Actor Jensen Ackles said he had no idea “Supernatural” would last 15 seasons.

“I didn’t think we’d last more than three seasons. I was excited by the success of that because if you get anything more than three seasons of a show, that’s a runaway success,” Ackles said. “The fact that we got to 15, nobody could’ve predicted that, never in a million years. I’m still very proud of every episode we did, very proud of every season we completed, and very proud of every story we told. I’m sure there were some that may not have hit as hard as some of the other storylines, but I’m proud nonetheless.”

Ackles (Dean Winchester), Misha Collins (Castiel), Richard Speight, Jr. (Loki and Gabriel), Samantha Smith (Mary Winchester), Alaina Huffman (Abaddon), Alexander Calvert (Jack), Jim Beaver (Bobby Singer), Mark Sheppard (Crowley), Rob Benedict (God/Chuck), and more will attend Creation Entertainment’s “The Road So Far … The Road Ahead: Celebrating 20 Years of SPN” at the Suburban Showplace Collection in Novi on Friday through Sunday, July 11-13. This is Michigan’s first convention dedicated solely to “Supernatural.”

“We’re super excited! Man, we’re a well-oiled machine. We’ve never been there and we’ve been doing this convention all over the United States and Europe for a long time. It’s always fun to bring it to a new market because we get to connect with a whole new group of people who love the show but haven’t been able to celebrate it with us in person, so it’s gonna be great!” Speight said. “As actors on the show, we don’t get to see the people who watch it and love it. We do our job in a vacuum on a soundstage and go about our business and hope the show connects with people. Conventions give us that opportunity to meet and bond with the people who kept the show on for (15) years. It’s a special time to be with the people who kept the show popular its entire run. You do live theater, you hear applause. You do standup comedy, you get laughter. You do a TV show, you don’t hear anything, you don’t see anything. With a convention, all that comes together and makes it really unique and special.”

“Supernatural” chronicles the adventures of the Winchester brothers, Dean and Sam (Jared Padalecki), who travel the country in their 1967 Chevy Impala, called Baby, to hunt monsters.

“‘Supernatural’ is not loved because it’s a show about monsters; it’s a show about brothers,” Ackles said. “It’s the love story of two brothers, to be honest.”

“The show is about the two brothers and their connection,” Huffman said. “In television, we always say the No. 1 sets the tone. In this case, it’s a shared title, it’s Jared and Jensen. … They’re just really solid guys. They learned early on their longevity and staying power would be based on their relationship and that transcends the show and also real life. We’ve just felt that we’ve been welcomed into this big, beautiful family. We can’t describe it; it’s lightning in a bottle and we’re so grateful for it.”

Created by Eric Kripke, “Supernatural” — a cross between “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Angel,” “The X-Files” and “Route 66” — debuted Sept. 13, 2005, on The WB to modest ratings. Throughout its 15 years, “Supernatural” has survived two networks, three network presidents, five showrunners, multiple timeslots, a writers’ strike and COVID-19. It concluded Nov. 19, 2020, after 327 episodes. Its spinoff, “The Winchesters,” ran from 2022-23.

“‘Supernatural’ wasn’t just a show. It was an anchor in my life. From the moment it premiered, it walked beside me through motherhood, heartbreak, reinvention and healing. The Winchesters felt like family; their story stitched into mine. This fandom gave me purpose and friendship. It will forever be a part of who I am,” said Lindsay Warren of Royal Oak.

Warren has raised more than $100,000 via the show’s fanbase for various charities, including A Dog’s Life and St. Jude’s. Even the stars have used their celebrity status to raise awareness. Always Keep Fighting is Padalecki’s campaign to raise awareness against the stigma of mental illness. Collins co-founded Random Acts, a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding and inspiring acts of kindness worldwide.

“It’s fantastic how supportive the fans have been since the show started. For years, it would be on the bubble, meaning it wasn’t guaranteed a pickup, but it got it and the fans would stick with it. It would move nights and the fans would stick with it. It would move timeslots and the fans would stick with it,” Speight said. “It has, honestly, been the stuff of television history — how dedicated and loyal the fans have been and passionate they continue to be even with the show no longer being produced. They watch it on streamers, own the DVDs, come to conventions, and support the show like it’s still being shot, which is incredibly rare and remarkable. Being part of something that has that connection and support is really unique and amazing.”

Speight shared his insight on the show’s staying power.

“Kripke created an airtight universe with a specific mission and cast two outstanding actors (Padalecki and Ackles). Along the way, he picked up remarkable performer after remarkable performer,” he said. “You go down the list of the people who came into this show and went on to become stars in their own right — Sterling K. Brown, Leslie Odom Jr. It continued to pick up actors who are remarkably solid and contributed their talents to the show.”

Speight continued: “It just kept running along when you went from Kripke showrunning to Sera Gamble showrunning to Jeremy Carver showrunning to Andrew Dabb showrunning to Robert Singer showrunning, the show never lost a step. It kept reinventing itself. It kept staying true to the characters that launched it. It kept tapping into the talents of the cast and crew. Honestly, the show could’ve still continued if Jared and Jensen wanted it to. That’s a remarkable testament to the power of a well-thought-out plan and a well-executed TV program.”

Laura Conner of Auburn is rendezvousing in Novi with Angie Stillson of Mishawaka, Indiana, and Barbara Jones of Covington, Louisiana. The three met at “Supernatural” conventions and became lifelong friends.

“I started watching ‘Supernatural’ in the 11th season,” Conner said. “I was a little late to the party. I was newly divorced and in a bad mental state at the time. I binged all 11 seasons in less than four months. I learned about the conventions and have met some of my bestest friends through them. Now it’s coming to Novi, I get to see my friends again. I met Angie in Chicago in 2016. I met Barbara in Nashville in 2018. We all met up in Indianapolis later that year. We haven’t been together at a convention since 2018, so I am very excited about this. The lifetime of friendships ‘Supernatural’ conventions has brought me has made each day brighter. I can’t wait to see everyone!”

According to Speight, a “Supernatural” convention is an experience unlike any other.

“We’re not just a parade of actors from the show; we are an experience,” he said.  “We are funny, intimate, musical. It is a party from the moment Friday kicks off to the last acoustic, post-concert notes Sunday night. In any capacity you want to go — be it all three days, one day, just for the concert — you’re gonna have a great time because it’s a celebration of a show at a level you have yet to experience. We’re thrilled to be able to bring it to you and hope you’re there to enjoy it with us.”

If you go

Creation Entertainment’s “The Road So Far … The Road Ahead: Celebrating 20 Years of SPN” will be at the Suburban Showplace Collection, 46100 Grand River Ave., Novi, from Friday through Sunday, July 11-13.

The convention schedule is posted the week of the convention to accommodate flight itineraries and filming schedules. All guests and scheduling are tentative and subject to change. Ticket packages range between $60-$1099. For more information, visit creationent.com/cal/ce_novi or email customer.service@creationent.com.

‘Supernatural: Then and Now’ Podcast

Can’t get enough “Supernatural”? Well, “Supernatural” stars Richard Speight Jr. and Rob Benedict host the podcast “Supernatural: Then and Now.”

“It’s such a cool experience,” Speight said. “Though Rob and I were involved in the show … I didn’t watch every episode. It’s forced me to do exactly that and in order. Now, like a fan, I’m going step by step throughout the entire storyline of each character … giving it a real close look. It’s been fantastically educating, entertaining and illuminating because I can see the show through the eyes of a fan. Plus, we have a great time talking about it. Any time I work with Rob is a good time because nobody makes me laugh like that guy.”

When seeing himself on these episodes, Speight doesn’t second-guess his performances.

“Look, those things are frozen in a vacuum: You do ‘em, they’re on film, they’re captured, you’re not gonna change ‘em. It’s fun to go back and look at it like it’s a home movie,” he said. “There are a couple episodes where I had a lot of sympathy weight because my wife was pregnant, so that wasn’t my favorite thing to revisit, but it happens to the best of us. … You have to come to a zen place in your mind and heart about the work you’ve done in the past.”

Speight played Gabriel and Loki in the 13th season episode, “Unfinished Business,” which he also directed.

“Very few times does an actor get to direct himself kicking his own butt,” he recalled. “It was such an awesome experience and a challenge. I directed myself playing two characters who were dramatically different from each other. They had to interact and physically confront each other; it was amazing. That challenge was unique and special.”

Speight explained why podcasts hosted by a show’s cast are so popular.

“I think people love to hear from the people who made the show, be they crew or cast,” he said. “It’s just like how I used to watch the DVD commentary and listen to a director or writer talk about the experience of making a show or a movie. DVDs aren’t popular anymore, but podcasts are and can serve the same purpose. They can be a peak behind the curtain to some of your favorite shows and movies as discussed by (the people) who were there to see it all come together. It brings a unique perspective to it. For fans who love the show, you get to do a deep dive with the people who made the show, which makes it super unique and educational, aside from just entertaining.”

By Craig Mauger and Beth LeBlanc, The Detroit News

The chief general counsel for the Michigan Economic Development Corp. tried to conceal evidence as investigators executed search warrants on the organization earlier this month, two agents of the Attorney General’s office alleged in signed affidavits.

The agents’ sworn statements said that veteran MEDC attorney Linda Asciutto “directly intended to prevent investigators from accessing evidence” when employees of Attorney General Dana Nessel raided the MEDC office in downtown Lansing on June 18.

The records, along with a transcript of the conversation that occurred during the search, revealed Asciutto said Matthew Payok, an assistant attorney general working on the case, “and the AG’s office will pay for this” and that it would be “the last time I cooperate with the AG on a thing.” In addition, the MEDC attorney told investigators she would be filing “a complaint as an attorney.”

“What are you gonna do, arrest me?” Asciutto also asked investigators, at one point, after they told her she couldn’t return to her office, according to the transcript.

The raid was part of an ongoing probe into a $20 million grant awarded to the nonprofit of Fay Beydoun, a prominent Oakland County businesswoman and Democratic donor.

“Given Asciutto’s reluctance to open her office to a search plus … the fact that she clearly had relevant material open and in use in her office for the exact subject of the search warrant, my conclusion is that Asciutto acted to conceal evidence,” special agent Kyle Kolka wrote in a June 24 affidavit that was submitted as part of a legal battle over the search warrants.

Special agent Steve Morse signed his own affidavit on June 24, saying Asciutto told investigators they had been given everything in the office related to Beydoun, “when in fact more related documents were sitting on her desk and clearly in use.”

Asciutto’s alleged actions raised questions about the MEDC’s handling of the attorney general’s probe into the use of state tax dollars and about whether a key employee complied with a law that makes it illegal to “knowingly and intentionally” conceal evidence.

Asciutto, who has been a licensed attorney in Michigan for 37 years and has worked at the MEDC since 2008, didn’t respond to a request for comment from The Detroit News.

According to the transcript from the raid, Asciutto argued that her records were protected by attorney-client privilege, a standard that specifically protects confidential communications between a client and their legal adviser.

“Everything in here is privileged, and I’m working on everything,” Asciutto said about her office, according to the transcript. “I’m an attorney. Everything I’m working on is privilege (sic). Everything.”

Otie McKinley, a spokesman for the MEDC, declined to comment.

The MEDC is a quasi-governmental agency with a portion of its economic development efforts funded by tax dollars and a portion of its money coming from private sources. However, the organization is managed by an executive committee appointed by the governor.

Asked about the affidavits’ allegations about Asciutto, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer spokeswoman Stacey LaRouche said, “Our office expects any state department to cooperate with ongoing investigations.”

Inside the search

After a series of reports by The Detroit News, Nessel’s office announced in April 2024 that it would investigate the $20 million grant awarded to Beydoun’s Global Link International, a nonprofit incorporated just 10 days after the Legislature’s approval of the spending bill that contained the earmarked funds.

The bill described the project — monitored by the MEDC — as “an international business accelerator” that “supports the growth of the Michigan economy by attracting top international entrepreneurs.” However, public records obtained by The Detroit News previously showed that Beydoun paid $11,000 for a single flight to attend a conference in Budapest and $4,500 for a luxury coffee maker.

Beydoun, a former member of the MEDC’s executive committee, defended her costs and said she had received millions of dollars in monetary commitments toward a business retention and attraction fund. The MEDC canceled the grant in March, with Asciutto writing a letter to Global Link alleging the organization had misused money, including an “unreasonable” $550,000 annual salary for Beydoun.

In court filings about the June 18 search warrants, Nessel’s office said the MEDC had “stonewalled” the investigation into the Beydoun project. After multiple requests and unmet deadlines, the MEDC had provided only documents given to journalists as part of Freedom of Information Act requests and hadn’t provided a single witness who worked on the grant, according to Nessel’s office.

As the Attorney General’s office began executing search warrants at the MEDC office on June 18, Asciutto said, “I got to get up to my office,” according to a transcript of the discussion that occurred inside the building.

