By PATRICK WHITTLE The Associated Press

KENNEBUNK, Maine (AP) — It just wouldn’t feel like the Super Bowl for them if they weren’t all there. And this might be the last time they all do it.

That’s what three old friends were coming to grips with just before this year’s Super Bowl. The trio of octogenarians are the only fans left in the exclusive “never missed a Super Bowl” club.

Don Crisman of Maine, Gregory Eaton of Michigan and Tom Henschel of Florida were back for another big game this year. But two of them are grappling with the fact that advancing years and decreasing mobility mean this is probably the last time.

This year’s game pits the Seattle Seahawks against the New England Patriots at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on Sunday. Crisman, a Patriots fan since the franchise started, was excited to see his team in the game for a record-setting 12th time.

“This will definitely be the final one,” said Crisman, who made the trip with his daughter, Susan Metevier. “We made it to 60.”

Getting older, scaling back

Crisman, who first met Henschel at the 1983 Super Bowl, turns 90 this year. Meanwhile, Henschel, 84, has been slowed by a stroke. Both said this is the last time they’ll make the increasingly expensive trip to the game, although members of the group have said that before. For his part, Eaton, 86, plans to keep going as long as he’s still physically able.

Eaton, who runs a ground transportation company in Detroit, is the only member of the group not retired. And he’d still like to finally see his beloved Detroit Lions make it to a Super Bowl.

Even so, all three said they’ve scaled back the time they dedicate each year to the trip. Crisman used to spend a week in the host city, soaking in the pomp and pageantry. These days, it’s just about the game, not the hype.

“We don’t go for a week anymore, we go for three or four days,” Crisman said.

Eaton, too, admits the price and hype of the big game have gotten to be a lot.

“I think all of them are big, they’re all fun. It’s just gotten so commercial. It’s a $10,000 trip now,” he said.

Friendly rivalries over the years

Henschel said this year’s Super Bowl would be the most challenging for him because of his stroke, but he was excited to see Eaton and Crisman one more time.

Eaton met Crisman and Henschel in the mid-2010s after years of attending the Super Bowl separately. And Henschel and Crisman have a long-running rivalry: Their respective favorite teams — the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots — are AFC rivals.

The fans have attended every game since the first AFL-NFL World Championship Game, as the first two Super Bowls were known at the time, in 1967. They have sometimes sat together in the past, but logistics make it impossible some years.

But this year it was just about being able to go to the game at all, Henschel said.

“I don’t talk or walk good,” he said.

An ever-shrinking club

The club of people who have never missed a Super Bowl once included other fans, executives, media members and even groundskeepers, but as time has passed, the group has shrunk. Photographer John Biever, who has shot every Super Bowl, also plans to let his streak end at 60.

The three fans spin tales of past games that often focus less on the action on the field than on the different world where old Super Bowls took place. Henschel scored a $12 ticket for the 1969 Super Bowl the day of the game. Crisman endured a 24-hour train ride to Miami for the 1968 Super Bowl. Eaton, who is Black, remembers the many years before Doug Williams became the first Black quarterback to win a Super Bowl in 1988.

Metevier, Crisman’s daughter, was born the year of the first Super Bowl and grew up with her dad’s streak as a fixture in her life. She’s looking forward to going to one last game with him.

“It’s kind of bittersweet. It’s about the memories,” Metevier said. “It’s not just about the football, it’s something more.”

Crisman’s son, Don Crisman Jr., said he’s on board with his dad making the trip for as long as he’s still able, too.

“You know, he’s a little long in the tooth, but the way I put it, if it was me and I was mobile and I could go, I would damn sure go,” he said.

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James Russ and Joseph Parker, the former and current presidents of the Round Valley Indian Tribes in northern California, are seeking to make their reservation healthy again.

That means helping their people, they say, and specifically tackling high rates of diabetes and obesity that affect their tribal nation and many other Indigenous communities.

It also means restoring their land and the river that has been intrinsically linked with their people for millennia.

“We are Native people tied to the resources and rhythms of the Eel River,” Parker said. “Our health is connected to the river.”

Now, the tribal nation is confronting the Trump administration over the river’s future and fighting some of its regional allies to reclaim water rights that have been overlooked for a century.

The struggle is taking place as the entity with a dominant stake in the river for generations, Pacific Gas & Electric Co., seeks to give up in Lake and Mendocino counties its network of Eel River dams and a linked hydropower plant. The move has triggered a federal review that has pitted the tribes, together with environmental groups in favor of dam removal, against farming interests, reservoir supporters and the Trump administration, which has taken a dim view of dam demolition.

The tribes never had much of a say when those dams went up starting 118 years ago, but they have been heavily involved in talks in recent years geared to planning for the future of the Eel River. Due to a century-old diversion that links the Eel River to the Russian River in the south — and to farms and about 100,000 residents who rely on the upper Russian for drinking and irrigation supplies — those talks have drawn in a host of sometimes competing interests, including counties and farm and fishery groups with a wider scope of interest across the North Coast.

Our “water rights were completely ignored,” Parker said of his ancestors. “The Round Valley Indian Tribes were very much in survival mode when the dams were built and the diversions began.

“It started in 1905 when W.W. Van Arsdale posted a note along a tree saying he had a right to appropriate more than 100,000 acre-feet of Eel River water to put into the Russian River basin,” Parker said. “That’s how it all started.”

PG&E has informed federal officials it wants to decommission Scott and Cape Horn dams and give up the aging, associated hydropower plant, offline since 2021, that has helped get Eel River water through Mendocino County’s Potter Valley into the Russian River basin.

In 2022, the power company applied to surrender its operating license to the Federal Energy Regulation Commission, which oversees the nation’s hydropower projects. The utility giant followed through with formal plans to FERC in June 2025.

Historically, FERC has had the final say and has not stood in the way of dam removal, though Congress and the White House have.

Years from now, the tribes and their allies hope their efforts will lead to the nation’s next big dam removal project, freeing the headwaters of California’s third longest river to revive its beleaguered salmon and steelhead trout runs — and the culture and economy of the Round Valley Indian Tribes, said John Bezdek, an attorney for the seven-tribe nation.

“The fishery declined with the significant diversions of water into the watershed,” Bezdek said. “It was a source of subsistence and culture. This is a fishing tribe. That was taken away from them.”

Farming interests and others in the region, however, are against dam removal, pointing to downstream ripples for irrigators and drinking water customers, the loss of reservoir water for aerial fire suppression and the blow to the hundreds of Lake County residents and visitors around the largest of those reservoirs, Lake Pillsbury, a destination for boaters and hunters.

They secured a powerful ally late last year in the Trump administration, which raised its objections to dam regulators in a Dec. 19 letter from Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins. She warned that “if this plan goes through as proposed, it will devastate hundreds of family farms and wipe out more than a century of agricultural tradition in Potter Valley. Without it, crops fail, businesses close and rural communities crumble.”

Rollins also said that her department would work with the Department of the Interior to bring “real solutions” for water security to the North Coast.

