When Kate Brouner decided to put her six-bedroom, three-bath 3,590-square-foot Howell house on the market, she called the previous owner: Novi-based Realtor Jenn Anderson.

Anderson lived in the home for 11 years before selling to Brouner.

“We call it ‘our house’ and we wanted to make sure to find the right buyer,” Anderson said.

Winter tends to be a slower time for agents but it allows real-estate agents to size up last year’s marketplace and forecast the year ahead. But houses are still being bought and sold.

Steve Stockton has a national and local perspective of the housing market. He’s a board member for RealComp, Michigan’s largest multiple-listing service; the North Oakland County Board of Realtors; and the National Real Estate Review Board.

“This is the longest time period we’ve had growth: 29 months in a row of increased value nationally,” he said. “I don’t remember a month since COVID where we haven’t gone up month over month.”

Regionally, sales rose month-over-month in the Northeast and South, were unchanged in the West, and declined in the Midwest. Demand in Michigan remains steady, Stockton said.

Nationally, home sales rose in December, up by a half percent from November, according to the National Association of Realtors. But compared to December 2024, sales were down by 1%.

The typical homebuyer is 60 years old and the median age for a new-home buyer is at an all-time high: 40, up from 33 in 2021 and 29 in 1991.

“The hardest issue is finding starter homes that younger people can buy. To finally hit 40 as the average first-time buyer’s age is just crazy,” he said.

Market shift

Stockton said the current market is transitioning from one that favored sellers to a balanced market favoring neither buyers nor sellers, aided in part by lower interest rates.

As of late Thursday, a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage loan was around 6.2% and the 15-year rate was around 5.6%. Few expect interest to drop below 6% this year, despite pressure on the Federal Bank by the Trump administration, he said.

Karen Kage, Realcomp’s CEO and a real estate agent for more than 40 years, said buyers are finding 10% more homes for sale in southeast Michigan this year compared to last year while Oakland County has 15% more.

Oakland County’s hottest markets include Novi, Northville and South Lyon, where builders are busy. Existing homes are selling in Milford, Highland and White Lake townships, Stockton said.

Areas like Birmingham and Bloomfield Hills remain popular and lakeside homes are always in high demand.

Home prices

Southeast Michigan’s median price for existing homes was $270,000 in December, up 5.9% over December 2024. Oakland County’s median home price increased by less than 1%, to $360,000..

“The buyers have a little more to chase,” Stockton said, noting that less than five years ago, buyers were skipping home inspections and warranties to compete with a slew of other buyers.

These days, he said, softer markets in Nevada, Arizona, Idaho and Florida are inspiring older homeowners who are weighing getting a good price for their Michigan home and taking advantage of better prices in what Stockon called “the sunshine states.”

In southeast Michigan, the number of homes on the market represent about three to four months of inventory, up from 2015, when the inventory was a scant six weeks. A truly balanced market requires a five-to-seven-month supply of homes, Stockton said.

More homes for sale means sellers are now waiting on home inspection results, offering home warranties again and bargaining on prices more than in recent years.

But in some areas, buyers are writing love letters about the home they want to persuade a seller to pick their offer.

What’s selling

A refreshed kitchen remains a selling point, as does a newer roof.

“The homes selling quickly now are updated and sharp,” Stockton said. “If you have a house that’s a little tired and dated, it’s going to sit on the market for a while.”

But a motivated seller like Brouner will adjust the home price to attract buyers.

Brouner, a healthcare analyst and mother of five, wanted a new home after her divorce was finalized but didn’t have the time for significant updates.

Anderson said it’s important for sellers to be realistic about their home’s value and the marketplace. Brouner had been watching the real estate market for 18 months before deciding to list her home. She and Anderson agreed to list the house for $449,900.

Less than a week after the listing went online, offers poured in.

“I was pretty confident my house would sell but Jenn really helped me make the most money possible,” she said. “Selling is not as scary as everyone thinks. Find the right agent and they will guide you.”

Brouner will start shopping for a new home with Anderson soon. She hopes to find a house with more land, room for her family and a price under $400,000 and she’s being pragmatic about her options.

“I don’t mind buying a fixer upper,” she said.

The 2026 outlook

“I hate making predictions,” Kage said. “Everything could change tomorrow … Who could have predicted some of the things we’ve been through in the last 40 years?”

She prefers to watch monthly home-sales figures and said two months of numbers gives a short-term peek into the future. The final months of winter can suggest how a season will progress. The second-quarter market is a better indicator, she said.

The solid sellers’ market pressed buyers into bidding wars, which Kage said raised prices to a point that challenges younger buyers.

She believes more sellers are confident of getting a good price for their home and being able to find an affordable next home,” she said.

A rise in the number of homes available has increased the average time on the market by two days, to 43 days, which has alarmed sellers and it shouldn’t because buyers who have more choices are more confident in their offers, Kage said.

Kage encourages buyers and sellers to work with a licensed real estate agent. They can help sellers find the optimum price for marketing a home and typically learn about new listings before they are published.

“People say, ‘Oh, I’ll just check Zillow’ but where do you think Zillow gets the information? They get it from us,” she said.

A 5-year-old Sterling Heights girl drowned Friday at an Independence Township club, according to Oakland County sheriff’s officials.

Police were called shortly after 7:30 p.m. Friday to the Deer Lake Athletic Club, 6167 White Lake Road. The family-athletic club has three pools.

Sheriff’s officials are not releasing the victim’s name at this time. The incident remains under investigation.

A Walled Lake marijuana producer is under state investigation.

Michigan’s Cannabis Regulatory Agency filed a formal complaint against Prism Triangle at 850 Ladd Road in Walled Lake.

The complaint lists two counts of not employing a lab manager, one count of not using state-approved testing methods and one count of not meeting state standards for sampling and testing marijuana and marijuana products.

