Detroit turnout on election day • Massive FCA recall • Vigil for brothers killed in Inkster fire

FRIDAY NEWS HIT - Votes haven't been tallied, but there are already a few conclusions that can be gleaned from the pre-election processes unfolding across Michigan. What may be the most significant is a drastic fall in expected turnout in Detroit.

The city clerk said to expect between 28-33% turnout in Detroit - about a 10% drop-off from the 2018 Midterms, which represents tens of thousands of potential votes. 

Daniel Baxter, who will run Detroit's election systems this Nov. 8 said he thinks the majority of absentee votes will be counted by 10 p.m. If residents recall two years prior, the surge of absentee votes delayed the election results in the city and thus the state's votes for president. 

Absentee ballots will still play a factor as they were requested at a much higher rate than the previous midterm - likely due to the ballot proposal passed that year that allowed for no-reason absentee voting. 

Here's what else is ongoing in election news:

• Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson advised the public to be wary of misinformation that spreads following the closing of polls on election day, saying bad actors may play on the uncertainty between the 8 p.m. Tuesday night and when the races are called.
• A judge listened during a hearing on a lawsuit seeking to discount mail-in votes in Detroit Thursday. A lawyer for Kristina Karamo shouted at Judge Timothy Kenny and complained he was being painted as a racist for representing the case.
• The Michigan Supreme Court reinstated poll challenger guidance that had been used during the primaries for the general election after a lower court suspended the rules. The guidance requires challengers to get increased credentialing and banned electronics in absentee counting boards
• Even with just days before the election, there are still plenty of options for voting. That includes the day of if someone is sick. If someone is sick or injured on election day, they can request an emergency absentee ballot and have someone deliver the written request to the ballot before 4 p.m. at the clerk's office.

Vigil held for 2 teen brothers killed in Inkster house fire

A vigil was held for two teens who died in a house fire in October over the night. While the solemn evening was a time for mourning and remembering, many who knew Alex and Anthony Hall still don't have the words to describe their feelings.

"They were both great kids," Shannon Hall, the boy's mom said. "Very happy. Lost their lives way too soon." The tragic fire happened on the 27100 block of Florence in Inkster.

"I got off work. I came home. The house was black," she said. "I went in and there was smoke and I didn’t realize what was going on in my house. But, I called 911 when I saw my son on the floor, which looked like he was sleeping, but there was smoke everywhere."

A release of balloons - as family and friends looked to the heavens. But the family is also looking to Metro Detroit and beyond for help with their GoFundMe page, so they can say their final goodbyes.

Massive Takara airbag recall impacting 250K FCA cars/trucks

A problem with the defective Takata airbags is that they can rupture a metal canister inside when they deploy and send shrapnel into the car, causing serious injury and even death.

Do not drive: That's the message Fiat Chrysler is sending owners of 2005-2010 Dodge Magnums, Chargers, Challengers, and Chrysler 300s, if they have yet to address the Takata driver-side airbag recall.

FCA’s warning comes after three people died in separate crashes in which the Takata airbags exploded-sending shrapnel into drivers. There are more than 250,000 vehicles with defective airbags, the company said.

FCA is offering free driver-side airbag replacements at certified FCA dealerships. The repair takes less than an hour. More than 30 people have died from exploding Takata airbags around the globe-including 23 here in the US.

Autonomous pizza delivery in Birmingham

Brooklyn Pizza will take your call to order a pizza, but you may not see a human face at your door. The Birmingham pizza restaurant is testing out self-driving delivery robots that will travel within four miles of the business at the corner of Maple and Henrietta.

"When we made the first delivery, I mean the sense of accomplishment was – I couldn’t explain it in words," said Muthu Subramanian, senior director of advanced engineering at Magna International. Parts manufacturer Magna International went door-to-door asking local businesses if they wanted to try out the robot. 

When Brooklyn Pizza expressed they had a bit of a staffing shortage, the two companies teamed up. 

The goal of the pizza robot is to cut delivery costs and carbon emissions, Subramanian said. Using cameras and radar technology, the vehicle navigates traffic and obstacles on its way to customers. It can even reach up to 20 miles per hour.

Nurses at Trinity health to be terminated for not having Covid vaccine

A letter from a Michigan hospital system says it will be terminating any health care staff that aren't vaccinated against COVID-19. The Trinity health system said its goal was to "retain everyone by providing education to assure they meet the vaccine requirement" that were set in place by the the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. 

The hospital told FOX 2 it was working with a "small" number fo workers who aren't vaccinated or haven't been approved for an exemption.

That includes Katelyn Erdei, who said she was denied a religious exemption three times. "They say that I don't meet the criteria. When asked what this criterion is, they do not have an answer for me," she said. "To work through Covid, to have a healthcare hero sign placed in front of my lawn, and then to work for an organization that, their mission is to work in the spirit of the Gospel, and they are not valuing my spiritual beliefs."

While Covid has fallen to the background of issues in America, it remains a serious public health threat as it, along with RSV and influenza slam into hospitals. 

Live on FOX 2

Daily Forecast

It'll be a busy weather weekend with low 70s expected Friday and Saturday, along with blustery conditions, and rain throughout tomorrow afternoon and evening. Sunday should be a bit more normal.

What else we're watching

1. A group of people who say they were sexually assaulted and harassed by a UM employee known as the "Rock and Roll Professor" plan to discuss their experiences Friday. They are planning to bring legal action against the professor and the school.
2. The Dearborn City Clerk's office say they made a typographical error on its Arabic-language ballots that impacted 11 ballots. It appeared in the nonpartisan section of the ballot.
3. Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg is stumping for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in Ann Arbor Friday. Several other congresswomen and public officials will also be in attendance
4. There's norther Powerball drawing tomorrow night. A $1.5 billion jackpot awaits whomever scores the winning 6 numbers.
5. Tudor Dixon and Tom Barrett are also campaigning together Friday. They will be at a campaign event in Brighton this morning.

Netflix officially launches ‘Basic with Ads’ option

Netflix’s new ad-supported subscription plan launches today in the United States. The Basic with Ads option will cost $6.99 per month for U.S. subscribers.  

Under the plan, users will see four to five minutes of ads per hour on average, with the ads each being 15 or 30 seconds long, Netflix said. They will play before and during whatever title the user is watching.

People with the Basic with Ads subscription will be stuck with a "limited number" of TV shows and films "due to licensing restrictions" that Netflix said it is "working on." Users will also not be able to download entertainment to watch offline, according to the release.