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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 Feb. 24.
Here's what's being done now to revive Detroit's Chinatown
Lining the hallway of The Peterboro in Detroit are historic photos of Detroit's original Chinatown. Unbeknownst to many, in the 1930s to 50s, Chinese restaurants, shops, churches, and families flourished in Detroit's own Chinatown.
It was located near Michigan Avenue and Third Street, Roland Hwang, a founding member of the Chinatown Vision Committee, remembers it well.
"I would say 'uncle' and 'aunt' to everyone who was Chinese. Like, I thought I had an extended family," said Hwang.
However, in the 1960s, Detroit's original Chinatown was destroyed as part of an urban renewal initiative.
Chinese-Americans moved Chinatown to Peterboro Street and Cass Avenue in Detroit, but the community dwindled, and stores closed, until now.
"This is more than a street. We're trying to create a Chinatown again," said Maureen Stapleton, interim executive director of Midtown Detroit Inc.
This year, more than $1 million in state budget money will be used to begin a rebirth of Detroit's Chinatown. Non-profit Midtown Detroit Inc. worked to acquire the funds. Stapleton said new history is being written before our eyes.
"We want to see this area come alive again in a way that allows the Asian culture to be fully prominent," she said.
Renderings show ornamental lanterns, signage, and outdoor seating planned to be built this summer.
Cost of coffee up 25% in the first two months of 2025, why and what it will cost you
First it was eggs, now, it's coffee. The cost is on the rise.
Owner of Sabbath Coffee Roasters in Clawson, Trevor Graham, told us: "The last time I looked, the number a year, it’s about 240% increase in the cost for us to buy green coffee."
Graham said the cost of coffee has been rising for years, but it has gone up dramatically in the last few months.
In fact, it's gone up 25% in the first two months of 2025 alone.
"We spent like a week trying to figure out where people wouldn’t feel like this huge impact, but we were also able to cover all our costs," said Graham. "The black coffee drinker, or the espresso drink, definitely kind of noticed that 25 to 50 cent increase."
According to the January Consumer Price Index, grocery coffee prices are up more than 3% from the last year, and instant coffee is up 7%.
We reached out to Kevin Ketels, an associate professor of global supply chain management at Wayne State University, to learn more.
He said, "It doesn’t look like there is going to be any relief anytime soon."
Why? According to Ketels, the rise in prices is the result of a smaller crop of coffee beans in Brazil and Colombia, where they're experiencing severe drought.
Detroiter making impact in the toy industry with Healthy Roots Dolls
We're highlighting a Detroiter making an impact in the toy industry. The owner of Healthy Roots Dolls says this is all about bringing curl power to the toy aisle with products that reflect the diversity of our reality.
When you look at these brown dolls with carefully crafted outfits and kinky, curly hair, what you don't see, is the journey Detroiter Yelista Jean Charles took to get here.
“We never had dolls that had our noses, our lips, our hair texture, and you have to do more than paint a doll Brown. All Brown in order to connect with children of color," said Yelista. “So much of it has been worth it because of the impact that we're having on children's lives and the response that we've received."
A Black woman with Haitian Immigrant parents, growing up in New York City.
“I grew up in basically three cultures, American culture, black American culture, and then my Caribbean culture. And on top of that, I was also very involved in the arts," Yelista said.
This led her to art school, where her passion about representation in media and drawing led her to transform Rapunzel into a little brown girl princess with textured hair
Her class project evolving into a crowdfunding campaign and eventually a successful business, launching in more than 1600 Target stores and into the hands of thousands of kids.
Putting these dolls in stores are not only furthering the representation that she didn't see growing up, but also teaching Black and Brown kids the magical experience of loving their natural hair.
Community sounds off over GLWA's water and sewer rate hikes
Tensions ran high this week at the Great Lakes Water Authority board meeting as they were considering a water and sewer rate hike.
The GLWA board ended up voting to approve a 5.9% average increase to wholesale water rates as opposed to the 7.73% originally proposed. Sewer rates will also increase by an average of 4.5%.
Many residents from across metro Detroit attended the Wednesday GLWA meeting, expressing their concerns with the water and sewer rate hike.