State officials who inspected the company in 2025 found evidence that the company did not meet standards for testing recreational marijuana for pesticides and did not have a lab manager with an advanced degree in medical or laboratory science.

In August, 2025, state officials were alerted to the fact that the company was not using approved testing methods to detect a mold called aspergillus, which may cause people to develop a fungal lung infection.

Investigators found that the company improperly recorded test results and used equipment that was not property calibrated.

The state has the right to impose fines or sanction a license by suspending, restricting, revoking or refusing to renew it. The company has 21 days to respond to the complaint and request a formal hearing.

Prism Triangle officials did not respond to requests for comment from The Oakland Press.

New legionella test results from county buildings show at least one has signs of the bacteria. But county officials note it is two fewer than the previous round of tests.

Results from 23 samples collected Jan. 13 and 14 at the county’s circuit courthouse, 1200 N. Telegraph Road in Pontiac, found traces of legionella in a men’s room in the clerk’s vital records office.

Legionella is a bacteria found in the ground and in some water systems. The bacteria can cause a type of pneumonia called Legionnaire’s disease or a less-severe lung infection called Pontiac fever. County health officials have emphasized that such infections are rare.

The county has been testing water systems since November after a custodian’s Legionnaire’s disease was traced to the sheriff’s administration building on the county’s Pontiac campus.

In April 2025 a man diagnosed with Legionnaire’s listed the county’s circuit courthouse among the places he visited. That man later died, according to Lisa Brown, county clerk and register of deeds. The man has not been identified by name; the county custodian’s condition has not been shared with the media.

In addition to follow-up testing, the county is following what county spokesman William Mullan called “rigorous preventive measures,” including regular flushing, water temperature monitoring and temperature adjustments.

The county installed 300 filters and reinstalled three that malfunctioned, he said. Earlier this month, Brown told the county commission’s health and safety committee that at least one of the malfunctioning filters sprayed a man using a sink.

County tests will continue through May in areas where legionella was initially detected.

Last week the county started its routine-testing program to meet standards set by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These tests are at buildings where legionella has not been detected.

Routine tests in the east and west wings of the courthouse and the medical examiner’s office on the county’s Pontiac campus showed no signs of legionella in the Jan. 23 results. Twelve samples were collected in the courthouse and five were collected in the medical examiner’s office. Buildings with clean-water results do not have to be immediately retested, under CDC guidelines.

Routine tests at the county jail will start Tuesday, Jan. 27.

It won’t be long before the burned-out remains of Fork n’ Pint are cleared away, according to Waterford Township officials and a demolition contractor.

Bob Hoffman, an Oakland County commissioner whose business portfolio includes the demolition company American Recycling, said he expects to sign a contract with the restaurant’s owners soon.

Doug Young, one of the restaurant’s owners, and manager Bill Schwab did not respond to The Oakland Press’ requests for comment.

Gene Butcher, Waterford’s deputy fire chief and former fire marshal, investigated the fire and said neither he nor the insurance company’s investigator could find a definitive cause, likely because of the intensity of the blaze. He said it was clear that the fire started outside, at the back of the building at 4000 Cass Elizabeth Road, but is not considered suspicious.

As far as timing for work on the site, Hoffman said, he can’t “say the exact start date of demolition, because we’re waiting on notifications from Consumers Energy and DTE that services are disconnected for safety reasons,” adding “it should be relatively soon.”

Hoffman said he grew up near the restaurant when it was called Mitch’s and owned by a local family. Mitch’s and Fork n’ Pint were community favorites, he said.

Township Supervisor Anthony Bartolotta said he was relieved to learn the building would come down sooner rather than later.

“Why it took so long, I have no idea,” he said, adding that he was glad to see a long-empty Don Pablo’s Mexican Kitchen at 513 N. Telegraph Road, demolished after a significant fire in August.

Bartolotta said Fork n’ Pint officials told him that an insurance dispute was behind the delay in removing the debris from the May 1 fire

The township’s building division superintendent, Rick Hutchinson, told The Oakland Press he’s been in regular contact with the restaurant’s owners, brothers Doug and Burge Young, and was aware of the insurance dispute. Hutchinson said he learned Tuesday afternoon that the Youngs plan to apply for a demolition permit this month.

Based on Tuesday’s conversation with the restaurant officials, Hutchinson said, “this isn’t something they are just telling me to make me go away.”

Burned Waterford Township restaurant mired in insurance fight

Garo Danayan learned what it’s like to have an extra $1,000 to spend at Christmas on Wednesday.

“It’s already spent,” he joked. The Huntington Woods resident won the top prize, a $1,000 check, by entering Oakland County’s annual Local Gems contest. For the third year, the county’s economic development department invited people to take selfies at local businesses and share the images with the county to enter a random drawing for cash prizes. Genisys Credit Union supplied the cash.

More than 1,000 people submitted contest entries from some of the county’s estimated 35,000 small businesses.

Danayan took his selfie at a Ferndale gift store, The Rocket, where Local Gem winners were announced on Wednesday.

The Rocket’s owner, Eli Morrissey, said he was grateful for people who spend money locally and have supported his shop for 12 years.

“We need to save our brick-and-mortar businesses,” Morrissey said. “They are the character of our communities … I appreciate the support so much.”

Bret Rasegan of Rochester Hills won $500 for his selfie at McCauley Chiropractic in Rochester and Julie Decker of Oak Park won $250 with her selfie at The Vintage Farmhouse in Holly.

County Executive Dave Coulter said he was very proud of small businesses for all they do to support the community.”

Small businesses, he said, “give back to the community in a way Amazon never could.”

A West Bloomfield man faces nine felony charges after allegedly shooting into a neighbor’s home on Monday.

West Bloomfield Police Deputy Chief Scott Mong said Marquis Greg-Lamar Fletcher, 50, was arraigned via Zoom by a 48th District Court magistrate on Wednesday.

