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Today โ€” 4 December 2025Main stream

Westland landlord sued by DOJ, accused of sexually harassing tenants

4 December 2025 at 00:56

A Westland landlord is accused of sexually harassing female tenants. The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit alleging William Asper of Canton propositioned the women for sexual favors.

The eight-page federal complaint lists nearly two dozen properties owned and managed by Asper in Westland.

Watch Darren Cunningham's video report below: Westland landlord faces sexual harassment lawsuit from Department of Justice

The complaint states Asper would refuse "to make necessary repairs" or he'd result to threatening and/or filing evictions against his female tenants when they refused to give into his demands for sex.

Tricia Ray credits a Facebook page she created, along with Jessica Grevenstuk, as the catalyst for the lawsuit.

Today feels like victory... for single moms everywhere who need some place affordable for rent, and they dont deserve to be taken advantage of like that," she told 7 News Detroit.

Trading rent for sexual favors is just not it.

She and Grevenstuk werent tenants. However, they said they had bad encounters online with Asper that led them to speak out on social media years ago.

And I found out he was convicted stalker, and we just started digging and searching and then we created the Facebook page Women against William Asper for Mayor because he, at the time, he was trying to run for mayor (of Westland)," Ray recalled.

"Woman just started coming out of the woodwork with stories."

7 News Detroit spoke with Asper over the phone for his side of the story. He said asking tenants for sexual favors doesnt pay his bills.

As far as the allegations, sexual stuff, none of thats true. No. No way," Asper said.

He declined an on-camera interview, but he said hes the one being harassed.

Some of these people may have been actual tenants, and when I do evictions, its part of the game. Its part of the business. I had to evict and usually its for non-payment," Asper said.

"People dont like to admit hey, I couldnt afford the rent, I got evicted from a low-income place because I couldnt afford the rent. So, what they will do is they will save face. They will save the embarrassment and theyll make attacks on the landlord," he said.

Ray and Grevenstuck said they aren't surprised by Asper's denials, but they're pleased the DOJ believed them enough to gather enough evidence to make a case against him.

"You think youre God, and thats exactly what this man thought. He thought he was God, Ggrevenstuk told 7 News Detroit. I want him to be found guilty and held responsible."

The lawsuit seeks monetary damages for people who were harmed, civil penalties and a court order barring future discrimination.

Before yesterdayMain stream

Michigan AG demanding transparency from DTE, state regulators over data center contracts

26 November 2025 at 01:56

All around Saline Township, youll see signs posted by residents who oppose a proposed artificial intelligence data center.

Tim Bruneau, a Saline Township resident, told 7 News Detroit, No secret deals for DTE. We can't let this go by.

Watch Darren Cunningham's video report below: Saline Township residents speak out over proposed data center

He and his wife, Tammi, said they moved to the countryside for peace and quiet. But they say that way of life is under threat by the proposed data center.

A developer wants to build the structure on nearby farmland. In a perfect world, the Bruneaus said the idea would just go away.

Their concerns range from a drop in property values, to noise and ground pollution. Another concern is the potential impact on their energy bill.

At the very least, we need to have guarantees from DTE that this is not going to affect our bills five, 10 years down the line, Tammi Bruneau said.

DTE is asking the Michigan Public Service Commission to fast track the approval process to provide power to the proposed data center.

But Tuesday morning, environmental experts and state officials including Michigan's attorney general came together to demand more transparency.

We can regulate these entities responsibly and therefore, we have an obligation to do so, but we cant claim responsibility and fair regulation if were starting out with all these shortcuts, Dana Nessel, Michigans attorney general, said.

As Nessel explained, DTE filed whats known as an ex parte application with the MPSC. Basically, an ex parte application means no one can challenge what DTE is seeking to do.

Nessel said DTE claims the application should be granted because no one will be impacted by rate hikes. Its a notion some residents 7 News Detroit talked to dont believe.