The Round Valley tribes responded Jan. 14 in a letter to those two agencies, spotlighting a familiar slight: Rollins’ failure to acknowledge or even mention the tribes’ “senior water and fishing rights, much less our culture, our economy and our way of life.”

“We are reminding the departments … that the discussions going back to DC have been one sided and that we have been left out of the conversation,” Parker said in an interview with The Press Democrat.

Tribes to DC: Respect local solution

Just as dam removal opponents, including Lake County itself, are lobbying the administration to intervene and block federal sign-off on PG&E’s plans, the tribes and their allies are asking Washington, D.C., to allow a locally brokered water pact to proceed.

Known as the two-basin solution, it solidified a 30-year framework under which diversions from the Eel River to the Russian River would continue after dam removal, at least in periods of high flows, and only if there’s enough water in the Eel to support its salmon and steelhead runs. The pact supporters, including many local governments and water providers, agreed to construct a new diversion facility to support those operations, and to return water rights to Round Valley Indian Tribes who, as the first people in the area, have seniority rights to Eel River flows.

Hailed by supporters as historic when it was finalized in early 2025, the deal sought to rectify wrongs that disadvantaged tribes and harmed Eel River fisheries, signatories said.

“Our tribal members work and live in the broader regional community and despite the historic injustice to our tribal community, an ‘all or nothing approach’ is simply not realistic,” Parker wrote to the secretaries.

Parker and Russ said it was better to come together with partners and collaborate on a solution.

“We decided at the time we could spend the next 20 years arguing about what’s right and what’s wrong,” Russ said. “We decided collectively to focus on our commonalities so that maybe our kids and grandkids wouldn’t be fighting this war. We started to figure out what would be beneficial for everyone.”

But the deal has many staunch opponents, and few more visible these days than Cloverdale Vice Mayor Todd Lands, who has made his opposition to the pact and to dam removal a central part of his campaign for a seat on the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors. In January, he accompanied Secretary Rollins at an American Farm Bureau Federation conference in Anaheim, speaking out against the two-basin solution and appealing to the Trump administration to intervene.

“The two-basin solution does not guarantee water,” Lands told The Press Democrat. He fears the change from year-round to seasonal diversions will not be enough to fill Lake Mendocino, which helps sustain dry-season flows in the upper Russian River, the main source of drinking water for communities stretching from Ukiah to Healdsburg.

“This will cause drought conditions, not allow cities to replenish their water systems for fire and public use, and cause disease in the (Russian) river basin,” Lands said. “People will have to decide between showers and laundry and will not be able to have their own gardens as a food source.”

He also echoed shared concerns among dam removal opponents that the Round Valley Indian Tribes would cease all diversions “if the goals of the water supply and fish in the Eel River are not met.”

Those fears were inflamed in December when a California-based attorney for the Round Valley Indian Tribes told a group of Potter Valley farmers that diversions would one day end — comments that were caught on video and circulated widely.

In an interview with The Press Democrat, Bezdek, the tribal attorney based in Washington, D.C., sought to clarify that statement.

“Obviously if the fishery doesn’t recover, that will be a problem for us,” he said. “But we believe the best science is available and it says that we can do this.”

Parker and Russ elaborated.

“We believe everything is integrated,” Russ said. “The other side is saying we are putting fish before people. But we need healthy fish for a healthy balance for people. We are trying to create a healthy ecosystem for healthy people.”

Critical resource over millennia

The Round Valley coalition, made up of the Yuki, Pit River, Little Lake, Pomo, Nomlacki, Concow and Wailacki tribes, trace their ancestry in the area to “the beginning of time,” Bezdek said.

The Eel River and its tributaries served as the center of Indigenous culture, religion and trade.

“Our elders used to tell us stories about seeing so many fish that you could walk on their backs,” Bezek said. “Now, when we fish, we barely see a fish. Our ecosystem has just been decimated.”

As they told Rollins and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum in their Jan. 14 letter, the tribal nation seeks to bring back the health of the river and their community.

“If the river is not healthy, the community is not healthy,” Russ said.

Sonoma County Supervisor David Rabbitt, who has close ties to the region’s farming industry, has heard the concerns of those opposed to dam removal, including their fears the tribe will end all diversions.

He isn’t buying that claim.

“There’s no automatic termination and no single entity can end diversions,” Rabbitt said. “The whole thing is a collaborative effort.”

Rabbitt, who read the Round Valley Indian Tribes’ letter, said he supported their effort “to set the record straight” and “establish a position within all the noise that’s going on. That’s vitally important.”

At the same time, he understood people’s fears and reservations.

“I will admit, I’m not a huge fan of taking down dams, but ultimately it isn’t my decision,” he said. “But then it’s ‘OK, what happens if you’re on your soapbox in the corner, it comes down and there’s no agreement for diversion? Then what?’

“We have to move forward.”

Rabbit is board president of the entity created by the pact outlining a post-dam future, the Eel-Russian Project Authority. Its aim for fish, he said, is “making sure both runs” — the Eel’s and the Russian’s — “are healthy. Our goal is to keep the diversion active and to do it in a responsible, collaborative way.”

Parker said collaboration is key and he shared his hope the Trump administration will work with the tribes and Eel-Russian Project Authority.

A spokesperson for the Department of Agriculture said it had received the tribes’ letter and “looks forward to formally responding to President Parker on this important topic.” The Department of the Interior declined to comment.

Bezdek said both secretaries have reached back out to him and are trying to coordinate dates to discuss a way forward.

“We were here before Sonoma County and Mendocino County and we will be here after they are gone,” Parker said. “PG&E’s decision to decommission the project is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to bring fairness. We know we won’t be adequately compensated, but the two-basin solution is the first step to heal those wounds and remedy this historical wrong.”

By Ben Warren, Tribune News Service

The long-term cold spell that has settled over Michigan has quickly expanded the ice cover on the Great Lakes and other waterways, forcing vessels to adapt, creating fears of ice jams and providing leisure activities for those wanting to take advantage of the thick ice.

On Friday, a Canadian ice breaker helped to lead a group of tankers through the ice on the Detroit River. The U.S. Coast Guard only has one heavy icebreaker to cover the entire Great Lakes region, so Canadian vessels sometimes help out.

During the weekend, along the St. Clair River in St. Clair County, sheets of ice dominated the river around Marine City and created the threat of ice jams for homeowners along the river, especially those with docks.

Others took to the lakes for activities like ice fishing. At Lake Erie Metropark in Brownstown, dozens of ice-fishing tents were visible on the frozen lake. The park is located a short drive south of Detroit and has acres of trails and a golf course. But this time of year, the thick ice near the shores of Lake Erie is a major draw.

Mike Shankelton, 68, of Monroe was fishing out on the ice at the Metropark on Saturday with two friends, Tom Clark of Temperance and Dave Wagenknecht of Ida, both also in their 60s. Shankelton said, “it hasn’t frozen that good for years.”

He added, “The ice is solid in a lot of areas, but you’ve still got to be cautious.”

The ice coverage of the Great Lakes has expanded in January as temperatures have occasionally hit subzero levels in recent weeks.

