lenawee Voice

ADRIAN — Maria Guerrero grew up in the restaurant that now carries her name.

She wasn’t even born yet when her grandparents, Mike and Mary Guerrero, started Sunnyside Cafe 50 years ago. The Mexican restaurant has been a mainstay of the Sunnyside neighborhood on Adrian’s east side ever since — and Guerrero is proud to be carrying on that legacy.

“The biggest compliment I hear is ‘My parents used to take me there as a kid and now I take my grandchildren there,’ ” she said.

Before Mike and Mary Guerrero bought the building 2495 E. Maumee St., it housed the Mexico City Bakery. The couple lived in the nearby Drexel Park subdivision. He worked at Schwinn Chevrolet in Blissfield in the mornings and Merillat Cabinets in the afternoons; she worked in the cafeteria at Bixby Medical Center where her love for restaurant work was kindled.

“I love what I do. I love my job, I love serving people, I love cooking with all my heart and soul. When my customers are happy, that makes me happy.”

— Maria Guerrero

“My grandma used to tell my grandfather, ‘One day I’m going to turn that place into a restaurant,’ ” Guerrero said.

When Mike Guerrero came into a little bit of money as a result of a lawsuit, he made a down payment on the building and bought it for his wife.

Maria Guerrero wasn’t born yet, but her father, Emilio “Pal” Guerrero, remembers the early days well. It took several months to get the restaurant up and running. The first day they opened up the doors, some of the neighborhood kids came by and asked for some tacos. The Guerreros said yes — as long as they would agree to go

through the neighborhood knocking on doors and telling everyone the restaurant was finally open.

The restaurant was open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Mike would come in first thing in the morning, before work, fire up the equipment and get things rolling. Mary would arrive around 7 a.m. and she’d stay until late at night or early the following morning. In those days, the nearby factories provided most of the restaurant’s business, and it was busy all the time — so much so that some people would bring in playing cards so they could play games while they waited, or if it was Saturday night, stop to pick up the Sunday paper that had just hit the streets.

Working in the restaurant business you meet a lot of characters, and for Pal Guerrero, there’s one who stands out.

One year around Christmas, a large man came in and sat down for dinner. He was a careful eater — dainty, even — and he called Pal over to his table. “Hey, I want to buy the restaurant,” he said.

Maria Guerrero is the owner of Maria’s Sunnyside Cafe. She purchased the restaurant from her grandmother, Mary, in 2013. Four generations of the Guerrero family have worked at the restaurant, which is an anchor of Adrian’s Sunnyside neighborhood. LAD STRAYER/LENAWEE VOICE

Bixby site in the spotlight ... plus, how to get involved in

planning Adrian’s bicentennial

Welcome back to The Agenda, a monthly column in which we highlight issues of importance in our community and ways you can get involved.

Probably the most consequential item on the city of Adrian’s docket this month is the proposed redevelopment of the Bixby Hospital site. The Adrian City Planning Commission is expecting to review the developer’s request for a Planned Unit Development at its next meeting.

The developer, Collier Gibson, has signed an agreement with ProMedica to buy the property, and hopes to build a development of about 50 rental homes plus common areas.

Since a lot of people have ideas about what should happen on the Bixby site, we should probably note that the city government’s role here is somewhat limited. The sale of the property is a private matter between two private entities, ProMedica and Collier Gibson, and the city has no more say over that than they would over a person selling their house. Because the developer is asking for a Planned Unit Development to be overlaid on the city’s zoning map to make the development possible, the city does have a bit more authority than it would in some other developments, but the government’s role is still pretty limited. The planning commission cannot order ProMedica to sell to somebody else

or do something different with the land, nor can it demand that the developer pursue some completely different idea. The city’s authority is limited to reviewing the plans that are brought to it and saying yes or no — determining whether those plans comply with city ordinances and are consistent with the city’s land use plan.

The planning commission will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 7, in the City Chambers building at 159 E. Maumee St.

Adrian’s bicentennial is coming up. Would you like to be part of planning the celebration? The city is holding a town hall meeting on Monday, May 13, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the community room at the Adrian District Library to get the ball rolling on plans.

Reminder for east side residents: If you experience continued odor problems from the Crimson Holdings powdered egg plant, you can report them by going to michigan.gov/ EGLECrimsonHoldings and clicking on “Submit an air quality complaint.” You can also contact Leslie Love at city hall by emailing llove@adrianmi.gov.

If you live in the city of Adrian, the Adrian school district, or the Morenci school district, don’t forget to vote! Turn to page A8 for a recap of the millage renewals that will be on the May 7 ballot in those areas.

LOCAL NEWS

News tips and press releases can be emailed to news@lenaweevoice.com. To meet our print deadline, news about upcoming events should be sent by the 15th of the month before the event.

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IN BRIEF

Meeting on May 13 to begin process of planning Adrian’s bicentennial

ADRIAN —The city of Adrian is inviting any citizens who would like to be part of planning the city’s bicentennial celebration to come to a town hall meeting on Monday, May 13, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the community room at the Adrian District Library, 143 E. Maumee St.

Adrian will mark its 200th anniversary in 2025.

Downtown Adrian plans ‘517 Day’ celebration

ADRIAN — Downtown Adrian will host “517 Day,” modeled after events in Detroit and Toledo that play off of those cities’ area codes, on Friday, May 17.

The event is being planned by the promotions committee of Adrian Main Street and is intended to promote downtown businesses and provide a sense of community pride, according to committee member Meredith Elliott.

The event will include food truck and a DJ on West Maumee Street.

Adrian plans citywide garage sale weekend

ADRIAN — The city of Adrian is coordinating a citywide garage sale weekend from May 31 to June 2. Residents who would like to have a garage sale during that weekend can have their sales included in a map that will be produced by the city. Anyone who wants to sign up can go to adriancity.com, call 517-264-4800, or email mdewey@ adrianmi.gov.

Event will raise money for Clayton parks

CLAYTON — A Clayton Extravaganza is planned for Saturday, May 4, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Clayton Fire Department, 11029 Center St. Vendors, crafts, food trucks, and activities will be offered. Donations will go toward improving village parks.

CPC of Lenawee plans 5K and 1-mile fun run

ADRIAN — The CPC of Lenawee Pregnancy and Family Resource Center will host a 5K and 1-mile family fun run on Saturday, June 22, at Heritage Park. The race starts at 9 a.m. Registrations are due by May 31. To sign up, go to runsignup. com/Race/MI/Adrian/Legacy2024 or contact CPC of Lenawee by calling 517-263-5701 or emailing support@cpclenawee.com.

Plan for houses on Bixby site expected to come before planning commission in May

The Lenawee Voice

ADRIAN — Plans to redevelop the former ProMedica Bixby Hospital site into a community of single-family rental homes are continuing to advance, and the Adrian City Planning Commission is expected to review those plans at its May meeting.

ProMedica has reached an agreement to sell the property to real estate developer Collier Gibson. Tausha Moore, associate vice president of strategic communications for ProMedica, told the Lenawee Voice that demolition of the old hospital is still on track to begin in midJuly.

As reported in the April issue of the Lenawee Voice, developers cleared one milestone in March when the city’s Brownfield Redevelopment Authority approved a loan to help speed the process of getting the homes built.

The purpose of a Brownfield Redevelopment Authority is to help get underutilitized or functionally obsolete proprerties back into productive use. At its March 14 meeting, the authority approved a $900,000 loan that Collier Gibson said would speed up their construction timetable.

The loan will not be disbursed all at once. Instead, the schedule has been drawn up so that, as the value of the property increases due to reaching milestones like the end of demolition, the amount the city has loaned out will increase proportionally. The loan will have a 4% interest rate and the agreement calls for it to be repaid to the city in 36 months.

The city will have collateral, ultimately through a mortgage on the property that will be held in escrow until the loan is repaid.

Collier Gibson will ask the planning commission to approve a Planned Unit Development, which is essentially a tool that can be used to make the city’s zoning more flexible, as long as the proposed use is in line with the city’s future land use plan.

According to the city’s zoning ordinance, the purpose of encouraging Planned Unit Developments is to achieve:

n A maximum choice of living environments by allowing a variety of housing and building types and permitting an increased density per acre and a reduction in lot dimensions, yards, building setbacks, and area requirements.

n A more useful pattern of open space and recreation areas and, if permitted as part of the project, more convenience in the location of accessory commercial uses and services.

n A development pattern which preserves and utilizes natural topography and geologic features, scenic vistas, trees and other vegetation, and prevents the disruption of natural drainage patterns.

n A more efficient use of land than is generally achieved through conventional development resulting in substantial savings through shorter utilities and streets.

n A development pattern in harmony with land use density, transportation facilities, and community facilities objectives of the City’s Land Use Plan.

Scott Gibson, one of the partners in Collier Gibson, attended the planning commission’s April 2 meeting for a preliminary discussion of the plans. According to planning commission chairman Mike Jacobitz, the purpose of the meet-

ing was for planning commissioners to provide the developers with preliminary feedback on their ideas.

In response to one question, Gibson confirmed that the company’s plan is to keep all of the houses as rentals. However, he also said that in the future, the company may be interested in creating a similar community with homes for sale, possibly closer to downtown.

He said that Collier Gibson will retain responsibility for maintenance and upkeep of the common areas in the development, and will also be responsible for trash pickup.

Gibson also discussed the aesthetics of the proposed development. He said the goal is to make it feel like a neighborhood, meaning that houses will be similar but not identical — “it won’t look like a vinyl jungle,” he said.

“You’ll have a design language that complements itself ... but there’ll be variation just so it doesn’t look like you’re looking at the same vanilla box,” he said.

City administrator Greg Elliott said he expects the planning commission to review a preliminary layout at their next meeting, which will take place at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 7, in the City Chambers Building, 159 E. Maumee St.

Left turn signal coming to intersection of Division and U.S. 223

The Lenawee Voice

ADRIAN — The Michigan Department of Transportation has approved a left turn signal for traffic turning from southbound Division Street onto U.S. 223 on the south side of Adrian.

The city and MDOT have been talking for several years about concerns at that intersection, MDOT spokesman Aaron Jenkins said.

Jenkins said a study was conducted in 2018 that did not end up recommending a left-turn signal, but a new study was just concluded that determined a signal is now warranted.

“There are a several key measures that are evaluated as part of a left turn phasing study,” Jenkins said. “They include left turn traffic volumes, how much through

traffic the left turning vehicles encounter, left turn related crashes, and traffic delay. We also conduct a field visit to review conditions in the field.”

Earlier this year, a Clayton man was killed when the car he was riding in was attempting to turn left from U.S. 223 onto Division Street and was struck by a semi proceeding through the intersection on U.S. 223.

Traffic turning left in that direction did not meet MDOT’s threshold for recommending a left-turn signal in that direction, Jenkins said.

However, Jenkins said, MDOT is looking at other measures to improve safety for motorists turning from U.S. 223 onto Division.

Now that the left-turn signal has been approved, Jenkins said, the project

is moving into the design phase. The design phase can take one or two years to complete. Once design is finished, MDOT will move into construction.

Plans to build a development of single-family rental homes on the site of the former ProMedica Bixby Hospital are expected to be reviewed at the Adrian City Planning Commission’s May 7 meeting.

IN BRIEF

City commissioner invites questions, comments

ADRIAN — Adrian City Commissioner Bob Behnke invites residents to meet with him on Wednesday, May 8, from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Adrian District Library, 143 E. Maumee St.

Behnke’s Commissioner Conversations series is intended as an informal way for residents to ask questions about city government or bring up any issues they would like to see addressed.

Raisin Township rejects gravel pit proposal

RAISIN TWP. — The Raisin Township Planning Commission has rejected a proposal from a company that wanted to construct a sand and gravel mining operation in the township. According to a report in the Tecumseh Herald, planning commissioners felt the developers hadn’t done their homework or presented adequate information about their plans.

Over the past several months, residents had expressed numerous concerns about the proposed gravel pit, including the risk of private wells running dry, dust pollution in the air, and increased traffic from trucks hauling gravel from the mine.

Onsted teacher honored

County’s spring cleanup day is a chance to safely dispose of tires, batteries, and more

ADRIAN — Mark your calendars for May 11 from 8 a.m. to noon for the Lenawee County Spring Cleanup Day. This will be an opportunity to load up your vehicle and bring your waste to multiple locations for disposal. The event is open to all Lenawee County residents and offers free or low-cost opportunities to recycle as you spring clean your house, garage, shed, and yard. Proper disposal of these items is essential for the health and safety of residents, the environment, and the community.

Spring collection event at the fairgrounds

The Lenawee County Solid Waste Department will be hosting its annual Spring Collection Event at the Lenawee County Fairgrounds. (Enter from Hanke Lane off Siena Heights Drive.) Residents can bring the following items to the fairgrounds:

n Scrap tires (sponsored by Lenawee County through a grant from EGLE). Proof of residency is required for tire recycling. Clean passenger vehicle, light pickup and motorcycle tires will be accepted with a 10-tire limit per vehicle.

The costs are $1 per motorcycle or small tire and $2 per passenger vehicle or light pickup tire. The Lenawee County Solid Waste Department reserves the right to reject any tire that may damage recycling or processing equipment.

n Batteries (sponsored by Battery Wholesale). Battery recycling fees are $3.50 per pound for alkaline/silver oxide, $3 each for drill/cordless tool packs, 75 cents each for lithium cell batteries, and 25 cents each for lithium coin, NI-CD, NI-MH and LiFE04 cell batteries.

n Shipping Foam (sponsored by Dart Container).

n Reusable packing supplies (sponsored by Greenjak).

Household Hazardous Waste Day at Wacker

Anderson Development Corporation and Wacker Chemical Company is hosting Household Hazardous Waste Day the same day from 8 a.m. to noon at Wacker Chemical Co., 3301 Sutton Road. At this event, residents can recycle hazardous materials such as aerosols, florescent light bulbs, automotive fluids, paint, fuels, oils, and pesticides.

Electronics and shredding

Finally, the Goodwill Recycling Center, 1357 Division St., Adrian (next to Lowe’s) will open at 9 a.m. on May 11 and accept the following:

n E-Waste (such as TVs, DVD players and vacuums). There is no fee for E-Waste except for CRT TVs and CRT Monitors.

n Shredding. The first 50 pounds free, and shredding costs 35 cents per pound after.

n Clothing. Even unwearable clothing can be recycled into industrial cloth.

By providing residents an economical and easy way to properly dispose of these items, the Solid Waste Program of the Lenawee County Health Department hopes to address health and safety concerns as well as illegal dumping throughout Lenawee County. The tire collection is funded by a grant from the Scrap Tire Cleanup Project through the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE).

For more information, visit lenawee. mi.us, call 517-264-4511, or email solid. waste@lenawee.mi.us.

Lenawee County communities to mark Memorial Day with parades, ceremonies

ONSTED — Kristina Dennis, a third-grade teacher at Onsted Elementary School, has been named 2024-25 Regional Teacher of the Year by the Michigan Department of Education. She is one of 10 finalists for the department’s Michigan Teacher of the Year award.

The Regional Teachers of the Year were selected following a competitive application process that began with being nominated for Michigan Teacher of the Year. Students, staff, and community members from across the state submitted nominations.

The 2024-25 honorees were chosen for their dedication to the teaching profession, as evidenced by their commitment to their students and track record of service.

Morenci to celebrate story walk installation

MORENCI — A grand opening for the new story walk at Wakefield Park, installed by Lenawee Great Start, will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 18.

A story walk provides the opportunity for visitors to read while enjoying the outdoors. Laminated pages from a children’s book are inserted in aluminum picture book frames on permanent posts along a path. As readers walk the path, they are directed to the next page in the story.

