Latest news with #FrankWitsil
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Laser pointer aimed at Detroit police chopper came from Canada, authorities said
A Detroit police helicopter was zapped several times late Monday with a laser pointer, something that is dangerous to those aboard because the lights can temporarily blind the pilot, authorities confirmed. It is also illegal in the United States to point the lights at aircraft. The laser beams, Detroit police told the Free Press in an email, seemed to come from the Canadian side of the Detroit River and were directed at the department's air support unit. Detroit police reported the incident to Canadian authorities. A laser pointer or pen is a device that emits a low-power beam. At short distances, it shines a small dot on objects. In the dark, however, when the beam hits the windshield of a chopper, the light disperses like a camera flash. Over the years, law enforcement groups have explained in public warnings that shining a laser at aircraft is dangerous because, from the cockpit, the pinpoint of light looks like a floodlight. If caught, someone aiming a beam at an aircraft could be charged and fined. It is a felony under both federal and state law. In 2024 alone, pilots reported more an 12,000 laser strikes to the Federal Aviation Administration. Even worse, the beam might cause a fatal crash. More: Rushing to reach the airport? This airline serving Michigan wants you there sooner Police officials have said choppers are vital to law enforcement. In 2024, the Detroit Police boasted on social media that it received a new helicopter that could stay in the air longer and was faster than previous aircraft. In a short video, the department said it has been using helicopters for decades. But, police said, in the early 2000s, it sold its birds under financial pressure. In 2014, the department said it received a military-style helicopter. But in 2024, the new chopper gave the department a boost because it could stay in the air up to four hours and was commercially rated, which, the department said in its post, also could help with aviator training. Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Laser pointed at Detroit police chopper prompts call to Canadians
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
DNR to Memorial Day travelers: Be prepared for a shock Up North
If you're headed Up North for the holiday weekend, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources is warning that you may be in for an unpleasant surprise; the tree damage from a deadly spring ice storm may be unsettling. It's so bad, the agency charged with maintaining state parks, forests and recreation areas sent an email to Michiganders on Wednesday that cautioned the lush-green landscape that you are used to, "may look different." To put the storm damage in context, the state DNR said, it covers more than 3 million acres. That, according to the state, is an even larger area than was destroyed in the Great Michigan Fire of 1871, which every Michigan third-grader learns swept across the state and burned down about 2.5 million acres of forests. More: How Michigan's Great Fire of 1881 launched American Red Cross disaster relief The DNR still trying to clear debris, but it also is now fighting tree-killing pests, such as native pine bark beetles that thrive in areas with stressed, damaged pine trees and fresh pine debris. The ice storm hit the Midwest in late March, bringing freezing rain and sleet to northern Lower Michigan. Icicles weighing down limbs and snapped the trunks of trees — many pine — like twigs. It also wreaked havoc in other parts of the state. In Kalamazoo County, a tree struck a vehicle, killing three children, ages 11, 4 and 2. The state's new warning calls for ongoing vigilance. It urges vacationers to look up for weakened and dangling limbs that could fall, and look down to avoid tripping on branches that are now on the ground, and could create hazards underfoot, especially in wooded areas. It asks hikers and ATV riders to 'respect all nonmotorized and motorized trail closures,' and to 'stay on' reopened trails and not venture off the paths to avoid potential dangers, including 'numerous leaning trees and hanging tree limbs.' It says those planning to be on the water, who may be fishing or paddling, to be aware that the waterways are filled with downed trees and branches, too, and to be cognizant that some boat launches may be closed. And it reminds visitors that while most state park campgrounds and lodging areas have reopened, some of the state forest campgrounds, state forest roads, trails and bathrooms and showers still may be temporarily unavailable. Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: DNR to Michigan Up North travelers: Be prepared for ice storm damage
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Rainy, chilly weather ahead in metro Detroit with highs stuck in the 50s
