WWJ has its eyes and ears on Metro Detroit -- and the rest of the U.S -- all day, every day.
From health and financial news to politics and public safety information, here's the top seven national stories that caught the WWJ audience's attention in 2022.
IRS is mailing millions of letters and here's why you need to open them
The Internal Revenue Service will never call, but they will send a letter. In this case, those were millions of CP14 letters -- notices alerting people that they owe five dollars or more on their tax payments.
While the CP14 is a standard part of the annual income tax process, the IRS temporarily stopped sending the notices for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although letters from the IRS make everyone a little nervous, it's better to open them and work out any payment issues as soon as possible.
'Hundreds' dead in Lee County as Florida starts to dig out from Ian
Ian was just two miles-per-hour away from being a Category 5 hurricane when it raged across Florida in late September. Lee County -- home to Fort Meyers, Cape Coral, Estero, Sanibel and others -- was hardest hit.
"Fatalities are in the hundreds," Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno told Good Morning America the day after Ian made landfall. "This is a life-changing event for all of us."
In addition to the tragic death toll, the 157 mile-per-hour winds and flooding destroyed homes, roads and power and communications infrastructure.
Trump cancels North Carolina rally as new poll shows GOP voters moving away from him
Former President Donald Trump cancelled a July rally in Greensboro, North Carolina, in order to appear in court as part of an investigation into his finances, per The News & Observer.
The decision coincided with a New York Times/Siena College poll that showed the former President losing momentum compared to his potential 2024 primary opponents.
Other Republicans catching voters' attention included Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, and former Vice President Mike Pence.
Blood pressure pills recalled over cancer risk
Pfizer recalled six lots of the blood pressure medication Accuretic along with five lots of generic tablets after discovering higher-than-acceptable levels of a nitrosamine in those batches. According to Pfizer, while nitrosamines are common in water and food, consuming excessive amounts over an extended amount of time can increase a person's risk of developing cancer.
When the recall was first announced in March 2022, Pfizer assured consumers that there was no immediate risk to their health and that the company was not aware of any adverse effects from the blood pressure medications at that time.
10-year-old Florida girl arrested for murder
In a tragic turn of events, a 10-year-old girl shot and killed a woman who had argued with her mother at a Memorial Day barbecue in Orlando.
31-year-old Lakrisha Isaac and 41-year-old Lashun Rogers were involved in a verbal altercation at an apartment complex where the gathering was held. As they fought, Isaac handed her daughter a backpack containing a gun. The young girl allegedly pulled out the gun and fired twice, killing Rodgers.
Witnesses told police that after firing the shots, the girl screamed, "You shouldn't have messed with my mother," WESH reported.
At the time the story was published, the child had only been taken into custody but was later charged with second degree murder, per WFLA.
The girl's mother was charged with manslaughter, aggravated assault with a firearm and child neglect.
Here's why flags across the country are at half-staff today
On Thursday, May 12, 2022, President Joe Biden announced that one million Americans had died from COVID-19, the novel coronavirus that first reached the United States in January 2020.
To mark the devastating milestone and honor those lost, President Biden issued a proclamation that all U.S. flags at government and public buildings, military sites and foreign embassies be flown at half-staff through the weekend.
Trump targets DeSantis as college teammate says he's biggest 'di** we knew'
In June 2022, an in-depth profile on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was published by The New Yorker. The article featured commentary from former President Donald Trump as well as a former college baseball teammate of DeSantis's, who said the Governor was "the most selfish person I have ever interacted with... He was the biggest di** we knew."
The same teammate did give DeSantis credit for being "so f***ing smart and so creative," calling the dissonance "frustrating."
Former President bragged that he got DeSantis elected in Florida and that he would beat DeSantis in a 2024 primary.
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