Latest news with #WXYZ
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Veteran Decorates Neighborhood Sinkhole While Awaiting Repairs: 'I'm Tired of Looking at This Thing'
Michigan resident Breck Crandell began seasonally decorating a sinkhole in his neighborhood while waiting for city officials to fix the issue The Navy veteran says the local sinkholes are a safety hazard, but his creativity around a temporary fix has made neighbors smile "Watching the kids go through the neighborhood with their parents and cars would stop and take pictures – it just made me happy to see that other people were enjoying it," he tells PEOPLEA Michigan veteran has found a way of turning a lingering neighborhood issue into something the whole town can enjoy. Breck Crandell lives in Ypsilanti, where he said there are a handful of sinkholes in the neighborhood, including one right outside his driveway. It first appeared around 2017, got filled in, then reappeared a few years ago. "Instead of fixing it, they just put a big metal plate over the top of it," Crandell tells PEOPLE. The Navy veteran's temporary fix has been seasonally decorating a construction cone, which was placed over the sinkhole as a warning. "I'm a hunter and I've got turkey decoys, so I took one of my turkey decoys and put it out there, and then it just kind of started from there," Crandell says. "For me, it was just — I'm tired of looking at this thing because I have to back around it to get in and out of my driveway." Depending on the time of year, Ypsilanti residents can expect to see anything from pumpkins, to toy Santas or Easter bunny figurines placed near the cone. "Watching the kids go through the neighborhood with their parents and cars would stop and take pictures — it just made me happy to see that other people were enjoying it," Crandell says. "I've done it for all the seasons, and right now, the most current thing I have up is a tribute to vets." "Actually, until very recently, almost nobody knew who it was that was doing it, because I never said anything to anybody," he adds. There have even been festive gatherings centered around the hazard-turned-neighborhood attraction. "Last fall, one of my neighbors was retiring, and he and a bunch of his friends from the neighborhood made a nightly meeting out there with their wine and coffee," Crandell says. "And then the night he retired, they shot off a bunch of fireworks in my front yard." Bonnie Wessler, Ypsilanti Director of Public Works, told local ABC affiliate WXYZ that they "bid everything out" last year. "We tried to get a contractor in to come and fix it all for us. The total bill for all that would've been more than $600,000," said Wessler. This year, Wessler's department found a contractor who will do the repairs for half that price, so city officials anticipate it will be repaired in the next few months, per WXYZ. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Crandell tells PEOPLE he hopes the display will draw attention to how long it's taking to get the sinkholes repaired. "We're a pretty tight knit community. There have been just dozens, if not more complaints about these sinkholes," Crandell says. "We'd just like it fixed and fixed properly." Read the original article on People
New York Post
29-05-2025
- New York Post
Pair of hammer-wielding, masked crooks steal thousands of dollars worth of Pokémon cards from 2 stores
Cops are on the hunt for a pair of hammer-wielding masked bandits who stole thousands of dollars worth of collectible Pokémon cards from two Detroit-area stores over a five-day crime spree earlier this month. The card thieves hit both stores in the early morning before either was open and caused massive damage to one by smashing the glass displays showcasing the cards, according to cops and reports. In the first heist, the duo — dressed in all black and wearing full face coverings — hit RIW Hobbies & Gaming in Livonia on May 16 around 5 a.m., Fox 2 Detroit reported. 4 Police are on the hunt for two masked, hammer-wielding bandits in the Detroit area stealing Pokémon cards. FOX 2 DETROIT Store owner Pam Willoughby came in to open the shop later that morning and discovered her glass cases shattered and her Pokémon cards missing. She checked her security cameras and watched the footage in horror as the two Pokémon perps smashed her display cases with a hammer, grabbed the cards, and stuffed them in sacks before running off. 