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Extra.ie
11-07-2025
- Automotive
- Extra.ie
Cash falls from the sky at Detroit funeral
An American man who passed away from Alzheimers disease, has had his last wish fulfilled, as his life savings are scattered to the four winds for his friends and family to chase after, catch, and keep. Video footage shows the moment a helicopter zooms across the sky over the funeral ceremony where Darell Thomas was laid to rest after passing away from Alzheimers at the young age of 58. Mr Thomas, who owned a car wash business in Detroit, Michigan, was known for his kindness and generosity, and his final wish was to literally shower the mourners at his funeral with cash, as they said their final goodbyes. Pic: Facebook The chopper is seen releasing $5000 in small denomination notes, along with thousands of rose petals over the crowd of surprised and bemused guests at the ceremony. Hundreds of notes are seen floating in the air before ceremoniously falling to the ground to be grabbed, not only by mourners and people who knew the deceased man, but also falling on the streets around the area to the delight of passersby. Pic: Facebook His family said the generous giveaway was 'a final expression of love from him to the community because he was a giver' while his son Dante described Darell as 'The greatest father' and 'An Eastside legend'. Darrell Thomas. Pic: Facebook The New York Post reported that traffic along the six-lane road of Gratiot Avenue came to a standstill for several minutes as funeral goers and onlookers rushed to grab some of the cash. However, instead of turning into mayhem with people trying to fill their pockets, the crowd remained calm as they went for the money. The Detroit Police Department briefly closed off traffic to allow the crowd to enjoy Thomas's final send-off safely. They were aware of the rose petals, but said they were surprised by the money drop.
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Special holiday dishes provide another meaningful way for these Detroiters to serve others
If side dishes can be called the unsung heroes of any holiday meal, it can also be said that the family members and friends that taste Allison Walker's first attempt at making potato salad during this Fourth of July holiday weekend will be receiving a treat from a native Detroiter who is known for her heroic and giving heart. A 1979 graduate of the former Dominican High School — an educational institution on Detroit's east side that was deeply rooted in a tradition of service — Walker would go on to become a sergeant with the Detroit Police Department. Walker's 17-and-a-half-year journey with DPD included serving as the commanding officer for the Detroit Police Athletic League during the later stages of her law enforcement career. Walker describes her service to Detroit PAL as "community policing at its finest" because it closely connected her to the Detroit community she loves, as she watched young people "bloom" while learning new skills. However, Walker would have another experience during her career with DPD that was the furthest thing from joyful, when she was diagnosed with Heerfordt-Waldenstrom syndrome, a rare manifestation of sarcoidosis, which can present itself as a fever, facial paralysis, inflammation of part of the eye, and enlarged parotid glands — the salivary glands in front of each ear. But true to her giving and service nature, Walker would respond to her health challenge by coming together in 2009 with her fellow New Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church member, the late Amy Thompson-Turner, to found the Caring Hands Sarcoidosis Foundation, which provides "patient advocacy, educational materials, and self empowerment" for people suffering with sarcoidosis. And with caring and loving hands, beginning Tuesday, July 1, Walker embarked on a new journey to prepare a special batch of potato salad for her loved ones to enjoy with their holiday feasts this weekend. In doing so, Walker was connecting with someone who taught her to help others and also how to be brave when confronted with adversity. That person is Walker's late mother, Helen Jean Hart Walker. "While chopping the ingredients and remembering my mother in the kitchen during the holidays making her famous potato salad, waves of wonderful memories washed over me," explained Walker, who in the absence of her mother's instructions turned to a recipe she found online for "Dee Dee's Soul Food Potato Salad," billed as a "cookout worthy recipe," which Walker discovered at On the morning of July 2, Walker reported that her oldest daughter Jessica was already delivering a bowl of the potato salad to a friend and that a good-size portion was in her freezer for her son Christopher to enjoy over the weekend. "I'm not sure if it's supposed to be frozen, but nothing beats a try than a try, and I'll be nibbling on the rest," Walker, who received an enormous helping hand in the kitchen from her grandson, Joshua Sidney Chapman, said. "Memories of my mother making potato salad for holidays were precious moments that I had long forgotten about, and I am thankful for the opportunity to relive them again while doing something nice for family and friends." On the afternoon of July 3, a thankful tone also could be heard in the voice of Temika Wallace, the kitchen manager at St. Patrick Senior Center (Detroit's largest health, wellness and activities center for older adults, located at 58 Parsons, off Woodward behind Orchestra Hall), which has a well-earned reputation for serving some of the heartiest lunches in the city. For Wallace, a week with a summer holiday provides an opportunity for her to feed seniors at St. Pat's, as well as family and friends, during the holiday weekend, in an extra-special way that she believes is more than worth the extra effort that is required to pull off the feat. "I love working at St. Pat and making our seniors happy and full, and I feel the same way about the food that I will be preparing for my family and friends for the holiday," said Wallace, a longtime Midtown resident, who will be making her famous seafood pasta salad this holiday weekend to accompany ribs and chicken cooked on the grill. "I make my seafood pasta salad from scratch, and I make it with my own ingredients. And it's just good to see everyone when they're enjoying it and wanting more." Lisa Gonzalez has a knack for doing more and more for southwest Detroit residents of all ages through three community organizations that she supports: Congress of Communities, a resident-led organizing and advocacy agency that facilitates solutions addressing community needs and concerns; Detroit Champions of Hope, which champions the importance of early childhood care while stressing the importance of parents, caregivers and child care providers as a child's first teachers, and the Mexican Patriotic Committee of Metro Detroit, which promotes Mexican arts and cultural activities, including