The Detroit police and fire departments are saluting one of their own, Chief Chaplain George Aren, as he turns 90 years old.

In lieu of a birthday party, the department surprised Aren Wednesday to celebrate all the things he's contributed to the department and the city since he began in 1987.

"Its just been very rewarding and it doesnt cease to amaze me," Aren said.

Aren has consoled and prayed for Detroit families during some of their worst nightmares for decades: tragedies like fires, barricaded gunman situations and plane crashes.

Just a few days into the job, Aren helped respond to flight 255, a plane that crashed shortly after takeoff from Detroit Metro Airport, killing all but one passenger.

"That was my introduction to disaster services and it's been a wonderful thing. Detroit is always in the media and it gets a bad rep, but Detroiters cant be out-given," Aren said.

On Wednesday, Aren's children and grandchildren were a part of a celebration at Detroit Pubic Safety Headquarters, playing in the band and sitting in the audience.

"Weve always known that dad, grandpa is a pretty big deal, pretty special guy, very humble guy. He probably wouldnt have come if he knew all of this was here," said Jennifer Zahler, who is one of the chaplain's five kids.

"It inspires us. When I think at my age, Im tired, I cant go to school today, I cant deal with whatever Im going to face, I think your father has probably been up earlier, you father's at work right now doing what hes taught you to do."

"Seeing all the support and love in this room, its like wow. Not only has he had such a big impact on me as a grandpa but so many other people as George Aren as well," Sydney Moore said as she spoke of the chaplain.

Aren, to this day, is still working and he says he plans to stick around until at least September.

"You just counted 90 years of life here on this earth. What keeps you working and showing up every day," 7 News Detroit reporter Whitney Burney asked.

"My wifes honey-do list," the Chaplain said jokingly. "No, its people. Meeting people, its nothing like it, nothing like meeting people and helping in a time of need."

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A neighborhood on Detroit's west side is still digging out after hundreds of gallons of water came rushing onto a street following a water main break.

It's story we first told you about on Tuesday.

Related Video: Water main break turns street into ice Water main break turns streets into ice on Detroit's west side

The water main break happened on Vaughan and Constance turning the road into a river, forcing neighbors to stay inside their homes.

I went out to speak to the city about what they believe may have led to the main break, and neighbors are concerned about how things will shake out as we anticipate colder weather overnight.

"It was at least two or three cars that were stuck in the ice for at least a day," said Drey Skonie of Detroit.

Neighbors on the west side are looking for relief as some are stranded inside with no running water.

"It's too serious, we're talking about children and families. And no running water in the wintertime is cold," he said.

Related Video: Drone video shows major flooding on Detroit street after water main break Drone video shows major flooding on Detroit street after water main break

Vince Palmer says "the mail hasn't ran, cars come down the middle of the street, they get stuck. A lot of neighbors out here pushing and digging, trying to get each other off."

Palmer says it's an issue this neighborhood has dealt with for years, but this is first time it's happened while it's this cold.

"I been here for 10 years and 8 out of the 10, whenever it rains, we get a flood out here. I call it my lakefront property. It's a joke when you can play out here with your boats, but when it's cold like this, it's nothing but an inconvenience," he said.

The city's water and sewerage department says they're dealing with more than 10 water main breaks across Detroit and this one is the worst.

And the cold weather makes cleanup even harder.

"The pumping is very important, so we gotta make sure our pumps work. We would normally have our big vacuum trucks out here. They're called vactors, but the temperature is so low that that equipment would actually freeze in this weather," said Bryan Peckinpaugh, Detroit Water & Sewerage Department .

We asked if aging infrastructure plays a role in any way.

"New piping does help, but more today it's more about the weather. The drastic change in temperature putting pressure on the pipes underground causing them to break," said Peckinpaugh.

DWSD says the pipe that broke here was nearly a century old.

The city is currently working through a $500 million capital improvement plan to replace vulnerable sewer lines and water mains like it fixes neighbors say are needed now.

