Woman describes catching on fire at church • DPD missteps let killer roam free • I-94 reopens in Belleville
FRIDAY NEWS HIT - Sandy Springstead was in the middle of performing during a Christmas concert at Northridge Church earlier this month when she smelled fire and realized it was her.
"I smelt the fire. And I looked behind me and saw I was on fire. I was screaming, ‘I’m on fire, I’m on fire,’ and I got off the stage," she said. "I don’t remember what my mom did. I just remember screaming and stage crews tried to put me out. I remember they put me out with a fire extinguisher."
A candle accidentally lit Springstead's gown on fire at the Plymouth church, leading to second- and third-degree burns across the lower half of her body.
"Drop and roll is all I could scream at the time," her mother Gale Erlich said. "The only thing she could really say was she was really bummed she couldn’t finish the play."
The 44-year-old said it was her 31st year performing in the event. After she was burned and had to leave, she asked her mother, who was also performing, to go on without her.
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'I smelt the fire': Performer who caught fire at Northridge Christmas concert asked mom to go on without her
Sandy Springstead was in the middle of performing during a Christmas concert at Plymouth's Northridge Church earlier this month when she smelled fire and realized it was her.
Detroit police missteps let serial killer roam free
More than 15 years of missteps by Detroit police let a serial killer roam free, according to an Associated Press investigation.
DeAngelo Martin is currently in prison for four murders and two rapes, but he was out for years before his eventual arrest and conviction.
The investigation found that Detroit police failed to follow up on leads or take investigative steps that may have averted the eventual killing spree, despite having received repeated warnings that Martin was a violent predator.
"It’s astonishing," said Jim Trainum, a retired Washington, D.C., homicide detective who specializes in reviewing police investigations for possible wrongful convictions. "All the police had to do was one little thing, one little thing here or there, and they would have put a stop to this whole process and these women would still be alive. Just one thing."
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Over 15 years of missteps by police let Detroit serial killer roam free
Over 15 years, Detroit police failed to follow up on leads that could have stopped an eventual killing spree, an investigation has revealed.
Court says boundaries for 13 seats in Michigan Legislature were illegally influenced by race
The boundaries of 13 Detroit-area seats in the Michigan Legislature must be redrawn, a three-judge panel said Thursday after finding the map was illegally influenced by race.
Nearly 80% of Detroit residents are Black, but the Black voting age population in the Detroit-area districts mostly ranges from 35% to 45%, the panel said. One is 19%.
Experts had repeatedly told a state redistricting commission in 2021 that certain percentages were necessary to comply with federal law. The panel, however, disagreed.
"That proposition is without support" in precedents set by the U.S. Supreme Court, the panel of federal judges said.
"The record here shows overwhelmingly - indeed, inescapably - that the commission drew the boundaries of plaintiffs' districts predominantly on the basis of race. We hold that those districts were drawn in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution," Judge Raymond Kethledge wrote.
The parties must return to court in early January to discuss how to come up with a new map.
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Court says boundaries for 13 seats in Michigan Legislature were illegally influenced by race
Experts had repeatedly told a state redistricting commission in 2021 that certain percentages were necessary to comply with federal law. The panel, however, disagreed.
Mile-long stretch of I-94 in Belleville reopens for winter
After months of work on a mile-long strip of I-94 that will become the testing ground for new mobility technology, construction will end for winter and the lane will reopen for drivers.
The westbound I-94 lane stretches from Belleville to Rawsonville roads in Wayne County and will include new pavement markings and dividers. For any drivers that use the lane, they won't be able to access the nearby rest area of exit lane to Belleville Road due to the dividers, once complete.
From Dec. 22 to mid-January, the lane will be open to drivers before additional work along the shoulder will continue. Further surface treatment will be applied later in spring of 2024.
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Mile-long stretch of I-94 dubbed 'world's most sophisticated highway' to reopen for winter
The lane will be used for testing the safety and performance of cars and trucks that can send and receive information. It'll open in western Wayne County
Non-profit offering Detroit households help with water bills
If you live in Detroit and need help paying your water bills, a nonprofit has money available.
The Lifeline Plan began in August 2022 and recently received additional funding to operate through the end of 2025. Now, the non-profit Hydrate Detroit is offering each enrolled household $1,000.
The non-profit is asking anyone in the Lifeline Plan – and still in need of additional assistance – to reach out via this online form.
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Non-profit offering Detroit households $1K for water bills, sign up before Dec. 31
A online form is available for residents in the Lifeline Plan to sign up for the additional assistance.
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The temperatures are warming for Christmas.
What else we're watching
- Michigan's updated distracted driving law has led to thousands of tickets as drivers are slow to change their behavior.
- In 2024, Michigan residents will pay an extra dollar for Recreation Passports. An annual vehicle pass will cost $14 in the new year.
- The holiday travel rush is underway at Detroit Metro Airport. Expect a busy airport this weekend and heading into next weekend for Christmas and New Year's.
- If you find yourself without a safe and sober way home this holiday season, AAA will make sure you and your vehicle get there. To use Tow to Go, call 855-286-9246.
- It's finally the weekend! Need plans? Click here for our event guide.
US border policy deal closer than it seems
Amid grueling negotiations, the contours of a bipartisan border security and immigration deal are beginning to take shape, emerging even as Congress leaves town having failed to publicly unveil any details of the package that's central to unlocking stalled aid for Ukraine.
Talks between the White House and key senators have not veered widely from three main areas of discussion: toughening asylum protocols for migrants arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border; bolstering border enforcement with more personnel and high-tech systems; and deterring migrants from making the journey in the first place.
As the Senate broke for the holidays, due back Jan. 8, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell in a rare joint statement indicated negotiations are progressing. They also met Wednesday to discuss how to advance the border policy alongside President Joe Biden's$110 billion package of wartime aid for Ukraine, Israel and other national security priorities.