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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.
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Here are the big stories from the week beginning May 19.
Greektown wants you to know they're open for business despite construction
As construction continues in Detroit's Greektown to revitalize four blocks of the neighborhood to make them more pedestrian-friendly, some businesses say foot traffic has slowed down and they want to remind residents they are open despite the orange barrels and fencing.
The Greektown Monroe Streetscape project is officially underway to transform the district into a more engaging public space including having pedestrian zones, human-scale landscaping, enhanced lighting for visibility and safety measures.
The project is expected to take another year to complete with a tentative opening date of summer 2026.
“Don’t mind the big fences, don’t mind the orange barrels — that’s always a deterrent," Greektown business owner Yanni Dionisopoulos said.
Dionisopoulos is active with the Greektown Neighborhood Partnership that's spearheading the project. He says these changes have been a long time coming and when the opportunity came about to receive $20 million in state funding due to a budget surplus, they knew they needed to act fast.
"The vision’s been always there, the funding not and then obviously when the funding was announced yes, we had our own little party," Dionisopoulos said.
However, with the exciting new changes comes construction, which includes street closures, large fencing and orange barrels that may make it seem like the businesses on Monroe Street are closed. Dionisopoulos and other business owners want to make it clear, they're open and need the community's support.
Wayne County erases nearly $42 million in medical debt for thousands of residents
Thousands of Wayne County residents are now living with less stress about their medical bills thanks to a recently launched program that's helping wipe out medical debt.
The Wayne County program has already eliminated around $42 million in medical debt for 71,000 residents who earn at or below four times the federal poverty level, or whose debt exceeds 5% of their income.
Canton resident Larry Turner was among those who received relief. About 11 years ago, Turner was injured after being involved in a car crash that forced him into early retirement.
The incident caused him to undergo several surgeries, and despite having insurance, he was left facing thousands of dollars in medical bills.
"I tried to keep up on them, but sometimes when things got tight, Cost of Living going up, you have to decide which way to go. Rent, food, bills?" Turner said.
Wayne County Executive Warren Evans emphasized the impact of medical debt beyond financial concerns.
"The stress of medical debt for people is real. Not just the financial part, but also their reluctance to be treated or to go back to a hospital because this debt is lingering," Evans said.
To make the debt relief possible, Wayne County is investing $5 million into a partnership with the organization Undue Medical Debt, which eliminates people's debt for pennies on the dollar.
Through the program, Wayne County hopes to erase $700 million of outstanding medical debt.
Dam failures swallowed mid-Michigan towns whole. 5 years later, they’re building back.
Five years since hell broke loose in the lakeside village of Sanford, just about everything is on its way back. Everything except the lake.
"I’d really like to see the water back," business owner Linda Shephard said earlier this month, staring into the former lake that she could now walk across.
No one was killed when a 500-year flood tore through Midland County, but some 2,500 homes were damaged or destroyed, businesses were swept away, four lakes were emptied and residents say they were left to fend for themselves.
Just hours before the dams broke, Shephard got the all-clear from the health department to open her dream business — the Sanford Lake Marina — which she'd spent the last year fixing up.
"I have the piece of paper saying: ‘you can open!’” Shephard recalled. “And by 8 o’clock that night, everything was gone.”
At Cultivate Coffee downtown, the coffee and tea won’t cost you anything. Opening three years after the floods, it’s a place the community can gather, play board games and trade stories. It runs off donations that keep pouring in.
Other businesses have opened too, from ice cream parlors to grocery stores, even a cannabis shop and electric charging stations.
“It’s caused us to reinvent ourselves and get to know our neighbors, if we didn’t already,” Porte said. “And yes, I think the outcome has been phenomenal.”
Not everyone is as optimistic.
Carl Hamann lives just a block away from the Sanford Dam. When it failed, the water in his home reached chest high.
“It was a good year for me,” Hamann said sarcastically. “I turned 65 and lost everything I’d worked for in my entire life.”
The dams were owned and operated by Boyce Hydro, who the State of Michigan sued, accusing of neglecting the dams for years. A judge ordered Boyce to pay an almost $120 million judgment, but the company filed for bankruptcy.
Meanwhile, the state itself is fending off lawsuits from residents like Hamann, who say the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy knew that the Edenville Dam was at risk of failure but refused Boyce Hydro’s requests to lower water levels.
The state has fought the case for the last five years, but last week, a judge ruled it can move forward.
“The state of Michigan and the government needs to stand up because they helped cause this,” Hamann said.
'Lives are on the line.' Officials sound the alarm, say I-75 construction is putting lives at risk
A portion of I-75 in Oakland County is causing concern when it comes to construction and vehicle crashes.
On Tuesday night, a man lost his life in a car crash on the highway.
“He was an angel, he really was,” said Joe Fitzpatrick. “He was one of those people you only meet once.”
Joe Fitzpatrick’s brother, Nicholas Fitzpatrick, died after a car crash on I-75.
