Detroit, MI
Stabenow, USDA official visit Detroit, salute schools and farmers for student meal effort ⋆ Michigan Advance
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Under Secretary Stacy Dean and U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Lansing) on Friday visited Detroit’s Eastern Market and led a roundtable to celebrate school meal programs and local farmers.
“We definitely have a department that gets it and we definitely have a state that gets it,” said Stabenow, who chairs the U.S. Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee.
“In the end,” Stabenow added, “it’s about feeding our children, otherwise it doesn’t cut it.”
They toured the market, which opened 1898 and is one of the nation’s oldest continually operating institutions. Federal and state officials, as well as Michigan farmers – both urban and rural – and local school administrators touted USDA school meal programs, which include farm-to-school programs and summer meal programs for children.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a Fiscal Year (FY) budget that includes $160 million to fund free school meals for students for the year. There’s also bipartisan legislation that would make that funding permanent.
U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (L) and USDA Deputy Under Secretary Stacy Dean (R) at the Eastern Market in Detroit, Feb. 2, 2024 | Ken Coleman
U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, USDA Deputy Under Secretary Stacy Dean and other leaders at the Eastern Market in Detroit, Feb. 2, 2024 | Ken Coleman
U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (C) and USDA Deputy Under Secretary Stacy Dean (R) in Detroit, Feb. 2, 2024 | Ken Coleman
U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, USDA Deputy Under Secretary Stacy Dean and other leaders at the Eastern Market in Detroit, Feb. 2, 2024 | Ken Coleman
Also joining Stabenow and Dean, a University of Michigan alum, were Michigan Department of Education Deputy Superintendent Diane Golzynski; Eastern Market Director Dan Carmody; state House Education Committee Chair Matt Koleszar (D-Plymouth); and School Nutrition Association of Michigan President Dan Conners.
Dean applauded Congress and President Joe Biden to have “flexible funding” to collaborate with farmers and schools to provide healthy meals for children. She also praised Michigan’s efforts to connect school districts with in-state farmers.
“That is the goal: Breaking down some of the disconnects where you have some school districts who are buying food for five states away,” Dean said. “That’s not the best, and we want to bring the best.”
Speaking to farm-to-school programs was Kevin Frank, Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) senior director of culinary services. He was pleased to hear more about the federal and state efforts to strengthen the relationship between farmers and public schools. DPSCD serves more than 33,000 lunch meals per day to Motor City children.
“We have a lot of local growers in the city of Detroit who are operating local farms of that nature. And it’s my responsibility as an economic agent to make sure that, to the extent that I can, we’re helping them to further their cause,” Frank told the Advance after the roundtable discussion. “The reality is that their children are my students. I’m feeding their children. I owe it to those families and the city to do everything that I can to ensure that the food that I’m serving on my plate comes from these local farms.”
GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
A 75-year-old Wixom man who was allegedly attacked by a DoorDash driver back in December has died from his injuries on May 16, his family says
Lloyd Poole’s stepdaughter, Lindsey Gonzalez, tells CBS Detroit that Poole and his wife had just gotten back from Ireland before this alleged attack, and they had plans to travel to Alaska.
“It stinks that basically my mom and his golden years of traveling and being retired was taken away by this man,” said Gonzalez.
“He had seven different brain surgeries during that time, numerous infections during that time. He ended up with pneumonia a couple times. It was just a downwhirl spiral since everything happened that night,” said Gonzalez.
Police say on Dec. 28, officers were called to the area of Barberry Circle and Windingway Drive for a report of a man lying unconscious in the roadway. Authorities say that 40-year-old Ryan Daniel Turner, a DoorDash driver, went to the police station and admitted to punching Poole after he was confronted for speeding through the neighborhood.
“The medical examiner did rule the cause of death as homicide by blunt force head trauma,” Gonzalez told CBS Detroit.
Records show that Turner was arraigned on one count of aggravated assault. He is due back in court for a pre-trial hearing. However, Poole’s family says they are frustrated that Turner is out on bond.
“I mean, he’s out on bond on house arrest on a tether, so he’s not going anywhere, but he’s still sitting out, and this happened to Lloyd,” said Gonzalez.
