Latest on business reopenings, drug house raided in Pontiac, body discovered in adult care facilty
TUESDAY NEWS HIT - For gym owners, movie theater managers, and bowling lane operators, the day many are likely eyeing with hope is Labor Day. The early-September holiday appears to be the likely date that businesses that have remained closed for the past five-and-a-half months will be allowed to reopen.
Sources told FOX 2 last week that the governor was weighing allowing restrictions to be lifted on gyms, theaters, and bowling alleys. Those whispers have grown louder this week as more business owners stand ready with social distancing and mask rules to ensure any visits to their shops and entertainment venues remain safe.
"Definitely excited. Its been a long time coming. It's kind of a wait-and-see approach because we've been down this road a couple of times," said William McCray, who owns Will Power Fitness Group.
McCray said he has lost about 75 percent of his revenue during the shutdown. He's managed to stay afloat by dipping into his savings, training clients online, and outdoor workouts. However, amid the summer heat and inconvenient workouts, even those temporary solutions are wearing on people.
"It's hot, and I am tired of doing workouts outside," said Naomi Gross, a gym member. "He has a lot of good stuff for us to do inside, a lot of good equipment, I am really eager."
Richard Glomb, who owns Merri Lanes Bowling Alley in Livonia, said the business has been ready to open for a while, having implemented several new fixes to make things safer.
"Our industry and a number of centers in Michigan have done great work with air purification systems such as UVC lighting and bi-polar ionization, plasma filtration," Glomb said.
The last time gyms almost opened, it was via lawsuit before an appeals court struck down a lower court ruling, giving a win to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer who in recent weeks has faced growing criticism to further expand Michigan's reopening.
Last week she argued she wouldn't be bullied into making decisions, instead she should base them on the science - a mantra she has stuck to throughout the pandemic.
And science says as long as coronavirus cases remain where they are, hopeful businesses could remain in the clear. Increased testing, social distancing, and a better understanding of the virus's symptoms have pushed cases loads up while keeping death rates at a remarkably stable rate.
Barring another surge in cases, reopenings could be on the way.
Cocaine, ketamine, arctic foxes seized during drug house raid
Officers with the Oakland County Sheriff's Narcotics division executed a raid on a suspected drug house last Thursday in Pontiac, where they made three arrests and discovered an array of drugs and exotic animals.
Inside the home, officers found 125 grams of cocaine, 119 grams of ketamine, $8,000 in cash, and two exotic arctic foxes.
"Oftentimes it's a status thing for some drug dealers, they get an exotic animal of some kind," said Sheriff Michael Bouchard.
The three suspects, identified as James Walker, Thomas Miller, and Steven Robiadek, are also accused of running an underground rave club. Bouchard believes the three were likely selling the drugs at the raves.
Body of man missing since March found in adult care facility
The body of Kam Franks was found in the basement of an adult care facility, where he lived before disappearing in March.
The man had lived at the Faithful Helping Hands Home Care on Detroit's east side for a few years. He had suffered severe head trauma after a car accident in 2001.
His sister described him as a wanderer, so when news broke he was missing, it didn't come as a total surprise. But after months passed, the family began to worry.
Then late Saturday, the staff at the facility found Franks' body in the basement room.
An owner of the facility said there was no odor and blamed Detroit police for not checking the basement back in March.
Detroit police search for suspects in carjacking incident on Aug. 23
Detroit police are looking for two suspects wanted in connection to a carjacking incident that occurred on the city's west side in late August.
Around 8:45 p.m. on Aug. 23 at a local gas station in the 18100 block of West Chicago, a 20-year-old man was putting air in his tire when another vehicle pulled up beside him.
Two men exited the vehicle, approached the victim, and aimed a weapon at him. As the first suspect demanded the victim's keys, the second entered the victim's vehicle - a black 2009 Chrysler 300 with a silver front bumper. The second suspect returned to the original sedan and both vehicles fled in unknown directions.
The first suspect is described as a Black male, 19 to 25 years old, dark complexion, approximately 5’8”, 130 to 160 lbs., with an afro. He was seen wearing all black.
The second is described as a Black male, 19 to 25 years old, light complexion, approximately 5’7” to 5’10”, 180 to 200 lbs. He was seen wearing all black and was armed with a black AR-15.
Daily Forecast
Temperatures will stretch into the 80's today and tomorrow before falling back down. Some storms are also possible later Tuesday.
Joe Biden hits campaign trail, blames Trump for inciting unrest
Declaring President Donald Trump a “toxic presence,” Joe Biden forcefully condemned the violence at recent protests while also blaming Trump for fomenting the divide that’s sparking it.
“He doesn't want to shed light, he wants to generate heat, and he’s stoking violence in our cities,” Biden said Monday. “He can't stop the violence because for years he’s fomented it."
In one of his sharpest attacks on the president yet, Biden went on to call Trump a “toxic presence in this nation for four years” and accuse him of “poisoning the values this nation has always held dear, poisoning our very democracy.”
“In just a little over 60 days, we have a decision to make: Will we rid ourselves of this toxin? Or make it a permanent part of our nation’s character?” Biden asked.