(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 cold front sweeps through and brings Metro Detroit the chance for a few storms during the afternoon hours through Friday. Heat and humidity will continue to build this weekend with highs in the 90s both Saturday and Sunday with the chance for afternoon and evening rain and storms on Sunday. The bigger heat breaks quickly with temps back into the mid 80s next week.
Tonight: Becoming mostly clear. Lows in the low to mid 60s. Winds: W 5-10 mph.
Thursday: Mostly sunny with highs in the mid 80s, with a slight chance of storms. Winds: NW 5-10 mph.
4th of July - Friday: Partly to mostly sunny with highs in the mid to upper 80s. Winds: SW 5-10 mph.
The top stories to know about
City of Detroit files lawsuit against company for allegedly neglecting 400 properties
Detroit residents and city officials say they're fed up with faceless landlords.
On Wednesday, the city of Detroit took aim at a Florida-based crypto real estate company by filing a massive lawsuit accusing the company of neglecting over 400 of their properties.
The city says numerous issues of neglect have forced Detroiters to live in unacceptable conditions.
“Real Token has been quickly acquiring, or quietly acquiring, hundreds of residential properties right here in our city and selling fractional ownership through cryptocurrency to investors around the world," Detroit City Councilwoman Angela Calloway said.
Calloway says behind the high-tech language lies a familiar problem in Detroit: neglected properties.
The city is suing Real Token and provided numerous depictions of the most egregious cases.
“This company, Real Token, is an outlier, is a provider of substandard housing and tries desperately to escape justice by hiding behind 165 corporate entities,” said Conrad Mallett, corporation counsel for the city of Detroit.
The lawsuit asks Real Token to pay the $500,000 in tickets it has already racked up, to obtain a certificate of compliance for each of its properties and to have the courts oversee the process, among other demands.
Real Token released a statement to 7 News Detroit that reads in part, "Since RealToken has entered the Detroit market, we have been committed to the goal of providing safe, affordable housing for our tenants, and playing a supporting role in revitalizing Detroit's neighborhoods. Unfortunately, we have been one of many victims in Detroit of several unscrupulous property management companies. These companies were paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to oversee RealToken’s properties, address tenant complaints and make repairs, and maintain each of our properties in accordance with City of Detroit municipal codes. As it turns out, there are many instances where these goals were not achieved, and each management company, in its own way, stole these funds to the detriment of RealToken and more importantly, the tenants we serve."
You can read the full statement here
Oak Park police build community connections with free ice cream truck
Oak Park Public Safety Department officers are using a unique approach to connect with community members, an ice cream truck that delivers free treats throughout the city.
Steve Cooper, Director of Public Safety, says it's about humanizing the badge. The initiative they started in 2017 was the first of its kind in the state.
"We wanted to be able to have a positive way to interact and engage the community and allow them just to have dialogue conversation, and it has definitely accomplished that and more," Cooper said.
Trinity Morton, a community member, was initially surprised by the sight.
"I was very confused because I was, like, I've never seen an ice cream police truck," Morton said. "Everyone was getting ice cream, and no one was paying, so I was, like, that’s so sweet.”
The program is run by Community Resource Officers Steve Arbenowski and John Dean.
"When we're driving down the side streets, all the kids hear the music that we have and they come out," Arbenowske said.
The officers give out about 250 ice cream sandwiches and popsicles a week, donated by Prairie Farms.
"Obviously a lot of the work that we do, people associate you know the worst day of their life with it so this is trying to build those bridges and have people see or citizens especially that are very good to us, see a different side of what we do and understand that we're people too and enjoy getting out here to help em and serve em and do what we can to make their life a little bit better," Dean said.
Despite historic Detroit neighborhood's fight against steam line installation, project moves ahead
The Detroit Thermal Company received approval from the Detroit Historic District Commission Wednesday to move forward on its project to install a new steam service line under a neighborhood in the Lafayette Park Historic District, which has remained untouched for decades.
While the steam line would provide heating services to a high-rise condominium complex at 1300 E. Lafayette, residents where the construction would take place are pushing back.
"Help them find a real solution, not this bull(expletive) from Detroit Thermal," one resident said during Wednesday's Detroit Historic District Commission meeting.
Rows of concerned residents attended the meeting to voice their opposition to changes in their historic neighborhood. Detroit Thermal operates the steam systems visible throughout downtown, primarily providing heat to older Detroit buildings.
Julia Sosnowski, a resident of the area, acknowledged the need for heating at the cooperative building.
"1300 needs heat. That has never been a topic that was questioned — we understand that," Sosnowski said. "What we're concerned about is many of the plans we're seeing involve digging through our front lawns," she added.
The project would require excavation and construction that could impact trees in the area, potentially disrupting the historic Mies Van Der Rohe Townhouses and green space.
"They don't seem to have done the level of research or preparation the neighborhood was hoping for," Sosnowski said.
The city of Detroit issued a stop work order last spring after residents raised concerns, determining that the Historic District Commission must approve key aspects of the work plan. That meeting took place Wednesday, where the commission approved the application with certain conditions.
Meanwhile, Lafayette Park District residents filed a lawsuit this week, claiming Detroit Thermal is trespassing and damaging historic landscaping.
"These are nonprofit co-ops. We do not want to spend the funds, we do not want to engage in a lawsuit if we don't have but really, Detroit thermal left us no choice," resident Laura Lewis said.
Detroit Thermal responded with a statement saying:
“This is a baseless and frivolous lawsuit filed by a few misguided Lafayette Park residents who seem determined to prevent 600 of their neighbors at 1300 East Lafayette Cooperative from receiving safe, reliable, clean and affordable heat in time for winter." "The suit is riddled with falsehoods, ignoring multiple updates to our application based on input from the community, including the plaintiffs themselves. We took the absolute best approach to serving the entire Lafayette Park community.” "Finally, we find the timing suspicious. The suit was filed three days after the Historic Detroit Commission staff recommended approval of our updated application, and on the eve of the HDC's special meeting on the project. Rather than work with their neighbors and the City of Detroit, the plaintiffs seem determined to hijack the city's process."
Regarding the approval, the company said in a statement:
"We are grateful for the Historic Detroit Commission’s approval of our application to update and reconnect our heating system to the 1300 East Lafayette Park Cooperative. Now we look forward to completing the project in time to serve its 600-plus residents before this coming winter. “As a Detroit born-and-run company headquartered a few blocks from Lafayette Park, we will honor and respect the historic integrity of this cherished neighborhood as we provide safe, clean, reliable, and affordable heat to the community. We appreciate the commission’s thorough and demanding application process, which included two public hearings. We also appreciate the many public and private comments we received from Detroit residents during this process. “In response, we made numerous modifications and improvements to our plan, and we had the opportunity to address some of the misinformation that had developed around the project. One example: The route chosen and approved for this project is not a shortcut; it’s simply the best and safest route available. We don’t have a viable alternative.”
