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Detroit VA and Pistons partner to give veterans coats on 'World Kindness Day'

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Detroit VA and Pistons partner to give veterans coats on 'World Kindness Day'


They spent years, some made it their career, risking it all to protect our country. On Wednesday, other people stepped up to serve veterans in their time of need.

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It is all made possible through a partnership, providing veterans with special coats and more, and the special event just so happens to fall on World Kindness Day.

A little kindness can go a long way.

“We saved lives, that’s all we did was save lives. I thank god I was in the army,” said US Army Veteran Daniel Lennon. 

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Veterans flocked to the Detroit VA Hospital on Wednesday to pick up a coat built to handle the cold winter months ahead.

“I think, unfortunately, we have a lot of veterans who sleep on the street, fought for our country, yet they came back to America, and they have nowhere to go, and they don’t have any clothes on their backs, and they have to come here to get a coat for the winter,” said US Navy Veteran Latuaska Carr.

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The non-profit ‘Empowerment Plan’ gave out 100 of their ‘Empwr’ coats, geared towards combating homelessness.

“So what’s unfortunate is that our veterans make up a high population or high percentage of the un-housed population, and we want to help them as much as we can in any way we can,” said plan director Lauren Knill. “What’s really wonderful is our coat is disability accessible and so our veterans who are disabled who may be in a wheelchair, our coat features Velcro and other features that can help them get in and out of it much easier. And if they are in a wheelchair, they can still slide that bag over their feet and toes.” 

‘Empowerment Plan’ teamed up with the Detroit VA and the Detroit Pistons to dress vets for the winter ahead. 
They said this mission is all about raising homelessness awareness.

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“Unfortunately, working in the homeless program, we see a lot of frostbite, a lot of subzero temperatures and so making sure these coats are appropriate for them to have,” said Chief of the Veterans Community Resource and Referral Center Beth Baker Callen. “They are having lunch today, they’re enjoying themselves. Different t-shirt giveaways, pendant giveaways. Mainly, we want to make sure that our veterans in those categories are supported.” 

That strong support is exactly what veterans felt, as they picked up a warm new coat and a bite to eat.

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“I’m very appreciative, very appreciative,” said US Army Veteran James Holden. “Anything that they do for us veterans, I appreciate it.”
 



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Detroit, MI

Bruno Mars shines in Detroit – Detroit Metro Times

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Bruno Mars shines in Detroit – Detroit Metro Times


There’s a moment toward the end of the night where Bruno Mars is using that raspy tenor of voice of his to sing his 2012 hit “Locked Out of Heaven” as if he was launched out of a rocket. The crowd is hanging and swinging on every note, confetti is pouring down, Mars is over two hours into his set with barely any breaks, but his swagger feels so effortless. It was as if you could throw him a cup of ice water and he could go for another two hours.

For Mars, this is just another day at the office.

Saturday was the first of two nights in which Mars’s The Romantic Tour set up shop in the Detroit Lions’ Ford Field. The night started off with a 30-minute energetic DJ set from Anderson .Paak’s alter ego, “DJ Pee .Wee.” That was followed by another 30-minute set from singer Leon Thomas, who is fresh off Grammy Award wins for Best R&B Album (MUTT) and Best Traditional R&B Performance (“Vibes Don’t Lie”).

Mars, a 40-year-old native of Hawaii, has sold over 20 million albums and won 16 Grammy Awards. He’s always been a wild mix of James Brown and Justin Bieber — this generation’s impresario of funk with a mutant-like ability to create over-the-top pop hits. The Romanic, released on Feb. 27, is his fourth solo album and first project in four years. 

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Mars hit the stage right at 8:45 p.m. dressed in a casual crimson lounge suit and headband while accompanied by his band the Hooligans. From the jump the energy was magnetic. Mars dove right into songs “Risk It All,” “Treasure,” and “On My Soul” (he performed all nine songs from The Romantic). His stage presence and synchrony with the Hooligans was subtle and effective. They routinely swaggered into a choreographed doo-wop dance steps that were evenly spread out through out the night. At times there were multiple members playing trumpet and other times they were all on guitars. Mars himself jumped on the conga drums on “Cha Cha Cha,” played the guitar on “Something Serious,” and played the piano on “It Will Rain,” “Talking to the Moon,” and “When I was Your Man.”

Visually, there was cinematic camera work being displayed on two large LED screens positioned on both sides of the stage. This allowed all 48,000 attendees (no matter where their seats were) to take in the visual experience that was aided with laser beans, pulsating lights, cold sparks, and pyrotechnics.

Anderson .Paak joined Mars back on stage for the second hour of the show where they performed “Fly as Me” and “Smoking out the Window” along with most of the songs from their joint album An Evening with Silk Sonic.  Toward the end of their hit, “Leave the Door Open” the duo went back and forth singing the line “come on over baby” as if it was a ballad duel. The moment highlighted both singers’ chemistry and showmanship. 

But the night was all about Mars. He ended the show singing his mega hit “Uptown Funk” but also did an encore performance of “Dance With Me,” singing just as strong and effortlessly near the end of the night as he did at the beginning. His 150-minute set was polished without feeling robotic.  Even though he’s stepped foot behind a microphone thousands of times, he never sounded like he was going through the motions. He was charismatic, engaging, and made Detroit feel like it was this tour’s only stop, not his ninth. 

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A chilly start to the week gives way to warmer weather in Metro Detroit

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A chilly start to the week gives way to warmer weather in Metro Detroit


4Warn Weather – Cooler temperatures remain across Southeast Michigan for the start of the workweek, however, we’ll turn much warmer into the weekend.

Skies turn mainly clear Sunday night with a light northwest wind. Temperatures will fall to the low 30s to near 40°.

Forecasted low temps tonight (WDIV)

You’ll want to cover your plants or bring them indoors as frost will be possible. A Frost Advisory will be in effect for most of Southeast Michigan from midnight tonight until 7 a.m. Monday.

Frost Advisory for Sunday night into Monday morning (WDIV)

Monday will look beautiful with mostly sunny skies. It’ll still be chilly though – afternoon temperatures will only reach the mid to upper 50s.

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Forecasted high temps Monday (WDIV)

Winds Monday will be out of the north at 5-10 mph.

Temperatures will once again be in the 30s Monday night, so it will be another night to protect your plants.

We then recover nicely with most reaching the low 60s Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons. Although we’re a bit warmer, the next chance for rain will arrive Tuesday afternoon and linger into Wednesday.

Thursday brings back the sunshine and warmer weather. Highs will be in the mid 60s before we reach the low 70s Friday.

The upcoming weekend looks even warmer with highs near 80°, but we also see the next chances for rain.

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Temperature trend this week in Metro Detroit (WDIV)

Copyright 2026 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit – All rights reserved.



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Detroit, MI

Detroit shines red for ALS kickoff & lighting ceremony

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Detroit shines red for ALS kickoff & lighting ceremony


DETROIT, MICH (WXYZ) — In partnership with The ALS Association, downtown Detroit parks will shine red May 10–16 in recognition of ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease) Awareness month.

A special kickoff event will take place from 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 10, in Campus Martius Park. The event will allow families impacted by ALS to connect, learn about upcoming initiatives, and take part in a meaningful “END ALS” photo moment under the illuminated park lights.

You can reserve you spot by visiting:
https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=JlhGrOr9-kWQmmR_rZc61S9MfqDjPeBKvKV5YBqkMypUQThNMEs5TVpLRUY5R1FLV0o1WFExN1U4Uy4u





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