Another freeway shooting, Whitmer holding Thursday press conference, new mask mandate for high school sports

THURSDAY NEWS HIT - A red sedan covered in bullet holes came to a stop in a Harper Woods neighborhood Wednesday afternoon after gunfire broke out over the freeway.

The shooting took place on I-94 near the Eight Mile overpass around 3 p.m. When Michigan State Police identified the vehicle that stopped, they arrested one man who was armed while emergency crews rushed the passenger hurt in the gunfire to a nearby hospital. He remains in serious condition.

The investigation shut lanes down on I-94 for hours.

An incident that's become increasingly common on highways around Metro Detroit, Wednesday's shooting is the fifth that MSP have investigated in the last three weeks. 

During a search for evidence yesterday, troopers found two different kinds of caliber bullets. 

Even so, they have no description of what the second vehicle involved looks like. If you were in the area at the time of shooting and saw something, police would like you to give them a call.

Whitmer holding Thursday morning press conference

The governor is hosting a 10 a.m. press conference to give an update on COVID-19 in the state of Michigan. 

It'll be the first since she announced gyms and fitness centers could reopen. She also ordered face coverings for some high school sports yesterday after the high school athletic association gave the green light for contact sports to take place.

The governor's office hasn't confirmed any details about her presser but said she will be joined by leaders in education, business, labor, and workforce development, to announce the launch of a first of its kind initiative to help Michigan workers and their families during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. 

New reported cases are at 59 per million people per day, although most parts of the state show that number falling. At the same time, testing has been ramped up to 30,000 a day.

Mushrooms seen growing in Utica gym under leaky roof

A landlord's negligence is resulting in some pretty disturbing sights at a Utica gym, where mushrooms have spawned in the place of a leaky roof.

Zellador Gym and its managers are popular among its members for being a comfortable place to exercise. However, standing water from rain that poured on electrical wires forced the city to shut them down. 

Since then, the landlord has patched the leaks but didn't do a very good job, Liz Allen, the gym's president said.

Liz's partner Ty says the landlord, who goes by Sonny, ignores him and refuses to help. Other tenants of properties owned by American Property LLC have had problems as well.

Last year, Liz filed a suit against Sonny and his company for neglect of the property. Sonny filed a countersuit. Both cases are currently pending.

Man who broke into Eminem's home wanted to 'kill him,' police say

A man who broke into Eminem’s suburban Detroit home in April told the rapper that "he was there to kill him,” a police officer testified Wednesday.

A judge found enough evidence to send Matthew Hughes to trial on charges of home invasion and malicious destruction of property.

Hughes wasn’t armed when he was discovered in Eminem’s home in Clinton Township, Michigan. Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Mathers, was sleeping and thought the man was his nephew.

“When Mr. Mathers asked him why he was there, he was told by Mr. Hughes that he was there to kill him,” Officer Adam Hackstock told Judge Jacob Femminineo Jr.

New order mandates masks during high school competition

A new mask mandate from the Michigan governor would require high school athletes to wear protective coverings over their faces in sports where social distancing is not an option. 

That includes football, soccer, and volleyball. Sports like swimming, tennis, or cross country would be exempt.

The health department recommends people avoid playing contact sports due to the high risk they present concerning transmission. "For those who do choose to play organized sports, we expect you to follow these strict safety measures..."

Last week, the governor ordered gyms could reopen. Shortly after that, the state high school athletic association said sports like football could resume.

Detroit census response below 50%

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan says the census situation in the city is "scary" after warning that residents could miss out on hundreds of millions of dollars. 

"We are pushing the panic button," he said Wednesday.

The funds go toward school lunch programs, Medicaid, and roughly 300 other state and federal programs.

While the state's response rate is above 70%, the city's low rate would mean less representation in Lansing due to a reduced number of elected officials. 

"If we don't get counted we won't have 10 representatives and five senators, we will have eight representatives and three senators and the outstate areas will have extra representation," Duggan said. 

The census deadline is usually Oct. 31. However, the president shortened that by a month.

Daily Forecast

Another foggy start to the day Thursday with a predicted high of 68 degrees. The sunshine returns Friday.

Teacher deaths amid COVID-19 pandemic raise alarms as new school year begins

Teachers in at least three states have died after bouts with the coronavirus since the dawn of the new school year, and a teachers' union leader worries that the return to in-person classes will have a deadly impact across the U.S. if proper precautions aren't taken.

AshLee DeMarinis was just 34 when she died Sunday after three weeks in the hospital. She taught social skills and special education at John Evans Middle School in Potosi, Missouri, about 70 miles (115 kilometers) southwest of St. Louis.

A third-grade teacher died Monday in South Carolina, and two other educators died recently in Mississippi. It's unclear how many teachers in the U.S. have become ill with COVID-19 since the new school year began, but Mississippi alone has reported 604 cases among school teachers and staff.