Tecumseh Herald Year in Review 2025

Tecumseh got a new city manager in September when Brett Coker, police chief and assistant city manager, was promoted to take the place of Dan Swallow, who had been Tecumseh’s city manager for 10 years and who had been chosen by Saline City Council as the new city manager for the city of Saline. The Tecumseh Police Department’s first sergeant, Jeff Wright, was promoted to police chief in October after acting as interim chief for the prior month.

January

• Tecumseh city officials started preparing residents for a switch in the trash and recycling collection, as the city council began discussing the use of 96-gallon totes for both. The totes would be required for trash bags and would replace the smaller bins that were being used for recyclable items.

• A malfunction in Tecumseh’s water tower hardware led to several water main breaks and a boil-water advisory that lasted for about three days while repairs were made.

• Tecumseh Middle School orchestra director Amy Marr was honored as one of three finalists for the 2025 Michigan Chapter of the American String Teachers Association (MASTA) Teacher of the Year award. This recognition celebrates the best in string education across Michigan.

• After a developer proposed starting a gravel mining operation west of Occidental Highway and north of Gady Road — a proposal that was rejected by the Raisin Township Board in 2024 — the township implemented a six-month moratorium on any new gravel mines so that it could update its mining ordinance.

• Restrooms in downtown Tecumseh were designated for public use at the beginning of the new year at two locations: Musgrove & Co., 135 E. Chicago Blvd., and the Bidwell Building at 102 W. Chicago Blvd.

• The Tecumseh school district began trying to sell the Herrick Park and Patterson school buildings, which were closed after the 2023-24 school year due to declining enrollment and the costs to operate the two aging elementary schools. The district’s commissioned study found that enrollment should not be expected to rebound due to a years-long trend in the declining birthrates and enrollment countywide.

• Returning Tecumseh school board members Greg Lewis, Lynne Davis and Becky Brooks and new members Heather McGee and Darin Miller were sworn in for four-year terms, and returning member Tim Simpson will complete a two-year partial term.

• Tecumseh High School senior Rita Marogi received of the 2025 Tecumseh Community MLK Spirit Award sponsored by Community Learning Connections. She was president of the school’s National Honor Society chapter, treasurer of Key Club, a leader for Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and involved in Unified Sports, which is designed to bring differently-abled students together with their peers at other schools and involve them in sports. She also volunteered with Link Crew, which is a group of students who help freshmen become more acclimated to THS and more comfortable since it can be intimidating for new students to navigate.

• Three local students participated in the performances with the Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association (MSBOA) All-State Bands on Jan. 25. They were Alyssa Eder of Tecumseh High School, who was the only high school piccolo player selected in the state; Keira Naegele of Lenawee Christian School, who was one of six high school tuba players chosen; and Leo McInchak, who was one of only four middle school bassoonists accepted.

• Brandon Bemis, a Tecumseh teenager, continued his tradition of hosting fundraisers for his birthday, which started when he turned 8 years old. His philanthropy has included cornhole tournaments and has raised money for C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor, the Lenawee County Humane Society, the Peaceful Primate Sanctuary in Winamac, Indiana, the Tecumseh Care Closet and Catholic Charities.

February

• Tecumseh Youth Theatre presented its middle school production of “Alice in Wonderland Jr.” Feb. 1-2 at the Tecumseh Center for the Arts, giving middle school students in fifth through eighth grades a chance to showcase their talents and get experience in a theater environment.

• Raisin Township police arrested Adrian High School’s band director, Aaron Michael Mykeloff, on four criminal sexual conduct charges involving a minor who was not one of his students. Mykeloff was dismissed from his teaching job and pleaded guilty to all four counts. He was sentenced in May to 11 years and 3 months to 50 years in prison.

• Lee and Nancy Vavrinek celebrated their 77th Valentine’s Day together. The Tecumseh couple started dating in high school in Des Plaines, Illinois, and moved to Tecumseh in 1972 when Lee took a job at Tecumseh Products.

• The First Presbyterian Church of Tecumseh, Gloria Dei Lutheran Church and Tecumseh United Methodist Church competed against each other in a chili cookoff to raise funds for Neighbors of Hope.

• The city of Tecumseh received a $375,000 grant from the Michigan Department of Transportation to help fund work on South Occidental Highway from West Chicago Boulevard to Russell Road.

• After more than 30 years in Tecumseh, Carter Rehabilitation and Aquatic Center closed its doors after the building owner sold the property.