The total ice cover across the five lakes reached 51% on Saturday, up from 5.5% on Jan. 14, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory in Ann Arbor.

Shankelton’s strategy for staying safe out on the ice is to watch where other people are already walking. When there’s no one else around, he uses a drill to see how deep the ice really is.

Shankelton was looking for perch, but he said, “of course if a walleye wants to bite it, that’s OK too.” He said he preferred to deep fry what he caught to eat.

All of Lake St. Clair is frozen over at this point, according to research lab data, while 95% of Lake Erie is covered with ice and 68% of Lake Huron is covered with ice. The largest Great Lake, Superior, has nearly 40% ice coverage despite being farther north, while Lake Michigan is at 37% and Lake Ontario is at 34%.

While St. Clair is not one of the five official Great Lakes, it is often considered part of the same lake system.

In just the last week, ice coverage in Lake Erie, Lake Huron and Lake Superior has doubled. Across all the lakes, ice coverage has expanded beyond what is typical for this time of the year, and above long-term January averages.

The culprit is what meteorologists call an “Arctic air mass,” which has hovered over much of the eastern United States in recent weeks. That weather pattern is responsible for the below-average temperatures across Michigan through the end of January, according to the National Weather Service.

Typically, ice coverage in the lower lakes peaks in mid-to-late February, while the upper lakes reach maximum coverage between late February and early March.

When Great Lakes ice coverage is higher than normal, it can impact weather patterns across the region: there’s often less lake-effect snow and it takes longer to warm up in the spring, according to the NOAA. This happens because the ice cover prevents water from evaporating, leading to drier conditions. And the ice reflects sunlight, meaning the water underneath remains colder for longer.

©2026 The Detroit News. Visit detroitnews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By Adam Graham, Tribune News Service

It’s almost like a movie.

The Milford Independent Cinema will no longer be closing its doors, its Board of Directors announced Saturday.

On what was slated to be the one-screen cinema’s final day, the theater’s board said the theater can remain sustainable “in the near term,” according to a press release. The news comes following a successful crowdfunding effort that was “nothing short of remarkable,” the cinema’s operators said in a statement.

“We are truly blown away by the support, passion, and resilience of this community,” said the Milford Independent Cinema Board of Directors. “This theater exists because of the people who believe in it, show up for it, and see its value far beyond the screen.”

The theater announced in mid-January that it would be closing its doors at the end of the month, due to “significant and ongoing changes within the film exhibition industry.”

But then the community spoke up, and on Jan. 24, operators shared a message on social media saying that donations were pouring in and that they may be able to stave off closing. “There is hope!” they said at the time.

In recent years, Metro Detroit has seen the closure of several movie theaters and multiplexes, including the AMC Star Southfield, AMC Fairlane 21, Main Art Theatre, Maple Theater, Cinema Detroit and Regal Cinemas UA Commerce Township.

The Milford theater has been open since 1972 and has operated as a non-profit since reopening after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Saturday’s announcement didn’t come with a timeline attached, but operators said the theater will expand its offerings going forward with live events, “new and fun” film series, and new members will be added to its board. There will also be increased volunteer efforts and a new membership program for the theater.

The theater will take a short hiatus, and operators plan to reopen its doors on Feb. 11.

“From the bottom of our hearts, thank you,” the Board said in its statement. “Because of you, we are here— and we will continue to show up for this community just as you have shown up for us.”

©2026 The Detroit News. Visit detroitnews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

When Kate Brouner decided to put her six-bedroom, three-bath 3,590-square-foot Howell house on the market, she called the previous owner: Novi-based Realtor Jenn Anderson.

Anderson lived in the home for 11 years before selling to Brouner.

“We call it ‘our house’ and we wanted to make sure to find the right buyer,” Anderson said.

Winter tends to be a slower time for agents but it allows real-estate agents to size up last year’s marketplace and forecast the year ahead. But houses are still being bought and sold.

Steve Stockton has a national and local perspective of the housing market. He’s a board member for RealComp, Michigan’s largest multiple-listing service; the North Oakland County Board of Realtors; and the National Real Estate Review Board.

“This is the longest time period we’ve had growth: 29 months in a row of increased value nationally,” he said. “I don’t remember a month since COVID where we haven’t gone up month over month.”

Regionally, sales rose month-over-month in the Northeast and South, were unchanged in the West, and declined in the Midwest. Demand in Michigan remains steady, Stockton said.

Nationally, home sales rose in December, up by a half percent from November, according to the National Association of Realtors. But compared to December 2024, sales were down by 1%.

The typical homebuyer is 60 years old and the median age for a new-home buyer is at an all-time high: 40, up from 33 in 2021 and 29 in 1991.

“The hardest issue is finding starter homes that younger people can buy. To finally hit 40 as the average first-time buyer’s age is just crazy,” he said.

Market shift

Stockton said the current market is transitioning from one that favored sellers to a balanced market favoring neither buyers nor sellers, aided in part by lower interest rates.

As of late Thursday, a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage loan was around 6.2% and the 15-year rate was around 5.6%. Few expect interest to drop below 6% this year, despite pressure on the Federal Bank by the Trump administration, he said.

Karen Kage, Realcomp’s CEO and a real estate agent for more than 40 years, said buyers are finding 10% more homes for sale in southeast Michigan this year compared to last year while Oakland County has 15% more.

Oakland County’s hottest markets include Novi, Northville and South Lyon, where builders are busy. Existing homes are selling in Milford, Highland and White Lake townships, Stockton said.

Areas like Birmingham and Bloomfield Hills remain popular and lakeside homes are always in high demand.

Home prices

Southeast Michigan’s median price for existing homes was $270,000 in December, up 5.9% over December 2024. Oakland County’s median home price increased by less than 1%, to $360,000..

“The buyers have a little more to chase,” Stockton said, noting that less than five years ago, buyers were skipping home inspections and warranties to compete with a slew of other buyers.

These days, he said, softer markets in Nevada, Arizona, Idaho and Florida are inspiring older homeowners who are weighing getting a good price for their Michigan home and taking advantage of better prices in what Stockon called “the sunshine states.”

In southeast Michigan, the number of homes on the market represent about three to four months of inventory, up from 2015, when the inventory was a scant six weeks. A truly balanced market requires a five-to-seven-month supply of homes, Stockton said.

More homes for sale means sellers are now waiting on home inspection results, offering home warranties again and bargaining on prices more than in recent years.

But in some areas, buyers are writing love letters about the home they want to persuade a seller to pick their offer.

What’s selling

A refreshed kitchen remains a selling point, as does a newer roof.

“The homes selling quickly now are updated and sharp,” Stockton said. “If you have a house that’s a little tired and dated, it’s going to sit on the market for a while.”

But a motivated seller like Brouner will adjust the home price to attract buyers.

Brouner, a healthcare analyst and mother of five, wanted a new home after her divorce was finalized but didn’t have the time for significant updates.

Anderson said it’s important for sellers to be realistic about their home’s value and the marketplace. Brouner had been watching the real estate market for 18 months before deciding to list her home. She and Anderson agreed to list the house for $449,900.

