Detroit, MI
Detroit gets building-powered EV chargers
The electric vehicle chargers installed a few days ago on Lafayette Boulevard blocks from the Lodge Freeway in Detroit don’t look like any EV chargers you’ve seen before.
The two slim, stainless steel units stand like small curbside sentries, but you’d be forgiven if you mistook them for something else entirely. That’s by design.
Nathan King, the co-founder and CEO of it’s electric, the “Brooklyn-born” company behind these units, sees them as street furniture that solves many of the challenges most EV charging infrastructure fails to account for, especially in urban settings. King, an architect, described the lightbulb moment about three years ago that led to the creation of it’s electric, seeing people tossing electrical cords out their windows to charge up electric vehicles in the city.
Multiunit rental properties have long posed a challenge for EV ownership.
The Detroit units had their ribbon cutting on May 1, following similar openings in Boston and San Francisco, King said. At least 23 more charging locations are planned within the city limits.
Representatives from DTE Energy, Newlab Detroit, Bedrock and the city of Detroit were on hand to give remarks about the process to date and the promise of a new EV charging option. The so-called “behind-the-meter” connection ties to a building’s electrical supply, rather than requiring a more involved utility connection, and promises a cut of income that the charging units generate to the building owner. In this case, the property is owned by Bedrock, and it houses the Detroit Smart Parking Lab.
Users connect to the chargers with a detachable cord that they carry with them, avoiding the scenario of cable theft or damage that an errant car might cause hopping a curb, for instance. Users can set up an account and request a cable through the it’s electric smartphone app.
The units are Level 2 chargers, which the U.S. Transportation Department says can charge an electric vehicle to 80% from empty in four to 10 hours. Rates are expected to vary by city, but the cost to charge a typical EV for 9 hours overnight using the it’s electric chargers was estimated at $13.
Grants from the Michigan Economic Development Corp. Office of Future Mobility and Electrification, DTE Emerging Technology Fund, Michigan Central Scale Fund and federal Ride and Drive funding support the initial deployments in Detroit, according to information provided about the ribbon cutting. The grant total for the company’s work in Detroit is $1.78 million, although the largest piece, from the federal government, also funds deployments in three other cities.
Tim Slusser, the city’s chief of mobility innovation, described many conversations as officials worked to figure out how to allow this type of installation project. Now there’s a process in place to deal with permitting, which he estimated should take about 30 to 60 days going forward, not including going before city council.
Slusser expressed enthusiasm for what’s been accomplished with this project and what it portends. The city needs more EV charging infrastructure, Slusser said.
It secured a $23.4 million grant from the federal government last year to expand that infrastructure, but with the change in presidential administrations, the status of a second $15.2 million grant announced for the city and the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments earlier this year is unclear.
“We are very hungry for as many solutions as possible,” he said. “We’re interested in partnering with more companies like this.”
Contact Eric D. Lawrence: elawrence@freepress.com. Become a subscriber. Submit a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters.
Detroit, MI
Former employee accused of stealing over $215,000 from Metro Detroit moving service business
A former employee of a Metro Detroit moving service business is accused of misappropriating funds and transferring the company’s money to her personal accounts.
Deborah Beaudoin is facing a federal charge of wire fraud, according to a criminal complaint filed on Dec. 10, 2025.
Homeland Security began investigating the case on Sept. 4, 2023, when the Van Buren Township Police Department requested support for an ongoing investigation into alleged fraud at a small business called Rose Moving and Storage.
According to the criminal complaint, the business accused former financial controller, Beaudoin, of misappropriating over $215,000 from Rose Moving and Storage by ordering company debit cards, transferring business funds to the cards and then transferring the business funds to her personal accounts.
On Oct. 5, 2023, authorities interviewed the chief financial officer of the parent company of Rose Moving and Storage, and he explained that the business is a moving company that contracts with owner-operated truck drivers. He then said the drivers use their own cars and pay their moving crews to service customers at Rose Moving and Storage. However, the truck drivers typically did not have the financial capital to front their costs. So, the business would “front” the truck drivers about $4,000 to $5,000 to cover initial expenses, including gas and the payment of the moving crew.
The employees, including Beaudoin, would order the company debit cards issued in the name of the driver, load them with company funds and give them to the truck driver to pay their initial costs and complete the moving transactions. After the job is complete, the amount “fronted” by the business would be deducted from the final payment to the truck drivers.
Beaudoin is accused of devising a scheme to misappropriate funds by ordering and obtaining unauthorized company debit cards from the company’s provider, typically using names that contained different iterations of the company name, including” R. Rose Moving,” “R. Storage” and “R. Rose Moving ST,” then using company monies to fund them in amounts ranging from just over $1,000 to as much as $3,000 before withrawing the funds in cash using ATMs at different banks.
After withdrawing the funds, she allegedly deposited the cash into her personal accounts.
Beaudoin allegedly created fake entries on the company ledger for expenses such as “repairs” and would allocate the money she had appropriated from the company to these fake expenses to legitimize the costs.
Homeland Security found that Beaudoin obtained over 60 fraudulent company debit cards from 2017 to 2023.
According to federal authorities, her use of Huntington Bank’s ATM machines to withdraw funds she had allegedly misappropriated from the business “caused the transmission of wire communication in interstate commerce,” leading to her facing a federal charge.
Copyright 2025 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit – All rights reserved.
Detroit, MI
Detroit police officer shoots himself in foot during dog attack
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A dog is dead and a Detroit police officer is injured after police stopped to investigate vehicles blocking the roadway on Tuesday, Dec. 23.