the Miss Mexico Pageant, an event that symbolizes an ongoing commitment to empowering young women in the community. With everything Gonzalez has going on, after a long day of activities and meetings, during the evening of July 1, Gonzalez was still excited to talk about foods that will be enjoyed in her community over the holiday weekend. The word "yummy" was repeated constantly by Gonzalez as she described carne asada, a traditional Mexican dish composed of marinated skirt steak or flank steak that has been grilled and thinly sliced. But after all the grilled food is eaten, Gonzalez says there is another far more simple dish that she will be looking forward to that members of any any community can whip up, and that is Fresas con Crema — strawberries and cream. Gonzalez likes to make the dish using Cool Whip with blueberries on top,. But more than that, she says, the presence of food favorites during a holiday or anytime is a sure sign that good things are going on in a community. More: Sip and savor: Discover 10 perfect Michigan beer and food pairings "In our community, we enjoy our food," Gonzalez said with a spark in her voice, even after participating in a late community meeting minutes before. "Even if it's just chips and salsa, or fruit; whenever we come together for anything, we'll have food. It's one of our favorite things to do. It's a source of joy and unity." More: Forgotten Harvest CEO: 'Big, beautiful bill' would leave food banks overwhelmed | Opinion Scott Talley is a native Detroiter, a proud product of Detroit Public Schools and a lifelong lover of Detroit culture in its diverse forms. In his second tour with the Free Press, which he grew up reading as a child, he is excited and humbled to cover the city's neighborhoods and the many interesting people who define its various communities. Contact him at stalley@ or follow him on Twitter @STalleyfreep. Read more of Scott's stories at Please help us grow great community-focused journalism by becoming a subscriber. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Making a holiday dish is another way these Detroiters do a good deed
CBS News
21-06-2025
- CBS News
Detroit police seeking individual accused of smashing car windows outside nursing home
Man arrested after two Southgate police officers shot; heat wave in the forecast; other top stories Man arrested after two Southgate police officers shot; heat wave in the forecast; other top stories Man arrested after two Southgate police officers shot; heat wave in the forecast; other top stories The Detroit Police Department says an individual is wanted for allegedly smashing car windows on Wednesday in the parking lot of a nursing home. Police say that at about 1:37 a.m. on June 18, the person was in the 5200 block of Connor and smashed the rear windows of two cars before running away. DPD released photos of the suspect and is asking for the public's help in locating the person. Anyone with information is asked to contact DPD's fifth precinct at 313-596-5540, Crime Stoppers at 800-Speak Up or Detroit Police Department
CBS News
09-06-2025
- CBS News
Family sues Detroit police, claims woman was fatally wounded by officers responding to block party shooting
A $25 million lawsuit alleges that two Detroit police officers responding to a block party shooting last summer recklessly fired shots into a crowd, fatally wounding a 19-year-old woman. The federal lawsuit was filed on behalf of Imani Peterson's family on June 3 against the Detroit Police Department and the city. Peterson attended a party on June 1, 2024, in the 16000 block of Trinity Street. Just before 2 a.m., police received multiple 911 calls about shots fired in the area of Trinity and Florence Streets. The lawsuit alleges that the responding officers entered a dimly lit yard and fired shots "with total disregard for the safety of the many party attendees." Peterson died two weeks later on June 15. According to the lawsuit, medical examiners determined her death was a homicide. "The reckless callous actions of Officer 'A' and/or Officer 'B' constitute an excessive force in violation of decedent Imani Peterson's civil rights and her right to life as a 19-year-old woman," read the lawsuit. "As a direct and proximate result of Officer 'A' and Officer 'B' wrongful use of excessive deadly force on June 1, 2024, plaintiff decedent Imani Peterson was struck by a bullet to her abdomen with complications, leading to her death from gunshot wounds." CBS News Detroit contacted DPD for a statement. The department says it does not comment on pending lawsuits. The lawsuit accuses the city of Detroit of failing to "adequately supervise, monitor and train its officers" and "deliberately destroying and/or failing to retain evidence regarding this incident." In November 2024, Police Chief Todd Bettison announced that an officer who responded to the block party was placed on "no-gun status" after an investigation determined she wounded two bystanders in the process. Bettison said the female officer encountered two assailants and fired about five shots, hitting two women, ages 20 and 23, who were unintended targets. One of the assailants was also shot by the officer. Police said all three people suffered non-life-threatening injuries. "To say the officers' approach was dangerous would be an understatement, meaning the scene was chaotic. The scene was loud. People were screaming, some were in pure distress," Bettison said at the time. NOTE: The video above previously aired on Nov. 27, 2025.
CBS News
30-05-2025
- Automotive
- CBS News
Teens arrested after driving off with gas pump attached to stolen car in Detroit, police say
Four teens were taken into custody after Michigan State Police attempted to check on a stolen car that was fueling up at a gas station in Metro Detroit, the Michigan State Police reported. The suspects were ages 13, 15, 17 and 17. The pursuit began about 1:35 a.m. Friday, near 8 Mile Road and Ward Street, after troopers noticed a stolen Lincoln passenger car parked at a Marathon gas station fuel pump. When troopers turned on the cruiser's emergency lights, two people ran out of the car. The driver sped off with the gas pump still attached to the car and one passenger still inside. Additional state troopers arrived to give chase. The two suspects who had run through the neighborhood, including some backyards, were caught and taken into custody. In the meantime, the Detroit Police Department located the car that had fled from the scene, arresting the driver and the passenger who remained inside. All four were taken to the Detroit Police 12th Precinct for investigation of the stolen vehicle. Because of their ages, Michigan State Police contacted Wayne County Juvenile Detention Center to see if they could be taken into custody. Those arrangements could not be made, and as a result, all four were turned over to their guardians. Michigan State Police said they plan to submit a petition to Wayne County for a decision on charges.
