U.S. Atty. Terrence Berg/doj photo

What did come were plenty complaints from the community that the feds were dragging their feet, and that it was hurting the city.

In March, Adolph Mongo, a Detroit political consultant and former aide to the late mayor Coleman A. Young, told the Detroit Free Press: “There’s a cloud over this city.”

“Whatever’s going to happen should have happened. People just want the shoe to drop.”

On Friday, the first shoe dropped when city council member Monica Conyers pleaded guilty to taking bribes in connection with a city sludge hauling contract. No more council members will be charged in connection with that contract.

But more public corruption indictments are expected later this year. Word is those indictments could come by October, according to sources.

Feeling the pressure to defend federal authorities for taking so long to come up with the first set of charges, U.S. Attorney Terrence Berg issued a statement on Friday:

“This investigation took just under two years from the time we first discovered the possibility of misconduct by Ms. Conyers until her plea of guilty today.

“This may seem like a long time to people who are not familiar with the complexity and difficulties of federal public corruption investigations, but the citizens of Detroit and of the whole Eastern District of Michigan deserved a thorough and fair investigation that would lead to a successful outcome.”

They look innocent enough. And that is what is scaring local and federal authorities.

By JOE LAMBE
The Kansas City Star
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Drugs shaped like Snoopy, Transformers and President Barack Obama’s head recently showed up on Kansas City area streets, adding to a trend that worries police and health experts.

Colorful Ecstasy pills started showing up last year shaped as Homer and Bart Simpson, Ninja Turtles and other characters. As more of the pills that look like vitamins or candy go out locally and nationwide, they put children at great risk, police and experts said.

“Someone leaves this around … kids pick them up and boom,” said H. Westley Clark, director of the federal Center for Substance Abuse Treatment.

The result could be seizures, a spiked blood pressure and heart rate and even death, he said.

Last month, Drug Enforcement Administration officials in Nevada sent out warnings that the cartoon pills were in Las Vegas. Dealers there call Ecstasy “Thizz” and market it to minors, the DEA warned. They also said they had found pills shaped like Ninja Turtles, Transformers and other Simpsons characters.

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