(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 buzz-worthy stories from the week starting Oct. 28:
'My wife’s in labor!': Utica police officer escorts speeding couple in labor to hospital
How is this for a crazy story?! A Utica police officer helped escort a young Sterling Heights couple who were racing to the hospital while she was actively in labor.
Back on Oct. 17, Mary Weertz went into active labor one day before her due date. She was caught off guard.
While they were driving to the hospital, Officer Liz Demuynck saw the erratic driving of the young, panicked couple making an illegal turn.
Expecting to be pulled over, the couple actually called dispatch to notify them why they were speeding. The dispatcher recommended they slow down to be evaluated by the officer. Demuynck, who is a mother of two young children herself, quickly jumped into action and escorted the couple to Corewell Health Beaumont Troy Hospital.
“Being a mom and being able to put yourself in her shoes of what you’ve gone through when you’ve delivered babies, it’s a very scary situation. Things can turn so fast," Demuynck said. “I think it just really made me go into go-mode — just get her there and get her safe.”
Detroit police investigate why Lions WR Jameson Williams avoided arrest after gun found in car
Detroit police are now conducting an internal investigation over the stop and brief detainment of Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams. In the early morning hours of Oct. 8, Williams came into contact with police after midnight when they pulled over a vehicle driven by his brother for speeding.
When questioned by an officer, Williams’ brother disclosed that there were two guns in the car: the first laid in the back seat while the second, according to police, was under Williams’ seat.
Officers found that the gun in the backseat was registered to Williams brother who had a concealed pistol license, or CPL. While the gun under Williams’ seat was registered to him, he did not possess a CPL.
The officer concluded that was a problem, and told Williams he was going to be taken into custody for carrying a concealed weapon.
However, after supervisors came to the scene, Williams was eventually let go. You can see our entire investigation here.
After the story broke, we talked to fans about the story. They're expressing disappointment but also support for the 23-year-old.
“Obviously he's a star on the field and we need him as part of our Super Bowl run,” said Lions Fan Chase Chapman of White Lake.
“I think they’re going to have to be patient with him, he's growing," said Lions fan Aaron Lowery of Detroit. "But he’s only got so many more chances.”
“Just because you're an athlete and have certain status and blah blah blah, no. You should have to pay the penalty just like anyone else,” said Lions fan Vincent Richardson of Detroit.
This rare plant shop in Detroit is working to clone the famous & endangered 'ghost orchid'
Inside a warehouse in Detroit, Jocelyn Ho and a team at Rare Plant Fairy are working to clone the famous and nearly extinct ghost orchid.
Her and her team care for thousands of different rare and exotic plants, which is interesting enough in itself. However, we're spending the day with her because of specific work her team is doing working to clone a plant.
"We’ve been working on these ghost orchids for about 2 years," said lab director Deb Sweeney.
"It’s a plant that is very well known in pop culture," added Ho.
There are books and movies all about the ghost orchid, named for its white, delicate flower.
They are native to the Everglades, people travel from across the world hoping to find just one.
"Even though there’s only 1,000 in the wild, there’s a couple hundred here already," said Ho.
She's referring to the baby ghost orchid clones they have growing.
Michigan student, a non-U.S. citizen, charged with voting in 2024 general election
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit have released a joint statement saying a non-U.S. citizen is facing charges for voting in the 2024 general election.
According to the Secretary of State’s office, a 19-year-old University of Michigan student from China went to the campus early voting site on Sunday, which is one of six locations in Ann Arbor. The student then registered to vote using his university ID card, showed documents proving residency in Ann Arbor and signed a document identifying as a U.S. citizen.
Since the ballot was filled out and put into the tabulator, there’s no way to take it back. Benson's office confirmed the illegal ballot will count this election.
“I think it’s terrible,” Michigan junior Max Friedman said. "It kind of pissed me off, personally.”
Friedman says he was not surprised a non-citizen student would attempt to register to vote illegally, whether knowingly or unknowingly, but was surprised he was able to.
"I'm not surprised that it happened, but I'm surprised it actually counted and they actually got credit for voting," Friedman said. "Everybody here, they shove it in your face — oh are you voting? Are you voting? Vote early. Everybody needs to vote — and they don't even ask if you're American. We have a lot of international students.”
Benson and Savit say instances of this happening are extremely rare. They released a statement that details more about the case:
"Following an alleged violation of the law involving a non-U.S. citizen voting at an Ann Arbor early voting site on Sunday, October 27, the Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office has authorized criminal charges of (1) Unauthorized Elector Attempting To Vote, in violation of MCL 168.932a(c), and (2) Perjury – Making a False Affidavit for Purpose of Securing Voter Registration, in violation of MCL 168.933. All charges are allegations only, and defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Only U.S. citizens can register and vote in our elections. It is illegal to lie on any registration forms or voting applications about one’s citizenship status. Doing so is a felony. We are grateful for the swift action of the clerk in this case, who took the appropriate steps and referred the case to law enforcement. We are also grateful to law enforcement for swiftly and thoroughly investigating this case. Anyone who attempts to vote illegally faces significant consequences, including but not limited to arrest and prosecution. Noncitizen voting is an extremely isolated and rare event. Investigations in multiple states and nationwide have found no evidence of large numbers of noncitizens registering to vote. Even less common is a noncitizen actually casting a ballot. When it does happen, we take it extremely seriously. Our elections are secure and Michigan’s state and local election officials carefully follow the law. Our duty to the law is paramount, as is our responsibility to ensure that every eligible voter is able to register and cast a ballot. Let this be clear: Voting records are public – any noncitizen who attempts to vote fraudulently in Michigan will be exposing themselves to great risk and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
One-on-one with Mike Rogers, Rep. Elissa Slotkin in the U.S. Senate race
With the election just days away, our Simon Shaykhet sat down with the two candidates running for U.S. Senate – Republican Mike Rogers and Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin.
The race is crucial for both parties as they look to either gain or maintain control of the U.S. Senate. The winner will replace retiring Sen. Debbie Stabenow.
Simon touched on a variety of issues with the candidates, including the economy, immigration, questions about residency and NDAs, gun control and much more.
See their interviews in the videos above
Crime in Detroit is at its lowest since 1966, officials say
Crime is down in Detroit, hitting the lowest rate since 1966, according to the Detroit Police Department and city officials.
This week, they made the announcement with the crime statistics, citing new technology and the Community Violence Intervention teams.
“Once you get a mentality shift, the numbers are going to drop,” said Cierra Renee, the program director of Force Detroit.
According to Renee, they use credible messengers, which are people who have lived experiences or have been involved or impacted by violent crime. Those people come and speak to kids.
“Particularly in the Cody, Rouge area, we have been credited of decreasing violence by 72%,” she said.
Metro Detroiters sound off on when they'll start listening to holiday music
Finally, with the arrival of November, we're asking people if it's too early to start listening to holiday music. We first asked on Facebook and got hundreds of comments.
Some people said they've already started listening, while others said they're going to wait.
How long will they wait? Some won't listen until December, while others say they're going to start after Thanksgiving.
