News

UPDATE 10:45 a.m.:

A suspicious package forced the evacuation of part of the Detroit Metro Airport today.

Mike Conway is an airport spokesman. He says baggage handling workers alerted security officials after a box containing electronic equipment and loose wiring entered the building. The box was being moved from one airplane to another.

Conway says the security officials closed 8 gates in the McNamara Terminal while they investigated the box.

 “The area below that is where the nuts and bolts where all the processing of all the luggage, packages and stuff like occur…this package was on a belt…in the bag makeup area for that section of gates.’"

Conway says the box did not originate in Detroit. He says the shipper is being contacted.

9:15 a.m.:

Part of a terminal at Detroit Metropolitan Airport has been evacuated, the Associated Press reports. Authorities say the evacuation occurred after a suspicious box was found at an area for loading cargo and luggage onto planes.  According to the AP:

Airport spokesman Mike Conway says the box was found about 7:15 a.m. Tuesday and passengers were removed from part of Concourse B at the McNamara Terminal out of "an abundance of caution." Conway says planes that were to use gates at the concourse were using other gates at the airport. The concourse at the airport in Romulus primarily is used by regional aircraft.

He says details about why security officials determined the box to be suspicious weren't immediately available.

Reporters continued to dig up more details on Lamar D. Moore last night.

On Sunday, Moore entered Detroit's Northwestern Police station and began shooting. 4 officers were shot before Moore was shot and killed.

Why did he do it?

Reporters for the Detroit Free Press say a source told them that Moore "couldn't have expected to win the gunfight [because] he walked in with only a few rounds."

From the article: 

According to an official familiar with the investigation, Moore was implicated in kidnapping and sexually assaulting a runaway teen. According to the official, Moore shot up the station Sunday after the girl left his home to get help that afternoon.

Police, who raided Moore's home because of the sex crime investigation -- and independently of the shooting -- later made the connection between the two, the official said.

Lansing mayor Virg Bernero delivered his sixth state of the city address last night.  He had a lot to say about past accomplishments,  but said next to nothing about the city’s projected $15 million budget deficit. 

Look around and see for yourself, it’s happening in Lansing.

Lansing mayor Virg Bernero told the audience during his state of the city address.  To that end, Bernero  spoke a lot about recent business investment in the capitol city.

He didn’t speak directly to Lansing’s projected $15 million budget deficit. He did suggest part of the budget problem can be found across the street from Lansing city hall at the state capitol. 

City budgets across Michigan are on life support.   The loss of property tax values means the loss of property tax revenue.  High unemployment means the loss of income tax revenue.  And the continued failure of state government to manage its own budget problems has cost of tens of millions in state shared revenues.

Bernero also said Lansing needs to work with its neighbors to deal with a variety of regional problems.

GM to Add Jobs in Flint

General Motors announced yesterday that it plans to add 750 jobs to its Flint Assembly Plant. But, no new hires will be made. Instead, as Steve Carmody reports, the pool of workers will come from two places:

1. People being reactivated from various layoff pools
2. Workers who would like to return to Flint after they were transferred to another plant

The GM Flint Assembly plant currently employs about 2,000 workers. Governor Rick Snyder attended the announcement as did Mark Reuss, GM’s North America President.

A Move to a Two-Year Budget?

There’s been talk around Lansing recently about whether or not it would be a good idea for state lawmakers to adopt a two year budget plan for the state rather than the constitutionally-mandated one year budget plan. Governor Snyder and many lawmakers say they need to start thinking farther in advance when putting together the state’s budget. State Senator John Proos told reporter Laura Weber that a two year budget should happen, but that it will take time. Proos is expected to introduce a measure that would amend the constitution to create a two-year budget cycle as well as a part-time Legislature.

State of the City

Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero delivered his sixth State of the City address last night. Bernero spoke quite a bit about recent business investment in the capitol city but didn’t talk directly about Lansing’s projected $15 million budget deficit. Bernero was the Democratic nominee in Michigan's 2010 Gubernatorial race. He lost the race to his Republican opponent Rick Snyder. Snyder delivered his first State of the State address as Governor last Wednesday evening.

Former Michigan Republican Party chairman Saul Anuzis says he is considering a run against Michigan's Democratic Senator Debbie Stabenow in 2012.

