Efforts are underway to save a beloved community center in Birmingham that has served residents for decades with various activities and programs.

Watch Jolie Sherman's video report: New efforts to save The Community House in Birmingham

The Community House, which went up for sale last month and announced operations would conclude on June 30, 2026, now faces a legal challenge from the city of Birmingham.

The city filed a lawsuit on Friday, November 25, claiming that the sale of The Community House violates its deed restrictions, which require the building to operate as a community center.

"It was just this hub of activity, and even if you didn't do anything there, it was there," said Mary Ryan Taras, a Birmingham resident.

Taras is a longtime Birmingham resident who has lived in the city for more than 50 years and has fond memories of The Community House.

"It just was a central piece of downtown Birmingham," Taras said.

Next year, The Community House will become the Birmingham Area Community Foundation, focused on grant-making and supporting local nonprofits.

PREVIOUS STORY: Historic Birmingham Community House to close, leaving events and childcare in limbo The Community House closing in Birmingham

"Our commitment is to our founding purpose of a nonprofit organization, which is to get back to those in need, and it's not sustainable for us to maintain this building any longer," said Alison Gaudreau, president of The Community House Association. "We've encouraged the city to follow the same process that we've asked of any of the other interested parties to let us know if they're interested in making an offer, with their intended use for the building, would be, and frankly, they responded by filing a lawsuit."

Birmingham Mayor Clinton Baller declined a request for an interview but confirmed the city is seeking "declaratory and injunctive relief" to enforce the property's 1930 deed of trust, along with a 1989 order by Oakland County Probate Court, which requires the property to be held exclusively as a community center.

The city also filed a temporary restraining order (TRO) to prohibit The Community House from making a sale.

"I think there's some assumptions that have been made about what will happen to the building. I hear people say things like it'll be torn down, and condos will be built, and nothing could be further from the truth," Gaudreau said.

She says their attorneys are looking through the city's complaint.

"We will not sell it to somebody that has that intent, so we are only talking to charitable organizations, nonprofit organizations whose intent is to maintain the building for community use," Gaudreau said.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

Today is Cyber Monday, a day packed with online deals and discounts. As you fill up your virtual shopping cart this holiday season, you may notice something: the price of items seem to constantly change.

Watch Jolie's story in the video player below MSU professor explains dynamic pricing on Cyber Monday

You may have experienced dynamic pricing before with airline tickets, hotels, and rideshare services; the price constantly changes.

"You can check one minute, and it's one price and two more minutes, and it's $20 more," said Eric Mitchell.

Online businesses like Amazon and Wayfair are doing this, too, adjusting their prices more frequently with the help of artificial intelligence.

Essentially, you can think of AI agents serving as essentially other data analysts, who are making these somewhat algorithmic decisions of essentially monitoring how different products are performing, and making these price adjustments on the fly," said Jason Miller, a Supply Chain Management Professor at Michigan State University.

Miller said dynamic pricing is based on a number of factors, including prior sales, inventory levels, and how competitors are pricing the product.

In a weak demand environment, in many instances, consumers will benefit if the retailer you're shopping at is saying, 'ok, wait, are they looking elsewhere, that elsewhere is right now charging 4% less than us, we may lose the sale, we need to lower our prices', versus, again, in a demand environment that's much strongerwhere algorithms like this may result in prices rising even more rapidly than you would otherwise expect," Miller said.

But these constantly changing costs are difficult for Tracy Burks, who works for an insurance company based in Southfield and prices thousands of items a day for clients that have lost their homes in disasters.

Every single little thing in your home. Im pricing everything, Im looking at everything," she said. "Its what I do all day long, and yeah, its always changing."

With holiday shopping in full swing, here are a few strategies for when to buy:

Use tools like price trackers to set price alerts. Keep items in your shopping cart for a few days. Retailers might actually lower the price of those items. Stores may also adjust prices based on your location, so try changing the zip code to see if prices differ.

Shoppers we spoke to say AI-powered prices are frustrating, especially after hearing that algorithms can adjust prices based on your purchase history.

