Deadly crash in Deaborn, Phil Mickelson competing in Rocket Mortgage Classic, safety worries at Telway

THURSDAY NEWS HIT - Multiple fatalities were reported in Dearborn after an SUV lost control and crashed into area businesses early Thursday morning.

Two women have died and a third is in critical condition after the deadly crash on Schaefer Road.

Police say the crash was due to the vehicle speeding through downtown Dearborn.

The overnight crash happened around 1 a.m. when a white SUV traveling down Schaefer Road north of Michigan Avenue lost control and struck two businesses, leaving damage everywhere.

The front offices of a creative learning center and a local media company received the bulk of the damage. Scenes from the area hours later show windows and doors blown out. 

The media business, What's Up Media Network which is located at 4929 Schaefer Rd, posted a clip of the crash. In it, a truck slams into a tree and the front of the building.

"When I looked at this image, I said ‘buildings, you can repair. But (a) human being's life, you cannot bring it back. You cannot repair, you cannot bring it back,'" said Afaf Ahmad, who works with the company. "So that's what' hurts me a lot."

Footage of the wreckage shows a totaled SUV with the front bumper completely destroyed.

The victims were all women in their 40s.

Crews are expected to be out cleaning up the wreckage for some time.

Detroit woman wants to transform the old Civic Theater

Toni Glenn grew up on Detroit's east side, and yet she's never been inside the iconic Civic Theater. The former movie theater at 15298 Alma Ave. has been closed since she was a kid - a relic of an age long passed from the old days of the Motor City.

But Glenn wants to see part of those days restored. And she's starting with the historic locale and fixing up the theater. Together, she and her husband Tory see it as a lesson in civics.

"I think that's my wife's biggest thing - we have to clean it up. No one is going to fix it for us," said Tory. But the reality is that such a project will take a lot of support from the community and the city to complete. "It is very important that we take charge because can't afford to keep waiting," she said.

"We want to have a shelter or room and board for people who are running on hard times," she said. "We're looking to have daycare for single moms or dads, counseling, drug addiction counseling, and also job placement." To donate to the project, go HERE.

Chief James Craig reflects on his past

Detroit's outgoing police chief hinted at an unknown future awaiting him when he departs the force after spending 44 years in law enforcement. "Stay tuned FOX 2 Detroit," he teased in a one-on-one interview reflecting on his past in Detroit and the department he inherited years ago.

"I wish I had an answer for you," said James Craig regarding his future. It's no secret that he's been courted by the state Republican Party to run for governor against Gretchen Whitmer. He's confirmed as such. But all Craig would say is his career in public service isn't done yet. That was just one of the many subjects discussed during an interview that looked back on a career that started in 1977. 

"You can just sit there and be Black," he recalls his first partner telling him when he got on the job. Wise counsel from his father guided him during his younger years on the force. He eventually matured into the tough-on-crime chief after being hired to take over the department during one of its arguably lowest points in history. Only 10% of homicides were getting solved and 911 response rates lasted up to an hour. 

"Well, certainly they were tired, demoralized," Craig said. "DPD were defunded, they had 10 percent of their pay stripped. The officers on patrol, which was mind-boggling,  were forced into working 12-hour shifts."  

Michigan GOP amends absentee ballot bill

Michigan Republicans on Wednesday revised a contentious bill that would have required voters to attach a copy of their photo ID when mailing an absentee ballot application, saying they could include their driver's license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number instead.

It was the second time in weeks that the GOP-led Senate Elections Committee relaxed a key proposal in legislation that would tighten voting rules. Democrats said the measure remains flawed, would make it harder to vote and looks to solve nonexistent problems.

Voters currently seeking an absentee ballot must sign the application. The signature is matched to the signature in the voter file.

Meghan Reckling, chief of staff for Sen. Lana Theis, a Brighton Republican and sponsor of the bill, said not requiring proof of identity to request a ballot by mail is a "glaring loophole." It was not immediately clear why the measure was amended, though opponents had noted that not all voters can print a copy of their ID at home.

- Associated Press

Rocket Mortgage Classic lineup unveiled

Tickets are now on sale for the Rocket Mortage Classic golf tournament. Only a few years old, the golf competition is already promising some of the sport's greats will compete in the sport, including PGA Championship winner Phil Mickelson.

Only days after becoming the oldest pro to score a major championship at the age of 50, Mickelson is now expected to make an appearance at the early July event.

"Adding a player like Phil, along with the major champions and Top-50 players who have also committed, is shaping the strongest field in Rocket Mortgage Classic history," said Jason Langwell, the executive director of the Rocket Mortage Classic.

Also committed to competing is Bryson DeChambeau, Jason Day, Bubba Watson, and Rickie Fowler

Telway Hamburgers workers shaken by violent break-in attempt

A local fixture of Detroit food service was hit by a violent break-in attempt this weekend that has left employees concerned about the safety of their workplace. It's the latest in a string of incidents that have rattled the area.

"I don't know if it's the virus or if people have just lost their minds," said one employee who asked to be identified as Pam. She says she's been spit at and caught in a shootout over a 24-hour period.

Pam is worried about her identity because this weekend, six people acting belligerently tried to break into the restaurant. Three employees Sunday described it like a mob that included screaming and beating on the walls. Calls to police went unanswered for two days that law enforcement say is the result of 911 reports not getting relayed to officers.

An investigation into the incident and protocols at DPD is now underway as a result. But for the 77-year-old business, employees are now quitting and another is refusing to work nights over the concerns. Pam can't blame them though "because I don't even want to do it."

What else we're watching

1. The governor has appointed a State Historic Preservation Officer. He'll oversee an extensive array of landmarks and iconography in the state.
2. Bobcat Bonnies will close all its locations for a week to give staff a paid vacation. The five locations with 225 employees will all get a break after a brutal pandemic season.
3. Detroit has won part of a $30 million grant for affordable housing promised to five cities. Units will be built in Corktown.
4. Detroit Public Schools will make a Return To School announcement this morning at 10 a.m. Faith leaders and school officials will be in attendance
5. Michigan is making more progress with its COVID-19 spread, reaching levels akin to early fall levels. And just in time for the summer. 

Live on FOX 2

Daily Forecast

Michigan is heading for a quick cool down with temperatures reaching the high 60s today before a sharp drop Friday. Heavy rains are expected late tonight as well.

Biden orders US intelligence officials to 'redouble' efforts to find origin of COVID-19 pandemic

President Joe Biden on Wednesday ordered U.S. intelligence officials to "redouble" their efforts to investigate the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, including any possibility the trail might lead to a Chinese laboratory.

After months of minimizing that possibility as a fringe theory, the Biden administration is joining worldwide pressure for China to be more open about the outbreak, aiming to head off GOP complaints the president has not been tough enough as well as to use the opportunity to press China on alleged obstruction.

Biden asked U.S. intelligence agencies to report back within 90 days. He directed U.S. national laboratories to assist with the investigation and the intelligence community to prepare a list of specific queries for the Chinese government. He called on China to cooperate with international probes into the origins of the pandemic.

Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, have promoted the theory that the virus emerged from a laboratory accident rather than naturally through human contact with an infected animal in Wuhan, China.

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