Detroit schools back in person, DJ John O'Leary's memorial, pedestrian killed in Nino Salvaggio parking lot

MONDAY NEWS HIT - Detroit schools are back in session for some of the first in-person learning permitted this month after the district went remote at the start of the new year. 

Concerns over the omicron variant and Covid spread in general coming off the holidays prompted the district to shut down school buildings to learning and have the students learn remotely for weeks. 

The surge hasn't necessarily fallen, but students are returning to class nonetheless. And DPSCD's big day will come with some major requirements among students. 

Among the rules for returning to class is parents must sign consent forms permitting their kids to partake in a regular testing program put on by the district. If they do not sign the form, then students will remain in a virtual setting.

According to the district, 92% of its students have returned their COVID-19 consent forms. The district called it a "positive indicator."

"We know we will still have positive cases. However, the use of weekly testing will allow early and asymptomatic detection and prevent the spread of the virus," read a note sent to parents. 

Other requirements expected include temperature checks, universal masking, daily symptom checks, social distancing, and additional hand sanitizing.

"Online learning is really not the best way to learn for our students and it's really about pivoting and returning to in-person learning," said Superintendent Dr. Nikolai Vitti.

A COVID-19 vaccine mandate for students is likely coming, but not until the next school year, officials have said.

Until that time, vaccines will be encouraged among students.

Teachers and staff have their own schedule to stick to. They'll have to be vaccinated by Feb. 18 as part of the district's mandate. 

In coordination with local public health groups, DPSCD has dozens of vaccination drives available for any interested in getting a shot. The next slot is 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Feb. 1 at Pershing HIgh School in Detroit.

Learn more here. 

Cases appear to be trending downward in much of Metro Detroit and Michigan's more populated counties. However, the case threshold everywhere remains very high. While new cases and hospitalizations appear to be plateauing, they're doing so at some of the pandemic's highest rates ever reported. 

Legendary DJ John O'Leary's memorial sends proceeds to Oxford

The life of John O'Leary, legendary Motor City rock DJ, was celebrated on Jan. 30 at the Token Lounge in Westland. John was fatally stabbed by his roommate on Nov. 21, 2021. His roommate was arrested for his murder.

"We really thought we needed to put an exclamation point on his life and his friendship with everybody and his legacy," said Doug Podell, a longtime radio personality and friend of John's.

John was a fixture on Motor City rock radio for four decades. He was also an announcer for the Oxford High School hockey team for many years.

All proceeds from the event benefited the Oxford Community Memorial and Victims Fund.

Woman dies after being hit by car in a Nino Salvaggio parking lot

On Jan. 30, a woman is deceased after being struck by a car in a Nino Salvaggio parking lot.

The pedestrian was walking through a back parking lot when she was hit at the location on Telegraph Road in Bloomfield Twp. The car was a Lincoln MKC driven by an 83-year-old man.

The woman was taken to a nearby hospital where she later died. She was 50-years-old.

Bloomfield Township Traffic Investigations Unit is currently investigating the cause of the crash. Speed and alcohol do not appear to be a factor. Anyone who witnessed the crash is asked to call the Bloomfield Twp Police Department at (248)433-7755.

Orion woman dead, 3 others injured in crash

A crash in mid-Michigan left one woman dead and three others with serious injuries after a driver believed to be impaired failed to stop at an intersection when they struck another vehicle. Michigan State Police investigating the crash in Shiawassee County said a Dodge Durango was northbound when struck a Saturn Vue on Jan. 29 around 9:30 p.m.

Both the 25-year-old driver from Dearborn and the 32-year-old passenger from Taylor in the Dodge Durango sustained serious injuries from the crash. The Vue, which was traveling westbound carrying two adults and an infant, was struck at the intersection of M-21 and Vernon Road in Venice Township. 

The Vue's driver was a 20-year-old man from Orion who sustained life-threatening injuries. The female passenger, a 28-year-old woman also from Orion died as a result. The infant passenger in the Vue was properly restrained in a child safety seat and was uninjured. 

While the crash remains under investigation, police suspect both speed and alcohol played factors in the crash. Police from the department's Flint post, as well as members of the Venice Township Fire Department, the Corunna Police Department and ambulance service, as well as the Owosso Fire Department Ambulance Service responded to the crash. 

Michigan gas prices drop slightly

Filling up an average motorist's vehicle has fallen to $48 per 15-gallon tank, a $2 drop from it's reported high in 2021. That's the latest in AAA's weekly gas report that found Michigan gas prices had fallen by 2 cents from last week.

Drivers are paying on average $3.22 a gallon for regular unleaded gasoline. The most expensive prices were reported in Marquette, Metro Detroit, and Benton Harbor. Traverse City had the cheapest. 

Information from the Energy Information Administration reported gasoline stocks grew father than demand, which also rose slightly. Demand for gas remains at a typical range for a winter driving season. 

Among the geopolitical forces playing a role in your gas prices is the tensions between Ukraine and Russia, where concerns that the former will withhold energy systems could decrease supply and increase the cost of gasoline. 

What else we're watching

1. Stellantis is hosting a major hiring fair this week with positions available for hourly production operators at Metro Detroit facilities. Hired employees would help construct the Jeep and Ram vehicles. Starting pay is $15.98 an hour.
2. It's not just Detroit, but Wayne State University is also returning to in-person learning on Jan. 31. The president said in an email to students that cases had fallen enough that they could resume in-person classes.
3. Muskegon is set to return as a destination site for the Great Lakes cruises that roam Lakes Michigan and Huron. The west Michigan city expects to see a boost in tourism as a overnight stay for those that are traversing the region.
4. A survey of workers found 96% of them would take a pay cut to permanently work from home. A report using data from Atomik Research found that while the vast majority of workers would like the option to work from home, many fear they'd miss out on opportunities at the office.
5. A scene in Ypsilanti involving SWAT teams unfolded Sunday when law enforcement managed to approach a home for a situation. Read more here.

Live on FOX 2

Daily Forecast

Monday will be cold and Tuesday will be really warm. But the real action this week won't arrive until Wednesday night. It'll kick off a Winter Weather Watch that's been ordered through Thursday as several inches of accumulating snow is expected to fall. 

United Nations meeting on possible Russia invasion of Ukraine

The U.N. Security Council is scheduled to meet Monday for the first time on Russia’s troop buildup and threatening actions against Ukraine at the request of the United States, and all key players are expected to square off in public over the possibility of a Russian invasion and its global impact.

U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said Russia’s actions pose "a clear threat to international peace and security and the U.N. Charter." Council members "must squarely examine the facts and consider what is at stake for Ukraine, for Russia, for Europe, and for the core obligations and principles of the international order should Russia further invade Ukraine," she said Thursday in announcing the meeting.

Russia’s deputy U.N. ambassador Dmitry Polyansky responded angrily, tweeting: "I can’t recall another occasion when a SC (Security Council) member proposed to discuss its own baseless allegations and assumptions as a threat to intl (international) order from someone else. Hopefully fellow UNSC members will not support this clear PR stunt shameful for the reputation of UN Security Council."

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