Wyandotte Warrior, February 27 – March 25, 2024

By HANK MINCKIEWICZ

It has been a long and fairly tough season for the Roosevelt basketball team, which went 7-13 through its first 20 games.

It’s been an especially rough go in the Downriver League where the Bears won just four of their first 14 games.

But recently, between Feb. 6-13, the Bears played their best stretch of basketball this season.

It began with a 63-56 win over Southgate Anderson.

Now basketball wins over Southgate are not generally a big deal, but this year the young Titans have shown spunk. The Titans beat the Bears in their first meeting, the team has a winning record and one of its wins came over Lincoln Park, which was leading the league at the time.

The Bears then beat Dearborn Heights Crestwood 51-40 and finished the stretch by crushing Garden City 66-24. The Southgate, Crestwood and Garden City games were all played in Wyandotte.

The stretch came to a close with a heartbreaking 54-53 loss at Allen Park on Feb. 25.

The Garden City game was a dream for the Bears, who scored the first 18 points of the night and never looked back.

A laugher if ever there was one, Garden City scored its first basket of the game with less than a minute remaining in the first quarter and the Cougars did not reach double digits on the scoreboard until after halftime.

It was 18-2 at the end of the first quarter and 35-9 at intermission.

As if they needed to show their

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!

Great Lakes Moment

Lest we forget – A history of Detroit River oil pollution

By JOHN HARTIG

Today, the Detroit River is much cleaner, and sentinel wildlife species have returned. It is good to look back at the 1960s pollution of the river, notably oil pollution, and recognize how far we have come. However, we still have much work to do, including developing a stewardship ethic.

During the 1940s, Detroit River oil pollution worsened when metropolitan Detroit became the “arsenal of democracy,” and no environmental laws existed. At that time, the nation’s sole purpose was to win World War II, and Detroit’s role was to help supply implements of war to achieve the Allied victory. According to the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, massive amounts of oil and petroleum products totaling 5.9 million gallons per year were released into the Detroit River from 1946 to 1948.

One of the consequences of this oil pollution was waterfowl mortality. Oil can mat the feathers of waterfowl, reducing feather-insulating properties, which can result in death due to exposure to cold water. Oil on the feathers can also result in buoyancy loss, leading to drowning. In 1948, 11,000 waterfowl died from this oil pollution.

By the 1960s, water pollution of the Detroit River was rampant. Industry was king and provided goodpaying jobs. As a result, citizens became indifferent to water pollution, seeing it as just part of the cost of doing business. Even though oil discharges declined substantially in the 1960s, they remained a significant problem.

In 1961, the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare measured 158,000 gallons of oil discharged into the Detroit River annually. This volume was still substantial because one gallon of oil can pollute a million gallons of water. Oil pollution impacts continued to occur, with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources reporting 12,000 and 5,700 waterfowl deaths due to oil pollution during 1960 and 1967, respectively.

It was during the 1960s that the Federal Water Pollution Control Administration (the predecessor of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) characterized the Detroit River as one of the most polluted rivers in the United States. During this decade, industries discharged oil and other petroleum products, heavy metals, and organic compounds like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) like those immediately preceding it.

They were killing organisms living on the river bottom, causing cancer in bottom-feeding fish, and making game fish unsafe to eat. Indeed, the lower end of the Rouge River – a tributary of the Detroit River –was so polluted with oil and other petroleum products that it caught on fire on October 9, 1969.

On that infamous day, a welder’s torch accidentally dropped and ignited oil and oil-soaked wooden debris

floating on the lower river. Flames climbed 50 feet into the air, and the U.S. Coast Guard had to halt traffic on the river. It would take ten fire engines and the Detroit fire boat named the John Kendall to contain the fire and let it burn out.

Michigan Conservation Officer with oil-soaked ducks from the Detroit River that had died from oil pollution, 1948 (credit: Bentley Historical Collection, Jack Van Covering Papers).

Jim Gorris, the retired mayor of Gibraltar, a small community located at the mouth of the Detroit River as it enters western Lake Erie, and a lifelong outdoorsman, grew up in the late 1950s and 1960s in Lincoln Park, a suburban community located just south of Detroit, and spent most of his free time on the Detroit River.

“It seemed that the Detroit River always had an oil sheen on it. As a result, the river had its own unique oil smell during those years – sort of like a gas station,” said Gorris. “When fishing offshore, it was more of

a faint smell, but if we were fishing from shore or along it, the rocks would be coated in oil and the smell would be stronger – a more pungent, oily-like smell of hydrocarbons.”

Gorris and his family lived a few miles inland from the river, requiring them to trailer their boat to go fishing. Because of the substantial oil pollution, oil would accumulate on their boat hull, requiring a thorough cleaning after each fishing trip. Gorris said: “Even our fishing lines and reels would get coated with oil and had to be periodically cleaned.”

