NEWSPAPERS Special Edition
Bankruptcy forcing closure of multiple Joann stores in Michigan
BY K. MICHELLE MORAN kmoran@candgnews.com
GROSSE POINTE FARMS — Crafters, knitters and parents looking for project materials for their kids will soon need to buy their supplies elsewhere.
The Joann store in Grosse Pointe Farms and most other locations in the area are going to be shuttered. As part of the Chapter 11 bankruptcy process, the company filed a motion Feb. 12 seeking court authority to start closing roughly 500 stores around the country.
Of about 41 stores in Michigan, 33 are slated to close, including almost all stores in metro Detroit; among them are the ones in Roseville, Novi, Shelby Township, Madison Heights, Rochester Hills and Bloomfield Hills. It wasn’t known at press time how long these stores would remain open.
Once the closures occur, the only stores in metro Detroit that will remain open will be the locations in Livonia and White Lake Township.
“This was a very difficult decision to make, given the major impact we know it will have on our Team Members, our cus-
Bowling alley linked to Michigan music history
BY NICK POWERS npowers@candgnews.com
WARREN — Pampa Lanes was once much more than a bowling alley. It used to feature Pampa Studios, a recording studio where Bob Seger laid down some of his early solo tracks.
Tom Weschler, a photographer and former Seger tour manager, said the studio was originally in Pampa’s basement.
“Every time a strike came, they had to re-record what they were doing,” Weschler said about the basement location.
In 1968, the studio was moved to a separate nearby building. This became known as Pampa Studios. Weschler said there were no bowling-related interruptions from this point on.
Jim Bruzzese was the chief engineer at Pampa and Gregg Miller was the studio’s manager. Bruzzese’s family owned the bowling alley, according to Weschler. The studio operated throughout the 1970s, closing sometime in the following decade.
Seger recorded his 1972 “Smokin’ O.P.’s” album at the studio. Weschler said that Seger only used two studios in Michigan between 1968 and 1972. The other was GM Studios in Eastpointe. Seger would also record out of state in Oklahoma and Alabama. Even as he got more famous, he still utilized Pampa, laying down tracks like “Rock and Roll Never Forgets” for his six-times-platinum-selling 1976 album “Night Moves.”
Wescheler remembers The Rockets and Aretha Franklin using the studio at the time.
“It was a well-known studio,” Weschler said. “Bruzzese used to tell us, ‘There’s only two people allowed to smoke in the studio: Aretha Franklin and Bob.’”
Other artists that had work done at Pampa, according to discogs.com, include Jimmy Ruffin, Nasty Black, Whiz Kids, Howard Lemon Singers, Olive Brown and Her Blues Chasers, and Gallery.
ABOVE: Seger sings into a microphone during a recording session at Pampa Studios in Warren.
LEFT: Detroit rocker Bob Seger looks over his shoulder during a recording session at Pampa Studios in Warren. Photographer Tom Weschler said Seger was irritated by the camera noises during the recording session, causing him to look back for the photo.
Photos provided by Tom Weschler
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MR. GILLESPIE, TAKE YOUR BOW
BY MARIA ALLARD allard@candgnews.com
STERLING HEIGHTS — For yearly 25 years, Jonathan Gillespie brought his love for the theater to students enrolled in the Warren Consolidated Schools Performing Arts Program at Sterling Heights High School.
In honor of his years with WCSPA, school officials recently renamed the program’s “Little Theatre” to the Jonathan Gillespie Studio Theatre. A ceremony was held Jan. 31 with Gillespie and alumni in attendance.
“Jonathan Gillespie was the heartbeat of the WCSPA program,” Superintendent John Bernia said in a prepared statement. “Mr. Gillespie always put his students and the program first. He continuously shared his passion for education and the theater with all the students whose lives he touched throughout the years.”
In an email from current WCSPA Artistic Director
Erik Hart, the newly named Jonathan Gillespie Studio Theatre will continue to be used as a training theater for WCSPA students.
“It is primarily used as a full-time classroom to teach acting and design but is also used to present smaller scale shows to the public as well,” Hart said via email. “The theater seating was expanded in 2021 from 75 seats to 175 seats to accommodate the growth of the WCSPA program.”
