MICHIGAN NEWS BRIEFS: 2 men arrested; one faces drug charges

T wo men arrested last week by Hamtramck Police are suspects in an alleged scam in Southfield in which two men posed as plain-clothes police officers and convinced people to give them money, Southfield Police said.

The incident happened Oct. 10 in Southfield.

Hamtramck Police arrested Aaron Shannon, 44, of Pine Bluff, Ark. and another man, 56, of Detroit on Oct. 24 as they drove the car that witnesses said was used in the alleged con jobs.

The men were dressed in suits and had police badges -- a Michigan State Police shield and a star -- and a police scanner on in their white, four-door Cadillac, Hamtramck Detective Jackie Crachiola said.

When the men were arrested, there were drugs in the car, police say.

The men were suspected of flimflamming a Hamtramck man and taking $10,000 from him. The man could not identify the men who conned him.

Shannon, who is being held in the Wayne County Jail, was charged with a drug offense. His bond was set at $35,000.

If convicted, he could serve up to 2 years and face fines of as much as $3,000. He is due back in court Thursday.

The other man was not charged and was released.

Crachiola said police from Detroit and Grand Rapids have inquired about the men in connection with similar schemes. By Frank Witsil

OAKLAND
PBS special to explore MEAP tests, federal act
An upcoming PBS special will focus on the Michigan Education Assessment Program (MEAP) and the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

Ernie Bauer, a MEAP expert for Oakland Schools, was interviewed for the program, which will air at 8 p.m. Nov. 19 on PBS stations across Michigan, including WTVS-TV (Channel 56) in Detroit.

Bauer said the program, titled "MEAP: Left Behind?" focuses on the impact MEAP will have in light of the federal act. For instance, schools that fail to meet standards for five consecutive years are in jeopardy of being restructured into charter schools, he said.

"The intent of tests like MEAP is to ensure schools are delivering state benchmarks and state standards," Bauer said.

Currently, 760 Michigan elementary and middle schools are on a list of schools that are failing to meet state standards. By Teresa Mask