Detroit Free Press

freep.com — A man who gained YouTube notoriety after he was recorded running naked on Mack Avenue in Grosse Pointe Woods during rush hour was arraigned today in municipal court. Jeffrey Thompson, 30, of Livonia, dressed in a suit, stood mute and waived a formal reading of the charges.

freep.com — Detroit Free Press Travel Writer Ellen Creager shares her Top 10 underrated Michigan attractions. 1. Lumberman's Monument, Oscoda Township. Grand view of the wide Au Sable River looking much as it did a century ago. 2. Agate Beach at Hunter's Point, Copper Harbor. Clear, bracing air and these shiny stones make an unforgettable beach north of town.

freep.com — Former Michigan State and Detroit Lions wide receiver Charles Rogers appeared in a Saginaw County courtroom today without legal representation. "He doesn't have a lawyer yet," Saginaw County Prosecutor Michael D. Thomas told the Free Press. "He asked the court to appoint him a lawyer, so they asked him to fill out an affidavit.

freep.com — The Wayne County Commission is expected to vote Thursday to censure County Executive Robert Ficano, essentially issuing a rebuke one week after rejecting a commissioner's call for Ficano's resignation.

freep.com — Detroit police and EMS workers said Leslie Brooks died of natural causes during the weekend. But when his body arrived at a funeral home, the mortician saw it differently. As she prepared to embalm the 59-year-old Brooks on Saturday morning, mortician Gail Washington peered at a small burned area on his skin, right above his heart.

freep.com — Detroit police and EMS workers said Leslie Brooks died of natural causes during the weekend. But when his body arrived at a funeral home, the mortician saw it differently. As she prepared to embalm the 59-year-old Brooks on Saturday morning, mortician Gail Washington peered at a small burned area on his skin, right above his heart.

freep.com — Most people might leave their pets behind when going for a drink at the local watering hole. Not Jerald Reiter, a longtime farmer and exotic pet owner. The Cascade man's arrest Sunday outside the Dog House Lounge in Dubuque on a charge of operating while intoxicated gained attention across the state when it was reported that he had a zebra and a macaw inside his vehicle.

freep.com — Most people might leave their pets behind when going for a drink at the local watering hole. Not Jerald Reiter, a longtime farmer and exotic pet owner. The Cascade man's arrest Sunday outside the Dog House Lounge in Dubuque on a charge of operating while intoxicated gained attention across the state when it was reported that he had a zebra and a macaw inside his vehicle.

freep.com — When you compete against Iron River's Nick Baumgartner, you're in for a battle. Baumgartner, 30, is a former all-state wrestler at 189 pounds, an Upper Peninsula hurdles standout and all-state football player. Oh, yes, he's an Olympic snowboarder and winner of a gold medal in 2011 and silver medal this year in snowboard cross at the Winter X Games in Aspen, Colo.

freep.com — Detroit police and EMS workers said Leslie Brooks died of natural causes during the weekend. But when his body arrived at a funeral home, the mortician saw it differently. As she prepared to embalm the 59-year-old Brooks on Saturday morning, mortician Gail Washington peered at a small burned area on his skin, right above his heart.

freep.com — Detroit police and EMS workers said Leslie Brooks died of natural causes during the weekend. But when his body arrived at a funeral home, the mortician saw it differently. As she prepared to embalm the 59-year-old Brooks on Saturday morning, mortician Gail Washington peered at a small burned area on his skin, right above his heart.

freep.com — The council was divided this morning on how much of the budget it can approve - Thursday is the deadline - because it's a byproduct of the April 4 consent agreement that prevented appointment of an emergency manager for Detroit but gave the state major oversight of the city's troubled finances.

freep.com — The FBI says that sometime between April 27-29, the Andy Warhol silkscreen used to produce "Flowers" and 18 works by other artists were stolen from a business in Detroit's Corktown neighborhood. The feds would not identify the victim or the business, but said the works were not on display - nor locked up.

freep.com — Moody's upgraded Ford's credit rating today in a move that means the automaker's Blue Oval logo and other assets are no longer held captive as collateral for the loans that helped the automaker restructure. The ratings agency restored Ford to investment-grade, boosting its senior unsecured rating from Ba2 to Baa3.