"Maybe we need to start working with brick and mortars, at least there your price is not going to change by a blink of an eye, by some algorithm, by some AI," said Canton resident Devankar Mukhi.

It feels like it's unethical in a way because it kind of takes advantage of the customer," said West Bloomfield resident Roseann Karana.

Miller said it's safe to assume the item you're eyeing is dynamically priced.

Id say it's just the world that we live in, that we can adjust pricing quite quickly compared to 20-25 years ago, where it was just a different, you know, different availability of data," he said.

Where Your Voice Matters

Two Jewish Vietnam War veterans are being honored this Veterans Day not only for their military service, but for an extraordinary friendship that has lasted 75 years and counting.

Watch Jolie Sherman's video report: 75-Year Friendship: Vietnam Veteran Doctors Share Incredible Bond

Dr. Paul Gold and Dr. Joel Leib have shared nearly every chapter of their lives together from middle school through medical school, military service in Vietnam, and a 50-year medical practice partnership.

"We were like brothers in sense," Gold said.

The lifelong friends met in middle school, went to high school together, and continued their education at Wayne State University. Both were also accepted into the osteopathic medicine program in Des Moines, Iowa.

"We had the same experiences over a lifetime, and that tends to make you close," Leib said.

In their mid-20s, both newly married and fresh out of medical school with Leib a first-time father they were drafted to serve in Vietnam.

"I got a notice in the mail, halfway through my internship, that said San Francisco on the outside, so I knew immediately what it was," Leib said.

While their shared experiences continued in Vietnam, their military assignments differed.

Gold, a Purple Heart and Silver Star recipient, served as a combat physician, stationed two miles behind every mission, while Leib worked as a radiologist, oversaw a hospital of six beds, and often treated patients with malaria and shrapnel wounds.

The friends saw each other every couple of months during their deployment. When they did reunite, it was as if no time had passed.

Leib recalled one memorable encounter: "One day I was reading a comic book a Superman comic book and I hear this noise outside, grinding."

Gold had arrived in a military vehicle. "We pulled the track up to Joel's door, and we beeped the horn real loud," he said.

"I said, Are we being raided? So, I go out, and I see this tank with the point aiming at me, and I see this guy full of dirt and mud and bullets across his chest and an M16, and I looked at him and said, 'Paul, is that you?' He said, Yeah, it's me, don't you know there's war on?" Leib said.

Their bond remained unshakeable after the war. They say the experience enhanced their medical skills when they returned to civilian practice.

"It was like spending a whole year in the emergency room, so it added to my great knowledge when Joel and I went back into practice a year and a half later," Gold said.

The two opened a family medicine practice in Waterford and worked together for 50 years. Their Vietnam service not only made them better doctors, but they say better people and friends.

"I look at it as an experience that made me appreciate life more, and appreciate the things that I have and that my family has more," Leib said.

Gold called his Vietnam service "the most fulfilling year of my life." Their friendship continues to flourish decades later.

"He was a good friend then and a good friend nowand he'll be my friend for the rest of my life," Leib said.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

A 15-year-old Carleton high school football player is recovering from a rare, life-threatening kidney injury after a tackle during a game last month, and it was the opposing team's athletic trainer who likely saved his life.

Watch Jolie Sherman's video report: Teen recovering from near-death experience on the football field

The injury occurred when Brayden McClish, a running back for Airport High School's JV football team, came down on the ball, and another player landed on top of him, causing internal bleeding during a game on October 23.

"I just remember I was hyped going into the gameand I remember I was running the ball over and over and over. I had so much adrenaline," McClish said. "I just remember seeing him grab my jersey, seeing the ground, and me not getting back up."

Landon Lalonde, Avondale High School's athletic trainer, quickly recognized the severity of McClish's condition and took immediate action.

"So he kind of had two people's weight come down on top of the ball, and he was having pain in his abdomen and ribs on the left side," Lalonde said.

