DETROIT (WWJ) - Jurors are expected to begin deliberations Wednesday afternoon in the case of D’Andre Lane, who is accused of killing his 2-year-old daughter after she wet her pants.

In closing arguments, defense attorney Terry Johnson bashed the investigative work of Detroit police.

“You see the way he talked to Mr. Lane. Mr. Lane’s trying to cooperate and they’re pounding on the table and they’re telling him he’s a demon! ‘You got a demon inside of you,’ and they’re just going after him on an assumption. We don’t believe you,” said Johnson.

Johnson has told jurors that Bianca Jones was abducted, but Wayne County Assistant Prosecutor Carin Goldfarb said Lane faked a carjacking in an elaborate story to cover up his child’s murder.

“… Bianca Jones is dead. She died at 2 years old and he killed her. He killed her and he threw away her body with the garbage,” said Goldfarb. “Carjackers do not leave the car and take the baby.”

Goldfarb also pointed out that Lane didn’t immediately dial 911 when his daughter was supposedly taken.

Johnson countered, “(Because he didn’t) get scared and scream,’My baby!’ doesn’t make him guilty. It makes him a punk.”

Bianca went missing in December. Her body has never been found, but police said a cadaver dog detected evidence in a closet at Lane’s home.

Throughout the trial, prosecutors painted Lane as an abusive father was obsessed with potty training his children. Prosecutors alleged Lane beat Bianca to death, covered her body with a blanket and put her in her car seat. They said he then drover Bianca’s siblings to school before dumping her body.

Defense attorneys called a police officer to the stand on Tuesday who said she saw a girl that looked like Bianca a week after the alleged carjacking.

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/10/10/closing-arguments-in-bianca-jones-murder-case/

Your Take: Still, black employment is up overall, as is total U.S. employment, says an economist.

(Special to The Root) -- The economy added 114,000 jobs last month, on top of an upward revision of 86,000 jobs to July and August. The private sector has added jobs for 31 consecutive months, and after coming into office in the depths of the Great Recession, President Barack Obama has created more than a million jobs over his first term. For the first time since he took office, the unemployment rate is below 8 percent, hitting 7.8 percent in September.

Meanwhile, the share of African Americans with a job edged up from 52.7 percent to 53.0 percent and the unemployment rate fell to 13.4 percent, after hovering just above 14 percent for the past three months. Among adults ages 20 and over, all of the gains for African Americans were among women. Although the share of black adult women overall employed rose from 55.1 percent to 55.3 percent, the share of black adult men employed fell from 57.7 percent to 57.5 percent. Both adult men and women, however, have seen their employment rate rise over the past year 0.5 percentage points.

It is clear that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, support for the auto industry and other policies implemented by the 111th Congress in 2009 and 2010 were the right path forward. Moving to supply-side economic policies, as Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney advocates, will not only stymie job creation but also risk pulling the economy backward, since these were the very same policies that got us into the current mess in the first place.

Deficit spending has been effective in boosting job creation. In 2008 the economy began hemorrhaging jobs, and by the winter of 2008-2009, the economy was shedding more than 20,000 jobs per day, more than at any point since the Bureau of Labor Statistics began tabulating these data in 1948. The Recovery Act led to a rapid reversal in the number of layoffs, and starting in March 2010, the economy saw jobs being added each month.

Since February 2010 the economy has added 4.3 million total payroll jobs, which rises to 4.6 million when we include the additional 386,000 jobs created as of March 2012, according to preliminary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' annual benchmark-revision process. The Recovery Act not only provided a needed boost to demand but was also the right thing to do for the millions of families left without a breadwinner when the financial industry imploded.

Moreover, during the dark days of the Great Recession, in 2008 and 2009, the U.S. automobile industry looked as if it might collapse. The federal government, however, stepped in and provided $80 billion in aid, with a clear plan for those funds to be repaid. So far, about half of these grants and loans have been repaid, and the automobile industry has added 152,300 jobs since June 2009.

Even as private-sector jobs have grown, however, the decline in public-sector employment is holding our economy back. The economy has lost nearly 700,000 public-sector jobs since April 2009. Our unemployment rate would be at least a full point lower without those losses. Since the Republicans took control of the House of Representatives in 2011, they have blocked efforts to help support public-sector jobs for teachers, police officers and firefighters.

Last month's decline in the unemployment rate was driven by large reported employment gains, with 873,000 people indicating that they got a job in September. This is an exceptionally large one-month gain in reported employment, and therefore we should interpret it carefully. Higher employment is consistent with data from the establishment survey, however, and while the pace of reported employment in the household survey will likely be slower in the months to come, it is clear that employment is rising.

