The candidates' positions on the election issues
Our choices for the August ballot
City considers sustainability fee on parking
Parkers in Birmingham may experience a small fee in the future as city commissioners took up discussions during the Monday, July 13, meeting, on a proposed 10 cent sustainability fee on parking transactions within the city’s parking system to generate funding for projects to offset vehicle-related carbon emissions.
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Two proposals for police space needs discussed

After multiple meetings with the board of trustees over the last few months – both internally and at their monthly meetings – James Gallagher, Bloomfield Township Police Chief, once again came before the board to discuss the police department’s space needs on Monday, July 13.
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City museum lands grant for Rouge project
The Birmingham Museum has received a Community Impact grant of $71,000 from the Community Foundation of Southeast Michigan for a special project to enhance the public experience of the Rouge ecosystem.
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Township presentation of annual police report
Throughout 2025 the Bloomfield Township police department saw increases in many areas – new hires, community involvement, calls for service and certain types of crime – and police chief James Gallagher discussed all of the details at the board of trustees meeting on Monday, July 13.
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Neighborhood decibel limits to be reviewed
Birmingham City Commissioners are expected to revisit the city’s allowable neighborhood noise levels after brief discussion towards the end of their meeting on Monday, July 13.
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Day On The Town, Police Open House July 25
Mark your calendars for Saturday, July 25, for the largest annual retail event in the city of Birmingham – Day On The Town – often referred to as the day Birmingham goes on sale.
Man arrested after assaulting bartender
After entering a Birmingham bar with food from another restaurant and using the bartender’s personal phone charger from behind the bar, an intoxicated Troy man caused a scene and punched the bartender.
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Assault of woman at bar ends in arrest
A North Carolina man was arrested in the early morning hours of Wednesday, July 8, after he allegedly assaulted a woman during an incident at a Birmingham bar near N. Bates Street and Willits Street.
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Client leaves before paying for massage
After getting a therapeutic massage from a business in Birmingham, a client left the business without paying and was later found out to be a repeat offender.
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Man allegedly threw rocks at cyclist in city
Birmingham police officers arrested a man from Johannesburg the night of Wednesday, July 1, in the area of Peabody and Maple after he was reported for throwing rocks at a bicyclist.
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Debit card information stolen after donation
A Detroit woman reported that someone had made fraudulent charges on her debit card on Sunday, June 28, after she used it to make a $10 donation outside of a Birmingham store on the 2100 block of E. Maple.
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Two arrests made for theft of merchandise
Bloomfield Township police made two arrests on Friday, July 10, for retail fraud (theft) at businesses in the township, including Plum Market and Target.
Wandering cops: how communities handle new hires
Andrew Lyon was hired by the East Lansing Police Department as an officer in 2024. By the time he resigned in April 2026, he was the subject of four internal department investigations. According to local reporting from WLNS-TV, in just two years on the job, Lyon was under investigation for speeding through red lights during a pursuit without lights and sirens, running red lights, and speeding in a personal vehicle. He had also ignored direct commands from his superiors not to discuss a federal civil rights lawsuit, which two black men filed against Lyons for using pepper spray on them when they were arrested for an alleged altercation outside a restaurant. Lyons claimed he was breaking up a fight, although video surveillance from the restaurant showed there was no fight. In reality, one of the men who was pepper-sprayed and arrested was trying to deter the other from getting involved in a potential fight.
GAME OVER
As we all know, one week before the storied bipartisan Mackinac Policy Conference in late May, former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan announced he was dropping his run as an independent candidate for governor in November. The question that has continued to circulate is why do it right before the Mackinac conference, which is sponsored by the Detroit Regional Chamber – which had endorsed Duggan early on.
