Flooding has been an issue in Detroits Jefferson Chalmers neighborhood since the 1950s.

When theres severe weather, residents know theres always a chance of flooding.

We got to stay in a mode of potential flood or sewage backup in our basements, said Jocelyn Fitzpatrick Harris.

Fitzpatrick Harris knows all too well about the risk of flooding in the Jefferson Chalmers neighborhood. Shes lived there her whole life.

She says she learned to stay prepared after the major flood that happened in the area back in 2021.

I dont put anything valuable in the basement, said Fitzpatrick Harris. Im thankful for having a boiler, a washer, a dryer and those kinds of things are necessities, but other than that, I put nothing valuable in the basement.

Fitzpatrick Harris also has a sump pump and shes not the only person in the neighborhood with one.

We were burned a few years ago, we had like over a foot of water in our basements, ruined everything, so we decided to get us a sump pump, said Detroit resident Carleton Smith.

Smith says now that he has a sump pump, he isnt as worried about heavy rain.

Im ready, let it come and it probably will with this rain theyre anticipating, said Smith.

The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department is also on high alert when it comes to the heavy rain expected in the area.

The department sent this message to residents on Tuesday:

We urge all customers to reduce water usage during the rain event to provide more capacity in the sewer system, and take safety precautions by not driving or walking into standing water. DWSD crews are ready to respond to potential flooding.

The Great Lakes Water Authority is also keeping an eye on the area.

A spokesperson from GLWA says they are: 

Maintaining and optimizing existing infrastructure to ensure current drainage systems operate at peak efficiency. Coordinating with local agencies to enhance stormwater management and emergency response during heavy rainfall. Implementing operational strategies to manage Dry Weather Flow at the existing Freud Storm Pump Station, ensuring it remains functional and reliable until the new station is completed.

When its rainy weather, we just accept it, said Jocelyn Fitzpatrick Harris.

The city is also encouraging residents to report flooded streets and basements.

 

You can do so by using the Improve Detroit app or contacting the water and sewerage department at 313-267-8000.

Springtime is approaching and we know this is the time when people want to work on home improvement projects.

From lawncare and carpet cleaning, to getting outdoor appliances ready, I went to a local hardware store to speak with metro Detroiters about what plans they have for their homes during the spring.

I like to really clean off the yard, blow everything out, get the grass all better where it needs to be," Bill Thompson from Birmingham said.

Thompson was looking at BBQ grills at the ACE Hardware in Beverly Hills when we spoke to him.

Certainly from an outside standpoint, we love to grill. Were looking at a Blackstone now possibly," Thompson said.

Bill Damman, the owner of the store, said if you're in the market for a new grill, the best time to get one is now.

Best way to save money now on a barbecue is check the sales. Everything in grills will be on sale now. Now is the time to replace it and buy it if you need to," Damman said.

Damman also went over the other things you should be on the lookout for when it comes to springtime home maintenance.

You really need to check the furnace filter for air conditioning so its ready to go when it gets hot, not waiting until its 90 degrees and you cant get service on it," he said.

Another area is windows, screen repair, now is the time to take the screens and bring them in. Beat the rush, have your screens ready so again when it gets hot, youre not desperately sitting there with a window you cant open because the screens are torn," Damman said.

I also spoke with other metro Detroiters to see what home projects they plan on working on in the next few months.

As far as getting our house ready for Spring, weve got a lot of work to do in the yard all that stuff," Kim Shriner said. "And cleaning all the carpets too, with spring, we have three dogs so its going to be quite busy.

I really try to de-clutter, get rid of clothes I havent worn in years or months or whatever," Trina Caldwell said.

Damman also said if you need to buy any outdoor appliances or supplies, start shopping for them now.

This is the time when the sales are coming out on lawnmowers, fertilizer, grass seed. All of the sales are hitting right now," he said.

Where Your Voice Matters

The owner of Jazz Cannabis Club on Telegraph and Six Mile is estimating up to $100,000 in damages due to the latest break-in.

They tied a chain to our front door and ripped the front door off and they broke into the selling area, said George Brikho, owner, Jazz Cannabis Club.

