Local 4 team shares their most memorable stories of 2018

Meteor spotted in Sterling Heights by Kristen Donahue VanRosenberg

It's been another busy news year in Metro Detroit.

In 2018, Metro Detroit saw a meteor, an earthquake, an international funeral and many other major news stories with a national reach.

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Related: Here's a look at the 13 most-read stories in ClickOnDetroit in 2018

We asked Local 4 anchors and reporters to tell of the most memorable stories they covered in 2018.

Here's what they picked:

Hank Winchester picked this one: Hidden camera investigation exposes Detroit woman performing illegal dental procedures at her home

"When we got this tip, we couldn't believe what we were seeing.  We were sent an Instagram page highlighting the illegal work that was being done. We went to check it out with our undercover producer and when I saw the footage, I was stunned. Not only was she offering to do the work, she was so casual about it. It was really bizarre and definitely a story that got a lot of attention this year."

Kevin Dietz picked three stories:

Baby Bianca Jones – Dead or Missing: "Her family thinks she is still alive and three witnesses have said they saw her. The questions raised stay with me as her father continues to serve a life sentence for her murder."

White Boy Rick Podcast: "Working in a new medium was both hard work and rewarding – Creating a eight episode series podcast with more than four hours of material allowed me to get more in depth and provide more detail than traditional TV reporting. The podcast reached No. 3 in the country and was downloaded over one million times."

FBI works to lock up Michigan man believed to be mass shooting threat despite no serious crimes: "The troubling case of Mathew and his fascination with mass shooters opened our eyes to how many threats are out there and how hard it is for law enforcement to protect us. Our reports have lead to lawmakers pushing for new red flag laws that will allow police to temporarily take guns from potential threats until they can be evaluated medically. His case encouraged us to do several stories on where our schools are in their effort to improve the safety of children and teachers in schools."

Jason Colthorp picked two stories:

"I covered two stories about bars this year. Being that my family is in the bar business and I grew up in it, it was fun to explore the places. One was a hole-in-wall joint called the Side Track Saloon in Monroe. The owner used to deliver there and one day bought it in the 70s and a few years later, his future wife walked in. They still run it together today. 

The other bar is the Two-Way Inn. It's Detroit's oldest bar and I could've done five stories on this place. The history, the mystery and the location were so intoxicating. 

The stories also stand out because of the creativity of my photographer Norm Fairhurst. We worked on both together and he came up with some fun video tricks to spice up both stories."

Evrod Cassimy picked one big story: Aretha Franklin dies at age 76

"The most memorable story for me would be the death of my friend, Aretha Franklin. Sadly, I knew it was coming but I don’t think it would have hit me as hard as it did. I knew her for five years and our friendship grew outside of my coverage of her during that time. I was the first to confirm her death with her family and broke the news that she was gravely ill just a few days before. It was one of the hardest stories I’ve ever had to cover. I interviewed her family and friends and attended her musical tribute and funeral service and reported for not just Local 4 but stations all across the country and world."

Nick Monacelli picked a story that had national attention: The Larry Nassar abuse scandal

"I know it seems strange to say, because trust me, it’s even stranger putting down in words, but the most memorable story for me was the conviction of Larry Nassar. Not memorable because of how heinous his crimes were; not memorable because of the long-term or permanent damage he caused, but memorable because of what happened during and after the court hearings.

What we saw in Ingham and Eaton Counties was history in the making.  As they’ve been dubbed, the “Army of Survivors” was created, as hundreds of women gathered strength and courage to face Nassar – and tell the world their pain.  Sitting in court and listening to those women and young girls was nothing short of inspiring.  I think few understand the internal battle many of them had – even deciding whether or not to testify.  Then what to say, how to say it or whether to address Nassar directly – those were all things these survivors intensely struggled with; sometimes hours and minutes leading up to their testimony.  

Nearly a year later – it’s even more amazing to see what some of these survivors are doing.  They’re creating massive support groups, working with police departments to enhance training and communication, even working directly with victims of sexual abuse.   

It was assumed their testimony in court would bring closure.  What’s memorable is that for many, it was just the beginning."

Paul Gross picked a popular one: Meteor lights up Michigan sky

"EVERYBODY wanted to know what happened, and where to look for pieces that may have hit the ground.  Since this occurred at night when I wasn't at work, I initially handled the coverage on social media, and there is no question that this is where many people turned first for their information.  Those who know me know how excited I was to cover this story, and my live webcast the next morning was truly a wonderful experience.  Equally gratifying was the number of people who told me how much they learned from it."

Another pick from Paul Gross: Mike Trout is obsessed with weather, for real

"The second story was my exclusive interview with Anaheim Angles superstar, Mike Trout.  I tried for three years to get that interview, and the Angels' media relations staff told me that I was the only one being granted the rare one-on-one interview with the best player in baseball today.  It was a great time talking "weather" with him, and the story nearly went viral on Twitter (even the Angels, and Mike Trout's father retweeted it!).  FOX Sports must have seen the story because, "coincidentally," six weeks later during the All Star Game, they interviewed Trout about his interest in weather!"

Paula Tutman can't pick just one story: "I can remember saying "This is my favorite story" numerous times in 2018.  And each time, I say it, it's the truth.  I'm not sure I can isolate a singe favorite story or memory.  The fact of the matter is my favorite  is the types of stories I get to cover.  To be charged with the task to find stories that educate, illuminate, entertain and inform for 2 minutes every day means that every community and everyone I meet is a canvas waiting to be discovered. I am both nosy and fascinated with the human condition and the majority of my stories show the best people have to offer.  It makes it exciting to come to work everyday."

Kim DeGiulio had a couple stories in mind:

Michigan goes to the Final Four in San Antonio: "Obviously the highlight of my year was going to the national championship basketball game and covering the fan experience on social media!! I’ll never forget that!"

"Another local story I loved doing was the Allen park elementary school that had all of their students dress in a certain color to make a massive picture of a turtle. It was such a cool idea and I loved going up in the sky on the fire truck to get the perfect shot!"

Koco McAboy's most memorable story: New Wayne County Prosecutor's Office unit takes second look at convictions

"My most memorable story was one that I recently did on the Wayne County Conviction Integrity Unit. I am really passionate about criminal justice and I think it's notable that we now have a unit in Wayne County that has already freed four wrongly convicted people from prison, and the unit is just getting started. It's a step in the right direction to help tackle a very serious problem in Michigan and the United States."

Larry Spruill's most memorable story: Covering the death of Aretha Franklin

"My most memorable story would be the coverage of the passing of the Queen of Soul. For about two weeks, it was constant adrenaline rush, from when she passed to the 6 plus hours long funeral. It was an honor to be a part of a great team and coverage. 

We all worked long hours, but no one complained. We provided our viewers with non stop coverage from the beginning to end. That will forever be in my most memorable story in my career."

Steve Garagiola's most memorable story: ASMR phenomenon: Millions of people listening to everyday sounds on YouTube to relax

"My favorite story of the 2018 was about ASMR: Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response. The terms refer to absolutely nothing scientific, which is part of the reason ASMR is awesome. ASMR (I came to learn in reporting the story) is an Internet phenomenon in which people (in order to relax) watch and listen to others chew, swallow, whisper, slurp, tap, scratch, click, cluck, and who knows what else. Yes, it’s really odd... but in this crazy out of control world, I’m for anything that helps people relax."


About the Author:

Ken Haddad has proudly been with WDIV/ClickOnDetroit since 2013. He also authors the Morning Report Newsletter and various other newsletters, and helps lead the WDIV Insider team. He's a big sports fan and is constantly sipping Lions Kool-Aid.