Big Sean joined Usher for a surprise love fest on Thursday night (Sept. 12) during the first of the Usher: Past Present Future Tour shows at Little Caesars Arena in the rapper’s home town of Detroit.

Usher brought out Big Sean two-thirds of the way into the concert, during “Superstar” — which the latter samples on “Who You Are (Superstar),” a track from his just-released sixth studio album Better Me Than You.

“If we’re gonna come to Detroit we gotta make sure to shout out all the legends,” Usher told the crowd before introducing Big Sean, who spit out some lines from his track followed by his 2015 single “Blessings” as he and Usher waded into the crowd to walk to a second stage at the rear of the arena floor, which was decked out like a strip club, complete with a pole dancer and a bar.

“Big Sean, I don’t mind you taking over the stage, but I gotta make a drink,” Usher said as he got behind the bar, mixing drinks for VIP fans in the area. Big Sean then took over with a rapid-fire mini-set that included portions of “So Good,” “A$$,” “Bounce” Back” and “I Don’t Fuck With You.”

He also told the crowd that Usher had accompanied him to the downtown Detroit Boys and Girls Club earlier in the day to inspect the facility, including its recording studio. Thanking Usher for allowing him to sample “Superstar,” he noted that “me and Usher haven’t done a song together. We made a promise we’re gonna do a song together,” although he did not say when, and even if, that might happen.”

Big Sean did get in a plug for Better Me Than You before heading off and leaving the rest of the show to Usher — who will be back at Little Caesars Arena on Friday, Sept. 13.

It was the latest major performance for Big Sean in his home town this year. He performed on the opening night of the National Football League draft in April and was part of the nationally televised opening concert for the newly renovated Michigan Central, the city’s former railway station, in June. He was performing earlier Thursday evening for a private show at a nearby nightclub, and on Monday, Sept. 16, he’ll be performing “a very special acoustic you” sponsored by Amazon Music at the Detroit Institute of Arts.

Usher — who performed the halftime show at Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas on Feb. 11 — kicked of the Past Present Future tour on Aug. 20 in Washington, D.C. and wrap up the North American leg with rescheduled concerts in his home town of Atlanta during December. A European tour begins March 29 in London with the first of 10 dates at the O2 Arena, as well as performances in Paris, Amsterdam and Berlin.

Symone Woolridge is leaving WTMJ-TV (Channel 4) after more than two years as a news anchor “to pursue other opportunities and spend time with her family,” the station reported on its website.

“It’s not about how long you’ve been somewhere or how long you’ve known someone, it’s about how that person or place has made you feel,” Woolridge said in the story on Channel 4’s website. “Milwaukee and TMJ4 has made me feel so loved and cared for and I’m forever grateful.”

Woolridge joined Channel 4 in March 2022 as anchor of the station’s noon and 4 p.m. weekday newscasts. In August of that year, she and Tom Durian were named co-anchors of Channel 4’s weekday morning newscast, as Milwaukee’s NBC affiliate shifted Susan Kim to early evening news anchor slots and former morning co-anchor Vince Vitrano left to host the morning show on WTMJ-AM (620).

Woolridge, an Evanston, Illinois, native who still has family in the Chicago area, came to Milwaukee from WREG-TV in Memphis, Tennessee, where she was the breaking news anchor on that station’s morning newscasts. Before joining WREG in 2018, she worked at stations in Tupelo, Mississippi, and Carterville, Illinois.

According to the story on Channel 4’s website, Woolridge’s last day at the station will be Nov. 8.

A motivated Minneapolis group is trying again to establish a community-controlled police commission.

Organized by ‘Minneapolis for Community Control of Police,’ their goal is to create a ballot question asking voters to approve what would be called the ‘Civilian Police Accountability Commission,’ or CPAC for short. 

The ballot question, if approved, would change the city charter to require the city to establish this — the group first needs to gather thousands of signatures from Minneapolis residents. 

In short, the elected commission would oversee the police department — controlling policy, investigating misconduct and having the ability to fire police officers… including the chief. 

This is now the second time this group has made this push. 

“On behalf of all of us, I am thrilled to announce the relaunch of our campaign for community control the police,” Jae Yates, with Minneapolis for Community Control of Police, said at a Thursday rally outside the burned down former Minneapolis Police Department’s Third Precinct. 

“We will not stop, we will fight until we win and until we have community control of the police,” Yates added. 

Earlier this year, this same group brought more than 10,000 signatures to get the question on this November’s ballot to the City of Minneapolis, but the city said thousands of signatures were not valid, and the group failed to regather enough signatures. 

This time around, the group hopes to get more than 20,000 people to sign on and get it on the ballot in 2026. While a set salary isn’t set for these possible commissioners, the group has suggested they make the similar six-figure salary as city council members make. 

In a statement, a spokesperson for Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey sent the following:

“Mayor Frey does not support diluting accountability by inserting 13 bosses in the chain of command for the police department. The proposal did not make sense in 2021 and still does not make sense today. The mayor continues to support the build-out of the existing Community Commission on Police Oversight and the Chief’s development of a more accountable and transparent department through adherence to the settlement agreement, a new police contract, enhanced community engagement, and ongoing training initiatives.”

City council member Michael Rainville — who sits on the council’s Public Health & Safety Committee — does not support the push either, adding he has confidence in the work current city leaders have put in surrounding improving policing. 

Council member Linea Palmisano, who also sits on the safety committee, wrote 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS, “If a petition is filed and found to be sufficient, then it becomes a question for the voters to decide. I respect that legal process.”