Your Week in Livonia: August 16–22, 2026

One soaking Wednesday, a stacked slate of city meetings, fall soccer at all three high schools, and a metro calendar worth the drive.

The Weather: Plan Around Wednesday

This is a straightforward week with a single obstacle.

Today closes out warm — a high near 87° under overcast skies that will feel closer to 92° with the humidity, and essentially no rain risk. Sunday holds at 86° with a muggy feels-like of 91° and about a one-in-four chance of showers, though nothing meaningful is expected to fall.

Monday eases to 84°. Tuesday climbs back to 87°. Both days stay overcast and dry.

Wednesday is the exception, and it's a decisive one. The forecast calls for roughly 1.3 inches of rain with a 48% chance of heavy showers, and the high drops to 76° — the coolest day of the week by several degrees. That single day accounts for essentially all of the week's precipitation.

Thursday through Saturday recover cleanly: 80°, then 82°, then a mainly clear 84° to finish.

The short version: move anything outdoors off Wednesday and the rest of the week takes care of itself.

The News

Court amnesty program ends Friday — fees waived, warrants cancelled

The 16th District Court's amnesty program closes this week, and the savings are real for anyone carrying an old citation.

Through Friday, Aug. 21, eligible individuals can have the $35 default fee, 20% late fees and the $75 warrant fee waived on overdue citations or defaulted cases — and outstanding warrants cancelled outright. The program applies to adjudicated and defaulted cases with assessed fines and costs.

Two exclusions worth knowing: garnishment cases involving disclosures from the State of Michigan are not covered, and driver's license reinstatement fees are not included.

To participate, visit the 16th District Court at 32765 Five Mile Road, 8:30 a.m. to 4:20 p.m., Monday through Friday. Anyone planning to pay by credit card should call the court first at (734) 466-2500 to get an adjusted balance before paying through the online portal.

Source: City of Livonia, posted August 3, 2026

Inkster Road rehabilitation underway

Construction began July 30 on a $2.48 million Wayne County project to rehabilitate Inkster Road between West Chicago and Schoolcraft Road. Expect delays through the corridor.

The city keeps two running lists updated as Wayne County and MDOT confirm new start dates: active road construction at Livonia.gov/359, and residential street repairs at Livonia.gov/363.

Source: City of Livonia

Metro Detroit

GM exits its $3.5 billion Indiana battery venture as EV demand cools

General Motors has stepped back from another major battery manufacturing partnership, and the reasoning says a lot about where the industry is right now.

Samsung SDI announced it has acquired GM's 49.99% stake in SynergyCells, the joint venture formed in April 2023 to build a $3.5 billion battery cell plant in New Carlisle, Indiana. The project was planned for 27 gigawatt-hours of initial capacity across a 275-hectare site, with more than 1,600 jobs and production originally scheduled to begin in 2026 — later pushed to 2027. The plant is still under construction and not yet operational.

Samsung SDI attributed the buyout to market changes since 2023, specifically slower-than-expected EV demand growth. The facility will become Samsung's first independently operated battery production base in North America, and the company now plans to use it first for energy storage system batteries rather than EV cells, targeting the fast-growing U.S. stationary storage market.

The partnership isn't over. The two companies signed a separate agreement to develop a prismatic battery cell for potential future EV use, and Samsung noted the Indiana plant could eventually produce them.

GM shares fell about 2.9% on the news, closing near $86.77.

The wider pullback — and one plant coming back online

GM's exit fits a pattern rather than standing alone.

The automaker announced a $1.6 billion write-down tied largely to its EV business in October 2025, then a further $6 billion write-down in January 2026 after reassessing EV capacity and investments. Both followed the expiration of the federal $7,500 EV purchase tax credit on September 30, 2025. GM had already walked away from an unfinished cell plant in Lansing with LG Energy Solution back in December 2024.

Competitors are in the same position. Ford dissolved its BlueOval SK joint venture with SK On in December 2025, taking full ownership of two Kentucky plants while SK On took the Tennessee facility. Ford restructured its Model e electric division in April. Stellantis has been reconsidering its own battery strategy since February.

There is a counterweight. The Ultium Cells plant in Warren, Ohio — GM's joint venture with LG Energy Solution — restarts battery cell production Monday, August 17, after a seven-month shutdown. Roughly 1,400 workers return, including most of the 850 temporarily laid off when production halted in January. The plant runs about 35 gigawatt-hours of annual capacity and makes cells for GM electric vehicles.

