Dems' crammed agenda comes to a halt • Amazon scam warning • What's behind low reading scores in Detroit

THURSDAY NEWS HIT - Packages and the holidays go hand-in-hand, but beware of what's arriving at your porch because it could be a scam.

Police around the United States, including here in Michigan, are issuing warnings about the latest scheme, calling brushing scams.

Brushing scams involve packages not ordered by the victim, typically from Amazon. These packages have the recipients' address and tend to either have no return address or say they are from a known seller.

According to police, these packages contain a QR code inside them that recipients may scan to see who the sender was. However, the website that the victim is directed to can be used to steal the victim's personal information.

If you receive a package addressed to you that you didn't order, it is OK to open it and keep whatever was inside. However, do not scan any QR codes that may be in the package. 

Democrats' crammed agenda comes to a halt

Protesting Republicans, absent Democrats, and a massive logjam of legislation in Lansing has paralyzed any hope of further lawmaking amid frustration with priorities and the Michigan House Speaker.

The chaos echoing from within the halls of the state capital may be the exclamation mark on a lame duck period that has brewed consternation among some Democrats upset with leader Joe Tate.

"That's why we're not coming in. It's crazy - the backwards priorities," said Republican Matt Hall, who will assume leadership of the chamber.

Hall led Republicans in a walk-out over Democrats legislating for the second time this week. Normally sitting on the right side of the aisle, they instead levied their grievances from a nearby sports bar titled The Nuthouse.

But even without Republicans, Tate had issues in his own party after Detroit Rep. Karen Whitsett stayed home, telling the speaker she would not return to the Michigan House until he allocated more money to local districts.

Whitsett's absence meant Democrats didn't have enough lawmakers for a quorum, stalling any further lawmaking.

There were also issues in the Michigan Senate, where Sen. Sylvia Santana boycotted the session over what she says is a lack of attention from Democrats to problems in cities. 

Roseville school employee on leave after past allegations

A Roseville Community Schools employee is on leave after allegations of abuse from years ago.

A former student accused them of abuse dating back to 2016 at Westside Christian Academy in Detroit.

"Please understand that no determination of wrongdoing has been made. We are simply investigating the allegations to understand what has occurred," read a statement.

Detroit Police are overseeing the case after being contacted by Roseville police, the department said.

"We opened the case and are investigating and doing due diligence now," the department said.

So far, the investigation has not led to any professional misconduct allegations during the employee's time at Roseville. 

Consumers Energy wants to raise prices

Consumers Energy is seeking a gas rate increase.

The utility company asked the Michigan Public Service Commission for a $248 million hike, just months after getting a $35 million increase.

In its filing to the MPSC, the company said it needs the money to upgrade its infrastructure.

The rate request "critical capital" improvements that will "provide customers safe, reliable, affordable, and increasingly clean natural gas service."

Among the components that need funding is its infrastructure programs for replacing old equipment, rehabilitating gas wells, maintaining its storage fields, as well as regulatory compliance. 

District works to improve reading scores as Detroit students tail state levels

According to the latest data from DPSCD, 15.9% of students between grades 3 and 8 are proficient in English language arts. That number is 1.3% higher than last year – but still well below the state average of about 44%.

The answer to why students are behind is not yet fully known. According to Superintendent Dr. Nikolai Vitti, the solution will need a broad approach and the students shouldn't be judged by the stats.

"Our students are much more talented than those numbers," Vitti said.

One of the biggest facts is absenteeism and truancy. Getting kids to class is a big factor as they'll improve their scores by three or five times by missing less school.

There has been progress overall in the schools but some grades are falling behind – particularly in third-grade reading proficiency.

That declined slightly by less than a percentage point in the past year with 11.7% of third-graders reading at or above grade level.

DPSCD undertook a multi-year plan to improve reading by changing the curriculum and hiring more people with college degrees to work with students one-on-one. The district also added more after-school and summer programs.

The district received over $90 million from a right-to-read settlement to bolster literacy education. The after-school literacy tutoring program is giving a boost as well, according to school board member Sherry Gay Dagnogo.

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Daily Forecast

Snow arrives late today, and will continue into the Friday morning drive.

What else we're watching

1. A Michigan man pleaded guilty this week after plotting to shoot and kill gay people. Mack Davis, 22, of Owosso, admitted that he was planning shootings at a political party headquarters and bar because he associated those locations with LGBTQ+ people.
2. A driver's vehicle was shot numerous times during a road rage incident Wednesday morning on the Southfield Freeway in Detroit. The victim wasn't hurt after another driver fired shots at him near Schoolcraft.
3. A father in Lincoln Park is in need of help after he nearly died when he suffered an asthma attack. Dean Blackburn has spent the past three weeks in the hospital, but the road to recovery is uncertain.
4. People were advised to avoid an area of the University of Michigan between North Campus Research Complex and the University of MI Transportation Research Institute after a person threatened self-harm Wednesday night before an all-clear was given.
5. A woman was reunited with her emotional support snake after she thought it was lost following a crash on I-94 in Chelsea.

Alleged CEO killer Luigi Mangione to appear in court

Alleged CEO killer Luigi Mangione is scheduled to appear inside a Pennsylvania courtroom this morning, where he's expected to waive extradition – which could bring him back to New York later today.

Mangione faces a slew of new charges in a new indictment unsealed Tuesday. He has two hearings scheduled for this morning at the Blair County Courthouse.

Mangione was indicted on Tuesday in New York City and faces a slew of charges, including first-degree murder and murder as an act of terrorism, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced at a news conference that same day.

Mangione was already charged with murder in the Dec. 4 killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, but the murder as an act of terrorism charge is new.

Under New York law, such a charge can be brought when an alleged crime is "intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population, influence the policies of a unit of government by intimidation or coercion and affect the conduct of a unit of government by murder, assassination or kidnapping," the Associated Press reports.