PONTIAC, Mich. (WWJ) – A suspected restaurant robber who apparently returned months later to get some food is under arrest after being recognized by employees.

The Oakland County sheriff’s department says workers at a McDonald’s in Pontiac spotted the 40-year-old man Saturday in the drive-thru. Sheriff’s deputies were called and the man was taken into custody. He is being held in the Oakland County Jail pending charges.

The restaurant was robbed in early October.

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2013/01/07/robbery-suspect-returns-arrested-by-sheriffs-deputies/

DETROIT (WWJ) - While Detroit Mayor Dave Bing and Interim Police Chief Chester Logan explore a restructuring of the city’s police department, some residents are expressing frustration with how their calls are being handled.

Detroiter Rachelle Guyton said she called 911 around 6:30 a.m. Saturday to report that her 2003 Chrysler Town & Country minivan had been stolen from an apartment building in Palmer Park — but it wasn’t the van she was worried about.

“I have a gun under my car seat, and when I called the police department to explain this to them and try to have them help… they didn’t give me any attention. They told me I had to wait until 8 o’clock to call back. What if someone gets shot with this? What if a child gets this in his hand? I’m responsible, and I just can’t have that on my conscience,” Guyton told WWJ’s Terri Lee.

Guyton, who has a CCW permit for her 9-millimeter Smith & Wesson, said she’s disappointed in how her call was handled, especially with all the talk about guns surrounding the city’s recently released crime statistics for 2012 — numbers which show the highest murder rate in the city in nearly 20 years.

“They’re not trying to make anything a top priority, they won’t send a car out here to investigate, they won’t do anything. So, I’m stuck here not concerned about the car whatsoever. I will take the bus, you know, that’s not important. The importance here is the gun and the safety for other people,” said Guyton.

Detroit police declined to comment on the situation.

Guyton said her minivan has a Michigan license plate number ”3HZH63″ and is midnight blue in color. Anyone with information is asked to call police.

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2013/01/05/detroiter-claims-911-call-of-stolen-van-with-gun-was-ignored/

Lansing -- The Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget (DTMB) is currently working to resolve an error that is impacting 85,000 food assistance recipients and their families. As a result of human error, benefits to the Bridge Cards providing food assistance for clients with account numbers ending in “0” were not loaded to the cards as expected.

“DTMB understands the hardship that this situation has caused Michigan families and the inconvenience to the businesses that serve them,” said DTMB spokesperson Kurt Weiss. “We are working around the clock to correct the problem as quickly as possible and we will determine why it occurred.”

DTMB is working closely with vendor partners to ensure the Bridge Cards are correctly filled with the benefits that are needed for food assistance. Benefits will be loaded through the night and throughout the day on Friday, Jan. 4.

Recipients of food assistance can contact the customer service number at 1-888-678-8914 for updates and additional information.

DTMB regrets that this problem has occurred and will be working to ensure that safeguards are put in place to prevent a similar error in the future.  

While 2012 proved to be one of Detroit’s bloodiest years on record with homicide rates spiking 12 percent, the overall citywide crime rate is down nearly 3 percent from 2011 according to crime statistics released by the Detroit Police Department (DPD).

Interim Police Chief Chester Logan joined Mayor Dave Bing in announcing year-end crime statistics at a news conference Thursday morning.

At the conference, Logan noted what he called a “nice trend” in the decline of residential break-ins in the city, down nearly 13 percent from 2011.

Also down from last year by smaller margins are violent nonfatal crimes including assault, robbery and rape.
Logan said domestic disputes can be largely be blamed for the spike in killings, something that police patrols can’t curb.

The four most recent murders in the city have been fueled by domestic disputes according to Logan.

“Those are the kind of [homicide] increases that we’ve seen all year long,” Logan said. “There have been domestic anger, arguments something that has caused some kind of conflict and the way they usually resolve that conflict is some kind of deadly force.”

Bing agreed. “You can’t have a police in every home in the city,” he said. “We can’t give up, we can’t give in… all of us have to get involved to help each other solve these problems.”

One reason why Logan said overall citywide crime statistics have not seen a deeper decline is that it is now easier to report a crime thanks to technology.

