A Michigan woman is celebrating her 110th birthday Saturday, a milestone so rare it places her among a group known as supercentenarians.

Family, friends and staff at Fountain Bleu Health and Rehabilitation Center in Livonia gathered to celebrate Lois McGarvey, who was born in Niles in 1916. That same year, the United States had not yet entered World War I, television did not exist and the Model T was rolling off factory lines.

When McGarvey was born, Woodrow Wilson was president. She has since lived through two world wars, two pandemics and more history than most can imagine.

Her daughter, Kathleen McGarvey Perkins, said the family was not certain this day would come.

"We didn't know if she'd make this far or not, but we're excited for her and we're excited to celebrate her special day," McGarvey Perkins said.

Talea Green, activities director at Fountain Bleu Health and Rehabilitation Center, said the occasion is one the facility does not take lightly.

"We actually don't have many residents that have been 100, let alone 110. So it's just a great honor to have her here in our facility to appreciate her and show her that she is appreciated," Green said.

McGarvey's son, Kenneth McGarvey, believes longevity may run in the family.

"My great grandfather, mom's grandfather lived to be 100. He had a daughter, my great aunt, who lived to be 102, so it's in the genes," Kenneth McGarvey said.

For her children, the birthday is about more than a number. It is about honoring the woman behind it. Her daughter Marilyn Kistler remembered her mother's outlook on life.

"I just remember mom always being positive about everything, and that was intentional," Kistler said.

McGarvey was married for 65 years. She had four children of her own and also fostered children.

"She loved children and she just loved working with children," McGarvey Perkins said.

Her family also remembers her sense of fun.

"I remember seeing her in the swimming pool one time when she was 99 and she was going down the water slide," Kenneth McGarvey said.

While McGarvey may not be able to share her own memories verbally, her family says she communicates through a smile or a look. Her birthday celebration began earlier this month with a family reunion.

Her children say her secret to a long life comes down to something she passed down through generations.

"Mom's faith, which she got from her parents and her grandparents and has given to us has been a fantastic thing," Kenneth McGarvey 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.

Residents in communities near the Wayne and Washtenaw counties border are pushing for a voice in the process that could lead to a major landfill expansion in their backyard.

Watch Christiana Ford's video report: Residents speaking up about proposal to expand Arbor Hills Landfill

GFL is planning to propose expanding the Arbor Hills Landfill in Salem Township onto 90 acres it already owns. Before that can happen, the proposal must make its way through Washtenaw County's materials management planning process.

On Wednesday, neighbors packed the Washtenaw County Materials Management Planning Committee's monthly meeting to speak out against the potential expansion.

Northville Township resident Trisha Kunst said she has looked at the data and is concerned.

"I think all residents living within a mile of the landfill are concerned about the safety for their families," Kunst said.

Thomas Jones, also of Northville Township, raised concerns about the landfill's proximity.

"We already have this facility near a park and near a school, elementary school, so I'm just concerned that we may be getting too much of the pollution, the air, the effect on the environment," Jones said.

Wednesday's meeting was scheduled to include a presentation by GFL to the committee, which will ultimately make a recommendation to commissioners on whether the landfill's expansion should be included in the county's plans for the next 10 years. Attendees were surprised to learn the GFL presenter was not able to attend.

"I was kinda disappointed that the main speaker was not able to attend today," Jones said.

Leslie Evans, a Northville Township resident and leader with nonprofit The Conservancy Initiative, has been organizing for months to keep community members involved and informed throughout the process.

"Our residents come to our town halls, and they come and talk to us all the time if they know we are, and, yes, everyone who lives around the vicinity, around this landfill is just incredulous that they would think about building a second one," Evans said. To us thats just unbelievable because the thing is, if they do have a new landfill, its going to last like 30 years or more, and all of the environmental effects eventually, when its done, theyll walk away, and we have to deal with all the environmental effects now and later."

Plymouth Township resident Tom Finn echoed the call for community involvement.

"We're all concerned about the landfill," Finn said. "For years I golfed at a golf course right next to it; you can smell it its there, and Im more concerned about the long-term financial liability, and we know that materials fail.

He worries about it and says he plans to stay informed about the process.

"The decision hasn't been made yet, so I think it's important that everyone has a voice," Finn said.

GFL did not respond to a request for comment. A presenter from the company is expected to attend the September 9 meeting. The committee plans to vote in December on whether the proposal is consistent with the county's material management plan.

