(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?
Sunshine and more comfortable, drier, air returns for both today and Friday. Temperatures will be cooler with highs in the mid to upper 80s and dew points will be lower, making it less humid across the region. The August summer heat does return this weekend with highs back to near 90° on Saturday. We could finish the weekend with a few showers and a storm chance on Sunday.
Today: Partly to mostly sunny with highs in the mid 80s. Winds: NE 5 mph.
Tonight: Mostly clear, seasonable. Lows in the low to mid 60s. Winds: Light
Friday: Mostly sunny with highs in the mid 80s. Winds: SE 5-10 mph.
The top stories to know about
Macomb Township firefighters demand more staff at board meeting, citing safety concerns
Macomb Township firefighters packed a township board meeting Wednesday night to demand more full-time staff after two firefighters were injured in a house fire last weekend.
The union representing the firefighters says the injuries were caused in part due to short staffing in the township of about 100,000 residents, which currently operates with only eight full-time firefighters working at a time.
"People running towards danger are not numbers on a budget sheet," said James Muszynski, Macomb Township Professional Firefighters Local 5023 president, reading a heartfelt letter to township officials Wednesday evening.
The two injured firefighters responded to the blaze with a two-person crew, despite recommendations from the National Fire Protection Association stating there should have been at least four responders.
"Failing to act will not only be a staffing problem, but it will be a lapse in public safety. Leaving firefighters and citizens vulnerable when seconds matter most," Muszynski added during the meeting.
Township Supervisor Frank J. Viviano addressed the packed room of current and former firefighters and their families at the board meeting.
"We understand your concerns, we share them, we all live here too, our families live here, our friends live here, we have already ordered a full review of our staffing levels and we're going to take a hard look at that," Viviano said.
Board members acknowledged the township's rapid growth and promised to examine how to better accommodate the firefighters' needs.
"We absolutely want you all to come home safe to your families," Viviano added.
Detroit youth football coaches, referee suspended after altercation at benefit game
Coaches from a Detroit youth football team have been suspended indefinitely after throwing punches at a referee during a benefit game. The incident, which was caught on camera, occurred at Warren Fitzgerald High School during a game between the Eastside Colts and Michigan Dolphins.
The altercation broke out at the end of a 12-and-under game when a disagreement over a penalty and a tossed football caused tempers to flare.
The Eastside Colts are affiliated with Detroit PAL (Police Athletic League), but the match-up was not a PAL-sanctioned event, but rather a privately organized benefit game serving as a fundraiser for both teams' upcoming seasons.
Detroit PAL has suspended both the coaches and the referee involved in the fight indefinitely.
Detroit PAL spokesperson Jason Brown said in a statement:
"Our priority remains the safety and well-being of the youth we serve, and we will continue to take all the necessary steps to ensure a positive and respectful environment for our athletes, coaches, officials, and families. This matter is now being investigated internally, and even though it was not a sanctioned Detroit PAL event, we will be conducting a formal review of our policies and trainings to ensure incidents like this never happen again."
"The bad thing about it is the kids are the ones who will suffer," said Mike Wynn, a longtime youth sports official.
Wynn, who employs the referee involved in the scuffle, said the official will be suspended from officiating games this season.
"I talked with him at length yesterday," Wynn said. "He's sorry that it happened. He apologized for his part in it."
When asked about the referee's role in the incident, Wynn explained: "Well, defending himself. The way he was talked to, and he was threatened, and he felt like he had to defend himself. But he knows nobody misunderstands silence, and referees are held to a higher standard."
As a result of the incident, the Colts have been banned from playing at Warren Fitzgerald High School.
PAL says it's investigating additional sanctions for the Eastside Colts coaches and team, with a decision expected later this week.
Detroit cuts ribbon for educational park honoring Dr. Ossian Sweet
On Wednesday, the city of Detroit cut the ribbon on a new educational park on the east side. It sits next to the historic home of the late Dr. Ossian Sweet at the corner of Garland and Charlevoix.
The home played a significant role in America's fight for racial justice.
Dr. Sweet and his wife, Gladys, bought their home 100 years ago in what was then an all-white neighborhood. In September 1925, an angry mob gathered outside their home.
Sweet, his family and friends, defended themselves from a room upstairs. They shot and killed a man in the angry crowd.
An all-white jury found Sweet not guilty. Charges against the other ten defendants were dropped.
The new educational park helps tell the story. Dr. Sweet's niece, Jacqueline Spotts, tells 7 News Detroit it's an honor.
When asked what she hopes people take away from visiting the park, Spotts replied, "That although you may not see it, but always fight for equality because you deserve that."
She said decades ago, her uncle had difficulty selling the home. Daniel Baxter's parents ended up buying it from Dr. Sweet.
Baxter, the founder of the Dr. Ossian H. Sweet Foundation, said he learned of the home's significance when he was 10 years old and developed a vision nearly 30 years ago to one day revitalize the home. Then came the vision for the park.
"This is American history. It's not just Black history," Baxter says. "It has so many key people, these significant heavy weights of the 1920s, you've got Clarence Darrow, Frank Murphy, Web Dubois, James Walden Johnson, Walter White, all of these people who made significant contributions to social and political change that played a role in the incident that happened in 1925."