Following is a partial list of Memorial Day observances in Lenawee County on Monday, May 27. Because we were not able to gather information from all Lenawee County communities before our print deadline, the online version of this story at lenaweevoice.com will be updated.

n Adrian: A parade will begin at 1 p.m., starting at the Adrian Armory and proceeding up Maumee Street to Monument Park, where a ceremony will take place. Because this year marks the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, names will be read of those listed on the monument.

n Britton: A parade will start at 9 a.m. at the high school, then proceed east to the railroad tracks before turning around, going west to Church Street, and ending at the veterans memorial in the park southeast of the school. A ceremony will take place at the park immediately following the parade. Another ceremony will take place at 10 a.m. at the Ridgeway Cemetery.

n Deerfield: A parade will begin at 9 a.m. at the Catholic cemetery on Deerfield Road, then proceed to the cemetery by the school. From the cemetery, participants will go to the River Raisin to “cast flowers upon the water” in memory of those lost at sea. Guests are invited to the American Legion for a ceremony, guest speaker, and food donated by local businesses. For information call Jim Baber at 734279-1455 or leave a message at the Legion, 517-447-5392.

n Morenci: A prayer and 21-gun salute will kick off the parade at 10 a.m. at Wakefield Park. The parade route will be east on Main Street and then north on M-156, ending at Oak Grove Cemetery. A pause will be taken at Bean Creek, where a wreath will be dropped in the water as a tribute to those lost at sea. The

Morenci Area Schools band will march in the parade and play at the cemetery. Kids are invited to ride in the parade; all are encouraged to dress in red, white, and blue and decorate bikes, wagons, or strollers. A ceremony will take place at the cemetery, with Nancy Jenkins-Arno as the guest speaker. A chicken barbecue lunch will be held at the American Legion Post 368. For information call 517-458-6828.

n Onsted: A parade will begin at noon at the American Legion, at the corner of Legion Drive and Onsted Highway, and will travel to the cemetery on Slee Road in front of the school. After a ceremony at the cemetery, guests are invited to return to the Legion for burgers and hot dogs.

n Palmyra: A parade will begin at 9 a.m. at the township hall, 6490 Palmyra Road, then proceed via Rouget Road and U.S. 223 to the main Palmyra cemetery. Veterans eat for free at the Palmyra Township Fire Department

and Firefighters Association annual pancake breakfast, from 7-10 a.m. at the fire station, 4276 Rouget Road. (Regular prices are $6 for adults, $4 for children.) For more information, call Dave Pixley at 517-605-1121 or Christine Whited at 517-260-8628.

n Riga: The annual cemetery parade and Memorial Day service begins at 2 p.m. Robert Knoblauch will deliver the message. The Gettysburg Address will be read by Grace Thompson, daughter of Scott and Natalie Thompson.

n Tecumseh: A parade will begin at 10 a.m. at the corner of East Chicago Boulevard and Maumee Street, then head west on Chicago and north on Union Street before ending at Brookside Cemetery. Parade entries will be accepted through May 20; for information, call 517-423-2107. A ceremony will take place at the cemetery.

Inviting kids to ride in the parade is a Memorial Day tradition in Morenci. CITY OF MORENCI PHOTO

Kristina Dennis

Friends and family honor legacy of Chico Martinez

By Erik Gable The Lenawee Voice

ADRIAN —Even if you had never met Paul N. “Chico” Martinez, there’s a good chance you knew his name.

That’s because, in a word, he was everywhere.

Community events? He was there. Service projects? He was there. And most of all, if there was somebody in the community who needed help — whether it was because of an illness, a fire, or any other personal crisis — Chico Martinez was there.

But one of his biggest passions was organizing Adrian’s Cinco de Mayo celebration. Now, two years after his death from a rare form of lung cancer, his family and friends are honoring his legacy by incorporating the Adrian Cinco de Mayo committee as a nonprofit and starting a scholarship in his name.

Chico organized Cinco de Mayo for more than 20 years. His wife, Teresa Martinez, remembers the beginning this way: “He said ‘You know what? I think I want to have a parade for Cinco de Mayo. That’s all he said, and he just went with it.”

Something he always wanted to do was form a nonprofit to run the celebration. After his death, his family and friends decided they would take the plunge and make it happen — “to make Chico’s dream come true.” The new organization is called Chico’s Cinco de Mayo.

This year’s Cinco de Mayo celebration, taking place on Saturday, May 4, will begin with a parade. Lineup will begin at noon along Greenly Street and the parade will begin at 1 p.m., traveling along Maumee Street to the Lenawee County Fair and Event Grounds.

The festivities will take place at the Merchants Building at the fairgrounds. The entertainment will include three live bands — Los Hermanos Villegas, JR Aldaco and the Midwest Allstars, and La Nueva Onda — and the children’s dance troupe Tropa de Niños Pequeños, led by Rachel Ybarra.

Organizers will be requesting a $10 donation at the door to benefit a scholarship in Chico’s name. The

See MARTINEZ, page A6

Chico Martinez

Chico and Teresa Martinez with their children, Angelina, Azia, Anastacia and Savastian.

Chico Martinez was an organizer of many community event, including Cinco de Mayo. Above, he is pictured introducing a group of young dancers and honoring members of the military.

State grant will help Adrian determine if any city water lines contain lead

The Lenawee Voice

ADRIAN — A $510,000 grant from the state of Michigan will help the city of Adrian determine if water lines containing lead are still in use in any parts of the city.

According to city administrator Greg Elliott’s email newsletter to city residents, the grant is designed to aid in efforts to identify water service lines that may contain lead including some galvanized services. Additionally, it will cover costs for project planning and development related to service line replacements. The

Sunnyside

from page A1

When told it wasn’t for sale, he said “No, not like that — everybody here, I want to buy their dinner.”

The staff tallied up the bills of everyone in the restaurant. The man paid with a $100 bill — which, in those days, was enough to pay everyone’s check with money left over — and said to keep the change.

For several years, he would come back once a year around Christmas and do the same thing every time. He never gave his name; the staff just called him “The Man.”

With her grandmother running the restaurant and her father working there, it was natural that Maria Guerrero would end up spending time there from a young age. She learned to count using pennies from the register, and because her grandfather didn’t know how to read, she would accompany him on trips to the store.

She can remember telling her grandmother, “One day I’m going to be just like you.”

As an adult, Guerrero went into the food service business for herself, setting up her own catering company and buying a food truck. Running the trailer, she said, proved to be both challenging and rewarding.

“I thought it was going to be just like hopping into a kitchen,” she recalled, but with a food trailer, dealing with the water, electricity and propane, plus doing everything in a small space, adds a whole new dimension to the job.

At the same time, she enjoys making people’s food right in front of them.

Martinez from page A1

scholarship will be for Hispanic students from Lenawee County who are going into a community service field, and the first award will be made to a student entering college in fall 2025. The hope, his wife said, is to help make sure that “the next generation can follow in his footsteps.”

It’s a fitting tribute to someone who was constantly looking for ways to help other people.

“If something needed to be done or somebody needed help, he was the first one to jump on it,” Teresa Martinez said. He spent many years working as a paraprofessional in the Adrian school district, where he was also a coach. Working with the student council at Springbrook Middle School, he helped students get that school’s Thanksgiving turkey drive off the ground.

grant does not cover the actual cost of service line replacement, but the city is investigating other grant opportunities to cover future replacement costs.

Utilities director Will Sadler said that when there is a suspicion that lead may be present, it is generally because of the age of the lines.

“We do not suspect there are any complete lead pipe services, however, older galvanized services were likely previously connected to a lead gooseneck (the flexible connection at the water main),” Sadler said in an email to

the Lenawee Voice. “Historic sampling for lead in random samples has never produced any results that are close to exceeding federal guidelines.”

Sadler said that if portions of the water service are found to be lead or galvanized, the affected residents will be notified.

The grant covers the city’s water infrastructure, but the program will not investigate the pipes inside anyone’s house, Sadler said. Interior plumbing past the meter is the responsibility of the property owner.

The funding is part of $91.4 million in

around Lenawee and surrounding counties.

“I love that part,” she said. “I want you to see how I’m preparing your food. I want you to see exactly what I’m doing.”

And she enjoys getting to talk with customers while preparing their food, some-

thing that doesn’t happen at a restaurant when the person making the food is back in the kitchen and the customer is sitting at their table.

“It’s such a cool vibe and such a cool feeling when they come up to the trailer,” she said.

She purchased the restaurant from her grandmother in 2013, and other than a small addition to the name — making it Maria’s Sunnyside Cafe — she changed very little. In particular, she kept her grandmother’s recipes and commitment to fresh, homestyle cooking.

“Everything is made fresh daily,” she said. “You’re tasting what we eat at our house.”

She still has customers who remember her when she was a child, clearing tables and filling up drinks, and even some who have been coming since the restaurant first opened.

In those 50 years, the restaurant has become a mainstay of Adrian’s Sunnyside neighborhood, so named because it’s on

Cinco de Mayo festival

Sometimes his activism extended far beyond Adrian’s borders. A longtime member of the Michigan Army National Guard, he helped box up care packages for service members deployed overseas. He was also involved in protests for the Black Lives Matter movement and Stand with Standing Rock, which aimed to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline from being run through the tribal lands of the Standing Rock Sioux in North Dakota. Other times, he turned his energy toward helping one person at a time

MI Clean Water grants that were recently announced by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy.

“This funding will help ensure the people of Adrian have access to clean and safe drinking water for decades to come,” said state Sen. Joe Bellino (R-Monroe), whose district includes Adrian. Bellino, who was then serving in the Michigan House of Representatives, voted for the budget that included the appropriations for the lead abatement, as did the two legislators who represented Adrian at the time.

“I just like to think that when people come into Sunnyside, they feel like they’re coming home.”

— Maria Guerrero

the easternmost edge of town, the first to see the rising sun.

It’s a neighborhood where people look out for each other, Guerrero said.

“It’s a very tight-knit community,” she said.

Guerrero said that closeness keeps the neighborhood safe, too.

“In the 50 years we’ve been there, the restaurant has only been broken into twice, and the only thing they took was food,” she said.

When she’s working late at night, it’s not unusual for her to get a phone call from somebody alerting her that there’s a car in the parking lot. She lets them know that it’s OK, the car is hers — and she knows that people are looking out for her.

Four generations of her family have worked at Sunnyside now, and it’s still going strong. And while some business owners dream of expansions and new locations, Guerrero said she doesn’t see herself ever opening any other restaurant.

“I love what I do,” she said. “I love my job, I love cooking with all my heart and soul. When my customers are happy, that makes me happy.”

“I just like to think that when people come into Sunnyside, they feel like they’re coming home,” she said.

“What we’re giving back to the community is just a piece of home.”

Maria’s Sunnyside Cafe is 2495 E. Maumee St. For more information, call 517-265-6734 or go to mariassunnysidecafe.com.

DATE AND TIME: Saturday, May 4, with parade starting at noon

LOCATION: The parade begins on Greenly Street and ends at the Lenawee County Fair and Event Grounds. Festivities will be in the Merchants Building at the fairgrounds.

COST: A $10 donation at the door is requested to help start a scholarship honoring Chico Martinez.

MORE INFO: Call Teresa Martinez (517-918-1489) or Bobbi DeLaCruz (517-215-2350) or email ChicosCincoDeMayo@gmail.com.

— even something as seemingly small as hearing about a child who wanted a basketball hoop and finding a way to make it happen.

“He was always doing something for the community,” his friend Bobbi DeLaCruz said. “Always.”

His last job prior to his cancer diagnosis was working at L&W Engineering in Blissfield. He was diagnosed in 2020 with lung cancer with a RET rearrangement, something that’s extremely rare and generally found in patients who, like Chico, are younger than the average lung cancer patient and don’t have a history of smoking.

Once someone is diagnosed with this type of cancer, they usually don’t have much more than a year to live. Chico survived for 18 months. The cancer was

pushed into remission twice, but came back aggressively the third time. He died on November 8, 2022.

“He fought to the last,” DeLaCruz said. Not long before he died, he told his friends that he’d gone ahead and gotten the following year’s parade permit so they wouldn’t have to worry about it.

“He fought with everything in him till the day he died,” she said.

Teresa Martinez describes her husband this way: “If I could sum it up in a phrase, he was a walking angel on this earth.”

For Chico’s family and friends, the steps they’re taking to further his legacy will make this year’s Cinco de Mayo particularly special.

“We hope we’re making him proud,” DeLaCruz said.

Maria’s Sunnyside Cafe is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. The current owner, Maria Guerrero, purchased it from her grandmother in 2013. PHOTOS BY LAD STRAYER/LENAWEE VOICE

Maria Guerrero is pictured inside her food trailer, which she takes to locations

Bobbi DeLaCruz, a friend of the Martinez family pictured here with Chico Martinez, is one of the cofounders of the organization Chico’s Cinco de Mayo.

National Technical Honor Society recognizes LISD students

High school students from across Lenawee County were inducted into the honor society in April

ADRIAN — The following LISD Tech Center students were inducted into the National Technical Honor Society in April: Renee Awad (Marketing and Entrepreneurship, Adrian High School); Wyatt Berger (Natural Resources, Morenci); Kamryn Billings (Engineering, Design and Computer Aided Design, Tecumseh); Micajah Briggs (Dental Assisting, Madison); Gabrielle Bryja (Nursing Preparation, Lenawee Christian); Mason Case (Building Trades, Blissfield); Isabell Chambers (Culinary Arts, LISD Prep Academy); Tehya Clement (Digital Media Production, Britton Deerfield); Isabelle Cleveland (Dental Assisting, Adrian); Kyleigh Cook (Health Care Careers, Clinton); Jayden Duplessis (Accounting, Clinton); Gabriel Easler (Engineering, Robotics and Mechatronics, Morenci); Cody Fawcett (Computer Information Services, Britton Deerfield); Skyler Fox (Computer Programming, Adrian); Cole Gilbert (Engineering, Robotics & Mechatronics, JC/LISD Academy); Makayla Gillentine (Education Careers, Britton Deerfield); Mark Goodlock (Accounting, Madison); Ella Gottschalk (Marketing and Entrepreneurship, Adrian); Gregory Hagen (Digital Media Production, Tecumseh); Hannah Harding (Natural Resources, JC/LISD Academy); Olivia Hartman (Health Care Careers, Tecumseh); Chase Henline (Building Trades, Adrian); John Hill (Exercise Science and Sports Medicine, Onsted); Mikalah Hill (Health Care Careers, Tecumseh); Emerson Holsopple (AgriTech, Lenawee Christian); Logan Irwin (Building Trades, Onsted); Nathaniel Jeffords (Engineering, Design and CAD, Lenawee Christian); Ethan Johnson (Accounting, Blissfield); Julien Kimling (Automotive Collision Repair and Refinish, Hudson); Natalie Ku (Education Careers, Madison); Sydney Laney (Health Care Careers, Tecumseh); Emma Lemert (Culinary Arts, Summerfield); Sydney Lewis (Nursing Preparation, Madison); Kaylie Livingston (Marketing and Entrepreneurship, Clinton); Paige Luck (Graphic Design, Sand Creek); Wyatt MacLachlan (Engineering, Robotics and Mechatronics, and

Computer Aided Manufacturing, Tecumseh); Samuel Madrid (Marketing and Entrepreneurship; Adrian); Barron Mansfield (Accounting, Hudson); Ada Marlatt (Dental Assisting, homeschool); Zoey Martinez (Law Enforcement and Corrections, Morenci); Ivy McClelland (Natural Resources, Clinton); Leah Mishka (Agri-Tech, homeschool); Holly Mitchell (Agri-Tech, homeschool); Angelo Moreno (Building Trades, Hudson); Lila Mouton-Howard (Accounting, JC/LISD Academy); Brock Mueller (Graphic Design, Britton Deerfield); Megan Nadeau (Natural Resources, JC/LISD Academy); Sydney Nichols (Law Enforcement and Corrections, Onsted); Makayla Nieman (Education Careers, Morenci); Trevor Opel (Automotive Collision Repair and Refinish, Sand Creek); Reed Patrick (Automotive Services Technology, Clinton); David Petraru (Building Trades, Clinton); Kristina Phillips (Culinary Arts, Clinton); Abby Pierce (Health Care Careers, Morenci); Chelsea Pierce (Dental Assisting, Morenci); Gabriel Pietraszewski (Building Trades, Onsted); Romeo Regalado (Culinary Arts, Adrian); Courtney Rodifer (Health Care Careers, Hudson); Zoe Rorick (Health Care Careers, Sand Creek); Tyler Salenbien (Machining and Computer Aided Manufacturing; Lenawee Christian); Sean David Samuels (Exercise Science and Sports Medicine, Blissfield); Beau Shaffer (Accounting, Morenci); Keegan Shaffer (Exercise Science and Sports Medicine, Hudson); Jacob Small (Exercise Science and Sports Medicine, Tecumseh); Jared Snyder (Automotive Collision Repair and Refinish, Sand Creek); Mya Solis (Health Care Careers, Madison); Hannah Spitzley (Health Care Careers, Addison); Isaac St. John (Automotive Services Technology, Hudson); Soren Stockmyer (Accounting, JC/LISD Academy); Owen Strieter-Byron (Exercise Science and Sports Medicine, Tecumseh); Abigail Sutka (Dental Assisting, Onsted); Riley VanSickle (Exercise Science and Sports Medicine, Tecumseh); Chase Voorhees (Marketing and Entrepreneurship, homeschool); River Vowell (Graphic Design, Madison); Ashlynn Wilson (Building Trades, Onsted); Mia Yakubesan (Exercise Science and Sports Medicine, JC/LISD Academy); and Palmer Ziemer (Exercise Science and Sports Medicine, Tecumseh).