Fletcher was arrested on Monday in the 7400 block of Coach Lane after police were summoned by his wife, who said he was armed and having a mental health crisis, Mong said.

As police were en route to the scene, Fletcher allegedly carried firearms to a neighbor’s home, broke a window and fired several rounds inside. None of the four people inside the home were hurt, Mong said.

Fletcher faces the following charges:

•  first-degree home invasion, a 20-year felony,

•  assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder, a 10-year felony,

•  discharging a firearm in or at a building, a 10-year felony,

•  wearing body armor during the commission of a violent crime, a four-year felony,

• one count of assaulting, resisting and/or obstructing a police officer, a 2-year felony and

• four counts of possessing a firearm during the commission of a felony. If convicted, he faces two years in prison for each count.

Fletcher remains in Oakland County Jail, with bond set at $500,000 cash or surety. His next 48th District Court appearance is 8:45 a.m. Dec. 9.

Mong said suspects in any crime are presumed innocent until found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Oakland County employees will be busy Saturday sorting groceries and delivering Thanksgiving boxes.

Nov. 22 is the county’s annual Day of Service. County Executive Dave Coulter said it’s important to help families experiencing food insecurity. He praised county employees who volunteer.

“Their generosity reflects the best of public service, and I’m grateful to our nonprofit partners who work every day to ensure no one in our community goes hungry,” he said.

So many employees volunteered that some had to be put on a waiting list, according to county officials.

The volunteers will be distributing Thanksgiving food at Hospitality House at 2075 E. West Maple Road in Commerce Township from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Others will be at:

•  Forgotten Harvest, 15000 Eight Mile Road in Oak Park sorting and repacking rescued grocery items on the box line.

•  Oakland HOPE, 20 E. Walton Blvd. in Pontiac, loading food, assisting clients with pantry shopping and lending a hand at the charity’s thrift store.

•  Neighborhood House, 1720 S. Livernois Road in Rochester Hills, to label and organize thousands of donated food items from a local high school food drive.

The November Day of Service was launched three years ago by the county’s Equity Council and organized by the county’s diversity office. The effort is one part of the countywide Season of Giving campaign, which includes a second Day of Service on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

In addition to volunteering during and beyond the Season of Giving, employees donate food and pet supplies for fellow employees and for partner organizations like Children’s Village, the Animal Shelter and Oakland HOPE.

Here are a few a things to know as voters head to the polls Tuesday:

ON THE BALLOT
Oakland County voters will see ballots full of local candidates for mayor, council and other public-board seats as well as ballot proposals from charter amendments to millage requests.

TURNOUT
Turnout is hard to predict because there are too many variables, according to a county clerk spokeswoman.

Several candidates are running write-in campaigns; their names won’t appear on the ballot, but they are listed on the county’s website. To learn about write-in candidates in your community. For details, visit the county’s list of candidates: https://elections.oaklandcountymi.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/27699/638960263474470000, or ballot questions ranging from charter amendments to millage requests are online at https://elections.oaklandcountymi.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/27223/638930222581900000.

To learn more, visit the Oakland County clerk’s elections page: https://www.oakgov.com/government/clerk-register-of-deeds/elections-voting.

WEATHER
The National Weather Service’s White Lake Township office predicts mostly sunny skies with a high near 57 and occasional wind gusts as high as 18 mph.

POLL HOURS
Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. in every jurisdiction.

WHO CAN VOTE
You can vote at your polling place until 8 p.m. Tuesday – anyone already in line by 8 p.m. will be allowed to cast a ballot. You have the right to register to vote and vote up to 8 p.m. Tuesday.I

NEED TO REGISTER?
If you’re not registered to vote or need to change the address for your voter registration, visit your city or township clerk’s office as soon as possible Tuesday to avoid lines. You can vote at your clerk’s office. You cannot register to vote after 8 p.m. Tuesday.

HOW TO VOTE
Check out the front and back of your ballot to review your choices. Be sure to vote for nonpartisan candidates and on any ballot issues. The non-partisan group MichiganVoting.org has a tutorial on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n483tnkddoE.
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If you’re at a polling place and make a mistake, election workers can spoil that ballot and issue a new one.

WHAT DO I NEED TO VOTE
Voters must be at least 18 years old and U.S. citizens. People currently in jail or prison cannot cast a ballot. Voters must show proof of being a Michigan resident and living in their city or township for at least 30 days before Tuesday. Proof must be either: a Michigan driver’s license or state ID; or a current utility bill, bank statement, paycheck or government check that shows your name and address or another document issued by a federal, state or local government agency. Michigan residents attending college can register to vote based on their school or home address. Out-of-state residents who are U.S. citizens attending Michigan schools can register to vote based on their school address. Michigan residents attending out-of-state schools can register to vote at their Michigan address. It is illegal to cast ballots in two different states for the same election.

WHERE DO I VOTE
Voters can find their polling places and confirm their voter registration status online at: https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us/Voter/Index/#yourclerk.

ABSENTEE BALLOTS:
These must be returned by 8 p.m. Tuesday to your municipal clerk’s office. If you filled out an absentee ballot but haven’t returned it and want to make changes, visit your municipal clerk’s office to spoil the ballot and get a new one.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER TUESDAY
Unofficial results will start to be posted shortly after 8 p.m. on the county clerk’s website: https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/MI/Oakland/124349/web.345435/#/summary.
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At 9 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 5, the County Election Certification Board, which includes two Democrats and two Republicans, meets to validate results in the county canvassers training room in the west wing extension of the first floor of the county courthouse at 1200 N. Telegraph Road in Pontiac. This meeting is open to the public.

Social service agencies in Oakland County are ready to help people receiving food aid from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. They just don’t know what will happen next.

“Organizations like ours shouldn’t scramble to meet emergency needs,” said Ryan Hertz, president and CEO for Lighthouse of Oakland County,. “We should have public policy that meets the needs on an ongoing basis.”