There are other indications that more people are finding employment: The share of those out of work who voluntarily quit their jobs instead of being laid off rose to 7.9 percent, and the number of discouraged workers fell from just more than a million a year ago to 802,000. However, 582,000 people newly indicated that they were working part time because of slack work or business conditions, which means that not all of those finding work are finding the kind of work that they would like to have.

Both men and women reported increased employment, with 67.5 percent of adult men (ages 20 and over) reporting having a job in September -- up from 67.0 percent a year ago -- and 55.1 percent of adult women reporting having a job -- up from 55.0 percent a year ago. Employment grew most for workers with some college or more, while falling for workers with only a high school diploma.

Alongside hiring, wages grew by 7 cents in September for an annualized quarterly rate of growth of 1.6 percent. However, this means that workers are not seeing real earnings gains, since the rate of inflation over the past year -- as measured by the Consumer Price Index for all urban consumers -- rose by 1.8 percent.

These data show that in the wake of a massive recession caused by a financial crisis like the one we have lived through in recent years, the best antidote to high unemployment is deficit spending until the unemployment rate comes down.

Heather Boushey is senior economist at the Center for American Progress Action Fund.

DETROIT (WWJ) - Detroit police say a man who was apparently trying to steal copper from a transformer on a DTE Energy pole was electrocuted.

Police told WWJ Newsradio 950 that an investigation is ongoing but they believe the 34-year-old man was attempting to remove the copper from inside the pole, located at Putnam and Lawton, near I-96.

Police said he was then electrocuted by a live wire, causing him to fall off his ladder and be left hanging. He appears to have died sometime overnight

A DTE crew cut power to the pole and used a cherry picker to bring down the man’s body.

His name was not immediately released.

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/10/10/man-electrocuted-trying-to-steal-copper-from-pole/

DETROIT (WWJ) - Toyota is recalling 7.43 million vehicles globally, about a third of them in the U.S., because smoke can come out of the side windows.

Toyota Motor Corp. said Wednesday the power-window switch on the driver’s side didn’t have grease applied evenly during production, causing friction in the switch and sometimes smoke.

“The driver’s side (switch) may experience a “notchy” or sticky feel during operation,” read a statement from Toyota. “If commercially available lubricants are applied to the switch in an attempt to address the “notchy” or sticky feel, melting of the switch assembly or smoke could occur and lead to a fire under some circumstances.”

While it has happened about 200 times in the U.S. alone, no crashes or injuries have been reported related to the problem.

WWJ Auto Beat Reporter Jeff Gilbert said about 2.5 million vehicles are being recalled are in the U.S. The recalled vehicles include:

2007 to 2008 Yaris
2007 to 2009 RAV4
2007 to 2009 Tundra
2007 to 2009 Camry
2007 to 2009 Camry Hybrid
2008 to 2009 Scion xD
2008 to 2009 Scion xA
2008 to 2009 Sequoia
2008 Highlander
2008 Highlander Hybrid
2009 Corolla
2009 Matrix
Toyota said they will inspect, repair and apply special grease to all the recalled vehicles at no cost to the consumer. The repair should take approximately one hour, depending on the dealer’s work schedule.

Owners of vehicles covered by this safety recall will receive a notification letter in the mail starting in late October 2012.

For more information, call 1-800-331-4331 or visit www.toyota.com/recall.

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/10/10/massive-toyota-recall-due-to-faulty-window-switch/

DETROIT (WWJ) - Detroit officials say hazardous materials crews were called to the city’s 911 communications building when employees smelled natural gas. The building is located near Lyndon and Wyoming.

Officials talking to WWJ Newsradio 950′s Pat Sweeting said it’s been determined that the leak did not originate from the 911 dispatch center, but employees there smelled fumes.

At around Noon everyone inside was asked to leave the building.

“The odor of natural gas was pretty much overwhelming and at that point we started evacuation because we did not know the source of the gas,” said Detroit Police Commander Todd Bedison, who added that, as of 12:30 p.m., they were still trying to figure out where the smell was coming from.

The Detroit Fire Department is on the scene as an investigation continues.

No injuries have been reported.

Bedison said the ordeal cause a minor disruption in 911 services at the center for about five to 10 minutes. Services have been redirected to another center on Detroit’s east side and response time has returned to normal.

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/10/09/gas-leak-detected-at-detroit-911-dispatch-center/

DETROIT (WWJ) - A new report shows half of Detroit residents want out.