• The Tecumseh school district adopted a limited schools-of-choice program for first through fifth grades. The goal was to allow the district to grow at grade levels where there is limited space, keep class sizes at appropriate levels, and allow the district’s administration to better predict class sizes and staffing needs before classes begin.

• A new restaurant, Rosie’s Tecumseh Café, was announced as the new occupant of the space on Chicago Boulevard that had previously been occupied by JR’s Hometown Grill & Pub. The café, which serves breakfast, brunch and lunch, was to open in May. It is owned and operated by Bill Leisenring and his son, Jack, through the Ring Restaurant Group, which also operates the Tecumseh Tavern.

• Tecumseh Youth Theatre’s performance of “Chicago: Teen Edition” opened Feb. 28 at the Tecumseh Center for the Arts. The 35 cast members in the production were high school students from Southeast Michigan and Northwest Ohio, many of them from Tecumseh.

• In 2025, Community Learning Connections celebrated its 30th anniversary of providing integrated, community-based support within the Tecumseh Public Schools buildings, with a mission that focuses on engaging, supporting and empowering individuals.

• Foreclosure proceedings began on the Tecumseh Brewing Co.’s downtown pub and Russell Road production site. The brewery closed in August.

• Demolition and excavation of the concrete spillway beneath the Tecumseh dam began. The Lenawee County Drain Commission project was part of a $1 million rehabilitation and restoration of the dam embankment that will result in a new concrete spillway, automated floodgates and an improved portage area for kayakers and canoers.

• Bob and Marion Green of Tecumseh Township marked their 80th wedding anniversary Feb. 24 with expectations both would turn 100, Bob on March 1 and Marion on Oct. 11. They met in the fourth grade at the one-room Ceas School in Milan Township and had their first date on Valentine’s Day in 1943 when they went to a basketball game in Ann Arbor.

March

• After a 68-year run, The Tecumseh Herald was sold. Jim Lincoln, who served as editor and publisher for the newspaper since 1991, announced in the first week of March that Rex Crist purchased the newspaper, its Downtown Printing arm and Homefront magazine. Crist, who bought The Advance newspaper in Blissfield in December 2024, added The Clinton Local to his Meadowbrook Media group in May. Crist named Sharon Maher publisher along with her role as advertising director and promoted Jackie Koch to editor of both papers.

• Tecumseh city officials began looking at how to finance several updates to the water and wastewater systems in the next few years. The list of projects that were considered the highest priority includes replacing water meters, a Vactor truck, a generator for Well 15, a lift station and panel for Burt Street, valve replacement at the Wastewater Treatment Plant, Russell Road water main, generators for Rogers Highway and Bonner Hills, and a lift station and generator for Westhaven. The total price tag is $5.5 million.

• Property owners in the Shadow Brooke condo development off Burt Street and the city of Tecumseh began the process for a street upgrade with the Tecumseh City Council approving the first steps toward a creating a special assessment district. The development has gone through a series of developers to complete the road and the other infrastructure in the development, but they failed to do so.

• Brad Faust, a 22-year employee of the city of Tecumseh, was appointed superintendent of the city’s utilities department.

• The Rev. Pamela Morton observed three months as pastor at Tipton Community Congregational Church. She began her role there in January. She and her husband, John, returned to Adrian in 2023 after 17 years as missionaries in Egypt.

• The Tecumseh City Council approved the purchase of a new street sweeper at a net cost of $345,000 after accounting for the trade-in value of the city’s old street sweeper. The council also approved the purchase of a new sewer vacuum truck for $586,536.

• More than 12,000 residents in Tecumseh lost power for about two hours when a delivery truck snagged power lines along Water Street behind Jerry’s Market.

• Dr. Fatima Taher took over Dr. Scott Doman’s dental practice in downtown Tecumseh. Taher had been working about one day a week with Doman after the longtime dentist sustained a spinal injury while bodysurfing in Mexico in August 2024.

April

• Tecumseh-based Schmidt & Sons Pharmacy closed its Blissfield location. Ownership attributed the decision to close to financial pressures from pharmacy benefit managers and insurance companies. The situation was highlighted in a lawsuit filed by the Michigan Attorney General’s Office against two pharmacy benefit managers.

• Josh Mattison of Tecumseh competed in the World Axe Throwing Championship in Wisconsin. Mattison, who is the operations director for Tecumseh Public Schools, picked up the hobby five years before and began competing at Axe Play in Jackson.