According to a district press release, Gillespie graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in English and theater. In 1978 he became the artistic director of the Dillard School of Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he redeveloped the program, curriculum, and directed more than 50 productions.
In 1987, he returned to Michigan where he was educational outreach coordinator at the Boarshead Michi-
State set to send teens to Macomb County Juvenile Justice Center
BY DEAN VAGLIA dvaglia@candgnews.com
MOUNT CLEMENS — Teenagers incarcerated at a state juvenile center in Grayling are moving south in the coming months.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services announced on Jan. 24 that the 17 male youths lodged at the Shawono Center will be relocated to the Macomb County Juvenile Justice Center.
“While the decision to relocate the services provided by the Shawono Center was difficult, transferring to Macomb County will allow us to serve more youths and help them become healthy and productive citizens,” MDHHS Director Elizabeth Hertel said in a press release. “I appreciate the hard work and dedication of the staff at the Shawono Center, and we will work to find positions for all staff who would like to remain with MDHHS.”
The state’s inmates, who range from 12-21 years old, will move into the justice center’s west wing. The wing was previously occupied by Rite of Passage — a “national youth services provider” according to the MDHHS — with around $360,000 in renovations made for that program. The state intends to further renovate the wing for the purposes of housing the teens formerly lodged in Grayling, as well as renaming the wing the Michigan Youth Treatment Center.
“The state is looking to use about 40-60 beds,” Macomb County Deputy Executive Andy McKinnon said.
McKinnon said details about the move, such as how much money will be spent on further renovations and operations, remained in flux as of early February. Some services at the justice center like dining may be shared, though it is unlikely the state and county prisoners will mix together.
Housing prisoners from outside of the county is not new for the justice center. Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel said the center takes in convicted youths from neighboring counties.
“They (the state) reached out to us knowing we’re a regional facility, and I say that because we house juveniles from the thumb area,” Hackel said. “We have contractional relationships with them depending on their needs. St. Clair, Sanilac, Lapeer (counties) … A lot of these counties don’t really need their own facility. They don’t really have a lot of juveniles that they are sending to detention. But if they do, they notice that we have some space available to accommodate that on a perbed, per-day price, so we do that.”
McKinnon estimated the existing youth detainees at Grayling would all be moved down by the end of spring.
ABOVE: Jonathan Gillespie, left, was greeted by alumni and parents of the program, including Sandy and Steve Rinke. Their daughter Erin Rinke VanGemert, a graduate from 2000, went
LEFT: The talented cast gets ready for showtime.
Photos by Patricia O’Blenes
Warren Mott Wrestlers Makayla PerdueDaniels, left, and Megan Melnyk, right, pose after an event at Birmingham Groves on Feb. 9.
Warren Mott girls wrestlers are growing with the sport
BY SCOTT BENTLEY sbentley@candgnews.com
WARREN — The Warren Mott High School girls wrestling team is a perfect microcosm of the girls wrestling landscape in Michigan and the country.
The program has seen incredible growth to its high school and youth program over the past four years and it’s noticeable at competitions and tournaments.
“Every year the competition gets tougher,” Warren Mott coach Jeff Pruitt said. “We’ve doubled in size every year since I started coaching girls.”
Warren Mott specifically has become a place to find top-end girls wrestling talent. The team had the state champion at 125 pounds in 2022 via Hannah Palise, and currently has two girls with their eyes on the same prize in seniors Makayla Perdue-Daniels and Megan Melnyk.
“We travel to find better competition and find people ranked above our girls. Both (Perdue-Daniels and Melnyk) are ranked,” Pruitt said. “Megan is ranked No. 5 and ‘Mak’... is ranked No. 4 because she knocked off somebody above her this weekend.”
At press time, Perdue-Daniels was 22-3
on the season and Melnyk was 21-2. Both have high aspirations for the season and both have established themselves as some of the best wrestlers in the state.
“I mean, I want to win states,” Melnyk said.
And states is on the table for both Warren Mott seniors as they begin preparing for a district tournament that didn’t exist just a year ago.
“Seeing these girls coming out for wrestling is just insane,” Perdue-Daniels said. “My goal is to just take it one match at a time.”
Both girls have seen a ton of growth within the sport just over their high school careers. Even the formatting of the tournaments and the postseason has changed due to increased participation.
