Michigan gyms reopen, next steps for Whitmer on reopening, inmate charged in death of Wayne County deputy

WEDNESDAY NEWS HIT - After a nearly-six month hiatus, exercise facilities and gyms are the latest business to finally get the order they can reopen.

Among the industries that lobbied hardest for the opportunity to reopen, gyms have pressed the governor for months for the chance. For the few early birds taking advantage of the reopening Wednesday morning, it was a feeling of relief mixed with a little annoyance.

"I counted there were five of us. So I'm glad to see people back. A lot of people don't want to come back because of the mask. Life is what it is, I'm not really happy about it I," said one man who said he purchased one for exercising in.

Among the requirements to start working out again is a mandatory face mask. So will six-feet of distance between each workout machine. Gyms must operate at 25% capacity and offer ample sanitizing of all equipment.

Gyms have officially reopened in Michigan

Workout facilities are now accepting guests after months of waiting to go back and workout. Among the most common complaints from patrons is the face mask requirement.

These are among the rules the state believes will keep the spread down enough that gyms can operate while transmission of COVID-19 doesn't overburden any sections of the state's heal care systems.

"Michigan is in a much stronger position than many other states in the country and it's because the people of our state took it seriously, the businesses community was a good partner in promulgating protocol and ensuring we keep our workforce safe, so I think there's a lot to be proud here," said Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. "We also recognize this is all very precarious."

During an interview Wednesday morning, she rattled off both knowns and unknowns about the virus that helped determine Sept. 9 as the date for gyms to reopen.

"This is a virus we still don't have a vaccine or a cure for," she said. "So we're watching the science and data about risk of specific activities, the science and spread of the current epidemic, the science and data about the disease itself and how it spreads, our testing and tracing infrastructure."

1-on-1 Interview with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer

On the day that gyms reopened in Michigan, the governor talked to FOX 2 about what it took for the state to get to this moment and some of the challenges residents still face.

In order for all of those factors to be accounted for and the state to continue reopening, it'll require effort from the business community. In the case of gyms, that means keeping an accurate log of how many people are going in and out of their facilities and at what time to ensure they can be contacted if potential exposure occurred at the gym.

Learn more about what's required here.

Car dealers unforeseen side effect of legal weed: the lingering smell

Some car dealers report the smell left over from smoked marijuana is proving to be a bigger nuisance than originally expected.

Harder to remove than cigarette smell, crews typically use professional odor eliminators or smoke bombs to get rid of the smell. In one instance, they charged $300 to a driver after it took three smoke bombs. "And really still didn't get the whole smell out of it."

And while the contract spells out that smoking of any kind isn't allowed in the vehicles, some customers aren't listening. So the price to clean it is going up - and the price of the car is going down.

Dealerships getting more used cars, trucks with marijuana smell ingrained inside

Although marijuana may be legal now in Michigan, it's still not legal to smoke and drive. But take it from the experience of car dealers and car cleaners - plenty of people still are.

"The depreciation to the vehicle is real. I mean that's 5 to 10% differently when you can't get the smell out on a used car lot."

Detroit political leaders want independent review of police force

Several Detroit leaders have signed a letter sent to Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and Police Chief James Craig about conducting an independent investigation of the police force. As a means to improve trust between the public and police after several violent clashes with protesters, the letter called for a probe into seven specific dates.

Group of officials want third party investigation into Detroit police use of force on protesters

Several Detroit leaders are asking for an independent investigation into Detroit police and use of force allegations dealing with protesters.

"The bottom line is that that people here in Detroit and around our region deserve to know what happened, they need transparency, they deserve a police department that will continue to build that trust," said State Sen. Stephanie Chang.

Along with Chang, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, Councilwomen Mary Sheffield and Raquel Castaneda Lopez all signed the letter.

Police Chief James Craig said in a statement that: "Every single complaint against any DPD officer is investigated by the independent civilian oversight body, the board of police commissioners, as well as DPD's own internal affairs unit."

Inside one Berkley family's virtual learning

A college sophomore working from home, a high school freshman, a first-grader, plus mom and dad also working from home - that's the virtual insanity that Connie Smith, who is a producer at FOX 2, and her family deal with on a daily basis.

"Learning how to use Zoom as an adult is challenging, let alone for a first-grader. My first-grader is wandering around looking for snacks during a lesson. And I'm like, 'You don't do this at school why are you doing this at home?'"

Virtual back-to-school brings change for entire family

We go inside one home in Oakland County to see what one family's 'virtual classroom' looks like - crowded and stressful.

But remote learning and working isn't just testing the human capacity for change, but a technology one as well.

The family had to purchase a separate hot spot just to manage the bandwidth being used.

"There have been some moments when you're just like [face palm]. There's a lot of challenges, a lot of different things that you're not thinking of that you have to work on, and that's one of them."

Inmate who killed Wayne County deputy charged with murder

The inmate who attacked a Wayne County Sheriff deputy in jail last week has been charged with first-degree premeditated murder, murder of a police officer, and felony murder.

Deandre Williams, 28, had been serving time for charges related to carjacking and was lodged in a Wayne County jail. When Cpl. Bryant Searcy, 50, was on duty inspecting jail cells, he was allegedly killed by Williams during a violent struggle.

"It has been almost a week since the horrific murder of Corporal Bryant Searcy and it is still very raw. Much has been said lately about the dangers that law enforcement officials face every day. This is no exaggeration. This case is a tragic example of this reality," said Prosecutor Worthy.

Searcy is survived by a wife and 21-year-old daughter.

Williams will be arraigned via video today at 10:30 a.m.

Daily Forecast

Another mild day as temperatures are expected to climb up to 74 on Wednesday. A misty, foggy morning will give way to some sun in the afternoon.

A misty, foggy Wednesday morning on tap with a bit of sun on the way

A warmer weekend is on the way!

AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine trial put on hold due to ‘unexplained illness’

A large, Phase 3 trial testing the COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca has been put on hold, according to the company.

“As part of the ongoing randomized, controlled global trials of the Oxford coronavirus vaccine, our standard review process was triggered and we voluntarily paused vaccination to allow review of safety data by an independent committee,” the company said in a statement to FOX TV Stations.

The safety pause was due to a suspected serious adverse reaction in a participant in the United Kingdom, according to STAT News.

“This is a routine action which has to happen whenever there is a potentially unexplained illness in one of the trials, while it is investigated, ensuring we maintain the integrity of the trials,” a spokesperson with AstraZeneca said.

AstraZeneca shares fell more than 6% after hours Tuesday after the company said its trial had been put on hold due to safety concerns.