(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 stories you missed from the week of July 8.
Metro Detroiters continue to wait for trash collection from Priority Waste
It's a story that almost everyone is talking about – trash pickup problems from Priority Waste. We've gotten hundreds of comments, messages and emails from people across metro Detroit who are waiting for their trash to be picked up after Priority took over contracts from GFL.
“It’s been cumbersome and it’s aggravating,” said Ralph Rehme of Waterford Township.
Rehme says his trash and compost haven’t been picked up in three weeks
“I’ve called GFL, Priority Waste, and no answer, that’s why I called you, I’m frustrated,” said Rehme.
“Are they going to pick it up this Friday or not… 2 weeks late or is going to go another week?” said Mary Glowe of Melvindale.
Matt Allen is with Priority Waste. He says they have been working hard to get the hundreds of broken vehicles repaired so they can catch up on trash collection.
“We took over all of the contracts from GFL plus 70,000 subscription customers on that Monday and part of that acquisition was 500 vehicles that we purchased,” said Allen. “What we found was hundreds of those vehicles were not operable to be put on the road.”
'I'm so happy!' Problem solved for Waterford man after video showed mail carrier driving on his lawn
We first told you about a Waterford man who was frustrated with USPS mail carriers driving on his lawn to deliver the mail. Now, Benny Hunt said the problem has been solved.
"I’m so happy, you have no idea, the change that you guys made, not only to my house, but for other residents in Waterford, has me elated, absolutely elated," said Hunt.
Benny told us that after seeing his story on the news, Friday, the deputy general postmaster and the postmaster came to his house to talk to him.
"They didn’t know that I have been complaining and making police reports because their employees were just brushing it under the rug. She says that it was never supposed to be driven, they were taught wrong to begin with and they’re following wrong direction. It’s a complete safety hazard for a mail carrier to be driving down a public sidewalk," he said.
Hunt shared that the deputy general postmaster has given him the opportunity to choose for himself where he wants his mailbox.
He's told it will now be delivered as part of a walking route, as it should be. In light of his story, Hunt was told, "they now have to have a district training course to re-train these carriers."
Target will soon no longer accept checks: We asked 3 generations for their thoughts
Everyone was also talking about how Target announced they will no longer be accepting checks starting July 15. We wanted to know how people felt, and asked three different generations of people.
"The last time I wrote a check was three weeks ago," said Courtney Shaw, a member of Gen Z.
"I haven't written a check in about a year," said Tori Collins, a member of Gen X.
Tailor Anthony Reminelli in Grosse Pointe Woods. He says he prefers checks and just 10 years ago he was seeing more than a few.
"Roughly 100 to 150 checks per year," Reminelli said. "(Nowadays) if I am lucky, maybe a dozen."
Should there be age limits for elected officials?
In the wake of President Joe Biden's debate performance and questions over his age, we wanted to know what people thought about age limits for politicians.
The average age in the United States is 28. In 2024, the average U.S. Senator's Age is 64, with the oldest senator being 89.
"When you're 80, you're kinda on the decline, and you can't really support yourself in the way of talking to others," said Joseph, an Independent in Oakland County.
However, not everyone agrees.
“I honestly feel like age is really not a big factor honestly, because just because you’re older or younger doesn’t mean you’re much better than the next person," said Nikirah Johnson, a Democrat in Macomb County.
Hear more from people here and in the video in the above.
Here's how a 'Glock switch' works and why Detroit police are sounding the alarm
The mass shooting last weekend that killed two and injured 21 involved at least one weapon with a Glock switch. The quarter-size device turns a semi-automatic handgun into a fully-automatic weapon.
Our Kim Craig talked to Detroit police about it and they're sounding the alarm.
See how they work with an ATF demonstration below
"The mindset is to inflict as much damage as they can as quickly as possible," said Detroit Police Commander Ryan Connor.
"They're illegal. You can't possess them, and they turn a regular handgun into almost a machine-style weapon," said Captain Marcus Thirlkill of the Detroit Police Department.
A "Glock switch" is also classified as a machine gun under federal law, according to The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF).
So if you have information on anyone involved in making or possessing a Glock switch, you're urged to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP or Detroit Rewards TV.
'You gotta enjoy the summer.' How early is too early for Halloween decorations?
Is it too early for Halloween decor? Members of the 7 News Detroit team saw Halloween decorations up at some stores already, and we wanted to know how people felt.
There are some people like Emily Abraham who say this could not have come any sooner.
"Got a little Halloween rug, bat-shaped, a little coffee vase," Abraham said. "It does go pretty quickly last year I missed out on a couple things so I’m trying to complete my collection."
"I was up here a couple of days ago and saw all the Halloween stuff and I came back to get all the things that I saw that I wanted," said Adam Bouchard. "Got the little bone things, got a candle holder, got some of these for my skull plates that I already have at home."
For these spooky lovers, three months or 16 weeks is not too early. But there are plenty of others saying 'Boo!'
A new study found metals in tampons, what does it mean for your health?
A new study released last week found several metals inside of commonly used tampon products.
Researchers at the University of California Berkeley tested 30 tampons across 14 different brands for levels of 16 different metals. The list of metals included arsenic, barium, calcium, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, iron, manganese, mercury, nickel, lead, selenium, strontium, vanadium, and zinc. Some of the metals listed have been found to increase the risk of dementia, infertility, diabetes, and cancer, according to the study.
"I’m not surprised unfortunately but it does make me really frustrated," said Sarah Grezlik from Franklin. "I think women’s health in general is such a hot topic and I wonder the more we learn, the better we can do especially about putting things directly into our bodies."
While tampon users like Franklin say the news will likely change the choices they make, other women say they need more information before acting.
"I actually saw something about the tampons this morning when I was scrolling on social media and I was like, 'Wow. I have a whole box of Tampax at home that I didn’t use yet' but I still plan on using," said Faith Faber of Gibraltar. "Just from comments online, I don’t believe it right off the bat but I do believe it’s important to look into."