“You need to stay down here in the lobby,” Kolka then told Asciutto.

“I don’t need to stay,” she replied.

Asciutto argued that items in her office were “off limits” and her records were protected by attorney-client privilege. But investigators told her that they had court-authorized search warrants to take all of the MEDC’s documents related to the Beydoun grant, and a separate so-called “taint team” would determine what records were protected by attorney-client privilege.

At one point during the search, Asciutto pushed a box across the floor and said, “That’s all of it,” according to Morse’s affidavit.

“I imagine that it doesn’t matter to you that I am an officer of the court, and I’m telling you there’s nothing else,” Asciutto said, according to the affidavit.

However, Morse wrote, a “cursory scan of Asciutto’s desk” revealed another purple file that was marked “AG Investigation Update.” Asciutto admitted that the file was related to Beydoun’s Global Link International organization, Morse wrote.

“She also then provided a three-ring binder that, despite her earlier comments to the contrary, was also related to GLI,” the special agent wrote.

“Asciutto’s conduct — including telling us that, as an officer of the court, we had everything related to GLI when in fact more related documents were sitting on her desk and clearly in use — indicates that she directly intended to prevent investigators from accessing evidence that we were there to seize under the warrant,” Morse added.

During the raid, Asciutto told investigators that she hoped they were “searching the legislative offices.”

“They’re the ones that did this grant,” the MEDC attorney said, according to the transcript.

‘Shouldn’t get to do that’

It’s a standard protocol for investigators to collect documents and then use a “taint team” to separate privileged records from non-privileged records, said Todd Flood, a former prosecutor whom former Attorney General Bill Schuette appointed to investigate the Flint water crisis.

The approach keeps privileged information out of the hands of prosecutors.

“The fact of the matter is that privileged communications cannot be reviewed by the government/prosecution team,” Flood said in a Wednesday interview.

Gerald Gleeson, a criminal defense attorney hired to represent MEDC staff, argued in a Tuesday court hearing in Oakland County that the agency had cooperated with the Attorney General’s office and had no reason to believe it would be served a search warrant with multiple agents entering the Lansing headquarters.

MEDC staff members, he argued, have never been painted as the subject of any grant investigation.

“I’ve been told unequivocally that the people I am representing are not targets of this investigation,” Gleeson said.

The defense attorney stressed that investigators’ seizure of documents from Asciutto’s office that were labeled privileged threatened the concept of attorney-client privilege.

“They shouldn’t get to do that,” Gleeson said.

However, the Attorney General’s office has countered that courts had ruled that attorney-client privilege should be “strictly confined within the narrowest possible limits.”

The MEDC can’t establish “blanket privilege claims” over large boxes of documents, the Attorney General’s office said.

Nessel’s office contended the MEDC hadn’t argued why specific information obtained during the search was protected.

“Do they have anything to do with providing legal services?” Payok asked in a court filing about the documents. “Who does Asciutto represent? Just MEDC employees? MEDC board members as well?

“Certainly not MEDC’s grantees and specifically not Fay Beydoun.”

The following is a list of in-person and online worship services and events happening at churches and synagogues in the Oakland County area. Visit websites or call for service times and events.

• Abiding Presence Lutheran Church, 1550 Walton Blvd., Rochester Hills, 248-651-6550, abidingpresence.org. Sunday worship services are at 9:30 a.m., also virtual services are available on the website.

• Adat Shalom Synagogue, 29901 Middlebelt Road, Farmington Hills, in-person and online services via Zoom. To view daily Minyan video conferences; email Executive Director Michael Wolf at mwolf@adatshalom.org or visit adatshalom.org, 248-851-5100.

• All Saints’ Episcopal, 171 W. Pike St., Pontiac, allsaintspontiac.org, 248-334-4571, rector@allsaintspontiac.org.

• The Apostolic Church of Christ, 3655 N. Squirrel Road, Auburn Hills, theapostolicchurch.com, 248-373-4500, Sunday worship services at 11 a.m.

• Archdiocese of Detroit, livestream Mass times, aod.org/livemasses.

• Auburn Hills Christian Center, 2592 Walton Blvd., Auburn Hills, Sunday worship services at 10:30 a.m., Servicio Evangelistico services (in Spanish) at 2-4 p.m. Sundays, 248-373-7139, www.myahcc.org.

• Beacon Unitarian Universalist Congregation, Troy, in-person and online services at 10:30 a.m. Sundays, beaconcongregation.org, admin@beaconcongregation.org.

• Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church, 5631 N. Adams Road, Bloomfield Hills, livestream services at 9 a.m. Sundays, and in person at 9 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. at bslcmi.org, facebook/bslcmi, 248-646-5041.

• Berea Family Tabernacle of Faith, Pontiac, Sunday worship services are at 11 a.m., experienceberea.org, 248-338-4748.

• Berkley First United Methodist Church, 2820 12 Mile Road, Berkley, worship services are 10 a.m. Sundays in person and online at www.berkleyfirst.org.

• Bharatiya Temple, 6850 N Adams Road, Troy, www.bharatiya-temple.org, 248-879-2552.

• Big Beaver United Methodist Church, 3753 John R Road, Troy, worship services at 10 a.m. Sundays, http://bbumchurch.org.

• Birmingham First United Methodist Church, 1589 W Maple Road, Birmingham, www.fumcbirmingham.org. Summer worship services are at 10 a.m. starting Memorial Day weekend until Labor Day. (After Labor Day, Sunday worship services are in person and online at 9:30 a.m., and in-person only services at 11 a.m.)

• Birmingham Unitarian Church, 38651 Woodward Ave., Bloomfield Hills, in-person and online worship services, 10:30 a.m. Sundays, bucmi.org, 248-647-2380.

• Bridge Community Church, 5700 Rochester Road, Troy, in-person and online worship services, 10 a.m. Sundays, bridgecommunitychurch.com/live, 248-879-9500.

• Bridgewood Church, 6765 Rattalee Lake Road, Clarkston, 248-625-1344, www.bridgewoodchurch.com. Sunday worship services are 8:30 a.m., 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., also online services, and locations in Goodrich.

• Brightmoor Christian Church, 40800 W. 13 Mile Road, Novi, www.brightmoorchurch.org. Sunday worship services at 9 a.m. and 11:15 a.m.

• Calvary Chapel Oakland County, 1975 E. Long Lake Road, Troy, 248-457-9673, ccoaklandcounty.com. Worship 7 p.m. Wednesdays and 10 a.m. Sundays.

• Calvary Church, 1361 Giddings Road, Pontiac, Sunday worship services are at 10 a.m., https://ccpontiac.org, 248-373-0311.

• Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church, 6805 Bluegrass Drive, Clarkston, calvary-lutheran.org. Sunday worship services are Traditional Worship at 7:55 a.m.; Modern Worship at 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m.; and livestream at 9:30 a.m. Food pantry (drive-up or curbside pickup) is 9-11 a.m. Wednesdays.

• Central Church, 1529 Twelve Mile Road, Madison Heights, www.centralchurch.cc. Sunday worship services at 10 a.m.

• Central Oaks Community Church, 2005 Rochester Road, Royal Oak, www.centraloaks.com, 248-547-7755. Sunday worship services at 11 a.m.

• Central United Methodist Church, 3882 Highland Road, Waterford Twp., 248-681-0040, WaterfordCUMC.org. In-person worship at 8:45 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Sundays and online at 10:30 a.m. at Live.WaterfordCUMC.org.

• Central Woodward Christian Church Disciples of Christ, 3955 W. Big Beaver Road, Troy, 248-644-0512, centralwoodwardchristian.com. Sunday worship services are at 10:30 a.m., in person and online at centralwoodwardchristian.com and Facebook at www.facebook.com/CentralWoodward.

• Chapel of Our Lady of Orchard Lake, 3535 Commerce Road, West Bloomfield Twp., www.sscms.edu, 248-683-0310.

• Christian Tabernacle Church, Southfield, ctabchurch.com, 248-213-4770.

• Christ Church Cranbrook, 470 Church Road, Bloomfield Hills, in-person and online worship services, 10 a.m. Sundays, ccc-info.org.

• Christ Lutheran Church, Waterford Twp., https://christwaterford.org, 248-673-7331. Sunday worship services at 10 a.m.

• Christ Lutheran Church and School, 620 General Motors Road, Milford, www.christlutheranmilford.org. Sunday worship services at 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m.

• Christ, Our Light! Catholic Church, 3077 Glouchester, Troy. Mass times are: Saturday at 4 p.m.; Sunday at 8 a.m., 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m.; weekday Masses (followed by Rosary recitation) are Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday at 9 a.m., and Friday at 12:05 p.m., www.coltroy.org, 248-649-5510.

• Christ the Good Shepherd Progressive Catholic Church, 3947 Twelve Mile Road Berkley, church services: Saturday Mass at 4:30 p.m. and Sunday Mass at 10:30 a.m., 248-439-0470, www.cgs-occ.org.

• Christ the Redeemer Parish, 2700 Waldon Road Orion Township, 248-391-1621, www.ctredeemer.org. Weekend Masses are 5 p.m. Saturdays, and 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Sundays.

• Crown of Life Lutheran Church, 2975 Dutton Road  Rochester Hills, www.crownoflifechurch.org, 248-652-7720. Sunday worship services are 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

• Church of the Holy Spirit, 3700 Harvey Lake Road, Highland Twp., www.holyspirithighland.com.

• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints congregations in Oakland County include: Bloomfield Hills, Clarkston, Commerce Twp., Farmington Hills, Lake Orion, Pontiac (Spanish), Rochester, Troy and White Lake Twp. The congregations host worship services on Sundays. For worship times and locations, visit churchofjesuschrist.org.

• Church of the Resurrection, 6490 Clarkston Road, Village of Clarkston, https://clarkstonepiscopal.com, 248-625-2325. Sunday worship services at 10 a.m.

• Clarkston Community Church, 6300 Clarkston Road, Clarkston, in-person and online services at 9:15 a.m. and 11 a.m. Sundays, clarkstoncchurch.com, 248-625-1323.

• Clarkston United Methodist Church, 6600 Waldon Road, Clarkston, in-person and online faith services, 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Sundays, clarkstonumc.org, 248-625-1611.

• Commerce United Methodist Church, 1155 N. Commerce Road, Commerce Twp., commerceumc.org/media.

• Community Bible Church, 1888 Crescent Lake Road, Waterford Twp., https://cbcmi.com, 248-674-4871. Sunday worship services at 11 a.m.

• Community Fellowship Seventh-Day Adventist Church, 27800 Southfield Road, Lathrup Village, church services at 11 a.m. Saturdays, http://communityfellowship22.adventistchurchconnect.org, 248-469-8539.

• Community Presbyterian Church, 4301 Monroe Ave., Waterford Twp. In-person worship is 10 a.m., Sundays, cpcwaterford.org, 248-673-7805.

• Congregation Beth Ahm, 5075 West Maple Road, West Bloomfield Twp., 248-851-6880, cbahm.org.

• Congregational Church of Birmingham, UCC, 1000 Cranbrook Road, Bloomfield Hills. Worship services are 10 a.m. Sundays, ccbucc.org, 248-646-4511.

• Congregation Shaarey Zedek, 27375 Bell Road, Southfield, Jewish religious services including daily morning and evening Minyan services, Shabbat morning services and Youth Shabbat activities, shaareyzedek.org, 248-357-5544. Daily minyan services are hybrid services, meeting both in person in the Lee and Gerson Bernstein Chapel (morning services are followed by breakfast), and on Zoom. Shabbat musical services meet on the first Friday evening of each month, in person  and on Zoom.

• Congregation Shir Tikvah, 3900 Northfield Parkway, Troy, www.shirtikvah.org.

• Cornerstone Baptist Church, Ortonville, in-person worship services, Sundays at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m., Wednesdays at 7 p.m. Also online at Facebook at Cornerstone Baptist Church Ortonville, cbcortonville.com, 248 627-4700.

• Cornerstone Church, 4995 N Hickory Ridge Road, Highland, cornerstonehighland.com, 248-887-1600. Worship services at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Sundays, 7 p.m. Wednesdays. Also, livestream at 11 a.m. Sundays on YouTube, Facebook, and website.

• Crossroads Free Will Baptist Church, 4804 White Lake Road, White Lake Twp., https://crossroadswl.org, Sunday worship services at 11 a.m. The church has a Blessing Box that is stocked with non-perishable food items, books and other household items for those in need. Donations welcome.

• Destiny Faith Church, 501 University Drive, Pontiac, Destinyfaith.org, 248-322-2200. Worship services at 10 a.m. Sundays and 7 p.m. Wednesdays, in person and online.

• Divine Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church, 3000 S. Lapeer Road, Orion Twp., divinegrace.net, Sunday worship services at 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

• Door of Faith Christian Church, Pontiac, online services, 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Sundays, mydooroffaith.org.

• Emmanuel Lutheran Church, 23425 Lahser Road, Southfield, 248-357-1848, emmanuellutheransouthfield.org.

