Metro Detroit drivers received welcome news as I-696 westbound from I-75 to the Lodge reopened Saturday, two days earlier than expected.

The highway portion had been closed for a week to allow crews to safely demolish the Church Street Plaza Bridge.

"Thank God they did it in the time they said they would, it's always pretty good when they can meet their time tables," said Dillon Samona.

Samona, who owns a convenience store on 10 Mile near I-696, expressed relief at the early reopening.

"I don't got to take the lodge and M-10, I can just hop on 696 and get home," Samona said.

The closure was originally scheduled to last until Monday, May 19, but crews completed the work ahead of schedule, allowing the highway to reopen Saturday afternoon.

Oak Park resident Robert Charleston said dealing with the detours had been challenging.

"Well, I'm glad they're ahead of schedule that makes it easy. I'll let my granddaughter know who I take to school to Pepper at 8:30 and won't have to detour," Charleston said.

"It's just a headache, traffic jam first thing in the morning," he said.

Diane Cross from the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) explained they were able to reopen the highway earlier because the bridge demolition proceeded smoothly.

"We've been very fortunate. All of our safety set ups. Everything worked in place to make sure nobody got hurt. There was no debris, no one was injured. There was no real problems," Cross said.

While I-696 westbound has reopened, portions of I-696 eastbound remain closed for construction and will stay closed for two years.

Cross noted this is part of a multi-million dollar project to restore I-696.

"In the last few years, we've been working on the West end of it from 275 out to Lahser so in the course of 10 years, we will have rebuilt all of 696 and that really is quite an investment to southeast Michigan, to Oakland County for the rebuilding of that roadway," Cross said.

According to MDOT, there may be other closures involving I-696 westbound in the future, but they won't be as lengthy as this recent closure.

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Warren police are investigating sexual abuse allegations against a former member of a Great Lakes Christian Church in Warren.

Watch the report in the video player below: Warren police investigate sexual abuse allegations against former church member

A family member of the accused, who is also a church member, says she was shocked to learn about the allegations.

"Just shock and horror, you know. I wouldn't wish this on anyone," she said.

The family member is not being identified because of her relation to the accused person, who has not been charged.

The accused was a member and volunteer at the Great Lakes Christian Church in Warren.

When asked about the allegations, the church provided a statement:

"Alleged accusations of sexual abuse were brought to our attention over the last weekend. Although the alleged abuse did not take place on church property or at a church event, both the church volunteer and an undisclosed individual are no longer members of the church. The abuse was reported, as required, to the local authorities who are conducting the investigation."

The family member expressed that the situation violated her sense of safety.

"To have this happen, it's just a violation in every sense of what's supposed to be safe and who's supposed to be safe," she said.

She decided to speak out in case there are other possible victims.

"I want to make sure that those people, if there are other victims, that they feel safe enough to come forward," she said.

When asked how it would feel to return to church for another service, the family member expressed mixed emotions.

"I feel a little bit of shame I know I shouldn't, but I feel a little bit of shame 'cause of how closely we're related. But then again, I feel a lot of support and a lot of love because I know how good those people are," she said.

I attempted to contact the person facing the allegations at their home but received no answer.

Warren police say this is an ongoing investigation.

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Friends and family of London Thomas gathered to honor her life on what would have been her 18th birthday. It comes after her body was found weeks after she went missing.

"I'm joyful just because I know it's her birthday and this is what she would have wanted. Any 18-year-old would have loved this," said her mother, Jasma Bennett.

Watch Tiarra Braddock's story in the video below

Family and friends honor London Thomas on what would have been her 18th birthday

Bennett had to bury London on the same day she gave birth to her.

"It's a waking nightmare to have your child that you carried for 10 full months to be ripped away from you," said Bennett.

London went missing in early April and was last seen in Inkster. Her body was found weeks later in Southfield. Right now, there's no word on her cause of death.

Watch below: Grandmother of London Thomas speaks days after London's body was found

Grandmother of London Thomas speaks days after London's body was found

London's father, Cedric Salisbury, says this is the hardest thing his family has had to face.

"We thank everybody who gave us the time to try to find London, we hate that everything happen the way it happen but today we just need justice," said Salisbury.

Michigan State Police is leading the investigation into London's death.

London's 23-year-old boyfriend, Jalen Pendergrass, was named a person of interest in her disappearance but has not been charged in her case.

He has been charged in an unrelated matter that involved filing a false police report in Novi last year.

Watch below: Woman now facing charge in connection to death of Detroit teen London Thomas

Woman now facing charge in connection to death of Detroit teen London Thomas

His mother was arrested and charged for lying to police when it comes to the investigation into London's disappearance.

"We want justice, she didn't deserve that, no child deserves this," said Johnson.

After London's family and friends laid her to rest on Saturday, they held a balloon release in her honor.

Her mother says she wants London to be remembered as someone who loved everyone.

"By this turnout from what you see, her love spread far and wide," said Bennett.

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Residents in a Northville neighborhood are trying to recover financially more than a year after a water main break caused severe flooding in their homes.

Christina Freis and her late husband had to be rescued from their home on Baseline Road when the flooding occurred.

