Chrysler is recalling over 919,000 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Jeep Liberty SUVs worldwide due to a potential defect that can cause their airbags to unexpectedly inflate while the vehicles are being driven.

A total of 775,000 older versions of the two Jeep models will be impacted in the U.S., along with 49,000 sold in Canada, 22,000 in Mexico and the rest distributed to other global markets. While the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says the problem has not led to any accidents there have been a number of minor injuries caused by the inadvertent airbag deployments.

The latest recall adds to the growing tally of safety actions related to airbag safety defects. Ford, Honda and Hyundai are among the list of other makers who have been affected in recent years.

NHTSA reports that the Jeep problem involves Grand Cherokees produced in the 2002 through 2004 model-years, and Liberty SUVs produced in 2002 and 2003. According to the safety agency, the problem has been linked to a defective part in the computer used to control the airbags.

Under normal circumstances, airbags rely on a network of sensors that indicate when and where a collision has occurred – and on more recent models, sensors also detect the severity of a crash and where occupants are sitting in the vehicle. The Jeeps involved in the recall may see their front or side-impact airbags inflate even if they aren’t involved in a collision. Pre-tensioning seatbelts may also be triggered.

A Chrysler spokesman noted that the problem has occurred in less than three-hundreths of a percent of the Jeep Liberty and Grand Cherokee models on the road.

Nonetheless, after completing a year-long investigation, NHTSA determined the problem occurred 215 times, causing 81 minor injuries – but while the inadvertent airbag deployments have not been linked to any crashes, the safety agency warns that drivers could be startled into losing control of their vehicles.

Chrysler says it plans to notify owners by January and repairs will be made to the electrical system at no charge to consumers.

Automotive manufacturers have seen a number of airbag issues pop up in recent years forcing them to recall large numbers of vehicles. In July, Hyundai recalled 220,000 Sonata sedans and Santa Fe SUVs from the 2007 to 2009 model-years because sensors designed to protect small children in an airbag deployment might not work. The maker also recalled nearly 23,000 late-model Sonatas for a separate airbag problem.

Ford announced the recall of 154,000 Fiesta models due to airbag problems last month, and the maker previously called back 1.5 million vehicles – including 1.2 million F-Series pickups – due to unexpected airbag deployments.

Honda, meanwhile, has recalled over 2.5 million vehicles sold through the Honda and Acura brands because they could deploy with too much force, sending deadly shrapnel into the passenger compartment. The problem was linked to at least two deaths.

Separately, federal law enforcement officials and safety regulators have teamed up to crack down on scam artists selling counterfeit replacement airbags that could fail to deploy or inflate improperly.

http://www.thedetroitbureau.com/2012/11/jeep-recalling-over-900k-older-models/

President Barack Obama wiped away tears as he thanked supporters the day after elections for all their hard work in the past year.

The president made a surprise visit to his Chicago campaign office Wednesday to show appreciation to campaign staffers and volunteers.

In a five-minute video released by his campaign yesterday, the president shares the story of how he moved to Chicago at 25 years old, knowing he wanted to make a difference but not knowing where or how to start. It was as a community organizer for several south side churches that Obama learned about “the grit and resilience of ordinary people.”

He said he also learned how to work with others for a common purpose and how to deal with disappointment when it happened.

“I grew up,” Obama told the crowd. “I became a man during that process.”

He praised the campaigners for all they’ve accomplished, comparing his story to theirs.

“You’re smarter and you’re better organized. You’re more effective and I’m absolutely confident that all of you are going to do amazing things in your lives,” he said.

But it’s when he recounted election night that the president became emotional. He said that he knew regardless of the results, that his work had “come full circle.”

“What you guys have done means that the work that I’m doing is important,” he said tearfully. “And I’m really proud of that. I’m really proud of all of you.”

The audience applauded loudly as the president paused to wipe his eyes, and as he finished his speech, he reminded the group that their journey was only beginning.

“You’re just starting and whatever good we do over the next four years will pale in comparison to what you guys end up accomplishing for years and years to come.”

http://thegrio.com/2012/11/09/obama-gives-supporters-a-tearful-thank-you/

DETROIT (CBS Detroit) The pundits’ verdict is unanimous: Calvin Johnson hasn’t played his best this season.

What’s not unanimous is a verdict on whether he suffered a concussion this season. Johnson alluded to the idea he had suffered a concussion in late September in a helmet-to-helmet collision with Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway. At the time, he said in an interview on 97.1 The Ticket, ” …You get concussed, you gotta keep on playing. You can’t get afraid to go across the middle any more than you were at the beginning.”

The Lions quickly rejected the notion he had suffered a concussion, saying he had passed every test.

But again this week, Johnson alluded to the idea he’s recovering from a concussion — and more.

