The Auburn Hills Police Department says an MDOT Courtesy Patrol van was struck by a driver while it was out on a crash scene on Friday evening.

According to the departments post on Facebook, they were responding to a crash on I-75 when a driver failed to move over and hit the MDOT van.

Both drivers were transported to the hospital with minor injuries.

Police say the driver who caused the crash with the van was arrested.

Move over, slow down isnt a suggestion, its the LAW, police wrote.

The last time The Weeknd was in town, during July of 2022 at Ford Field, he promised that the end of the night, “I’m gonna come back soon, Detroit. Next time we’ll do Ford Field two nights, back to back!”

And on Saturday, May 24 at the stadium, the multi-hyphenate Canadian entertainer made sure to acknowledge that the promise had been kept. “I said that, right?” The Weeknd crowed before performing his 2022 hit “Out of Time.”

That was, of course, just fine with the 45,000 or so fans — quite a few of whom had come from out of town and even out of the country to catch the nearly two-hour and 15-minute concert, ostensibly a continuation of The Weeknd’s After House Before Dawn Tour but with enough new elements to make it a fresh experience. (He performs again on Sunday, May 25.)

Much has happened, and not all good, since the Toronto native also known as Abel Tesfaye’s last appearance at Ford Field. His HBO series “The Idol,” was critically panned, while his feature film “Hurry Up Tomorrow,” which opened two weeks ago, has been a box office bomb (though trailers were shown between acts to remind the OOXO faithful that it’s still in some theaters). But the album companion to the latter, released at the end of January, was his fifth straight to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, giving him plenty of familiar fresh material to play on Saturday.

And he added plenty of new fare to the visual extravaganza, a dizzying and action-packed presentation on par with other groundbreaking stadium performances by the likes of Pink Floyd, U2, Madonna and, yes, even Taylor Swift and Beyonce.

Saturday’s show was even more stadium-filling (not to mention a half-hour longer) than its predecessor. The stage still stretched nearly the entire length of the Ford Field floor, with three distinct performance spaces as well as catwalks. To that The Weeknd added another section that crossed the stage in the middle, allowing him to get closer to fans on what would be the sidelines as he sang, often directly to the camera, through a series of large gold hoops. During “Out of Time” he came down to floor level, singing into fans’ phones and even letting a couple of them sing some of the song’s lines.

The backdrop of a post-apocalyptic Toronto on one side has crumbled since The Weeknd’s last stop, opening up more space for the huge video screen behind it and making his four-piece band — including artist-producer Mike Dean, who opened the evening with his own half-hour set — more readily visible. A rotating gold Sorayama statue with lighted eyes sat in the center of all this, and The Weeknd deployed lasers and fire effects — the latter prodigiously during “The Hills” and “Sao Paulo” — throughout the night.

Also back was an enlarged corps of masked, red-cloaked extras — 32, up from 24 three years ago — that walked and posed in formation during about a third of the more than three-dozen songs, occasionally breaking into poses and dance moves. And glittering hand-out bracelets The Weeknd used last time, as well, kept Ford Fields sparkling throughout the show.

Amidst all this, however, The Weeknd was still the star of the night, in good voice and even better mood as he continually teased the crowd — “Detroit, are you warmed up yet?” he asked several times — but also sang his gratitude for its support, also on several occasions. He offered up 11 songs from “Hurry Up Tomorrow” — including the opening dramatic couplet of “The Abyss” and “After Hours” and the live debut of “Reflections Laughing.” The show also brought “The Morning” back into the set after a two-year absence, while Playboi Carti — whose 40-minute opening set had enough energy to power the Movement festival down at Hart Plaza — joined for romps through The Weeknd’s “Timeless” and his own “Rather Lie.”

And there were plenty of hits, ranging from shortened versions of “After Hours,” “Starboy” and “Kiss Land” to full-length and even extended stadium-banging renditions of “Can’t Feel My Face,” “Call out My Name,” “Less Than Zero” and “Blinding Lights.” “Sacrifice” and the show-closing “Moth to a Flame,” meanwhile, were delivered ala the remixes done by Swedish House Mafia.

The latter was also accompanied by a barrage of grand finale visual effects to send fans home dancing, singing and perhaps a little (temporarily) hearing empaired. The Weeknd — who has talked about dumping that stage name in the near future — said nothing about coming back for three nights at Ford Field, but it’s likely that anyone at Saturday’s show, even the world travelers, would be happy to return and see what new he could cook up for that.

Tickets still remain for The Weeknd’s concert at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, May 25 2000 Brush St., Detroit. 313-262-2008 or fordfield.com.

The U.S. military spent more than $6 billion over the past three years to recruit and retain service members, in what has been a growing campaign to counter enlistment shortfalls.

The financial incentives to reenlist in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines increased dramatically from 2022 through last year, with the Navy vastly outspending the others, according to funding totals provided by the services. The overall amount of recruiting bonuses also rose steadily, fueled by significant jumps in spending by the Army and Marine Corps.

The military services have routinely poured money into recruiting and retention bonuses over the years. But the totals spiked as Pentagon leaders tried to reverse falling enlistment numbers, particularly as COVID-19 restrictions locked down public events, fairs and school visits that recruiters relied on to meet with young people.

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Coupled with an array of new programs, an increased number of recruiters and adjustments to enlistment requirements, the additional incentives have helped the services bounce back from the shortfalls. All but the Navy met their recruiting targets last year and all are expected to do so this year.

President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth repeatedly point to Trumps election as a reason for the recruiting rebound. But the enlistment increases began long before last November, and officials have tied them more directly to the widespread overhauls that the services have done, including the increased financial incentives.

The Army, the military's largest service, spent more on recruiting bonuses in 2022 and 2024 than the other services. But it was significantly outspent by the Navy in 2023, when the sea service was struggling to overcome a large enlistment shortfall.

As a result, even though the Navy is a smaller service, it spent more overall in the three years than the Army did.

The Navy also has spent considerably more than the others to entice sailors to reenlist, doling out retention bonuses to roughly 70,000 service members for each of the past three years. That total is more than double the number of troops the Army gave retention bonuses to each year, even though the Army is a much larger service.

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Navy is dedicated to retaining our most capable sailors; retention is a critical component of achieving our end-strength goals, Adm. James Kilby, the vice chief of naval operations, told a Senate Armed Services subcommittee in March.

He said reenlistment for enlisted sailors remains healthy but officers are a challenge in specific jobs, including aviation, explosive ordnance disposal, surface and submarine warfare, health professionals and naval special operations. He added that the Navy has struggled to fill all of its at-sea jobs and is using financial incentives as one way to combat the problem.

The Army has seen the greatest recruiting struggles over the past decade, and by using a range of new programs and policies has had one of the largest comebacks. The Navy has had the most trouble more recently, and took a number of steps to expand those eligible for service and spend more in bonuses.

While the Army spends hundreds of millions each year to recruit troops, it also has relied on an array of new programs and policies to woo young people. A key driver of the Army's rebound has been its decision to create the Future Soldier Prep Course, at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, in August 2022.

That program gives lower-performing recruits up to 90 days of academic or fitness instruction to help them meet military standards and move on to basic training. It has resulted in thousands of enlistments.

The Air Force increased its spending on recruiting bonuses in 2023 as it also struggled to overcome shortfalls, but lowered the amount the following year. The payments were for jobs including munitions systems, aircraft maintenance and security forces. The Space Force does not currently authorize enlistment bonuses.

The Marine Corps and the tiny Space Force have consistently hit their recruiting goals, although the Marines had to dig deep into their pool of delayed entry candidates in 2022 to meet their target. The Corps, which is much smaller than the Army and Air Force, spends the least on bonuses and tends to spread the amount among a larger number of service members.

Maj. Jacoby Getty, a Marine spokesman, said the spike in retention bonuses from $126 million in 2023 to $201 million in 2024 was because Marines were allowed to reenlist a year early for the first time. More than 7,000 Marines got bonuses as a result, a jump of nearly 2,200 over the previous year.

When asked about bonuses in 2023, Gen. Eric Smith, the Marine commandant, famously told a naval conference that your bonus is you get to call yourself a Marine.

Thats your bonus, right?" he said. "Theres no dollar amount that goes with that.

The services tailor their recruiting and retention money to bolster harder-to-fill jobs, including cyber, intelligence and special operations forces. The Army and Marine Corps also use the money to woo troops to some combat, armor and artillery jobs.

