Wyandotte Warrior, October 27 – November 24, 2022

A hard-working crew

Photo by Dave Gorgon

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Mayor and Council Members

Mayor Robert A. DeSana mayor@wyandottemi.gov

Mayor Pro Tempore Kelly M. Stec kstec@wyandottemi.gov

Council

Todd Hanna thanna@wyandottemi.gov

Council

Rosemary Shuryan rshuryan@wyandottemi.gov

Council

Chris Calvin ccalvin@wyandottemi.gov

Council

Robert Alderman ralderman@wyandottemi.gov

Council

Kaylyn Crayne kcrayne@wyandottemi.gov

Council and Commission Meetings at Wyandotte City Hall

Zoning Board of Appeals and Adjustments Wednesday, November 2, 6:30pm

Downtown Development Authority Tuesday, November 8, 5:30pm

Beautification Commission Thursday, November 10, 6:00pm

Veterans Day Friday, November 11

City Council Meeting Monday, November 14, 7:00pm

Planning Commission Thursday, November 17, 6:30pm

City Council Meeting Monday, November 21, 7:00pm

City Department Contacts

27th District Court

Chief District Judge, The Honorable Elizabeth L. DiSanto

Phone: 734-324-4475

Email: 27DC@wyandottemi.gov

Animal Control Department

Phone: 734-246-1328

Assessor

Ted Galeski, City Assessor

Phone: 734-324-4510

Email: assessor@wyan.org

City Clerk

Lawrence S. Stec, City Clerk

Phone: 734-324-4560

Email: clerk@wyandottemi.gov

Community Development

The Community Development Office

Phone: 734-324-4566

Email: tdrysdale@wyandottemi.gov

Downtown Development Authority

Joseph Keller Gruber, Downtown Development Authority Director

Phone: 734-324-7298

Email: dda@wyan.org

Department of Public Service

Jon Allen, Superintendent

Phone: 734-324-4580

Email: dps@wyandottemi.gov

Engineering and Building Department

Greg Mayhew, City Engineer

Phone: 734-324-4550

Email: engineering1@wyandottemi.gov

Finance and Administration

Todd Drysdale, CPA, City Administrator

Phone: 734-324-4545

Email: tdrysdale@wyandottemi.gov

Fire Department

Tom Lyon, Fire Chief Phone: 734-324-4404

For Emergencies Call 911

Email: tlyon@wyandottemi.gov

Municipal Services

Paul LaManes, General Manager

Phone: 734-324-7100

Email: talk2wms@wyandottemi.gov

Police Department

Chief Brian Zalewski, Chief of Police Phone: 734-324-4405

For Emergencies call 911

Email: bzalewski@wyandottemi.gov

Recreation, Leisure and Culture Department

Justin Lanagan, Superintendent of Recreation

Phone: 734-324-7295

Email: recreation@wyandottemi.gov

Treasury

Todd Browning, City Treasurer

Phone: 734-324-4570

Email: treasurer@wyan.org

Good as new Wyandotte program students paint over graffiti in skate park

Dave Gorgon

The popular Wyandotte Skate Park looks like new thanks to the efforts of students in the Wyandotte Transition Program who painted over graffiti that had the recreation facility looking like an eyesore.

The project is the latest by students in the three-year-old program whose goal is to get young adults with mild cognitive impairments ready to join the workforce.

Rose Shuryan, a Wyandotte councilwoman who is a transition teacher in the program, said her students finished high school with a certificate of completion, rather than a diploma. Participants are from Wyandotte, Southgate, Allen Park, Lincoln Park, WoodhavenBrownstown and other surrounding communities and school districts, she said.

“Our students are not quite ready to join the workforce, so we work on work skills, independent living skills and experiences out in the community,” Shuryan said.

She said many students have “nonpaid worksites during the day,” such as the Bacon Memorial Library, the 27th District Court, Glow Fish Studios and various restaurants in Downtown Wyandotte.

“We also participate in community service projects to use volunteerism to gain experience,” Shuryan said. “Last year, we participated in cleaning Oakwood Cemetery and planted trees

at FOP (Fraternal Order of Police) Park in Wyandotte as part of an Arbor Day celebration.”

In their classroom at the JoBrighton Work Skills Center in Wyandotte, transition students work on independent living skills, including financial literacy, cooking skills and self-advocacy, she said.

The program started a few years ago when Special Education Director Cindy Taylor and JoBrighton Administrator Adrianne Kubicki “wanted a place for young adults that may fall through the cracks after completing high school,” Shuryan said. “Although our program is completely separate (with separate funding) from JoBrighton, our classroom is housed there.”

She said students walk often for exercise at Memorial Park and noticed the graffiti at the Skate Park.

“They said that someone should do something about that,” Shuryan said. “We decided as a class to offer to paint it and, with a quick phone call to the city, the paint and supplies were dropped off at the school. The students really enjoyed playing a part in the community. The students get a sense of accomplishment and learn a skill that they may not have known before.”

Students met with Mayor Rob DeSana last year when their program received a Wayne County Green School designation and made a short video on Earth Day with Wyandotte

GOOD

from page 4

Cable.