Less than a week after the listing went online, offers poured in.

“I was pretty confident my house would sell but Jenn really helped me make the most money possible,” she said. “Selling is not as scary as everyone thinks. Find the right agent and they will guide you.”

Brouner will start shopping for a new home with Anderson soon. She hopes to find a house with more land, room for her family and a price under $400,000 and she’s being pragmatic about her options.

“I don’t mind buying a fixer upper,” she said.

The 2026 outlook

“I hate making predictions,” Kage said. “Everything could change tomorrow … Who could have predicted some of the things we’ve been through in the last 40 years?”

She prefers to watch monthly home-sales figures and said two months of numbers gives a short-term peek into the future. The final months of winter can suggest how a season will progress. The second-quarter market is a better indicator, she said.

The solid sellers’ market pressed buyers into bidding wars, which Kage said raised prices to a point that challenges younger buyers.

She believes more sellers are confident of getting a good price for their home and being able to find an affordable next home,” she said.

A rise in the number of homes available has increased the average time on the market by two days, to 43 days, which has alarmed sellers and it shouldn’t because buyers who have more choices are more confident in their offers, Kage said.

Kage encourages buyers and sellers to work with a licensed real estate agent. They can help sellers find the optimum price for marketing a home and typically learn about new listings before they are published.

“People say, ‘Oh, I’ll just check Zillow’ but where do you think Zillow gets the information? They get it from us,” she said.

A 5-year-old Sterling Heights girl drowned Friday at an Independence Township club, according to Oakland County sheriff’s officials.

Police were called shortly after 7:30 p.m. Friday to the Deer Lake Athletic Club, 6167 White Lake Road. The family-athletic club has three pools.

Sheriff’s officials are not releasing the victim’s name at this time. The incident remains under investigation.

BLOOMFIELD HILLS — More often than not, it’s Da’ron Mason that leads the scoring charge for Bloomfield Hills, in triumph or defeat.

But the Black Hawks’ 53-41 victory over Pontiac in front of a packed house Friday night showed why the OAA Blue frontrunners go beyond their star senior.

“This was one of those games, I didn’t have any feel for the stat line, who scored what, who did a good job on the glass,” Black Hawks head coach Brian Canfield said. “It was a full team effort. Then, you look at the book, Carter Hartfield had 17, but everyone else … when Da’ron’s the fourth-leading scorer and you can still pull that game out and win by double-digits, that’s pretty significant for us.”

Mason finished with seven points and was among a handful of Black Hawks who scored between a handful and eight in the win.

“We just came out knowing we had trust in each other,” Mason said of the effort in the second half. “I have trust in all those guys. I’m just glad they trust me to get them that pass. We knew we were the better team and had to show them (Pontiac) that.”

Bloomfield Hills came in on an eight-game winning streak, and the only game during that span decided by fewer than nine points was its 43-42 win in Pontiac on Jan. 9 when the two teams last met.

With the Black Hawks at 5-0 in the league and Pontiac the next-best contender at 3-1 going into the rematch, Friday’s result was going to have major ramifications, and the Phoenix had to feel good about their chances midway through. Caden Covington had two 3-pointers in the first quarter and JJ Claudio knocked down three in the second and had 17 points already by halftime when Pontiac led 29-20.

“I just think we came out with energy, and we executed very well in the first half,” Phoenix head coach Dion Harris said. “I don’t know how many turnovers we had, but we got shots at the basket, hit shots, and didn’t turn it over much in the first half. These kids play well when everything’s going right.”

Canfield and Mason sent a message at the interval, though.

“We knew that we were playing under our skill level, and we felt like we could do more and we had to bring the energy up,” Mason said. “We all came together as a collective and said we needed to play harder, especially on the defensive side. We had to come out and show them that’s what we do, we play 90 full feet.”

Those words of self-affirmation paid dividends, apparently.

A corner triple by Brennan Bies chopped the lead down to just four less than 90 seconds into the third quarter, and Ryan Hunt knocked down 3-pointers just a little over a minute apart, the second of which knotted the contest at 33-33 with 3:34 left in the quarter.

“I think they dame out in the second half, hit the first two threes, and we had to call a timeout,” Harris said. “That took away some of our mojo, our energy, and we didn’t come down and score those first three or four possessions. It’s hard for these guys to come back out of that when they other team goes on a run and we miss consecutive shots. We still don’t know how to play through that.”

The teams were tied at 36 at the end of the third, but the fourth was all Bloomfield Hills (14-2, 6-0). Hartfield and Carter Canfield each connected from distance in the first 48 seconds to force a Pontiac timeout, then Hartfield scored and Hunt got a turnaround jumper to bounce a few times on the iron and fall. A sharp pass into the post by Meyer Saperstein to Canfield capped off a 12-0 run by the Black Hawks with about 3:30 remaining.

Photos of Bloomfield Hills vs. Pontiac in an OAA Blue boys hoops contest

All the while, Pontiac (8-6, 3-2) couldn't buy a make from 3-point range, and its second-half woes from the charity stripe (3 of 10) only made matters worse. The Phoenix only had two points throughout the entire quarter until Claudio (22 points) connected from NBA range with 38 seconds left in regulation.

On the game turning, Coach Canfield said, "I thought the first quarter was back and forth, then they knocked down two threes, and I told guys at the (end of it), 'You won that first quarter, you had played better for a longer period of time, but they just got two threes.' And they continued to make threes. Both teams executed well, but they made perimeter shots, we didn't.

"Da'ron struggled in the first half, and obviously when you have a player of that caliber (struggle), he's such an important part of the team, the team's gonna struggle. The second half, the turnaround was a couple adjustments with spacing against the defensive pressure that gave us some open looks on the perimeter, and we're a really good shooting team, so I didn't think we were going to continue to miss shots like that ... Another big part of that is, early fourth quarter, Da'ron picked up his fourth foul, and after I've just said when a player of that caliber doesn't play well, we need him, but he was on the bench when we went on that run.

"It's been the same story (for our team). They've been in close games for a half our so, sometimes three quarters, but at some point in fourth quarters, we've been able to tighten up the defense, secure rebounds and pull out the win."

Asked whether he believed the circumstances contributed to how his team performed down the stretch, Harris replied, "Absolutely. I think that added pressure, it effected us. I don't want to say we can't play under pressure but we've had three opportunities (against Avondale, Pershing and now Bloomfield Hills) to make statements in games, and we need better leadership out on the floor so we can overcome those moments where things aren't going right ... We have about a month left before state starts and we have to focus all our energy on getting better at what we need to do to make a playoff run now."

Even with the win, Coach Canfield wasn't about to declare the OAA Blue as belonging to the Black Hawks, who continue their second go-around against league opponents on Feb. 6 against Troy. "Look, we have a two-game lead with four games left for us, but I've done this long enough to know I'm not counting on anything until it's final," he said. "And for us, it is just one game at a time. Anybody in our league can beat anybody, but our goal is to be the best team we can be regardless of the record, and in order for us to do that, we have to win the next game."

