2 $ OCTOBER 3, 2025 | VOLUME 16 | ISSUE 21 YOUR PURCHASE BENEFITS THE VENDORS. PLEASE BUY ONLY FROM BADGED VENDORS. Mental illness among the homeless: the consequence not the cause. page 10 STEPHANIE DUNCAN #66 ASK YOUR VENDOR: HOW DO YOU LIKE YOUR EGGS? 15 YEARS OF NEWS AND SOLUTIONS FROM THE GROUND UP | WASHTENAW COUNTY, MICH. Women on the Move protested on Sept. 9 at Ypsilanti City Hall in response to the treatment of the woman at the Beer Cooler. Beer Cooler employees assault Black woman. page 4 THIS PAPER WAS BOUGHT FROM • Proposal: Housing-development accelerator • Charbonneau: Open your eyes to housing inequity. PAGE 4 @groundcovernews, include vendor name and vendor #
2 GROUNDCOVER NEWS GROUNDCOVER15 OCTOBER 3, 2025 PROVIDING ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES FOR SELFDETERMINED INDIVIDUALS IMPACTED BY POVERTY, PRODUCING A STREET NEWSPAPER THAT GIVES A PLATFORM TO UNDERREPRESENTED VOICES IN WASHTENAW COUNTY, PROMOTING AN ACTION TO BUILD A JUST, CARING AND INCLUSIVE SOCIETY. Groundcover News, a 501(c)(3) organization, was founded in April 2010 as a means to empower lowincome persons to make the transitions from homeless to housed, and from jobless to employed. Vendors purchase each copy of our regular editions of Groundcover News at our office for 50 cents. This money goes towards production costs. Vendors work selling the paper on the street for $2, keeping all income and tips from each sale. Vendors are the main contributors to the paper, and are compensated to write and report. Street papers like Groundcover News exist in cities all over the United States, as well as in more than 40 other countries, in an effort to raise awareness of the plight of homeless people and combat the increase in poverty. Our paper is a proud member of the International Network of Street Papers. STAFF Lindsay Calka — publisher Cynthia Price — editor Gray Connor — intern Lila Kelly— intern Steve Ross June Miller ISSUE CONTRIBUTORS D.A. Jud Branam Monique Caldwell Ben Foster Mike Jones Ron Pagereski Ken Parks David L. Putman Will Shakespeare Sandra S. Denise Shearer Tommy Spaghetti Florian Stegmaier Felicia Wilbert YpsiWrites PROOFREADERS Susan Beckett VOLUNTEERS Jessi Averill Jane Atkins Sim Bose Jud Branam Libby Chambers Stephanie Dong Glenn Gates Robert Klingler Margaret Patston Ari Ruczynski Mary Wisgerhof Max Wisgerhof Emilie Ziebarth BOARD of DIRECTORS Anna Gersh Greg Hoffman Jessi Averill Jacob Fallman Jack Edelstein Glenn Gates GROUNDCOVER NEWS ADVERTISING RATES Size 1/8 1/6 1/4 1/2 full page Black/White $110.00 $145.00 $200.00 $375.00 $650.00 Color $150.00 $200.00 $265.00 $500.00 $900.00 Dimensions (W x H in inches) 5 X 3 or 2.5 X 6.5 5 X 4 5 X 6.25 5 X 13 or 10.25 X 6.5 10.25 X 13 Mike Jones Hailu Shitaye Shelley DeNeve Steve Borgsdorf CONTACT US Story and photo submissions: submissions@groundcovernews.com Advertising and partnerships: contact@groundcovernews.com Office: 423 S. 4th Ave., Ann Arbor Mon-Sat, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Phone: 734-263-2098 @groundcover @groundcovernews DONATE, LISTEN TO OLD ISSUES + LEARN MORE www.groundcovernews.org WAYS TO SUPPORT 1. Buy the paper, read the paper. 2. Get the word out — We rely on grassroots marketing. Talk to people about Groundcover and share us with your network. 3. Volunteer — You'll learn a lot about our vendors, the newspaper and your community. Interested in volunteering regularly? Fill out the form on our website. 4. Advertise your company, organization, event or resource — see rates below. 5. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram — promote our posts and share your favorite articles and vendor interactions. 6. Donate items — A seasonally appropiate list of items most needed at our office and on the street is available on our website. Drop off anytime we're open. PACKAGE PRICING Three Months/Six Issues: 15% off Six Months/Twelve Issues: 25% off Full Year/Twenty-four Issues: 35% off Only run for two weeks/one issue: 40% off Additional 20% discount for money saving coupons
OCTOBER 3, 2025 ON MY CORNER ASK YOUR VENDOR How do you like your eggs? Poached. — Cindy Gere, #279 Boiled, deviled eggs. — Denise Shearer, #485 Scrambled. — Roberto Isla Caballero, #347 I'm not picky. I'm an easy guy! — Frantz Francois, #601 Scrambled with small minced onions, a little garlic powder, a little black pepper and sometimes with cheese. And well done. — Felicia Wilbert, #234 In the past I used to like omelettes. Nowadays, a hard boiled egg is much better. — Will Shakespeare, #258 Scrambled with sugar. — Joe Woods, #103 Hard-boiled. — B-Man, #172 Scrambled. — Mike Jones, #113 I just like the fact that they are so versatile. —Wayne Sparks, #615 Extra greasy (over easy). — Jim Clark, #139 Love like the seasons MONIQUE CALDWELL Groundcover contributor Through winter’s hush and summer’s blaze, Our love endures the shifting days. Born of laughter, rooted deep, In friendship’s soil, its promise keeps. When storms arrive and tempests roar, We hold the line, we mend, restore. Not fleeting like a springtime bloom, But steady as the autumn moon. We bend like trees in April rain, Yet rise again, despite the strain. In every season, joy or pain, We find the sun, we start again. No frost can freeze what we have grown, No drought can crack this love we've known. For hearts that first were friends, then more — Are built to last, through every war. TOMMY SPAGHETTI Groundcover vendor No. 669 An open letter to Governor Spencer Cox of Utah regarding Charlie Kirk's assasin: Dear Spencer, I watched your press conference at the University of Utah September 12. The speech was titled "Moral Clarity" on YouTube (published by The Washington Post). In that speech you expressed unprecedented anger that you experienced post Charlie Kirk's murder but you were pulled back by Charlie's own words. "The weak can never forgive; forgiveness is the attribute of the strong. The only way out of the labyrinth of suffering is to forgive. Welcome without judgment, love without condition and forgive without limit. Always forgive your enemies, nothing annoys them so much." Spencer, if you truly wish to GROUNDCOVER NEWS Open letter to Gov. Spencer Cox quell the rising tide of political violence and put into action the words you speak, then it is incumbent upon you to commute Tyler Robinson's punishment to life imprisonment and do not seek the death penalty. Please demonstrate the courage to "forgive without limit." Sincerely, Tommy Spaghetti Groundcover News 3 Beautiful October October is a beautiful, festive, colorful month. I like Polish Polka music; it's soothing and it sounds good no matter what you are doing. I’ve seen Octoberfest on television but I’ve never done one in real life. Good Polish sausage is one of the foods I like. I would like to try pierogi, the beef and mushroom kinds. October is a month to enjoy all types of goodies because of harvest time. Halloween is a good holiday, but not for the spookiness. I like the festivities of being with friends and DENISE SHEARER Groundcover vendor No. 485 enjoying goodies and harvest time. Another thing about Halloween is you get to dress like you want to, and be whatever or whoever you want to be! You get to watch the babies and children joyfully celebrate Halloween by trick or treating. The fall leaves are so pretty in October, too. It’s also a good time to go to farmers markets and apple orchards. It’s also a good time to go to petting zoos. It’s also a good time for artists because there's so much scenery to paint or take a picture of. October is a good, cool month. Chats with AI: Releasing radiopharmaceuticals and containing nuclear waste DAVID PUTMAN Groundcover vendor No. 679 In a recent conversation with Google AI, I uncovered the following fascinating facts: 1. Radiopharmaceuticals combined with THC and CBD may be a more effective cancer treatment than current medicines. However, to the best of my knowledge, no research has been completed on combining THC and CBD with radiopharmaceuticals. 2. In principle, the materials used in 55 gallon borated polyethylene lead-lined containers could safely hold 22 quarts of radioactive materials. Right now, 55 gallon drums are being used to hold significantly more than 22 quarts of toxic waste. The problems this potentially poses are environmental, emotional and personal. If you or a loved one develops cancer, you want the best of medicines, and without properly designed density to quantity ratios, the radiation could eventually get out. We don’t want our fellow men and women exposed to harmful radiation, and especially not the land, dirt, soil or groundwater either. I uncovered this all without a degree in chemistry. All I had to do was be persistent and ask the right questions. Google AI is young, and can only answer to the best of its knowledge. Persistence and proper phrasing is the key to completing your own education at home. No longer do our sprawling schools need to be a place of fear, intimidation and dangerous violence. The current generation can get answers online. You just have to ask the right questions.
