Warrendale bakery coming to the Food Network

The Food Network will premiere a new series on Monday, September 3 that focuses on bakers, bakeries, and the art of baking. The show is called Baked and one of the first bakeries that they will feature is the Chene Modern Bakery (17041 W. Warren Ave.) for the Warrendale neighborhood in Detroit.

The Warrendale neighborhood is home to some of the best bakeries in the Detroit area, in my humble opinion. I'm glad that the national media is paying attention to this treasure.

Baked will premiere on the Food Network channel at 10 p.m. on Monday, September 3.

My Aretha Franklin story

Aretha Franklin - Photo by Joe Ortuzar/Flickr

The funeral service for the Queen of Soul herself Aretha Franklin was on the television when I went to lunch today. There was an elderly gentleman in the diner who spent his time complaining about how Aretha Franklin wasn't that great of a person.

The worst example that this man could think of as he struggled to make his argument had to do with a property tax dispute Aretha Franklin was involved with back in 2015. That was it. A property tax dispute.

I mention this because if - at the end of a long life - the worst thing your harshest critic can think to say about you is a property tax dispute then - as far as I'm concerned - you are a wonderful person who lived an amazing life. I hope and pray that Aretha Franklin was able to hear his rant from Heaven and was laughing her butt off.

Warrendale Community Organization to meet on Tuesday

The next meeting of the Warrendale Community Organization will be this coming Tuesday, September 4. The neighborhood group will meet from 7 - 8 p.m. in the Activities Building of Ss. Peter and Paul Church (7685 Grandville).

Everyone who lives, works, or plays in the Warrendale neighborhood of Detroit is welcome to attend.

John McCain dies at the age of 81

U.S. Senator John McCain of Arizona - Photo by Dave Davison/Pixabay

The distinguished Republican Senator from Arizona John McCain passed away earlier this evening. He was 81 years of age at the time of his death. While I disagreed with McCain on a multitude of issues, I respected him a lot.

I pray this evening, therefore, that all of angels and saints in Heaven join in welcoming him home. I also pray that his family and friends come to know comfort and peace in the days to come until they are reunited with him.

Good night, Senator McCain.

Detour to Warrendale

Warrendale - Photo by Frank Nemecek

Detour is a new email newsletter that covers a lot of stories about Detroit that other, larger publications miss. They recently launched a Neighborhood Ambassador program where a local resident will highlight stories in one of four given neighborhoods. I am honored to be their representative for Warrendale.

There will now be a new monthly column about Warrendale in their newsletter alongside my counterparts from Highland Park, Southwest, and Northwest Detroit.

As an aside, I sent the editor of Detroit four different photographs that she could use as a headshot in her introduction for me. Naturally, she used the goofiest of them.

Their latest newsletter can be seen here. It's complete with the goofy photo in question from a recent trip that I took to Frankenmuth, Michigan.

Voices of Rouge Park

Save Rouge Park - Photo by Frank Nemecek

The folks at Model D Media published a write-up on Rouge Park in Detroit. Their article primarily focused on the groups of ordinary citizens who put so much effort into preserving, protecting, and promoting the largest park in Detroit.

One can read their full article online here.

Personally, I'm thrilled that this article is one more example of people finally recognizing that Rouge Park is indeed the largest park in Detroit. (Sorry, Belle Isle - but Rouge Park is much bigger, even without factoring in the golf course.)

Full disclosure: I used to write for Model D Media several years ago. I haven't had any business relationship with them in years, however.

Mayor Duggan to meet with the neighborhood

Mayor Mike Duggan of Detroit - File Photo

The City of Detroit recently announced that Mayor Mike Duggan will have his annual District 7 Community Meeting on Monday, August 20. This event will start at 7 p.m. at the Straight Gate International Church (10100 Grand River Ave.) and is expected to conclude at 8:30 p.m.

This meeting is an opportunity for residents, business owners, and other interested parties in Warrendale and the surrounding neighborhoods to bring any questions or concerns they might have directly to Mayor Duggan in a public setting. Representatives from the various City departments will also be on hand.

The annual meeting is required by the Charter for the City of Detroit, which mandates that the Mayor hold at least one of these meetings each year in each of the seven City Council districts.

Anyone with any questions or concerns about our local government is invited to attend this meeting.

Open Streets comes to Rouge Park

Detroit Grand Prix exhibit car - Photo by Frank Nemecek

An estimated 1,400 people came out for the inaugural edition of Open Streets Rouge Park this past Saturday. A three-mile loop of roads was closed inside Rouge Park from 1 - 5 p.m. to allow a coalition of non-profits, government agencies, and businesses to showcase all that the largest park in Detroit has to offer.

This included everything from tours of the newly redeveloped Scout Hollow as well as:

• Archery demonstrations from Elite Archery, which is the company that maintains the Rouge Park Archery Range;
• Lacrosse demonstrations from Detroit City Lacrosse;
• Hiking on the miles of park trails;
• Bike rentals from Wheelhouse Detroit and cycling events; and
• Race car exhibit by the Detroit Grand Prix.

All of this was in addition 28 other events, displays, and information tables.

Bike rentals by Wheelhouse Detroit - Photo by Frank Nemecek

"There are so many wonderful amenities in Rouge Park, and this was a great way to highlight the natural beauty that exists in Detroit’s largest park," explained Lisa Nuszkowski, one of the event organizers. "We hope that Open Streets gives more Detroiters the opportunity to experience the city’s public spaces on foot and by bike."

