JANUARY 13, 2023 ON MY CORNER ASK YOUR VENDOR What would make Ann Arbor a better place for all families to live? Earlier this year, Fortune magazine ranked Ann Arbor first on its list of the nation's "best places to live for families."Concetrate magazine responded to this ranking by publishing an article that asked 12 Ann Arbor residents and leaders the question: "What would make Ann Arbor a better place for all families to live?" Jessica Letaw, community activist and advocate for housing and affordability, responded, "I’d be more interested in how Groundcover News would rate Ann Arbor; and I’d be excited to attract to our community the people who think that kind of coverage counts." More housing for the "missing middle." — James Manning, #16 Actually affordable housing. — Ken Parks, #490 Everybody to be loving and caring and don’t recognize color, because we all come the same place. — Felicia Wilbert, #234 Get rid of the crooked mayor. Don’t let people who are rich control everything. — Schillington Morgan, #148 Make it more affordable. — Fred Allen, #170 Continuity within the community — especially between the homeless and non-homeless community. — Kevin Claypool, #584 Better affordability across the board. — Mike Jones, #113 Child support is a B! I got word that the Wayne County Sheriff came to my house with a child support warrant for my arrest. I wasn’t home at the time. The next day I gave them a call and talked to some Wayne County detective. He explained to me I had a warrant and I needed to just turn myself in to the 36th District Court to be arraigned and I would be released. The next day I did just that, driving my girlfriend's Jeep to downtown Detroit to the 36th District Court house. I walked in and before you knew it I realized I couldn’t just leave. I was in a court chambers, a jail cell. The judge sentenced me to 30 days for contempt of court or whatever. Mind you my girlfriend's jeep is outside in a paid parking lot in downtown Detroit and would soon be towed away. I had to make a collect call to my girlfriend to tell her about me getting locked up for 30 days and she needed to come get her Jeep before it got towed away. Wayne County Jail and Washtenaw County Jail are two completely different places state of Michigan. I met guys from Hawaii, Florida, Wisconsin and other states.That was in 2004. In 2007, there was another child MIKE JONES Groundcover vendor No. 113 — Washtenaw County Jail is Disneyland compared to Wayne County Jail. In Washtenaw County Jail you got a couch, big screen TVs, you can order Big Macs. Wayne County Jail is just a jail that rhymes with hell. Because that’s what it is. I was placed on the 13th floor, cell 1308. I will never forget that cell number. There I met a lot of people from all over the country. In Michigan, a person can be charged for felony non-child support, and if you try to leave the state or reside out of state, you will receive a free flight courtesy of the U.S. Marshals back to the support warrant for my arrest from the Wayne County Sheriff. Back in court again, this time at the Coleman A. Young Building on the 19th floor, the building on Woodward and Jefferson you see on the Detroit local news all the time. This time my girlfriend came to court with me. Once again I was found in contempt of court and sentenced to 45 days in the county jail. I was sent to the Dickerson facility on the eastside of Detroit, where I served 30 days and was then released and that was my last time being incarcerated. 76% of non-custodial fathers with children under the age of 19 pay child support in the United States. The state child support office in Michigan provides services for more than 830,000 children and families. There is a lot I don’t like about the Michigan child support system but one good thing I got out of the whole process was ACCOUNTABILITY. GROUNDCOVER NEWS 3 Truth or lies: The blessings Mrs. Levan Flora had just celebrated her 100th birthday in her South Carolina home. However, she was feeling anxious. She had worked as a nurse and caretaker up until the age of 78. Her husband had passed away when she was 80, leaving her alone. She never bore any children, but they did adopt a daughter who was now also deceased. Her daughter never had a chance for a family; she was in a fatal auto accident returning home from school. Levan always believed that she What would YOU ask? If you have a question you would like Groundcover vendors to answer in this column, email us at contact@groundcovernews.com We will be featuring vendor responses in future issues. would be reunited with them in heaven. She had outlived all of her relatives. Levan could still get around and occasionally would sneak off and drive her golf cart to the mall across the street from her estate. She was blessed to be able to still comprehend things and did not have body illness or dementia; she just walked slowly. Her butler and maid were still employed after 35 years and they often assisted her with keeping track of her estate. She was wealthy and had been stressing over who she would leave her wealth to. The very next morning Levan FELICIA WILBERT Groundcover vendor No. 234 was up early feeling refreshed and eating a hearty breakfast. She was thinking about her dream, not wanting to say anything about it to her help. Levan had decided to slowly withdraw her money from the bank and get as much cash as possible. After going to the bank she snuck off to the mall and purchased all the blankets she could. Levan kept this routine for the Levan did not attend church services ever since her husband passed away. She still prayed and believed in God, knowing she would meet with her family in heaven. One day Levan was feeling happy — bedtime came quickly that day, for she could turn off her mind and sleep. After she said her prayers she went to bed, still wondering who she would leave her wealth to. Levan started to dream about God instructing her to give all her wealth away in order to enter the gates of heaven. God also told her, “You shall know who to give your home to when the time comes.” next three weeks. However one day when she next arrived at the mall, there was a family of five holding signs. The man held a sign stating that he had lost his job and they were homeless. “Please help.” Not even considering her safety, she knew God wanted her to help them. Levan did not hesitate; she pulled up to the family in her golf cart and asked how she could help them. The man, Jack, introduced himself and his family. He then asked her if she had any work he could do to earn money for his family. Levan introduced see BLESSINGS page 10
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