Bloomfield Township voters in the November 3 general election this year will be deciding the fate of a proposed bond issue for construction of a new police station and rebuilding fire station number 3 on Maple Road, bringing to a close discussions and study by township officials and contracted building experts since the fall of 2023 to address public safety needs in the township.

Birmingham police captain Ryan Kearny was tapped to be the city’s next police chief during the Monday, August 12, city commission meeting.

Linda Solomon, a member of the newly formed City of Birmingham Community House Foundation Board, established a little less than two months ago, has resigned.

Updates are coming soon to three city parks after Birmingham City Commissioners approved a plan for parks and recreation bond spending during the Monday, August 12, commission meeting.

With an increase in pickleball courts there has also been an increase in concern from Bloomfield Township residents about the popular game, with the noise being many people’s major complaint, as township planners were reminded last week on Wednesday August 5.

Hard to miss but just in case, this weekend is the annual Woodward Dream Cruise and the city of Birmingham will be hosting an event downtown on Saturday. The Birmingham Cruise Event this Saturday, August 15, runs from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. along South Old Woodward Avenue. You can see nearly 200 classic cars on display, explore sponsor displays and interactive exhibits from Chevrolet and more, and hear live broadcasts from WOMC 104.3 FM. New this year, in addition to the classic car

While the City of Birmingham finalized the purchase of The Community House (TCH) in early July for $5.2 million, the actual cost to city taxpayers was considerably higher thanks to legal fees of over $400,000 paid by the city to the law firm handling court matters related to the community building. The city, in response to a Freedom of information Act (FOIA) request filed by Downtown Newsmagazine, reported that for the time period of November of 2025 through July 25 of this y

The room seemed to be waiting with bated breath as the roll call played out for whether or not the Bloomfield Township Planning Commission was going to give their recommendation for the Hamlet at Bloomfield Manor development to move forward to the board of trustees, which they ultimately did not.

The Birmingham Shopping District's (BSD) Birmingham Cruise Event returns to South Old Woodward Avenue in the heart of downtown Birmingham on Saturday, August 15, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the Woodward Dream Cruise. Visitors can explore nearly 200 classic cars, sponsor displays and interactive exhibits from Chevrolet and more, and enjoy live broadcasts from WOMC 104.3 FM. New this year, in addition to the classic cars, a limited number of exotic cars will be featured in the

The board of directors of the City of Birmingham Community House Foundation made a couple of decisions on Thursday, July 23, to continue with organization of the community center, including creating committees of the board, and determining the future of the Early Childhood Center(ECC). According the information released by the board, the foundation considered several proposals for continuing with the ECC and decided to commit to a lease of the space to the Birmingham Public

Birmingham city staff reported three new rental code violations during the Monday, July 27, city commission meeting, outlining the city’s recent enforcement of rental property violations and briefly discussing the planning board’s progress on developing ordinance language that limits short-term rentals.

A proposed 10 cent sustainability fee on parking transactions in Birmingham was again set aside by the city commission during the Monday, July 27, meeting, after commissioners remained divided over whether the proposal meant residents were being overburdened with offsetting carbon emissions.

Finalizing a plan of action and next steps for the Bloomfield Township Police Department space needs continued at the board of trustees meeting on Monday, July 27, with treasurer Michael Schostak bringing adjusted proposals and estimated operations costs to the board.

Discussions around Bloomfield Township’s financial position began to get heated before the board even presented anything, with residents expressing their thoughts during the public comment section of the board of trustees’ meeting on Monday, July 27.

Birmingham’s Lincoln Yard and its casual takeout restaurant Little Yard will close July 29 after a little more than two years in business.

The Birmingham homeowner who rented out his home on Westchester Way in mid-June where an advertised pool party drew a couple hundred persons is now facing six misdemeanor charges in district court, along with the person who rented the home and organized the party who is facing two charges. The homeowner, Alexander Simpson, age 42, was charged in 48th district court with disturbing the peace, violating the city noise ordinance, creating a public nuisance, gathering of disorder

Parkers in Birmingham may experience a small fee in the future as city commissioners took up discussions during the Monday, July 13, meeting, on a proposed 10 cent sustainability fee on parking transactions within the city’s parking system to generate funding for projects to offset vehicle-related carbon emissions.

After multiple meetings with the board of trustees over the last few months – both internally and at their monthly meetings – James Gallagher, Bloomfield Township Police Chief, once again came before the board to discuss the police department’s space needs on Monday, July 13.

