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Happy Holidays from the Staff at C & G Newspapers
DECEMBER 20, 2023 • Vol. 43, No. 27
Mound Road construction nearing completion
Center Line rings in holiday season with 70th tree lighting BY GENA JOHNSON gjohnson@candgnews.com
PAVING WORK EXPECTED TO WRAP UP DEC. 18 BY GENA JOHNSON gjohnson@candgnews.com
See MOUND on page 11A
ABOVE: Center Line celebrated its 70th Tree Lighting event on Dec. 9. LEFT: Center Line public safety officers lit a bonfire for everyone to enjoy and stood by to extinguish the fire at the end of the night.
RIGHT: Santa Claus received the key to the city in Center Line.
See TREE on page 5A
Photos by Patricia O’Blenes
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WARREN — If you’ve traveled on Mound Road in Warren, you’ve likely experienced slowdowns, lane closures, and felt captive by construction. Recent weeks have seen noticeable progress, and many have asked, “When will this end?” “All road paving work is complete on Mound Road between I-696 and M-59 and the road is anticipated to open to traffic on Monday, December 18,” Macomb County Department of Roads Director Bryan Santo said in a written statement. The “Innovate Mound” project is more than 85% complete, according to Santo. Final landscaping and restoration work is anticipated to be completed in 2024. “As part of Innovate Mound, we are installing state of the art technology and high-performance pavement to deliver a safe and smooth traveling
CENTER LINE — Santa Claus came to town for Center Line’s 70th tree lighting on Dec. 9, where nearly 900 people from the community gathered in Memorial Park for festive events on a balmy night. “The tree lighting has been around for 70 years. It’s pretty amazing that the families have been coming out to join the city to start off their holiday festivities,” said Center Line Parks and Recreation Director Shawn Massaria. The Center Line Public Safety Department brought Santa to the park in one of their firetrucks where he passed out more than 300 stockings filled with toys for children who came to see him, according to Massaria. The Center Line High School choir sang “Here Comes Santa Claus” as the jolly fellow made his way to the stage. Santa received the key to the city and was joined by a local student as the pair lit up the Christmas tree. The 20-foot inflatable reindeer was a big hit. “Everybody absolutely loved him,” said Massaria. “His name was Cookie.” Hot chocolate and coffee were donated by Center Line’s Biggby Coffee and were handed out by the Center Line Lions Club, along with