Students at Flat Rock Community Schools are organizing a food drive to help families facing food insecurity as uncertainty around SNAP benefits continues to grow.

Watch Carli Petrus's video report: Flat Rock students organize food drive amid growing SNAP benefit uncertainty

The student-run initiative partners with the non-profit Helping Hands of Community Lutheran Church to collect canned and boxed food items for families in need throughout the community.

"It's hard to raise your kids or come to school when you don't know when your next meal is," said Drew Wilde, principal of Flat Rock Community High School.

Wilde said the need has never been greater, as concerns about SNAP benefits persist.

"If they don't have their benefits, you know, they're only going to get a portion of them, then that means that families are going to have to make some very serious sacrifices, and if we're able to alleviate some of that for them, that's what we'll do as a community," Wilde said.

RELATED STORY: Clinton Twp. teacher's food pantry helps students during SNAP benefit crisis Clinton Twp. teacher's food pantry helps students during SNAP benefit crisis

Students have turned the food drive into a friendly competition between schools. Bobcean Elementary and the high school have teamed up as "Team Evergreen," while the middle school and Barnes Elementary form "Team Meadows."

"What we're doing is we're actually pairing the schools up as teams, so we're having Bobcean Elementary and the high school team up as 'Team Evergreen', and then we're head-to-head with 'Team Meadows', which is the middle school and Barnes Elementary. We're going to see who can raise the most food for our community," said 12th grader Megan, a student organizer.

Fifth-grader Trevor, a student council member on Team Meadows, created posters with classmates to encourage donations.

"I'm a student council member and I made a poster about this with my other classmate to encourage people to donate," Trevor said.

For 12th-grader Alexia on Team Evergreen, the cause hits close to home through a friend's experience.

"She was talking about how she was struggling, her family was struggling personally because they can't afford food, and how this food drive is potentially going to help them to put food on the table. They have a large family; they have more than just two of them; they need food," Alexia said.

Alexia explained that many families face uncertainty about their food supply, especially during the holiday season.

"They don't know when the end of their food supply may come so some people may have SNAP benefits, still left and those might just go away like they might just run out of them or they might have money right now but because of the holiday season, because of Thanksgiving, they might not have money to afford food later on and that's what this food drive is mainly for," Alexia said.

The food drive runs through November 14. Community members can drop off non-perishable food items at the schools' main offices.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

As we transition from fall to the holidays, finding decorations may be a little tougher this year.

Tariffs and supply chain issues are hitting businesses right before the most wonderful time of the year, including at one family-owned craft store that's been part of the Center Line community for decades.

"Ive been doing this for over 30 years and weve never had to deal with anything like this," Vince Paine, the owner of Dealer's Discount Crafts and Florals in Center Line, said.

Dealer's offers just about every Christmas decoration you can imagine, from pink and gold trees to nutcrackers.

"All the ornaments you could ever want, baskets for gift baskets, we sell florals, ribbons," Paine said.

It's a beloved discount supplier in the community, and Paine said this year has been especially difficult, with tariffs to blame.

"We usually have a lot more variety. Since the factories shut down in the spring due to all the tariffs, didnt know what was going other than happen so they stopped producing the stuff and then when there was a 90-day window, everybody tried to rush and get everything shipped and that caused the freight prices to almost double, the ocean freight, so, that was even a bigger hit than the actual tariff cost," Paine said.

Oakland University supply chain expert, Dr. Henry Aigbedo, said global tariffs are pushing prices up, with businesses eating most of those extra costs right now.

"When you have tariffs on goods, whats going to happen is that the prices of those items is going to go up," Aigbedo said.

The tariffs are also tightening up the supply.

"Companies now have to make decisions as whether to continue to purchase the product or whether they will now need to look for new sources to get the items if they are too expensive.

He says the impact's slowly trickling down to consumers.

"When we talk about these Christmas decorations, a lot of them do come from China, so can we expect them to cost more this year? I asked Aigbedo.

"The answer is yes, but like I said before, mainly because of the expectation that the tariffs are going to make things more expensive, many of these companies brought in a lot of goods, so theyre going to be able to sell from what they have. But even then, you do not have enough to meet the regular demand," he said.