The following students received their honor cords:

Connor Adamski (Law Enforcement and Corrections and Residential Construction, Tecumseh); Mekeal

Alcock (Welding Technology, Sand Creek); Brennan Batyik (co-op experience, Tecumseh); Riley Bloomer (Nursing Preparation, Hudson); Aaron Boley (Dental Assisting and co-op, homeschool); Madeline Bough (Biochemical Technology, Hudson); Kelly Byrne (Agri-Tech, Tecumseh); Lani Cameron (Nursing Preparation, Tecumseh); Addison Corwin (Culinary Arts, Tecumseh); Veronica Flores (Nursing Preparation, Madison); Amy Foster (Law Enforcement and Corrections, Tecumseh); Loryn Frederick (co-op, Morenci); James Gregory (Accounting, JC/LISD Academy); Chloe Griewahn (co-op, Tecumseh); Alexia Handy (Law Enforcement and Corrections, Blissfield); Kylie Hicks (Agri-Tech, Sand Creek); Jaden Jankowski (co-op, Adrian); Diego Juarez (Marketing and Entrepreneurship, Tecumseh); Emilie LaBrie (Digital Media Production and custom class, Onsted); Charlie McClelland (Certified Nurse Aide, Tecumseh); Robin Mull (custom class, Clinton); Emily Murry (Nursing Preparation, Madison); Paul Navarre (Computer Information Services, Lenawee Christian); Aaron Norden (Residential Construction, Tecumseh); Elle Nowak (co-op, Tecumseh); Neili Pike (co-op, Morenci); Jamairah Powers (co-op, Madison); Renee Ramsey (AgriTech, Onsted); Kaylee Rankin (co-op, Onsted); Zemirah Reyna (Biochemical Technology, Lenawee Christian); Emily Rodocker (co-op, Adrian); Leah Rorick (Dental Assisting, Morenci);

Hunter Rothman (co-op; JC/LISD Academy); Nolan Scholz (Machining and Computer Aided Manufacturing, Tecumseh); Rowan Shaffer (Digital Media Production, Morenci); Madison Sniegowski (co-op, Onsted); Caylan Sower (co-op, Madison); Ethan Stines (co-op, Blissfield); Caitlin Tessier (coop, Onsted); Maycie Valasek (Nursing Preparation, Blissfield); Kaydence VanEtten (Nursing Preparation, Blissfield); Lillian Watson (Nursing Preparation, Britton Deerfield); Alanna Willnow (co-op, Madison); and Genevieve Zellen (Computer Information Services, Onsted).

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These LISD Tech Center students were recognized by the National Technical Honor Society on April 4.

Millage renewals on May 7 ballot in Adrian and Morenci

Special elections for millage renewals will be held on May 7 in both Adrian and Morenci.

Adrian District Library: City of Adrian residents will vote on the renewal of the operating millage that funds the Adrian District Library.

The ballot question is a renewal of the library’s existing 2.5-mill levy, which was enacted by voters in 2015. The millage has been rolled back slightly over the last nine years as a result of Michigan’s Headlee Amendment, and is now at 2.4817 mills. The May ballot will ask voters to restore the full 2.5 mills.

The Adrian District Library’s service area consists of the city of Adrian.

Adrian Public Schools: The Adrian school district is asking voters to approve a 10-year renewal of its non-homestead operating levy. The millage, which is not levied on people’s primary residences, brings in about $4.7 million per year, which is about 10.4% of the district’s annual operating budget.

State law requires voters to periodically renew this millage in order for districts to be fully funded. If voters in a district reject the millage, the state will not make up the difference.

Morenci Area Schools: The Morenci school district is asking voters to approve a three-year renewal of its non-homestead operating millage. The levy millage brings in about $937,000, which is about 12% of the district’s annual operating revenue.

Where to vote: The elections for the Adrian District Library and Adrian Public Schools will take place at the Lenawee County Fair and Event Grounds, 602 N. Dean St.

Voting in Morenci will be at Morenci City Hall, 118 Orchard St.

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 7.

Weber Center announces Lunch and Learn topics

ADRIAN — The Lunch and Learn series at the Weber Retreat and Conference Center continues through the summer. Lunch and Learn is offered from 12:15 p.m. to 1 p.m. on selected Wednesdays.

The following sessions are planned.

n May 15: Sam Beauford Woodworking Institute. Learn about the many offerings and events at the woodshop, located on the campus of Planewave Instruments.

n June 12: Adrian Resilient Community update. Hear about developments on the east side of Adrian, born from a partnership between the Adrian Dominican Sisters, ProMedica, the A3 Coalition, and the Boys and Girls Club of Lenawee. Speakers will be Frank Nagle, director of community impact at ProMedica, and Jennifer Hunter and Sister Sharon Weber, OP, co-chairs of the Adrian Resilient Communities Committee.

n July 17: Keeping your Heart Healthy. Pam Miller, team coordinator for cardiac rehab at ProMedica Charles and Virginia Hickman Hospital, will share strategies for a healthy heart.

n Aug. 14: The secrets of canning. Mary Donaldson of the U.S. Department of Agriculture will share the best ways to enjoy fruits and vegetables all year through canning.

Those attending may bring their own lunch or purchase lunch for $7 from the Weber Center. Drinks and desserts will be provided for everyone.

Anyone who intends to purchase lunch is asked to register at least two days in advance by calling 517266-4000 or emailing webercenter@ adriandominicans.org.

The Weber Center is on the campus of the Adrian Dominican Sisters. For information, call 517-266-4000 or go to webercenter.org.

Adrian College president Jeffrey Docking delivers the State of the College address on April 5. MICKEY ALVARADO/ADRIAN COLLEGE

Adrian College president touts school’s growth in State of the College speech

ADRIAN — Growth in enrollment, an expanded endowment, and new programs were among the items Adrian College president Jeffrey Docking detailed during his annual State of the College speech on April 5.

“We’re in great shape, and you should know that in the turbulent times we are in,” Docking said.

He said that over the past 20 years, the college’s enrollment has doubled, from roughly 900 students to about 1,800.

During that time, he said, the college has invested $122 million in campus improvements.

Docking also said that over the past several years, the college’s endowment has grown from under $20 million to about $80 million.

Recent additions to the list of academic programs include majors in cybersecurity management, applied computing, information technology and database management, actuarial science, and public health, and an artificial intelligence certificate and robotics curriculum.

The address also included a spotlight on high school students earning college credit. A presentation titled “Blurring the Boundaries Between High School and College” was given by Adrian High School principal Sam Skeels and AHS senior Elaine Gordon.

Last semester, Adrian College had 86 high school students enrolled for classes. One of those students was Gordon, who over the past four years has accumulated 52 credits.

“Dual enrollment is an opportunity for all students, and they should take hold of it. It offers the opportunity to challenge yourself academically and learn life skills ahead of the game,” Gordon said.

Skeels said he and his colleagues believe in providing their students with every opportunity to succeed and prepare them for the future, and “dual enrollment is definitely a way to get them there.”

Through its partnerships, Adrian College currently has 86 dual enrolled high school students who are taking 105 classes. Adrian High School has 35 of those students taking 44 college courses.

Dual enrollment students take these courses free of charge as the cost is picked up by the state.

Other topics addressed included the college’s planned sports dome and a campaign to upgrade every fraternity and sorority house on campus.

County commission gives high marks to administrator, sets goals for coming year

The Lenawee Voice

plan, fostering sustainable growth and effective governance.

ADRIAN — At its April 10 meeting, the Lenawee County Commission voted unanimously to give county administrator Kim Murphy a positive evaluation. The review included written evaluations submitted by individual commissioners and a formal interview by the full commission.

Personnel committee chairman Terry Collins (R-Adrian) said the commission felt Murphy’s job performance “exceeds expectations or is outstanding.”

Murphy has been county administrator since April 1, 2022.

At the same time as they approved Murphy’s evaluation, the commission also set the following goals for the coming year:

n Enhance the five-year capital improvement plan by fostering innovation and extending its scope to encompass a broader outlook on the upkeep and maintenance of existing buildings and facilities. Integrate the airport improvement plan seamlessly into the countywide capital improvement plan.

n Collaborate with the 2025 seated commission to develop and implement a comprehensive county strategic

n Revise the five-year parks plan, including finding new ways to fund projects and adding more playground equipment to county parks.

n Increase in-person engagement with local municipalities, organizations, county employees, and staff to further understand county government’s role, projects, challenges, and successes, while also allowing opportunity to collect feedback.

n Persist in enhancing the commission chambers and developing procedures for live streaming of meetings.

n Continue to lead and develop the administrative team, increasing delegation and development.

n Strengthen and support economic development in Lenawee, continuing to develop communication and collaboration with businesses, partners, and other community organizations.

Murphy thanked the commissioners for their support.

“The goals set for 2024-25 are ambitious, but I’ve got a great team behind me and I know that we will accomplish all the goals that have been set out,” she said.

“We’ve all had a challenging year, but Kim’s just done a tremendous job,” commission chairman Jim Van Doren (R-Tipton) said.

The Lenawee County Commission meets on the second Wedmesday of each month at 1:30 p.m. in the old county courthouse.

Kim Murphy

BUSINESS

IN BRIEF

WLEN 103.9 honored for excellence in radio

ADRIAN — Family-owned local radio station WLEN has won the Michigan Association of Broadcasters’ Station of the Year award in its market for the 10th consecutive year.

Market 3 in the annual competition includes Adrian, Cadillac, Jackson, Port Huron and Traverse City. MAB member stations across the state submitted entries in several categories — such as breaking news, feature programming, investigative work, and sports coverage — that were judged by others in the industry across the country.

WLEN was founded nearly 60 years ago and has been owned and operated by members of the Koehn family ever since. It broadcasts on 103.9 FM and also operates a sports station, 96.5 The Cave.

Greater Lenawee Chamber to keep office remote

TECUMSEH — Following water damage to its Tecumseh office, the Greater Lenawee Chamber of Commerce announced in April that it will continue to operate without a permanent brick-and-mortar facility.

“In addition to giving staff more time to visit members, it is a cost savings, helping the chamber be more financially responsible,” the chamber wrote in an announcement.

Chamber staff can still receive phone calls at 517-423-3740 and will also keep regular office hours at:

n The Buzz Cafe, 110 E. Maumee St., Adrian, on Mondays from 9 to 11:30 a.m.

n Musgrove & Co., 135 E. Chicago Blvd., Tecumseh, on Thursdays from 9 to 11:30 a.m.

More information is available at greaterlenaweechamber.org.

CNB parent company announces Q1 earnings

HILLSDALE — CNB Community Bancorp Inc., the parent company of County National Bank, recently announced earnings for the three months ending March 31. Earnings during the first quarter of 2024 totaled $2.7 million, a decrease of $156,000 from the $2.9 million earned during the three months ending March 31, 2023. Basic earnings per share for CNB Community Bancorp decreased to $1.26 during the three months ended March 31, 2024, down $0.08 from $1.34 during the first quarter of 2023.

County National president and CEO Joseph R. Williams stated, “I have noted that since the turmoil of Spring of 2023 that included the failure of multiple banks, our industry has done a remarkable job in recovering from the stigma of those times. Because CNB has a different client base and strategy that focuses on our communities and keeping our deposits working in those communities, we have continued to maintain a strong pipeline for both credit and deposits. However, this interest rate environment has been challenging, and earnings were less than the first quarter of 2023.”

Tink and the Frog needlework shop settles into new downtown home

By Julie C. Clemes The Lenawee Voice

ADRIAN — Tink and the Frog, a needlework shop owned by Michelle Beechler, is not new to downtown Adrian. But their current location is. Formerly located at 177 N. Main St., Tink and the Frog is now located at 128 E. Maumee St., between Tammy’s Affordable Furniture and Encore Dance Studio.

The first day at the new location was March 26, and so far business has been “great,” according to Beechler. She is planning a grand reopening celebration from May 7-11 during regular business hours. Games and prizes will be available, and the store will host live music on Thursday, May 9.

So far, Beechler is pleased with her decision to move her downtown Adrian business.

”This is a great location,” Beechler said. “It’s bigger, and right across from the Croswell.”

Customers can expect to see the same merchandise that they did at the previous location. High quality yarn, knit and crochet supplies, knitting needles and crochet hooks, kits, books, needle felting kits and project bags are available at Tink and the Frog. It’s a great place

for people who are looking to get started in needlecraft, especially for knit and crochet, Beechler said.

Beechler herself started knitting in 2017 and began going to Ann’s by Design,

See TINK AND THE FROG, page A12

Michelle Beechler is the owner of Tink and the Frog.

Michelle Beechler, Suzanne Helfer, Chris Maldonado, Thea Chambers, Jan Parson and Margaret St. John are pictured during a Social Stitching meetup at Tink and the Frog, a downtown Adrian needlework shop. PHOTOS BY JULIE C. CLEMES/LENAWEE VOICE

Little cottage by the road is home to ‘The Cookie Coop’

By Julie C. Clemes The Lenawee Voice

PALMYRA TWP. — Baking cookies is Stephanie Bardwell’s passion. After starting out baking commercially in Toledo under the name Big Momma Bakery, she opened The Cookie Coop along U.S. 223 in Palmyra on March 30, and since then, she has been working hard to keep up with the demand.

Bardwell started baking cookies in 2020 for her daughter’s graduation party. She then got a license to sell cookies in retail stores in Ohio, and starting baking in her church basement. When she and her family moved to Palmyra, she decided to move in a different direction.

“When we moved here, I said ‘Why don’t we put a little something on the side of the road and sell cookies cottage-food style?’” she recalled. “So we did, and now we’re ‘coopin’ out of control.’”

Bardwell now makes the cookies in her home, and isn’t baking for the commercial market anymore.

“Now that this has taken off, this is my priority,” she said.

Bardwell experiments with “a little bit of everything” with her baking, but cookies have become her passion. She works 16 hours a day, waking up at 4 a.m. to begin.

“I put all my love and soul into these cookies,” she said.

“Baking is the only thing I can do,” she added. “My husband does all the cooking.”

The Cookie Coop offers chocolate chip, double chocolate, oatmeal raisin and peanut butter cookies, along with

Tink and the Frog

from page A11

a former needlework and quilting store located in downtown Adrian. When Beechler found out that the store was closing, she offered to buy the business. Tink and the Frog opened in March 2022, “just a couple of years later,” Beechler said.

Social Stitching groups were one of the main reasons Beechler was interested in buying Ann’s by Design, and she

continued this tradition at her new store.

Social Stitching groups meet on Tuesday from 1-5 p.m., on Thursday from 4-7 p.m., and on Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“People come in with their projects and just hang out, and work together and have fun,” Beechler said.

Beechler’s personal pet project is knitting socks.

“I love to knit socks and to teach other people how to knit socks,” she said. But she doesn’t sell her work in the store.

While Tink and the Frog might seem like an unusual name for a business,

cinnamon rolls. Bardwell also makes a different variety of specialty cookie each week, such as a s’mores cookie. Gluten-free cookies are also available. Bardwell came up with the name Big Momma Bakery when her cousin asked her to bake cookies, and challenged her to make a big one. Bardwell came up with a six-ounce cookie and said “Here you go — here’s your big momma cookie.”

“I’m a momma, and I made a big ol’ cookie,” she added. “It’s six ounces packed with deliciousness.”

knitters will understand the meaning right away. It’s actually slang that knitters use when referring to the work they are doing on their project, Beechler said.

“Tink is when you knit backwards because Tink is knit spelled backwards,” she said. “If you need to undo a stitch at a time, that is called tinking.”

Frogging is when you completely tear out a project or several rows, she added.

Tink and the Frog is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Saturday from 11 a.m.

BUSINESS CARD DIRECTORY

The six-ounce cookies from Big Momma Bakery cost $4 per cookie, and 12 smaller cookies in a bag are $13. The Cookie Coop measures 12 by 16 feet, with an additional 4 feet for the front porch. Displayed on the gray exterior are the words “Cookie Coop,” which makes it easy to spot from the road.

