Oakland County shattered by health officer's death • license plate reader backlash • Warren's keys to the city
FRIDAY NEWS HIT - The Oakland County health department centers in Pontiac and Southfield will remain closed Friday for coworkers to mourn the loss of their beloved boss following her tragic death this week.
Dr. Calendra Green left her mark on Oakland County for leading the health department's charge against COVID-19 as well as organized the mental health response in the days following a deadly mass shooting that happened at Oxford High School.
Green, who was appointed as the first woman of color to serve as Oakland County's health officer was "a light to all who had the privilege to know and love her," said County Executive Dave Coulter in a statement.
"Our hearts are shattered at the news of the passing of our colleague and esteemed Health Officer Dr. Calandra Green. Words cannot express how devastating this news is to our Oakland County family,"
Green was found dead inside her Pontiac home Thursday from an apparent murder-suicide, a source confirmed with FOX 2 Detroit Thursday evening.
The Oakland County Sheriff's Office responded to an apartment where they found two people dead in the late afternoon.
"We see more people who are angry, depressed, that they are going through a lot of mental health challenges, a lot of interpersonal relationship challenges, and sometimes it plays out in a violent form tragically," said Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard, "and it appears like that's what happened here."
Green's death has shocked the community.
While she was appointed to the chief position in April 2022, her work around the county extended for years in both governmental and private work. She joined the county as a public health nurse in August 2019 before spearheading the county's response to COVID-19 within schools.
Working as a school nurse liaison, she trained 68 nurses that did work in more than 100 public, private, and charter schools during the pandemic.
A year later, she rose to public health administrator where she managed countywide public health and mental health programs. That includes orchestrating the response for students and parents that were touched by the Oxford High School shooting in November 2021.
In the private sector, she was a nurse at McLaren Health Care for 11 years. She started work in 1993 at the North Oakland Medical Center in Pontiac. She also had four degrees, including a Doctor of Education from Oakland University, a post-masters from Oakland University, a Master of Business Administration from Baker College, a Bachelor of Health Services Administration from Baker College, and an Associate of Nursing from Oakland Community College.
If you or a loved one is feeling distressed, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The crisis center provides free and confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to civilians and veterans. Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-8255. Or text to 741-741
CLICK HERE for the warning signs and risk factors of suicide. Call 1-800-273-TALK for free and confidential emotional support.
Detroit's plan to add more license plate readers draws backlash
Detroit police want to add more license plate readers around the city, a plan that is drawing backlash from some residents. Currently, there are 83 readers in Detroit, and police want to add 100 more.
These cameras create a database of cars that pass them. They only capture license plates and vehicle characteristics. The Board of Police Commissioners held a public hearing Thursday to gather feedback from residents.
"I am tired of being surveilled," Detroit resident Meeko Williams said. Despite the reassurances that the cameras don't capture faces, the technology has led to some stereotyping fears, worries about how data is being stored, and concerns about the surveillance of innocent people. The ACLU has also come out against the request.
Other nearby cities also utilize the technology, including Warren and Ferndale. The cameras are lauded as a way to help solve crimes, recover stolen vehicles, and find people after AMBER Alerts are issued. Additionally, plate readers are on some Metro Detroit freeways amid a rise in shootings on roadways.
Warren 7th grader who stopped bus awarded keys to city
A Warren middle school student who jumped in to save a bus full of students after the driver went unconscious was honored Thursday. Dillon Reeves was given the keys to the city as a thanks for what he did.
Reeves, a seventh grader at Carter Middle School, said he saw the driver shaking and lose consciousness in the mirror, so he got up and safely stopped the bus, which had 60 people on it.
"Here is the key to the city. I have never presented anybody with a real key to the city," Mayor Jim Fouts said. Reeves also received other honors, including a limo ride to lunch with his family, a shirt that says he is a hero, and more.
The bus driver is listed as stable. However, due to rules, she will not be able to work for six months. A GoFundMe page has been created to help with her recovery. Find it here.