“The students were so excited to meet the Mayor that now we invite him to special events like our community service projects and our end-of-theschool-year picnic,” Shuryan said. “

DeSana said he is impressed with the Wyandotte Transition Program and its students and staff.

“The Wyandotte skate ramp was in horrible condition,” the Mayor said. “It was covered with graffiti and bad words, as one of the students told me. They took a negative and turned it into a positive.

“I am very thankful that Rose Shuryan invites me to the different events that her class has been involved with. I have some new friends in that class: Connor, Glenn and Jalen, to name a few. In fact, Jalen and I have been emailing each other for the past year.

“The Wyandotte transition program is second to none. If I were a teacher, that’s the type of program I’d want to be working with. Those students are full of love and compassion and truly fun to be around.”

Student Glenn Ratledge, who used a paint roller during the Skate Park effort, said it was important to him to “get rid of the graffiti.” Classmate Jacob Meyers said the effort was both

“fun” and effective.

Shuryan said she has been inspired by previous cleanup efforts by fellow councilmembers Kelly Stec, who held monthly park cleanups during the summer, and Kaylyn Crayne, who led a huge cleanup at Rotary Park near Downtown Wyandotte on September 17.

“I am grateful to be on City Council with such a great team and grateful to have students that are willing to help out in the community,” she said.

Arlene

My mother died on Sunday, Sept. 25.

She died peacefully, in no pain, with family members there for her. The day before, all of her sons were there, and she talked to all of us.

She was 90 years old and lived a long, happy, good life.

Downriver region that supported our local and independently owned clothing stores.

I can tell you that my mother made a difference to the places she did business with for all the things she needed or wanted.

obsessed with their own visions, all over the top on their commitments to their people and to the services they provide, and all kind, grateful people. The absence of which makes the world I go about in less vibrant and less happy.

PETER ROSE

While I am sad about this, of course, I am also well aware of all of the above and so much more. This was hardly a life cut short, and that life was felt by those around her like a magnetic field or ripples in a pond from the force of her personality.

It just can’t get much better for all of us that loved her and will miss her. This column is not an obituary, though.

Long before I understood the power of localism on local economies, my mother simply preferred to shop at places that knew her name and that appreciated her patronage. My father was and is a man that wanted nothing to do with national chains of any kind, and internet purchases were just a s bad if not worse.

Together, they simply chose the local option instinctively and automatically.

Over a lifetime of spending for appliances, tires, food and well, everything, consider what the sum total of their spending was in the

She was a friendly, happy, and supportive presence. And I can tell you that I continue to feel the glow of all the people that consider Chelsea and Willow Tree by so many people that are those warm and happy faces that always think local first.

Reciprocity is one of the most important concepts to get a grip on in life. It is gratifying beyond words to direct my business to people and the businesses they own that do business with us.

It is connectivity to our community, of course, but first, it is being specifically supportive of specific, impactful people that I like and appreciate, and that I do not want to be diminished in any way by my indifference.

The idea of localism is also tangential to much simpler ideas: Being grateful, and being kind.

As I’ve come to emphasize in my own mind and to share often, I am dazzled by the impact that single humans make in their endeavors.

I’m grateful to each of them for their contribution to the meshwork of our community.

The people I admire and appreciate in this respect are all

In this regard, it is OK to be right up front about recognizing that supporting such people (businesses) is one of the most self-serving things you can do. As your spending decision keeps those people in work, as well as all the people they pay, you get the satisfaction of knowing you are doing business with people that matter to you. People that you would be depressed about losing.

Sometimes we lose these people due to death. Sometimes the people are irreplaceable in terms of what they brought to the table of life. But through their lives, they made a profound impact on how we see the world.

As her oldest son, and one of the partners that made our version of local work for nearly all of my time in business, of course I miss her.

Expressing these emotions at a keyboard is difficult; I’ve had to take more breaks for this column than any other.

That said, most people don’t get the chance to do this, now, do they?

The idea that I expressed in one of my earliest columns was this: If my daughter owned a bakery, nobody would have to urge me to support her. I would be doing my best to

Arlene Rose

help her succeed in that best damned bakery I had ever been in. So would a lot of other people, for the person herself, as well as for the products she created. It’s a symbiotic thing, it’s a priceless thing.

But other people that don’t think local first (I mean, local only, thanks Mom) would need to be told of that amazing place. They would need to be reminded of just how awesome a place it is, right here in our Downriver homeland. Once they went, they’d never have to be told again.

That’s why I write. But if it helps, imagine my mom telling you that “you know, you really should shop locally. Everyone benefits when you do.”

Bon voyage, Momma. You done good.

The good, the bad and the ugly Gas vs electric vehicles. Should you take the plunge?

SUSAN PINKOWSKI

For those on the fence about you next car being gas or electric, maybe some further information will help you make the decision. Here are some facts gleaned from multiple sources that get into the murky areas.

You wouldn’t think gasoline-powered automobiles would kill people other than on the road or in accidents, but scientists have discovered a link between car fumes and lung cancer.

