Category: News Briefs Written by WWJ

 

ROSEVILLE (WWJ) - Police say an employee of a St. Clair Shores business was robbed while making a night deposit at a Comerica Bank in Roseville.

 

According to police, the employee was attempting to make a deposit around 7:40 p.m. last Saturday when they were approached by the suspect, who lifted his shirt and displayed a hand gun. Police say the suspect ordered the victim to the ground and took a bank bag with cash in it.

 

The employee, who was not injured, told police the suspect made a statement during the robbery about his daughter being sick.

 

The suspect, who was last seen on foot west bound from the area of 10 Mile and Collingwood, is described as a 20- to 25-year-old white male with a thin build a no facial hair. At the time of the robbery, the suspect was wearing a navy blue shirt with black pants that had a large horse shoe design on the back pockets, blue and black Air Max type shoes and an orange winter-type hat.

 

An investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call the Roseville Police at 586-775-2100.

 

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/09/11/employee-robbed-while-making-night-deposit-at-roseville-bank/

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Category: Breaking News Written by WWJ

 

WEST BLOOMFIELD (WWJ) – West Bloomfield Police Chief Michael Patton is breaking his silence, now more than 36 hours since the fatal shooting of one of his officers.

 

Patton said his department remains in a state of shock over the death of 39-year-old Patrick O’Rourke, but they still have a job to do.

 

He said his officers approached the Sunday night call to Ricky Covey’s home with elevated concern and were aware the homeowner was armed.

 

“We thought he was a person at risk, he may have harmed himself. We were there to attempt to save his life,” Patton told reporters. “And even though he had no appreciation for that, that’s what we were there for and that was our goal and our objective at the time.”

 

Authorities say Ricky Coley, a former auto executive who was facing business and family troubles, fired on police, killing officer O’Rourke and sparking a 20-hour standoff that ended when a State Police robot spotted Coley dead in a weapons-strewn bedroom.

 

Patton said Police said O’Rourke, a 12-year veteran of the force, was one of their best officers — one of the “rocks of the department.”

 

He said they appreciate the support from the community during these times as they try to come to grips with the tragedy.

 

“Given the line of work that we do it’s always a possibility, we understand that. But it’s still something that we hope never happens and we’re suffering our way through this, but we will work our way through this,” said Patton.”We’re a very strong department and we’re a very tight department.”

 

Patton said they had been called to Coley’s house in the past to check on his welfare at his family’s request given his financial troubles, but he’d showed no signs of imminent danger.

 

An autopsy determined Coley died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. The Medical Examiner is still working to try to determine exactly when he may have taken his own life.

 

Sheriff Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard said it was likely after a second volley of shots, which would have been after 9 a.m. Monday.

 

As a Sheriff’s Office investigation continues, community leaders, citizens, clergy and police officers will gather Tuesday evening for a candlelight vigil in memory of the fallen officer. It will take place in front of the West Bloomfield Police Department on Walnut Lake Road at 7:45 p.m.

 

Those wishing to make contributions to support O’Rourke’s children can do so at any branch of Bank of America to the “Officer Patrick O’Rourke Family Trust.”

 

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/09/11/police-chief-department-in-shock-over-officers-death/

 

 

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Category: Breaking News Written by WWJ

 

LANSING (WWJ) - Gov. Rick Snyder is calling for an overhaul in how Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, the state’s largest health insurance provider, is regulated.

 

Snyder wants Blue Cross to become a non-profit mutual insurance company and contribute money to a new entity that would provide better access to care.  He also wants BCBSM to be regulated by the state insurance code.  Since 1980, it’s been exempt due to Public Act 350, which made it Michigan’s insurer of last resort.

 

“Blue Cross has long advocated for all health insurers to play by the same rules,” said Daniel J. Loepp, BCBSM president and CEO, in a statement. “This plan is not exactly what Blue Cross would have proposed, but it does create a fair and balanced set of rules for health insurance. Regulations should be fair to all.

 

“They should protect consumers, expand choice and competition and preserve an insurance safety net people can count on. Our board is open to considering this proposal because it preserves Blue Cross’ nonprofit mission and sets Michigan’s insurance market up for success in the future,” Loepp said.

 

In addition to transitioning to a nonprofit mutual insurance company structure, officials say BCBSM would evolve its traditional “social mission” by funding a new nonprofit entity to be created by the state with contributions totaling approximately $1.5 billion, payable in installments over the next 18 years. The nonprofit would be governed by its own board, which would include the Michigan Attorney General. The board would be supported by a large and diverse advisory council comprised of community stakeholders. The nonprofit would use BCBSM contributions to fund programs to improve health care in Michigan and keep it affordable.

