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 March 3.
7 News Detroit's 'Let's Talk' came to Waterford, and we're happy we saw you there!
7 News Detroit's Let's Talk is where our journalists come to your community for an open, honest conversation.
We hope to connect with you and hear about what's happening where you live. Maybe you want to share something you're proud of, maybe there's something you want us to look into, or something you're worried about?
Nothing is off the table. So Let's Talk.
Our goal is to be there for you and truly listen. It’s nothing formal, just a casual meeting where we can talk stories and share ideas. No sign-up is required.
For those of you who stopped by, thank you for coming!
If you have a comment or story idea for us and can't make it to the event, email us at tips@wxyz.com.
Local woman learns her identity was stolen when she got a 1099-K; here's what to look out for
An Oxford Township woman's life was upended when she received five tax forms in the mail, showing she'd received a bunch of money through a payment app – an app she'd never actually used.
It was an identity theft dilemma, and with the tax filing deadline approaching, she didn't know what to do with all of the forms or if she'd have to pay taxes on the money the thieves had received.
If you've sold items on online marketplaces or have a gig job where you're paid through an app, you may receive a 1099-K in the mail. Monika Bailey of Oxford Township received five of these tax forms at the end of January, but there was a problem.
Bailey said the forms indicated someone had opened up not one, but five Cash App accounts using her name, Social Security number, and her old address where she lived 10 months ago.
So, our Alicia Smith contacted Block, Inc. asking the parent company of Cash App to close all five of the Cash App accounts that were opened using her stolen personal information.
Two days later, Monika received an email from Cash App support.
"They looked into it, and they said it was identity theft. They shut down all five accounts. They sent everything in to the IRS that would be straightened out for my taxes this year. And they also had me put a block on my social security number through Cash App so nobody could open another Cash App account in my social security number. So you did magic," Bailey said.
If you receive a form 1099-K due to fraudulent concerns, here are the steps to take, according to the FBI.
- Right away, monitor your credit reports with the major credit bureaus for any suspicious activity and freeze your credit for added protection
- Then, file a police report with your local law enforcement agency
- File a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center
- Report the identity theft to the Federal Trade Commission
You may need all of that documentation when you do the next step:
- Contact the issuer of the 1099-K form (which is in the upper left corner) and follow the IRS procedures to report the fraud, which may require an Identity Theft Affidavit or Form 14039.
Coca-Cola executive and local leader in women's empowerment goes global
Rev. Dr. Adrienne Booth Johnson worked her way to the executive suite of Coca-Cola over her 25 years in the company. This alone is a huge accomplishment for any woman, but she's much more than a corporate executive.
Climbing the corporate ladder wasn't an easy feat for Dr. Johnson. As a single mom in her teens, she had every excuse to give up, but she chose to persevere through adversity.
"I never let go of my dreams. I knew that someday I was going to be somebody. I knew someday I was going to help somebody," said Dr. Johnson.
That's right, in the midst of her already hectic life, she told me she felt called to more, so she jumped on a plane to Africa. During her time over there, she discovered there was a common need among all of the villages she visited- women are in desperate need of sanitary products.
"I find out where the village is and go meet with the chief of the village or queen mother and talk to people and just find out what they need," she says. "And that's how I found out they need sanitary pads."
Rather than just giving these women sanitary pads, Dr. Johnson came up with a better idea- she founded WO YE BRA, a non-profit that creates women empowerment programs. The main focus of the programs is teaching women a skill, like sewing, and then teaching them how to leverage universal business practices like marketing, sales, customer relations, and financial literacy.
The first thing these women learned was how to sew sanitary pads.
"We give away sanitary pads, so you'll have some, but we also give away sewing machines, fabric… but most importantly, we teach them and empower them," said Dr. Johnson.
It doesn't stop with WO YE BRA. Dr. Johnson enlisted the help of a girls club at Cass Tech called Great Girls. They cut the fabric for the sanitary pads, and then Dr. Johnson takes it over to Ghana for the girls over there to sew together.
"I bought fabric, and the girls at Cass Tech cut out the fabric for the sanitary pad, and I took it to Ghana. So I thought about it and said Well, wait a minute… wouldn't it be great if the girls at Cass Tech saw the girls they actually gave the pads to… and so I did a Zoom!" she says.
Family distraught after father detained by federal agents after 30 years in the U.S.
“I just don’t think that they realize that they’re separating families. I mean, he’s just such a good man,” says Ana Jaimes.
Ana and Hector Jaimes’ father, Jose, is being held in the St. Clair County Jail—caught up in President Trump’s ramped-up efforts to remove those in the country unlawfully. Ana and Hector say their father came to America from Mexico more than 30 years ago and acquired a work permit, which was recently renewed. He started his family, business, and a new life in metro Detroit.
