Icy start to the day • Jennifer Crumbley's trial starts • Detroit home values rise 23%

TUESDAY NEWS HIT - The morning commute has been messy in some areas thanks to a wintry mix coating roads with ice.

Numerous crashes have been reported on Metro Detroit freeways all morning. 

Hundreds of schools are closed Tuesday due to road conditions. Check the school closings list here.

The area is under a Winter Weather Advisory until 4 p.m. 

When it's all said and done, the area could have picked up .1 to .2 inches of ice accumulation. Later in the day, the wintry mix will shift to rain that sticks around into Wednesday as temperatures continue to rise. 

Jennifer Crumbley's trial starts today

Jury selection begins Tuesday for Jennifer Crumbley's trial.

Jennifer, the mother of the Oxford High School shooter, is facing four counts of involuntary manslaughter. Her husband, James Crumbley, faces the same charges.

The parents are accused of ignoring their son's mental health and providing him with the weapon that he used to kill four students at the school on Nov. 30, 2021. Their son was sentenced to life in prison without the chance of parole late last year.

They are the first parents of a mass shooter to be charged for their child's crimes. 

The Crumbley parents were due to go on trial together on Jan. 23, 2024. However, last fall, the two requested to have their trials severed, which was granted by Judge Cheryl Mathews. 

Barricaded gunman shot by Taylor police

A barricaded gunman situation ended Monday night after the suspect was shot and surrendered. 

Police were called to a home on Polk near Goddard in Taylor around 2 p.m. on reports that a man was firing a shotgun outside.

When police arrived, they tried to talk to the man – but the man fired a single shot at them and went inside. He came out again and exchanged gunfire with the police officers.

The man suffered a gunshot wound to the stomach after he opened fire on police, and they responded by firing back. He is expected to survive.

Some investigators and neighbors in the area who know the man have speculated that the chaos could be over a order to seize the man's dogs – who usually roam loose around the neighborhood.

"I (saw) this coming," said Vanessa Thibodeau.

Detroit home values rise 23%

Detroit property values rose 23% since 2022, marking the city's eighth-straight annual increase for homes within its boundaries.

According to Mayor Mike Duggan residents have added $1.7 billion in wealth over two years to their homes. Every neighborhood in Detroit recorded an increase.

"We are now seeing the neighborhoods that had lagged before, they are now climbing fastest," Duggan said during a Monday press conference. 

The press conference included the city assessor and councilmen Fred Durhal III and Coleman Young II, two representatives that have campaigned on boosting Black wealth.

Young said the largest increases in property values happened in the lowest-valued neighborhoods.

"That means for people that are returning, people who stayed in the city of Detroit, and people who are coming into Detroit - everyone has benefited," he said. "A rising tide lifts all boats."

Since values bottomed out and began rising, the worth of Detroit's residential property had tripled since 2017. Valued at $2.8 billion, Detroit's housing stock will be worth $8.7 billion in 2024.

13-year-old needs help getting heart transplant

The son of an Auburn Hills police officer is in dire need of a life-saving heart transplant. 

Daniel Skomski, 13, "was born with very, very complex heart disease known as the single ventricular defect," said his uncle, Mirek Skomski. "It is half a heart."

He's had multiple surgeries, and now he is in need of another. The major surgery will require follow-up treatments for the rest of his life, according to his family. It also brings a lot of uncertainty.

"It’s a huge financial burden," Mirek said. "It’s not easy."

Daniel's uncle started a GoFundMe page to help with his ongoing medical expenses.

"It’s the only way I can help them to kind of help Daniel later on in his life, because he just had a stroke this Saturday," Mirek said.

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Daily Forecast

A wintry mix switches to rain Tuesday afternoon. Rain continues Wednesday.

What else we're watching

1. Authorities are searching for a driver who left a person they had hit to die along Prospect Road in Superior Township. The woman's body was found around 8:20 a.m. Sunday by people passing by.
2. If you're hoping to travel to see the Lions play in the NFC title game, you had better start getting your plans sorted now. Tickets to the game, hotels, and flights are all pricey.
3. In 2025, Detroit residents will be enjoying a brand-new indoor athletic center – finally giving the community a recreational space to enjoy even during the cold winter months.
4. The Sterling Heights Library has added a "Library of Things" featuring a pickleball kit, projector, and more.
5. A lawsuit seeks to officially remove Kristina Karamo as the Michigan GOP chair. The lawsuit alleges breach of contract.

23 lost skiers and snowboarders rescued in frigid temps in Vermont

Twenty-three skiers and snowboarders had to be rescued in frigid temperatures on Saturday after becoming lost in the backcountry in Killington, Vermont, police said.

After a call came in around 2:30 p.m., search and rescue crews hiked, snowshoed and used skis with skins to travel about 5 miles (8 kilometers) to bring a group of 21 lost skiers and riders back to safety, Killington police posted on Facebook. Temperatures were in the single digits.

The skiers and snowboarders warmed up in rescuers' vehicles on their return.

Read more here.