This might explain why so many non-smokers develop that disease. It turns out that we all have dormant mutations in our lung cells, “small errors that we accumulate in our DNA throughout life, and which normally remain innocuous,” according to Dr. Charles Swanton of the Francis Crick Institute.

These cells can turn cancerous when exposed to PM2.5 particles, which is the fine particulate matter in air pollution.

He also indicated that “more people are exposed to unsafe levels of air pollution than to toxic chemicals in cigarette smoke.”

In 2019 alone, there were about 300,000 deaths

from PM2.5s. EVs, on the other hand, don’t have any tailpipe emissions and won’t cause more air pollution.

Another downside to fossil fuel vehicles is all that additional heat that they unleash in our cities, which are already too hot.

About 70 percent of the energy from the gas in your tank is wasted as heat through the radiator and the exhaust.

Steven Blumenkranz, a mechanical engineer, indicated that the “heat dissipated by a car by all loss mechanisms combined is equal to the heating value of the gasoline burned by its engine. All of the energy in the fuel is eventually dissipated as heat.”

In order to understand the volume of heat added to a city, Lloyd Alter in his article “Cars Add a Lot of Heat to Our Cities. . .” on www.treehugger.com, compared the volume of heat (BTU per gallon) released by the average amount of miles driven by the average cars during only one day in Manhattan, to the average BTUs released by a patio heater.

The result was the equivalent of 157,336 patio heaters driving around Manhattan every day, releasing all that heat into the city. This we can

certainly do without, although picturing it is rather amusing.

EVs have other issues.

According to Brian Leli of www. theprogressnetwork.org, cobalt is a key component of the lithium-ion batteries in most EVs, 70 percent of which is mined out of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The ugly part of this is the unfair labor practices and child labor issues in that republic. Further, most of the EV batteries themselves come out of China, which has a whole host of human rights issues.

Fortunately, it has been recognized that there aren’t enough minerals underground in the few countries currently mining them to power all the batteries that will be needed in the not-toodistant future, so alternatives are being sought, and countries are coming together to source these materials under stricter environmental, social and governance standards.

As reported in Bloomberg News on 9/22/2022, the countries involved are Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, Sweden, the United States and the European Commission.

The developing nations that are also involved are Argentina, Brazil, Chile, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Indonesia, Mongolia, Mozambique, Namibia, the Philippines, Tanzania, and Zambia. This will truly be a global effort to create batteries in a more humane manner.

But what about the whole life cycle emissions?

From the mining of the components all the way through to the end life of the finished product, emissions from producing EVs are 60-68 percent lower than those emitted in the production and use of gas vehicles, according to the International Council on Clean Transportation.

That’s a pretty big reduction for our planet.

One item that is keeping a lot of potential buyers on the fence is “range anxiety.’”

We’re all familiar with how far our gas vehicles can travel before we have to top off the tank, but can we get that same level of comfort with battery power?

EVs have a simple system to tell you how much power you have left, and it even estimates the number of miles you may still travel. It’s prominently displayed on the instrument panel.

The full range on the vehicle according to the manufacturer is around 259, but if you drive it to the best of the car’s ability (and yours), you can get up to 350 miles per charge. The green will slowly deplete as will the available miles, so you just plug it in then, or any time before. Some owners leave it plugged in all the time when home.

Another concern is charging at home – what if you don’t have one?

Chevrolet was offering up to $1,250 towards a 240v line installed at your home. You can also plug into a standard 110v line, but it will take longer to charge.

A further concern on charging is the source of the electricity from your provider. In the Downriver area, other than Wyandotte, our electricity is coming from DTE. Their power is generated by coal, wind, and solar but you can specify which type of power (coal or green) you want to get your electricity from. You can actually go green all the way by specifying where you want your power to come from.

If you have solar on your roof, you

can even charge your car off that.

Our beautiful state is rapidly installing more chargers than ever before.

With the passing of the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure law, chargers will soon be as plentiful as gas stations.

There are different levels of charging though – some are free while others require payment so it’s best to plan your trip up north before you need to find a station.

In addition, the batteries are lasting longer than anticipated.

These batteries are guaranteed under warranties for 100,000 miles or eight years of use, and extended warranties

is a battery recycling facility that recaptures usable quantities of metals at a cost lower than conventional mining. And technology keeps on developing. Soon overtaking lithium-ion batteries may be solidstate batteries, as they promise to deliver better across the board: Faster charging, can hold more power, and could last longer.

There’s even talk about wireless chargers and battery swapping stations on the horizon. There’s even a new formula for batteries that MIT is developing that could be a gamechanger if they’re successful.

Woodhaven, has been selling cars for 32 years, and EVs for 11 years starting with the Volt.

Currently, Chevrolet is selling the Bolt and soon the electric Equinox and Blazer.

Ford has the Mustang Mach-E and F150 Lightning, while Nissan has the Leaf.

There are many more out there and more to come. The problem is that whichever vehicle you decide to buy, it may take about six months to arrive after you order it because the demand is so high now. Car dealers are unfortunately finding they have more customers than available EVs.

