METRO DETROIT (WXYZ) — Here at 7 News Detroit, we want to make sure you start your day off on the right foot, informed about weather, traffic, the latest news and more. That's why we have the 7 Morning Digest, where we'll get you out the door informed and ready to go.
What's the weather for today?
TODAY: Mostly cloudy with light snow through midday. Snow totals should be around a half inch. Highs in the low to mid 20s. Winds: NW 10-20 mph.
TONIGHT: Clearing skies and cold temps again with lows falling into the low teens. Winds: NW 5-10 mph.
FRIDAY: Partly sunny with highs in the upper 20s. Winds: WNW 5-10 mph.
Any traffic issues?
A crash on NB I-75 has closed the freeway northbound at Nine Mile. Be sure to check our live traffic map here.
The top stories to know about
Mom in Pontiac abandonment case facing first-degree child abuse charges
Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald has charged 34-year-old Kelli Bryant with three counts of first-degree child abuse in the Pontiac abandonment case, where three kids were allegedly left alone for years.
"The three children in this case suffered unimaginable abuse and neglect over a long period of time," McDonald said.
Officials say that three children, a 15-year-old boy, a 13-year-old girl and a 12-year-old girl, were left in squalor, surviving on weekly drop-offs of prepared food. McDonald revealed during the news conference that the boy told officials that he would text his mother when they were running low on food, and she would have some delivered to them.
The prosecutor said they will also be seeking to terminate Bryant's parental rights. McDonald released the mother's name during a Wednesday afternoon news conference announcing the charges.
Bryant could face up to life in prison if convicted. She will be formally arraigned on the charges on Thursday.
Officers conducting a recent welfare check on the home in search of the mother found the children living alone. Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said the landlord notified them because he hadn't heard from her since December and hadn't received rent since October.
First responders said that 4-foot piles of garbage were found in some rooms. Mold and human excrement were found throughout the house. Bouchard said the toilet had stopped working, and the bathtub was filled with feces.
He called the case "very horrific."
Law enforcement said that the children had not attended school since their abandonment, which is believed to have been sometime around 2020-2021, passing the time watching television or playing games. It was reported that the girls had not been outside the home for several years, with the boy sleeping on a mattress on the floor while the girls slept on pizza boxes.
The prosecutor said the children were hiding when police arrived and were afraid to speak to them.
Sheetz plans to replace Sacred Heart Church, Apple Annie's in Roseville
The city of Roseville is set to welcome a new Sheetz gas station, with the development happening on the corner of Gratiot Avenue between Utica and Martin roads, which is currently home to Apple Annie's Kitchen and Bakery along with the former Sacred Heart Catholic Church that closed in 2017.
Both buildings would be demolished to make room for the new development that's expected to happen later this year. It’s been met with both excitement and anger from nearby residents.
The phone rang constantly inside Apple Annie's on Wednesday as customer after customer called with concern once they heard the restaurant had been sold.
“The church was up for sale and Sheetz came to us and said you know, we want to buy the whole thing, and they made us an offer that was pretty good,” Apple Annie's co-owner Leonard Pagano said. "I would probably say within the next five years, I'd be looking to retire and sell it, but this came along and it’s pretty much a clean-out, you know?”
Pagano has been one of the owners of the family-operated restaurant for 26 years, but he has worked in this building since 1984. He showed us a photo book with some of his favorite memories in the restaurant, moments that made the decision to sell a hard one.
“Oh, it was very difficult," Pagano said. "A lot of the people who have been working with us have been with us a long time. Hopefully, they'll stay with us until the end.”
Pagano said a purchase agreement with Sheetz was signed last year. The Archdiocese of Detroit confirmed Sacred Heart Church is under contract with a potential buyer, adding they will share more "if/when the sale is completed."
What would you be willing to give up to work from home? We asked metro Detroiters
Working from home is a hot topic. Many love it, others hate it, but would you be willing to give up some of your paycheck in exchange to be able to work from home?
I wanted to find out how much metro Detroiters would be willing to give up.
"I don't know if I would be willing to give anything up," said Detroiter Neal Swagner.
"I think flexibility is an important thing but I don't think it's worth a 20 percent pay cut," said Detroiter Natalie Bond.
Working remotely or having a hybrid work schedule has become the norm in this post-pandemic world of 2025. Many workers now value work-life balance and flexibility.
A new study from Harvard Business School says 40 percent of workers would take a five percent pay cut to work from home, and study also found that nearly 10 percent of people they spoke are willing to take up a 20 percent pay cut if they didn't have to work in the office.
"20 percent is too much of a pay cut it's unfair to workers frankly," Natalie said.
Some were open to the idea of it, but others? Not a chance.
"If I had less to do then possibly," said Andres Argulla. "But it would have to have flexibility to work at different places at the same time."
"Flexibility is a fringe benefit. It's really hard to say," Neal said.
Shannon Edlinger with Robert Half staff recruiters in Detroit says this signals a significant shift in workplace culture and expectations from workers, and she says that companies need to adapt.
"We are seeing remote work less available and relevant but hybrid work is what employees are looking for," Shannon said. "They're really having to switch around their culture for these folks because they just know that they're going to have the hybrid if they want the best talent."