By Sarah Jane Tribble, KFF Health News, Holly K. Hacker, Lydia Zuraw, KFF Health News, KFF Health News

BRANCHLAND, W.Va. — Ada Carol Adkins lives with her two dogs in a trailer tucked into the timbers off Upper Mud River Road.

“I’m comfortable here, but I’m having health issues,” said the 68-year-old, who retired from her job as a school cook several years ago after having a stroke. “Things are failing me.”

Her trailer sits halfway up a ridge miles from town and the local health clinic. Her phone and internet are “wacky sometimes,” she said. Adkins — who is fiercely independent and calls herself a “Mountain Momma” — worries she won’t be able to call for help if service goes out, which happens often.

To Frontier Communications, the telecommunications company that owns the line to her home, Adkins says: “Please come and hook me right.”

But she might be waiting years for better service, frustrated by her internet provider and left behind by troubled federal grant programs.

A quarter of West Virginia counties — including Lincoln, where the Mud River bends its way through hollows and past cattle farms — face two barriers to health care: They lack high-speed internet and have a shortage of primary care providers and behavioral health specialists, according to a KFF Health News analysis.

Years of Republican and Democratic administrations have tried to fix the nation’s broadband woes, through flawed attempts. Bad mapping, weak standards, and flimsy oversight have left Adkins and nearly 3 million other rural Americans in dead zones — with eroded health care services and where telehealth doesn’t reach.

Blair Levin, a former executive director of the Federal Communications Commission’s National Broadband Plan, called one rural program rollout during the first Trump administration “a disaster.”

It was launched before it was ready, he said, using unreliable federal maps and a reverse-auction process to select internet carriers. Locations went to the lowest bidder, but the agency failed to ensure winners had the knowledge and resources to build networks, said Levin, who is now an equity analyst with New Street Research.

The fund initially announced awards of $9.2 billion to build infrastructure in 49 states. By 2025, $3.3 billion of those awards were in default and, as a result, the program won’t connect 1.9 million homes and businesses, according to a recent study.

A $42 billion Biden-era initiative still may not help Adkins and many others shortchanged by earlier federal broadband grants. The new wave of funding, the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program, or BEAD, has an anti-waste provision and won’t provide service in places where previous grants were awarded — even if companies haven’t delivered on their commitments.

The use of federal money to get people connected is “really essential” for rural areas, said Ross DeVol, CEO and chairman of the board of Heartland Forward, a nonpartisan think tank based in Bentonville, Arkansas, that specializes in state and local economic development.

“Internet service providers look at the economics of trying to go into some of these communities and there just isn’t enough purchasing power in their minds,” DeVol said, adding that broadband expansion is analogous to rural electrification. Without high-speed internet, “you’re simply at a distinct disadvantage,” he added. “I’ll call it economic discrimination.”

‘I Got Books Full’

Adkins keeps spiral-bound notebooks and calendars filled with handwritten records of phone and internet outages.

In January, while bean soup warmed on the stove, she opened a notebook: “I got books full. Hang on.”

Her finger traced the page as she recounted outages that occurred about once a month last year. Adkins said she lost connectivity twice in November, again in October, and in July, May, and March. Each time she went for days without service.

Adkins pays Frontier Communications $102.13 a month for a “bundle” that includes a connection for her house phone and wireless internet access on her cellphone. Frontier did not respond to requests for comment on Adkins’ and other customers’ service.

Adkins, a widow, spends most of her time at home and said she would do video calls with her doctors if she could. She said she still has numbness on one side of her body after the stroke. She also has high blood pressure and arthritis and uses over-the-counter pain patches when needed, such as after she carries 30-pound dog food bags into the house.

She does not own a four-wheel-drive truck and, for three weeks in January, the snow and ice were so severe she couldn’t leave. “I’m stranded up here,” she said, adding that neighbors check in: “‘Do you have electric? Have you got water? Are you OK?’”

The neighbors have all seen Adkins’ line. The pale-yellow cord was tied off with green plastic ties around a pole outside her trailer. As it ran down the hill, it was knotted around tree trunks and branches, frayed in places, and, finally, collapsed on the ground under gravel, snow, and ice at the bottom of the hill.

Adkins said a deer stepping on the line has interrupted her phone service.

David and Billi Belcher’s double-wide modular home sits near the top of the ridge past Adkins’ home. Inside, an old hunting dog sleeps on the floor. Belcher pointed out a window toward where he said Frontier’s cable has remained unrepaired for years: “It’s laying on the ground in the woods,” he said.

Frontier is West Virginia’s legacy carrier, controlling most of the state’s old landlines since buying them from Verizon Communications in 2010. Twelve years later, the company won nearly $248 million to install high-speed internet to West Virginia through the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund, an initiative launched during President Donald Trump’s first term.

“Big Daddy,” as local transit driver Bruce Perry called Trump, is popular with the people of Lincoln County. About 80% of the county’s voters picked the Republican in the last election.

The Trump administration awarded Frontier money to build high-speed internet to Upper Mud River Road residents, like Adkins, according to state mapping. Frontier has until Dec. 31, 2028, to build.

But the Belchers needed better internet access for work and could afford to pay $700 for a Starlink satellite internet kit and insurance, they said. Their monthly Starlink bill is $120 — a price many cannot manage, especially since Congress sunset an earlier program that helped offset the cost of high-speed plans for consumers.

Meanwhile, the latest broadband program to connect rural Americans is ensnared in Trump administration policy shifts.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration, which administers the program, in April announced a 90-day extension for states to finalize their plans during a “comprehensive review” of the program.

West Viriginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey, a Republican, announced his state would take an extension. The move, though, doesn’t make a lot of sense, said Evan Feinman, who left the agency in March after directing the broadband program for the past three years.

Calling the work already done in West Virginia an “incredible triumph,” Feinman said the state had completed the planning, mapping, and the initial selection of companies. The plan that was in place would have brought high-speed fiber lines to homes ahead of schedule and under budget, he said.

“They could be building today, and it’s just deeply disappointing that they’re not,” Feinman said.

When Feinman resigned in March, he sent a lengthy email stating that the new administration wants to take fiber away from homes and businesses and substitute it with satellite connections. The move, he said, would be more expensive for consumers and hurt rural and small-town America.

Morrisey, whose office declined to respond to requests for comment, said in his announcement that he wants to ensure West Virginia spends the money in a manner “consistent with program changes being proposed by the Trump Administration” and “evaluate a broader range of technology options.”

Commissioners from Grant County responded with a letter supporting fiber-optic cables rather than satellite-based connections like those provided by Elon Musk’s Starlink. Nationwide, 115 lawmakers from 28 states sent a letter to federal leaders stating that changes could “delay broadband deployment by a year or more.”

For Adkins and others, the wait has been long enough.

While legislators in Washington and across the country bickered over the broadband program, Adkins went without phone and internet. By late March, she said, her 42-year-old son was increasingly worried, noting “you’re getting up in age.” He told her: “Mom, move out, get off of that hill.”

Worst-Case Scenario

A few miles from Upper Mud River Road, past the McDonald’s and across the road from the local library, Brian Vance sat in his downtown Hamlin, West Virginia, office. He said his company has been trying to “build up there for a while.”

Vance is a general manager for Armstrong Telephone and Cable, a regional telecommunications provider that competes with Frontier. He grew up in the community, and parents of a high school friend live off Upper Mud River. But he said “it’s very difficult” to build fiber along the rocky terrain to homes where “you are hoping that people will hook up, and if they don’t, well, you’ve lost a lot of money.”

A 2022 countywide broadband assessment found that stringing fiber-optic lines along telephone poles would cost more than $5,000 per connection in some areas — work that would need big federal subsidies to be feasible.

Yet Vance said Armstrong cannot apply for the latest BEAD funding to help finance connections. And while he likes that the federal government is “being responsible” by not handing out two federal grants for the same area, Vance said, “we want to see people deliver on the grants they have.”

If Frontier hadn’t already gotten federal funds from the earlier Trump program, “we definitely would have applied to that area,” Vance said.

The 2022 assessment noted the community’s economy would not be sustainable without “ubiquitous broadband.”

High-speed internet brings more jobs and less poverty, said Claudia Persico, an associate professor at American University. Persico, who is also a research associate with the National Bureau of Economic Research, co-authored a recent paper that found increased broadband internet leads to a reduction in the number of suicides as well as improvements in self-reported mental and physical health.