Lalonde evaluated McClish and immediately identified signs of internal bleeding, rushing him to get medical attention.

"We got Brayden onto the cart, took him around to the visitor's side, and told his mom, 'He has to go to the hospital right now, it cannot wait,'" Lalonde said.

The quick response proved crucial. Medical professionals told McClish that arriving 20 minutes later could have been fatal.

According to his kidney doctor, the injury is extremely rare. Out of thousands of children across the county, doctors typically see only about five similar cases per year.

"It was probably the scariest thing I've ever been through in my whole entire life. Thinking that your child could possibly not be here," said Ashley McClish, Brayden's mother.

Currently, one of McClish's kidneys is functioning normally while the other is operating at 25% capacity. His parents say the community's support has been overwhelming during this difficult time.

"We would be able to get through it without them. The phone calls, the texts, the messages, the all of it, the visits. They've just been so supportive. I mean, people that we aren't even close to, reaching out to say, 'If you need anything, we're here.' It's just very touching," said Jeff McClish, Brayden's father.

Despite the severity of his injury, the young athlete remains determined to return to the sport he loves.

"Oh yes, I see myself playing again. Give me that year to recover, and I'll be back on that field," McClish said.

Football continues to provide comfort during his recovery.

"And I've been falling asleep with my football...It's like my little teddy bear. It's my little teddy bear, I just hold it," McClish said.

After two weeks in the hospital, McClish is expected to return home this weekend. His parents say a full recovery could take up to a year, but they're grateful he's healing and heading home.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

Birmingham's iconic Community House, a century-old institution, will close its doors next year as it transitions to become the Birmingham Area Community Foundation. The change has left families and brides scrambling to find alternatives.

Watch Jolie's story in the video player below: The Community House closing in Birmingham

The Community House announced operations at the building will conclude on June 30, 2026, canceling all scheduled events after that date, including weddings and childcare services.

"I mean, it's like super upsetting," said Emily Goldvekht, who had recently booked her wedding at the venue for Labor Day Weekend 2026.

Goldvekht had just put down a deposit of around $2,000 last week when she received an unexpected email announcing the closure.

"It came at a complete shock. I got an email yesterday, like mid-morning, just stating 'Dear Valued Customer'. It wasn't even a phone call or, 'Hi, Emily. We're super sorry,'" Goldvekht said.

The email informed customers that "The Community House will be evolving to become the Birmingham Area Community Foundation...As part of this transition, operations at our building at 380 S. Bates will conclude on June 30, 2026. All events scheduled to take place after June 30, 2026, will be canceled."

The sudden announcement has created significant challenges for those who had made plans at the venue.

"We are hoping to still have that date, but we have family from out of the country that booked travel, we printed our save the dates, we've spent a lot of money. Literally this week, we were about to put down almost $20,000 for outside catering, which is insane that it costs that much to feed people, but it does," Goldvekht said.

The Community House confirmed that 10 events will be impacted after the June closure date, and all deposits will be fully refunded.

In a statement, they said: "We've made the decision to evolve The Community House thoughtfully and with careful consideration. While we know some individuals, families and patrons will be impacted we are sharing this news now to provide ample time to explore other options and make any alternative arrangements."

The Community House will become The Birmingham Area Community Foundation with a focus on supporting non-profits providing scholarships for students, and a large physical space is no longer required. The site will officially close on July 1, 2026 and the new owners, yet to be determined, will decide what's next for the space.

The transition will also affect the Early Childhood Center, which will complete its current session, which concludes in May 2026, impacting families who depend on the childcare service.

"We heard this morning that they're actually closing, and now we have to find somewhere for our 4-month-old in the spring," said Agata Bodie, a Birmingham resident.

Bodie said she had waited five months to secure a spot for her daughter, who just started in the program on Tuesday, only to learn about the upcoming closure.

Despite the disappointment, those affected are trying to remain optimistic.

"Yeah, we're pretty upset, but we'll figure it out, and we're looking pretty positive at it," Goldvekht said.

