UTICA — On Jan. 14, the Barczyk family and the entire team at the Reptarium announced the passing of founder Brian Barczyk at the age of 54.

ST. CLAIR SHORES — Dan Chimelak, known locally as “Captain Dan,” worked at Lakeside Fishing Shop and as a charter captain for over 40 years. He enjoyed helping people fish.

SOUTHFIELD — Southfield resident Brea Hartsfield has her eyes set on the FBI.

ST. CLAIR SHORES — St. Clair Shores resident Karl Schwarzwalder wanted to give back to the community, and he did that by helping to plan various events throughout the year.

MOUNT CLEMENS — About a quarter of a mile separates the Anton Art Center from Advancing Macomb’s offices in Mount Clemens. The short walk down Macomb Place only takes a few minutes at a solid clip, but few people’s trips match the magnitude of Phil Gilchrist’s.

METRO DETROIT — Lisa Vergos has been a nurse with Corewell Health — formerly Beaumont Hospital — for approximately 20 years.

BERKLEY — The first woman mayor in Berkley’s history has died.

STERLING HEIGHTS — For a noon weekday ceremony honoring a high school football coach, it’s difficult to picture what type of audience will show up. Unless that ceremony is for Sterling Heights Stevenson’s Rick Bye, because his impact is immeasurable through not just Stevenson but Utica Schools Community.

BIRMINGHAM — The city of Birmingham established an Ad Hoc Aging in Place Committee to work toward the city’s goal of making it more realistic for older adults to remain in Birmingham as they age.

STERLING HEIGHTS — When Julia Frueh got married in November, she knew she wanted the occasion to be somewhere special. And for her, that place was the church at Grace Centers of Hope in Pontiac.

STERLING HEIGHTS — Upon leaving military life about a decade ago, retired U.S. Army Sgt. Darrell Kingsberry Jr.’s life, in his words, had “been up and down,” sometimes fortunate and other times not-so-fortunate.

MOUNT CLEMENS — Karlin Traylor is a woman of many hats. Around Macomb County, she’s known as one of the owners of the Slaw Dogsz food trucks and as a daycare operator. But this winter marks a big step forward in one of her other passions.

DETROIT — Every time Ella Ben Ami needs advice, she can always count on her dad to share his wisdom.

GROSSE POINTE SHORES — An exhibition on display until the end of December at the Detroit Historical Museum has no doubt gotten Metro Detroiters of a certain age thinking back to their favorite holiday memories of the old Hudson’s department store downtown.

ST. CLAIR SHORES — Mike Koch has a long history of volunteering with the Goodfellows and local school districts to help kids grow into outstanding citizens and young adults.

CLINTON TOWNSHIP — Culinary arts students at Clintondale High School had a special day in class on Nov. 6 when Clintondale grad and Meadowbrook Country Club executive chef Nathan Oldham returned to his old stomping grounds.

ROSEVILLE — When Theresa Genest was first elected to the Roseville Community Schools Board of Education in the late 1980s, she and the other board members had the task of appointing the new superintendent.

GROSSE POINTE FARMS — A piece of Grosse Pointe Farms history has been recognized in a unique way.

SHELBY TOWNSHIP — They might have been the longest seconds of her life as Shelby Township resident Eryn Stanton awaited the results of the 2023 National Horse Show in Lexington, Kentucky.

WARREN — Before leaving office as Warren’s mayor, James Fouts renamed a street in honor of a longtime Warren resident who advocates for dystonia awareness and supports efforts to find a cure.