sded„( Mtestlanft ©bscruer VOLUME 28 NUMBER 95 MONDAY, MAY IO, 1993 • WESTLAND, MICHIGAN • 44 PAGES FIFTY CENTS 1993 Suburban Communications Corporation IN THE PAPER III mourn loss of Crowley's r •» ,n 11 - Shoppers at the Crowley's store liked its convenience school district teacher. nesses. and values, but the company is having financial prob­ Her husband, James, a 'former They were among shoppers in the TODAY Nankin Mills school board member, store to take, advantage, of discounts lems. The planned closing will leave the retail strip added that .he is also unhappy about offered by Crowley's to sell as much with two vacancies in a six-unit center. the planned closing because it leaves inventory as possible before the doors • fast-food restaurants without any top close late next month. Mother of the Year: Mary Ann BY LEONARD POGER the store." . stores. Scott Veldhuis, the city of West- Clos of Westland was picked EDITOR She also displayed her Crowley's Another shopper, • Garden City's land's .economic development direc­ Mother of the Year by the Right to Local shoppers said they are "dis­ "frequent .shopper" discount' card Judy Patterson, accompanying her tor, said Crowley's opened its West- tressed" or just plain disappointed at which entitles her to $10 gift certifi­ granddaughter, said she 'is "very dis­ land store in 1986 with the help of a Life/Lifespan organization./?.k the plarined closing of the Crowley's cates to demonstrate her patronage of appointed" about the planned clos­ $2 million loan approved by the city's store on Ford and Wildwood. the store. ing, scheduled for late next month. economic development corporation. One woman, Eleanor Collins of The store, in the Wildwood Plaza, Mrs. Patterson liked Crowley's be­ But he noted that the EDC was mere- Crowds galore: There were plen­ Westland, even bought a basket of was also very convenient, said Col­ cause it was close to her home and ty of shoppers to look for bargains "bright yellow tulips to remind me of lins, a retired Wayne-Westland sfie prefers to shop at nearby busi­ See CROWLEY'S, 4A at the Meijer SourceClub member­ ship club, which opened Wednes­ day. /3A Seasonal message delivered MALLS & MAINSTREETS Home with a view: "You'd pay big bucks for a place with a view like this in Chicago or New York," says a recent home buyer who backs up to the proposed new Somerset II shopping center./6A COUNTY NEWS Bailing out?: An area Republican senator threatens to withdraw support from Proposal A, as a new twist in the state aid bill robs local districts. /7A OPINION Open season: It was open season on tourists in northern Michigan STAFF PHOTOS BY ART EMAKUELE recently when a power outage due 'Injured' seniors: A sobering message was given high school seniors as Terri Clark has simulated, blood iprayed on, to weather conditions brought her "senior prom gown" by a makeup artist as part of the mock accident at Wayne Memorial High School: folks together. Jeff Counts takes a look at what happened./lOA Seniors get TASTE Shake salt: May is National sobering message High Blood Pressure Month. Local high school seniors received • Other classmates were Learn how to lower the amount of a visible message this month: Don't either "killed" or "in­ sodium in your diet without sacri­ get killed by a drinking driver dur­ ing the annual prom and graduation jured" In the crash. ficing flavor. /IB season which opened this month. To make the point perfectly clear, Taste Buds: Late, but not forgot­ the Students Against Drunk Drivers city of Wayne police and fire depart­ (SADD) chapter at Wayne Memori­ ments as well as the Palace Theater ten, Chef Larry Janes presents a al High School staged a "fatal" auto Company, a private, non-profit or­ belated Mother's Day tribute to accident involving students attend­ ganization which provided theater his favorite cook — momma./lB ing the senior prom. paint and special effects to make the "Be careful on prom night" was accident look more realistic. the basic message relayed to stu­ The theater group, whose primary dents at an assembly and the mock purpose is to raise money for the STREET SCENE accident which followed, said princi­ restoration of the historic Palace pal Ronald Stratton. "Know who Theater in downtown Wayne, also you're riding with and don't ride; was in the audience for the "acci­ with, drivers who have been drink- dent" scene, in the school's Glen- ing. wood parking lot. The SADD chapter had plenty of help for the demonstration from the '.'