• Empowerment Church of Southfield, worship services are 7:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Sundays at new worship center location, Shriner’s Silver Garden Events Center, 24350 Southfield Road, Southfield, 248-569-2299, empowerment.mi.org. Also virtual worship services, 10:30 a.m. Sundays at empowermentmi.org/stream and on Facebook Live.

• Encounter Church, 600 North Campbell Road, Royal Oak, in-person and online services, 11 a.m. Sundays; Prayer and Bible study is 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays, www.encounter360.org.

• Evanswood Church of God, 2601 E Square Lake Road, Troy, 248-879-9240.

• Faith Church in Rochester Hills offers free meals to the community, 5:30-6:45 p.m. Wednesdays, at the church,160 W Hamlin Road, Rochester Hills, faithchurchrochesterhills.org/sharethetable.

• Faith Community Christian Church (meeting at Abiding Presence Lutheran Church), 1550 Walton Blvd., Rochester Hills, 586-703-6249, Reverend Tom Sayers. Traditional service is at 1 p.m., www.faithcommunitychristianchurch.org.

• Faith Covenant Church, 35415 W. 14 Mile Road, Farmington Hills, worship services are at 9:30 a.m. and 11a.m., Sundays, 248-661-9191, 4fcc.org.

• First Baptist Church, 2601 John R Road, Troy, fbctroy.org.

• First Baptist Church, 255 E. Scripps Road, Lake Orion, fbclo.org, 248-693-6203, info@fbclo.org.

• First Congregational Church, 5449 Clarkston Road, Clarkston, (just east of Sashabaw Road), 248-394-0200, www.fcclarkston.com, worship services at 10 a.m. Sundays.

• First Congregational Church of Rochester UCC, 1315 N. Pine, Rochester, worship services at 10 a.m. Sundays, fccrochester.org, 248-651-6225.

• First Congregational Church of Royal Oak, 1314 Northwood Blvd., Royal Oak. Worship services at 10:30 a.m. Sundays, www.fccro.org.

• First General Baptist of Waterford, 2933 Frembes Road, Waterford, wgbchurch.com, 248-673-6481, Sunday school at 10 a.m., worship services at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m.

• First Missionary Church, 4832 Clintonville Road, Independence Twp., www.fmcclarkston.org, 248-674-3186. Sunday worship services at 11 a.m.

• First Presbyterian Church Birmingham, 1669 W. Maple, Birmingham, worship services are Sundays, 8:30 a.m. in person, and 10 a.m. in person and livestream, fpcbirmingham.org, 248-644-2040.

• First Presbyterian Church of Pontiac, 99 Wayne Street, Pontiac, fpcpontiac.info.

• First Presbyterian Church of Royal Oak, 529 Hendrie Blvd., 248-541-0108. Sunday worship services are at 10:30 a.m., online services available anytime at fpcro.org, 248-541-0108.

• First United Methodist Church of Troy, 6363 Livernois, Troy. Church services are 10 a.m. Sundays in person and livestream on YouTube and Facebook, www.FUMCTROY.org, 248-879-6363.

• Five Points Community Church, 3411 E Walton Blvd, Auburn Hills. Sunday worship services are at 10 a.m., https://5pointscc.org, 248-373-1381.

• Four Towns United Methodist, 6451 Cooley Lake Road, Waterford Twp. Sunday worship services are at 10 a.m., www.fourtowns.org, 248-766-8868. Sunday worship services are at 10 a.m.

• Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 1950 S. Baldwin Road, Lake Orion. Sunday worship services are at 10 a.m., 248-391-1170, goodshepherdlakeorion.net.

• Grace Gospel Fellowship, 65 East Huron Street, Pontiac; in-person and livestream services are 11 a.m. Sundays and 7 p.m. Wednesdays. Livestream services are at www.facebook.com/GraceGospelFellowshipPontiac, 248-334-2187.

• Greenfield Presbyterian Church, 2312 Greenfield Road, Berkley, from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, Sunday worship services are at 10 a.m. only, youtube.com/user/GreenfieldChurch, greenfieldchurch.com, 248-544-1800. (After Labor Day, in-person and online worship services are at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Sundays.)

• Grace Church, 220 Bogie Lake Road, White Lake Twp. Sunday services are 9:30 a.m. and 11:15 a.m., Gracechurchinfo.net, 248-887-3700.

• Harvestland Church, 5848 Clintonville Road, Independence Twp., https://harvestland.church, 248-391-2063. Sunday worship services at 10:30 a.m.

• Hazel Park First United Methodist Church, 313 E. Nine Mile Road, Hazel Park, 248-546-5955, hpfirst.org. Sunday worship services at 11:15 a.m.

• Heart of the Hills Christian Church, 5085 Orion Road, Rochester, https://heartofthehills.com, 248-841-1679. Sunday worship services at 10:30 a.m.

• Hillside Bible Church, 73 N Church St, Ortonville, 248-627-2513, hillsidebible.org, Sunday worship services at 10:30 a.m.

• Hilltop Church of the Nazarene, 21260 Haggerty Road, Northville, hilltopnaz.org, Sunday worship services at 10:30 a.m.

• Holly Calvary Church, 15010 N Holly Road, Holly, hollycalvary.org, Sunday worship services at 10 a.m. in person and online, Wednesday worship is at 6:30 p.m.

• Holy Spirit Lutheran Church, 4800 Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield Twp. In-person worship services at 10 a.m. Sundays, livestream on YouTube youtube.com/@spiritdrivenchurch, 248-682-5441, spiritdrivenchurch.com.

• Hope United Methodist Church, 26275 Northwestern Hwy., Southfield, 248-356-1020, hopeumc.org.

• Immanuel Congregational Church of Christ, Oxford, 248-628-1610, icucc.org, in-person worship services at 11 a.m. Sundays, and online at facebook.com/oxfordimmanuelucc.

• International Christian Church, 1630 Joslyn Ave, Pontiac, worship services at 11:30 a.m. Sundays, 248-494-8757, globalicc.org, facebook.com/icchurch/live.

• Islamic Association of Greater Detroit, 879 West Auburn Road, Rochester Hills, www.childrenofabrahamday.org.

• Jewel Heart Tibetan Buddhist Learning Center, 27745 Woodward Ave., Berkley, www.jewelheart.org.

• Journey Lutheran Church, (joined with Holy Cross Church) 136 S. Washington St., Oxford, in-person and online worship services, 8:45 a.m. and 11 a.m. Sundays, education hour is at 10 a.m., journeylutheran.church, 248-628-2011.

• Kensington Church with locations in Birmingham, Clarkston, Clinton Twp., Orion Twp. and Troy, in-person Sunday worship times, and online services offered streaming on YouTube, Facebook, and website, kensingtonchurch.org.

• King of Kings Lutheran Church, 1715 S. Lapeer Road, Lake Orion, www.kingofkingslakeorion.org. Sunday worship services are at 9:30 a.m. Sundays, online streaming at www.facebook.com/kingofkingslakeorion.

• Kirk in the Hills, 1340 W. Long Lake Road, Bloomfield Hills. Sunday worship services are at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m., kirkinthehills.org, 248 626 2515.

• Lakecrest Baptist Church, 35 Airport Rd, Waterford Twp., www.lakecrestbaptist.com, 248-681-3214. Sunday worship services are at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. Spanish service at 1 p.m.

• Lake Orion Church of Christ, 1080 Hemingway Road, Lake Orion, www.lococ.org, 248-693-7242. Sunday worship services at 10:30 a.m.

• Lake Orion Methodist Church, Lake Orion, www.lakeorionumc.org. Sunday worship services at 10 a.m., in person and online.

• LakePoint Community Church, 1550 W. Drahner Road, Oxford, https://lakepointcc.org, 248-628-0038.

• The Lakes Church, 1450 S Hospital Road, Waterford Twp., www.thelakes.cc, 248-254-7833, Sunday worship services are 8 a.m., 9:30 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. The 9:30 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. services are livestreamed.

• Liberty General Baptist Church, 3545 Joslyn Rd, Auburn Hills, https://libertygeneralbaptistchurch.org, 248-431-3498. Sunday worship services at 11 a.m.

• Lifepoint Church, 5601 Scott Lake Road, Waterford Twp., lifepointchristian.com.

• Life Renewal Church, 28312 Grand River, Farmington Hills, https://liferenewalchurch.org, worship is 11 a.m. Sundays.

• Madison Heights Church of the Nazarene, 555 E 13 Mile Road, Madison Heights, mhnaz.org, 248-585-5551.

• Maranatha Baptist Church, 5790 Flemings Lake Road, Clarkston, Sunday worship services at 10:30 a.m., www.mbcclarkston.org.

• Marimont Community Church, 424 W Walton Blvd., Pontiac, Sunday worship services are at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., https://marimontcommunitychurch.com.

• Masjid Mahmood, Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Center, 1730 W. Auburn Road, Rochester Hills, ahmadiyyamosque.blogspot.com.

• Metro Detroit Christian Church, 33360 W. 13 Mile Road, Farmington Hills, https://metrodetroit.org, 248-562-7998. Sunday worship services at 10:30 a.m.

• Mother of God Chaldean Catholic Church, 25585 Berg Road, Southfield, https://mogccc.com, 248-356-0565.

• Motor City Church, 3668 Livernois Road, Troy, www.motorcitychurch.org, 248-524-2400. Sunday worship services are at 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.

• Mt. Zion Church, 4900 Maybee Road, Clarkston, mtzion.org. Sunday worship services at 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

• Muslim Unity Center of Bloomfield Hills, 1830 W. Square Lake Road, Bloomfield Hills, Muslimunitycenter.org.

• Nardin Park United Methodist Church, 29887 W Eleven Mile Road, Farmington Hills, 248-476-8860, nardinpark.org, www.facebook.com/NPUMC.

• Nativity Episcopal Church, 21220 W. 14 Mile Road, Bloomfield Twp., nativityepiscopalchurch.org, 248-646-4100.

• New Heights Baptist Church, Grand Blanc, 10:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Sundays, newheightsbc.com. For information, email pastornewheights@gmail.com or call 810-866-4563.

• New Hope Christian Fellowship, 6020 Pontiac Lake Road, Waterford Twp., https://newhopemi.org, 248-886-1500, Sunday worship services at 10 a.m.

• New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, 23455 W Nine Mile Road, Southfield,  www.newhope-mbc.org, 248-353-0675. Sunday worship services at 11 a.m., in person and livestream.

• New Hudson United Methodist Church, 56730 Grand River Ave., New Hudson, newhudsonumc.org. Worship services, 10:30 a.m. Sundays.

• Northminster Presbyterian Church, 3633 W. Big Beaver Road, Troy, 248-644-5920. Worship service at 10:30 a.m. Sundays, in person and livestream, www.facebook.com/TroyNorthminster.

• Northwest Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 23925 Northwestern Hwy, Southfield, www.northwestuu.org, 248-281-4902. Worship service at 10:30 a.m. Sundays in person and virtual.

• North Congregational Church, 36520 W. 12 Mile Road, Farmington Hills, northcongregationalchurch.org.

• North Hills Christian Reformed Church, 3150 North Adams Road, Troy, worship services, 9:30 a.m. Sundays, 248-645-1990, northhillscrc.org.

• North Oaks Church, 9600 Ortonville Road, City of the Village of Clarkston, worship services are 10:30 a.m., Sundays, northoakschurch.org, office@northoakschurch.org, 248-922-3515.

• Oakland Church, 5100 North Adams Road, Rochester, worship services, 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Sundays, www.oaklandchurch.me.

• Oakland Church of Christ, 23333 West 10 Mile Road Southfield, in-person and online worship services are at 10:30 a.m. Sundays, TheOaklandChurchofchrist.org, 248-355-9225.

• Oakland Hills Community Church, Farmington Hills, ohcc.net, 313-686-4578.

• Oakland Woods Baptist Church 5628 Maybee Rd, Village of Clarkston, www.facebook.com/OWBCClarkston, 248-625-7557. Sunday worship services are at 9 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.

• Oak Pointe Church,1250 South Hill, Milford, in-person or online worship services are 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Sundays, opcmilford.org.

• Oak Pointe Church, 50200 W. 10 Mile Road, Novi, in-person or online worship services are 9:15 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. oakpointe.org, 248-912-0043.

• Oak Pointe Church, 6343 Farmington Road, West Bloomfield, in-person or online worship services are 10:15 a.m. Sundays, oakpointe.org/westbloomfield.

• Oakwood Community Church, 5791 Oakwood Rd, Ortonville, www.oakwoodcc.org, 248-628-6388.

• Orchard Grove Community Church, 850 Ladd Rd; Bldg. C, Walled Lake, Sunday worship services are at 10:10 a.m., www.orchardgrove.org.

• Orchard Lake Community Church, Presbyterian, 5171 Commerce Road, Orchard Lake, worship services are at 9 a.m., and 10:30 a.m. Sundays, olccp.com, 248-682-0730.