During high school, Gorris rowed on the river. For him, it was another way to be out on the water and explore the river. He even swam off the east side of Fighting Island in Canada, where the water was cleaner. Gorris noted: “When we returned from rowing practice or a regatta to the Ecorse Boat Club, we would have to clean the oil off the hull and wipe off the oil on our oars.”

Public outcry over pollution in the 1960s led to an environmental awakening: the first Earth Day in 1970, the establishment of the 1970 Canada Water Act, the 1970 U.S. National Environmental Policy Act, the

1972 U.S. Clean Water Act, the 1972 Canada-U.S. Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, the 1973 U.S. Endangered Species Act, and many complementary state and provincial environmental laws.

River monitoring has since documented substantial improvements over the last more than 50 years, including reductions in critical pollutant loadings, upgraded municipal wastewater treatment from primary to secondary treatment with phosphorus removal, reduced contaminant burdens in levels in fish and wildlife, remediation of some contaminated sediment hot spots, and enhancement or rehabilitation of targeted habitats. This improvement in the river’s health has, in turn, resulted in an ecological revival, including the return of bald eagles, peregrine falcons, osprey, lake sturgeon, lake whitefish, walleye, beaver, and river otter.

Oil spill data collected by the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency show a substantial reduction in the volume of oil spilled; however, there are still years when substantial oil spills occur. For example, a more than 100,000-gallon oil spill occurred in the Rouge River in 2002, resulting in a $7.5 million cleanup on the lower Rouge River and both the Canadian and American sides of the Detroit River. Ten ducks and geese died as a result of this oil spill. While this number may seem insignificant compared to years past, it reminds us that oil pollution continues to threaten waterfowl.

Although there is no questioning the improvement in the Detroit River, much remains to be done to reach long-term ecosystem goals. Key challenges include preventing pollution, remediating contaminated river sediments and brownfields that are stymying further improvement in ecosystem health, addressing stormwater and sewage overflows, mitigating and adapting to climate change, rehabilitating and conserving habitats, and preventing the introduction of invasive species.

We must remember this 1960s water pollution and recognize that we share our ecosystem with fish, birds, and other life. Therefore, we must not forget that what we do to our ecosystem, we do to ourselves. We must continue reconnecting people with the Detroit River through greenways and water trails and provide citizen science and land and water protection opportunities that foster conservation and environmental education. Such outdoor recreational and educational experiences help galvanize an appreciation and love for the outdoors. That, in turn, will help develop a strong sense of place that can inspire a stewardship ethic.

John Hartig is a board member at the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy. He serves as a Visiting Scholar at the University of Windsor’s Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research and has written numerous books and publications on the environment and the Great Lakes. Hartig also helped create the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge, where he worked for 14 years as the refuge manager.

Downriver Women’s Organization offers $2,500 academic scholarship

The Wyandotte-Downriver branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) is offering a $2,500 scholarship in 2024, through its foundation, for all eligible applicants. The deadline to apply is March 31, 2024.

“The intent of this scholarship is to provide financial support, including tuition, fees, books and supplies to a Downriver native who is currently enrolled full-time,” said Barbara Duran, current co-President of the Downriver Branch. The scholarship is for the Fall Semester of 2024, and will be paid directly to the chosen college or university on behalf of the student.

Applicants must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident residing in any of the following communities: Allen Park, Brownstown, Ecorse, Flat Rock, Gibraltar, Grosse Ile, Huron Township, Lincoln Park, Melvindale, New Boston, River Rouge, Riverview, Rockwood, Romulus, Southgate, Taylor, Trenton, Woodhaven or Wyandotte.

They also must have earned a minimum of 12 college credits and be

currently enrolled as a full-time undergraduate student.

All interested students who wish to apply for this scholarship should send an email with the subject: “Academic Scholarship 2024” to aauwwd@gmail. com to receive the application form and guidelines.

The completed application, required essay and a copy of the applicant’s transcript must be sent to: AAUWWDF, c/o Sheila Blair, 4143 McKenna Dr., Adrian, MI 49221, or via email to scholarship committee chair Sheila Blair, at: aauwwd@gmail.com by the deadline date of March 31st.

AAUW Wyandotte-Downriver supports leadership, education, equity and economic security for women through scholarships, training and political advocacy. Information about the branch and our activities can be found at: facebook.com/AAUWWyandotteDownriverBranch, or by calling Barb Duran at 313-300-1710 or Sue Stoll at 737-692-4919. Address email to aauwwd@gmail.com

City clubs team up for chili cookoff competition

At the end of February, several of Wyandotte’s nonprofit clubs will go head-to-head in a chili competition. The competition will be judged by local restaurateurs and community leaders, and a people’s choice winner will also be selected by a vote of attendees. Participant Clubs include American Legion 217 Auxiliary Unit, American Legion Post 447, Fraternal Order of Police #111 (FOP), Knights of Columbus Wyandotte Council, Polish Legion of American Veterans #74 (PLAV), Polish Roman Catholic Union Society #162 (PRCU), Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1136 (VFW), and the Wyandotte Boat Club. Individual clubs held their competitions throughout the fall and winter and will send their top two competitors to the Citywide.

