Detroit, MI

Left out in brutal cold, dog ‘laid down and died,’ Detroit rescue group says

Published

3 days ago

January 23, 2025

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Left out in brutal cold, dog ‘laid down and died,’ Detroit rescue group says

Charlie, too weak to survive the sub-zero temperatures, froze to death.

A rescue group found the collared, tawny-colored male dog’s body in the Detroit snow.

“He walked until he couldn’t,” Detroit Dog Rescue’s Executive Director Kristina Millman-Rinaldi posted on social media Wednesday, retracing its last steps by following its tracks. Charlie stumbled, she added, feeble from the cold and “laid down and died.”

People have been finding companionship in pets — particularly dogs — for thousands of years; but judging by the comments on Millman-Rinaldi’s post, some Michiganders now are struggling to understand why a pet was left out in the cold.

Recently, reports of endangered and neglected dogs have emerged as millions of people in the Midwest and East Coast cope with temperatures so low that forecasters have urged residents to stay indoors.

To protect children, many school districts closed for at least a couple of days.

As for pets, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals urged owners to safeguard them by making sure they, too, are out of the cold and not left outside, which in some communities is a crime.

The cold weather earlier this week, Millman-Rinaldi said, likely stopped Charlie’s heart and took his breath — and life — away. As tragic as the dog’s end was, the rescuer speculated it likely was “relief to the pain” the cold caused its body.

Protecting a ‘best friend’

Detroit Dog Rescue, a no-kill shelter, seeks to save animals.

Dogs, after all, are “man’s best friend,” a phrase that dates to the late 1700s. Frederick the Great, the King of Prussia, is said to have referred to one of his Italian Greyhounds as his best friend.

French philosopher Voltaire concluded nature gave the dog to man for defense and pleasure. Of all animals, he wrote in 1764, the dog is the most faithful, calling it: “le meilleur ami que puisse avoir l’homme.”

In an 1870 court case in Warrensburg, Missouri, a lawyer, George Vest, representing a farmer whose pet, Old Drum, was killed, made an emotional plea to the jury, explaining a dog is “the one absolutely unselfish friend that a man can have in this selfish world.”

The farmer, who was seeking damages, won the lawsuit.

Almost a century later, in 1958, a statue of the black and tan hound was cast with the support of contributions from dog lovers everywhere and erected outside the courthouse where the case was tried.

And in 2007, real estate magnate Leona Helmsley died leaving $12 million to her dog, Trouble, proving that a dog could be a woman’s best friend, too. Helmsley reportedly also dedicated other assets, worth $5 billion to $8 billion, to the care of more dogs.

‘I’m not leaving them’

Still, over the years, plenty of other people have neglected their best friends.

Millman-Rinaldi mentioned she also saw dogs at a southwest Detroit residence in the cold. She described how whining, freezing animals held up their padded paws, “trying to get out of the cold.”

Four dogs recently perished in and around Indianapolis because they lacked shelter and warmth, Newsweek reported. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals documented that at least three dogs were saved from extreme cold situations.

One dog, PETA said, was freed from a vehicle that broke through the ice on a Minnesota lake; a second, was pulled out of an icy Maryland pond, and a third, in Massachusetts, was rescued after getting stuck on a beaver dam.

The Humane Society of the United States, based in Washington, D.C., warned that dogs and cats — despite the “misconception that the fur on their backs” will protect them — suffer from winter cold.

The society added that leaving pets outside in extremely cold weather is cruel.

As for Charlie, Millman-Rinaldi said the rescue organization lifted the dog’s lifeless body out of the snow, gave it a name, and then, a dignified goodbye. But, the executive director added, the dog deserved better.

“Oh, sweet boy, I’m so sorry,” Millman-Rinaldi said in her post, explaining why, in part, she and others picked up the frozen bodies and put them to rest: “I’m not leaving them for kids to see on their snow day.”

Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@freepress.com.

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Detroit, MI

Detroit Tigers’ Prospect Pool Receives Immense Respect in Latest Rankings

Published

28 minutes ago

January 26, 2025

Press Room

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.

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Detroit, MI

Removing, resizing: What changes to expect in redevelopment of Detroit’s Renaissance Center

Published

10 hours ago

January 26, 2025

Press Room

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

Renaissance Center and Detroit Riverfront Redevelopment Vision (Bedrock and General Motors)

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Detroit, MI

Pistons encounter rare road block in loss to Magic

Published

18 hours ago

January 26, 2025

Press Room

Pistons encounter rare road block in loss to Magic

Orlando — The Detroit Pistons have proven to be one of the top road teams in the league this season, with several contributing factors.