Officers from the 6th Precinct were responding to a ShotSpotter report in the 14400 block of Rockdale Street at approximately 9 p.m. when they encountered two vehicles blocking the road, according to a statement from Detroit Police Department on Wednesday, Dec. 24.
One of the vehicles was discovered to be wanted out of Livonia. As officers approached the wanted vehicle, a dog jumped out of it in the direction of the officers and the driver fled the location, according to DPD.
“The dog charged towards the officers and began to attack one officer,” according to DPD. “The officer fired shots to stop the dog from attacking them and accidentally struck himself in the foot.”
The officer was treated at a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. He is out of the hospital as of Wednesday evening. The dog is dead.
Review of body-worn camera and camera assets in the area determined the driver, who was wanted by Southfield police, attempted to stop the dog from jumping out of the vehicle, according to DPD. The driver was arrested and taken into custody by Southfield police.
“Detroit Police Department is not pursuing charges on the driver as we do not believe the driver intentionally threw the dog at our officers,” according to DPD.
Contact Natalie Davies at ndavies@freepress.com.
Detroit, MI
Detroit Sandwich Week is arriving: What local restaurants are doing
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Free Press food writer Susan Selasky tries out the new 7-Eleven Japanese Style Egg Salad sandwich.
After Thursday’s Christmas holiday, it’s time to get ready for what’s become an annual tasty Detroit event.
This Friday starts the week sandwiched between Christmas and New Year’s.
And in Detroit, that means it’s time to get ready for what’s become a Detroit tradition, founded by a Detroiter: Detroit Sandwich Week.
The annual Detroit Sandwich Week celebrates five days and seven events of sandwiches at local restaurants.
It’s been a dozen years since local sandwich and overall food enthusiast Carlos Parisi came up with the idea of Detroit Sandwich Week to help support local businesses during a slow time.
Doing so also allowed Parisi to take sandwiches to another level.
“It’s beautiful because what Sandwich Week has done is given me a chance and an opportunity to do so much more,” Parisi said. “I started a podcast and was able to host TV shows and now the sandwich party, the Detroit sandwich party, which is insanely successful. It all stems from sandwich week.”
Parisi is also the owner and founder of Aunt Nee’s, whose products include Detroit-made tortilla chips, salsa and guacamole sold at Eastern Market and several metro Detroit stores.
Detroit Sandwich Week started out while Parisi worked at a corporate job. During the holiday season, Parisi and others were able to take longer lunch hours and got the idea to help support local businesses during the period between Christmas and New Year’s.
While over the years the event grew, it’s stayed true to its mission of supporting local businesses. Each year, the event typically draws hundreds of people to stop in a select group of sandwich shops.
Parisi said that while Sandwich Week was something he first started with friends, it’s now taken on a life of its own.
“It’s really cool because in the lexicon of Detroit, you hear other people say sandwich week,” he said. “That’s so amazing because we know that what that means is, it’s the week between the two holidays where we go and support small business. And celebrate it by eating sandwiches.”
Events this year include a ticketed dinner and the final Detroit Sandwich Week party.
This year’s Detroit Sandwich Week kicks off noon-3 p.m. Friday at Mudgie’s Deli & Wine Shop on Brooklyn Street in Corktown.
Founded by the late Greg Mudge, the famed Corktown spot is known for its hearty sandwiches piled with fresh-cut meats and cheese, soups and its wine shop. Mudge, who died in September 2021, name is now officially on a secondary street sign above the Brooklyn Street sign in Corktown.
Other sandwich stops are:
- Vesper, 5001 Grand River Ave., Detroit, noon-3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 27. A wine bar and cookbook store, Vesper is in a former bank building in Detroit’s Core City. Ayiti Spaghetti, a pop-up, joins Vesper.
- Ladder 4 Wine Bar, noon-3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 28. Located in a Detroit neighborhood, Ladder 4 Wine Bar is in a restored former 1910 Detroit Fire Department house. In 2023, Ladder 4 Wine Bar was named the Detroit Free Press/Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers Restaurant of the Year.
- Dakota Inn Rathskeller, 6 p.m.-8 p.m. on Dec. 28. Featuring a 15-foot sandwich, this ticketed event takes place in the basement of the 90-plus-year-old Dakota Inn on John R. Tickets, available through a link on the Detroit Sandwich Party Instagram page, are $65 each. They include access to the sandwich, sides and two drinks. A cash bar is available.
- Rocco’s Italian Deli, 3627 Cass Ave., Detroit, noon, Dec. 29. This Midtown deli is known not only for deli sandwiches, but cocktails, specialty wines, cured meats, cheeses and olives.
- Tall Trees Café, 817 Livernois, Ferndale, noon Dec. 30. Tall Trees Café is a sandwich shop and lunch counter.
- Batch Brewing, 1400 Porter Street. On Dec. 30, a sandwich party starts at 6 p.m., and there’s a raffle with merch, gift cards and other items at 7 p.m. at the Corktown brewery.
Aside from the above specific events, places like Bev’s Bagels in Detroit’s Core City, Gonella’s in southwest Detroit, Last Chance Saloon and Pietrzyk Pierogi are participating with special sandwiches during the week.
Parisi also founded Detroit Sandwich Party, which once again drew thousands for last September’s event, its second, at Eastern Market. The sandwich festival is taking place again this year at Eastern Market and pays homage to the humble sandwich, featuring lots and lots of sandwiches, plus music and drinks. Parisi said he expects the event to be bigger this year.
Contact Detroit Free Press food and restaurant writer Susan Selasky and send food and restaurant news and tips to: sselasky@freepress.com. Follow @SusanMariecooks on Twitter. Subscribe to the Free Press. Subscribe to the Eat Drink Freep newsletter for insider scoops on food and dining in metro Detroit.
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