(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?
Today: Rain showers in the morning then mostly cloudy in the afternoon, cooler with highs near 70° with 71° in Detroit. Winds: NE 5-10 mph.
Tonight: Clearing skies with cooler temps in the mid 50s. Winds: Light
Friday: Partial sun with a slight shower chance. The best chance will be south of Detroit. Highs will be in the low to mid 70s. Winds: ENE 5-10 mph.
Any traffic issues?
We're seeing a lot of issues on the roads this morning after heavy rain overnight and rain continuing this morning. There are several crashes and some flooding. Check the live traffic map for the latest road issues.
The top stories to know about
Community embraces 5-year-old with cancer who said his dying wish was a birthday party
For about seven months, 5-year-old Julius Reid from Detroit has been battling kidney cancer, an unimaginable weight for a child so young.
But Julius still managed a smile for his kindergarten graduation photo last week at Hope of Detroit Academy.
Michelle Lozon, a local photographer, captured that moment — and one unforgettable question Julius asked his teacher.
“He asked his teacher, ‘Miss Angel, am I going to have my birthday party before I die?’” Lozon recalled. “My mouth dropped. I froze."
Julius' sixth birthday is in August, but his mom, Shanice Reid, says he’s begun to fear that each day could be his last.
So this week, the Detroit community came together to give Julius the one thing he wished for most: his very first birthday party.
“Everything here has been donated,” Lozon said, surrounded by balloons, bounce houses, cupcakes, and games.
Julius told his teacher that a birthday party would be his dying wish. On Wednesday, that wish came true.
“Happy Birthday, Julius! This is all for you!” shouted volunteers as Julius entered the field at Hope of Detroit.
Mid-century wedding photo discovered in Sterling Heights library book reunited with family
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, when a volunteer at the Sterling Heights Public Library found an old wedding photo inside of a book, they understood the sentimental value and made sure it made its way back to the family.
The image captures a moment in time of one of the happiest days in a newlywed couple’s union. On the back, there was a clue. It came in clutch in the library's efforts to find the rightful owners.
“We posted 'Lost & Found Love Story!' We were hoping someone might recognize one of the people in the pictures or recognize the last name," Anneliese White, the library public relations and programs coordinator, explained.
Sarah Ruggirello told 7 News Detroit, “And one of my childhood friends who I haven’t spoken to in years tagged me in this post, and so I read the post from the Sterling Heights Public Library and she recognized my last name in it and said 'hey, are these some family members of yours?'”
She responded to the Facebook post, essentially saying I do to recognizing her grandfather and grandmother, Frank and Josephine Ruggirello.
Ruggirello said they married on Sept. 26, 1953 in Detroit.
She said they were first-generation Sicilian Americans who raised five kids.
“What's so cool is we’ve never seen... my dad and I have never seen this exact photo before. We didn’t know this exact photo existed,” Ruggirello said.
“I was very close to my grandparents. My whole family, my brother and cousins and I have just such fond memories of them growing up. We'd go over to their house every Sunday for Sunday dinner and my grandma was a great cook and she would make homemade sauce and meatballs and they were just the best grandparents ever."
I-375 project to reconnect Detroit communities begins this fall, set to be finished in 2029
The Michigan Department of Transportation's I-375 Reconnecting Communities Project will begin construction this fall, transforming the freeway into a boulevard as part of an effort to reunite neighborhoods that were divided decades ago.
Historically, the land where I-375 now sits was home to two thriving African American communities — Black Bottom and Paradise Valley. The construction of the freeway in the early 1960s forced residents to relocate, resulting in the loss of businesses, homes and cultural centers, creating division within the community.
Initial work will start this fall south of Jefferson Avenue, focusing on storm sewer outfall. A section of Atwater, Franklin, Schweizer and the Detroit Riverwalk will be closed with detours in place for both vehicle and pedestrian traffic.
The major phase begins next year when I-375 will close in both directions, with construction progressing from south to north until completion in 2029.
"We will be starting at the southern end of 375 and everything will just start progressing north," MDOT Deputy Region Engineer Jason Garza said in a statement.
While I-375 will close, both the service drive and Lafayette will remain open throughout construction.
MDOT is hosting a public meeting on the project on Thursday, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at The Eastern. The address is 3434 Russell St., Detroit, MI 48207
