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?
An Air Quality Advisory remains in effect through today due to wildfire smoke.
Today: Mostly sunny with highs in the upper 80s and low 90s Winds: S 5-10 mph
Tonight: Partly cloudy and turning humid with lows in the low 70s. Winds: S 5-10 mph
Wednesday: Partly sunny with afternoon shower and storm chances - some could be strong to severe. Highs will be in the upper 80s. Winds: S 5 mph.
The top stories to know about
Royal Oak approves new parking system to replace confusing stations
Royal Oak is overhauling its downtown parking system after city council members voted Monday to install new pay stations and introduce a different mobile app starting in January.
The city will transition to a parking system called Flowbird and a mobile app called Park Mobile, replacing the current Municipal Parking Services system that began in 2021.
"If you've had issues with parking, that's acknowledged, that's noted, just know that your feedback was received," City Manager Joe Gacioch said.
The new system will significantly reduce the number of parking stations throughout downtown.
"I think it's about 150 pay stations will replace over 450 MPS stations, or MPS parking pilots. So that's a big change," Gacioch said.
The change comes as welcome news to both visitors and residents who have struggled with the current system.
One major change will be the elimination of back-in parking that's currently required on Washington Avenue, which has confused many drivers.
While the contract with MPS runs through Dec. 31, Gacioch said installation of new equipment could begin this fall. The changes will officially take effect on Jan. 1.
Priority Waste addresses service issues one year after major acquisition
One year after taking over nearly 80 municipal contracts from GFL Environmental, Priority Waste says it has made significant investments to improve service after a rocky transition period that frustrated many Michigan residents.
The company has retained most of the contracts it initially acquired one year later, despite reported service delays, billing problems and customer service complaints that plagued the first year of operations.
"People's expectations in the beginning was that everything was going to be perfectly smooth, and it obviously wasn't," said Matt Allen, director of public relation and government affairs at Priority Waste.
The major acquisition of nearly 80 municipal contracts in Michigan from GFL to Priority Waste occurred on July 1, 2024, bringing with it a challenging transition period.
"We're not shying away from the reality of the situation, we're not trying to gloss over everything, we're a very transparent company that wants to be a good community partner," Allen said.
One year later, most municipalities have decided to extend their contracts with Priority Waste, even though some, like Macomb Township, have issued a formal notice of default to the company after multiple complaints.
According to Priority Waste, Orion Township is the only municipality in Oakland County that did not extend their contract.
"Lots of billing issues, and we just couldn't get the service that we needed. We couldn't get questions answered," Orion Township Supervisor Chris Barnett said. "Any company that attempts to do what they tried to do, I mean, it was a recipe not for success, and that's what we experienced."
Priority Waste remains optimistic about improvements.
"We've come a long way since July 1st of 2024 to get us here to mid-July of 2025. Things will only get better toward now and the end of the year," Allen said. "Next year will be completely different from this year and we’ve come a long way,” Allen said.
Two key streets in downtown Northville reopened, impacting city's social district
While you were sleeping, two key streets in downtown Northville reopened for the first time since the pandemic.
Main and Center Streets were initially closed to make way for a social district two years ago. But a judge ruled that those streets must lower the retractable bollards and allow traffic. The deadline came at midnight.
This community has been really divided over these street closures for the last two years.
Main Street is now open to drivers, and businesses on Center Street are moving their patio space off the street, onto the sidewalk.
This social space is shut down thanks for a non-profit, Open Up Northville, and a Wayne County judge siding with their stance, saying the closure violated both City Charter and state law.
"She found that they didn't follow the state procedures, specifically the condemnation act, and the land division act, procedures you would need to follow as a city if this was something that you were going to do," said Joseph Corriveau, an attorney with Let's Open Northville.
"They'll have much freer access. They'll have much more available parking. They'll be less congestion," said Dennis Engerer, the owner of Northville Physical Rehabilitation.
The non-profit is made up of area businesses and property managers. The group filed a lawsuit in 2023 against the city for closing Main and Center Streets. THey first closed during the Pandemic, making way for social distancing. The last two years, these streets were closed seasonally (April-November), allowing businesses and residents free reign to the streets.
Businesses who put money into outdoor spaces were hoping they'd get to use the street the rest of the season, but the judge ordered the streets open today at midnight (Tuesday, July 15). The city is now working with those businesses to quickly comply and transition to Platform Dining within parking space.
"We have a kit of parts that we'll implement in the meantime, to comply with this quick turnaround to open for vehicular traffic but we're really undaunted by the challenge of accommodating for our downtown business," said Kate Knight, the Executive Director of the Downtown Northville Development Authority.