• Orchard United Methodist Church, 30450 Farmington Road, Farmington Hills, summer worship services are at 10 a.m., Sundays, June 15 to Sept. 7, (returning to two services, 9 a.m. and 11 a.m., starting Sept. 14). Livestream at youtube.com/c/OrchardUMC and facebook.com/OrchardUMC/live_videos, 248-626-3620, orchardumc.org.

• Our Lady of La Salette, 2600 Harvard Road, Berkley, 248-541-3762, par8551@gmail.com, lasalette-church.org, Mass is at 4:30 p.m. Saturdays, and 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Sundays.

• Our Lady of the Lakes Catholic Church in-person Mass, Saturday at 5 p.m., Sunday at 8 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m., weekdays at 8:15 a.m., 5481 Dixie Hwy., Waterford Twp. Livestream Mass at 5 p.m. Saturdays and 9:30 a.m. Sunday, ollonline.org/live.

• Our Lady of Refuge Church, 3700 Commerce Road, Orchard Lake, olorcc.org, 248-682-4099, Mass is 5 p.m. Saturdays and  8 a.m., 9:30 a.m. or 11:30 a.m. Sundays.

• Our Lady of Sorrows Church, 23815 Power Road, Farmington, church.olsorrows.com.

• Our Mother of Perpetual Help, 13500 Oak Park Blvd, Oak Park, www.omoph.org. Saturday mass is at 4:30 p.m. and Sunday mass is at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.

• Oxbow Lake Baptist Church, 10730 Elizabeth Lake Rd, White Lake Charter Township, www.oxbowbc.com, 248-698-3034. Sunday worship services at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m.

• Oxford United Methodist Church, 21 E. Burdick St. Oxford, 248 628-1289, oxfordunitedmc.org. People Feeding People (PFP) free breakfast is 9:30-10:30 a.m. Saturdays. In-person worship services and online at youtube.com/channel/UCN2R96oWdXzxDqwdz8YBlrQ.

• Paint Creek United Methodist Church, 4420 Collins Road, Rochester, www.paintcreekumc.org, 248-373-2360, Sunday worship services are at 11 a.m.

• Renaissance Vineyard Church, 1841 Pinecrest Drive, Ferndale, https://renvc.com, 248-545-4664. Sunday worship services at 10:33 a.m.

• The River Church of Auburn Hills, 315 S. Squirrel Road, Auburn Hills, http://riverchurch.faith, 248-853-1524. Worship services are 9 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. Sundays.

• The River Church, Holly, Lake Orion, Waterford and more locations, livestream and videos of sermons, theriverchurch.cc, 248-328-0490.

• River North Church, 67 N Lynn Ave, Waterford Twp., Sunday School is 10 a.m. Sundays, worship services at 11:15 a.m. Sundays and 7:15 p.m. Wednesdays. Also view sermons online at www.youtube.com/@rivernorthchurch2023, nondenominational family church, 248-724-6559, www.facebook.com/Rivernorthchurch.

• River Of Life Christian Church, 5482 Winell St., Independence Twp., 248-599-3074.

• Rochester Christian Church, 4435 Rochester Rd, Rochester Hills, https://rcc4me.com, 248-652-3353, Sunday worship services at 10 a.m.

• Rochester Church of Christ, 250 W. Avon Road, Rochester Hills, www.rochestercoc.org, 248-651-1933, Sunday worship services at 10 a.m.

• Royal Oak First United Methodist Church, 320 W. 7th Street, Royal Oak, www.rofum.org, 248-541-4100. Worship services are 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Sundays, in person and online, www.rofum.org/live.

• Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 3400 S. Adams Road, Auburn Hills. Mass times are at 4 p.m. Saturday, and 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Sunday. Weekday Mass services are 9 a.m. Monday through Friday, www.esacredheart.org, 248-852-4170.

• St. Anastasia Roman Catholic Church, 4571 John R Road, Troy, www.stanastasia.org, 248-689-8380.

• St. Anne Catholic Church of Ortonville, 825 South Ortonville Road, Ortonville. Mass times are Sunday at 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.; Saturday at 5 p.m.; Monday at 7 p.m. and Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday at 9 a.m., 248-627-3965, churchofstanne.org.

• St. Augustine Lutheran Troy (SALT) Church, 5475 Livernois in Troy, www.saltchurch.net, communications@saltchurch.net, 248-879-6400.

• St. Benedict Catholic Church, 60 South Lynn Street, Waterford Twp., 248-681-1534. Sunday Mass times are 9 a.m. and 11 a.m., streaming at stbencc.org/live-stream.

• St. David’s Episcopal Church, 16200 W. Twelve Mile Road, Southfield, www.stdavidssf.org. Sunday worship services are at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. both in person and via zoom. Food pantry is 9 a.m.-noon Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

• St. George’s Episcopal Church, 801 E Commerce, Milford, 248-684-0495. Sunday worship services 8:30 a.m. and 10:15 a.m., in person and online, www.stgeorgesmilford.org.

• St. George Greek Orthodox Church, 43816 Woodward Ave, Bloomfield Hills, 248-335-8869, www.stgeorgebloomfield.org.

• St. George Orthodox Church, 2160 E Maple Road, Troy, 248-589-0480, www.stgeorgeoftroy.org, www.facebook.com/stgeorgeoftroymi.

• St. James Church, 46325 Ten Mile Road, Novi, Mass times are 8 a.m., 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Sundays, and 4 p.m. Saturdays. Livestream services, 4 p.m. Saturdays, 248-347-7778, stjamesnovi.org.

• St. John Lutheran Church & School, 1011 University Drive, Rochester. Traditional praise worship services are Sundays at  8 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. Modern praise services are Saturdays at 5 p.m. and Sundays at 10:45 p.m. The 8 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. Sunday worship services are livestreamed and posted on the website at stjohnrochester.org.

• St. John Lutheran Church, 23225 Gill Road, Farmington Hills, www.stjohn-elca.org, https://form.jotform.com/242835058121149.

• St. John’s Episcopal Church Royal Oak, 26998 Woodward Ave. Royal Oak. Services are 8 a.m. Sundays, in person and 10:15 a.m. Sundays, in-person and online worship, stjohnsroyaloak.org, 248-546-1255.

• St. Joseph Catholic Church, Lake Orion, view Mass services on the church’s Youtube channel, youtube.com/user/stjosephmassarchive, or at Facebook page, facebook.com/StJoeLo, stjoelo.org, 248-693-0440.

• St. Joseph Chapel and Shrine of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, 400 South Blvd. West, Pontiac, https://terrasanctaministries.net.

• St. Mark and St. Mary & St. Philopater Coptic Orthodox Church, 3603 Livernois Road, Troy, www.stmarkmi.org. Divine liturgy services are at 7 a.m. (Arabic) and 8:15 a.m. (English), Sundays.

• St. Mary Catholic Church, 730 S Lafayette Ave., Royal Oak, www.stmaryroyaloak.com, 248-547-1818. Mass at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, and 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Sunday.

• St. Mary of the Hills Roman Catholic Church, 2675 John R. Road, Rochester Hills. In-person Mass is 9 a.m. or 11 a.m. Sunday, 248-853-5390, smoth.org. Live online Mass is 4 p.m. Saturday, on Facebook and YouTube.

• St. Mary’s In-the-Hills Episcopal Church, 2512 Joslyn Court, Lake Orion, 248-391-0663, www.stmarysinthehills.org. Sunday Services are at 8:30 a.m.-Simple service of Holy Eucharist and at 10 a.m.-Service of Holy Eucharist with choir and Children’s Church School-Service, livestream on YouTube or Facebook or www.stmarysinthehills.org. Adult Bible Study is held Tuesdays at 10 a.m.

• St. Matthew Lutheran Church, 2040 S. Commerce Road, Walled Lake, 248-624-7676, st-matthew.org. Blended Worship services are 8:45 a.m. Sundays (also livestream on YouTube); Prayer & Praise Worship services are 11 a.m. Sundays; Monday Blended Worship services are 7 p.m.

• St. Matthew Lutheran Church, 48380 Pontiac Trail, Wixom, 248-624-9525, st-matthew.org. Sunday worship services are 10 a.m.

• St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, Divine Liturgy at 9:30 a.m. Sundays, 760 W Wattles Road, Troy, 248-362-9575, stnicholastroy.org.

• St. Owen Catholic Church, 6869 Franklin Road  Bloomfield Hills, stowen.org.

• St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church, 1413 E. Thirteen Mile Road, Madison Heights, 248-585-9591, in-person Sunday worship services are at 10 a.m., or online at stpatsmh.org.

• St. Paul Community Lutheran Church, 1133 Joslyn Ave., Pontiac, www.stpaulpontiac.com. 248-758-9019. Sunday worship services at 11 a.m.

• St. Paul Lutheran Church, 202 E. Fifth St, Royal Oak, worship services are 8:15 a.m. and 11 a.m. Sundays. Livestream also at 8:15 a.m. service, stpaulroyaloak.org, 248-930-3100.

• St. Paul United Methodist Church, 165 E. Square Lake Road, Bloomfield Hills, 248-338-8233, services are at 9:45 a.m. Sundays, SPUMC.net, facebook.com/spumcbloomfieldhills, 248-216-1657.

• St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, 620 Romeo Street, Rochester. Open door worship services are at 9:30 a.m. Sundays and sanctuary worship services are at 11 a.m., Sundays, livestream available, facebook.com/stpaulsrochester, stpaulsrochester.org.

• St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, 100 Romeo Road, Rochester, stpfeeds.org.

• St. Rita Catholic Church, 309 E Maple, Holly, 248-634-4841, stritaholly.org. Weekend services are 4 p.m. Saturday, and 9 a.m., 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. Sunday.

• St. Stephens Episcopal Church, 5500 N Adams Road, Troy, www.ststephenstroy.org, 248-641-8080, In-person Sunday worship services are at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. Online service at 10 a.m.

• St. Stephens Missionary Baptist Church, 69 S. Astor St., Pontiac, 248-335-5873, www.saintstephenmbc.com. Sunday worship services are at 11 a.m.

• St. Thomas Chaldean Catholic Church, 6900 West Maple Road, West Bloomfield Twp., www.stccc.org.

• St. Thomas Orthodox Church, Divine Liturgy at 10 a.m. Sundays,  29150 W. 10 Mile Road, Farmington Hills, 248-471-1059, stthomasalbanianorthodoxchurch.org.

• St. William Parish, 531 Common St., Walled Lake, stwilliam.com, 248-624-1421.

• Sanctuary Church, 300 Willits St., Birmingham, in-person and online services, 10:30 a.m. Sundays, 248-644-0550, sanctuary-church.com.

• Sashabaw Presbyterian Church, Clarkston, worship services via Zoom, services at 11 a.m. on 1st, 3rd and 5th Sundays of the month, and at 6 p.m. on 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the month. Email sashabawpresbyterianchurch@gmail.com for a link to services, sashabawpresbyterianchurch.org, 248-310-0792.

• Scott Lake Baptist Church, 811 Scott Lake Road, Waterford Twp., Sunday worship services at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m., also livestream, https://hisscottlake.org.

• Seymour Lake United Methodist Church, 3050 S. Sashabaw Road, Oxford, in-person or online services at 10 a.m. Sundays, 248-572-4200, email- office@seymourlakeumc.org, seymourlakeumc.org.

• Shepherd of the Lakes Lutheran Church, 2905 S. Commerce Road, Walled Lake, worship services are 10 a.m. Sundays, and Wednesdays at 7 p.m. during Lent and Advent, www.shepherdlakes.org, 248-624-4238.

• Shrine Catholic Church, 12 Mile and Woodward, 248-541-4122, https://shrinechurch.com.

• Silver Lake Church Of The Nazarene, 20 W Walton Blvd., Pontiac, https://slcpontiac.org, 248-977-4698.

• Spirit of Grace Church, 2399 Figa Ave., West Bloomfield Twp., 248-682-0270, Sunday worship at 10 a.m., spiritofgrace.church, facebook.com/spiritograce/videos. The church has a diabetic food pantry for those in need with dietary restrictions. The church seeks donations of non-perishable food items for diabetics including: proteins, nuts, grains and beans, sugar-free foods, low carb and high fiber foods as well as shopping bags and unused boxes. Drive-up diabetic food pantry hours are 10 a.m.-noon, 3rd Saturdays of the month.

• Spiritual Life Center, Troy, www.slctroy.com, 248-925-6214. A Message of Hope is 10 a.m. Sundays at www.youtube.com/c/SLCTroy.

• Temple Beth El Synagogue, 7400 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, www.tbeonline.org. In person services are Friday at 7 p.m. Online services are Saturdays at 10 a.m. and Sundays at 10:30 a.m. on Zoom, www.tbelive.org and facebook.com/tbeonline/live, 248-851-1100.