This is the third annual City Club Chili Cookoff, and organizers appreciate what the event has done for bringing people together in the city. “We took third place last year, and this year we’re hoping to improve our standings, but no matter who takes home the trophy, everyone wins when we work together,” said Dave Simko, representing PLAV Post 74 on the organizing committee.

Two-time winner and past Commander of VFW Post 1136, Brian Martin, issued a challenge to newcomers this year: “I’ve gone back to back, and now I’m going for the hat trick. The trophy shelf at VFW is straining under the weight of all my victories. I challenge all participants to bring their best, but I’m the undisputed King of the Spicy Kingdom,” he noted. “But seriously, we’re going

to have some great chilis and some tough competition. What a great day for us, together and in support of all Wyandotte’s nonprofit clubs. Best of luck to the competitors!”

The event will be held Sunday, February 25th at 3pm at the PRCU Hall (1430 Oak St., Wyandotte, MI 48192). In addition to sampling the competition chili for a $5 spoon fee, the event will feature raffles with prizes donated by the clubs and local businesses. “The chili cookoff has been a wonderful way to build solidarity across the city’s nonprofit clubs,” said Kelly Stec, a spokesperson for the event. “It’s been great to see everyone get together for a little friendly competition and a lot of community good, and I’m so excited to see the event’s growth. The more people who come out and taste chili, the more money we are able to feed back into service projects around town. And we’re always looking for new participants, so if you’ve got a nonprofit club or organization who’s interested in trying to take down Commander Martin, please reach out!”

The group is accepting donations until February 22nd. They are also welcoming new member clubs and organizations who may wish to submit a chili or join in next year’s planning process. Interested parties are encouraged to email Kelly Stec at kstec@ wyandottemi.gov. To sponsor or make a donation to the event, please reach Donna at 734-552-0238.

For more information, please contact Kelly Stec at 734-778-3138 or by email at kstec@wyandottemi.gov

Pasta for paws: animal shelters to host dinner

By DAVE GORGON

The largest fundraiser of the year to support three Downriver agencies that care for animals is a spaghetti fundraising dinner set for 2 to 8 p.m. Saturday, March 2, at the PRCU Banquet Hall at 1430 Oak in Wyandotte.

Volunteers of the Wyandotte Animal Adoption Center, the Downriver Central Animal Control and Pound Pals Downriver will host the dinner, which invites area animal lovers to support the cause.

Tickets are $10; children ages 5 and under are admitted free. Tickets are sold at the door. Many raffle baskets, 50.50 drawings, a cash bar and a wine pull are included in the day’s festivities.

Pound Pals Downriver is a nonprofit, tax-exempt, allvolunteer group that assists in the care of animals at the Downriver Central Animal Control facilities that include animals from Wyandotte, Southgate, Riverview and Allen Park.

Since its inception in 2006, volunteers have promoted adoptions, cleaned cages, cared for

injured animals and implemented an adoption and spay/ neuter program. The presence of animal advocates working in collaboration with a city municipal shelter has successfully reduced the euthanasia rate from 80 percent to less than 10 percent each year.

As part of the partnership with the four communities, Pound Pals provides services such as dog walking, spay and neutering and emergency veterinarian visits while the municipalities handle management of animal control officers.

“Before Pound Pals, an animal would come into the shelter with injuries ranging from broken bones, upper respiratory, flea infestation, eye infections or worse,” said Pound Pals founder Kim Moore. “Without funds to get them better and improve their health, there was little chance of them getting adopted and a serious chance they might have to be euthanized. This changed when Pound Pals was established and was able to raise money to help them.”

The hard-working group members not only provide services, they also work hard to raise money. Pound

Friends of the Detroit River to hold Wyandotte event

On Saturday, April 6, the Friends of the Detroit River (FDR) will be holding its annual “Keep-the Boat-Afloat” fundraising dinner at the Wyandotte Boat Club. The dinner event is held each year to support the work done by the Detroit Riverkeeper and FDR.

The Riverkeeper is responsible for patrolling the river by boat, looking for water pollution and other related problems affecting the river and its natural habitats. This year the dinner program will provide an update on ongoing Detroit River habitat restoration projects and work being done by FDR and its partners to improve our areas walking, bike and trail system entitled “ Downriver Linked Greenway’s: Connecting Communities now and into the future.”

Along with this presentation, the event includes an opportunity for social networking, a catered dinner by Truago, live entertainment, door prizes and a silent auction. It is always a pleasant evening with good food, good friends, and a great view of the Detroit River from the Wyandotte Boat Club. If you are interested in attending this event, you can purchase tickets on FDR’s website at www. detroitriver.org or call the FDR office at (734) 288-3889 for additional information.