4 GROUNDCOVER NEWS YPSILANTI Beer Cooler employees assault Black woman An Ypsilanti convenience store was closed following an Aug. 31 altercation involving a fight inside the store which was recorded on video. The video of the fight between two employees and a female customer spread on social media and caused concern about violence against the unhoused and mentally ill. The resulting uproar caused the Beer Cooler at 22 S. Washington St. in downtown Ypsilanti to close pending investigation. Online records showed that police were investigating a report of vandalism and simple assault at the shop’s location. Ypsilanti Police Chief Timothy Anderson declined to comment on the incident, citing the investigation as still open and ongoing. “Every member of our community deserves to feel safe, valued and treated with dignity, regardless of the circumstances,” Ypsilanti Mayor Nicole Brown wrote on Facebook. “The video of this incident has been circulated broadly, and the visual is disturbing. Please be mindful of what you are watching and take care of yourself.” Brown said she had been in contact with the store owner and they discussed accountability and taking steps toward repairing the community. The City of Ypsilanti released a statement about the incident as well, asking for the public to be patient while police investigate the incident. In the video circulating online, which lasts less than a minute, a woman is seen throwing items in the store while cursing. Moments later a male employee grabs the woman. The two employees, both men, and the woman are then seen in the video wildly flailing at each other before she is thrown to the ground. One employee is recorded dragging her out of the store while another picks up a wooden stick and briefly holds it up like he is about to swing. He lowers the stick after making eye contact with the camera recording him. The woman is dragged out of the store as she continues to kick at the employees and call them bitches. Someone is heard calling 911 in the background as the woman is dragged out. The video ends with the woman on the sidewalk outside the shop, appearing to spit at the employees. Someone is also heard laughing during the ordeal. Community organizers have been vocalizing their concerns about the incident. “Let me say this loud and clear. What happened at the Beer Cooler is a reflection of the unsafe environment we have for black women around here,” Trische’ Duckworth, executive MIKE JONES Groundcover vendor No. 113 director of Survivors Speak, wrote on Facebook. “As a black woman, I don’t feel like my safety is important to the men of our community. Heck, my biggest bullies in this work have been men in this county. Not all, but many. Seeing this woman get beat like that, followed by all the dumb comments, makes me feel even less safe.” Several social media posts circulated stating there would be a protest at the Sept. 9 Ypsilanti City Council meeting regarding the incident at the store. Glen Page, Groundcover vendor No. 407, who grew up in Washtenaw County like myself, told me about the incident. I went to downtown Ypsilanti to sell papers at 4 p.m. when I ran into Glen. He said I just missed a protest at the Beer Cooler. He explained what happened and we both expressed our feelings on the situation. Two days after the assault, Sept. 2, I drove by the Beer Cooler to see if the store was open. A crowd of people was outside of the storefront with cellphone cameras in hand, along with the owner of the Beer Cooler. I parked my car and got out to get pictures when I ran into someone I knew who shared the video with me. The very next morning, I ran into the victim of the assault in downtown Ann Arbor. I told her I was from Groundcover News and I asked her for an interview. After she got done lighting her cigarette, she politely declined my request. I noticed she had visual face swelling as I wished her well. I also asked the Beer Cooler store owner for an interview or statement, but he declined. Tuesday, September 9, “Women on the Move,” led by local business owner Mrs. Chapman, held a protest in front of City Hall before the scheduled Ypsilanti City Council meeting where protesters held up signs saying “Enough is Enough." Mrs. Chapman and “Women on the Move" attended the City Council meeting and voiced their concerns, and asked for a resolution to be brought before council to protect Black women, the unhoused and the mentally ill. No resolution has since been enacted. On Sept. 10, two employees at the OCTOBER 3, 2025 Women on the Move protested on Sept. 9 at Ypsilanti City Hall in response to the treatment of the woman at the Beer Cooler. Ypsilanti Beer Cooler were charged by the Washtenaw County Prosecutor's Office in connection with the physical altercation that occurred on August 31, 2025. The Ypsilanti Police Department investigated the case, with the results of the investigation leading to the charges against the two employees. Two weeks after the incident, the store reopened.
OCTOBER 3, 2025 ABUSE D.A. Groundcover writer October is the month that recognizes Domestic Violence. I want to include other forms of abuse, too. I am a domestic violence survivor, and I have recently been the victim of other forms of abuse as well. I was in two abusive relationships; one in my early twenties, and again in my late thirties. First, I'll speak to the relationship that occurred in my twenties. The man was 23 years older than me. He was very kind and generous at the beginning. I was having some family struggles, and he seemed to be the kind of man that I could share a lifetime with despite the age difference. Well, I was sadly mistaken. Once I became pregnant by him, he began to openly see other women. When I questioned him about it, he slapped me so hard that that was the end of that conversation for that day. He apologized and promised to never do it again. Then he took me shopping and gave me some money, and for a long time he did not do it — until after I gave birth to our daughter, who is in her 30s now. After I gave birth, he was back to his cheating ways. Once again, I asked him about it, and he slapped me and hit me several times and busted my lip. Then he told me to shut up and cook him some dinner. I cooked the dinner and sucked it up. At that point, I Groundcover Vendor Code While Groundcover is a non-profit, and paper vendors are self-employed contractors, we still have expectations of how vendors should conduct themselves while selling and representing the paper. The following is our Vendor Code of Conduct, which every vendor reads and signs before receiving a badge and papers. We request that if you discover a vendor violating any tenets of the Code, please contact us and provide as many details as possible. Our paper and our vendors should be positively impacting our County. • Groundcover will be distributed for a voluntary donation. I agree not to ask for more than the cover price or solicit donations by any other means. • When selling Groundcover, I will always have the current biweekly issue of Groundcover available for wanted to make it work for the sake of our daughter so that she’d have a father, since my father was not in my life after a certain age, and is not to this day. After two years of being abused about every four or five months, and once where I had almost killed him in self-defense, I left. I have permanent black eyes from him giving me a total of three black eyes. I did not indulge in a relationship for four years after that. I will not be in an abusive relationship ever again. I have a daughter who is now 15 years old. I left her dad when she was seven months old. I later gave him custody due to losing my babysitting job when the baby I watched turned about three and a half and started preschool. I lost my ability to pay rent and work because her dad told me that he would not care for our daughter unless I paid him. He also got her put into foster care, thinking that lying about me would make the court give him custody. That backfired on him and she went to foster care for 16 months, so I gave him custody to get her out of foster care. This worked until she turned ten years old. I gave birth to her at 41 years of age. Before she was born, I confided in him about some terrible and life changing experiences that happened to me. He has used that and done everything he can to hurt me using our daughter. He moved and isolated her from me customer purchase. • I agree not to sell additional goods or products when selling the paper or to panhandle, including panhandling with only one paper or selling an issue more than 4 weeks old. • I will wear and display my badge when selling papers and refrain from wearing it or other Groundcover gear when engaged in other activities. • I will only purchase the paper from Groundcover Staff and will not sell to or buy papers from other Groundcover vendors, especially vendors who have been suspended or terminated. • I agree to treat all customers, staff, and other vendors respectfully. I will not “hard sell,” threaten, harass or pressure customers, staff, or other vendors verbally or physically. • I will not sell Groundcover under the influence of drugs or alcohol. • I understand that I am not a legal employee of Groundcover but a since she turned ten. This is not just cruel to me, but a very horrible thing to do to a child as well. I am currently taking care of that through the courts. There were some mailing errors and other aspects of this situation that have prolonged this process. I have also been subject to being illegally taken and injected with drugs that I wasn't supposed to have been by medical professionals at hospitals that I won't name for my own future safety and well-being. I have PTSD from the numerous traumas in my life. I am not court-ordered to take any psychotropic drugs. This caused me to have mental episodes as a result of being illegally restrained