 

“We are pleased that the Governor respects Blue Cross’ desire to remain nonprofit and continue our longstanding efforts to advance quality and affordable health care for all Michiganders,” Loepp said. “Blue Cross will remain based in Michigan, invested in our communities and focused on improving health care for everyone who calls Michigan home.”

 

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/09/11/belle-isle-aquarium-grand-re-opening-set-for-saturday/

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Category: Breaking News Written by WWJ

 

AUBURN HILLS (WWJ) - Palace Sports & Entertainment and the American Red Cross of Southeastern Michigan are joining forces once again for the 11th annual Palace Blood Drive on Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2012, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

 

Everyone who donates blood at this year’s Palace Blood Drive will receive special thank you gifts including: Detroit Pistons memorabilia, Pistons tickets to a pre-season game and the first game of the regular season, and a $10 gift card. All gifts are available while supplies last. In addition, everyone who comes to donate will be entered to win a $500 gas card or an iPad.

 

This community drive was organized in 2002 as a way for individuals to commemorate the anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks and give the community an opportunity to help save lives by building the blood supply in Southeastern Michigan.

 

Advance appointments are encouraged. Donors with appointments will be given first priority, and the wait time for those who do not have appointments could be quite lengthy. To make your appointment for the Palace Blood Drive, call 1-800-RED CROSS or visit www.redcrossblood.org and use sponsor code “palace.”

 

Individuals who are 17 years of age (16 with parental permission in some states), meet weight and height requirements (110 pounds or more, depending on their height) and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. Bring your Red Cross blood donor card or other form of positive ID when you come to donate.

 

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/09/11/donate-get-free-pistons-tickets-at-11th-annual-palace-blood-drive/

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Category: Breaking News Written by AJ Williams, Chronicle Web Editor

Eleven years ago on this day, tragedy struck our nation. The attack of 9/11 is a place in history that will always be remembered. In New York City, where the twin towers where attacked, today’s remembrance marks one of the city’s most horrific days.

“It is extremely important that people never forget what happened on Sept. 11," says New York City Fire Commissioner Salvatore Cassano, who plans to attend several of the days commemorating events The official commemoration began at 8:39 a.m. ET at the National September 11 Memorial plaza, an area that once housed the twin towers, where now two memorial pools dedicated to the attack victims are placed.

There was a moment of silence at 8:46 a.m. ET to honor when the first commercial plane struck the north tower. Houses of worship across New York City rang their bells in remembrance. Throughout the morning family members of those who loss their lives, recited the victims' names. The names of all 2,983 victims from the twin towers and Pentagon attacks, and those on Flight 93, as well as those who died in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, will be read aloud.

There was also a moment of silence for each time a highjacked plane hit its target, one for when Flight 93 crashed in Shanksville, Pa. and there were moments of silence at the times that each of the twin towers fell.

Afterward he shook hands with many of the family members attending the event. Security was tight as Victims' families and others gathered Tuesday at Ground Zero and the Pentagon. President Obama was among the speakers Tuesday at an remembrance for victims and family members of those killed at the Pentagon. "As painful as this day is and always will be it leaves us with a lesson. No single event can change who we are," Obama said. "No terrorist event can change the values that we stand for."

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Category: Breaking News Written by Huffingtonpost

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- It's been 11 years since terrorists destroyed the World Trade Center towers, and more than a year-and-a-half since President Barack Obama signed into law a bill meant to compensate responders and survivors sickened from exposure to the hazardous debris and toxins of Ground Zero.

 

But they're going to have to wait a while longer -- perhaps more than a year -- before most of them start to see any of the money authorized in the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act.

 

"It's going to be a process, and I think it's going to take a year or two until that process really gets moving," said Sheila Birnbaum, the special master of the $2.775 billion 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund. "People have to get medical records, they have to do all kinds of things, and they're going to have to get certified that they meet the criteria."

 

The compensation fund was supposed to start work in July of 2011, and many believed that money would start to flow a year later. It hasn't, and although there are explanations for why, people whose lives were shattered by the terrorists' attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, are starting to get frustrated.

 

"These people need the the money. I talk to a lot of them, they're all struggling along and they're not getting anything," said Joe Zadroga, the father of the late police officer after whom the Zadroga Act is named.

 

"These people are really down," Zadroga added. "I just get upset about it because we fought so hard to get that bill passed, and now they're dragging their feet on it."

 

"We still haven't gotten 10 cents," said TJ Gilmartin, a construction worker from Brooklyn who rushed to Ground Zero with a truck after the attacks, and has seen his ability to work deteriorate, along with the health of his lungs.