What's Happening in Livonia

Sunday, August 16

A quiet start. Restorative Yoga Flow at BYOC.fit, and a book club meeting at Café Au Lait discussing Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah.

Monday, August 17

Four city meetings stack up in a single evening. The Law & Education Committee meets at 6:00 p.m., the Arts Commission at 6:30 p.m. at 15100 Hubbard, the 2046th City Council Regular Meeting at 7:00 p.m. at 33000 Civic Center Drive, and a City Council Study Meeting immediately after at 8:00 p.m. The council meeting packet is posted through the city's online document portal.

Tuesday, August 18

Riviera Nights brings a Wine Club Pairing Dinner to Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurant, $79 per person.

The Zoning Board of Appeals meets at 7:00 p.m. at Civic Center Drive. Two Chamber networking groups run in the morning: Forward Driven Network Group at 7:45 a.m. and Business Networkers of Westland at 9:30 a.m., both at the Livonia-Westland Chamber's Westland office. Both are industry-exclusive, one representative per field — email Shari Davidek to check availability before showing up.

Also Tuesday: Pajamas & Perfumes at Virtuous Events.

Wednesday, August 19

The wet day, and conveniently the indoor one.

Girls volleyball hosts a multi-team day at the Franklin High School competition gym — JV at 8:00 a.m., varsity at noon.

Three city bodies meet: the Board of Trustees (LERS) starting at 8:30 a.m., the Civil Service Commission at 5:30 p.m., and the Library Commission at 6:30 p.m. at the Five Mile Road library.

Elsewhere: a BYOC Step experience on 7 Mile, and the Vendatta Summoners Skirmish on Schoolcraft.

Thursday, August 20

Fall soccer arrives at two high schools on the same night. Franklin hosts South Lyon — JV at 5:30 p.m., varsity at 7:00 p.m. Churchill hosts Taylor Prep at 5:30 p.m.

Off the field, the Do Good Dinner supports Holy Cross's non-food pantry on 6 Mile Road, SuperNatural Brewing and Spirits celebrates five years of LEARN, and Urban Air runs Family Night on Plymouth Road.

Friday, August 21

Stevenson hosts Detroit Western International for boys soccer — JV at 5:30 p.m., varsity at 7:00 p.m.

The Vistatech Center hosts "Little Patients, Big Impact," a pediatric-focused conference from the Michigan chapter of NAPNAP.

Saturday, August 22

The Lee M. Thurston Class of 2016 marks ten years at 15300 Inkster Road, and Angelic Reiki Level 1 & 2 runs on Middlebelt Road.

Around Metro Detroit

Worth the drive this week:

Sunday, August 16 — The Tigers host the White Sox at Comerica Park, 1:40 p.m. Five Finger Death Punch at Pine Knob, 6:45 p.m. J. Cole brings The Fall-Off Tour to Little Caesars Arena, 8:00 p.m. — his first Detroit show in five years. The Mitten Barber Expo at the Vibe Credit Union Showplace in Novi.

Tuesday, August 18 — Megan Moroney's Cloud 9 Tour at Little Caesars Arena, 7:00 p.m. Chance Peña at the Majestic.

Wednesday, August 19 — National Aviation Day at The Henry Ford in Dearborn. Lindsey Stirling's Duality Untamed Tour with PVRIS at the Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre, 8:00 p.m. Kindred the Family Soul with Kenyon Dixon at the Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre, 7:30 p.m. Eagles of Death Metal at Saint Andrew's Hall, 7:00 p.m.

Thursday, August 20 — Empire of the Sun at the Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre, 7:30 p.m.

Friday, August 21 — My Chemical Romance's The Black Parade with Iggy Pop at Comerica Park, 7:00 p.m. Brandi Carlile's The Human Tour at Meadow Brook Amphitheatre, 7:00 p.m. Deep Purple with Kansas at Pine Knob, 6:15 p.m. Detroit All City Fest at the Aretha. StanWill at Saint Andrew's, THE HEARTWORK at the Orchid Theatre in Ferndale.

Saturday, August 22 — The Lions open the preseason against Washington at Ford Field, 12:00 p.m. Outlaw Festival brings Willie Nelson, the Avett Brothers and Lukas Nelson to Pine Knob, 3:20 p.m. Billy Currington and Kip Moore at the Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre, 7:00 p.m. Theory of a Deadman and Sevendust at The Fillmore, NOLA-Fest at The SEVEN in Ferndale.

Event details and times can change. Confirm with each venue before heading out.