• ** Mtt "*.kt*V«*« I *l ...I* -'s^. ray**' -*** 'jBKS>a*«!2g 3 hairdressers battle Gigantour draw* metalheads to Dl for top honor M FILTER - iNSERTED&CriQN September 21, 2006 75 cents WINNERS OF OVER 100 STATE AND NATIONAL www.hometownlife.com condo development BY DARRELL CLEM area where he has lived "much longer than most One day before Monday's meeting, residents STAFF WRITER What do you think about this story? of you have been in politics." had their own meeting at nearby Abundant E-mail your responses to City officials could find themselves in a court Life Church to discuss their plan of action. A newly formed Westland homeowners group [email protected]. battle over Maida's Woods. They could face a Jim Rubasky issued a prepared statement has blasted a proposed condominium project in lawsuit if they try to block the developer's plans early this week saying that residents want to I their neighborhood, saying it could intrude on a without legal justification, but Luckett protect what natural areas are left in wetlands area and threaten wildlife. Department of Environmental Quality can implied Monday that residents may file suit Westland — and the plants and animals that In a show of solidarity, about 25 residents review the 14-acre site. unless the project is rejected. live there. Monday night attended a Westland City Council Council President William Wild also prom­ The issue has prompted residents to form "When we take the V out of Westland, what meeting to oppose a developer's plans to build ised he will schedule.a study session on the pro­ the Westland Wetlands Conservancy Group, do we have? No wetlands left, if we continue 40 detached condos on the south side of Palmer posed development before the plan is revived and they said they will try to win support from with current city policy and enforcement," he Road, between John Hix and Hannan. for a vote. other environmental groups. said. "We are the voice for Mother Nature," said The latest developments left Judy Rubasky's Residents also are concerned about declin­ "It is time for a change," Rubasky added resident Judy Rubasky, member of the new husband, Jim, choking back tears as he ing property values, traffic congestion and later. "We must be the change we wish to see Westside Westland Homeowners Action addressed the council. whether the city is placing the potential for in this world. We need to think globally and Committee. "Tonight I see the American Dream at work," new tax revenues above quality-ofdife issues. act locally in Westland. There is no business Residents scored a first-round victory by con­ he said. They earlier took their concerns to a to be done on a dead planet" vincing city officials to. delay a site plan vote for Longtime resident James Luckett implored Westland Planning Commission, which rec­ Maida's Woods condos until the Michigan city leaders to protect the peace and quiet of an ommended that council approve the site plan. [email protected] I (734)953-2110 Carjacker strikes 4th time in week's time BY DARRELL CLEM STAFF WRITER A suspected serial carjacker struck again in Westland early Saturday, rob­ ^"*N bing a man at gunpoint and driving off in his vehicle outside the Dunkin' Donuts at'Ford and Wildwood, police said. The incident happened just after 2:30 a.m. and marked the fourth car­ \ iv '%, jacking in six days in the Westland- Garden City area. No shots have been fired, and no TOM HAWLEVI STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER one has been injured. The victim of one of the two carjackings in In all four carjackings, the stolen Garden City was abfe to provide a The 10 members of John Glenn High School's Homecoming court will find out during half time this evening who will be king and queen. vehicles have been found abandoned description to a sketch artist who Nominated for queen are Natalie Bower (from left), Michelle Gutowski, Kayla Montague, Lindsay Bies and Kija Colts. The candidates for king near the robbery scenefleading pqlice produced this drawing of the suspect. are Robert Jones (from left), Matt Kukulka, Frank Toarmina, Angelo Brown and Shamir Garcia. to believe the suspect is only using them to escape. Ford and Venoy. Garden City police have released a A Redford police dog was brought sketch of a suspect. Anyone who has in but couldn't locate a suspect, information is urged to call Garden according to police reports. City police at (734) 793-1700 or The latest incident was similar to ' treatment Westland police at (734) 722-9600. three others. The latest carjacking occurred The first carjacking occurred about Ditto for Garcia who says it's "pret­ when an Ypsilanti man walked out­ 9:30 p.m. Monday, Sept 11, at Nominations are the buzz of Nottingham ty cool" to be on the court. side the Dunkin' Donuts to get his cig­ Parkway Car Wash on Warren Road "I was sort of told in the hallway arettes from a 2006 Chevy Trailblazer, in Garden City. BY SUE MASON Garcia and eight other John Glenn that I was on the court and I said, according to police reports. The vic­ The second happened just after STAFF WRITER High School seniors will find out 'Dang,'" he added. tim had just turned 51 on Friday. 