The Birmingham Museum has received a Community Impact grant of $71,000 from the Community Foundation of Southeast Michigan for a special project to enhance the public experience of the Rouge ecosystem. The project will focus on the environmental and cultural importance of native plants, past and present. Museum Director Leslie Pielack developed the project as a unique collaboration of partners who are connected to the Rouge and its history. The project will achieve several.

Throughout 2025 the Bloomfield Township police department saw increases in many areas – new hires, community involvement, calls for service and certain types of crime – and police chief James Gallagher discussed all of the details at the board of trustees meeting on Monday, July 13.

Birmingham City Commissioners are expected to revisit the city’s allowable neighborhood noise levels after brief discussion towards the end of their meeting on Monday, July 13.

Mark your calendars for Saturday, July 25, for the largest annual retail event in the city of Birmingham – Day On The Town – often referred to as the day Birmingham goes on sale. The annual event will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on that Saturday and has proven popular for the discounted high-end merchandise that is offered at retail locations and on the streets of the city. Parking will be free at the five parking structures in the city. In addition to the shopping bonanza, fro

The City of Birmingham on Monday, July 6, closed on the $5.2 million purchase of The Community House building and property at 380 S. Bates Street in the downtown area, putting to rest a nearly nine-month issue surrounding the iconic community center that was announced for sale last November. Initially the closing on the sale was supposed to happen by the end of June but creditors to The Community House Association, which has been in bankruptcy court, agreed to an extension. O

The Birmingham Baldwin Public Library (BPL) has announced receipt of a donation of a bronze cast Otter sculpture made by renowned artist Marshall M. Fredericks, donated in June by Dr. Franziska Schoenfeld. The sculpture, purchased directly from Fredericks in 1993 by Drs. Robert and Franziska Schoenfeld, was affectionately known as “Otto” by their family. Dr. Schoenfeld chose BPL as the recipient of this gift with the hope that library visitors would enjoy seeing the sculpture

The Bloomfield Township Public Library will be presenting a program on Michigan Bald Eagles with Dr. Carl Palazzolo on Tuesday, July 21. During the hour-long program, wildlife veterinarian and author Dr. Palazzolo will share insights and photos from his nearly 50 years of caring for bald eagles. Program participants will also have the opportunity to take a photo with a bald eagle from Michigan Avian Experience and to purchase Dr. Palazzolo’s book, The Comeback of Our National

Michigan state Senator Mallory McMorrow (D- Royal Oak) announced this afternoon (Sunday, July 5) that she was formally suspending her campaign for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate seat now held by Democrat Gary Peters who announced last year he would not be seeking reelection. She first took office in the Michigan Senate in January of 2019 and gained statewide and national attention in April of 2022 when she responded from the Senate floor to accusations by another l

During a staff report on short-term rentals given at the end of the Monday, June 22, Birmingham City Commission meeting, city staff said they were actively looking into software to assist in the regulation of rental properties.

Italian deli and cafe La Pecora Nera, located at 135 Pierce Street in Birmingham, got the green light from the city’s planning board during the Wednesday, June 24, meeting for a proposed outdoor dining deck to be placed on the street outside their business.

A contract for sewer rehabilitation work through Birmingham’s 2026 sewer rehabilitation program was awarded during the Monday, June 22, meeting, moving the project forward through the consent agenda. The item was not pulled for separate discussion by any commissioner and was approved with the consent agenda in a 6-0 vote.

As part of a nationwide commemoration, there will be a public reading of the Declaration of Independence on the steps of the Birmingham City Hall on Wednesday, July 8, marking the 250th anniversary of the document’s first public reading in 1776. The free 40-minute event starts at 5:50 p.m., with the public reading beginning at 6 p.m. at 151 Martin Street. Six local community representatives will each read a section of the declaration, including Birmingham Mayor Clinton Baller

Nine individuals were selected to serve as the founding members of the new City of Birmingham Community House Foundation Board of Directors during the Monday, June 22, city commission meeting.

Birmingham could receive money from the Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) legal settlement involving per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) contamination.

Birmingham Police Chief Scott Grewe will be retiring from the police force effective July 17. The announcement about Grewe was made by Bimingham Mayor Clinton Baller at the Monday, June 22, city commission meeting. Baller said the city had received a letter from the police chief outlining that he had chosen to retire. No other details about the upcoming vacancy were provided. Grewe first joined the city police department in April of 1999 and held a number of key positions wit

Non-organized city employees will receive a pay bump, effective July 1, after city commissioners approved a market adjustment during the Monday, June 22, meeting.