Brikho shared this surveillance video from around 6:30 a.m. on Saturday with us.

It shows multiple suspects wearing masks walking into the cannabis shop and taking items.

They went after inventory of marijuana flower, said Brikho.

Brikho says this is the third time in about six months or seven months his shop has been broken into.

Two other times they broke in. The first time they used a sledgehammer, they punched a hole in the wall, said Brikho. They were able to get in. The second time they, they drove a stolen U-Haul through it and they got in as well, but didn't get anything as well.

This time around, Brikho is offering a $10,000 cash reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the people behind the break ins.

We need to put a stop to this, and if I can help by offering this cash reward, you know, I would love to do it, said Birkho. it's really frustrating. We're here trying to make a living where it's, it's a it's a struggle.

Despite what happened on Saturday, Brikho was open for business.

We stayed open today because obviously business is business, the show must go on. We have a great community here, all our customers are not customers, theyre like family, said Brikho.

If you have any information that will help police catch the suspects in these break ins, call Detroit Police or the Jazz Cannabis Club at (313) 636-2582.

7 News Detroit first visited the Arbor One Apartments back in mid-January after residents reached out to us concerned about the horrible living conditions inside their apartments.

PREVIOUS REPORT: Ypsilanti apartment complex tenants speak out about horrible living conditions Ypsilanti apartment complex tenants speak out about horrible living conditions

The city came out, looked at my apartment, and they said I have 21 violations in my apartment alone, said Edwina Harris, tenant at Arbor One Apartments.

Harris and her family have been living at the Arbor One Apartments for two years.

She says shes dealt with so many issues in the apartment.

It was multiple things. I had black mold in my bathroom, so it wasnt healthy for the kids to stay there; they were always sick, said Harris. Then I had sewage backing up into my sink that my kids use. I had a shortage in my kitchen, so my stove wouldnt turn on.

Last week, the Washtenaw County Prosecutors office and the city of Ypsilanti filed a lawsuit against the New Jersey-based real estate operators that own Arbor One due to the number of housing and health code violations.

To be standing here knowing whats still behind this door is sickening, said Leslie Acklin of Ypsilanti.

Leslie Acklins sister, Lisa Cole, used to live at Arbor One.

Cole died back in January. While she did have some underlying health issues, it's unclear what caused her death, but she always tried to make her apartment better for her and her son.

Acklin says her sisters apartment was condemned by the city.

Nobody should have been here; my nephew shouldnt have been in here, said Acklin.

This past Friday, during a court hearing held about Arbor One, a judge checked in to see what progress was being made to get the apartments up to code.

Weve completed 500 of the 7,000 problems that weve identified at the property thus far, said Stewart Beal of Beal Properties.

Beal took over as the property manager for Arbor One Apartments on February 1st.

He says he has met with the property owners, and they came up with an 18-month timeline to get the apartments completely fixed up.

We definitely will be addressing the deplorable conditions much more rapidly than 18 months. Im not saying that someone needs to live in their apartment with mold and cockroaches for 18 months, said Beal. If they have those issues, well resolve those issues now.

Web extra: Stewart Beal interview Web extra: Stewart Beal interview

Meanwhile, Edwina Harris and her family have been put into a renovated apartment due to the issues with her old one, and she hopes other residents at Arbor One get to live in better conditions.

We all still deserve to live someplace that is clean and healthy and an environment that is thriving, said Harris.

Tensions ran high today at the Great Lakes Water Authority board meeting.

The authority, which serves much of southeast Michigan, was considering a water and sewer rate hike.

The GLWA board ended up voting to approve a 5.9% average increase to wholesale water rates as opposed to the 7.73% originally proposed. Sewer rates will also increase by an average of 4.5%.

Many residents from across metro Detroit attended the Wednesday GLWA meeting, expressing their concerns with the water and sewer rate hike.

I feel very strongly that we should oppose these rates," said Maria Matta, a Royal Oak resident.

Matta was one of the many people who spoke out during GLWAs meeting about the proposed rate increases.

