(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 Jan. 20.
Dave Coulier's wife Melissa talks 'Full House' star's battle with cancer, leading women's wellness seminars
Dave Coulier became a household name as he starred in 'Full House' in the 1990s. Here in Michigan, he’s one of our state’s favorite sons.
Dave is currently in the fight of his life, announcing back in November that he had been diagnosed with stage 3 non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
The woman by his side, his wife Melissa, is on a tireless mission to help him — while helping others in our community.
Melissa sat down with WXYZ to discuss Dave's fight, the holistic methods they're using to go with chemo therapy, and how she is contributing to the community through her own wellness efforts with women.
"He has some really tough days, and as the chemo has been accumulating it gets a little tougher and more difficult," Melissa said.
The Couliers moved back to St. Clair Shores in 2019. Dave's joy and humor have helped guide him through this battle with cancer.
"He has such a positive attitude, and you need that in order to really fight it. Every morning, if he's feeling up for it, we try to put on a song and do a little dance party with the dogs, because when you do feel good, you have to celebrate that too," Melissa said.
The 65-year-old, known to so many as Joey Gladstone, has shared updates on his health on the 'Full House Rewind' podcast. He has joked about his hair, the hats he's wearing, and the cold Michigan winters.
Melissa said his strength comes from family.
"I think it's just innately in him. He has had a lot of loss in his life when it comes to having to deal with cancer. He lost his mother, his sister, his niece. His other sister had it," she said. "I think for him, he takes every stride and really pulls strength from seeing the women that were so close in his life to powering through it, and he just wants to honor them," she said.
'We are inundated.' Meet the metro Detroit HSI agent working to take down child predators
As technology evolves, more people have access to the internet, and children are potentially at a greater risk than ever of being exploited online.
Dave Alley, a special agent with Homeland Security Investigations - Detroit (HSI), and he's working to take down those who are child predators.
Alley joined HSI 17 years ago. For the last 10 years, he has been investigating crimes against children.
"We are seeing more and more tips coming in, cases coming in. We are inundated with victims, with offenders. There is just so much more access to both the internet and two materials," he said.
The State Department defines child exploitation as victims under the age of 18 used in a sexual act, including pornography, sex trafficking, and sextortion, among others. Alley examines evidence from these heinous crimes as part of his investigation to get to the perpetrators.
"Every time you see it, it's horrific to a degree. But the first time is absolutely a shock. We have a number of programs to help take care of agents who have to work these kinds of cases," he said.
Last year, HSI alone investigated nationally close to 7,000 child exploitation cases, which led to the arrest of nearly 5,000 suspects, of which 121 cases came from Michigan with 64 of those from the metro Detroit area.
"What is the commonality behind these predators?" I asked.
"We see professionals, we see people who are living in mom‘s basement. We see it all across every age, race, and socioeconomic status; the commonality that I would say is a sexual interest in children," he said.
Restaurants begin implementing service charges preparing for tipped wage hike
The Michigan minimum wage is expected to increase for tipped workers starting Feb. 21.
Some are celebrating the bump while others including some restaurant owners are worried they won't be able to sustain the hike. That includes John Cowley & Sons Irish Pub in Farmington, which recently implemented a 20% service charge to prepare for the change.
Last summer, the Michigan Supreme Court reinstated a 2018 law that state Republicans at the time blocked to increase the tipped wage and amount of sick time leave for workers. With the Supreme Court's decision, the increase of $5.99 per hour for tipped workers is expected to go into effect next month.
“This business model cannot support what they’re trying to do," John Cowley & Sons owner Greg Cowley said. “It will put a lot of restaurants down.”
To keep the restaurant open, Cowley says he had to make the decision of letting go staff or implementing some sort of service charge. He says laying off staff was not an option for him.
'A difficult question.' Amid added service fees, how will metro Detroiters handle tipping?
After the story we did above about local restaurants adding service fees to customer's bills, our Facebook page was flooded with hundreds of comments.
We went out to hear more from people about the potential change. We wanted to know how they are feeling about it, so we went to Main Donut Shop in Royal Oak.
We asked how the added charge on a restaurant bill would sit with people.
