Hasbash-style event in Hazel Park, Northern lights in Michigan, widow waits a year for headstone

WEDNESDAY NEWS HIT - Just last week -- leaders in hazel park relaxed the rules when it comes to psychedelic plants like "magic mushrooms" but apparently smoking pot in public is taking things too far.

Some in the community are pushing back against a "hash bash" style music festival planned for this summer. Folks at Green Acres Park are very opinionated about the possibility of Spark in the Park.

It is an event that would allow 4,200 people to come to the festival, which would feature marijuana with designated places to smoke it, music, and more. It still needs city council approval but the opinions of residents are mixed.

"It’s disrespectful to the kids and people that don’t believe in it," said Jerome Zeoli.

Zeoli, who was playing volleyball with his daughters at Green Acres Park, says he doesn't want his kids exposed to marijuana— especially not at the park they visit once a week.

"I am against it," he said. "I’ve never smoked it in my life. You’ve got a bunch of kids playing out here, they don’t need to see that."

Spark in the Park's Event Brite page says the two-day festival would include Michigan craft cannabis brands, a concert and an Olympics of weed competition. An organizer also says there would be designated tents set up for people to smoke.

"It’s not my thing," said Zeoli. "I brought my kids up in the world to not do any drugs, I want it to stay that way."

Residents Scott Reinhart and Stephen Tarnowski were playing disc golf at the park — and say they are on board.

"I feel like it’s a blessing, because why do I have to hide in your house when you can smoke and have fun at some festival, that’s what I think," said Scott Reinhart. "Just to have it in one area to just smoke and have fun, I don’t think anything is going to get damaged we’re just here to have fun, too."

"I think it’s awesome i think it will bring awareness to that culture and bring some people to this park," said Tarnowski.

Meanwhile, Hazel Park City Councilman Luke Londo says the Spark in the Park organizers are working to address the concerns brought up by his fellow council members.

"We are in a residential area right here, noise adjacent to a lot of the residences of Hazel Park, as well as Ferndale," he said. "Parking is going to be a bit of a challenge, I know there will be parking across the city and a shuttle situation, noise, and odor are also a concern."

Organizers sent FOX 2 a statement saying in part, "Despite the long battle to legalize adult use of cannabis, there still remains significant stigma associated with cannabis use in public. Spark in the Park seeks to address this stigma by hosting a fun, safe, and entertaining event that is respectful of our hosts, the people of Hazel Park.

"Our event will be non-alcoholic, with adequate security as mandated by the state, and feature enclosed fire-safe smoking tents with hvac systems to minimize the impact on the surrounding community."

"We have a lot of dispensaries," Londo said. "We’re about to open the first consumption lounge in the state, we just decriminalized (psychedelic mushrooms), no one has an issue with the substance of the festival - it is just more or less making sure we are benefiting the residents.:

The City Council will vote on this at their meeting on April 12th. If approved, it will be in June.

Romulus Townhouses catch fire two days in a row

Residents whose Romulus housing complex caught fire Wednesday morning were safe following the blaze that broke out at 5 a.m. It was the second fire at the complex in 24 hours after several units were left with smoke damage from a fire that broke out Tuesday.

"I had got the call that our house was on fire yesterday, I was at work so when I came, I saw it was all smokey," said Jasmine, who lives at the Wellesley Townhouses. But when she came to see the complex Wednesday, "my whole house was blowing up."

"Like, it was literally in flames," she said. The vice president of the homeowner's association said about 7-8 people were displaced and six of the units had suffered damage. Crews from Van Buren, Metro Airport, and Romulus all responded to the fire. The scene remained active after the flames had dissipated as crews continued pouring water onto the complex. 

Several windows that already had boards covering them were put up after a fire had started Tuesday, displacing many of those that live in the complex. It's the main reason many of the residents were no longer at the complex when another fire broke out Wednesday. The latest blaze damaged the roof and siding of the complex. It's unclear if the two are connected.

Northern Lights viewable in Michigan this week

Michigan may be in for an enchanting night of northern lights this week following reports of a magnetic storm heading for Earth. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the sun released a high speed solar wind stream this weekend, which means charged particles are currently heading for the atmosphere.

It's during periods of high activity between coronal mass ejection particles and Earth's magnetic field that creates the famous green and blues that dance in the sky we know as the Aurora Borealis. According to Soft Serve News, which provides daily forecasts on northern lights, the best time to see display in Michigan is at night on March 31. 

