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?
Snow showers are moving through this morning with snow amounts around 1"- 2" possible around Detroit and north near M-59. Amounts south of the city should be a little less. Regardless of the amounts the snow will make roads slick. Temps will gradually recover this weekend with highs near 30°.
Today: Mostly cloudy with snow showers continuing into the afternoon. Highs will reach the mid to upper 20s. Temps will then begin to fall again this evening. Winds: WSW 5-10 mph.
Tonight: Cloudy skies with more snow showers. Beware of slick roads in some areas, especially late. Low temps near 14°. Winds: WNW 5-10 mph.
Friday: Partly sunny and still cold with high temperatures in the low 20s. Winds: WSW 5-10 mph.
Any traffic issues?
We're seeing a lot of issues on the roads this morning because of the snow that is moving through the area. The crashes are happening and then clearing, so it's hard to keep track of all of them. Be sure to check our updated traffic map before heading out, and take it slow on the roads.
The top stories to know about
Restaurants begin implementing service charges preparing for tipped wage hike
The Michigan minimum wage is expected to increase for tipped workers starting Feb. 21.
Some are celebrating the bump while others including some restaurant owners are worried they won't be able to sustain the hike. That includes John Cowley & Sons Irish Pub in Farmington, which recently implemented a 20% service charge to prepare for the change.
Last summer, the Michigan Supreme Court reinstated a 2018 law that state Republicans at the time blocked to increase the tipped wage and amount of sick time leave for workers. With the Supreme Court's decision, the increase of $5.99 per hour for tipped workers is expected to go into effect next month.
“This business model cannot support what they’re trying to do," John Cowley & Sons owner Greg Cowley said. “It will put a lot of restaurants down.”
To keep the restaurant open, Cowley says he had to make the decision of letting go staff or implementing some sort of service charge. He says laying off staff was not an option for him.
“I’ve got about 16 servers... I can’t run the building without 16 servers. I need that kind of labor," he said. “Pretty easy decision for me to basically say I'm leaving my menu prices where they are at and the margins that I expected, and I'm just taking the money out of the right pocket and putting it in the left where basically the surcharge is flipped over and is now in their salary.”
Republican Rep. Bill Schuette is chair of the newly formed select committee Protecting Michigan Employees and Small Businesses. He says he is working around the clock to make sure that raise does not happen.
"Unless the Legislature acts, we're going to see an elimination of the tip credit, which is going to not only put additional costs on your family when you're going out to eat but also will rob restaurant workers of their hard-earned tipped wages, which is a key part of their income," Schuette said. "Our restaurant workers, the restaurant industry, they're facing a freight train that is bearing down on them come Feb. 21. And that's because of a ruling the Supreme Court has made."
However, advocacy groups like One Fair Wage disagree, saying that workers will now have a higher wage as well as their tips.
"The tips aren't going away on Feb. 22. This is about raising the base wage with tips on top, and every restaurant worker across Michigan will earn more money come Feb. 21," former state legislator and One Fair Wage senior adviser Dave Woodward said. "I think what the Republican-controlled statehouse is doing is absolutely shameful. They're doing the exact same thing that their predecessors did six years ago: scheming with the big corporate lobbies to deny workers in Michigan a wage increase and the ability to earn paid sick time."
Dave Coulier's wife Melissa talks 'Full House' star's battle with cancer, leading women's wellness seminars
Dave Coulier became a household name as he starred in 'Full House' in the 1990s. Here in Michigan, he’s one of our state’s favorite sons.
Dave is currently in the fight of his life, announcing back in November that he had been diagnosed with stage 3 non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
The woman by his side, his wife Melissa, is on a tireless mission to help him — while helping others in our community.
Melissa sat down with WXYZ to discuss Dave's fight, the holistic methods they're using to go with chemo therapy, and how she is contributing to the community through her own wellness efforts with women.
"He has some really tough days, and as the chemo has been accumulating it gets a little tougher and more difficult," Melissa said.
The Couliers moved back to St. Clair Shores in 2019. Dave's joy and humor have helped guide him through this battle with cancer.
"He has such a positive attitude, and you need that in order to really fight it. Every morning, if he's feeling up for it, we try to put on a song and do a little dance party with the dogs, because when you do feel good, you have to celebrate that too," Melissa said.
The 65-year-old, known to so many as Joey Gladstone, has shared updates on his health on the 'Full House Rewind' podcast. He has joked about his hair, the hats he's wearing, and the cold Michigan winters.
Melissa said his strength comes from family.
"I think it's just innately in him. He has had a lot of loss in his life when it comes to having to deal with cancer. He lost his mother, his sister, his niece. His other sister had it," she said. "I think for him, he takes every stride and really pulls strength from seeing the women that were so close in his life to powering through it, and he just wants to honor them," she said.
Melissa's focus is on Dave, but she is also carving out time to help women. Melissa and her fellow co-founder of Live Well Lead Well, Melanie Samuels, have a Feb. 19 summit for women's wellness at Emagine Palladium.
"We are going to be speaking to female leaders, whether that is a female CEO, or someone in politics, or the leader in your household," Samuels explained.
They hold private summits, but the launch with Emagine is exciting step in spreading their efforts. Melissa was actually Samuels' first client, when she was dealing with chronic pain from lupus.
"We are dedicated to empowering female leaders in order to live a whole picture approach with holistic wellness," Coulier said. "Our whole-person approach to nutrition, intentional movement, and mindfulness will kickstart your health journey."
As for the continuing journey in Dave's health, Melissa said they continue to lean on friendship and community.
"He's so beloved, and so that really helps. Everyone is really rallying around all of us," she smiled.
For more information on the Live Well Lead Well summit at Emagine Palladium on Feb. 19, click here.
Detroit church committed to asylum seekers despite mass deportation plan
Central United Methodist Church opened in downtown Detroit in 1866.
"This is a historic congregation. As you can see, we just celebrated MLK Sunday," Rev. Paul Perez said.
He said Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke there several times, including two weeks before his assassination. Those are historic moments for the church and now, they're bracing for what could be another significant moment in American history and what Perez believes may be a more aggressive approach to deportation during President Donald Trump's second term.
The reverend explained that he's "deeply concerned and disturbed about the Trump administration's desire to implement mass deportations, to challenge birthright citizenship and to remove the protection for sensitive locations like schools and churches."
Perez said schools and churches have traditionally been off limits for Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and served as safe locations for undocumented immigrants to congregate without fear of being detained and for those seeking asylum.
"Most notably, we housed the Ranxburgaj family. Ded, the husband and father, was facing deportation and he and his family lived here for three years while he fought his case, and we're committed to sanctuary housing moving forward," he said.
7 News Detroit reached out to ICE for any information on their plans moving forward. We have not heard back as of Wednesday evening.
On Wednesday, Dearborn Police Chief Issa Shahin was asked about whether his department would aid ICE agents.
"We need victims, witnesses in the community to know that they can contact police and that we're not going to be checking their immigration status. It's not a policy or a practice of this police department to involve ourselves with people's immigration status," he told reporters.
Detroit City Council member Gabriella Santiago-Romero took to her Instagram page to tell residents to know their rights.
Perez said the U.S. immigration system has a tremendous backlog in the courts for those who are trying to do things the right way.
"For example, the families that we have worked with who are seeking asylum, sometimes that process can take three to five years from when they enter the U.S. So, it's really difficult. It's really complex. There's a lot of nuance to it and because of that, there just isn't a simple one-size-fits-all solution," he said.
