Another mask debate in Grosse Pointe, Detroit judge's Megan Thee Stallion dance, a vigil for mother of 3

Another mask mandate debate is brewing in Grosse Pointe after parents and community members engaged in an emotionally-charged discussion Monday night during a board meeting that went until almost midnight. 

The question of whether school districts have the authority to ignore county mask orders dominated the discussion after Trustee Lisa Papas proposed a resolution that "releases" students and staff from Wayne County's mask order.

Papas said students could "suffer" by missing instruction because they were wearing a mask. Citing "division on the issue" in "every community," Papas endorsed the resolution, arguing it holds water since the state's latest budget agreement deemed health department orders were unenforceable. 

Several health departments elsewhere around the state removed their mask orders over concerns they could lose funding. 

Both Wayne and Oakland County have maintained their mask rule. 

Masks in schools became a flashpoint for discussion over the summer and it burned bright in Grosse Pointe. Familiar tensions continued to show during last night's meeting.

"The longer Grosse Pointe Public School system continues to rely on an unenforceable mask order that violates state law, the more likely it becomes that Grosse Pointe Public School system be named in a defendant in a lawsuit," said one speaker.

"We have issues and topics literally dividing this community, one person against the other and by the way, the speaker before me does not have kids in the school district," said another speaker. "All of my kids are in the public education system of this very community."

The Grosse Pointe School Board says it intends to discuss the matter again during its next meeting after seeking a legal opinion. 

Wayne County health order requiring masks in school went into effect on Aug. 27.

Grosse Pointe's next meeting, scheduled for Nov. 22, would be where board members could vote on Papas' resolution.

Vigil held for mother of 3 gunned down

Family and friends congregated in Detroit to celebrate the life of Raven Coleman, a mother to three little girls who died from a gunshot on Oct. 30. "We are doing this for her and her family because she would have done this for someone else," said Arneza Gordon, a relative.

Twin 3-year-olds Jalina and Deleah, and month-old Talayah, were all there to say goodbye to their mom Monday night. Raven was allegedly shot and killed by her fiance. Police found her in the driveway of her home on Wayburn Street in Detroit.

We are just so sad about it because it was so unnecessary," said Carla Coleman, Raven's mother. "But this is a good thing for the children to know everyone came out to support them after they lost their mom." "For her not to be there in that picture, it’s devastating," said Rodney Coleman, her father.

It's an all-too-familiar feeling for Rodney and Carla, who spoke with FOX 2 in 2017 after the shooting death of Raven's brother Carlton Coleman. He was a father of four. "He gets murdered, he leaves behind kids," said Rodney. "Again, the same situation.  It has to stop. it’s too much."

Detroit judge celebrates 69th birthday with Megan Thee Stallion-inspired dance

An accomplished painter, a certified florist, and a veteran jurist with nearly 20 years on the bench, Judge Deborah Geraldine Bledsoe Ford has a lot to look back on and smile about. But it was the choreographed dance to a Megan Thee Stallion song that may take the cake. 

Inspired by her majorette days at Detroit Cass Tech, Ford swung her baton for her 69th birthday and a video of the dance she posted on YouTube. "What spoke to me about her, number one - she's my daughter's age - born in '95," Ford said. "She wanted to make sure she finished college, and her mother was a rapper - that spoke to me."

Combining skill and passion in law, her art and her flowers, and her love for dancing and music, Ford is shattering the image of the stern judge behind the bench. She is, after all, the daughter of Michigan's first Black woman judge.

"To the young people I would like to say - there are older people that care about you, that are trying to reach out to you, and trying to understand you," Ford said. "Keep steppin,' keep steppin' - it's not over until it's over - and it's not."

Washtenaw woman "scared, freaked out, and sick" after winning $1M lotto ticket

A Washtenaw County woman said when she scratched off a $1 million lottery ticket, she was admittedly "scared, freaked out, and sick" after winning the massive prize. The anonymous woman said she bought her $10 Ca$h Game ticket at a 7-Eleven on Ecorse Road in Romulus with winnings from another Ca$h Game ticket.

