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Morning Briefing July 6, 2021: Major I-275 project kicks off today, road rage shooting kills Detroit fire lieutenant

Here are this morning’s top stories

(WSLS)

4-year I-275 project starts today: What drivers need to know

If you use I-275 in Metro Detroit, you’re going to want to take note -- a massive construction project is kicking off Tuesday, and it’ll continue through 2024.

According to MDOT, I-275 is nearly 50 years old, and original concrete pavement has been paved over with asphalt. I-275′s bridges are also nearly 50 years old, and bridge surfaces, barriers, piers and beams all need repair work.

The $270 million, 4-year Revive 275 project, which starts July 6 and will run through 2024, will include repairs of 65 bridges and 24 miles of freeway, from Will Carleton Road to Six Mile Road.

Learn more here.


🌳 Live at 12:30 p.m.: Michigan Gov. Whitmer announces parks investment proposal


Detroit Fire Department lieutenant dies after road rage shooting at Troy gas station

According to Troy police, a Rochester Hills man, 55, was shot in the parking lot of a Shell gas station at the corner of Rochester and East Wattles roads on Monday night. Officials say that the shooting was triggered by a traffic dispute.

The man, later identified as a Detroit Fire Department lieutenant, died from injuries sustained in the shooting.

Read the report here.


Autopsy: NHL goalie Matiss Kivlenieks killed by firework at Novi house party

A goalie from the National Hockey League was killed this weekend in Novi.

Matiss Kivlenieks, 24, a goalie for the Columbus Blue Jackets, was at a gathering Sunday night in Novi when there was some type of fireworks malfunction, according to Novi police. Officials say the cause of death includes trauma to the chest area with massive internal injuries.

See the report here.


34 people drowned in Great Lakes this year, officials say

Officials say 34 people drowned in the Great Lakes this year as of the Fourth of July.

According to the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, 34 drownings were reported on the Great Lakes to date (July 4) -- a 36% increase from last year when 25 people drowned in the Great Lakes.

Read more here.


🚨 Police: Southfield hit-and-run driver kills man in wheelchair


Building collapse lawsuits seek to get answers, assign blame

Even as the search continues over a week later for signs of life in the mangled debris of the fallen Champlain Towers South, the process of seeking answers about why it happened and who is to blame is already underway in Florida’s legal system.

Authorities have opened criminal and civil investigations into the collapse of the oceanfront condominium building, which left at least 28 confirmed dead and more than 117 unaccounted for. Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle pledged to bring the matter soon before grand jurors, who could recommend criminal charges or simply investigate the cause to suggest reforms.

Read the story here.


Tropical Storm Elsa gaining strength, lashing Florida Keys

The weather was getting worse in southern Florida on Tuesday morning as Tropical Storm Elsa began lashing the Florida Keys, complicating the search for survivors in the condo collapse and prompting a hurricane watch for the peninsula’s upper Gulf Coast.

In addition to damaging winds and heavy rains, the Miami-based U.S. National Hurricane Center warned of life-threatening storm surges, flooding and isolated tornadoes. A hurricane watch was issued for a long stretch of coastline, from Egmont Key at the mouth of Tampa Bay to the Steinhatchee River in Florida’s Big Bend area.

Learn more here.


🦠 Health officials urge parents of unvaccinated children to remain vigilant against delta variant


Weather: Steamy to stormy, but not for all


COVID in Michigan 💉

The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Michigan has risen to 894,957 as of Friday, and the state announced a total of 19,754 deaths.

Friday’s update includes 101 new COVID cases, while the updated number of COVID-related deaths is four fewer than the 19,758 total deaths that the state announced Thursday.

Here is what the state said about the death count decreasing from Thursday to Friday:

“Corrections made to the provisional case data resulted in a reduction of the cumulative confirmed death total to 19,754.”

Also announced Friday, the state said COVID data will be only be posted twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays. The state had previously updated COVID-19 data every day Monday through Friday. The next data report is expected on Tuesday, July 6.

Testing has been steady around 20,000 diagnostic tests reported per day on average, with the 7-day positive rate at 1.5% as of Friday, near the lowest on record, but a slight increase in the last week. Hospitalizations have declined over the last several weeks, now near the lowest point since the start of the pandemic.

The state’s 7-day moving average for daily cases was 144 on Friday. The 7-day death average was 8 on Friday, the lowest since March. The state’s fatality rate is 2.2%. The state also reports “active cases,” which were listed at 10,000 on Friday.

Michigan has reported more than 9 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine administered as of Friday, with 61.9% of 16+ residents having received at least one dose while 54.1% of 16+ residents are considered fully vaccinated.

Here’s a look at more of the data:


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About the Author
Cassidy Johncox headshot

Cassidy Johncox is a senior digital news editor covering stories across the spectrum, with a special focus on politics and community issues.

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