The Cookie Coop is at 3247 Myers Highway, at the corner of Myers and U.S. 223. Hours are Tuesday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Cookie Coop is closed on Monday. For more information, search for Big Momma Bakery on Facebook or call 419-297-7928.

until 3 p.m. On Thursday, the store is open from noon to 7 p.m. “so people who work can come in in the evening,” Beechler said.

Classes for beginners who want to learn to knit and crochet are also available.

Tink and the Frog is at 128 E. Maumee St., Adrian. Store hours are Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from

to

Tink and the Frog is on Facebook at facebook.com/tinkandfrogyarnshop, on Instagram at @tinkandthefrog, and can also be found on Ravelry, a social network for those interested in fiber arts. For more information, go to tinkandfrogyarnshop.com or call 517-759-3990.

Stephanie Bardwell is pictured inside The Cookie Coop, which she opened on March 30 in a small cottage at the corner of U.S. 223 and Myers Highway, between Adrian and Blissfield. PHOTOS BY JULIE C. CLEMES/LENAWEE VOICE

The Cookie Coop is at 3247 Myers Highway.

LAND & WATER

Some Michigan faith communities make environmental protection part of their ministry

By Ken Coleman Michigan Advance

DETROIT — Ahead of Earth Day, which was celebrated April 20, two Detroit faith communities lifted up strategies to provide for a cleaner environment and “climate justice.”

Lord of Lords Ministries, which is located on the city’s east side, and St. Suzanne-Cody Rouge Community Resource Center, which is located on the city’s west side, carried out community events on the preceding weekend.

At St. Suzanne, National Wildlife Federation members hosted tours and carried out educational demonstrations at the center’s eight rain gardens.

“We’ve built eight rain gardens so far,” Steve Wasko, director of the St. SuzanneCody Rouge Community Resource Center, said. “They are pretty extensive on our five-acre campus. Each one that

we have done has been surrounded by a semester-long high school student program with students from the CodyRouge area as well as an adult workforce

development certification program.”

The St. Suzanne Community Center is located near Detroit’s Cody High School and the Rouge River.

At the Lord of Lords event, participants heard from the Michigan Interfaith Power & Light and Solar Faithful. The Rev. Calvin Glass and his congregation members talked with participants about how they transitioned from paying DTE “to burn coal and gas for electricity and transitioned to clean solar power owned by the church,” Glass said.

Earth Day, which is designed to recognize and embrace various environmental protection efforts, dates back to 1969. It was first celebrated nationally in 1970.

A portion of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s Earth Day proclamation this year read, “Earth Day has been celebrated annually across the globe to confront our most pressing environmental issues, unite around a shared mission of protecting the environment we live in, and provide future generations with cleaner air and water, a healthier environment, and a safe and sustainable future.”

Michigan increases penalties for illegal trash dumping

We’ve all seen them — those little pockets of roadside spaces where some people have decided to create a random dumping ground for bulk trash items, such as mattresses and broken furniture. These dumping grounds are not only a blight on the community — they put extra costs on the property owners or municipalities to clean up.

Well, a new law signed by the governor aims to target some of this by not only increasing the fines if caught, but making the violator pay for the cleanup of those spaces. Public Act 6, also known as HB 4325 when it was in the legislature, will hopefully make people think twice before making a roadside meadow their dumpster.

Under the previous law, litterers faced the following potential penalties:

n If the amount of litter was less than one cubic foot, the fine was up to $800.

n If the litter was more than one cubic foot, but less than three cubic feet, a fine of up to $1,500.

n If the litter was greater than three cubic feet, the fine was up to $2,500 for a first offense, with additional offenses carrying a fine of up to $5,000.

With the new law, the first two penalties were kept, but it gets steeper from there. Under the new law:

n Littering more than three cubic feet but less than 135 cubic feet would be a misdemeanor punishable by a penal fine of up to $2,500, with any subsequent violations increasing the maximum fine by $2,500 each additional time.

n Littering in an amount of 135 cubic feet or more would be a misdemeanor

JULIE MAURER

punishable by a fine of up to $5,000 for an initial violation, with subsequent violations increasing the maximum fine by $5,000 each additional time.

There is one word in those two new penalties that sticks out — misdemeanor. Littering on each level was previously known as a civil offense, but anything over three cubic feet is now a misdemeanor. This puts more weight on the offense and creates the possibility for higher fines.

So, what’s the big deal? Three cubic feet is a lot of trash, right?

Wrong.

A washing machine capacity averages between 3.5 and 5.5 cubic feet. So, the amount of litter that would qualify for the new misdemeanor penalties would be less than a load of laundry.

The changes in the law don’t stop there. The state now directs the court, as part of sentencing the misdemeanors, to order the person to clean up their litter and pay for any damage to the property that resulted from it. If the mess was already cleaned up by a local community group or government, the violator may have to pay for it, in addition to or in lieu of their fines.

Finally, the law gives property owners the right to seek damages for the cleanup

or other expenses related to the littering. These civil damages would be on top of the criminal fines.

All in all, the new laws aim to reduce the amount of people dumping bulk trash on the side of the road. Hopefully, people will stop and think about which would be more costly — the dumping fees for disposing their bulk items the proper way, or the fines for being caught tossing it out of their vehicle.

But that begs the question — what are you supposed to do with your bulk items, especially since there is no open landfill in Lenawee County? The first step is to check with your trash carrier. Yes, some of them

have fines and fees, but the convenience of having it picked up directly from your home could be worth it.

If that doesn’t work out and donating or recycling aren’t options, the closest places to go with your bulk items would be Liberty Landfill in Clarklake (517-7871177) or the Jefferson Township Transfer Station near Osseo (517-523-3019). The drive and dump fees may be an inconvenience, but doing the right thing not only helps keep the county clean, but it saves you from the risk of hefty fines.

Maurer is Lenawee County’s solid waste program coordinator.

Julie

St. Suzanne-Cody Rouge Community Resource Center supporters work on developing a rain garden. STEVE WASKO/ST. SUZANNE-CODY ROUGE COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER

PERSPECTIVES

EDITORIAL

Public schools, public libraries are essential to our democracy

This month, many Lenawee County residents will have an opportunity to express support for two institutions that are at the very heart of any functioning democracy: public schools and public libraries.

The Adrian and Morenci school districts have renewals of their non-homestead operating millages on the May 7 ballot. And in the city of Adrian, the millage that funds the Adrian District Library — which was first enacted a little under a decade ago — is up for its first renewal.

Public schools and public libraries are fundmentally important to the American ideal of equal opportunity for all. In many ways, they are the two great equalizers of our society.

The first taxpayer-funded public school in the United States was founded before our country itself. In January 1644, the town of Dedham, Massachusetts, established a school that has been called “the seed of American education.”

The growth of public education since then has been a critical part of striving toward the goal that a person’s opportunities in life should not be determined by the circumstances of their birth. Without public schools, the benefits of an education would be largely limited to children who come from families with financial means. A strong public education system is the single best tool we have for ensuring equal opportunity and economic mobility in our nation.

What public schools do for children, public libraries do for — well, everybody.

Public libraries open up access to information. They do this in any number of ways. The most obvious, of course, is in the shelves upon shelves of books that are freely available to all. In the internet age, libraries also create equal opportunity by making sure that everyone, regardless of whether they have a computer or internet access at home, is able to get online for research, communicating with friends and family, applying for jobs, and more.

But perhaps most importantly, libraries provide everyone in our community with access to trained professionals who know how to access, analyze, and use information. It’s not just libraries that are a crucial part of an equal-opportunity, democratic society — it’s librarians themselves.

Our American society, with its government “of the people, by the people, for the people,” can only be healthy if all of our citizens have free and easy access to information and the benefits of education.

On May 7, voters in the Adrian and Morenci areas have an opportunity to send a message that we care about those fundamental values.

The Adrian Public Schools operating millage renewal is responsible for bringing in about $4.7 million per year, or 10.4% of the district’s annual operating budget. For Morenci Area Schools, that number is $937,000, or 12% of the district’s annual operating budget. If the levy is not renewed, this funding would not be replaced, and schools would be forced to make devastating cuts to services.

It’s worth noting that this millage is only on nonhomestead property, which means it doesn’t affect any homeowner’s tax bill for their primary residence.

The Adrian District Library millage brings in about $1.2 million per year and is responsible for the vast majority of the library’s funding. The library cannot exist without it.

We need public schools and public libraries in order to have a healthy society that lives up to the American ideal of opportunity for all. The Adrian Public Schools, Morenci Area Schools, and Adrian District Library millage renewals deserve voters’ support on May 7.

Letters to the Editor should be 350 words or fewer and may be emailed to letters@lenaweevoice.com.

Please include your town of residence and a phone number for verification purposes.

New

Farm Bill’s

LOCAL VIEWS

passage is important for our economy and food security

The agriculture committees of Congress are among its oldest. The House established its committee in 1820 and the Senate in 1825. In the beginning, just like now, the committees existed to create a comprehensive package of agriculture, conservation, rural development , research and food assistance programs for the country.

The Farm Bill was established during changing and challenging economic times. Farmers experienced low payments for the crops they produced, so they utilized more ground to increase production. This depleted soil integrity. The overuse created drought conditions which created the dust bowl so food production in the U.S. was seriously compromised. Adding to this, the Great Depression began in 1929. Food supplies were critically low and Americans faced food insecurity for the first time in its modern history. This led to the Agricultural Act of 1933.

Since the nation’s beginnings, policies were created to incentivize staple crops, including wheat, corn, and cotton. (Now under Title I, crops include soybeans, barley, sorghum, minor oilseed, and dairy and sugar). The industrial revolution in the 1900s revolutionized the world market for these staples and also gave farmers the ability to increase their output. This was both good and bad news. The overproduction reduced farm price commodities even further.

The original Farm Bill provided incentive for farmers not to overproduce. In other words, it paid farmers not to farm. As a result, the Agriculture Stabilization

DEBORAH J. COMSTOCK

and Conservation Service was established in every county in the country in an effort to encourage care of the soil and to improve and increase crop production.

Fast forward to the current structure of the Farm Bill. There are twelve titles in the current Farm Bill including:

1. Commodities.

2. Conservation.

3. Trade.

4. Nutrition.

5. Credit.

in the farm bill. In 2002, that spending was 53%, and 66% in 2008. Approximately 46.5 million Americans were receiving SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits in 2014, averaging $125 per person per month.

The 2023 version of the Farm Bill is currently stalled in Congress. One problem it aims to address is food waste. The U.S. currently racks up an estimated $444 billion worth of food waste per year between farmers, manufacturers, households and businesses.

The 2023 version of the Farm Bill introduces several improvements. They include reducing barriers to organic farmers, reducing food waste, incentivizing cover crops, expanding access to clean energy, providing support for rural sanitation, and more.

6. Rural Development.

7. Research and Extension.

8. Forestry.

9. Energy.

10. Horticulture.

11. Crop Insurance.

12. A miscellaneous title.

Each of these titles provides guidance and policy regarding farming, sustaining the current farm system, and managing America’s natural resources.

Currently, nutrition programs are 78% of all mandatory spending

The 2023 version of the Farm Bill introduces several improvements. To list a few, they include: reducing barriers to organic farmers, reducing food waste, incentivizing cover crops, expanding access to clean energy, providing support for rural sanitation, investing in supporting and developing regional food systems, supporting small and underserved food producers, improving supply chain resources all in an effort to increase food security and promote innovation while preserving tradition.

The modern farm bill has a five-year lifespan and is set to expire September 30, 2024. This complicated bill supports the infrastructure of our economy and our food security. While reduction in some areas is under consideration, passage of the bill is imperative.

Deborah J. Comstock is editor and publisher of The Lenawee Voice.

Not enough empathy

There is little doubt that we are a severely politically divided nation. As many Republicans appear to be accepting of the positions of the farright minority, this cleavage will only expand. A few of the issues that most Democrats and far-right Republicans disagree about include race, LGBQT+ issues, choice in reproductive freedom, the role of women in our society, how much Christianity should influence governmental decisions, the unequal distribution of wealth, and social safety nets. As I listen to politicians and pundits express their support for their positions on these issues, I notice a fundamental difference between the left and the farright. Those on the extreme right appear to lack empathy.

Empathy is the ability to view the world from another’s perspective. It’s the ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes and feel what they must be feeling in that situation. Empathy is complex. Empathy requires cognitive, emotional, behavioral, and moral capacities that are necessary to understand and respond to the suffering of others. The result is compassionate behavior, a sensitive response to another’s suffering. Empathy plays a critical interpersonal and societal role. It enables us to share the experiences, needs, and desires of others honestly, which provides an emotional bridge that promotes

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Are you tired of political extremism?

Today’s political positioning by our leaders and the media has resulted in extremism on both sides of the aisle. This extremism is a barrier to having an effective government. I’m sick and tired of it from both sides. We need to do better. We must do better. For the purpose of this letter, I’ll address this issue from a Lenawee County basis rather than a national one.

Congressman Tim Walberg, at a March 25 town hall answering a question about President Biden’s plans to build a pier in Gaza to provide humanitarian aid said “It’s Joe Biden’s reason we need to get humanitarian aid into Gaza. I don’t think we should…We shouldn’t be spending a dime on humanitarian aid. It should be like Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Get it over quick.”

The media jumped all over his comments. In a clarifying statement, Walberg said he was inferring that the war should come to a quick end, not that he was suggesting dropping nuclear bombs. I believe him. However, the reference about dropping nuclear bombs on the people of Gaza was a horrific choice of words. Words matter. I do believe his comment about not providing a dime in humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people is his position. Such inflammatory, extremist statements are not conducive to finding common ground between people. The insensitivity of Walberg’s remarks are indicative of the extremist positions that have become increasingly frightening in their stranglehold over our domestic and foreign policies. We must expect more from our leaders. Rather than continuing to drive wedges between us, we need to find a path that brings consensus and

HANK CETOLA

pro-social behavior. It is hard for many of us to believe it when we see another person respond with indifference or even outright hostility toward another human who is suffering. But some people do react in such a way. They show no compassion. Clearly, empathy is not a universal response to the suffering of others.

Our feelings of empathy are affected by many variables. Almost everyone would feel empathic toward the suffering of a family member or close friend. However, the amount of empathy one feels seems to diminish the further the suffering occurs outside of our social group. For example, we tend to be more empathic toward the victims of natural disasters if the disaster occurs in the United States than in some far-off land on the other side of the globe. Sadly, for too many white, wealthy, Christian, heterosexual people (especially males), empathy also tends to be less for people who don’t share one or more of those descriptors.

Meri T. Long, Ph.D., is a political scientist who researches the public’s

agreement amongst each other. That goes for our political leaders as well as the media. Let’s strive to reach a higher plateau of leadership. Let’s be better.

— Mitch Myers, Adrian

Support the Adrian library in May 7 election

The Ladies Library Association, in 1868, created what is now known as the Adrian District Library. Through the last 156 years, it has continued to grow and adapt to the changing needs of all citizens. As a retired library employee with 34 years of experience, I have observed firsthand the impact this library and its staff have on the lives of the people it serves. It is the heart of downtown Adrian, a welcoming place for everyone.

Our library promotes early literacy with its preschool programs, provides a safe haven for young people, allows individuals to improve their technology skills, assists those who aim to complete high school equivalency and college degrees, and provides support in searching for employment. The library continues to encourage, instruct, and feed curious minds.

Join me in assuring that the ADL can continue its mission “to meet the evolving needs of our community through equitable opportunities for connection, lifelong learning, and exploration.” Please vote YES to restore the millage for our library on May 7.

— Laura Berdyck, Adrian

Don’t take away farmers’ property rights

The Republican Study Committee, of which Congressman Tim Walberg is a member, recently recommended spending cuts to deal with our $34 trillion

support for many government policies. She also examines how compassionate people are. She has found that, on average, Democrats and Republicans appear to be similarly compassionate. But that does not hold for the far right. In her survey, Dr. Long showed that farright voters were much lower in personal compassion. They just did not care about the plight of others or how others might feel in response to the words and actions of far-right politicians and their followers. We can all become more empathic. Here are some suggestions. Try to listen to others without interrupting. Avoid making assumptions. Ask people questions to learn more about them. Try to imagine yourself in their shoes. Show that you understand and share the other person’s feelings. Try to identify any biases you may have and how they might affect your empathy. Open up about how you feel. Engage in new experiences to get insight into how others in that situation might feel. Get involved in organizations that push for social change.