• Temple Israel, West Bloomfield Twp., streaming video at temple-israel.org.

• Temple Kol Ami, 5085 Walnut Lake Road, West Bloomfield Twp., tkolami.org, 248-661-0040.

• Temple Shir Shalom, 3999 Walnut Lake Road, West Bloomfield Twp., www.shirshalom.org, 248-737-8700.

• Thrive Church, a Global Methodist Church, 680 W. Livingston Road, Highland Twp., www.thrive-church.us, 248-887-1311.

• Trinity United Methodist Church, 6440 Maceday Drive, Waterford Twp., Services, 11 a.m. Sundays, waterfordtrinityumc.org, 248-623-6860.

• Troy Church of the Nazarene, 6840 Crooks Road, Troy, troynaz.org, 248-802-7650. Worship Services and Bible Study, 11 a.m. Sundays and 6 p.m. Wednesdays.

• Unity of Farmington Hills worship service in person and online at 10 a.m. Sundays, youtube.com/channel/UCi90mgzXUDpw0k21_3JXlTg, Unityfh.com.

• Unity of Lake Orion, 3070 S. Baldwin Road, Orion Twp., unitylakeorion.org, 248-391-9211. Sunday worship services are 10 a.m. Sundays, in person and livestream on Facebook.

• Unity of Royal Oak, 2500 Crooks Road, Royal Oak, unityofroyaloak.org, 248-288-3550. In-person Sunday worship services at 10 a.m., livestream on YouTube and Facebook.

• Universalist Unitarian Church of Farmington, 25301 Halsted Road, Farmington Hills, uufarmington.org. Sunday worship services at 10:30 a.m. Sundays, in person and livestream.

• University Presbyterian Church, 1385 S. Adams, Rochester Hills, universitypres.org, 248-375-0400.

• The Village Church of Ortonville, 93 N Church St. Ortonville, www.facebook.com/oumvillagechurch, 248 627-3125.

• Walled Lake United Methodist Church, 313 E Northport St., Walled Lake. Sunday worship services at 9:30 a.m. in person, or at Facebook Live, facebook.com/walledlakeumc and YouTube, youtube.com/channel/UCjOTQmG5DAGUdd_ghKdp2FQ, walledlakeumc.org, 248-624-2405.

• Warren’s Amazing Grace Lutheran Church, 29860 Dequindre, Warren. Sunday worship services are at 10 a.m. in person and livestream at www.aglc-warren.org, 586-751-7750.

• Waterford Seventh-day Adventist Church, 5725 Pontiac Lake Road, Waterford Twp., www.waterfordadventist.org, 248-681-3334. Worship services in person and livestream, 11 a.m. Saturdays.

• Waypoint Church, 8400 Dixie Hwy., Clarkston, waypoint.org, 248-623-1224. Sunday worship services at 10:30 a.m.

• Welcome Missionary Baptist Church, 143 Oneida St, Pontiac, www.welcomemissionarybaptistchurch.com, 248-335-8740. Sunday worship services are at 8:30 a.m. in person and livestream on Facebook at www.facebook.com/welcomemissionary.church.

• Wellspring Bible Church, 485 Farnsworth, White Lake Twp., worship services are at 10:30 a.m. Sundays, wellspringbiblechurch.org, 248-682-0319.

• West Bloomfield United Methodist Church, 4100 Walnut Lake Road, West Bloomfield Twp., worship services are at 10:30 a.m. Sundays, westbloomfieldumc.org, 248-851-2330.

• White Lake Presbyterian Church, 4805 Highland Road, White Lake Twp., worship services are 10 a.m. Sundays, 248-887-4654, whitelakepc.org.

• Williams Lake Church, 2840 Airport Road, Waterford Twp., www.facebook.com/williamslakechurch, 248-673-5911, www.williamslakechurch.com.

• Woodside Bible Church, with 14 locations in Southeast Michigan, in-person service times vary by location, online services at 8:15 a.m.10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Sundays, live.woodsidebible.org, 248-879-8533.

• Zion Lutheran Church, 143 Albany St., Ferndale, in-person and online worship services at 10:30 a.m. Sundays, www.zionlutheranmi.org.

To add a church to this list, send an email to Kathy Blake at kblake@medianewsgroup.com.

— MediaNews Group

A family tradition will continue as Owen Hamilton, a 2025 graduate of Stoney Creek High School in Rochester, will begin his college career with the help of the Scoggin Foundation Scholarship.

The scholarship was established by Patrick Scoggin and his wife, Christie. The four-year, full-tuition award is given annually to an incoming OU freshman from Rochester, Rochester Adams, Stoney Creek or Avondale high schools.

Patrick Scoggin died from cancer in 2020. He was awarded an honorary doctorate by Oakland University in 2021.

Hamilton is the 14th recipient and plans to pursue studies in history and social studies at OU in the fall.

“This scholarship means a lot to me because it will allow me to further my education in the history field and will allow me to be able to teach others about history in turn,” Hamilton said.

Christie Scoggin continues the mission she and her husband shared to  support local students determined to make a difference in the world. Patrick Scoggin died in 2020.

Past winners of the scholarship have become lawyers, biochemical engineers and nurses.

“My late husband and I started this scholarship in 2012 to begin to share the blessings that we were given in life with those that might need help financially to complete a degree,” said Christie. “It made sense to partner up with OU, being such a terrific university close to the Rochester area.”

In addition to history, Hamilton has a passion for music and was a trumpet player and section leader in the Stoney Creek marching band.

“I am also looking forward to continuing to play the trumpet at OU,” he said. “One of my favorite feelings is performing music and seeing the joy that it can bring to the audience. This scholarship will enable me to bring joy and education to the community, that is why it is very important to me.”

The Scoggin Foundation Scholarship, formerly known as the Huntington Ford Scholarship, is renewable for three additional years after the first year for recipients who continue to demonstrate financial need, complete full-time credits during each fall and winter semester, and maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA. Applicants are evaluated based on financial need, academic performance and extracurricular involvement.

 

 

 

It’s summertime in Macomb County and that means the return of the Summer Discovery Cruises program.

The voyageurs and fur traders, shipwrecks, lighthouses, science and the birds who migrate to the area are just a few of engaging topics that will be covered during the leisurely cruises on Lake St. Clair.

MSU Extension along with Huron-Clinton Metropolitan Authority (HCMA) and Michigan Sea Grant will be offering the educational on-boat experiences for individuals and families July 11 through Aug. 9.

“We’re happy to be able to offer the Summer Discovery Cruise program again this year,” Andrew Cox, director/health officer of the Macomb County Department of Health and Community Services (MCDHCS), which oversees the MSU Extension department said, in a news release. “It’s a fun, educational way to experience the wonders of Lake St. Clair in Macomb County.”

The cruise alone is a great way to spend a day on the lake.

Adding to the experience are engaging programs led by a variety of professionals, some of whom are involved in the preservation and conservation of the Great Lakes and its surrounding watersheds.

The leisurely cruises depart from Lake St. Clair Metropark North Marina and are usually about two hours long.

“Our Summer Discovery Cruises are perfect for families, group leaders and anyone looking for an opportunity to learn about and enjoy Lake St. Clair,” said Kristi Evans, district director of Michigan State University Extension. “I would encourage anyone who is looking for a unique summer experience to make their reservations as soon as possible.”

The cruise and programs covering a variety of topics will start July 11 and run through Aug. 9. Departure times are at 10 a.m. and 1, 4 and 7 p.m.

Tickets are $30 per person.

Seating is limited and early registration is highly encouraged at metroparks.com/summer-discovery-cruises/.

“I’m excited about this year’s program,” said Angela Scapini, an MSU Extension sea grant educator who works with local communities, partners and networks promoting Great Lakes literacy and community resiliency through paced-based education programs like the Summer Discovery Cruise.. “We have an excellent lineup of cruise themes and I’m looking forward to sharing them with everyone.”

Reservations for any cruise is required by 4 p.m. the day before the program.

For more information visit metroparks.com/summer-discovery-cruises/

Today is Saturday, July 5, the 186th day of 2024. There are 179 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On July 5, 1996, Dolly the sheep, the first mammal cloned from an adult somatic cell by scientists at the Roslin Institute at the University of Edinburgh, was born.

Also on this date:

In 1687, Isaac Newton first published his Principia Mathematica, a three-volume work setting out his mathematical principles of natural philosophy.

In 1811, Venezuela became the first South American country to declare independence from Spain.

In 1852, Frederick Douglass delivered his speech “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” at Corinthian Hall in Rochester, New York.

In 1865, the Secret Service Division of the U.S. Treasury Department was founded in Washington, D.C., with the mission of suppressing counterfeit currency.

In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the National Labor Relations Act.

In 1937, Hormel introduced a canned meat product called Spam; more than 9 billion cans have been sold since.

In 1940, during World War II, Britain and the Vichy government in France broke off diplomatic relations.

In 1943, the Battle of Kursk began during World War II; in the weeks that followed, the Soviets were able to repeatedly repel the Germans, who eventually withdrew in defeat.

In 1946, the modern bikini, designed by Frenchman Louis Reard, was first modeled in Paris.

In 1947, Larry Doby made his debut with the Cleveland Indians, becoming the first Black player in the American League three months after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in the National League.

In 1954, Elvis Presley recorded his first single, “That’s All Right,” at Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee.

In 1971, President Richard Nixon certified the 26th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which lowered the minimum voting age from 21 to 18.

In 1975, Arthur Ashe became the first Black man to win a Wimbledon singles title, defeating Jimmy Connors.

In 1977, Pakistan’s army, led by General Mohammad Zia ul-Haq, seized power from President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (ZUL’-fih-kahr ah-LEE’ BOO’-toh).

In 1980, Bjorn Borg became the first male player to win five consecutive Wimbledon singles titles.

In 1994, Amazon was founded by Jeff Bezos as an online marketplace for books.

In 2011, a jury in Orlando, Florida, found Casey Anthony, 25, not guilty of murder, manslaughter and child abuse in the 2008 disappearance and death of her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee.

In 2013, Pope Francis cleared two of the 20th Century’s most influential popes to become saints in the Roman Catholic church, approving a miracle needed to canonize Pope John Paul II and waiving Vatican rules to honor Pope John XXIII.

Today’s Birthdays:

• Julie Nixon Eisenhower is 77.
• Rock star Huey Lewis is 75.
• Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Rich “Goose” Gossage is 74.
• NFL Hall of Fame receiver James Lofton is 69.
• Cartoonist Bill Watterson (Calvin and Hobbes) is 67.
• Singer-songwriter Marc Cohn is 66.
• Actor Edie Falco is 62.
• Actor Jillian Armenante is 61.
• Actor Kathryn Erbe (er-BEE’) is 60.
• Actor Michael Stuhlbarg (STOOL’-bahrg) is 57.
• Rapper RZA (RIH’-zuh) is 56.
• Author Gary Shteyngart is 53.
• R&B singer Joe is 52.
• Rapper Royce da 5’9” is 48.
• International Tennis Hall of Famer Amelie Mauresmo is 46.
• Actor Ryan Hansen is 44.
• Country musician Dave Haywood (Lady A) is 43.
• Actor Danay Garcia is 41.
• Retired soccer player Megan Rapinoe is 40.
• Actor Jason Dolley is 34.
• Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher and designated hitter Shohei Ohtani is 31.

CLEVELAND (AP) — Wenceel Pérez and Zach McKinstry homered as the Detroit Tigers extended the Cleveland Guardians’ losing streak to eight games, 2-1 on Friday night.

José Ramírez went deep for the Guardians, who are on their longest skid since dropping nine straight in 2021.

Tyler Holton (4-3) pitched 2 2/3 innings of one-hit ball to earn the win. Will Vest went 1 1/3 innings for his 14th save in 17 opportunities.

Steven Kwan gave the Guardians some hope in the ninth with a two-out double down the left-field line, but Kyle Manzardo hit a grounder to Vest for the final out.

Detroit’s Reese Olson made his first start since May 17 and allowed only one run on six hits in 4 1/3 innings. The right-hander was out nearly seven weeks due to right ring finger inflammation.

Pérez tied it at 1 in the third inning with a drive to center field off Cleveland starter Slade Cecconi (3-4). McKinstry then led off the fourth by connecting on a curve ball over the wall in right-center for his second go-ahead homer of the season.

Ramírez snapped an 0-for-21 drought when he put a 94.8 mph fastball from Olson into the right field stands for his 14th homer of the season. It was also the first time he had gone deep since June 14 at Seattle.

Cecconi went six innings and threw a career-high 105 pitches. He gave up six hits and struck out five.

Key moment

Cleveland had the bases loaded with two out in the eight inning, but Daniel Schneemann grounded out to second baseman Gleyber Torres on the first pitch of the at-bat to end the frame.

Key stat

The AL Central-leading Tigers are 6-0 this season when McKinstry homers.

Up next

RHP Casey Mize (8-2, 2.86 ERA) takes the hill for Detroit against Cleveland LHP Logan Allen (5-6, 4.27).

