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What's the weather for today
An Air Quality Advisory has been extended or all of Southeast Michigan through Saturday. Pollutants are expected to be in the Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups range with some locations reaching the Unhealthy range.
Friday: Mostly sunny with drier air. Highs in the mid 70s. Winds: NE 5-15 mph.
The top stories to know about
'I was not a spy.' 1 year after release from Russia, Paul Whelan details his time in captivity
Friday, Aug. 1 marks one year since Paul Whelan has been free. After being accused of espionage and spending more than five years behind bars in Russia, the Michigan native said his return home has been bittersweet.
Upon his release, it was hailed as a major diplomatic achievement, especially since he was sentenced to 16 years in a Russian labor camp. But, he said, getting back to a normal life has been difficult to say the least.
Our Carolyn Clifford sat down with Whelan in Manchester, where he now lives with his parents, and is trying to reclaim his former life.
"I’m in my hotel room, one of my friends is with me, we’re getting ready to go to the wedding," he said.
That's when he said 20 officers from the Federal Security Service (FSB), the new KGB in Russia, lined the hallways and stormed his room.
"FSB comes into my room where I am violently arrested. 'Mr Whelan, you’re under arrest for espionage,' and so I said, 'I haven’t committed espionage.' 'Well, we think you have,'" Whelan said.
Whelan said his long-overdue return to Michigan felt like a gut punch. After 20 days of evaluation in Texas, he had to find his own way home.
"I came home to no home. My house was gone, no job, cars were gone, and finances had been used over the years to store things and pay attorneys," he said.
Whelan says he’s been denied unemployment, health insurance and at 55, although he’s highly qualified, his six-year work gap puts him out of the running for many jobs.
"There's a stigma from being in prison, even though I was wrongfully held, I was still in prison," he said.
Whelan says he joined the military to give back after America gave his family so much as immigrants. Now he’s back home with his aging parents in Manchester who escaped Germany during World War II.
Michigan woman shares decade-long battle with Lyme disease after Justin Timberlake reveals diagnosis
A Michigan woman is sharing her struggle with Lyme disease after pop star Justin Timberlake revealed his own diagnosis with the tick-borne illness, which he described as "relentlessly debilitating" on social media Thursday.
Annette Jackson, 37, has been battling Lyme disease for over 10 years and says finding a diagnosis was an exhausting journey that took dozens of medical consultations.
"Throughout this journey, it has been tough," Jackson said.
Jackson traces her health problems back to 2015 when she was bitten by a tick while visiting a park in southeastern Michigan.
"I was in the Clinton River, at a park here and I got bit and the symptoms started after," Jackson said. "It was a struggle every day to fight, mentally, emotionally, a lot of depression, a lot of anxiety."
For years, Jackson struggled without knowing what was causing her symptoms, consulting with numerous medical professionals who often misdiagnosed her condition.
"I've probably seen over 100 doctors in the past nine years," Jackson said.
The challenge with Lyme disease is that its symptoms can mimic other conditions, making diagnosis difficult.
"So, doctors normally think it's anxiety disorders or OCD or depression. A lot of the times, Lyme disease does present as psychiatric symptoms," Jackson said.
Dr. Jonathan Swetech, a family medicine physician in Clinton Township, finally diagnosed Jackson's condition in 2020 and explains that advanced Lyme disease can affect multiple body systems.
"Usually what people with the advanced forms of it have are bad joint pain, chronic pains, their nervous system doesn't work right, all kinds of psychiatric issues. Cardiac issues, too, seem to be pretty common. Just stuff just doesn't work right," Swetech said.
Downtown Romulus pushes for revival with new businesses and community spaces
Romulus officials are working to breathe new life into the city's downtown area after years of empty storefronts along Goddard Road.
For longtime residents of Romulus, the downtown area was once a thriving business hub.
"Downtown Romulus was booming at the time," said Stacy Brugh, a Romulus resident.
But economic and infrastructure changes created significant challenges for the area.
"People from Huron used to travel through here to get on I-94, now they don't need to do that. So, I-275 added to the problem. Lear Seating had about a 1,000 jobs at that site, that closed and left," said Robert McCraight, Mayor of Romulus.
McCraight explained that struggles with inherited properties also contributed to downtown's decay.
"Somebody will be a property owner for a long time. When they pass, they leave it on to the next generation, and there tends to be a reluctancy to invest," McCraight said.
Over the past decade, Romulus has been working to reinvigorate its downtown. One strategy has been purchasing old buildings, repairing them, and leasing them to new businesses willing to invest in the area.
"I can tell you there's a huge difference in the last three to four years, we've seen people are reaching out to Romulus and want to be a part of what we have going on," said Jerry Frayer, Director of Romulus Downtown Development Authority.
The city is also adding vibrancy through public art and the new "Eagle Alley" social district.
"That's a huge part of it. People want a place to call their own and go and enjoy and meet with their neighbors," McCraight said.
Jay Kuderick, a lifelong Romulus resident and co-owner of Bubbie's Pizza downtown, opened his business earlier this year.
"The building that we're in, it's been empty for almost 20 years," Kuderick said.