Commissioners will vote on the materials management plan once it's complete. Then it will need to be approved by 2/3 of the municipalities in the county. Then the landfill can make a formal application to EGLE to expand.

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 report suggests the LIV Golf team championship scheduled at St. John's Resort's The Cardinal Golf Course in Plymouth, Michigan, is not happening.

Watch Christiana Ford's report below LIV Golf team championship in Michigan may be canceled, locals left in the dark

Following the LIV Golf Bedminster event in New York on Sunday, TNT Sports' Craig Doyle said the event in Indianapolis would be the final event of the season, where the team championship will be decided. The video was posted by Flushing It Golf on X.

As of Monday, fans can still buy tickets online, but at St. John's there is no sign that LIV Golf is coming. There is no infrastructure on site, just two weeks before the tournament was scheduled to begin.

The silence has people talking.

Mark Newman, a volunteer and Plymouth Township resident who participated last year and registered again this year, said he has no information about whether the event will move forward.

"The organization themselves are withholding any information regarding whether this event is going to move forward or not," Newman said. "We are feeling very uninformed and left in the dark by everything."

Newman said he is disappointed by the uncertainty.

"I'm basically upset by it because I was really looking forward to it again. It was an awesome event last year. We had a lot of fun," Newman said.

St. John's Resort and its official event management partner, Outlyr, both declined to comment, saying they will only address LIV Golf's event if or when LIV makes an announcement.

LIV has not responded to our request for information.

Aiden Newman, a college golfer, said the experience of watching players inside the ropes close to home was memorable.

I hope we have it at the end of the day. Last year it was a little different format. I understand some people arent the biggest fan of LIV. However to have Jon Rahm, Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, all those guys here was a little bit of a different experience and for it being literally right down the road and being able to see em inside the ropes was a really good experience and I hope it comes back this year, Aiden Newman said.

Ron Henry, who attended last year with his wife and plans to buy tickets again this year, said he remains hopeful.

"I'm hopeful that it'll still be on. I think it's good for the area. We need more global events in Michigan. And it was certainly ranked up there. I've been to the Ryder Cup, I've been to the, several different Oakland Hills events and the Rocket Mortgage Classic. It's too bad that we're losing both in the same year," Henry said.

Plymouth Downtown Development Authority Director Sam Plymale said last year's tournament produced only a 3 to 4 percent increase in visitors to the area.

"We were looking forward to LIV coming back and maybe growing the impact from last year but we'll see what happens and if it doesn't, if the tournament doesn't happen, I don't think it'll have a huge impact on our businesses down here," Plymale said.

The tournament is still listed online as scheduled for The Cardinal from Aug. 27-30.

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.

Plymouth Township is grappling with a wave of board departures after Trustee Mark Clinton submitted a resignation letter citing what he describes as the "deceitful nature" of township leadership.

Clinton's resignation is the third this year and comes less than halfway through his term. The township clerk resigned in March due to health reasons, one trustee left in May and another plans to leave later this year for health reasons. The departures have divided residents over whether the exits represent chaos, happenstance or a needed cleanup.

Watch Christiana Ford's video report below: Fourth Plymouth Township official exit looms as trustee blasts leadership

Clinton's letter pointed specifically to the process of selecting a new trustee to replace Jen Buckley, who resigned in early July.

Supervisor Charles Curmi addressed the resignation in a statement.

"I wish Mark Clinton well and Plymouth Township thanks him for his service. We will be accepting his resignation on August 5," Curmi said.

Curmi also outlined how the replacement process would work.

"We're going to follow the legal process that's been around for many years, most likely, but it's up to the board. The board makes a decision on who's the replacement. The way it works is the board nominates somebody, we deliberate and then we vote," Curmi said.

As voters headed to Township Hall for early voting, residents shared sharply divided reactions to Clinton's departure.

Tab Morin said he was disappointed to see Clinton go.

"Very disappointed. Mark has been a great advocate for the township for many years and sad to see him leave," Morin said.

But not everyone shared that sentiment.

"As far as I'm concerned, don't let the door slam you on the way out," Estelle Oliansky said.

Oliansky said she believes the departures are a positive development.

"A few people were held over from the previous administration and those are the ones that have been making the board a hostile board and I'm glad to see them go," Oliansky said.

Patty Pozios echoed that view.

"I think it's a good thing for the township. I think if people can't behave as adults and move forward and do the best for the township versus doing the bidding of a former supervisor, then they should leave," Pozios said.