Our nation and the world would be much better off if more people showed empathy toward others. We are all humans who share the same emotions, desires, and limited time on Earth. Let’s not interfere with anyone’s making the best of that short time.

Hank Cetola lives in Adrian.

national debt. On their list is cuts to farm subsidies. For decades the federal government has supported farming communities with generous supports to bolster low crop prices. They’ve tried to increase demand by building ethanol plants to consume the oversupply. Prices for corn are still dropping and farmers are beleaguered by their dependence on this one business model.

A new demand has grown as technology brought wind and solar farms to agricultural communities. But a small segment does not want farmers to have a choice and has fought these projects, giving farmers few options. They have enacted exclusionary zoning designed for one purpose, to exclude green energy in ag districts.

The state has moved to set guidelines where developers first go to the local communities, but with the knowledge that exclusionary zoning will not be permitted, a more rational discussion based on facts can take place, with ultimate oversight by the Public Service Commission if need be.

Now we have this Citizens for Local Choice ballot initiative collecting signatures to reverse farmers’ rights to make a living on their agricultural land. Farm subsidies may be cut in the near future. Many farmers are struggling now and could use the diversification of income.

These projects will use no community services and will pay large amounts of needed tax dollars. This will fund our schools and our local governments, taking the burden off of our taxpayers. It will reduce the temptation of selling farm ground to developers that will destroy it forever.

This will not affect the majority of Michigan residents. It will diversify struggling farmers and support local ag communities. Do not sign the Local Control ballot petition.

— Paul Wohlfarth, Ottawa

Lake

Payday loans leave many Michiganders drowning in debt

The exorbitantly high interest rates and short repayment periods that come along with payday loans here in Michigan have left many Michiganders drowning in debt. These are people looking for a life raft when unexpected expenses arise, but far too often they find themselves worse off, struggling to keep their heads above water.

The Michigan League for Public Policy has a long history of calling for the reform of payday lending practices that prey upon people who are already financially vulnerable, which is why we support a bill that was recently passed with bipartisan support by the Michigan Senate and is currently under consideration by the Michigan House.

Senate Bill 632 would cap annual interest rates for payday loans at 36%, bringing the industry in line with protections that were extended to our military service members back in 2006 through the Military Lending Act. The bill would also bring Michigan in line with the 20 other states that have either already capped payday lending rates around 36% or have put measures in place that ensure lenders can’t saddle consumers with interest rates and financing terms that lead to long-term debt traps.

Interest rates for payday loans in Michigan currently average an astounding 370%, which far surpasses the average annual percentage rates (APR) for many other means of borrowing. For example, in the fourth quarter of 2023, credit cards carried an average APR of 21.47%, and the average APR for a car loan is 24.17% for a person within the lowest credit score range.

On top of the high interest rates, the two-week repayment period for loans is often an impossible deadline for individuals with low incomes, frequently leading to a vicious cycle where a borrower will take out a second payday loan to cover their expenses after repaying their initial loan.

Further pointing to the predatory nature of payday lending is the fact that 77% of payday lending advertisements target communities of color and payday loan storefronts are disproportionately located in rural and low-income areas as well as Black and Latino communities. These are communities that have been historically denied credit, have faced increased barriers to prosperity, and are now at greater risk of these predatory lending practices.

Senate Bill 632 comes at a time when Michigan families are seeing the cost of living skyrocket and are looking for any kind of relief. We are grateful to Sen. Sarah Anthony (D-Lansing) for sponsoring this bill, as it would put commonsense consumer protections into place for Michiganders who are already struggling.

Monique Stanton is president and CEO of the Michigan League for Public Policy.

MONIQUE STANTON

Longtime Clinton superintendent David Pray mourned by community

CLINTON — A lifelong advocate for public education who spent more than 40 years with Clinton Community Schools has died.

David Pray, 77, died on April 18 at the Hospice of Lenawee Home in Adrian.

“Whether it was working to improve countywide academic achievement, expand special education services to meet growing needs, or create new career and technical education opportunities, Mr. Pray was a steadying force and passionate about quality education for all students,” said Mark Haag, superintendent of the Lenawee Intermediate School District.

Pray was an active part of the Lenawee County educational system for more than a half century. He taught fifth and sixth grades for one year at Deerfield Public Schools before going to the Clinton school district in 1970. At Clinton, he taught sixth grade for 17 years, then served as elementary principal for five

on April 18.

years, middle school principal for two years, and superintendent for 21 years before retiring in 2013.

His other roles at Clinton included junior varsity football coach, and varsity football defensive coordinator, junior high basketball coach, Young Astronaut club advisor, and girls junior varsity basketball coach. After his retirement, he continued to volunteer with the football program. The Clinton preschool and latchkey program bears his name.

Pray joined the LISD Board of Education in 2016.

“He provided a wealth of experience and knowledge, particularly in budget and policy discussions, ensuring the district’s decisions always aligned with best practices and local student needs,” LISD board president Richard Germond said. “I will be forever grateful for having had the privilege of serving alongside him.”

David Pray, the retired superintendent of Clinton Community Schools, died

LISD PHOTO

IN BRIEF

Adrian police warn of increase in car break-ins

ADRIAN — With the return of warmer weather, the Adrian Police Department is reporting an increase in vehicles being broken into.

Police are advising residents to keep vehicles locked at night and avoid storing valuables in them.

If you discover your vehicle has been burglarized, police say you should avoid touching it, and contact police so they can investigate.

Pedestrian killed in crash on South Main Street

ADRIAN — On April 5 at about 8:55 p.m., the Adrian Police Department was dispatched to an accident on Main Street just north of Metcalf St. A pedestrian was injured and was taken to ProMedica Toledo Hospital, where he later died from his injuries. The driver of the vehicle remained on scene and cooperated with investigators.

Man shot in face

ADRIAN — On April 14, the Adrian Police Department responded to reports of a 19-year-old man who had been shot in the face near the train tracks at South Center and East Michigan streets. Officers located the victim and he was taken to the hospital for treatment. His injuries were not life-threatening.

A K9 track was completed, and evidence was collected from the shooting scene.

Witness statements indicate the shooting was targeted, and nothing thus far indicates any danger to the public at large, police said.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact Detective Greg Lanford at 517-264-4808 or email APDTips@ adrianmi.gov.

Jury faults nursing home in woman’s 2017 death

ADRIAN — A Lenawee County jury has ruled against CRG Lynwood LLC, the Delaware-based parent company of Lynwood Manor, in a lawsuit brought by the children of an 87-year-old woman who died in 2017.

Gwendolyn Taggart had been transfered to Lynwood Manor for medical rehabilitation and skilled nursing care after having tracheostomy and gastronomy tubes placed at Henry Ford Allegiance Health in Jackson. She was expected to improve with rehabilitation and eventually be able to return home.

During her stay at the nursing home, her hospital bed collapsed on her, sandwiching her in the bed, after which her condition deteriorated to the point where she sustained an acute kidney injury and became severely dehydrated. The lawsuit alleged that she was not properly monitored and her medications were not properly administered.

In a March trial, a jury found that Lynwood Manor had been negligent and was responsible for her death. The jury set damages at $6 million. The company has the right to appeal.

Crimson Holdings files for bankruptcy protection

The Lenawee Voice

ADRIAN — Crimson Holdings, which has been locked in legal battles with the city of Adrian and east Adrian residents and has been repeatedly cited by the state for environmental violations, has filed for bankruptcy protection.

According to documents filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the western district of Wisconsin, the company is filing under Chapter 11 of federal bankruptcy law. Chapter 11 is often referred to

POLICE REPORTS

ADDISON VILLAGE

April 16: Aggravated assault, Lake and South Comstock streets.

ADRIAN CITY

March 22: Assault, 1200 block of East Siena Heights Drive. Burglary (residential, forced entry), 100 block of Chandler Street. Larceny from a building, 700 block of Toledo Street. Larceny from a building, 600 block of Springbrook Avenue. Sexual assault, 600 block of Frank Street.

March 23: Assault, 300 block of East Church Street. Vehicle theft, 200 block of Sand Creek Highway.

March 24: Assault, 1500 block of Stratford Drive. Larceny from a vehicle, 1400 block of South Main Street.

March 25: Property damage, 1200 block of South Main Street. Assault, 1100 block of East Maumee Street. Stalking, 1400 block of South Main Street. Retail fraud, 1500 block of West Maumee Street.

March 26: Assault, 400 block of Merrick Street. Assault, 900 block of North Main Street. Assault, 100 block of Sand Creek Highway. Operating while intoxicated, U.S. 223 and Industrial Drive.

March 27: Assault, 500 block of Tabor Street. Larceny from a yard, 500 block of French Street.

March 28: Drug possession, East Beecher and Liberty. Assault, 1200 block of South Main Street. Larceny from a building, 200 block of Sarah Street. Larceny from a yard, 200 block of South Scott Street. Assault, 1300 block of South Winter Street.

March 29: Operating while intoxicated, West Beecher and South Madison streets. Larceny from a building, 1300 block of South Main Street. Sexual assault, 1800 block of West Maumee Street. Property damage, 700 block of Bristol Street.

March 30: Larceny from a building and assault, 500 block of Riverside Avenue. Assault, 100 block of East Maumee Street. Retail fraud, 1500 block of West Maumee Street.

March 31: Vehicle theft, 1900 block of Wolf Creek Highway. Assault, 1500 block of Redwood Court.

April 1: Assault, 800 block of South Winter Street. Burglary (residential, no forced entry), 800 block of South Winter Street. Assault, 600 block of Springbrook Avenue. Assault, 1100 block of South Main Street. Use of the internet for harassment or threats, 500 block of West Maple Avenue.

April 2: Assault, 900 block of South Winter Street. Larceny from a vehicle, 1000 block of South Main Street. Assault, 800 block of Howell Avenue.

April 3: Burglary (residential, forced entry), 3700 block of U.S. 223. Assault, 1300 block of North Main Street. Dangerous drugs, East Maple Avenue and Ormsby Street. Retail fraud, 4400 block of West Maumee Street. Property damage, 900 block of East Hunt Street. Retail fraud, 1500 block of West Maumee Street. Property damage, West Michigan Avenue and South Madison Street.

April 4: Larceny from a yard, 500 block of Dennis Street. Assault, 1600 block of West Maumee Street. Larceny from a vehicle, 600 block of West Beecher Street.

as a “reorganization bankruptcy,” under which the entity can remain operational but typically proposes a plan of reorganization in order to keep the business alive. In a Chapter 11 bankruptcy, there is typically an order of priority in which creditors get paid.

Crimson Holdings had been sued by a group of east Adrian residents for odor pollution from its 1336 E. Maumee St. powdered egg plant. Court documents filed in that case indicate that the residents and the company were in talks about a possible

April 5: Burglary (non-residential, forced entry), 900 block of East Michigan Avenue. Larceny from a yard, 900 block of Hoch Avenue. Assault, 900 block of Mulberry Street.

April 6: Assault and disorderly conduct, 100 block of East Maumee Street. Retail fraud by misrepresentation, 1500 block of West Maumee Street. Sexual assault, 500 block of North Locust Street.

April 7: Property damage, 200 block of Toledo Street. Property damage, 1300 block of South Main Street.

April 8: Retail fraud, 700 block of South Main Street. Larceny, 500 block of South Main Street. Stalking, 100 block of Gorham Street. Wire fraud, 500 block of Elm Street. Stalking, 1300 block of South Main Street.

April 9: Assault, 100 block of Dawes Avenue. Fraud, 200 block of East U.S. 223.

April 10: Use of the internet for harassment or threats, 700 block of Harkness Drive. Property damage, 1000 block of Scottdale Drive. Assault, 1100 block of South Winter Street.

April 11: Assault, 600 block of Comstock Street. Assault, 600 block of James Street. Aggravated assault, 1500 block of Village Green Lane. Larceny from a building, 1500 block of West Maumee Street. Retail fraud, 4400 block of West Maumee Street.

April 12: Assault, 800 block of College Avenue. Assault, 700 block of Bristol Street. Assault, 500 block of Tabor Street.

April 13: Larceny from a vehicle, 500 block of South Winter Street. Larceny from a building, 1500 block of West Maumee Street. Larceny from a building, 200 block of East Front Street.

April 14: Aggravated assault, 100 block of East U.S. 223. Property damage, 200 block of Broad Street. Aggravated assault, Center and Michigan streets. Larceny from a vehicle, 1200 block of Scott Ridge Drive. Disorderly conduct, 400 block of West Maumee Street.

April 15: Sexual assault, 800 block of East Maumee Street. Assault, 800 block of Caton Avenue. Larceny from a building, 600 block of Gulf Street. Assault, 1000 block of South Winter Street. Larceny, 1200 block of North Main Street. Identity theft, 1400 block of Meadowview Court. Aggravated assault, 1000 block of North Broad Street. Retail fraud, 1300 block of Division Street. Burglary (residential, no forced entry), 200 block of East Maumee Street.

April 16: Retail fraud, 1300 block of South Main Street. Retail fraud, 4400 block of West Maumee Street. Aggravated assault, 300 block of East Maumee Street. Larceny from a building, 600 block of West Beecher Street.

April 17: Property damage, 700 block of College Avenue. Aggravated assault, 700 block of Leland Court. Larceny from a building, 900 block of Bradish Street. Larceny from a building, 300 block of East Beecher Street.

April 18: Identity theft, 700 block of Elm Street. Property damage, 1200 block of South Main Street. Retail fraud, 4400 block of West Maumee Street. Assault and property damage, 400 block of South Winter Street.

April 19: Assault, 100 block of Pleasant Knoll. Larceny from a yard, 500 block of Dennis Street.

settlement. In the list of debts it filed in bankruptcy court, Crimson Holdings said it owes $1 million in a proposed settlement. The company also owes $50,000 to the city of Adrian as part of a penalty imposed by Judge Laura Schaedler in Lenawee County District Court.

City administrator Greg Elliott said in his weekly email newsletter that the city has retained an attorney with experience in bankruptcy matters to help look after the interests of the city and its residents as bankruptcy proceedings continue.

April 20: Operating while intoxicated, West Beecher and Bradish streets. Larceny, Michigan and McKenzie streets. Assault less than murder, 400 block of West Maumee.

April 21: Larceny from a vehicle, 700 block of Bristol Street. Use of a telephone for harassment or threats, 600 block of James Street. Assault, 100 block of Pleasant Knoll.

ADRIAN TOWNSHIP

April 10: Retail fraud, 3600 block of North Adrian Highway.

April 17: Larceny from a yard, 1600 block of West Valley Road.

April 21: Larceny from a building, 2900 block of Bent Oak Highway.

CAMBRIDGE TOWNSHIP

April 21: Assault, 11200 block of Laird Road.

CLAYTON VILLAGE

March 27: Larceny from a vehicle, 3300 block of East Street.

DEERFIELD VILLAGE

April 15: Assault, 200 block of Deerfield Road.

FAIRFIELD TOWNSHIP

March 25: Fraud, 1000 block of Seneca Street. April 6: Assault, 1100 block of Seneca Street.

FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP

March 22: Fraud, 5200 block of West Munger Road. April 7: Larceny from a vehicle, 9400 block of Shady Drive.

HUDSON CITY

April 9: Identity theft, 100 block of Buchanan Street.

HUDSON TOWNSHIP

March 21: Assault, 13300 block of Lawrence Road.

April 7: Aggravated assault, 12300 block of Medina Road.

April 13: Operating while intoxicated, West Beecher Road and Hughes Highway.

MACON TOWNSHIP

April 3: Fraud, 8800 block of Ridge Highway.

MADISON TOWNSHIP

March 21: Disorderly conduct, 3400 block of Treat Highway.

March 23: Property damage, 3700 block of South Adrian Highway.

March 24: Retail fraud, 1600 block of East U.S. 223.

March 26: Assault, 4000 block of Treat Highway.

March 27: Retail fraud, 1600 block of East U.S. 223. Retail fraud by refund or exchange, 2900 block of West Beecher Road.

March 30: Larceny, 4300 block of Bennett Court.

March 31: Larceny from a building, 2600 block of Beecher Road.

April 1: Retail fraud, 1600 block of East U.S. 223. Assault, 3000 block of Marvin Drive.

April 7: Disorderly conduct, 2900 block of West Beecher Road.

April 8: Larceny, 3400 block of Treat Highway. Fraud, 1900 block of Allan Street.