More than 30% of Lincoln County’s population reports cases of depression, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The rate of opioid prescriptions dispensed in Lincoln County is down about 60% from 2014 to 2024 — but still higher than the state average, according to the West Virginia Board of Pharmacy.

Twenty percent of the county’s population lives below the poverty line, and residents are also more likely than the national average to experience heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.

Lincoln Primary Care Center offers telehealth services such as electronic medical records on a patient portal and a pharmacy app, said Jill Adkins, chief quality and risk officer at Southern West Virginia Health System, which operates the clinic.

But because of limited access, only about 7% of patients use telehealth, she said.

Della Vance was a patient at the clinic but said she has never used a patient portal. If she could, Vance said, she would check records on the baby she is expecting.

“You can’t really get on if you don’t have good service and no internet,” she said. “It makes me angry, honestly.”

Vance and her husband, Isaiah, live off a gravel road that veers from Upper Mud River. There is a tall pole with black wires dangling across the road from their small home. Pointing to the cables, Isaiah Vance said he couldn’t get phone service anymore.

Verizon announced plans last year to buy Frontier for an estimated $20 billion. The deal, which must be approved by federal and state regulators, is expected to be completed in early 2026, according to an investor’s press release.

In its federal merger application, Frontier stated that it had taken on too much debt after emerging from bankruptcy and that debt would make it difficult to finish the work of installing fiber to customers in 25 states.

In West Virginia, Frontier’s Allison Ellis wrote in March 3 testimony, seeking approval for the merger from state regulators, that Verizon will honor the rural program commitments. The previous month, in February, Frontier filed a motion with the state public service commission to keep the number of customers using copper lines and the faster fiber-optic lines confidential.

Kelly Workman, West Virginia’s broadband director, said during a November interview that her office has asked federal regulators for “greater visibility” into Frontier’s rural program construction, particularly because those locations cannot win the Biden-era infrastructure money when it’s available.

“The worst-case scenario would be for any of these locations to be left behind,” Workman said.

‘Money Cow’

Frontier’s progress installing fiber-optic lines and its unreliable service have frustrated West Virginians for years. In a 2020 letter to the FCC, U.S. Sen. Shelley Capito (R-W.Va.) cited “the failure of Frontier to deliver on promises to federal partners” and its “mismanagement” of federal dollars, which forced the state to pay back $4.7 million because of improper use and missed deadlines.

Michael Holstine, a longtime member of the West Virginia Broadband Enhancement Council, said the company has “just used West Virginia as a money cow.” Holstine has been fighting for the construction of fiber-optic lines in Pocahontas County for years. “I really just hope I get it before I die.”

Across the state, people like Holstine and Adkins are eager for updated networks, according to interviews as well as letters released under a public records request.

Chrissy Murray, vice president of Frontier’s external communications, acknowledged that the company was “building back our community efforts” in West Virginia after a bankruptcy filing and reorganization. She said there has been a “notable decline” in consumer complaints, though she did not provide specific numbers.

Murray said Frontier built fiber-optic cables to 20% of its designated rural funds locations as of the end of 2024. It has also invested in other infrastructure projects across the state, she said in a January email, adding that the company donated high-speed fiber internet to West Virginia University’s rural Jackson’s Mill campus.

According to data tracked by a federal agency, Frontier has connected 6,100 — or fewer than 10% — of the more than 79,000 locations it was awarded in the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund program.

The FCC oversees the rural fund. The agency did not respond to a request for comment. Frontier expects to receive $37 million annually from the agency through 2032, according to a federal filing.

In April, a new batch of letters from West Virginia residents filed as “support” for Frontier’s merger with Verizon appeared in the state regulatory docket:

“My support for this case depends on whether Verizon plans to upgrade or replace the existing Frontier infrastructure,” wrote one customer in Summers County, in the far southern corner of the state, adding, “West Virginians in my neck of the woods have been held hostage by Frontier for a generation now because no other providers exist.”

A customer from Hardy County, in the state’s northeastern corner, wrote: “This is [a] move by frontier to to [sic] escape its responsibility to continue services.”

‘Deep-Rooted’

Adkins moved to Upper Mud River with her husband, Bobby, decades ago.

For years, Bobby and Ada Carol Adkins ran a “carry-out” on Upper Mud River Road. The old building is still at the rock quarry just down the hill and around the curve from where her trailer sits.

It was the type of store where locals kept a tab — which Bobby treated too much like a “charity,” Adkins said. They sold cigarettes, beer, bread, bags of chips, and some food items like potatoes and rice. “Whatever the community would want,” she said.

Then, Bobby Adkins’ “health started deteriorating and money got tighter,” Adkins said. He died at 62 years old.

Now, Adkins said, “I’m having kidney problems. I got arthritis, they’re treating me for high blood pressure.”

Her doctor has begun sending notes over the internet to refill her blood pressure medicine and, Adkins said, “I love that!”

But Adkins’ internet was out again in early April, and she can’t afford Starlink like her neighbors. Even as Adkins said she is “deep-rooted,” her son’s request is on her mind.

“I’m having health problems,” Adkins said. “He makes a lot of sense.”

©2025 KFF Health News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By LEANNE ITALIE, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Marian Rivman is pushing 80. Harriet Luria is a proud 83. In this trio, Carol Leister is the baby at 62. Together, they have decades of experience with yoga. Only now, it involves a chair.

Chair yoga adapts traditional yoga poses for older people and others with physical challenges, but the three devotees said after a recent class that doesn’t mean it’s not a quality workout. As older adults have become more active, chair yoga has grown in popularity.

“You’re stretching your whole body,” Rivman offered. “What you can do in the chair is a little bit more forgiving on the knees and on the hips. So as you age, it allows you to get into positions that you were doing before without hurting yourself.”

Sitting down to exercise, or standing while holding onto a chair to perform some poses, may not sound like a workout, but Rivman, Luria, Leister and practitioners everywhere see a world of benefits.

“I took it up because I have osteoporosis and the chair yoga is much easier,” Luria said. “You don’t have to worry as much about falling and breaking anything. It’s not as difficult as I thought it would be, but it’s not easy. And you really do use your muscles. It’s an excellent workout.”

Yoga with a chair isn’t just for older people

Chair yoga is clearly marketed to older women, who made up the class where the three yoga friends got together at the Marlene Meyerson JCC on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. But the practice also has a lot to offer others, said their instructor, Whitney Chapman.

Desk workers can squeeze in 15 minutes of chair yoga, for instance. Many companies offer it as a way to cut down on stress and improve overall health. And people recovering from surgery or injuries may not be ready to get down on a yoga mat, but they can stretch in a chair.

“I’ve known these ladies probably 18 to 20 years. And the very first time in a yoga class that I brought in the chair, all of my students said I don’t want geriatric yoga. I’m not an old person,” Chapman said.

“And then they saw that having a chair is just as good as a yoga strap, a yoga block. It’s another prop that’s going to help you do what you want to do. So it’s not necessarily because you’re older, but that it can be helpful. And it doesn’t mean you’re geriatric just because you’re sitting in a chair.”

The benefits are many, Chapman said: improved flexibility, strength, balance. And there’s the overall emotional well-being that yoga practitioners in general report. It’s particularly useful for people with mobility issues or chronic ailments like arthritis or back pain. Chapman also teaches yoga to cancer and Parkinson’s disease patients.

In addition to restorative and other benefits, the practice of chair yoga can help improve posture for people of all ages and abilities, and help older people prevent falls.

A physical practice that can last a lifetime

Leister recently retired.

“I’ve been looking for all different kinds of exercises to do and this is one of them,” she said. “This is the one that I could see doing for the rest of my life, where some that are a little more strenuous I may not be able to do in the future.”

Traditional yoga originated more than 5,000 years ago in India. Many of the poses used today are also that old. It can be as much spiritual as physical, and that also goes for its chair descendant. The precise movements are tied to deliberate, cleansing breathwork.

Rivman has been doing yoga for about 50 years.

“Once you start and you get what it does for your body, you don’t want to give it up. And if there’s a way that you can keep doing it and keep doing it safely, that’s a choice you’re going to make,” she said.

