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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 June 2
23 arrested, merchandise worth thousands recovered in Canton retail crime blitz
Nearly two dozen people were arrested in a retail crime blitz last week. The Canton Police Department was the tip of the spear locally.
It’s part of a larger effort involving more than 100 agencies nationwide to crack down on large-scale theft of retail merchandise that’s often resold for profit.
Organized retail crime costs the retail industry about $100 billion a year.
On our ride-along, we saw Canton cops pull the plug on a snatch-and-stuff job outside of a shopping center. They pulled article after article of clothing out of a pregnant woman’s shirt.
The arrest is just one of several from a recent organized retail crime blitz, in which officers from the Canton Police Department, alongside Northville and Plymouth Township Police, targeted thieves who target big box shops.
"These boosters, which is what we call them, shoplifters, people stealing items, a lot of them are drug addicts who are going out there stealing these items. The high-dollar value items to sell to a fence," said Canton Police Lt. Michael Andes.
Lt. Andes says fences can be gas stations, liquor stores, or pawn shops that buy stolen goods for pennies on the dollar.
"Our motto is to disrupt and dismantle. We disrupt by arresting these boosters, and then we dismantle by going after the fence, and that is always the goal to go after the fence, the people who are funding this operation, funding the drug addicts, we target them," he said.
The sting took place at stores across 36 locations in Canton over the course of two days.
Officers worked alongside loss prevention investigators from 16 different retailers.
"These strategies we’ve refined a bit over the years, they keep getting better ... because some of the best work we’ve seen in law enforcement happens to come from our retailers, so you guys are critical," said Canton Police Chief Chad Baugh during a recent meeting.
Football hero graduates: Robby Heil's journey continues 8 years after viral touchdown
Eight years after scoring a memorable touchdown at Novi High School, 25-year-old Robby Heil, who has Down syndrome, graduated from the Novi Adult Transition Center, adding another accomplishment to his inspiring journey.
When a touchdown in a high school football game is still being talked about eight years later, you know it made quite the impact. Now, the player who scored it is showing us his story is far from over.
Under Novi Friday night lights is where Heil has found a home, and it's where his story first entered our homes eight years ago.
"It went viral, it went all over the world, ABC News had a clip on it, so very big deal yes," Chuck Heil, Robby's dad, said.
7 News Detroit was there as Robby Heil, who held the title "hydration manager," suited up for the first time and scored a touchdown in 2016 that was etched in our hearts.
Now, we're back in Novi as Robby Heil's education comes to an end.
"It is my privilege and pleasure to welcome you to Robby Heil's graduation ceremony," the ceremony host announced.
"How much work did you put in? Did you put in a lot of work?" I asked Robby Heil.
"Lots," he responded.
Now 25 years old, Robby Heil is graduating from the Novi Adult Transition Center. An audience full of family and friends came out, but one of his biggest cheerleaders is no longer here.
"Anything associated with the school system, football, that was my wife. So, she's really the reason why we're here today," Chuck Heil said.
Four years ago, Robby Heil's mom Debbie died after a battle with cancer. But her impact on Robby Heil is still being felt even at graduation.
Detroit's Livernois-McNichols area becomes Michigan's newest Main Street, bringing resources and recognition
Michigan has a new Main Street, and it's located in the heart of a historic west side Detroit neighborhood. The Livernois-West McNichols area has been officially designated as a Michigan Main Street, bringing new resources and recognition to this community with deep roots.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer, alongside city leaders, made the announcement outside local businesses that are part of the neighborhood's ongoing revitalization.
"Let this honor and celebration be a reminder, we are investing in each other. We are choosing hope over cynicism, and we are declaring loud and clear that our story is far from over. In fact, we're just about to get to the good part," Whitmer said.
By joining the Michigan Main Street program, the Live 6 Alliance will receive 5 years of hands-on expert support from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. This support will focus on revitalizing the strategic corridor in northwest Detroit.
The designation specifically covers McNichols from Livernois to Wyoming and Livernois from Curtis to the Lodge Freeway.
Our Glenda Lewis caught up with the governor while she visited Mockery, a new space that opened in November, offering craft non-alcoholic cocktails.
"To be acknowledging a community that has come together and is building this kind of energy, and so for the MEDC to be a part of it and for the state of Michigan to play a role makes a difference," Whitmer said.
Karlyta Williams, who owns Mockery, was born and raised in Detroit and lives down the street from her business.
"I am in no way, shape, or form lacking in gratitude for the fact that there were businesses that were here, right? Holding this down before I stepped into this corridor, and then what it means that they held it down for someone like me to be able to come in and to have the governor recognize this corridor just means absolutely everything," Williams said.