I used to live in Dearborn Heights and I want to move back into the district but right now with the water bills being the way that they are, its a huge barrier to home ownership," she said.

Harrison Shelby, a Detroit resident, said there are people already struggling.

Theres a lot of people that are already facing water shutoffs and just overburdened with their everyday household expenses," said Shelby.

I also spoke with Highland Park resident Joshua Lamere who says he and his mother will really be negatively impacted by a rate increase. His mom owns a home in Highland Park and a cafe in Detroit.

GLWA says the increase is to account for infrastructure improvements and corrosion control.

I think mostly we want to convey its a balance between being responsible and making sure we have the funds to prevent failures, but also understanding the affordability challenges that occur," said Nicolette Bateson, GLWA chief financial officer.

Meanwhile, Matta is worried about the increase.

"These massive water rate increases will lead to water shut offs, huge public health issues and it has a lot of implications worsening health disparities in the state of Michigan," said Matta.

Where Your Voice Matters

On Saturday, both the Michigan Republicans and Democratic parties chose new leaders and discussed their goals for the next year.

I mean right now the biggest goal is to take back the state in 2026, said Hima Kolanagireddy, RNC committee member.

For us it is getting back to a lot of the basics, which is something that Republicans are ignoring right now, said State Senator Mallory McMorrow.

The Michigan Democrats held a convention on Saturday at the Renaissance Center.

They elected former State Senator Curtis Hertel as the partys chairman.

I think hes going to do great, he has some great ideas, hes really all about unifying the party, making sure we have representation from everywhere, all over the state, all demographics, said Nomi Joyrich of Farmington Hills.

Farmington hills resident Nomi Joyrich attended at the Democratic convention.

Its a tough time for Democrats, we had a major spanking in the last election and were not going to take that anymore, were definitely going to come back stronger, said Joyrich.

Meanwhile, just down the street at Huntington Place, the Michigan Republicans elected State Senator Jim Runestad as the partys chairman.

He beat out Meshawn Maddock who was endorsed by president trump for the position.

I think the party as a whole has taken a little bit of time to get on the right track and I think Jim is the right person to put it back on the right track and right the ship, said David Harris of Kalamazoo.

Republican David Harris came up from Kalamazoo to Detroit for the convention. 

It went pretty smoothly, it took a long time for the votes to come in but it got tabulated and Jim Runestad won and hes the right guy to lead the party, said Harris.

Both parties are now focusing their attention on the 2026 midterm election and beyond.

The Republican Party as a whole has to really take a hold on the state, theres a senate seat thats up, secretary of state, the attorney general, the governor, said Harris.

I want to elect Democrats up and down the party, from the top of the ticket to the bottom of the ticket, school board, city council, mayor, up to president, said Joyrich.

Officials from Wayne County Parks say Middlebelt Hill in Westland is closed to the public.

People are not able to go up the sledding hill due to concerns for safety.

I think that that hill needs to be permanently closed down,. I hope that its not going to be open again, and families should know to stay away from there, Michele Maley said.

Michele Maleys daughter, Jessica Wollweber, was injured after she went sledding at Middlebelt Hill, also known as Deadman's Hill, last Thursday.

Jessica went down the hill first and tragically went through the woods and hit a tree head-on, Maley said.

Wollweber is now in critical condition at the hospital after she suffered a traumatic brain injury.

My daughter is going to have a long haul. Shes does have some permanent brain damage. She actually had a stroke as a result of this, Maley said.

Related video: 3 people injured on popular Ann Arbor sledding hill; Man who broke arm urges caution 3 people injured on popular Ann Arbor sledding hill; Man who broke arm urges caution

I also spoke to Dr. Candace Kimpson, an emergency physician at Detroit Medical Center, and she told me that head injuries are common during sledding incidents.

She says there are signs to be on the lookout for if you think someone hit their head while sledding.

If a child or a person of any age has a head injury and they're acting abnormally if there's vomiting, if they're gait, they're walking, all of a sudden becomes unstable, if their vision is blurry, if there's anything that's questionable about how they're behaving after an injury to the head they should be seen in the emergency room, Kimpson said.

