What’s happening: A golden Halo for every neighborhood, removing city sidewalks in favor of green stormwater infrastructure, and the mayor having A.I. write his speech for him. This year’s State of the City of Sterling Heights address opened with a well-produced skit full of jokes that poke fun at many of the things that the city has been so good at lately; in this case, public art, sustainability initiatives, and innovation and technology, respectively. State of City addresses aren’t typically the most entertaining of ways to spend an hour, but it turns out that Sterling Heights is pretty good at that, too.

What’s in it: Beyond the jokes, the hour-long presentation features Mayor Michael C. Taylor reflecting on the achievements and gains made in 2023 and providing a preview of what’s in store for 2024.

[Related: Keep up with what's happening in Sterling Heights on Metromode.]

Two Sterling Heights businesses were also recognized with Sterling Edge Awards from the recently rebranded Sterling Heights Regional Chamber of Commerce, now known as Connect Macomb. Coffee First Café and Bake Shoppe was given the Local Business of the Year Award, and Gloss Nail Atelier was given the Dream Big Award. 

Why it’s important: “The State of the City address is a way for us to reach out to our community each year and share our successes, challenges, and initiatives for the future,” says Mayor Michael C. Taylor. “This year, I wanted to highlight the power of innovation and technology we use to provide our residents, businesses and visitors top-level services while also underscoring the importance of the profound human connections we make every single day. It’s the way Sterling Heights is linking today and tomorrow, together, to maintain our exceptional quality of life.”

Where it is: For those residents, business owners, and community stakeholders unable to attend the State of the City in person, the SHTV-produced presentation is now accessible online and, for a limited time, via scheduled airings on the SHTV broadcast channel. Remaining scheduled broadcasts include 8 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 5; 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 6; 10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 7; and 10 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 8. SHTV is broadcast on Comcast Channel 5, WOW Channel 10, and AT&T U-Verse Channel 99.

Got a development news story to share? Email MJ Galbraith here or send him a tweet @mikegalbraith.