"A simple rain shouldn't flood up a street, and it's been long enough, so they should be able to have the resources, so we don't have to deal with this in the middle of the winter," said Palmer.

A fire at a beloved bar in downtown Detroit is putting a damper on what was going to be a big weekend for business.

The Detroit Fire Department says Checker Bar in Cadillac Square caught fire early Tuesday morning. No one was injured, but the fire caused significant damage to the building's basement and some damage to the first and second floors.

VIDEO: A look at the damage inside Checkers Bar in Detroit after fire A look at the damage inside Checkers Bar in Detroit after fire

As the Lions take on the Washington Commanders for the first round of the NFC playoffs, many fans are expected in Downtown Detroit on Saturday.

"Ive watched every single game this season. Im excited," said Detroiter Michael Collier.

"Its been the greatest thing ever. I wish my nephew and my dad were here to see it," said Lions fan Letoni.

"Oh, its going to be crazy," said Matthew Vanatta of Clinton Township. "Ive been down here for quite a few events, and so far, every time Ive been down here, its been the same thing every time. We pack it up down here."

The owner at Checker Bar says they were expecting to see hundreds of those fans into their doors. They say recent Lions' game days have brought in sales similar to the 2024 NFL when nearly 300,000 people filled downtown. So, news of the fire was devastating.

"I got a phone call at about 5 in the morning," said Checker Bar owner Timothy Tharp. "The original reports were still gut-wrenching because it sounded like it might be a total loss."

Tharp says he was on his way back to Detroit after traveling at the time of the fire.

"Its heartbreaking. Its really hard. All of our employees depend on this for their livelihood," Tharp added.

Tharp says the fire left behind lots of smoke and water damage. He says, at one point, their basement had about eight inches of water inside. However, some of the quintessential Check Bar decor made it - like the spirit of Detroit Mural and a larger-than-life burger.

Tharp says the damage will likely take a few months to repair. In the meantime, they're planning to move operations to the Whiskey Parlor above Grand Trunk Pub, which Tharp also owns.

"In the meantime, you can come visit us. I know it wont be the same Checker Bar, but well be open. The Checker will live on," said Tharp.

The owner of the Checker Bar has put together a GoFundMe to support the 40 employees who will now be out of work for an undetermined amount of time. Donations will go directly to impacted employees, not the business.

More information on the business re-opening be found on the Checker Bar's social media.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

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The Detroit People Mover could soon be seeing some upgrades. The Detroit Transportation Corporation, the organization behind the rail service, is launching a year-long study to see what long-term and short-term improvements could be made.

Those improvements could include adding new stations, getting rid of some stations or actually expanding the route footprint. On Wednesday, I took a ride on the People Mover with GM Robert Cramer who said the possibilities are endless.

Take a ride with us in the Detroit People Mover in the video below

Ride along on the Detroit People Mover

Every day, people like John Harrison grab their bags and step onto the People Mover.

"It saves me a lot of money and it saves me a lot of walking," Harrison told me.

The rail cars have been rounding the nearly three-mile loop making stops across Downtown Detroit since service began in 1987.

"Its an asset. Its especially good for conventions, like when we had the NFL Draft, someone could get off real close to the draft," Harold Tolliver said.

After counting its millionth rider this year, the Detroit Transportation Corporation said it's time for improvements. Harrison said he hopes it will eventually mean an expansion past Downtown Detroit.

"Farther towards the suburbs where we can get there, and get them jobs, and get more people down here from the suburbs. Make it easier for them to get downtown to our great city," Harrison said.

To determine what changes would be most helpful and feasible, the DTC is launching a year-long, $800,000 study, which will include input from neighbors, landowners and city departments.

"The study could result in a lot of different solutions. Some of them could be expanding the footprint in the track, maybe into some of the neighbors around the downtown area, but the study could also think of better ways to connect people into the system as well. It could be improvements to DDOT routes, the autonomous vehicle shuttle, maybe its something like that that could connect people in to the station," GM Robert Cramer said.