• Tecumseh High alumnus Jacob Wright received the Incito Award at the 2025 Lenawee Community Foundation awards presentation. The award recognizes a Lenawee County resident who is 40 or younger, has emerged as a community leader and has demonstrated a commitment to volunteerism, philanthropy and leadership.

• A potential sale of the Herrick Park and Patterson school buildings to local developers fell through over the potential difficulty in rezoning the properties to allow for apartments.

• Tecumseh-area residents took part in “No Kings” rallies in Tecumseh and Adrian to protest the actions of President Donald Trump and his senior adviser Elon Musk. Another round of rallies took place in June.

• A $1.4 million contract was awarded to Anlaan Corp. for the rehabilitation of the East Russell Road and North Evans Street bridges. The work was completed over the summer and came in about $24,500 under budget.

• St. Elizabeth Catholic Church tore down its old convent. The demolition left the Tecumseh Service Club without a location for its food pantry, which it decided to close after it couldn’t find a new, affordable location. The church had been letting TSC use the convent for its pantry for free for several years.

• Tecumseh Public Schools began making plans to install solar panels on the roofs of Tecumseh High School and Tecumseh Middle School. The project was contingent upon receiving federal funding, which was withdrawn later in the year. Without the solar panel project, the district will have to pay for roof improvements out of the new sinking fund. If the solar project had been completed, the schools would have paid for the roof improvements through a 20-year power purchase agreement with the company that would have maintained the panels.

• After the Tecumseh Community Memorial Pool’s dehumidification and ventilation systems failed, the pool was closed at least for the summer. It was the latest closure of the pool due to equipment and structural problems dating back to the fall of 2023.

• Best-selling author Leif Enger visited the Tecumseh District Library. Enger has written “Peace Like a River,” “So Brave, Young, and Handsome,” “Virgil Wander” and “I Cheerfully Refuse,” which was named a 2025 Michigan Notable Book.

• Kamryn Billings, a junior at Tecumseh High School, and Riley Hoag, a sophomore, were recognized by the Tecumseh school board for their status at the state FFA competition. As students in the LISD Tech Center agriculture classes and FFA members, their presentation was on preparing sheep for show. They won the district and regional competitions and earned a spot to present at Michigan State University among 10 other teams, then earned the state runner-up status.

• Retired Lenawee County Sheriff Richard Germond died April 30 at the age of 90. He was sheriff for 36 years through 2000 and remains the longest-serving sheriff in Lenawee County and Michigan history.

May

• Tecumseh High School hosted the annual Tecumseh Public Schools Art Show, inviting visitors to explore an expansive showcase of student artwork that highlighted the imagination, talent and artistic accomplishments of young artists.

• At the 2025 Greater Lenawee Chamber of Commerce Awards, the Tecumseh Area Historical Society received the Beautification Award for its work to update its museum and grounds at the Old Stone Church at 302 E. Chicago Blvd.

• A grant application for $760,000 to go toward the $1.7 million Red Pond Dam rehabilitation project was denied. The Lenawee County Drain Commissioner’s Office had hoped the grant would offset costs for the project that would be absorbed by the 121 parcels in the dam’s special assessment district. The county allocated $935,000 from its American Rescue Plan Act funds toward the project.

• Stimpson & Associates was named the new legal counsel for the city of Tecumseh, succeeding Lucas & Castleberry, which had represented the city for 15 years. David Lacasse, an attorney with Stimpson & Associates, was assigned as the primary attorney for the city.

• Downtown Tecumseh hosted its 16th annual Art Walk, which included the new two-day live mural painting event, Mural Blast.

• The Tecumseh school board approved changes to the graduation policy which allowed all graduates to participate in the commencement ceremonies. Previously, students who received a Michigan Merit diploma were not allowed to participate. Now, all students, whether they receive a Tecumseh High School diploma, a Michigan Merit diploma or a certificate of completion can participate in commencement. Certificates of completion are usually presented to students with disabilities who have an individualized education program.

• A fatal crash case advanced toward a possible trial when Lenawee County District Judge Laura J. Schaedler bound over the charges against Holly Ilene Schmidt to circuit court. Schmidt is charged with causing the crash on Aug. 14, 2024, that claimed the life of William Ray of Clinton and seriously injured his wife, Linda. The case remains in circuit court.

• New playground equipment was dedicated May 13 at Douglas W. Bird Kiwanis Memorial Park in Tecumseh. The new equipment replaced equipment that was more than 30 years old.

