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: Mostly cloudy, rain arrives after midnight. Temps near 70°. Winds: E 10-15 mph.
Tonight: Slight chance of rain with lows in the low to mid 40s. Winds: NE 5 mph.
Wednesday: Mostly cloudy with showers around. Highs in the low 60s. Winds: NE 10-15 mph.
Any traffic issues?
So far, no major traffic issues this morning. Be sure to check our live traffic map here.
The top stories to know about
Hamtramck emergency meeting concerning police chief ends without decision
The city of Hamtramck held an emergency meeting Friday centering around "volatility within city administration."
That includes accusations of misconduct against Police Chief Jamiel Altaheri. He's on paid administrative leave.
At this point, details of the chief's alleged wrongdoing remain unclear. However, the mayor confirms the FBI was at city hall Friday.
Residents attended the meeting in mass to state their positions.
No action was taken and no decision was made at the meeting. Leading up to it, city manager Max Garbarino expressed his concern that city council may motion to fire him.
The council could have also voted to reinstate the police chief. That did not happen.
Mayor Amer Ghalib told news media after the meeting, "If he's proven guilty by the investigation, then he would be held accountable. But at the same time, two other people are involved in this situation are kept aside."
The city manager told reporters, "We acted decisively. We put the parties involved on an administrative paid leave, and we immediately went to hire an outside company to do a very decisive and fair and factual transparent process with this."
The allegations are still unclear. However, a lively exchange between the mayor and the city manager reveal there are both civil allegations, according to the city manager, and criminal allegations.
'They don't stop at this sign': Wayne crossing guard & residents demand intersection be made safer
An elementary school crossing guard is urging the city of Wayne to take action to protect students from reckless drivers.
Parents say drivers consistently fail to stop at crosswalks, soeed and drive distracted bear Taft Elementary. They say it's been a big worry, with many close calls.
Roy Theisen, the crossing guard at Taft Elementary, started a Change.org petition after noticing drivers blowing this stop sign. We came out to talk to him, and we didn't even put the news van in park when a car went right past it without even tapping their brakes. But we weren't the only ones that saw it.
A Wayne police officer, stationed to catch people blowing this stop sign, clocked it and flicked on his lights, making the traffic stop right on the corner. Roy has been the crossing guard at this Gloria Street and Forrest Avenue Intersection for the last five years. He says there's a number of people who regularly don't stop.
Nearly 400 other Wayne community members agree: that's how many have signed his petition, calling on the city to take action before a student gets hurt.
"They just don’t stop. They don’t stop at this sign. They ignore the signs on the curb. They know it’s a school. It's constant 2-3 times a week if not more," Roy said. "I just want them to be safe in this area. I can’t control what they do three blocks down. But I certainly want to control what they do here."
Vacant Sears space at 12 Oaks Mall to be transformed with new retailers
A massive space that sat vacant for years at 12 Oaks Mall in Novi will soon be transformed with new stores and entertainment options, breathing new life into the nearly 50-year-old shopping center.
The former Sears location, which closed in 2019, will be leased to Dick's House of Sport, UK-based Primark, and Round One Bowling and Arcade.
The building, owned by Transformco, will house Dick's House of Sport on the lower level, with Primark and Round One Bowling and Arcade planned for the upper level.
Dick's House of Sport will occupy approximately 100,000 square feet with in-store experiences including a climbing wall, multiple golf bays, outdoor field with a track, ice rink, and multi-sport cage where athletes can try products while measuring and tracking their performance.
Kelsey Ames, Marketing & Sponsorship Manager at Twelve Oaks Mall, says they've been working with the city of Novi and all partners involved in the move, which represents an evolution in mall trends toward a more experience-based retail model.
"I mean it's a Friday afternoon and we're bustling, and it's because we're sticking to what do consumers want to see again? It's not just retail anymore; it's the experiences. So again by bringing in things like your Primark and your Round 1, your Dick's House of sport, not just a retail concept, but experiences, people still want to get out. They want to touch and feel the product. They want to see it firsthand, and they want something they can take with them right away, you know, and I think that's important. You want a product, you want to be able to grab it and go," Ames said.
