Ann Arbor teacher layoffs approved • Missing teens found with 30-year-old man • Wind Advisory today

FRIDAY NEWS HIT - Despite pushback, layoffs are coming to the Ann Arbor Public Schools district in an attempt to balance a $25 million budget deficit.

The school board approved teacher layoffs after an hours-long meeting Thursday.

"Getting the job here has been like a dream, and now it's not even been a year and I don't know what's going to happen," said science teacher Geoff Lowes.

According to Interim Superintendent Jazz Parks, an increase in staffing, a drop in enrollment, and staff raises all contributed to the budget shortfall. The district has increased staff by 480 in the past 10 years, while enrollment has decreased by 1,123 students in the past four years.

"I've never seen the district in a position like this before. It breaks my heart," Fred Klein, the president of the Ann Arbor Education Association. "We've been talking to the district for years about the increase in staffing while we've watched the student enrollment decline."

Missing teens found with 30-year-old man

When police located twin sisters who had run away from home one month ago, they found them with a 30-year-old man with a criminal background – in a hotel in Allen Park.

The 14-year-old twins were reported missing by their father on March 8, after they failed to return to their home in the 1800 block of Robson Street in Detroit. Detroit police announced that the sisters were recovered and reunited with family on April 8.

A debit card number that was reported stolen out of Nebraska led police to the Comfort Inn off I-94 in Allen Park, where the sisters were found with Highland Park resident Marcus Peoples.

The stolen debit card information was used by Peoples to buy the hotel room that the twins were staying in, according to police.

The card belonged to a Nebraska teenager named Abigale, who got an alert text from her bank. She immediately told her mother, who then called the hotel and the Allen Park Police Department.

Gas station owner faces federal charges in fentanyl bust

A Detroit gas station owner is facing federal charges after an investigation led police to more than 90 pounds of fentanyl.

Last September, a Livonia police officer stopped a driver and discovered drugs in their vehicle. Through an investigation, officers then learned that 55-year-old Barry Willis, who the driver referred to as "Blue," allegedly sold heroin.

Police figured out the gas station "Blue" owned, and searched the business, his home in Clinton Township, and a stash house in Detroit.

Inside the stash house, police say they found more than 90 pounds of fentanyl, more than 6 pounds of cocaine, a pill press, drug packaging materials, scales, a handgun, and $18,000 in cash. Police said that fentanyl has a street value of about $4.5 million.

Willis is now charged federally with possession of over 400 grams of fentanyl with the intent to distribute it, possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of firearms by a convicted felon.

Wind Advisory today

From 8 a.m. through the rest of the day, the area is under a Wind Advisory.

Gusts of 45-50 mph are possible as rain continues to fall. 

These strong winds could lead to power outages and downed tree limbs.

The National Weather Service urges caution while driving if you drive a high-profile vehicle. Items outdoors should be secured as well.

Jury deliberates in trial of well-known tattoo artist

After hearing testimony Thursday, jurors are deliberating a sexual misconduct case against a well-known Metro Detroit tattoo artist.

Alex Boyko Boyko was charged with three counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct in late 2019 after an allegation that he fondled a woman while tattooing her in 2015.

Though the allegations from that client led to the charges, she isn't the only person to accuse Boyko of wrongdoing. Several witnesses took the stand Thursday to detail ways Boyko allegedly inappropriately touched them while tattooing them.

"This is not a civil case, this is a criminal case. They’re not here looking for money, they’re here looking for accountability," the prosecutor said in court.

But the defense painted a very different picture.

"You can see all the witnesses kinda know each other - it's a smear campaign," Boyko's defense attorney told the jury. "I ask that after you deliberate, to return the verdict of not guilty on all counts."

Live on FOX 2

Daily Forecast

Though today will be windy and wet, the weekend will be nice.

What else we're watching

1. The Detroit Zoo said a post offering a pack of tickets for a discount is a scam. The scam, which appears as a sponsored post on Instagram, advertises four tickets for $9.95 in celebration of the zoo's 100th anniversary.
2. Investigators with the Oakland County Sheriff's Office are investigating two shootings that happened this week at Pontiac's North Hill Farms Apartments.
3. Wixom residents can now easily reduce their food waste through a new curbside recycling program. Food scraps can be placed with yard waste to be picked up at the curb weekly.
4. The Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office is investigating the death of a 66-year-old woman in Ypsilanti Township. The woman was found dead Thursday in her home on Duncan.
5. It's the weekend! Find things to do here.

O.J. Simpson dies at age 76, family says

O.J. Simpson, the NFL running back who was later infamously acquitted of his ex-wife's murder, has passed away at the age of 76. His family confirmed the news on Thursday.

"Our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer," read a post on the official OJ Simpson X account. "He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren."

His attorney told TMZ that Simpson had died in Las Vegas. TMZ noted that Simpson was battling prostate cancer in recent years and had been in hospice care for the last few months.