Yoga by the numbers, including chair yoga

The practice of yoga, including chair yoga, has been on the rise in the U.S. over the last 20 years. In 2022, the percentage of adults age 18 and older who practiced yoga in the past 12 months was 16.9%, with percentages highest among women ages 18–44, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Women are more than twice as likely as men to practice yoga, the data showed. The percentage of adults who practiced yoga to treat or manage pain decreased with increasing family income.

The CDC, didn’t break out chair yoga for analysis but recommends that adults 65 and older focus on activities that improve balance and strength. That, the health agency said, can be achieved through various exercises, including chair yoga.

Why don’t more men do yoga?

Chapman and her students have thoughts on why more men don’t practice yoga. Traditionally, Chapman said, the practice was reserved for men, but as yoga became more westernized, women took over.

“Women tend to be more group-oriented. I would love to see more men in class. I do have a few. I don’t know if they’re intimidated, but you know, it’s a great way to meet women if everybody’s single,” Chapman said with a chuckle.

Luria theorizes that fewer men are drawn to yoga because it’s not a competitive sport.

“You’re really working at your own level,” she said. “Take out the competition and it’s not their thing.”

These chair yoga practitioners have lots of advice. Rivman summed it up best: “Get into a chair and do some yoga. You don’t have to stand on your head, but you have to move. You’re never too old to start.”

Warren police say a 71-year-old woman is dead and a suspect is in custody following a police chase that ended with a crash on Saturday evening.

According to officials, two Warren police officers attempted to make a traffic stop on the driver of a black Chrysler 300 who was reportedly driving recklessly in the area of Van Dyke and Miller around 9:33 p.m. The driver, police say, did not stop, leading to a pursuit.

Police say the suspect eventually collided with two vehicles at the intersection of 9 Mile and Van Dyke. The suspect reportedly tried to run from the scene but was caught by officers.

The driver of one of the vehicles involved in the crash was a 71-year-old woman. Police say she was transported to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead. The occupants of the second vehicle involved in the crash did not sustain serious injuries, police say.

The investigation is ongoing. Police say they will release more details as they become available.

Russia and Ukraine swapped hundreds more prisoners on Sunday, the third and last part of a major exchange that reflected a rare moment of cooperation in otherwise failed efforts to reach a ceasefire in the more than three years of war.

Hours earlier, the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and other regions came under a massive Russian drone-and-missile attack that killed at least 12 people and injured dozens. Ukrainian officials described it as the largest aerial assault since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Russia's Defense Ministry said each side brought home 303 more soldiers, after each released a total of 307 combatants and civilians on Saturday, and 390 on Friday the biggest swap of the war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the exchange, saying on X on Sunday that 303 Ukrainian defenders are home." He noted that the troops returning to Ukraine were members of the Armed Forces, the National Guard, the State Border Guard Service, and the State Special Transport Service.

In talks held in Istanbul earlier this month the first time the two sides met face to face for peace talks Kyiv and Moscow agreed to swap 1,000 prisoners of war and civilian detainees each. The exchange has been the only tangible outcome from the talks.

The largest aerial attack of the war

The scale of the onslaught was stunning Russia hit Ukraine with 367 drones and missiles, the largest single aerial attack of the war, according to Yuriy Ihnat, a spokesperson for Ukraine's Air Force.

In all, Russia used 69 missiles of various types and 298 drones, including Iranian-designed Shahed drones, he told The Associated Press.

There was no immediate comment from Moscow on the strikes.

For Kyiv, the day was particularly somber as the city observed Kyiv Day, a national holiday that falls on the last Sunday in May, commemorating its founding in the 5th century,

Zelenskyy said Russian missiles and drones hit more than 30 cities and villages, and urged Western partners to ramp up sanctions on Russia a longstanding demand of the Ukrainian leader but one that despite warnings to Moscow by the United States and Europe has not materialized in ways to deter Russia.

These were deliberate strikes on ordinary cities," Zelenskyy wrote on X, adding that Sundays targets included Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytskyi, Ternopil, Chernihiv, Sumy, Odesa, Poltava, Dnipro, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv and Cherkasy regions.

America's silence, the silence of others in the world, only encourages" Russian President Vladimir Putin, he said. Without truly strong pressure on the Russian leadership, this brutality cannot be stopped. Sanctions will certainly help."

Russias Defense Ministry meanwhile said its air defenses shot down 110 Ukrainian drones overnight.

Another 'sleepless night'

Sounds of explosions boomed throughout the night in Kyiv and the surrounding area as Ukrainian air defense persisted for hours in efforts to shoot down Russian drones and missiles. At least four people were killed and 16 were injured in the capital itself, according to the security service.

A difficult Sunday morning in Ukraine after a sleepless night, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on X, adding that the assault lasted all night.

Fires broke out in homes and businesses, set off by falling drone debris.

In Zhytomyr region, west of Kyiv, the emergency service said three children were killed, aged 8, 12 and 17. Twelve people were injured in the attacks, it said. At least four people were killed in the Khmelnytskyi region, in western Ukraine. One man was killed in Mykolaiv region, in southern Ukraine.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said a student dormitory in Holosiivskyi district was hit by a drone and one of the buildings walls was on fire. In Dniprovskyi district, a private house was destroyed and in Shevchenkivskyi district, windows in a residential building were smashed.

The scale of Russia's use of aerial weapons aside, the attacks over the past 48 hours have been among the most intense strikes on Ukraine since the February 2022 invasion.

A village engulfed in smoke and rubble

In Markhalivka, just outside Kyiv where several village homes were burned down, the Fedorenkos watched their ruined home in tears.

The street looks like Bakhmut, like Mariupol, its just terrible, says 76-year-old Liubov Fedorenko, comparing their village to some of Ukraine's most devastated cities. She told the AP she was grateful her daughter and grandchildren hadn't joined them for the weekend.

I was trying to persuade my daughter to come to us," Fedorenko said, adding that she told her daughter, After all, you live on the eighth floor in Kyiv, and here its the ground floor.'

"She said, No, mum, Im not coming. And thank God she didnt come, because the rocket hit (the house) on the side where the childrens rooms were, Fedorenko said.

Ivan Fedorenko, 80, said he regrets letting their two dogs into the house when the air raid siren went off. They burned to death, he said. "I want to bury them, but Im not allowed yet.

Despite POW swaps, no letup in the war

The POW exchange was the latest of scores of swaps since the war began but also the biggest involving Ukrainian civilians.

Still, it has not halted the fighting. Battles have continued along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line, where tens of thousands of soldiers have been killed, and neither country has relented in its deep strikes.

Russias Defense Ministry quoted Yaroslav Yakimkin of the North group of Russian forces as saying Sunday that Ukrainian troops have been pushed back from the border in the Kursk region, which Putin visited days ago.

The troops continue to advance forward every day, Yakimkin said, adding that Russians forces have taken Marine and Loknya in Ukraines northeastern Sumy region, which borders Kursk, over the past week, and were advancing in the Kharkiv region around the largely destroyed town of Vovchansk.

Oakland County Road Commissioner Nancy Quarles has resigned her position with the board to take a position with the state.

The commission’s chairman, Eric McPherson, told The Oakland Press that she emailed her resignation after Thursday’s board meeting, but he did not see it until Friday.

“I believe she got an opportunity in another part of government,” he said.

On Friday, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced she had appointed Quarles, a Novi Democrat, to the state’s three-person tax commission.

McPherson said he had no idea who would replace Quales on the three-person road commission.

“Road commissioners are appointed by the county commissioners and I have no idea who they will choose,” he said, adding that he is not making suggestions. “That’s not my place.”

The state tax commission oversees the administration of the property tax laws, assists and advises assessors and, since 2009, is responsible for the education and certification of assessing officers.

Quarles succeeds Mark Davidoff, whose term expired in December.

She is a former state representative, during which time she was vice chair of the tax policy committee, a former Oakland County commissioner and the immediate past chair of the Oakland County Democratic Party.

She did not respond to an Oakland Press request for comment on Friday.

The county road commission is in the midst of deciding whether to move forward with a $43 million administration building or renovate the county’s executive building, which will be empty in 2027 when employees there move to the Ottawa Towers buildings in downtown Pontiac.

Each year on the final Monday in May, the country commemorates military personnel who lost their lives while serving in the armed forces. Those individuals made the ultimate sacrifice, and Memorial Day is a way to honor them and thank their families for their selfless acts.

This Memorial Day, families can embrace various measures to honor fallen veterans.