How to get a felony removed from your record

Jail cells - Stock photo by TryJimmy/Pixabay

I'm always amazed at how many people - who seem like model citizens at first glance - have a felony conviction on their record. Usually, it's for something that they did in their younger days. Since then, they've learned from their mistakes and have become better people.

It's frustrating, therefore, that these folks are still haunted by something they did years or even decades ago when they were a very different person. They have trouble getting a job, renting a home, or receiving credit because of their criminal history.

Luckily, it is possible to get a felony removed from your record under certain conditions. My advice here is specifically for people who live in Michigan. Individuals in other states should contact an attorney in their home state.

In order to begin the process, an applicant must have completed serving any sentence connected to their felony conviction. This includes probation and parole, if applicable.

Once that is completed, one can submit an application for pardon to the Pardon and Commutation Coordinator at the Michigan Department of Corrections. This application must be completed in full and notarized before sending it in. The form itself is available online here.

These tips are brought to you by the Warrendale (Detroit) Blog as part of our Tip of the Week feature. Please check back next week for more advice on your home, money, and life. Please follow me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram for more great content.

A few thoughts on the Michigan primary election

The primary elections are over. My friends Sylvia Santana and Karen Whitsett will soon represent Warrendale and the surrounding neighborhoods in the Michigan Senate and House respectively. My friend Marshall Bullock will also represent the area north of Warrendale in the Michigan Senate. Rashida Tlaib will soon be my Congresswoman and I have so much to talk with her about as it relates to Warrendale.

While they didn't win yesterday, I admire the way my friends Jeffrey Nolish and Rico Razo campaigned for the Michigan House in districts east of Warrendale. I look forward to great things from both of them in the near future.

In the governor's race, Gretchen Whitmer is going up against the Jihadist Bill Schuette. After Schuette's stint as Michigan's Attorney General - where he stood against Internet freedom for consumers; refused to protect the Constitution when it came to the Emoluments Clause but still found time to blur the boundary between church and state - I cannot stress enough how important I believe it is for Whitmer to beat this troglodyte.

Also, I would be remiss if I didn't mention how important I believe it still is for all of us to support Matt Clayson for MSU Trustee. I believe he is uniquely qualified to help Michigan State University rebuild in the wake of sexual scandals that have rocked the school.

Anecdotal thoughts on the governor's race

A friend of mine, who I've had the pleasure of knowing for more than a decade, Brenna Lane posted some anecdotal thoughts on the race for governor of Michigan on her personal Facebook page. She addressed some things that she had seen about Democratic candidates Shri Thanedar of Ann Arbor and Abdul El-Sayed of Detroit.

With her permission, I wanted to share her thoughts with everyone as a guest commentary. The following are her observations on Shri Thanadar's campaign as well as her personal experiences with Abdul El-Sayed, which I publish here with only minor editing.

Stock photo by Sanja Gjeneor/Pixabay

Some anecdotal thoughts on the Governor's race here in Michigan:

Story #1
In my economically distressed neighborhood in Highland Park, there are Shri Thanadar signs everywhere. While driving home yesterday, I saw a van in the parking lot at Dean's liquor store at McNichols and Second. It was unmarked, but two men stood at the open back doors, one handing bundles of Shri signs to the five or six men waiting in line to receive them while the other counted cash and gave it to a man who had a bundle of signs under his arm.

I later saw my neighbor go by carrying a Shri Thanedar sign. I asked him if he was pulling it out and he said, "no, I'm putting them in all up and down the block." I asked, "Willie, why are you supporting this guy?" and he replied, "because they gave me $20 if I put out 20 signs."

Story #2
During my junior year of high school, I attended Andover High School in Bloomfield Hills. Abdul El-Sayed was in my grade. We had Calculus and AP Physics together. He was generally kind, humble, and very smart.

One time, I was waiting for our bus with my girlfriend who had presented a paper in one of her classes that day. She was dressed up for the occasion - wearing a skirt (out of character for her) and it was the first day she had ever worn makeup to school (the first time her mother ever allowed it). She was heavy handed with the makeup, and her look that day was a stark contrast to the way she normally dressed, which was a much more conservative, nerdy-bookish look.

Four guys on the basketball team, all seniors, approached us and asked my friend if she was planning to "go to 8 Mile" (that is, become a prostitute). They continued by asking her how much she would charge, making hand signs mimicking oral sex and thrusting their hips as they laughed. She was trying not to cry, I was telling them to fuck off.

Abdul El-Sayed was walking down the hall, saw what was happening and got between us and the guys. He asked them if that's how they thought men behaved. He asked "do you feel proud right now? getting laughs from your friends at the expense of her feelings?"

I don't remember everything Abdul El-Sayed said that day in high school, but it was basically like "you guys are seniors, this girl is a sophomore, pick on someone your own size or better yet, don't be the kind of man who picks on anyone."

The called him a f****t, and her a whore again a few times and then left. Abdul El-Sayed apologized to both of us. He said that things will be different when we were out of high school and the boys grew up to be adults.

Although I'm still not sure he was right on that last part, Abdul El-Sayed was standing up to bullies that were bigger than him and pushing back against toxic masculinity when he was 16 years old. Even if I didn't love his politics, I would still vote for this guy because of his character. He truly is a servant leader.

This is a crucial primary. Please - get out and vote. And if you employ people, please give them the time to vote.