“I actually have some nerve damage that was kind of messing on my grip a little bit, not to blame it on that, but I think a concussion could have maybe something to do with some of that damage I had going on,” he said Thursday.

Johnson managed to play an impressive game Sunday in the team’s 31-14 win at Jacksonville last Sunday despite a knee injury suffered the week before, catching seven passes for 129 yards.

Megatron said he’s doing everything he can to work around his injury — or injuries.

“I’m doing a lot of stuff in the weight room just to strengthen the muscles around it, to get it so that it’s firing correctly and be as best as I can be on Sunday,” he said.

The Lions take on Minnesota this weekend on the cusp of what many Detroiters consider a double national holiday — the Lions game on Thanksgiving.

Will Johnson be ready?

“I mean, really, what would be better … it’s just maintaining it, you know, by not running around, trying to maintain it, at the same time I’m trying to strengthen it and get my rehab on at the same time,” he said.

In a separate interview, coach Jim Schwartz said Johnson has found a way to be effective despite his injuries, saying, “He’s had a bunch of different things come up this year, particularly his knees, but goes out and affects the game the way he does. It’s no different than Adrian Peterson coming off an ACL and still finding a way to be effective, great players can do that.”

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/11/08/megatron-says-hes-working-through-nerve-damage-concussion/

In the days before Tuesday’s election, two organizations released reports filled with dire warnings about the potential impact of voter ID and other laws, ostensibly aimed at preventing voter fraud, but which voter rights advocates believe were really intended to reduce minority participation at the polls.

A Center for Social Inclusion report entitled “Citizens Denied: The Impact of Photo ID Laws on Senior Citizens of Color,” “Citizens Denied: The Impact of Photo ID Laws on Senior Citizens of Color,” warned that nearly half of black voters over age 65 and one in three Latino senior voters would have a more difficult time registering and voting on Election Day due to photo ID laws passed in some 33 states.

The reason: historical factors like Jim Crow exclusion made it less likely that these voters would currently possess a state-issued ID, or in some cases, a copy of their birth certificate. The study pointed to the potential disenfranchisement of some 140,000 black and Latino seniors nationwide.

A second report by the group IMPACT warned of reduced voting access and opportunity for African-Americans in Pennsylvania, Virginia and Florida, where restrictive ID laws and in the case of Florida, the halving of the early voting period by the Republican-controlled legislature and governor presented potential hurdles for up to 367,000 black voters in Florida, and 115,000 in Pennsylvania.

“In Florida, African-American voter growth rates rose at almost twice the rate of their White counterparts between the 2000 and the 2004 presidential election, i.e. 34 percent to 19 percent, compared to 2004 to 2008, which was twenty times that of their white counterparts, i.e. 21 percent to 1 percent, respectively,” a press release from IMPACT stated. “Most importantly, there is no clear method to determine the large potential impact on states’ introduction and enactment of voter ID laws. Therefore, IMPACT recommends that states continue to make voting easy, fair, and accessible.”

And while the potentially disenfranchising effect of voter ID laws remains problematic (in Ohio, potentially thousands of voters were actually turned away, or forced to vote on less-often counted provisional ballots, as a result of a voter purge that swept up eligible voters in the state), the actual reduction of black voter participation in 2012 never materialized.

Exit polls show the minority share of the electorate increased to 28 percent in 2012, versus 26 percent in 2008 — one of the underlying assumptions the Obama campaign took into the election, but which polls, notably Gallup, missed. And overall African-American participation remained steady, at 13 percent of the electorate, compared to 2008. And accelerated black and Hispanic turnout delivered the margin of victory to President Obama.

Florida’s reduced early voting period actually galvanized black churches, who took full advantage of the one remaining Sunday to conduct a two-day “souls to the polls” marathon. And even as Election Day turned into a late Election Night, and with the race in Ohio, and thus for the 270 votes needed to win the presidency, called by 11 p.m., black voters remained in line in Miami-Dade and Broward, two heavily Democratic counties in Florida, where black voters broke turnout records, even compared to 2008.

Read more click here

http://thegrio.com/2012/11/08/how-voter-suppression-backfired-on-the-gop/

Photo: Interim Police Chief Chester Logan, guelphmercury.com

DETROIT (WWJ) - We could see a shakeup at the Detroit Police Department where some changes are coming to management in order to save the department money and comply with the consent agreement.

Interim Police Chief Chester Logan held a press conference on Thursday to announce they’re looking at a “streamlining” plan which includes some key restructuring within management.

Logan said will be considering every single position — from desk jobs to foot patrol — to see if it can be done better.

“One of the things that we’re lookin’ at, we’re lookin’ at every available body that’s in, let’s say an administrative job. Where can we gain some efficiencies? And these are some of the things that we’re doing,” said Logan. ”We hope to realize a savings, probably of 150 officers over the next several months.”