freep.com — Loved ones remembered Jonathan Hoffman today as a funny kid who was great at working on computers. The funeral services for the 17-year-old shot to death at his West Bloomfield home last week are under way this morning in Southfield.

freep.com — Because there's usually a kayak on my truck, people often ask where I'm going paddling. And when I say I'm headed for the Detroit River, the reaction often is something like: "Yuck!" Little do those people know that the Detroit River is one of the best urban paddling areas in America.

freep.com — U.S. automakers and other advertisers are spending more to develop free Facebook content than they are paying Facebook for online ads, underscoring the challenges facing the social network, whose stock price plunged about 11% to $34.03 Monday on just the second day of trading.

freep.com — Detroit Public Schools officials announced Monday that the Detroit School of Arts will partner with leading civic and cultural institutions as the first in a plan to create 10 self-governing schools that will decide their own academic and financial curricula for the 2012-13 school year.

freep.com — A West Bloomfield grandmother will be arraigned on a charge of open murder today in connection with the shooting death of her 17-year-old grandson, according to the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office. In the meantime, 74-year-old Sandra Layne, a retired schoolteacher, sits in a cell at the West Bloomfield Police Department as funeral plans are made for her grandson, Jonathan Hoffman, her lawyer, Mitch Ribitwer said.

freep.com — Mark Sellers, owner of HopCat in Grand Rapids, is offering $1.50 pints from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. to celebrate Grand Rapids' designation as 2012 BeerCity USA, according to a National Beer Examiner poll. His supporters lobbying through social media had a lot to do with the victory.

freep.com — Kristen Wiig might have played her last skit as a cast member on "Saturday Night Live." It certainly appeared that way as Saturday's show closed with a sweet graduation skit filled with Wiig dancing one-by-one with her castmates -- past and present -- before everyone sang the Rolling Stones' song, "Ruby Tuesday," with the lyrics, "Still I'm going to miss you."

freep.com — Wide receiver Titus Young was one of four Detroit Lions who missed the start of organized team activities today, after he instigated a fight with safety Louis Delmas during workouts last week, according to two people with knowledge of the incident.

freep.com — Mark Sellers, owner of HopCat in Grand Rapids, is offering $1.50 pints from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. to celebrate Grand Rapids' designation as 2012 BeerCity USA, according to a National Beer Examiner poll. His supporters lobbying through social media had a lot to do with the victory.

freep.com — Mark Sellers, owner of HopCat in Grand Rapids, is offering $1.50 pints from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. to celebrate Grand Rapids' designation as 2012 BeerCity USA, according to a National Beer Examiner poll. His supporters lobbying through social media had a lot to do with the victory.

freep.com — It looks like funny girl Kristen Wiig said her good-bye over the weekend after seven years as a cast member on 'Saturday Night Live.' Wiig, in the last sketch during Saturday's season finale, donned a cap and gown alongside guest host Mick Jagger, who acted up as the principal during the high school graduation bit.

freep.com — Tina Everard feels for the 4-year-olds who enter her kindergarten classroom at the beginning of the school year. They're the ones who would rather play when it's time for reading and math. They struggle to stay focused. And, developmentally, they don't seem ready for the rigors of today's kindergarten classroom.

freep.com — Early adopters of electric vehicles have to dig deep into their wallets to make the purchase, but some are reaping unexpected savings on their insurance bills. Insurance premiums vary widely based on driving history, local crime and vehicle theft rates, but experts said owners of vehicles such as the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf can generally expect a lower insurance premium.

freep.com — A sanctuary for up to 200 cats has received preliminary approval from the Warren Animal Welfare Commission and is headed to the City Council for approval. Cat Tail Acres sanctuary would like to relocate from a house in Webberville to a house in south Warren, to make it easier for founder Lisa Koester, who lives in Warren, to care for the cats.

freep.com — If you think being a sports columnist in Detroit is one of the greatest jobs in the world, you are underselling it. It's so preposterously awesome that when I tell people what I do for a living, I actually feel guilty. It's like telling them I have a mutant gene that turns chocolate into muscle.

live.freep.com — Our first-ever Freep Sports Happy Hour will begin at 4 p.m. Monday. Think of this as a digital sports bar with other Detroit fans. Is there a topic you'd like to discuss? Pick a name below and submit one now!