• Relatives of Dee Warner filed a wrongful death lawsuit against her husband, Dale Warner, in the Franklin Township’s woman’s death. The lawsuit alleges Dale strangled Dee to death late on April 24, 2021, or early on April 25, 2021, in their home. Lenawee County Circuit Judge Michael R. Olsaver ordered a stay in the lawsuit’s proceedings in September. Dale Warner is charged with open murder and evidence tampering in Dee’s death.

• Tecumseh High School graduated 183 students of the Class of 2025. The valedictorian was Aeden Coryell, and Aubrey Baur was the salutatorian.

• Britton resident Abby Vittore was selected as the Michigan Farm Bureau’s Young Farmer Leader Award recipient. The award recognizes individuals who earn most of their income from a farm operation and demonstrate exceptional leadership within the Farm Bureau and the broader agriculture community. Vittore is the marketing manager and co-owner of Madison Garden Center, assists with her family farm in Britton and, since 2016, has owned and operated Carpenter Farms Greenhouse LLC at Carpenter Farms in Adrian.

• Officials from Lenawee County and the Kiwanis Regional Trail Authority explored how to make up a $180,000 shortfall in the budget for the project that extended the trail into Tecumseh.

• A Tecumseh man who was arrested after communicating online with someone he thought was a 14-year-old girl was sentenced to prison. Judge Anna Marie Anzalone followed the plea agreement between Michael Timothy Bonica, 45, and the Lenawee County Prosecutor’s Office and sentenced Bonica to five to 10 years in prison on each of the two aggravated possession of child sexually abusive material to which he pleaded guilty in April. She also sentenced him to one year and four months to four years in prison on the charge of accosting children for immoral purposes. Bonica also will have to register as a sex offender for 25 years.

June

• The trial in the murder case against Dale Warner of Franklin Township in the death of his wife, Dee Warner, in April 2021, was rescheduled to begin in January 2026.

• The Tecumseh Players opened their summer season of “One Act Wednesdays” at Adams Park on June 11 with “Meet the Kiddoodles.”

• The Tecumseh City Council approved an approximate 8% increase in water and wastewater rates to cover the rising operating costs for the utilities department as well as $5.5 million in planned system improvements over the next few years.

• Testimony by a Michigan State Police traffic crash reconstructionist in a preliminary examination for a case over the 2023 fatal crash that claimed the lives of four employees of K&B Asphalt Sealcoating of Adrian showed the driver charged with causing the crash was traveling between 61 and 66 mph when his pickup hit the workers’ pickup. The case against Matt Allen Koester was bound over to Lenawee County Circuit Court in August.

• Tecumseh police arrested two men suspected of taking part in a shooting shortly after midnight June 5 at the park area near Standish Dam off Burt Street. Mykel Anthonee Isaac of Tecumseh was wounded in a cheek in the exchange of gunfire. The other man, Donald Christopher Hawkins Jr. of Tecumseh, pleaded guilty to a count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and was sentenced to 10 months in jail and 24 months on probation. Isaac has a trial scheduled for Jan. 27.

• Lorraine McNeal-Gable, owner of The Quilt Patch in downtown Tecumseh, was one of five artisans who had a quilt design featured in the 2025 All Michigan Shop Hop Magazine.

• Plans for a new streetscape design for downtown Tecumseh began when the city council approved a contract with South Bend, Indiana-based consulting firm Jones Petrie Rafinski.

• The refurbished Stacy Mansion bed and breakfast and event venue had its grand opening. Its owners, Kim Freeman, Serena Riley and Danielle Ward, bought the six-bedroom mansion at 710 W. Chicago Blvd. in November. The house was built in 1848 by Consider Alphonso Stacy, a prominent attorney, and his wife, Maria.

• Saline’s city council selected Dan Swallow to be its city manager, a role Swallow had performed in Tecumseh for 10 years. Swallow accepted the position in August, and his last day working for Tecumseh was Sept. 4.

• Novella Bound, an independent bookstore and community gathering space, opened in downtown Tecumseh on the second floor of the Bidwell Building at 102 W. Chicago Blvd. It was founded by Tecumseh High School alumni Julia Harpel and Tayren Paratchek.

• The Tecumseh school board had administrator approval to negotiate a lease with Verizon to build a cellphone tower on the south end of the high school campus. The board later approved a lease.

• Britton Deerfield Schools announced a reconfiguration of the district’s grades for the 2025-26 school year, having pre-kindergarten through fifth grades in Deerfield and sixth through 12th grades in Britton.