According to officials, Nicholas, who was 25 years old, crashed his car on I-75 near Grange Hall Road in Oakland County at around 10:20 p.m. on Tuesday.
Nicholas got out of his car and was standing near the left lane, and that’s when another vehicle struck his car. He was pushed onto the highway, and then another vehicle hit his body.
Following Nicholas’s death, fire chiefs from Springfield Township, Groveland Township and the North Oakland County Fire Authority sent out a safety alert saying the ongoing construction on I-75 from Grand Blanc to Independence Township—especially southbound—is putting lives at risk.
“People are excessively driving, I mean they’re going too fast on that road,” said Chief Matt Covey of Springfield Township.
“It’s unfortunate because someone is having the worst day of their life or the end of their life has happened, and people are just impatient and people just want to get around, they don’t care,” said Chief Matt Weil of the North Oakland County Fire Authority.
Chief Covey and Chief Weil are urging people to take detour routes to avoid the construction.
“Take Dixie Highway, take M15, I don’t care, somewhere else, just stay off the expressway if you can,” said Weil.
Belle Isle leaders hoping to bring a public square to the park
Leaders at Belle Isle are hoping to create a new public commons area aimed at making the park more accessible and connected for the more than 5 million annual visitors.
The Belle Isle Conservancy and the State of Michigan are in the early stages of developing a plan to bring a public square to the 982-acre park.
"Getting in your car, going directly to wherever you plan to go, whether that's the aquarium or the beach or wherever. You do your thing, you get back in your car, and then you leave," said Meagan Elliott, president of Belle Isle Conservancy, describing the current visitor experience.
The initiative stems from a study a few years ago, when the Belle Isle Conservancy partnered with the State of Michigan to look into improving travel throughout the park.
The public square, being called Belle Isle Commons, would create a space where visitors can spend more time and discover unexpected attractions.
"What folks want to see is a space where you can actually linger. Maybe be introduced to something that you didn't expect to that day, or some programming, consistent food and beverage options," said Elliott.
The main area of focus for the space is in front of the park's aquarium and conservatory, which Elliott notes is the primary destination for 61% of visitors.
Study says 75% of sunscreens aren't effective. Here's what a dermatologist wants you to know
Your go-to sunscreen may not be the most effective. According to a new study released by the Environmental Working Group, only about 25% of the sunscreens being sold are safe and effective. They reportedly tested more than 2,200 sunscreens currently being sold.
With the summer months coming, it's time to stock up on sunscreen, but when you have all the options to choose from, it may be difficult to know which is the best.
"We’ve known for a long time that chemical sunscreens have been of more concern than physical sunscreens," board-certified dermatologist Dr. Leonard Kerwin said.
He's seen the report, but told us the information isn't necessarily new.
"Chemical sunscreens, including oxybenzone that are essentially designed to soak into the skin and through this reaction they reflect and bend light. The physical sunscreens, the zinc oxide, the titanium oxide, the mineral sunscreens, those go onto the screen and they reflect or deflect the UVA UBA radiation.”
"I’m going to the store, and I want to get the best sunscreen to keep myself the safest, what am I looking for?” our Carli Petrus asked.
"A broad spectrum sunscreen, you’re looking for SPF 30 or above, you’re looking for water resistant or very water resistant and you’re going to make sure you’re applying properly and reapplying it and I would recommend the mineral blocks," he said.
Kerwin also said it's important to make sure you're applying the recommended amount of sunscreen, which is about one ounce, every three to four hours.
“Don’t let these concerns scare you away from sunscreen application," he said.
Detroit techno pioneers and new generation celebrate genre at Movement festival
Detroit's techno music scene continues to influence the world as the Movement Festival arrives this weekend.
Kevin Saunderson, one of the pioneers of Detroit techno, described the genre to 7 News Detroit.
"We still come from Funk, from Soul, and we put a certain love or creativity into the way we created it. So it's music to dance to, made with electronic tools," Saunderson said.
The genre came to life in Belleville, Michigan, originated by Saunderson's friend Juan Atkins, who envisioned creating music for the future.
"The only equipment I seen at that time was like set decks, I'd seen turntables. So Juan had synthesizers and stuff I just didn't know," Saunderson said.
Saunderson explains that over time, Atkins' musical style influenced him and another friend, Derrick May. As they perfected their craft and released more music in the 1980s, they realized they were part of something revolutionary.
"We were going around to these different places and DJ'ing, and seeing the people's response. It was spinning, it was like a virus," Saunderson said.
In 2000, the music received additional recognition when the Detroit Electronic Music Festival — now known as Movement — was held for the first time.
"It was a connection. It was a way for us to educate youth and everyone about this sound; it wasn't Motown music, it was different music being made," Saunderson said.
Electronic music has only grown in popularity over the years, inspiring artists like Brian Kage, a DJ and producer who creates Detroit techno.
Kage started getting involved with music when he was 17, inspired by the video game-like sounds he heard on the radio.
