Winter storm updates • State of the State • Decades-old cold case solved
WEDNESDAY NEWS HIT - A fresh layer of snow is greeting Metro Detroiters Wednesday as this season's biggest winter storm is expected to land with a bit of force today.
After flakes started falling in the middle of the night, about an inch had accumulated by the time many would be getting up for work or school - except for the thousands of kids that had class canceled today. You can check out the list here.
While Wednesday's snow storm will be the biggest of the season, that's not saying much since there hasn't been much snow to begin with. If this storm is the season's biggest, it won't even come close to the biggest snowfall in the past 10 years - everyone remembers the polar vortex storm of 2014-2015.
Still, any snow is news and today won't count for nothing.
Most of the region won't accumulate more than an inch and some change by late morning. After then, the snowfall will pick up throughout the afternoon. At which point, visibility will be limited and the road conditions will get worse.
Most of Metro Detroit will see between 3 and 6 inches of snow. Some may see 7 to 8 inches of snow in Wayne County, Monroe, and Lenawee - though it depends on how far east someone is living.
Temperatures are also expected to fade as the day goes on.
Welcome to the end of January!
Featured
Southeast Michigan snowfall expected to increase as day continues
The snow is starting off light Wednesday morning with no more than an inch expected. The rate of snow will increase as we get further into the day.
Winter storm road conditions - here's the latest
Snowfall piling on Southeast Michigan this Wednesday is expected to be the season's biggest winter storm.
That's not saying much, considering the amount of precipitation that fallen this year has been paltry compared to years past. While some of the communities further to the east could see nearly 7 inches of snow, most of us won't get more than 5 inches.
Any amount of snow can cause conditions to get slippery and today won't be any different. As of 7 a.m., there haven't been too many disruptions to travel. The Michigan Department of Transportation's Twitter page, which you can scroll through below, hasn't announced any major wrecks.
However, the snow is only expected to get worse, which means roads may worsen over the next several hours.
Headed out? Here's a live look at road conditions:
Michigan State of the State tonight
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will give her annual State of the State speech in Lansing Wednesday. It'll be the governor's first address to the legislature and state as part of her second term. She has several big ideas she plans to discuss.
Chief among them is gun laws. The governor is expected to push for red flag and universal background checks. Following two mass shootings within four days in California and more than a year since the Oxford High School shooting, Whitmer told FOX 2 it was time for ‘common sense’ laws.
She also will announce plans to offer pre-k education to all children in the state. The governor's office told the Associated Press the plan would be implemented over the next four years.
Whitmer's agenda will likely align with the Democratic priorities in the House and Senate. Laws like repealing the retirement tax, repealing the state's Right to Work law, and increasing the Earned Income Tax Credit. She also plans to lower the eligible age for her free community college program.
2 arrested after headless body found in Michigan field in 1997
More than 25 years ago, the headless body of a man was found under a thin layer of snow in a Michigan field. A Lenawee County farmer found the body in Lenawee County's Blissfield Township on Nov. 19, 1997. Police said the hands were also cut off.
When the body was discovered, witnesses told police the victim may have been a man named Roberto, who lived with his wife and children in Texas. When he left his home, he was supposed to be traveling to Chicago and back. Instead, the case went cold. Without the head and hands, though, police haven't been able to identify the victim and the case went cold.
However, a break in the case led to the arrest of two people Tuesday. The United States Marshals Service located the suspects, who are brothers, in Ohio. Richardo Sepulveda, 51, of Cincinnati, and Michael Sepulveda, 49, of Toledo are facing numerous charges:
- Count 1 - First Degree Premediated Murder, a felony that carries a life sentence without the possibility of parole;
- Count 2 - Conspiracy to Commit First Degree Premediated Murder, a felony that carries a life sentence without the possibility of parole;
- Count 3 - Assault with Intent to Maim, a ten-year felony;
- Count 4 - Conspiracy to commit Assault with Intent to Maim, a ten-year felony;
- Count 5 - Tampering with Evidence, a ten-year felony; and,
- Count 6 - Conspiracy to Commit Tampering with Evidence, a ten-year felony.
Featured
2 arrested after headless body found in Michigan field in 1997
Two men were arrested in Ohio in connection with a headless and handless body that was found in a Michigan field more than 25 years ago.
Lapeer restaurant owner paying down local school lunch debt
Residents that call Lapeer home consider the area a big little town. A slice of civilization with a local community cohesion. It's a city where "the sum is greater than its parts," said Jessica Harold.
Harold, along with her partner in life and business Patrick Hingst, are earning that title. Together, the two are tackling a ballooning problem among children: school lunch debt. In the seven schools that surround the couple's business, debt tied to school lunches is near $21,000. That means many of the students going through the lunch lines aren't getting hot meals.
The safety net for school lunches ended on Jan. 1. And since then, the debt has bounced back up. When students don't have proper lunches, it can impact their ability to learn and grow.
So Hingst and Harold, who manage Woodchips Barbeque, Eggroll Factory, Kookys n Cream, and Oxford Wing Co, came up with an idea: They'll pay down some of that debt. To stop the bleeding, the two designated every Tuesday at their businesses Giving Tuesdays. Proceeds go directly to their student lunch debt initiative.
Featured
Lapeer restaurant owner paying down local school lunch debt
The school lunch debt in the seven schools near Jessica and Patrick's restaurant has ballooned to $21,000.
Live on FOX 2
Daily Forecast
Snow is greeting commuters Wednesday morning. It's expected to fall harder as the day goes on. Temperatures will also hit the mid-30s, but should dip below freezing soon after.
What else we're watching
- Michigan State Police fatally shot a suspect after they allegedly shined a laser pointer at a police helicopter before firing shots at it. Cops later cleared the home where the shooter was located, finding multiple rounds of ammo and firearms.
- MGM Grand Detroit is hosting a job fair to fill multiple full-time and part-time positions at the casino. Anyone interested should visit 1777 Third Street in Detroit between 1-4 p.m. to interview.
- Sticking with the reindeer names, the Blitzen's on Bagley pop-up is transforming into Vixen's on Bagley for Valentine's Day. The love-themed bar will feature "love potion" cocktails, hot chocolate, beer, snacks, and more. Learn more here.
- It's best to avoid the roads during a winter storm. But for those that need to venture out, check out FOX 2's tips on driving in the winter.
- Another hazard of winter weather: the shoveling. Not for throwing out one's back necessarily but for the strain it puts on people's heart. If someone is out of shape, best to let someone else handle the heavier stuff.
Scientists have reversed the aging process in mice: Are humans next?
Though many people have searched for the Fountain of Youth for years, scientists at Harvard University might’ve discovered the secret to reverse aging.
A recent study published in the journal Cell found that by making DNA repairs on mice, scientists were able to drive age "forward and backward" thus manipulating the aging process.
"There is new research now showing that the aging process may be reversible," Johns Hopkins health policy expert Dr. Marty Makary said on "Varney & Co." Tuesday. "That is, that the body may carry a copy of a gene in your body that codes for a younger response to everything physiologically."
According to Harvard Medical School, the epigenetic study was 13 years in the making and demonstrated that the reorganization and regulation of genetic structures can either accelerate or reverse effects of aging like deteriorating eyesight, smaller attention span and skin tissue falters.