Senator Stabenow was elected to a second term by Michigan voters in 2006. Anuzis said it could take weeks or a couple of months to decide whether or not to run.

Earlier this month, Anuzis lost a bid to chair the National Republican Party to Reince Priebus.

As the Hill.com reports, Anuzis:

...may face former Gov. John Engler, the former head of the National Association of Manufacturers, or former Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich.) or Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) in a primary contest.

Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero delivered his sixth State of the City address last night. As Michigan Radio's Steve Carmody reports, he had a lot to say about past accomplishments but said next to nothing about the city's projected $15 million dollar budget deficit:

"Look around and see for yourself, it's happening in Lansing," Bernero said. That was the theme of Lansing mayor Virg Bernero's state of the city address.

To that end, Bernero spoke a lot about recent business investment in the capitol city.  He didn't speak directly to Lansing's projected $15 million budget deficit.

He did suggest part of the budget problem can be found across the street from Lansing city hall at the state capitol.

"City budgets across Michigan are on life support.   The loss of property tax values means the loss of property tax revenue.  High unemployment means the loss of income tax revenue.  And the continued failure of state government to manage its own budget problems has cost of tens of millions in state shared revenues," Bernero said.

Bernero also said Lansing needs to work with its neighbors to deal with a variety of regional problems.

Bernero was the Democratic nominee in Michigan's 2010 Gubernatorial race. He lost the race to his Republican opponent Rick Snyder. Snyder delivered his first State of the State address as Governor last Wednesday evening.

Organizers of the proposed “River City Bike Week” expect the five-day event will attract between 50,000 and 60,000 people. But some worry the group is overestimating the economic benefits and underestimating the noise, traffic and potential crime they say is associated with biker clubs.

Kyle Davis is an avid Harley rider from the Grand Rapids suburb of Wyoming. He’s been missing the annual biker week in Sturgis, MI and would be thrilled to have something like that in Grand Rapids.

“It’s going to be noisy I can tell you that but for the most part, a lot of the Harley community around here gives back to the community a lot. I know my brother has muscular dystrophy and they do a big huge fundraiser every year. So they’re really misunderstood in my point of view.”

If the city allows the event, River City Bike Week organizer Tracy Holt says part of the proceeds would benefit the Grand Rapids Student Advancement Foundation that helps give Grand Rapids students the tools they need to succeed. She says they'll have bike builders, vendors, stunts, races, and concerts by ZZ Top, the Steve Miller Band and the Doobie Brothers.

The Detroit City Council got a briefing on chronic troubles with the city’s Emergency Medical Services Monday.

EMS Chief Jerald James told the Council that only 19 of the city’s 47  EMS vehicles are in use right now. The other 27 are awaiting repair.

James also  says the understaffed department also has the money to hire 57 new employees--but  can’t find people to fill those positions.

Retailers say they are more hopeful than they’ve been in many years that Michigan is close to repealing the law that requires them to put a price sticker on every item they sell. But unions and Democrats say they will put up a fight to preserve what they say is a significant consumer protection.

James Hallan is the president of the Michigan Retailers Association. He says store-owners were pleased to hear in Governor Rick Snyder’s State of the State address that he is on their side. And Hallan says retailers hope the Legislature’s large Republican majorities will go along with scrapping the 35-year-old law.

“We have a new administration that is progressive. We have a legislative body that is progressive, and technology has come a long ways from where it was in 1976. Cell phones were not around in 1976. You look at all the new technology, and it’s time we embrace this and not walk away from it."

But not everyone is on board. Chris Michalakis is with the United Food and Commercial Workers union. He says the item-pricing law remains popular with the public.

“What we’re hoping is our Republican governor and our Republican majorities in the House and the Senate will listen to consumers and members of their community and when they look to change this law, do it in a way that voters are comfortable with and do it in a way that protects consumers and protects jobs.”

Employee unions say the law remains popular with the public for a reason and, if anything, the item pricing law should be more strongly enforced.

The state could be headed toward a two-year budget cycle.

Governor Rick Snyder and many lawmakers say they need to start thinking farther into the future when putting together a budget.

