Downtown Allen Park is getting a colorful makeover over the next few weeks as part of "Paint the Park," a new multiyear initiative bringing vibrant murals to local businesses.

The project is creating excitement among residents like Emma Enriquez, who noticed the artwork immediately.

Watch the video report below: Allen Park gets colorful with new Paint the Park mural project

"It definitely caught my eye and I was like wow, that's really good," Enriquez said.

The initiative came about when the Allen Park Downtown Development Authority reached out to The Mural People, a metro Detroit-based organization that works with downtown development authorities on large-scale art installations.

"So, the Allen Park DDA approached me and said we want some murals, so we were happy to oblige," Michelle Tanguay said.

Tanguay is the founder of The Mural People. Artists from as far as Belgium are creating eight new murals on business walls ahead of the city's Made in Michigan Festival beginning Sept. 12.

"Each mural, we really try to touch on a little bit of Allen Park history the past, present or future of what we hope to see," Tanguay said.

One example is new artwork outside Alexander's Cleaners on Allen Road, highlighting the city's status as home of the Detroit Lions. The mural features former Lions fullback Cory Schlesinger, who now teaches drafting and architecture at Allen Park High School.

"They've been a great member of our community and a great asset, and I wanted to show thanks to them for being here and I thought this was a good way of doing that," Alex Alexander, the owner of Alexander's Cleaners, said.

Schlesinger said "most people don't know this but during the offseasons, I used to go back and substitute teach. I actually taught two years at the University Nebraska."

Hear more from Cory Schlesinger in the video player below: Web extra: Former Lions fullback Cory Schlesinger talks about mural of him in Allen Park

Schlesinger says it's an honor to see his image as part of the initiative.

"Allen Park is a great blue collar, great community here," Schlesinger said.

Ben Hughes, director of the Allen Park Downtown Development Authority, hopes the artwork not only adds beauty but also brings extra attention to the city's businesses.

"Certainly, we would hope they would come in and talk to the business owner and maybe come away saying I want to go to that business and support them, and that's part of an economic development tool," Hughes said.

Artist Kevin Burdick says seeing the community's positive reactions has already made the project worthwhile.

"Them giving their approval is that final seal that makes me happy when I go home at night, knowing I'm making a little difference in their commute every day," Burdick said.

Additional murals will be added to businesses in the years to come.

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A Detroit coffee shop owner is expressing frustration after his business was broken into Friday morning. It marks the second time the business has been the target of a break-in within the last year.

Morningside Cafe on East Warren Avenue was broken into around 6:30 a.m.

Watch the video report below: Detroit coffee shop becomes break-in target for the second time in a year

Surveillance video shows a person breaking into the cafe, stealing the business' cash register and kicking in a storage closet, among other damage.

"I was shocked. We had a recent incident not too long ago where a couple guys tried to break in, but for someone to actually be inside and actually cause some damage to our establishment, I was beyond mad. Here we go once again, unfortunately," said Jeffrey Lewis II, the owner of Morningside Cafe.

Lewis expects the incident will cost him more than $15,000.

"All the cables attached to it, the entire system is completely damaged," Lewis said, referring to the point-of-sale system.

Due to not being able to take payments, Morningside Cafe is closed indefinitely. The coffee shop has worked to become a community hub since opening in 2023.

"We've been a community hub for the entire community of Morningside and the surrounding neighborhoods. We see a lot of different people every single day. People look forward to coming here," Lewis said.

However, the repeated targeting of his business has left Lewis with a lot of questions.

"When you try to do a business in your neighborhood and you have situations like this occur, it really makes you second guess if it's all really worth it or not," he said.

Lewis said he doesn't understand why these incidents keep occurring.

"It's mind boggling to me," he said.

But he wants the latest thief to know that the crime affects more than just his business; it also impacts the community.

"Because they don't have a place to congregate, they don't have place to do business, they don't have a place to sit down and have a quality cup of coffee and have those conversations," Lewis said.

The Detroit Police Department is investigating the break-in. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact 313-596-5540 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP.

