News@noon: Missing pimp, Mo Pop and more
Today is Wednesday, March 22, 2017, and we've got an update on the Victory Inn.
The alleged pimp in charge of an operation that enslaved 14 women and turned the Detroit motel into a drug-ridden brothel is convicted killer Darrick Dernard Bell, The Detroit News has learned. And he's on the run.
Bell, 48, is a six-time felon known as “Tone,” who has managed to elude federal investigators since Jan. 12, when almost 200 law-enforcement personnel raided the Victory Inn in one of the largest federal sweeps in Detroit history.
Read the full report from Robert Snell.
Here's what else we're following up on today:
From Russia with conspiracy
- President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, secretly worked for a Russian billionaire to advance the interests of Russian President Vladimir Putin a decade ago and proposed an ambitious political strategy to undermine anti-Russian opposition across former Soviet republics, The Associated Press has learned.
- The work appears to contradict assertions by the Trump administration and Manafort himself that he never worked for Russian interests.
Next on health care
- Most Republicans in Michigan’s congressional delegation plan to support the GOP repeal of the Affordable Care Act when the House votes this week, although GOP Rep. Justin Amash of west Michigan will vote no.
President Donald Trump went to Capitol Hill Tuesday to meet with the 237 House Republicans. Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, can afford to lose only 21 GOP votes to pass the legislation with 216 Republican votes.
Most Michigan Republican lawmakers don’t appear to be persuaded by Gov. Rick Snyder, who wrote this week to delegation members warning that the House GOP plan “will adversely impact” Michigan’s most vulnerable citizens and may lead to significant cost increases for seniors.
Who's tracking you?
Google Maps users will soon be able to broadcast their movements to friends and family via the app — the latest test of how much privacy people are willing to sacrifice in an era of rampant sharing.
The location-monitoring feature will begin rolling out Wednesday in an update to the Google Maps mobile app, which is already installed on most of the world’s smartphones. It will also be available on personal computers.
Meningitis verdict reached
- A verdict has been reached in the trial of a Massachusetts pharmacy co-founder charged in a nationwide meningitis outbreak that killed 64 people and sickened 700 others in 2012.
- Barry Cadden was acquitted of 25 counts of second-degree murder, but he was convicted of racketeering.
Mo Pop returns
Alt-J, Foster the People, Run the Jewels and Solange are among the artists that have been tapped for the fifth annual Mo Pop Festival, July 29 and 30 at Detroit’s West Riverfront Park. Tyler the Creator, Phantogram,Vance Joy, Wavves, Amine, Pvris and Arkells are also on the lineup for the two-day outdoor festival. Get all the details.
How many cans is that?
Authorities say a man illegally brought loads of beverage containers from Indiana to Michigan as part of a scam to get bottle deposit money. John Custer Woodfill owes $400,000 in restitution.
A dating resume
Michigan State University student Joey Adams was having a pretty bad day. He asked out a girl who eventually rejected him. “She asked if I had a dating resume,” he said. “I didn’t have one, so she told me no.”
So the 21-year-old made himself a dating resume and shared it online last week after a woman posted on the university’s class of 2018 Facebook page saying her roommate needed a date for a formal. The resume included hobbies and what he looks for in a romantic partner. he result: he's received dozens of phone calls and the adoration of the internet.
Today's letter is 'U' for unemployed
- If Donald Trump succeeds in defunding public broadcasting, what will happen to the beloved characters of 'Sesame Street?' A viral online video imagines what it would be like if Elmo got fired.
Puppy power
- A former shelter dog in the Upper Peninsula is being credited with saving the life of a 3-year-old girl who was found naked and alone in freezing weather.
Detroit News at noon is a daily roundup of the most talked-about stories on detroitnews.com. For more anytime, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter, Instagram (@detroitnews), Snapchat (Search for "Detroitnews") and LinkedIn.