'When I actually watched them just standing in the building by themselves swinging a hammer, it was a little unnerving — it was an invasion,' Willoughby told WXYZ. She told Fox 2 that the bandits cost her $12,000 between the damage to her store and the price of the cards. She believes the sticky-fingered duo may have taken the stash to sell at the Motor City Comic Con, where hundreds of vendors gather to trade Pokémon and other similar cards — which began the very same day of her break-in. 4 Pam Willoughby, the owner of RIW Hobbies & Gaming, watched her security footage in horror as two bandits smashed her display case to steal Pokémon cards. FOX 2 DETROIT A few days later, on May 20, again around 5 a.m., a similarly dressed hammer-wielding suspect broke into Eternal Games in Warren, where he stole more Pokémon cards, security footage shows. That time, the bandit leapt over the display case, crammed the cards into a sack, and escaped, according to WXYZ. 'They didn't smash out the showcase but hopped the showcase, opened up the showcase and then crouched down and took, took, hopped over and left,' Eternal Games assistant manager Dakota Olszewski told Fox 2. 4 Owners of collectible card stores in the Detroit area are worried they might be the next victims of the Pokémon bandits. FOX 2 DETROIT Olszewski said they stole $3,500 worth of singles — rare cards that are nearly impossible to restock. 'I don't think we are going to find the cards specifically, which is a bummer because they're pretty cool,' she said. This isn't the first time that Pokémon cards have been at the center of criminal activity and violent behavior. 4 The smashed display case where the Pokémon bandits struck in the Detroit area. FOX 2 DETROIT In January, cops were nearly called to a Costco in Los Angeles when bedlam broke out between customers jostling over the coveted cards. Wild footage captured an older customer wrapping a younger customer in a bear hug during the brawl. The younger man smashed the attacker in the face with his elbow while a female shopper yelled at him. 'Get the f–k off of me bro,' one shopper said, according to a video posted on X by YouTuber DisguisedToast. A few months later, a not-so-friendly Spider-Man was arrested after security camera footage caught him breaking into a store in northern Virginia. Joel Brown, 20, was accused of robbing a family-owned collectibles store wearing a Spider-Man suit to conceal his true identity and making off with rare, limited edition Pokémon cards. With tariffs hurting the market, Pokémon and other trading cards are seeing a surge in demand as investors seek out alternatives beyond the traditional mix of financial standbys. The trading card industry is valued at more than $15 billion as of 2024.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
30-Year-Old Man Who Survived a Suicide Attempt at 19 Finally Receives Life-Changing Face Transplant: ‘He Had No Face'
Derek Pfaff, a 30-year-old Michigan man, recently received a life-changing face transplant Pfaff shot himself in the face while home from college during spring break in March 2014 when he was 19 years old He is one of only about 50 people in the world to have undergone the procedureA 30-year-old Michigan man has finally received a life-changing face transplant after attempting suicide 11 years ago. In the early hours of March 5, 2014, Derek Pfaff was found lying outside his home in Harbor Beach on a mound of blood-covered snow. He was 19 years old at the time, his mom, Lisa Pfaff, previously told PEOPLE. Derek, who was home from college during spring break, was found by his father, Jerry Pfaff, and the family rushed him to a local hospital. "He was in shorts and his T-shirt from what he had on that night, and the gun laying next to him," Lisa recalled to WXYZ Detroit in a recent interview. "He had no face. There was no face, it was a gunshot wound right to his head and Jerry put him in the vehicle face down, which really was the first miracle, because if he would have put him face up in the vehicle, he would've drowned on the blood and choked to death on the two and a half miles just to get to our hospital,' she continued. Derek miraculously survived the gunshot wound, but his face was severely affected. He had lost an eye, no longer had a nose and his teeth and lips were mostly gone. He underwent 58 surgeries from 2014 through 2020, at which point his doctors told him there was nothing left they could do, per WXYZ. "I didn't go out in public," Derek told the outlet. 'People would point and, you know, call him names, and it was just so hard," Lisa added. Derek, a former high school football star, told WXYZ that prior to the suicide attempt, he put a lot of 'pressure' on himself academically, but often kept his feelings 'private.' 'I kept ... my feelings and emotions inside. I didn't want to talk to anyone about it. I wish I would have now — mom, dad — whoever, got off my chest. I would have felt so much better,' he said. