THE WEEK IN REVIEW, WITH AN EYE ON WHAT’S NEXT

 AJEGBA JOINS CIVIL ENGINEERING COMPANY

THE NEWS: Paul Ajegba, who worked for 32 years at the Michigan Department of Transportation and rose to lead the agency for several years, has joined a Chicago-based civil engineering consulting company Infrastructure Engineering Inc. and A liates. Ajegba is a senior vice president who oversees the rm’s national, corporate growth strategy and heads operations and business development in its Detroit o ce, which was opened in 2021.

WHY IT MATTERS: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer appointed Ajegba as MDOT director when she took o ce in 2019. After her re-election, she announced a cabinet shakeup in December that included Ajegba retiring at year’s end.

 EDUCATION BOARD MEMBER ANNOUNCES SENATE RUN

THE NEWS: Nikki Snyder, a Republican State Board of Education member, launched a campaign for U.S. Senate on ursday — the rst candidate from either party to enter the race following fourth-term Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow’s decision to not seek re-election.

WHY IT MATTERS: Snyder won election to the board in 2016 and is one of two

Republicans serving on the eight-member panel. She ran against Democratic U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin in 2020 but failed to qualify for the GOP primary after not submitting enough valid nominating signatures.

 NONPROFIT LEADERS AWARDED FELLOWSHIPS

THE NEWS: Nine prominent local nonpro t CEOs and directors have been awarded a sabbatical through a fellowship aimed at helping them “recharge, immerse in enriching experiences, build skills and knowledge and broaden their vision,” via the McGregor Fund’s Eugene A. Miller Fellowship.

 FORD HALTS PRODUCTION, SHIPMENTS OF F-150 LIGHTNING

THE NEWS: Ford Motor Co. temporarily halted production and shipments of its F-150 Lightning electric pickup over a potential battery issue. e automaker did not disclose the details of the potential issue, although spokeswoman Emma Bergg said an investigation is underway after a vehicle displayed a possible problem as part of the company’s pre-delivery quality inspections. It is unclear how long the halt on production and shipments will continue.

WHY IT MATTERS: It’s a major setback for Ford, because the F-150 Lightning is a key part of the automaker’s plans to produce 600,000 EVs annually by the end of this year, and 2 million by 2026.

WHY IT MATTERS: Recipients will be out of pocket for a year as they go through the fellowship. Awardees include Allandra Bulger, executive director of Co.act Detroit; Angela Reyes, executive director of Detroit Hispanic Development Corp.; Ashley Atkinson, co-director of Keep Growing Detroit; Christine Bell, executive director of Urban Neighborhood Initiatives; Courtney Smith, president and CEO of the Detroit Phoenix Center; Derek Aguirre, president and CEO of Racquet Up Detroit; Kimberly Johnson, president and CEO of Developing K.I.D.S; Suma Karaman Rosen, executive director of InsideOut Literary Arts; and Yodit Mes n Johnson, president and CEO of Nonpro t Enterprise at Work.

Correction

 Denise Kay’s last name was spelled incorrectly in the “MSU startup Enspired Solutions gains steam with PFAS-destroying tech” story that published in Crain’s on Feb. 13.

FOOD & DRINK

Iconic Karl’s Cabin restaurant forced to close following re

 A popular restaurant and banquet center in Salem Township is closed following a re Wednesday evening. Customers and sta were forced to evacuate Karl’s Cabin Restaurant & Banquets at 6005 Gotfredson Road due to what re o cials called a three-alarm re. No injuries were reported. No speci c cause had been determined, according to Salem Township Fire Chief Jim Rachwal, and an investigation is ongoing. Fire crews responded to the re at 6:24 p.m. Wednesday to nd a blaze that started in the rear of the building near an employee entrance area.

e re spread to the banquet area and roof, Rachwal said. Crews extinguished the re around 8:30 p.m., according to Rachwal. Some sta attempted to use re extinguishers to put out the re but were unsuccessful. Departments were forced to truck in water because there are no hydrants in the area, according to the re chief. Rachwal said the re appears to have started in a designated smoking area, but it’s unclear if that is what caused the blaze.

e building sustained re, smoke and water damage, but a signi cant portion of it was saved, according to a post from the Ann Arbor Fire Department.

Fire crews from four counties battled a three-alarm re at Karl’s Cabin Restaurant & Banquets in Salem Township on Wednesday.