Detroit IT Director Pleads Guilty to Bribery Charges; ‘Porn Dog’ Deployed in Columbus
The Spirit of Detroit sculpture outside the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center in downtown Detroit. Shutterstock
Connecting state and local government leaders
Also in our State and Local Daily Digest: South Side Chicago food deserts; a new governor’s mansion in North Dakota; and an ‘After School Satan’ program in Portland.
DETROIT, MICHIGAN
PUBLIC CORRUPTION | The city of Detroit’s former director of IT services pleaded guilty on Tuesday to federal charges of accepting nearly $30,000 in bribes from two companies with technology contracts with the city. Charles Dodd, who had worked for the city since December 2007, had resigned on Monday and worked out a plea deal with the U.S. Justice Department. That plea deal and a transcript of the proceedings were sealed. “The city will begin proceedings to determine whether the companies should be permanently debarred as a vendor and the law department is reviewing all possible legal remedies against the vendors,” according to Detroit’s corporation counsel. The IT firms involved were not identified. [The Detroit News]
COLUMBUS, OHIO
LAW ENFORCEMENT | Police dogs can sniff out drugs, explosives and decaying bodies. But dogs can be specially trained to detect a specific odor that can help nab those who are hiding child pornography. In the Columbus area, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department has a new police dog, a 17-month-old Labrador retriever named Ruger, that can sniff out a smell associated with flash drives, often used by criminals to store child pornography. A similarly trained dog was used to find evidence being hidden by Jared Fogle, the former Subway spokesman. There are fewer than a dozen of these specially trained dogs in the United States. [Columbus Dispatch]
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
FOOD DESERTS | Mayor Rahm Emanuel is set to cut the ribbon today on a Whole Foods Market in Englewood, on the South Side of Chicago. The project, which was taxpayer subsidized, is his highest profile move to fight food deserts in the city. Thanks to negotiations with Emanuel, the store will be tweaking its pricing, stocking goods from local vendors and working with the City Colleges of Chicago to hire students. But, even after the mayor changed his definition of what exactly a food desert is—in part to make it easier to show progress—his administration is far from its goals. In fact, the new Whole Foods isn’t even located in a food desert. An Aldi has long sat just a couple of blocks away. [Chicago Tribune]
BISMARCK, NORTH DAKOTA
OFFICIAL RESIDENCES | Preliminary construction for a new governor’s mansion is starting this week in North Dakota’s capital city. Last year, state lawmakers OK’d the use of $4 million from a state Capitol Building Fund and $1 million in private donations for the new official residence, which will replace the current structure, which was completed in 1960. The new 13,600 square foot home is scheduled to open in November 2017, assuming that the foundation can be poured before the ground freezes. [The Bismarck Tribune]
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA
FIREFIGHTING | A collection of study materials for a Cal Fire exam that was a step toward promotions appears to have run afoul of strict state rules. A top commander for the agency—which fights wildfires in California—administered an online stash of test prep materials, and may have granted access to it to 10 junior ranking officers. The materials stood to provide an advantage over others at exam time. “It’s giving you all those answers. All you have to do is memorize,” said a former assistant chief who was familiar with the materials. The revelations come as Cal Fire is beginning a $4 million program to improve its professional standards. That effort was launched after an investigation found cheating, inappropriate sexual activity and on-the-job drinking at the agency’s academy. [The Sacramento Bee]
FRANKFORT, KENTUCKY
FLOOR COVERING | A carpet replacement in the office of Lt. Gov. Jenean Hampton at the Kentucky Capitol has cost the state $9,452.32. It wasn’t immediately clear how much floor space the carpet covers. But a spokesperson for the state Finance and Administration Cabinet said it was replaced because “there were several raised trip hazards and splits in the carpet” that could not be repaired. It’s not the first time Kentucky has footed the bill for a pricey carpet replacement. Former Gov. Steve Beshear got 679 square yards of new blue carpeting for his office suite in 2012. The price tag for it was $28,856. [Lexington Herald Leader]
PORTLAND, OREGON
PUBLIC EDUCATION | A campaign called “After School Satan,” to get programing designed by the Satanic Temple into public schools has been successful in at least one elementary school in Portland. Starting on October 19, the Portland chapter will lead the after school club focused “on science and rational thinking” at Sacramento Elementary School. Meetings will be held once a month at the same time as the “Good News Club,” a program put on by the Child Evangelism Fellowship. [The Oregonian]
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