and injected with drugs I won't name. This mostly occurred when I became homeless, and after I suffered some injuries from being hit by a car on my bike some years ago. I am much better now and not homeless. I had to contact medical records and have and am still taking steps to correct my medical records. Even before all of this, I had been abused physically and had a lot of false and extraneous charges put on me by the Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti police. I did not have a criminal history until I moved to Washtenaw County. I have reported these abuses to the superior officers and Community Mental Health at the jail when I came in with my arms swollen from my elbows all the way down to my hands, and nothing was done. contracted worker responsible for my own well-being and income. • I understand that my badge is property of Groundcover and will not deface it. I will present my badge when purchasing the papers. • I agree to stay off private property when selling Groundcover. • I understand to refrain from selling on public buses, federal property or stores unless there is permission from the owner. • I agree to stay at least one block away from another vendor in downtown areas. I will also abide by the Vendor Corner Policy. • I understand that Groundcover strives to be a paper that covers topics of homelessness and poverty while providing sources of income for the homeless. I will try to help in this effort and spread the word. If you would like to report a violation of the Vendor Code or leave positive review of a Vendor experience please email contact@ groundcovernews.com or fill out the contact form on our website. GROUNDCOVER NEWS 5 Ways that domestic and other abuses can impact you I have been assaulted five times and the individuals were never charged. Three of the assaults took place at the shelter here in Ann Arbor. Not one of the five assailants faced any consequences. When you are wrongfully incarcerated for charges and can not bond yourself out, you are at risk of losing everything you have without even being convicted of a crime. So, for a lot of the charges, I took plea deals to get out of jail. This criminalizes you, changes the whole perspective of your true person and character in the eyes of the Department of Justice. It also affects your ability to obtain some housing and a career that earns a livable wage. So now, I have very little, if any, trust in the police, courts and CMH organizations. Not all individuals are untrustworthy, but a lot of illegal paperwork and practices are facilitated by and through these people. Especially when you are not economically well off. As far as relationships: they are not as important as they used to seem to me. I will in the present and future choose to date only a holy man, and try not to indulge in sexual relationships until I marry someone, if it happens. That is my choice. 12/31/2025
6 GROUNDCOVER NEWS COMMUNITY LAND TRUST OCTOBER 3, 2025 Ann Arbor Community Land Trust breaks ground on permanently affordable housing for critical workers and families A community land trust is a nonprofit corporation that owns land and leases it to individuals, nonprofit corporations, and/or government entities, to live upon (in pre-existing housing), to build upon or put to best use. In other words, only housing and improvements to the land are sold to purchasers, and future re-sale of the housing and land improvements is restricted in unique ways determined by each CLT. In event of the future sale of the land improvements, the CLT reserves the right to purchase them back. This is due to the fact that community land trusts are characteristically defined by their commitment to permanent affordability, permanent responsibility and expansion. This is informed by the progressive understanding that land should not be a commodity, but instead community owned and operated. The community land trust model challenges the American conceptualization of property rights. The Ann Arbor Community Land Trust was established in 2024 by the Equitable Ann Arbor Land Trust to serve as a nonprofit developer and community-led steward of the homes under its care. A2CLT is a Michigan 501(c)3 nonprofit and a member of the national Grounded Solutions Network of community land trusts, as well as the Michigan CLT Coalition. A2CLT thus far is focused on building new affordable housing, although they do advertise the opportunity on their website to donate or sell Ann Arbor properties to the CLT. On September 20, A2CLT broke ground on “Townie Homes,” an initiative that aims to keep Ann Arbor accessible to teachers, hospital staff, university employees and families. With median home prices now exceeding $550,000, A2CLT’s permanently affordable homes priced between $125,000 and $325,000 will offer long-term stability, equity and belonging for residents otherwise priced out of the community. “This groundbreaking represents not just a construction milestone, but a public commitment to equity and sustainability,” said Executive Director Sarah Lorenz. “Our homes ensure permanent affordability through deed restrictions and ground leases while supporting Ann Arbor’s climate goals by reducing long commutes. With lower housing and transportation costs, people will have more money, LINDSAY CALKA Publisher more time and a better quality of life. We hope that A2CLT will be a new anchor institution for an affordable Ann Arbor with stronger social ties.” A2CLT shared in a September press release that 500 households expressed interest in Townie Homes. But who was eligible to purchase? A2CLT'S focus is creating local homeownership opportunities for critical workers. Eligible buyers for the lottery must: 1. Have at least one household member who has worked full time in person for the previous 12 months as an employee of one of the following anchor institutions: City, County, State or Federal Agencies; University of Michigan; Michigan Medicine; VA Hospital; Ann Arbor Public Schools; Ann Arbor District Library; Ann Arbor Police Department; Ann Arbor Fire Department; Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority; U.S. Postal Service; Early Childhood/Child Care Workers 2. Have household income 30-120% of the area median income (see Zillow listings for income brackets for each home) 3. Qualify for a home loan Buyers will be selected by lottery. The first round will be for eligible buyers whose workplace is within two miles of the home location. Homes near work offer the benefits of lower commuting costs, walking, biking, or busing to work, lower carbon emissions, more free time, and stronger social ties. Prospective homeowners anonymously shared what A2CLT’s Townie Homes would mean for them: “As a full-time U-M staff member, nearly half my income goes to rent — about $2,000 each month — just to live close enough to campus for my job. A CLT home would let me stay in the community I serve, instead of being forced out by rising costs.” “I am a single parent with two children who love their school and friends here in Ann Arbor. Without affordable housing, I may be forced to move them far away. A CLT home would give us roots, stability, and the ability to keep our family strong.” “I was born and raised in Ann Arbor. Homeownership has always felt out of reach for me and my family. A CLT home would make me a first-generation homeowner in the town I love and work in.” “I chose a career in social work because I wanted to serve this community. But I can’t afford to live here. A CLT home would let me plant roots and give back for a lifetime — because Ann Arbor is my home.” “My current commute is 45 minutes each way. A CLT home in Ann Arbor would save me hours every day, reduce my carbon footprint, and let me spend more time with my children instead of on the road.” The lottery for the first group of Townie Homes closed as of March 31, 2025. Other prospective buyers are encouraged to fill out the A2CLT Buyer List form located at www.a2clt.org/ buy so they are on the email list for new housing opportunities, which are coming soon. Can A2CLT keep up with demand? In a 2018 report “W(h)ither the community in community land trusts?” James Defllipis, Brian Stromberg and Olivia Williams examined the history of the CLT movement and studied contemporary CLTs to determine if the CLT model has maintained the characteristics defined in the second paragraph: commitment to permanent affordability, permanent responsibility and expansion. They concluded that there is strong movement away from the original values and priorities of community land trusts and movement “toward the more technically practical (and less politically challenging or transformative) aspects of the model itself.” Primarily playing the role as housing developer, A2CLT does not deviate from this conclusion. To build its housing, A2CLT is relying on local investors, is seeking MSHDA funding, and for the case of the Townie Homes project, will use construction loans for the applicants who are selected through the lottery process. In 2023, Michigan House Bill 4375 was signed into law, allowing Michigan cities with at least 50,000 residents (in counties not currently home to a land bank authority) to establish a local one. This enables Ann Arbor to establish a land bank, as the Washtenaw County Land Bank filed bankruptcy in 2010. Land banks have a bottomline goal of encouraging productive use of vacant or delinquent land. Without them, land is often sold to speculators and developers at below market prices. Reinitiating the Washtenaw County Land Bank, or starting one for the City of Ann Arbor, could interrupt gentrifying forces and direct property to productive use with this newly established community land trust. Additional, alternative methods to development include partnering with cooperative ownership models and redirecting benefits of private development through the use of inclusionary zoning.
