It’s a new era for the city of Detroit and for Mary Sheffield, the youngest person ever elected to the Detroit City Council and the city’s youngest city council president.

Now, Sheffield is the first woman elected mayor of Detroit. 

“I was told by the current mayor that it may take some time to fully sink in, but, very excited, very honored, and just tons of support from the community,” Sheffield said. 

The mayor-elect also has people in her corner from outside of the community, including former Vice President Kamala Harris. 

“I was very humbled that she took the time to call me,” Sheffield said. “She encouraged me to make sure I take it all in and to prioritize the things that matter to everyday Detroiters, and just gave me a lot of advice and encouragement as a woman, going into office.”

Being Detroit’s first woman mayor comes with added pressure. 

“You just don’t want to let people down,” Sheffield said. “Being the first, you want to set the tone, and you want to set a high standard that, while I may be the first, I’m not the last.”

Sheffield says politics wasn’t always the plan, but public service is in her blood. 

“As a young girl, I used to march with Dick Gregory and Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson. I was 10 years old, and, my entire life, I was molded by both my mother and my father to serve the community,” she said. 

Sheffield says Detroit hired her to do one thing above all: keep the momentum going and make sure every neighborhood feels it. It’s why Sheffield named her transition team “Rise Higher Detroit,” and set up shop at the Marygrove Conservancy in the Fitzgerald Neighborhood. 

“We have 18 committees focused on infrastructure and housing and public safety, transit, all of the topics that we heard directly from Detroiters throughout the campaign,” she said.

Those 18 committees are building an action plan for Sheffield’s first 100 days in office. 

“We’re really big on this administration being able to deliver day one for our residents,” Sheffield said.

Challenges are ahead for Detroit. By the end of 2026, millions of dollars in pandemic-era federal funding will stop flowing to the city. Several programs like Community Violence Intervention and down payment assistance depend on that money. 

“We’re having those discussions now to figure out what programs have been the most impactful and looking at ways that we can supplement that funding with the private sector, philanthropic support, and other means as well,” Sheffield said. 

Sheffield will enter office under a microscope, as ethics questions have surfaced from her time on the city council. Sheffield says she’s taking steps to address those questions. 

“We actually have an ethics committee, which is chaired by Elliott Hall, our former inspector general. And so they’ll be making recommendations on ways that we can improve ethics not only within our administration, but within the entire city,” she said. 

The job will be demanding, and the days long, but Sheffield says she relies on family and quiet moments to recharge. 

“Quietness, you know, no television, no TV, reading a book, chilling out with my family. I mean, that is always a relaxing time for myself. I don’t have much of that these days, but it’s definitely something that I enjoy,” she said. 

Down the road, if there’s one thing Sheffield hopes Detroiters say about their mayor in the Sheffield era, it’s this:

“She was always for the people. She improves the quality of life for our city, and she put our neighborhoods first. Most importantly is that she left the city better when she was here than when it was before,” Sheffield said. 

BROWN DEER, Wis. – Take a look in any direction around the FOX6 TV station, and it is clear Brown Deer is growing. The village is amidst multiple major developments that will soon bring new apartments, shopping, and restaurants to Milwaukee’s North Shore. No project is bigger than what’s being called Riverside Landing.  

A hidden treasure

What we know:

“All told, it’s going to be probably a four-year build-out,” said Brown Deer’s development director Nate Piotrowski. “It’s such a huge piece of land at really the gateway to Brown Deer.”

 As crews demolish what was once here, something unexpected happened.

Demolition of Treasure Island store, Brown Deer

“I said to my husband, ‘Oh my God, I have to stop and get a picture of that,’” said Lynn Hunsicker.

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“And I thought, I haven’t thought of that place in years,” added Cynthia Taylor-Gray.

As an old facade is revealed by the construction of the development, memories have come flooding out.

Demolition of Treasure Island store, Brown Deer

“It never occurred to me the old Treasure Island roof would still be intact under there,” said Karen Spinti.

Treasure Island revealed

Dig deeper:

Discount store Treasure Island opened in the early 1960s. First in Appleton, and then in the exploding suburbs around Milwaukee.

“They had everything from hardware to underwear,” explained Cynthia Taylor-Gray.  

Treasure Island won awards for its design. This picture was included in the August 1963 edition of Wisconsin Architect Magazine. Photos provided by Wollin Studios

Taylor-Gray said despite not being in one in decades, her memory has been jogged.

“It felt like acres, just acres of retail merchandise,” added Karen Spinti.

Sprinti recalled getting dither when she dove into the clothes as a child.

Treasure Island in 1963 as seen in Wisconsin Architect

“I remember having to go to the bathroom urgently and not being able to find my mom,” said Spinti.

