2 kids hurt in separate accidental shootings, cities move on shrinking Woodward Ave, temps near 70 today
WEDNESDAY NEWS HIT - A pair of accidental shootings have wounded two young kids in Detroit after other siblings in the home got ahold of firearms that hadn't been properly stored.
Neither child died, however, both were taken to the hospital. Police said both were also entirely avoidable.
"It's very upsetting. Whether you're a parent or not, this affects you because these our children, these are our babies and we have to protect them," said Capt. Kimberly Blackwell, Detroit police.
The first shooting happened shortly after noon on the 19400 block of Justine, near 7 Mile in north Detroit. Inside a house, a 10-year-old got access to a gun and began playing with it.
It accidentally discharged, shooting his 13-year-old male cousin. The teen was taken to the hospital and was last reported in critical condition. There were no parents in the home at the time.
Just one mile away, a 3-year-old was also shot by a 4-year-old after they were playing with a gun as well in the 19000 block of Omira. An older sibling age 13 was home at the time, however, their parents were at work. The victim was last listed in stable condition and was conscious when police arrived.
The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office hasn't announced if any charges will be pressed.
"What we need to do is put those weapons up, we need to make them safe," Blackwell said. "Take them with you. Lock them. Do whatever you have to do to protect our kids.
This year started off with multiple instances of gun violence invading homes due to a lack of gun security when children began playing with firearms owned by their parents.
He spent 25 years in jail for selling weed. Now he's working on prison reform
Michael Thompson Jr.'s focus after leaving prison is to reform prison. The 69-year-old lost 25 years of his life after he was incarcerated for selling three pounds of pot. He's vowed his new lease on life will be used to create change.
"The administration is broken, it needs to be fixed," Thompson said, after being released from a Jackson prison facility on Jan. 28. The non-violent offender spent decades with hardened criminals convicted of murder, as well as people who were mentally ill.
From the food to eat, the maximum capacity of the prison population, and the hygiene, Thompson's dramatic experiences shed light on a system that is badly in need of reform, he says.
"You're creating another person within a person, but only he's going to turn into an animal," he said. "If you don't listen to me, you will listen to the street."
Ferndale, Pleasant Ridge move forward with Woodward road diet
Michigan's most famous highway could be getting a tune-up next year with the loss of two travel lanes, shorter crossing distances for pedestrians, and more emphasis on bike lanes.
Both Ferndale and Pleasant Ridge, whose section of Woodward is scheduled for routine maintenance from the Michigan Department of Transportation next year, both approved resolutions to apply for a transportation grant that would help fund the additional changes.
The emphasis on mobility for pedestrians and cyclists has gained traction in several road projects around Metro Detroit as cities look to reduce the amount of car traffic in their areas.
Construction on Woodward is expected to start in April of 2022.
Job and vaccine opportunities at State of the City
Mayor Mike Duggan announced a number of new initiatives for Metro Detroiters in the coming weeks during his State of the City address he delivered virtually Tuesday night.
The Northwest Activities Center will begin administering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine beginning March 22. Every Detroit resident over the age of 50 will be eligible for the one-shot J&J vaccine and the two-dose Moderna and Pfizer vaccine by the end of this month.
"Detroit led this country in dropping Covid infection rate. We are not leading this country in getting vaccinated," said Duggan. "And if we are going to drive the comeback of this city, it's going to be important."
Duggan also revealed more details about his People Plan - a proposal to raise $50 million from the philanthropic community to break the cycle of generational poverty. People will get paid to learn a trade while other programs will focus on helping people escape gang activity.
Duggan also said there will be a permanent moratorium on water shutoffs in the city and $100 million in secured rental assistance to help avoid eviction.
Personal info found dumped behind Commerce Township business
A man driving by the Commerce Township plaza spied boxes filled with supplies he thought he could use. Chief among them was tape. But encased in the boxes was files full of personal information, Social Security numbers, and bank routing numbers all belonging to former employees from the shuttered business nearby.
"All that stuff that just makes red lights go off," said the man, who declined to be identified.
The Ship and Print Center where all the personal info was found closed a week before after the tenant was evicted for not paying rent. The boxes were supposed to be shredded, but they weren't.
A lawyer with a development firm said they are working to secure the information but legally cannot purge anything from the former tenant. Deputies with the Oakland County Sheriff's Office are also investigating.
What else we're watching
- The Michigan legislature disclosed almost $700,000 in severance payouts to outgoing employees - part of a growing fiscal problem for the state government that has been shelling out money when high brass employees leave.
- Gabe Leland, the indicted Detroit City Councilman, has been charged in a corruption probe after he accepted bribes in exchange for solving a property dispute for a mechanic
- Oakland County has vastly expanded its vaccine clinic accessibility to include several cities for the week of March 9 to 15.
- The Spectacle Society, a new boutique that will handcraft eyewear for people who struggle seeing will open in Detroit's Corktown neighborhood. The grand opening is at 11 a.m.
- The Detroit Zoo has helped set up a new wildlife tracking tower at the Belle Isle Nature Center to help collect the movements of birds, bats, and insects.
Live on FOX 2
Daily Forecast
Yes, it really is going to hit 68 degrees today - a near-record for early-to-mid March. After tomorrow, temperatures will take a steady decline into the low 40s next week. Be ready for rain on Thursday as well.
$3,000 child tax credit: Here's what parents need to know
The buzz around the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan recently passed by the U.S. Senate has been mostly surrounding the $1,400 direct payments to most individual Americans.
But included in the historic bill is a plan to temporarily raise the child tax credit that could end up permanently changing the way the country deals with child poverty.
The American Rescue Plan temporarily raises the child tax credit, now at a maximum of $2,000, to as much as $3,600 per child annually. The plan also expands the credit so it’s fully available to the poorest families.
It's expected to benefit roughly 48 million households.