Retiring at 50: Could You Follow This Michigan Woman's Extreme Savings Plan?

Here's the story of Marlene Konkoly of Royal Oak, who found creative ways to spend less and save more so she can retire at age 50. This story is the first in our series about Extreme Savers.

Americans may be living longer, but our retirement plans aren’t keeping up. Which means people are living longer with smaller bank accounts. But Marlene Konkoly, a Patch reader from Royal Oak, will retire at age 50. How is she planning it? She contributes a whopping 45 percent of the gross annual income she earns as a procurement officer for an automotive finance company to her retirement—all while owning a home and remaining debt-free. Konkoly is actually well ahead of the retirement savings curve compared to many Americans. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, fewer than half of Americans even know how much money they would need to retire. And nearly a third of employees who had access to a defined contribution plan such as a 401(k…

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Plymouth-Canton School Board Authorizes Issuance of First Bond Series

Plymouth-Canton Community Schools will issue a higher amount than originally planned for the first series of bonds.

Now that Election Day is over and the bond has passed, Plymouth-Canton Community Schools will seek to issue its first series of bonds for a higher amount than originally planned.  School Board officials approved a resolution Tuesday, authorizing the issuance of bonds, not to exceed the amount of $80 million -- almost $20 million more than originally planned for the first bond series.  In previous information distributed by the district, the first bond series, in the amount of $60.8 million, would be used to pay for the new middle school, all technology infrastructure, a little more than half the classroom technology and a small portion of buses. The second series, estimated to be sold in early 2016, was meant to be in the amount of $53.5 …

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Crime Report

700 Pounds of Copper Stolen From Plymouth Township Business

Police: Copper was stolen from local properties in two separate incidents this past week.

Hundreds of pounds of copper wire stolen Haggerty Metal Company in Plymouth Township reported that someone stole 700 pounds of copper wire on May 10, according to a police report.  The yard manager told police that surveillance footage showed a suspect entering from the north side of the yard, going to the bin on the south side of the building and making repeated trips carrying a few rolls of copper wire at a time, the report said.  According to the report, the suspect spent an hour and a half making seven trips.  The yard manager told police, he located the missing copper on the ground outside of the property fence, on the property of Plymouth Trailer and Storage, the report said. The manager told police he believed that the thief had …

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Plymouth City Commission Approves New Name for 'No-Cannon' Park

Cannon Park is now known as Starkweather Park.

Cannon Park, located on the corner of Farmer and North Mill Streets in Plymouth's Old Village, took its name from the old war cannon that sat there since 1967.  But ever since the cannon was moved to the Plymouth Community Veterans Memorial Park several years ago, Cannon Park became known as "No-Cannon" Park.  Earlier this week, at the request of Mark Oppat and the Old Village Association (OVA), Plymouth City Commission members voted to approve a name change resolution, renaming Cannon Park as Starkweather Park.  "It's senseless to call it Cannon Park anymore, so I looked at it and thought, 'okay we should come up with a new name before anyone else does,'" Oppat said.   Suggested names like Farmer Park and Gazebo Park were thrown around …

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Plymouth and Canton Residents Asked to Take Local United Way Survey

The Plymouth Community United Way needs your help identifying local community issues.

The Plymouth Community United Way (PCUW) is reaching out to the Plymouth and Canton residents to help identify issues in the community and develop a collective vision for the future. Results of the Community Impact Survey will be used by Plymouth Community United Way to introduce new programs that advance the common good and improve the lives of all residents. The goal is to create measurable results within the areas of basic needs, education and stability. In the last several years, PCUW has focused on providing emergency food, rental and utility assistance as well as other crisis services in Plymouth, Canton and Western Wayne County because of the downturn in the economy. PCUW’s Community Impact initiative aims to prevent problems rather…

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Plymouth High School Student Makes 'Brightest and Best' List

Shirley Chen was among more than 250 recipients of WXYZ-TV's annual honor.

Channel 7, WXYZ, recently honored more than 250 recipients of this year's "Brightest and Best" award – including one from the Plymouth-Canton School district – with a special luncheon at the station in Southfield. Among the winners for 2013, the 34rd year of program, was Shirley Chen of Plymouth High School. The station teamed up with Gardner-White Furniture again this year to present the awards. Click here to see the complete "Brightest and Best" list.

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Plymouth Post Office Looks to Remain Downtown

The U.S.P.S. has selected the location at 885 Penniman as a site for a downsized post office in downtown Plymouth.

The vacant and former convenience store location of 885 Penniman has been selected for the new downsized United States Post Office in Plymouth. The location is a few doors away from the current post office and will require work before being reopened, according to a report from the Observer & Eccentric. There is also still no lease or design in place. According to the report, however, the move is a good sign that the U.S. Postal Service is “committed to staying downtown.” In March, Plymouth-Canton Patch reported that the USPS announced in a letter it was selling the Plymouth Pursell Station building and the branch would need to relocate. The Plymouth City Commission also indicated that month that it supported efforts to keep the United …

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Crime Report

Man Arrested on Charges of Possession of Crack Cocaine During Canton Traffic Stop

Police: Man said he was swerving on the road because he was texting on his cell phone.

On May 8, Canton Police arrested a man on charges of crack cocaine possession, drug paraphernalia and operating a vehicle under the influence of drugs during a traffic stop after noticing the man swerving in and out of lanes, according to a police report.  Police observed the driver swerve onto the shoulder, then back into traffic, taking up both lanes on Westbound Michigan Avenue, the report said.  The man told police that he was on his way to his girlfriend's house in Ypsilanti and was swerving because he was texting on his phone. He told police that he was not drunk and would take a breathalyzer test, the report said. According to the report, the man was confused and had problems putting the car into park to shut off the engine. The man…

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