Livonia Observer, the Gannett owned publication, recently ended their distribution of a physical paper last week. The operation will continue part of the Hometown Life virtual publication. The paper was once printed at the intersection Schoolcraft and Levan and received wide circulation among Livonians. Today, the five-person team is based out of Gannett’s Detroit office, covering a large swath of metro Detroit.

Livonia has not had any shortage of new news stories. This year has demonstrated quite the opposite. The addition of some 200 homes to a community thought of as ‘built out’. The extensive transformation of Dickinson to become an early childhood center. The redevelopment of vital parts of the city campus, potentially bolstered by Wayne County ARPA dollars. The realization of micro downtowns throughout the city. The struggle to recruit and retain the talent necessary to provide quality of life services citizens expect.

These stories join a litany of more ordinary stories on elections, community events, non-profits, and community leaders. Ordinary – not due to their banality – but because Livonia has continued to deliver outstanding contributions in all of these categories year after year.

Livonians deserve to be engaged and informed. We make up the 8th largest city in Michigan, and our size demands opportunities to learn more.

Vote.Run.Serve-Livonia will continue to serve as platform for community members to feel connected to their community. Our presentation of stories, including ones on topics listed above, this past year has been unbiased and written with a focus on brevity and digestibility. Our first event, a nonpartisan family-friendly candidate meet and greet, emphasized community over partisanship.

Our offerings will continue to evolve in 2023, and we encourage you to contribute.

What local stories require a deeper dive? What types of community events should be organized?