— By JOE REEDY, Associated Press

WATERFORD TOWNSHIP – Several years ago, there was uncertainty within the Syron family as to who might be around for another year of the golf tournament that its name sports.

Fast forward to this year’s Syron Memorial Tournament, the 57th edition, and everyone is celebrating good health that was far from a given not long ago.

“It’s been fantastic,” Shawn Syron said following the conclusion of Friday’s opening round. “The family’s really come together. It’s been so fun to just celebrating positive things. This tournament is always a celebration of the past, but for us, of going forward to. The next generation, having Kyle out there, it’s so much fun.”

Two years ago, the feel-good story was that Kyle became the fourth generation in the family to take part in the tournament at Pontiac Country Club.

On Friday, Mike drove the cart as Kyle got his first 18 holes in of the three-day tournament, a reality that couldn’t be taken for granted after a life-threatening health scare for Mike within the past several years put everything in doubt.

“A year-and-a-half ago, they gave me less than a month to live,” Mike said. “Luckily, I got a transplant. Now, I get to watch my son golf. It’s very heartwarming.”

Speaking beyond the green of the 18th hole as the group that included the family and members of the Country Club’s staff wrapped up, Mike talked about what it meant to be present and watch his son carry on the legacy. “It’s one of the best feelings I’ve had,” he said. “Watching Kyle, he’s really progressed the last three years, and it warms my heart, and our family’s. With all the tragedy we’ve had the last few years and what I went through the past two.

“It’s really nice, especially in this tournament, where, it’s named after my grandpa, then my dad and uncle ran it, and now, my brother and I, my cousin, basically took it over, so it’s a very special tournament for us, and something special for Oakland County and the state of Michigan to have this tradition keep going.”

Photos from Round 1 of the 57th Annual Syron Memorial Tournament

After scores that he only defined as "a lot worse" -- Kyle only began golfing a few years ago -- his first several years participating, Kyle carded an 84 on the first round. "I play probably four times a week here, play with my friends, just trying to practice."

In regards to his aim of continuing to improve his showing, he added, "Hopefully, I get a tee time assigned (at the tournament) one day."

Speaking about what it means to have his dad healthy and watching on, Kyle added, "It's a lot of fun. I didn't know if I'd have him out here again, so it means everything to be able to play with him."

Golden Tee

The shot of the opening day came from Josh Bauer of West Bloomfield, who grew up just a hop and a step away from Pontiac Country Club. He had a hole-in-one on the 16th hole during Friday's opening round.

Mike noted that Mark, the son of Lloyd Syron and the Country Club's longtime manager who won the tourney back in 1990, had achieved the feat on several occasions.

Return of the Kings

According to the clubhouse scorecards, four previous winners returned to take part in this year's Syron Memorial.

That includes last year's victor, Sean Friel, along with John Quigley (2023), AJ Johnson (2010), and three-time champion Anthony Sorentino (2012, 2020, 2022)

Chad Gehres was leading after Friday's first round with a 65, but Quigley was tied with Jerred Barley just a stroke behind him, while Sorentino and Friel (67) are also both in the mix.

Eleven golfers scored under 70 and one managed a hole-in-one on the back nine during the opening round of the 57th Annual Syron Memorial Tournament on Friday, July 4, 2025 at Pontiac Country Club.

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE and NICHOLAS RICCARDI

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump signed his package of tax breaks and spending cuts into law Friday in front of Fourth of July picnickers after his cajoling produced almost unanimous Republican support in Congress for the domestic priority that could cement his second-term legacy.

Flanked by Republican legislators and members of his Cabinet, Trump signed the multitrillion-dollar legislation at a desk on the White House driveway, then banged down a gavel gifted to him by House Speaker Mike Johnson that was used during the bill’s final passage Thursday.

Against odds that at times seemed improbable, Trump achieved his goal of celebrating a historic — and divisive — legislative victory in time for the nation’s birthday, which also was his self-imposed deadline for Congress to send the legislation to his desk. Fighter jets and stealth bombers streaked through the sky over the annual White House Fourth of July picnic.

“America’s winning, winning, winning like never before,” Trump said, noting last month’s bombing campaign against Iran’s nuclear program, which he said the flyover was meant to honor. “Promises made, promises kept, and we’ve kept them.”

The White House was hung with red, white and blue bunting for the Independence Day festivities. The U.S. Marine Band played patriotic marches — and, in a typical Trumpian touch, tunes by 1980s pop icons Chaka Khan and Huey Lewis. There were three separate flyovers.

Trump spoke for a relatively brief 22 minutes before signing the bill, but was clearly energized as the legislation’s passage topped a recent winning streak for his administration. That included the Iran campaign and a series of U.S. Supreme Court rulingshe’s fought for.

Vice President JD Vance was traveling in the Dakotas with his family and missed the ceremony. A line on the bill where he would have signed because of his role as president of the Senate was crossed out and Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., added his name instead, photographs show. Cotton has the responsibility of stepping in when the vice president isn’t available for his Senate duties.

The budget legislation is the president’s highest-profile win yet. It includes key campaign pledges like no tax on tips or Social Security income. Trump, who spent an unusual amount of time thanking individual Republican lawmakers who shepherded the measure through Congress, contended “our country is going to be a rocket ship, economically,” because of the legislation.

Big cuts to Medicaid and food stamps

Critics assailed the package as a giveaway to the rich that will rob millions more lower-income people of their health insurance, food assistance and financial stability.

“Today, Donald Trump signed into law the worst job-killing bill in American history. It will rip health care from 17 million workers to pay for massive tax giveaways to the wealthy and big corporations, amounting to the country’s largest money grab from the working class to the ultra-rich,” AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler said in a statement. “Every member of Congress who voted for this devastating bill picked the pockets of working people to hand billionaires a $5 trillion gift.”

The legislation extends Trump’s 2017 multitrillion-dollar tax cuts and cuts Medicaid and food stamps by $1.2 trillion. It provides for a massive increase in immigration enforcement. Congress’ nonpartisan scorekeeper projects that nearly 12 million more people will lose health insurance under the law.

The legislation passed the House on a largely party-line vote Thursday, culminating a monthslong push by the GOP to cram most of its legislative priorities into a single budget bill that could be enacted without Senate Democrats being able to block it indefinitely by filibustering.

It passed by a single vote in the Senate, where North Carolina Republican Thom Tillis announced he would not run for reelection after incurring Trump’s wrath in opposing it. Vance had to cast the tie-breaking vote.

In the House, where two Republicans voted against it, one, conservative maverick Tom Massie of Kentucky, has also become a target of Trump’s well-funded political operation.

The legislation amounts to a repudiation of the agendas of the past two Democratic presidents, Barack Obama and Joe Biden, in rolling back Obama’s Medicaid expansion under his signature health law and Biden’s tax credits for renewable energy.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates the package will add $3.3 trillion to the deficit over the decade and 11.8 million more people will go without health coverage.

Democrats vow to make bill a midterm issue

Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin on Friday called the bill “devastating” and said in a statement that Trump’s signature on the legislation “sealed the fate of the Republican Party, cementing them as the party for billionaires and special interests — not working families.”

He predicted Republicans would lose their majority in Congress over it. “This was a full betrayal of the American people,” Martin said.

Trump exulted in his political victory Thursday night in Iowa, where he attended a kickoff of events celebrating the country’s 250th birthday next year.

“I want to thank Republican congressmen and women, because what they did is incredible,” he said. The president complained that Democrats voted against the bill because “they hate Trump — but I hate them, too.”

The package is certain to be a flashpoint in next year’s midterm elections, and Democrats are making ambitious plans for rallies, voter registration drives, attack ads, bus tours and even a multiday vigil, all intended to highlight the most controversial elements.

Upon his return to Washington early Friday, Trump described the package as “very popular,” though polling suggests that public opinion is mixed at best.

For example, a Washington Post/Ipsos poll found that majorities of U.S. adults support increasing the annual child tax credit and eliminating taxes on earnings from tips, and about half support work requirements for some adults who receive Medicaid.

But the poll found majorities oppose reducing federal funding for food assistance to low-income families and spending about $45 billion to build and maintain migrant detention centers. About 60% said it was “unacceptable” that the bill is expected to increase the $36 trillion U.S. debt by more than $3 trillion over the next decade.

DETROIT — Tim Hardaway Jr. intends to sign a one-year deal with the Denver Nuggets, a source confirmed to The Detroit News on Tuesday, following ESPN’s initial report. His departure marked the end of his one-year stint with the Detroit Pistons.

Hardaway joined the Pistons in July 2024 after being traded from the Dallas Mavericks. During his time with the team, he appeared in 77 games and averaged 11.0 points per game, shooting 40.6% from the field.

He played a significant role in improving the Pistons’ lackluster 3-point shooting from the previous year. Hardaway made the second-most 3-pointers on the team — trailing only Malik Beasley — hitting 168 shots on 36.8% shooting from behind the arc.

His best game of the season came during the Pistons’ 133-122 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on March 28. He scored a season-high 32 points on 10-of-18 shooting from the field, 7-of-11 from behind the arc. Although he played a crucial role in the Pistons’ on-court success, Hardaway was equally instrumental in transforming the team’s subpar culture through his veteran leadership.

Prior to Hardaway’s departure, Dennis Schröder and the Sacramento Kings had agreed to a deal, which ended Schröder’s brief tenure in Detroit. The deal was reported by multiple national writers, including ESPN’s Shams Charania and Yahoo! Sports’ Vincent Goodwill.

Though Schröder’s time with the Pistons was brief, the veteran point guard was one of the most important figures in the team’s success. After landing in Detroit at the trade deadline, Schröder became everything the Pistons envisioned.

In need of a secondary ball-handler and scorer, Schröder became a trade target after the Pistons lost Jaden Ivey for the season due to a leg injury in January. He was acquired as part of the five-team trade that landed the Golden State Warriors Jimmy Butler III. In addition to Schröder, Detroit also obtained Lindy Waters III in the deal.

“When J.I. went out, we felt like we needed another guy who we could put the ball in his hands and he could go out and make reads and make plays,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said in April. “He has been tremendous for us.”

Schröder became a productive role player as soon as he stepped onto the court, averaging 10.8 points and 5.3 assists across 28 games. During the Pistons’ six-game first-round playoff series against the New York Knicks, he maintained his production amid averages of 12.5 points, 3.7 assists and 1.2 steals.

Sacramento will be Schröder’s 10th NBA team.

DETROIT — The Red Wings didn’t land any big names Tuesday, but they improved their depth during the start of unrestricted free agency.

Fans were hopeful that players such as Mitch Marner (Vegas), Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand or Aaron Ekblad (all re-signed in Florida) would find their way to Detroit.

But many free agents decided to stay with their present teams, while others went to championship contenders. The Wings, meanwhile, solidified their depth, signing forwards James van Riemsdyk and John Leonard and defensemen Jacob Bernard-Docker and Ian Mitchell to one-year contracts.

The Wings’ biggest free-agent splash occurred Monday night when general manager Steve Yzerman re-signed prospective UFA forward Patrick Kane to a one-year contract worth $3 million.

Kane, 36, can earn another $4 million in bonuses. He can earn $2.5 million for 10 games played, $250,000 for 30 games played, $250,000 for 50 games played, another $500,000 if the Wings make the playoffs, $250,000 for a first-round victory and $250,000 for a third-round victory.

Kane’s season turned around once Todd McLellan replaced Derek Lalonde in late December. Kane scored 16 of his 21 goals and 45 of his 59 points after McLellan was named coach.

“I didn’t have the best start to the season. Felt a little bit unlucky at the start of the year, but still just didn’t feel good about my game and where I was at,” Kane said after the season ended. “The coaching change, maybe just the style, we started playing a little bit more aggressive, a little bit more connected, all five guys up the ice, that really helped me.”

Kane, who was drafted first overall in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft by Chicago, will be joined next season by the No. 2 overall pick that year — van Riemsdyk (by Philadelphia).

Often viewed as a potential trade target by the Wings, Yzerman signed van Riemsdyk, 36, to a one-year contract worth $1 million, plus bonuses that could earn him another $750,000.

Van Riemsdyk played in 71 games with Columbus last season, scoring 16 goals with 20 assists and a minus-4 rating. One of the best net-front players in the NHL, van Riemsdyk has 327 goals and 665 points in 1,082 games played in his career.

The Wings are hoping to catch a spark with Leonard, who is coming off a professional career-best season in the minor leagues.

Leonard, 26, signed a one-year contract for $775,000. He spent last season with Charlotte (AHL), where he scored a career-high 36 goals.

Leonard (5-foot-11, 196 pounds) has played 70 NHL games in his career, with six goals and 17 points. His last NHL stop was 2023-24 in Arizona, where he played six games with the Coyotes.

Bernard-Docker, 25, signed a one-year deal worth $850,000.

