ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Last year was a busy year for our A4 team.
From winter storm warnings and power outages to local fires and police chases, our team was kept on its toes but that doesn’t mean there weren’t happy moments that made us smile.
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We looked back through all of our articles and found several that made us laugh, cry, or feel more connected to the Ann Arbor community.
These 10 stories warmed our hearts last year:
From January: Ann Arbor police rescue dog from icy Huron River
AAPD jumped into action when Frankie the lab fell through ice on the frozen Huron River after chasing a swan.
Officers made creative use of their equipment to break the ice and rescue the tiring pup. Watch video of the rescue in the link above.
From February: Retired Ann Arbor couple pays off Detroit grandmother’s credit card debt
Ann Arbor really does have THE best people. Retirees Jim and Cindy Pierson paid off the credit card debts of a Detroit grandmother who struggled to get her five grandchildren to school. This one might make you cry a bit.
From February: Watch: University of Michigan vigil in honor of 3 Michigan State students who were killed in mass shooting
Wolverines and Spartans put aside their competitive differences in February after horrific shootings on the MSU campus. U-M students gathered on the Diag to show their support. Watch video of the vigil above.
From March: ‘Nothing is impossible.’ Syrian immigrant living in Ann Arbor accepted to 12 medical schools
Syrian refugee Lanah Almatroud came to the United States 10 years ago with her family. Since then, she’s graduated from Skyline High School and University of Michigan-Dearborn and was accepted to 12 medical schools.
From April: Pilar’s Foundation in Ann Arbor to hold fundraiser for earthquake survivors
Ann Arbor really does have the best small businesses.
Pilar’s Tamales owner Sylvia Nolasco-Rivers used her nonprofit foundation and cooking skills to raise money for victims and families impacted by earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. The fundraiser included foods from different Ann Arbor businesses.
From July: Here’s how Rock Steady Boxing is helping people fight back against Parkinson’s disease
Participants at Rock Steady Boxing classes are battling a nervous system disorder by learning how to fight. This year, two Michigan medicine employees partnered with Ann Arbor’s Title Boxing Club to help locals exercise to combat effects of the disease.
From September: Police credit bystanders, Good Samaritans with saving life of man pulled from Huron River
Nursing student Margarita Howes was honored by AAPD after saving the life of Jamaine Atkins II during a visit to the Huron River. When Atkins was pulled from the river--after going under the surface--Howes began CPR. Watch video of the rescue in the link above.
From September: ‘Speak! Good dog!’ -- How an Ann Arbor woman taught her dog to talk
This Ann Arbor dog, adorably named Parker Posey, knows more than 110 words and uses them to communicate with her parents. She showed Local 4′s Christy McDonald her favorite words. Can you guess what they are?
From December: ‘Drawing dad’ brings joy to Mott Children’s Hospital pediatric cancer unit
When Greg Martin Jr.’s 16-year-old son Owen was diagnosed with AML leukemia, he began drawing on doors in the pediatric cancer unit at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor.
“When you’re doing this, you’re not thinking of the bad stuff that’s going on right now, you’re not thinking about sickness, you know, you’re really just getting lost in your work,” said Martin.
From December: Mother of 8 receives heart transplant at University of Michigan Health on 48th birthday
Rachel Lanham, a mother of eight, got the gift of a lifetime for her 48th birthday--a new heart!
University of Michigan Health used a transplant process called Donation after Circulatory Death, a process it only has been using for hearts since March.