West Michigan Wakeup January 1, 2026

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Here is your West Michigan Wake Up, the news you
need to start your days. It's the West Michigan Wake Up,
powered by Benards on Star one oh five point seven. Well,
most of West Michigan near the Lake Shore, I should say,
under a winter weather advisory until seven o'clock this morning. Yeah,
I'm talking to lakeshore counties. A couple inland counties like

(00:20):
Kalamazoo County still dealing with some lake effects now. But
you know, take it easy out there. A lot of
folks won't be on the roads today, so you might
feel a little more confident on the road. Watch out
for slick spots, watch out for those back roads that
haven't been plowed yet. Our plow drivers are doing a
great job with the highways. I only saw a couple
slide offs, and I was up here a couple hours ago,
and so just take it easy on the roads today.

(00:42):
Speaking of our roads, Michigan's new gas tax goes into
effect today. Yeah, womp, womp. I know it's going from
about thirty one cents a gallon to fifty two point
four censu gallon. Now. Legislators are saying that they're intending
to help the state better maintain and improve its road system,
and lawmakers are describing these increases as quote unquote revenue neutral.

(01:07):
Now you won't see a massive jump right away, but
basically the way it's gonna work. The previous tax on
gas was thirty one cents per gallon state tax, an
eighteen point four cent federal gas tax, and a six
percent state sales tax, which is roughly twenty one cents
if you're looking at three and a half gallon or
three dollars and fifty cents per gallon. Now you're gonna

(01:27):
be paying a little bit of more. The six percent
sales tax is gone, but you're gonna be paying a
flat tax per gallon. I don't know. I feel like
gas prices just kind of come and go with the wind.
So we will see how it impacts us at the pump.
Sports fans, yesterday a big day for college football, Michigan
unfortunately falling to Texas forty one to twenty seven with
their interim head coach. I watched almost the whole game.

(01:50):
It was pretty neck and neck until the end. So
sorry Wolverine fans, you took the l to end the season.
But if it makes you feel any better, Ohio State
fell to my last night, so they will not be
repeating as national champions. We do have three more college
football playoff games today. Oregon faces Texas Tech at noon,
Alabama Indiana. I am rooting for Indiana and that one

(02:13):
at four o'clock, and Ole Miss and Georgia at eight
o'clock tonight. For all of your latest weather, traffic, and news,
tune to our sister station, News Radio would thirteen hundred
and one oh six nine FM, or set it as
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