• Visit a local veterans cemetery. The United Service Organization (USO) notes that most states have national veterans cemeteries. Though some veterans cemeteries are open only to family members of service personnel, others are open to the general public. Visiting a veterans cemetery is a great way to honor fallen military members and ensure the memory of their service and sacrifice is not forgotten on Memorial Day. There are two in Michigan — Great Lakes National Cemetery in Holly and Fort Custer National Cemetery in Augusta.

• Celebrate veterans. Memorial Day weekend is synonymous with getaways and backyard barbecues. By taking time out during the weekend to honor fallen veterans, families can ensure the meaning behind the holiday is not lost in the midst of celebrations with family and friends. Take time out during a family barbecue to discuss a family member who served or, if traveling, make an effort to visit a veterans memorial along your travel route.

• Help raise funds for veterans organizations. Fun runs or community Memorial Day walks may benefit local veterans organizations that help service members in need. Many service members may need help dealing with the deaths of friends or family members who died while serving in the armed forces, and veterans organizations may provide such help or direct funds to groups that do. That makes participation in events that benefit veterans organizations a great way to honor current military personnel and those who have served in the past, including those who died in service of their country.

• Teach youngsters about the role of the armed forces. There’s a lot competing for the attention of today’s young people, and that can make it easy to overlook the very freedoms that make the United States such a unique country. Parents and guardians can emphasize the role the armed forces play in procuring and protecting freedoms in the United States and emphasize the significance of the sacrifices of those who gave their lives to ensure a higher quality of life for all U.S. residents.

Did you know?

• Though Memorial Day traces its origins to the years following the American Civil War in the mid-19th century, it did not become an official federal holiday until 1971.

• Memorial Day began as something of a grassroots movement. According to History.com, by the late 1860s, individuals in towns across the war-ravaged United States began holding springtime tributes to soldiers who lost their lives during the American Civil War.

• Among the more notable postwar commemorations was one organized by former slaves in Charleston, South Carolina. That commemoration occurred less than a month after the Confederate forces surrendered in 1865. Despite that, History.com notes that in 1966 the federal government declared Waterloo, New York, the birthplace of Memorial Day.

• Postwar commemorations also were organized by northern veterans of the Civil War. Gen. John A. Logan, who led an organization of Union veterans, called for a nationwide day of remembrance in May 1868. Logan referred to the holiday as Declaration Day and chose May 30 because it was not the anniversary of any specific battle and therefore unlikely to be viewed by some as controversial.

• Early commemorations of Decoration Day, which gradually came to be known as Memorial Day, initially honored only those soldiers who died during the American Civil War. However, that changed over time as American servicemen fought in various wars, including both World Wars, the Vietnam War, the Korean War, and other conflicts.

• The red poppy has become a symbol of Memorial Day. That red poppy can be traced to a poem by Canadian John McCrae, who served as a lieutenant colonel in World War I. “In Flanders Field” notes the red poppies that grew in fields where countless soldiers had been buried in modern-day Belgium. The poem was published in 1915, three years before the war ended. Sadly, McCrae himself was a casualty of the war, succumbing to pneumonia in France in 1918 while still in the service.

The Waterford school board voted unanimously to approve a superintendent contract with Adam Martin.

He will officially take over as district superintendent July 1.

Martin and the district came to an agreement on a three-year contract at a salary of $227,500. The board voted at a May 19 special meeting.

Martin is the current executive director of student achievement at Dearborn Public Schools.

“We are thrilled to welcome Adam Martin as our new superintendent,” said Kristen Wagner, school board president. “His extensive experience and proven track record in student achievement make him the ideal leader to guide Waterford School District into the future. We are confident that under his leadership, our students, staff, and community will continue to thrive.”

Lisa Eldredge, who was assistant superintendent for teaching and learning, is the current interim superintendent.

Thomas Ahart, former superintendent of the Des Moines, Iowa, public school system, was chosen October 2024 to take over for Scott Lindberg, who retired after five years as superintendent. The two sides could not reach a contract agreement forcing the board to reopen their search for a new superintendent.

Slowing Michigan economy is a drag on Oakland County prosperity, economists say

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Road commission to consider Oakland County’s executive building

Career programs

• Free Women to Work Program Offered to Metro Detroiters informational meeting is 9-11 a.m. June 5, at Gesher Human Services, 29699 Southfield Road, Southfield, register with Judy Richmond at 248-233-4232, or email jrichmond@geshermi.org, www.geshermi.org/event-calendar. The program starts June 10 and includes eight sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m.-noon through July 8.

Children’s activities

• Springfield Township Parks & Recreation Fishing Derby is 1-3 p.m. June 8, at Shiawassee Basin Preserve Ponds, 12000 Davisburg Road, Davisburg. Children are encouraged to bring their own poles, bait, tackle and chair, rain or shine. Practice and registration begin at 12:30 p.m. and contests begin at 1 p.m. Prizes for largest fish caught and most fish caught. Participants must be present to win and claim prizes. Fishing licenses are not required. Children must be accompanied by an adult at all times. Pre-registration is encouraged, $5 per child by June 6, on-site rate is $7 per child (cash or check on day of), ages 16 and younger, www.springfield-twp.us/departments/parks_and_recreation/index.php.

Community events

• The Village of Rochester Hills kicks off summer activities with most events taking place outside in Festival Park. Bugs on Wheels: Interact with bugs is 10-11 a.m. and 6-7 p.m. May 29; Music & Me with Ms. Calissa is 10-10:45 a.m. June 2, Music & Me with Miss Jenna is 10-10:45 a.m. June 4 and Lip Service Band live music is 5-8 p.m. June 6, TheVORH.com.

• Troy Historic Village Summer Kick-Off Open House is 5-8 p.m. June 3, explore all 11 historic buildings and grounds, purchase food or bring a picnic, live music. Visitors can purchase raffle tickets for prizes, $5 for one ticket, registration not required, walk-ins welcome. Visitors should park at the Troy Community Center, 3179 Livernois Road, Troy) and ride the complimentary shuttle to the Village, www.TroyHistoricVillage.org.

Festivals/Shows

• Ya’ssoo Greek Festival is May 23-25, (noon-9 p.m. Sunday) on the grounds of St. George Greek Orthodox Church 43816 Woodward Ave., Bloomfield Hills, Greek culture, Greek dancers, customs and cuisine, live music, www.yassoogreekfestival.com, $3 admission, free for ages 12 and younger, menu prices vary.

• Hazel Park Memorial Weekend Festival is May 23-26 in Green Acres Park, 620 W. Woodward Heights, carnival, live music, facebook.com/HazelParkRecreation. Memorial Day Service is at 9 a.m. at City Hall Memorial Site, followed by parade at 10 a.m. May 26, starting at Hazel Park Junior High School, 22770 Highland Ave., Hazel Park.

• Kensington Metropark Art Fair is May 24-26, along the beach at Kensington Metropark, 4570 Huron River Pkwy., Milford, Memorial Day Weekend (Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Monday 10 a.m.- 4 p.m.), Metropark entry pass required, daily admission is $10, KensingtonArtFair.com.

• Royal Oak Leprechauns Baseball Team to host Family Fun Day event from 2-5 p.m. May 25, at Royal Oak Memorial Park. Home opener is 6:30 p.m. May 26, www.facebook.com/RoyalOakLeprechauns.

• Canterbury Village Medieval Faire is May 31-June 1 and June 7-8, Orion Twp., artisan shopping, knight battles, jousting tournaments, fire breathers, magicians, food, Canterbury Village, 2325 Joslyn Road, Orion Twp., www.canterburyvillage.com, www.facebook.com/CanterburyVillageMedievalFaire, $17.99+, ages 2-12-$7.99+.

• Blake’s Lyon Township’s 2025 Grand Opening Celebration with discounted Funland admission, is 8 a.m.-6 p.m., May 31, at 61475 Silver Lake Road,  South Lyon, featuring food trucks, music and more. Admission to Funland will be discounted to just $5 per person. There will also be U-Pick asparagus, free kids’ activities like bubbles, coloring, and sunflower planting, and giveaways with prizes including an Appleseed Camp summer cay camp pass, an annual family membership.

Fundraisers/Volunteer opportunities

• Judson Center annual fundraising gala for Child Safe Michigan, an affiliate of human service agency Judson Center, is 6 p.m. May 30 at Michigan Central Station in Detroit. The event benefits Child Safe Michigan’s foster care, adoption and mentoring services, featuring a strolling dinner, cocktails, silent auction, raffle, and live entertainment, www.childsafemichigan.org/gala.

