Your Week in Troy: August 16–22, 2026

Fall sports come home Thursday, one soaking Wednesday, and a metro calendar running from J. Cole to Willie Nelson.

The Weather: One Wet Day, Then Nothing

This is an easy week with a single exception.

Today closes out at 85° under overcast skies with essentially no rain risk. Sunday warms to 87° with scattered showers and about a 31% chance, though total accumulation should stay under two-tenths of an inch. It'll feel closer to 91° with the humidity.

Monday clears beautifully at 82°. Tuesday climbs back to 88° under overcast skies with no measurable rain expected.

Wednesday is the one to plan around. The forecast calls for roughly 1.6 inches of rain and a 50% chance of heavy showers, with the high dropping to 75° — the coolest day of the week. That's essentially the entire week's precipitation landing in a single day, and it lands on a night with two home soccer games.

Thursday through Saturday are dry and mild: 80°, then 83°, then a clear and sunny 84° to close the week out.

The short version: everything except Wednesday is fine. Move what you can.

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 start 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. A Samsung SDI spokesperson framed the acquisition as a way to continue the strategic relationship while accounting for the market shift.

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, with the split completing in early 2026 — Ford took 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 manufacturing strategy since February.

There is a counterweight worth noting. The Ultium Cells plant in Warren, Ohio — GM's joint venture with LG Energy Solution, and Ultium's first facility — restarts battery cell production Monday, August 17, after a seven-month shutdown. The restart brings roughly 1,400 workers back, including most of the 850 who were 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. Ultium describes the site's new direction as diversification rather than a pivot, with plans to produce for both stationary storage and EVs.

What's Happening in Troy

Fall sports are back, and they dominate the local calendar this week.

Monday, August 17

Riviera Nights hosts a Wine Club Pairing Dinner at 151 E Big Beaver Road, $79 per person — it runs Monday and again Tuesday.

On the athletic side, girls golf plays the Lady Falcon Invitational at Stony Creek Metropark Golf Course starting at 8 a.m., and boys tennis travels to the Novi Quad at Novi High School. Troy's varsity boys tennis team is also at Forest Hills Central.

Tuesday, August 18

The Troy School District Board of Education meets in the evening, and staff professional development runs district-wide.

Girls golf plays the Oxford Invitational at Metamora Country Club at 9 a.m. and a JV scramble at Lincoln Hills. Boys tennis is at Portage Central.

For anyone in real estate, there's a session at Mark White & Associates on building a team to $2 million GCI.

Wednesday, August 19

Two home soccer matches at Troy High School Stadium — JV at 5:30 p.m., varsity at 7:00 p.m., both against Avondale. Keep an eye on the forecast; this is the wet day.

The NBMBAA Detroit Chapter holds its August meeting at Health Alliance Plan, featuring Dr. Donna Bell presenting "The Opportunity Before the Opportunity: Preparing Yourself for What's Next."

Thursday, August 20

The biggest local day of the week. Troy High hosts Royal Oak for football — JV at 3:00 p.m., varsity at 5:00 p.m. — with sideline cheer squads at 3:00 and 5:00. The Troy Quad boys tennis tournament runs at the Troy High courts from 8:30 a.m.

Troy Athens hosts Northville for boys soccer across three levels: JVB at 4:00, JVA at 5:30, varsity at 7:15. Volleyball travels to Cranbrook at three levels through the afternoon and evening, and girls golf plays the Adams Invitational at Twin Lakes Golf Club.

It's also a Teacher Work Day for the district.

Friday, August 21

Boys soccer hosts Rochester Adams at Troy High Stadium — JVB at 4:00, JV at 5:30, varsity at 7:00. Girls varsity golf plays the Lapeer Lightning Tune-Up at Lapeer Golf & Country Club.

Saturday, August 22

Volleyball plays the Power Series Tournament across all levels. Boys soccer travels to Grand Blanc, with matches from 10:30 a.m. through the afternoon at Atwood Stadium.

Off the field, the MEC Conference Center hosts a one-day workshop on using tax law, trusts, LLCs and limited partnerships to protect assets and minimize income taxes.

Around Metro Detroit

If you're willing to drive, the regional calendar is stacked this week.

Sunday, August 16 — The Tigers host the White Sox at Comerica Park at 1:40 p.m. Five Finger Death Punch plays Pine Knob at 6:45 p.m. J. Cole brings The Fall-Off Tour to Little Caesars Arena at 8:00 p.m. — his first Detroit show in five years. The Mitten Barber Expo takes over 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 plays 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 bring their Death By Sexy 20th Anniversary Tour to Saint Andrew's Hall at 7:00. The Utica Unicorns host the Eastside Diamond Hoppers at Jimmy John's Field.

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

Friday, August 21 — A crowded night. 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 Franklin Amphitheatre. StanWill at Saint Andrew's, and 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 at 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, and MADVKTM at Elektricity in Pontiac.

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