Wollwebers crash was one of three that the Westland Fire Department says they have responded to at Middlebelt Hill in the past two weeks.

Maley says more needs to be done to protect people on the hill if it does reopen.

Theres no bales of hay to protect people coming off the hill when the woods are so close, Maley added. Theres no barrier wall.

The Wayne County Sheriff's Office says if someone goes pass the barricades while the hill is closed, they will be issued a citation.

The rental housing market in Ann Arbor has been a hot-button issue for many years. Many people in the community have been very vocal about how expensive it is.

Its been eye-opening to say the least, said Jason Santiago of Ann Arbor.

Santiago moved to Ann Arbor for work about six months ago.

He says he was shocked at how much his rent was for his one-bedroom apartment.

Its pretty expensive, I think right now we got it down to $1,500. Before we started getting to negotiations it was $2,400, said Santiago.

I also caught up with some other renters who shared what their prices look like.

I live with five other people, theres a house of six of us up on the north side of town. Its a little over 1,000 bucks a month, we complain about it a lot, said Max Hafner of Ann Arbor.

I paid $1,600 my sophomore year and now I pay $1,100 basically, which is an improvement in comparison but still pretty insane, said Mia Valiotis of Ann Arbor.

During a recent Ann Arbor City Council meeting, city officials discussed launching a website that will help renters find more housing options.

This will be a city of Ann Arbor website and will help to aggregate all the different properties, rental properties. And whats good about that is we have a few landlords in Ann Arbor that are really big, and this will kind of [let] all the mom-and-pop landlords to be featured, said Councilwoman Ayesha Ghazi Edwin.

Ghazi Edwin is one of the people who proposed launching the website.

She says it will also help connect people to housing resources.

Like what are your rights as a tenant? How do you potentially file a complaint? said Ghazi Edwin. And the data that is collected from people using that website will be generated into reports thatll be given to the city so that means well have more insight on who is actually getting housing, who isnt, what kind of racial and ethnic groups are being left out?

Ghazi Edwin says the website, which doesnt have a launch date yet, would essentially be a tool to empower renters.

Ann Arbor resident Jason Santiago says the proposed website wouldve been helpful for his apartment search.

I think if it could help anybody else too then thatll be great, said Santiago.

Detroit firefighters make it their mission every day to save lives. On Friday, a woman who was saved by them got a chance to reconnect with her heroes.

Im so grateful for life and taking every chance that I can every day, Celest Cole of Detroit said.

On Feb. 7, 2024, Cole went into cardiac arrest because of an underlying health condition she didnt know she had.

Watch our full interview with Celest Cole in the video player below: FULL INTERVIEW: Celest Cole talks about celebrating the first responders who saved her life

I dont remember much. I was just at home with my mom and my children just having a typically day and my mom says I like went to sleep, but I wouldnt wake up, Cole said.

After Cole wouldnt wake up, her mother, Elizabeth, called 911 and the operator told Elizabeth she had to start CPR.

As Elizabeth Cole was doing CPR on Celest, firefighter EMTs arrived and took over. They were able to get Celest Coles pulse back.

My daughter doesnt remember that morning, so for a year, Ive been telling her how these angels just came marching through. They were soldiers of the Lord for real, Elizabeth Cole said.

Fast forward a year later and Celest Cole and her family met the firefighters who saved her life.

Ever since I came home from the hospital, Ive always said I wanted to meet the people who saved me, Celest Cole said.

Liam Tuohy and Brett Bradford are two of the firefighters who were there that day.

Its incredible. Normally you dont see the outcome of the patients that you see all the time and this one, it makes you feel good about yourself, Bradford said.

It feels very good. You dont normally get to see this, Tuohy said.

Celest Cole calls Feb. 7 her second birthday.

I am so thankful to still be here, that I was one of the chosen ones that went through cardiac arrest and still be able to stand and talk about it, Celest Cole.

Crews Inn in Harrison Township has been family owned for more than 45 years, and on Wednesday, the Metry family announced they were selling the restaurant.