OCTOBER 3, 2025 EVENTS community EVENTS FIRST FRIDAYS YPSI Friday, October 3, 5-11 p.m. Downtown and Depot Town First Friday food court, Freak Fest, and normal festivities — explore businesses to shop exclusive discounts, attend pop-up events and galleries featuring Ypsilanti area artists and performers. CLUSTER MUSEUM OPENING Friday, October 3, 6-9 p.m. 307 North Main Street, Ann Arbor CLUSTER’s inaugural opening reception of The Dam Broke: A Portrait on Tyranny, an exhibition featuring 10 artists from Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti. With work ranging from robotics, drawing, textiles, art books and more, this show draws on concepts from scholar Timothy Snyder’s book, On Tyranny: 20 Lessons from the 20th Century. Artists include Sally Clegg, Kim Debord, Thea Eck, Heidi Kumao, Rubini Naidu, Abhishek Narula, Paloma Nunez-Regueiro, Marienetta Porter, Jessica Tenbusch and Chien-An Yuan. TRASH TALK TOUR October 3-5, various times Various locations, including Kiwanis Thrift Sale, the Big House, and Recycle Ann Arbor Put on by Washtenaw Zero Waste Coalition and ZeroWaste.org. Learn about zero-waste in Ann Arbor at these free, family friendly events! Sign-up at TrashTalkTour.org WIARD'S ORCHARDS AND COUNTY FAIR Saturdays and Sundays until October 26, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. 5565 Merritt Rd, Ypsilanti The "Family Fun" destination for your fall season! One location, many options: Fresh Cider and Donuts, apple and pumpkin picking, Country Store, corn maze, Old West Wagon rides, mini golf, giant inflates, petting farm, giant slides, paintball, and several play areas. DAY OF CHE Wednesday, October 8, 8:30-11 a.m. Argus Farm Stop Liberty Cafe Join Groundcover vendor Ken Parks at his "corner" at Argus Farm Stop (Liberty Cafe) to celebrate his 82nd birthday and Alan Haber's belated 90th birthday, as well as honor the Day of Che Guevara. Expect cake, coffee, community and conversation! ECOSTORYLAB Wednesday, October 8 and October 15, 5-6 p.m. — Online The Ecology Center's second interactive, virtual writing workshop designed for activists, creatives, nonprofit professionals and students who believe in the power of stories to inspire action and imagine new futures. Gather for guided prompts, collective reflection, and shared creativity — exploring how storytelling fuels movements and strengthens resilience. Together, we’ll build community, cultivate joy and harness the power of words to shape a more just climate future. Register at ecocenter.salsalabs.org/ EcoStoryLabpart2 YPSI PULL OVER PREVENTION Saturday, October 11, 10 a.m.- 12 p.m. Masjid Ibrahim, 315 S. Ford Blvd, Ypsilanti Provides free car repairs of lights, tire pressure and fluids to prevent unecessary interactions with law enforcement. Free food, pet food and supplies, community resources and more. YPSIWRITES 6TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION Saturday, October 11, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. YDL-Whittaker, 5577 Whittaker Road, Ypsilanti Kick off this year's "Writing Together" theme, and meet the newest cohort of Writers of Ypsilanti (read more on page 13). Expect writing activities, great conversation, and cake! All community members are welcome. RSVP here: tinyurl.com/YW101125 A2 ARTOBERFEST Oct. 11-12, Saturday: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Sunday: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Ann Street and North Fourth Ave. from Huron into Kerrytown This intimate and rich celebration of the arts will feature 90 jury-selected artists, live entertainment, food vendors and art activities. Sip, shop, and savor the beautiful fall weather, talented artisans, and wonderful tunes. Get creative with several local partners bringing you hands-on, art-making activities in The Gutman Gallery, with Doodles Academy, the Hands-on Museum and more! PROBILITY ANN ARBOR MARATHON Sunday, October 12, 10 a.m.- 12 p.m. Downtown Ann Arbor, U-M campus area, Huron River to Gallup park Submit an event to be featured in the next edition: submissions@groundcovernews. com 26.2 • 13.1 • 10K • 5K • Relay • 13.1 — Supporting local mental health charities, participants run through the vibrant streets of downtown Ann Arbor, then wind their way through the panoramic University of Michigan campus. PILAR’S FOUNDATION FALL INTO ACTION Sunday, October 19, 4-6:30 p.m. Zion Lutheran Church, 1501 W Liberty St. Ann Arbor Fundraising open house with food, live music and silent auction. Uniting our community to benefit immigrant families in need of assistance. Donation ticket prices: Adults ($50), teens and students with IDs ($35), children under six ($20) Purchase tickets online at pilarsfoundation.org or in person at Pilar’s Tamales, 2261 W Liberty St. Ann Arbor. GROUNDCOVER NEWS What’s Happening at the Ann Arbor District Library Open 10am–8pm Daily Visit any of our five locations across town to browse books, magazines, newspapers, and more. Check out movies, CDs, art prints, musical instruments, or even home tools—you name it! Enjoy fast and free WiFi, study and meeting rooms, and plenty of comfortable spaces to relax or hang out. FALL into ACTION: Uniting our community to benefit immigrant families in need of assistance SUNDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2025 4-6:30 pm ZION LUTHERAN CHURCH 1501 West Liberty St, Ann Arbor fundraising open house with food, live music and silent auction thank you for hosting! DONATION TICKET PRICES: adults: $50, teens & students w/IDs: $35, children under 6: $20 PURCHASE TICKETS: in-person: Pilar's Tamales, 2261 West Liberty St, Ann Arbor @pilarsfound online: www.pilarsfoundation.org/ PUBLIC WORKS AND SOLID WASTE OPEN HOUSE Saturday, October 25, 10 a.m. -1 p.m. Public Works Unit, 4251 Stone School Road, Ann Arbor A free, family-friendly event exploring the world of public works and solid waste. Enjoy hands-on activities to learn about utility infrastructure, city forestry, street maintenance, solid waste, recycling and compost programs; such as touching City trucks, fixing a water main break, painting a plow, and more! Public Computers The AADL has public-access Internet computers available for use by both cardholders and noncardholders at all five locations. Each station has USB ports, headphone jacks, and some of the fastest WiFi speeds in town! Preschool Storytimes & Baby Playgroups Join our storytellers on weekdays inside the library for fun songs, stories, puppets, and movement! Visit aadl.org/storytimes to view a list of upcoming in-person storytimes and playgroups. You can also stream and download our recorded storytimes online at AADL.TV. FEATURED EVENT 7 Sunday, October 12 • 11 AM–3 PM • Downtown Library Dead Media Day is a celebration of bygone forms of media, entertainment, & ephemera. Join us for a day of vendors selling vintage & rare pieces of media, exhibits, hands-on demos & crafts, and informative talks! Visit aadl. org/deadmediaday for details.