• The Tecumseh Area Historical Society received a grant for almost $5,000 from the American250MI History Grant program to help pay for a mobile oral history project at the society’s museum.

• Katie Flowers opened Clay It Forward, a drop-in art studio where customers can hand-paint ceramic pieces and support organizations that help animals, at 210 S. Evans St.

• With interest being shown in the vacant Tecumseh Products Co. property on the south end of town, the Lenawee County Board of Commissioners voted to remove the February 2024 restrictions on marketing the property. The Tecumseh City Council rezoned the property so that it can be used mostly for commercial or light industrial use.

• Siena Heights University in Adrian announced it would close at the end of the 2025-26 academic year. The institution was founded in 1919 by the Adrian Dominican Sisters.

July

• Addressing causes of harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie is the goal of a $184,153.87 grant awarded to the River Raisin Watershed Council. The grant from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy allows the RRWC to work with an engineering form to develop a watershed management plan for the Saline-Macon watershed.

• Terry Akens, who’s from Tecumseh and now lives in Florida where he owns a commercial sign shop, visited his hometown with a gift for Rosie’s Tecumseh Café: an LED, neon replica sign of the restaurant’s logo to be displayed inside the business.

• Consumers Energy began work on replacing about a half-mile of a 70-year old natural gas line along North Maumee Street in Tecumseh.

• Raisin Township’s cemeteries committee continued work to make the township’s four cemeteries and the stories they tell more accessible by working to make the cemeteries contemplative places to visit, putting the records online, posting signs about the cleanup dates and creating a Facebook page to highlight the cemeteries.

• A water main break at 119. W. Chicago Blvd. in downtown Tecumseh interrupted operations for some downtown businesses July 16 while city crews worked to resolve the issue.

• The Pet Parade portion of Tecumseh’s two-day Sun & Sand Festival was a big hit. Participating dogs and their owners processed along Chicago Boulevard in downtown Tecumseh. A total of 19 entrants took part in the “Under the Sea” themed parade. A contest after the parade selected the pet (and owner) with the best costume.

• Basil Boys celebrated 30 years of business in Tecumseh, and for co-owners and brothers Nick Pereloff and Chris Perelekos, it was a milestone built on long days, an energetic staff and a lot of breadsticks.

• Former Tecumseh Public Schools educator Barbara Eckholdt Johnstone drew inspiration from her classroom experiences and love of reading to write her debut novel, “Cemetery Ridge,” a mystery-suspense story geared toward middle school readers.

• Local historian and volunteer Robert Elliott was named the recipient of the 2025 Musgrove Evans Award, which honors individuals and couples who have made Tecumseh a better place in which to live. Elliott is known for hosting tours of Brookside Cemetery, his 2023 book “Tecumseh’s Hometown Heroes” and being a regular speaker on historical topics.

• Sherri Tuckey, co-owner and manager of Tuckey’s Big Boy, was named the recipient of Athena Lenawee’s Leadership Award for 2025. The award honors individuals who help women reach their full potential, contribute meaningfully to the community and create pathways for others to follow.

• A Tecumseh City Council member and one of his counterparts in Tecumseh, Ontario, played key roles in helping the two communities rekindle an exchange program. Austin See and James Dorner found they had similar backgrounds as combat engineers, See in the U.S. Marine Corps and Dorner in the Canadian Armed Forces. The result was a group from Tecumseh, Michigan, going to the Ontario community’s Corn Festival in August and a group from Ontario coming to the Appleumpkin Festival in October.

• A new piece of art now hangs inside Tipton Community Congregational Church. The 3-D sculpture was crafted out of a pew original to the church, which opened in 1836, by woodworker Craig Courter.

August

• Harvest Chocolate and Rosie’s Tecumseh Café were chosen as recipients of Match on Main grants through the Michigan Economic Development Corp.’s Michigan Strategic Fund. Match on Main supports new or expanding place-based businesses by providing up to $25,000 in funding for them to launch or grow in core downtown areas and commercial districts.

• The Hitching Post Antiques Mall changed ownership and has been rebranded to reflect a new chapter for the antiques store. Now named Antiques at the Next Level — a nod to the quality of merchandise the 8,000-square-foot shop offers — it was purchased on Aug. 1 by Tecumseh High School alumni Nick and Kendra Wegman.