Pals is grateful for any donation that could assist the organization. Every donation makes a difference, regardless of size; generosity alleviates animal suffering and the loss of life for nearly 2,000 animals impounded at Downriver Central Animal Control.

“We work hard as volunteers to work, clean, walk and medicate the strays,” said volunteer Eve Howell. “But to fulfill the mission, we must work equally as hard to raise the funds.

“Countless lives have been saved from our efforts. Also, every animal that is adopted by us has been spayed or neutered.”

To make a donation to the 501c3 organization, to become a shelter volunteer or to get more information, send an email to wacvolunteers@gmail.com or follow the Wyandotte Animal Shelter Facebook page.

Join us for the Downriver Young Professionals Meet-up

Ron Hinrichs, CEO/President SWCRC

We’re excited to announce the Downriver Young Professionals Meet-up powered by DTE and hosted by Soroptimist International and Rev’d Up Fun. Young professionals aged 40 and under are invited to attend this unique opportunity to grow your network at Rev’d Up Fun in Woodhaven. Attendees can network with like-minded professionals at a similar stage in their careers while learning from experts in the areas of finance, management, small business growth, networking, marketing, and so much more.

This exclusive Downriver Young Professionals meetup will feature a visit from members of the SWCRC Business Advisory Council, who will answer questions and provide impactful guidance on the topics important to your business and professional growth. The venue will provide a cash bar and food for purchase.

Bring your questions, business cards and social media handles, and get ready to launch your career!

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 2,000 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.

2024 “Battle for Freedom: Color Me Free” Charity Gala

Asold-out audience of 620 attendees agreed that this gala was an event to remember. Soroptimist International of Trenton and Downriver Area hosted its fourth biennial “Battle for Freedom” on Saturday, January 27, 2024. This avant-garde hair and fashion show, entitled “Color Me Free,” showcased local salon stylists who dressed, designed hair, and applied make-up to models for the audience to vote for them as the best-styled in their chosen color theme.

The proceeds from “Battle for Freedom: Color Me Free” will be used for service projects and programs to benefit survivors of human trafficking. SI of Trenton and Downriver Area is partnering with Sparrow Freedom Project, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is building a survivor-led community supporting and empowering exploited and trafficked individuals to achieve independence through services and prevention. Three guest speakers from the Sparrow Freedom project shared their experiences with the audience. There are 27.6 million trafficking victims worldwide, with at least 20,000 sex slaves under age eighteen in the United States. Only one of every one hundred is rescued. Michigan is a hub for sex trafficking and is rated second in the nation. Detroit is ranked as having one of the highest numbers of sex trafficking victims and is included in a global epidemic that annually nets over $150 billion. Online recruitment accounts for 65% of reported cases.

Crystal Gardens, 16703 Fort Street in Southgate, was the venue for this fundraising affair. Included in ticket prices were dinner, a runway show, music, basket raffles, wine, and a cash bar with a signature cocktail, and an after-show party. Participating salons were Aubrey Beauty Salon, Riverview; Glow Hair Salon, Trenton; Instinct Salon, Flat Rock; Daybreak Salon, Wyandotte; Sterling Hair Co., Taylor; The Mane Salon, Flat Rock; Naomi Trotto from Bell Amore Salon, Shelby Township.

After all the votes were counted, Sterling Hair Co. was the crowd favorite with their chosen green color,

and Aubrey of Riverview was announced as the 2024 winner for their Barbie-themed pink color. The success of “Battle for Freedom: Color Me Free” was due to the many people and businesses who contributed and/or donated their time, talent, and finances. SI of Trenton and Downriver Area thank Roger Roehls and Crystal Gardens Banquet Center; Freesia Collective for the floral bouquets; Flow Video; DJ and emcee Tim Montemayor of TJ Monte Productions; Discount Drinks for the wine bar; a cappella group 2nd Street Sound of Wyandotte; GOTOX Aesthetics & Wellness for the $1800 raffle basket; artists Catherine Infantado and Amber Spino; Kallas Restaurant Ac-

counting; Iron Bandogs Central – the Roadhouse; Grosse Ile Island Goods; Michigan Athletics, Detroit Tigers; Detroit Red Wings; Detroit Lions; Detroit Pistons; MJR Digital Cinema; Planet Rock; Monat Products and Raquel Reschke; Belle Tire; Lakes of Taylor Golf Club; Kendra Scott; and sponsors Corewell Health, Allen Park Family Physicians, and Advantage One Credit Union.

A Human Trafficking Awareness Symposium hosted by SI of Trenton and Downriver Area is scheduled for March 23, 2024, at Summit Academy North. Police, social workers, school counselors, and parents are encouraged to attend.