A Waterford Township man is facing multiple felony charges for allegedly robbing two stores at knifepoint at Great Lakes Crossing Outlets on Tuesday, allegedly threatening police officers when they confronted him and then fleeing in his car.

Ryan David Kissel, 29, is charged with two counts of armed robbery, felonious assault, fleeing/eluding police-third degree, and two counts of assaulting/resisting/obstructing police in connection with the Jan. 27 incident.

According to the Auburn Hills Police Department, officers responded to the mall, located at 4000 Baldwin Road, at around 7:30 p.m. on Jan, 27 after receiving 911 calls about a man armed with a knife who had robbed two stores. Kissel reportedly threatened officers who approached him the parking lot, then got into his car and drove away.

As stated in a news release from the police department, “Officers pursued the suspect until it was deemed too dangerous to continue, and the pursuit was terminated.” A “Be On the Lookout” alert was sent out to area police agencies as an investigation continued, police said.

No injuries were reported in the alleged robberies, police said.

At approximately 9:30 p.m., on Jan. 27, Kissel was taken into custody at his home in Waterford. Charges were issued the next day. At Kissel’s arraignment on Jan. 29 in 52-3 District Court, Magistrate Marie Soma set bond at $250,000 with no 10% provision. If he posts bond, and is released from the Oakland County Jail, Kissel is to be monitored by electronic tether and prohibited from returning to Great Lakes Crossing Outlets.

Kissel’s next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 12 for a probable cause conference followed by a preliminary exam a week later. Armed robbery is punishable by up to life in prison.

In the news release, the Auburn Hills Police Department acknowledged assistance from the mall’s security staff and the Waterford Police Department for “outstanding cooperation and professionalism.”

“Their timely communication, coordinated response and investigative assistance were instrumental in the safe identification and apprehension of the suspect. This incident highlights the importance of strong partnerships between private security and law enforcement agencies in protecting our community,” the news release stated..

Anyone who witnessed the incident or has additional information about it is asked to call the Auburn Hills Police Department at 248-370-9460.

BLOOMFIELD HILLS – Birmingham Groves dictated tempo from the start and raced to an 80-39 victory over Bloomfield Hills in a battle for first place in the Oakland Activities Association White Division.

Both teams came into the game unbeaten in league play. But it didn’t take long for Groves to assert control of the game. After the teams battled to an 8-8 start, the Falcons closed the first quarter on a 14-2 run and never looked back.

The Falcons full cast came to play. Groves came in waves, pressed all night, and generally filled the stat sheet every which way. The Falcons dressed 10 players and all of them scored, each had at least one rebound, and eight players had at least one steal as everyone got into the act.

“We wanted everyone to score, so that was the cool thing,” Falcons head coach Jessica Duleba said. “I think you got to see our style of play is pretty fun.”

Still, when the Falcons needed a bucket to get on track or stem a brief run by the Black Hawks, it was either Harlem Simpson or Jacey Roy that they turned to. Simpson, who recently hit 1,000 for her career, finished with a game-high 26 points, including 20 points in the first half. Roy added 17 points, and Mallory Killian added 13 points for the Falcons.

“I’m happy with our performance. The shooting was good tonight,” said Duleba, whose team has now equaled or exceeded 80 points in eight games during its current win streak that followed an 0-2 start to the year.

The Black Hawks played well in spurts. When they could break the press or get a defensive stop or two, Bloomfield Hills was very competitive. But as soon as they started to turn the ball over, Groves would score in transition, put on a quick spurt, and extend its lead.

“I felt that we threw the ball away three times in the first half, and they scored three threes,” Black Hawks head coach Renardo Brown said. “That’s what we’ve got to learn. We’ve got to learn to break it (the press), and then run something,” he added.

Photos of Birmingham Groves vs. Bloomfield Hills in OAA White girls hoops action

Raina James came off the bench to lead the Black Hawks with 12 points. Julianna Socha had a game-high nine rebounds for Bloomfield Hills, and though they also spread the scoring around, outside of James, no one else came close to double figures for the Black Hawks.

With the win, Groves (10-2 overall) improves to 5-0 in the OAA White and assumes full control of the league race. The Falcons begin their second trip through the league on Tuesday with a road game against Auburn Hills Avondale.

“We really wanted this one. We lost to them in districts last year, so we had this one on our list,” Duleba said. “We’re just happy to get this one. We split it last year (in the regular season) and lost in districts, so we keep that as our motivation. We have a lot of teams on our list this year, and we’re trying to prove that we belong and that we should be in the top teams around here, that we deserve some recognition, too.”

The Black Hawks (7-3, 3-1 OAA White) have a quick turnaround, hosting Walled Lake Central in a non-league contest on Friday.

The teams could meet two more times this year – once more in league play and possibly again in districts.

“I played four freshmen tonight,” Brown said. “We’re going through some growing stages right now. But I think give us three or four more games down the road, we work on what we need to work on, and we probably can put a better show out there. But we’ve got to meet them again, probably in the playoffs here, and that’s what it’s all about.”

A Walled Lake marijuana producer is under state investigation.

Michigan’s Cannabis Regulatory Agency filed a formal complaint against Prism Triangle at 850 Ladd Road in Walled Lake.

The complaint lists two counts of not employing a lab manager, one count of not using state-approved testing methods and one count of not meeting state standards for sampling and testing marijuana and marijuana products.

State officials who inspected the company in 2025 found evidence that the company did not meet standards for testing recreational marijuana for pesticides and did not have a lab manager with an advanced degree in medical or laboratory science.

In August, 2025, state officials were alerted to the fact that the company was not using approved testing methods to detect a mold called aspergillus, which may cause people to develop a fungal lung infection.

Investigators found that the company improperly recorded test results and used equipment that was not property calibrated.

The state has the right to impose fines or sanction a license by suspending, restricting, revoking or refusing to renew it. The company has 21 days to respond to the complaint and request a formal hearing.

Prism Triangle officials did not respond to requests for comment from The Oakland Press.

ROCHESTER HILLS — Stoney Creek relied on the free-throw shooting of junior forward Calista Ivezaj to pull out a 41-38 win over visiting West Bloomfield on Thursday.

She made 11 of 14 free-throw attempts overall and only missed one of her eight tries in the fourth quarter, leading all scorers with 21 points in the Cougars’ success.

“Going into it, we were just prepping a lot, taking practice very seriously,” said Calista, who was coming off a career-high 26 points in Stoney Creek’s last outing, a 59-16 win against Fenton. “We know these league games are gonna be tough. It’s a rivalry, everything there, but we were just focusing on what we do best and locking in on what we know we can execute.”

Stoney Creek, West Bloomfield and Clarkston have been the top-three teams in the OAA Red in some order going back to 2023-24, but the league title has eluded the Cougars. In the first of their four games against those two opponents, a victory over the Lakers is a first step toward claiming one this winter.

“One of our biggest goals has always been winning the OAA Red,” Calista said. “Coming out (of it), (Stoney Creek head coach Columbus Williams) just said, ‘This is the start. We’re sending the message we’re here to play, not play around.’ We’re be focused for the rest of the OAA (schedule).”