My concern is that it appears as though the commission is under extraordinary political and industry pressure to ram through these special contracts for DTE without any public discovery, despite the fact that all our other organizations have been sounding the alarm for nearly a month that these massive contracts have the potential to shape energy policy for decades to come, Nessel said.

7 News Detroit reached out to the MPSC. The commission, which is now going to host a virtual public hearing next Wednesday, Dec. 3, declined to comment.

DTE released the following statement:

"To be clear, these data center customer contracts will NOT create a cost increase for our existing customers. In its filing, DTE is asking for the Michigan Public Service Commission to approve additional terms of service that create safeguards to protect our existing customers. A request to add additional safeguards to a rate schedule that the customer already qualifies for fundamentally does not result in an increase in the cost of service. In addition, recently passed legislation by the state of Michigan ensures our customers will NOT subsidize data center rates. Furthermore, Michigans regulatory process allows a company to file for ex parte (or uncontested) approval of contracts if there is no cost-of-service increase to customers. To that end, DTE Electric is following the defined process for filing this regulatory request. Its also worth noting that the data center customer will absorb all new costs of the incremental new battery storage projects that protect and promote continued reliable service for all customers."

'This is one I won't forget': Macomb Township firefighters help deliver baby

24 November 2025 at 23:44

Macomb Township firefighters made a rare call for service, Sunday morning. In fact, it was the first call of its kind for Captain Ken Bartz whos been with the department for 22 years.

Watch Darren's report in the video player below 'This is one I won't forget': Macomb Township firefighters help deliver baby

This is my best call. This is one I wont forget," Bartz told 7 News Detroit.

Bartz and fellow firefighters delivered a baby at a home in the area of Hall Road and Garfield Road.

An emergency dispatcher relayed this message: for an OB emergency. 34-year-old female. Water broke. She says she does feel the babys head. Shes in her third trimester.

LeeShauna Brown says she was 38 weeks pregnant with baby Amarla.

Everything just happened so fast, so quick, Brown told 7 News Detroit from her bed at Henry Ford Macomb Hospital.

I was laboring for 14 hours by then, and I decided to get the shower to help ease the contractions, and I got in the shower and I immediately started having contractions back to back, she recalled.

Stephan Smith, Armalas father said, We had a plan, but for her being birthed at home was not the plan.

The couple said they were going to go the hospital, but Amarla had other plans. Brown's water broke in the dining room.

So, Dad called 911 and thats where Captain Bartz and other Macomb Township firefighters quick response and training came in clutch.

Bartz said, Our response time was about 3 minutes from receiving the call to on scene.

The mother of two explained, They told me to lay down on my back, and he said youre going to have to push and so here we go and so we just started pushing right there in the middle of the dining room floor.

Firefighter Joe Longo said, Assisting with her, ya know, controlling her breathing and just pushing when needing to pushed."

Smith said the firefighters were reassuring, real smooth. Like, Hey, we got you. Take your time. Hey dad, we need a towel.' I'm tossing a towel to 'em. It was just a moment."

Captain Bartz said, Within about four minutes, I was holding a beautiful baby girl.

Her mom and dad are grateful for the first responders' care and reassurance.

I really appreciate their calmness, and just really helping me to just focus and just give birth, Brown said.

Appreciate their time, their energy, their professionalism, they put all their skills.. It was showtime," Smith said.

Believe it or not, this is something Ive always wanted to do, being on this job," Bartz said. Having a young grandchild now, that's six months, being able to deliver a newborn like that, it just makes it all the better. Its amazing, he said.

Where Your Voice Matters

More parents speak after Detroit daycare's license suspended over supervision, injury concerns

21 November 2025 at 23:44

More parents are coming forward after a WXYZ report on a Detroit daycare that had its license suspended by the state.

Watch the full story in the video below

License suspended for controversial Detroit daycare

According to state investigators New Beginnings Child Care failed to properly supervise children, resulting in injuries, failed to cooperate with investigators and provided false information.