April 9: Assault, 1700 block of Taylor Avenue.

April 10: Larceny from a yard, 1000 block of West Beecher Road.

April 11: Retail fraud, 1600 block of East U.S. 223.

April 14: Burglary (residential, forced entry), 100 block of Grand River Drive.

April 15: Larceny from a building, 1400 block of East U.S. 223.

April 17: Use of a computer for harassment or threats, 3400 block of Treat Highway.

April 18: Assault, 3100 block of South Winter Street.

April 19: Larceny from a yard, 1200 block of West U.S. 223.

MEDINA TOWNSHIP

March 24: Disorderly conduct, 14400 block of Medina Road.

April 19: Property damage, 12600 block of Medina Road.

MORENCI CITY

April 2: Forcible fondling, 400 block of East Street North.

OGDEN TOWNSHIP

April 3: Illegal use of a credit card, 7300 block of Loar Highway.

PALMYRA TOWNSHIP

April 20: Assault, 3800 block of East U.S. 223.

RAISIN TOWNSHIP

March 28: Identity theft, 3900 block of North Rogers Highway. March 29: Larceny, 2600 block of Cadillac Court.

March 30: Property damage, 1300 block of East Valley Road

March 31: Operating while intoxicated, Raisin Center Highway and Ives Road.

April 2: Assault, 3000 block of East Valley Road.

April 21: Assault, 2300 block of Occidental Highway.

RIGA TOWNSHIP

March 27: Assault, 7400 block of Riga Highway.

April 3: Assault, 11400 block of East Horton Road.

ROLLIN TOWNSHIP

April 21: Burglary (residential, forced entry), 18000 block of Rome Road.

ROME TOWNSHIP

April 13: Operating while intoxicated, U.S. 223 and Onsted Highway.

TECUMSEH CITY

March 28: Illegal use of a credit card, 900 block of Industrial Drive.

April 1: Burglary (non-residential, no forced entry), 200 block of North Ottawa Street.

April 3: Identity theft, 1000 block of East Chicago Blvd.

April 4: Fraud, 700 block of River Acres.

April 7: Assault, 1000 block of East Chicago Blvd.

April 10: Sexual assault, 300 block of Adrian Street. Assault, 500 block of North Pearl Street.

April 15: Sexual assault, 200 block of North Evans Street. Fraud, 1000 block of East Chicago Boulevard.

TECUMSEH TOWNSHIP

April 17: Assault, 9300 block of Tecumseh Clinton Highway.

WOODSTOCK TOWNSHIP

April 8: Fraud, 8500 block of Cherry Point Drive.

April 13: Operating while intoxicated, U.S. 223 and Devils Lake Highway. April 20: Operating while intoxicated, U.S. 127 and Rogers Road.

IN MEMORY

We regret that space does not allow us to print detailed obituaries. These listings are intended as a guide to the obituaries that may be found on local funeral homes’ websites. When available, brief biographical information is provided to aid the reader in determining if they knew the deceased. To view complete information, please refer to this key:

[AM] Anderson-Marry Funeral Homes, andersonfuneralservices.com

[BVH] Brown-Van Hemert Funeral Home, brownvanhemert.com

[C] Capaul Funeral Home, capaulfuneralhome.com

[H] Handler Funeral Homes, handlerfuneralhomes.com

[F] Foothills Funeral Services, foothillsfuneral.com

[M] McEvoy Funeral Home, mcevoyfuneralhome.com

[PM] Purse Martinez Funeral Home, pursemartinez.com

[P] Pawlak Funeral Home, pawlakfuneralhome.com

[W] Wagley Funeral Homes, wagleyfuneralhomes.com

Carl A. Habrick, 81, of Clinton died on March 21. He was a photographer and served on the Clinton Village Council for over 40 years. He was also active in Clinton Rotary, the Clinton Fall Festival, and the chamber of commerce. [H]

Kristin Delores Butler, 49, of Adrian died on March 24. She attended Hudson Area Schools and was working on her college degree in business administration with the goal of opening her own counseling practice with an emphasis on recovery. [PM]

Catherine Hawkins, 86, of Adrian died on March 24. She spent many years working at General Motors. She enjoyed crocheting and going to the casino. [AM]

Amanda Christine Misseldine, 89, of Adrian died on March 24. She worked at Bixby Hospital from 1976 to 1990 as a pediatric nurse. After retirement she volunteered for St. Joseph Catholic Church, where her work included delivering food and medications and taking people shopping. [W]

Linda Susan Powelke, 72, of Adrian died on March 24. She was employed as a program developer for the Region II Area of Aging for over 30 years, retiring in 2018. She was a dedicated volunteer for Hospice of Lenawee. [AM]

Donald E. Bailey, 87, of Adrian died on March 25. He served in the Army National Guard. He and coached and played softball, with golf being his favorite sport. [H]

Norman Engel Harrington Jr., 89, of Adrian died on March 25. He worked as a printer for the Daily Telegram and then at Swenk-Tuttle for over 30 years. During retirement he golfed on several leagues and mowed the tees and greens at Wolf Creek Golf Course. [W]

Susie Hurst, 60, of Britton died on March 25. She enjoyed polka dancing and traditional Polish foods. In 2019 she and her husband purchased Forever Acres Farm. They shared their farm with the community through farmer’s markets, school field trips, tractor shows, and apple and pumpkin picking. [H]

Anthony Tony Charles Kasik, 83, of Adrian died on March 25. He retired from Tecumseh Products in 2003 and spent his retirement years working on small engines. [PM]

Jack E. Sterling, 69, of Morenci died on March 25. He served in the United States Air Force for 20 years and retired from SKD in Jonesville. His dream was to grow a garden big enough to feed all of Morenci. [AM] Fern Hall, 85, of Waldron died on March 26. She loved gardening, planting her flower bed, and telling old fishing stories. As a Navy wife, she raised four boys, often alone. [AM]

M. Jacqueline Overmeyer, 86, of Morenci died on March 26. She enjoyed traveling and had visited most states. She was an avid reader and an accomplished crafter. [PM]

Sarah Ellen (Wright) Welsh, 75, of Adrian died on March 26. She was a graduate of Siena Heights College and Jackson Community College. She spent many years volunteering for Meals on Wheels, and at the Community Action Agency in various areas including income tax preparation. [AM]

William Stacey Anderson, 75, of Tecumseh died on March 27. He was a U.S. Army veteran and a member of the Tecumseh American Underwood Orr Post #34. He worked for Comfort Enterprises in Tecumseh. [PM]

Michael Allen Miller, 69, of Adrian died on March 27. He owned The Tree Service for many years and sold Christmas trees at his home. [PM]

Timothy C. Osthimer, 79, of Hudson died on March 27. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1965 to 1971 and was a Vietnam combat veteran. [AM]

Richard “Radar” Michael Martin, 75, of Clinton died on March 28. He was a millwright and skilled tradesman with Ford Motor Company until his retirement in 2005. A Navy veteran, he was a member of Clinton Masonic Lodge #175, Hall-Slater VFW Post 4187, and American Legion Underwood-Orr Post 34 in Tecumseh. [AM]

Judith Ann Sullins, 82, of Jasper died on March 28. She was a longtime member of Jasper Bible Church. [AM]

Carl Eugene Betzer, 74, of Pittsford died on March 29. He was a Pittsford High School graduate. [BVH]

Rolland David Bowen , 81, of Tecumseh died on March 29. He was employed at Peerless Gear, retiring in 1985. He was a U.S. Army veteran who served in Vietnam. [PM]

Juanita Rodriguez, 68, of Adrian died on March 29. After high school she attended Siena Heights University for three years, studying childcare. After college she had a long career in retail working at JCPenney, Sears, and Goodwill. [AM]

Ann May Stewart McKinney, 84, of Paris, Tennessee, died on March 30. During high school she worked as an usher at the Croswell Theatre. After high school she worked at General Telephone Company. She then worked for the Navy Division of Aeronautics in Washington, D.C. Upon returing to Michigan she worked at Aeroquip Corp. in Jackson. [M]

Bernard “Bernie” Peter Shusta, 89, of Blissfield died on March 30. He served in the Air Force during the Korean War. then worked as a contractor for the military. He finished his working years at Riverview Terrace Apartments in Adrian. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus. [AM]

Howard James Butler , 50, of Adrian died on March 31. He worked for Toyota in automotive research. He also was a scout master for Blissfield Troop #78. His own ministry was to work on cars for people in need. His CB radio call sign was “The Duck.” [AM]

Cheryl Lynn Dunigan, 62, of Cement City died on March 31. She was an adventurous person who traveled to many places with her family. [W]

Margoth Irene Tjolsen, 94, of Adrian died on March 31 at Brookdale Assisted Living. She was a devoted member of Westgate Chapel in Edmonds, Washington. [H]

Denise Joann Muzillo, 66, of Jackson died on April 1. She attended the adult program at Lyle Torrant Center in Jackson and graduated in 1984. [AM]

Carol Edna Rowley, 85, of Hudson died on April 1. A 1957 Sand Creek High School graduate, she taught Sunday School at Wheatland Congregational Church. [BVH]

Roger Donald Summers, 76, of Adrian died on April 1. He served as a U.S. Navy Seabee and then went to work with his father in the family construction business, Summers Construction, which he eventually took over, changing the name to Roger Summers Concrete. [W]

Phyllis Jean (Riley) Rigdon, 77, of Adrian died on April 2. She was an Onsted High School graduate and attended North Rome Baptist Church. [AM]

Sharon Robinson, 79, of Medina died on April 2. She enjoyed her life as a homemaker and working with children. [AM]

Hilda Adell Cool, 76, of Jasper died on April 3. She was employed as a ward clerk at Herrick Hospital for nearly 30 years. She was also a bus driver for Sand Creek schools, did home care, and served on the Fairfield Volunteer Fire Department as a firefighter and EMT. [W]

Nancy Lillian Guthrie, 87, of Hudson died on April 3. She worked at American Chain & Cable, retiring in 1992. She enjoyed caring for animals. [BVH]

John William Saunders, 95, of Adrian died on April 3. He was employed in the electrical field, working with his father early on at Saunders & Son Electric Compay, which was a family run business for over 75 years. He was a Mason and a lifetime member of the Devils Lake Yacht Club. [W]

Janet Suzanne (Winter) Whipple, 65, of Adrian died on April 3. She was a graduate of Adrian High School and Siena Heights College. She was employed as a CPA at Primore in Adrian. [AM]

Luvisa Ann Cousino, 90, of Adrian died on April 4. She worked as an LPN at Bixby Hospital, Foote Hospital, Bronson Hospital, and Borgess Hospital, retiring in 1991. After retirement she worked as a home care nurse and for Hospice of Lenawee. [AM]

Darrell Wayne Hoff, 71, of Jasper died on April 4. He ran Hoff Oil Company and expanded it into Hoffies and Hoffies Neighborhood Car Wash at Beecher Road and Sand Creek Highway. After the business closed, he worked for Bales Inc. and Level One until his retirement. A member of St. John’s Lutheran Church, he was active in the chamber of commerce and Adrian Symphony Orchestra. [W]

Kimberly Baggett, 61, of Adrian died on April 5. She was a graduate of the Porter Center. [AM]

Kent Robert Brown, 63, of Jasper died on April 5. He worked as a farmer with his dad from a young age and acquired his own farm after high school. He was employed for 38 years as a forklift driver with General Motors in Toledo. [AM]

Lynn William Elarton, 84, of Temperance, formerly of Morenci, died on April 5. He was an Army veteran and worked for the city of Morenci, then worked for Chas. F. Mann Painting in Toledo.

Noel Alan Gibbs, 73, of Jasper died on April 5. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. In 1977 he and his brother took over the family business of Witt Seed Farms, which was originally started by their grandfather. [W]

Ronald J. May II, 66, of Addison died on April 5. After serving in the Navy, he worked for 16 years with Malloy Lithographing and then Seagate Plastics, retiring from there in 2022.

Sister Patricia “Pat” Reno, 86, of Adrian died on April 5. Her lifelong ministries included teaching, administration, and leadership roles. She was the finance director for the Adrian Dominican Sisters. She dedicated her life to fighting for social and economic justice. She found her most fulfilling ministry addressing the exploitation of undocumented workers. [AM]

Marilyn Ann Kruse, 87, of Adrian died on April 6. A Siena Heights graduate, she taught elementary school at Sand Creek for 23 years. [W]

Chad Alan Swilley, 43, of Brooklyn died on April 7. He was a tow truck operator and mechanic for Whitney’s Tire Service in Brooklyn. [BVH]

Robert Estel Williams, 73, of Adrian died on April 7. He served in the Marine Corps as a field radio operator, then worked as a screw machine operator in Hudson. He also worked at Wilson Auto Parts in Hillsdale, Adrian Glass Company in Adrian, Jackson Glass, Friendly Village in Adrian, and Ace Hardware in Adrian. He was a music lover and was involved in several area bands. [AM]

Margaret Bertha Brown, 100, of Britton died on April 8. During World War II she worked as a Rosie the Riveter at the Willow Run B-24 Bomber Plant and is in the Rosie Roll of Honor. She was retired as cafeteria manager for the Britton-Macon School. [PM]

Charles R “Charlie” Crook, 77, of Hudson died on April 8. He served in the Air Force during the Vietnam War and worked at General Motors for over 30 years, retiring from the Adrian plant in 2002. [BVH]

Sally Ann (Mitchell) Underwood, 80, of Adrian died on April 8. She dedicated her life to law enforcement, working for Lenawee County for 34 years. She was employed at the Health Department for 16 years and the Sheriff’s Department for 18 years, before retiring as a lieutenant. [W]

Earl Walter Wiesinger, 81, of Adrian died on April 8. He was a Certified Public Accountant and spent his career in public corporate accounting, most recently at Dart Container in Mason. [F]

Arthur A. Baggett, 66, of Adrian died on April 9. He was employed as a heavy equipment operator and most recently served as a supervisor for Aqua Blok in Swanton, Ohio. He was a member of the Adrian Eagles Club and enjoyed camping at Green Valley Campground in Morenci. [AM]

Abraham “Abe” Hunt, 95, of Tipton died on April 10. He was retired from Tecumseh Products. He was also a lifelong farmer and beekeeper. He was a member of Farmers Antique Tractor and Engine Association and a 4-H Leader. [PM]

Carol L. Langowski, 82, of Adrian died on April 10. She retired as a secretary in the medical field. [H]

Tucker James Mohr, the infant son of Montanna R. Montalvo and Brady J. Mohr of Adrian, died on April 10 at the age of four months. [BVH]

George Charles Cousino, 77, of Onsted died on April 11. He was a U.S. Marine Corps corporal and served in Vietnam, then he worked at Ford Motor Company in Monroe for 43 years until the plant closed. He was a member of the Onsted American Legion. [C] Robert Louis Ganz, 86, of Tecumseh died on April 11. He was a U.S. Naval Reserve veteran and worked as a tool and die maker with General Motors/Fisher Body until his retirement in 1992. [AM]

Roberta “Gene” Jones, 96, of Adrian died on April 11. [AM]

Paul Arthur MacDonald, 88, of Adrian died on April 11. He was a teacher for seven years in North Canton, Ohio, then a professor in exercise science at Adrian College for 30 years. He coached wrestling and track and field. [W]

Gerald “Jerry” David Reiser, 72, of Adrian died on April 11. He was employed by the City of Ferndale in the Department of Public Services and ran the Ferndale recreation program. For 35 years he owned and operated his own umpire business. [W] Doris Thelma Serin, 99, of Adrian died on April 12. She was a longtime employee of the Daily Telegram. She was a member of Jasper Bible Church, the Adrian Moose, and the Onsted American Legion Auxiliary. [AM]

Larry John Bernath, 83, of Waldron died on April 13. He was a farmer in his early years and then went to work at Adrian Steel Co. for nearly 42 years. [AM]

Robert D. Dermyer Jr., 66, of Adrian died on April 13. An Adrian High School graduate and Air Force veteran, he worked at Bohn Hydro Aluminum, retiring when the plant closed. He was a member of the Adrian Moose and Eagles Lodges. [AM]

Yvonne Marie Falk, 91, of Clinton died on April 14. She was a member of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Bridgewater for over 50 years She was a devoted pastor’s wife and was instrumental in starting the kids’ church “Time for Children.” [H]

Harry A. Withrow IV, 29, of Tecumseh died on April 14. He was a graduate of Tecumseh High School in 2012 and was a member of the football team. He worked in the residential window cleaning business and was a certified fitness trainer. [H]

Amy Zacharias, 54, of Adrian died on April 15. After high school graduation she went to cosmetology school and became a hairdresser, working for many years at Boulevard Beauty Salon. [AM]

Janet E. Dehring, 89, of Tecumseh died on April 16. After high school she worked for Bostwick and Braun Company in Toledo and for the Sun Oil Company. [PM]

Charles F. Sandusky, 84, of Morenci died on April 16. He worked as an Electrical Engineer with Toledo Scale. He also partnered with SSOE from Toledo. He owned and operated Chuck’s Alternator Repair Service. [AM]

Mary Ellen Maxe, 89, of Adrian died on April 17. She spent her career working for Adrian Public Schools and was a member of Christ the Redeemer Lutheran Church. She voluntered with Adrian Community Nursery, Bixby Hospital Auxiliary, Tau Delta Sorority, and PEO. [AM]

Shirley Anne (Crisovan) Day, 79, of Adrian died on April 18. She worked on the

family farm, Crisovan’s Country Market, before attending Cosmetology School in Ann Arbor. She worked at several salons in the Ann Arbor/Saline area before opening her own shop in her home. [W]

David P. Pray, 77, of Clinton died on April 18. He was a retired teacher and school administrator who spent much of his career as superintendent of Clinton Community Schools. [H]

Timothy Dean Rozelle, 64, of Addison died on April 18. He had worked at Addison Products, Roseland Memorial Gardens in Jackson, and Darby Ready Mix Concrete Company. He was a former member of the Addison Fire Department. [BVH]

Debra Sue Carr, 67, of Adrian died on April 20.

