What were some of the biggest headlines in Monroe this year? 2023 in review

Suzanne Nolan Wisler, The Monroe News
·1 min read

Some of Monroe County's 2023 headlines:

January: Dr. Lesly Pompy acquitted on distributing pain medication and health care fraud charges

February: Ice storm hits the county

March: Murder at the former Boysville facility; land cleared for Ford Packaging Plant

April: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer visits Port of Monroe; Michael Roehrig retires as prosecutor; tornado in Dundee

May: IHM gets new owner

June: Murals begin popping up in Monroe; first tornado of the year in Frenchtown Township; smoke from Canadian wildfires comes to Monroe County

Smoke from wildfires in Canada made its way to Monroe this summer. This scene shows the River Raisin Riverwalk at the Martin Luther King Bridge in the City of Monroe looking east. The smoke created a fog-like image.
Smoke from wildfires in Canada made its way to Monroe this summer. This scene shows the River Raisin Riverwalk at the Martin Luther King Bridge in the City of Monroe looking east. The smoke created a fog-like image.

July: DTE announces plans to shut down Monroe Power Plant three years early; KOA Campgrounds closes swimming access

August: Monroe County Fair sets attendance record; ProMedica Monroe Regional Hospital announces it will not build a new location; second tornado of the year in Frenchtown Township; floods throughout the county

Briella Pearce sold popcorn during the Combine Demolition Derby at the 2023 Monroe County Fair. The fair set an attendance record in 2023.
Briella Pearce sold popcorn during the Combine Demolition Derby at the 2023 Monroe County Fair. The fair set an attendance record in 2023.

September: Work begins at Frenchtown Municipal Center; carjacking in Monroe

October: Pastor Heather Boone announces plans to leave Oaks of Righteousness; St. Mary Catholic Central High School announces plans to build stadium at former Boysville site

December: Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg visits the Port of Monroe

Some of the Monroe County residents who died in 2023:

Dr. David Nixon, former Monroe County Community College president

Floreine Mentel, public servant

Ward Olson, coach

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Cate Windleborn, Monroe High School teacher

Barbara Mazur, former director of Frenchtown Center for Active Adult

Erv Yoas, longtime oldest man at the Monroe County Fair

— Contact reporter Suzanne Nolan Wisler at swisler@monroenews.com.

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Monroe County's biggest news headlines in 2023