(WXYZ) — Here at 7 News Detroit, we want to make sure you start your day off on the right foot, informed about weather, traffic, the latest news and more. That's why we have the 7 Morning Digest, where we'll get you out the door informed and ready to go.
What's the weather for today?
A few showers will linger into the morning commute, before we dry back out again mid-morning. Morning temperatures will be in the upper 60s, to near 70°.
Showers and thunderstorms will redevelop Wednesday afternoon. A few could be strong, with gusty winds and small hail possible. Localized heavy rainfall in possible, with 1"+ as the storms move through. High temperatures climb into the mid 80s.
Drier weather moves in for Thursday and Friday, but and isolated shower or thunderstorm in possible late each day. High temperatures peak in the low to mid 80s.
A better chance for strong thunderstorms returns for Saturday, with drier weather Sunday.
Today: A chance for scattered showers and storms, more humidity with highs in the low 80s. Winds: S 5-10 mph.
The top stories to know about
Grow Detroit’s Young Talent program returns, employing young people this summer
A program that has put more than 87,000 Detroit young people to work during the summer kicked off on Tuesday.
This is year 11 of the Grow Detroit’s Young Talent program. Our Glenda Lewis with a young man who was one of the first to go through the program when it started in 2015 and now is a true success story today.
Teaching the ins and outs of technology through the nonprofit Journi is truly a full-circle moment for Matthew Jackson's life journey.
“GDYT was my first-ever job. Worked here with Journi nonprofit back in 2015, and I was young. I was really not understanding of software development at the time, but it changed my life,” Jackson said.
His journey since led him right back to head of the class.
“I started engaging with the technology community in Detroit, started participating more in hackathons and inspired me to go to college for computer science. So I went to Morehouse College, studied there and I achieved a lot,” Jackson said.
“I was in Stanford Intelligence Systems Laboratory and did an internship there one summer. We did AI regulations on aviation. I worked with Accenture and McKinsey doing consulting for two years and I've just been traveling everywhere from Atlanta to New York to back home in Michigan now has been a great experience.”
Now at 24 years old, he has a list of accomplishments that shows the Grow Detroit’s Young Talent program is really an investment in the city's future.
“There's also a financial literacy component to the program, there's a digital literacy component to the program, a soft skills component to the program so that overall, these young people are not only working and earning a wage, but they're learning along the way,” said Terri Weems, group executive of Workforce Development with the city of Detroit.
This program is truly a strategic investment in young people that is paying off in returns.
“I know that the mayor wanted to make sure that every young person has an opportunity,” Weems said. “And with over 87,734 opportunities since 2015.”
A press conference at Northwest Activities Center kicked off the 11th GDYT work experience, offering 8,054 summer jobs for Detroit young people. Mayor Mike Duggan on Tuesday launched his last year of the program he created.
“In the city of Detroit, we've got the best summer jobs program in America where we put 8,000 people to work. That's what we're doing,” Duggan said.
Livonia police remind residents about law regarding golf carts on public streets
Livonia police are reminding residents about a state law regarding golf carts on public streets.
The police department recently posted a public service announcement on Facebook reminding residents that golf carts are not permitted on public streets in the city.
"I honestly think they have nothing better to do. There are better things for them to be doing," Nick Copperstone said.
For many residents in Livonia neighborhoods, golf carts have become a convenient and economical way to travel short distances.
"I just like to drive around the neighborhood. I grew up in this neighborhood just a couple blocks away," Thomas Crowley said.
Residents claim they've been using golf carts for years without any issues until this recent enforcement effort.
The crackdown is citywide, but police identified community pools, like the one in Castle Gardens Park, as hot spots for golf cart drivers.
"This thing only goes 18 to 20 miles an hour. I'm not drag racing down the street by any means," Copperstone said.
Some residents expressed frustration about the enforcement priorities.
"I thought it was ridiculous. They should do more with the crotch rockets that go up and down the expressway and the freeways fast, zipping in and out of traffic," Donna Strauch said.
According to Michigan law, golf carts are legal to drive on public roads, but only in communities with populations under 30,000 people that have passed specific ordinances allowing their use. Additionally, golf carts can only be operated on streets with speed limits under 30 mph.
Livonia police confirmed they plan to continue enforcing golf cart regulations, while residents hope for policy changes.
Detroit cop arrested, suspected of stealing $600 from woman while bodycam rolling
A Detroit police officer was arrested last month inside the city’s 6th Precinct, accused by the department of stealing about $600 from a suspect.
The strongest evidence against the officer, the department says: his own body camera.
“Our (internal affairs) lieutenant took a look at the video and immediately recognized that we had a criminal act here,” Cmdr. Michael McGinnis said.
The officer has been suspended with pay, but has not been charged as of Tuesday. The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office is reviewing a warrant, according to the Detroit Police Department.
The four-year veteran of the department was arrested after reporting for work in June over what he is alleged to have done during a traffic stop back on March 7.
According to officials, while near the intersection of Joy and Evergreen Road, a team of three officers observed what they believed to be a narcotics handoff. Two of the suspects involved drove off, police say, and when officers stopped their vehicle, they found drugs inside.
The driver and passenger of the vehicle were both arrested, later housed at the Detroit Detention Center.
After their release, however, the female passenger reported that there was money missing from her purse — about $600 — and filed a citizen’s complaint with the Office of the Chief Investigator.
When investigators pulled up the officer’s body camera, they say the theft was obvious.
“You can see on camera an envelope of money contained in that purse. One minute you see it, next second it’s gone,” McGinnis said.
He said the cash was not listed in any department inventory, mentioned in the police report or placed into evidence.
“It was stolen,” he said.
McGinnis said there is no evidence that the other two officers involved in the stop were aware of or involved in the alleged theft.
In his role overseeing the department, Commissioner Ricardo Moore says he has too often watched officers shut off body cameras during stops or arrests, or never turn them on in the first place.
That an officer’s alleged theft was caught by his own camera is — in a way, Moore says — progress.
“I’m just happy that the body-warn camera situation worked,” Moore said. “I’ve been lobbying because a lot of officers turn off the body-warn cameras.”
The department says it is now conducting a wider review of the officer’s body camera, searching for similar alleged conduct. At the same time, they’re urging the public to come forward if they believe they’ve been a victim of theft.
While the officer is currently suspended with pay, the department says it will plan to seek a suspension without pay at an upcoming Board of Police Commissioners meeting later this month.
“I wouldn’t be doing my job if I wasn’t worried,” McGinnis said.
“What worries me is that this is an officer wearing a police uniform stealing from the citizens. I see it as just him doing it, but the rest of the world sees it as Detroit police stealing. And that’s just not the case.”
The Detroit Police Officers Association did not respond to a request seeking comment.
Contact 7 Investigator Ross Jones at ross.jones@wxyz.com or at (248) 827-9466.