Cade Cunningham headlines a group of players who have made significant individual improvements while aligning with the team’s embrace of the “Detroit versus everybody” mentality. Every time they step onto an opponent’s home court, coach J.B. Bickerstaff attributed the team’s togetherness and strong relationships to its success on the road.

“The benefits include being with the group,” Bickerstaff stated while discussing the advantages of an extended road trip. “There are not any of the other distractions. When you are in the hotels, you go to lunch together. You go to dinner together — you go to practice and lift weights together. It gives you an opportunity to bond and become even tighter. When you are on the road, that is what you need and how you become successful.”

Saturday’s contest against the Orlando Magic positioned the Pistons in the latter half of their season-longest five-game road trip. However, despite their success away from Little Caesars Arena, the Pistons fell 121-113 at Kia Center. The loss ended Detroit’s four-game road winning streak and dropped their overall record to 23-22.

Six players scored in double figures, with Cunningham leading the way with a game-high 35 points, 11 assists and five rebounds. He scored 16 points in the fourth quarter.

The Pistons received a significant boost from rookie Ron Holland II. In 15 minutes, he scored 13 points and pulled down four rebounds. Holland’s contributions coincided with those of Ausar Thompson, who added 16 points, five rebounds, four steals and a block amid a season-high 29 minutes.

“I feel great; it feels good to have reached almost the 30-minute mark,” Thompson said. “I feel great. I feel conditioned. However many minutes they need me to play, I’ll be ready to play.”

Despite the loss, the Pistons showcased their close-knit chemistry during the first quarter. After a sluggish start by both teams, Detroit began to surge halfway through the period, taking a 30-18 lead into the second quarter. They began the night shooting 43.5% from the field and hitting four of eight 3-pointers.

Injuries have derailed the Magic’s once-promising season. They entered the night on a five-game losing streak, having dropped seven of their last eight. Coach Jamahl Mosley has used his preferred starting lineup for the sixth time this season due to the ongoing injuries of Paolo Banchero, Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner’s extended absences.

BOX SCORE: Magic 121, Pistons 113

Banchero led the Magic with 32 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists and was vital in Orlando’s comeback during the first half. He scored 11 points in the second quarter and was essential in the Magic outscoring the Pistons 25-12 in the final six minutes. By intermission, they held a 54-53 lead.

Banchero missed the first two games against Detroit due to a torn oblique. His third triple of the game gave the Magic an 84-81 lead early in the fourth quarter, igniting a 20-4 run.

Wagner (32 points, seven assists and four rebounds) appeared in his second game after returning from his respective oblique injury. His 3-point field goal at the 9:11 mark of the fourth quarter extended the Magic’s lead to 93-83. He scored 25 points in the final period. Orlando also saw the return of Suggs (eight points), who missed the last 10 games due to a back injury.

Frustration reached a breaking point midway through the fourth quarter when Bickerstaff received consecutive technical fouls, resulting in his ejection at the 6:01 mark. Detroit finished with four technical fouls.

“I thought we did a lot of good things,” Bickerstaff said. “But I thought there were some moments where we shot ourselves in the foot when we had momentum going. We got outside of ourselves. These games against teams like this are going to be extremely physical. We understand that. We are good with that. Just make sure we maintain the physicality and do not allow the officials to become a part of the game because we take it too far.”

Observations and Notes vs. Magic

▶ Magic earns tie-breaker over Pistons: With this loss, the Pistons lose the regular-season series against the Magic 2-1, losing the tie-breaker.

▶ Harris and Suggs get into a minor altercation: At the 8:55 mark of the first quarter, Tobias Harris was assessed a flagrant foul penalty 1 following a brief altercation with Suggs. The incident occurred when Suggs intentionally collided with Harris during a change of possession. Harris reacted to Suggs’ aggression by shoving him to the floor. However, the Magic did not prosper from Suggs’ actions; he missed both free throws and committed a turnover during Orlando’s offensive possession.

▶ Head injury for Tobias Harris: Harris’ night ended early after he suffered a head injury. Two minutes into the third quarter, he was struck in the jaw during a shot attempt by Banchero. Bickerstaff substituted Harris after he fell to the floor. Following a quick evaluation from the team doctors, Harris walked to the back and did not return.

▶ A tough night for Stew: Isaiah Stewart faced a challenging game in Orlando. The physical nature of the match led to foul trouble for Stewart in the first half, limiting his usual impact off the bench. He also found himself in multiple altercations with several players from Orlando.

Up next

The Pistons will travel to Cleveland to face the Cavaliers on Monday night. They will then close the road trip in Indiana on Wednesday when they will face the Pacers. Tip-off between the Pistons and Cavaliers is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

Coty.Davis@detroitnews.com

@cotydavis_24

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