Detroit, MI
Detroit-area library says Chicago man can keep overdue baseball book — 50 years later
DETROIT — Fifty years later, a man who grew up in suburban Detroit tried to return a very overdue baseball book to his boyhood library.
The answer: You can keep it — and no fine.
Chuck Hildebrandt, 63, of Chicago said he visited the public library in Warren while in town for Thanksgiving, carrying a book titled “Baseball’s Zaniest Stars.” He had borrowed it in 1974 as a 13-year-old “baseball nut” but never returned it.
“When you’re moving with a bunch of books, you’re not examining every book. You throw them in a box and go,” said Hildebrandt, who has lived in many cities. “But five or six years ago, I was going through the bookshelf and there was a Dewey decimal library number on the book. What is this?”
Inside the book was a slip of paper indicating that it was due back at the Warren library on Dec. 4, 1974. Hildebrandt told The Associated Press that he decided to keep the book until 2024 — the 50th anniversary — and then try to return it. He figured the library might want to publicize the long overdue exchange.
He said he recently met library director Oksana Urban, who listened to his pitch. Hildebrandt said he hasn’t heard anything since then, though Urban told the Detroit Free Press that all is forgiven.
“Some people never come back to face the music,” she said of patrons with overdue books. “But there was really no music to face because he and the book were erased from our system.”
So “Baseball’s Zaniest Stars” is back on Hildebrandt’s shelf. In return, he’s now trying to raise $4,564 for Reading is Fundamental, a nonprofit literacy group. The amount roughly represents a 50-year overdue library fine. Hildebrandt is seeding the effort with $457.
Detroit, MI
Man and woman injured in shooting on Detroit’s west side
(CBS DETROIT) — Detroit police are working to learn more about a shooting on the city’s west side that seriously injured a man and a woman Saturday night.
Authorities say the shooting happened around 8 p.m. in the area of Dexter Avenue and Lothrop Street.
The man and woman, both in their 30s, were taken to the hospital.
A frame from video taken near the scene shortly after shows what appears to be a red SUV that collided with a tree.
The Detroit Police Department is working to learn about the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
Earlier Saturday, three people were shot in Dearborn Heights. Police there say that shooting happened around 1 a.m. on the 23000 block of North Brookside Drive.
It’s unknown if arrests have been made in either incident.
This is a developing story. Stay with CBS News Detroit for the latest information.
Detroit, MI
Detroit Tigers’ Prospect Pool Receives Immense Respect in Latest Rankings
Earlier this week, Baseball America released its new Top 100 prospect list for 2025, and five Detroit Tigers players made the list.
That’s an impressive haul that few teams could match. But, after the release of the Top 100, the site also released a list of every player from every team that received at least one vote for the Top 100.
The Tigers had an eye-popping 11 players receive at least one vote.
The five players that received enough votes to make the Top 100 where pitcher Jackson Jobe (No. 3), outfielder Max Clark (No. 22), infielder Kevin McGonigle (No. 23), shortstop Bryce Rainer (No. 60) and catcher Thayron Liranzo (No. 69).
Who are the other six prospects? They included catcher Dillon Dingler, shortstop Franyerbrer Montilla, infielder Jace Jung, right-handed pitcher Jaden Hamm, catcher Josue Briceño and shortstop Trey Sweeney.
Three of those prospects are already in the Majors and figure to make the opening-day roster. Dingler reached the Majors in July and served as a backup catcher last season. He slashed .167/.195/.310/.505 with one home run and 11 RBI.
Sweeney was part of what the Tigers received in the Jack Flaherty trade, with Liranzo being the rest of the haul. He made his MLB debut in August and became the starting shortstop, where he slashed .218/.269/.373/.642 with four home runs and 17 RBI.
Jung was also called up by the Tigers in August to take over at third base. The 2022 first-round pick slashed .241/.362/.304/.665 in 34 games with the Tigers.
Hamm has quickly become a respected member of the prospect pipeline after he was selected in the fifth round of the 2023 MLB draft out of Middle Tennessee. Last season at High-A West Michigan he went 5-4 with a 2.64 ERA in 24 games, as he struck out 122 and walked 31 in 99 innings.
Briceño is a Venezuela native who is just 20 years old but already has three years of pro baseball under his belt. Injuries limited him to just 40 games at Class-A Lakeland, but he slashed .278/.381/.377/.758 with two home runs and 22 RBI. He also played in the Arizona Fall League.
Montilla, also from Venezuela, is just 19 years old and is coming off a 2024 season that ended at Lakeland in which he slashed .226/.374/.362/.736 with six home runs and 30 RBI.
Many of these prospects will be at spring training later this month.
Pitchers and catchers report to spring training in Lakeland, Fla., on Feb. 12. The rest of the roster will report on Feb. 17. Detroit will open its spring training schedule with a home game against Philadelphia on Feb. 22 at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium.
Detroit, MI
Removing, resizing: What changes to expect in redevelopment of Detroit’s Renaissance Center
DETROIT – The upcoming redevelopment of the Renaissance Center was discussed at the 2025 Detroit Policy Conference.
On Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, Jared Fleisher, with Rock Family of Companies, and David Massaron, with General Motors, discussed the redevelopment. Brad Williams, with the Detroit Regional Chamber, moderated.
According to a release from the Detroit Regional Chamber, the panel explained why the building is considered a cultural icon of Detroit. The Renaissance Center was built with the intention of being closed off from the city, which sparked the conversation about redevelopment.
Massaron said GM needed a new center for the company of Detroit, which was the Hudson Building, and an expert in redeveloping the Renaissance Center. In the end, they decided to partner with Bedrock.
Main changes to expect at Ren Cen
Here are the main changes to expect, according to Fleisher:
-
Resizing the Renaissance Center and making it open and accessible to everyone creates a welcoming environment for anyone visiting.
-
Remove the podium to reconnect downtown to the Detroit RiverFront.
-
Remove two office towers and replace them with a signature park, open to the public for anyone from anywhere.
Fleisher said there will be a hotel, apartments, and affordable housing. These changes will make it a “navy pier-like family-friendly entertainment destination to drive economic growth.”
—> What we know about plan to make major changes to Detroit’s Renaissance Center
Copyright 2025 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit – All rights reserved.
-
Technology1 week ago
Nintendo omits original Donkey Kong Country Returns team from the remaster’s credits
-
Culture1 week ago
American men can’t win Olympic cross-country skiing medals — or can they?
-
Culture7 days ago
Book Review: ‘Somewhere Toward Freedom,’ by Bennett Parten
-
World1 week ago
Chrystia Freeland, Justin Trudeau’s ‘Minister of Everything,’ Enters Race to Replace Him
-
Education1 week ago
Report Projecting Drop in Freshman Enrollment Delivered Incorrect Findings
-
News1 week ago
CNN liable for defamation over story on Afghanistan 'black market' rescues
-
World1 week ago
‘Fields were solitary’: Migration raids send chill across rural California
-
World1 week ago
Commission claims slashing of foreign offices still under negotiation