Now, parents are sharing a letter they've gotten from the daycare, calling this a "clerical error."

A number of parents commented on our initial post on Facebook, sharing their experiences, and so I followed up to hear their stories and dig into what led up to the state investigation.

Friday also marked a new beginning for parents who spent the day looking for a new daycare and telling us about their experiences with the location.

Watch below: State suspends Detroit child care license over supervision, injury concerns

State suspends Detroit child care license over supervision, injury concerns

"On numerous of times, I have asked, why are there so many kids to one teacher?" Lynn Darby said.

Darby spoke to us when she came to pick up her 2-year-old son and 4-year-old daughter from New Beginnings on Thursday.

The director gave her the letter that claimed they are temporarily closing because of a "clerical error" with their state license.

Actually, according to MILeap, the governing agency pulled the daycare's license because of allegations that they failed to provide appropritate care and supervision, failed to provide accurate and truthful information to MILeap during an investigation, and that they didn't have the administrative capability to operate a daycare.

Darby said she started taking her children to the center in August 2024.

"They're not getting enough food," she said. "I have seen kids get injured at this school, and it be major injuries. Bust open heads. Ambulance just came last month."

KD Mann said his son, King Ivan, had been going to the daycare for about seven months and received the same letter on Thursday.

"I really didn't have a bad experience here, like, I can't say I had a super bad experience. He never came home messed up or anything. I think one time they was outside he got a bee sting and that's about it," Mann said. "We didn't get a notification until we picked him up but he was fine. It wasn't like super serious."

Now, he's in the process of finding another daycare for his son.

"That's an inconvenience. That's what we doing today. We trying to find another daycare but, like I said, if this situation wouldn't have happened, I would have continued this daycare. I talked to the director, she was pretty open with me. She never hid nothing or tried to hide anything from me," Mann said.

We did reach out to the owner of the daycare, Pageant Atterberry, but she did not call us back on Friday.

On Thursday, in a statement, she said, "New Beginnings is committed to the health and safety of the children entrusted to it. We deny the allegations and do not feel they deserve the extreme action taken by the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential."

As for New Beginnings' other locations, the state said it does not comment on whether there is an open complaint or investigation.

Howell Township board votes to approve moratorium on data centers for 6 months

21 November 2025 at 05:03

Hundreds of people packed Howell High School's auditorium for the Howell Township Board of Trustees meeting. Trustees voted unanimously to approve a moratorium that postpones any data centers from moving into the township.

Dozens of residents from Howell Township and Fowlerville spoke during public comment and shared their concerns about a billion dollar data center proposed on a thousand acres of farmland.

Watch Darren Cunninghan's video report below: Data Centers put on pause in Howell Township for 6 months Watch Brittany Toolis' video report below Howell Township board votes to approve moratorium on data centers for 6 months

Those concerns range from environmental, to utility rate increases, to a loss in property value.

Chuck Smith said he lives 25 feet from the proposed data center.

Its bad. It's all bad. And it's big money trying to buy out little towns. It's that simple. There's nothing else to say about it, he said. "And as you can tell, everybody that spoke tonight was against it. Everybody!"

His words were echoed by hundreds of people who clapped and cheered for the dozens who spoke their piece at the podium and booed trustees.

The moratorium will be in place for six months.

"What this moratorium means is it could give (the board) six months to try to get an ordinance in place," trustee Bob Wilson told 7 News Detroit. "An ordinance is to set rules for, ya know, if a data center does come here."

Many residents feel thats kicking the can down the road on something they want no part of in the first place.

"There should have been no reason for them to say, 'Well, we're going to put it off again.' Why? Why?" Smith said.

Resident Allen Romain told 7 News Detroit, I was up here and I said, ya know, this is a timeout. That's all it is is a timeout. That's what you do to kids. We're a bunch of adults here, and we're being treated like children.

