(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 will be partly sunny and warm. An isolated storm is possible this afternoon and evening, mainly north of M-59 and over Mid-Michigan. Heavy rain is expected in any storm. We will approach 90° this weekend and it will feel like the mid 90s by Sunday.
Today: Partly sunny with a slight afternoon storm chance. Highs will be in the mid to upper 80s with 87° in Detroit. Winds: S 5-10 mph.
Tonight: Partly cloudy. Temps in the upper 60s to low 70s. Winds: S 5-10 mph.
Saturday: Partly sunny with highs around 90°. The heat index will feel like the low 90s. Winds: S 5 mph.
The top stories to know about
Controversial Melvindale Lt. at center of WXYZ investigations charged in 3 separate incidents
Melvindale Police Lt. Matthew Furman, who has been the subject of several 7 News Detroit investigations, is now facing criminal charges in connection with three separate incidents.
The three alleged assaults date back to the last four years. Two of the incidents involve the use of a Taser.
In July 2024, Furman stopped Drakkar Williams for driving around traffic barricades. Williams, who had a suspended license, should not have been driving. After Williams refused to provide his name, Furman moved to arrest him.
While his partner held Williams outside the car, Furman began to tase him repeatedly.
Prosecutors say Furman kicked Williams in the leg and deployed his taser again, striking him in the back.
Furman said Williams was uncooperative and that he was fearful he could have been carrying a weapon. After he was handcuffed, Furman would be seen arguing with Williams again.
Acccording to the prosecutor, medics were called to the scene to treat Williams e for his injuries. While being treated, prosecutors say the two began to argue and that Officer Furman grabbed Williams by his shirt and by his hair and pulled him against the fire truck.
Furman was never disciplined by his department, but Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy on Thursday said Furman’s use of force crossed the line. He was charged with misconduct in office, felonious assault and assault and battery.
"I told him, 'You’re gonna lose your badge over this.'" Williams said Thursday in an interview with 7 News Detroit.
"(He said) 'No I’m not.' He was confident," Williams recalled.
Furman is also being charged in connection to a stop three months earlier in April 2024, when he pulled over a vehicle that was already parked. Alica Cook and her two daughters were sitting outside a school while Cook waited to drop off her 11-year-old at cheerleading practice.
When Cook didn’t provide her license and registration, Furman tried to pull her from her vehicle. And after she resisted, he took out his Taser and fired.
"I was terrified from you. I was terrified, you scared me. You scared me," she told us.
Furman was not disciplined by the department, but on Thursday, Worthy charged Furman in this case with misconduct in office, felonious assault and assault and battery.
"I am grateful that they’ve taken the time to say this person’s actions were not okay, we’re going to do something about this," Cook said Thursday.
She said the events of that day traumatized her and her daughters.
"Now, my daughter that I was taking to school…she’s in a mental hospital today. So his actions caused a lot of pain. But I do forgive him," Cook said.
The other charge stems from a 2021 police chase that 7 News reported on earlier this year. The suspect had stolen a vehicle, police said, after striking an officer. After his vehicle crashed, the man fled on foot before officers surrounded him.
As officers tried to subdue the man, a Dearborn officer’s body cam caught Furman repeatedly stomping on the man’s leg. Another can be heard warning that cameras are rolling.
The Dearborn officer reported Furman’s actions to his supervisor. Furman said the man was resisting and he used the stomps as a form of pain compliance. He was not disciplined by his department but was charged by Worthy Thursday.
In that case, Furman has been charged with misconduct in office and and assault and battery.
Furman has previously defended his actions, calling himself a “proactive” police officer and saying it’s never been more dangerous to be in law enforcement, as evidenced by the murder of fellow Officer Mohamed Said, just last year.
"People say well, 'Furman uses too much force, he’s too aggressive, he’s a robot'" Furman said in January. "Again, my goal is to go home alive."
Melvindale's police chief could not be reached immediately for comment.
In a statement, Worthy said: “It is important to remember that the majority of our police officers are bravely placing their lives on the line every day and proudly serving with the utmost integrity. The alleged behavior of this officer is a criminal and does a disservice to the men and women who have taken an oath to protect and serve all of our citizens."
University of Michigan makes history with the nation's first collegiate para powerlifting program
The University of Michigan is creating more opportunities for students with disabilities through its expanding adaptive sports program, which now includes the nation's first collegiate para powerlifting team.
The school's adaptive sports and fitness program, which began in 2019, already offered four wheelchair sports, including tennis, basketball, rugby, and track and field, before adding competitive para powerlifting this year.
Abbey Phillipson, who serves as both the strength and conditioning coach for Michigan's adaptive sports program and head coach of the new para powerlifting team, is proud of the groundbreaking initiative.
"Recently, we became the first ever and only collegiate para powerlifting program, which I had the opportunity to start," Phillipson said.
Phillipson has Classical Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and is a big advocate of the adaptive sports community. In high school, she had stage 5 spondylolisthese and used a wheelchair.
"I'm actually super stretchy and elastic," she said in reference to her skin. "My body doesn't deposit collagen correctly to my connective tissues."
The U-M grad teaches her eight athletes how to bench press without using their legs, which presents unique challenges.
"We see from research that 10-20% of your bench press max strength is from the use of your leg drive. So, we always look around at each other when our legs are strapped up on the table, and we're like, we must be pretty strong," Phillipson said.
For athletes like Caden Baxter, who suffered a spinal cord injury at age 15, the program has been transformative.
"Being young when I was injured, I wanted to get back into sports immediately, I just didn't see a way," Baxter said.
Historic tall ships come to Detroit for sail festival on riverfront
Historic tall ships are sailing into Detroit this weekend as part of Sail Detroit, a maritime festival returning to the city's riverfront for the first time in more than two decades.
Four tall ships moved by Detroit's riverfront on Thursday, drawing crowds with cameras and phones eager to capture the majestic vessels.
"They are big sailing ships. The mast reach to the sky. It is an incredible view and sight for our city," said John Jamian, director of maritime operations for Detroit Wayne County Port Authority.
The ships will remain docked outside the Detroit Wayne County Port Authority all weekend as the stars of the Sail Detroit Festival, which highlights the city's maritime history.
"That's the way they sailed in the old days. Port of Detroit, we used to have these ships. They were the cargo ships of the 1800s that called on our city and docked right here," Jamian said.
Visitors can view ships including Ernestina Morissey from Massachusetts, Alliance from Sutton Bay, Empire Sandy from Toronto and Pride of Baltimore II from Maryland.
Pride of Baltimore II is a 157-foot long and 108-foot tall reproduction of an 1812 Baltimore Clipper. The ship's captain says it takes 12 crew members on board to operate.
"A lot of teamwork. Everything is very physical, everything is man power. We don't have electric wenches or things of that nature," said Jeff Crosbey, captain of Pride of Baltimore II.
Despite the hard work involved, Crosbey finds sailing the vessel fulfilling.
"They're cool boats to sail. They kind of bring you back in time a little bit and give you a glimpse of where the maritime industry started in this country," Crosbey said.
Representatives with Tall Ships America, responsible for bringing the ships around the country, say seeing people engage with the crew and vessels is what the experience is all about.