After a commanding 15-4 start by the hosts, West Bloomfield (9-4, 3-2) scored five unanswered early in the second quarter to make it a four-point contest, and from there little separated the two league contenders. The Lakers finished off the opening half on a 6-0 spurt that included a 3-pointer by star senior guard Sheridan Beal, and it was Stoney that led by one, 29-28, after three quarters of action.

“We were trying to control the tempo at that point with the lead that we had,” Williams said of the early action. “Their guards put a lot of pressure on us and our girls didn’t read the flow of the game the right way, then we threw a few turnovers in that second quarter that allowed them to get back into the game.”

Following a floater by freshman guard Bailey Finnie’s floater that had the Lakers within one early in the fourth, both teams went scoreless over the course of several trips until the Cougars rebounded a missed 3-pointer and senior Jadelynn Freeman sank a baseline jumper with 3:20 to go.

After two Calista Ivezaj free throws and a split pair by Malia Taylor, Izzy Ivezaj hit Calista underneath for a bucket that made 37-31, but Beal sliced the lead in half with 1:40 to go when she was fouled on a made 3-pointer, though she didn’t sink the free throw.

Photo gallery from Stoney Creek vs. West Bloomfield in an OAA Red girls hoops contest

Beal missed her next two shots, but teammate Tiara Hopkins-Butler deposited the second miss to keep the Lakers within two at 38-36 with 1:09 remaining, and after the Cougars committed a backcourt violation, Beal drove the lane and knocked down a pull-up jumper that tied the game as 50 seconds remained.

Despite that, West Bloomfield fouled afterward and sent Isabelle Sutton to the line, where she made one of two with 43 ticks left, and the last four shots by the Lakers, including a potential game tying 3-pointer after Calista Ivezaj's final two free throws, didn't fall, preserving Stoney's triumph.

The Ivezajs -- Calista, Izzy and Abby -- used their height and length to combine for at least a handful of blocks.

That helped take advantage of one of West Bloomfield's shortcomings. The Lakers are down a pair of key players from the beginning of the year, including forward Londyn Hall (ACL), the only other returning starter other than Beal from last year's team that reached the Division 1 semifinals.

"We're down two starters, and I don't have a floor general, someone who's going to get them where they're supposed to be," Lakers head coach Darrin McAllister said. "It's tough from where we started, what we expected to do. We had to pivot."

Beal, who saw a ton of attention from Freeman and the rest of the Cougars' line of forwards, finished with a team-high 19 points. She's yet to be held to single-digit scoring this season.

"Sheridan's doing a lot more things now," McAllister said. "Going back to losing your starting point guard, at the end of the game, we're putting the ball in her hands as opposed to her being the off-guard. London, she was a tremendous post player, and it's putting pressure on other post players. But hopefully, and I'm confident, we'll get it together and by the postseason we'll be better than we are now.

"If I had hair, I'd be pulling it out right now. But I'm not crying over spilt milk. I can't do that. We've been to the Breslin four times in four years and some people haven't gone in a 30 or 40-year career. So I'm putting it on me."

West Bloomfield and Stoney Creek will rematch in the final league game of the season for both teams on Feb. 24. Meanwhile, the Cougars play Lake Orion on Tuesday, then will face Clarkston, the Red Division's other 4-0 team, in back-to-back games, beginning with an away game against the Wolves on Feb. 6.

"With the snow day we had, looking at both our crazy calendars, that's how we put it," Williams said of the consecutive matchups upcoming with Clarkston. "Personally, I like it, because if we win (both), we've got the league settled within four days."

By Charles E. Ramirez, cramirez@detroitnews.com

Southeast and central Michigan continue to feel the freezer burn on Friday morning.

Dangerously frigid temperatures prompted the National Weather Service to issue a cold weather advisory, and dozens of schools canceled classes.

The advisory is in effect until 10 a.m. for areas north of Interstate 96, including Michigan’s Thumb and the Bay City-Midland-Saginaw area, the weather service said.

NWS warns temperatures across the region will start at between 5 and 20 degrees below zero. Detroit had reached 3 by about 8 a.m. Friday and was expected to reach a high of 14. The city’s normal high temperature in January is 32.3.

Wind chills are expected to drop to 20 below zero north of I-96 and 15 below zero near Flint and the M-59 corridor, according to the forecast.

NWS also said the coldest conditions are expected by mid-Friday morning.

Some areas of the region may also see some snow on Friday. The eastern part of Michigan’s Thumb could get 1 to 3 inches of snow from Friday night through Saturday morning, thanks to lake effect snow showers from Lake Huron.

Light snow and flurries are possible for the rest of the region, with a dusting to a tenth or two of an inch possible, the NWS said.

Meanwhile, among the districts closed amid the extreme cold is Dearborn Public Schools.

“All Dearborn Public Schools will be closed on Friday 1/30/26. Wind chill temps for Friday A.M. forecasted between -15 to -20 depending on conditions. District uses -20 as a threshold for closing. Temps expected to rise throughout the day but out of an abundance of caution for students in the A.M. schools will be closed,” officials said in a statement on the district’s website.

The Crestwood School District in Dearborn Heights followed suit.

“All Crestwood School District school buildings and offices will be closed on Friday, January 30, 2026 to address building needs due to the recent extreme cold conditions,” it said.

Detroit Public Schools Community District remained open on Friday. Earlier this week, district officials said the school system had used its sixth and final ‘forgiveness’ day for weather, but planned to petition the state for more.

The cold will stick around over the weekend. On Saturday, Detroit’s high should climb to 19, according to the weather service. The city is also looking at isolated snow showers between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m.

NWS also predicts wind chills will range between 10 below zero and minus 15 for parts of southeast Michigan, the weather service said. Wind chill values in Detroit could fall as low as minus-5.

On Thursday, Detroit officials said they were keeping the city’s overnight stand-by shelters and respite locations open for an additional day due to the continued cold.

Shelters provided by the city with Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries at 13130 Woodward Ave., the Pope Francis Center at 2915 Hancock, and the Neighborhood Service Organization at 882 Oakman Blvd. will remain open until Monday. Earlier this week, officials announced the shelters would be extended through Sunday.

“Our priority is keeping every Detroiter safe and warm,” Mayor Mary Sheffield said in a statement. “During these bitterly cold conditions, the City of Detroit is making sure every resident has access to a safe and warm place.

“If you need shelter, call our Housing HelpLine at 866-313-2520, visit any police precinct, or go directly to a stand-by shelter. No one should have to face this extreme cold alone.”

NWS meteorologists predict that sunshine on Sunday will push temperatures into the lower 20s, and highs in the 20s will linger over the next week.

In Detroit, the mercury could reach 22 on Sunday. The city’s average high temperature in February, which begins Sunday, is 35.2.

As the deep freeze continues across the region, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office on Friday reminded the public to be careful when venturing out onto lakes, ponds, and rivers.

The office said fluctuating temperatures and underwater currents can create dangerous, unstable ice conditions often invisible from the surface. Officials also said there is no such thing as ice that’s 100% safe.