Others expressed concern about the long-term impact of so many unelected members serving on the board.

"I think a lot of us are concerned because by the end of this year, four of the seven board members will be appointees, never having received a single vote in an election and they will serve for over two years," Mary Tavarozzi said.

Community members say tensions on the board have been visible, particularly during the process of selecting a new clerk.

Tavarozzi said she has witnessed the behavior described in Clinton's letter firsthand.

"I go to almost all the township meetings and I've observed a lot of the behaviors that he mentions there and some of the frustrations that he and others have expressed before with how the board is run," Tavarozzi said.

Tavarozzi said residents are hoping the next phase of the board's composition will be handled differently.

"We're hoping it'll be more transparent and there will be more public input," Tavarozzi said.

Those paying attention say they hope to see a new tone.

"I think that theres some challenges happening that the leadership needs to understand whats going on and try to fix it," said Morin.

-

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 stretch of Grand River Road in Novi could look dramatically different in the next several years, with new housing, restaurants, a convention hotel and entertainment spaces all part of a sweeping $407 million development proposal.

Blair Bowman, co-owner of Vibe Credit Union Show Place, is proposing the project, dubbed "Novi City West," which includes 12 projects along the corridor between Beck and Taft roads, an area the city rezoned from light industrial to City West District with the goal of making it walkable and vibrant.

Watch Christiana Ford's video report below: Proposed Novi development drawing concern and support

The plan calls for 750 housing units in a variety of formats, restaurant and retail space, and a centerpiece 225-room convention hotel.

Frankly, we were looking for a vehicle and a program where we could do something of scale at our location that would allow us also to have the resources in terms of new and needed hotel rooms to conduct our operations and be attractive to meeting planners going forward in the future as well, Bowman said.

Housing components residential plans include:

112 Pulte townhomes 200 condominium-style units from Three Oaks Group A neuro-inclusive housing community where 25% of units would serve developmentally or intellectually disabled adults Workforce and caregiver housing Additional market-rate apartments nearby

Entertainment and public space Bowman described:

The Mix, an indoor-outdoor entertainment and dining concept Dog-friendly gathering areas Recreation spaces with bocce ball, croquet and lawn games Public event and social gathering spaces Walkable connections and bike paths linking developments together

Bowman is also exploring the use of the state's Transformational Brownfield Program to help recoup a large portion of financing. He estimated reimbursements could total approximately $230 million to $240 million over 30 years. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed bipartisan legislation raising the Transformational Brownfield Program cap to $3.2 billion, opening the door for the possibility.

"We have a languishing corridor that is contaminated in several of the site's old construction, heavy industrial yards that have frankly, besides our showplace investment and a couple of smaller investments around the corridor has just not for the last five to six decades has not seen any type of investment or development," Bowman said.

Bowman described the moment as a rare opportunity.

"It's two very long roads coming together now at a junction that really, I think, is a once in a generation lifetime as far as an economic development and community revitalization program," Bowman said.

But residents living near the proposed site have concerns. Khurram Abbas has lived in the Asbury Park subdivision, tucked behind Grand River Road, for a little over five years.

"One of the things I love about this neighborhood is how green it is. It's very serene, it's secluded and a lot of wild life over here," Abbas said.

Abbas worries the development signals a shift in Novi.

"A lot of the residents in Novi, we're actually pretty concerned about what we consider overdevelopment in Novi, and this is a big part of that," Abbas said.

Neighbor Krishnan Mahesh shares similar concerns about the character of the area changing.

"It's very close to our neighborhood here and so I'm concerned that it's in terms of the transient type of population as opposed to more of a neighborhood population here. And we moved here because it was close but had a community type of feel, and I feel that's going to be destroyed," Mahesh said.

Traffic is one of the concerns they raised. Bowman signaled a potential for a traffic light at the proposed hotel entrance.

Some residents plan to attend Monday night's city council meeting, where the plan will be formally presented to council members. Abbas said he and other neighbors have already been in contact with Bowman.

"We've actually been in touch with the primary developer. He's been nice enough and reached out to us and listened to some of our concerns, but at the end of the day, he is a developer. He is going to do what is best for his development and we're going to try our best to make sure that the city of Novi, its elected council, they listen to us and they address some of the concerns that we have," Abbas said.

The project is still in the beginning phases and will need multiple approvals at the local and state level.

In additional to the local council, the project will also need approvals from local Brownfield Redevelopment Authority, Michigan Strategic Fund and Michigan Economic Development Corporation.

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.