• Capuchin Souper Summer Celebration is 7:30-11 p.m. May 31, at Comerica Park, 2100 Woodward Ave., Detroit. Fundraising event festive night at the ballpark with food and drinks, music and dancing, fireworks, raffles of more than $30,000 of luxury jewelry and watches from Ahee Jewelers, and other prizes. Raffle tickets are $5, to benefit Capuchin Soup Kitchen, www.cskdetroit.org.

• The Furniture Bank of Metro Detroit is hosting “Furniture Flip Challenge,” calling all do-it-yourselfers, to stop by its Pontiac warehouse, 333 North Perry St., through July 31, to select an old table or other home furnishing, and transform it. The contest will culminate at “Furniture Flip Bash” fundraiser Sept. 4 at The Village Club in Bloomfield Hills featuring Hilary Farr, international interior designer and popular star of HGTV’s “Love It or List It.” The upcycled furniture pieces will be auctioned to raise funds for the The Furniture Bank nonprofit, www.furniture-bank.org.

• Forgotten Harvest Farms at 9153 Major Road, Fenton seeks volunteers to help the farm team prep the land. Forgotten Harvest has a projected yield goal of more than 900,000 pounds of fresh produce, all to be distributed for free to metro Detroiters experiencing food insecurity. Volunteers must be ages 14+, volunteers under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Register for a shift at https://forgottenharvest.galaxydigital.com/need/detail/?need_id=1041749.

• Necessities Drive is 10 a.m.-noon, May 31, at Beacon Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 4230 Livernois Road, Troy, drive-through drop off non-perishable foods, cleaning supplies, toiletries, paper products, laundry detergents, new underwear and socks, and diapers to benefit local nonprofits. For questions, call 248-524-9339.

• Shakespeare Royal Oak fundraiser is 6-9 p.m. June 6, at the Royal Oak Historical Society Museum, 1411 W. Webster Road, Royal Oak, featuring an exhibit of local artists’ work from the theatre company’s 25 seasons of professional theatre in Starr Jaycee Park, at ShakespeareRoyalOak.com, tickets are $40 for the fundraiser, $65 for the fundraiser and a ticket to Shakespeare Royal Oak’s 2025 summer production of “Macbeth” and $130 for the fundraiser and two tickets to “Macbeth”.

• The Waterford Foundation for Public Education Annual Golf Outing is June 17, with an 8 a.m. shotgun start, at Fountains Golf and Banquet Center in Clarkston. Derrick Fries, Ph.D. will be honored as an educator, author, triathlon national and sailing world title holder, www.wsdmi.org/wfpe, $150 per golfer, banquet only-$40.

• The American Red Cross urges donors to give blood or platelets. To book a time to give blood or platelets, use the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit www.RedCrossBlood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

Gardening

• Perennial Swap/Sale is 9-10:30 a.m. May 31, on the grounds of Mill Pond Park, at Springfield Township Parks & Recreation, 12000 Davisburg Road, Davisburg. Bring perennials to exchange, must be in groups of two or three root clumps, in four or six-inch containers and labeled, In partnership with the Springfield Garden Club, www.springfield-twp.us/departments/parks_and_recreation/index.php.

• Gardening for Pollinators is 10:30 a.m.-noon May 31, Red Oaks Nature Center, 30300 Hales St., Madison Heights, wildlife and pollinator-friendly garden, discuss options and take home a native plan, $5/person. Register at www.oakgov.com/home/showpublisheddocument/26662.

• Oakland County Farmers Market is open 7 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, and on Spring Flower Days, from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Sundays, through June 1, at 2350 Pontiac Lake Road, Waterford Twp., 248-858-5495, www.facebook.com/OaklandCountyFarmersMarket.

Lectures/Speakers

• Speaking Peace Series-Turning Compassion into Action is 6 p.m. May 29, at St. John Lutheran Church (ELCA), 23225 Gill Road, Farmington Hills, www.stjohn-elca.org
Coleman Yoakum, executive director of the Micah 6 Community in Pontiac, will share his insights on community-building. In 2012, Coleman and his team founded Micah 6 Community, a neighborhood-based community development organization in Pontiac, dedicated to strengthening communities and supporting individuals, with gardens, children’s programs and Webster Community Center. Register at https://form.jotform.com/242835058121149.

• USAID Officers to offer a presentation about Gaza, Ukraine and US foreign aid at 7 p.m. May 29 at St. David’s Episcopal Church, 16200 W. Twelve Mile Road, Southfield, doors open at 6:30 p.m., www.stdavidssf.org, followed by Q&A.

Library activities

• The Troy Public Library hosts free Summer Library Program kick-off event, 6-8 p.m. June 6, for families of children ages 0–13, featuring bounce house (socks required and must be 42”), Carousel Acres petting zoo, outdoor games, reptiles provided by Reptarium, and food trucks, no registration required. Weather permitting, this outdoor event will take place in the space between the library and City Hall. Register for the Summer Library Program at troypl.org/SLP, children can log their reading and complete activities for prizes.

• Friends of the Huntington Woods/Pleasant Ridge Library will hold their spring used book sale, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 30-31, at the library, 26415 Scotia Road, Huntington Woods. (Special pricing from 2 to 4 p.m. each day of the sale, fill a brown paper bag for $5). For questions248-543-9720 or email the Friends at hwfotl@gmail.com.

Misc.

• Oxford Bank will hold a grand opening event for its remodeled headquarters, May 28, at 60 S. Washington Street, Oxford, with free cookies, giveaways and coloring books for kids.

• Hazel Park City-wide Yard Sale, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. May 30-June 1, throughout Hazel Park, hpcan.org/hpsale.

Parks/Outdoor activities

• Disability Dirt Days series at Holly Oaks ORV Park from 11 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Sundays, June 1, Sept. 21 or Oct. 19. An off-roading ride will be provided for a rider and one guest (must be at least 10 years old) during this special event. Registration is required at bit.ly/DirtDay25. For questions, text or call 248-221-8040.

• Free Fishing Weekend is June 7-8 in Michigan, www.michigan.gov. All fishing license fees will be waived for both inland and on the Great Lakes. All fishing regulations still apply.

• Oakland County Parks and Recreation offers free admission. General park entry fees and vehicle permits have been eliminated for all parks operated by Oakland County Parks, www.oakgov.com/community/oakland-county-parks.

• The Metroparks Trail Challenge is open through Oct. 31. Registration is $35, includes a custom tumbler and trail passport. Visit designated Challenge Trails across all 13 Metroparks. Take a selfie at each trail’s Challenge Kiosk and upload it to the leaderboard to collect your badge, and you’ll get a 2026 Annual Vehicle Pass. Register your dog for $10 and receive a custom Trail Challenge dog tag. www.metroparks.com/trailchallenge.

• Michigan State Parks and Recreation Areas, michigan.gov/dnr. Park entrance fees apply.

Senior activities

• Finding the Next Chapter in Your Life, a free program for mature adults entering a new stage of life is 7-9 p.m. June 5, at National Council of Jewish Women Michigan, 26400 Lahser Road Suite #306, Southfield, https://ncjwmi.org, free event, register by June 2.

• Start the Conversation: Talking to A Loved One About Dementia Free Community Event is 6:30-8 p.m. June 4, at Jewish Senior Life Fleischman Residence, 6710 West Maple Rd., West Bloomfield Twp., https://jslmi.org/amenities-services-new/fleischman-dementia-event, 248-592-1144.

Support resources

• For access to local community services, dial 211 (844-875-9211) or text zip code to 898211, for information and referrals to physical and mental health resources; housing, utility, food, and employment assistance; and suicide and crisis interventions, United Way, https://unitedwaysem.org/get-help.

• The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline provides 24/7 confidential support for people who are suicidal or in emotional distress, or who know someone who is. Calls and text messages to 988 route to a 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline call center, www.fcc.gov/988Lifeline.

• National Domestic Violence Hotline, 800-799-7233, available 24/7.

• Common Ground’s Resource & Crisis Helpline is available 24/7 – call or text 800-231-1127.

• Veterans Crisis Line, dial 988 and then press 1 to connect to the Veterans Crisis Lifeline. For texts, veterans should text the Veterans Crisis Lifeline short code: 838255.
To submit a community event, email the information to Kathy Blake at kblake@medianewsgroup.com.

