Morning 4 is a quick roundup of stories we think you should know about to start your day. So, let’s get to the news.
20 years later: Remembering the 2004 Pistons-Pacers brawl
The Detroit Pistons were getting blown out by their division rivals, the Indiana Pacers. It was, for all intents and purposes, a meaningless November game in the NBA.
With under a minute left, and the Pistons, down by 15, the game was all but over.
Then Ben Wallace took a hard foul from reigning Defensive Player of the Year Ron Artest near the hoop, with about 45 seconds left. The foul didn’t seem that hard, but Wallace, clearly frustrated with the entire game, shoved Artest across the court. What happened next would change the NBA forever.
The ordeal, known as the “Malice at the Palace,” is 20 years old, having taken place on Nov. 19, 2004.
Sheetz expansion sparks concerns among Metro Detroit businesses
A popular gas station is breaking out in Metro Detroit, but not everyone is happy about it. Sheetz plans to open dozens of locations in the next five years. However, one group wants to stop this expansion from happening.
Sheetz recently opened its only Metro Detroit gas station so far in Romulus in August 2024. It plans to open about 50 to 60 gas stations throughout the Great Lakes state within the next five years.
The Middle East and North African (MENA) American Chamber of Commerce, which represents hundreds of local business owners, said Sheetz’s expansion has anti-competitive practices, environmental risks and impacts on local supply chains.
Michigan man sentenced in $2M timber Ponzi scheme
A man on Michigan’s west side has been sentenced to more than three years in prison for his role in a fraud scheme.
According to authorities, Trent William Witteveen operated a Ponzi-like scheme involving his timber business that defrauded investors and customers. From 2018 to 2021, Witteveen routinely represented to investors that he secured timber harvesting rights from landowners and promised the investors a significant return if they provided the investment capital necessary to pay the landowner for such rights. Authorities said that in most instances, no contracts existed because Witteveen had already harvested the timber from the properties.
Early look at tiebreakers in Detroit Lions' race for No. 1 playoff seed
You might think it’s too early, but who cares? We’ve waited decades for the Detroit Lions to be this good, so let’s talk about the race for the No. 1 seed.
The Lions just won their eighth game in a row Sunday, completely disrespecting the Jaguars en route to a 52-6 victory.
Weather: Rain showers Tuesday before first flakes of the season arrive Thursday in Metro Detroit
After a dry start to the week with cloud cover sticking around on Monday, we will bring in the active weather pattern through the rest of the week.
We are going to watch a strong low pressure system pulls off to the east Tuesday into Wednesday followed by another stronger low pressure system, so we will keep the rain chances into the forecast Tuesday through the end of the week on Friday.