Community embraces 5-year-old with cancer who said his dying wish was a birthday party
For about seven months, 5-year-old Julius Reid from Detroit has been battling kidney cancer, an unimaginable weight for a child so young.
But Julius still managed a smile for his kindergarten graduation photo last week at Hope of Detroit Academy.
Michelle Lozon, a local photographer, captured that moment — and one unforgettable question Julius asked his teacher.
“He asked his teacher, ‘Miss Angel, am I going to have my birthday party before I die?’” Lozon recalled. “My mouth dropped. I froze."
Julius' sixth birthday is in August, but his mom, Shanice Reid, says he’s begun to fear that each day could be his last.
So this week, the Detroit community came together to give Julius the one thing he wished for most: his very first birthday party.
“Everything here has been donated,” Lozon said, surrounded by balloons, bounce houses, cupcakes, and games.
Julius told his teacher that a birthday party would be his dying wish. On Wednesday, that wish came true.
“Happy Birthday, Julius! This is all for you!” shouted volunteers as Julius entered the field at Hope of Detroit.
I-375 project to reconnect Detroit communities begins this fall, set to be finished in 2029
The Michigan Department of Transportation's I-375 Reconnecting Communities Project will begin construction this fall, transforming the freeway into a boulevard as part of an effort to reunite neighborhoods that were divided decades ago.
Historically, the land where I-375 now sits was home to two thriving African American communities — Black Bottom and Paradise Valley. The construction of the freeway in the early 1960s forced residents to relocate, resulting in the loss of businesses, homes and cultural centers, creating division within the community.
Initial work will start this fall south of Jefferson Avenue, focusing on storm sewer outfall. A section of Atwater, Franklin, Schweizer and the Detroit Riverwalk will be closed with detours in place for both vehicle and pedestrian traffic.
The major phase begins next year when I-375 will close in both directions, with construction progressing from south to north until completion in 2029.
"We will be starting at the southern end of 375 and everything will just start progressing north," MDOT Deputy Region Engineer Jason Garza said in a statement.
While I-375 will close, both the service drive and Lafayette will remain open throughout construction.
Waterford man lost his friends in a house fire nearly 60 years ago. Now, he’s buying their gravestones.
Bob Russako has lived in the Waterford area all his life, with cheerful childhood memories around every corner. His neighborhood was magic, and so were the days spending time with the Browns, who lived just around the corner—a mom with five kids, all full of life.
But January 5, 1966, is a day that stifled the joy heard on these streets. An early morning fire ripped through the Brown family’s house on Arcadia Park Drive, tragically killing four of the children: 15-year-old Katheryn, 12-year-old Nancy, 9-year-old Donald and 7-year-old Julia (Julie).
Russako would be one of the pallbearers at the funeral, helping to carry the children when he was just a child himself.
“Carrying those four caskets and seeing those four holes in the ground, it was just, that's when everything kind of really sunk in,” he said.
An impromptu visit to Waterford Center Cemetery to see his old friends once again left him with questions.
“We looked around, looked around. I couldn't find any graves. And I said, 'I can't remember. They're like right here.' And then later I found out that there was no markers at all. So that's what I think, just kind of festered over the years. And I thought I got to do something about that,” he said.
And so, Russako did. He decided to buy grave markers for the four children.
But Russako needed information, birth dates. He posted to Facebook, the community responded, some remembering the tragedy, wanting to help—and then, Nancy Brown reached out.
“He was looking for dates for the kids' birthdays for the house fire. And I go, 'Larry was my husband,' and 'are you the Bob Russako that was his friend?' Because he talked about Bob and he's like, 'yeah,'” said Brown.
Brown said the kids’ mother, Barbara, would often come out to leave flowers in cement planters on their graves, but they would disappear every year.
Eventually, she let it be.
“She just kind of felt like she couldn’t afford the headstone, and she'd rather spend the money on Larry, sister Sue, so, yep, that's what she did,” she said.
Brown said she is grateful to Russako for making this happen now, almost 60 years later.
'A long way to go.' Oakland Co. prosecutor & other agencies working to stop sex traffickers
Across metro Detroit, there's a crusade to rescue those in harm's way who were forced into the life of a sex worker.
In Oakland County, more than two dozen cases are part of a crackdown that also includes more education for law enforcement agencies.
Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said they face challenges but are making progress in fighting human trafficking.
A new unit has brought 27 cases against traffickers since November. Some operated out of massage parlors or motels in the Southfield area.
“There’s a lot of awareness about trafficking. We still have a long way to go to educate the public," McDonald said.
She said holding a recent training for 300 law enforcement officers helped raise awareness about women who are often forced into sex work while battling addiction or coming to the U.S. for a better life. She said along with police, it takes an entire community to watch out for those who are in danger.
“Sex trafficking and labor trafficking. They are not here legally. They’re afraid to report anything," she said.