• A former employee of a Tecumseh manufacturer was ordered to pay more than $200,000 in restitution as part of her sentence for embezzling from the company over a four-year period. Kaitlin Elaine Wise-Roberson pleaded guilty in Lenawee County Circuit Court to embezzlement of $100,000 or more from GLOV Enterprises LLC, a plastic injection molding company.

• Updates to the city’s zoning ordinance were approved by the Tecumseh City Council. The changes are intended to reduce timelines for development range, make it more understandable for prospective developers and promote additional housing in the city.

• Tecumseh High School art teacher Jackie Whiteley was honored by the Michigan Art Education Association as its Secondary Art Educator of the Year for 2025. Whiteley has spent her entire teaching career in Tecumseh.

• Tecumseh City Council members voted 6-1 to negotiate a contract with Brett Coker to succeed Dan Swallow as city manager. Coker had been Tecumseh’s assistant city manager for three years and also the city’s police chief since 2019. He joined the police department in 2014. His first day as city manager was Sept. 6.

• The Tecumseh school board accepted a purchase offer for the Patterson school property when local entrepreneur Dan Meikle offered $150,000 for the property. The purchase agreement called for the district to then lease the property for $1 for one year and maintain and insure it. Superintendent Matt Hilton said Meikle intended to convert the school into apartments and build homes that fit the historic nature of the neighborhood.

• Sunday Brunch & Browse, an initiative of Boulevard Market co-owner Erika Aylward, began with a goal to promote community engagement and encourage people to visit downtown businesses that are open on Sundays.

• A suspect was arrested in a year-old hit-and-run crash that left an Adrian teenager critically injured. Felisa Racine Madison lived in Tecumseh for a time during the investigation before she was taken into custody in Saginaw. The case against Madison is in Lenawee County Circuit Court.

September

• Devotees of Mrs. Helen Roper, a memorable character from the TV sitcom “Three’s Company,” made their presence known with the new Lenawee Roper Rompers group. Krista Tuck and Julie Korecki founded the local group, which is devoted to keeping the infectious spirit of the iconic character alive. During Roper Romps, participants dress as Helen, channeling her iconic style and vibrant personality.

• Personalized boards from a fence along the back of the Patterson school property were made available to the families who sponsored them about 30 years ago. The fence was an early project of Communities in Schools of the Tecumseh Area, the forerunner of the current Community Learning Connections.

• A pair of youngsters, 5-year-old JJ McCaskey and 6-year-old Phoenix Cote, came across what appear to be fossilized cow jaws in Evans Creek at Douglas W. Bird Kiwanis Memorial Park. Phoenix made his discovery in the fall of 2024, and JJ found his jawbone during the summer of 2025.

• Tecumseh Middle School welcomed its new facility dog, Daisy. Among the benefits of having a facility dog are addressing emotional needs of students and improving reading skills by having students read aloud to the dog.

• Eighth grade students from Tecumseh Middle School with teacher and veteran Scott McCarley went to Brookside Cemetery and cleaned the headstones of veterans and their families. The students studied the Civil War this year and will be visiting Gettysburg and Arlington National Cemetery in the spring.

• Core & Main, a Missouri-based distributor of water, wastewater, storm drainage and fire protection products, was hired by the city of Tecumseh to manage the replacement of the existing water meters.

• Tecumseh artist Andy Schiller’s first collection went on display at the Tecumseh District Library. The acrylic on canvas artworks combined bold colors, free-form shapes and organic textures to invite viewers to reflect and use their imagination for interpretation.

• In the early afternoon on Sept. 22, a gas leak on South Maumee Street between Chicago Boulevard and Kilbuck Street led to the evacuation of all residents and businesses within a one-block radius. Utility crews responded to the situation to conduct necessary repairs and the Tecumseh Fire Department was on scene securing the area.

• The Tecumseh Public Schools Board of Education voted to approve the acquisition of a school aid note for operational costs. The SAN is a streamlined loan program to finance short-term operational cash flow needs for traditional public schools. “We continue to hope for a budget from the state of Michigan rather than needing to take a loan, but, as you know, there is no budget from the state right now,” said Superintendent Matt Hilton.

• Wartime veterans bonded over shared experiences, heard messages of inspiration and marched along the streets of downtown Adrian and through the heart of the county seat on what turned out to be a rainy Sunday morning for the second annual Ruck to Remember. The 2.2-mile ruck — or walk — centers around the concept of breaking the stigma associated with mental health and suicide, especially as it relates to veterans of war.

