Detroit, MI

Metro Detroit teen dancer accepted to The Julliard School

Published

1 year ago

June 15, 2024

Metro Detroit teen dancer accepted to The Julliard School

Local dancer accepted to Julliard

Arthur Gee, better known as L.A. Gee, was recently accepted to Julliard School of Dance, beginning this fall. L.A. is a recently graduated high school senior at Detroit School of Arts in Detroit Mi. He is a dance and academic honor student. He has a GoFundMe to help with tuition at the college: https://gofund.me/4812e6be.

LIVONIA, Mich. (FOX 2) – A Metro Detroit teen overcomes obstacles to achieve his dream of being accepted into The Juilliard School.

“At first didn’t even know I wanted to go to college, I’m like I’m just going to LA and live my life,” said Arthur Gee.

But Arthur, or LA which stands for Little Arthur as he is affectionately called by family and friends, would soon have an awakening.

“Joining this studio, Angie Hanh’s Academy of Dance, I started off with hip-hop but Ms. Angie was like you need to take a ballet class,” he said. “I was like, I don’t know – I don’t think boys do ballet.”

Arthur would soon discover that ballet was indeed his calling.

But as he began to explore ballet he was diagnosed with scoliosis during Covid. The condition means that he has a sideways curvature of the spine that causes pain.

“My back started to hurt really bad, like to the point I couldn’t even dance sometimes,” he said.

But Arthur continued to push and dance his way through it.

“It was like finding a way to persevere through that pain,” Arthur said.

The commitment to his craft allowed Arthur to stand out among other dancers.

“I’m just so proud of everything he accomplishes,” said his mother, Jahmira Taylor.

Arthur started teaching at his dance school and the high school student – who at first was going to forego college – decided to apply to The Juilliard School, a prestigious performing arts school in New York.

When this 18-year-old received a phone call that he had been accepted, he knew the hard work was paying off.

“That’s all I could say was wow thank you so much for this opportunity,” he said.

But this opportunity comes with a price.

“I was able to win a $52,000 scholarship but that’s just for tuition and housing is still a lot more than that,” Arthur said.

Arthur set up a GoFundMe account hoping the community works to uplift him so he can accomplish his next move.

“I’m studying to get my bachelor of fine arts degree to become a professorial dancer, hopefully join a company, and then eventually become a choreographer,” he said.

If you would like to contribute to Arthur’s GoFundMe, CLICK HERE.

“There’s really no point of stopping when there’s so much further to go,” he said.

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Detroit, MI

Detroit Metro Airport sees minimal delays as Thanksgiving travelers eye weather

Published

39 minutes ago

November 26, 2025

Press Room

Detroit Metro Airport sees minimal delays as Thanksgiving travelers eye weather

ROMULUS, Mich. (WXYZ) — Travelers at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport experienced relatively smooth operations Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, despite concerns about a looming winter storm that could impact return flights over the weekend.

Watch Peter Maxwell’s video report below:

Detroit Metro Airport sees minimal delays as Thanksgiving travelers eye weather

I spent the day at Detroit Metro speaking with passengers flying out and arriving for the holiday. While delays have been minimal so far, the approaching winter weather system has many keeping a close watch on their return travel plans.

“We’re willing to accept any weather issues that occur,” said Raed Albuliwi, who was traveling to New York City.

WXYZ

Jason Moran, another traveler, described his experience as manageable despite some turbulence.

“A little bumpy, but it was pretty simple,” Moran said.

Some passengers arriving in Detroit had already encountered delays due to weather and air traffic control staffing issues in other parts of the country. Andrew Calhoun, traveling from Milwaukee, experienced a delay when his plane needed deicing.

“Had to deice the plane, so it ran a little late,” Calhoun said.

Robert Tomsyck faced a different issue with his flight.

“Got delayed because they were saying because of the controllers. There wasn’t as many or something,” Tomsyck said.

Departing passengers also faced some challenges. Heidi Guyer and her sons had their original flight to South Carolina canceled, forcing them to rebook on a later departure.

“This morning, woke up to an alert that the flight was canceled and we would go out on the 4:23 flight this afternoon,” Guyer said.

However, it’s not Wednesday’s departures from Detroit that have travelers most concerned. Many are worried about the potential winter weather later this weekend that could impact their return home.

Albuliwi said he has a backup plan if weather disrupts his return flight.

“You know, worst case, it’s New York City. We could always grab a rental and drive home,” Albuliwi said.

Dr. Monisola Olatunde, traveling to Washington, expressed cautious optimism about her return journey.

“We are a little bit worried, just a little bit. But we are hoping that the weather will change because we can’t really say. So yeah, just a little bit worried,” Olatunde said.

John Olatunde, also heading to Washington, emphasized the need for flexibility.

“We just have to play it by ear. Go ahead have a great holiday with the family and come home and pray that everything is good,” Olatunde said.

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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.