Wilson said, "I did not sign an NDA... I was probably left in the dark on most of this stuff. Ya know, there's two people on this board that did sign an NDA, and I'm not one of them."

The board will vote on Dec. 8 on whether to approve rezoning the land in question from agricultural to industrial.

Residents are concerned that leaves the possibility open to a data center moving in once the moratorium is up.

One-way car rentals surge due to flight cancellations caused by government shutdown

11 November 2025 at 00:27

Car rental companies report a surge in one-way car rentals as a result of flight cancellations caused by the federal government shutdown.

Jennifer Pettit and her husband's flight to Aruba was canceled the other day.

Watch Darren Cunningham's video report below: One-way car rentals surge due to flight cancellations caused by government shutdown Watch Brittany Toolis' video report below One-way car rentals surge due to flight cancellations caused by government shutdown

"We booked our vacation back in January for our anniversary. So, we were going to Aruba," she explained.

However, their Delta Air Lines flight to Aruba turned into an American road trip. Pettit's TikTok post about her canceled flight to the Caribbean island has gone viral.

She told 7 News Detroit she and her husband, Josh, flew from Detroit Metro Airport to Atlanta, where they learned the bad news.

"The second we got off the flight in ATL, I got a message saying your flight has been canceled. Unfortunately, we're not finding any good options for you," Pettit recalled.

With no other viable options and no flights home, she said they headed to Avis to rent a car.

"(The Avis employee) said to us... he was like, 'Oh man. There are no cars left in this city,'" Pettit explained. "He's like, 'Your only way out of this city... Go downstairs and find a Greyhound.'"

"I started panicking because I'm not taking a Greyhound home."

Avis and Hertz said they're seeing spikes in one-way vehicle rentals as flight cancellations occur due to the government shutdown.

Pettit said her husband managed to book a car through Hertz online.

"We waited in line. There's like 20 (or) 30 people in line," she said. "(Hertz) didn't realize we were taking the car with us to drive back. She was like, 'I don't know if we're going to be able to accommodate this.' She was like, 'Let me see what I can do,'" Pettit recalled.

"It seemed like it was the last vehicle they had."

Hertz allowed the Pettits to rent a Jeep, and the couple has made a road trip out of it as they head back north.

"We are... lucky that it wasn't something overly serious because (the shutdown is) affecting people, livelihoods," Pettit said.

David Fishman with Cadillac Travel Group said a car rental shortage has been years in the making. He said during the pandemic, rental car companies sold a lot of their inventory and more and more people are turning to ride-sharing to get around. The canceled flights from the shutdown may exacerbate the problem.

"Once that inventory is out of their control, and it's in a destination two hours away, three away, cause their connecting flight got canceled, now you have a bigger problem with getting those cars back," Fishman explained.

Counterterrorism expert talks alleged terror investigations, why threats still persist

8 November 2025 at 01:06

The FBI has now arrested a sixth suspect in an alleged terror plot, including three men from Dearborn. According to court documents, the men considered Ferndale and Cedar Point as potential targets and scoped out those locations.

Authorities said the latest arrest occurred in Washington state. A 48-page complaint names Saed Ali Mirreh, who allegedly planned to flee the U.S. when he learned his alleged co-conspirators in Dearborn were arrested.

Watch Darren Cunningham's video report below: Alleged Halloween terror plot investigation expanding

Tomas-Kaan Jimenez Guzel is also named in that complaint. Guzel lives in New Jersey where the case was filed.

The two men and another man from New Jersey, Milo Sedarat, allegedly communicated with individuals in Dearborn about planning and carrying out an ISIS-inspired attack.

7 News Detroit sat down with University of Michigan professor Javed Ali who served on the front lines of counterterrorism.

"This happens every day. Its been going on for 20-plus years and even before 9/11. The number of these counterterrorism investigations that the FBI leads on a daily basis or overseeing or managing, Ali said. Were talking about into the thousands on a daily basis, and thats just here in the United States."

