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What's the weather for today?
Today: Mostly sunny with temps in the mid 80s. Winds: S 5 mph
Tonight: Rain and storms return with temps in the upper 60s. Wind: Light
Wednesday: A chance for scattered showers and storms, more humidity with highs in the mid 80s. Winds: S 5 - 10 mph.
The top stories to know about
How to stay prepared for potential flooding if you live by one of Michigan's 300 named rivers
Michigan has over 300 named rivers, and if you live by one of them, you may have considered the risk of flooding, and even prepared for it.
As the country mourns the lives lost in the Texas flood, some Michigan residents are empathizing with families impacted.
“We know what it’s like to go through flooding but it’s more of a nuisance flooding that is unfortunately still problematic in different ways," Amber told me.
As someone who lives on a lake that experiences annual flooding, Dr. Amber Bismack says she and her neighbors stay prepared for anything.
“To be in a position where you’re losing your house, your family, your children, I can’t even begin to imagine what that is like and my heart goes out to them immensely," Amber said.
The latest flooding on Ore Lake in Hamburg Township, where they live, lasted more than 60 days, according to fellow resident Diane Henry.
The tragic Texas floods, begging the question: could something like that happen in Michigan.
Flood Plain Engineer Matthew Occhipinti, for the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) says it's rare, but not impossible.
“I mean you might remember the flooding that occurred upstream of the city of Midland a couple years ago during COVID where the dams blew out and that caused a significant amount of damage. A lot of people lost homes, cottages, businesses, we’re still dealing with that.”
Occhipinti says the kind of flooding Texas is dealing with is flash flooding, which is not something Michigan sees often.
State says there is an 'immediate health risk' involving Wyandotte water system
The State of Michigan is calling attention to an immediate health risk for the drinking water system in Wyandotte. State regulators said they found a variety of troubling issues that date back years, despite the city insisting the water is safe to drink.
State regulators said they found a variety of troubling issues that date back years, despite the city insisting the water is safe to drink.
Engineers flagged violations, including the discontinuation of adding fluoride back in 2017, tennis balls and beverage containers in storage reservoirs, lack of screens to prevent contamination or safeguards against untreated backflow and more.
Elin Botanzo is an engineer and water safety activist who helped sound alarms over contaminated water in Flint.
"It’s important for people to be aware this notice exists. Asking for more reliable water service," Botanzo said.
The report shows routine flushing of hydrants also hasn't been performed, and a crumbling abandoned tennis court could pose risks to an underground reservoir.
“These are basic Safe Drinking Water Act requirements every community deserves," Botanzo said.
With the state citing 40% system deterioration and more investment needed, I visited city hall to get more answers.
The mayor's office referred to a statement that indicated the city's water is safe to drink and said the city is addressing all concerns.
"We're uniquely fortunate to operate our own reliable municipal services department, so we can say with absolute confidence that drinking water provided by the City of Wyandotte exceeds state and federal quality standards. This process is very similar to a home or restaurant inspection. Just as it is EGLE's job to inspect our water system and point out reliability and safety improvements for the future, it is now our job to plan for and execute them," the statement reads
EGLE says its staff is working with the city to implement a corrective action plan. That would include mandatory dates for completion.
City of Detroit outlines plan to step up enforcement of teen curfews following rash of violence
The city of Detroit and Detroit Police Department are stepping up enforcement of teen curfews for what they're calling the city's "teen summer safety violence prevention program."
Mayor Mike Duggan, Police Chief Todd Bettison and others gathered Monday to announce the plan.
"We have had 20 shootings involving juveniles, either victims or shooters, in the last month. Twelve of those shootings, 12 out of 20, occurred in the six-hour slot between 10 pm and 4 am," Duggan said. "We are going to do a level of curfew enforcement this city has not seen before. And we are going to enforce the curfew on groups of juveniles who are out after hours."
"I would tell the parents, we need you to step up. We need you to ensure that you know where your kids are. We’re writing curfew tickets for minors as young as 12, 13, 9 out at 3, 4 in the morning," Bettison said. "We’re not doing it for a punitive reason. We’re doing it for a preventative measure to save our young folks’ lives."
The curfew for minors 15 and under is 10 p.m., and it's 11 p.m. for 16- and 17-year-olds in the city. Officers are being told to strictly enforce that curfew.
Duggan also said he will authorize overtime for Detroit police to crack down on illegal street and block parties, plus drifting and drag racing in the city. Originally, the enforcement would go until 3 a.m., but Duggan said they've seen the parties going later, so enforcement will go until 5 a.m.
"It's becoming clear to the chief and me that these folks have figured out the mobile field force is going home at 3 o'clock and have adjusted their strategies. From now on, we will be there until 5 a.m., and if we have intelligence, we will stay beyond 5 a.m.," Duggan said.
He's also asking the Detroit City Council to amend penalties for curfew/parental responsibility. According to Duggan, he wants the first offense fine to increase to $250 from $100, and the second offense up to $1,000. It's currently up to $500.
