Exclusive interview with Trump, thief steals Old English Bulldogs from breeders, Detroit's last census effort
TUESDAY NEWS HIT - "A young man - they are all our brothers and sisters who are risking their lives for us," said Daine Cross, speaking through tears. "It hurts. It hurts a lot."
Cross, a spokesperson for the transportation department, was among the many MDOT employees speaking on behalf of one of their own who was killed in a hit-and-run Monday afternoon.
Around 3 p.m., a Chesterfield Township man working behind two orange county trucks was laying material down along the shoulder of I-94 near Nine Mile heading eastbound when he was struck by an unknown vehicle. He died instantly.
Michigan State Police shut the road down for hours to investigate as they put out a southeast Michigan-sized call for anyone who saw something to speak up. So far, MSP has received a lot of tips.
"A lot of them are describing a white-in-color box truck that may have been involved in this incident, but I don't want anybody to narrow their focus to that," said Lt. Mike Shaw, "we are looking for witnesses that actually saw the crash if possible."
There was a lot of traffic at the time, leading Shaw and other officers hopeful that somebody saw something.
Any workers also along the construction zone didn't see the impact. One worker on the scene told state police he heard a thump, turned, and saw his coworker on the ground. But any evidence of the driver involved was nowhere to be seen.
The Macomb County road crew had been contracted by MDOT to inspect a manhole cover at the time.
"If you're the party that was involved in this incident, turn yourself in," Shaw said. "You may not have knowledge that this occurred, you may have continued on your way based on the size of your vehicle. You may have found it later or found some damage to your vehicle, or possibly some blood on the side of your car. It is a lot easier to give us a call and turn yourself in so we can take a look at exactly what happened."
Exclusive 1-on-1 interview with President Donald Trump
FOX 2 will host an exclusive interview with the president Tuesday morning to discuss a range of issues most resonating with voters during the 2020 election cycle.
The 20-minute interview is set for 10:30 a.m. from the White House, where Roop Raj and President Donald Trump will cover a breadth of subjects, from his Office's COVID-19 response and the newly vacant U.S. Supreme Court seat to his confidence in the election process and even Big 10 football.
With 42 days left until the election in November, campaign season is nearing the final stretch during a busy 2020. With both Trump and his challenger former Vice President Joe Biden making daily visits around the country, each candidate is making their last arguments for why they deserve your vote.
Viewers can watch the interview online here.
Kamala Harris visiting Flint, Detroit Tuesday
Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris is planning on making trips to Flint and Detroit during a campaign stop in Michigan on Tuesday.
The California Senator will visit small businesses in Flint earlier in the day before traveling to host a roundtable conversation in Detroit for a "Shop Talk" discussion with Black men.
Her visit to Michigan underscores the significance of the state in the election. Both candidates believe the 16 electoral votes available are up for grabs after an improbable Blue streak of Michigan voting Democratically for decades came to an end four years ago.
Harris' visits to Flint and Detroit also highlights part of the campaign's tactics of boosting turnout in urban centers that failed to show up in the 2016 election.
Old English Bulldog puppies stolen from breeders
"The only thing I can think about, is how stupid I was to set up anywhere, other than a police department."
That's dog breeder Teresa Grimley heartbroken after receiving a frantic phone call from her son Friday night telling her two of their old English Bulldog puppies had been stolen out of their SUV.
"It's not about the money, this is about the puppies," she said. "They are still suckling from the mother and even if they weren't, they need that nurturing until eight weeks."
The family had been contacted by a potential customer who wanted to see the puppies in person before putting a deposit down. Grimley said after her 22-year-old son and husband pulled up to a parking lot at a McDonald's on Linwood near Davison in Detroit, she got the call.
"He said, 'I'm telling you, mom, we were sitting in the Jeep, the back door opened, the guy grabbed the dogs,'" she said.
Grimley says the man ran off before jumping in a van that drove away.
Ann Arbor votes to decriminalize psychedelic mushrooms
A push to legalize magic mushrooms and other plant-based hallucinogens cleared a big hurdle on Monday when the Ann Arbor City Council approved a resolution to decriminalize the drug.
In a unanimous vote, the council voted in favor of the ordinance now essentially, possession and use of magic mushrooms and other psychedelic plants are the lowest priority of police officers.
The ordinance goes as far as to say no resources should be devoted to the investigation and arrest of the alleged offenses.
"2020 has been a year where people have recognized there is a little bit too much power in policing and there are better ways to approach some of these situations," said Myc Williams, head of Decriminalize Nature Ann Arbor.
Detroit placing U.S. Census kiosks around city
With the city's self-response rate for the U.S. Census just over 50%, Detroit stands to lose millions in federal funding if more residents don't fill out the decennial survey.
Struggling to boost its response rate after a lackluster showing in 2010, officials have campaigned hard to increase awareness about filling out the census.
Already a challenge in a poor city, the coronavirus has made outreach efforts tricky for many in Detroit.
In a last-ditch effort to boost responses, the city has placed 35 census kiosks around the city in key locations. The idea is to make it easier for residents to fill it out if they don't have access to a computer.
"The census website is very secure, (it) is the most protected information in the federal government," said Victoria Kovari, Detroit 2020 Census Campaign.
Daily Forecast
A perfect day helps kick off the fall season with temperatures forecasted for the high 70s and almost no chance of rain.
Michigan’s ‘tale of two electorates’: Experts say it’s a close, competitive race between Biden and Trump
Four years ago, President Donald Trump did the unthinkable: He cracked the foundation of Michigan’s “blue wall.”
Trump accomplished this in a state that had voted Democratic in six consecutive presidential elections from 1992 through 2012. Now, predicting where the pendulum will swing in 2020 is “the $64,000 question,” says David Dulio, a political science professor at Oakland University in Rochester Hills, Michigan.
“It’s going to be close,” Dulio said.
When asked in August who would likely win if the election was held today, Dulio said, “We’ve seen polling that has former Vice President Biden in the lead here in Michigan, but we’ve had some prominent Democrats come out and express a little skepticism in those polls, including Congresswoman Debbie Dingell and our Governor Gretchen Whitmer, have both said that they don’t buy that and that they think it’s really tight here.”