Detroit's record-breaking night • Charges in Clinton Township explosion • Updates from Monroe crash

FRIDAY NEWS HIT - It was a highlight reel of Detroit football celebrities, along with a little something extra Thursday night as Aidan Hutchinson, Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Detroit rapper Eminem all stood up on the stage of the NFL Draft.

They all flanked a former Lion great: Calvin Johnson. 

To kick things off, he grabbed the mic and told the crowd: "I just got one thing to say. What up doe?" 

It was a fitting introduction; not just from one former football player to his hometown city, but also to the rest of the world as a whole. 

It was a convergence of story lines in downtown Detroit on Thursday night as the city turned out in a way not even the NFL had counted before. After all, general admission to the draft footprint - which had been free to all who came in - was eventually paused more than an hour before draft picks were even announced because they had reached capacity.

Detroit set a record for attendance on the first day of an NFL Draft, easily breaking the previous record set in Nashville. At its peak, 275,000 fans had flooded Campus Martius and the Monroe Street Midway. 

The Lions could have waited until the second round to pick a new player. Instead, they traded up to select a cornerback from Alabama, hoping to strike more defensive gold with Terrion Arnold in the same way they did with Brian Branch last year. 

Coach Dan Campbell told FOX 2 that Arnold brings sticky man coverage and a love for football with him, making him the right choice.

"He's somebody we met with the Combine we brought him in. So we got a lot of exposure with him," Campbell told FOX 2. "We really liked him. We thought he was the best corner in this draft and we were honestly we were shocked that he slid as far as he did." 

"I never thought he would be there, but we are thrilled," said General Manager Brad Holmes. "It's the best football player and it was an area that we wanted to add one - we weren't sure if we could add one in the first round. We thought we would be out of the mix, especially for him. He was our highest-rated corner.

Building owner charged in Clinton Township blast

A metro Detroit businessman was charged with involuntary manslaughter Thursday in connection with the Clinton Township explosion that sent nitrous oxide canisters propelling through the air, one of which struck and killed a 19-year-old.

Noor Noel Kestou, 31, of Commerce Township, was charged in connection with the March 4 blast that killed Turner Lee Salter about a quarter of a mile away. Kestou’s bond was set at $500,000 cash/surety only.

Earlier this week, officials apprehended Kestou in New York, where he had a plane ticket to leave the country, confirmed Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido. A probable cause hearing is scheduled for May 7 in Clinton Township District Court.

The explosion occurred in a building housing a distributor for the vaping industry called Goo, which had more than 100,000 vape pens stored on-site. Authorities have said a truckload of butane canisters had arrived at the building within a week of the explosion that sent canisters soaring up to 2 miles, and more than half of that stock was still there when the fire began.

Updates from Monroe boat club crash

After posting her $1.5 million bond on Thursday, the 66-year-old woman accused of drunkenly driving through a Monroe County boat club, killing two children, is free again. However, her attorney, Bill Colovos, told FOX 2 that her release came with conditions.

Marshella Chidester walked out of prison after paying the cash/surety bond five days after her arrest, according to the Monroe County inmate information and court roster website. Chidester hired a bail bondsman to pay the full amount. But, she is required to wear a tether, she cannot drive or drink alcohol, and she had to hand over her passport.

"She feels absolutely horrible that two children died, a brother and sister," Colovos said. "She feels beyond horrible. She’s sick to her stomach about it. There is nothing she can do to change it. It wasn't anything that she had planned for that day."

Her vehicle ended up 25 feet inside the Swan Boat Club, killing two kids and injuring several others. Prosecutors argued her blood alcohol level was over the legal limit. Colovos argued Chidester had a medical episode that caused her to crash. Results from a blood draw will be made available Monday. 

Summer weather arrives

We'll move past the chilly morning and welcome in more warmth. High temperatures today will land in the 60s! 

The sun will stick around too, mostly as partly sunny skies for most of the day. It adds up to a very pleasant finish to the week. In the meantime, the rain is lurking. It's set to arrive tonight and last into Saturday morning. 

After the morning our rain chances are looking minuscule, allowing plenty of time to soak in the warmth, which continues into Sunday. 

Scattered Sunday storms are in the forecast with a cold front Monday set to bring more wet weather with it. Temperatures stay on the warmer side through next week.

Michigan lawmakers try curbing PFAS

Democrats in Lansing introduced a plan to reign in the usage of ‘forever chemicals’ in the production of common household items and cosmetics, like cookware, clothes, cleaning products, to name a few.

PFAS - or Perfluoroalkyl or polyfluoroalkyl substances - are commonly used because of their resistance to water and oil. That resistance to breaking down becomes a problem once it enters the environment.

Under the "hazardous products act', manufacturers would be required to obtain a waiver from the state in order to sell products made with PFAS chemicals. A waiver would only be granted if the chemicals are essential to the manufacturing process and there are no safer alternatives.

If they aren't essential, manufacturers would be prohibited from selling products that include PFAS. If it became law, it would be enforced at the beginning of 2027 and restrictions on selling PFAS-containing products would begin in 2032.

Live on FOX 2

Daily Forecast

For all those looking to attend the NFL Draft this weekend, you'll be in luck. It's going to be mostly beautiful weather the entire time. Good thing too - since there are two more days full of fun on the way in downtown. 

What else we're watching

1. Clearly there's interest in attending the NFL Draft. Which means anyone wanting to come Friday or Saturday may want to plan ahead of time. Use our guide for getting there. 
2. A tanker crash on southbound I-75 in Monroe County blocked traffic for hours, just south of Rockwood. There were concerns some chemicals may have leaked out. 
3. Corewell Health is holding several drug takeback events around Southeast Michigan on Friday. They include hospitals in Dearborn, Troy, Taylor, Trenton, and Wayne. 
4. A vigil for the victims of the Monroe boat club crash is set for 7 p.m. on April 26,
5. Curious what it takes to be middle class in Michigan? This nifty map will tell you what income is needed to be considered as such. 

USC cancels main stage commencement ceremony

Following the large pro-Palestinian protest held at USC Wednesday, the university announced that it will be canceling the "main stage" graduation ceremony. USC released a statement Thursday saying that due to new safety measures they are unable to accommodate the main stage ceremony which traditionally brings 65,000 people to the campus. That ceremony was set for May 10. 

The university said they still plan to host dozens of commencement events, including individual school commencement ceremonies, doctoral hooding ceremonies, special celebrations, and departmental activities and receptions.