However, creating a two-year budget cycle would require an amendment to the Michigan Constitution. The Legislature would have to put it on the ballot for voters to approve.

State Senator John Proos says that could and should happen, but it will take time. He says in the meantime lawmakers can create a two-year projection:

"That’s something that every year instead of scrambling to fix a budget hole and not really telling the whole story about what our budget will look like out into the future, this will give us the time instead to say our revenue picture and expenditure picture is going to look like X. Once we’ve made that determination, then we can say are we actually getting value for the tax dollars that we’re spending."

Proos is expected to introduce a measure that would amend the constitution to create a two-year budget cycle as well as a part-time Legislature.

Proos says for now it’s important to complete work on the budget by Governor Snyder’s May 31st deadline.

In case you missed it, Newsweek Magazine put out a Top Ten list last Friday. This top ten list was called "American's Dying Cities."

There's nothing like a provocative headline to get people to peek in.

For Michigan, it's the usual suspects: Flint and Detroit.

But many will be surprised that Grand Rapids also made the list.

No doubt about it, there are many urban areas around the country that are in decay. The question is, how do you measure the decay?

The writers at Newsweek said they looked at the latest census numbers (it's difficult to tell who at Newsweek looked at the numbers because there's no byline as far as I can tell):

We used the most recent data from the Census Bureau on every metropolitan area with a population exceeding 100,000 to find the 30 cities that suffered the steepest population decline between 2000 and 2009. Then, in an attempt to look ahead toward the future of these regions, we analyzed demographic changes to find which ones experienced the biggest drop in the number of residents under 18. In this way, we can see which cities may have an even greater population decline ahead due to a shrinking population of young people.

It's also difficult to tell which direction this list goes.

The cities are listed in their scrolling widget in one direction, and in their "view all" list in the opposite direction. So, for what's it's worth, here's the list (from their "view all" view):

1. Grand Rapids, Michigan
2. Flint, Michigan
3. South Bend, Indiana
4. Detroit, Michigan
5. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
6. Cleveland, Ohio
7. Rochester, New York
8. Hialeah, Florida
9. Vallejo, California
10. New Orleans, Louisiana
    

Detroit Police have identified 38-year-old Lamar Moore as the man who wounded four officers with a shotgun at a northwest Detroit precinct Sunday.

Officers returned fire, killing Moore. The four wounded officers survived and are doing well.

Detroit Police Chief Ralph Godbee says police know one of Moore’s relatives is set to be sentenced for a double homicide, and was also a suspect in another crime.

But Godbee says it’s still too early to speculate about a motive.

“To get into this individual’s mind…I wouldn’t venture to do that. Suffice it to say we still have a lot of investigative work to do.”

Godbee says the department will immediately put metal detectors and other “interim security measures” in precincts.

He says the department will also mount a comprehensive investigation into new security protocols in the wake of the shooting.

Update 11:30 a.m.:

Steve Carmody called in with this update from the news conference:

GM announced that it will add 750 jobs to its Flint Assembly Plant by adding a third shift. No new hires will be made. The pool of workers will come from two places:

1. people being reactivated from various layoff pools
2. workers who would like to return to Flint after they were transferred to another plant

10:21 a.m.:

GM is planning a news conference at 10:30am this morning.

Update: 11:07 a.m.:

The Detroit Free Press has an update on the shooting at a Detroit police station yesterday:

Police today identified the man they say shot four officers in the Detroit Police Department’s Northwestern District Sunday as Lamar Deshea Moore.

Detroit Police Chief Ralph Godbee Jr said they don't know what the shooter's motive was. The police chief said Lamar Deshea Moore has a relative who is being prosecuted on murder charges today.

Godbee said security changes will be made at the station.

Here's where the police station is located:

View Larger Map

More signs that China's economy is growing.

The Associated Press reports:

General Motors says it sold more cars and trucks in China last year than it did in the U.S. for the first time in its 102-year history.

The company sold 2.35 million vehicles in China. That's about 136,000 more than it sold in the U.S.

The AP report says GM sold 2.35 million vehicles in China - 136,000 more vehicles than it sold in the U.S. in 2010.

The country's population is 4 times bigger than the U.S. population (according to World Bank numbers):

• China's population: 1,331,460,000
• U.S. population: 307,006,550