Inside Vernal Pools, Michigan's coral reefs
If there's one thing scientists understand about Michigan's vernal pools, it's that they don't understand them nearly enough.
They look like many of the state's wetlands, but only for part of the year. They're inhabited by several kinds of crustaceans, including a unique species of shrimp found only in vernal pools. It's also unclear just how many exist in Michigan.
There isn't even a clear definition of what the phenomenon actually is. But researchers are working hard to find out. These seasonal wetlands are abundant in ecological diversity and unique lifeforms.
Scientists want help from the public and have put the word out: be on the lookout for vernal pools in your own backyard. Learn more about the phenomena here and how you can record your own data.
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Scientists seek more knowledge of Vernal Pools, Michigan's coral reefs
Fairy shrimp, blue spotted salamanders, and wood turtles make up a fraction of the hugely diverse ecosystem in vernal pools, a nature phenomenon scientists still don't fully understand.
More witnesses to testify Friday in Hutch's Jewelry murder
More witnesses are expected to testify Friday at the preliminary exam for three men accused of carrying out the murder of well-known Metro Detroit jeweler Dan 'Hutch' Hutchinson.
Marco Bisbikis, Angelo Raptoplous, and Roy Larry will again be in court after Dan's wife, Marisa Hutchinson, testified in March. A police sergeant who responded to the scene also briefly testified, but the bulk of the hearing was spent on Marisa's testimony. FOX 2 plans to stream it live above at 9 a.m.
Hutchinson was sitting in his SUV with his wife outside a pawn shop he owned on Greenfield in Oak Park on June 1, 2022, when the vehicle was shot up. Hutchinson's wife wasn't hit, but he was killed.
A fourth man, Darnall Larry, waived his right to a preliminary exam and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder late last year. All four men are currently in the Oakland County Jail.
Live on FOX 2
Daily Forecast
Friday will reach similar temperatures as Thursday, but with cloudier conditions. Today is also the first day rain will dip back into the forecast overnight. The weekend also expects to look nice as well.
What else we're watching
- AAA has kicked off its Safe Kids Worldwide campaign that seeks to boost bicycle and vehicle safety. The push is in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, and Michigan.
- Ethan Crumbley's Miller Hearing still hasn't been set. The convicted Oxford shooter who has yet to be sentenced after pleading guilty to murder will be in court virtually for a review of his time in Oakland County jail.
- A big announcement from Detroit's water department is incoming Friday that will come with updates to the city's infrastructure. tune in at 12:30 p.m. for more information.
- The groundbreaking of construction for a new Pontiac skatepark begins Friday. Along with the announcement will come final designs for the new park.
- The Wisconsin 8-year-old who got lost in a remote Michigan forest said he prayed he would be found, according to an interview with Good Morning America. See the full story here.
Men who cheated in Ohio fishing tournament get prison time, lose $130K boat
Two men who cheated during a fishing tournament in Ohio by stuffing walleye with lead weights and fillets in an attempt to win the cash grand prize have been convicted of a felony and will spend time behind bars - plus they'll have to forfeit the $130,000 boat used during the tournament.
Jacob Runyan, 42, of Broadview Heights, Ohio, and Chase Cominski, 35, of Hermitage, Pennsylvania, both pleaded guilty to cheating at the Lake Erie Walleye Trail tournament on Sept. 30, 2022.
The two men caught several walleye and, before they were weighed, stuffed them with several lead weights. After weighing, which they beat the previous high mark by more than 16 pounds, the weights were found in the fish.
The tournament ruled the duo as winners after a weigh-in. However, Lake Erie Walleye Trail tournament director Jason Fischer noticed that Runyan and Cominsky’s walleyes weighed more than they looked and sliced open the fish, authorities said. Ten weights were located inside the walleyes, eight weighing 12 ounces and two weighing 8 ounces, along with several walleye filets.