DTE asks for rate hike • Teen critically hurt in rollover crash • 2 Baltimore bridge collapse victims ID'd

THURSDAY NEWS HIT - DTE prices could be going up again as the electric company plans to request a $426 million rate increase.

The request will be made to the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC), starting a 10-month process to approve or deny the request.

The increase, if approved in full, would equate to a daily increase of about 37 cents a day for the average residential customer, DTE said. This amount is the maximum increase the MPSC can approve.

DTE said its goal is to decrease power outages by 30%, and the company believes its changes would cut outage times in half over the next five years.

In December, the MPSC approved a $368 million rate increase for DTE after the company asked for a $622 million increase.

Teen in critical condition after rollover crash

A 17-year-old is fighting for his life after a single-vehicle rollover crash Tuesday night in Sterling Heights.

Police said the victim was driving south on Van Dyke when he lost control and struck the curb. His car rolled and slammed into a sign.

"It was shortly after 8 o’clock, we heard a bang," said Charlie Seip, a staff member at Holiday Pizza and a witness of the crash. "It was pretty loud. We thought it was some dishes falling in the back."

With the crash still under investigation, people who live and work along Van Dyke say it’s a reminder of how some cars go way too fast sometimes.

"It just happened all so quick," said Elie Keena, a friend of the victim. "I didn't believe it at first until I came. We saw the crash. His sister told us what happened. It was just all a shock."

2 Baltimore bridge collapse victims found and identified

Recovery efforts remain ongoing as dive teams search for four construction workers, who have been presumed dead after the Baltimore Key Bridge collapsed Tuesday morning.

Just before 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Maryland State Police Colonel Roland L. Butler, Jr. announced that they had found two of the victims who lost their lives.

Their bodies have been recovered and identified as 35-year-old Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, of Baltimore, and 26-year-old Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, of Dundalk.

Col. Butler said that the construction workers' bodies were found inside a red pickup truck submerged about 25 feet deep in the middle of the Patapsco River. 

Father to be sentenced after son shot self

A father is scheduled to be sentenced today after his 8-year-old shot himself in the head.

Kayvon Barrett pleaded guilty to second-degree child abuse in connection with the shooting that injured his son last fall. Three other counts of the same charge were dismissed.

The child got his hands on an unsecured gun, and prosecutors said numerous guns were inside the home.

Authorities said adults in the home didn't call 911 until 10 minutes after the shooting.

"Calls to 911 were delayed by 10 minutes," said 36th District Court Magistrate Malaika Ramsey-Heath during Barrett's arraignment. "The adults around were more concerned with their own problems."

Falcon and hawk hired to keep Detroit clean during draft

Bird poop is a concern during the NFL Draft in Detroit. The solution? A falcon and a hawk.

To clean downtown clean, Bedrock Detroit hired ScAir Force Falconry & Bird Abatement to scare away any starlings and pigeons with birds of prey and lasers.

Ruth, a Harris's hawk, and Yeti, a Saker falcon, are being used "as a visual cue to keep away" any invasive birds from Downtown Detroit, said Paul Thomas.

"(Starlings) sit there for 10 or 12 hours all night, just pooping down the side of the building," he said.

Ruth and Yeti have been visiting Campus Martius five nights a week to scare birds away.

"It'll take probably about a month to train (birds not to come back)," Thomas said. "That's essentially what we're doing. We're training them that you're not going to be able to sleep here, we're going to come through. We're going to shine lasers on you."

Live on FOX 2

Daily Forecast

Today will be dry and mostly sunny.

What else we're watching

1. An audit of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, which helps fund private development projects, was cited for not having enough safeguards in place to ensure grants are spent appropriately.
2. A Detroit man will spend 5-15 years in prison for firing a bullet that killed 11-year-old Saniyah Pugh in 2022. William Dickerson shot a bullet from outside a home, hitting Pugh as she slept inside.
3. A warrant was issued for a Detroit man who was charged in the 2021 fentanyl death of a Birmingham teenager after he didn't show up to court.
4. Two people are dead after a fire in Madison Heights on Wednesday.
5. A construction site accident killed a 21-year-old worker Wednesday morning in Redford Township.

USDA again asks for help squashing these invasive bugs

Once again, the U.S. government urges individuals to act against certain insect pests.

Not all bugs. Just a few particular invasive species, such as the spotted lanternfly and the spongy moth, threaten fruit crops and trees in the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Last year, Americans were asked to destroy any eggs or insects they found. The Department of Agriculture is again asking residents to be vigilant for spongy masses emerging outdoors "to help stomp out invasive pests this spring."

These spongy masses, identified as the eggs of the spotted lanternfly and gypsy moth, are described as "invasive insects with significant economic and environmental impacts," according to a notice released by the USDA earlier this month.