Lighthouse already serves an estimated 111,000 people – half of whom are children – in 40,000 households in Oakland County. He said 60% of the people who receive SNAP benefits find the money isn’t enough to feed their families. The federal shutdown is having a destabilizing effect on people who use SNAP for groceries and who get vouchers or other financial aid for housing, he said.

Hertz said he was glad Michigan had joined an effort to sue the federal government to fund SNAP. He’s frustrated that it has to happen.

Late Friday, two federal judges ordered the administration to continue payments using emergency reserve funds during the shutdown. In Michigan, SNAP money is distributed via Bridge cards. But it can take days for the cards to be loaded with funds, so people will go hungry while they wait..

It’s also unclear whether the administration will appeal the decisions, which would add to the delay.

The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture initially planned to continue providing SNAP benefits by using nearly $6 billion in contingency funds, but reversed the decision and announced benefits would be paused on Nov. 1 because of the shutdown.

SNAP serves an estimated one in eight Americans and is considered an important part of the nation’s social safety net. It costs an estimated $8 billion a month.

SNAP’s 2025 poverty threshold for a family of four is a net income of $31,000 after certain expenses. Last year, SNAP provided assistance to 41 million people, nearly two-thirds of whom were families with children, according to an Associated Press report.

In Michigan, 1.4 million residents benefit from SNAP, including approximately 492,225 children and 38,513 veterans.

More than 102,000 Oakland County residents live below the poverty line, according U.S. Census Bureau estimates. Nearly 255,000 of the county’s 1.2 million residents are under age 18. Of those children, an estimated one in seven, or nearly 36,000 don’t have adequate food on a daily basis.

But Hertz said that doesn’t include people who are barely above poverty level and juggling bills.

“We’re talking about low- to middle-income folks who are employed but not making enough to make ends meet,” he said, adding that low-income families have faced an exhausting and prolonged series of threats to support services that are affecting their wellbeing.

Lighthouse estimates it reaches 74% of impoverished people scattered among the county’s 62 municipalities.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer calls the pause on payments unacceptable. She ordered $4.5 million sent to the Food Bank Council of Michigan, which supports outlets in all 83 counties.

FBCM officials declined an interview request from The Oakland Press because, a spokeswoman said, “circumstances remain highly fluid, and we want to avoid contributing to speculation while we continue gathering updates from our network and state partners.”

She said FBCM is monitoring conditions and prepared for an increase in need. The focus, she said, “is on maintaining access to food for the people we serve, even as no new resources are currently available to meet higher demand.”

Whitmer also ordered an expansion of the state’s Double Up Food Bucks program, which gives Michigan families money to purchase groceries, including fresh fruits and vegetables.

She promoted Hunters Feeding Families, a program that provides venison or other fresh game to feed families and said the state’s 1.4 million public school students would continue receiving free breakfast and lunch. The school meals save families an estimated $1,000 a year.

Gleaners Community Food Bank is another southeast Michigan nonprofit monitoring requests for support with partners and community mobile distributions, according to spokeswoman Kristin Sokul.

She said Gleaners has experienced a rise in requests for information about receiving food aid.

“We remain focused on increasing food purchases where necessary, increasing volunteer shifts to support more box builds, and looking at where hot spots may be to respond with mobiles,” she said.

People can help in three ways, according to Sokul:

•  Use your voice to advocate for SNAP funding.

•  Volunteer at a food pantry or food bank to help stock and deliver groceries.

•  Consider donating money instead of food. Gleaners has agreements with retailers for discounted groceries. Donated money “will help us support our partners in the charitable food network and flexibly resource our drive-up distributions while we continue to hope for a resolution at the federal level,” she said.

Hertz said Lighthouse assumed a leadership role during the COVID-19 pandemic by leveraging its network of volunteers and agreements with suppliers.

“It was a joint effort for our staff, volunteers, local, state and federal governments,” he said. But it took three months to organize.

There’s no mechanism to increase resources in the space of a few days, he said, adding that families are facing more than food insecurity. People who receive housing benefits are also at risk during the shutdown.

“There’s a degree of fatigue happening with how heavily our community has been hit,” he said. “It’s hard on our staff, donors and volunteers” who can’t provide immediate support or quick resolutions.

“It’s not something you can turn on or off. We can’t just say ‘We’ll meet this massive additional need,’” he said. “We’d have to dramatically ramp up capacity.”

 

Nonprofit food banks and pantries exist to reduce or prevent hunger. They need supplies, staff, volunteers and warehouse space, all of which costs money, he said.

“That’s a very expensive way to get food to people, instead of just giving them adequate SNAP benefits and letting those people go shopping,” he said. “In an ideal universe, we‘d be funding SNAP at an appropriate level – which would also help grocery businesses.

“Give people the dignity and resources to go grocery shopping because they’re human beings like the rest of us,” he said.

Pontiac resident Eisha Branner spent the week creating lists of resources for the people she works with through her nonprofit, E-Community Outreach Services. She helps families with case management, community and other resources. The organization has few barriers when people need help, she said.

She said most of her clients are from Pontiac and some are from Detroit, but the SNAP crisis has caused a surge of inquiries.

“It’s alarming to me,” she said. “These are not just people who are not working. These are people who are the true working class. I’m seeing people in higher income brackets looking for help. They’re always struggling to pay bills but with SNAP they knew they at least had food coming.”

She recently expanded from a 2,500 sq. ft. building to a 5,000 sq. ft. space at 180 N. Saginaw in Pontiac, which officially opens on Nov. 12.

To find food resources or other support, call 211 or visit https://mi211.org.

Aircraft owners at the Oakland County International Airport will get a smoother ride thanks to a $6 million grant from the state.

Work to replace  nearly 8,000 feet of pavement will begin next spring, said airport manager Cheryl Bush.