“I feel very strongly that we should oppose these rates," said Maria Matta, a Royal Oak resident.
Matta was one of the many people who spoke out during GLWA’s meeting about the proposed rate increases.
“I used to live in Dearborn Heights and I want to move back into the district but right now with the water bills being the way that they are, it’s a huge barrier to home ownership," she said.
Harrison Shelby, a Detroit resident, said there are people already struggling.
“There’s a lot of people that are already facing water shutoffs and just overburdened with their everyday household expenses," said Shelby.
GLWA says the increase is to account for infrastructure improvements and corrosion control.
“I think mostly we want to convey it’s a balance between being responsible and making sure we have the funds to prevent failures, but also understanding the affordability challenges that occur," said Nicolette Bateson, GLWA chief financial officer.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer gives 7th State of the State address
During her 7th State of the State address to the Michigan legislature, Governor Gretchen Whitmer pledged to find common ground but also said she would not back down from a fight
Whitmer's speech was followed by State Representative Bryan Posthumus giving the Republican response.
Whitmer began by thanking leaders and colleagues, as well as honoring former Senator Debbie Stabenow by announcing they were renaming Constitution Hall as the Deborah A. Stabenow Building.
She then began her speech by saying, "I took an oath to serve the people of Michigan—all the people. That’s my commitment to you no matter who is in the White House or on the other side of the table in Lansing. Yes, I do hope to find common ground with President Trump and work with the Democratic Senate and Republican House on our shared priorities. I’m not looking for fights, but I won’t back down from them either.
The governor then laid out the three areas she wants to concentrate on: Lowering costs, creating more jobs and getting the government to work for the people.
Company owner details what happened in Wyandotte trench collapse that trapped his workers
Around 7 p.m. Tuesday, a 911 call spread panic through Wyandotte. The caller reported two men stuck in a deep hole.
Wyandotte police officers, the fire department, and special rescue teams raced to the area of 17th Street and Walnut Street, where the two workers were stuck.
One of the workers was able to free himself quickly, but first responders worked for four-and-a-half hours to extricate the other worker.
Wednesday, at the site of the hole, we met JD Bombery. He is the owner of A&D Plumbing, the company the two men worked for.
He told us, "I cannot say more than enough good things for the first responders."
According to Bombery, the workers were installing a new sewer line when the two employees got stuck.
He knows the one that was saved very well. He said it's his brother, Doug.
According to Bombery, his team was almost done with their work Tuesday when a chunk of the wall came down on his brother's leg.
He said the dirt was wet and heavy. That's what prohibited his brother Doug from getting out of the hole.
Bombery said, "Another helper that was outside the hole, who wasn’t looking at the situation, heard that a chunk of the wall cave and got kind of panicky and called 911."
Chief of the Wyandotte Fire Department, Jeremy Moline, told us, "When you’re digging trenches that far down, there should be safety precautions. We are trying to figure out if those were in place."
MOISHA is now investigating the incident.
Lions revoke decades-long season ticket holders' memberships
Some Lions season ticket holders aren’t too pleased with the Lions organization. They received an email saying their 2025 ticket membership had been revoked.
Pawel Jan is one of those ticket holders. He told me he has been a Lions season ticket holder for over 23 years. But now, he said he’s rethinking his dedication to the team.
“I'm like, hurt for these 2 weeks. I, like, couldn’t put on a Lions thing on for a couple days because I'm like, ‘they don’t want me.’ It sucks,” said Pawel
Pawel isn't alone. He and Tony Stevenson both told me they sold more tickets than allowed, and they both received an email from the Lions organization saying:
"Our internal review of your account activity indicates a level of resales and/or transfer activity inconsistent with personal use of your Detroit Lions game tickets, and we have made the decision to not renew your season ticket membership for the 2025 season."
Both of the men told me they live out of state, but they maintain their season ticket membership in order to enjoy the tickets when they have the opportunity to make it back to town. They also gift tickets to friends and family who are local.
“I thought the message was a bit curt and thought maybe, based on my tenure, they might take a look at my case and say, ‘Well, he really bombed out 2024, but we’ll give him another season,’” said Tony.
We have reached out to the Lions organization for comment, but they have not yet responded.