Trenton and Downriver Area Sorop-

timist is a volunteer group that offers service by way of fundraising and donations, public awareness/educational programs, and hands-on assistance; as well as presenting yearly monetary awards to individuals to help support and further their future. These women give their time and talents to local food pantries, Vista Maria, First Step, Sparrow Project, Stanford House, Alternatives for Girls, and to area women’s health institutions. They host annual charity fundraisers and programs such as “Save the Girls” motorcycle ride, “Save the Girls” charity golf outing, and the “Dream It, Be It” program for adolescent girls. You can help improve the lives of women and girls in the Trenton and Downriver Areas and around the world by donating to Soroptimist International of Trenton and Downriver Area. Your donation will help fund our service projects. This is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization. Make an online donation via Venmo or by sending a check to Soroptimist International of Trenton and Downriver Area, 1644 Vernon, Trenton, MI 48183. The Trenton Soroptimist organization meets at 6:30 P.M. on the first Wednesday of the month at the Woodhaven Community Center. All women are welcome to attend. You may contribute to the foundation that the Soroptimists support on krogercommunityrewards.com. If you are interested in learning more about the Trenton and Downriver Area Soroptimists and our other activities, contact us at sioftrentonanddownriverarea@ gmail.com or check out our page on Facebook@SoroptimistInternationalOfTrentonAndDownriverArea. Please check Facebook for past event photos at facebook.com/BattleForFreedom.

Can a stacked deck be beaten?

One of the inherited partners from my father’s time is thoughtful enough to be interested in my clothing businesses, and as a result, tries hard to read articles and pass them on to me if he finds anything I might get something from. My father used to pass on the articles to me, with notations he made that he found interesting. For my part, they were and still are virtually meaningless to me, always being about Wall Street chains like Gap or Men’s Wearhouse, or about fashion through the eyes of New Yorkers who write about fashion - - - not exactly resonant with my local business here in Wyandotte, Michigan.

But he recently sent an article written by a guy named John M. Grondelski titled What the fall of men’s clothing stores says about America. It tells the story I’ve told about the fall of independent menswear stores…from the viewpoint of a shopper, lamenting what was lost as most of us went by the wayside. He describes an unsatisfying purchase from Amazon, which he sent back but found himself growing weary of the monotonous task of standing in line at the UPS store having bought something that didn’t fit or the quality was super poor or whatever.

He remembers going to Roger’s menswear in Perth Amboy, NJ. Remembers a specific guy that was always there to help him on all the ways menswear staff does. He remembers being listened to as a young (that alone stops me right there), then responded to. He learned stuff from his guy there that he never forgot. He got real help finding things in the store, and honest advice

along with it.

Mr. Grondelski feels that as menswear stores went away, so did actual relationships with actual people well-dressed men. It’s a bit of an overstatement, perhaps, but it’s a valid point. I personally feel that “casual Fridays” rapidly devolved to “Sloppy Everyday. I have to resist the urge to digress a lot when I write about my own industry, but on that point alone I must: Men that dress as if they care command far more respect and deference than men who don’t. It may seem silly and shallow, but who cares - - - it’s a fact. People seeking information and leadership will ALWAYS gravitate to the men in the room (women, too, but that’s another story) that project self-confidence and dress as if they mean it. We project our own self-image through our dress, and people RESPOND. The “brilliant” minds that went down the “who cares” path of dressing deliberately gave away an edge in business and in life, for all of their employees.

But (again with the dots) the dots I talk about have been lost to Mr. G. HE may be waking up now, but he’s a part of the demise of real menswear stores across the country. The honest, earnest helpfulness of people in my business is not an act. When business gets diverted from the store he patronized, not to another local competitor that gave better service, but to a national chain, or in this case, to Amazon, the business he once supported withers away. It’s not a complicated algorithm; it’s the dots, silly. A single menswear store in a Main Street USA town is likely not the primary reason that a city is a bustling place to be, serving its residents and guests. But when it fails, employees that ate their lunches in town

stop doing that. Recommendations for where to get their dry cleaning done stop cold. Animated conversations about the Lions, now a thing of the past. And on and on. A store is a cog in a wheel, not usually the wheel itself. The absence of that single cog damages the whole, though, hurts the traffic of other stores around them that are left to carry on. And the knowledge, helpfulness and friendliness that emanated from that store, for that one thing, is lost, almost always never to be replaced. So now what? What, you look it up on Google? Let’s see, OK: “How am I supposed to dress?” Ugh. What a sad, distant, heartless replacement. Seriously: How stupid.

John Grondelski is coming to terms with the reality of what our collective actions have wrought. “Oooh, the MALL”! Oooh, the OUTLET mall”. “Oooh, online”! Followed by “Oh, wow, what happened to that men’s store here in town?!?” As he points out in his blog:

“One loses things, too, with the disappearance if the local men’s clothing store. It Might be convenient to get a pair of pants in the mail. But the Rust Belt is not just decaying factories. It’s also commercial trades that are gone, hollowing out not just business, but American towns and social life. What have we lost in the trade-off?”

