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, rain and storm chance, mainly before noon. Temps in the low 80s to upper 70s. Winds: N 5 mph.
Tonight: Clearing skies with lower humidity and lows near 61°. Wind: SSW 5-10 mph.
Tuesday: Mostly sunny with temps in the mid 80s. Winds: S 5 mph
The top stories to know about
1 dead, 1 injured after house explodes on Detroit's east side
Detroit fire crews and police are investigating a house explosion on the city's east side.
We're told the explosion happened in the 19400 block of McCormick, which is just off Moross Rd., northwest of I-94.
Officials tell us one person was found dead after fire crews excavated the explosion site.
Meanwhile, another person is in the hospital suffering from burn injuries.
Two other houses were damaged, but no one was inside those homes.
A record number of people are making monthly payments of $1,000 or more for their cars
How much are you willing to spend for a new ride? According to the car shopping site Edmunds, the amount of people paying more than $1,000 monthly for a new vehicle has reached record highs.
One in five: that's how many people Edmunds says have committed to at least $1,000 on a car payment during the second quarter of this year. While some budgets can handle that type of spending, a financial expert says others should consider their options.
Joy Fugghett says buying a new car has crossed her mind recently, but there are factors that have kept her from following through.
"They all want like $800-$1000 a month for a new car, so I figured I'd keep mine," Joy explained to me.
That's why she was shocked to hear recent analysis from Edmunds, revealing that 19.3 percent of new car buyers have agreed to monthly payments of $1,000 or more during this year's second quarter, compared to 17.7 percent in quarter one.
Rick Bloom is a financial planner and President of Bloom Advisors. He says those high car payments are a result of the current market.
"If you look at the average car price, it's over $40,000 for a car and people are financing a great majority of the purchase," Rick said. "And then you look where interest rates are, we're talking about the average car loan now being seven percent. That's how you get to the $1,000."
To help bring down costs, he has a few tips. Bloom says there's been a trend of people putting less money down for a car, but in reality, they should put more down."
"Just like when you buy a house, a general rule is you want to be able to put 20 percent down," Rick said. "Well, you need to at least do that for a car, so if you put more money down, you're going to pay less interest."
He also suggests that drivers take a look at used vehicles.
"You can get some gently used cars, still on warranty, that are very good prices," Rick said.
To decrease monthly payments, Edmunds shares that more people are choosing seven-year loan terms. But that may not always be the best idea.
Michigan's oldest woman celebrates Independence Day birthday
Bonita Gibson celebrated her 114th birthday on Independence Day, making her one of the oldest living people in the United States and believed to be the oldest in Michigan.
Gibson, who calls Canton home, marked this rare milestone with a special birthday wish, riding in Plymouth's Fourth of July parade.
"She's a clown. I would say class clown if I should say that. She's, you know, always joking and you know, even with her problems hearing right now she's still, you know, gets me cracking up," Scott Gibson, her grandson, said.
When asked about her secret to longevity, she credits potatoes and abstaining from alcohol and tobacco.
For her birthday celebration at Waltonwood Carriage Park Senior Living, Bonita is getting pampered with a hairstyling.
Bonita never goes anywhere without her lipstick or a smile on her face and enjoys looking her best.
"Every year, she just opens up and smiles. She's so generous. It's nice she wants to do a big celebration," Angie Hanson, Executive Director at Waltonwood Carriage Park, said.
