(WXYZ) — Hey, you're busy — we get it.
We know a lot happens throughout the week, and you may not catch all of our stories here at WXYZ. So we've decided to gather the most talked-about stories from the past week all in one place that you can check out during your free time over the weekend.
Have a story idea or tip? Feel free to let us know using the contact form below.
Here are the big stories from the week beginning May 5.
Michigan man who survived suicide attempt receives face transplant, now helping others
A Michigan man who attempted to take his own life and survived is now the 18th person in the country to receive a face transplant.
Only about 50 people in the world have ever received a face transplant, and the story of how this man got to this point is full of miraculous moments.
Derek Pfaff, 30, showed us the first version of himself. The one who in 2012, had a seemingly perfect life. He was a captain of his high school football team, he scored a touchdown in the game that won them the state championship.
He had a 4.0, amazing friends and family, blessings that followed him to his freshman year of college, but stress about maintaining his success followed him as well.
The pressure weighed heavily, but Derek said overall he was really quite happy, which makes his story perhaps even more shocking.
"I was on a spring break, I had came back from a ski trip up north with my friends. I had them over that night to play cards in the basement. And yeah, I don't remember getting the gun or doing any of that," he said.
"So before that day, you never had any thoughts of suicide?" I asked him.
"No, never, never crossed my mind," said Derek.
Derek was 19. He had no drugs or alcohol in his system. Derek and Lisa had plans to go to church early the next day. She woke up and went to check on all her kids around 1:30 in the morning.
"I went to Derek's rooms first and opened his door, and he wasn't in his room, and that was really strange," said Lisa Pfaff. "I went through the house, I couldn't find him, and Jerry went outside, and then I heard this loud scream, ‘Derek, no, Derek no.' And he yelled, ‘call 9-1-1,’ and he said ‘Derek shot himself,'" recalled Lisa.
From 2014 through 2020, he underwent 58 surgeries. Somehow, Derek defied all odds and made it back home, but that doesn’t mean life got easier. He no longer had a nose, he lost an eye, his teeth and lips were mostly gone. The second version of himself looked very different.
His face transplant at the Mayo Clinic would make Derek the 18th person in the country to ever receive a face transplant. He would be one of only about 50 in the world to ever receive one. Derek is now 30. He will soon have his last surgery, which includes getting new teeth, and having his trach taken out, allowing him to eat solid foods for the first time in 11 years.
DEA impersonators targeting medical offices and everyday citizens with fake fines
A local dermatology office is sounding the alarm after a brazen attempt at a con job targeting medical professionals. A man called their office impersonating a DEA agent, which is an increasingly common scam targeting medical offices.
The scammer claimed to be a DEA agent named Daniel Patel and demanded to speak with doctors about an urgent matter, but an experienced office administrator recognized the red flags.
“Part of it was when he hung up, he said ‘God bless America,’” said Gladys Moore, a practice administrator at Affiliated Troy Dermatologists.
Moore, who has more than 30 years of experience, says this was the first scam call of this nature in her career. Her vigilance protected the practice from what could have been a costly fraud.
"So, I might get a call maybe twice a month from people all over the country about these DEA scams. And sometimes, they get cash from people — Target, iTunes, Amazon gift cards. They're just so rattled, they're willing to do whatever it takes to, quote on quote, get the feds off their back," DEA spokesperson Brian McNeal said.
McNeal explained that what makes these scams believable is that the culprits sometimes dig up a doctor's DEA registration number — which the agency provides to medical practitioners allowing them to prescribe drugs — and the scammers sometimes use the names of actual DEA employees to seem more credible.
"So usually, the way the scam works is they will say that registration number has been involved in some type of illegal activity and that you must pay a fine or you'll face arrest," McNeal said.
These so-called "fines" range anywhere from $2,000 to $10,000.
McNeal says these DEA impersonators don't just target doctors and people who prescribe drugs, they also go after regular everyday citizens.
Redford Township school saving money on food costs with vertical garden
Sixth-grade students at Hilbert Elementary School are helping their cafeteria staff cut back on food costs this year by growing some ingredients in their school lunches.
“We know it’s ready to harvest right about now when there is no longer any white behind the lettuce," said STEM teacher Angela Maggioncalda.
Maggioncalda and her students are taking on a newer form of farming: vertical hydroponics.
“It’s pretty self managing, outside of making sure that there’s enough nutrients for the plants, because they are not in soil where they normally get their nutrients from," Maggioncalda said. "And that the pH of the water is correct for the plants.”
Contrary to traditional farming, this method takes no dirt and a lot less ground space.
“This took very fast," said Javier. "Like two days and when you’re at home gardening it takes weeks.”
The students we spoke to say they love watching their lettuce and herbs grow.
But when it comes to vertical farming on a larger scale, there are still some kinks that need to be worked out. Fay Hansen, assistant professor of Biological Science at Oakland University, says there are some Phytonutrients that plants growing in the ground build up that those grown indoors can't.
Royal Oak seeks public feedback on new parking meters as current system set to expire
Royal Oak is asking for public feedback on potential new parking meters as the city prepares to replace its current system by the end of the year.
Residents, visitors and business owners have long complained about the existing parking meters in downtown Royal Oak, describing them as difficult to use and confusing.
The current parking meter system will end on Dec. 31 and the city is looking to partner with a new vendor in 2026.
City Commissioner Rebecca Cheezum said the city is actively seeking input from the community.
"We are looking for members of the public, so residents of Royal Oak, visitors to Royal Oak, business owners in Royal Oak to come and try out the three potential vendors to see what they think about the equipment," Cheezum said. "We want a system that is usable, easy, convenient and accessible for everyone."
