News@noon: Police shootings, Schuette vs Snyder
Today is Thursday, July 7, 2016, and we woke up this morning to learn that a Minnesota police officer fatally shot a man, Philando Castile, who was in a car with a woman and a child. Authorities are looking into whether the aftermath was livestreamed in a widely shared Facebook video, which shows a woman in a vehicle with a man whose shirt appears to be soaked in blood telling the camera “police just shot my boyfriend for no apparent reason.”
The shooting of a black man by police was the second in two days. Hundreds of mourners, friends and family members of Alton Sterling, 37, gathered Wednesday in Baton Rouge for a second night of protest, prayer and remembrance. Sterling was shot early Tuesday as he wrestled with two white police officers outside the convenience store where he sold music and movies on compact discs. Police say he was armed.
It was not clear from the murky cellphone footage whether Sterling had the gun in his hand or was reaching for it when he was shot. A witness said he saw police pull a gun from Sterling’s pocket after the shooting.
We want to hear what you think. Leave us a comment or tweet us @detroitnews.
Here's what else we're following today:
Schuette vs Snyder
- The schism is widening between Michigan’s top two Republicans. The growing record of disagreement between Schuette and Snyder has a recurring political byproduct says Daniel Howes: Positioning the AG for the next big office, and sometimes doing it at the expense of the state’s chief executive.
- Schuette also got an unexpected and unpleasant visit from Line 5 oil pipeline protesters yesterday. He wasn't home but his wife was when a group of 40 "thugs" pounded on his windows and doors and poured an oil-like substance on the driveway.
Congress to examine Clinton email case, again
FBI Director James Comey is set to make his first appearance before Congress since announcing the agency’s recommendation to not prosecute Hillary Clinton over her private email setup. Comey will field questions today from the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee about an FBI announcement that dispersed the threat of criminal charges but also revived public scrutiny of Clinton’s handling of classified information.
Detroit blast injured 1
- A gas leak has been ruled out as the cause of a blast and quick-spreading fire yesterday at a home in north Detroit that left one man burned, displaced at least six people and left three first responders overcome by heat.
Michigan-Notre Dame rivalry resumes
- The Michigan-Notre Dame football series will resume in 2018, according to a report by Ryan Krasnoo of Sports Illustrated. The official announcement is expected this afternoon.
Sarah Silverman had surgery
- Comedian Sarah Silverman says she’s “insanely lucky to be alive” after undergoing surgery and spending a week in the intensive care unit due to what she calls “a freak case of epiglottitis.”
New Snapchat features
Snapchat’s commitment to the ephemeral message was … ephemeral. The popular visual messaging service is giving users a new way to save old “snaps” they shared with friends. The tool, called Memories, lets you save content on the app, including photos, videos or photo montages called “stories.”
A new Iron Man
A black female teenager will be the new Iron Man. Marvel Comics veteran writer Brian Michael Bendis says in an interview yesterday with Time that Tony Stark will step away from his superhero alter-ego and a new character named Riri Williams will assume the laser-blasting role.
A new chance to find Eden
- Eden ain’t what it used to be. Time, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and a bad apple or two have combined to place the lakeside resort community of Idlewild, Michigan — once known as “Black Eden,” the world’s largest vacation and entertainment paradise for African-Americans — into a relative state of disrepair. But an unlikely pair of preservationists are working to restore the town’s bygone luster.
Detroit News at noon is a daily roundup of the most talked-about stories on detroitnews.com. For more anytime, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter, Instagram (@detroitnews), Snapchat (Search for "Detroitnews") and LinkedIn.
Don't forget to enter the Celebrate Michigan photo contest by sending us your best photos from around the state. We pick four finalists every Wednesday (here's this week's). Winners will get some pretty great prizes (including a first-place prize of a two-night stay for two at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island). If you need some more inspiration, here are last year's winners and finalists.
Finally, if you're a talented gardener, we want to reward you with the 2016 Homestyle Garden Photo Contest. Send in your photos here and you could win a $100 gift certificate to English Gardens.