• Jan and Gary Fox, longtime owners of Gray Fox Floral and Tecumseh Coins in downtown Tecumseh, revealed their intentions to retire and move to Florida at the end of October. The flower shop remains open with Jan as its owner; her staff continues to operate the store.

October

• Tecumseh Youth Theatre presented Disney’s “The Jungle Book: Kids Edition” on Oct. 4 and 5 at the Tecumseh Center for the Arts. The production marked milestones for TYT alums Georgia Keefer and Kylie Williams, who made their solo directing and choreographing debuts.

• Kapnick Orchards hosted its 46th annual Apple Festival, and downtown Tecumseh hosted the 31st annual Appleumpkin Festival.

• The Tecumseh City Council officially promoted Jeff Wright to police chief after he served as interim police chief for the previous month. Tecumseh City Manager Brett Coker named Wright as interim chief after the council promoted Coker from police chief to city manager as of Sept. 5.

• With $150,000 pledged from the Lenawee Community Foundation, the Tecumseh City Council narrowed the possible locations of where outdoor pickleball courts could be built to the AJ Smith Recreation Center and Aden Mead Park.

• A plan to build 37 single-family rental homes along Red Mill Pond received an affirmative recommendation from the Tecumseh Planning Commission. The houses are to be built on 9.34 acres of land owned by Lone Oak of Red Mill Pond LLC, at 700 Bishop Reed Drive. The city council approved the plan in November.

• Re-Tree Tecumseh planted 10 memorial trees in Brookside Cemetery and 19 street trees on West Chicago Boulevard between Occidental Highway and Tuckey’s Big Boy.

• Tecumseh lost one of its most dedicated historians Oct. 24 when Ashley Chase died at the age of 88. He was the author of two books on Tecumseh and the 2018 recipient of the Musgrove Evans Award, which recognizes individuals whose efforts have contributed to the quality of life in the community and make Tecumseh a better place in which to live.

• A $723,980 discrepancy in the Tecumseh Public Schools’ 2024-25 budget led to less money being put into the district’s savings than expected and the resignation of the district’s business services director. The “variance,” as the district’s auditors called it, in unappropriated expenditures was discovered during the annual audit. After a closed session on Oct.13, the board voted to hire Steve Lenar, a retired school business official, as the district’s interim business services director.

• An increase in crashes led the Lenawee County Road Commission to change the Sutton Road and Rogers Highway intersection in Raisin Township to being an all-ways stop.

• Raisin Township Supervisor Tom Hawkins submitted his resignation with his last day in office set for Nov. 17. The township board began the process of selecting a new supervisor.

• The Tecumseh District Library was one of approximately 1,280 Carnegie libraries selected to receive a $10,000 gift to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, through a special initiative announced Oct. 22 by the Carnegie Corp. of New York.

• The end of October saw the end of an era in Tecumseh and Lenawee County — the end of the last full-service gas station. Jack and Jeff Baker worked their last shifts at the Perky Pantry store on East Chicago Boulevard, where they worked for more than 10 years after closing their Baker Bros. service station in downtown Tecumseh.

November

• Area food banks saw the strain that higher costs at the grocery store as well as job losses and other troubles have had on residents who are just trying to feed themselves and their families.

• Tecumseh voters elected three council members and approved an updated city charter at the Nov. 4 election. Gary Naugle and Vicki Riddle were reelected, and Joe Tuckey was elected to his first term.

• Plans to expand the closed Wendy’s restaurant building at 1301 W. Chicago Blvd. into a larger building bookended by Dunkin’ and a Jimmy John’s locations were approved by the Tecumseh Planning Commission.

• For more than 40 years, sons and grandsons of military veterans have helped Tecumseh’s American Legion post provide services to veterans and the community. At the Legion’s national convention in Tampa, Florida, this year, the Sons of the American Legion squadron and the Michigan detachment won the community service awards in the scrapbook contest. At the state convention in Okemos, Squadron 34 from Tecumseh won the scrapbook and Americanism awards. This was the seventh year in a row that Squadron 34 has won the state scrapbook award.

• Family Counseling and Children’s Services offered to buy the Herrick Park school property for $125,000 with the intent to move its Catherine Cobb Safe House shelter from Adrian, Tecumseh Public Schools Superintendent Matt Hilton told the board of education. Hilton recommended making a counteroffer.

• The Tecumseh High School Drama Club made its Tecumseh Center for the Arts debut with its production of “Beetlejuice Jr.” The THS Drama Club was founded four years ago by students who expressed a desire for a drama program uniquely for Tecumseh students and independent of the Tecumseh Youth Theatre.