He said he had a 16-year career with the FBI, U.S. Homeland Security and the Defense Intelligence Agency, monitoring and thwarting attacks from Al Quaeda and ISIS.

Ali said radicalization and the fight against it is never-ending. He said the tools and methods used to recruit people are nothing.

One of the challenges in the intelligence community and law enforcement perspective is how do folks actually know that this threat-related activity is actually happening? the professor explained.

Previous coverage: Federal judge in Detroit denies bond in terror plot case Federal judge denies bond in terror plot case

He said sometimes, investigators get lucky and then dig deeper. But sometimes, someone participating in those dark, extremist discussions becomes concerned and decide to back out. They then tip off law enforcement.

The court filings show the defendants used encrypted messages to communicate, but FBI confidential informants were somehow part of those discussions. Ali said often, there's no definitive threshold for investigators between monitoring and taking action.

These are all really tough questions. How long are you willing to wait and watch and knowing that people have moved beyond talking about things and developing capacities before you can then build a criminal case that youre going to have to present in evidence in a court of law to then try to prosecute people for? he said.

The defense attorneys will fall back on the argument (that) these are young kids and they were just, this is just campfire chitchat and yes, they were angry, but its not illegal to be radicalized or even look at Al Qaeda or ISIS propaganda here."

"But I think it was sort of those overt, sort of materials steps they took to include getting the guns and planning for some type of attack and then using the words pumpkin day, that I think is when the threshold got crossed."

Previous coverage: More men arrested in alleged Halloween terror plot, FBI investigates at Cedar Point 3 more men arrested in alleged Halloween terror plot, FBI investigates at Cedar Point

The case involving the three defendants from Dearborn continues on Monday morning with their detention hearings.

Sixth suspect arrested in alleged terror plot, another appears in Detroit courtroom

6 November 2025 at 23:46

A sixth suspect has been arrested in connection to the alleged Halloween terror plot in Michigan, the FBI said.

FBI Director Kash Patel said on X that a sixth person was arrested earlier this week in Washington state.

"This was another individual allegedly providing material support," Patel said.

Another suspect, Ayob Nasser, whose name was added to the 92-page federal complaint, appeared in front of a federal judge in downtown Detroit. He stood mute to the charges he's facing alleging domestic terrorism with multiple co-conspirators.

Three of Nasser's loved ones left federal court after declining to comment on his behalf. He's accused of helping to plan a terrorist attack in support of ISIS.

Watch Darren Cunningham's video report below: Federal judge denies bond in terror plot case

7 News Detroit spoke with former federal Prosecutor Matthew Schneider, who predicted more charges.

"Now another person has been charged, and I think additional people will be charged. Maybe not on the federal level but at least on the state level because this case involves juveniles," he explained.

The FBI said the people involved are 16 to 20 years old from Dearborn. The FBI raided homes on Friday and a storage facility in Inkster.

You can read the full updated criminal complain below:

Amended complaint in alleged terror plot by WXYZ-TV Channel 7 Detroit

Nasser is 19 and, according to the federal complaint, he and his alleged co-conspirators Mohmed Ali and Majed Mahmoud bought AR-style rifles and accessories, 1,600 rounds of ammunition, tactical gear and more, some of which was recovered at the storage facility in Inkster.

The suspects also allegedly underwent firearms training, conspired with others over group chats and allegedly scoped out Ferndale and Sandusky, Ohio, as possible targets to strike Halloween weekend.

"It looks like the conspirators were trying to go to Cedar Point and were, as the agents says, that they were assessing that to do a possible mass shooting. Of course, we don't know all of that yet, but it looks like that is the direction that the government's case is going, that they're going to show that it wasn't just a local issue but it's a conspiracy that crosses state lines," Schneider explained.

