Detroit vaccinations begin today, missing transgender woman found dead, House expected to impeach Trump

WEDNESDAY NEWS HIT - The day that Detroit residents have waited for almost 10 months has finally arrived. Four-hundred people will be inoculated with the COVID-19 vaccine on the city's first day of administering treatment.

A city scarred by the virus that tore through it in its earliest weeks, it became one of America's earliest hotspots for infection and one of the starkest examples of the systemic inequality that Black people face vs. that of other demographics. 

Now, after 1,734 confirmed deaths and more than 27,000 cases, the city begins to round the public health corner against a pandemic that has altered civilian life everywhere.

Beginning today, Detroit's oldest residents will travel to the TCF Center where they'll be prepped and poked with the Pfizer vaccine, the first of two doses. What a year it's been.

But even jumping one of the largest hurdles to create a vaccine doesn't mean more problems aren't on the way. A lot of finger-pointing has followed a disruptive rollout of the vaccine. Promises of millions of doses of the treatment have become over-promises. And getting the public to trust the vaccine will be another barrier to overcome.

Ask Mayor Mike Duggan, and he lays the blame at the feet of the federal government.

"(They) botched this from the beginning. They promised there would be 20 million vaccines by the end of December and they got 3 million done," he said during a press conference Tuesday.

With only a fraction of available treatments, counties and cities have been forced to ration what they have, promising it to the elderly and essential workers - like teachers and cops. 

If someone is 75 and wants a vaccine, they'll be the priority. After scheduling an appointment at the city's call center, they'll need an ID, a pen, something to write on, and a short-sleeve shirt to get their injection. 

For most others, they'll need to be patient as production kicks into gear to manufacture more treatments.

Michigan 'likely' to resume in-person dining Feb 1

Closed since before Thanksgiving, restaurants may finally be seeing some salvation when they're likely to reopen doors on Feb. 1.

That's what a Facebook post from the Michigan Licensed Beverage Association read after communications with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's team convened on an appropriate reopening time.

More details are expected in a Wednesday press conference from the governor.

"The reopening would likely take place beginning February 1, giving owners time to work with supply chain and figure out staffing. It will likely include a limited capacity and curfew, and then possibilities for restaurants that take additional public health measures to have a higher capacity limit," it said.

When Whitmer shut down indoor dining on Nov. 15, health officials were ready for the coronavirus's worst surge to date. The virus didn't hold back and pushed daily caseloads well beyond their spring 2020 peaks. 

While concerns of a post-holiday surge remain in the minds of many, COVID-19 infection has fallen dramatically since peaking in early December.

Natasha Keianna, missing transgender woman found dead in car

Detroit police said Tuesday they discovered the body of Natasha Keianna, the missing transgender woman who was found dead in her car.

Missing since just after Christmas, she was last spotted in her White Saturn SUV while leaving a motel on Eight Mile near Greenfield. 

Police discovered her remains inside her vehicle on Detroit's west side at Coyle and Vassar. Law enforcement said the body showed no signs of decomposition and there was no evidence of trauma or foul play. A medical examiner is expected to make an official announcement after investigating.

A neighbor said that the vehicle had been parked in front of his family's home for about two weeks and said he called police "a couple of times."

"A week, my baby sat there in the car a week and froze to death," her mother said. "This lady kept calling Detroit police and they never came out."

Cautiously optimistic reactions from Flint after report of charges

Residents of Flint were skeptical but cautiously optimistic after a report saying Michigan planned on charging its former governor and several others in a probe connected to the water crisis there six years ago.

After a mind-boggling decision to drop the case's current charges last year so the Attorney General's office could start again, the Associated Press reported Tuesday that Dana Nessel will bring charges against former Gov. Rick Snyder and others involved in the crisis.

"I want to get excited and get my hopes up but they have been dashed so many times with what they think is justice," said Melissa May, Flint resident and activist.

Brian Lennon, an attorney representing Governor Rick Snyder sent FOX 2 a statement which reads in part. 

"It is outrageous to think any criminal charges would be filed against Gov. Snyder. Any charges would be meritless, coming from an administration that claims to be above partisan politics. It is deeply disappointing to see pure political motivation driving charging decisions."

Delivery driver shot during carjacking

Royal Oak police said a delivery driver bringing groceries to a residence Tuesday evening was shot in the leg after two suspects robbed him and stole his car.

Around 9:27 p.m., police said the victim had traveled to the 700 block of S. Gainsborough when he was approached by two men. They demanded the victim's keys, wallet, and cellphone. 

The victim complied and as he was running away, one of the suspects shot him in the leg.

Both suspects fled in the victim's vehicle - a gray 2007 Toyota Camry - heading south on S. Gainsborough.

The license plate reads 5MPN71. One suspect is described as a black male, 5-foot-11-inches, and 160 pounds. The second is a black male, 5-foot-10-inches, 190 pounds. Both suspects are believed to be in their early to mid-20s.

The victim's injury was non-life-threatening and was taken to the hospital. 

Other Stories

1. An attorney who challenged Grosse Pointe Shores over his Black Lives Matter yard sign is receiving hate mail for the case. He believes the correspondence is a hate crime. 
2. Lavondria and Ebbie Herbert celebrated their first Christmas without their child, who they lost to COVID-19 last year. They also just received the vaccine's first dose.
3. Tracie Moonen was traveling northbound on I-75 when falling concrete crashed into her windshield. It gave both her and her daughter a fright.
4. The 3-year-old Pontiac toddler that was reported endangered and missing after her mom took her was found safe in Atlanta.
5. A hardy Midwestern bird has flown off the endangered species list after spending three decades under federal protection. Long live the interior least tern.

Live on FOX 2

Daily Forecast

And here is your mid-week warm-up. Temperatures will climb to 43 today and 41 tomorrow. Then expect the first snow in more than a week on Friday.

McConnell furious with president, thinks impeachment will help 'rid' GOP of Trump and his movement

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell 'is done' and 'furious' with President Trump a source familiar confirmed to Fox News.

The source told Fox News that McConnell has shared with associates that impeachment will help rid the Republican Party of Trump and his movement.

It is unclear how McConnell would vote in an impeachment trial, should House Democrats vote to impeach Trump. It is not clear at this point whether McConnell would vote to convict.

Meanwhile, other sources told Fox News that there is "no love lost there."