Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan • Page A1

llllllr lnE JIB I a 1 rAl ATJ I IJM 1 2014 AWARDS Free Press celebrates Michigan's I I "I "1 II II II II lf tft MMI i- DETROIT Af, 'on ss Green Leaders SPECIAL SECTION, 1B 8, BEATEN DOWN A once vibrant neighborhood becomes the site of mob attack Did state agency lobby to bend rules on pollutants at steel mill? E-mails show Dearborn plant's bid to avoid current air quality regulations By Keith Matheny Free Press Staff Writer The Michigan Economic Development Gov. Rick Snyder's business-promoting agency, worked for months behind the scenes with one of the state's most flagrantly polluting businesses as the company lobbied the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality for permission to release even higher levels of pollutants and avoid current air quality regulations, DEQ e-mails obtained by DETAILqJ 3 iflfl! At 1 MITCH ALBOM It happened to Sterling, and it could happen to you wmmu A BETTER MICHIGAN, 17A the Free Press show. The Severstal Dearborn steel plant, one of Michigan's worst air polluters, wants to "correct" its 2006 state emissions permit to allow the release of harmful pollutants at levels up to 725 times higher than the permit initially allowed. IN PLANT'S SHADOW Watch a video of teenagers running track in the state's most polluted ZIP code. ROCHELLE RILEY: CLIPPERS OWNER CAN UNITE US AGAINST HATE.

4A TOP: The area where Steven Utash was beaten April 2. ABOVE: Family photo of Utash, who is now in a rehab facility. RIGHT: Mike Shirdel talks with Denby High student Nick Terry outside his antiques shop. BOTTOM RIGHT: Wonzey Saffold, left, Latrez Cummings, James Davis and Bruce Wimbush Jr. in court.

Plant officials also want their request considered only under 2006 environmental regulations, meaning they would avoid current state and federal rules that would require greater protection of the surrounding neighborhood's air quality and cost the company millions. But MEDC's assistance with the process has some residents and environmentalists raising questions. See STEEL, Page15A Business TOM WALSH Fields talks time, how he'll manage it at Ford 24' REBOOT Jack Bauer is back, and so is Downriver girl Rajskub ENTERTAINMENT, 1F PHOTOS BY JAR RAD HENDERSON AND MANDI WRIGHTDFP ground, a mob forming around him, kicking and punching. This all went down in front of a forlorn white building marked "Antiques" in big letters, where Shirdel, a native Iranian, once drew business from the well-to-do of the Grosse Pointes and beyond. Today, the store brings in people, mostly on foot, who are looking for push mowers or $8 kids' bicycles or just a friendly chat.

Shirdel, 74, said he opened this place 28 years ago, and he has witnessed the changes here and in the neighborhood. Business has gotten so slow, he considers his shop more of a hobby. So he sits See BEATING, Page 13A By Jim Schaefer and Gina Damron Detroit Free Press Staff Writers There was a commotion across the street. Mike Shirdel stepped out to see the scene unfold from his old antiques shop, now a ramshackle version of the vibrant place it once was. Sort of like the neighborhood itself.

A boy lay on the ground outside the nearby gas station, crying after a pickup hit him. The driver, Steven Utash, pulled over and got out to check on him. People gathered, upset by the child's cries, and soon someone took a swing. The next thing anyone knew, Utash was on the Mark Fields, who takes over as president and CEO of Ford on July 1, will be juggling more demands than ever before on his time. He talks to Free Press columnist Tom Walsh about making the most of it.

1C Vows of poverty amid a celebration of royalty MIXED BAG: RAIN, SUN, CLOUDS, COOL Warmer, drier week ahead. FORECAST, 2A INDEX Bridge 2R Business 1C Corrections Deaths 21A 17A Entertainment Horoscope. John Belkoff, known as Father Pachomy, stands in the sanctuary of St. Sabbas the Sanctified Orthodox Monastery, which was founded 15 years ago on a quiet side street in Harper Woods. REGINA H.

BOONEDFP JOHN CARLISLE Life 1E Lottery 2A Metro 4A Movies 8F Puzzles. Real 1G Travel 6F It's time to take the mystery out of Medicare and health care reform. Learn more about our Medicare plans at a free Medicare Workshop. TTYTDD Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Vol.183, Number 365 2014 Detroit Free Press Printed in the U.S. WLM ii i mum iiiii SI Medicare Solutions 40788 11 40000 $2.00 HARPER WOODS This is how the royals lived. An antique teapot is placed on the white linen tablecloth before the guests. Lox and beef canapes are presented on a three-tiered server. The voices of chanting monks fill the background.

Like everything else at the Royal Eagle restaurant, from the massive 17th-century carved wood buffet to the china cabinet full of silver THE MONKS' STORY Watch a video of the monks talking about their move to Harper Woods. Russian royal dynasty. "It was very classy," said chef Petr Balcarovsky, who runs the Royal Eagle. "Kind of a high-scale era when people were focused on a lot of beautiful and unique and genuine things, and the Russian Court was very much focused on getting high-quality items put on their table. See CARLISLE, Page 14A 1W Health Alliance Plan (hmo, hmo-pos) and Alliance Health Life Insurance Co.

(ppo, pdp) are plans with a Medicare contract. Enrollment in the plans depends on contract renewals. Y0076ALL 2014107 T65 CMC ACCEPTED 10082013 goblets, this tea ceremony is meant to evoke a whisper of the lost elegance of the last.