Mayor Dave Bing announced the appointment of a Commander to the rank of Deputy Chief and the reassignment by Interim Police Chief Chester L. Logan of two deputy chiefs to new positions. In addition, the mayor announced the imminent promotion of 26 officers to the ranks of sergeant, lieutenant and inspector; as well as upcoming exams for officers who hope to attain those ranks.

He said the reorganization is expected to save the city about $1 million each year.

“The training and development of new police officers and the promotion of experienced officers under this restructuring plan is vital to our city,” Mayor Bing said. “A succession plan that rewards our best officers will help transform the Detroit Police Department into a department that is prepared to meet the present and future needs of our city.”

Also among the planned changes to come — restarting the Detroit police academy training class in 2013.

All of the changes will require Detroit City Council approval.

As for the future of the police chief, Mayor Bing said Logan’s name is on a list of candidates that will be vetted and put before the City Council. A choice will be made in 3 to 4 months.

Now ex-Detroit Police Chief Ralph Godbee resigned last month amid a sex scandal.

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/11/08/detroit-announces-plan-to-streamline-police-department/

Steven Horsford has cemented his name in Nevada’s history books — first as the state’s first black Democratic state Senate leader, and now as the first black congressman to represent the state in Congress.

On Tuesday night, Horsford won a close election against Republican businessman Danny Tarkanian for the House seat in Nevada’s new 4th district. The large district, which has the highest percentage of African-American voters, stretches across central Nevada, from North Las Vegas to just south of Reno.

Tarkanian, the son of former University of Nevada Las Vegas basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian and Las Vegas City councilwoman Lois Tarkanian, was initially given dim election chances, especially after making three previously unsuccessful attempts at office.

Toward the end of the race, he saw a boost in polls, but Horsford was able to secure the seat in the end.

“Tonight is just the beginning,” he said in a statement. “Hard work lies ahead. Now is the time to make our voices heard in Washington.”

Horsford was first elected to the state Senate in 2004. In 2008, he then became the first black Democratic state Senate leader in Nevada. He’s promised during his term he will work with anyone who is serious and has a good idea, regardless of their party affiliation. He also paid homage to his home of North Las Vegas.

“My roots are in this district, my life’s story is contained in its boundaries, and this community has stuck with me during tough times,” he said in a post-election statement. “Running for office has never been about me, it’s about all of us. We have tackled challenges together, and tonight we celebrate this victory together.”

http://thegrio.com/2012/11/08/steven-horsford-makes-history-as-nevadas-first-black-congressman/

While the country debated (and voted, and debated some more) about whether Barack Obama or Mitt Romney should be president, a 20-year-old woman on the other side of the world had come up with a way to unite the two forever. On Wednesday morning, Millicent Owuor, gave birth to twins in south-west Kenya. She named one brother Barack Obama and the other Mitt Romney, Kenya's Standard newspaper reported.

The BBC reported that Owuor gave birth close to the village of Kogelo where President Obama's father was born. While she was preparing to deliver twins, the village was celebrating the president's reelection. According to Reuters, there were several babies born at the nearby hospital who were named after Obama. But, it appears only one has a brother named Mitt Romney.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/07/millicent-owuor-twins-barack-obama-and-mitt-romney_n_2089438.html?utm_hp_ref=black-voices&ir=Black%20Voices

DETROIT (WWJ) - Police are investigating a break in at Congressman Hansen Clarke’s offices in Detroit.

Clarke (D-Mich.) said thieves apparently got in Wednesday night by jimmying a lock– and took thousands of dollars worth of stuff– including laptops, a blackberry, camcorders and a camera.

“I was born and raised in Detroit and I’ve been broken into in my personal residence when I was growing up,” said Clark. “My concern was for the people who worked in this office. I mean, they were pretty shooken up when they walked in to see that their offices had been gone through and ransacked.”

Clarke’s offices share a Greektown building with other businesses and Fishbones restaurant, but his offices were the only one targeted.

Clarke, a Democrat, said he believes the crime may have been politically motivated as a wallet and checkbook in a ransacked room were left untouched.

Detroit police are reviewing surveillance video as an investigation continues.

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/11/08/404892/

DETROIT (WWJ) - A Detroit police officer is in the hospital after he lost control of his squad car and hit a tree on the city’s east side.

Investigators said there was a sheet of ice on the road on Conner, north of Harper, and that’s what caused the crash. The officer behind the wheel was taken by ambulance from the scene.

No details were immediately available as to his condition and his name has not been released.

A road crew arrived shortly after the accident and put down a coating of salt.

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/11/08/detroit-police-officer-injured-in-crash/