Between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., the lights will be at their peak in terms of display. The size of the Aurora Borealis is typically measured on a scale of geomagnetic activity, using the figures KP. NOAA also uses the KP number to designate a location. Michigan sits between KP levels 5 and 7. Depending on the evening when the lights are supposed to be brightest, the KP number will increase.

The best way to know how illuminating the northern lights are that evening is to check the current KP levels on the Aurora Borealis Forecast map and compare them with a location's KP number. If the current levels are at or exceed the levels for the location (in this case, KP 5-7 in Michigan) then there's a good chance for viewing. NOAA's 3-day Geomagnetic Forecast says the KP index will rise as high as 6 on March 31.

Daughter of late attorney sues Detroit for $50M

The daughter of a prominent attorney that was killed in a collision with a Detroit police squad car is suing the city for $50 million. Melissa Woodards Connelly, the daughter of Cliff Woodards said "The pursuit of justice and closure has been something that has been top of mind since Feb. 8th."

"And a year later, to still not have it, it is disheartening, it's frustrating," she said, causing her to file the wrongful death suit. Officer Teaira Funderburg, who was behind the wheel of the DPD cruiser has been charged with involuntary manslaughter. 

Melissa Woodards' suit claims before Funderburg crashed into her dad's vehicle at an intersection, she was told to stand down by her partner and dispatchers, before she continued speeding to a scene she was responded to. At one point, she ran a red light and crashed into the victim.

Attorney Arnold Reed, a friend of Woodards is representing Melissa in the case. "We have a situation here Randy where, if it wasn’t Cliff then who was it going to be?" he said. "You are racing through the city of Detroit. The Detroit Police Department says Funderburg is on unpaid suspension and charged with involuntary manslaughter. She’s currently awaiting trial.

Widow waits a year for headstone to arrive

Debra Westbrook had waited a year to place a headstone at the grave site of her dead husband, who passed from COVID-19 in 2020. But months of frustration and $1,600 later, the black granite headstone with a base that includes a photo of her husband had still not been delivered.

In December, the company Marsh & Sassi reached out to her to confirm it had been finished, but they couldn't send a photo. Then, "communication just stopped," she said.

It would be the last time she'd hear from them until she visited the company's second location in Clinton Township this year. After a call to FOX 2's Problem Solver's line, contact was made with the owner of the business who said her husband had also passed from COVID-19.  

Joelle Wright-Terry, the owner of Marsh & Sassi Monument Company, said a combination of supply chain issues, miscommunication, and the company not renewing its lease. "We had to wait for that stock, she was informed that, once we got the stock in, I immediately cut her stone," she said, adding it will be two weeks or less before its complete. 

What else we're watching

1. The individual involved in the disappearance of Zion Foster before pleading no contest to a bevy of charges will be sentenced in Macomb County court Wednesday. Foster's body has still not been found months since he went missing. 
2. Anyone can be a judge in the Cannabis Cup, which is the annual competition to find the best strand of pot in Michigan. Learn more about how to partake here. 
3. A Royal Oak High School student received an honorable mention in C-SPAN's National 2022 StudentCam competition. She is getting $250 for a documentary about childcare and paid leave. 
4. A shelter in place directive has been ordered at Adrian's college campus due to a chemical incident to the south of the school. The order includes half of the campus. 
5. The state Attorney General is partnering with the FCC to better staff robocall investigations. Dana Nessel was behind the lawsuit against Jack Burgman and Jacob Wohl, who are relating trial for a case of intimidating minority voters in Detroit during the 2020 election. 

Live on FOX 2

Daily Forecast

Get ready for a pure Michigan kind of weather day. It'll be freezing rain and icy conditions in the morning before temperatures surge into the mid-50s and possibly eclipse 60 by the late afternoon. 

Prediabetes rising among US adolescents and teens, study finds

A new study suggests prediabetes is rising among the country’s youth.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, prediabetes is a serious health condition where blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough yet to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes.

The study, comprised of researchers from New York, Georgia, and China, was published Monday in JAMA Pediatrics.

Scientists gathered archived data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey involving more than 6,500 youths between 12 and 19 years old from 1999 to 2018. The survey also included fathering blood samples. 

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