Erin Jessa Conklin, 37, died on April 20 after a battle with cancer. She was a natural artist, with her talent and creativity being showcased through interior design. [W]

Thomas Joseph Kaszuba, 65, of died on April 20. He worked at the Detroit Water Board and loved music; he played the drums and accordion. [H]

Lois Jean Risner, 89, of Adrian died on April 20. She attended Sand Creek schools and worked at Lenawee Medical Care Facility as a nurse’s aide for over 20 years. [AM]

Judith Ellen Hensley, 83, of Blissfield died on April 21. She worked as a dental assistant before her retirement. [W]

Dorman Edward Mobley, 91, of Adrian died on April 21. He retired from Tecumseh Products in 1997. He was a member of the Antique Tractor and Engine Association, the Irish Hills Antique Car Club, and the Adrian Street Cruisers. [AM]

Sharon L. Vaeyens Benfield 79, of Adrian died on April 21. She was a lifelong resident of Lenawee County. [AM]

Thomas P. Clemes died recently. He was a 1973 graduate of Adrian High School, a graduate of San Jose State University, and a veteran of the U.S. Navy.

Tecumseh orchestra students perform with professionals in guest artist series » PAGE B3

ARTS & LIVING

Christy Mesaros-Winckles recently published “Silenced: The Forgotten Story of Progressive Era Free Methodist Women.”

ARLENE BACHANOV/LENAWEE VOICE

Author tells the forgotten stories of early Free Methodist women

By Arlene Bachanov The Lenawee Voice

ADRIAN — In the last part of the 19th Century and into the early 20th, Clara Wetherald, Ida Gage, Anna Grant, Eliza Witherspoon, Anne Bright, Blanche Stamp, and others like them broke new ground as women evangelists in the Free Methodist Church.

But until Christy Mesaros-Winckles, an associate professor of communications arts and sciences at Adrian College, unearthed their stories for her recent book “Silenced: The Forgotten Story of Progressive Era Free Methodist Women,” all these women’s names were pretty much lost to history.

“Silenced,” published in September 2023 by Lexington Books, traces the gender-role debate within the Free Methodist Church, especially regarding the ministry.

Women such as Wetherald, Gage, and Grant were licensed Free Methodist evangelists at a time when women were

See SILENCED, page B4

‘Making Art in Prison’ author to speak at Morenci library » PAGE B6

THE LENAWEE VOICE

SECOND SECTION MAY 2024

Abuzz about bees

browse one of the displays at last

place on May 18 at St. John’s Lutheran Church.

River Raisin Beekeepers Club to host annual Bee Day Festival on May 18

By Julie C. Clemes The Lenawee Voice

ADRIAN TWP. — Anyone interested in learning more about bees, beekeeping, or just having fun will find it at the third annual Bee Day Festival hosted by the River Raisin Beekeepers Club.

The Bee Day Festival will be held on Saturday, May 18, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at St. John’s Lutheran Church, 3448 N. Adrian Hwy., Adrian.

Food vendors, 15 local artisans, and games and activities for kids, such as building a bee watering station, will be featured, according to Janet Tucker, event organizer, as well as “all-around guru” for the River Raisin Beekeepers Club.

Bee Day Festival

DATE AND TIME: Saturday, May 18, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

LOCATION: St. John’s Lutheran Church, 3448 N. Adrian Hwy., Adrian COST: Free and open to the public MORE INFO: riverraisinbeekeeperclub.com

Observation hives will be displayed so the public can actually see the bees, “which is always really cool,” Tucker added. Educational booths, such as information on beekeeping history in the United States, will also be featured.

“Of course, none of the bees came from here,” Tucker said. “They all came from someplace else.”

Honeybees were brought to America with immigrants around 1822. They began to spread throughout the U.S. soon after.

“We do have lots of native pollinators as well but only the honeybee actually produces the sweet, golden nectar we all know as honey,” she said.

“There’s activities for all ages and learning opportunities for everyone,” she said. “Because that’s really what our focus is.”

“It’s not just being out there and selling crafts,” Tucker said. “We really want to educate the public on the importance of bees as pollinators.”

Visitors

year’s Bee Day Festival. The annual event, organized by the River Raisin Beekeepers Club, will take

COURTESY OF RIVER RAISIN BEEKEEPERS CLUB

See BEES, page B2

Dig In, Dig In,

from page B1

“We do focus on honeybees because we are all beekeepers but we really need to spread the word on how important these pollinators are to our ecology and our agriculture,” she added. “They produce everything for us so we really need to make sure that people are aware of what their importance is.”

The River Raisin Beekeepers Club was founded a little over a decade ago by beekeeper, educator and club president Don Warner. The club meets 10 times a year.

Tucker got interested in beekeeping because she “always loved honey.”

“When we finally got out of the military and we moved back here, we decided that instead of going in search of keepers, that I would become one and make my own honey,” she said.

Tucker said she keeps the bees in a field by her house. She said that her neighbors don’t mind having bees in the area.

“They love the honey,” she said. They don’t mind at all because they know that the bees are pollinating their vegetable

gardens and they’ve got a nice source of honey by them, she added.

“Even the dairy farm that’s by me — they’re very aware of the fact that I have an apiary on my property and they’re very careful about what they put on their crops,” she continued, referring to agriculture chemicals that might be harmful to the bees.

The bees collect pollen from wildflowers, soybeans, vegetables, basswood, willow trees, and other plants.

“Just about everything that flowers in nature, the bees can take something off of,” she said.

Local beekeepers benefit the community in more than one way. Local honey has the advantage of being “pure honey,” not cut with sugar syrup, wheat syrup or corn syrup, Tucker said.

“When bees feed on local plants, the pollen they use to make the honey comes from local plants,” she said. Local honey gives health benefits such as antioxidants and microbacteria, and is also better tasting, she added.

Many Lenawee residents find joy in beekeeping

By Julie C. Clemes The Lenawee Voice

Carole Livingston won’t have any trouble finding things to do in her yard this spring. She has four backyard bee hives, and one is getting ready to swarm. Managing a swarming hive, where some of the bees will leave to find a new location, is just part of what she will be doing as a beekeeper at the start of a new season.

“Every spring, a healthy hive wants to swarm because that’s how they need to populate,” she said, referring to the activity where part of the hive will go to a new location to start a new hive. “It’s just how bees are.”

Livingston got interested in beekeeping when she took a class at the LISD Tech Center in January 2022. Don Warner, who is her mentor and president of the River Raisin Beekeeping Club, taught the class. Livingston wasn’t sure she wanted to pursue beekeeping at first.

“I took the class and I didn’t think I was going to do it,” she said. “It was real overwhelming.”

“Don talked me into getting a hive, so I got a hive and I overwintered it, and then I got some nucs,” she continued. A “nuc,” short for nucleus, is a starter hive. “I started with one last summer and now we have six,” she said.

Livingston said her motivation in learning about backyard beekeeping was agricultural.

“I am just interested in the pollinating,” she said. “I’m not really a big honey consumer.”

Livingston is interested in keeping her backyard beekeeping manageable.

“It’s a hobby and I enjoy it, but I don’t want it to be a chore, so I’m going to keep mine to four hives and find homes for the other bees,” Livingston said.

Livingston’s neighbors are not concerned about having several hives of honeybees next door.

“I went and asked [the neighbors] first because [the bees] have to be 250 feet away from anything,” she said, and the reaction was very positive.

“Oh that’s so cool. I wanted to do bees, too,” Livingston said, referring to the neighbor’s reaction.

Learning about beekeeping is an ongoing process for Livingston.

“I think I get a handle on it and a whole new thing opens up,” she said. “You’re dealing with pest management, you’re dealing with breeding, drone yards and nuc things.”

“That’s what’s so cool about it,” she continued. “Every season brings a new challenge, a new job to do.”

Warner, who is Livingston’s mentor, said that finding a mentor, and mentoring other people, is what makes a beekeeper successful. He learned the importance of finding the right mentor the hard way.

“I just wanted bees and I knew a guy who wanted to sell some, so I bought a couple of hives off of him,” Warner said. He called his first attempt at raising bees “a complete disaster.”

“Like so many people, without having a mentor, it failed miserably,” he continued. But then, “I found a good mentor who lived close by and he helped me a lot,” he said. “I just never looked back since. I mentor a lot of people.”

Like Livingston, honey is not the main reason Warner is interested in beekeeping.

“My goal is to raise nucs to sell to people who want to get started,” he said. “And I make honey besides.”

Warner started River Raisin Beekeepers Club 11 years ago. In addition to the Bee Day Festival, the club sponsors a fundraiser every year so that no dues are required for club membership. This year’s will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 9 at Heritage Park in Adrian.

Carole Livingston got started in beekeeping when she took a class at the LISD Tech Center in 2022. JULIE C. CLEMES/LENAWEE VOICE

Program gives Tecumseh’s young musicians the chance to perform alongside professionals

By Arlene Bachanov The Lenawee Voice

TECUMSEH — Performing on stage is part and parcel of the usual school music program experience. Getting to perform at the Tecumseh Center for the Arts with professional musicians as the Tecumseh Schools Orchestra students do each year, however, is something else entirely.

This year, students from grades five through high school had the opportunity April 15 and 16 to perform with Kittel & Co., a five-person string band fronted by violinist Jeremy Kittel that performs a blend of folk, bluegrass, Celtic, jazz and classical music.

The other members of the band — which pronounces its name “Kid-dle and Koh” — are mandolin player Josh Pinkham, guitarist Quinn Bachand, bassist Jacob Warren, and hammered dulcimer player Simon Chrisman.

“One of the things we’re really passionate about is exposing our students to all styles of music,” said Amy Marr, Tecumseh Public Schools’ orchestra director. Over time, the TSO students have performed with guest artists representing a wide range of genres including folk, jazz, rock, and bluegrass.

The professionals come in for a mini-residency, spending two days working with the students during the day and answering their questions, then performing with each group of string players in four concerts over two evenings. The sixth graders and high schoolers performed April 15, with the

fifth grade and seventh/eighth grades playing the two April 16 concerts.

Of course, the students, many of whom got their own chances to shine at the concerts either as soloists or as part of smaller groups, had been working on the program long beforehand. “We’ve worked on this music for about six weeks,” Marr’s colleague, music teacher Kim Kang, said.

Marr’s connections with working musicians are what brings different professional performers to Tecumseh each year. This time around, for example, Kittel & Co.’s participation came thanks

See MUSICIANS, page B4

Chiaroscuro men’s chorus to present spring concert on May 19

ADRIAN — Chiaroscuro, a community men’s chorus, will present a Spring Choral Concert at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, May 19, at Holy Rosary Chapel on the Adrian Dominican Sisters’ campus, 1257 E. Siena Heights Drive. Doors to the chapel will open at 7 p.m.

The concert will feature a variety of men’s choral music. A freewill donation will be accepted. A reception will immediately follow.

Chiaroscuro spring concert

DATE AND TIME: Sunday, May 19, at 7:30 p.m. (doors to the chapel open at 7 p.m.)

LOCATION: Holy Rosary Chapel, 1257 E. Siena Heights Drive, Adrian COST: No tickets; a freewill offering will be accepted MORE INFO: chiaroscuromenschorus.org

months (June through August), the chorus rehearses at the church on Monday evenings from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Men interested in joining Chiaroscuro during the summer sessions are encouraged to participate in June open rehearsals.

Chorus members are expected to be able to match pitches (“carry a tune”) and

Chiaroscuro, formed in February 2013, is a men’s community chorus whose members come from diverse walks of life, and which strives to achieve the highest quality musical experience. The name of the choir is Italian for “light/dark.” The term is used in vocal music to describe a vocal technique that results in a warm, resonant sound with great brilliance and carrying power. Chiaroscuro seeks to touch the hearts and minds of the listener with beautiful, expressive singing.

be willing to work outside of rehearsal to learn their musical parts. Rehearsal recordings are provided for those who do not read music.

From September through May, the singers rehearse once a week on Tuesday evenings from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church of Adrian, 1245 W. Maple Ave. During the summer

Chiaroscuro is under the direction of Susan Matych-Hager, professor emerita of music at Siena Heights University and 2010 winner of the Maynard Klein Award from the American Choral Directors Association of Michigan.

For more information, visit Chiaroscuro’s Facebook page at Facebook.com/ChiaroscuroEnsemble or go to chiaroscuromenschorus.org.

Orchestra students from Tecumseh High School perform with members of Kittel & Co. during a concert at the Tecumseh Center for the Arts. The Tecumseh Schools Orchestra’s guest artist series gives orchestra students a chance to play alongside professional musicians who come into the school district for a mini-residency. The group spent two days working with students and then performed with them in a series of four concerts across two evenings.

Violist Aidan Gero performs during the Tecumseh Schools Orchestra’s concert with Kittel & Co. on April 15 at the Tecumseh Center for the Arts.

IN BRIEF

Artist Jim Foos featured in Flatlanders exhibit

BLISSFIELD TWP. — “Facets,” an exhibition of mixed mediums produced through the “different artistic personalities” of artist Jim Foos, is on display at Flatlanders Art Galleries through June 21.

In his artist statement, Foos writes: “What do you get when you cross attention deficit disorder with an art teaching career? A relentless ongoing experimentation with different materials, exciting new technologies, and a multitude of radical approaches. The idea for a retrospective-esque ‘group’ show arose when having a conversation with a local gallery owner. I joked about the fact that if I had a solo art show it would look like a group show. Having different artistic personalities has affected my approach for gallery representation as they tend to prefer consistent style of artwork.”

Admission is free. Flatlanders is at 11993 East U.S. 223, Blissfield. Hours are Wednesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Musicians

from page B3

to Marr’s long friendship with the group’s frontman. The pair attended high school together in Saline and both of them played with the Saline Fiddlers.

Before the first of the four performances, Kittel said he and his bandmates had enjoyed their experience with the students. “It’s really fun getting to play music together,” he said. “There’s so much you can connect on through music.”

What was the strangest question students had asked the band members that day?

“’Do you like Kraft Mac and Cheese?’” Kittel said, laughing.

Other questions were considerably more musical in nature. Kang said that some of her high school students who are interested in composing, for example, wanted to know how Kittel & Co. approaches the writing process.

The school district’s orchestra program, which focuses on string instruments, got its start in 2003 with funding provided by the Elizabeth Ruthruff Wilson Foundation, which continues to provide major support.

Marr, the program’s second director, was hired in 2004, while Kang came on board in 2019 when growth in the program meant a second teacher was needed. Currently, about 250 students in grades five through 12 participate.

While Tecumseh’s students get a solid musical education through being part of the district’s orchestra, the benefits extend far beyond learning to play an instrument. Not only is arts education connected to both academic achievement and engagement with school overall, but “we build a sense of

had made the day spent with the pros memorable for them.

