Farmington Hills Sheetz fight • Detroit Tree Lighting safety plans • Nationwide beef recall

FRIDAY NEWS HIT - Detroit police say they are ready to keep tonight's tree lighting safe for everyone.

More officers will be posted around downtown, while a set of rules and prohibited items are in place.

 Attendees of the annual event will be required to go through metal detectors when entering Campus Martius Park. Police will be looking for weapons, which are not allowed inside the event.

Attendees of the annual event will be required to go through metal detectors when entering Campus Martius Park. Police will be looking for weapons, which are not allowed inside the event.

Last year's event went off without a hitch, but the year before, two teen boys were shot less than a block away from Campus Martius, where the tree lighting was taking place.

"I'm asking parents to make sure that you don't just drop your kids off and that you actually come down, enjoy the festivities, and supervise them,"  said Detroit Interim Chief Todd Bettison.

Sheetz plan advances in Farmington Hills

Despite strong opposition from residents, a plan to build a 24/7 Sheetz convenience store at the corner of 12 Mile and Middlebelt is still on the table.

Those against the new gas station packed Thursday's planning commission meeting to express their thoughts before the measure advanced to city council with a 4-1 vote. 

Residents filled the meeting to oppose the gas station development at the corner of 12 Mile and Middlebelt, citing concerns about crime, light pollution, noise, and more at the former Ginopolis Restaurant site.

Sheetz, a chain that opened its first Michigan location over the summer, is known for its made-to-order food and customized drinks served at the gas station that is open 24/7.

One resident who spoke at the meeting said he didn't feel more gas stations were needed in the area, while another speaker said most drivers go a few miles south to 10 Mile, where gas is cheaper, so it isn't necessary to put a new station there.

"I feel like a 24/7 operation is not compatible with my neighborhood. We need gas stations and junk food like we need more holes in our head," she said.

Before voting on the measure, commission member Barry Brickner said that it isn't the planning commission's place to make a decision based on what company wants to occupy a space.

"We don't look at it as a Sheetz, That's not our decision. If the city council wants to say, ‘I don’t want a Sheetz, that's their decision. Our decision is 'does what they're asking for fit within our zoning ordinances?'" he said. "We don't decide who goes into the property. We don't decide what they do."

Free speech lawsuit filed against City of Detroit

The City of Detroit is facing a lawsuit from a group against the violence in Gaza after they say they were removed from Campus Martius Park.

The Ceasefire Choir said they were singing for peace and an end to the violence last year, when they were told to leave.

"Forty minutes in, they were taken aside. A security guard told them, 'Hey, you can't be here. Your message is too controversial. You know this is a family-friendly space, and the messaging that you're giving is too controversial. This is a private park, you have to go,'" said Eman Naga, wth the Civil Rights Litigation Initiative at University of Michigan.

Naga was with the choir, which again tried to visit the park to sing in January of this year.

After these removals, the choir filed a lawsuit against the city.

"First Amendment lays out that in public spaces, such as Campus Martius, which is a public park, actually named the number one public square by USA Today. In those types of spaces, it's really critical to have people be able to practice their first amendment rights, especially on issues of public importance," Naga said.

The city declined to comment on the lawsuit.

Warren cop paralyzed in hunting accident

The Warren Police Department is rallying behind one of their own and seeking donations after an officer suffered a horrible accident while hunting recently.

Nick Kott was paralyzed after falling from a tree stand. He is currently in critical condition on a ventilator with no feeling from the neck down. 

He was on the ground injured for hours before his family found him.

"This has been an absolute nightmare that I can’t wake up out of," said his wife Holli. "I'm asking for your prayers most of all because I know that he’s going to be a miracle man, and he’s gonna come out of this, but it’s going to be a very, very long road."

Holli said the family's home is going to need to be modified to accommodate her husband.

"We will need a lot of house renovations to get Nick home and my No. 1 thing I want Nick to be able to do is tuck his best friend in at night, and we have a two-story house," she said.

That best friend she is referring to is Nick's 7-year-old son Jack, who is grappling with what happened to his father.

A GoFundMe has been set up to help.

Beef packed in Detroit recalled nationwide

Ground beef packed in Detroit and distributed to restaurants nationwide is being recalled due to possible E. coli contamination.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), around 167,277 pounds of ground beef packaged by Wolverine Packing Co. are included in the recall. 

The contamination was discovered after the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) was notified on Nov. 13 that several people had become sick in Minnesota. Those illnesses were linked to ground beef from Wolverine, and samples collected a few days later tested positive for E. coli O157.

According to FSIS, 15 people have been sickened by the beef in Minnesota. Those illnesses started between Nov. 2 and 10.

The recalled products include both fresh beef with a "use by" date of Nov. 14, and frozen beef has a production date of Oct. 22, 2024. They also have the establishment number "EST. 2574B" inside the USDA mark of inspection.

FSIS said some restaurants may still have the beef. These establishments should check their meat, and either throw it away or return it. 

See the full recall list here.

Live on FOX 2

Daily Forecast

The cold eases a bit today, with even more relief coming as the weekend progresses.

What else we're watching

1. Can't make it to Detroit for the Tree Lighting? Royal Oak will light its Centennial Commons Park at the grand opening of its ice rink on Friday. Learn more. 
2. Two Warren police officers have been honored for rescuing a child who was electrocuted by a live wire that fell during storms two years ago. Corporal Daniel Rose and officer David Chapman are credited with saving the 8-year-old boy’s life.
3. The People Mover is reopening. The plan is to have it moving by Thanksgiving.
4. An Eastpointe man, Justin Jackson, was sentenced to 26-38 years in prison for murdering his mother and dumping her body in a drain last year.
5. Still looking for weekend plans? Check our event guide here!

Trump to nominate Pam Bondi for attorney general

President-elect Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he will be nominating Pam Bondi for attorney general.

The nomination comes just hours after Matt Gaetz was withdrawn from consideration.

Bondi is a longtime Trump ally and was one of his lawyers during his first impeachment trial when he was accused — but not convicted — of abusing his power as he tried to condition U.S. military assistance to Ukraine on that country investigating then-former Vice President Joe Biden.

She has been a chair at the America First Policy Institute, a think tank set up by former Trump administration staffers.

Bondi is from Tampa and spent more than 18 years as a prosecutor. She was Florida’s first female attorney general.

Gaetz stepped aside amid continued fallout over a federal sex trafficking investigation that cast doubt on his ability to be confirmed as the nation's chief federal law enforcement officer.

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