More than 120 teachers in 43 school districts are receiving $796,000 in grants from the Michigan Department of Education for earning National Board Certification.

“National Board Certification benefits students by increasing the effectiveness of teachers,” said State Superintendent Michael F. Rice. “Certification is particularly beneficial to students in high-poverty school districts. I congratulate the teachers who are receiving grants for achieving this certification.”

Districts and intermediate school districts applied on behalf of 124 Michigan teachers with the certification. Teachers receive grants of at least $4,000, with a $10,000 grant if they work for a high-poverty school that receives building-wide federal Title 1 funding.

 

The goal of the grant program is to acknowledge the professional learning, growth, and achievement of Michigan teachers who have obtained National Board Certification.

By promoting the recognition and retention of teachers, this grant supports Goal 7 of Michigan’s Top 10 Strategic Education Plan, to increase the numbers of certified teachers in areas of shortage.

The National Board-Certified Teachers receiving grants in Oakland County:

– Bloomfield Hills schools $8,000

– Ferndale public schools  $4,000

– Lake Orion community schools $4,000

– Novi community schools $28,000

– Rochester community schools $88,000

– Royal Oak schools $4,000

– Southfield public schools $14,000

– West Bloomfield schools $4,000

 

 

 

Today is Sunday, May 25, the 145th day of 2025. There are 220 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a Black man, was killed when a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck for 9 1/2 minutes while Floyd was handcuffed and pleading that he couldn’t breathe; Floyd’s death, captured on video by a bystander, would lead to worldwide protests, some of which turned violent, and a reexamination of racism and policing in the U.S.

Also on this date:

In 1787, the Constitutional Convention began at the Pennsylvania State House (Independence Hall) in Philadelphia after enough delegates had shown up for a quorum.

In 1946, Transjordan (now Jordan) became a kingdom as it proclaimed its new monarch, Abdullah I.

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy told Congress: “I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth.”

In 1964, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Griffin v. County School Board of Prince Edward County, ordered the Virginia county to reopen its public schools, which officials had closed in an attempt to circumvent the Supreme Court’s 1954 Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka desegregation ruling.

In 1977, “Star Wars” was released by 20th Century Fox; it would become the highest-grossing film in history at the time.

In 1979, 273 people died when an American Airlines DC-10 crashed just after takeoff from Chicago’s O’Hare Airport.

In 2008, NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander arrived on the Red Planet to begin searching for evidence of water; the spacecraft confirmed the presence of water ice at its landing site.

In 2012, the private company SpaceX made history as its Dragon capsule became the first commercial spacecraft to dock with the International Space Station.

In 2018, Harvey Weinstein was arrested and charged in New York with rape and another sex felony in the first prosecution to result from the wave of allegations against him. (Weinstein would be convicted of two felony counts in 2020, but an appeals court would overturn the conviction in 2024. A retrial on the charges began in April 2025.)

Today’s Birthdays:

• Actor Ian McKellen is 86.
• Country singer Jessi Colter is 82.
• Actor-singer Leslie Uggams is 82.
• Filmmaker and puppeteer Frank Oz is 81.
• Actor Karen Valentine is 78.
• Actor Jacki Weaver is 78.
• Rock singer Klaus Meine (Scorpions) is 77.
• Actor Patti D’Arbanville is 74.
• Playwright Eve Ensler is 72.
• Actor Connie Sellecca is 70.
• Musician Paul Weller is 67.
• Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., is 65.
• Actor-comedian Mike Myers is 62.
• Actor Octavia Spencer is 55.
• Actor Cillian Murphy is 49.
• Football Hall of Famer Brian Urlacher is 47.
• Olympic gymnastics gold medalist Aly Raisman is 31.

The Michigan Panthers had a chance to get some revenge, clinch the top record in their conference and gain more momentum as the UFL playoffs near.

The Panthers couldn’t get the job done against a familiar roadblock, as they came up empty in the red zone in the closing seconds and fell to the Birmingham Stallions, 26-22, Saturday at Protective Stadium in Alabama.

Backup quarterback Danny Etling guided the Panthers (6-3) to the Birmingham 9-yard line on their final drive. After spiking the ball to stop the clock, the Panthers had three cracks at the end zone with 19 seconds left.

The Stallions (6-3) stood tall, breaking up two of Etling’s passes over the middle and forcing three incompletions. On third down, Etling found receiver Jaylon Moore in the back of the end zone, but Moore couldn’t get his feet down inbounds to complete the catch.

Etling, who was making his second straight start in placed of injured Bryce Perkins, finished 23 of 39 passing for 236 yards and two touchdowns. He led the Panthers to points on three of their four second-half possessions.

Receiver Siasoi Mariner had a 33-yard touchdown reception and finished with five catches for 115 yards. Running back Toa Taua had 62 total yards and scored on a 2-yard run that gave Michigan a 22-20 lead with just under eight minutes to go.

Stallions quarterback J’Mar Smith completed 22 of 31 passes for 307 yards and threw two touchdown passes to Deon Cain, including a 19-yarder that gave Birmingham the lead for good with 2:30 remaining.

Since the USFL and XFL merged to form the UFL in 2024, the Panthers are 0-5 against the Stallions, including a loss in last season’s USFL Conference Championship game.

The Panthers and Stallions, who both secured playoff berths last week, will meet in the conference title game for the second straight season on June 8. The winner will advance to the UFL Championship game on June 14.

Before that, the Panthers will host the Houston Roughnecks in their regular-season home finale on May 31 at Ford Field. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m.

©2025 The Detroit News. Visit detroitnews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

DETROIT (AP) — Kyle Manzardo and Angel Martínez hit RBI doubles in Cleveland’s four-run 10th inning, helping the Guardians beat the Detroit Tigers for the third straight game, 7-5 on Saturday night.

Bo Naylor homered and drove in two runs, including a sacrifice fly that was part of the Guardians’ big inning. Nolan Jones added an RBI single in the 10th.

With the game tied at 3, Manzardo led off the 10th with an RBI double off Brenan Hanifee (2-2). After Carlos Santana walked, Martínez’s RBI double made it 5-3.

Gleyber Torres made it 7-5 with a two-run double in the bottom of the inning, but Emmanuel Clase got two outs to seal the victory for Cleveland.

Tim Herrin (4-1) got the win after pitching a scoreless ninth.

Detroit, which hadn’t lost three straight since the opening series of the season, led 3-0 after one inning, but Torres got their only two hits in the rest of the game.

After scoring one run in the first 18 innings of the series, the Tigers scored three in Saturday’s first inning. Kerry Carpenter doubled, Torres walked and Colt Keith hit an RBI double.

Ortiz almost escaped the inning, retiring Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson, but Zach McKinstry walked and Matt Vierling hit a two-run single.

Cleveland scored twice in the third on Naylor’s homer and an RBI single by Jose Ramírez, and Ortiz escaped a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the inning.

Cleveland tied it in the eighth when Ramírez singled, took third on Manzardo’s base hit and beat Torkelson’s throw to the plate on Martínez’s grounder to first.

The Guardians called up RHP Nic Enright and placed RHP Hunter Gaddis on the bereavement list. Enright was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in December 2022, but has continued to pitch while undergoing treatment.

Key moment

After Ramírez tied it in the eighth, Cleveland loaded the bases with one out. Tommy Kahnle got Naylor to pop out and Will Vest came in to retire pinch-hitter Jones on a grounder to second.

Key stat

Ramírez’s third-inning single extended his hitting streak to 17 games.

Up next

The Tigers and Guardians finish their four-game series on Sunday morning, with the first pitch scheduled for 11:35 a,m. EDT. Detroit ace LHP Tarik Skubal (4-2, 2.87) will face LHP Logan Allen (2-2, 3.86).

— By DAVE HOGG, Associated Press

The Movement festival has officially kicked off at Hart Plaza in Detroit, drawing thousands of techno music enthusiasts to its multiple stages.

Watch Meghan's full story in the video player below: Movement festival brings thousands together through music and connection

The energy at Hart Plaza was palpable as festival-goers gathered to share in their common love of techno music.

For many attendees, the festival represents more than just good beats it's an opportunity to escape daily stresses and forge new connections.

"I came with my friends and my cousin lives here, so it worked out and we actually just met up right now, so great timing!" said Carla Gruby.

For some attendees, Movement offers a much-needed break from everyday life.

