Non-stop Detroit shuttle • Pregnant woman fatally stabbed in Clinton Township • Northern Lights visible

MONDAY NEWS HIT (FOX 2) - A highly-anticipated new shuttle service between Detroit and the airport began Monday. 

The Detroit Air Xpress - or DAX - goes between downtown Detroit near the Rosa Parks Transit Center to the airport. It'll make 16 round trips a day for the entire year.

It's a small step for transit advocates, but a big deal for those looking for progress in making getting around the region easier. Besides having one's own car, there really is no way of getting to the airport without an hours-long ride on a city bus or paying for an expensive Uber trip.

The bus will cost $6 for those that order ahead and will hopefully cater to the growing influx of visitors making their way to Detroit this year.

Both the NFL Draft and future March Madness games are only some of the events inbound for the city.

Learn more about what the shuttle offers and how to use it here. 

Pregnant woman fatally stabbed in Clinton Township

A man is in custody after a pregnant woman from Sterling Heights was fatally stabbed in Clinton Township. Sunday at 3 a.m., Sterling Heights Police responded to the 8300 block of 18 Mile Rd for a welfare check. When officers arrived, blood was discovered in the hallway.

No one was found inside the apartment, the police department said. Clinton Township Police then received a 911 call a short time later about a man covered in blood in the 35000 block of Harper. Officers arrived and found the man along with a pregnant woman who had been stabbed multiple times.

The woman was taken to the hospital where she died from her injuries. The unborn child also did not survive, Sterling Heights police say. "We're still trying to figure out why they ended up leaving that location and ended up going over to the place  over in Clinton Township" said Sterling Heights police Lieutenant Mario Bastianelli.

The man was taken into custody. The woman was approximately 30 years old from Sterling Heights. The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Sterling Heights Detective Bureau at (586) 446-2825.

Northern Lights visible in Michigan

A severe geomagnetic storm is underway after eruptions from the Sun sent plasma blasting toward Earth, with the potential to produce Northern Lights as far south as Alabama and Northern California heading into Monday.

NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) issued a Geomagnetic Storm Alert on Sunday after Sun-observing satellites recorded an X 1.1 solar flare and later a coronal hole high-speed stream, or CH HSS.

Auroras occur when charged particles from the Sun interact with the Earth’s atmosphere, creating what are known as the Northern and Southern Lights.

In Michigan, we'll still have to contend with cloud cover as rain is expected overnight into Tuesday. But for those that find some open spots in the sky, the aurora borealis could be visible Monday night. According to NOAA, the solar storm is weakening, but still present. 

For more information, check out the forecast here.

Stellantis announces mass layoffs during call

A mechanical engineer knew something was wrong when the rumor mill at work began to spin: layoffs were incoming. They had begun to trickle into the office a couple of weeks ago. Then, around 8 p.m. on Thursday, about 400 workers at Stellantis got an email telling them not to come into the office on Friday. 

Instead, it would be a mandatory remote work day. They were also told to attend an operational meeting at a designated time. That's when the news dropped. "It was a mass firing of everybody that was on the call," the employee said.

The individual, who FOX 2 is not naming, is among several who talked to the station about the hundreds of firings. Stellantis declined to speak about the story, but they did release a statement saying 

"these actions will better align resources while preserving the critical skills needed to protect our competitive advantage as we remain laser focused on implementing our EV product offensive and our Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan."

Gas prices drop 7 cents

After gas prices inched to some of their highest recorded costs of the year, the AAA reported the average cost of a gallon of gas had fallen.

As of right now, Michigan gas prices are down 7 cents from a week ago, coming in at about $53 for a full-tank of gas. It's a discount of about $5 from the highest price in 2023 last August.

However, it's still 32 cents more than this time last month - and 18 cents more than this time last year. 

Gas demand fell slightly, according to the Energy Information Administration. News of no new interest rate increases now - but some potential cuts later this year - helped influence the price, though not a lot. 

Live on FOX 2

Daily Forecast

It's looking like a warmer week this week with temperatures hovering in the 50s for a good chunk of time. That will also include some rain - though no snow. Expect moderate conditions for the next several days.

What else we're watching

1. Microplastics aren't just in the water and soil - the tiny plastic particles are increasingly being found in the atmosphere. Wind is blowing the specks into remote corners of the world, a new study found, including in some inaccessible lakes near the Great Lakes. Look for more information on the study later from FOX 2.
2. The renovation of Balduck Park in Detroit is complete, thanks to the help of $1.5 million in funding that was provided by the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan's Strategic Neighborthood Fund and the American Rescue Plan Act.
3. The Powerball has eclipsed $800 million for one of its highest jackpots ever. Meanwhile, no one claimed the Mega Millions jackpot last week, which means the drawing for the billion-dollar pot will be tonight. 
4. A woman allegedly jumped out of a car on I-96 after she said she was worried she was being kidnapped. According to police, who spoke with the rideshare driver that was transporting the woman, she told the man she did not like the route he was taking her downtown. She was later discovered to be under the influence of pot and had anxiety.
5. The University of Michigan has found their new head basketball coach in Dusty May, who previously led the Florida Atlantic University Owls to their first Final Four ever last year. 

What to know about fake eclipse glasses

With the solar eclipse coming up in April, consumers are stocking up on eclipse glasses to enjoy the visual spectacle.

But fake versions of the glasses are circulating on some online websites, causing alarm for many.

Online retailers like Amazon sell thousands of eclipse glasses and have a policy in place to ensure these products like their merchandise are authentic and meet industry standards. 

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