January 15, 1998
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m Westland pair skates away with medal, CI Homdlbvvn y | COMMl.NIOATtONH MHTWPMg. • t • :•••:' • '•"'•'.. {'>• v '/ i ^ Thursday January 15,1998 mM' : Putting JofcIn Touch With Your World1 -r. I. VOLUME 33 NUMBER 64 WESTLAND. MICHIGAN • 68 PAGES • http://observcr eccentrlc.com SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS 4 ". , O. IMS Bo»<rr«im CoiuiBale«t{otui Network. XMI' •\'\ i. M I :•:'•• \ , Pensions to get more I '*« About 15 Westland taxpayers watched for two hours Monday night as Westland City .Council members sparred on eliminating council pen sions. The council plans to study alternative BYDARRELLCLEM former city Finance Director Michael proposals. STAFF WRITER Gorman's pensions. COUNTY NEWS LeBlanc and Anderson have filed BYDARRELLCLEM insults on a thorny issue that, in the Westland City Councilman Charles 8TAWWIUTBR "Trav" Griffin^ under scrutiny for a requests with the Lansing-based end, remained undecided. Municipal Employee Retirement Sys Ballot question: Suburban A bitterly divided Westland City "This has been an exercise in futili council pension that could reach. ty," resident Walter Wnuk, 79, said as $49,000, blasted two colleagues Mon tem (MERS) to glean such details as" Wayne County residents Council has avoided a decision on pos day for aggressively pursuing details how Griffin and Gorman gained credit will be asked t6 renew a sibly eliminating council pensions by a council study session ended) for their Westland pensions from ser choosing to study alternative propos Wnuk, who receives an annual about his pension. 1/3 mill for SMARTs $7,200 pension for a 22-year, full-time Griffini; visibly upset during a study vice elsewhere. als. '.. session;'lashed but at Councilmen Griffin warned his colleagues against About 15 Westland taxpayers manufacturing job, questioned why public transportation sys Westland officials retreated from the Richard LeBlanc and Glenn Anderson misusing information they learn about tem of buses, possibly for watched for two hours Monday night as for filing Freedom of Information Act his city pension, estimated to, be • four years. The millage council members sparred and traded Please see PENSION, A3 requests seeking details about his and ^ Please see DISPUTE, A3; renewal is expected to be on the Aug. 4 ballot./AS Raising River City 5 youths COMMUNITY LIFE bound over BYDARRELLCLEM Downsizing: It was regis STAFF WRITER tered dietitian Gwen Five Garden City teens will face trial Shamblin who came up on charges of trying to kill one West-, with a program that com land man and assaulting his friend as a bonfire party ended early Oct. 4 in bined God with weight Hines Park. loss, and it is the enthusi A Westland district judge, rejecting astic supporters of her claims of self-defense, ruled Wednes day that James Thomas Domagalski Weigh Down Workshop Jr., David Ryan Kozakowski, Kyle who have helped get it Anders Tingstad, Christopher Totten and Brian Alan Wiatr should stand started in churches trial in Wayne County Circuit Court. throughout the metropoli "I'm not saying these young people tan area./Bl are guilty of these charges," 18th Dis trict Judge C. Charles Bokos said. But he ruled that evidence suggested the teens acted together during a 3:30 a.m. attack that placed 20-year-old AT HOME Westland. resident Robert Sumey in a weeklong coma and injured 19-year-old Kevin Baker. Extra help: A service start Bokos relied in part on statements, ed last summer works to made to Westland police, in which help homeowners during some defendants admitted using logs and beer bottles while attacking* building and renovation Sumey and Baker along a wooded path projects,/D6 . 4eading from-Hine8 Park to Floral, a dead-end street near Warren and Inkster. Bokos conceded that Sumey "appears to be more the aggressor" during a lin ENTERTAINMENT gering disptite at the bonfire party, but he said the Garden City teens should Theater: Wendy, Tinker have left the scene. Bell and the boy in green &TATF PHOTOS BY JQi JACDFHD Instead, Bokos said, at least two of Setting up: Parents help out as the Westland All-Stars prepare for this weekend's presentation the teens got logs from a pickup truck tights who never grows up of'The Music Man" at Stockmeyer Auditorium in Wayne. Securing one of the drops to the bar before the group engaged in "this will soon land at the whole macho thing that we can't walk are Paul Lulek, Tim Niland and Matt Conley. away from a confrontation." Detroit Opera House in All five teens now face trial for the headed-for-Broadway assault with intent to murder Sumey production, "Peter and assault with intent to do great bodily harm to Baker. Other than Tot Pan."