The Birmingham Area Community Foundation will host a series of discussions about the transition. Those are scheduled on the following dates and registration is required.

Wednesday, Dec. 10: 1 - 2:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 10: 5:30 - 7:00 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 11: 8:30 - 10:00 a.m.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

A 15-year-old Life Scout from Troy is making history while working toward one of scouting's highest honors.

Anson Pingree built an 1830s-style bread oven for Troy's Historic Village as part of his Eagle Scout project, creating a functional piece of history that will serve the community for years to come.

Watch Jolie Sherman's video report below: Teen builds historic bread oven for Troy's Historic Village as Eagle Scout project

"It's cool. It's like I built a little piece of history and it gets to stay here for as long as the village exists," Pingree said.

The ambitious teen wanted his Eagle Scout project to leave a lasting impression.

"I didn't want anything small. I wanted it to be long lasting and show people in the future how I was as a scout and a person," Pingree said.

The historic bread oven fulfills a long-held vision for the village's youth programs.

"It's really, really exciting for us," said Alex Konieczny, Troy's Historic Village youth program director. "I've had this vision of having a bread oven for baking bread and things like that."

Pingree began construction in July and spent four months building the oven from the ground up. His father, Dan Pingree, supported him throughout the project, continuing a family tradition of Eagle Scouts.

"I was a Boy Scout and Eagle Scout. My father was an Eagle Scout, and my grandfather was an Eagle Scout," Dan Pingree said.

The $1,300 project was funded through donations from family and friends. On Saturday, the oven was fired for the first time during a bread baking class at the village.

Jeff Pavlik, a historian and bread baking instructor dressed in 1830s-style clothing, taught participants using authentic period recipes.

"They're going to get their hands involved in history. They'll get to see how the yeast was made and how the yeast was utilized, the process and the techniques," Pavlik said.

Pavlik, also an Eagle Scout, helped with the oven project that will significantly support the village's operations.

"Being able to do programs like this, this is how we operate, this is how we stay open and serve the community and it lets us keep doing more and more cool stuff," Konieczny said.

Pingree hopes to complete his Eagle Scout Board of Review by the end of the year.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

A Madison Heights family is taking Halloween decorations to the next level with their elaborate skeleton displays that change every single day throughout October.

Ryan McDonald has been creating these unique displays since 2020, each inspired by movie scenes and funny scenarios that delight neighbors and passersby.

Watch Jolie Sherman's video report below: Madison Heights family creates new Halloween displays daily throughout October

"I do a lot of planning, I buy a lot of stuff on clearance, I buy a lot of zip ties," McDonald said.

What began as a simple display has evolved into a neighborhood attraction. McDonald's Halloween tradition started with just four small skeletons arranged around a bonfire.

"We had a lot of people just come by and really like it, and one person, I don't remember who it was, asked 'What are they going to be doing tomorrow?' And from that point forward, every year throughout the month of October, I change the scenes every single day," McDonald said.

The displays feature meticulous attention to detail, with McDonald recreating famous movie scenes and playful scenarios.

"I've done in the past, "Dirty Dancing" and "Ghost." I did "Titanic," people really loved "Titanic." I did a duck-duck-goose one, which I thought was kind of cute," McDonald said.

McDonald maintains a spreadsheet of ideas rather than sketching his concepts. He builds each display from scratch, and on Halloween night transforms his backyard into a graveyard.

"Typically, my Halloween scenes are my cemetery scenes, so we're going to have this guy here coming out of the ground," McDonald said.

Neighbor Pati Ciofusmith believes more people should know about McDonald's creative displays.

"This is a small town and more people need to see the energy and creativity that he put into this... Somebody besides us needs to know what's happening over here," Ciofusmith said.

For McDonald, the joy comes from both the creative process and the community's reaction.

"I like that everybody likes it... it's fun to see the reactions from neighbors," McDonald said.

What started as Halloween fun has become a cherished tradition for McDonald and his family.

"You know, it's fun for me to do with my family, my kids and keeps the creative juices flowing," McDonald said.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.