"The water just flowed, and it was going down the river, and it was going in the neighbor's yard," Freis said.

When they returned to their home, they discovered their basement had been inundated with water.

PREVIOUS REPORT: Severe water main break leaves streets, homes flooded in Northville Severe water main break leaves streets, homes flooded in Northville

"I had three feet of water," Freis said.

Freis reports spending thousands of dollars to repair her basement and losing more than $18,000 worth of appliances that were stored there.

"I lost my furnace, my water heater, my washer, my dryer, I had two freezers down there and a refrigerator," Freis said.

The financial impact has been devastating for Freis.

"It has financially almost devastated me," Freis said.

Her neighbor, Dawn Marie Ozog, also experienced significant damage to her property.

"We ended with a total of 7 feet of water, so it destroyed everything in the basement, and it was only inches from coming up to the main floor. The damage to the main floor is because of all the moisture. It damaged the hardwood floors on the main floor," Ozog said.

Both residents claim the City of Northville and the Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) have not been helpful regarding reimbursement for damages.

Northville Mayor Brian Turnbull expressed sympathy for the affected families.

"Our hearts go out to those families. I talk to them quite a bit," Turnbull said.

The mayor explained that the broken water main is maintained by GLWA and said he will be meeting with them soon to discuss assistance for the residents.

"We're trying to do everything we can for our citizens here, it's not their fault," Turnbull said.

I reached out to the Great Lakes Water Authority to inquire why they denied reimbursement to these families for damage caused by the water main break. A spokesperson said they are investigating the matter.

Ozog hopes their story will prompt action.

"I hope to light a fire under somebody," Ozog said.

This story was reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. Where Your Voice Matters

The Berkley Days festival will not return this summer, and the future of the long-running community event remains uncertain.

Watch Tiarra Braddock's video report: Resident, business owner react to cancellation of Berkley Days

The Berkley Days Association announced Thursday they "made the decision not to hold Berkley Days this year, but is planning for an exciting centennial celebration in 2026! Berkley Days has been run by a dedicated group of volunteers for nearly 100 years."

"I'm kind of disappointed, I thought that was a great tradition for kids," said Jim Sinclair.

Sinclair, who grew up attending Berkley Days, hopes to see the festival return.

"There's a lot of youngsters that are missing out, that was a great memory for me from elementary all the way up to junior high and high school, too," said Sinclair.

I reached out to the association for more information about why this year's festival was canceled, but did not receive a response.

Over the past few years, fights between minors have broken out at the festival, causing it to close early.

2024 Report: Fighting teens causing chaos have Berkley Days organizers evaluating its future Fighting teens causing chaos have Berkley Days organizers evaluating its future

Local business owners expressed concern about the cancellation's impact on downtown foot traffic.

"We're sad to see how everything has transpired over the last couple of years," said Janine Braun, owner of the Artsy Umbrella in downtown Berkley.

She remains optimistic about collaboration between local organizations.

"We're confident too that the chamber of commerce and our DDA, along with our city planners and stuff... they involved the businesses, the businesses here are a very tight-knit kind of community," said Braun.

While Berkley Days won't happen this summer, Sterling Fest, an art and music fair in Sterling Heights, will take place during the last week of July with enhanced security measures.

David Allen, Acting Deputy Chief with the Sterling Heights Police Department, explained their approach to event safety.

"Last year was very, very successful. We implemented fencing around the carnival area, then we did a few other things with curfews for minors," said Allen.

The Sterling Heights event will also utilize AI-equipped cameras throughout the fairgrounds.

"Which is very beneficial not only if someone is causing a problem to identify that person in the crowd, but also for children who may get lost," said Allen.

Berkley residents are now looking ahead to what might replace their traditional community celebration.

"It should be I feel more focused on family and community," said Braun.

This story was reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. Where Your Voice Matters

Police agencies across metro Detroit will be cracking down on distracted driving this week. Its part of a huge effort called "Operation Ghost Rider."

That makes me feel very good and very safe, said Sherold Hinton of Detroit.

Detroit resident Sherold Hinton says she makes it her number one priority to not drive distracted.

I dont want to lose my life, however, I dont want to take anyone else. Its being out here and everybody is not paying attention, said Hinton.

7 News Detroit Tiarra Braddock spoke to some more drivers about what they do to make sure theyre not driving distracted.

I just dont be on my phone, said Marion Hamilton of Mount Clemens.

Normally, I dont take my phone. Whenever I receive any calls, I have hands free, said Manuel Meillon of Sterling Heights.

For those people who drive distracted, thats where Operation Ghost Rider comes in.

What that is is we use unmarked spotter vehicles which contain a law enforcement passenger, said Jim Santilli, CEO of Nation Transportation Safety Organization. When the spotter spots a distracted driver, they radio to a fully marked unit to initiate a traffic stop."

Jim Santilli is the CEO of the National Transportation Safety Organization, which is partnering with local sheriff's offices and police departments to pull this operation off.

Theres far too many victims out there impacted by distracted driving. People have lost their lives, said Santilli. People who suffer from permanent injuries.

Santilli says this operation isnt just about giving people tickets.

The goal with enforcement is trying to change driver behavior sometimes its a part of the education process, said Santilli.