“We want everyone to enjoy the winter season, but safety must be the priority,” Sheriff Troy Goodnough said in a statement. “Ice conditions can change rapidly. Just because the ice was safe yesterday, or appears safe from the shore, does not mean it is safe today. We urge everyone to check the ice thickness prior to venturing onto it.”

Extended Detroit Forecast

Saturday: Partly sunny; high 19, low 5.

Sunday: Sunny; high 22, low 6.

Monday: Mostly cloudy; high 26, low 14.

Tuesday: Partly sunny; high 26, low 13.

Wednesday: Mostly cloudy; high 25, low 12.

Thursday: Partly sunny; high 26.

Source: National Weather Service

©2026 The Detroit News. Visit detroitnews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By Max Bryan, mbryan@detroitnews

Oakland County’s community mental health agency and a nonprofit that provides mental health services in the county are accusing each other of acting in bad faith as the county absorbed part of the nonprofit’s services Thursday.

Crisis care nonprofit Common Ground announced in a statement Thursday afternoon that it was ending its adult crisis services at its Pontiac location because the Oakland Community Health Network “failed to issue multiple monthly payments” to the nonprofit.

Adult services at Common Ground include a crisis helpline, walk-in assessments and a sober support unit for adults experiencing mental health crisis or substance abuse. Common Ground CEO Heather Rae said 8,000-9,000 people use the nonprofit’s adult crisis services annually.

In its own statement following Common Ground’s, OCHN announced it was immediately assuming responsibility for the services. OCHN is contracted through the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to lead the county’s provider service network.

“That the attempts to cause panic among the Oakland County residents and the citizens of the county are very shocking and disappointing, because you’re talking about people whose lives have been put at risk when they believe help is no longer available for them at their most vulnerable,” said OCHN CEO Dana Lasenby.

Common Ground members have attended county meetings since November opposing OCHN absorbing its services.

“Transition meetings between the organizations were initially productive and focused on program continuity and collaboration. However, discussions ultimately stalled as Common Ground shifted its focus toward financial demands rather than operational coordination for the people served,” OCHN’s statement reads.

Rae contends OCHN hasn’t paid the nonprofit since November for its crisis residential unit or sober support unit and hasn’t paid for its main contract since December. In its statement, Common Ground claims OCHN told them Tuesday they didn’t plan to make these payments, citing “outstanding cost settlement reviews.”

Rae said the cost settlement — more than $1 million — is usually worked out in late spring or summer. OCHN claims those funds that Common Ground owes the network were an overpayment.

“It is premature for them to have a number because it is not as simple as that. We go through an audited process, an in-depth review of payments made, expenditures, and we arrive together at a number, and we work that for as long as it takes,” Rae told The Detroit News on Thursday. “Usually, it takes a month or two to arrive at what is the reality of who owes who and how much.”

Rae also claimed Common Ground’s amount would be much smaller if the amounts OCHN hasn’t paid them were factored in.

Lasenby called Rae’s claims about the $1 million and monthly payments “inaccurate.” She said they have tried to work out the overpayment amount with Common Ground “for quite a bit of time now.”

Lasenby also said the last payment they made to Common Ground was in December.

“January payment was not made because of a contractual breach of the provider,” Lasenby said.

In addition to the money claims, Rae said Common Ground issued 155 layoff notices in December for Feb. 13, when OCHN was originally supposed to absorb the services. OCHN claimed in its statement that it has transitioned more than 55 employees from Common Ground “to support the continuation of crisis services” and expects that number to grow as employees transition from the nonprofit.

By Sarah Atwood, satwood@detroitnews.com

The University of Michigan will partly finance faculty research projects amid cuts to federal research funding, the university said.

The research funding program will begin this month and support projects across all three UM campuses — Ann Arbor, Dearborn and Flint, according to the announcement Friday in the University Record, a university-run faculty-staff news source. The program is meant to provide short-term support to help maintain research continuity, support research staff and remain competitive for future outside funding, UM said in the article.

A similar but separate program will be run through the university’s medical school.

“This program is not intended to replace federal funding or create a long-term safety net,” said Arthur Lupia, vice president for research and innovation in the article. “It is a targeted, one-time investment to help outstanding U-M researchers transition in a time of change and continue to do important work that serves the people of Michigan and the world.”

Researchers in charge of projects, known as principal investigators, can request up to one year of partial support under the program, the university said. Researchers can apply for up to 35% of the average annual direct cost that was originally requested in the researcher’s federal proposal, with a maximum of $150,000 per year. Central university support will cover up to half of the research cost, with the rest covered by the researcher’s school, college or unit.

All money must be spent at UM, the university said.

UM is among the nation’s top public universities in research spending. In 2024, UM’s annual research expenditures reached a record $2.04 billion — of that amount, federal funding accounted for $1.17 billion, for over half of the university’s total.

UM anticipates receiving $163 million less from the federal government through fiscal year 2026, budget projections approved by the Board of Regents in June show.

Michigan State University announced a similar funding program last April, called the Jenison Fund. The fund would provide strategic, targeted, time-limited assistance to graduate students who have lost funding and to faculty members experiencing disruptions in research funding, according to MSU.

Michigan State President Kevin Guskiewicz said a total of up to $5 million annually for the next three years would be allocated to the fund.

To date, the fund has awarded resources to 35 projects, MSU spokesperson Amber McCann said.

In October, Guskiewicz announced that 74 federally funded projects at MSU were ended by the federal government, with a multiyear impact estimated at $104 million. At the time, 86 projects were paused or affected by stop-work orders.

Waterford Township’s Police Chief said it’s not known if alcohol or drug use was a factor when the driver of a Pontiac G6 crashed into a Rochester Community Schools bus carrying children on Saturday morning and then died.

Police Chief Scott Underwood declined to release the name of the driver, a 38-year-old White Lake Township man. He was killed when he crossed the center lane of Huron Road near Josephine Street in Waterford Township  — just west of Telegraph Road — and collided head-on with the school bus shortly before 8 a.m., Underwood said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

None of the children were seriously injured, but a teacher who was on the bus was transported to McLaren Oakland Hospital for treatment of injuries that weren’t life threatening, Underwood said.

The Oakland Press has reached out to Rochester Community Schools for more information but hasn’t heard back yet.

Killer’s wife tied to 2024 murder, robbery of Rochester Hills businessman; criminal charges filed

 

 

 

By Adam Graham

agraham@detroitnews.com

If they came through town, Ken Settle photographed them.

The Rolling Stones, Soundgarden, U2, Guns N’ Roses, David Bowie, Prince, Stevie Ray Vaughn, B.B. King, Kiss, Metallica, the list goes on. And that’s to say nothing of homegrown superstars like Alice Cooper, Madonna and Bob Seger.

For more than 40 years, Ken Settle was a fixture at local concert venues of every size, from small clubs to supersize stadiums. The acclaimed rock photographer died Monday, according to a post on his Facebook page. He was 66.

