Detroit mayor, ex-aide to be arraigned today

Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick — maintaining his business as usual approach in the face of criminal charges filed Monday against himself and his former chief of staff Christine Beatty — is scheduled to meet this morning with business and philanthropic leaders to discuss his Next Detroit neighborhood initiative.

The meeting is scheduled for 7:30 a.m. at the Detroit Athletic Club.

Later today at 1 p.m., the mayor and Beatty, who resigned her post effective Feb. 8 in the aftermath of a Free Press investigation reporting romantic test messages between the two that they had denied under oath, are scheduled to be arraigned in 36th District Court in Detroit. The two face a combined 12-count bill of information on charges of perjury, obstruction of justice and conspiracy.