Redford parents charged in shooting of daughter, vigil held for suspected overdoses, casinos prepare to reopen

The Wayne County Prosecutor has charged the parents of two young children, 4 and 5, after the younger child somehow got his hands on a weapon in early July and shot his 5-year-old sister.

Karina Norwood was with her 4-year-old brother when he was playing with a relative's gun around 1:30 on July 6 when it went off and a bullet grazed Karina's head.

"All I know, I woke up to my daughter shot," said her mom Melissa Kaiser on July 7. "We were all sleeping and we woke up to my daughter shot."

On Sunday, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy announced Melissa and the children's father, Jonclaud Norwood, were both being charged in the non-fatal shooting.

Both Jonclaude and Melissa have each been charged with two counts of Child Abuse 2nd degree. 

"All of these cases are tragic. Young, precious lives are being forever altered and even lost, and we can absolutely prevent this. If you choose to have guns in your homes, please make sure that children and teens do not have easy access. It is that simple," Prosecutor Worthy said. 

The Norwoods are expected to be arraigned on the charges on Monday.

Vigil held for three young adults who died of suspected overdoses in Auburn Hills hotel

A vigil was held for 17-year-old Sophia Harris and brothers 18-year-old Kyler Kiessling and 20-year-old Caleb Kiessling, who died inside an Auburn Hills hotel last week. 

Police have said they believe the three young adults all overdosed inside the Baymont Hotel in Auburn.

Friends and family are still trying to understand and make sense of the tragedy. Kyler and Caleb had been struggling with drug addiction. Their parents did everything they could, but in the end, it wasn't enough.

"They were so young too," said Caleb's friend Bella Solis. "He had promised me he would stop and when I found out, my heart just broke."

Sophia was 17 but would have turned 18 next month.

Path for more COVID-19 relief unclear as Trump administration, Democrats debate plans to help Americans

At the end of last week, the lifeline that was the $600 unemployment benefit expired with no extension in place. Both the White House and top Capitol Hill Democrats reported progress over the weekend with both sides predicting a difficult debate in the coming days and weeks.

The White House is seeking opportunities to boost President Donald Trump, like another round of $1,200 stimulus payments and extending the supplemental jobless benefit and partial eviction ban. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the top Democratic negotiator, appears intent on an agreement as well, but she's made it clear she needs big money for state and local governments, unemployment benefits and food aid.

Both sides agree on a $1,200 direct payment and changes to the Paycheck Protection Program to permit especially hard-hit businesses to obtain another loan under generous forgiveness terms.

But the terms and structure of the unemployment benefit remains a huge sticking point, negotiators said Sunday, and Meadows hasn't made any concessions on the almost $1 trillion Pelosi wants for state and local governments grappling with pandemic-related revenue losses.

Detroit casinos prepare for Wednesday reopening with 15% capacity, increased precautions

In the past five months, Detroit casinos and the city have lost millions of dollars in revenue since the casinos were closed due to the COVID-19 virus. On Wednesday, but will be very limited with several precautions approved in June by the Michigan Gambling Board.

Included among those is 15% capacity, limiting the entrance point with temperature checks, a smoking ban on casino floors, and heightened cleaning protocols. 

"The majority of our gaming positions, slot machines, seats at table games have been removed or deactivated. This is to help ensure we can allow for social distancing," David Tsai said, President of the Midwest Group, MGM Resorts. 

The news of reopening, at any level, is a bit of relief for the city and for the MGM Grand, Greektown, and MotorCity Casinos.

COVID-19 has slashed casino revenue by more than 50%. In the past few months, all three casinos issued notices that they would lay off thousands of employees.

Michigan reports zero deaths on Sunday, 426 new cases

As Michigan's COVID-19 cases have climbed back up in the past month, the state's deaths have remained relatively low. On Sunday, the state reported a bit of good news - zero new deaths.

There were, however, 426 new cases reported, bringing the state's cumulative cases to 82,782.

On Friday, COVID Act Now, a team of technologists, epidemiologists, health experts, and public policy leaders, reported Michigan has improved from At Risk to Controlled in the attempt to stop the spread of the virus.

Preparing for a vote unlike any other - Michigan's August Primary on Tuesday, August 4

In the middle of the pandemic, Michigan voters will still cast their ballot to decide who will be on the final ballot in November in most races. 

A record number of voters have already sent their votes in after Proposal 18-3 was approved by voters in 2018, allowing people to vote by mail for any reason. Two years later, that law has made it possible for everyone who does not feel comfortable voting in person to still exercise their Constitutional right.

In May, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson announced that applications for absentee ballots would be mailed to every registered Michigan voter. 

Before the pandemic hit. 1.3 million had already registered to vote by mail. More than two million people requested to vote by mail for the Tuesday primary, more than ever before.

If you requested an absentee ballot and have it, you can still drop it at your local clerk's office. If you have not requested it, you can still pick one up from your clerk's office. You can still vote in person as well. Before you cast your vote, be sure you're prepared for everything you could encounter here.

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said the state is prepared to prosecute anyone attempting to commit fraud in the election.

Perfectly pleasant weather this week in Southeast Michigan

After the heat of July, we're going to experience some perfect weather this week in southeast Michigan. 

The rain from Saturday and Sunday is behind us, for the most part. We'll still see a few spotty showers all day on Monday and even into Tuesday. But then it clears up until at least next Saturday with temperatures in the 70s, below average.