/El Man' ten, who is 16, the defendants are 17. All are charged as adults. Family fun: Sesame Street here's trouble right here in River Sneak peek: As Kyle Tingst'ad's younger brother Live "1-2-3 ...Imagine" TCity. one of the new Kent, 15, faces juvenile court proceed Or there will be at 7 p.m. Friday ings. invites audiences to join and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday as drops was hoist In court Wednesday, the defendants the gang as they explore the Westland All-Stars Youth Drama ed into position, showed little emotion as Bokos their imaginations in a Troupe performs Meredith Willson's Jenny Tocco, who announced his ruling, although a cou "The Music Man" at Stockmeyer plays Marian the ple of them shook their heads. Bokos' musical Auditorium at Wayne Memorial decision capped three days of testimo Librarian, ny spread over three months. extravaganza. /El High School in Wayne. peeked .excitedly Sean Clark, a 15-year-old student Family members accompanied the at John Glenn High School, will star through a section teens to court, nearly filling the court as'Professor Harold Hill. Jennifer of the backdrop. room in a strong show of support. Fam Tocco, a 12-year-old student at This was the first ilies have posted bonds allowing the REAL ESTATE Emerson Middle School, will Btar as time any of the defendants to remain free as they Marian Paroo. actors had seen await trial. A very good year: And . Other members of the cast include: All five teen8 could face maximum Jessica Brent, Amy Burns, Jessica the backdrops sentences of life in prison if convicted builders foresee more of Clark, Steven Clark, Kyle Cole, and they were as charged. Bokos ordered them to be the same/fX Sarah Conley, Amanda Fannin, quite taken with arraigned in Wayne County Circuit Jenny Fletcher, Daniel Fowler, them. Court in two weeks. Karyn Fowler, Kathryn Fowler, Cor- Bokos rejected earlier arguments by rine Garrett, Mallory Garrett, Jason defense attorneys who said each teen's - INDEX Kantner, Bree LaFortune, Olivia role should be considered separately in LaFortune, Ashleigh Lezoite, Alyssa '•i^y:' '•----/-^'••• Wednesday's ruling. Prosecutor Jane Lucas, Courtney Lulek, Erin Lulek, •-.: >. '••sx •"Knl • Cramer argued that all five teens acted • Obituaries A2 Rachel Lulek, Ian Maguire, ^^::^-¾^^ with a "mob mentality." • Classified Index P7 Stephanie Meyer, Erin Murray, Bokos ruled that the defendants not Real Estate F7 Sarah Nagy, Courtney Niland, Jen only acted together, but talked about nifer Olshavsky, Mark Palnier, Katie the beating after they left the scene, Crossword G2 Pulk, Ernie Prinz, Anne Sanford, and met other friends. Job* •••••••HI Sara Shay, tiffany Siegfried, Becky Bokos relied on statements from Home ft Service J2 friends who earlier testified that the J4 " Please see ALL4TMtt, A3 Auto* . Please see BOUND, A2 • Opinion A1243 • Sport* CI • Calendar ce • Real Estate Fl Development firm wants to evaluate Cooper site BY MARIE CHE8TNEY talize land not being used because of environmental "We need 120 days to evaluate whether the proper HOW TO REACH US STAFF WRITER contamination. ty can be used," said Bruce Rasher, Consumers vice A well-known local real estate development firm, The city of Westland recently formed a Brownfield president, during an information meeting Tuesday at Redevelopment Authority and plans to incorporate Cooper-at-Whittier Elementary during which the Newsroom: 313-9 W-2104 Jonna Realty Ventures Inc., wants to study the toxic Cooper school site to see what, if anything, can be the Cooper Bite into its redevelopment plan. The plan proposal was unveiled to the Cooper community. ^ Newsroom Fax: 313-591-7279 built on the 43 acres in Westland that is owned by allows Westland to use captured tax revenue to clean "It will be a thorough evaluation. If, at the end of E-mail: twwwoom • MonNtw.com Livonia Public Schools. up and redevelop the Cooper site and others. 120 days, the developer concludes it wants to pursue Jonna has joined with both Consumers Renais the project, it will make a presentation to the school N/g/it//rt«/Sports: 313-953-2104 Four-month study board. Reader Comment Line: 313-953*2042 sance Development Corp. and the Honigman, Miller, Schwartz and Cohn law firm to possibly develop tho Both Jonna and Consumers plan to ask Livonia "If ... the developer does not feel the property is Classified Advertising: 313-M1-09O0 site under "brownfield" legislation passed in 1996 by schools'to give Jonna at leaBt four months to study developable, tho information gained will be turned Display Advertising: 313-591-23O0 the Michigan Legislature. the site, The district will be asked to turn ovor all over to Livonia schools* Rasher said. * "They'll have I "Brownfields'' are a state-authorized way to revi data it has on the site. Home Delivery: 313-591-0500 -~"~~ ~J Pleas© sWttyljiift, A2 t-u •»*•« mm A2(W) The Observer & Eccentric/ THURSDAY, JANUARY 15,1998 from page Al Bound er-at-Whittier community to , which would build something law firm plan to work with ATC from page At new knowledge about the prop Knows about problems defendants, after leaving Sumey "suspend judgment" on'whether profitable for the developer, Environmental Consultants in erty to try to market it in anothv Grant Trigger, attorney for and Baker on the wooded trail, the site can be developed.