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Derek — who now considers himself lucky to be alive — eventually became eligible for a face transplant at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., per a video press release from the clinic. He and his family then received word that a donor had become available in February 2024. After an extensive surgery that same year and numerous follow-up procedures, Derek now has a fully functioning face again. Derek is the second person to ever receive a face transplant at the Mayo Clinic, and one of only about 50 people to have received the procedure worldwide, per the clinic. Lisa called Derek's transplant 'miraculous' and said he looked 'amazing' in a GoFundMe set up to cover Derek's extensive medical expenses. Lisa also shared that Derek underwent an additional follow-up surgery — making it his 65th surgery total since 2014 — on May 2, per the fundraising page. The GoFundMe page has raised $285,895 toward its $1 million goal as of Friday, May 9. If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to Read the original article on People
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Yahoo
Police across US warn about new, high-tech key fob thefts
Police have a warning for car drivers: criminals reportedly have a new, high-tech way to steal your vehicle – without ever touching a key. It's called a ProPad, which ABC News reports is a tool typically used by locksmiths. Now, it's being abused to clone key fobs and program new ones. ALSO READ: Suspects accused of stealing hundreds of cars with key fob devices in Charlotte One woman told ABC's Detroit affiliate WXYZ that she watched her own car being stolen from her driveway in the middle of the night. 'I watched somebody drive off with my car,' Kristina Rinaldi said. WXYZ reports Rinaldi's vehicle was ultimately recovered after a police chase, but was totaled. And now across the country, police are tracking thieves who've used ProPad-like devices. The thefts reportedly only take minutes. In the video above, ABC's Alison Kosik explains how. WATCH BELOW: Morganton man accused of stealing from firefighters, church
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Yahoo
A Teen's Rejection from a Girl Allegedly Led Him to Blowing Things Way Out of Proportion… Literally
Women often expect the backhanded reply of, 'Ight then, you ugly anyway,' or possibly something more aggressive when rejecting a man. However, one Michigan teen is accused of responding in an extreme, and dangerous way, putting the girl's entire family in fear for their lives. Macomb County prosecutors say the incident happened around 3 a.m. on April 10 when a rental home on Eldredge Street suddenly caught fire. Though, what seemed to begin as a small, sparked fire turned into something more like an explosion. 'You just hear a big old boom, like it was just loud. It sounded literally like someone threw an M-80 in there. It blew up. When I went downstairs, first it was like a little fire. It wasn't nothing big,' said Delvon Lee, who was inside the home with his 9-month-old son. Also in the home was the infant's mother, grandmother, a cousin, plus a 2-month-old, Lee told WXYZ. The family ran out of the house through the back door and hopped a fence to escape the fire. Home camera footage from across the street showed massive flames flooding out the windows of the front of the house. Thankfully, everyone managed to escape the fire without injury, per the report. However, the house sustained serious damage leading to suspicions of intentional arson. A few days later, prosecutors confirmed that theory with the arrest of a 17-year-old in connection to the incident. While police have yet to release an official motive behind the fire, Lee told reporters he had an idea: rejection. He told the outlet the teen was talking to a female cousin who resided in the home. Earlier that night, Lee said she refused his invitation to go out. Later that evening, police say the teen broke into their house and planted the bomb. 'This is a kid ruining his life over a girl he met five days ago,' Lee told reporters. The teen is being held at the Juvenile Justice Center on charges of home invasion and arson... but only for now. Prosecutors are considering having him charged as an adult, prosecutors said, per The Detroit News. 'This was an extremely serious crime that endangered the lives of seven people and caused substantial damage to a home. I am especially outraged that the lives of two infants were put at risk,' said Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido in a statement. He added how his 'office will not tolerate this reckless disregard for human life and private property.' For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