A $6 million grant managed by Michigan’s Department of Transportation will help renovate Oakland County International Airport. This grant money comes from the Federal Aviation Agency but is managed by MDOT. It will pay to reconstruct and improve lighting for Taxilanes D, F and Y and renovate the airport apron.

The county will add just over $151,000 to the state Department of Transportation’s funds.

Bush told commissioners on the county commission’s Economic Development and Infrastructure committee that the work is a year overdue.

“The pavement has been pretty rough. We’ve had some complaints about it,” she told the committee last week, adding that the work couldn’t happen without the support of federal grants.

The work will begin next spring on the airport’s north side and will be done in phases over four months so the nearly 400 airplanes kept at the airport will remain accessible to their owners, Bush told commissioners.

The committee also advised the commission to approve a separate, nearly $2.2 million MDOT grant to reimburse the airport for purchased snow-removal equipment and land to add to a protection zone for Runway 27L and renovate the pavement for Taxilane M.

The airport is in Waterford Township and is the second-busiest in Michigan.

The commissioners’ general business meeting is 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 30 in the auditorium at 1200 N. Telegraph Road in Pontiac. The full agenda and packet are online at https://oaklandcomi.portal.civicclerk.com/event/1302/files/agenda/11994.

A West Bloomfield lottery club’s $2 million Powerball win is being called “comforting and unbelievable” by the club spokesperson.

Club members agreed to buy several Powerball tickets when the jackpot exceeded $1 billion.

“They were checking their tickets after the drawing and didn’t believe it when they realized one was a $2 million winner,” said club representative and spokesperson, Sheldon Larky. “They scanned the ticket on the Michigan Lottery app to double check it and make sure it was real.”

The club’s winning ticket matched five white balls in the Sept. 3 drawing: 03-16-29-61-69. The Power Play option multiplied the prize to $2 million. The Sunkiss Market, 13535 Puritan Street in Detroit, sold the ticket.

Lottery Commissioner Suzanna Shkreli congratulated the club.

Powerball tickets cost $2 each but the “Power Play” option costs $1 more and a “Double Play” option raises the ticket price to $4.

Powerball tickets are drawn at 10:59 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday and are sold in 45 states, Washington D.C., U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.

Free confidential help is available for people with gambling addictions and their loved ones via the National Problem Gambling Helpline, (800) GAMBLER or (800) 426-2537.

 

Nine new wells to monitor groundwater contamination will be added to Oakland County International Airport in Waterford Township over the next 90 days. It’s part of a five-year consent agreement the airport signed with the state in February.

Township Supervisor Anthony Bartolotta said Thursday he was aware of some PFAS discussion “four or five years ago,” but did not know about the new wells, the consent agreement or a dedicated county airport-PFAS webpage. There is no requirement for the airport or Michigan’s Environmental, Great Lakes and Energy office to notify the township of PFAS monitoring at the airport.

Eight wells were installed on airport grounds in 2021, after the airport and hundreds of others across the state were linked to groundwater contaminated with forever chemicals per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances generally known as PFAS. These chemicals have been used in firefighting foam, flame retardant in carpet and upholstery and cosmetics. PFAS has been linked to some cancers. Twelve more wells were installed on airport grounds since 2021, as state tests continued to find unacceptable PFAS levels.

EGLE online records show that in July 2023, a state contractor collected water samples at 26 of the 39 homes known to be affected. Tests found PFAS traces in two residential wells at two homes at levels below allowable limits. On Oct 31, 2023, testing on 22 homes found 15 wells exceeded groundwater clean-up criteria for PFAS. The highest result was 11,000 parts per trillion for a subtype called PFOS; the state’s limit is 16 parts per trillion.

On Friday, airport’s manager Cheryl Bush told The Oakland Press the new wells were planned as a result of the agreement with EGLE.

EGLE officials have been testing wells in some nearby homes and the water and fish in White Horse Lake, an eight-acre body of water downstream from the airport, north of Elizabeth Lake Road and south of Pontiac Lake Road. It’s part of the Clinton River watershed and has bluegill and panfish.

Abigail Hendershott is executive director of EGLE’s PFAS action response team. She spoke to The Oakland Press Friday along with Stephanie Kammer, EGLE’s emerging-pollutants section manager, and PFAS response team expert Mike Jury. They encourage homeowners with wells to regularly test for contaminants.

Township’s DPW director, Justin Westlake, was also unaware of the airport’s consent agreement – in part because the township has no jurisdiction over the airport property or homes that rely on wells for drinking water. The township has its own water system, which uses deep wells to draw water from the aquifer.

The airport is still in the investigation phase, Bush said. She said she is “happy to sit down and update the township on its progress at their convenience.”

The township’s website includes water testing results for its own wells and information on PFAS chemicals classified by the federal Environmental Protection Agency as an emerging contaminant.

Health and lab studies show elevated levels of PFAS may cause increased cholesterol, changes in the body’s hormones and immune system, decreased fertility and increased risk of certain cancers.

The EPA has set a lifetime health advisory level for drinking water for two PFAS compounds but no enforceable limits for the chemicals in drinking water.

AIRPORT PFAS HISTORY

EGLE’s website recaps the airport’s history. The first truck with the fire-fighting foam arrived in 1965 with 400 gallons aboard. Records on how and why the foam was used between then and 1996 to 1996 are lost.

Between 1996 and 2019, the foam was used in seven incidents. In March 2020 an accidental release of the foam happened during a nozzle certification on the airport property. In 2020, the airport received a grant to pay for a PFAS investigation.

As of Thursday, the state’s website had not been updated with any tests in 2024 or 2025. The airport’s PFAS webpage was updated this month, online at https://www.oakgov.com/community/airports/oakland-county-international-airport/pfas-response

Kammer oversees the consent agreements like the one with Oakland County’s airport. The voluntary agreement gives each facility four years to create a process testing surface-water runoff for PFAS and minimizing the contamination, with the final year dedicated to ensuring ongoing compliance. The airport submitted its plan in June.

