Wind advisory Thursday, shady contractors get sentenced, suspect in Team Wellness guard's murder missing
THURSDAY NEWS HIT - After a break in the cold with Wednesday's warm spell, Thursday will bump up the craziness of Michigan spring weather with strong winds throughout the day.
A Wind Advisory for all of Southeast Michigan will be in effect until 2 p.m. this afternoon. Gusts of 20-25 mph from the southwest are expected, with the worst of the wind coming in the early morning.
The wind gusts will be severe enough to blow unsecured objects, tree limbs might be knocked down, and a few power outages might happen.
According to DTE's outage map of Southeast Michigan, some 26,000 customers had their power knocked out, with hotspots near Clinton, Monroe, and Sterling Heights.
With the wind will also come rain, likely before 11 a.m.
Temperatures will settle in at a moderate 43 degrees by 5 p.m.
There's also a chance for rain before 11 p.m. tonight and potentially some snow after midnight.
Massive fire breaks out at Melvindale warehouse
A warehouse in Melvindale was left a pile of smouldering debris after a blaze that started at midnight tore through the structure Thursday morning. By early morning, the Allen Road-based warehouse was completely engulfed in flames.
While no injuries were reported, residents in the area of Allen Road and Outer Drive were asked to shelter in place as firefighters worked to dampen the fire.
The blaze at the warehouse, which already had enough fuel to burn due to the location acting as a printing place for t-shirts, was difficult to put out due to chemicals, strong winds, and the inability to turn off gas.
The nearby street was closed to traffic. By 6:30 a.m., most of the flames were gone. It's unclear what started the fire.
What's in the $4.7 billion infrastructure bill?
Michigan is investing more than $4.7 billion to improve infrastructure, including drinking water upgrades, internet access and fixing roads, bridges and dams. The spending plan includes some of the biggest infrastructure investments in state history, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Wednesday before signing the bipartisan legislation in Grand Rapids.
About $4 billion comes from federal funds, including COVID-19 recovery funds and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The spending plan includes more than $2 billion to be invested in clean drinking water, wastewater and other water infrastructure projects. Midland and Gladwin counties will receive $210 million for dam repairs and another $40 million will be used to address dam repairs and removals elsewhere in the state.
Dam failures in Midland and Gladwin counties resulted in 10,000 people being evacuated from their homes as floodwaters from torrential rain brought destruction to the area in spring 2020. The plan also includes $325 million to replace lead service lines, a portion of which will be used to remove all lead service lines in Benton Harbor, which reported elevated levels of lead in its water.
Michigan also plans to spend $250 million to expand internet connectivity. Transportation is getting a $645 million investment to improve bridges, roads and public transportation among other things. Whitmer said 19 road projects are already slotted under the infrastructure plan to be built in the next few years. The plan allocates $450 million for state and local parks to reinvigorate tourism after the COVID-19 pandemic limited travel.
Shady contractors sentenced after home remodeling disasters
A contractor who scammed numerous people is headed to jail and his wife, who helped him, was sentenced to probation. Darrin Ballard was a conman featured in a FOX 2 Hall of Shame story in 2020. After the story aired, more victims came out of the woodwork.
And with more stories came more evidence. And while Darrin was getting busted, his wife tried covering for him and taking off some heat. That just implicated her in the scheme instead.
Among the most audacious examples was when they promised to build a woman a new kitchen. Instead, they demolished the room and left her alone, in a wheelchair, in a pandemic, in a house with no kitchen or flooring.
Warren police saw the story and soon arrested the pair. Last month, Caroline Ballard pleaded no contest to being a contractor without a license, a misdemeanor, and no contest to attempted false pretenses more than a thousand dollars. She was sentenced last week to probation, community service and restitution to her victims, including Francine, of almost $14,000. Darrin will get a year in county jail.
Security guard murdered at Team Wellness
It was a tragic day at Team Wellness on Detroit's east side with two security guards shot on the job this afternoon. One is dead— the other is critically hurt. Tonight, co-workers who knew the security guard are in disbelief over the death of Diante Davis, who had been on the job at Team Wellness the last four years.
Davis, described as a good guy with a heart for the community, was 30 when he was killed on the job Wednesday afternoon. Detroit police say a man who was not affiliated with the mental health clinic walked up to security guards in an area where residents gather at the back of the building.
Police say the man had been there before and was asked to leave. But he came back, and that was when the shooting took place. He reportedly had a hand in his coat pocket and when they asked him to open it up, the suspect drew the weapon and fired. A statement from Team Wellness read:
"We are grateful to staff and law enforcement who quickly took action to address this dangerous situation. At this point, we are unsure why a visitor to our site would open fire, but we are working with law enforcement to get a better understanding of how and why this happened."
What else we're watching
- President Joe Biden is said to be considering releasing a million barrels of oil from the nation's stockpile to add a bit of cushion to the high gas prices in the U.S.
- What exactly is entrapment, and what are the pitfalls to this argument? It's what the defense is up against as they take the stand in the trial of the men accused of plotting to kidnap the governor. Read the explainer here.
- The Bush Park Bodega market is opening next week. But before the grand opening, media will get a peek inside the new grocery store Thursday.
- Charging info is likely in the case of a murdered homeless man in Oakland County where multiple suspects were arrested. The man was found covered by a plastic wrap and there was evidence he was tortured.
- A request by the Wayne County treasurer to halt foreclosures for certain properties was granted this week when a judge ruled to put a moratorium on homes with back taxes until March 2023.
Live on FOX 2
Daily Forecast
Wind, a little rain, and unforgiving temperatures are on the docket for Thursday. Conditions don't look to get much better over the weekend with clouds and temperatures in the high 40s.
Damaging Winds Possible Thursday Morning
Strong possibly damaging winds are possible this morning and early this afternoon in Metro Detroit. Wind gusts could exceed 40 to 50 mph along with light rain showers. Temperatures are also expected to fall through the day. You'll wake up to temperatures in the 50s and 60s but by your drive home from work, expect temperatures in the 40s. A few snowflakes are possible on Friday.
Biden marks Transgender Day of Visibility with new actions to expand ‘X’ gender marker availability
President Joe Biden is commemorating Transgender Day of Visibility by celebrating prominent transgender Americans and advocating against what his administration terms "dangerous anti-transgender legislative attacks" that have passed in statehouses across the country.
Biden on Thursday is announcing new measures aimed at making the federal government more inclusive for transgender people, including a new "X" gender marker on U.S. passport applications beginning on April 11 and new Transportation Security Administration scanners that are gender-neutral.
The Democratic president's administration is working to expand the availability of the "X" gender marker to airlines and federal travel programs and will make it easier for transgender people to change their gender information in Social Security Administration records.
Visitors to the White House will soon also be able to select an "X" gender marker option in the White House Worker and Visitor Entry System, which is used to conduct screening background checks for visitors to the executive mansion.
"Transgender Americans continue to face discrimination, harassment, and barriers to opportunity," Biden wrote in a proclamation marking the day. "In the past year, hundreds of anti-transgender bills in States were proposed across America, most of them targeting transgender kids. The onslaught has continued this year. These bills are wrong."