News@noon: Trump train, counterfeit lap dance

Today is Wednesday, May 18, 2016 and Detroit Public Schools interim emergency manager Steven Rhodes is meeting with the district’s elected school board for the first time today. After initially refusing to meet with the board, and then agreeing, only if it were private, he then changed his mind and agreed to the open meeting.

In addition to debt talks, the DPS bribery scandal is continuing to make it's way through court. Today, one former principal fired his attorney moments before he was scheduled to plead guilty and take a plea deal for his alleged role in a $2.7 million bribery and kickback scheme at the district.

So the question of the day is: What needs to be done to clean up DPS? Are things on the right track? Let us know in the comments or by tweeting us @detroitnews.

Here's what else is making news today:

The Trump train is coming to Michigan

• The Donald has set his sights on busting the Democratic Party's 20-year grip on our state's electoral votes. A top Trump aide said Sunday that the billionaire real estate mogul is targeting Michigan in a face-off against likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Trump successfully predicted in January that he would win the state’s March 8 Republican primary “because I protect the car industry.”
• Both Trump and Bernie Sanders won the primary last night in Oregon. But the Democratic race in Kentucky is still too close to call. 

Finally a good sign

• The Tigers have looked like they've been stifled lately, but yesterday they were finally able to roar (minus Brad Ausmus). The Tigers have packed crazy bursts and outbursts into a three-game winning streak after beating the Twins 7-2 Tuesday night. So have the tables turned for Detroit? Or is it too early to say?  At least the odds are finally coming up in Justin Upton's favor. 

Getting ahead of concussions

• New rules for the United States Soccer Federation set strict limits on youth players heading the ball, in an attempt to limit the risk of concussions. While some are praising the efforts, many, including parents of these young athletes are frustrated with the policy. 

Flint accountability 

• Two Michigan Department of Environmental municipal water regulators are in court in Flint to face a hearing on criminal charges in connection with the city’s lead-contaminated drinking water. Jennifer Chambers has the latest.

A failed system?

• Was Junior Pepper failed by the criminal justice system? When the 1-year-old died a year ago, Scott Jurewicz immediately became a suspect, said police. Jurewicz, who was dating Junior’s mother, was already under investigation in the death of another infant. As Francis Donnelly explains, Jurewicz, 28, was eventually charged in the earlier case, but it was too late for Junior. The arrest came one day after Junior’s death.

A counterfeit lap dance 

• A counterfeit $100 bill that was used to pay a stripper for a lap dance helped police discover a man's counterfeit money operation in his parent's basement. 

Reaching for the stars, landing on Mars

• Humans could set foot on Mars within decades if they wanted to, according to the German astronaut who has been tapped to become his country’s first commander of the International Space Station. Alexander Gerst, the 40-year-old volcanologist — an expert on volcanos, not the planet Vulcan from Star Trek — is scheduled to take command of the space station in May 2018, four years after his first mission.

Detroit News at noon is a daily roundup of some of the biggest stories on www.detroitnews.com. For more anytime, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter, Instagram (@detroitnews), Snapchat (Search for "Detroitnews") and LinkedIn.