Heartbreak after son's murder in elevator • Paul Whelan moved to hospital • ShotSpotter lawsuit

THURSDAY NEWS HIT - Paul Whelan, the wrongfully imprisoned Novi man who has been incarcerated in Russia for the past three years has been moved to a hospital prison, his brother said. 

David Whelan said the information came from staff at a labor camp where Paul was imprisoned. No reason was given for the move, worrying David who said Paul hasn't complained about any health issues that would require hospitalization.

In a statement, David said Paul always tells his family when he's being transferred to the hospital. "It has usually been without his request or need for medical attention," he said. 

Paul was most recently in contact with his family on Nov. 23. 

"If Paul's at the prison hospital, why is he being prohibited from making phone calls that every prisoner is allowed to make? Is he unable to make calls? Or is he really still at IK-17 (the labor camp) but he's been put in solitary and the prison is hiding that fact."

Paul is serving a 16-year prison sentence after he was convicted by a Russian court on espionage charges. 

When asked by the White House, a spokesman for the National Security Council said it was the first time anyone at the U.S. had heard about Whelan's status. However, in a follow-up statement given to CNN, a State Department spokesman said they were aware Whelan had been recently moved and was unable to call home over the holiday.

Both Whelan and Brittney Griner, the WNBA star who was convicted of drug charges, have become part of a larger international tension between the U.S. and Russia. The latter has become an international pariah after it invaded Ukraine.

A prisoner swap is said to still be on the table for Griner and Whelan, with convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout considered as someone the U.S. would trade for both prisoners.

Detroit City Council sued over ShotSpotter contract

Several law firms have sued the Detroit City Council over its approval of a $7 million expansion of the controversial ShotSpotter technology that detects gunshots and aids police. The groups say the governing body failed to follow city ordinances when it voted on the contract and thus it should be voided.

The city council renewed its current $1.5 million contract with ShotSpotter in September, later expanding it two weeks later. But according to the lawsuit, which was filed by the Detroit Justice Center, Sugar Law Center for Economic and Social Justice, and Schulz Law PLC, the city wasn't transparent and didn't involve the community in the vote. 

According to one ordinance concerning civilian input, the city is required to review the potential impacts of surveillance technology and release it to the public at least two weeks before it's discussed.

The city council says the lawsuit is without merit.

Belle Isle's new EV chargers 

The electric vehicle chargers coming to Belle Isle will be some of the best on the market, capable of charging a car in 30 minutes. But the speed comes with a pricey up-front cost close to $450,000 to install. 

Each fast charger costs about $80,000, much more than the chargers being installed at other DNR-operated parks around the state. The agency intends to build 30 charging stations at different state parks as the state hopes to ramp up its electric vehicle infrastructure. 

The project manager of the Belle Isle work, Diatomic Energy, said the high cost is worth the money because they're "future-proofing" the station for new electric vehicles yet to hit the market.

Sean Friday, who works at the firm, said drivers can expect to pay about a dollar per kWh at the station.

Mother heartbroken after son killed in elevator dispute

Rosalind Hearst said life feels more like a dream that she can't wake up from after her 29-year-old son was shot and killed following a dispute at an elevator. According to police, Ariel Harris was gunned down after not holding the elevator open for someone. 

Police are searching for the suspect after the fatal shooting at the International Banquet Center in Greektown Sunday. Identified as Gayelon Spencer, the suspected gunman was reportedly upset that a group of women were allowed to get on first.

"My son was just being a gentleman, letting the females get on the elevator first. And you kill him over that?" Heart said. Harris was with his younger brother and the mother of his children when he was shot.

Officers rushed Harris to the hospital where he later died. He leaves behind two sons, a 9-year-old and a 3-year-old.

Teen arrested after 2 students shot outside Detroit's Henry Ford High School

A teen is in custody after two Henry Ford High School students were shot after school last week. According to a statement from the Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD), it is believed that the teen was "directly involved with the shooting."

The suspect, who does not attend school in the Detroit district, was arrested on the city's west side.

The drive-by shooting happened after school was dismissed at about 3:40 p.m. Nov. 21. A police lieutenant who was at the school at the time as is customary during dismissal heard the gunshots. White said he rushed over to the victim and found a 16-year-old student with two gunshot wounds.

The second student was found further down the street. They also had been struck twice.

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Daily Forecast

The wind is expected to lighten up, but the cold should stick around through the week. A slight blip in temperatures will come back down by the end of the weekend.

What else we're watching

1. A Michigan State University trustee has stepped down from the board with years left on his term. He cited displeasure over the ouster of the business school dean and the process of selecting an interim president following the resignation of Samuel Stanley Jr.
2. 40,000 Michigan residents have died from the COVID-19, the state health department said. That includes 113 people over the past week - an indication of just has present the pandemic still is even as attention moves elsewhere.
3. Protests are ramping up against a plan to build an open-air concrete crushing operation in Detroit. Worries over whether the material will make the surrounding air difficult to breathe have dogged the plan, arguing it will bring "poisonous concrete dust, toxic water runoff, and 10-60 dump trucks a day to the site."
4. Oakland County is testing wastewater for polio. The CDC said it had been in touch with health departments in Michigan and Pennsylvania in a hope to track any potential cases of the disease.
5. Detroit Police are holding their latest auction of cars, trucks, ATVs and more. Check out what's available here.

Egypt calls on British Museum to return The Rosetta stone

The debate over who owns ancient artifacts has been an increasing challenge to museums across Europe and America, and the spotlight has fallen on the most visited piece in the British Museum: The Rosetta stone.

The inscriptions on the dark grey granite slab became the seminal breakthrough in deciphering ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics after it was taken from Egypt by forces of the British empire in 1801.

Now, as Britain's largest museum marks the 200-year anniversary of the decipherment of hieroglyphics, thousands of Egyptians are demanding the stone’s return.