“When I first started there were only three of us on the team,” Melnyk said. “I think it’s really cool that there’s a districts (tournament) this year. When we started there were barely eight people in a bracket at regionals… Now you have to go to districts, place at districts, and place at regionals to go to states.”
Girls wrestling went from four region-
Photo by Liz Carnegie
second performance was held Feb. 1.
from page 3A
gan Public Theatre. Gillespie became the WCSPA artistic director 1995. He retired in 2019. In 2008, Gillespie was inducted into the National Educational Theatre Association Hall of Fame.
Following the renaming ceremony, WCSPA students presented Agatha Christie’s “Murder on the Orient Express” in the high school’s Performing Arts Center, an auditorium that has a capacity of 775 people. A
All WCSPA classes are offered as part of the regular high school curriculum and are open to students from all three district high schools: Sterling Heights, Warren Mott and Cousino, and school of choice students.
The Performing Arts Center is a shared theater that is used for large performances by the WCSPA program in addition to many other district events including band performances, guest speakers, large meetings, and community gatherings. The PAC is also rented year-round to outside groups for various entertainment events.
Retired WSCPA artistic director Jonathan Gillespie addresses the crowd that attended the ceremony Jan. 31 for the renaming of the Little Theatre to the Jonathan Gillespie Studio Theatre.
Photo by Patricia O’Blenes
NEWS & NOTES
EXTRA CREDIT UNION KEEPS OTHERS WARM
MACOMB COUNTY — A large number of Macomb County students the Macomb Intermediate School District identified as homeless are staying warmer this winter thanks to the members and employees of Extra Credit Union.
ECU, headquartered in Warren, held a drive recently in which members and employees donated hats, coats, gloves and money for students in need. ECU also collected personal hygiene products and school supplies. The donations totaled $1,967 in monetary contributions and a total of 537 in items.
“We have seen a significant increase in requests for basic needs items such as food and hygiene items,” MISD Student Health Education and Homeless Consultant Sara Orris said in a prepared statement. “The appreciation of support from Extra Credit Union cannot be overstated. The donations help students experiencing homelessness the opportunity to attend school feeling prepared to learn without worry about basic needs or school supplies. We appreciate the continued support.”
Orris said the funds from Extra Credit Union’s donation will be used to purchase hats, gloves, socks, and hygiene items. All the tangible items will be sent immediately to homeless students in need. Anyone interested in learning more about the project or supporting its efforts can visit misd.net/Homeless.
Macomb County announces Public Works commissioner’s academy
MACOMB COUNTY — The Macomb County Public Works Commissioner’s Citizens Academy is a free online public course that addresses stormwater management, water quality, infrastructure and more. It involves 10 videos on the Public Works Office’s responsibilities, operations and goals. Participants go at their own pace with no deadlines. A few yes or no questions follow the videos, and participants can complete an assessment of what they learned and submit it for a certificate of successful participation in the academy. Find the academy at macombgov.org/ departments/public-works.
Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice S. Miller presents a Commissioner’s Academy certificate of completion to Brandon Chumbler, a new PublicWorks employee who is a station operator at the Chapaton Pump Station.
Black Lake sturgeon season lasts 17 minutes
LANSING — Nearly 800 anglers descended upon Black Lake in Cheboygan and Presque Isle counties on Feb. 1. After 17 minutes of hooks and spears plunging beneath the lake ice, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources gave the word to 790 anglers to go home empty-handed.
A lucky seven anglers secured their place in history. The Black Lake sturgeon season is a highly regulated annual harvest limited to six fish every year between Feb. 1-5, as agreed to by the state and tribal governments; seven fish are allowed if simultaneous harvests occur. The hard limits on the Black Lake sturgeon angling season support the rehabilitation of lake sturgeon in the Cheboygan River watershed by the DNR with the support of the Black Lake Chapter of Sturgeon For Tomorrow, Michigan State University, Tower-Kleber Limited Partnership, the Bay Mills Indian Community, the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, the Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians and the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. Anglers on the lake were notified of the season’s quick end by text messages and shanty visits by DNR officials, getting the word out within minutes that the season’s quota was reached.
This season’s harvested Black Lake sturgeons ranged in size from 43.5 inches to 64 inches long and weighed 18.2 pounds to 78.3 pounds.
