THURSDAY NEWS HIT - Speaking with an almost unified voice on Wednesday, the Detroit teachers union voted with overwhelming support to authorize a strike against the administration if discussions between the two groups break down. The contingency plan pits both the union and the district in a very precarious position during the pandemic, with only weeks before the official start of the school year.
Long a proponent of in-person classes, Detroit Pubic School Community District's superintendent has advocated for offering the opportunity to students to have class in school buildings. That was on display over the summer when Dr. Nikolai Vitti pushed back on protests and lawsuits to keep the option of class open in June and July.
But in-person teaching is among the biggest sticking points for teachers, many of whom have argued it's too soon and not safe enough to offer that option. With no clear future on what will become of COVID-19, teachers have prioritized remote learning for the fall start of class.
"Our fear is that there will be members who are forced to teach face-to-face, even if there are members who are uneasy and uncomfortable doing that. Particularly members who have pre-existing conditions in which Covid could certainly exacerbate those pre-existing conditions," said Terrence Martin, president of the Detroit Federation of Teachers.
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Detroit teachers vote overwhelmingly in favor of strike if talks break down
By a 91% margin, union members voted to approve a strike if discussions between the Detroit teachers and the school district break down before the start of class.
By a 91% margin, teachers authorized a 'safety strike' if an agreement can't be struck.
In response to the vote, the district released a statement saying "While we acknowledge the action taken today by DFT, we are also confident the school board and the district, in discussion with DFT, will result in a safe reopening of schools."
Among the other things that union members want are proper ventilation and cleaning protocols in school buildings, personal protective equipment available, and an agreement for regular testing of staff, students, and anyone that would go into some buildings.
2 fired from Harper Woods Police Department in case of deceased woman
The city of Harper Woods announced Wednesday that it had fired two of its police officers after it was discovered they "concealed and manipulated evidence" in the case of Priscilla Slater, who died while in police custody.
Deputy Chief John Vorgitch and Patrol Officer Michael Pineau allegedly redacted important information from a police report, an internal investigation into Slater's death found.
"Unfortunately, our City has discovered that members of its Police Department attempted to conceal and manipulate evidence in the “in custody death investigation” of Ms. Pricilla Slater. As a result, the City has immediately terminated the following Police Officers: Deputy Chief – John Vorgitch and Patrol Officer Michael Pineau," said Acting City Manager John Szymanski said in a released statement.
The investigation began after a city employee indicated the deputy chief of police had directed an officer to remove information from a police report that "may have been relevant to the death of Ms. Slater."
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More details emerge on firing of police officers after death of woman in custody
Pricilla Slater was arrested June 8 and died June 10. Four city officials are on paid leave and now two officers have been fired.
Slater was initially taken into custody on gun charges in connection to a shooting at a motel in Harper Woods. After entering jail on June 8, she was found unresponsive on June 10. There is still no cause of death for Slater, according to the medical examiner's office.
"As you know, the death of Ms. Pricilla Slater resulted in a great deal of activity within the City of Harper Woods," Szymanski said.
After Slater's death, protests converged on the city at a time when mass demonstrations against racial injustice were blanketing the country. It would spark the first in a string of high-profile changes at the city, which now include the resignation of Harper Woods' mayor Kenneth Poynter.
A city attorney could not rule out criminal charges for the two officers who were fired, pending the outcome of a state police investigation.
Reward offered for arrest in case of double murder in Detroit
A $7,500 reward has been put out for information that would lead to arrests in the case of two people killed earlier in the summer in Detroit.
Ciara Flinchum and Chad Whitley were sitting in a black SUV on E. Forest Avenue on June 28 when two or three suspects walked up to the car and started shooting. Both died in the crossfire.
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Crime Stoppers offering reward after 2 shot, killed in Detroit
Crime Stoppers is offering a reward after two people were shot and killed in June while sitting in a car one evening on E. Forest Avenue in Detroit.
“Our hearts are broken as we grieve for our beautiful daughter," Bill Flinchum said Wednesday at a Crime Stoppers news conference.
The motive is unclear, but relatives believe their daughter Ciara wasn't the target.
After years of roadblocks, new mosque construction underway in Sterling Heights
What's been a point of contention for years in Sterling Heights has finally seen roadblocks removed as construction for a new mosque has started.
A new holy site's construction wouldn't normally make news beyond its announcement - however delays in its placement led many to believe that islamophobia had sparked opposition to a new mosque in the city.
"This is not about an Islamic center or a mosque it's about our freedom of religion," said Osama Siblani, publisher of The Arab American News.
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The American Islamic Community Center breaks ground in Sterling Heights
After years of push back and tension among some in the community to disrupt plans for a mosque, on Wednesday they broke ground.
It required federal intervention from the justice department to move the construction of the building forward.
The American Islamic Community Center has organized the mosque's construction near 15 Mile and Mound.
Daily Forecast
After a duo of pleasant days, hot weather has returned and appears to be here to stay for the next week.
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Hot weather on its way back
We climb to nearly 90 by Friday and will keep it through next week.
Facebook to allow users to promote and sell hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes on platform
Facebook said it will allow sellers to promote hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes on the platform after it previously banned such ads and listings amid the global coronavirus pandemic.
In March, the platform temporarily prohibited ads and commerce listings for the items to help protect against scams, inflated prices and hoarding.
“Today, we’ll start to allow people to promote hand sanitizer and wipes on Facebook & Instagram. This will apply to organic posts, ads, and commerce listings including IG shopping + Marketplace,” said Rob Leathern, director of Product Management at Facebook.
Leathern said that advertisers will need a minimum advertising history on Facebook of four months, and some countries will still have restrictions.