Volkswagen also came out with an electric model, the ID.4.

David Howell of Riverview purchased the ID.4 in 2022, as he was concerned about the environment and wanted to be a part of the transition to electric vehicles.

He encourages others to make the switch because of the benefit to our planet, lower transportation costs, the quality of the vehicles and how easy they are to operate.

Howell recently took a 720-mile round trip to Canada in his EV with minimal problem, and another 450mile round trip which was relatively trouble free.

Consumer Reports has even chimed in with an opinion: “Aside from being better for the environment than gas cars, a new or used EV can save you up to 60 percent in fuel costs.” That’s a hefty percentage.

As gas prices fluctuate, always around the holidays, you’ll save even more driving an EV.

According to www. energyinnovation.org, new research has revealed that EVs are now cheaper to own and finance on a monthly basis than gas powered vehicles.

are available for purchase.

Nic Thomas, an executive at Nissan, indicated that almost all of their batteries are still in cars, some as old as 12 years. In addition, according to an article in the Wall Street Journal, batteries are outliving the life of the vehicle and are being repurposed into large-scale energy storage. Reusing these batteries is common in Japan and growing in the U.K. and here at home. They are being repurposed to store energy from solar panels and wind turbines.

Redwood Materials in Nevada

electric vehicle.

While some were over $100,000 initially, many of them are now in the $35,000 - $65,000 range and getting less expensive all the time. The basic Chevy Bolt has a starting price of just upwards of $26,500 so cost is no longer a deterring factor.

People are finding out that the resale value on used EVs is better than expected.

Where you can buy them is pretty much everywhere now.

Randy Warsop, a salesman with Michael Bates Chevrolet in

To recap, we see that EVs don’t pollute or emit heat like gas cars, the range isn’t a problem any more with chargers everywhere, the prices have come down, the batteries can last longer than the vehicle itself and the life cycle emissions are less than gas cars, making them better for our environment, our planet, our lungs and our health. No wonder there’s a six month or more waiting list.

If you’re in the market for a new car, hopefully you’ll at least consider an electric vehicle now!

Dave Howell and his electric vehicle.

Fall Admissions Event At Gabriel Richard That You Won’t Want to Miss

As the 2022-2023 school year is now well underway, the Gabriel Richard Catholic admissions office is working diligently to provide insightful and enjoyable events for “Future Pioneers” and their parents this fall.

INTO THE WOODS

Friday, November 11 - Sunday, November 13. The Gabriel Richard Catholic High School Thespian Guild invites you to attend our fall production of Into The Woods, a lively musical about a baker and his wife who set out to reverse a witch’s curse in hopes of having a child of their own. The play intertwines plots from several Brothers Grimm fairy tales, including Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel and Cinderella. Tickets are on sale now for performances on November 11, 12 and 13.

For more information about Gabriel Richard, contact Brendan Johnson, Director of Admissions, by phone, 734-284-3636 or by email, admissions@gabrielrichard.org

Wyandotte pets

Hedwig

This is Hedwig. She lives in Wyandotte with her human Heidi Garcia

Willow

This beauty is Willow. She lives in Wyandotte with her humans Tim and Cindy Migoski.

Elly

This is Elly, who moved into Wyandotte about a year ago. She loves walking her neighborhood and going downtown with her humans Jonathon and Jamie.

Sammie

This is Sammie, a 2-yearold Wyandotte resident who lives here with her human Karen. Karen says Sammie is a “love bug” and the best dog she has ever owned

Sherry@gobigmultimedia.

Rouge River revived

The story of how community came together to save a waterway

Susan Pinkowski

Our favorite Downriver scientist, John Hartig, was asked by the University of Michigan Press to collaborate with other noteworthy professionals on the amazing story of how 48 communities came together to restore our oxygendepleted, polluted, and dangerous Rouge River.

The transformation of our local river was nothing short of tremendous.

Likewise, the literary collaboration among two scientists, two engineers, two journalists, an anthropologist, an architect, a filmmaker, two biologists and four people who have made environmental education their life’s work, is also tremendous.

Rouge River Revived recounts the history that destroyed this river, and how it was slowly brought back to life. Dr. Hartig recently gave a talk to folks gathered at the Dearborn Historical Museum about the factual accounting laid out in this book.

Had we treated the river, and actually our planet, the way the First Nations did, we would have avoided not only the cesspool that the Rouge became, but also could have avoided the increasing climatic changes we are learning how to live through. The First Nations believed that water was sacred, that it was the source of life, and they felt a sense of stewardship towards it. They also believe that land itself is a sacred living being, and it would be to our great benefit to adopt those beliefs.

The book explains how the fur traders came for beaver pelts and pretty much decimated the entire population.

More Europeans came eventually transforming our forests for agricultural use. Then commerce, agriculture and lumbering took off and changed the landscape of our watershed.

If that wasn’t bad enough, industry staked a foothold and rapidly expanded.

The Rouge was dammed for hydroelectric power by Henry Ford between 1910-1920, and eventually a total of 62 dams wound up on the river.