“Lots of people have been reaching out and saying like, ‘I’ve known him for years, and he’s such a good man,’” Ana continued.
“He always tried to give us a life that he wasn’t able to get while he was young,” said Hector Jaimes, a student-athlete at Tusculum University. “He was just always like, ‘go to school.’ He regrets not finishing high school. He was just like, ‘get an education.’”
The Jaimes family says federal agents followed Jose as he took one of his sons to school in Trenton. As he pulled off onto a side street to leave, agents pulled him over.
This week, the White House said ICE arrests of those in the country unlawfully have surged 627 percent and the number of those removed topped 50,000 as the Trump Administration continues getting those they describe as killers, rapists and drug dealers off the street.
But Jose has no record of criminal history—Ana and Hector have a hard time reconciling that with the president’s promise to go after the 'worst first.'
Right now, it’s unclear when or if Jose will appear before a judge.
Michigan man with disabilities who runs booming bottle business now mentoring others
A 32-year-old man with disabilities has been returning bottles and cans for people all across metro Detroit for more than a decade — and now, he's on a mission to help others find success.
All you have to do is make an appointment online, put out your cans and bottles, and Tyler Laviolette will be there to pick them up. It's a business that's become so successful for Tyler, he's teaching others with disabilities to do the same thing.
Running his own bottle return service for more than a decade, Tyler says he loves what he does.
"I'm my own boss, I basically set my own hours, it's awesome," said Tyler.
And his mother, Rhonda Gelstein, loves watching her son excel.
"At first it was very rewarding, because people were using his service, because he was an individual with autism, it was like 'oh we're going to help this young guy out' and now almost 12 years later, it's very much a viable business," said Rhonda.
Tyler's returning bottles and splitting the profit 50/50 with all kinds of customers who gave him the bottles, including homeowners, large corporations, small businesses, and even a local beach association.
"He picks up the bottles and then once a month they send our association a check," said Kathi Moore, president of Randgate Beach Association in Waterford.
Kathi says they've been using Tyler's Bottle Service for about a year. We met Kathi during our first "Let's Talk" event that we kicked off in Waterford on Wednesday — and she thought Tyler should be highlighted for all of the work that he does.
Mom outraged, says son was forced to clean someone else's urine off Macomb school bathroom floor
Utica Community Schools is investigating an incident that happened at Ebeling Elementary School after a mom says her son was told to clean up urine that wasn’t his.
“They let him down. They humiliated him, embarrassed him,” said Kaitlynn McCarthy, a mother of three.
She says on Tuesday, her 9-year-old son was upset about something and when she asked what was wrong, he told her this:
“He said 'mom, the teacher made me get a paper towel and clean somebody’s pee up,'” McCarthy said.
The next day, McCarthy spoke to the school’s principal who was allegedly substitute teaching for her son’s class the day of the incident.
“The principal told me, yes… she gave him the paper towel and made him clean the pee off the floor because he was the last one to use the bathroom,” McCarthy said.
Utica Community Schools sent us a statement regarding what happened. It reads:
"The district has become aware of a report that a student was involved in cleaning up urine in a school bathroom. District protocols require that our facilities staff or other trained personnel clean and manage our restrooms and classrooms. Currently, the situation is being investigated to ensure that proper protocols are understood and being followed within the building. As this matter involves the privacy of students and staff members, the district will not comment further at this time. The health and safety of our students remains a top priority for Utica Community Schools. UCS appreciates its strong partnership with parents and community members as together we provide every child with an education of excellence."
McCarthy added that her son is still upset about what happened.
“I was embarrassed for my son,” McCarthy said. "He was crying in front of his whole entire class.”
Detroit Riverfront Conservancy says new 22-acre park set to open this fall
The Detroit Riverfront Conservancy hosted a community meeting Thursday in southwest Detroit to gather input for events and experiences at the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Centennial Park set to open this fall.
“I’m just excited because it looks so nice from what it was," Terry Holam, who rides his bike along the riverfront, said. "I’m just looking forward to it.”
The park will feature a play garden, basketball courts and a water garden. It’ll host movie nights in the summer and sledding in the winter.
“It is so good to see Detroit come alive. It is so great to see the people and diversity and how the growth is impacting our city in such a beautiful way," Mozell Scovil, who lives along the Detroit Riverfront, said
The park was set to open last year, but COVID-19 and the former Chief Financial Officer William A. Smith embezzling over $40 million from the organization over a number of years set them back. Ryan Sullivan is the new CEO and addressed this head-on at the meeting.
“(We'll) put in place changes to make sure that something like this never happens again and we can preserve your trust as a community as we go forward and emerge from these challenging times," Sullivan said at the meeting.