“They are amazing, literally,” cellist Vivian Schiller said. “They made the songs we did sound incredible.”

“I feel like working with them, they’ve taught me things like when you play your own music, just go for it,” said Evelyn Priley, a violinist.

The idea of getting to play with a group of working musicians on stage also appealed to bass player Jackson Conner. “I thought it was really cool because we got to play with a band,” he said. “It was really fun being up there.”

Gabriel Wright, who plays cello, and violinist Cate Kennedy agreed with Conner on how much fun the work with Kittel & Co. had been. “I loved it,” Wright said, as did Kennedy, who added, “I thought it was a great experience.”

High schoolers who performed at the second concert April 15 were equally pleased with how the day had gone. “It was really fun. It was interesting to see their process,” said 11th-grade violinist Klara Dawley.

community,” Kang said. “The orchestra room is our safe space.”

“I look at it as, I teach my students to be better people and in the rest of my time I teach them music,” Marr added.

“And when they’re performing together onstage, they’re part of something greater than themselves.”

By all accounts, the students at Monday’s twin performances enjoyed their experience with Kittel & Co.

Some of the sixth graders who played in the evening’s first concert shared what

Silenced

from page B1

expected to be stay-at-home wives and mothers — and, although as evangelists they were able to preach, they were not allowed by the denomination to be ordained.

Ordination as elders in the Free Methodist church, in fact, was not open to women until 1974, although some intermediate steps did come prior to then that “Silenced” looks at as well.

Mesaros-Winckles first came across these pioneering female evangelists while researching her doctoral dissertation in 2010, and found that their stories lingered with her. “I came back to this over and over again, kept playing around with it,” she said. “I knew there was something there.”

And ultimately, her new book took shape.

The story begins in the 1880s, when the question of women’s ordination in the Free Methodist Church was beginning to be debated. No less of a figure than one of Free Methodism’s founders, B.T. Roberts, was all in favor of the idea, but plenty of people in the denomination were not.

As evangelists rather than ordained ministers, the women whom MesarosWinckles writes about were not allowed to baptize, perform weddings, or serve communion.

Some of the women had husbands who were ordained ministers and worked alongside them. Blanche Stamp’s husband, Christopher, for instance, clearly thought of himself and his wife as a team. Anna Grant — a medical doctor by training — had a husband, John, who was not a minister, but was so fully supportive that he cared for the children while she was away on her evangelism travels.

For senior Michael Root II, a cellist, the day had actually been a great chance to watch a completely different instrument in the hands of a professional musician. “I liked watching the bassist,” he said. “I liked watching him play, and I learned something about vibrato playing too.”

The way the band members worked with each other also caught the attention of bass player Oden Berthelsen and violist Aidan Gero. “It was really cool to see their process,” Berthelsen said. “They can look at each other and know what to do.”

“The biggest thing for me was how they play visually,” Gero added. “It really shows how invested they are in playing a piece. … Music isn’t just what you listen to, it’s also what you see.”

On the other hand, “a lot of these marriages couldn’t withstand it,” Mesaros-Winckles said. Gage and Wetherald were among those who divorced their husbands. Wetherald also left Free Methodism completely, joining the Congregationalist Church where she could be ordained.

Why did Mesaros-Winckles — who, not incidentally, became a Free Methodist deacon herself, as did her husband, Andrew — find the stories of these early Free Methodist women so compelling?

“I see parts of myself in them,” she said. “With Clara and Anna, I see their drive. With Anna, too, it’s the strength of the marriage she and John had.” And as for Ida Gage, “Ida’s a spitfire. ... She just did what she wanted.”

Because these women evangelists’ stories have never truly been told, she knows her book fills a real gap in the historical record. “There’s so much history here that’s nowhere else,” she said.

To that end, while the audience for “Silenced” certainly includes academics and libraries, she hopes anyone interested in history in general, and women’s history in particular, will want to read it.

“I wrote it in such a way that I’d love to see people interested in women’s ministry pick it up. It’s intentionally not jargon-y,” she said.

While Mesaros-Winckles has a long list of papers and other such writings to her name, this is her first book. “I always wanted to do a book and now I have,” she said. “And it’s really exciting.”

“Silenced: The Forgotten Story of Progressive Era Free Methodist Women” is available in both hardcover and e-book form from Amazon or through the publisher’s website, which currently is offering a 30% discount by using the code LXFANDF30. Lexington Books’ website is rowman.com/lexington. Customers can also call 1-800-462-6420 to order.

Tecumseh High School student Olivia Adams takes part in a joint concert between the Tecumseh Schools Orchestra and the band Kittel & Co. in April.

IN BRIEF

ASO’s 2023-24 season wraps up in May and June

ADRIAN — The Adrian Symphony Orchestra’s 2023-24 season is coming to a close.

On Friday, May 3, at 7:30 p.m., members of the ASO will perform Igor Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring,” Valerie Coleman’s “Umoja: Anthem of Unity,” and Sergei Rachmaninoff’s “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini.”

On Friday, June 7, at 7:30 p.m., the ASO will host Heartache Tonight, an Eagles tribute band.

Both concerts will take place in Dawson Auditorium on the Adrian College campus. For tickets and more information, call 517-264-3121 or go to adriansymphony.org.

Kids can get creative at the Lenawee District Library

ADRIAN — Several creative activities for kids are planned for May at the Lenawee District Library main branch, 4459 West U.S. 223, Adrian.

n Crafternoon: Saturday, May 11 from 3-4 p.m. Make a negative space watercolor.

n Friendship bracelets: Monday, May 13 from 4-6 p.m. Make friendship bracelets out of string and beads.

n Birdhouse painting: Monday, May 20 from 4-6 p.m. Stop by to paint a wooden birdhouse. For information, call 517-263-1011.

End-of-life dementia care to be discussed in Tecumseh

TECUMSEH — Stephanie Jones, Hospice of Lenawee’s community outreach coordinator, will discuss end-of-life dementia care on Tuesday, May 14, from 7-8 p.m. at the Tecumseh District Library, 215 N. Ottawa St. She will answer the following questions:

n When is the right time to ask about hospice?

n What can hospice do for a patient with end-stage dementia?

n What can hospice do for the family or loved ones of a person with dementia?

To register online, go to tecumsehlibrary.org then click on “Programs,” then “Adult Programs.” For more information, call the library at 517-423-2238.

PARROTHEAD’S DELIGHT

Croswell’s Broadway Season kicks off this month with ‘Escape to Margaritaville’

ADRIAN — Fans of Jimmy Buffett will find plenty to love in “Escape to Margaritaville,” a musical that’s packed with many of the singer/ songwriter’s greatest hits.

“Escape to Margaritaville” is the first show in the Croswell Opera House’s 2024 Broadway Season. It runs for two weekends, May 10-12 and May 17-19, with 7:30 p.m. shows on Fridays and Saturdays and 2:30 p.m. matinees on Saturdays and Sundays.

Director Eric Parker describes the show as “campy fun.”

“If you like to have a good time, if you like Jimmy Buffett, if you like the beach and margaritas, if you just like to sit back and enjoy some good music, come see this show,” Parker said.

Though it’s a tribute to Buffett’s music, “Escape to Margaritaville” is not just a jukebox musical. The music is woven around a story, in a manner similar to “Mamma Mia!” Maxwell Lam of Adrian plays

‘Escape to Margaritaville’

DATES: May 10-12 and May 17-19 (Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 2:30 p.m.)

LOCATION: The Croswell Opera House, 129 E. Maumee St., Adrian

COST: $22 to $44 for adults, $15 to $25 for students

MORE INFO: 517-264-7469 or croswell.org

Tully, a well-meaning but aimless playboy who works as a singer in a bar at Margaritaville, a run-down hotel on the small Caribbean island where the musical takes place.

“He’s a full-time charmer who thinks he has life figured out,” Parker said.

But his outlook changes when he falls for Rachel, a high-powered, career-minded tourist who is accompanying her friend Tammy on a trip to the Caribbean before Tammy’s wedding.

Rachel and Tammy are played by Allyson Szymanski and Megan Clark, both of Adrian.

The other denizens of Margaritaville are the owner, Marley, played by

Tamaris Henagan of Adrian; the bartender, Brick, played by John Lamb of Ann Arbor; the busboy, Jamal, played by Alex Sheremeta of Adrian; and one-eyed beach bum J.D., played by Peter Kentes of Milan. Jared Freeman of Perrysburg, Ohio, plays Tammy’s fiancé, Chadd. In the ensemble are Oden Berthelsen, Libby Edwards, Becca Glover, Elizabeth Gozdowski, Everett Hanley, James Hanley, Jonah Hiatt, Alex June, Mitchell Laroy, Meg McNamee, Bella McQuigg, Amanda Nummy, Ella Orr, Kristin Osinski, Kamrin Park and Sam Spaulding.

Tickets are $22 to $44 for adults, $15 to $25 for students, and may be ordred at croswell.org.

‘Making Art in Prison’ author to speak at Morenci library

MORENCI — Morenci’s Stair District Library is one of 50 libraries in the state selected this year to host a Michigan Notable Book author. Janie Paul of Ann Arbor, author of “Making Art in Prison,” will speak at the library on Thursday, May 2, at 6 p.m.

Paul introduces readers to the culture and aesthetics of prison art communities, and shares heart-wrenching, poignant, and often surprisingly humorous artists’ narratives. These stories and images upend stereotypes of those living in prison, imparting a human dimension.

Her talk will be followed by a Q&A session, and book sales and signing. Refreshments will be served.

Seven pieces from Paul’s collection of art created by incarcerated people are now on display as well as art made by formerly incarcerated local residents and art from the collections of family members in a “Making Art in Prison” exhibit.

The library is also displaying other coffee table books and other 2024 Michigan Notable Books.

In conjunction with the author’s visit, art studio hours were scheduled in midApril to allow area residents to create their own art.

The Michigan Notable Book program is sponsored by the Library of Michigan, the Library of Michigan Foundation, and Michigan Humanities which is funded in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Each year, the Michigan Notable Books (MNB) list features 20 books, published during the previous calendar

year, which are about the Great Lakes, or set in Michigan or the Great Lakes, or written by a Michigan author. Selections include a variety of genres, both fiction and nonfiction, that appeal to many audiences and explore topics and issues close to the hearts of Michigan residents. This latest list continues that tradition with exploring the fascinating lives of historic women leaders on Mackinac Island; examining the struggle for selfidentity and acceptance; celebrating the creativity of Michigan artists across diverse mediums; and more.

Janie Paul, author of “Making Art in Prison,” will speak on May 2 at the Stair District Library in Morenci.

IN BRIEF

Tecumseh Kiwanians plan fourth annual canoe race

TECUMSEH — The Kiwanis Club of Tecumseh will host its fourth annual canoe race on Saturday, June 1. The race will begin at the Staib Road bridge just north of Tecumseh and will finish at Globe Mill Pond, located behind the Hayden-Ford Mill on M-50.

The race is approximately five miles long and takes racers through many different river conditions. The Kiwanis Club will partner with local vendors to have food and drinks at the finish line. There will be a DJ for entertainment.

The race has divisions for adults, teens, and adults with children. For details, go to www.raceentry.com/ tecumseh-canoe-race/ race-information.

Library presents historical program on Chief Tecumseh

TECUMSEH — The Tecumseh District Library will present a talk on Chief Tecumseh, from whom the city gets its name, on Monday, May 20, at 7 p.m. The presenter will be historian and educator Scott Lonsdale.

Tecumseh was a Shawnee chief who promoted intertribal unity as he resisted the expansion of the United States onto native lands.

Woodworking exhibit at the Adrian Armory

ADRIAN — The Sam Beauford Woodworking Institute invites the public to view an exhibition of students’ work at the Adrian Armory, 230 W. Maumee St. Exhibit hours are Friday, May 31, from noon to 5 p.m., and Saturday, June 1, prior to SBWI’s commencement ceremony at 6 p.m. For details, call 517-759-3070 or go to longlivewood.org.

Birding meetup planned at Heritage Park

ADRIAN — The River Raisin Watershed Council invites birding enthusiasts to a casual get-together starting at 5 p.m. Wednesday, May 22, at the Stubnitz Environmental Education Center in Heritage Park, 3221 N. Adrian Hwy. Comfortable walking shoes are recommended, and people are also welcome to bring binoculars, field guides, and folding chairs if they choose. For more information, go to riverraisin.org or call 517-264-4754.

Speaker presents ideas for building dementia-friendly communities

By Marge Furgason The Lenawee Voice

CLINTON — Dementia is a word none of us wants to hear — especially from our doctor. But it is a condition affecting millions of people around the world. And because it is a condition that affects so many of us and our loved ones, it is something that needs to be dealt with in a kind and friendly manner, and not “out of sight, out of mind.”

That is the goal of Dementia Friendly America and its quest to help local communities become Dementia Friendly Communities. Dementia Friendly Saline is one such entity, with its mission “to raise awareness, provide education to the community, and to create fun, judgment-free events for those affected by dementia, both directly and indirectly.”

The Rotary Club of Clinton hosted a presentation by Jim Mangi of Dementia Friendly Saline on April 10 at the Clinton United Church of Christ. Those attending learned about dementiarelated conditions and behaviors, and how to help those living with dementia feel safer and better connected to their home community.

Mangi outlined the basic aspects of memory loss, usually caused by physical changes in the brain, and not considered normal aging. Dementia leads to a disconnect between the brain and the senses, which can cause a person to often repeat themselves and have trouble completing familiar tasks, such as paying for an item in a store, making a food choice in a restaurant or navigating their way around their home. They can often lash out in frustration.

Dementia Friendly Communities want to help the public “walk toward people with dementia instead of walking away,” Mangi said. To accomplish this, training sessions are offered to help employees of businesses, government offices, banks, professional and healthcare services, realtors, libraries and church congregations learn how to better interact and serve those with memory loss. The goal is to create a more welcoming environment to make life less difficult and more dignified for those living with dementia-related conditions.

Examples of welcoming environments include restaurants offering quieter spaces for diners and servers trained in how to help with food choices, or retail stores offering more help with transactions and finding items, rather than just saying, “you can find that in Aisle 20.”

A few other examples:

n Clearer and larger signs in businesses, libraries and offices.

n Parks with more maps and benches; organizing walking groups for those with dementia and their care partners.

n Churches providing name tags, shorter services and more open spaces, as well as being patient with unusual behaviors.

Dementia Friendly Saline was officially certified after completing the process offered through Dementia Friendly America (dfamerica.org). However, Mangi said, the overall process does take several months. A toolkit, filled with all types of helpful information, is available on the DFA website. Mangi

Dementia Friendly Saline to host ‘Best Life’ Spring Festival

SALINE — An old-fashioned carnival-themed spring festival will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 11, sponsored by Dementia Friendly Saline along with University Living, Ageways, and others. The festival will take place at Liberty School, 7265 N. Ann Arbor St., Saline.

The fun will include:

n Live music (including Fiddle Pie, Mary and the HuzBand, Cat Canyon, and more), juggling, and food (including Hannah’s Shaved Ice).

n An arts and crafts sale.

n Games, crafts, a photo booth, cakewalk, therapy dogs, and interactive activities.

Special accommodations for people with dementia and their caregivers and families include:

n Curbside “Reverse Valet” service in which volunteers will wait with someone while their companion parks the car.

n Dementia-friendly signage.

n A designated quiet space on-site for respite.

n Vendors of special interest to people living with dementia.

n Trained staff and “Purple Angels” volunteers on hand to provide warm, understanding care and assistance along the way.

n A panel discussion for caregivers, with a concurrent activity for people with dementia.

The event is free and open to the public.

“We work to provide events where persons with dementia and their caregivers and families will feel ‘normal,’ ” said Kelsey Keyes, DFS program coordinator. “This is a normal social event, with some extra perks to make life easier and less challenging.”

For more information, go to dfsaline.org, call 734-262-3986, or email dementiafriendlysaline@gmail.com.

emphasized that if the certification process seems too overwhelming, not to worry, that just making small changes can be very beneficial.

Dementia Friendly Saline offers free training sessions, usually 45 minutes to

one hour, often as “Lunch and Learn” events.

“What you do is up to you, but we are happy to help,” Mangi said.

For more information, go to dfsaline.org.

People dance and listen to music during a Memory Cafe organized by Dementia Friendly Saline. The Rotary Club of Clinton recently hosted a presentation by Jim Mangi, the founder of Dementia Friendly Saline, on how communities can become better places for people with dementia to live.

Chief Tecumseh