Marathon runner saved, DTE gas meter outrage & more stories you may have missed

Oct 26, 2024

(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. 21.

'It's so concealable.' Arrest in Wyandotte leads to discovery of small, unusual gun

When Wyandotte police stopped David Bush near Goddard and Fort Street, it was because they say he blew through a red light. But the October traffic stop turned out to be anything but routine.

Police say Bush admitted to having a knife after they pulled him over, and that was the only weapon he claimed he had.

"The subject was adamant that he had no other weapons on him," said Wyandotte Police Chief Archie Hamilton. "He specifically asked him, 'do you have any guns with you?' No guns."

But Bush did have guns — two that were concealed.

"Right here, he sees the bulge, now look, now the officer pulls, and he's got that gun around his neck, which is dangerous. Now the officer, he's telling his partner to come over there, because now he's trying to get the gun off of his neck, which is a bad situation for the police officer, because this guy's unsecure. You're trying to get a gun off. What if it goes off?" said Chief Hamilton, walking us through the bodycam video.

Chief Hamilton says this traffic stop easily could've turned violent.

"It was a good thing that he had no malicious intent, because he could have hurt these officers. And it was a good thing these officers came across this individual. It started out with a simple traffic stop. He disregarded a red signal. Not a big deal. And then it turned into a felony arrest. Somebody that's not only armed with two weapons ... illicit handguns, but he's intoxicated as well," said Chief Hamilton.

The chief is now warning the community about the kind of unusually small firearm officers found.

"It was actually a black powder handgun, which is something we don't see every day," he said.

Chief Hamilton says he's actually never seen this type of single-shot gun in all his 24 years of service.

Runner in Detroit Free Press marathon survives heart attack during the race

At mile 24, Kalamazoo runner Patrick Vanderbush said the 47th Detroit Free Press Marathon was shaping up to be absolutely perfect.

"I was focusing on my time and I was landing them, it seemed effortless," said Vanderbush.

Right then is when Vanderbush said everything went black, "Everything that happened beyond that point is a complete mystery."

Vanderbush had a heart attack, he was rushed to DMC Heart Hospital in Detroit where a team of medical professionals immediately sprang into action working to save him.

The team said that Vanderbush had an almost 100% blockage to a significant artery in his heart. They put two stents in to help his blood flow and were able to save him.

DMC cardiology fellow Amanda Sandles said his survival is also thanks to first responders on the scene at the marathon.

"I know they had to shock him at least four times before he got to us and they had to do compressions before he got to us and if they hadn’t done that quick and fast work, he wouldn’t have been able to get to us to do our job either," said Sandles.

Vanderbush said, "Infinitely grateful just doesn’t seem like it scratches the surface of what I really want to convey."

Feeling good now, Vanderbush said he does plan to run another marathon one day, he also joked that after everything, he did get two stents for his birthday.

Dearborn non-profit shows love to their community through food

A brand new community kitchen is open in Dearborn. The non-profit behind the kitchen, Leaders Advancing and Helping Communities (LAHC), is working to tackle not just food insecurity, but also obesity in the community.

Through their efforts to make sure every person in their community is able to nourish their bodies through healthy food, the center is serving warm meals to those in need. After grabbing a warm bite to eat, neighbors can do a little grocery shopping on the way out.

"You feed the brain and the stomach and you get to take food to your family and feed your family," Chief Executive Officer of LAHC Wassim Mahfouz says.

But it doesn't stop there. Mahfouz says feeding people is just one way the non-profit loves on their community. The center is offering multi-generational cooking classes to teach kids and their families about how to cook healthy meals in an effort to fight childhood obesity.

"By teaching kids and their parents at a very young age how to maintain a healthy lifestyle, you are setting someone on the path of living healthy and disease-free," said Wassim.

He said his passion comes from his own experience with obesity and health struggles. Because he was able to educate himself on health, he wants to share the knowledge he wishes he had.

The love LAHC has to give doesn't stop there. The non-profit is combining forces with their workforce development division to help children with developmental disabilities improve their life skills, as well as helping aspiring chefs make their dreams come true.

Should Michigan change the age for kids to start driver's education & get a learning permit?

We're tackling a question that affects families and communities across the nation: how young is too young to drive?

As the debate around teenage driving continues, we're exploring the age limits, safety concerns and what experts are saying.

We spoke with drivers to see if the current age of 14 and 9 months for a permit and 16 for a license is too young to drive, and spoke with a driver's ed instructor to see what trends he has noticed.

"It depends on the kids. That's a major thing these days," John Doss said.

"I feel like they're not mature enough these days. They're too hyper and want to drive real fast up on you and some might be out here smoking weed," Lindy Gray said.

I think if the parents are working with them then they should leave it where it is," Michelle Elliott said.