On Wednesday, the city hosted two Community Parking Open Houses. Local business owners are also eager for the change. Bob Morton, co-owner of Lily's Seafood on Washington Street, said his staff frequently has to help customers struggling with the current meters.
"If not every day, but every other day, someone from our staff or surrounding businesses try to come out and try to help somebody standing at the meter for 10 or 15 minutes," Morton said.
'A very humble man': De La Salle principal shares personal connection to Pope Leo XIV
The world has a new Pope, as Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was elected Pope Leo XIV on Thursday in Vatican City.
The first-ever pope from the United States has a personal connection to local Catholic school leader Brother Ken Kalinowski, the principal of De La Salle Collegiate in Warren.
Kalinowski knew Pope Leo XIV during their time together at Villanova University near Philadelphia and has even kept a gift from him all these years later that hangs over his desk.
"Father Bob was the jovial, friendly, what you saw is what you got. He was just so charismatic," Kalinowski said.
Kalinowski grew up in metro Detroit and received a full-ride scholarship to Villanova University. During his time at the university, Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, or as Kalinowski and his classmates at Villanova knew him, Father Bob, is remembered with absolute fondness.
"He would just pick tables and just sit with different kids every day and just a delight," Kalinowski said. "His whole thing was working for the good of the poor and making sure that the least, the last and the lost are not forgotten.”
The now-principal of the all-boys Catholic high school says there’s one instance they shared together that he keeps with him to this day. After his grandmother died in the 1980s, he missed mass for two weeks. Father Bob was there to help.
“He goes 'Ken, I haven’t seen you at mass' and I said 'Father, with my grandmother passing, I think Jesus is on vacation.' Well few days later, there was a picture of Jesus in a frame in a box and he left it at my dorm door and I still have it hanging in my office. And it said, 'Jesus has returned and he wants you to come back,'" Kalinowski said.
Kalinowski has kept that picture from the now-Pope Leo XIV during his time as a missionary in Papua New Guinea, to serving in Kenya and Mexico City and now in Warren inside his office at the high school, not knowing his gift is from the holiest of old friends.
Residents continue to oppose proposed landfill on border of Wayne and Washtenaw counties
Residents living near the Arbor Hills Landfill are voicing concerns over a proposed expansion that would add a new landfill to the north of the existing site.
Ronak Nandwana lives near the landfill, which sits on the border of Salem Township and Northville Township.
"When the dump first came in here 50 years ago, there was nobody here but now, there are so many neighborhoods that have popped up and they're building even more across the street," Nandwana said.
The waste management company GFL Environmental owns Arbor Hills and has proposed building a new landfill to the north of the existing one, citing that the current landfill is reaching its capacity.
Nandwana opposes the new landfill because of odor issues from the current facility.
"Right now, we are northeast of the dump, so maybe if you have eastern winds, maybe you can only catch a little edge of the smell. But if it's directly west of us, we're going to smell it for sure," Nandwana said.
We reached out to GFL on Wednesday to talk about the proposal and were told "no comment."
Dave Drinan, a Northville Township resident and member of The Conservancy Initiative, a nonprofit group formed to oppose the landfill, also expressed concerns about the expansion.
"Those of us who have invested in homes within a mile or two of this site obviously don't want to have to live next to a new landfill," Drinan said.
Community rallies to save historic Flat Rock Dam as officials weigh options
The Huron-Clinton Metroparks Authority released a 140-page feasibility study that includes the possibility of removing the Flat Rock Dam to improve fish travel, sparking concern among residents and officials alike.
"I'd hate to see it go," said Will Melfi, who has been visiting the Flat Rock Dam since he was 15. "It's a great place just to come and relax for a few hours and just do some good fishing."
The Huron-Clinton Metroparks Authority emphasized in a statement that no final decisions have been made regarding the dam's future.
"The most important key takeaway is that NO decisions have yet been made regarding the future of the Flat Rock Dam. We are currently conducting a Feasibility Study, and that is the first step in complex projects such as this one. The feasibility study evaluates multiple future options." the authority said in a statement.
One alternative being considered is selling the dam to Flat Rock or Huron Township for $5, an offer that Flat Rock Mayor Steven Beller says requires more information.
"It was a very vague offer and it opened up a lot of questions about the dam, the condition of the dam, all the responsibilities, what's supposed to be done and when," Beller said.
State lawmakers representing the district have also voiced opposition to removing the dam, which was built in the 1920s by Henry Ford.
"All three state reps that are around the river and dam oppose this. The mayor and the Huron Township supervisor oppose this. So, we're all in this, we are all one, speaking as one voice to the Huron-Clinton Metroparks Authority to say we don't want this dam removed," Rep. James Desana said.
Desana is asking the Metroparks to redirect the remaining feasibility study funding toward repairs instead.
However, the Metroparks Authority maintains that completing the study is necessary before any decisions can be made.
"EGLE inspects the dam every 3 years, we received the last report in February of 2024 from their inspection on November 9, 2023. The Flat Rock Dam meets all regulatory requirements that are part of the inspection process. EGLE has determined it is a high hazard potential dam, thus, it is our responsibility as owners of the dam to complete the feasibility study and have as much information for future decision making as possible. Since 1990, the Metroparks has invested over $1.7 million in regular maintenance and repairs to ensure the dam meets requirements and is structurally sound. The funding from this grant is for the feasibility study and not for ongoing maintenance or repairs.," the authority stated.