Previous report: 3 more men arrested in alleged Halloween terror plot, FBI investigates at Cedar Point 3 more men arrested in alleged Halloween terror plot, FBI investigates at Cedar Point

The complaint states Nasser and another person left Dearborn to visit Cedar Point on Sept. 18. They are seen in surveillance footage at the amusement park.

Investigators said the men occasionally entered areas that weren't open to the public and searched online for details about Cedar Point before their visit.

This week, two men from New Jersey were also charged.

7 News Detroit asked Schneider what some of the challenges and implications are with this being a multi-state investigation now, since New jersey is also involved.

"Now that the federal government is spreading this across the country, there is cooperation amongst the U.S. Attorneys Office in different states, the Justice Department is fully on board with this case. So, it looks like there's good cooperation among law enforcement. That makes it very difficult for the defense to overcome this," he explained.

Previous coverage: 2 Dearborn men charged in alleged Halloween terror plot targeting Ferndale 2 Dearborn men charged in alleged Halloween terror plot targeting Ferndale

Nasser is being represented by former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's former defense attorney Jim Thomas.

"It's also not surprising that you have really high-quality defense counsel in this case because you've got a sophisticated prosecution," Schneider said. "I don't think that the defense is going to fall down on this case. This will be heavily litigated and it'll be difficult and hard fought on both sides," he added.

Nasser's attorney declined comment at this time. All three suspects are due back in court Monday morning for their detention hearings.

Detroit voters cast their ballot for city's next mayor

5 November 2025 at 01:39

7 News Detroit visited several Detroit polling locations to speak with voters casting their ballots for the city's next mayor.

Watch Darren Cunningham's video reports: Detroit chooses new mayor for first time in 12 years Detroit chooses new mayor for first time in 12 years

City Council President Mary Sheffield and pastor Solomon Kinloch are vying to replace Mayor Mike Duggan, who served three terms. Sheffield is trying to make history by becoming Detroit's first female mayor.

Watch 7 News Detroit Editorial and Public Affairs Director Chuck Stokes break down the race: Analyzing Detroit's mayoral election on election night Analyzing Detroit's mayoral election on election night

City clerk Janice Winfrey said the department of elections estimates 18 to 23 percent of registered voters will show up to the polls. Close to 17 percent voted during the primary election, according to the department.

Watch 7 News Detroit reporters on election night: Michigan voters head to the polls on election day

"That's pretty pathetic," Carl Hankins said.

Hankins, who voted at the Northwest Activities Center, explained, "My dad always told me that if you don't vote, you have no voice. Therefore, you have no reason to complain when things aren't going good. This is your voice."

Debbie McKenzie said, "I think it's sad that voting rights were so hard for us to get, and we're sitting at home, ya know, just sitting it out and trusting other people to be our voice, but they may not have the vision you have. So, everybody needs to get out and vote for themselves and vote for the person that they think will take the city in the direction they want to see it go."

Geraldine Stevenson said, "So, many people think that your vote don't count. So, I try to teach my family that your vote counts."

She said she teaches by example and that she's been heading to the polls since she was 18 years old.

Stevenson said, "And I ain't gone tell you how old I am today."

Donald Hatcher said, Its been a while since we had somebody whos a homegrown Detroit resident whos really invested. Thats the people Im looking to cast my vote for."

McKenzie said, I think the city has come a long way, and I want to see that continue. So, I want a mayor that is up to the task of continuing that -- some of the protections that weve had following the bankruptcy expiring, and our new mayors going to face some challenges. So, I want someone thats experienced in handling challenges.

Hankins said, I still want action in the neighborhoods. Our downtown is immaculate. I think its world-class. Ive been to various other cities.

We need to have that same energy for our neighborhoods for redevelopment," he ended.

Hatcher explained, I know both of the candidates personally, and uh, I wouldnt say who I voted for cause they might see this, but whoever wins, I think its a better step in the right direction for the city. Ill put it like that."

"I like both the candidates," Hatcher added.

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