Why Macomb County clerk says November election results may be delayed

A 2022 state law allows clerks of cities or townships with populations over 5,000 people to count absentee ballots eight days before Election Day. Every large city in Macomb County has taken up the offer, except the largest city in the county, Warren.

Macomb County Clerk Anthony Forlini fears this will slow down election results in the county and state.

The state law requires that city and township clerks notify the state that they plan on counting absentee ballots early 28 days before Election Day. Forlini says Warren City Clerk Sonja Buffa did not do that and the window of opportunity has passed.

At a city council meeting Tuesday, council members discussed the decision made by the city clerk.

"I want to make it clear that city council had nothing to do with that decision and during the budget process, we were not asked to appropriate any additional funds to aid in activity of counting early," Councilwoman Mindy Moore said. “We certainly don’t want our vote to be the last one to come in. Warren has been very slow with election results."

“Macomb is the epicenter of elections this upcoming November," he said.

Forlini says when he learned that Buffa wouldn't be taking advantage of counting absentee ballots early, he realized it could slow down the process in the entire county. Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump know they need to win battleground Michigan to have a chance at taking the White House.

Forlini says he and the Secretary of State's Office have tried to set up meetings with Buffa, but they never panned out.

Buffa released a statement on Wednesday that reads: "I have been administering elections for 24 years and my staff has always demonstrated accuracy and precision with elections. Accuracy is the number one priority for me, and then speed is second. It is for these reasons that I have chosen not to preprocess.

"First, it actually would take more time to pre-process absentee votes for eight days given the extra people needed, the time it takes, the storage necessitated, and the compiling afterwards, than one full day of counting.

Next, pre- processing is not mandated for clerks. The legislature could have easily mandated pre-processing, but they chose to make it optional.

And finally, up to eight days of pre-processing opens the door for results to get leaked or compromised. I will not risk compromising the integrity of the election.

I also want the results quickly and we are committed to accomplishing that task in addition to keeping the election accurate, safe and secure. WE CAN DO THIS!

I hope that the scrutiny this office is getting will not discourage the general public from voting. As always, thank you for voting."

'A flat-out money grab.' DTE customer outraged over cost of new gas meter for generator

Fed up with power outages, one local man says he decided to invest in a generator for his house, only to face sticker shock from the power company.

Now he’s calling out DTE for what he says is an outrageous price hike.

Massive storms have been wreaking havoc on metro Detroit in recent years, causing power outages that last for days. It’s become all too familiar for families in Michigan.

“90% of this neighborhood has had to go get generators because of this,” said Livonia resident Kelly Prewitt recently.

Many DTE customers have also been expressing outrage recently over the company’s proposed rate hikes.

“We need some kind of break, especially from the utilities and things of that nature,” DTE customer Quinton Swift told us last spring.

Now there’s another cost increase that long-time DTE customer Tom Kallas says stunned him.

“We're held hostage to whatever they want to charge us,” said Kallas.

The retiree from Milford says after the last power outage at his home, he and his wife finally decided to invest in a whole-house generator.

“This is our retirement home that my wife and I saved for for many years. And we're on a well, we're on septic. And if we don't have power, it's very difficult if you don't have water,” said Kallas.

Kallas says he was shocked to learn that on top of having to pay for an already expensive generator, DTE planned to charge him a lot to upgrade his gas meter.

“There's no problem with the meter. It just won't flow to the level that they need,” said Kallas about the need for a larger meter to be compatible with the generator.

Up until April 12, 2024, DTE charged customers needing a gas meter upgrade for generators a flat fee of $485. But now they’re billing customers for both labor and materials.

“I just yesterday paid $2,232 to upgrade my meter,” said Kallas. “That just doesn't sit well with me.”

Kallas says he doesn’t understand why they raised the price so much.

“DTE is not reliable with their electric service. It goes down far too often. I don't think it's all their fault. I think they do a Herculean job of trying to bring it back up when it happens. But they are unreliable regardless of the reasons. And when people like my wife and myself decide that we want to protect ourselves from DTE, I don't feel like I should have to pay a mafia-type $2,232 to upgrade my meter in order to be able to get a generator,” said Kallas.

Not only did the price jump dramatically – Kallas says he was frustrated when DTE required him to pay the fee in full in order to get on their installation schedule for some time in late March of 2025.

“Since when do you pay six months in advance for something that costs that much,” said Kallas.

DTE would not agree to an interview.