“If they still have exceedances they have to evaluate and update their plans to bring the site into compliance,” she said. “It can be an iterative process. Oakland County airport has been very cooperative.”

The agreement is limited to the airport itself, though state officials know there are nearby homes and waterways that may be affected.

EGLE officials have made four or five efforts to alert households near the airport that rely on wells, Hendershott said. Awareness campaigns include knocking on residents’ doors, leaving door hangers with information and sending informational letters multiple times to ask permission to test the water.

“We’ve sampled between 40 and 45 home wells but we have many people who declined the sampling,” Hendershott said. Eight of the residential wells tested were found to have unacceptable levels of PFAS.

WHY TESTING HOUSEHOLD WELLS MATTERS

She and Jury encourage homeowners to have their wells tested through the state or independently.

Jury said there are many sources of PFAS besides the airport’s stormwater runoff.

They said PFAS continues to be used in manufactured products, including cosmetics, hand creams, eye drops and rug shampoo.

Jury said it’s an ingredient that isn’t yet required to be listed in many cases, but the state has an online resource where people can look up various items to check.

Something as simple as shampooing stain-resistant carpets or upholstery and dumping the wastewater into a septic field can increase PFAS saturation, he said.

EGLE doesn’t offer specific guidelines on PFAS and well depths. Jury said many people don’t know how deep their household wells are. There’s no standard depth for residential wells because the depth depends on the water table, who made the well and when it was installed. Some are barely 14 feet deep and others could be close to 150 feet deep.

That’s why testing matters, he said. Predicting stormwater runoff filtration depends on the various types of earth filtering the water and a well’s depth.

The state offers tests worth nearly $300 for homes in the affected areas near the airport. If unacceptable levels of PFAS are found, they provide an under-sink water filter and other resources.

People outside the affected area can buy their own tests and under-sink filters, Jury said.

State and township officials emphasized that homeowners with wells are effectively their own water departments and should regularly test their wells for contaminants on a regular basis and maintain the electric pump.

Hendershott’s team works with a wide range of facilities; there are dozens in Oakland County. The state has an interactive map where people can check their own neighborhoods for details, online at  https://egle.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=bdec7880220d4ccf943aea13eba102db

She said Michigan’s PFAS response is so comprehensive, it is used by the EPA and other states. EGLE works with the EPA to develop interim strategies to manage exceedances, she said.

Because PFAS and PFOS can accumulate in fish, EGLE instituted a monitoring program in White Horse Lake, downstream from the airport.

WATERFORD’S OUTLOOK

Waterford’s DPW director Westlake said the lion’s share of the township’s 32,000-plus households are connected to the township’s water supply. Township wells, an estimated 100 feet or more deep. He estimated 2,000 to 3,000 households have their own wells.

The most recent township tests for PFAS, copper, lead and other known contaminants based on EGLE’s schedules and found they were below dangerous levels, he said. The township has about a dozen wells in various spots with two close to the airport.

He said DPW officials have so far not found excessive contaminants.

“But who knows what it’ll be in 10 years,” he said. “I think that’s the worry, that the groundwater is supposed to filter it out because the deeper it goes the more it gets filtered.”

The chemicals are already in the ground, he said, adding that “the best you can do is monitor it and God forbid it becomes an issue in our public wells.”

If the township were to find excessive levels in its wells, he said, mitigation options could include digging new, deeper wells or overhauling the water treatment plant.

“But you’re not going to spend millions to overhaul a treatment plant for something that’s not there,” he said.

People using wells who are concerned and want to connect to the township’s system can contact DPW for guidance, he said. Some may be eligible for help based on financial hardship, but they would still likely have to pay a contractor to install a water line between the township’s system and the home.

“As of right now, Waterford is ‘so far, so good’ and hopefully it stays that way,” he said. “If not, we’ll adapt and adjust.”

AIRPORT ACTION

Airport officials belong to the Michigan Association of Airport Executives and other organizations that share information about limiting PFAS contamination at their airports, Bush said.

In August, the airport added a new fire-fighting vehicle, which uses the new fluorine-free foam and has an older vehicle that uses a concentrate called 3% aqueous film forming foam as a back-up plan for an extreme emergency, Bush said, adding that all the vehicles and foam storage comply with FAA rules.

Each year, the airport conducts FAA-mandated firefighting training and a demonstration by the airport’s emergency response team during the annual August airshow.

Bush said no foam is dispensed during the drills and no foam has ever been used at the airport during training exercises.

If an emergency leads to foam use, rules require cleaning it up as quickly as possible to limit what gets into the ground. Absorbent booms capture pollutants and filter water out, drains are plugged immediately and a contractor specializing in environmental clean-up disposes the captured foam.

The airport relies on EGLE grants for monitoring, tracking and analyzing PFAS to understand its full impact on the airport and nearby neighborhoods and has applied for additional state grants, Bush said. More state funds may be available for disposing of old equipment and any foam it holds, she said.

The next airport committee meeting is 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 3, in the conference room near the county  commission auditorium at 1200 N. Telegraph Road in Pontiac. Airport committee members: County Commissioners Karen Joliat, Penny Luebs, Linnie Taylor, Christine Long and Dave Woodward, with executive designee J. David VanderVeen. Typically Bush and another airport employee are present for these meetings.

ELGE has a dedicated website with resources at https://www.michigan.gov/pfasresponse/resources/action.

A 15-year, $300 million upgrade to a Detroit-based pumping station serving Oakland and Macomb counties is complete.

That led to an all-smiles ribbon-cutting Wednesday with Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner Jim Nash and Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice S. Miller – long at odds over stormwater overflows.

The northeast sewage pumping station improvement is part of a multi-phase modernization of the Oakland-Macomb Interceptor Drain wastewater system.

The renovation didn’t change the facility’s 400-million-gallon daily capacity for moving sewerage. The pumping station is part of the sanitary sewer system and separate from the type of combined sewer system that carries stormwater. Only combined sewer systems carry stormwater and wastewater.