When Henry Ford built the largest manufacturing facility in the world in 1915, the end of the Rouge had to be

dredged to 23’ feet deep to allow in freighters for shipping purposes. He even changed the course of the river to get a straighter shot to the Detroit River, which created Zug Island. Then the war started, and civilian productivity turned into military productivity almost overnight. Things went downhill from there.

All of this industry produced waste in the form of oil and petroleum products that were casually dumped into the Rouge River, eventually totaling up to 5.9 million gallons each year.

That seems scandalous now, but it was business as usual back in the late ‘40s. When 11,000 ducks and geese died in one week, our local duck hunters were outraged. They had had enough and scooped up the dead fowl for a ride to the steps of Michigan’s government in Lansing where they were dumped in protest.

Unfortunately, that changed nothing, and the pollution continued.

In the 1960s 12,000 more waterfowl died. Still no governmental reaction or action.

Then the spark of an acetylene torch caught the Rouge River on fire in October of 1969, shooting flames 50 feet into the air. The Detroit Free Press reported at the time that when you have a river on fire, you have problems. We had definite problems but no solutions.

Around that same time, many residents of Detroit were moving into communities in the watershed, expanding the capacity of the stormwater drainage and sanitary sewage systems. The system would hold until a significant storm would overwhelm it, causing them to dump untreated sewage into the Rouge River. At one time, 168 sewage overflows were identified in the river.

As more people moved to the suburbs in the Rouge River watershed, more ground was paved or asphalted, which increased stormwater runoff and sewage heading to the Rouge.

Eventually, the unthinkable happened – the carp were dying in the Rouge River, and carp are one species that can handle heavy pollution.

The river was so bereft of oxygen that it eventually began to smell like rotten eggs caused by hydrogen sulfide that was being formed in the river from decomposition of sewage.

The stench was horrible. If you didn’t have air conditioning, your only choice to get a cooling breeze was to open your windows, but the smell floating inside the house quickly changed your mind. The people of the cities of Dearborn and Melvindale petitioned their governments in 1985 to eliminate the odors.

Worse than that, a man accidentally fell into the river in the mid-1980s while out enjoying the park with his family. He climbed out, dried off, and continued his event. When they went home later, he fell ill and soon died from leptospirosis, also known as rat fever.

That was the last straw. Wayne State did a study about the quality and quantity of the combined sewer overflows, looking at all 168 points of entry on the Rouge. They discovered that even if Detroit spent millions to fix the problem, it wouldn’t be successful unless all 48 communities in the

ROUGE

Continued from page 16

watershed joined in.

That seemed like an impossible undertaking, but we are fortunate in that one man decided to take the challenge: Jim Murray, a Washtenaw County drain commissioner who had grown up in the watershed and was then chairman of the Michigan Water Resources Commission. He brought the 48 communities, three counties, the general public, SEMCOG, schools and industries, Friends of the Rouge, the U.S. EPA, Michigan’s DNR, and other NGOs together in a watershed partnership to get the job done.

Joining this effort at Mr. Murray’s instigation in a big way was Congressman John Dingell, who managed to get $350 million of funding over the years to restore the Rouge River.

Soon U.S. District Judge John Feikens was assigned a lawsuit started by the EPA to stop pollution from the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department. The pollution included “stormwater runoff, sewer overflows, illicit sewer connections, failed septic tanks, and a whole host of sources from all 48 watershed communities.”

Judge Feikens worked with Murray and Dingell, and ordered that to get the funding, the communities had to match the federal funding. These communities were, not surprisingly, experiencing difficulties in working together on this vast project but through the leadership of those three, consensus was reached. Communities and other partners contributed another $650 million over time to further the rehabilitation and restoration of our watershed. They worked beyond political boundaries and

disciplinary boundaries to solve the pressing problem of the Rouge River being a public health problem. Murray also brought on Dr. William Stapp who transformed the educational approach to this watershed for students in the area communities. His work was so ground-breaking that it became a model for other governments and eventually earned him a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize. The section in the book on his work and the work of the citizen scientists is very interesting.

The work they accomplished is spelled out in detail in the book, which includes habitat restoration, sediment remediation, reconnecting the Oxbow in Dearborn, creation of a fish ladder, PCB removal and much, much more.

This work literally restored life back into the Rouge River.

There are now 23 miles of the Rouge that can be canoed and kayaked. And you don’t have to worry about falling in anymore.

Kurt Kuban has an entire chapter in the book with

It took cooperation between 48 Michigan communities to bring the Rouge River back to life.

details about all the recreational activities available on the Rouge, which started with his three-day maiden canoe voyage to see if it was even possible!

That grueling trip expanded over time into a group of people dedicated to clearing the logjams and creating the Lower Rouge Water Trail. It’s an enjoyable read.

More kayak and canoe launches were installed as more communities joined into the project. He gives details on Hines Park, Johnson Creek, Carpenter Lake Nature Preserve, the Holliday Forest and Wildlife Preserve, Rouge River Gateway Trail, Rouge Park, Dynamite Park, and the lower Rouge. You could easily spend an entire summer getting acquainted with all the recreational opportunities available in the watershed.