Its a wonderful place, its a great location, said Jeff Metry, co-owner of Crews Inn.

Metrys dad and uncle bought the restaurant in 1976.

"They were attorneys by trade and didnt know much about running a restaurant, but they gave it a go and we had a lot of family who worked here throughout, Metry added.

Extended interview: 'It's been a great run.' Jeff Metry talks about the restaurant's history: Extended interview: 'It's been a great run.' Jeff Metry, co-owner of Crews Inn, talks about the restaurant's history

After years of serving customers, Metry says he decided its time to retire from the restaurant business.

My dad passed in 2022, my brother and sister are hands-off owners and quite frankly, Im a little tired, said Metry.

When Metry posted on Facebook that Crews Inn was closing, many longtime customers expressed how sad they were about it.

Im sure Im going to miss it, said Darryl Hissong, a longtime customer of Crews Inn.

Hissong has been coming to Crews Inn for more than 40 years. He says the staff there are like family to him.

Thats what happens when you've been at a place as long as theyve been here, said Hissong. This isnt just someone who tends a bar, its someone who listens to you, talks with you family.

As far as whats next for the Crews Inn building, it is being sold to the owners of Bumpers Landing, which is right next door.

It was something that if it became available, we would talk and we were happy to acquire, said David Colling, general manager at Bumpers Landing.

What we plan on doing is a slight remodel, were going to connect the buildings, well have access to a much different kitchen to try and take care of the amount of customers we're going to have, said Colling.

Meanwhile, Jeff Metry says the thing he will miss most about the restaurant is the customers.

I have so many friends through this restaurant that thankfully I will be able to see, but a lot of them, I wont be able to see. A lot of the people out here are such good people, said Metry.

Metry says he doesn't have an exact date for when Crews Inn will officially close, but it will be in the next few weeks.

On Monday, Catholic bishops from across Michigan sent out a note regarding their stance on immigration and a call to action to politicians.

For us, its not about politics. Its the humanitarian dimension, said Monsignor Charles Kosanke, a minister at Basilica of Sainte Anne.

Kosanke is a priest of the Archdiocese of Detroit.

He says supporting immigrants and refugees is rooted in the Catholic faith and thats why its so important for Catholic leaders to speak on the recent events surrounding immigration.

Not to say or do anything would be tone deaf and really not living out our mission, Kosanke said.

Related video: Rashida Tlaib & other officials speak at Know Your Rights press conference Rashida Tlaib & other officials speak at Know Your Rights press conference

The note sent out by the Michigan Catholic Conference is below:

A Pastoral Note to Migrants by WXYZ-TV Channel 7 Detroit

Sometimes, the breadwinner of the family is deported but then the family loses that income so thats when we spring into action in a sense of trying to provide food and other basic necessities, Kosanke said.

Right next door to the Basilica of Sainte Anne is Escuela Avancemos Academy, which has many students who come from immigrant families.

Theyre scared and theyre fearful, and rightfully so because we are crossing a bridge of unknown, said Derrick Davis, an administrator at Escuela Avancemos.

He says he appreciates the support the Catholic church is giving to immigrants families.

Makes me feel thankful and grateful that we have people who willingly reach out to have our backs knowing that we are facing the unknown, Davis said.

Meanwhile as for Monsignor Kosanke:

Every single country does have a right to secure its borders and to prevent human trafficking, drugs coming across the border. Now when it comes to immigrants, they're human people, so they need to be treated humanly, he said.

As weve been having extremely cold temperatures this week, some Detroit residents have been dealing with flooded streets due to water main breaks.

Earlier this week, Vaughn Street near Constance Street was flooded so badly that neighbors were stuck in their homes.

Watch our coverage of the water main break that impacted Vaughn Street in the video below: 'It's too serious.' Neighbors stranded by ice as city works to fix water main break

I been here for 10 years and eight out of the 10, whenever it rains, we get a flood out here. I call it my lakefront property, Vince Palmer said. Its a joke when you can play out here with your boats but when its cold like this, its nothing but an inconvenience.