8 GROUNDCOVER NEWS THINK ABOUT IT Make peace with yourself Human beings generally struggle with authenticity. We naturally have great respect for those among us who are at ease with themselves and radiate some primordial quality of love and joy with the confidence that we are on the path of awakening. When we feel our survival is at risk, we may relapse into habitual ego patterns of self and other, and thereby lose our own authenticity. This common egocentric division of reality into two parts is the ignorance that creates worlds of suffering and the confusion that follows. Among our ancestors and the teachers that we discover in this life, we will find the teacher who will help us recognize the stage of the path we are in now, and how to mature into a more complete awareness of reality. If you follow Einstein’s advice on the importance of curiosity and imagination, you will experience reality with the embrace of solidarity that surrounds us. Life embraces life. I say this with some confidence after nearly 83 years of stumbling in and out of miracles. As my doubt returns, I make poor choices until pain awakens me and I remember that Love Is The Law. Dion Fortune, a creative writer from the British esoteric spiritual tradition, introduced those words to me. Before macular degeneration hit me, I read widely and often. The challenge of declining vision is tough. It took a year before I went for help from a neighbor and the Groundcover community to open and access a post from my nephew about functional medicine and the work of Dr. George Razakis. I listened to his podcast and believe it is more advanced science than the standard operating model in ophthalmology. When corporations KEN PARKS Groundcover vendor No. 490 and profits take over the bureaucracies that oversee public health, it appears that health is forsaken for procedures that have become entrenched due to the wealth that is extracted in the patient care mandated by insurance companies and investors. Of course, I am out on a limb as I struggle to bring Kellogg vision care into a collaboration with the functional medicine of Dr. George Razakis. Dr. Ravi Vadlamudi, the wellknown “bicycle doctor” who goes from patient to patient on a bike, is giving me a referral. Will United Health Care recognize that referral? What is my responsibility for my declining vision? My basic dilemma is about writing my memoirs. Will I finish them before I die? Groundcover is helping me write articles with print and keyboard for the visually challenged. I want the same setup to do my memoirs. Of course there is money involved. Will the system pay for functional medicine? Will I be able to find support to get a computer, monitor and keyboard as an expression of unity in the community? In order to finish anything, especially to do it well, love for what you are doing is the main ingredient. Labors of love build unity in the community. That was the intended point of my Labor Power article in the Aug. 22, Groundcover News. Our labor power is awesome, especially when we collaborate with good intentions. How do we benefit all beings without leaving anyone behind? That intention, when practiced with mindful awareness, will bring your own peace of mind to the next step of maturity. The ability to benefit others and share peace in the world grows from this intention. The discipline needed to make peace with yourself is developed by paying attention to what you are doing again and again until it becomes the natural flow we call “in the zone.” In 1967, when I met Thich Nhat Hanh, a Buddhist monk who came from Vietnam to the United States at the invitation of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, I was witness to a man at peace with himself who could look at us and the war with great equanimity. His appeal was simple, “Whatever you can do to end the war.” Mix that with Martin Luther King’s "Breaking the Silence,” and I naturally became a draft resister. Eventually the need to resist evil evolved into projects to do something good. The peak of this for me was on The Pastors for Peace caravans to Cuba. The solidarity we expressed was greeted with great passion as the Cuban state and people enthusiastically greeted us as heroes. It is still important to resist evil, and the best resistance is to do something good. I believe that you can start on your cushion and meditate on mindfulness of breath, then mindfulness of mind as a first step to the awareness that allows you to do good. Karuna Buddhist Center comes to mind as a good place to learn mindfulness with the goal to benefit all beings, with not one left behind. Liberation begins and ends with paying attention. Making peace with yourself begins with a natural breath and finds completion in the Clear Light of the Void, the all good expanse of primordial purity (as explained in the Tibetan Book of the Dead). Stillness in motion becomes a lifestyle and the flow becomes your home! As an expression of peace, you encourage others to experience their own authenticity. I look forward to the day when I really practice what I preach and fully embody the spirit-filled life. OCTOBER 3, 2025
OCTOBER 3, 2025 INSP GROUNDCOVER NEWS Obituary for Pope Francis: advocate of the marginalized, uncomfortable admonisher and unfinished reformer FLORIAN STEGMAIER Trott-War With the death of Pope Francis, the world has lost one of its most powerful moral voices. Jorge Mario Bergoglio, an Argentinian Jesuit and child of Italian immigrants, was more than a bridge-builder between continents. He was a Pope who stood alongside the marginalized. Even his choice of name was programmatic: St. Francis of Assisi, who dedicated himself to the poor and the outcast, became his model. Francis remained true to his calling. No sooner than he was elected, he renounced red shoes, ostentatious regalia and palaces. He lived in a simple guest house, spoke of a “church which is poor and for the poor” — and meant it literally. No Pope before him has been so often in places that others ignore: in refugee camps, prisons and with indigenous groups in the Amazon region or with street children in Manila, the capital city of the Philippines. He set up a hair and beard cutting service, showers and a medical contact point for people experiencing homelessness under the colonnades of St. Peter’s Square. He expressed his solidarity with street paper vendors. He had sleeping bags distributed and invited people in need to eat — sometimes over 1,000 people at a time. “Hunger is an insult to God,” Francis was convinced. Francis was familiar with the wounds of the world. Even as a young priest, he roamed the slums of Buenos Aires, celebrated mass in backyards and accompanied the sick, addicted and dying. As Pope, he did not lose this connection. Time and time again he broke the protocol, talked to people experiencing homelessness, kissed wounds and listened. He wanted a Church that was “dusty” from going out to the people — not one that lost itself in sacred splendour. He felt connected to all those whom society casts out. “Migrants are not a security problem, but people with hope,” he once said. He called for “bridges instead of walls” to be built and denounced the “globalization of indifference.” He demanded tirelessly that the Mediterranean should not be a cemetery — and set an example: through his trip to Lampedusa, through his embrace of African refugees and by welcoming Muslim refugees to the Vatican. At a time when isolationism and nationalism were regaining strength, Francis was an uncomfortable antithesis — an admonisher for humanity. Critic of the system with biblical fervour Francis was not a politician, but he thought politically. His criticism of the global economic order was clearer than is typically the case with a Pope. In “Evangelii Gaudium,” his first written proclamation, he called a social system that “excludes and kills people” immoral. Unchecked capitalism, Francis said, does not lead to justice, but to the rule of greed. He criticised financial speculation, land grabbing and a lifestyle that is at the expense of others — especially at the expense of the people of the Global South. For many in Africa, Asia and Latin America, he was a prophetic intercessor. His criticism was based on the Biblical esteem of the poor. When Francis castigated the excesses of neoliberal markets, he did so as a pastor, not as an economist. He wanted an economy that served life — not the other way around. Unfinished reforms and disappointed hopes Francis brought together what had long been separated: environmental protection and social justice. In his encyclical “Laudato si’” (2015), he outlined an ecological theology that understands the planet as the “common home” of all people. Climate change is “a question of social justice,” he wrote, because it is mainly the poor who suffer from floods, droughts and hunger, although they hardly contribute to the causes. With this letter, Francis not only changed the Church’s environmental ethics, he also brought global attention to the concerns of indigenous peoples and the Fridays for Future* generation. Still, there were many things that remained unfinished. Within the Church, there was a lack of concrete climate targets, and the conversion of Church properties into ecologically sustainable spaces proceeded hesitantly. Critics accused him of not taking decisive enough action against environmentally Photo by Ashwin Vaswani destructive structures within the Church. The vision of a synodal Church ready for dialogue remained one of the guiding principles of Francis’ pontificate. He wanted to decentralize power in the Church, and give more responsibility to lay