You can get more acquainted with kayaking the Lower Rouge by reaching out to the Friends of the Rouge River. https://therouge.org. They created a 27mile Lower Rouge River Water Trail which connects people, communities, and the history of the area for the enjoyment of all.

We’re not done restoring the Rouge River and we’re certainly not done saving the planet from unknown horrific weather challenges.

John Hartig and Jim Graham remind us to not be complacent, we must realize that our voices and our actions really do matter. They end with a list of personal things that we can do. Please adopt as many as you can:

Value all life and take care of all species, as First Peoples did before us

Make the Rouge River your river, and teach your children and other family members that we are part of the Rouge River ecosystem, and that what we do to our ecosystem, we do to ourselves

Go out to the Rouge River on a regular basis and experience its beauty

Tell stories about the river to your neighbors and friends that show you have a personal relationship with it and have a deep respect for it, a reverence

Get involved in caring for the river. Don’t sit on the sidelines – volunteer with Friends of the Rouge, the Alliance of Rouge Communities

https://www.allianceofrougecommunities.com or a local school, church, or community group working to protect and restore the river

Advocate for the ecosystem approach, and make sure all schools are teaching that humans are part of nature and ecosystems and practice citizen science as described in chapters 7 and 8

Sign the personal letter to the Rouge River watershed [or make one for the planet!] presented at the end of chapter 9, making a pledge to better care for the river for both present and future generations

Start or continue your journey to live more sustainably through your personal choices – recycle, practice energy conservation, carpool, install a rain barrel, build a rain garden or pollinator garden, stop using single-use plastics, become a watershed ambassador and steward.

Please join the volumes of people already working towards these goals.

Check out the Rouge River on your next day off –you won’t regret it. Nature and possibilities will fill your soul.

For more information on rain gardens and climate mitigation, head on over to my web site at www.

PinkowskiBytes.com for some of the earlier articles published in this newspaper.

John Hartig

happening at your

Bacon Memorial Library will be closed for Thanksgiving from Nov. 24 - 26.

Makin’ At Bacon

November 7: Spooky-cute DIY charm pins. Drop in for a different craft every week!

Create a spooky yet so cute beaded pin with an enamel charm to show your Halloween spirit. Make it here or take it home while supplies last. No registration.

Al Turner drop in chess

Kids and adults of all ages can meet challenging new players every Thursday @ 5:30 pm.

Surprise Reads! pickup begins Saturday, Oct. 29

Each Surprise Book Bag will contain one library book related to the monthly theme and a few treats or a craft to go along with the theme. Check out the book, keep the themed swag/treats then return the library book. Treats/swag will be aimed at older teens/adults. High school or Adult level books can be chosen! Registration Required.

Missing Mummy Mystery is October 24-29

Dr. Hal O. Ween, a renowned archeologist, delivered an ancient sarcophagus with the mummified remains of an unknown Egyptian ruler to Bacon Library. Every morning the librarians discover that the mummy has moved to a new location in the house. This mummy is getting trickier and trickier to find and we need your help to unwrap the mystery of the moving mummy.

We have a special treat for any budding archeologist who can find our missing mummy. While on your search through the Bacon House, stop to craft four projects and select one book to keep. Visit at your convenience. We would love to see your costumes but they are not required.

Lego Wednesdays is Nov. 2 from 10 a.m. - 7:30 p.m

Did you know Bacon Library has a huge stash of Legos? Stop in the Maker Space Room every first Wednesday of the Month!

November 7-12: Turkey Pins

Get ready for thanksgiving with this adorable turkey pin. Make it here to take it home while supplies last. No registration.

Indian Corn Bean Craft: Nov. 14-19

Indian corn is one of the most beautiful decorations for fall. We put a twist on this seasonal delight by making it out of colorful beans. Make it here to take it home while supplies last. No registration.

Poets and Playwrights is Nov. 1 at 6 p.m.

Bacon Book Club is Nov. 2 at 6:30 p.m.

This month we are reading Home for Erring and Outcast Girls by Julie Kibler. Read along with us or better yet – meet with us and share your thoughts. We meet on the 1st Wednesday of each month. If you would like us to reserve a copy of the book for you, call 734-2468357.

Bacon House Tour is Nov. 5 at 10 a.m.

Downriver Numismatic Association is Nov. 10 at 6 p.m.

Monthly coin club meeting.

Library Board Meeting is Nov. 14 at 3:30 p.m.

Edmund Fitzgerald Investigations is Nov. 15 at 6 p.m.

The mighty Fitz is the Great Lakes largest shipwreck, resting in two major pieces on the bottom of Lake Superior just over the Canadian border. It was lost in a killer storm in 1975, and its entire crew of 29 simply vanished into the waves around seven that evening.

Shipwreck historian Ric Mixter is one of only a handful of people who have visited the wreck personally, diving 550 feet down in a tiny submarine to explore the site for over an hour.

This was actually the beginning of over 20 years of research for Mixter, who has collected one of the largest film archives of Fitzgerald related material. Registration Highly Suggested. https:// www.shipwreckpodcast.com/

GET GREAT NEW GLASSES, SAVE SOME MONEY!