In a statement, DTE Corporate Communications Manager Chris Lamphear said higher costs from inflation prompted them to increase the price of a meter upgrade:

“DTE Energy is focused on ensuring all customers have the safe, reliable and affordable energy they need to light and heat their homes. Customers interested in making any upgrades involving natural gas, such as a whole-home natural gas generator, should reach out to DTE first to ask if the natural gas meter and service line can accommodate additional capacity and to receive an accurate quote if a service upgrade is required. DTE’s costs to upgrade a property’s natural gas service have increased in recent years due to inflation. These rising prices, plus DTE’s desire to not spread the costs across its entire customer base, have led to the increase seen by customers wishing to upgrade their service…. DTE does not mark up these costs – they are our actual costs for labor and materials. An up-front payment is required to secure the new meter and to confirm scheduling, and it ensures the work can be scheduled and performed in the most efficient and cost-effective manner possible.”

“I don't think they're being honest. I absolutely don't. I think this is a flat-out money grab and everybody can put everything on inflation,” said Kallas. “And I think the real reason is somebody at DTE wants a new airplane or new executive office furniture or better executive cars or a bigger bonus program. I know how that operates. I was a senior executive myself for 40 years, so I don't buy this. And I just think it's hooey.”

DTE has come under fire recently by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel after the company included private jet use costs in their requests in front of the Michigan Public Service Commission to raise rates.

According to testimony from the AG’s expert, DTE executives and certain board members “...took 16 trips on the corporate leased aircraft in 2022...” to conferences and board meetings—costing $68,910.

“We pay the highest residential electricity rates in the Midwest. And customers are stretched thin and overburdened,” said Amy Bandyk, the Executive Director of the Citizens Utility Board of Michigan (CUB).

CUB is a non-profit group that advocates for residential rate payers. They’ve been pushing back against DTE’s recent rate increase requests.

“Compared to our neighbors in the Midwest, they don't have the same problems and we don't have that different weather or anything else. They [the utility companies] need to focus on getting back to the basics and getting up to speed on the maintenance that they should have been doing all along but have gotten so behind on that the customers are paying the price for it,” said Bandyk.

“Residential customers are just being asked to pay too much for substandard service. We are experiencing rate hike after a rate hike. People are sick of it,” Bandyk added.

Kallas is definitely sick of the rising rates and the extra two grand he hadn’t factored in for a generator purchase.

“This is a necessity. People might argue you don't have to have a generator. When you work out of the house at times, as my wife does, and with my four dogs and the hospice work I do, I've got to have power all the time. And I don't think I should be penalized because I'd like it,” said Kallas.

DTE’s Lamphear says, “Anyone considering upgrades involving natural gas should reach out to DTE before contracting any work. Call 800-338-0178 or visit dteenergy.com/generator.”

Here is information from the Michigan Public Service Commission about changes to gas meters:

The tariff has two parts. First is the $485 flat application rate and second is a charge for time and materials for the actual installation. Historically, DTE was only charging the $485, but the company recently decided to follow the tariff as it is written and approved, permitting the company to include actual installation costs for time and materials.

The tariff info is below. For your information, all of DTE Gas Co.’s rate books are posted on our website.

Sheet A-28.00

SERVICE LINE AND/OR METER RELOCATION CHARGE

The charge for service alterations, when requested by the customer or made necessary by the customer, is $485.00, plus time and materials.

Sheet C-39.00

C8.1 Purpose

The Company proposes to make extension of its gas mains and/or service lines from time to time, at its own cost, to serve applicants whose requirements will not disturb or impair the service to prior users or will not require an expenditure out of proportion to the expected revenue obtainable therefrom. The Company reserves the right to delay or deny a request for service under this Rule, if fulfilling such a request could, in the Company’s opinion, create conditions potentially adverse to the Company or its customers. Such conditions may include, but are not limited to, safety issues, system operating requirements or capital constraints. The provisions under this Rule are in addition to the existing rules and tariffs for customer gas service. When relocation or modification of Company facilities to an existing structure with gas service is requested or made necessary by the customer, all costs for the relocation or modification shall be charged to the requesting party.

The 7 Investigators also asked Consumer’s Energy how much they charge for gas meter upgrades.

According to spokesman Brian Wheeler, “The cost to upgrade a gas meter to accommodate a Consumers Energy customer’s whole-house or non-portable generator can vary based on several factors, including the customer’s energy load, the size of the generator, the type of gas service and meter currently in use, and specific site conditions. The typical cost to upgrade a residential meter in this case can range from $300 to $2,000 or greater, depending on these variables. These costs are approved by the Michigan Public Service Commission.”

If you have a story Heather Catallo please email her at [email protected].

One-on-one with Rep. John James and Carl Marlinga ahead of the 2024 election

With the 2024 election less than two weeks away, we're profiling candidates in some of the most-watched races in Michigan. First up, our Simon Shaykhet spoke one-on-one with Republican Rep. John James and Democrat Carl Marlinga, who are competing in the 10th Congressional District.

The race is crucial for both parties looking to control the House, and it's a rematch of 2020.

It was one of the closest races in the country in 2020 with James winning by just 1,600 votes.

Simon talked with them about a variety of issues, including the economy, immigration, election integrity and much more.

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