Man tries his first paczek on live TV, Clawson woman trapped in Ukraine, friend of murdered bouncer speaks
TUESDAY NEWS HIT - "Oh yeah. Pretty good. Come down and grab some," said Jake. "It's worth it."
Jake from Colorado has never had paczki. He's from Colorado. But on a cold March morning in honor of Fat Tuesday, he braved the winter temperatures to get a taste of his first-ever polish pastry.
Fat Tuesday is paczki day, and the line out the door of the New Martha Washington Bakery in Hamtramck stretched well out the doors of the business. The employees at the bakery, located at 10335 Joseph Campaue Ave, got in at 3 a.m. to begin preparing for a long dough-filled day.
Sometimes a jelly-filled pastry, paczki have grown in their variety. Another man says buyers have to go for the berries. Although custard, lemon, and Boston Cream are popular variations as well. The traditional filling is prune.
Served once a year in honor of Fat Tuesday, the Catholic holiday is the precursor to Lent, and as such is the last day to indulge in delicious foods before the traditional fast period commences. It ends on Easter. Southeast Michigan's strong Polish roots have helped the tradition spread throughout the region.
Besides New Martha Washington Bakery, there's also New Palace Bakery, and Paris Bakery in Livonia. Although, bakeries around the state also make the tasty treats in honor of the holiday.
Judge to decide on trial for three in Gov. Whitmer kidnap plot
A judge is scheduled to rule on whether three men charged in a plot to kidnap Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer before the 2020 election were entrapped by the FBI. Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Wilson set a video conference Tuesday afternoon to determine if Joseph Morrison, Pete Musico and Paul Bellar will stand trial.
They are charged with providing materials to support terrorist acts, attempting to commit a felony as an associate or member of gang, and gun charges in the plot to kidnap Whitmer. Investigators have described them as anti-government extremists who were angry over coronavirus policies and restrictions imposed by the governor during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
They are accused of aiding six others who are charged in federal court with conspiring to kidnap Whitmer. Five more people are also charged in state courts. The FBI said it broke up a plot.
An FBI informant identified Monday in court only as "Dan" testified about communications and conversations he had with the defendants. Defense attorneys said some of their clients’ activities were initiated by the informant who was controlled by the FBI.
Murdered bouncer ‘wasn’t going to cower' says friend
Surveillance video obtained by FOX 2 shows the chaotic moments leading up to a fatal shooting at Dooleys in Roseville late Saturday night. The victim was Julius Bing, a 36-year-old father of four and a bouncer at the bar, just doing his job when he was senselessly killed by a patron. A 25-year-old man from Farmington Hills was arrested for the crime.
"Julius wasn’t somebody that he was going to cower down," said a friend of his. "Julius was the kind of person like he did in this situation, he’s going to take a bullet." The bar is now closed permanently in light of the tragedy. Julius’ friends and family gathered for a candlelight vigil Sunday night
"(He) was always smiling, always wanted to make somebody smile," said Arkisha Sewere, Julius' fiance. "I could not ask for a better person in my life, my kids' life, a better father of my kids, a better companion, he was just awesome." Julius wasn't the only victim, another person was also shot - but police say their injuries were not life-threatening. The people who witnessed the horrific turn of events were left in shock.
"Right around midnight I heard a noise," said Corey Whitfield. "I thought it was just a chair getting knocked down because someone was being rowdy and got put out. And there was two more shots. I just saw Julius go down, I immediately stopped the music, covered the people behind the DJ booth, I had to get the girls down."
Clawson woman trapped in Ukraine during Russian invasion
Over half a million people have fled Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion. Many people who live in Metro Detroit are from Ukraine or have family in the country, including a Clawson woman who visited her mother just days before the invasion. Now, she's trapped there after traveling home for her mom's 85th birthday last week.
Valentina Barsukova isn't watching what's happening on TV, she just has to look out the window. She was back home for her mom's birthday when the invasion happened. "A lot of killed people. A lot of burned cars everywhere. A lot of broken windows. It’s pretty bad," she said.
Since Thursday, she's lived the nightmare that we've seen unfolding during the invasion - including tanks rumbling through her neighborhood in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city. "We came here Monday. Thursday morning the shots start. The whole sky was on fire. It woke us up and there's a curfew and everything is closed," she said.
Barsukova said they're able to leave the house for food, but the wait is extremely long. "Just going for the food. Stay in line. Lines are big and long. For three hours. We did (it) once," she said. "Stores are empty because nothing is delivered." Read more about Barsukova's experience here.
Michigan to drop mask requirement for most state employees
Starting on Thursday, most state employees in Michigan will no longer be required to wear a mask while on the job as Michigan continues to see declining COVID-19 infections. The Office of the State Employer announced the change Monday. Masking may still be mandated for some employees working inside prisons and state hospitals.
The announcement comes days after the federal government released new guidelines saying people in counties where the coronavirus poses a low or medium threat to hospitals can stop wearing masks.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention outlined the new set of measures for communities where COVID-19 is easing its grip, with less of a focus on positive test results and more on what’s happening at hospitals. Following the CDC's new guidance, school buses no longer required children to be masked while on board.
The new system greatly changes the look of the CDC's risk map and puts more than 70% of the U.S. population in counties where the coronavirus is posing a low or medium threat to hospitals. Those are the people who can stop wearing masks, the agency said.
What else we're watching
- Four special elections primaries, including three in Metro Detroit are scheduled for March 1. The 15th House seat in Wayne County, the 36th House seat in Macomb County, and the 43rd House seat in Oakland County.
- Part-time workers in Michigan who received jobless benefits will now retroactively qualify for the funds, despite a state law that says otherwise. A discrepancy between the state law and federal program that offered benefits at the start of the pandemic led to confusion.
- A new round of online scams is going around. This time, it's links that allege they're sending donations to Ukraine. Here's how to spot them.
- The State of the Union address given by the president is scheduled for today. Joe Biden will hold his annual address as the world focuses on the Russia-Ukraine crisis
- The government website ready.gov has refreshed its list of guidelines on ways to prepare and protect oneself during a nuclear explosion. The update follows statements made by the Russian president who has ratcheted up his language on triggering more violence during his invasion of Ukraine.
Live on FOX 2
Daily Forecast
The first day of March is going to be a warm one. Temperatures will reach 47 degrees in the late afternoon behind a mostly-cloudy sky. Plan on rainfall Wednesday before temperatures tumble slightly in the mid-week.
Russia-Ukraine updates: Russian convoy nears Kyiv on day 6 of assault
Russia’s war on Ukraine is now in its sixth day, with a miles-long convoy of Russian tanks and armored vehicles inching closer to the Ukrainian capital and fighting intensifying on the ground.
Russia on Tuesday stepped up shelling of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, pounding civilian targets there. Casualties mounted and reports emerged that more than 70 Ukrainian soldiers were killed after Russian artillery recently hit a military base in Okhtyrka, a city between Kharkiv and Kyiv, the capital.
But Ukrainian fighters are putting up a fierce resistance and surprisingly, Russia has not been able to dominate the skies. There are increasing fears that as Russia becomes more isolated under an avalanche of Western sanctions, Vladimir Putin could become even more reckless and set off a world-altering war.
Across Ukraine, civilians continue to bear the brunt of the conflict with families and children huddled in underground subway stations, basements and other shelters.