Many people - most, perhaps - go to an optometrist, get an eye exam and then follow the lady in the white coat over to the wall of frames and pick out a new set of glasses.

The story ends with the customer paying way more than he or she ever expected.

If that pretty much describes you, Bob Schmittou says there is something you should know: He can save you money, maybe lots of money.

Schmittou, a proud military veteran, owns New Eyes Optical, located on 1616 Ford Avenue, right at 16th Street in Wyandotte.

There are no doctors at New Eyes, just lots of frames and Schmittou, who can get you into fashionable new glasses for a lot less than all of the other chains and franchises out there.

Just bring your eyeglass prescription to him and see what kind of magic he can work for you.

“I am kind of like what the pharmacy is to your doctor,” Schmittou said. “Your doctor writes you a prescription. He doesn’t try to sell you the drugs. You go to the pharmacy. The same is true with us. You bring us a prescription and we will fill it.”

New Eyes Optical does not accept insurance, but their low prices mean that is often not an issue.

Schmittou has been in the eyeglass game for a long time. He enlisted in the Army after graduating from Lincoln Park High School and Uncle Sam sent him to school to learn how to make eyeglasses.

He did that in the Army for nearly four years and then worked for Lenscrafters and for private doctors after that.

In 2012 he opened New Eyes Optical and has been there ever since.

Schmittou said he has over 1,300 frames in his building and can make arrangements to get others if customers come in with a specific brand or style in mind.

For sunglass lovers, Schmittou said he has the largest selection of Ray Ban and Oakley sunglasses in the area.

If you come in, you will deal with Schmittou himself. He and his wife Pam are the only employees. Schmittou does the fitting of the eyewear, and Pam orders frames and keeps the shop looking fresh by arranging the frame displays and decorating.

So, if you are in the market for new glasses, would like a little personal attention and a really low price, give Schmittou a call at 313-587-4204, drop an email at neweyesoptical2012@gmail. com or contact them through their Facebook page, Facebook.com/neweyesoptical.

Facebook Testimonials...

Molly...

Love love love the food here! The food is fantastic and the service is great!

Joseph...

The

battered shrimp was light and crispy. The stuffed pepper soup was the best I’ve had in a

son really enjoyed his perch, too. We all need to support this great place.

Susan...

Food, service and atmosphere is fabulous! Special events there are a lot of fun!

food

Had the prime rib for two. Some of the best we’ve had in a while. Spacious well heated dining patio. Good cocktails and large craft beer selection.

Rebecca...

Amazing food. One of the best burgers I’ve had in a while and the BEST onion rings I have probably ever had. And I’m very picky about onion rings. Chicken tenders are fresh and most definitely from scratch!! Great service and atmosphere. 4+ stars!!!!!

Brandon...

Great food!!! Nice staff and very clean!

Despite losing record Bear gridders fight on

It has been a tough season for the Roosevelt football team.

The Bears lost their first five games of the season and several of those losses featured one-sided scores. The Bears gave up 55 points to Allen Park, 48 to Waterford Mott and 51 to Carlson.

But as the season progressed, the Bears found their footing and heading into the Oct. 21 regular season-finale at Trenton, the Bears had won two of their last three games.

And in those games, the big numbers belonged to Roosevelt.

The Bears beat Lincoln Park 35-19 and two weeks later – after losing to Woodhaven – they blasted Dearborn Edsel Ford 49-19.

The victories helped to showcase Roosevelt running back Max Biundo, who has had a terrific season despite his team’s struggles.

In Roosevelt’s first win of the season, a homecoming night triumph over Lincoln Park, Biundo went over the 200-yard rushing mark in the game, running up 205 yards and scoring a pair of touchdowns.

Biundo had plenty of help that night as Emmitt Mendenhall rushed for a score and quarterback Tyler Kurdi threw touchdown passes to George Lovell and Chase Cline.

After a forgettable 49-14 loss at the hands of Downriver League power Woodhaven, the Bears bounced back, scoring 49 points of their own in

beating Edsel Ford and posting their biggest win of the 2022 season.

Roosevelt had seven touchdowns that night and Biuno scored three of them. He rushed for 134 yards. Kurdi threw three touchdown passes and Mendenhall rushed for another.

Kurdi was on target all night as he completed 12-of-14 passes.

Cline and Lovell again were his favorite receivers.

Cline hauled in five balls for 105 yards and Lovell caught five more for 67 yards. Cline caught a touchdown pass, as did Michael Stathakis

The Bears finished the campaign on Oct. 21 in Trenton in a game that was played after the Wyandotte Warrior’s press deadline.

Photos by Constance York

After a slow start to the season quarterback Tyler Kurdi led the Roosevelt football team to two victories, including a homecoming win over Lincoln Park and a blowout of Dearborn Edsel Ford. Kurdi threw multiple touchdown passes in each of the victories.

Emmitt Mendenhall had a touchdown run in both of Roosevelt’s victories this year.

