After decades of decline, Detroit is officially on the rise. New census data just released shows a historic surge in the city’s population and for the first time in generations, Detroit is outpacing not just Michigan but the nation.

DETROIT (WXYZ) — New court filings reveal disgraced former Detroit Riverfront Conservancy CFO William Smith plans to appeal his 19-year prison sentence, one of the longest ever handed down in a fraud case in the city.

Smith admitted to stealing more than $40 million from 2012 to 2024 to fund a lavish lifestyle.

Watch our report when William Smith was sentenced below:

William Smith, former Detroit Riverfront Conservancy CFO, sentenced to 19 years in prison

Now, despite waiving his right to appeal in a plea deal, he’s challenging the judgment.

The 52-year-old has also been ordered to repay over $48 million.

It’s still unclear exactly what part of the sentence he’s contesting.

DETROIT (FOX 2) – A large fire at a scrapyard in Southwest Detroit on Wednesday morning prompted crews from the fire department to respond.

The Detroit Fire Department had the blaze under control, however there are concerns of air quality in the surrounding area and it would take several hours to get the fire under wraps.

What we know:

A scrapyard located near Lonyo and Dix caught fire Wednesday morning, sending flames into the sky and smoke billowing over Southwest Detroit.

The pile consists of various appliances like washers, dryers, and bicycles, as well as miscellaneous scrap metal. Batteries are also part of the pile and could be linked to the cause of the blaze. 

The scrapyard is part of the Ferrous Processing & Trading Co., a local scrap processor with locations around the country.

What we don’t know:

The cause of the fire is unknown. 

The Detroit Fire Department also said it could take hours to stamp out the blaze, but that was a rough estimate.

Dig deeper:

An acting chief with DFD told FOX 2 it could take four to five hours to get rid of the fire.

According to Adolf Lane, they had to swap out vehicles and dealt with technical difficulties before making progress on the fire.

“It’s a very tall pile of debris and it’s very much embedded,” he said.