(Fox Business) – Michigan’s health department has been fining a mother of six $1,000 per day for keeping her cafe open in violation of stay-at-home orders issued Nov. 15, documents obtained by FOX Business show.
Amy Heikken, the owner of Café Rosetta in Calumet, is refusing to pay multiple $1,000 fines for keeping her cafe open for indoor dining against state orders, and now she is facing legal challenges. Erik Kiilunen, a Michigan small business owner who founded the “All Business is Essential” campaign to keep Michigan businesses open and afloat during the pandemic, spoke on behalf of Heikken.
“Amy’s just got this sweet disposition. She doesn’t want to fight anybody,” Kiilunen told FOX Business of Heikken’s legal battle with the state. “She doesn’t want any of this.” “She was divorced nine years ago from a rough situation, she’s got six kids, she was on welfare — nowhere to go,” Kiilunen said.
“So this girl decides to pick herself up, her brother decides to help her — they buy Café Rosetta. Now, Amy has a place to focus her energy positively. She loves baking. She’s the sweetest thing you’ve ever met.” Café Rosetta employs 30 people, and with snow on the ground in Michigan, Heikken can’t afford to close indoor dining, Kiilunen said. He added that she can’t wear a mask in line with her doctor’s orders due to a thyroid condition. READ MORE