people and increase participation by women. In reality, many structures remain unchanged. Despite clear majorities at synods of bishops, he refused to allow priests to marry or the ordination of women deacons. Progress in addressing sexual violence was also slow. Although Francis condemned the “culture of cover-up,” dismissed individual perpetrators and spoke to those affected, the systemic consequences remained half-hearted. Too often, institutional responsibility has been individualized without any fundamental reform of clericalism following. Contradiction and dignity Francis was a Pope of contradictions — one who found radical words, but often hesitated within his own ranks. One who appeared humble, and yet, did not really change power structures. However, it was precisely his imperfection that made him so approachable to many. He was not a hero of progress, but a man who struggled, searched, asked questions — and sometimes failed. He remained on the side of those who are otherwise overlooked. While authoritarian voices in politics and religion grew stronger, Francis was a voice of conscience. He spoke in a language that was understood — in slums and at climate summits. His theology was not aloof, but grounded in the fates of real people: the refuse collectors of Buenos Aires, the fishermen in Bangladesh and the refugees drowned in the Mediterranean. His attention was focused on them; he wanted to give them back the dignity that the world denied them. The death of Pope Francis marks the end of an era of listening, of reaching out and of serving. His pontificate did not fulfill all expectations, but it did set standards: for a Church that does not rise above the people, but is with them; for a global community that faces up to its responsibility for the weakest. Francis will be remembered as the Pope of the marginalized — as a shepherd who sought the lost sheep before thinking of dogmas. As a voice who didn’t give ready-made answers, but asked the right questions. As a person who testified with his entire existence that dignity begins wherever someone looks — even and especially when others look away. *Fridays for Future is a youth-led and youth-organized global climate strike movement that started in August 2018, when 15-year-old Greta Thunberg began a school strike for climate. Translated from German via Translators Without Borders Courtesy of Trott-war / INSP.ngo 9
10 GROUNDCOVER NEWS LIVING ARCHIVE OCTOBER 3, 2025 Mental illness amongst the homeless: the consequence not the cause In last month’s article,* I talked about how trauma can have symptoms of depression. I insisted that homelessness deserves to be treated as a real form of trauma. So, this month I will talk a little more in depth about depression. Depression is also common among the homeless community. Symptoms of depression are quite common in someone dealing with issues around housing. Signs of depression include: depressed mood, feelings of sadness or emptiness, loss of interest or pleasure in previously enjoyed activities, significant weight changes, restlessness or slowing of activities, persistent fatigue or loss of energy, excessive feelings of guilt or worthlessness, persistent difficulty with concentration or decision-making, sleeping pattern changes, and suicidal behaviors or recurrent thoughts of suicide. Can you picture a homeless guy feeling unworthy of deserving housing after being unsuccessful finding a place to live? Or maybe a homeless person changing their weight and sleeping patterns pretty drastically due to the fact that they don't have a place to cook a healthy meal and a bed to rest in at night? In the hectic tragedy they are living, they are in a constant state of tiredness — so, how will they be able to focus enough to make wise decisions or engage in activities where they can break free from this chaos they are living in? This is what reality really looks like for them! If you can’t imagine it because you haven’t lived through the struggle, I am trying to give you a snapshot here. More likely than not, a homeless person might need treatment for depression. There are many forms of treatment available. Depression treatment often involves medications that are called antidepressants. They increase the availability of certain brain neuro transmitters, such as serotonin and dopamine. Another way to treat depression involves resetting the body’s circadian clock by spending a night of sleep SANDRA S. Groundcover vendor No. 233 deprivation followed by a night of sleep recovery with an outcome of improving depressive symptoms. Other therapies that treat depression and are more widely accepted include behavioral activation therapy, interpersonal psychotherapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. These therapeutic approaches seek to help a patient identify problem behaviors and to learn how to substitute them with new skills that not only help them cope with their depression, but also end up becoming a part of a healthier lifestyle. But the commonly known type of depression (major depression) isn’t the only one that exists. There’s also a diagnosis in the DSM-5 called bipolar disorder, formerly called manic-depression. The difference between major depression and bipolar disorder is that, with bipolar, typical symptoms are exaggerated: alongside episodes of deep depression can come episodes of grandiosity or extreme self-importance, decreased need for sleep or feeling rested after minimal sleep, racing thoughts or frequent change of topics or ideas, distractibility that may involve attention to unimportant environmental stimuli, increased social, sexual or work-related activity and physical restlessness leading to impulsive involvement in activities like excessive spending or gambling. Treatment for bipolar focuses on targeting the individual’s main symptoms. This often involves a combination of medications (called mood stabilizers), psychotherapy and educating the patients and family members or people who support them. Such patients must learn the importance of taking their prescribed medications and getting into the habit of practicing their mood-regulation strategies learned in therapy. Unfortunately, it is common that patients with bipolar disorder report discontinuing their medication because the side effects seem to them worse than the symptoms being treated. If you identify with any of what I wrote here, whether you are or have been homeless or not, I urge you to seek help. There are several clinics in the area offering financial assistance for the treatment of these diagnoses, such as Corner Health for young people aged 12-25, the Women’s Center of Southeast Michigan in Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County Community Mental Health (734-544- 3050). The sooner you treat it, the sooner you will find relief and be back in charge of your own life. *Read Sandra's preceding essay "Is it traumatic to be homeless? Picture the treatment options" in the October 2019 edition, page 3, available on our website under: Street News: Archives. No Smile Anywhere RON PAGERESKI Groundcover contributor The wind plays in her hair But seems she doesn't care Her lover is gone somewhere He left her so unfair All she does is sit and stare At her loved one’s empty chair But he went she knows not where A frown shall be the mask she’ll wear They had been a lovely pair The pain of loss she'll have to bear To live alone is quite a scare A lonely bed will be her lair Smiles from her will be quite rare Seems she has not one to spare Her tears fall everywhere But it seems she doesn't care. - Originally published in the November 2019 edition of Groundcover News.
OCTOBER 3, 2025 MAKING CHANGE GROUNDCOVER NEWS Michigan Movement students use Project Connect to serve homeless people in Ann Arbor On Saturday, Sept. 20, a group from the student organization known as Michigan Movement came to Mercy House, a house of hospitality inspired by Dorothy Day of the Catholic Worker Movement, which provides for the homeless community. As they have in the past, Michigan Movement used the concept of “Project Connect” to distribute clothing, food and essential care packages to homeless people. Michigan Movement works with other student organizations to host Project Connect where the homeless can pick up clothes, food, and “MIM Kits” with essentials such as toothbrushes, hats, gloves, and Narcan. The Mercy House 2025 visit was successful, with both students and the homeless happy with the interaction. In 2016, two bright-eyed 18 year-old freshmen participated at the Poverty Solutions Workshops held by the School of Public Policy and School of Business. They engaged in more conversations with other attendees, and made a prudent decision. They created a student organization and said that the mission for their prospective project would be to help improve the lives of the poor and the homeless of Ann Arbor. Those college freshmen were Payton Watt of Ann Arbor and Hussain Ali of Milwaukee. My chance meeting with them during the 2015-2016 academic year has become a gift that keeps on giving. The students’ eagerness and curiosity resulted in their introduction to Mercy House, Robert J. Delonis Center, Groundcover News office and Purple House homeless community center. What is Project Connect? In 2019, Michigan Movement decided to use a program introduced WILL SHAKESPEARE Groundcover vendor No. 258 in the early 1990s in Toledo, Ohio, as a model. They liked the integrated and collaborative idea very much. Below is a summary of the program provided by the co-founders: “Michigan Movement (MIM) is a student-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded and based at the University of Michigan. We were born out of urgency; as students living in Ann Arbor — America’s most educated yet eighth most economically segregated city — MIM began as our means of redressing the disproportionate rates of chronic homelessness in our community. Our mission is to aid individuals and families experiencing homelessness in Washtenaw County, promoting dignity, health and catalyze community engagement along the way. “To realize this mission, we apply a holistic approach that includes providing basic necessities, education and employment services, and social advocacy and community engagement. Our most significant event each year is Project Connect, during which students create and distribute 150 MIM kits (care packages) consisting of food, clothing and hygiene supplies. With a focus on collaboration and innovation, we have expanded our Project Connect resources to include medical services like vaccines, blood pressure and 11 Michigan Movement brought Project Connect to Mercy House's weekly pancake breakfast. Photo submitted. cholesterol screenings, vital document accessibility, as well as preventative dental exams and haircuts. “To achieve this, we have enlisted the help of our local core partner organizations such as Mercy House and the Delonis Center. We have also forged new relationships across the public and private sectors, with partners ranging from Infinity Salon to the University’s Dental School. Through the addition of music and a free meal, Project Connect brings in a larger population of the community and fosters relationships where students and members of the community can interact. The strong relationships we develop will… allow us to better understand the needs of our community, and work to end stigmas and stereotypes associated with homelessness.” Toledo’s Tent City homeless connection Toledo is an industrial and auto The Sun Bundle, another U-M student organization, redistributes athletic shoes to people experiencing homelessness. The Sun Bundle partnered with MIM during Project Connect. manufacturing town. It is also an educational and healthcare center. In December 1991, the economic base was still facing the ravages of the economic crisis and community abandonment of the 1980s. A group of about 50 homeless individuals and family members decided to build a homeless encampment in an abandoned downtown mall. It was called the Portside Marketplace Encampment. Initially, the city government wanted to remove the homeless from the underground tunnel and walkways of the abandoned mall. However, after a homeless woman was struck by a city-owned salt truck, the city changed its mind. The tragic death of that homeless woman near the mall made newsworthy headlines in Ohio and across the nation. The idea of a “Tent City" which connects homeless people with services and programs came into fruition. When homelessness became a bigger problem in subsequent years, communities that want to do a better job of helping the homeless adopted the model. Ken Leslie, a former homeless man and founder of 1Matters, helped to shape the concept of this homeless solution. It is an innovative and comprehensive approach. Services delivered include the following: • Medical, dental and vision services • Food, clothing and hygiene products • Assistance in obtaining official documents such as birth certificates and state IDs • Job assistance and other services to help people transition out of homelessness. The spring of 2026 will mark the 10th anniversary of Michigan Movement’s founding. For Mercy House, Project Connect and other services from Michigan Movement have meant that the relationship has been great. The current co-presidents, Raffael and Sophia, do not see their time commitment as a sacrifice. Co-vice president and future president Sophie said, “We love coming here to help the community and see the smiles on the faces of people who receive care packages.” The U-M Ginsberg Center for Community Service and Learning should be pleased by the fine work of the Michigan Movement accomplishments. Former MIM president Lindsay Calka is now the publisher and managing director of Groundcover News. Over a dozen of the MIM students have gone on to medical schools; one of see CONNECT page 12
12 GROUNDCOVER NEWS LOCAL NEWS AADL buys Observer JUD BRANAM Groundcover contributor In a move aimed at preserving local news coverage amid a fragmenting media environment, the Ann Arbor District Library announced plans September 29 to purchase the Ann Arbor Observer news monthly. The move is part of a leadership succession at the Observer, with Publisher Patricia Garcia and Editor John Hilton both retiring after almost 40 years of running the magazine. Media Director Danielle Jones is taking over as publisher, and Deputy Editor Brooke Black is assuming the top editor’s spot. The library has been digitizing and archiving back issues of the 49-yearold Observer, and it was during preparation for a 2024 Observer exhibit at the library that the topic of the publication’s future first came up, Hilton said. While plans were in place to hand the reins to Jones and Black, the finances were tougher. “It’s not a good time to ask somebody to take on a bunch of debt on a print product,” Hilton said. Instead, the library has gone beyond preserving the publication’s past to providing a backbone for its future. The library is clearly in good financial health, with 1.8 mills of permanent property tax support from a rapidly growing tax base. AADL showed a surplus of more than $3 million in its $22.4 million budget for 2024-25, with property tax revenues projected to increase by $1 million this year. The terms of the sale have not been announced, but Hilton told WLBY radio host Lucy Ann Lance Tuesday that the library will be paying “a similar amount” to the $625,000 that he and Garcia paid for the business in 1986. The library’s Board of Trustees is expected to vote on the final terms of the deal in December. AADL Board Vice President Aidan Sova said in a statement the Observer is another element in the library’s suite of community-based information services, adding that the partnership is “a perfect fit, aligning local journalism with the library’s mission to foster an informed public.” In August, voters approved plans for the library to purchase property adjacent to its downtown location for an expansion. Library Director Eli Neiburger said there are no plans for the Observer to move into library space, adding that decisions about real estate will be made by the publication’s management. Hilton said the Observer has returned to profitability since the pandemic, and Neiburger said remaining in the black will be the paper’s responsibility. “The plan is not for the Library to subsidize the Observer’s bills,” Neiburger told Lucy Ann Lance. Neither, he said, will library officials steer the publication’s coverage or editorial direction. “We will become the owners of the Observer — not the editors of the Observer.” OCTOBER 3, 2025 CONNECT from page 12 them, Sloane Lynch, MD, recently graduated from Tufts Medical School and is now doing her residency at a local hospital. Co-founder Payton Watt, finished her Bachelor’s degree with a major in Public Health and Biology, and a minor in Community Action for Social Change. She went on to receive a Master’s degree at U-M and is now a healthcare management consultant. Co-founder Hussain Ali, finished his undergraduate with a major in dental public health and master’s in business management and most recently a doctorate in dental surgery. Michigan Movement's story is one of great kindness, community service and service learning. On November 15, the Michigan Movement students will hold another Project Connect for the homeless at Mercy House. We invite members of the community and other service providers to show up. We especially would like to invite the new executive director of the Shelter Association of Washtenaw County — Ms. Nicole Adelman — to visit and chat with the students and the homeless individuals, and our community leader, Ms. Peggy Lynch. To contact or volunteer with Michigan Movement, visit linktr.ee/mimovement or email mimovement@umich.edu
OCTOBER 3, 2025 CREATIVE WRITING YpsiWrites 2025-2026 Writers of Ypsilanti YpsiWrites, a writing-based nonprofit that believes everyone is a writer, is excited to introduce the 2025 Writers of Ypsilanti. YpsiWrites’ theme for the coming year is Writing Together, and all nine of this year’s writers embody that theme. Celebrate the writers at this year’s YpsiWrites Birthday Party on Saturday, Oct. 11, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Whittaker Road branch of the Ypsilanti District Library. RSVP at tinyurl. com/YW101125. Below is more information on each of this year’s Writers of Ypsilanti. Alexandra Pryplesh (she/her) is a writer who attends high school in Ypsilanti and writes philosophy papers, essays and poetry. She believes that writing is essential for human connection and understanding. Brandi Wentworth (she/her) just graduated with her Bachelor’s in General Studies from Eastern Michigan University’s College in Prison program at the Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility. Brandi is co-editor of “Behind the Wire,” the first college-in-prison newsletter in the state of Michigan. She writes short stories and poetry and finds writing daily in a journal to be very therapeutic. Brandi considers revision key to her writing process and loves watching her writing change as she rewrites, by hand, her drafts. Jared M. Bentley (he/him) lives in Ypsilanti and is an Eastern Michigan University alum. He writes long-form