 

 

"I've had people turn around and say, 'You can go get food stamps,'" Gilmartin said, noting that he believed they meant well. "I'm so lucky, I got a fiancee that's been taking care of me," he said. "My Corvette is gone, my Rolex is gone. Everything that I worked 30 years for in construction, worked hard for, I had to sell to live."

 

While people like Gilmartin and Zadroga are frustrated, they aren't necessarily ready to start handing out blame.

 

That's because a large part of the delay stemmed from the debate over whether or not cancer would be covered under the Zadroga Act. The causes of cancer are complicated, and there was relatively scant data to analyze because the Bush administration hadn't set up the original 9/11 health program to collect it or study it.

 

But the question was finally answered Monday, when the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health issued a rule declaring that some 50 varieties of cancer would be covered for peopled deemed to have suffered sufficient exposure. That rule will be published Wednesday and go into effect after 30 days.

 

Responders are relieved cancer will be covered, but it also creates problems because covering cancer is much more expensive, and potentially opens up the compensation fund to more people, including many who don't yet know if they are sick. At the same time, the money to pay for it is fixed at $2.775 billion, unlike the first compensation fund authorized soon after the attacks, which was unlimited.

 

Simply starting to make payments before the cancer question was answered could have exhausted the money too quickly -- even if responders like Gilmartin are in dire need of assistance now.

 

"Could they have given awards out?" said Michael Barasch, a lawyer who represents thousands of responders and survivors, including Gilmartin and Zadroga. "Sure, but they have to hold money back to make sure that those people in the future who come down with cancer, that there's some money available for them."

 

The special master, Birnbaum, who spoke to The Huffington Post Friday, before Monday's decision, predicted that she could start to work on claims in earnest once the 30-day clock expired. But she warned it would be complicated.

 

First, of the money authorized, Congress specified that only $875 million could be spent in the first round of payouts, with the remainder being held until the sixth year of the program.

 

"It's prorated, based on the amount of claimants and the amount of awards that they're going to get, that we estimate are going to happen," Birnbaum said. "Until the regulations are finalized by NIOSH, we can't estimate how much money we will need to prorate."

 

Estimating the number of potential claimants is another problem. In addition to people who are part of the separate World Trade Center health program -- which got $1.5 billion from the Zadroga bill -- the compensation fund could cover thousands of other people who lived or worked near Ground Zero. Estimates of how many people could wind up eligible vary widely, ranging anywhere from 17,000 to 80,000.

 

And Birnbaum said even among those who are likely to qualify, she has only received a few hundred fully completed applications.

 

"It's nobody's fault. It's not our fault, it's not the lawyers' fault," Birnbaum said, noting that people have to prove they were at the site, that they were significantly exposed, that they suffered covered injuries and what those injuries have cost them.

 

"People are gathering up the documentation they need to prove their claim," she said. "We have very few [completed] forms that even get to the compensation piece yet, so we're not in a position to be giving money yet."

 

There have been bureaucratic complications, as well. The fund was supposed to be up and running in July 2011, though it was not funded until October. Aside from waiting for the rulings on cancer, Birnbaum had to get a complicated computer system up and running. And, in line with one of the more controversial stipulations Congress included, Birnbaum also had to work with the Department of Justice to run the names of 9/11 responders against the terrorism watch list.

 

Birnbaum said none of the few hundred applications that have been run have turned up any terrorist suspects. The lawmaker who included that provision, Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.), recently lost his primary election.

 

Ailing responders are aware of many of the details and remain somewhat forgiving. But they point out that, for some of them, there is little time left.

 

"There's guys dropping dead every week," Gilmartin said. "There must be another 50 dead since this bill's been signed."

 

"It's our responsibility to make sure everybody is treated fairly," said Birnbaum. "We can only do the best we can."

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/11/9-11-fund-september-11-responders_n_1872349.html

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Category: News Briefs Written by WWJ

 

MACOMB (WWJ) – Starting Monday, the Macomb County Health Department is offering seasonal flu vaccines at the county health centers in St. Clair Shores, Mount Clemens and Warren.

 

County Medical Director Dr. Kevin Lokar tells us who the vaccine is intended for.

 

“The influenza vacine is recommened for everybody, six months of age or older, although it’s specifically important for people with underlying medical conditions, cronic medical conditions, like heart disease, lung disease, those who are immune suppressed,” said Lokar. “It’s also recommended for women who are pregnant during the influenza seasons.”

 

The cost is $15 and the vaccine will be available through January, as supplies last.

