Detroit, MI
Detroit businesses prepare for economic boost from Free Press Marathon Sunday
DETROIT, Mich. (WXYZ) — Thousands of runners are expected to flood downtown Detroit on Sunday for the Free Press Marathon, and local businesses are gearing up for the economic boost that comes with the annual event.
Holly McClain, owner of Olin Bar and Kitchen on East Grand River, said her team is prepared for the influx of hungry marathoners and spectators.
“We get an uptick of people all weekend which is great for us especially on Sunday,” McClain said.
WXYZ
More than 26,000 runners are expected to participate in this year’s race, which starts at 7 a.m.
McClain said the restaurant sees customers both before and after the marathon, with many taking advantage of their Sunday brunch that starts at 10:30 a.m.
“We get right before the marathon, after the marathon. We have a Sunday brunch starts at 10:30 so we see a lot of guest from the marathon,” McClain said.
When asked if runners come hungry, McClain was ready with an answer.
“They do come hungry and we’re ready to feed them. All of them,” McClain said.
The restaurant owner said she’s excited about the continued growth and development in downtown Detroit, particularly with new businesses opening nearby.
“It’s great when our neighbors open up businesses especially having the Hudson site right next door to us and more businesses coming in and bringing more people to Olin,” McClain said.
The Free Press Marathon generates significant economic impact for Detroit. Last year, the race brought in more than $23 million for the city.
Beyond the economic benefits, the event also raises money for various charities including the Alzheimer’s Association of Michigan and Boy Scouts of America.
“The more people that come down to Detroit, we’re excited about it,” McClain said.
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Both generations on the ice Friday are intent on growing the game for today’s kids. Hartje and the Polar Bears believe an important step for women’s hockey in Michigan would be starting a Division I college team.
“I think if the PWHL establishes a team in Detroit, it will put a lot of pressure on the colleges to make sure there’s a D-I team in the state,” Hartje said. “Michigan has the second-highest number of players in the league, and it would have been a dream for us to be able to stay in the state to play.”
It’s been a problem for decades. Pierson had to turn down the offer from Boston University, because her family couldn’t afford to send her to New England for college. Hartje ended up at Yale University, and Megan Keller, who scored the gold medal winning goal for the U.S. in the 2026 Winter Olympics and plays for the PWHL’s Boston Fleet, went from suburban Detroit to Boston College.
Meanwhile, 2026 U.S. men’s Olympic team members and Michigan natives Dylan Larkin of the Red Wings and Zach Werenski of the Columbus Blue Jackets were able to stay in the state to play with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program, then based in Ann Arbor, before moving on to the University of Michigan in the same town.
“Megan’s brother played at Michigan State, and I’m sure she also would have stayed here to play for a Michigan school,” Skarupa said. “It’s imperative that Michigan gets a college program.”
Skarupa is serious about growing the game. She is working with Keller and the NHL Foundation U.S. to identify recipients for its $100,000 Empowerment Grant Program for Girls Hockey.
“Every time I go back to a city, there are new teams, new girls and new faces,” she said. “It’s a testament to growth all over the world, but it is tremendous inside the U.S.”
Detroit, MI
Retired Detroit sergeant faces new sexual assault charge involving 14-year-old victim from 2002
An additional case, this one involving a victim who was then 14 years old, has been added to the sexual assault investigation against a former Detroit Police Department sergeant.
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy announced the latest charges on Friday against Benjamin Martin Wagner, 68, who now lives in Greenville, N.C. He had retired from the Detroit Police Department in 2017.
The victim in the additional charges was 14 years old when the assault happened in October 2002 in Detroit, Worthy said. The prosecutor alleges that Wagner approached the victim, pointed a handgun at her, ordered her away from the location and then sexually assaulted her.
In this case, he faces charges of kidnapping, two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct. An arraignment hearing took place Friday in the 36th District Court in Detroit. A probable cause conference is scheduled for April 7.
The woman is now 37 years old.
“She has lived with what happened to her for 23 years and has now bravely decided that she wants to be a part of holding him accountable,” Worthy said.
Wagner participated in a court hearing Thursday and was remanded to jail, one week after he was charged with 15 counts of kidnapping and rape in five separate sexual assault cases. All of those incidents happened between 1999 and 2003 in the northwest side of Detroit, with the victims being young women between the ages of 15 and 23.
The court dates for the earlier list of charges are April 7 for a probable cause hearing and April 14 for a preliminary exam.
Wagner joined the Detroit Police Department in 1989 as a police officer and was eventually promoted to sergeant. He retired in 2017 and moved to North Carolina.
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