Michigan Deli Set on Fire- and Police Say It Was on Purpose

This story just makes my stomach sink. A beloved Michigan deli and wine shop was set on fire earlier this week, and now, the police are saying it was arson.

I seriously can't believe it. Late last year, a bar that I used to work at during college burned down, too, but it was quickly deemed an accidental kitchen fire. That was heartbreaking enough. I can only imagine if it were actual arson.

Detroit's Mudgie's Deli and Wine Shop was on fire early Thursday morning (March 10), and as mentioned, officials say it wasn't by accident. The Detroit Fire Department is investigating the fire as an arson, Deputy Fire Commissioner Dave Fornell says. "Investigators have determined the fire was intentionally set on the exterior of the building," Fornell told the Detroit Free Press.

Thankfully, according to Fornell, there wasn't a lot of damage to the property. It took firefighters about an hour to put out the flames. "Luckily, one of the neighbors saw the fire, called us," he tells the Free Press. "We were able to extinguish the fire with minimal damage to the outside. And there was a bit of damage inside, but that was minimal as well."

Fornell added that the restaurant will probably be able to open again, but it will ultimately be up to the restaurant owners. Greg Mudge, who started the deli, passed away last year at age 46. He opened the business in 2008. Here's hoping the restaurant owners are able to open again soon and get their lives back.

Moving to a county with good schools is an important goal for many families with children. Here in Michigan, we're fortunate to have some highly rated public school districts throughout the state, whether you're in the Mitten or Upper Peninsula.

So, if you're looking to live in a county with the highest-rated public schools in Michigan, where should you turn? The staff at Niche.com has put together a study to answer that question and help families find the best public education in their area.

"The 'Counties with the Best Public Schools' ranking provides a comprehensive overall assessment of the public education available at the county level," the Niche.com crew states in the study. "This ranking takes into account the grades of all the public schools of the district(s) that serve an area and weighs each school’s score by the number of students the school serves. The same methodology is used to produce the Public Schools Grade for each ranked county as well as additional places. Statistics are primarily obtained from the U.S. Census and represent the most recent data available."

For the study, they didn't just go by numbers, either. They also asked actual residents for their thoughts on public schools throughout the state. "First, we carefully selected each ranking’s factors to represent a healthy balance between statistical rigor and practical relevance in the ranking," they explain.

Read on for the full list of the 50 Michigan counties with the best public schools in the state. The county in which I grew up is in here, which makes me happy, because I had a great experience at my public school. My parents actually taught at my school, too, but that's a whole different story. No matter where you live, changes are you'll find a county near you with a great educational rating. The list begins with the best Michigan county for public schools and descends.

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