Birmingham City Commissioners and Planning Board members continued a lengthy discussion on regulations for short-term rentals throughout the city during the Monday, June 15, joint workshop which at first was dominated by the issue of an out-of-control pool party at a rental home the prior weekend.

Federal Bankruptcy Judge Thomas J. Tucker has ruled that The Community House on Bates Street in downtown Birmingham can be sold to the city, rejecting a competing offer from the Julie and Mark Pulte Charitable Foundation. The judge issued his opinion on Thursday, June 18, after listening to oral arguments on Wednesday, June 17, from two potential buyers, the City of Birmingham and the Julie and Mark Pulte Charitable Foundation Originally the June 17 hearing had been schedule

Innovated Energy Controls was awarded the contract for Bloomfield Township’s water and sewer control system upgrade by the board of trustees on Monday, June 8.

During the Monday, June 8, meeting, Birmingham City Commissioners adopted a resolution to support the 48th District Court continuing operations with three judges, joining an effort by court officials to preserve a judgeship slated for elimination under existing legislation should one of the judges retire or age out of their judgeship.

Updates to Birmingham’s water and sewer rate connection fee ordinance were unanimously adopted by city commissioners during the Monday, June 9, meeting, putting into effect recommendations made following a study conducted by engineering and architectural services firm Hubbell, Roth & Clark, Inc (HRC).

Continuing discussions on short-term rentals (STR) within the city of Birmingham, city commissioners received another report during the Monday, June 9, meeting which provided an update on current enforcement against problematic STRs.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Thomas J. Tucker on Tuesday, June 9, rejected a motion by the legal firm representing The Community House Association(TCH) to have the court strike a notice of an alternative sale offer from the Julie and Mark Pulte Foundation that provided an increase over what the city of Birmingham offered to pay for purchasing the iconic building in the downtown area. Legal counsel for the Julie and Mark Pulte Charitable Foundation on Friday, June 5, flagged the cour

A competing offer to purchase the Community House on Bates Street in Birmingham could well derail the offer made just weeks ago by the City of Birmingham to acquire the troubled iconic building.

The designs for modifications to the storefront windows of the building at 33877 Woodward, the former site of a CVS, set to be the home of Birmingham’s first Dollar Tree store, were approved with conditions by the city’s design review board during the Wednesday, June 3, meeting.

The popular Birmingham Outdoor Movie Nights in Booth Park are back starting tonight (Friday, June 5) with a showing of the 2025 movie the Smurfs. Movie Nights are on select Friday nights throughout the summer. Pre-show entertainment begins at 6:30 p.m.; featured presentations on the giant LED screen at 7:30 p.m. Booth Park is on the corner of North Old Woodward Avenue and Harmon Street. Other Friday nights to add to your calendar are: July 10, Tangled; August 7, The Bad Guys;

The City of Birmingham’s free, family-friendly In the Park Summer Concert Series returns to Shain Park with weekly outdoor performances from June 12 through August 26, and a new pre-show Kids Zone on July 1 and August 5. The 2026 lineup features a variety of musical genres performed by local and regional acts. The series kicks off on Friday, June 12, at 7 p.m. with the annual Birmingham Bloomfield Community Coalition Youth Action Board's Teen Summer Concert featuring talented

The Birmingham City Commission on Monday, May 18, approved the formation of nonprofit foundation to take over running The Community House building now that The Community House Association has accepted an offer of $5.2 million from the city to purchase the building, and the following evening the commission formally voted to make the purchase. The formal vote on the purchase also includes a provision instructing the city manger “to pursue and implement the necessary steps to

As directed by the Birmingham city commission, city staff presented a report on short-term rentals during the Monday, May 18, meeting, providing commissioners with an update of the city’s enforcement and work to identify short-term rentals in the city since the commission’s last discussion.

A new nine-story building to be constructed across two properties at 34952 Woodward and 690 E Maple received preliminary site plan approval from the Birmingham planning board during the Wednesday, May 13, meeting.

Birmingham City Commissioners on Monday, May 18, approved a $58.2 million budget and 12.9731 millage rate for the upcoming fiscal year which will begin on July 1 and end on June 30, 2027.

The 61st annual Birmingham Village Fair, hosted by the Birmingham Bloomfield Chamber of Commerce, will be coming to the downtown area surrounding Shain Park starting next Thursday, May 28, and running through Sunday, May 31. Considered the highlight for multiple generations, the Village Fair offers a variety of rides and food options and is considered a fundraiser for both the chamber of commerce and local nonprofit groups. The fair will operate from 2 to 9 p.m. next Thursday