Forecasters this week are predicting rainy, cool weather in metro Detroit, and they have issued a small watercraft advisory for Lake Huron, St. Clair and Erie, where winds are expected to gust up to 30 knots and waves could be up to seven feet. Obviously, this week isn't the time to blow off work to go boating. It's also not the best moment to mow the lawn, even though it might need it. The marine advisory, which was issued by weather service, starts at 10 a.m. Tuesday and is in effect for nearshore waters in Lake St. Clair and western Lake Erie until 10 p.m. Wednesday and in Saginaw Bay, from Port Austin to Port Huron, until 10 p.m. Thursday. As for the weather outlook on land, it calls for rain, with highs from 55 to 61 degrees on Tuesday; rain, with highs from 52 to 56 degrees on Wednesday; rain, with highs from 52 to 60 degrees on Thursday and more rain, with highs from 54 to 59 degrees on Friday. That, weather forecasters said, is about 15 degrees cooler than it usually is this time of year. Or, in weather-speak, there's "high-confidence for below-normal temperatures." More: Michigan gas prices up 12 cents a gallon from last week as Memorial Day travel nears As for the best chance to get outside to tidy up the yard, if you want to, will be during the weekend, when it will warm up a few degrees, and but even then, there's a 15%-20% chance of rain, mostly in the afternoon, on both days. Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Weather forecast in metro Detroit calls for rain, cooler temperatures
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Winds near 45 mph, quarter-sized hail possible across southeast Michigan: What to know
Southeast Michigan could soon be facing a trifecta of high winds, scattered thunderstorms, and even quarter-sized hail from late morning on April 29 into the evening, weather forecasters warned. That's a worst-case scenario. The National Weather Service in White Lake issued a wind advisory starting at 9 a.m. and lasting until 6 p.m. for all southeast Michigan, as winds gusting up to 45 mph turn northwestwardly. There's potential for felled trees and downed power lines. As for storms, the rounds of severe thundershowers that swept across the upper Midwest on Monday are set to pass by as they dissipate, but there's a 30%-40% chance that short-lived, violent storms could pop up in metro Detroit. If they do materialize, they are expected between mid-afternoon and about 5 p.m. and could, along with torrential downpours, bring with them the potential for large, damaging hail. More: Cedar Point set to reopen May 3 with revamped Top Thrill 2 Still, there might not be too much you can do to prepare for the bad weather, forecasters said, other than stay out of it and move your vehicle under cover or into the garage to prevent it from being dinged and dented. It's possible, of course, that no severe weather will materialize at all. Either way, Wednesday's forecast calls for dry, clear skies, but for the temperatures to be much cooler, with the recent 70- and 80-degree highs to quickly drop down into the 60s. Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Southeast Michigan weather: High winds, hail, severe storms possible
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Cedar Point set to reopen May 3 with revamped Top Thrill 2
When Cedar Point reopens on May 3, the Ohio amusement park's re-engineered and renamed roller coaster — Top Thrill 2, what ride enthusiasts like to call TT2 — is set to once again reign as the world's tallest ride. "It's been a long winter, but the entire Cedar Point team is ready to once again welcome guests," Colleen Murphy-Brady, Cedar Point's vice president of park operations, announced Monday. "We can't wait to see them here again!" TT2 opened last year, but at the time was No. 2 — and beset by problems. And those eager to ride Siren's Curse, another record-breaking thriller at the park, which was announced last fall with much fanfare and is still under construction, will have to continue to wait a few more weeks. The park said that Siren's Curse, billed as "North America's tallest, fastest, and longest tilt roller coaster," is set to debut in the summer. Officials did not give a specific date. More: Cedar Point, much-anticipated new Top Thrill ride, opens Saturday with new rules Near Sandusky, the vacation destination off Lake Erie is now the second-oldest operating amusement park in America and has long been associated with record-breaking, gravity-defying rides that remind visitors that they are still alive. Visits to the park have long been a rite of passage, a badge of courage, and a favorite summer camp outing. Cedar Point announced some minor park upgrades that would be open Saturday, including new eateries — a "star-spudded" Happy Friar fresh-cut fry joint, and a Famous Dave's Restaurant — and a new lineup of live entertainment. Last year, Cedar Point's owner, Cedar Fair, merged with Six Flags to form one of the nation's largest theme park companies, with dozens of theme parks, water parks, and resort properties throughout North America. Known as Top Thrill Dragster when it opened in 2003, TT2 was the first roller coaster built to be over 400 feet tall and, at the time, was the tallest roller coaster and fastest coaster in the world. Both records were broken in 2005 by Kingda Ka in New Jersey. By 2010, Formula Rossa at Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, debuted, breaking the world speed record. But late last year, however, Kingda Ka permanently closed, leaving TT2 as the tallest coaster again. That distinction, however, is being threatened again by Falcons Flight, a new roller coaster at Six Flags Qiddiya in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, that is expected to become the world's tallest, fastest, and longest thrill ride when it opens later this year. Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Cedar Point set to reopen May 3 with revamped Top Thrill 2