“We feel firmly that crime is down,” Logan said. “In the City of Detroit, believe it or not, we provide probably some of the best police service in country.”

Logan said it takes the average person about 5 minutes to report a crime over the phone, a service that is available 24-7 as opposed to having to visit a police station.

The DPD is also bringing online in the next 30 days a program called Coplogic that will allow citizens to report crimes online from their computer or smart phone.

Probably why you don’t see as big a decrease in crime is because citizens now have so many avenues that they can make a report,” Logan said.

Despite a drop in overall crime, the growing number of homicides each year is alarming, Bing said. The number of nonfatal shootings is inched up 20 from last year to 1,263. As the city looks at ways to save money during an ongoing financial crisis Bing has said no city workers, including public safety, are off the table for cuts. 

But on Thursday he said he plans to work with Logan to train and hire new officers. He said some officers have been lost due to attrition but other wise he has never cut police.

“From a public safety standpoint I have been accused of taking away from public safety. In terms of boots on the street we have not done that,” Bing said. But he added that hiring new officers is not a quick fix, rather an “elongated process.”

When asked why Detroit has not employed more creative (and controversial) crime fighting techniques that helped lower New York City crime rates Logan said the two cities are not comparable.

“The difference between the City of New York and the City Of Detroit is like night and day,” Logan said. “New York has 35,000 or 40,000 police and 319 square miles. Detroit has 140 square miles and a heck of a lot less police officers than that,” Logan said. “The literacy rate is a lot higher than Detroit, the employment rate is a lot higher than Detroit. We are unique.”

(CNN) -- The House is poised to vote Friday on a $9.7 billion Superstorm Sandy aid package after delays over fiscal cliff bickering and a warning from federal officials that funds are running out.

Frustrated victims of the massive October storm in the Northeast watched this week as a vote on a much larger $60 billion package got canceled.

Lawmakers are expected to pass the first portion Friday and weigh in on the remaining $51 billion in broader aid on January 15.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency notified the outgoing Congress on Tuesday -- its last day in session -- that without additional borrowing authority, it will run out of money within days to compensate storm victims under the National Flood Insurance Program.

Boehner promises vote on Sandy aid Friday GOP's King bashes own party over Sandy Rep. King: "Issa is 1,000 percent wrong" King shows anger for disregard of Sandy Fury over Delayed Superstorm Sandy Aid Grimm on Boehner's pledge for Sandy bill Family impacted by Hurricane Sandy

The large aid package not voted on included more than $9.7 billion in new borrowing authority, according to the federal emergency agency.

It urged "timely congressional action" to meet survivors' needs.

Outgoing lawmakers dropped what seemed like a sure thing for the suffering region into the lap of the new Congress, which convened Thursday. It will now consider it in two parts.

Republicans in the last Congress criticized proposed congressional "pork" spending in the bill that was unrelated to Sandy needs.

Democrat and Republican lawmakers in the region, including New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, had unleashed a firestorm of criticism at their own party in the House for not addressing the measure as originally planned.

"New Jersey deserves better than the duplicity we saw on display," Christie said, adding, that this is "why the American people hate Congress."

Later, closed-door meetings with House Republicans from the Northeast and their leaders Eric Cantor and John Boehner calmed some sentiments.

Boehner is the House speaker while Cantor is the Majority leader.
Democrats were less mollified.

"It's really unbelievable how Speaker Boehner and his party could just walk away," said Christine Quinn, speaker of the New York City Council. "To promise us a vote weeks from now? Why should we believe him at all? It's just shocking."

In a statement, Boehner and Cantor said "critical aid" to storm victims should be the first priority of the new Congress. Both were re-elected and have retained their leadership positions in the new House.

The Senate, which had already approved the larger Sandy plan that the House declined to consider, is expected to sign off on the scaled-back version Friday as well, according to a Democratic leadership aide.

But Senators will hold off on any further action.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/04/politics/house-sandy-bill-vote/index.html?hpt=po_c2

DETROIT (WWJ) - No rest for Detroit homicide detectives, as investigators are on the scene of an early morning murder in a west side neighborhood.

