Travel

Precision and Peace

In Japan, everything is intentional. That’s a language this Mount Clemens practitioner already spoke. Article by Marshall Zweig | Photography by Susan Laurent and Sierra Picotte The elderly woman worked in silence. Layer by layer, fold by fold, she dressed Susan Laurent in a kimono , a traditional Japanese robe. The exacting process took nearly twenty minutes, each detail placed with the kind of ritualistic precision that signals the process is meaningful, and honorable. When it was...

Life + Culture

Rediscovering America at 250

From books to road trips, explore America’s story with children, grandchildren, family, and patriotic gratitude Article by Kimberly Janowicz For those of us who remember America’s Bicentennial in 1976, it’s hard to explain just how much patriotism shaped everyday life that summer. Flags waving from front porches. Kids chasing sparklers barefoot through the backyard. Boats on the lake. The radio playing somewhere in the distance. Red, white, and blue everywhere you look. For many of us, those...

Home Services

June Newsletter

At Cabinetry by Better Bilt, we believe great design goes beyond cabinetry. Creating a beautiful and functional home means making sure every detail works together — from cabinetry and countertops to furniture, lighting, color selections, and finishing touches.Our Design Center was created to help homeowners simplify the decision-making process while bringing their vision to life in one collaborative space.Personalized Design ServicesWhether you are remodeling a kitchen, updating a bathroom...

Life + Culture

They Didn't Do It For Recognition. We Recognized Them Anyway

Honoring Local Treasure Award winners John Emerson and John Cline, who make Mount Clemens better Article by Marshall Zweig | Photography by Kevin Shea John Emerson spent decades showing up for Mount Clemens: city council meetings, Juneteenth celebrations (organized before the holiday existed), black history presentations at the Mount Clemens Public Library, contributions to a book on the city's history.  Ask him what kept him coming back year after year, and John will talk about his wife. ...

Entertainment

Dad Jokes: Timeless, Terrible, Perfect

A tribute to fathers, their unforgettable humor, and the groan-worthy jokes that somehow always made us laugh anyway Article by Kimberly Janowicz | Photography by Jacob Lund There’s something universal about a dad joke. It’s not just the punchline—it’s the delivery. Slightly offbeat. Perfectly timed. And often followed by a grin that says, “I know that was bad.” My dad was always ready with a joke. I’d say, “I’m hungry,” and without missing a beat he’d reply, “Hi Hungry, I’m Ed—nice to meet...

Fitness

"All People in Power Play Golf"

He learned where power lives. He shared it with women. Article by Marshall Zweig | Photography by Kevin Shea Before Lindsey Mason III ever gave a lesson, he was learning from the bags he was carrying. As a caddy at the Country Club of Detroit and Grosse Pointe Farms, young Lindsey was a kid from the east side, watching how the world worked from a few steps behind. What he noticed stayed with him: he was on the bag for former Detroit Lions owners William Clay Ford and his wife, Martha...

Fitness

For Real Returns, Invest Here

In a classroom, a gym, and a pet salon, three Mount Clemens locals offer guaranteed returns on your investment Article by Marshall Zweig | Photography by Larry Ireland, Michelle Rutkowski, Taylor Jacobs LARRY IRELAND Instructor, HVAC / CTE Larry Ireland’s parents retired from Chrysler. He tried to follow that road. It was not his future. HVAC changed everything.  “It gave me financial security and a purpose,” he says. “There’s nothing like walking into somebody’s house when they’re...

Entertainment

Gatsby Glamour With Purpose

A dazzling 1920s celebration preserving one of Macomb County’s most treasured historic landmarks Article by Kimberly Janowicz | Photography by John Richmond There are fundraisers… and then there are experiences. The Great Gatsby Gala at the Packard Proving Grounds Historic Site is decidedly the latter — an immersive, joy-filled evening that just happens to support one of the most important regional historic preservation efforts. To understand the gala, you have to understand the grounds. In...

Life + Culture

"It's Working"

Mayor Laura Kropp and City Manager Gregg Shipman on why Mount Clemens is having its moment Article by Marshall Zweig | Photography by Heather Masson, Chloe Kukuk, Jason Carbary, Kelly Hughes It's difficult to impress a 15-year-old. But when Mayor Laura Kropp and her youngest child pulled up to Black Cat Coffee on a recent Saturday, even her teenage daughter noticed something had shifted in Mount Clemens. The parking was tight. People were walking downtown, filling the sidewalks, ducking into...

Home + Design

Design for Your Inner Child

Why my home office—and maybe yours—is overdue for color, courage, and a little childhood joy. Article by Kimberly Janowicz For six years now—six!—I’ve been working from home. Like many of us, it started at the kitchen table during the shutdown. Then I graduated to a desk in the foyer, positioned right by the window so I could feel productive and romantic about it. I technically have an office upstairs, but everything about it is… inconvenient. It’s upstairs. The color is a rusty shade I no...