UAW rallies against Stellantis cuts • Proposed Corktown road update causes stir • Worker killed by power lines

FRIDAY NEWS HIT - After Stellantis announced it was cutting nearly 2,500 jobs by eliminating second shift at the Warren Truck Plant, workers are fighting against the move.

Hundreds of UAW members rallied against the cuts outside the plant on Thursday.

"There’s no call for it. You got two-thirds of the money in this corporation is being made right here in North America, and the idea that they want to take jobs from us is just crazy," said Bill Parker, a Stellantis worker.

UAW President Shawn Fain said the automaker needs to honor its commitment to its workers. 

"Look, they’re launching 20 products over the next two years and the commitments. They’ve made here they’re not honoring," he said. ""So, if they don’t honor those commitments, it’s going to get worse. And we can’t just sit back and let that happen."

Stellantis says it’s continuing to navigate unrelenting challenges in the auto industry by streamlining its operations. Part of that plan is to end production of the Ram 1500 Classic while refocusing production of the Wagoneer SUV.

However, Stellantis also points to a newly announced $97 million investment in Warren Truck which is part of a more than $400 million infusion into three Michigan plants.

Semi spills diesel fuel on I-94

Drivers should avoid westbound I-94 in Detroit this morning due to a crash that needs to be cleaned up.

Michigan State Police said a 31-year-old Clinton Township man driving a semi-truck was behind a driver in a Lincoln that had their hazards on because they had a flat tire. The truck was unable to stop and rear ended the Lincoln near Chene.

"Another preventable crash caused by a driver following too close. Make sure you allow enough distance between you and the car in front of you to stop safely," said MSP F/Lt Mike Shaw.

The crash jack-knifed the semi and led to diesel fuel leaking across all lanes of the freeway. Police said the fuel was stopped from entering the storm drain, but additional hazmat procedures will be necessary. The Detroit Fire Department and Michigan Department of Transportation are at the scene.

Proposed Michigan Ave update causes stir in Corktown

The Michigan Department of Transportation says Michigan Avenue in Corktown needs major updates, but some do not agree with the state's proposal to make that happen.

Part of the issue is the historic bricks that make up the road. MDOT says they are out of date and need to be updated. The goal, MDOT says, is to both update the road and make it safer for pedestrians. 

"You try to cross this highway, it’s a little intimidating. We want to establish some type of mid-block crossing. We’d like a safe opportunity for bikers, we want people who want to walk or park be able to do so," said MDOT's Mohammed Alghurabi. "We’re gonna do everything we can if there are ways to salvage the brick, we will do that. Keep in mind, some of it might not be usable to be part of a roadway."

Beyond the bricks, the Corktown Business Association is concerned the new project will remove parking and make it harder to traverse Corktown — by turning two lanes into transit only.

Supporters and those against the project packed a standing room only meeting on Thursday to share their thoughts.

"One lane of traffic going into downtown, another lane of traffic coming out of downtown. We’ll lose 63 on-street parking spaces. There will be no left turns except at single intersections, no left turns off feeder streets. It’s really gonna gridlock Corktown," said Bob Roberts, the owner of McShane's and president of the Corktown Business Association.

Worker killed by power lines in Macomb County

A vacuum truck hit power lines in the northern portion of Macomb County, sparking a fire that killed a worker Thursday afternoon.

The victim, a 61-year-old man who worked as a contractor for DTE, was in a truck that cleans sewers and catch basins with a boom arm. The boom arm of the truck was extended and appears to have come in contact with power lines near Romeo Plank and 32 Mile Road. It sparked a fire that engulfed the cab of the truck in flames around 1 p.m.

"It is with heavy hearts that we confirm that a contractor lost an employee today while doing work for DTE. The individual, who was working in Macomb County, came in contact with overhead equipment and was fatally wounded.

The fire closed the road for around nine hours. An investigation is ongoing.

Arthur Ream dies in prison

A man sentenced to life for killing a 13-year-old girl while being a suspect in the deaths of about a half-dozen others has died in a Michigan prison.

Arthur Ream, 75, died Aug. 15 of cancer at a prison hospital in Jackson, Michigan, the state Corrections Department said Thursday.

Cindy Zarzycki was last seen on April 20, 1986, and believed to be a runaway after going to a Dairy Queen in Eastpointe, a mostly blue-collar suburb north of Detroit.

The case went cold, but Ream eventually was arrested and charged. In 2008, he led investigators to Zarzycki’s remains buried in a wooded area in Macomb Township.

Still, he denied killing her. Ream told a police detective that Cindy was with his son the day she died and claimed she fell from an open elevator at his carpet warehouse in Warren.

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What else we're watching

1. Pittsfield Township police are investigating a woman's murder after a man broke into a home on Breckland Drive early Friday and assaulted its residents.
2. Former President Donald Trump will be in Michigan next week for a town hall in Flint. The swing state has been a busy spot for both campaigns as they fight for the vote.
3. A Westland man, Dakota Joseph Varana, allegedly kidnapped and held his pregnant ex-girlfriend hostage in her vehicle after she drove to the Upper Peninsula to pick him up. He's now facing charges in Macomb County.
4. If you'll be hunting up north this season, do not eat deer that you take from Clark's Marsh in Iosco County. A Do Not Eat Advisory is in effect due to PFAS contamination.
5. Ready for the weekend? If not, find plans here.

Judge drops some charges for Trump, co-defendants in election interference case

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee has dismissed two charges against former President Donald Trump and an additional charge against one of his co-defendants in the Georgia election interference case.

Trump's lead attorney in the racketeering case responded on X writing:

"President Trump and his legal team in Georgia have prevailed once again. The trial court has decided that counts 15 and 27 in the indictment must be quashed/dismissed."

Buddy Parker, a lawyer for Eastman, in an email to the Associated Press, applauded McAfee’s ruling.

Attorneys for John Eastman and Shawn Micah Tresher Still argued that their charges were preempted by the federal government's authority over presidential elections under the U.S. Constitution's Supremacy Clause.