MONDAY NEWS HIT - Incoming road work on I-94 will close the westbound shoulder on the freeway Monday as crews begin work on a project that will form the road into the "world's most sophisticated roadway."
Beginning Aug. 7, shoulder work in Western Wayne County between Belleville and Rawsonville roads will restrict access to vehicles. There will be no lane closures until September when the left lane is shut down for resurfacing.
The work on westbound I-94 is part of Michigan's connected and automated vehicle (CAV) corridor, which is overseen by mobility company Cavnue and will be the world's first of its kind.
When the work is complete, the left lane of I-94 in western Wayne County will be outfitted with digital infrastructure that's expected to cater to a mix of transportation forms, ranging from traditional transit vehicles to more advanced forms of movement like automated and electric cars.
It's only phase one of what's expected to be multi-year job with several phases.
According to its website, Cavnue will oversee four portions of Phase 1 construction of the CAV corridor, before completing phase two in I-94 that leads into Detroit, and phase 3 in Ann Arbor.
The route was selected to include other stops along the way, like Detroit Wayne Airport, Michigan Central Station, and the University of Michigan.
All lane restrictions will eventually lift by November.
Several arrests made in recreation center shooting
Police say they made several arrests after an investigation into a shooting at a recreation center in Wayne over the weekend. Suspects were taken into custody after multiple people started shooting at the Hype Athletic Center late Aug. 4. The details behind what prompted the violence are still being investigated, but police say it may be due to an argument between the two parties.
According to information released over the weekend, around 10:30 p.m. last Friday, officers responded to 4635 Howe Road for reports of a gunshot victim. When they arrived, they found a male teen from Inkster who was taken to Corewell Hospital in Dearborn. They are said to have non-life-threatening injuries.
The suspects in the shooting fled on foot before they were tracked by a K9 unit from Wayne police. Officers eventually came to a residence where they issued a search warrant in cooperation with the Western Wayne Special Operations Team.
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Multiple arrests made after Wayne athletic club shooting
Multiple people were arrested after a shooting at the Hype Athletic Club in Wayne Sunday evening. They were taken into custody after a K-9 unit tracked down the shooters following the incident which left an Inkster teen boy injured.
The venue was called a "valuable community partner" by police who said they had no reason to believe the shooting was caused by Hype Athletic Center. Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to contact Detective Bolton at mbolton@cityofwayne.com
Michigan gas prices hit 2023-high
Gas prices ticked up 9 cents from last week, setting a new annual high for 2023 as Michigan drivers are now paying $3.76 per gallon for regular unleaded fuel. It's 26 cents higher than this time last month.
That's no where close to where it was this time last year - however, it does add up to $56 for a 15-gallon tank of gas. Demand ticked up slightly last week, according to the Energy Information Administration. However, so did gasoline stocks as well.
The AAA in Dearborn says that lower gas demand and increasing supply will lead to prices slowing down.
The most expensive gas prices were in Ann Arbor where the average price for fuel was $3.82 a gallon. The cheapest is in Flint at $3.73 a gallon.
Vigil planned, suspect charged in Saline murder
The assisted living facility in Saline whose employee Amber Thomas was murdered last week plans to host a vigil to honor the woman after she was gunned down by an ex-boyfriend who ambushed her during a smoke break.
Heritage Property Management said Thomas "always put the residents first and many of her co-workers looked to her as a mentor." Barry Garza, 58 of Lenawee County, was arrested following a brief police chase last week. He was charged Saturday morning with open murder, and assault with intent to murder and was given no bond.
Thomas had previously had a Personal Protection Order approved against the alleged shooter on July 28, just days before Garza killed her.
The vigil honoring Thomas will be at Linden Square Monday at 2 p.m.
NASCAR Cup Series in Michigan suspended for rain
The NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday was suspended due to rain and was scheduled to resume Monday. The FireKeepers 400 began after a 1-hour, 43-minute rain delay. And 74 laps later, precipitation pushed the drivers out of their cars during a red-flag stoppage that lasted nearly an hour before the 200-lap race was postponed.
Shortly before the race was suspended, Tyler Reddick took the lead after a restart and was followed by Alex Bowman, Kyle Larson and points leader Martin Truex Jr.
Kyle Busch’s race ended after just 14 laps because he spun out and hit a wall after making side-by-side contact with Ryan Blaney. Truex, meanwhile, stayed on the track to take the lead. While Busch’s place in the playoff is secure with three wins, the next driver to crash 20 laps later is in a precarious position.
Chase Elliott, who lost control of the No. 9 Chevrolet with no one around him because of a tire failure, likely needs to win one of the last three races to earn a spot in the postseason. He raced for the title the last three years and won the Cup championship in 2020.
– Courtesy of the Assocated Press
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Daily Forecast
We enter a cool spell for the day as the beginning of the week will struggle to climb out of the 60s. That'll prove to be an exception to warmer days on the way. There's also rain expected Monday.
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More rain on the way
After a soggy Sunday rain moves out mid evening! More rain for Monday!
What else we're watching
- The Woodward Loop in Pontiac - the northern end of the busy roadway - will get a new makeover in the next couple of years. The public is invited to view a presentation by the state transportation department about turning it from one-way into a two-way road. It'll be held at the Bowen Center at 4:30 p.m.
- Roadwork that will rebuild the Fort Street bridge over Ecorse Creek in Detroit and Lincoln Park begins Monday. A $5.4 million project for the rebuild will close lanes Outer Drive. The total project is expected to be completed by late 2024.
- Officials from Chesterfield will unveil a plaque that honors new trees being planted at the Pollard Park through a $25,000 grant from CN Railways.
- It's bike safety week this week - and officials want to inform the public about the rise of fatalities involving cyclists that has been reported over the past three years. The Michigan Highway Safety Planning agency said fatal crashes had climbed 64% from 2017-2019.
- The EPA is hosting an environmental justice caucus from 5-7 p.m. at Huntington Place in Detroit this Monday. The forum will host people and groups hoping to speak directly with the federal government about race and the environment.
'Barbie' hits $1 billion in ticket sales, breaking record for female directors
Greta Gerwig should be feeling closer to fine these days. In just three weeks in theaters, "Barbie" is set to sail past $1 billion in global ticket sales, breaking a record for female directors that was previously held by Patty Jenkins, who helmed "Wonder Woman."
"Barbie," which Gerwig directed and co-wrote, added another $53 million from 4,178 North American locations this weekend and $74 million internationally, bringing its global total to $1.03 billion, according to studio estimates on Sunday. The Margot Robbie-led and produced film has been comfortably seated in first place for three weeks and it’s hardly finished yet. It crossed $400 million domestic and $500 million internationally faster than any other movie at the studio, including the Harry Potter films.
"As distribution chiefs, we’re not often rendered speechless by a film’s performance, but Barbillion has blown even our most optimistic predictions out of the water," said Jeff Goldstein and Andrew Cripps, who oversee domestic and international distribution for the studio, in a joint statement.