(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?
It will be bright and a little warmer today. Saturday it will be hotter and more humid for the Dream Cruise. After 6 pm there will be a storm chance. If storms develop, a few could be strong.
Today: Mostly sunny with highs in the mid to upper 80s. Winds: SSE 5-10 mph.
Tonight: Mostly clear, a bit more humid. Lows in the low to mid 60s. Winds: Light
Saturday: Morning sun followed by clouds building in the afternoon. There will be a slight storm chance after 6 PM. Some storms could be strong.
The top stories to know about
Oakland County law enforcement shares safety plans for Dream Cruise
The Oakland County Sheriff's Office and surrounding police departments are deploying every resource they have to ensure the Dream Cruise goes off without a hitch, including cameras placed along Woodward Avenue.
Channel 7 is proud to be the official broadcast partner of the Woodward Dream Cruise. Be sure to watch our Dream Cruise special at 7 p.m. Saturday and see a full guide to the event here.
"Cameras, there will be drones, there will be helicopters, there will be dogs, cars, motorcycles, horses, bikes, pedestrian patrols," said Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard.
On Thursday, Bouchard laid out some restrictions he wants people to know about before coming out to the Dream Cruise.
"No commercial vehicles and no trailers, so we're trying to keep it focused on what the dream cruise is, and that is small classic cars. We encourage people to park and come watch it rather than drive, hanging out of their minivan," Bouchard said.
The Sheriff's Office is working with law enforcement agencies in Bloomfield Hills, Berkley, Royal Oak, and Huntington Woods to keep people safe.
"It's the largest single automotive gathering in the world, so it's a bit of a challenge to police, but only through the partnership between the agencies we have here and beyond are we able to do it," Bouchard said.
From money to bikes, the inventive ways Detroit public schools is fighting chronic absenteeism
Chronic absenteeism is a problem that still plagues the Detroit Public Schools Community District. Now, district leaders are using incentives from money to two wheels to get students in their seats at school.
Davis, honored as principal of the year, was elated when Superintendent Dr. Nikolai Vitti created the monetary incentive program last year, giving students $200 every two weeks for perfect attendance, up to five times.
Missing 18 days is the threshold for chronic absenteeism. Vitti says when students are in school, they are three to four times more likely to be at or above grade level and college-ready.
For Maria Montoya and her two sons, the monetary incentives have helped tremendously.
"I've never seen him so motivated to go to school," said Maria.
Maria says some kids are forced to miss school to work and help pay bills or to care for younger siblings because child care is so expensive.
But money alone is not the answer. Some of Davis' students were still chronically absent, so she thought, why not put kids on two wheels.
A third of Detroit residents don’t own cars, and DPSCD doesn’t provide yellow bus service for high school students — only city bus passes. Transportation remains one of the biggest barriers to attendance. Davis reached out to Darryl Woods, who partnered with Mitch Albom at Say Detroit.
Davis needed 100 bikes, and Say Detroit delivered brand-new $300 bikes, and Davis raised funds to purchase new helmets and locks.
"I think she's on to something with the bikes. We are exploring philanthropic partnerships to try and scale that in our high schools throughout the district," said Dr. Vitti.
Other school systems nationwide have used bikes as incentives, with some reporting drops in absenteeism. Bikes in Michigan’s winters won’t work, but in warmer months, it could be a game-changer.
Investigation into Hamtramck City Council members wrapping up soon, MSP says
Michigan State Police are finalizing their investigation into multiple Hamtramck city councilmen regarding residency questions and other accusations, with findings soon headed to prosecutors.
The investigation comes as surveillance video obtained by 7 News Detroit appears to show Councilman Abu Musa in the passenger seat of a vehicle as another man deposits three stacks of ballots at a city drop box just days before the primary election.
This latest development adds to the mounting legal troubles in Hamtramck, where two other councilmen were recently arraigned on fraud charges, including allegations of forging absentee ballot applications.
Michigan State Police confirmed they've had video as evidence in their ongoing investigation.
The footage from Aug. 1, three days before Hamtramck's primary election, shows a car pulling up to the ballot box. The passenger, appearing to be Musa, who was up for re-election, is seen depositing three large stacks of ballots.
ting legal troubles in Hamtramck, where two other councilmen were recently arraigned on fraud charges, including allegations of forging absentee ballot applications.
Michigan State Police confirmed they've had video as evidence in their ongoing investigation.
Oakland County Clerk Lisa Brown helped clarify the legal questions surrounding the video and what's permitted at ballot drop boxes.
"You can (return more than one ballot), but there's a big caveat as to who, whose ballot you can return," Brown said.
According to Brown, there's no numerical limit to how many absentee ballots one person can bring to a ballot box. However, those ballots must belong to someone in your household or another close relative.
"If it's an immediate family member or you co-inhabit with somebody — it doesn't have to be in a romantic way — but if you co-inhabit with someone, you can return their absentee ballots," Brown said.
It remains unclear whose ballots were being returned in the video. State police say their findings regarding Musa's residency investigation will soon be forwarded to the prosecutor's office for possible charges.
Meanwhile, Hamtramck's police chief and city manager are both on administrative leave pending separate investigations, adding to the city's ongoing governance challenges.
We attempted to reach Musa via his city email address Thursday afternoon and also on a phone number believed to belong to him but did not hear back before publication.
