Detroit's abandoned vehicle crackdown; Whitmer says no to VP; Strong storms in area; more

Hey there! Happy Wednesday.

🌩️ It'll be 81 degrees today, humid with intervals of clouds and sunshine. There's a possibility of another heavy thunderstorm this afternoon, one day after heavy storms flooded several metro Detroit freeways .

🎧 Prefer to listen to the news? Here are today's top stories .

Detroit's abandoned vehicle crackdown

At his State of the City address in April, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan announced a plan to remove junk and abandoned cars across the city. That plan is now in full swing.

Crews are going after vehicles that are parked on lawns or abandoned — defined as unmoved after 48 hours parked on a public street — Dana Afana reports . For cars on private property, vehicles will likely be impacted by whether residents report violations or not. However, not all residents are aware of the consequences that may be incurred after leaving an abandoned vehicle out, nor are they acquainted with what their options are.

Here's more on what's happening and why .

Also worth reading

🔵 Politics: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, whose new book is a hit nationwide , flatly denied reports Tuesday that Vice President Kamala Harris requested vetting materials from her and several other Democrats shortlisted to be her running mate. "I am not interested in doing other than this job for the next two and a half years," she said to reporters . Also, check out what is in the $23.4 billion education budget Whitmer signed into law Tuesday .

📰 News: The ex-CFO of the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy has been allotted nearly $3,500 per month for living expenses, but he says the allowance isn't nearly enough . William Smith is currently under investigation for allegedly embezzling $40 million from the nonprofit to fund his lavish lifestyle.

✈️ Travel: Delta Airlines is under federal investigation after the fallout of last week's global tech outage, US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg announced. Travelers at Detroit Metropolitan Airport and across the country were still experiencing disruptions with Delta flights as of Tuesday.

🚗 Business: General Motors reported strong earnings — to the tune of $4.4 billion in pretax profits — for the second quarter of 2024. The company will increasing its yearly expected earnings as a result.

🎹 Entertainment: Looking for family friendly fun? The Detroit Zoo is kicking off its Wild Summer Nights concert series again, starting tonight until the end of August .

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit's abandoned vehicle crackdown; Whitmer says no to VP; Strong storms in area; more