"Life is kind of crazy, and this is just a time to relax and have fun and move your body," Gruby said.

Others value the festival for its social aspects and the opportunity to build new relationships.

"You go through phases of life and now like being adults it's hard making friends so like meeting new people at festivals, it's beautiful," said Raenell Riddle.

For one couple I spoke with, Movement was the beginning of their love story 11 years ago.

"This and then like just dancing, shuffling is kind of what brought us together," Riddle said.

Now they attend festivals regularly as a way to connect and meet new friends with similar interests.

"Meeting all the new people at festivals, like everyone's so welcoming, it's been a beautiful experience," Riddle said.

Movement will continue at Hart Plaza until Monday.

This story was reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

Over 150,000 people are expected to visit downtown Detroit this Memorial Day weekend, and a new restaurant is ready to serve them. The Haus of Brunch, which opened this week, is bringing a unique dining experience to the city's food scene.

The restaurant, located at The Westin Book Cadillac Detroit, offers a completely halal menu with everything made in-house.

Watch Faraz's full piece in the video below: New halal brunch spot opens in downtown Detroit ahead of busy Memorial Day weekend

"Currently, we have 85 people capacity in the dining room. Eventually, we will have the patio open up as well to fit another 30 people," said Maher Obeid, owner of Haus of Brunch.

Obeid says he and his team strategically timed the opening to coincide with the Memorial Day weekend festivities.

"Well, we are definitely overstaffed. My CFO is talking about how much ... people we have on payroll. But it's all for good reason. So, purchasing and making sure we have all the products in-house. Getting the team up and rolling," Obeid said.

The weekend brings multiple major events to Detroit, including The Weeknd performing at Ford Field, Tigers games, and the Movement festival. These attractions are drawing visitors from both near and far.

"I have a lot of family in Detroit. It's all about the Tigers. My cousin Sue loves the Tigers. She lives down the street. So huge fan there and my other cousins, it's all about lake time, it's all about spending time with family, and getting out to the city. And then seeing all the buildings, the Guardian Building," said Tracy, a visitor from Atlanta, enjoying the holiday weekend.

Steve, another visitor, shared his perspective on the city's evolution. "We have been coming down here, St. Patrick's Church of Detroit which isn't around anymore. But her uncle was a pastor but we would come down for the festivals, Cass Corridor just to see how things gotten better, cleaner and more people friendly."

Opening during such a busy weekend presents challenges, but Obeid feels prepared.

"Yeah honestly, it is [overwhelming], but we are covering ourselves by adding more bodies on the floor. But working diligently. We have been here maybe 16 hours a day with the whole team just to make sure how things are rolling. And what to anticipate with these weekends," Obeid said.

To manage rising costs, Obeid is focusing on smart ordering practices and credits his executive Chef Ashley Thomas and team for creating a well-rounded, budget-friendly menu.

What makes Haus of Brunch stand out is its commitment to halal food preparation.

"We are a completely halal scratch kitchen. So we make everything in-house. And we don't serve any alcohol or pork," Obeid said.

When asked about potential lost revenue from not serving alcohol, Obeid remains confident in their business model.

"We have other items on the menu, like our mocktails and specialty coffee, that we can provide, but for the most part, the food and the ingredients and everything else we do overlooks that," he said.

Click here to learn more about Haus of Brunch.

This story was reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

Residents of Eastpointe and Rochester Hills are among four people accused by federal authorities of operating a $63-million scheme to steal checks from people’s mail and sell them.

Jaiswan Williams, 31, of Rochester Hills; Dequan Foreman, 30, of Eastpointe; Vanessa Hargrove, 39, of Detroit; and Crystal Jenkins, 31, of Detroit, have been charged with conspiracy to aid and abet bank and wire fraud, U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon announced Friday.

The conspiracy charge carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison.

Hargrove and Jenkins were Postal Service employees who “diverted and ultimately stole checks and other negotiable instruments from the mail, including a high volume of tax refund checks issued by the U.S. Treasury,” officials said in a news release. Williams and Foreman administered online marketplaces on which they sold the checks, officials said.

“When public employees break the public trust, they enrich themselves at the expense of the American taxpayer and undermine the institution itself,” Gorgon said in the release. “We will find and prosecute those who exploit their position for personal gain. We are committed to disrupting these shadowy schemes.”

According to allegations submitted by federal investigators, Hargrove and Jenkins sold the stolen checks to Williams and Foreman, who marketed them for sale on Telegram Messenger, a cloud-based, cross-platform instant messaging application. Prices varied based on the face-value of the checks. One of the Telegram channels, named “Whole Foods Slipsss,” was used to advertise high-dollar checks while another channel, “Uber Eats Slips,” was used to advertise lower-dollar checks. “Slips” is a term commonly used in these schemes to refer to stolen checks.

Transactions were completed via other methods using a variety of electronic payment systems. Purchasers of these checks would then attempt to fraudulently cash them using a variety of methods.

According to a report in Reuters news service and other media outlets Thursday, Vietnam authorities have instructed telecommunication service providers to block Telegram for not cooperating in combating alleged crimes committed by its users. Unrelated to the alleged stolen-check scheme, 55 men were arrested in France this week as part of an operation to dismantle a suspected pedophile ring that allegedly operated over Telegram, following a 10-month investigation, according to multiple media reports. Telegram was founded in 2013 by two Russian brothers and is headquarted in Dubai, United Emerites.

Regarding the charges against the foursome, Sean McStravick, acting inspector in charge of the Postal Inspection Service’s Detroit Division, thanked investigative partners for helping to “maintain the integrity and respectability of the U.S. Postal Service.”

“The charges against these four individuals underscore the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s commitment to securing the nation’s mail system from those who seek to exploit it for personal and financial gain,” McStravick added in the release. “Postal Inspectors utilize every tool at their disposal, including crucial partnerships, to uncover, investigate, and prosecute these schemes to the fullest extent of the law.”

Williams also faces charges on allegations of money laundering for activities dating back to October 2022, and for millions of dollars of fraudulent COVID-19 pandemic unemployment insurance benefit claims submitted between August and December 2020.

The investigation was led by the  U.S. Postal Service Office of the Inspector General with assistant from the Postal Inspection Service, participating investigative agencies included the  Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration and Department of Labor Office of the Inspector General.

The case is being prosecuted by assistant U.S. attorneys Ryan A. Particka and Darrin Crawford.

A federal judge ordered the Trump administration late Friday to facilitate the return of a Guatemalan man it deported to Mexico in spite of his fears of being harmed there.

The man, who is gay, was protected from being returned to his home country under a U.S. immigration judge's order at the time. But the U.S. put him on a bus and sent him to Mexico instead, a removal that U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy found likely lacked any semblance of due process.

Mexico has since returned him to Guatemala, where he is in hiding, according to court documents. An earlier court proceeding determined that the man, identified by the initials O.C.G., risked persecution or torture if returned to Guatemala, but he also feared returning to Mexico. He presented evidence of being raped and held for ransom there while seeking asylum in the U.S.

No one has ever suggested that O.C.G. poses any sort of security threat," Murphy wrote. In general, this case presents no special facts or legal circumstances, only the banal horror of a man being wrongfully loaded onto a bus and sent back to a country where he was allegedly just raped and kidnapped.

A message seeking comment was left with the Department of Homeland Security.

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Murphy's order adds to a string of findings by federal courts against recent Trump administration deportations. Those have included other deportations to third countries and the erroneous deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an El Salvadoran who had lived in Maryland for roughly 14 years, working and raising a family.

The U.S. Supreme Court ordered the Trump administration to facilitate Abrego Garcia's return to the U.S. from a notorious Salvadoran prison, rejecting the White Houses claim that it couldnt retrieve him after mistakenly deporting him. Both the White House and the El Salvadoran president have said they are powerless to return him. The Trump administration has tried to invoke the state secrets privilege, arguing that releasing details in open courtor even to the judge in privateabout returning Abrego Garcia to the United States would jeopardize national security.

In his Friday ruling, Murphy nodded to the dispute over the verb facilitate in that case and others, saying that returning O.C.G. to the U.S. is not that complicated.

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The Court notes that facilitate in this context should carry less baggage than in several other notable cases, he wrote. O.C.G. is not held by any foreign government. Defendants have declined to make any argument that facilitating his return would be costly, burdensome, or otherwise impede the governments objectives.