Settle, known for his poof of blond hair parted in the middle, was born in Trenton and grew up in Westland. He shot Bob Seger when he was just 11 years old, when the longhaired rocker was playing a softball game against the staffers from WRIF-FM (101.1). He asked Seger if he could take his picture and Seger agreed.

A few months later, Settle borrowed his father’s camera and popped off some shots of Creedence Clearwater Revival at Cobo Hall, and it was there that he was bitten by the rock photographer bug.

“I remember walking down the aisle on the main floor of Cobo to get a bit closer to the stage, and I took a handful of fairly blurry, not-so-good photos,” Settle told WCSX-FM (94.7) in 2023. “But the energy and excitement of live music at Cobo Arena was electric and it was such a thrill to try to capture that — even in my little kid’s way of doing so.”

From there, he shot a ton of early Seger shows, when Seger and his band were working their way up the local ladder, and Settle in turn became a staple in photo pits at local concerts from artists of all ranks. His work appeared in Rolling Stone, Creem, Playboy, People, Guitar Player and other publications across the globe, as well as locally in MediaNews Group’s Michigan publications, including The Oakland Press and the Macomb Daily.

“Ken was one of the best shooters ever,” says Scott Legato, a fellow rock photographer who shared photo pits with Settle over the last 20 years. “He was just a great guy. He had a big heart, and he loved his cats.”

In addition to his cats — he had several, and was known for taking in strays — Settle also had an extensive collection of guitars and amplifiers.

“Ken was awesome. Nice guy, always helpful, always great to be around,” says Chris Schwegler, a fellow photographer who shot concerts with Settle for years and considered him a good friend. He says he would talk to Settle two to three times a week and was just texting with him the other day, helping him out with a computer problem.

As a photographer, “Ken knew what looked good for a photo, no matter who the artist was,” says Schwegler. “He knew the shot he wanted to get, and he knew how to get it.”

Settle’s photo archives are vast, culled from thousands of shows, from Nirvana to Nicki Minaj, from Janet Jackson to John Mellencamp, Bruce Springsteen to Lil Wayne. His photos have been hung in Hard Rock Cafes around the world, and his shots were used in episodes of VH1’s “Behind the Music.”

He captured artists on stage from the 1970s through the 2010s, as photography went from film to digital, as artist rules went from shoot-the-whole-show to just the first three songs. His images are a history of live music in Detroit.

Settle came up shooting film and was a holdout on switching to digital for a long time, and that discipline made him a better photographer, says Legato.

“He had a good eye. He could anticipate the shot and get the shot,” he says. Legato helped convince him to go to digital, he says, but Settle “still had the mindset that he was shooting film.”

Friends say Settle had complained of experiencing shooting pain in recent weeks, but he was hesitant to go to the doctor.

He had slowed down from shooting rock concerts after COVID-19, but was still active on social media, and tributes poured into Settle’s Facebook page following news of his death.

Steve Galli, a fellow rock photographer who had known Settle since the late 1970s, said Settle was one of the best shooters in the business.

“He was known all over. When I started traveling out of state to cover music fests, other photographers would say to me, ‘You’re from Detroit, you must know Ken Settle,'” says Galli. “Photographers from all over the country associated Detroit with Ken Settle.”

When other photographers were gathered front and center in front of the stage at a concert, “he’d be way over on the side, getting an angle no other photographer was getting,” Galli says.

Galli says he remembers being in photo pits waiting for Settle to show up, wondering if he was going to miss the show, only to see him emerge from the backstage area, where he had been shooting portraits of the artists before the concert began.

“We were thinking he missed out, when it was us missing out,” he says.

Settle was always helpful to newcomers, Galli says, and would freely share information and tips of the trade with others.

“He was such a nice person, a really bighearted guy,” says Galli. “Ken was a legend.”

A police investigation continues into a Jan. 23 traffic crash on I-75 in Bloomfield Township that resulted in the death of one man and serious injuries to his son.

According to the Bloomfield Township Police Department, Paul Locklear, 45, of Davison died Friday at Trinity Health Oakland Hospital, where he had been transported with serious injuries from the single-vehicle rollover crash, which happened shortly before 10 a.m. near South Boulevard. The driver of the vehicle, the man’s 18-year-old son, was also transported to Trinity Health Oakland Hospital with serious injuries and is expected to survive.

The vehicle involved was a 1999 Ford F350, police said.

Bloomfield Township Police Sgt. Nick Soley said multiple witnesses have come forward as requested by police. While drugs and/or alcohol use don’t appear to be a contributing factor, toxicology is pending from a blood draw on the driver which was performed with his consent, Soley said.

 

‘Squatter’ pleads to drug charge

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A Troy man who police described as a squatter was in Oakland County Circuit Court via Zoom on Monday where he pleaded guilty to a reduced charge involving drugs.

Devin Bushue, 35, faces up to a year in jail for one count of using a controlled substance. Prosecutors dismissed a charge of  possession of a controlled substance-methamphetamine/ecstasy — which carries a stiffer penalty.

Bushue was arrested Jan. 4 after police reportedly found him and a Shelby Township woman, Miranda Laight, 37, asleep in the basement of an apartment building in the 100 block of South Lovington Drive in Troy. Officers discovered the two while responding to a trespassing complaint, and after waking them up spotted suspected methamphetamine and a used syringe near where they had been sleeping, police said.

After Bushue and Laight were arrested, officers searched their belongings and allegedly found a small Ziploc baggie containing methamphetamine in Bushue’s bag and a syringe containing heroin in Laight’s bag.

Bushue is scheduled to be sentenced on March 2 by Judge David Cohen.

The case against Laight is still at the district court level. A preliminary exam is scheduled for Jan. 29.

Bushue and Laight are held in the Oakland County Jail with bond set at $7,500 for Bushue and $5,000 for Laight. The bonds have a 10% provision, meaning  Bushue can be released from custody if he posts $750, and Laight can be released from custody if she posts $500.

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By ISABELLA VOLMERT, The Associated Press

A former GOP gubernatorial candidate who once tried to unseat Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is seeking the office again, joining a crowded field of Republicans running in the battleground state.

Oakland County businessman Perry Johnson announced his second bid for governor Monday. His entrance to the race comes as the Republican candidates compete for President Donald Trump’s endorsement ahead of the Aug. 4 primary.

In a video advertisement released Monday, Johnson described Michigan’s government as inefficient.

“We need to shake up the system,” he said.

Johnson, a management consultant, was part of a slate of Republicans to run against Whitmer in 2022. His nearly $8 million bid ended when the state’s election bureau ruled he did not submit enough valid signatures required for nominating petitions. He also made a long shot bid for president ahead of 2024.

In announcing his campaign, Johnson told the Detroit News he plans to spend $9 million of his own money in the next two months.

Whitmer is term-limited and cannot run again. Candidates from both parties and one campaigning as an independent have lined up to replace her.

On the Republican side, Johnson joins the field that includes U.S. Rep. John James, former Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox, state Senate Leader Aric Nesbitt and former Michigan House speaker Tom Leonard.

On the Democratic side, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson are competing for the nomination.

The longtime Democratic mayor of Detroit, Mike Duggan, is running for governor but as an independent.