Detroit, MI
Metro Detroit airports prepare for influx of travelers ahead of NFL Draft
(CBS DETROIT) – Hundreds of thousands of people are making their way to Detroit for the 2024 NFL Draft. Some will be coming by private plane.
Local airports have been preparing for the draft for months, coordinating private flights and planning with the Federal Aviation Administration. Officials said the Detroit Metro Airport is expecting a 5% to 25% increase in traffic.
“What that looks like is anywhere from one to 400 extra operations for the NFL Draft,” said Michael Fawaz, the director of Willow Run Airport.
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Willow Run is about 15 minutes from the metro airport. It hasn’t seen an uptick in private flight traffic yet, but that could change quickly.
“They can file their flight plan last minute, they can do it today or tomorrow.”
Fawaz said the area is expecting the brunt of the plane traffic on Thursday and Friday. And they don’t just have to coordinate landings and take-offs. They also have to have places to park all of the planes.
“We will close one of our runways if needed,” said Fawaz.
However, he said it’s nothing they haven’t faced before.
“When Ohio State and Michigan play, it gets very busy at Willow Run. We are only 15 minutes from the Big House, so we’re used to that type of traffic.”
Detroit Metro is also prepared for commercial travelers, who will have an easier time getting to the draft activities with the new express bus service.
“The Detroit Airport Express will take folks right from the airport to downtown Detroit,” said Zachary Kolodin, Michigan’s chief infrastructure officer.
He said the city and the Michigan Department of Transportation have done a lot of work to prepare for the draft, including improving highway access and the people mover.
“Work that the city, and in some cases the state, have planned for many years. But we were able to accelerate it in anticipation of the draft.”
Kolodin said the draft isn’t just an event for athletes and sports fans. through it, there’s been added greenery, signage, storefront upgrades, and artwork that benefit all Michiganders.
Police say one person is dead and another is in custody following a shooting Tuesday evening in Detroit.
At about 6 p.m., officers responded to the 19300 block of Strasburg Street, initially for a double fatal shooting. However, further investigation determined that only one person had died and the other suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Officer Jalon Nelson said the survivor is currently in police custody while recovering in the hospital. It is unclear what led up to the shooting, but Nelson says it was an isolated incident.
The names and ages of both individuals have not been released.
“Our condolences go out to the families of both involved parties. One life lost is one too many in our city,” Nelson said.
Nelson says the investigation is ongoing.
The Detroit Tigers have been talked about heavily with the trade deadline just around the corner, but when they’re discussed, it revolves around back-to-back AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal. As of right now, the Tigers have told teams that Skubal is off-limits as Detroit looks to claw back into the standings.
That being said, the Tigers could still find trade packages this season, especially if things go south as they did in May. While Skubal is the biggest name in Detroit’s system to get moved at the trade deadline, one MLB.com analyst believes there could be another player who could be packing his bags.
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Since Scott Harris has taken over as President of Baseball Operations for the Tigers, mixed emotions have come from how he handles trades at the deadline. Detroit was one of the best teams in the American League last season and was a buyer at the deadline, but Harris only brought in one player who remains on the MLB roster, resulting in backlash given their standing.
According to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, one player that the Tigers could trade this deadline is former first overall pick, first baseman Spencer Torkelson. Torkelson has been an interesting case for Detroit, showcasing power every other season.
Feinsand listed Torkelson as a trade candidate who could get traded this deadline, who needs a change of scenery. While the thought is there, given how many years are left under team control, it doesn’t feel like a move that the front office would do… this season.
“The Tigers have 21-year-old Josue Briceño (MLB Pipeline’s No. 64 overall prospect) working his way toward the Majors, giving Detroit a potential replacement for 2027. If the disappointing Tigers decide to reset at the Trade Deadline, Torkelson could be a risk-reward acquisition for a club seeking a power bat,” Feinsand wrote.
Sure, Torkelson hasn’t been the Miguel Cabrera power replacement some had hoped for, but he has been a key asset to the offense over the last few seasons. When he’s sending the ball out of the ballpark, he’s at his best, and he might be starting to tap into that side of himself again.
If Detroit is telling teams that Skubal, a player on an expiring contract set to hit free agency at season’s end, is off limits, it’s hard to believe that they would find a trade involving Torkelson and banking on Briceño for the future.
Over the last two weeks of action, Torkelson is hitting .250 at the plate with two home runs and five RBIs, but he has 11 hits in total. A.J. Hinch has been wanting Torkelson to find productivity that isn’t just a home run or a walk, and he’s started to live up to the assignment.
Since the Tigers aren’t true sellers at the moment, despite their fourth-place standing at 27-39 ahead of a three-game series against the Minnesota Twins, fans shouldn’t lean too much into the thought of Torkelson getting traded until there’s a true direction for the franchise.
As of June, Detroit has a record of 5-1 this month, with most of its remaining games set to be played at Comerica Park.
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