A former first-round pick in 2018 (26th overall) by Ottawa, Bernard-Docker (6-1, 198) split last season between Ottawa and Buffalo, playing 25 games with the Senators and 15 with the Sabres. He had one goal and three assists with each team, as well as a plus-2 rating in Ottawa and plus-3 rating in Buffalo.

A defensive defenseman who is a prolific shot blocker, Bernard-Docker is likely to battle for time on the third pairing.

The Wings also added depth to their defense by signing Mitchell to a one-year contract worth $775,000.

Mitchell, 26, was a former 2017 second-round pick (57th overall) in Chicago. Mitchell (6-feet, 192) split last season with the Boston Bruins and their minor-league team. In 15 games with the Bruins, he had one assist with minus-2 rating.

With the free agent market pretty much picked over, Yzerman might look at possible trades to improve the roster any further.

The Wings’ own unrestricted free agents found homes elsewhere.

Goaltender Alex Lyon found a two-year contract with $1.5 million annual average value in Buffalo, where Lyon will compete for playing time rather than a possible third-string job with the Wings, and defenseman Jeff Petry signed a one-year contract worth $800,000 with two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida.

Gordie Howe was one of the greatest players ever in the NHL, but Howe didn’t reach greatness by himself.

Howe needed talent around him, and having Alex Delvecchio as his center was a major reason Howe reached such incredible heights.

“I can thank Alex for a lot of good years,” Howe said. “We read each other very well. I played with some great hockey players, but none came to his order.”

Delvecchio, a quiet magician who played in Howe’s shadow in the opinion of many but was immensely talented in his own right, died Tuesday at the age of 93.

The Delvecchio family, through the Red Wings, posted a message Tuesday afternoon on social media:

“To our Red Wings Fans, Friends and Hockey Community,

“It is with great sadness that we share the passing of our beloved Alex Delvecchio, who left us peacefully on July 1, 2025, surrounded by his family at the age of 93 years old.

“Alex was more than a Hockey icon, he was a devoted husband, loving father, grandfather, great grandfather, cherished friend, and respected teammate to so many. While the world knew him as an incredible hockey player with numerous accomplishments on the ice, we knew him as someone whose humility, strength, competitiveness, kindness and heart were even greater than his professional achievements. For decades, your love and support meant everything to Alex and to all of us. We are deeply grateful and thankful to everyone.”

The line of Howe, Delvecchio and Ted Lindsay was known as “The Production Line” and formed one of the most prolific scoring units in NHL history.

Delvecchio played in 1,550 games with 456 goals, 825 assists and 1,281 points. When Delvecchio retired in 1974, he ranked second to Howe in all three categories. The Red Wings retired his No. 10 jersey in 1991.

Delvecchio finished among the NHL’s top 10 scorers 10 times in 14 seasons from 1955-56 to 1968-69. He scored 20 or more goals in 13 of his 22 full Red Wings seasons (two seasons with 19) and had 30 or more assists 17 seasons.

Delvecchio assisted on 210 of Howe’s goals, more than any other Howe teammate.

“A great artist, that’s what he was,” Howe said. “I had no idea how much of one until I played with him. Ted Lindsay and I would sit on the bench when Alex was just a rookie and talk about what a good player he could become.”

With Howe and Frank Mahovlich as his wings, Delvecchio had his best season in 1968-69, with 58 assists. Howe had a career-best 103 points.

“Alex was one of those players who made people around him better,” said Mickey Redmond, a former Wings player and now the team’s TV analyst. “He was an extremely unselfish player. The game slowed down for him. He was a top-notch, excellent passer.

“A real gentleman on and off the ice. Maybe some can say he was underrated because he was so unassuming. Maybe he fell under the radar just a bit because of that. But you look at the numbers and you say, ‘Wow.’ The stuff Alex accomplished, it’s a great tribute to how good a hockey player he really was.”

Delvecchio didn’t mind staying in the background while others attracted the headlines. He preferred it that way.

“I never did play the game to have them hang my jersey in the Joe Louis Arena or anyplace, or be a Hall of Famer or whatever,” Delvecchio once said. “I just wanted to play the game, play it as best as I could, contribute to your hockey team, and I feel that any of those other honors are like bonuses.”

Delvecchio was born on Dec. 4, 1931, in Fort William, Ontario. He played minor hockey in his hometown before beginning his professional hockey career with the Oshawa Generals, with whom he suited up for during the 1950-51 season.

After making his NHL debut with the Wings on March 25, 1951, Delvecchio embarked on an impressive 24-year NHL playing career, all with the Red Wings, helping them capture three Stanley Cup championships (1952, 1954, 1955).

Delvecchio followed his playing career, going on to coach the Red Wings for four seasons (1973-77) and was named general manager in 1974, serving in both roles until 1977. That same year, Delvecchio was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame and entered the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame.

Delvecchio possesses some of the biggest moments in Wings’ history, including a two-goal performance in Game 7 of the 1955 Stanley Cup Finals and scoring seven goals during the Wings’ 1956 Stanley Cup run.

Delvecchio was named one of the NHL’s 100 Greatest Players as part of the league’s centennial celebration and has his No. 10 jersey hanging in the rafters and a bronze statue on the concourse of Little Caesars Arena.

“Not bad company,” said Delvecchio the night of his statue ceremony at Joe Louis Arena in October 2008, the statue alongside his linemates Howe and Lindsay, the only other Wings with statues. “This wouldn’t have happened had I not played with some great players. Like that guy over there (Howe, who was at the ceremony). Playing with guys like that helps your career immensely.

“With guys like Teddy and Gordie, with the horses we had and I played with over the years, my job was to get the puck to them. Get the puck to them and they’d get the job done. I learned that quick. They helped me become a better passer, shall we say.”

Red Wings owner Marian Ilitch issued this statement on Tuesday:

“I am honored to have known our dear friend and Red Wings legend, Alex Delvecchio. Alex was a cherished part of the Red Wings family, and I’m grateful for the years my husband Mike and I shared with him, as well as the remarkable legacy he leaves behind — both in the rafters of the arena and in the hearts of Red Wings fans everywhere. My heartfelt condolences go out to the Delvecchio family during this time of loss.”

Chris Ilitch, Red Wings governor and chief executive officer, said this in a statement:

“The Detroit Red Wings organization is deeply saddened by the passing of Alex Delvecchio – a true Red Wings great whose contributions to our team, our city, and the game of hockey will never be forgotten. Alex embodied what it means to be a Red Wing: loyalty, humility, and excellence on and off the ice. For over two decades, including 12 as captain of the Red Wings, Alex earned the reputation as one of the best two-way forwards in NHL history. Following his Hall of Fame career, he continued to represent the Red Wings with class and distinction as both an executive and ambassador. Our thoughts are with the Delvecchio family and all those who were fortunate enough to know and admire Alex. His legacy will forever be remembered as part of Red Wings history and Hockeytown.”

Delvecchio is survived by his wife Judy and their five children, 10 grandchildren and four great grandchildren.

DETROIT — Goaltender John Gibson was in Cabo for a charity event Saturday when he heard the news he was traded to the Red Wings.

It was interesting timing, for sure, but news that Gibson welcomed after being part of the Anaheim Ducks for over a decade.

“Very exciting,” Gibson said during a Zoom call Tuesday with Detroit media. “Being in one place for a long time, there’s a lot of close friendships inside and outside the organization, but we’re really excited for the next chapter. I still feel like I have a lot left to prove and I’m excited to get the season going and playing, and hopefully we can get Detroit in the playoffs.”

Since returning from Cabo, and settling into his offseason home in his native Pittsburgh, the trade has settled in for Gibson.

“Being away and all that and being in a whirlwind and kind of coming home and explaining it to our kids, it’s now more exciting,” he said. “It’s starting to soak in than when it originally happened.”

Gibson was acquired for goaltender Petr Mrazek and two future draft picks (a 2026 second-rounder and a 2027 fourth-rounder).

Gibson spoke with general manager Steve Yzerman on Tuesday morning after playing phone tag the last several days. He also talked with captain Dylan Larkin, forward Andrew Copp and goaltender Cam Talbot, among others.

Having been part of the USA National Team Development Program, based in Plymouth Township, early in his career gave Gibson a good handle on the Metro Detroit area. He’s been coached by Wings coach Todd McLellan during the World Cup of Hockey, and assistant coach Trent Yawney was an assistant in Anaheim for years when Gibson was there, so there’s familiarity.

“He (McLellan) has been around and coached for a while in the Pacific Division. Playing against him, any time we were going against one of his teams, they were well coached and structured, disciplined. He kind of holds his standards and principles and you just go,” Gibson said. “I had a lot of experience with Trent Yawney. I’ve kind of grew up with him. He was my first coach in Norfolk (AHL) and had him a few years in Anaheim. Some familiar faces, which definitely helps the transition.

“I kind of played under Todd for a little bit. I know Trent Yawney and how the defensive structure is. I don’t know if it’ll be a ton (of adjustment). It’s all kind of fresh and new but hopefully not too much.”

The emergence of Lukas Dostal in Anaheim the past couple seasons made Gibson’s name a regular appearance on trade boards. With injuries and illness also hampering Gibson, 31, last season, he was limited to 29 games with an 11-11-2 record, a 2.77 goals-against average and .911 save percentage.

Gibson — who has two more years on his contract, with a $6.4 million annual average value — is looking forward to showing the NHL he’s still a premier goaltender.

“It’s a new chapter, a fresh start,” Gibson said. “I’m excited to prove myself. It’s an exciting opportunity, a team and organization that really wants to get back to playoff hockey. They’ve been so close for a couple years, and for me coming in and being part of it, it’s a historic franchise. It’s a privilege and honor to be part of it all.

“They’re right there.”

General manager Steve Yzerman was pleased Saturday to add Gibson and upgrade the Wings’ goaltending.

“John has historically, throughout his career, been a good goaltender,” Yzerman said. “Anaheim went through a rebuilding process and they are coming out of that. We’re sitting here today, banking on John has battled through that and will be able to maintain a high level. We like to think we’re a reasonably solid team that is moving forward, and that he’ll be fine in this role.

“We just think he’s a good goaltender and the best option for us right now. We’re hopeful and expecting him to perform at a high level next year.”

Gibson has been a goaltender who regularly plays at least 40 games per season and is optimistic he can do that in Detroit.

“Everybody’s body is different throughout the season. You’re going to have unforeseen challenges and bumps and bruises here and there, but I’m just trying to put myself in the best position possible with training and conditioning to be ready for the season, and be healthy as I can be,” he said.

Being from Pittsburgh, Gibson was a teenager when the Wings and Penguins met in consecutive years in 2008-09 in the Stanley Cup Final, both winning one, and relishes the memories.

“I remember those battles. Obviously remember growing up in Pittsburgh and (goaltender Marc-Andre) Fleury’s (game-saving) save, so I remember the good and bad from both of them,” Gibson said.

By MEGAN JANETSKY

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Three Mexican financial institutions sanctioned by the Trump administration last week have felt a cascade of economic consequences following the allegations that they helped launder millions of dollars for drug cartels.

The U.S. Treasury Department announced that it was blocking transactions between U.S. banks and Mexican branches of CIBanco and Intercam Banco, as well as the brokering firm Vector Casa de Bolsa. All three have fiercely rejected the claims.

Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum accused U.S. officials of providing no evidence to back their allegations, though the sanctions announcement made specific accusations on how money was transferred through the companies. It detailed how “mules” moved money through accounts in the U.S., as well as transactions carried out with Chinese companies that U.S. officials said provided materials to produce fentanyl.

Mexico’s banking authority has announced that it is temporarily taking over management of CIBanco and Intercam Banco to protect creditors.

Sheinbaum said Tuesday that the Mexican government is doing everything within its power to ensure that creditors aren’t affected, and said they were well “within their right” to pull their money from the banks.

The U.S. Treasury Department said that the sanctions would go into effect 21 days after the announcement.

Fitch Ratings has downgraded the three institutions and other affiliates, citing “anti-money laundering concerns” and saying the drop “reflects the imminent negative impact” that the sanctions could have.

“The new ratings reflect the significantly more vulnerable credit profile of these entities in response to the aforementioned warnings, given the potential impact on their ability to meet their financial obligations,” the credit rating agency wrote in a statement.

On Monday, CIBanco announced that Visa Inc. had announced to them with little warning that it had “unilaterally decided to disconnect its platform for all international transactions” through CIBanco. The bank accused Visa of not complying with the 21-day grace period laid out by the sanctions.

“We would like to reiterate that your funds are safe and can be reimbursed through our branch network,” the bank wrote. “We reiterate to our customers that this was a decision beyond CIBanco’s control.”

S&P Ratings also withdrew CIBanco from its ratings index, saying that it was because it had terminated its contracts with the bank following the U.S. Treasury announcement.

By WILL WEISSERT and MATTHEW LEE

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. is halting some shipments of weapons to Ukraine amid concerns that its own stockpiles have declined too much, officials said Tuesday.

