The pictures stay on the lawn. 

That's the upshot as the city of Grosse Pointe Park withdraws its appeal of a lower court ruling that found its sign ordinance unconstitutional.

The Park city fathers had gone after Erica Chappuis, and her husband, Laurent Chappuis, for erecting her paintings in their front yard, charging they violated the burb's sign ordinance, which requires permits.

But after the Chappuises appealed the local municipal court ruling against them, Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Bruce Morrow agreed with the charismatic artist that the city ordinance was unconstitutional in a September ruling. The city appealed to the Michigan Court of Appeals but city attorney Dennis Levasseur told News Hits this week that the petition has been withdrawn at the direction of the city council. 

"We are looking at the sign ordinance as a whole," he says.

News Hits was written by Metro Times staff writer Sandra Svoboda. You can reach her at 313-202-8015 or ssvoboda@metrotimes.com.