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 31.
'Very grateful': Allen Park track coaches help save student who suffered cardiac arrest
A metro Detroit family is sharing gratitude after track coaches at Allen Park High School helped save a young life.
On March 12, freshman Alyssa Atkinson was doing a normal warm-up during track practice at Allen Park High School when things took a quick turn for the worst.
"I just remember doing two warm-up laps and then doing our regular warm-up in lines, but that's all I remember from that day," Atkinson said.
Her next memory was waking up in a hospital with family by her side. The 14-year-old later learned she went into sudden cardiac arrest.
"I was, like, very grateful to be even awake at the moment, but it was scary to know that happened to me," Atkinson said.
As Alyssa recovers at home, two Allen Park track coaches are being called heroes. We're told that after Alyssa went unresponsive at practice, they quickly performed CPR and used an AED.
"It got her heart rhythm back in place before the EMS arrived. Those critical seconds changed my life, my daughter's life, and it saved her life," Dolan said.
VA secretary defends job cuts during visit to Detroit, says it will mean 'better quality health care'
U.S. Veteran Affairs Secretary Doug Collins was in Michigan on Tuesday, meeting with healthcare workers amid a wave of uncertainty with tens of thousands of jobs being cut by the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Collins visited the VA Medical Center in Detroit and the took time to meet heroic workers and address cuts and restructuring.
"I am not in favor of privatization. The VA will always have a place for our veterans in this country," Collins said.
After presenting several staff with challenge coins and praising the quality of care, Collins took my question about the impact of the Trump Administration cutting 80,000 VA jobs.
"What will that mean here in Michigan?" our Simon Shaykhet asked.
"I think better quality health care and benefits," he said. "Our metrics are flat or getting worse. Maybe the answer isn’t just more money or people. Maybe it’s actually an organizational, structural issue."
Collins said he sees the move to restructure as a vital step to actually helping more people.
Simon also talked with a recently terminated contractor for the VA who was previously tasked with helping prevent fraud and scams.
"This job loss was very difficult. Unexpected. You don’t think it’ll happen to you until it does. I do worry, what does that do for the veteran at the end of the day? How does it impact their experience and what they’re doing?" Michael Greco said.
'It’s quite an adventure': Center Line man begins 3,000-mile walk across the country
Jack Huffman from Center Line is on the move. The U.S. Army veteran is traveling from Dana Point, California, all the way to Washington. But he's not going by plane, train or car. He’s doing it all on foot.
“Yeah, it’s quite an adventure," Huffman said.
“I'll be crossing through California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma," Huffman listed.
He started his solo 13-state journey early Tuesday morning, but this isn’t his first rodeo. Huffman has done this three other times while pushing a heavy cart of equipment.
“Here, I have a really small generator, a couple of 500-watt camping batteries, food, clothes, tent, sleeping bags," Huffman said.
It's everything he needs for this impressive hike, which he’s doing to give back to the organizations The Rainbow Connection and The Fallen and Wounded Soldiers Fund.
“Last year, I was able to do the same route in 76 days, and we raised $304,000," Huffman said.
This year, his goal is to raise half a million dollars.
Berkley's Adult Transition Program starts microbusiness making dog treats
There's a new microbusiness in Berkley — this one was started by students.
“Hoppy Puppy” has brought in hundreds of dollars the past couple of months. Berkley's adult transition programs for students is behind it all.
Spent grains from the bottom of the tank at Dog and Pony Brewing to the kitchen at Berkley's Adult Transition Program (BAT) are the main ingredient in their dog treats.
BAT is currently housed at Berkley First United Methodist Church while construction happens at their permanent home.
"We usually make the dough from scratch, and we do a very good job with that," Derek Van Wormer said.
All 17 students ages 18 to 26 in the BAT program are business partners and owners in the Hoppy Puppy microbusiness.
"This truly is a student-developed startup, and the students have their hand in every single part of the company and including the development of the company, from choosing the name, choosing our logo, creating and designing our logo,” interim Administrator Sharon Berke said. “They researched packaging and chose our packaging, everything from the bag that we used to the labels, all of it, every single piece of it. They research and we meet together and as a complete company team, we make decisions and move forward.”
The Real ID deadline in Michigan is just over a month away; here's what you need to know
A safe flight usually starts at TSA, and beginning on May 7, TSA is upping it's safety measures by enforcing the Real ID requirements. But what does that mean?
“Every traveler, 18 years of age and older, must have a real ID state issued driver’s license, the state issued photo identification card, or another acceptable form that is accepted by TSA," said TSA spokesperson Lorie Dankers.
Dankers says if your State ID doesn't look like the two examples above — notice the star in the upper right corner — you don't have a real ID.
“They can expect to have delays at the security check point and the length of the delay will be determined by the number of people around them who also do not have a compliant form of ID," Dankers said.
So, what would that delay look like?
“Yeah so that question is really still up in the air of what the enforcement will look like," Dankers said. "I do want people to understand they will be able to travel. There will be a phased enforcement approach and what that exactly looks like, we’re still determining that.”
Dankers says there are other forms of acceptable 'Real IDs'. There's a list on the TSA website, including a U.S. passport or enhanced driver's license.
'I'm going to fight.' Man severely injured when hit by elderly driver talks about recovery journey
devastating car crash involving an elderly driver left a Canton man with life-altering injuries.
The road to recovery is marked by many steps, and for Garrett Biesiadecki, each step feels like a mile.
“I don’t want to do this, but they make me fight,” Biesiadecki said through tears while pointing to his trainers at Team Rehab in Livonia. “I want to keep going.”
The 52-year-old concrete worker lost his leg and nearly his life and livelihood when an SUV barreled into him while he was on a job in Canton last September.
Biesiadecki spent the past several months in grueling physical therapy as he adjusts to life as an amputee.
“This is the beginner,” Biesieadecki said, pointing to his prosthetic leg. “Supposedly tomorrow I‘m going to get my updated one, because this hurts real bad.”
The woman behind the wheel, 81-year-old Judy Kamm, first struck that garage before coming through a backyard, hitting Garrett, and then striking a house.
As millions await court decision on federal student loan repayment, an expert shares tips
Whether you attended a private university like Lawrence Tech or a public university, you most likely took out some federal loans to pay for your education.
But when to pay those back — that’s becoming more complicated for some borrowers. Millions of Americans are dealing with student loan debt.
With the suspension of some Biden-era repayment plans and talks about Department of Education uncertainty, borrowers like Mrio Crippen, who graduated in 2016, are becoming increasingly frustrated.
“First back when I graduated, I had a plan set up. Then I went into forbearance a few times and then finally, Biden came into office and was talking about doing something about student loans because that’s most of America’s headache right now is student loans and what’s going to go on with it,” Crippen said.
Crippen says his payments are now deferred under former President Joe Biden’s debt relief plan, better known as SAVE.
Currently in legal limbo, the SAVE repayment plan is most likely going to go away, according to Sabrina Calazans executive director of the nonprofit Student Debt Crisis Center.
“Right now, no one can actually apply for the plan. It’s been removed from the application, but there are 8 million Americans currently enrolled in SAVE,” Calazans said. “So, what does that mean? If you’re enrolled in SAVE, you don’t have to make a payment at this time.”
Calazans says if you’re not enrolled in SAVE or you weren’t told otherwise, you should be making payments.
“Because there are consequences like delinquency and default that can have negative consequences like credit reporting, wage garnishments, things of that nature. However, there are options for you if you cannot afford your current monthly payment,” Calazans said. “There are forbearances, deferments that you can apply for, so that you’re protected from falling into default.”