The Madison Location of Treasure Island as seen in 1963 Wisconsin Architect Magazine

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For Lynn Hunsicker, her senses have returned.

“I really remember the smell when you first walked in because it had popcorn and hot dogs,” recalled Hunsicker.

Treasure Island locations included full snack bars located at the front of the store. Picture appeared in 1963 Wisconsin Architect

It’s all coming back, as the store’s old look is revealed again.

But for all the clothes and tools and food for sale, there was nothing more recognizable than what was on top.

“Shop under the squiggly roof,” said Hunsicker with a smile.

Designing The Squiggly Roof

Designing the Squiggly Roof:

The squiggly roof isn’t just bringing back memories for shoppers.

“Frustrating for an 8-year-old, let me tell you. I spent a lot of time in the book section,” said architect Jim Shields.

Shields’ memory is different than most. His parents didn’t just drag him to the retailer, his dad’s employer designed it.

The Milwaukee architecture firm led by Jordan Miller and George Waltz, where Shields’ dad worked as a structural engineer, had a number of high profile projects. 

Key players

From Milwaukee’s airport terminal to the downtown post office, it was the firm’s decision to go with an untraditional wavy roof for a retailer that may go down as their biggest hit.

“It’s called folded plate concrete. Normally, concrete is envisioned as a flat slab, or a plate. But in this circumstance, they could fold it up and down. And that gave it long-span capability,” explained Shields.

Courtesy: Dekalb Historyv Center

Branded as the squiggly roof, the design allowed Treasure Island’s massive stores to have fewer beams leading to a wide open floor space. The shape is so unmistakable, the roof was seen in nearly every ad.

“All under the squiggly roof. That was their trademark,” said Merissa Howard with the Dakalb History Center near Atlanta, Georgia.

Courtesy: Dekalb History Center

Howard said that Milwaukee design was soon being exported to her neck of the woods.

“They were absolutely massive. They were over 200,000 square feet, which to put into perspective, is bigger than a Costco,” said Howard.

Courtesy: Dekalb History Center

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Known as the Treasury in some states, by the late 1970s, the retailer started to struggle through a recession.

“They were too big. There’s too much competition,” said Howard.

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By the 1980s, Treasure Island’s run was over. The stores closed, and new retailers moved in. Those famous squiggly roofs went away. 

They’ve been there all along

Dig deeper:

But if you look close enough you’ll realize those roofs never actually disappeared. Have you ever been behind a former Treasure Island location?  It’s worth a peek.

“They had a roof put over the top of it to keep it from leaking. So it was really hidden away,” said Jim Shields.

Shields said most of the locations weren’t destroyed, they were simply retrofitted. The squiggly roofs were hidden under new flat roofs placed on top.

From Appleton to West Allis and Brookfield, a peek behind the buildings revealed the squiggly roofs have been there all along.

New future for Brown Deer

Local perspective:

In Brown Deer, the old Treasure Island’s squiggly roof days are finally numbered.

“It’s full circle. It definitely is,” said Piotrowski.

A new retailer is set to break ground on the site; one that also got it’s start in the 1960s.

“I think the new Target will be successful,” said Piotrowski.

Out with the old, and in with the new. But those memories aren’t as easy to get rid of.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Residents in Minneapolis and St. Paul are working hard to manage the aftermath of a recent snowstorm, with snow emergencies still in effect.

Snow removal efforts continue

What we know:

Crews and residents are actively clearing snow from streets and sidewalks. 

Minneapolis residents must clear the entire width of city sidewalks within 24 hours to ensure accessibility.

Kevin Gilliam, a local homeowner, was seen snow-blowing his property to avoid dealing with hardened snow later. 

“I couldn’t get to it last night when the snow stopped around 8 or 9 o’clock,” said Gilliam. “I wanted to make sure I got the snow up, so it didn’t kind of freeze hard on the bottom.”

Neighbors lend a helping hand

What they’re saying:

Richard Cushing helped his neighbor Robert Young, who recently moved to Minneapolis from Colorado, dig out his car. 

Young was initially using a dust pan before Cushing offered a shovel. 

“Three things you need for the winter in Minnesota: a good shovel, good tires, and a good neighbor,” said Young.

Cushing noticed Young’s struggle and decided to assist. 

“I saw him trying to dig it out with a dust pan. And I thought, I have a shovel in my car, I can probably do better than that,” said Cushing.

“You use what you have. And that’s all I could find in the house. We just moved in here from Colorado, and it’s a totally different snow altogether. And the Colorado snow is light and fluffy, and you just kind of blow it off. This has got attitude. It’s going to hang around,” Young added.

What’s next:

Temperatures are expected to drop – which means cleaning up snow will become more difficult in the coming days.