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Photo provided by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Photo provided by Macomb County Public Works Commissioner’s Office
MACY’S TO CLOSE AT LAKESIDE MALL
DROPPED ANCHOR NOT SLOWING REDEVELOPMENT PLANS
BY DEAN VAGLIA dvaglia@candgnews.com
STERLING HEIGHTS — It takes a long time for stars to burn out, but they all will eventually. With its own trademark red star, Macy’s at Lakeside Mall now marches toward its own final end.
On Jan. 9, the New York City-based retail titan Macy’s Inc. announced its intention to close 66 locations across the county including the anchor store at the now-dead Lakeside. The retailer expects it and the 65 other stores to be shuttered by the end of the first quarter 2025.
“Closing any store is never easy, but as part of our Bold New Chapter strategy, we are closing underproductive Macy’s stores to allow us to focus our resources and prioritize investments in our go-forward stores, where customers are already responding positively to better product offerings and elevated service,” Tony Spring, chairman and chief executive officer of Macy’s, Inc., said in a press release. Macy’s closure came as no shock to Out
of the Box Ventures — the mall’s owner since 2019 — and the city of Sterling Heights.
“It was anticipated,” said Luke Bonner, CEO of the Bonner Advisory Group and a senior economic development adviser for the city of Sterling Heights. “We saw a lot of the national headlines last summer and last fall that Macy’s was closing hundreds of stores across the county. We hadn’t been notified of it yet, but we were assuming it was going to happen.”
Bonner says Out of the Box Ventures acquired the mall’s northern Macy’s property in late 2024 in anticipation of the retailer moving out. Out of the Box already owned the southern Macy’s anchor and leased it to the retailer. News of the north Macy’s closure means Out of the Box is tasked with incorporating the land into its plans for the Lakeside site.
“The Macy’s will likely be demolished with the rest of the mall,” Bonner said.
From the rubble of Lakeside Mall are the plans for the Lakeside City Center, a mixed-use project aiming to turn the con-
crete oval into 2,359 multifamily residential units, over 700,000 square feet of retail space, 70,000 square feet of offices, a 20,000-square-foot community center and a hotel with 80-100 rooms.
Progress on the site’s future continues with Out of the Box focusing on planning and engineering work, as well as preparing tax incentive documents to be submitted to the state.
Bonner expects demolition to begin in the fall.
Photo by Dean Vaglia
As the sun sets on the Macy’s at Lakeside Mall, demolition and redevelopment plans for the site continue to be advertised and worked on.
UCS vocal music teacher wins statewide recognition
BY KARA SZYMANSKI kszymanski@candgnews.com
SHELBY TOWNSHIP — The director of vocal music for Eisenhower High School and Malow Junior High School, Julia Holt, was nominated for a statewide award by former students turned music teachers, and she won.
Holt was selected as the 2025 Teacher of the Year by the Michigan School Vocal Music Association.
The announcement was made at the Michigan Music Conference, which was held Jan. 23-25 in Grand Rapids.
Robert Monroe, Utica Community Schools superintendent, said Holt fosters a collaborative and inspiring environment in her classroom that sets up her students for success.
“The care and passion that she brings to her work results in a remarkable, unified sound led by Mrs. Holt. A true champion of educational excellence, Utica Community Schools is fortunate to have her serve as a role model for so many,” he said.
Holt said that the award meant so much to her because her former students who nominated her actually know what happens day in and day out in her classroom.
Demetris King has joined the Eisenhower Show Choir in his senior year.
“She’s so patient, realistic, honest. She’s a great teacher, especially with this being my first year in choir. I’ve learned a lot, such as breath control and how to pronounce certain things,” King said.
Holt has been teaching within UCS since 2003 and is a graduate of Eisenhower High School.
Reagan McCloud, Eisenhower High School senior, talked about the importance of choir.
“I think it isn’t about talent — if you love music, you should join a choir class. Joining a choir class also helps you find a family with people who have the same interests as you,” she said.
She said Holt is dedicated to everything she does.
“She makes sure that not only do we sound amazing,
but that we love what we’re doing, too. She has followed her dreams since she was young and it makes me feel like I can do the same,” McCloud said.
Holt said that her favorite thing about teaching choir is to bring together a diverse group of students to create a unified piece of music.
