World-renowned artist and conservationist Wyland returned to his home state of Michigan to create a special tribute that combines his love for family with Detroit sports.

Watch Ruta Ulcinaite's video report: World-renowned artist Wyland creates Lions mural at family business in Clawson

The artist behind the iconic whale mural in downtown Detroit spent 90 minutes spray-painting a brand new mural of a lion on the side of Barb's Pasties and Pizza in Clawson, but this artwork represents much more than just team spirit.

The mural serves as a love letter to Wyland's late uncle Jerry, who co-founded the family business with his wife, Barb.

"He really wanted to do this one in memory of my mom and dad, especially my father. So it's kind of special," said Kevin Sell, co-owner of Barb's Pasties and Pizza and Wyland's cousin.

Barb's Pasties and Pizza has been a Clawson institution since the 1980s, serving the baked, meat-filled delicacy made famous by Upper Peninsula miners in the 1800s. The Sells started making pasties in their basement before opening the Main Street location.

"A lot of history with Barb's. If you walk in the store, you'll see it hasn't changed in 42 years, and we take pride in that," Kevin Sell said.

Wyland, who has created over 100 murals worldwide, was in Michigan for a high school reunion when Kevin asked him to create something special for the family business.

"How could I say no to my favorite uncle and my aunt? And then, my God, the response, I mean, my phone blew up. People saying, 'hey, I went there and bought 20 of them'," Wyland said.

Video: Watch part of the Lions mural start to take shape RAW VIDEO: Wyland paints a Lions mural in Clawson

The mural has generated significant business for the restaurant, according to employee Tiffany McKee.

"We haven't stopped, we've been going for the last week," McKee said. "A lot of people are stopping by, just taking pictures and then theyll come in and say, 'what is a pastie?'

Uncle Jerry's passions: art, the Detroit Lions, his family, and business now live on forever through the artwork.

Wyland, whose downtown Detroit whale mural has become part of the city's identity, expressed concern about his famous work being regularly obstructed by advertisements since 2023.

"That mural really is part of the fabric of Detroit now," Wyland said. "If you're the insurance company and you've got a sign over the wall, take it down. I want to see it when Detroit wins the World Series this year," he added.

Detroit resident Renetta Dobson had a simple message about the whale mural: "Free the whales."

When asked about potentially adding other Detroit sports teams to the Clawson mural, Wyland isn't making any promises but says there's definitely room on Barb's wall whenever he's back in town.

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This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

The widow of the jewelry store owner killed last year in his Rochester Hills home provided emotional testimony in Oakland County Circuit Court Wednesday about the home invasion that left her husband dead and herself injured.

The two suspects allegedly posed as DTE utility workers to gain entry to their home.

Watch Ruta Ulcinaite's video report below: Widow testifies in trial of men accused of posing as DTE workers in deadly home invasion

Linda Murray testified about the events of Oct. 11, 2024, when her 73-year-old husband, Hussein "Sam" Murray, was killed inside their home.

"I was screaming and Hernandez hits me in the face to cover my mouth," Linda Murray testified when asked about her reaction to seeing blood at the scene.

Joshua Zuazo and Carlos Hernandez are accused of posing as DTE Energy workers who initially visited the Murray home on Oct. 10, 2024, claiming they needed to check for a gas leak. The family turned them away due to the late hour, but prosecutors say the men returned the following morning.

According to testimony, the suspects allegedly took Sam Murray to the basement, where they tied him up and killed him. Linda Murray was upstairs making breakfast when the men came upstairs demanding jewelry and cash.

Previous coverage: Court records detail how Rochester Hills murder suspects were caught Documents reveal new details on home invasion arrests

"Hernandez is binding my hands and my ankles together with duct tape," Linda Murray testified when asked what happened while defendant Zuazo was allegedly upstairs.

Prosecutors presented crime scene photos Wednesday, showing the ransacked home and body camera footage of deputies arriving at the scene. The video captured the moment officers freed Linda Murray's hands and later discovered Sam Murray's body.

"What you see is Sam is on the ground, it's a horrible scene, brutal scene, very bloody scene," Assistant Prosecutor John Pietrofesa said during the proceedings.

Both Hernandez and Zuazo are charged with first-degree murder and two counts of unlawful imprisonment. Hernandez's attorney claims his client never intended to kill Murray, while Zuazo's attorney maintains his client was wrongly identified and was not present at the scene.

In an unusual legal arrangement, the two defendants are being tried simultaneously but with separate juries that were selected earlier this week.

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This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

Police are adding extra patrols around a Dearborn Heights mosque after receiving violent threats, while Jewish temples prepare for Yom Kippur services with heightened security measures after the horrific events that occurred Sunday in Grand Blanc Township.