•:'.' See MESSAGE, 4A Schools urged to keep sixth hour, sports BY MARIE CHESTNEY "I've been waiting eight years for together a best-case scenario wherein Wednesday's public hearing, sub­ On target: Psycho Cafe has but STAFF WRITER my kid to get to high school to play cuts could be limited to $3 million if stantially less than the number who two career goals musically — to be Livonia school district residents varsity sports, and now you're telling Proposal A passes on June 2. This attended last year's hearing when the made two points at a budget public me he can't play. I'm not happy." scenario restores both the sixth hour district began its first year of major the biggest local band and sign the hearing: The two cuts are just a small part and varsity sports. program cuts. best record deal. And with the help • Don't cut the sixth hour next year of $12 million in program and staff Sandi Doyle said the low atten­ of producer Gary Spaniola, the for middle and high school students. cuts that could take place next year Debate tonight dance was due to "total disgust," not • Don't cut varsity athletics. under a worst-case scenario put to­ to apathy. group is zooming in on both./SB "You can't cut the sixth hour," said gether by the administration. Under At 6:30 tonight (Monday), the "People think the school board will David Marshall. "Competition for this scenario, the district, which school board begins three nights of do what it wants to do, regardless of jobs is getting tougher. If we can't serves the northern section of West- debate on both the administration's what we say," Doyle said. INDEX give our kids a good high school edu­ land, issued layoff notices last week proposed budget and on whether to The district must adopt its budget cation, they won't get a good college to 231 teachers. endorse Proposal A. education. The administration also has put Fewer than 200 residents attended See SCHOOLS, 4A Classifieds . B-D Obituaries . 9A Auto .... B-D Personals .... 8B Employment . .C Street Scene . 6B Real estate . .B,C Sports 1C Special athletes en band, travel group and the Hawaiian exercise Crossword . 9B Taste IB dance class. Sylvia Wiacek-Kozorosky, senior re­ sources department director, said Mrs. Michalak Malls . 8A Two Westland athletes, Erika Benjamin and PLACES & FACES was nominated by her peers. Andy Siwarski, will compete in the 15th annual Michigan Victory Games, to be held May 20-23 at ball leagues. Keith DeMolay, YAA spokesman, HERE'S HOW TO REACH US Mt. Pleasant, for athletes with disabilities. said the number of players is 150 more than last Hudson's finest Winners will advance to the U.S. National Games year. The opening day ceremony was held at Cen­ tral City Park fields. set for Hartford, Conn., in June. Benjamin, 27, set J. L. Hudson's honored its high-performance Newsroom: 591-2300 the world's record in bicycling last summer at the employees at a recognition ceremony recently. In Paralympics in Barcelona, Spain. The Michigan Newsroom Fax: 591-7279 Top senior all, 127 were cited. From the Westland store, the events will be on the Central Michigan Unlveristy honorees and their departments were Rita Gra- Nightline/Sports: 953-2104 campus. Marguerite Michalak, 81 years young, has been ziotti, gift registry sales consultant; Margaret Reader Comment Line: 953-2042 the Westland Friendship Center's senior of the Horn, young men's area manager; Sandra Kasem, Classified Advertising: 591-0900 Play ball! month for May. A Westland resident for 49 years, visual presentation supervisor; Anna Miles, men's Display Advertising: 591-2300 she is a retired Wayne-Westland teacher who was sales consultant; Jane Smith, restaurant waitper- 591-0500 The Westland Youth Athletic Association at the former Cady School for 20 years. She has son; Vladimir Stchekine, furniture sales consult­ Home Delivery: opened its season Saturday morning for more than been a daily participant at the Friendship Center ant, and Helen Whitfield, women's shoes sales 850 boys and girls in the Softball, baseball and T- for 13 years and is a member of the center's kitch­ consultant. 2A(W) The Observer/ MONDAY, MAY 10,1993 Right to Life New post master i honors mother promises efficiency BY ANNE SULLIVAN Happy at home BY ANNE SULLIVAN STAFF WRITER STAFF WHITER She's happy in the decision she With 27 years of service in the Many may believe the tradi­ made and the life she lives. As a tional American family is dead Postal Service, and experience in stay at home mom, she acknowl­ both mail room operations and • but don't tell the' Clos family of edges she can't always buy for her Westland. administration, Florence Rich­ children everything their friends ardson has taken,over as post Mary Ann Clos. has spent the have. But to Clos, who has' tried master of the Westland post off­ last 27 years rearing a traditional to teach her children not to be ice.