“When they put down the noise from the day at the
door and not only make beautiful music but also support one another, laugh together, sometimes cry together, it is a bond like nothing else. I am really thankful for my students throughout the years who have helped me to grow into the teacher I am, and who will continue to help me grow through the rest of my career,” she said.
Julia Holt’s show choir class at Eisenhower High School celebrates her being named the Michigan School Vocal Music Association Teacher of the Year for 2025.
Photo provided by Jennifer Kane
Wrestlers
als with over 25 girls in each bracket, to needing eight district tournaments this year to feed into regionals because of the growth. It’s not just in Michigan, either. Girls wrestling is one of the fastest growing sports at the collegiate level, too, according to Pruitt.
“The state is putting in the work, too. It’s a full-blown recognized sport,” Pruitt said. “At the NCAA level it’s exploding as well… D1 wrestling for girls is now a recognized sport… That helps add to us being able to pitch it to kids. That it is a college level sport for girls.”
The next step for Warren Mott girls wrestling? Have enough girls to field a full team. Currently, the program falls just barely short of a full roster with representation in each weight class, but with more and more girls joining the youth program, that day is almost here.
“That’s my goal, actually. I would really like to get a full squad,” Pruitt said. “It’s getting there. We’re closer now than we’ve ever been… To grow it to that level, to where we’re competing as a team and individuals
just like the boys team’s do… I want a full squad of girls with 15 or 16 girls on a team.”
The program is taking the right steps to accomplish that goal. There’s a large increase in youth participation and now the team travels to local middle schools to talk about how fun it is to be a part of a growing sport.
“When we go and recruit for middle schoolers and we tell them that we’re wrestling, they look at us with a surprised face,” Perdue-Daniels said. “And telling adults, ‘Hey, yeah, I wrestle,’ I feel like it’s a flex to say.”
Girls wrestling is taking off and Warren Mott is right in the middle of that growth. It’s been a challenging yet rewarding journey for Pruitt and company but there’s more still to come.
At the end of the day, the girls are what have made this sport amazing.
“When you get somebody that doesn’t know what they’re doing coming in the door and you coach them up, then next thing you know they start winning matches,” Pruitt said. “That’s the fun of it.”
Individual state finals are scheduled to be held Feb. 28 to March 1st at Ford Field in Detroit.
tomers and all of the communities we serve,” a Joann spokesperson said in a prepared statement issued Feb. 12. “A careful analysis of store performance and future strategic fit for the Company determined which stores should remain operating as usual at this time. Right-sizing our store footprint is a critical part of our efforts to ensure the best path forward for JOANN.”
On Jan. 15, Joann Inc. launched voluntary Chapter 11 proceedings in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. It was announced at that time that Gordon Brothers Retail Partners LLC would serve as the stalking horse bidder, meaning that they were the first bidder to vie for the bankrupt company and its assets.
“Since becoming a private company in April (2024), the Board and management team have continued to execute on top- and bottom-line initiatives to manage costs and drive value,” interim Joann CEO Michael Prendergast said in a press release. “However, the last several years have presented significant and lasting challenges in the retail environment, which, coupled with our
current financial position and constrained inventory levels, forced us to take this step. After carefully reviewing all available strategic paths, we have determined that initiating a court-supervised sale process is the best course of action to maximize the value of the business. We hope that this process enables us to find a path that would allow JOANN to continue operating as a going concern.”
Shoppers at the Grosse Pointe Farms store — many of whom hadn’t yet heard the news about the store’s fate — were upset.
Camila Rubio, of Harper Woods, said she and her 4-year-old daughter are frequent Joann shoppers. Her daughter loves the crafts and materials for projects, such as glitter.
“That is so sad,” Rubio said upon learning the store would be closing. “We love it here.”
Rubio said she could find things at reasonable prices at Joann, and said they had a good selection of merchandise.
“They have everything you need,” Rubio said. “I feel sorry for everybody in the community, because they need this store.”
While online shopping is an option, Rubio said she needs to see “the colors, the texture” in person — something the internet can’t replicate.
At the Grosse Pointe Farms store, an employee said liquidation sales were starting Saturday, Feb. 15. The employee said she
couldn’t comment on the closures. Joann Inc. has been in business for more than 80 years.
Photo by K. Michelle Moran
The Joann store in Grosse Pointe Farms is one of dozens across Michigan that will be closing permanently.