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept 13, in the who will be the 2006 Homecoming Bower and Garcia live one house The victim told police that the sus­ driveway of ahome in the 28900 There's a buzz around Nottingham king and queen. apart on Nottingham. They got to pect approached on foot, revealed a block of Rush in Garden City. about a royal court —• a young lad If they win the school-wide vote, it know each other in sixth-grade and small semiautomatic handgun, point­ The third occurred about 3:40 a.m. called Prince Evan, a fair maiden will mean that the high school's roy­ have been "good friends" ever since. ed it at him and robbed him of Thursday, Sept. 14, outside ahome on named Natalie who could be queen, alty and the city's Toddler of the Year, "He used to walk down on side dif­ ^proximately $140. Flamingo, southeast of Joy and and a courtly gentleman named Evan Phillips, all live on the same ferent sides of the street until he The suspect then took a 2006 Merriman roads, in Westland. Shamir. street — Nottingham. asked what my name was," Bower Chevy Trailblazer that the man was If the planets are in alignment, it "I try not to think about it," said said. "Then we started walking driving and fled eastbound on Ford Staff writer LeAnne Rogers contributed to this could all Come to be sometime this Bower when asked about a courtly together." Road. Police found the vehicle parked story. evening. future. "It's just fun to be on the a short distance away - with the keys That's when Natalie Bower, Shamir court." PLEASE SEE ROYAL TREATMENT, A3 in the ignition - outside G. J.'s Diner at [email protected] \ (734) 953-2110 Eloise complex gets state historical marker BY DARRELL CLEM "It was huge," said Westland historian Jo with a medical complex that included a general STAFF WRITER Johnson, president of Friends of Eloise. hospital, infirmary and asylum, Johnson said. She announced this week that the Michigan Eloise doctors*pioneered the use X-rays for Eloise, a former poorhouse and asylum that Historical Commission has approved a state diagnostic purposes, and psychiatric patients became one of the largest U.S. public health historic marker for the Eloise site; which once underwent such treatment as "electroshock." care facilities, has earned Westland a state his­ had 75 buildings and its own farm, cannery, Author Patricia Ibbotson charted Eloise's his­ toric marker. bakery, cemetery, employee housing, police tory in Eloise: Poorhouse, Farm, Asylum and Reduced now to just two buildings, Eloise and fire departments, and trolley and train sta­ Hospital1839-1984, a book that Johnson said once sprawled for 902 acres on both sides of tions. helped raise more than $3,000 needed to order Michigan Avenue between Merriman and Started in 1839 as a poorhouse where people the state marker. Ibbotson worked in nursing Henry Ruff roads. It housed 10,000 patients who couldn't support themselves were sent, at Eloise. TOM HAWLEY1 STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER and employed 2,000 workers in the late Eloise helped make a name for Wayne County Only a few buildings remain of the once sprawling Eloise 1920s. because the facility was the only one in the state PLEASE SEE ELOISE, AS complex that covered 902 acres in Westland. © The Observer . & Eccentric LOVE FASHION? Wil INDEX Coming Sunday For Home Newspapers APARTMENTS BIO in Health Delivery call: BELIEFS & VALUES A17 Volume 42 Think ^ ( r \\\ AUTOMOTIVE C5 (866) 887-2737 Number 34 j <' Mai CLASSIFIED B8-C6 # CROSSWORD B9 Search Your JOBS CI Heart OBITUARIES A17 OPINION A1Q-11 program REAL ESTATE B8 brings «* s SERVICE GUIDE 812 healthy living *1 'J.* SPORTS B1 to church. , ;.>->"-VT£ V 'V '' A2 (W) Observer & Eccentric | Thursday, September 21,2006 LOCAL NEWS sfy'lfif-'h u>ww.ftometownlife,com Forum puts splash in swim BY LEANNE ROGERS STAFF WRITER The marquee sign at the Forum «.,-*** Fitness Center welcoming the Garden m City High School girls swim team said it all. Ongoing repairs to the high school pool had left the swim team without a place to practice. Fitness center own­ ers Tom Bertha and Jeff Sullivan heard about the problem and have offered their facility pool for practices ^ IS* ^» from 3-5 p.m.