Watch Ruta Ulcinaite's video report: Local religious institutions increase security amid rising threats

Places of worship are community staples to those who practice faith, serving as locations to peacefully come together, reflect, and pray. However, recently, these sacred spaces have become targets of threats and violence.

The Dearborn Heights Police Department has increased patrols around the Islamic Institute of America following threatening calls from an adult male living out of state. The threats targeted members of the center, its leaders, and the building itself.

"Any threat on any religious place of worship, whether it be a synagogue, a church, a mosque, a temple it's an attack against religion and it's an attack against humanity," said Detective Sergeant Ahmad Mazloum of the Dearborn Heights Police Department.

According to Mazloum, the threatening calls became more violent after Sunday's events at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, where a shooting occurred and the church burned down. He confirmed that the caller threatened to burn down the Islamic center.

"And for you to have your hate drive so deep into your soul where you want to come and threaten people who are innocently worshiping god, shame on you," Mazloum added.

The department is now working with federal authorities and has identified a person of interest, though no one is in custody.

The city of Dearborn is also increasing security across all areas of worship in the city. They posted the following message on Facebook.

Meanwhile, Jewish temples are setting up security measures for Yom Kippur, which begins Wednesday evening.

"It's a day where probably more Jewish people will attend services at their temples and synagogues than any other on the calendar," said David Kurzmann, Senior Director of Community Affairs at the Jewish Federation of Detroit.

Kurzmann noted that the federation remains in constant communication with places of worship to ensure they have the necessary security resources, especially following Sunday's events in Grand Blanc.

"In light of events like that, we double down on all of the measures in place to keep our community safe," Kurzmann said.

Local agencies and faith leaders emphasize the importance of vigilance, encouraging community members to report suspicious activity. They stress that keeping each other safe requires everyone's participation.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

Overnight Update: The Howell Township Planning Commission voted just after 2:30 a.m. to recommend to deny re-zoning the land for a controversial data center.

Watch Ryan Marshall's live report from the 6 a.m. show Breaking Update: Howell Township Planning Commissionn denies re-zoning land for controversial data center

That vote came after hundreds of people voiced their opinions well into the night. The now-rejected data center would have been the largest of its kind in Michigan. The massive site would have covered more than 1,000 acres.

Last night's meeting was actually relocated from Howell Township Hall to Howell High School due to the sheer number of people who had strong opinions on the proposal.

There were plans to use over 1,000 acres of private farm land to build a brand new data center.

While some supported a data center coming to Howell, most were passionately against it.

A data center like this can put 1000 constructions jobs rather than bringing them from out of state you can have the jobs in the community right here," said James Shaw, IBEW Local 17 Member.

"The hypocrisy that i have seen tonight from these people blows my mind to think about it," said retired veteran Terran Frye. "To even think about seeing the debates on Facebook. They dont want a data center. But yet, here theyre using the data center.

Most attendees were against bringing a data center to Howell, and were concerned about potential noise, pollution and an excess water and electricity strain.

99 percent of us. I think there were two or three people who wantedwho were for it. and, there were like 500, 600 people in there. I dont know how many," said Howell resident Patricia Murphy.

I wasnt sure of what to expect. But, as answers started to be developed, it just didnt look like a good fit for the Howell community," said resident Aaron Currie.

In January, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer approved a tax exemption for data centers to attract tech giants to the state. While its not yet clear who would be moving into the property, some residents are strongly opposing the idea.

Most of the data center roughly 1,000 acres or about 2 square miles would be on the Van Gilder family farm property.

On the agenda was the decision to rezone the massive area to make it compatible for such a project. The area is owned by the Van Gilder family, who owns large farm properties in the state.

An unnamed U.S. Fortune 100 Company would move onto the property with a new data center.

The main concern residents have is that a data center of that size could be noisy, cause pollution and require a lot of water and electricity.

What I can tell you is the bigger they are, the louder they are, the more they consume. And what you propose is a very large data center, so just be aware of that. It would consume that of a small city," Webberville resident Gary Burtka said.

The project is expected to bring in thousands of jobs and thats something union member and local resident James Shaw says he can get behind.

A data center like this can put 1,000 constructions jobs out there rather than bringing people in from other states to do that work. You can do it right here with the community that were in, said Shaw, a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 17.

However, most residents still have a lot of questions and concerns that the peaceful life they live will be turned upside down by a large corporation moving in.

I just found out about it. I really havent had much of an opportunity to address it further, said Howell Township resident Margarte Campbell, who opposes the idea.

The planning commission meeting ended around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday morning, with community members voicing their opinions during public comment for approximately eight hours.

We're awaiting to see what actually comes next in this entire process after the committee's recommendation. But for now, it's safe to say most people were pleased with the outcome.