I’ve described exactly this already. This is the very first time I’ve had anyone tell me a different version of the same story. It makes me sad. When I first became alarmed about Walmart and what they do to towns they infest (which is their rallying cry to put everyone in town, all of them, out of business), I’d get blank, glazed over stares as they immediately made their way to that disgusting place. Same thing with Amazon. A whole lot of

people do NOT want to be educated, do not want to admit they’ve failed to see it for themselves.

But it’s not all bad news. A whole lot of people get great satisfaction from doing business with real people, not robots and automatons in places far away, in business after business. A whole lot of people have realized that the mission of putting all the local businesses out of business is not reserved for the likes of Walmart, Amazon, Progressive, and Applebee’s.

EVERY entity that is listed on the NYSE is a predator, a parasite that saps the vitality out of independent businesses and the cities they call home. More people have realized that the connecting of the dots is a MUCH bigger issue than retail sales in brick and mortars across the nation. The moronic, fraudulent nonsense theory of trickle-down economics is enough to make one’s blood run cold.

All the indie menswear stores are not gone. Those of us that prevailed are finding new audiences with people that innately sense the dots. New, younger shoppers are joining the growing crowd of people that want real and authentic. They want to actually enjoy a far more satisfying way to shop. They like the feeling of being THANKED and appreciated. They like the accountability of such transactions, and the eagerness with which indies accept that responsibility. They like everything about local and independent more, MUCH more.

Try this: If you don’t know, simply ask: “Is this an independent operation?” If the answer is NO, you just might find yourself wondering what you’re doing there. Am I right?

PETER ROSE

Let us know at 734-282-3939

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CAGERS

Continued from page 1

dominance any further the Bears scored the first nine points of the second half and led at one point 44-9.

The score could have gotten wildly out of control, but the Wyandotte bench played most of the second half and Garden City had one player – Emilio Licea – heat up a little after halftime to make the score a little more respectable. Licae had 12 second-half points and 17 for the game, meaning the rest of the Cougar squad accounted for seven points in 32 minutes of play.

The Bears had no giant scorer in the game as everyone played and 11 Bears scored.

Jordan Trudell was the ringleader and he kept the points coming in the first half as the Bears pulled away. Trudell had two first-quarter triples and 11 first-quarter points. He had five secondquarter points and finished the night with 16. In the second half, he became a facilitator and spent the last two periods looking for ways to set up teammates.

Devin Sutherby, who seemed to step up and make critical baskets whenever his team needed them, had two threepoint shots and finished the game with 13 points.

Brian Salazar-Diaz did not start, but he was a consistent low post scorer for the Bears and he finished the night with 10 points.

Also scoring for Wyandotte were Ryder Chavez, Andrew Massingill, Sean

The regular season ended for Roosevelt with games against Dearborn Edsel Ford Feb. 20 and Calrson Feb. 22.

The Michigan High School Athletic Association Division 1 districts will begin Feb. 26 and Wyandotte will find itself in Allen Park to take on Southgate in a first-round game.

The Titans and Bears will square off in the Allen Park gym at 5:30 p.m., followed by the Taylor-Allen Park game at 7.

In the district semifinals on Feb. 28, the Southgate-Wyandotte winner will face Lincoln Park at 5:30 and the Taylor-Allen Park winner will face Riverview at 7.

2023-24 Roster

1 Jonah Sadler

2 Aivery Medina

3 Jordan Trudell

4 Chase Cline

5 Devin Sutherby

10 Danny Hickey

12 Keenan Nance

15 Ryder Chavez

20 Mark Sobush

22 Sean Hickey

23 Andrew Massingill

24 Maleek Hilyer

32 Zach Hoffman

35 Brian Salazar-Diaz

Hickey, Zach Hoffman, Maleek Hyler, Chase Cline, Aviary Medina and Danny Hickey.

The district championship game is slated for 7 p.m. March 1.

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Cheerleaders qualify for regionals with strong district showing

It has been quite a year for the Wyandotte Roosevelt competitive cheerleading team and it’s not over, yet.

The Bears, who finished third at the Downriver League meet earlier this month, finishing behind only multiple-time state champions Carlson and Allen Park, continued their strong end-of-year run by finishing second at the Michigan High School Athletic Association Division 1 district held at Woodhaven High School.

Host Woodhaven led the competition from start to finish, but the Bears would never let them get comfortable. Only a couple of points separated the two squads throughout the event and when Wyandotte scored a meet-high 317.80 in the third and final round, things got tense in a hurry, Wyandotte’s final-round score was 2.8 points higher than Woodhevn’s 315, but that number was not quite enough to push the Bears past the Warriors. Woodhaven won the meet with a score of 777.80. Wyandotte was second with 776.34.