Cramer said those changes could be as small as renaming stations or as large as exploring a two-directional system.

"I dont see how they can expand it. I dont see how they can do it. So I would say just improve on the service that we presently have," Tolliver told us.

The DTC says the ultimate goal is to make the experience better as they look to attract even more riders next year.

"Its been around for 37 years and downtown has kind of grown and changed into a different place, in some ways," Cramer said. "But weve been here the whole time and kind of rolling with those new opportunities for people to have a great experience."

On Thursday, the DTC will officially accept a proposal that decides which firm will conduct the study.

Depending on what comes out of the study, the DTC said smaller-scale improvements could begin before it's even concluded. Things that are more complicated, like a two-directional rail system or expanding the distance the route takes, would need additional funding and likely be a years-long effort.

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The price to get a car or truck could once again be on the rise as President-elect Donald Trump is promising to impose tariffs on several countries.

In a post to Truth Social, Trump said he plans to place tariffs on China, Mexico and Canada in an effort to pressure those nations to slow the flow of drugs and illegal immigrants into the United States.

However, auto analysts say if the tariffs are implemented as currently proposed 25% on Canada and Mexico and 10% on China it will result in higher costs for the auto industry.

"Auto makers from Europe, from Japan, from Korea, from Mexico are all going to be impacted by this and the effect will be immediate," automotive expert John McElroy with Autoline said. "Now the question: is Trump really going to do this or is this a negotiating tactic of his."

McElroy says the tariffs will force automakers to raise prices significantly, and those costs will be passed directly on to the consumer.

Hear more from automotive expert John McElroy in the video below: Extended interview: Auto analyst weighs in on Trump's proposed tariffs

"Immediate impact will be at dealerships. Car dealerships that sell imported cars are going to see the prices of those things go up immediately. They will not waste any time at all. They will pass those costs along. So dealers will charge more, car companies will charge more, car suppliers will charge more and then others will follow suit," McElroy said.

The idea is worrisome for people currently in the market for a new car like Tony Attia, who spent Tuesday perusing through dealerships at the Troy Motor Mall.

"I personally like BMWs, so Im looking around for them. Found one over there, found a few over there," Attia said as he stood in a car lot. " Im looking to find something thats not too overpriced, kind of in the 30s, 40s (thousand dollars)."

Attia says knowing prices may be much higher in the new year is concerning.

"It is kind of scary. Thats why Im trying to look for one right now just to lock in on one, low miles and everything, just so I can get one quickly before that stuff goes up," Attia said.

Dealers say while tariffs certainly can have an impact on prices and their sales next year, it's too early to panic.

"Were in a global car industry, so every one of these cars has some piece or all of it produced outside of the country," said Ken Thomas, who is the operating partner at Northland Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram.

Thomas says this is the first time he's seen proposed tariffs on this scale but says dealers won't know the true impact until they know what rate Trump will ultimately impose. However, Thomas says consumers will likely have to permanently adjust to higher prices as the new normal.

"We dont know what the final results are going to be when its all said and done, so Im not going to panic. Hoping that no one else panics at this point either," Thomas said. "Theres been a lot thats happened. Obviously the pandemic, then the chip shortage and obviously, a big part of the chip shortage is most of them were manufactured outside of the country, so that had a big impact on us already."

Dealers say if you're in the market for a new car, now is the best time to buy ahead of any tariffs and as end of the year deals ramp up.

"Consider leasing. Leasing gives people the opportunity in most cases to have a lower payment now with the option of purchasing that vehicle that theyre leasing two or three years down the road," said George Glassman, who is the president of Glassman Automotive Group.

Glassman says while tariffs stand to impact dealers' bottom lines, they're hopeful Trump will take into consideration any negative impact on the industry before settling on a final tariff rate.

"Im confident that were going to be in an upswing. I think the bigger concern is what happens with electric vehicles and the potential of the tax credit going away," Glassman said.

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