The upgrades strengthen reliability and ensure the system can handle the wastewater for more than 830,000 residents in both Oakland and Macomb counties well into the future, according to Oakland’s WRC officials.

The pumping station on Outer Drive just east of Van Dyke in Detroit  was built between 1969 and 1972. It has more than seven miles of pipe that sends sewage to the Great Lakes Water Authority for processing. The new infrastructure is considered a critical link in southeast Michigan’s wastewater network.

A federal grant paid for nearly $1 million of the cost and Michigan’s Clean Water revolving fund paid $125 million. The remainder came from local bond sales and community investment, according to WRC officials.

“This project focused on replacing aging mechanical and electrical systems to improve reliability, not increase flow.

Nash and Miller were joined for Wednesday’s ribbon cutting by a retired state official, Mike Gregg, who spent part of his career at the Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development as the water resources program manager.

Nash called the project a major investment and “reflects our commitment to protecting public health and the environment by ensuring that future generations inherit dependable infrastructure.”

Miller said the two counties’ engineers worked closely with consulting engineers and contractors on the project.

“There’s no overstating the importance of this massive modernization project,” she said. “Without it, this aging pumping station built in the 1960s would have eventually failed and caused an infrastructure disaster and health hazard impacting many hundreds of thousands of people, homes and businesses.”

Improvements include:

•  Mechanical and electrical upgrades to reduce water and energy use.

•  State-of-the-art sewer lining upgrades to protect pipes and extend system life.

•  Revitalized pumps and sensors to increase efficiency and reliability.

When the Oakland County’s board of commissioners meet Thursday evening, the agenda will include event-sponsorship requests, union contracts and grant applications among other items.

What the agenda doesn’t include, as of early Wednesday afternoon, are resolutions to update the county’s ethics rules and establish financial disclosure rules as well as whistleblower protections.

Earlier this month, County Executive Dave Coulter issued statements calling for ethics and financial-disclosure reforms for county officials and the creation of an ombudsperson to address related concerns and complaints.

So far this year, there have been ethical issues involving a county road commissioner found at fault for breaking workplace rules, an information technology staffing contract canceled over conflict-of-interest concerns involving a company created by a current county employee, and questions about whether County Commission Chairman Dave Woodward’s private business contracts and whether his lobbying efforts on behalf of the Sheetz convenience stories conflicted with his board position.

Two commissioners, Kristen Nelson, a Waterford Township Democrat, and Charlie Cavell, a Ferndale Democrat, have made repeated attempts to update the existing ethics guidelines, add protections for whistleblowers and institute financial-disclosure rules for county officials.

They introduced three resolutions in May, which the board referred to committees for review. Since then, Woodward said they were also being reviewed by the county’s legal team. Cavell and Nelson later brought the resolutions to the board bypassing the committee process but each failed to pass.

If the proposed ethics policy is adopted, elected and county officials would be required to disclose:

•  Earnings outside of their county roles and above a certain threshold.

•  Positions with businesses, nonprofits or other organizations.

•  Any gifts, travel costs or other reimbursements by organizations doing business with the county.

Spouses would also have to disclose any interests that could create a conflict with county business, according to the proposed policy.

The proposed financial-disclosure policy calls for training on what must be disclosed and penalties for violating the rules that include:

•  Public reprimands

•  Ineligibility for appointment to county boards

•  Referral to the appropriate ethics or legal authority

It’s unclear whether the commissioners will consider the existing proposed policies or updated versions.

The commissioners meet for Democrat and Republican caucuses at 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 16. These are not publicly livestreamed but are open to the public. These are followed by the commissioners meeting at 6 p.m. in the commission’s auditorium, 1200 N. Telegraph Road in Pontiac, which is livestreamed on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@OakGovBOC.

The meeting agenda and packet are online at https://oaklandcomi.portal.civicclerk.com/event/1301/files.

The Home Bakery in downtown Rochester debuted a tribute to Taylor Swift and her latest album, “The Life of a Showgirl” with a life-size cake.

It took five designers 75 hours to transform 30 pounds of fondant, 12 quarts of buttercream, eight sheets of crisped rice and one full sheet cake, into Swift-as-Vegas-style showgirl, complete with champagne glass.

Bakery owner Heather Tocco unveiled the new Swift cake on Friday at the bakery, 300 S. Main Street in Rochester.

“I chose to create a Taylor Swift-inspired window because, honestly, we’re a bunch of Swifties in here!” Tocco said, adding that she’s happy to celebrate the global superstar’s music because “I really admire her. Taylor isn’t just an incredibly talented artist, she’s a brilliant businesswoman, a master storyteller, and someone who has built a global community through creativity, resilience, and authenticity.”

Tocco said she thinks of her bakery’s windows as canvases for storytelling and celebrating cultural moments that bring people together.

Swift is a popular role model, especially for young women, she said because the singer-songwriter-director shows success comes from hard work, imagination “and the courage to reinvent yourself.”

Tocco plans to display the Swift cake through mid-November.

The bakery’s front window drew crowds in January for a tribute to the Lions’ Amon-Ra St. Brown’s iconic headstand and earlier for a life-size Spiderman cake.

Waterford Township planning commissioners have approved a three-story 60-unit senior-living building on Scott Lake, over the objections of nearby residents.

Lourdes Senior Community has a nearly 40-acres campus along Watkins Lake Road next to Scott Lake, currently offering nearly 150 units devoted to independent and assisted living options, rehabilitation, short-term and long-term care and hospice care.

Scott Lake is a private, spring-fed 77-acre lake with depths up to 35 feet. It is considered an all-sports lake.

The township allows up to 10 units per acre; the new-building site is just over three acres on the campus and would allow up to 62 units, according to township officials.