“I worked in service my whole life so I understand where they’re coming from," George Ivey said.
“I don’t know about a service fee. I don’t know why we can’t just tip them," Kerrie Utley added.
“I don’t think the added cost onto the people is fair, I don’t," Dan Holmes, a Ferndale resident who is also a former fine-dining manager, said.
“That is a difficult question, but I think if the communication about that extra charge is part of the process, then I probably won’t have a problem with that," Russell Boyle said. He's a former server. "But if it's something they’re just going to slap on and they’re not and they’re not going to mention it, which I know some people do, it’s going to be a little bit more challenging, maybe not for me but for a lot of other people who get really upset about hidden fees."
Detroit church committed to asylum seekers despite mass deportation plan
Central United Methodist Church opened in downtown Detroit in 1866.
"This is a historic congregation. As you can see, we just celebrated MLK Sunday," Rev. Paul Perez said.
He said Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke there several times, including two weeks before his assassination. Those are historic moments for the church and now, they're bracing for what could be another significant moment in American history and what Perez believes may be a more aggressive approach to deportation during President Donald Trump's second term.
The reverend explained that he's "deeply concerned and disturbed about the Trump administration's desire to implement mass deportations, to challenge birthright citizenship and to remove the protection for sensitive locations like schools and churches."
Perez said schools and churches have traditionally been off limits for Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and served as safe locations for undocumented immigrants to congregate without fear of being detained and for those seeking asylum.
"Most notably, we housed the Ranxburgaj family. Ded, the husband and father, was facing deportation and he and his family lived here for three years while he fought his case, and we're committed to sanctuary housing moving forward," he said.
On Wednesday, Dearborn Police Chief Issa Shahin was asked about whether his department would aid ICE agents.
"We need victims, witnesses in the community to know that they can contact police and that we're not going to be checking their immigration status. It's not a policy or a practice of this police department to involve ourselves with people's immigration status," he told reporters.
Why auto industry expert says Detroit-Windsor border is 'ground zero' for tariff impact
On a Thursday afternoon, traffic is constant on the Ambassador Bridge. According to the bridge's website, it's the busiest international crossing in all of North America with roughly $323 million worth of product crossing the border every single day.
But soon, the costs of that product could go up dramatically.
On day three in office while speaking to the World Economic Forum, President Donald Trump again proposed the idea of tariffs, just days after pledging to implement a 25% tariff tax on China, Mexico and Canada on Feb. 1.
“If you don't make your product in America, which is your prerogative, then very simply, you will have to pay a tariff," Trump said.
Dale Hadel works in Sterling Heights for Citic Dicastal, which claims to be the world’s largest producer and exporter of aluminum wheels. They supply to most auto assembly plants in the U.S. and are concerned about Trump’s tariffs and potential retaliatory tariffs.
“We do a lot of business with all three countries... We export a lot of products into Mexico today and into Canada,” Hadel said. "If we have to raise prices because of tariffs to our customers, which is the OEM manufacturers, they in turn have to pass that along in the price of the vehicle.”
We spoke to two industry experts — one from Michigan and the other from Canada — who both agree that the American consumer would likely bear the brunt of the costs.
"At the end of the day, it’s going to be felt by the customer,” said Mike Wall, auto analyst at S&P Global Mobility. “The suppliers and the supply chain can not weather a 25% tariff.”
Wyandotte American Legion, police department team up to help people in need
Highlighting its role as an anchor in the community, Wyandotte’s American Legion Post 217 is teaming up with the police department there to help people who need it the most.
Members donated $2,000 in gift cards to Wyandotte Police, and the goal is for officers to hand these out to people they come across on the job who may be in need.
“We really try to work outside the four walls of our building," Post Commander Aaron Lawn said. “People are having a hard time. Maybe it’s due to pride or letting others know that they need help, so this is a more discrete way of them to receive that help.”
Wyandotte Police Chief Archie Hamilton said he is looking forward to seeing the immediate impact this donation will have.
“This gesture and fundraiser is going to help so many people. So many unsuspecting people right now who truly need help. They’re going to receive that help," Hamilton said.
