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?
Quiet weather starts to workweek with mostly to partly sunny skies Monday. Temperatures will start in the low to mid teens and climb to near 30° by the afternoon. Tuesday will be mostly cloudy with a few light snow showers and flurries possible. Highs peak in the upper 20s.
Our next winter storm moves in Wednesday afternoon into Thursday. This storm will bring snow across Metro Detroit, although there is the potentially for wintry mix near the state line. At this time more than a couple inches of snow are likely, but we'll have a better idea of totals as we near the Wednesday. Be prepared for snowy road conditions starting Wednesday afternoon and continuing through Thursday morning.
Monday: Mostly to partly sunny with highs near 30°. Winds: W 5-10 mph
Tuesday: Mostly cloudy with a few light snow showers. Highs in the mid to upper 20s.
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
'A night that changed everything': Northfield Twp. man brutal New Year's Day murder and kidnapping
On New Year's Day, three intruders broke into Jeffrey Bernhard's home, murdered his wife and father-in-law, and kidnapped his daughter and foster child.
Now, he's opening up about his mental and physical healing journey, saying his faith, his community, and his daughter are helping him get through this difficult time.
Photos of a happy family and a happy home now cover the front of the Brighton Assembly of God Church. Bernhard is preparing for a memorial service for his wife, Jenny Bernhard, and father-in-law, Stevie Smith.
“Both of them had a heart for everything in this world that is good," Bernhard said.
Smith lived with the family, and the Bernhards even built their home specifically to accommodate the elder family members. Bernhard married Jenny in 2010 and describes her as kind, selfless, and willing to do anything for anyone.
“Jenny was, she was more than I deserved," he said.
Smith was a minister for the majority of his life and is described as a simple, warm, giving man.
“He was one of the kindest and most gentle men that I’ve known," Bernhard said.
“It was gonna be just a normal evening for us, get the girls ready for bed, go through the routine, and...it turned out to be a night that changed everything," Bernhard said.
Three people broke through their front door, demanding money. Police later said the main suspect was the foster child's biological mother.
“It was very clear this person was in charge, and she was giving the orders to the others," Bernhard added.
The family was assaulted and remained on the floor of their kitchen for what Bernhard believes was hours until shots rang out. Bernhard was shot in his side and face, losing his vision completely in his right eye, requiring multiple surgeries. His wife and father-in-law were shot and killed.
“When I sat up, and I sat up on the bench by our garage door. I looked over at my wife and knew, instantly, she was dead, and she was shot in the head; that image will be very, very difficult to process," Bernhard said.
Michigan Central Station could again be transportation hub in Detroit, officials say
Both Amtrak and the Michigan Department of Transportation have toured Michigan Central Station and are looking into possible transit options, officials say.
“I think it’d be awesome just to know back from when I was a kid and sit in the train station with my dad and look up at the artwork,” traveler Adrian Flowers said.
The nostalgia is being felt by a few people 7 News Detroit talked to after learning the future of transit in the city could be taking an interesting turn. MDOT says Canadian authorities have also visited the landmark, with a desire to learn more about how the railway can be utilized.
“There’s a lot of people that really want to see a return of transportation services to Michigan Central,” MDOT spokesperson Michael Frezell told us.
He says that the process of assessing what could be done is still in the very early stages. We’ve learned Greyhound buses could also potentially pass through the area one day.
“We’re looking potentially at service from Chicago to Detroit to Windsor,” Frezell said.
Frezell is also pointing out funding would be a critical step.
“Next step would be to work with the city and Michigan Central to secure funding if that comes to be, but we’d have to study this whole process,” he said.
Teacher with Tourette syndrome uses his disability as an inspiration for students
There's a big stigma surrounding Tourette syndrome and other brain disorders, but Milan teacher Larry Biederman is working to break that by showing his students how they can be successful despite their challenges.
Biederman said he used to hide his tics from his students. Now, he embraces them and allows them to be heard by his students as a way to make them more comfortable to be themselves in class.
"I tell them at the beginning of a course that I have Tourette syndrome and that we might get some occasional interruptions, and the learning curve is surprisingly quick," Biederman said.
But Biederman wasn't always open about his differences. As a teacher for a virtual charter school called Insight School of Michigan, he told me that he used to mute his mics and try to hide the tics.
"You know, adults and children can be cruel, especially when you're making random noises, random noises that are loud," he said.
Biederman said he thinks it took him longer to adjust to because he learned about his tics later in life when he was a college student. He told me he suddenly started making loud whooping sounds when he was at home on spring break. He said it was a time of serious confusion for him and his family, making him feel uncomfortable around others.
"How am I going to be a person in society when I'm making these loud whooping noises that are disruptive and disturbing?" he said
But over time, Biederman was able to see his condition as a way to make others feel comfortable with their differences and celebrate his.
"It is inspirational for them and it's helpful for them to know that I understand them and that I will understand their needs. Because there's a big wide range of conditions that fall under the neurodivergent family and a lot of our students are in that category," Biederman said. "A lot of them are just so happy to have someone who firsthand knows and understands them."
