Shootings force family out of home • DTE gas meter inspection reminder • Target assault suspect sentenced
WEDNESDAY NEWS HIT - Repeat drive-by shootings in Detroit have a family living in a hotel and looking for a new apartment.
Adrian Tart said the shootings started a few months ago at his home at the corner of Pinehurst Street and Fullerton Avenue. The frequency of shootings recently increased, with four in the past two weeks, he says.
"In the middle of the night, guys drove by and just shot the hell out of the building," he said. "Bullets coming through the window."
The most recent shooting forced the family to leave.
"Thursday night, they shot it up again – so Friday my wife (said) she can’t take no more," Tart said. "I can't take no more. My little baby, I'm scared for her life."
Tart created a GoFundMe for assistance, as they are in dire need of a permanent apartment. Their current lease is up at the end of January.
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Family flees Detroit home after multiple drive-by shootings, seeks donations for new apartment
Adrian Tart said his family has endured four separate shootings within the past two weeks alone. They are currently seeking refuge at a nearby hotel, but can only afford one more night.
DTE shuts off gas over unscheduled inspection
A Detroit family had their gas turned off after they failed to schedule a required inspection of their indoor meter.
"When I called them (DTE), they said they had been trying to get in touch with me to remove the meter from inside the home," said Ashley, who has four children, including an 8-month-old boy.
When Ashley tried to schedule the appointment after the gas was off, DTE said there were no slots until Dec. 12. However, the company eventually came and turned the gas back on.
According to DTE, customers with indoor natural gas meters must have them inspected every three years, as required by state and federal regulations. The company began informing residents of the requirement earlier this year, and warned that customers who do not schedule these inspections risk losing service and paying costly restoration fees.
DTE is looking to complete all inspections by Dec. 31.
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Detroit family of 5 loses heat for failing to schedule 3-year indoor gas meter inspection with DTE
DTE said they reach out to customers due for a three-year check with letters, emails, phone calls, and personal visits before shutting off services. However, a Detroit mother of four said she did not receive any warnings from the utility company.
Nurses, rehab workers picket over wages, hours
A number of workers from the Orchards, a skilled nursing and rehabilitation center on Hubble in northwest Detroit were on the picket line Tuesday afternoon.
It's cold and starting to rain/snow - but that doesn’t stop caregivers -for about 100 residents and patients - who complain they’re not making enough money for the extended hours they work.
"Working with several people, many that are not even elderly, have mental behaviors, everything," said A'lese Clarke. "It’s a tough job,"
Although staffing levels, and hours are issues with a new contract - it’s the low wages, some starting at about $11 an hour.
Workers said it isn't a strike; it's an informational picket while they continue to work, though it could become a strike if their voices aren't heard, Clarke said.
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Nursing and rehab workers picket over low wages, long hours in Detroit
Although staffing levels, and hours are issues with a new contract - it’s the low wages, some starting at about $11 an hour- that’s the real problem.
Man who blew up home caught with explosives again
A Warren man who caused an explosion at his home in 2022 was again caught with explosives and weapons, authorities allege.
During a probation check in July, 39-year-old Michael Liburdi was found with explosives in the garage and six firearms stashed throughout his mother's house in Harper Woods, where he was staying, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Liburdi is on probation for possessing weapons as a felon.
The explosion happened while he was allegedly trying to make marijuana oil via butane extraction. It put him in a coma for weeks. He also lost a hand and suffered second and third-degree burns on the majority of his body.
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Warren man with history of blowing up home found with explosives, weapons again
After previously being charged for causing an explosion that resulted in the loss of his hand in 2022, a Warren man is facing another round of felony charges for possessing explosives and weapons again.
Target assault suspect sentenced
A man who attacked a woman in the parking lot of a Troy Target before murdering another woman days later was sentenced for the assault Tuesday.
Andrew Hall is already in prison for 40-60 years for murdering Lisa Moffett in Detroit on July 11.
Days before that murder, he attacked Amanda Pasionek at the Target store at 1301 Coolidge Rd. in Troy.
"He ripped open my door as I was trying to shut it, told me to be quiet, (and) placed a gun to my head and demanded that I get in my backseat. This was not an option so I immediately grabbed the gun from my head and fought," she said. "During our struggle for control of the gun he asked me if I was crazy, and then savagely punched me, shattering the right side of my head."
Hall was sentenced to 27 to 40 additional years for the attack.
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'I hope it haunts him': Mom describes Target carjacking by convicted murderer during his sentencing
Andrew Hall, a man currently in prison for killing a woman, was sentenced for attacking a woman in the parking lot of a Troy Target store.
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Wednesday starts cold, but temperatures are slowly rising.
What else we're watching
- Beginning next year, salaried workers at General Motors will be expected to be in the office at least three days a week. Employees were told about this new requirement in an email this week.
- The city of Detroit is making big steps to help homeowners who are facing financial challenges through HOPE -- Homeowners Property Exemption -- and has already helped thousands avoid foreclosures.
- A student at Waterford Mott High School is facing charges after authorities say she posted shooting threats on social media. Deity Orroara Laurine Love allegedly made up the threats and claimed another student sent them.
- The Guinness is now flowing at Clawson's newest pub, Gus' Snug Irish Pub. It opened Monday.
- A survey from AAA found that many drivers in Detroit say they engage in dangerous driving, including speeding, distracted driving, and aggressive driving.
US announces visa bans to Jewish Israeli settlers who attack West Bank Palestinians
In a rare punitive move against Israel, the State Department said Tuesday it will impose travel bans on extremist Jewish settlers implicated in a rash of recent attacks on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the step after warning Israel last week that President Joe Biden's administration would be taking action over the attacks. Blinken did not announce individual visa bans, but department spokesman Matthew Miller said the bans would be implemented starting Tuesday and would cover "dozens" of settlers and their families, with more to come if the settler violence continued. He wouldn’t give a number and refused to identify any of those targeted due to confidentiality reasons.
The decision comes at a sensitive moment in U.S.-Israeli relations. The Biden administration has firmly backed Israel since it was attacked by Hamas on Oct. 7, even as international criticism of Israel has mounted.