The top four teams in each district qualify for regionals. Joining Woodhaven and Wyandotte

as qualifiers from the Woodhaven district were Temperance-Bedford (749.74) and Plymouth (720.26).

Those four teams advanced to the MHSAA Division 1 regional at Troy Athens, which was held Feb. 24. Joining the four Woodhaven district qualifiers at the regions were Sterling Heights Stevenson, L’Anse Creuse North, Stoney Creek, Chippewa Valley, Rochester, Recherster Adams, Macomb Dakota and Utica Eisenhower.

A second regional was hosted by Hartland. The top four teams at each regional qualify for the state finals March 1 at McGuirk Arena on the campus of Central Michigan University.

Prior to the beginning of the state tournament, Roosevelt went to Lincoln Park High School on Feb. 7 for the Downriver League meet.

There, the Bears were one of three teams to score at least 780 points.

Carlson and Allen Park, who have dominated the league and, in fact, the state competition the last decade or so, dominated again.

Carlson edged Allen Park for the title, 789.14-

785.38. No one was close to the top two except Wyandotte, which scored 781.04 points. The Bears were in the running for the top spot for the whole competition and even beat Allen Park in the second round.

Rounding out the league meet scoring were Woodhavben (762.94), Trenton (677.98), Southgate (662.22), Lincoln Park (635.76) and Taylor (520.9).

Four days before the league meet was the Woodhaven Invitational and the results at the top of the scoreboard in that event were nearly identical to the results at the regional two weeks later: Woodhaven won, beating Wyandotte by a fraction more than a point.

The teams were neck-and-neck from start to finish. Wyandotte won the first round 236-234.6. Woodhaven won the second round 230.52-229.64. Wyandotte had a .52 lead heading into the final round and both teams performed well. Woodhaven scored 318.7 points in the final and Wyandotte countered with a 317 leaving the host school with a narrow 283.82-282.64 victory.

Photo by Dave Chapman

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“Lucky” 13 for Rock CF Run

Date set for March 17th

Coming next month, there’ll be another type of St. Patrick’s Day parade to say “Erin Go Bragh” as Grosse Ile will host the 13th annual Rock CF Road Races on Sunday, March 17, 2024 at 8:00 a.m. And for those runners, walkers, and volunteers the day may prove to be doubly lucky in a challenge to stay healthy and raise funds to eradicate Cystic Fibrosis.

The director and founder of Rock CF, Emily Schaller, daughter of former Grosse Ile residents, Lowell and Deb Schaller, was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis at eighteen months old. As a child, she dealt with multiple hospitalizations a year. Cystic Fibrosis is a progressive, genetic disease that causes persistent lung infections, but also affects the pancreas, liver, kidneys, and intestines. CF causes the body to produce thick and sticky mucus, which clogs the lungs and pancreas making it hard to breathe and absorb nutrients from the food that is eaten...

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Scouts take first place at Klondike Jamboree

Scouts BSA troop 1261 took first place in the Klondike Jamboree for a second year in a row, and the second time ever for the troop. The 80 year-old troop traveled to D Bar A Scout Ranch in Metamora to compete against numerous other troops

in Michigan for the Sled trophy. Cheering them on were Webelo and Arrow of Light Scouts from Cub Scout pack 1261, who also traveled up from Grosse Ile.

The Klondike Jamboree is an annual competition where scouts compete in various skills to see which troop has the most skills. The winning spot is awarded to the troop with the overall best score. This year, activities focused on Winter Survival in the wilderness and featured skills such as Ice Rescue, River Crossing, Accident Victim triage, and Emergency Shelter-building. During the event, the temperature was around 10 degrees, making the activities more challenging as the boys fought off the cold using layering, hand warmers, and exposure to a nearby fire pit when they could. Scout Jonah Hopkins recently moved from Taiwan and is getting his first true winter experience, saying “I was concerned about our Klondike trip because it was very cold and snowy. But, our leaders prepared us and I had a great time”...

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2024: The year of celebrations for GIMA ... “Grosse Ile Municipal Airport in Grosse Ile MI is a perfect example of a general aviation airport doing everything it can to maintain and grow its operations. The new spirit behind this growth is the airport manager, Ms. Janel MacNee.

Janel’s spunky, feisty spirit is driving major developments at Grosse Ile, including their latest improvements, Taxiway A. This $6M project removed 10,000 CY of old dilapidated concrete and replaced a failing taxiway with a beautiful new HMA surface that will provide safe taxing for ONZ’s pilots for the next 20 years.

In addition to that project, Janel is working hard with local state and federal authorities to create a new space at the airport to allow more people to come and learn about and share the enthusiasm she has for aviation. Under her leadership, we anticipate the airport will continue to thrive for many years to come!”....