That’s just one finding of a comprehensive poll of residents’ attitudes about Detroit and its leadership.

Eight hundred people were questioned by the Chicago-based Glengariff Group for the survey commissioned by the Detroit News.

Glengariff president Richard Czuba said the survey shows Detroiters overwhelmingly believe the city is on the wrong track and have no faith that the people in charge have a plan to turn it around.

He said half of the city’s population wants to leave and about 40 percent of Detroiters plan to actually do so within the next 5 years.

Without prompt or suggestion, residents were asked to name the biggest challenges to living in the city.

“We were stunned when 58 percent of the residents told us crime and safety were the biggest daily struggles they face in Detroit,” Czuba told WWJ Newsradio 950. “We also asked them if they felt safe in Detroit and half of Detroiters said they felt unsafe.”

Czuba said the survey suggests that unless city officials can stop violence, efforts to halt decades of decline will fail.

“It’s been a long time since anyone has done a comprehensive survey of this nature of the attitudes of Detroit’s residents, and that finding of 40 percent is extraordinary,” said Czuba. “We haven’t seen anything like that anywhere else.”

The city has already lost a million people in the last half-century.

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/10/09/survey-half-of-detroiters-plan-to-leave-the-city/
 

SHELBY TOWNSHIP — Macomb County Executive Mark A. Hackel will attend an expansion celebration for Fori Automation Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. at Fori’s offices, 50955 Wing Drive in Shelby Township.

Fori is expanding as a global supplier of advanced manufacturing machinery. Success in diversifying beyond the automotive industry has resulted in a brand new building and the creation of good paying, sustainable jobs in southeast Michigan.

Also being announced is a new initiative to retain businesses in Macomb County developed by Hackel and the Macomb County Planning and Economic Development Department. Based on the principles of economic gardening, the initiative will expand services available for the nearly 18,000 businesses that drive Macomb’s economy.
 

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/10/08/global-tool-builder-expands-in-macomb-county-adding-new-jobs/

DETROIT (WWJ) - Is the Detroit Schools’ official website unsafe?

When Internet users search “Detroit Public Schools” on Google, the district’s website, DetroitK12.org, is first on the list. But when you click on it, there’s a warning that the site contains “malware” that might harm your computer — including 43 Trojan viruses.

The following message appeared Monday morning: “Google has found malicious software may be installed onto your computer if you proceed. If you’ve visited this site in the past or you trust this site, it’s possible that it has just recently been compromised by a hacker. You should not proceed, and perhaps try again tomorrow or go somewhere else.” (View a copy of the Google advisory).

Talking to WWJ Newsradio 950, DPS spokesman Steve Wasko said school officials recently noticed the problem via the web and in their internal emails.

Wasko said the district’s technical staff is calling it a “Google glitch” and they’re working on it. He insists that the site hasn’t been compromised and that it’s safe to use.

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/10/08/google-warns-detroit-schools-website-infected/

DETROIT (WWJ) Tamela Wells, 29, was last seen at 9:30 p.m. Aug. 6, 2012 in the 19700 block of Appleton. She was driving her vehicle, a white, four-door Pontiac Grand Prix.

Her car has been recovered, but she is still missing.

There’s no evidence of a crime, but no one has heard from or seen her since, which makes no sense to friends, family and her boyfriend Rickey Tennant.

Wells is 5 foot-6 inches tall, weighs 150 pounds, has brown eyes, black hair, and medium complexion. She was last seen wearing a white shirt, and blue jean shorts with a cuff. She is in good mental and physical condition.

If anyone has seen Tamela Wells, please contact the Criminal Investigations at 313-596-5240.

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/10/08/missing-in-the-metro-tamela-wells/

DETROIT (WWJ) – The average price for a gallon of gas in Michigan is 3.1 cents higher this week than it was last week.

According to AAA Michigan, the statewide average is now $3.91 per gallon. That’s 52.8 cents more than it was at the same time last year.

Following is a list of average gas prices in several cities across Michigan:

Ann Arbor
$3.924

Benton Harbor
$3.874

Detroit
$3.888

Flint
$3.928

Grand Rapids
$3.935

Lansing/E. Lansing
$3.928

Marquette
$3.764

Saginaw/Bay City
$3.93

Traverse City
$3.908

AAA surveys 2,800 Michigan gas stations daily. To find the cheapest gas nationwide, go to AAA.com and look for AAA Fuel Price Finder.

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/10/08/gas-prices-up-3-cents-in-michigan/