WWJ’s Mike Campbell reports a 24-year-old male was found shot to death in a silver four-door Ford F-150 pickup truck around 2 a.m. Friday outside of a home on Manor Avenue, just north of 7 Mile Road.

Sgt. Eren Stephens said the victim was sitting in the truck with a female when an unknown male approached, ordered the victim out of the truck and demanded money. A struggle ensued and at some point, shots were fired, at least one of which struck the victim. The suspect then fled the scene. The woman in the truck was not hurt.

The suspect is described as a black male in his 20′s, about 5’7,” wearing a black jacket and dark knitted cap. He is to be considered armed and dangerous.

An investigation is ongoing. Identities of those involved were not immediately released.

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2013/01/04/man-found-shot-to-death-on-detroits-west-side/

The job market ended 2012 with more growth, as moderate hiring continued at the end of the year.

The economy added 155,000 jobs in December, bringing the total number of jobs added in 2012 to 1.84 million, the Labor Department said Friday. The unemployment rate was unchanged at 7.8%.

Economists surveyed by Briefing.com expected the report to show that 150,000 jobs were created last month and the unemployment rate remained unchanged.

Friday's report appeared a day after a separate survey by payroll processor ADP showed private employers boosted their hiring last month, adding 215,000 jobs and beating economists' forecasts of 140,000 positions. 

http://money.cnn.com/2013/01/04/news/economy/december-jobs-report/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

The House of Representatives cast its votes for speaker on Thursday, and while John Boehner won his gavel back (barely — Boehner needed at least 218 votes to be returned to the speakership, and got 220), he wasn’t the only candidate to get votes. Before the final vote was gaveled in, the Ohio congressman had to face an embarrassing opening flurry of Republican votes for someone else.

So who else got votes on the House floor?

- Allen West got two votes for speaker: He may have been defeated after jumping House districts and finding that not even a more Republican district was interested in two more years of West’s Tea Party antics, including red-baiting in the U.S. House of Representatives; but the former Army lieutenant colonel still has fans. In fact, in the House, he has two big ones in the GOP: Rep. Louie Gohmert of Texas and Rep. Paul Broun of Georgia. Both put the ex-congressman’s name into nomination.

- Rep. John Lewis got one, too: Georgia Congressman John Barrow, who serves that state’s 12th congressional district, placed the civil rights legend’s name into nomination for speaker instead of Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. The four-term congressman is a member of the dwindling House “Blue Dog” moderate caucus.

- And Colin Powell got a vote for himself: Tennessee Congressman Jim Cooper, a Democrat, voted for Gen. Powell, who served as George Bush’s secretary of state after being national security adviser and before that, Bill Clinton’s Joint Chiefs of Staff chair. The vote came after both Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-IL) and Rep. Mike McIntrye (D-NC) voted for Congressman Cooper.

Turns out you don’t have to actually be in Congress to be speaker. It’s one of the many quirks of the U.S. Constitution. You don’t actually have to be a current member of the House (see Allen West) or even a former congressman at all (a la Collin Powell). Who knew?

Boehner’s deputy, Rep. Eric Cantor, got three votes (and no, he didn’t cast one for himself). Those were cast by Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R-OK), Rep. Steve Pearce (R-NM), and Rep. Ted Yoho (R-FL).

So in the end, it was Boehner, 220, Democrat Nancy Pelosi, 192, Cantor, 3 and West, 3.

And the 113th Congress? Off to an… interesting start.

http://thegrio.com/2013/01/03/allen-west-nominated-as-speaker/

DETROIT (WWJ) - Interim Police Chief Chester Logan says America has a problem with guns and Detroit is the epicenter.

Detroit officials are reporting the city had 386 criminal homicides in 2012, up about 12 percent from the previous year.

Mayor Dave Bing on Thursday was joined by police officials in announcing the total, up from 344 from 2011.

Overall, however, they said crime is down in the city 2.63 percent.

“The release of annual crime statistics reminds us of the senselessness of crime and violence in our community; the challenges facing our police force; and the need to improve conflict resolution and other anti-crime initiatives,” Bing said.