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Riverview girls still chasing Huron League title

...The fired-up Bucs came out and looked like they were going to blow the archrival Red Devils right off their home court.

Riverview scored the first 15 points of the game and held Grosse Ile scoreless for half of the first quarter.

But the Devils took a deep breath, got their inside game working and set about chopping into Riverview’s formidable lead.

After being outscored 19-11 in the first quarter, Grosse Ile won the second, third and fourth quarters.

The Devils caught the Bucs late in the fourth and eventually tied the game at 40-all. Grosse Ile had a chance to win the game with 3.4 seconds left to play in regulation, but the Devils missed two free throws.

In the extra period, Riverview made 5-of-6 free throws and outscored Grosse Ile 5-3 to walk off the court with a hard-fought, bruising 45-43 victory.

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In honor of Riverview’s school board volunteers

... rough their dedication, collaboration with other school district sta , their governance and advocacy, they are building the future of education in Michigan.

We encourage all members of the community to thank a board member. Let them know you appreciate their servant leadership. Talk with them and begin to better understand how our Riverview Board of Education trustees work together to prepare today’s students to be tomorrow’s leaders.

e men and women serving the Riverview Community Schools District:

Tim Bohr, President, has served 8 ½ years, appointed in July 2015

Matthew Dominski, Vice President/City Liaison, has served 5 years, elected in 2019

Andy Davis, Treasurer, has served 7 years, elected in 2017

Sheila Walker, Secretary, has served 7 years, appointed in January 2017

Sandy Meeks, Trustee, has served 3 years, elected in 2021

Gary O’Brien, Trustee, has served 10 years, elected in 2012 and again in 2022

Matthew Toth, Trustee, has served for 3 years, elected in 2021...

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State of the City Address

Another successful year for our community Progress across the board made 2023 “another

successful year for our community,” said Southgate Mayor Joseph Kuspa in his annual State of the City Address.

Advances in municipal financing, public safety, parks and recreation, infrastructure, information technology and other areas made the year one to remember, the Mayor said before an enthusiastic crowd on January 24 at Crystal Gardens.

Kuspa touted major projects, programs and initiatives over 2023 and set the stage for the months ahead in the city he has led for 14 years.

“Reliable infrastructure, safe neighborhoods, sound government and enhanced recreational options increase the quality of life for our residents and make our community more attractive to visitors, future residents and business owners,” the Mayor said. Kuspa spent a large portion of his address touting public safety improvements that show Southgate firefighters and emergency medical personnel responding to runs in just over four minutes – nearly half the time of the national average of eight minutes...

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“Hopes for Humanity” kicks off with call for service

New year, new beginnings, new hope. Trenton’s Cultural Commission ushered in its “Hopes for Humanity’’ theme this year with an observance honoring the late Rev. Martin Luther King on January 14th at the Trenton Village Theater. Longtime community leader and current senior advisor to Michigan’s Secretary of State, Heaster Wheeler, gave the keynote speech. He was joined by THS students: Nick Lear, Alexis Lopez, Sarah Tepper, Brooklynn Taylor, Grace Hibbard, Marisa Chuey, and Maya Vines. Refreshments were generously sponsored by the Trenton Rotary Club. Wheeler began by asking, “How many have heard of MLK?” The crowd raised their hands. “Now,

how many of you own a book he wrote?” Only one responded, and Wheeler remarked, “MLK is the most celebrated person in the world, yet we don’t

truly know the depth of his legacy.” He emphasized, “Education makes us better, not bitter. The best way to predict the future is to create it.” Wheeler encouraged attendees to speak out against hatred and division, saying, “There are enough good people; we can fix it.”...

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How well do you know your fire department?

...Firefighters look and operate much differently than they did 97 years ago when the Trenton Fire Department was formed. At that time, the fire service was transitioning from horse-drawn hose carts and steam-powered engines to the use of automobile technology. Firefighters had basically one weapon to fight a fire: water. The gear they wore was minimal—helmets, tall boots, and long rain-slicker type jackets. There were no respiratory protections such as SCBA (self-contained breathing apparatus), no thermal barrier layers to the gear, and no impact ratings for helmets, to name a few. Since all of our homes and housewares were made of predominantly natural materials like wood and cotton, fires took longer in the development stages as well.

Today’s structure fires develop nearly ten times faster than they did just 60 years ago. Testing in controlled burn cells using the same living room layout, one furnished with items from the 1960s, and one with today’s generally synthetic products showed the time available for an occupant to survive and escape has gone from nearly 15 minutes down to 3! Not only do today’s fires burn faster, they are hotter, reaching temperatures over 1400°F from floor to ceiling. This is not survivable even with the latest gear used by firefighters currently. Combine this challenge with the lethal toxic gases produced from the burning of synthetic goods that still release from the debris long after the fire is out; it is no wonder why firefighters have some of the highest rates of cancer exposure...

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