The one- and two-bedroom apartments will have full kitchens and in-unit laundry utilities. The units range in size from just over 700 square feet to just under 1,200 square feet. Amenities in the building will include a bistro, theater, game room, chapel, salon, fitness center and multipurpose rooms. Apartments would cost $5,000 to $6,800 a month, depending on size. Lourdes existing independent-living units cost between $2,875 and $4,200.

Two docks are planned on the lake, with an agreement for a total of two pontoon boats that would be operated by staff, according to plans submitted to the township.

Lourdes’ President and CEO, Rich Acho, told The Oakland Press the company started in 1965 and remains one of the few Catholic nonprofit retirement communities in Oakland County. He said aging baby boomers will need more options in the near future.

Within a five-mile radius of Lourdes’ campus, Southeast Michigan Council of Governments’ 2050 economic forecasts show a 22% increase in households with people 75 years or older at a time when their children or other potential caregivers are moving out of the area.

“In our market area, ages 65+ will see a 32% increase by 2028,” Acho said. “With the workforce shortage, it is becoming increasingly difficult to hire private caregivers.”

But plans to add the 60-unit independent-living building to the campus riled many Scott Lake residents. They appealed to township planning commissioners to stop the project.

Lourdes revised the site plan to address township officials’ and residents’ concerns, including relocating the building to meet setback rules, redesigning the parking lot to meet township standards and hiring a company to do a traffic study. Lourdes widened a fire lane and added a sidewalk along Watkins Lake Road, while dropping plans for a pickleball court in favor of a courtyard designed for quiet activities.

Lourdes officials told the township that because residents are considered independent, there would only be a single staff member in the building to assist in the event an emergency required a 911 call.

David Cyplik lives two-tenths of a mile from Lourdes, closer to Watkins Lake. His wife was a patient there near the end of her life, he said, adding that he donates to Lourdes and supports the senior community in other ways. But he doesn’t support a 60-unit building and worries about traffic on Watkins Lake Road, especially during rush hours.

“If you live nearby, as I do, I see the traffic backing up every day,” he said. “It backs up for a long period of time.”

Jennifer Almassy said despite changes in Lourdes’ site plan, she remains concerned.

“It’s still a stark-white three-story building adding 60 units when there’s not even barely 100 houses on the lake. I think that’s excessive,” she said.

Another neighbor, Frank Scerbo, said he liked having the Lourdes across the lake.

“It’s nice and quiet. We’d just like to keep it that way,” he said.
“I ask you respectfully: Do not allow 60 units to be built there to stick out like a white elephant.”

Scerbo said one or two residents per unit would increase Watkins Lake Road traffic, either because they will be driving or having visitors.

Several asked for a traffic light for safety reasons.

Supporters included Lourdes residents and employees, who also spoke at the Sept. 23 meeting.

A retired priest, the Rev. Joe Lang, said he’s lived on Lourdes’ campus for three years and found it peaceful.

“It’s an environment in which people take good care of themselves,” he told the board, noting that many no longer drive.

Some Lourdes residents were accompanied by the company’s caregivers. One said she heard more noise from the 80 households that share Scott Lake than from her Lourdes neighbors.

The Southeast Michigan Council of Governments’ 2050 forecast of regional trends to predict how changes will affect the economy and the movement of residents and companies. The report is used to help decide how the infrastructure changes and what services are needed. SEMCOG’s report shows that aging is a major issue, with more older adults than children by 2026 in southeast Michigan, a trend that will be national by 2034 and global by 2050.

Higher-density housing is one SEMCOG recommendation for making sure older residents have access to transportation, food, housing, public spaces and social engagement.

It’s fall cleaning time for Oakland County’s roads and hundreds of people have volunteered to help.

The final Adopt-A-Road cleanup is Sept. 20 through Sept. 28.

So far this year, 381 organizations have sent volunteers to pick up litter and other debris along the county’s 598 miles of roads.

Road Commission Chairman Eric McPherson said he’s incredibly grateful for the volunteers’ deduction and asked drivers to keep them safe.

Volunteers will wear orange safety vests for better visibility and carry garbage bags while cleaning. Road commission signs will be posted at both ends of the designated road sections.

The road commission relies on groups to manage their need for more garbage bags or vests by calling the permits division groups needing additional garbage bags or safety vests can call the Permits Division at (248) 858-4891.

To learn more about Adopt-A-road, including volunteering for the final 2025 session, visit http://www.rcocweb.org/218/Adopt-A-Road or email adoptaroad@rcoc.org.

Oakland County Historical Society’s annual Oak Hill Cemetery Walk on Saturday will make history come alive, thanks to volunteers.

This year’s theme is “From Temperance to the 21st Amendment.”

The 21st Amendment repealed the 18th Amendment, which prohibited “the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors” in the U.S. The 18th Amendment was in effect from Jan. 17, 1920, to Dec. 5, 1933.

Lois Keel, a Springfield Township resident and historical society member, volunteered to portray a nameless flapper on Saturday.

The semi-retired librarian divides her time between substituting at area libraries and performing as historical characters for schools and other groups. She’s excited about her flapper role and why Michigan had a one-year head start on Prohibition.

“Henry Ford brought in a baseball player-turned-evangelical named Billy Sunday,” she said, adding that the national alcohol ban opened a new line of business for mobsters such as Al Capone and members of the infamous Purple Gang.

“These boys were a bunch of juvenile delinquents and they really made money bringing (alcohol) in from Canada,” she said.

This rain-or-shine annual walking tour features volunteers posing as prominent figures from Oakland County’s past. Organizers suggest attendees are 12 years old or older.

The cemetery walk is an important historical society fundraiser. Tickets cost $15 per person. The tours begin every 15 minutes starting at 2 p.m. The last tour steps off at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 14, at Oak Hill Cemetery, 216 University Drive in Pontiac. To buy tickets and learn other details, visit https://events.getlocalhop.com/oak-hill-cemetery-walk/event/LyAwhVxsK4.