Depending on what you're buying, Aigbedo says you could see Christmas decorations priced up to 15% higher this year.

Consumers I spoke with say they haven't seen or heard anything yet, but neither higher prices, nor lower supply, would impact their shopping habits when it comes to buying decorations.

It's not going to matter. Im still going to buy the stuff I need to buy," one person told us.

"I have some stuff at home that I purchased last year that I already had, but if I need new lights, because you know, lights go out all the time, Ill definitely go out and get lights," another consumer told us.

Aigbedo said consumers should buy early and don't stress too much.

Paine said he's doing his best to shield customers from those rising costs.

"For this year, were going to keep them the same. We ended up eating the cost on those with the extra charges for this year, trying to help our customers out," Paine said. Next year at this time, if things arent better, we are going to have to pass along some of those costs in order to stay open.

Where Your Voice Matters

Detroit took a major step forward in clean energy Monday as Mayor Mike Duggan, DTE Energy and community leaders broke ground on the city's first solar field under the mayor's Solar Neighborhoods Initiative.

The project launched in the Van Dyke-Lynch neighborhood, where solar panels will soon cover a field that was once filled with blight and illegal activity.

Watch Carli Petrus' video report below: Detroit breaks ground on first solar field under mayor's clean energy initiative

"There was nothing but illegal dumping and illegal activity going on here about a year ago, and now it's going to power the city," Duggan said.

The solar field will generate 10 megawatts of clean, renewable energy. Duggan said the goal is simple: to lower energy costs and make Detroit neighborhoods better.

"This is going to power huge numbers of city buildings and the money that we're making from the electricity, we're using to improve the houses of the neighbors across the street that will be here for the long term," Duggan said.

Haley Henley has lived in the Van Dyke-Lynch neighborhood for 50 years and said she's excited to see the transformation.

"It's kind of sad when you live in a neighborhood and you get afraid to come out in it after dark," Henley said. "Thanks to the mayor for not forgetting about us."

Neighbors like Dorothy Gladney are receiving numerous home improvements including roofing and insulation. Gladney received what she called a life-saving upgrade: a carbon monoxide detector.

"The best thing that this solar panel did was brought us together," Gladney said.

Watch our previous coverage with Dorothy Gladney on how the initiative saved her life: Woman says City of Detroit helped save her family

Four more neighborhoods are set to receive solar fields: Gratiot Findlay, State Fair, Greenfield Park and Houston Whittier. The total project will cover 167 acres.

The project is made possible by tax credits from the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.

"We said we're only going to the neighborhoods where we're wanted and as you can tell, we were very much wanted in this neighborhood," Duggan said.

The solar field is expected to be completed by mid-2026. DTE will hold additional informational sessions throughout construction.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

Former WXYZ-TV anchors Diana Lewis and Doris Biscoe have been inducted into the Michigan Womens Hall of Fame.

The iconic voices of Detroit were celebrated during a ceremony by Michigan Women's Forward on Wednesday at The War Memorial in Grosse Pointe Farms.

Watch the video report below: Michigan Woman's Hall of Fame honors WXYZ legends

For 35 years, Lewis was the heart of Channel 7, earning more than 20 Emmy Awards and the trust of the entire city.

On Mother's Day in 2004, Lewis and her daughter Glenda made history together at WXYZ as the first mother-daughter anchor team in the country.

"I feel brand new because I'm not done yet," Diana Lewis said.

Biscoe, who died on June 7, 2024, at the age of 77, was honored during the ceremony for her incredible career. She is certainly remembered every day at Broadcast House.

Biscoe was a dear friend of Diana Lewis'.

I know Doris, a warm, loving person who really cared about empowering women, and I know she's here in spirit with us today. So, I'm honored to be here to represent both of us," Diana Lewis said.

Biscoe and Diana Lewis were among seven women to receive the honor this year. They have been trailblazers and mentors to many.

Previous coverage: Remembering Doris Biscoe, pioneering former WXYZ anchorwoman: Doris Biscoe, pioneering former WXYZ anchorwoman, dies at 77

Diana Lewis was nominated by her longtime friend and former WXYZ reporter Bill Proctor.