• Several individuals and organizations were honored as Everyday Heroes, the Catherine Cobb Safe House’s annual recognition of people in Lenawee County who demonstrate acts of courage, kindness and selflessness. Among the honorees were Deb Followell, a counselor at Tecumseh Middle School who received the Mental Health Hero award.

• The former 107-year-old Tecumseh high school, junior high, middle school and school district administration building on North Ottawa Street was offered at auction by the Future of Real Estate firm. The property went back on the market in 2024 after the company that bought it from the school district in 2023 with a concept of converting it into apartments decided not to go through with that project.

• Deb Brousseau, a 20-year member of the Raisin Township Board, was appointed as the township’s new supervisor Nov. 13 to fill the vacancy created by Tom Hawkins’ resignation. Brousseau’s appointment was effective Nov. 17 and created a vacancy in her former trustee position. The township board began seeking applications to fill that position.

• Participating in a scheme to use stolen identities and defraud motorcycle dealerships in multiple states, including the Harley-Davidson dealership in Tecumseh Township, sent a Detroit man to prison. Aaron Cortez Higginbotham was sentenced by Lenawee County Circuit Judge Anna Marie Anzalone to three to 10 years in prison for use of a counterfeit state identification card to commit a felony punishable by 10 years or more and two to 14 years on a count of uttering and publishing. She also ordered him to pay $71,995.45 in restitution as well as court costs. Higginbotham’s co-defendant, Demario Alonzo Cooper, pleaded no contest in March in a similar plea deal.

• Tecumseh school board members were told that the closed Tecumseh Community Pool building may need more than repairs and that its steel framing likely needs to be replaced entirely.

December

• The Tecumseh City Council updated ordinances on snow and ice emergencies and on trash collection, including removing references to certain amounts of snow or ice accumulation as well as modernizing the ways the city will communicate to the public that a snow or ice emergency has been declared. The trash ordinance amendment clarified that trash carts have to be placed at the curb and not in the street.

• David VanTuyle, a Tecumseh native, continued to find success in his career as a storyboard artist as well as a new role in voice acting with the Disney animated feature “Zootopia 2.”

• Lenawee County Circuit Judge Michael R. Olsaver ruled on evidentiary questions in the Warner murder trial during hearings Dec. 4 and 30. The proceedings moved the case closer toward the start of a trial on Jan. 27.

• Dora’s Donuts, a donut trailer that launched in October, continued to draw customers in with its cheerful pink-glazed pastries. For owner Heather Piotter, the trailer represents more than a food business. It’s the continuation of a dream, a tribute to her late husband, and a way to share comfort and connection with the community.

• To address the phenomenon of fewer men using the Tecumseh District Library than women and encourage more men to read and discuss books, library director Jordan Wright announced the launch of the library’s first men-focused book club, called Rough Drafts.

• The Tecumseh City Council approved hiring TetraTech to manage improvements to the wastewater treatment system.

• Tecumseh school board members learned of three potential options that could be explored to rehab the pool facility or demolish it completely. Those options are: selective demolition and reconstruction of the existing natatorium, demolishing the existing natatorium and rebuilding the exterior of the middle school wall to encapsulate the existing building, and constructing a brand-new natatorium at a new location.

• Military and veterans organizations in Tecumseh braved winter’s frigid chill and continued the yearly tradition of honoring fallen veterans by the placing of wreaths at Brookside Cemetery.

• A retired Lenawee County sheriff’s detective will comply with a subpoena as a material witness in the Dee Warner murder trial, but a judge kept a $50,000 bond on him in place. Kevin Greca was apprehended Dec. 11 by the U.S. Marshal Service in Lucas County, Ohio, on a petition from the Lenawee County Prosecutor’s Office to have him brought to Lenawee County Circuit Court to answer to why he should not be held on bail to appear as a material witness in the murder case against Dale Warner.

• The Tecumseh school board voted unanimously to approve the language for accepting state funding for school safety and mental health services in the 2025-26 school year. The funding comes with a provision set by the Michigan Legislature that to receive the funding districts have to agree to waive attorney-client privilege for a comprehensive state investigation if there is a mass casualty event on school grounds. That provision has been controversial among school districts in Michigan.

• The Raisin Township Board selected Blaine McDonald to fill a vacant trustee position. A week later, it began the process again after trustee Kerry Hamilton Smith submitted her resignation.