The munitions were previously promised to Ukraine for use during its ongoing war with Russia under the Biden administration. But the pause reflects a new set of priorities under President Donald Trump.

“This decision was made to put America’s interests first following a (Defense Department) review of our nation’s military support and assistance to other countries across the globe,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement. “The strength of the United States Armed Forces remains unquestioned — just ask Iran.”

That was a reference to Trump recently ordering U.S. missile strikes against nuclear sites in Iran.

The Pentagon review determined that stocks were too low on some items previously pledged, so pending shipments of some items won’t be sent, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to provide information that has not yet been made public.

To date, the U.S. has provided Ukraine more than $66 billion worth of weapons and military assistance since Russia invaded in February 2022.

Over the course of the war, the U.S. has routinely pressed for allies to provide air defense systems to Ukraine. But many are reluctant to give up the high-tech systems, particularly countries in Eastern Europe that also feel threatened by Russia.

The halt of some weapons comes after Russia launched its biggest combined aerial attack against Ukraine over the weekend, Ukrainian officials said, in an escalating bombing campaign that has further dashed hopes for a breakthrough in peace efforts championed by Trump.

The U.S. stoppage was first reported by Politico.

Trump met with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the NATO summit last week and had left open the possibility of sending Kyiv more U.S.-made Patriot air defense missile systems, acknowledging they would help the Ukrainian cause.

“They do want to have the antimissile missiles, OK, as they call them, the Patriots,” Trump said then. “And we’re going to see if we can make some available. We need them, too. We’re supplying them to Israel, and they’re very effective, 100% effective. Hard to believe how effective. They do want that more than any other thing.”

Those comments reflect a change of thinking about providing weapons to Ukraine across the administration in recent months.

In opening remarks at a Senate defense appropriations subcommittee hearing in June, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he has moved quickly to quash wasteful programs and redirect funding to Trump’s top objectives.

Hegseth said a negotiated peace between Russia and Ukraine, which has been promoted for months by Trump, makes America look strong, even though Moscow is the aggressor in the conflict. He also said the budget includes hard choices and “reflects the reality that Europe needs to step up more for the defense of its own continent. And President Trump deserves the credit for that.”

The defense secretary said during that testimony that some U.S. security spending for Ukraine is still in the pipeline, but provided no details. Hegseth also acknowledged that funding for Ukraine military assistance — which has been robust for the past two years — would be reduced.

“This administration takes a very different view of that conflict,” Hegseth said. “We believe that a negotiated peaceful settlement is in the best interest of both parties and our nation’s interests.”

Last month, Hegseth skipped a meeting of an international group to coordinate military aid to Ukraine that the U.S. created three years ago. Hegseth’s predecessor, Lloyd Austin, formed the group after Russia attacked Ukraine, and Hegseth’s absence was the first time the U.S. defense secretary wasn’t in attendance.

Under Austin’s leadership, the U.S. served as chair of the group, and he and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff attended monthly meetings, which were both in person and by video. Hegseth had previously stepped away from a leadership role of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group — turning that over to Germany and the United Kingdom — before abandoning the gathering altogether.

By ERIC TUCKER

WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI announced Tuesday that it planned to move its Washington headquarters several blocks away from its current five-decade-old home.

The bureau and the General Services Administration said the Ronald Reagan Building complex had been selected as the new location, the latest development in a yearslong back-and-forth over where the nation’s premier federal law enforcement agency should have its headquarters.

It was not immediately clear when such a move might take place or what sort of logistical hurdles might need to be cleared in order to accomplish it.

FBI Director Kash Patel, who in his first months on the job has presided over a dramatic restructuring of the bureau that has included moving to relocate significant numbers of employees from Washington to Alabama, called the announcement “a historic moment for the FBI.”

The decision represents a turnabout from plans announced during the Biden administration to move the FBI to a site in Greenbelt, Maryland. The suburban Washington location was selected over nearby Virginia following a sharp competition between the two states.

The FBI’s current Pennsylvania Avenue headquarters, the J. Edgar Hoover Building, was dedicated in 1975. Proponents of moving the headquarters have said the Brutalist-style building, where nets surround the facility to protect pedestrians from falling debris, has fallen into disrepair. Discussions have been underway for years to relocate it.

The FBI and GSA said in a joint statement that moving the headquarters just a few blocks away to an existing property would avert the need to construct a brand-new building in suburban Washington, which they said would have taken years and been costly for taxpayers.

“FBI’s existing headquarters at the Hoover building is a great example of a government building that has accumulated years of deferred maintenance, suffering from an aging water system to concrete falling off the structure,” GSA Acting Administrator Stephen Ehikian said in a statement.

The Reagan Building houses, among other tenants, U.S. Customs and Border Protection. It also had been home to the U.S. Agency for International Development, which on Monday marked its last day as an independent agency.

There is a deep and sacred legacy of storytelling within African American history. It is not simply a cultural expression, it is a form of preservation. Through oral traditions; history, education, resistance, and empowerment have been passed down for generations.

Long before written words were accessible to all, storytelling broke barriers. It gave voice and identity to the unheard. It nurtured the soul and solidified the resilience of a people who have endured much, but never surrendered their truth.

In West African tradition, “the griot,” serves as the living archive of culture. A griot is not only a storyteller but also could be a historian, poet, and musician. Through music, spoken word, and poetry, they preserve the essence of a people. In many ways, our modern storytellers, activists, artists, social workers ministers, therapists, and community leaders, carry on this sacred role. They ensure that the truth doesn’t fade, that our pain is not ignored, and that our strength is not erased.

This year’s 2025 theme for Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, “In Every Story, There’s Strength” resonates deeply. It reminds us that our stories, both painful and powerful, are also instruments of healing. They are declarations of survival, resistance, and connection. To tell one’s story is to say, “I am still here. And I matter.”

As a psychologist, a faith-based individual, and an African American woman, I reflect on this theme with deep personal conviction. Our communities face unique and often invisible mental health challenges. The stories matter. The burdens of these challenges are compounded by historical trauma, systemic inequities, cultural stigma, and a society that often requires our productivity before it acknowledges our humanity.

To truly honor this month, we must do more than raise awareness, we must take action. That means prioritizing the mental well-being of underrepresented groups. That means advocating for access, representation, and safe spaces. And that means listening, truly listening to the stories of those who have been marginalized, silenced, or mislabeled.

We live in a time when basic truths are being challenged and progress is being rolled back. Initiatives meant to uplift underrepresented voices are under attack. The stories of BIPOC individuals are being politicized, sanitized, or even ignored. And yet, the stories persist and they thrive.

We must also name a painful truth: People of color are often only valued when we are productive. This external standard of worth has caused many to suffer in silence when mental health issues arise. Depression, anxiety, trauma—these are not signs of weakness. They are signs of humanity. And survival, particularly in a system that devalues your existence, is not weakness. It is resilience.

Let us be clear: Mental health, mental wellness is not a one-month issue. It is a daily necessity. It is not a luxury or an afterthought. It is an act of resistance, a sacred right, and a pathway to liberation.

So how do we protect our mental health in a world that sometimes feels like it is attacking our very existence? We return to what has always sustained us: our stories. Our rhythm. Our spiritual practices. Our community. Our truth.

In doing so we remember the statistics that demand our attention:

• Black and African American adults are more likely to receive misdiagnoses such as schizophrenia over mood disorders, compared to others with the same symptoms.

– National Library of Medicine

• Between 2001 and 2020, suicide rates among Black youth ages 10 to 19 increased by 144% for boys and up to 300% for girls.

– Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 2022

These numbers are more than statistics. They are stories—unfinished stories that demand our voice, our presence, and our effort. Each number is a person, connected to families, neighbors, friends, colleagues and much more! Mental health is a necessary for all. In the words of the World Health Organization: “There is no health without mental health.”

This July, and every month that follows, may we honor our stories. May we create spaces where the stories can be shared safely and received with care. And may we never forget: In every story, there’s strength. May we be the griot in our communities. Because storytelling is healing. And in telling it—we heal, we rise, we promote wellness and we keep our legacy alive.

Andrea Rodgers works for Minority Mental Health Awareness.

By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department is ramping up its plans to revoke the citizenship of immigrants who’ve committed crimes or pose a national security risk, according to a recent memo underscoring the Trump administration’s hardline immigration agenda.

Efforts to identity and go after those suspected of cheating to get their citizenship are not new to this administration.

But the public push is raising concerns from advocates, who have accused the administration of trying to use immigration enforcement for political purposes. It’s receiving increased scrutiny after a Republican member of Congress suggested that Zohran Mamdani, the New York City Democratic mayoral candidate, should be subject to denaturalization proceedings.

Here’s a look at the denaturalization process and what the Justice Department’s memo means:

Denaturalization cases are rare

The U.S. government can strip a naturalized immigrant of their citizenship if they are criminally convicted of naturalization fraud or if the government proves through civil proceedings that they illegally obtained their citizenship through fraud or misrepresented or concealed facts on their application.

For years, the government’s denaturalization efforts focused largely on suspected war criminals who lied on their immigration paperwork, most notably former Nazis. The Justice Department filed just more than 300 total cases between 1990 and 2017.

An initiative that began under the Obama administration called Operation Janus expanded those efforts by seeking to identify people who had used different identities to get green cards and citizenship after they were previously issued deportation orders.

In 2016, an internal watchdog reported that 315,000 old fingerprint records for immigrants who had been deported or had criminal convictions had not been uploaded to a Department of Homeland Security database that is used to check immigrants’ identities. The same report found more than 800 immigrants had been ordered deported under one identity but became U.S. citizens under another.

The first Trump administration made such investigations a bigger priority, creating a Justice Department section focused on denaturalization cases.

But even then, the number of denaturalization cases remained small, as the administration didn’t have the resources to bring many amid an onslaught of legal challenges to immigration policies it had to defend against, said Matthew Hoppock, an attorney in Kansas who represents people in denaturalization cases.

Justice Department says it will prioritize certain cases

The push was announced in a memo from the recently confirmed head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate. Shumate said the cases the department will prioritize include people who “pose a potential danger to national security,” people who commit violent crimes, members of gangs and drug cartels and people who commit Medicaid fraud and other types of fraud.

The benefits of the denaturalization process, Shumate wrote, “include the government’s ability to revoke the citizenship of individuals who engaged in the commission of war crimes, extrajudicial killings, or other serious human rights abuses; to remove naturalized criminals, gang members, or, indeed, any individuals convicted of crimes who pose an ongoing threat to the United States; and to prevent convicted terrorists from returning to U.S. soil or traveling internationally on a U.S. passport.”

Hoppock said the memo sort of “blows the doors open” for the administration to file as many as many denaturalization cases as it has the resources to file.

Lawyers raise alarm about the potential impact

The broad language in the memo raises the prospect “that any offense, at any time, may be used to justify denaturalization,” said Christopher Wellborn, president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

“It is not difficult to imagine a scenario where the government invokes unsubstantiated claims of gang affiliation or uses an individual’s criminal record to claim that citizenship was illegally procured,” Wellborn said in a statement.

Others worry the administration’s public push will stoke fear among naturalized immigrants.

“The more you talk about it, the more you frame it as ‘we’re coming after your naturalization, we’re coming after you,’ the more of a chilling effect we see on people applying for naturalization,” said Elizabeth Taufa, senior policy attorney and strategist at the Immigrant Legal Resource Center. “Even those folks that really are eligible for naturalization.”

Critics have accused the Trump administration using immigration enforcement to go after people because of their speech — most notably in the case of Columbia University activist Mahmoud Khalil, whom it has sought to deport over his role in pro-Palestinian protests.

“One of our ongoing concerns is will they target these politically, will they start combing through people’s immigration files if they don’t like you or if they think you don’t agree with the government,” Hoppock said.

“I think most Americans would support the idea of stripping someone of citizenship if they got it through fraud and they are also a dangerous person,” he said, but the concern is if they start going through “regular folks’ immigration files to find a T that is not crossed or an I that is not dotted so they can use it as a weapon.”

Justice Department recently secured denaturalization in one case

The department last month announced that it had successfully secured the denaturalization of a man who was convicted of possessing child sexual abuse material.

The British man had become a U.S. citizen after enlisting in the U.S. Army under a provision that provides a pathway to citizenship for U.S. service members, officials said. He only listed a speeding ticket when asked on his naturalization application if he had “ever committed a crime or offense for which you were not arrested,” and he became a U.S. citizen in 2013.

Months later, he was arrested in Louisiana on child sexual abuse material charges and convicted, according to the department.

“The laws intended to facilitate citizenship for brave men and women who join our nation’s armed forces will not shield individuals who have fraudulently obtained U.S. citizenship by concealing their crimes,” Shumate said in a statement at the time. “If you commit serious crimes before you become a U.S. citizen and then lie about them during your naturalization process, the Justice Department will discover the truth and come after you.”