Detroit Local News - ABC News Radio

Family Rescued from House Fire on Detroit's East Side

2013-05-22T17:16:34Z

(DETROIT) -- A fire on Detroit's east side on Wednesday morning has left three people, including two children, hospitalized.

The blaze broke out at a home on the 800 block of Navahoe Street. Fire crews responded to the scene and helped to rescue a woman and two children from the burning structure, published reports stated.

The victims were taken to area hospitals in unknown condition.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

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Denso Executives to Serve Prison Time for Price Fixing

2013-05-22T15:40:23Z

(WASHINGTON) -- Two executives from the DENSO Corporation will serve time in prison after agreeing to plead guilty to being involved in international conspiracies to fix prices and rig bids on certain automotive components installed in cars in the U.S.

According to the Department of Justice, Yuji Suzuki, a senior manager in the company's Toyota sales division, has agreed to serve 16 months in prison, pay a $20,000 fine, and cooperate in the ongoing investigation into the issue.

Similarly, Hiroshi Watanabe, a group leader at the Toyota sales division, has agreed to spend 15 months in prison, pay a $20,000 fine and also cooperate in the investigation.

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Former Detroit Library Official Charged with Accepting Bribes

2013-05-22T13:28:49Z

(DETROIT) -- The former Chief Administrative and Technology Officer of the Detroit Public Library was charged with taking over $1 million in bribes.

Timothy Cromer, who worked for the library from 2006 until earlier this year, is accused of helping a pair of contractors set up businesses and win contracts with the library worth over $4 million, according to the Detroit Free Press. Cromer allegedly received kickbacks of approximately $1.4 million.

Cromer faces 21 charges, each with a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The Free Press reports that the Detroit Public Library closed two of its branches and terminated nearly 20 percent of their employees in the past two years due to a massive budget deficit in 2011.

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Standoff Ends After Man Found Dead Inside Detroit Home

2013-05-21T17:22:11Z

(DETROIT) -- A police standoff that began at a Detroit home on Monday night, ended early Tuesday morning with a man being found dead inside the home.

Police say bail bondsmen went to a home on Elm Street to serve an arrest warrant around 9 p.m. Monday, when a man barricaded himself inside the home and refused to come out, reported the Detroit News. The warrant was reportedly for a suspect wanted for attempted murder.

Over four hours later, officers entered the home and found the suspect dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, police told the newspaper.

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Officials Propose 'OK-2-SAY' Tip Hotline for Schools

2013-05-21T17:05:32Z

(LANSING, Mich.) -- State officials have announced on Tuesday a proposal to create a hotline aimed at preventing violence in schools.

Attorney General Bill Schuette and other state officials announced a proposal to create the "OK-2-SAY" hotline. According to the state, the hotline and educational student safety initiative will offer an outlet for confidential tip-sharing by students, parents, school officials, and others, to alert authorities about threats to schools.

The initiative is scheduled to be in place in time for the upcoming 2013-2014 academic year.

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Invasive Insect Pest Threatens Michigan Hemlock Trees

2013-05-21T13:39:40Z

(LANSING, Mich.) -- The Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development warns Michigan residents to watch out for a tiny invasive insect that can decimate hemlock tree populations.

The hemlock woolly adelgid, or HWA, is described as a “tiny, aphid-like insect.” HWA are not usually found in Michigan, though it has been spotted in the past, each time doing serious damage to hemlock trees.

“[HWA] damages hemlock trees by inserting its mouthparts into the base of the needles and removing plant fluids," explained Gina Alessandri, director of MDARD's Pesticide and Plant Pest Management Division in a statement. "This feeding activity results in needle loss, reduced twig growth, dieback and death. HWA can kill an entire tree in as few as three years."

In the past when the pest has been found in Michigan, the department has had to remove and destroy infected tress, treat nearby trees and conduct thorough surveys afterwards to ensure that the destructive bug is gone.

The HWA, first discovered in Virginia in 1951, makes its way to the state mainly through imported hemlocks in the landscape trade.

The department notes that HWA are most easily found in spring, and advises anyone with hemlocks on their property to examine them for the presence of white cottony masses on the underside of the outermost branch tips where the needles attach.

The department asks anyone who spots HWA to immediately call MDARD's Customer Service Center at (800) 292-3939 or via email at MDA-Info@michigahn.gov and report it.

Free Hunting and Fishing Licenses for Military Members

2013-05-20T16:10:26Z

(LANSING, Mich.) -- Michigan's Department of Natural Resources is offering free hunting and fishing licenses to state residents who are in the military.

The department says active-duty military members who enlisted as Michigan residents, and have maintained residence status, are eligible to obtain annual free Michigan fishing or hunting licenses, for which a lottery is not required.

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Former Department of Human Services Staffer Pleads Guilty to Welfare Fraud

2013-05-20T13:36:03Z

(LANSING, Mich.) -- A former worker at the Department of Human Services pleaded guilty on Wednesday to two felonies for her role in welfare fraud, according to a Monday News release.

The worker, 46-year-old Dawn Simmons of Belleville, Mich., processed false claims for assistance in her brother’s name while she was working as an eligibility specialist at the DHS from September 2009 through February 2012. She used her coworkers’ computers to file the claims. Simmons claimed he lived at her address and collected $19,832.74 in fraudulently obtained benefits over the years.

The Special Investigations Unit of the Office of Inspector General at the Department of Human Services investigated and caught Simmons, and turned the information over to the attorney general’s for criminal prosecution. Simmons placed on unpaid leave in December, 2012 after criminal charges were filed.

Simmons pleaded guilty to one count of false pretenses and one count of fraudulent access to a computer, both felonies that could earn her five years in prison. She also must pay back the $19,832.74 she fraudulently obtained.

"Any public servants who abuse the public trust to defraud the Michigan taxpayers will be held accountable,” said Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette.

Simmons is scheduled to be sentenced on June 26.

Amber Alert Issued as Police Search for Missing 3-Year-Old

2013-05-20T11:52:17Z

(DETROIT) -- An Amber Alert has been issued as police search for a missing 3-year-old girl from Detroit.

Missing is Alonna Anderson. Police said in published reports that an individual took the girl from a home in the area of Northfield Avenue and Interstate 96 on Sunday night, while her father Stacey Anderson allegedly assaulted her mother.

The child is described as a Black female, about three feet tall and weighing around 48 pounds, with brown eyes and black hair.

Stacey Anderson and the other suspect are believed to be traveling in an older model green Jeep Cherokee.

Anyone with information on the child's whereabouts is asked to contact police at (313) 596-2200.

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Michigan's Unemployment Rate Down a Notch

2013-05-17T14:40:04Z

(LANSING, Mich.) -- Michigan's employment situation improved slightly in April, as the state's unemployment rate inched downward during the month.

The state's Department of Technology, Management and Budget reports that Michigan's unemployment rate fell to 8.4 percent in April from 8.5 percent the previous month.

The national unemployment rate for April was 7.5 percent, down from 7.6 percent in March.

Economists had expected that figure to remain unchanged.

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