"I have a few stores I like to buy tickets at, and the 7-Eleven is one of them," said the 50-year-old player. "I have been playing the Cash Game because I’ve been getting quite a few winners. I won $30 and decided to buy three more tickets. I didn’t win on two of them but hit $1 million on this one!"

When the woman started to scratch off, she realized she was about to win. But with the million-dollar prize revealed, she couldn't believe it. "As soon as I saw the star symbol and the ‘1MIL’ prize, I felt freaked out, scared, and sick instantly. It was such an overwhelming feeling to win!" 

After scratching off the winner, she had to go to Michigan Lottery headquarters in Lansing to claim her prize. She said she plans to buy a brand new car for the first time in her life, share with family, and then save what's left. The woman claimed a one-time lump sum of roughly $634,000 rather than annuity payments. "This is an incredible blessing. I’ve had some health issues, and things have been tough, but this means I won’t feel any more financial burdens for a long time," said the player.

A security expert on the Travis Scott concert disaster

Crowd control is the name of the game for self-defense and security expert Dale Brown, who owns the Threat Management Center in Detroit. He was there during the infamous NWA concerts years ago. And he has a few choice words for the people that ran the Travis Scott concert where eight people died after a surge from the crowd.

"The fault of this solely lies with the safety managers," Brown said. "The entertainer is not in charge of safety. They are supposed to be entertaining. That microphone should have been cut off, lights should have flooded the area and taken off the star, and put on the crowd. And at that moment, all emergency services should have gone to the crowd, into the crowd, and started cutting from the rear."

If security doesn't take the proper steps to control the surging crowd, Brown says there are ways to protect yourself - stay away from the front, stay close to the exit, or at least know where it's located, and if chaos erupts, make sure to brace yourself with your friends. "So as you are bracing arms, you have your friends here – if there are two of you, so you have a base," Brown said. "Keep your knees bent. As I push, you are able to brace and push each other back and forth."

But if you are being crushed in the crowd or thrown on the ground of a mosh pit, cover your face and don't panic. "If you end up on the ground, you roll into a ball like that, and keep your extremities covered - your throat and your eyes," Brown said.

What else we're watching

  1. A Detroit church will host an annual observance in-person and online for the memorial of the Edmund Fitzgerald shipwreck, the famous Great Lakes freighter that fell to the bottom of Lake Superior years ago.
  2. AAA is expecting a surge in travel this holiday season with an increase of 13% among people looking to travel for Thanksgiving. That's below but still close to the pre-pandemic rates for holiday travel.
  3. The debate over Line 5 has reached the White House as the U.S. and Canada look to discuss the status of the oil pipeline that Michigan Gov. Whitmer has argued threatens the Great Lakes.
  4. There's a lot in the massive infrastructure bill that President Joe Biden is expected to sign. That includes funding for technology to cut down on the rate of drunk drivers.
  5. The State Board of Education is meeting Tuesday morning with the chief health officer to discuss the impact of Covid on schools.

Live on FOX 2

Daily Forecast

Tuesday won't feel as warm as Monday, but we'll still get some heat when a warm front moves in this afternoon. However, it will be carrying some moisture so expect some showers by the mid-to-late afternoon period.

Infrastructure bill includes requiring new technology to stop drunken driving

Congress has created a new requirement for automakers: Find a high-tech way to keep drunken people from driving cars.

It’s one of the mandates along with a burst of new spending aimed at improving auto safety amid escalating road fatalities in the $1 trillion infrastructure package that President Joe Biden is expected to sign soon.

Under the legislation, monitoring systems to stop intoxicated drivers would roll out in all new vehicles as early as 2026 after the Transportation Department assesses the best form of technology to install in millions of vehicles and automakers are given time to comply.

In all, about $17 billion is allotted to road safety programs, the biggest increase in such funding in decades, according to the Eno Center for Transportation. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Monday that could mean more protected bike paths and greener spaces built into busy roadways.