Detroit police said they had 461 death investigations in 2012, up from 414 the previous year. Of the 2012 total, 50 of the deaths were determined not to be homicides; 25 were ruled justifiable homicides, as defined by the FBI. Detroit police also investigated 39 suicides; 6 accidental deaths, 2 deaths from natural causes;,and 3 deaths that occurred in another jurisdiction.

Among the city’s major crime categories declining in 2012 were aggravated assault, larceny, burglary and rape. Along with murder, crimes that showed a 2012 increase were robbery and auto theft. - View crime stats here (.pdf format) -

In addition, police say the number of non-fatal shootings increased slightly last year.

Logan said fixing the gun problem will take more than putting a cop on every corner.

“If I had a thousand more police officers in Detroit, the way things are right now, I don’t know that kind of impact that would have, so I’m not asking for more police officers,” Logan said. ”I am asking this community to be aware of some of the problems that we’re facing.”

Mayor Bing thanked officers and called on citizens to help the police department when it comes to crime and gun play. He also said guns and mental health are a national problem.

Logan and Bing are asking more in the community to speak out on gun violence.

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2013/01/03/detroit-records-more-than-400-murders-in-2012/

DETROIT (WWJ) – Detroit police are investigating a deadly double shooting on the city’s northwest side Thursday morning, just hours before the mayor and interim police chief are expected to discuss Detroit’s alarming crime statistics for the past year.

WWJ’s Laura Bonnell reports the shooting happened around 4 a.m. when a Metropolitan Cab Co. driver was attempting to drop off a passenger at Sunderland Avenue and Cambridge Road, near 7 Mile Road and the Southfield Freeway.

The 45-year-old driver was apparently trying to prevent being robbed when he was shot in the head. He was declared dead at the scene. The woman riding in the man’s cab was also shot and is currently in critical condition at a local hospital.

After the shooting, the gunman fled the scene in the victim’s cab. Police say the cab was recovered miles away at Mack Avenue and St. Antoine Street, near I-75 on the city’s east side, but the shooter remains at large.

After police cleared the scene, Detroit fire crews were called in to clean blood from the ice covering the streets, followed by a road truck which dumped salt in the area to prevent new ice from forming. Investigators also called in a K-9 unit to track the suspect.

No arrests have been made. An investigation is ongoing.

Jerry Hollis, a manager with Metropolitan Cab Co., said cab drivers have one of the most dangerous jobs in the city, but they’re hard workers. He said the employee they lost in this violent shooting will be greatly missed.

“This driver in particular usually comes in early every night, every night around 2:30 or three o’clock, tops, he’s done with his work, brings the cab in early, pays his lease and goes home about his business,” Hollis said. “He was a very good guy, a hard worker, worked six days a week, he never caused any problems. He was a very decent guy and this is very unfortunate.”

News of the shooting spread quickly to other cab drivers who are trying to make a living in Detroit. Jerry Tommy Bell, who’s been a cabbie in Detroit for over 10 years, said he was shot in the face by a passenger in the same area along Mack Avenue where police recovered the stolen cab Thursday.

“September 1, 2010, I picked up a passenger who didn’t want to pay the fare,” Bell told WWJ’s Ron Dewey. ”We were en route to the police station when he fired the first two shots through the, what I found out later was bullet resistant glass. It hit me in the leg and then the other two shots that he fired, one of them hit me in the face. I rammed the car into a tree in order to get this guy off me.”

Bell said cab drivers need to always be alert and know who is riding in the back seat in order to stay safe in the city.

“It always sends a real bad feeling to my stomach to be able to see a cab parked with police lights shining on it, you know, you pretty much know something bad already has happened,” said Bell.

Cab drivers have been robbery targets recently in Detroit. One was killed in September and another was fatally shot in October.

“From cabs getting ran off the road to drivers getting killed and robbed, it is senseless really,” said Hollis.

Thursday’s shooting happened just hours before Mayor Dave Bing and interim Police Chief Chester Logan are expected to address the city’s 2012 crime statistics. While major crime overall was down over two percent, more homicides were committed in the city last year than in 2011. The city’s website lists 375 murders reported through Dec. 16, compared to 344 for all of 2011. It’s the highest murder rate in nearly 20 years.