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.