fiction and short stories, including his book called "Robots, Please," a collection that humorously absurdity. Jihyun Ko (she/her) lives in Ypsilanti and writes poetry and journalistic investigative pieces about the community. She values how deeply personal moments in fiction and poetry can also become collective experiences. Jim Clark (he/him) is an Eastern Michigan University alum who lives in Ypsilanti. He writes op-eds, informative journalistic pieces and interviews. You can catch his writing in Groundcover News, and he enjoys both the historical importance of writing as well as its entertainment value. John Allen Taylor (he/him) lives in Ypsilanti and believes there is something uniquely special about the city. Poetry is his genre because it lights up the “dusty, tangled parts” of his brain like nothing else. Lee Van Roth (she/they/he) is an explores Eastern Michigan University alum and local journalist whose work covers Ypsilanti organizations through a solutions-based lens. They love the sense of community in Ypsilanti and how everyone here wants to see everyone else succeed in whatever capacity they can. Stephanie Heit (she/her) lives in Ypsilanti and codirects Turtle Disco, a somatic writing space grounded in Truth or Lies: A found friend “Hey, did you hear Mom talking to Auntie Naomi? She was telling her that we’re going to camp for two weeks. Then they started laughing,” said Jizzi-B. “What is a camp?” asked Cassey. Jizzi-B said, “I don’t know what a camp is, however Mom paid her money.” “I’m scared,” said Cassey. “We will be a nine and ten year old lost at camp. Is camp outside? Do we sleep on the ground?” “Calm your imagination down; Mom won’t let us go somewhere to be lost,” said Jizzi-B. “Besides, you have me and I have you. Don’t worry, I heard it’s lots of fun. I think it’s swimming, games and arts. That's what Mom told Auntie. We leave for camp this weekend.” The alarm blared at 4 a.m. “Get up, time to rise and shine!” said Mom. “Time to get ready for camp, aren’t you excited?” Mom asked. “Yes,” said Jizzi-B. “No,” said Cassey. “Don’t worry, it’s gonna be fun,” Mom said. “If you hurry I will take y'all to Coney Island for breakfast.” The girls looked at each other saying harmoniously, “Coney Island.” “Boy, Mom sure has strange places planned today,” said Cassey. “Just hurry, I want to see this place,” said Jizzi-B. It was a special day; toast with egg and cheese with orange juice from a restaurant named Coney Island. Mom pulled into a parking space on the other side of the buses. We were at the Olympia Stadium, where all the parents were dropping off their children. “Are we going camping in that big building?” asked Cassey. “No. Now, get your suitcases and follow me.” Mom walked them to the bus, hugged and kissed them. “See you in two weeks,” Mom said. Cassey and Jizzi-B got on the bus and took their seats. All of a sudden Cassey started crying. “I don’t want to go! I am scared I want my mommy!” “Hush, crybaby! I’m here with you,” Jizzi-B said, grabbing her sister's hand. “You're scared to have fun. Come on sis, look out the window. We will be there soon.” Camp Tecumsen. The bus driver instructed everyone to get off and line up alongside the bus. “Hello, welcome to Camp Tecumsen little campers. For the next two weeks The bus pulled up at FELICIA WILBERT Groundcover vendor No. 234 you are little Tecumsen campers. Everyone group up into fours, let's go. Until you leave these are your partners. Never leave a teammate behind,” said the director. Jizzi-B, Cassey and one other little girl were the only ones not chosen. Cassey looked at the other little girl and asked her, “What is that stick you have?” Jizzi-B tapped her sister and said, “Don’t be rude.” Cassey explained that she wasn't rude. “I don’t understand why she has a stick with red paint at the bottom,” said Cassey. “Hi, my name is Jizzi-B and that's Cassey asking about your stick. Please forgive her, she doesn't know that you are blind.” “What?” Cassey’s mouth dropped. “I am sorry, please forgive me,” said Cassey. “No worries, I am Savianni, and that happens a lot. People don’t pick me because I am blind.” Jizzi-B replied, "Well, today none of us got picked. However we are a team now; lets beat them at all the games by working together. Just because you’re blind does not mean you can’t win.” Jizzi-B and Cassey helped Savianni for the next two weeks. During paint tag they hid Savianni behind a big rock, allowing her to tag anyone who passed by. Even though she could not see to paint, the girls helped her finger paint. They even held her hands, allowing her to go swimming. The girls had so much fun helping and playing with Savianni. When the time came for them to go home, no one wanted to leave. The girls exchanged phone numbers hoping to keep in contact. However over time they lost touch. Time passed and Jizzi-B was 17 visiting her Auntie Naomi for the weekend. Auntie Naomi told Jizzi-B to run a store errand. Jizzi-B was walking down the street of Newport approaching the Harper Street Bridge, when she saw a lady cutting tulips from her yard for a bouquet. She knew the lady was blind because she had the stick with the red at the bottom. Jizzi-B asked her if she needed any help. “No, but thanks anyway,” the lady said. She continued on to the store. However, on the way back, Jizzi-B spoke to the lady once again. “You know I once helped a little girl at camp who was blind. I don’t remember her name, it was an odd name. All I remember is we were all scared and leaned on each other. It was her, me, and my little sister Cassey.” The lady asked, "Is your name Jizzi-B?” Thanks Groundcover News readers! I hope you guessed the right answer ... "Truth or Lies: The Invader," published August 8, 2025, was TRUE. Look out soon for the Mystery Lane Reading Game online. disability culture. She engages in poetry, essays and movement as forms of writing. Stephanie believes writing is “an act of imagination that can document the past, amplify the present, speculate the future, and create mediums with which to engage the world.” Tree Hammons (they/them) lives and works in Ypsilanti. They write poetry, creative nonfiction, grants and short stories. Tree loves the experimental and playful aspects of writing poetry, such as alliteration or determining where to put a line break. To them, writing is important because it necessitates thinking, and it helps put words to feelings. Learn more about the Writers of Ypsilanti at ypsiwrites.com/ writers-of-ypsilanti-2025/ GROUNDCOVER NEWS 13
14 GROUNDCOVER NEWS PUZZLES CROSSWORD International Network of Street Papers OCTOBER 3, 2025 by Anthony Smith ACROSS 1. Favorite American soda 9. Begin 14. Put on top of 15. Eye 16. Coached 17. Egg on 18. Ace 19. "Absolutely!" 20. Those who swim 21. ___ Spumante 23. Dutch sights 25. Romaine 26. Smelled bad yesterday 28. Straightened 31. Toxic condition 33. Surrounding glows 34. Director Seymour Hoffman 36. Angel 39. Add up 41. Narrow channel 43. "The Social Contract" philosopher 46. "Siddhartha" author 47. Bon ___ 48. Awfully 50. Level, in London 51. Of the Canadian capital city 54. Feline 56. Kipling's "Gunga ___" 57. Emphatic, in a way 58. Forceful 60. Alter 61. Some chores 62. Related maternally 63. Gravitational floating of the Earth's crust DOWN 1. Direction teller 2. Go too far 3. Monument to someone buried elsewhere 4. Illustration 5. Sicken with excess 6. Propelled a boat 7. ___ wait (prepares an ambush) 8. Make sense, with "up" 9. Mailed 10. "Rambling Wreck From Georgia ___" 11. Each 12. Stroll again 13. Lock of hair 15. Middle Eastern coins 20. Boyfriends 22. Undisturbed 24. Mauna ___ 27. Metric measures 29. Our "mother" 30. Closer 32. Relaxes 35. Song of joy 37. Rose Bowl site 38. Snake sounds 40. Boy 42. Wee (Var.) 43. No good 44. Pontiac, e.g. 45. Stomach maladies 47. Wavelike design 49. "Hurray!" 52. "Thanks ___!" 53. Hidden mike 55. Addition column 58. Seven on some clocks 59. Cambridge sch. PUZZLE SOLUTIONS September 19, 2025 edition
OCTOBER 3, 2025 FOOD RESOURCES GROUNDCOVER NEWS 15
16 GROUNDCOVER NEWS FOOD Sausage gravy BEN FOSTER Groundcover contributor Ingredients: 1 pound of ground breakfast sausage 1/2 cup of flour 3 1/2 cups of whole milk Salt, pepper and cayenne to taste Directions: Brown sausage in a medium sized pot over medium heat until fully cooked. Sprinkle flour over the sausage and stir to combine. Cook for a minute or two, stirring often to keep things from burning. Slowly add the milk (about a half cup at a time) while stirring or whisking the mixture. You want that fat and flour mixture to absorb the milk and combine to form the gravy. Keep adding milk and whisking until you've reached your desired consistency. Season with salt, black pepper, and cayenne to taste. Simmer for a few minutes or longer if the gravy looks too thin. Serve over homemade biscuits (see next issue for recipe). This is a favorite dish served at the biweekly Groundcover vendor meeting and new paper delivery. OCTOBER 3, 2025 $5 OFF NATURAL FOODS MARKET 216 N. FOURTH AVENUE ANN ARBOR, MI PHONE (734) 994 - 9174 • PEOPLESFOOD.COOP SUPPORT CALL FOR and understanding 24/7 mental health and substance use support 734-544-3050 LEARN MORE about programs funded by the community mental health and public safety preservation millage. PEER SUPPORT: Artie Tomlin, Valerie Bass, and Marti Schneider ANY PURCHASE OF $30 OR MORE One coupon per transaction. Must present coupon at the time of purchase. Coupon good for in-store only. No other discounts or coop cards apply. Not valid for gift cards, case purchases, beer or wine. OFFER EXPIRES 8/22/2025 10/31/25
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