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 a slight chance of a light snow showers Falling temperatures into the upper 20s by the evening. Winds: WNW 20-30 with gusts to 35+ mph.
Tonight: Clearing skies with colder temps falling into the low 20s. Winds: WSW 5-10 mph.
Thursday: Partly to mostly sunny with highs near 43°. Winds: SSW 10-20 mph.
Any traffic issues?
So far, no major traffic issues to know about this morning. Be sure to check our live traffic map before heading out.
The top stories to know about
Monroe County bar gets cameo in Budweiser Super Bowl commercial
A small-town bar in Monroe County is finding itself in the national spotlight after making an appearance in a Budweiser commercial set to air during this year's Super Bowl.
For a village of less than 3,000 people, moments in the spotlight are few and far between. However, in less than two weeks, the quaint little downtown of Carleton and the popular Carleton Hotel Bar will be seen by more than 120 million people.
“We're all looking at it like oh my gosh, that is the hotel bar!” longtime Carleton resident Chip Raines said.
“All the bars across the country and you pick Carleton?” another resident Sean Mulherin said.
Regulars at the Carleton Hotel Bar were stunned to see an aerial shot of their local hangout featured in Budweiser’s commercial for Super Bowl 59. The one person even more shocked than they are was the bar’s owner. He says he was never contacted by Budweiser and had no idea about the commercial.
“I wish there was more to it — it was just by chance,” the bar's owner John Kaczmarek said.
Why Budweiser chose Carleton Hotel Bar is still unknown to Kaczmarek. It's possible even Budweiser doesn't know and the scene was simply generic stock footage of a small town that the editors put into the commercial.
How proposed tariffs could spike gas prices in Metro Detroit
We are now just days away from proposed tariffs that could have a significant impact on the economy. President Donald Trump has threatened to slap Canada and Mexico with 25 percent tariffs by February 1st. If those tariffs go into effect, that could increase the cost of goods, including gas prices.
We spoke with Southfield resident Brian Hairston about prices at the pump. He says he worries about the impact of proposed tariffs, and says he feels price are up already. He feels even talks of tariffs by President Trump have impacted prices.
"Government regulations, tariffs, are something that you and I will end up paying,” said Patrick De Haan, Head of Petroleum Analysis for Gas Buddy.
De Haan says refineries within metro Detroit depend on Canadian crude oil.
“Marathon’s refinery in Detroit, the primary feed stock is Canadian crude oil, as are major refineries in Chicago,” De Haan said.
As far as using our own domestically produced oil, De Haan says refineries would have to figure out how to transport oil from west Texas, where it is largely produced, to our area.
“A lot folks are saying 'well why don’t we just use our own oil', well, we don’t have a way for our oil to get up to the refineries here in the Midwest,” De Haan said.
De Haan says gas prices could go up 30 to 40 cents a gallon in the tariffs are implemented. There is a caveat, the impact tariffs could have on the economy as a whole. Tariffs could slow the economy down.
“On paper, maybe 30 to 40 cents a gallon, but when you consider the economic toll that the tariffs could take, it could be less than that, it could be 15 to 30 cents a gallon,” said De Haan.
Meet the Detroit couple transforming a vacant Indian Village church into a home
A local couple has purchased a historic church in Detroit's Indian Village with plans to make it into their home.
For 15 years, what was St. Luke's Evangelical Lutheran Church, then Mount Olive East Missionary Baptist Church, has sat vacant.
However, in February, the couple plans to break ground and start their home renovations.
We got a look inside the church for a sneak peak of what was, and what will soon be.
"I was like, 'wow, what if we made this our house?'" Rachel Nelson said.
Nelson is an interior designer, and her husband, Joe Trobaugh, is a Roseville elementary school principal. They're the ones who purchased the 1949 church and will turn it into the home.
"I remember him saying, 'if we don’t try, we’ll always regret it, let’s do it,'" Nelson said.
Don't be fooled. The prospect of buying and transforming a significant property like this is not easy.
"(It's a) little bit of a challenging process," Trobaugh said.
On Feb. 4, Nelson and Trobaugh are holding an open house for the community members to see the church. Their only requirement to get in is that you bring a donation for Detroit Dog Rescue.
