Kamala Harris in Michigan • Detroit River rescue • Samantha Woll's murder still unsolved a year later

MONDAY NEWS HIT - Vice President Kamala Harris will visit Michigan on Monday for a moderated conversation with former Congresswoman Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) about her plans for the United States if elected president.

Details about the visit have not been publicly revealed, but the event is planned for Metro Detroit.

The pair will also stop in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin as part of the conversation tour focused on key battleground states.

Monday's stop will be the fourth time Harris has been in Michigan in a week.

Last Monday, the vice president and Democratic presidential nominee did an interview with The Breakfast Club host Charlamagne tha God and a watch party for the interview. She then returned to Michigan on Friday to speak in Grand Rapids, Lansing, and Waterford.

Harris stayed in the state until Saturday, where she hosted a rally in Detroit. 

Detroit River water rescue

A man was pulled from the Detroit River early Monday after fishermen heard him yelling and called for help.

The call about the man in the water came in around 3 a.m. Detroit firefighters, the Coast Guard, and Border Patrol all responded to help rescue the man.

It is not clear why the man was in the water or how he got there.

Dangers of the river, especially at night, include the temperature, currents, and ships that have difficulty seeing if someone is in the water when it is dark.

"It's chilly on the riverbank, and I'm going to say the water is pretty cold," said Samuel Vazquez, a chief with the Detroit Fire Department.

Samantha Woll's murder still unsolved a year later

A year after Samantha Woll was found stabbed to death outside her Detroit home, the crime is still unsolved.

Woll's body was discovered outside her Joliet Place condo on Oct. 21, 2023. A suspect, Michael Jackson-Bolanos, was arrested and tried, but a jury found him not guilty earlier this year.

Prosecutors used a drop of blood on Jackson-Bolanos' jacket, as well as location data to show that he was near the murder scene and accuse him of the stabbing. Jackson-Bolanos admitted that he touched Woll's body, but only after she was already dead. He testified that he saw her body while breaking into vehicles in the area. According to his testimony, he didn't call 911 because he did not want to get in trouble since he had a criminal record and was committing a crime.

The prosecutors noted that Jackson-Bolanos repeatedly lied to investigators. A jury found him guilty of lying to police, and he is currently in prison for that. However, jurors did not have enough evidence to convict him of the murder.

Woll's ex-boyfriend, Jeff Herbstman, was also questioned after calling 911 and saying he killed his girlfriend. However, he was released, and investigators determined his confession was the result of his mental health and medication he was taking.

Woll's family continues to believe Jackson-Bolanos was the killer, and they fear they will never get justice.

"We feel justice should be served. My sister’s murderer got away with it. That is unbelievable in a country like this," Woll's sister Monica said.

Near-record temperatures today

Today's temperatures will be close to record setting.

The record high for Oct. 21 is 81, which was set in 2007. 

With highs forecasted to be about 79 today, we far exceed the seasonal value of 60 and could potentially tie or break the record if temperatures go just a bit higher than expected.

In addition to the warmth, it will be sunny.

Today will be the warmest day of the week. That warmth sticks around for a few days before a cold front pushes temps down later this week.

Live on FOX 2

Daily Forecast

As noted above, it's going to be a warm and sunny day.

What else we're watching

1. Michigan gas price averages are down one cent from a week ago, according to data from AAA.
2. Jake Bates kicked a 44-yard field goal with 15 seconds left and the Detroit Lions beat Minnesota 31-29 on Sunday, handing the Vikings their first loss in a back-and-forth game befitting of the NFL’s strongest division.
3. A 57-year-old runner collapsed and died during the Detroit Free Press Marathon on Sunday.
4. A mother and her adult son are both dead after an apparent murder-suicide Sunday in Warren, police said. 
5. Bobcat United is encouraging people to continue to support Bobcat Bonnie's after staff at the now-shuttered Ypsilanti location and the business reached an agreement Friday. Workers will receive severance pay. 

Hurricane Oscar makes second landfall in Cuba on Sunday

Hurricane Oscar maintained Category 1 strength as the small hurricane made a second landfall in Cuba Sunday evening after rapidly intensifying over the weekend and making its first landfall in the Bahamas earlier in the day.

Oscar rapidly intensified from a tropical storm into an 85-mph hurricane on Saturday, causing islands in its potential path to issue watches and warnings ahead of the system’s arrival.

Hurricane Oscar already made one landfall early Sunday morning on Great Inagua Island in the Bahamas as a Category 1 hurricane with winds of 80 mph just before 5 a.m. ET.

Perhaps some good news is that Oscar is expected to weaken to a tropical storm as it moves across eastern Cuba Sunday night and Monday, but it's still expected to produce strong winds and torrential rain in the region before moving back across the central Bahamas on Tuesday.

News App