 

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/09/10/15-flu-shots-now-available-through-macomb-health-centers/

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Category: News Briefs Written by WWJ

 

A Detroit charter school is using a new way to make sure students are learning — that’s right, the WAY Program (Widening Alternatives For Youth) has begun.

 

The school is taking kids 14 to 19 years old out of  full-time classrooms and providing them with an iMac laptop and access to a lab — so they can learn at their own pace and around their own schedule. It was created as a “personalized learning experience for students who struggle with traditional high school.”

 

The program has 11 sites in 100 school districts across Michigan, with staff available 24 hours a day. Mentors issue detailed student achievement reports weekly.

 

“It is a highly interactive, personalized, individualized curriculum. And students have access to that, as well as a lab instructor 365 days a year,” said Shannon Smith, director of charter schools for the WAY program. “We also have a lab setting where students can come in and get personal help, as well as do science labs, art projects and those pieces.”

 

How does the program work to make sure students are getting the lessons they need to learn?

 

“We design projects around students’ interests and needs,” said Smith. ” We wrap state standards into those projects so students meet those standards and credit toward graduation by completion of those projects.”

 

Smith says the WAY Program has been a big success, with approximately a 95 per cent graduation rate. The new Detroit Way Academy is located on Vernor in Southwest Detroit.

 

The school is still accepting enrollments for the 2012-2013 school year. Get more details at www.wayprogram.net.

 

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/09/11/detroit-charter-shows-students-new-way-to-learn/

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Category: News Briefs Written by Irish Times

US president Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama observe a moment of silence on the 11th anniversary of the September 11th attacks, on the south lawn of the White House in Washington. Photograph: Jason Reed/Reuters

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2012/0911/breaking22.html

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Category: Top News Written by Amber Bogins

 

 

LANSING, Mich. - Gov. Rick Snyder today announced the appointments of Susan Broman, of Grand Rapids, Melissa Cragg, of Grosse Pointe Park and Leslie Murphy, of Ann Arbor, to the Early Childhood Investment Corp. He also announced the reappointments of Shauna Barbeau, of Midland, and Lewis “Lew” Chamberlin, of Grand Rapids.

 

Created in 2005, the 18-member committee is the state’s leading group for information and investment in early childhood programs.

 

“These individuals bring diverse backgrounds and years of experience, and I am confident they will do great work to ensure the quality and effectiveness of Michigan’s early childhood programs,” said Snyder.

 

Broman is director of the Michigan Department of Education’s Office of Great Start. Previously, she served as president of the Steelcase Foundation, which focuses on human services, health, education, community development, the arts and environment. Broman is chair of the Kent County Family Children Coordinating Council and former chair of the Council on Michigan Foundations’ “Early Matters” early childhood initiative. She holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Western Michigan University. Broman is the designee of the Michigan Department of Education. 

 

Cragg is the chief investment officer for The Fisher Group in Southfield, where she oversees investment management and strategy development. Previously, she served as treasurer and vice president of finance for the Detroit Medical Center, and as group manager and vice president for Comerica Bank. Cragg is treasurer for the Women’s Caring Program, and serves as a member of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s investment committee and Trinity Health’s investment subcommittee. She earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in business administration, both from Washington University in St. Louis. Cragg replaces Anne Mervenne.

 

Murphy is president and CEO of Murphy Consulting Inc., where she provides services to businesses, professional firms and nonprofit entities in the areas of corporate governance, work force development, culture enhancement and staff retention. Previously, she served as a group managing partner with Plante Moran PLLC. Murphy received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Michigan. She replaces Douglas Luciani.

 

Barbeau is a family nurse practitioner with Health Delivery Inc. - Janes Street Academic Community Health Center in Saginaw, where she provides preventative and acute health care services to citizens of all ages. Previously, Barbeau worked as a family nurse practitioner in Spokane, Wash., and served in the U.S. Air Force Reserve as a flight nurse captain. During Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom, she served as medical crew director, where she assisted returning injured servicemen and servicewomen. Barbeau holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing from Seattle University and Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash., respectively.

 

Chamberlin is managing partner and CEO of the West Michigan White Caps minor league baseball team. He is a member of the Grand Rapids/Kent County Convention and Visitors Bureau board and the Convention/Arena Authority, which owns and operates VanAndel Arena and DeVos Place. Chamberlin also serves on the First Steps Commission, whose goal is to build a comprehensive system of support for Kent County’s youngest children, ages five and below. He received a bachelor’s degree in history from Allegheny College in Pennsylvania and a law degree from the University of Toledo.

 

Appointees will serve four-year terms that expire July 22, 2016, and their appointments are not subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.

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