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Detroit, MI

Woman’s prosthetic leg stolen during hospital stay

Published

19 hours ago

November 25, 2025

Press Room

Woman’s prosthetic leg stolen during hospital stay

Pamala Bronner is familiar with Harper Hospital in downtown Detroit due to her blood disease, which has necessitated over 30 surgeries, and she is also a breast cancer survivor. In November, she went in with her left leg and came out without it, as it had to be amputated.

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Detroit, MI

Detroit Pistons tied win streak record, but they have more to do

Published

2 days ago

November 25, 2025

Press Room

Detroit Pistons tied win streak record, but they have more to do

INDIANAPOLIS — A special night for the Detroit Pistons also was a study in contrasts.

Two years ago to the day – on Nov. 24, 2023, right there in Gainbridge Fieldhouse – they were outscored by 22 points in the fourth quarter by the Indiana Pacers en route to their 13th straight defeat. That loss, though one of many, wasn’t quite historic – it was merely near the halfway point of their eventual 28-game losing streak to set an NBA record.

And now, in 2025, the Pistons are streaking again. Their 122-117 win over the Pacers on Monday was their 13th win in a row, tying a franchise record previously set in the 1989-90 season and matched in 2003-04 — seasons that both ended with NBA titles.

Monday’s win was the Pistons’ 15th this season – one more than they won in all of that 2023-24 campaign, the franchise’s worst. This season, at 15-2 overall, Detroit has the best record in the East and is on pace for 72 wins, which would far outdo last year’s 44-win total, not to mention the franchise record of 64 wins in 2005-06 – the only other 15-2 start in Pistons history.

But the lack of fanfare Monday night might say more about this team’s growth than the win itself. The Pistons acknowledged the significance of it, but otherwise? It was business as usual during postgame interviews at the podium and in the locker room.

“We never talked about it,” guard Cade Cunningham said of the streak. “We wanted to find our way to the top of the league. We’ve seen the bottom of the league before. It’s pretty cool that we had the worst streak in franchise history and now we have an opportunity to go have the greatest streak in franchise history.

“We’re excited about the opportunity, but this is just a product of the work,” continued Cunningham, who led the effort with 24 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. “This isn’t what we were going for; we still have bigger things to do.”

The mood was mellow afterward, in part, because what should’ve been a decisive win turned into a nailbiter. The Pistons led by 18 early in the fourth quarter before slipping defensively and allowing the Pacers to hit 11 of 21 shots (52.4%) to whittle it down to two points with under two minutes to play.

They held on thanks to clutch work from Cunningham, who knocked down a hook to make it a two-possession game late, and a pair of clinching free throws from Caris LeVert. After the game, coach J.B. Bickerstaff said he wants the team to be “greedier” in such moments and continue executing defensively.

“I don’t want to be dismissive, and I understand what the accomplishment is and how rare and unique it is, obviously,” Bickerstaff said. “Our focus has to be on Wednesday, and then it’s gotta be on practice and film tomorrow. But that’s where we’ll focus. We don’t take it for granted by any means, because we know how difficult these things are to come by. We’ve gotta get to tomorrow.”

To sustain success, the team understands it has to value the process over results.

“We’ve gotta stay hungry,” Cunningham said. “Can’t start feeling like we’re getting above ourselves or got everything figured out. It’s a long season. One game can send you in a spiral, we’ve seen that before.”

Even the most optimistic projections for the Pistons fell well short of where they currently are – and what they’re on pace to accomplish. They own the second-best record in the NBA, behind only the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder (at 17-1), thanks to their third-ranked defense and a roster improved both at the top and bottom.

Ausar Thompson and Isaiah Stewart are two of the league’s best defenders and spearhead a physical, stifling approach on that end of the floor. And the Pistons’ bench has revealed itself as one of the deepest in the league, allowing them to weather injuries to core players.

Tobias Harris recently returned from a nine-game absence. LeVert has missed five, Thompson four, Cunningham and Stewart three apiece. Daniss Jenkins has been the best two-way contract player in the league – a legitimate NBA talent. Paul Reed and Javonte Green have maximized their limited roles. The Pistons have stacked wins with every healthy player contributing toward them.

There’s a maturity and confidence with this group, born of being tested by historic adversity two years ago and a physical six-game, first-round playoff exit against the New York Knicks in April.

The Pistons are on the cusp of setting a franchise record with a 14th straight win; that can come when they face the Boston Celtics on the road Wednesday (5 p.m., ESPN, FanDuel Sports Network Detroit). In a long season, the Pistons still have much to prove. But winning feels good, especially for the cohort of players who experienced the bottom two years ago.

“We were talked bad about, we were the laughingstocks, and now that the tables have turned, everybody wants to be on this side,” Stewart said. “Everybody wants to be on the wagon and everybody wants to say great things about us. That’s a good thing, that’s a good thing. We’re not taking that lightly. All we’re doing is just keeping our heads down and taking it day by day.”

MUST WATCH: Make “The Pistons Pulse” your go-to Pistons podcast, listen available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify)]

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