Detroit City Football Club held the first of nearly 10 community benefits meetings Thursday regarding the team's planned development near Michigan Avenue and 20th Street in Corktown.

The meetings are designed for residents and developers to discuss impacts and challenges as DCFC prepares to bring plenty of excitement to the Motor City with their new proposed stadium AlumniFi Field.

Watch the video report below: Community gives feedback on new Detroit City FC stadium during benefits meeting

"They know the sports here. They know what the Lions and the Tigers and the Pistons and the Red Wings do, but we have soccer now? Come on," Sabrina Nelson said, an artist and DCFC fan who attended Thursday's meeting.

The team is planning to move from Hamtramck to Corktown in 2027. In addition to a 15,000-seat stadium, the project will feature affordable housing units, retail space and a parking structure.

"It's very a humbling moment in so many ways from where we started as a group guys in the city with a few thousands bucks being an amateur team at Cass Tech, to getting to the point where we're talking about $150 million stadium," said Sean Mann, the owner and CEO of Detroit City Football Club.

Previous coverage: Detroit City FC reveals name of new stadium, AlumniFi Field, and renderings Detroit City FC reveals name of new stadium, AlumniFi Field, and renderings

The community benefits meeting was meant to foster conversation between nearby residents and the developers making it happen.

"The community that comes, they elect representatives to be part of a neighborhood advisory committee and those representatives work with the development team to identify impacts of the development, opportunities of the development," said Alexa Bush, the city of Detroit planning director.

From there, a community benefits package is agreed upon.

"Some of those might be design related. They might be related to circulation, mobility, how do you get around? Where are curb cuts? Where do the cars go?" Bush said.

During the meeting, some in attendance shared what they'd like to see from the project, including accessibility.

"Are there plans to let our local non-professionals use this? AKA our kids, older adults," Joe Aasim, a southwest Detroit resident, said.

Meanwhile, some others voiced concerns with things like noise that could come from the stadium.

"If you've been downtown, stadiums are going that's the kind of thing that happens, but we really didn't want this impact in our neighborhood. So DCFC needs to address that," Bill Cheek, a North Corktown resident, said.

Mann says these meetings will help them know exactly what the community wants.

"There's constantly things brought to our attention that didn't cross our minds or architect's minds, so this is a process to address those things," Mann said.

The community benefits meetings will continue into October. The next one is scheduled for next Thursday at 6 p.m. at Mexicantown CDC Mercado.

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One person is dead and another is critically injured after a Taylor man allegedly shot his brother and sister during a family dispute Monday afternoon.

Taylor police responded to a home on Cass Avenue near Pardee and Wick roads around 4:30 p.m. after receiving reports of a man fighting with his girlfriend.

Watch the video report below: Taylor man in custody after allegedly shooting his siblings, killing brother

When relatives who live in the same neighborhood arrived to help calm the situation, the confrontation escalated dramatically in the front yard of the home.

"The gentleman chose to introduce a weapon and shot his brother, tragically resulting in him losing his life. And also shot his sister, who is in critical condition with two gun shot wounds," Taylor Police Lt. Frank Canning said.

Police confirmed that the suspect and both victims are in their 60s.

According to family members, the suspect has a history of mental health challenges and substance use disorder, police said.

A neighbor, who requested anonymity due to safety concerns, told reporters she had witnessed concerning behavior at the home before the shooting.

"The fighting, the yelling, the drinking that's kind of been something that we've all seen out here, but never in a day did I think that would go where it did," she said.

The neighbor became emotional while describing the chaos following the shooting, noting that a child related to those involved was brought into her home for safety.

"I'm glad he's safe, I'm glad this dad is safe, everybody else that was involved is safe it's terrifying. It's a scary world that we live in," she said.

The suspect is now in police custody. Canning emphasized that the tragedy could have been prevented.

"People were there to intervene, law enforcement was there to intervene, there was certainly a lot of other resources available to have a peaceful resolution than the outcome that we had today," Canning said.

This story was reported on-air 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.