Bears cap a great 2022 tennis season

It was a sensational season for the Wyandotte Roosevelt boys tennis team, which captured the Downriver League championship and then won its third consecutive MHSAA Division 2 district championship and went on to compete in the MHSAA state meet.

At the district tournament on Oct. 6, Roosevelt players reached the finals in seven of the eight flights at the regional meet.

Roosevelt won the title with 17 points. Trenton, which also qualified for the state finals, was runner-up with 13. Gibraltar Carlson (9) placed fourth in the region and Allen Park (4) was next in fifth. Lincoln Park, Riverview Gabriel Richard and Carleton Airport also competed but didn’t score any points.

The Bears won three individual titles.

Brendan Bayon won at No. 3 singles, defeating Bedford’s Vince Cole in the finals 6-3 and 6-1.

Cole Beaubien and Daniel Hickey beat Carlson’s John Hojnowski and Nick Riley (6-2, 6-0) in the finals at No. 1 doubles.

At No. 2 doubles, Gavin Daum and Aiden Kuzma topped Carlson’s Trey Fields and Nico Reach (6-2, 6-2) to claim the crown

The Bears then competed in the D2 state finals in Midland, where they scored three points.

At the league meet, Wyandotte won five of eight flights and won the Downriver League crown for the second year in a row. Wyandotte and Trenton entered the league meet tied for the top spot, but the Bears outscored the Trojans 20-15 at the finals to wrap up the league title.

Emmet Oswald (No.1), Bayon (No.3) and Brooks Blackledge (No.4) were all singles champions. Beaubien and Hickey won the No. 1 doubles crown and Daum and Kuzma won the No. 2 title.

Let us help help accomplish great things! things!

Makuch and Cost still dominating CC trails

At the second Downriver League Cross Country Jamboree at Willow Metropark on Oct. 4, Roosevelt seniors Michael Makuch and Samantha Cost kept up their dominance over league rivals.

Makuch ran 16:32 to win the boys race and Cost ran 18:59 – the only female runner to break 19 minutes – to win the girls race.

Ethan Johnson, Easton Mendenhall, Blake Roberts and Marcus Hawethorne finished the scoring for the boys and Eleanor Grant, Mercedes Dziendziel, Lauren Moreno and Loreli Harris completed the scoring for the girls.

The Bear teams competed in the Downriver League Meet on Oct. 20, but those results were unavailable to the Wyandotte Warrior’s press time.

Cost put on quite a show at the Wayne County Championships at Willow on Oct. 8.

There were 17 girls teams at the event and 140 runners and Cost finished first.

Cost blistered the course in 18:25 and beat the second-place runner, Layla Krayem of Livonia Stevenson, by 24 seconds. Marino was 30th that day for the Bears, who finished eighth in the 17team field.

There were 31 boys teams at the event and 216 individuals and Makuch wound up 18th in 16:26. Makuch was the highest finishing Downriver League finisher and only three Downriver runners – Chris Russellburg of Cabrini, Logan Ruffner of Riverview and Jake Stanislawski of Flat Rock – finished ahead of him.

As a team, Wyandotte was 19th.

At the Gabriel Richard Downriver Meet, which is what remains of the old News-Herald Invitational, Makuch was fourth behind Russellburg, Ruffner and Sam Roberts of Dearborn. The Roosevelt ace ran 16:22 on the Young Patriots Park course.

The girls, who were without Cost on that day, more than held their own, taking home third-place honors just five points behind runner-up Allen Park.

Moreno, Grant and Harris all finished among the top 20 racers and Dziendziel and Abby Caudill finished the Wyandotte scoring.

The Bears will wrap up the 2022 season at a Michigan High School Athletic Association regional hoisted by Milan High School on Oct. 29.

The state meet is Nov. 5 at the Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn.

Estate Planning 101 Which plan do you need?

Time to clear up the confusion about Estate Planning ... The following definitions lack legal precision, but makes it easier to get a clear picture of what may be needed in your case.

■ Will – letter of intent of where you want your personal property to go – or not go.

■ Living Will – Documents your wishes during your final days including final healthcare choices and possibly your burial wishes.

■ Trust – This is a “company” that you start, and you become the CEO, “Trustee” and “Settlor.” The company outlives you, but continues to manage your assets as if you were alive by the successor CEO – whom you designate.

■ Power of Attorney – Financial and Healthcare – you need both – the first so someone can pay your bills, the second, sometimes called a Patient Advocate, designates someone to make “hallway at the hospital” decisions to take the stress off the family.

■ Ladybird Deed – probably the best thing that has happened to owning a home. I love these deeds – you grant yourself a life estate – in your own property - but retain the power to sell or borrow against the property. If you do not sell before you pass, this “springs” the house out of your estate, and your heirs have instant ownership, subject to any mortgage or taxes owed or similar.

Again, this is just a general description of the more popular terms – no one choice is a “silver bullet” but depending on how your estate gets planned out you can expedite a clean and clear process for the assets you worked a lifetime to save. Why wouldn’t you want to do that? Stop by or call and make an appointment and I’ll tell you what you’re going to need to do this right.

To my numerous former clients – thank you for allowing me to draft your estate plan!

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