I wanted to know a little more about why water mains break during the cold temperatures, so I spoke with Sam Smalley, the deputy director of the citys water department.

When the temperature fluctuates.... hits 36 degrees, the metal or cast iron pipelines can become brittle with the expansion and contraction and temperature change that causes some breaks, Smalley said.

Video: City of Detroit shows water main repair process City of Detroit video shows water main repair process

Smalley says the citys water system is about 95 years old.

Its a very robust system, but its old, Smalley said.

With the aging infrastructure, are there any plans to replace any of the piping? I asked.

Yes, we have a robust and comprehensive asset management program that goes neighborhood by neighborhood looking at overall risks, Smalley said.

Related video: Water main break leaves cars covered in ice on Dearborn Heights street Water main break leaves cars covered in ice on Dearborn Heights street

If you see what appears to be a water main break in your neighborhood, Smalley says call 313-267-8000.

Dont assume someone else has called it in," Smalley said. "Or (use) the Improve Detroit or SeeClickFix app that's available Google Play or Apple Store. You can report it either way.

We're learning more about the Wednesday stabbing in Orion Township involving a refugee and a caseworker for Samaritas an organization that works to resettle people from other countries.

The stabbing happened outside of a house off of Silverbell Road, where the caseworker was living.

"It's just a tragedy that this is happening," said Heather Delikat, a neighbor.

According to the Oakland County Sheriff's Office, deputies responded to the home around 2 p.m. for reports of a man who was stabbed.

Its over 20 cuts or stabs, it wasnt an accidental brush of the knife, it was multiple, said Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard.

"Just can't believe this happened next door," said Delikat.

Bouchard said the suspect is a refugee from Afghanistan and the caseworker is also from Afghanistan.

On Thursday, Samaritas issued the following statement regarding the stabbing:

"It is important to emphasize that this situation is an isolated incident. As we have seen across decades of working with this population, refugees bring resilience, strength and valuable contributions to our communities, and our organization remains steadfast in its mission to support their successful resettlement."

Delikat says the victim had been helping refugees since he moved to America.

"I can tell you that the gentleman who lives next door is a wonderful person, his wife and kids are here recently," said Delikat.

Officials say the victim is currently stable, and the suspect is not talking. They are still investigating the motive.

The temperatures across metro Detroit have been frigid and they're causing some drivers big headaches when it comes to their vehicles.

Whenever its cold, one thing the cold will share with the vehicle owners is everything thats wrong with your car, said Lavish T. Williams, owner of Lavish Towing.

Hes been very busy these past two days.

Weve been getting a lot of calls for dead batteries, locks outs and just no starts, said Williams. The cold weather has played a part in a lot of these vehicles not start starting.

I went with Williams on one of his calls on Wednesday.

While we were out on the call, I met Detroit resident Shadaisha Phillips.

She called Williams to tow her car to the mechanic shop after it wouldnt start.

When did you figure out your car wasnt starting? I asked.

Yesterday at work, Ill normally let it run for 20 minutes because its a little older, said Phillips. Yesterday was the second day of it being extremely cold like it was, so I figured that was what it was, I sat on the side of the road for a good two hours.

Related Video: Tips to keep up with car maintenance to start the new year and deal with winter weather Tips to keep up with car maintenance to start the new year and deal with winter weather

I also came to the Telsa charging station at the Meijer off of 8 Mile in Detroit to see how people with electric vehicles are doing in this cold weather.

It sucks, I dont have a charger at my home, I think if there was one in my home, it would be better, said Stephanie Johnson of Detroit.

Detroit resident Stephanie Johnson says she believes the cold weather played a role in her Telsa dying on Tuesday.

I went to work yesterday with about 60 miles, I got to work about 13 miles from my home, got in my store about 7:30 in the morning, got off around 7 p.m. and it was at 0, said Johnson.

As for Lavish Williams, he shared some tips on how to prepare your car for the cold.

Preventive maintenance is always the way to go get your batteries checked, because a lot of the failures start from the batteries, said Williams. These batteries, they dont like cold weather.