CBS News Detroit reached out to the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office, which says it is aware of Poole’s death. It is unclear if charges will be updated.
The Detroit Lions checked off a major item from their offseason to-do list Thursday.
They inked linebacker Jack Campbell, the heart and soul of their defense, to a four-year contract extension worth $81 million (reportedly $51.5 million guaranteed). It was a well-deserved extension for Campbell, who was named to his first Pro Bowl and earned first-team AP All-Pro honors in 2025.
The 25-year-old will enter the 2026 season as the second-highest paid off-ball linebacker in the NFL at $20.25 million per year, trailing only San Francisco’s Fred Warner ($21M/year).
Campbell led all Lions defenders – and finished second in the league – with 176 tackles last season, while playing in all but eight of the team’s 1,105 defensive snaps. He also notched career-high totals in sacks (five), forced fumbles (three) and fumble recoveries (two) while recording a Pro Football Focus overall grade of 90.2. It marked the second-best PFF overall grade among 88 qualified linebackers a season ago.
In addition to his high-level production, Campbell has donned the green dot and served as the de facto “quarterback” of the defense the last two seasons, relaying calls to the rest of the unit from Detroit’s defensive coaching staff.
Lions head man Dan Campbell offered high praise for the middle linebacker this past December.
“He’s our bell cow,” Campbell said. “He’s smart and he’s instinctive, and he is snap to whistle all out, all the time. In practice, too. And he doesn’t take plays off, he doesn’t take days off. He goes after the football, he’s a ball guy. So, he’s invaluable.”
Additional Lions Insider Analysis: Exploring If Germany Game Will Significantly Impact Lions 2026 Season
The fourth-year pro has grown into an immensely valuable member of Detroit’s defense, morphing from an inconsistently productive, part-time starter in 2023 (57.3 PFF grade) to one of the NFL’s very best linebackers. And the Iowa product has proven to be especially proficient against the run, with no less than a 75.9 PFF run-defense grade in his first three NFL seasons.
Campbell has proven time and time again he’s capable of captaining a defense, and he’s more than validated Detroit general manager Brad Holmes’ initially criticized decision to select an off-ball linebacker at No. 18 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft.
“This is Jack Campbell’s defense,” Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard told reporters at the NFL combine in February. “And I don’t hesitate when I say that. This is Jack Campbell’s defense, and everybody in that locker room knows it, point blank, period. It all goes through Jack.”
He’s more than earned the right to be the leader of Sheppard’s unit, and Detroit should be in good hands with Campbell patrolling the middle of the defense in 2026.
Holmes & Co. made an extremely wise decision locking up the gritty linebacker until 2030 and should be commended for such. At this present juncture, I believe the Campbell extension deserves an “A” grade.
Follow
The Southfield Freeway was closed Thursday night after a shooting occurred in the area of M-39 near Joy Road, the Michigan State Police reported on X.
“Troopers are currently in the preliminary stages of the investigation, and additional information will be released as it becomes available,” the state police said.
Officials said the freeway is expected to remain closed for “several hours while investigators process the scene.” There was no indication about whether anyone was injured in the shooting. The state police gave no further details.
“The roadway will be reopened as soon as the investigation allows,” the state police said.
rburr@detroitnews.com
-
Dallas, TX2 minutes ago11 Dallas neighbors declared best places to live and more top stories
-
Miami, FL8 minutes agoDolphins 90 in 90: Tight end Greg Dulcich looking to build in 2026
-
Boston, MA14 minutes agoRed Sox’s Trade Market Desires Reported By Boston Insider
-
Denver, CO20 minutes agoRookie LB Red Murdock is anything but Irrelevant and gives the Broncos a tackling and fumble forcing machine
-
Seattle, WA26 minutes agoWhere to watch Seattle Mariners vs Kansas City Royals: TV channel, start time, streaming for May 23
-
San Diego, CA32 minutes agoSan Diego startup is hacking plant DNA to end farming’s chemical dependence
-
Milwaukee, WI38 minutes agoBaby Keem hits the jackpot at ‘Ca$ino’ tour stop in Milwaukee
-
Atlanta, GA44 minutes agoAmber alert for 2 missing kids; ‘Operation Lockdown’
