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Morning Buzz: 5 things to know for February 2

Posted at 10:46 AM, Feb 02, 2017
and last updated 2017-02-02 08:02:53-05

1. John Ball Zoo is getting in on the ground hog action, but instead of a groundhog they’re using a skunk to predict West Michigan’s forecast.

Her name is Turnip, and instead of seeing her shadow, she’ll choose between a pile of snow, and a pile of sand.

She’s the zoo’s newest ambassador animal, and they’re leash-training her to give her the chance to explore.

Turnip will eventually travel to schools and libraries. She’ll be making the prediction at 10:30 a.m.

2. Car loves will flood Grand Rapids for the next few days as the Michigan International Auto Show kicks off.

Auto makers from across the globe will show off the latest cars, SUVs, and truck at DeVos Place.

People can also shop and compare prices for everyday cars.

The show starts at 11 a.m. and goes until 9:30 p.m. Tickets cost $10 for adults.

3. 20 Monroe Live in downtown Grand Rapids is officially open.

Trombone Shorty kicked things off Wednesday night, and hundreds of people came out to see the Louisiana band play.

Tonight Umphrey McGee will play, followed by Lynyrd Skynyrd on Friday.

The venue can seat about 2,600 people and will have about 120 shows a year including concerts and comedy events.

4. A lot of money will be changing hands during the Super Bowl.

In fact, Americans are expected to bet billions of dollars on the game.

The American Gaming Association says Americans will bet $4.7 billion, that’s an 11 percent increase from last year. 97 percent of those bets will be illegal because only bets made through sports books in Nevada are legal.

People will be on anything from the winner of the coin toss to the final score of the game.

Watch the Super Bowl on Sunday right here on Fox 17.

5. KitKat just released images of its wild new “sushi” sets being sold for a limited time in Japan.

The bars come in three flavors, which fortunately don’t taste anything like the varieties of sushi they’re modeled to look like, unless you count the seaweed.

There’s Tuna Sushi which tastes like raspberry, the Seaweed Wrapped Sushi Omelet that’s really a pumpkin pudding KitKat, and the Sea Urchin Sushi which is a melon with mascarpone cheese KitKat.

All three have a base made of puffed rice with white chocolate and a hint of wasabi.