"The many years, even decades she was on the air at Channel 7, she was a force for understanding the community, for understanding what good journalism is and for connecting to people in a warm and caring way," Proctor said.

Michigan Women Forward says the award is the highest honor a Michigan woman can achieve. The award recognizes women who have helped shape the state through their careers and commitment to the community.

"I'm just over the moon with pride because it took so much and so much a part of my life to realize everything that I put into the young people coming up, that this would be my day to be celebrated," Diana Lewis said.

Previous coverage: Diana Lewis remembers her time at WXYZ for 75th anniversary Diana Lewis remembers her time at WXYZ for 75th anniversary

For Diana Lewis, mentorship and inspiration have always been part of the mission throughout a career spanning 44 years.

"That's what it's all about: to give and to receive and to continue to lift each other up," Diana Lewis said.

Watch Diana Lewis' final sign off below:

Now following in her footsteps is her daughter and WXYZ anchor Glenda Lewis.

"My mom and I would joke that I'm following in her footsteps but I'm wearing my own shoes," Glenda Lewis said.

She says this honor is about so much more than TV.

"At 12 years old, my mother sat on the lap of the late, great Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. She was 12 and he told her she was destined to be a communicator, and I stand here in the grace of prophecy fulfilled," Glenda Lewis said.

Her mother has inspired others to accomplish their dreams.

"Follow your dreams. It's nothing that you can't do. That was a part of what I pray that I would represent," Diana Lewis said. "Anything you want to do, you can accomplish."

A young fawn named Peanut is getting a second chance at life thanks to an animal rescue group, a state lawmaker and a whole lot of public support.

The fawn was close to being euthanized after the state said she couldn't be placed with a local nature center. But what started as a fight for one animal has now become part of a bigger battle over wildlife policies in Michigan.

Watch Carli Petrus' video report below: Young fawn named Peanut gets second chance at life after public outcry

Peanut will soon be living out her life in an enclosure at the Howell Nature Center. While it's a happy ending for her, lawmakers and activists say their fight is far from over.

"She can live a very happy, normal life in captivity," said Kelley Labonty, director of the Detroit Animal Welfare Group.

Peanut was rescued this past spring by the Detroit Animal Welfare Group, or DAWG. Labonty said Peanut was malnourished with mild vision impairment, but was nursed back to health with the goal of becoming an educational ambassador at the Howell Nature Center.

"Once they received her, their vet evaluated her and then they wrote a letter to the DNR requesting that she be added onto their permit as an education ambassador and that was immediately denied," Labonty said.

John Pepin with the DNR said the issue was that the request came too late and without a proper permit, euthanasia was the likely outcome.

"Typically, that would be an animal that would be euthanized because that's the most humane thing to do at that point," Pepin said.

Pushing back on the DNR, Labonty wasn't going to stop fighting for Peanut. Neither was state Representative Angela Rigas.

"It's not so much about the animals; it's entirely about department overreach, unfair rule-making against certain organizations. We have to rein in these departments," Rigas said.

Rigas says she reached out to the DNR as well as the governor's office. Along with an overwhelming amount of public support, Peanut's life was spared.

Now she'll live at the Howell Nature Center with other rehabilitated deer.

"Peanut is currently in one of our enclosures in our pre-release area for rehabilitation facilities," said Laura Moran, Howell Nature Center director.

Moran says that while most animals at Howell are eventually released, some, like Peanut, stay on as permanent residents.

"We always want to release back into the wild if we can, but if they can't live in the wild, sometimes they can live here in our wildlife park where they can be an ambassador for their species," Moran said.

Rigas and Labonty are now turning their attention to helping other animals, including a coyote and several birds at area sanctuaries now at risk of being euthanized.

"And fortunately it was a good outcome, but now we're focusing on getting a stay granted for the coyote and then we also have the duck sanctuary as well," Rigas said.

The DNR's John Pepin believes animal advocacy groups and the state can find common ground.

"If you follow the rules, then that would make things work smoothly. We'd all be in line," Pepin said.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.