Thieves target another Ulta • Michigan's missing winter • Democrats take aim at Right to Work law

FRIDAY NEWS HIT - Another Ulta beauty products store was targeted by thieves after multiple suspects attempted a robbery at one location in Livingston County.

The incident led to five people being arrested after shots were fired and police were forced into brief pursuits with at least two attempting to flee before being caught.

The wild scene unfolded around 8 p.m. in Green Oak Township, which is south of Brighton. Along with the arrests came a flurry of police cars that did not go unnoticed by pedestrians.

"I saw the cop cars from the road so I was like ‘something's gotta be going on’," said one woman. 

"I saw a woman running obviously, and then a cop was chasing after her. Then I saw her drop a bag," said another.

That bag dropped by the woman was likely filled with merchandise, which police said the suspects had targeted during their robbery attempt. According to police, the suspects were stuffing bags with products when they arrived.

Two suspects tried fleeing when police arrived and one made it into a vehicle before attempting to drive away. A news release from the Green Oak Township Police said the suspect struck a vehicle before crashing into a wall, preventing their escape.

During the escape attempt, police fired shots at the vehicle - but nobody was injured. 

Currently, all suspects are lodged in the Livingston County Jail and are awaiting arraignment for charges of organized retail fraud and felonious assault. 

This isn't the only robbery attempt of an Ulta store location after three women stole an estimated $150,000 worth of perfumes and fragrances from approximately 20 Metro Detroit stores. 

Police said the women would enter stores with their faces covered, grab hand baskets, and fill them with bottles of expensive perfumes and fragrances. They would steal these sprays and flee in a vehicle. Often, they were in and out of the stores in three minutes and would take $3,000 - $12,000 in merchandise, police said.

According to Warren police, the group had been "plaguing the tri-county area for the past month."

You can see the suspects here. 

Where is winter? When Detroit can expect a return to real winter

Does anybody else feel like they're looking around a "Where's Waldo" book trying to find Winter this year? You can look all over, but you won't find even a sniff of it. Not only are temperatures way higher than normal and snowfall totals way below normal - but it all looks like it will continue for most of the month! It's wild!

First off, what's happened? High temperatures so far in January have ranged from 33 degrees to 60 degrees, with a monthly average around 42 degrees. This is over 10 degrees higher than normal! 

It's entirely possible we won't see ANY days in single digits this January. Since January 1, we've gotten a paltry 0.2 inches of snow and so far this entire season we've only had five inches. Most of that came from the Christmas storm when we got 4.6 inches of snow. If you take that out, we've gotten less than ONE TOTAL INCH of snow since December 1st.

And looking ahead, I don't see too much winter weather to run out the month. So... why? The answer lies in the Big Picture steering patterns. Around the country, we've had the jet stream ushering most weather patterns just south of us and toward the Northeast. Big cities in Ohio have gotten more rain/sleet/snow than us while cities like Buffalo have had one of their harshest winters ever. 

Read more about Michigan's missing winter here.

Democrats target Right to Work law in new session

Michigan's Right to Work law has been controversial ever since it went into effect 10 years ago. Some say it is about freedom for workers, others counter that it is simply about breaking up unions. But in this legislative session, it could come to an end - according to a pledge by the newly minted Democratic majority.

If that is their intention, they'll meet fierce pushback from Republicans. Former Michigan Lt. Gov. Brian Calley did not mince words in his opposition. "I think it would be a really big mistake if the economy is important to the future of our state - which obviously it is," he said.

Calley was heavily involved in its passing under former Gov. Rick Snyder. Yet, labor unions like the UAW have long viewed Right to Work as a hostile union busting measure, dating back to 2013. That year Michigan officially became the 24th state to ban unions and other labor groups from requiring public and private workers to pay dues as a condition of getting jobs.

The law allows workers who opt out of unions to get the same benefits as fully unionized members. New House Speaker Tate told FOX 2 in an exclusive sit-down along with the current Lt Gov. Garlin Gilchrist, that a Right To Work repeal is part of a better way to support workers while growing the economy.

VP Kamala Harris 1-on-1

How will the inflation reduction act impact our fight against the climate crisis? How significant is Michigan in the police landscape? And Is Joe Biden ready for a second term? 

"Let me tell you something, Joe Biden is strong and history is going to show that even in just his two years he has accomplished more than most administrations could have hoped for," said Vice President Kamala Harris in an exclusive sit-down with FOX 2's Roop Raj. 

"What we are now building up here in Michigan, the money that is going to come into this state, to build back up roads and bridges. We are, because of what we have accomplished under Joe Biden's leadership, going to get lead out of pipes, across America. Done. Within the next 10 years, because of Joe Biden's leadership."

Harris was in Ann Arbor Thursday to discuss political winds of the current Congress as well as the biggest issues facing the U.S. FOX 2 later broke down the interview during Let It Rip.

Trustee upset after Rochester 6th graders pole dance during a field trip

The Rochester Communities school district is under fire after sixth-graders were pictured practicing pole dancing while on a class field trip. The trip happened back in November and the picture surfacing on social media after it was brought to the attention of a school board trustee.

The band teacher took the kids to visit the Detroit Symphony Orchestra on Nov. 16th, and stopped for lunch at Niki's Pizza, which is attached to Niki's Lounge. The students were moved from Niki's Pizza due to lack of available space to the lounge - and that's when some of them started playing on the poles.

Rochester School Board member Andrew Weaver shared the story on social media, upset over the behavior on display. However, both the owner of Niki's Pizza and the school district pushed back on the criticisms.

The owner said she was insulted by the insinuation the location is a strip joint. A statement from the school said any questions brought up by parents were immediately addressed by school administrators. 

Live on FOX 2

Daily Forecast

Compared to the past few days, Friday is going to feel like one of the cold ones. It'll be the coldest day of the year with some light flurries passing through. This weekend, temperatures remain low but not without some sunshine poking through. 

What else we're watching

1. A suspect wanted for two murders escaped police during a barricade in Detroit. The man had stationed himself inside a home near Seven Mile and Gratiot before escaping police. Officers only discovered he was missing after breaching the home.
2. A Novi pet store is asking people to be on the lookout for a man who stole a Chihuahua puppy Tuesday afternoon. Videos posted show a man wearing jeans and a dark-hooded jacket standing in the socialization room before walking out with the puppy.
3. The latest jackpot from the Mega Millions game is up to $1.35 billion. Could someone win on the unluckiest day of the year? Friday's drawing will be the 26th since someone last won the jackpot. Don't miss out!
4. The city of Southfield is partnering with Forgotten Harvest and the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Task Force to host a food drive Friday the 13 from 9 a.m to 12 p.m. Families can pull up to the Southfield Parks and Recreation circular drive and receive a free food box. Food is available to the first 250 familes.
5. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services released new guidelines Thursday regarding how much carp and rainbow smelt people should eat from certain lakes. See the guidelines here.

Exxon Mobil accurately predicted global warming trends since 1970s, study says

Exxon Mobil’s scientists were remarkably accurate in their predictions about global warming, even as the company made public statements that contradicted its own scientists' conclusions, a new study says.

The study in the journal Science Thursday looked at research that Exxon funded that didn’t just confirm what climate scientists were saying, but used more than a dozen different computer models that forecast the coming warming with precision equal to or better than government and academic scientists.

This was during the same time that the oil giant publicly doubted that warming was real and dismissed climate models’ accuracy. Exxon said its understanding of climate change evolved over the years and that critics are misunderstanding its earlier research.

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