
(WWJ) -- Another year has come and gone, and it certainly wasn’t without its fair share of eye-catching headlines in Metro Detroit.
From missing wallabies at the Detroit Zoo, to the craziest local crime stories, to President Joe Biden’s visit to the Auto Show, here's what captured the attention of WWJ’s audience each month in 2022:
University of Michigan President Dr. Mark Schlissel was removed from his position on Jan. 15 after the U-M board of regents said they received an anonymous complaint alleging that Schlissel was involved in an "inappropriate relationship" with a subordinate.
An internal investigation revealed that he used his university email account to communicate with that subordinate "in a manner inconsistent with the dignity and reputation of the university."
February: Heavy police presence in Chesterfield Township after man spotted dumping body
A man was charged with multiple felonies after a woman was found dead in Northern Macomb County in February. The body of the victim, a 42-year-old Chesterfield Twp. resident, was discovered in an intersection in the area of 24 Mile Rd. and I-94.
Initially thought to be a tragic case of a pedestrian hit by a car, police later discovered doorbell camera from the area that showed the woman's body was dumped and left on the road.
March: Detroit police identify female suspect who 'viciously' ran over, killed woman trying to save child
The search for a woman who "viciously" ran over and killed a 40-year-old mother trying to save a young child on Detroit's east side in March ended after she turned herself in to authorities.
Tiffany Watson, 40, was hit by an SUV driven by the suspect, who tore onto the lawn of a home on Manning Street after an apparent dispute between two groups. A young child was also in the path of the vehicle, but Watson was able to help them to safety before being hit. She succumbed to her injuries several days later in the hospital.
April: California woman arrested after flying to MI, renting out Royal Oak Airbnb to meet with teen boy
A 32-year-old woman was arrested and charged with child sexually abusive activity in April after she flew over a thousand miles from San Francisco to meet with a 15-year-old boy from Novi, police confirmed.
Police were told the woman had flown to Metro Detroit and had sent Uber drivers to the boy's house to transport him to the Royal Oak Airbnb she had rented for a month.
May: Wallaby joey goes missing from the Detroit Zoo days after its birth was announced
The search for a missing animal at the Detroit Zoo ended without an answer in May after a young marsupial disappeared from the Australian Outback habitat.
At the time, the zoo said that the 5-month-old wallaby joey — which had been newly venturing from its mother's pouch and still nursing — would not have been able to survive on its own. They theorized it may have been taken by a hawk or an owl.
June: Owner devastated after fire destroys 75-year-old LGBTQ bar in Detroit
A three-alarm fire destroyed a bar in June that stood in Detroit for 75 years and was a staple of the LGBTQ community.
Jeff, the owner of the Woodward Bar, told WWJ’s Ryan Marshall he was devastated to learn the business had been destroyed, saying the bar supported the LGBTQ community for the better part of three decades, and the community supported the bar through it all.
July: Pontiac woman faces 3rd OWI after going over 100mph on I-75 with open bottle of tequila in her car
A 30-year-old Pontiac woman faced her third OWI charge after she was excessively speeding while drunk in Oakland County this summer, according to police.
The Troy Police Department said officers clocked a 2017 Ford Focus speeding over 100 mph on southbound I-75 near Wattles Road. After police pulled over the driver, cops noticed she was slurring her words and smelled like alcohol, and saw an opened bottle in plain view. She agreed to a preliminary breath test and was found to have a result of .26%.
In August, police were searching for a woman accused of stealing purses from cars in Metro Detroit and successfully cashing a stolen check worth over $3,000 by using the stolen ID of one of the victims.
The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office says several women reported their purses had been stolen from their vehicles in Macomb County. At some point after the theft occurred, the woman also tried to purchase over $1,400 worth of gift cards at a Walmart in Roseville, but the purchase was declined.
September: President Biden walks into Detroit Auto Show holding hands with Michigan Gov. Whitmer
When President Joe Biden walked into the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, hand-in-hand with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, the photo went viral.
An image tweeted by CBS News White House reporter Bo Erickson in September seemingly received more attention than the cars ahead of planned remarks by the president at the big event in the Motor City.
October: State of Michigan suspends license of Novi Carvana vehicle dealer over alleged violations
Authorities with the Michigan Department of State announced in October that they had suspended the license of the vehicle "vending machine" dealer Carvana in Novi for multiple violations and "imminent harm to the public."
"Carvana LLC, owned by Paul W. Breaux and located at 26890 Adell Center Drive in Novi, has been summarily suspended for several alleged violations of the Michigan Vehicle Code, which were discovered during an investigation by MDOS regulatory staff of multiple no-title complaints from consumers," officials said in a statement.
November: Detroit man with 'arsenal of military-grade weapons' killed neighbor over missing Amazon package
A Detroit man was taken into custody in November after it was alleged he shot and killed his neighbor, leading to a four-hour standoff with police on the city's west side.
According to Detroit Police Chief James White, the suspect was upset after he was sentenced to 60 days in jail as a result of a dispute with his neighbor over an Amazon package that was delivered last year.
The brother of Paul Whelan, a Metro Detroit resident and former U.S. Marine who remains detained in Russia, called out former President Donald Trump earlier this month for hypocrisy.
After U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner was released from Russian detention in a prisoner swap on Dec. 8, Trump posted to the platform Truth Social: "Why wasn’t former Marine Paul Whelan included in this totally one-sided transaction? He would have been let out for the asking."
David Whelan took offense to this, writing on Twitter: “Former President Trump appears to have mentioned my brother #PaulWhelan's wrongful detention more in the last 24 hours than he did in the 2 years of his presidency in which Paul was held hostage by #Russia (zero). I don't suggest he cares now any more than he did then (zero).”