VOLUME 29 NUMBER 29 MONDAY, AUGUST 2,1993 • WESTLAND. MICHIGAN • 40 PAGES FIFTY CENTS 1993 Suburoan Communications Cprpofal'bn IN THE PAPER A task force said its proposal would create more force which presented its recommena- tion is to keep the per-pupil cost as chances for ninth graders to compete for senior high tiori to the school board Wednesday low as possible and to make the" pro­ TODAY school sports, band and cheerleader programs. The night. The board is scheduled to dis­ grams equitable in .relations to gender cuss the pay-to-participate proposal and geography. school board is expected to act tonight on that recom­ and a related property tax increase In a related announcement, a newly mendation and a tax rate increase election. ballot proposal at a special meeting formed private school group 'pledged scheduled for 7 tonight (Monday). to raise $160,000 for the upcoming Artist at work: A John Glenn school year to help cover, most if not. Under the pay-to-participate pro­ High School graduate is using his BY LEONARD POGER perform in after-school concerts, the all of the extra-curricular programs,' posal, the task force said a major ben­ costs. If the fund-raising is success­ artistic skills to help a special pro­ EDITOR cost will be $34. efit of the plan is that ninth graders If you want to compete in a Wayne- Those secondary school students ful, the fees would be $68 for sports/ gram named after Rosa Parks, the in the district's four junior high marching band/cheerleaders; $25 for Westland school district varsity who want to be on the school newspa­ schools would be allowed to try out mother of the civil rights move­ sport, play in the marching band or per or take part in the forensic team secondary music; and $15 for the for the two senior high schools' other programs. ment. /3A be a cheerleader, it will cost you $288. or drama group will pay a fee of $23. teams, band and cheerleaders. That's the recommendation of a If a musician or singer wants to school district administrative task The purpose for the 'recommenda­ \ See FEES, 2A STREET SCENE Gunman fires shot in eatery BY DARRELL CLEM STAFF WRITER A lone gunman robbed a Ram's Horn restaurant in northeast West- land early Wednesday, firing a single shot but injuring no one, police re­ ports said. A man who wore a red bandana to New look: The band MTV made? hide his face escaped with $300 dur­ In the 1980s, Duran Duran ing the 4:27 a.m. holdup at the Ram's Horn on Middlebelt Road south of zoomed to stardom with videos Joy, police said. that aired on the cable rock chan­ Two days earlier, a Romulus gas nel. Now, the troupe has turned to station worker taking $6,400 to a an opera set designer for a "new bank was robbed in Westland when look."/7 A she ptrlled-her ear -off-the-reaoV after being hit from behind by a gun-toting TASTE male, Westland police reports said. The woman was not injured during rth* a p«n»,hoWup that^«Kurred after Flavor enhancers: HirarAWalker the woman stopped hefcar on Mem-'" is taking liquor out of the liquor man Road, north of Van Born, in Story how: Pres­ cabinet ana into the kitchen. /IB southeast Westland, police said. choolers enjoythe In the Ram's Horn holdup, a man carrying a chrome small-caliber semi­ summer story hour of­ Cooking contest: Enter your fa- automatic handgun entered a rear fered Wednesday voritehomemade tomato sauce re­ door, held the gun to the manager's mornings by the head, walked him to a cash register Westland Civitans cipe in our cooking contest. /2B and demanded money, police reports said. and the Westland > The robber ordered another em­ Recreation Depart­ MALLS & MAINSTREETS ployee to lie on the floor, and other ment. The free pro­ workers hid in a storage room and un­ grams are held at the der a table in the restaurant, the re­ Bailey Center and in­ Debut: The fifth Source Club in ports said. The suspect fired one shot into a clude crafts and re­ Michigan opens Aug. 10 at Hag- wall near the manager's office, but no freshments. Eleanor gerty, south of Eight Mile in Livo­ one was hit by the bullet, police said. Berli (above) serves as The manager is a 26-year-old West- a reader, much to the nia. /6B land resident. The suspect was described as a 6- enjoyment ofJenna foot black male in his mid-20s. He Mark, 3 (right). wore a red bandana over his mouth SPORTS and nose, a dark cap, a blue T-shirt and blue jogging shorts, witnesses told police. All-Star Game: The best of the The robber also ripped a telephone Livonia Collegiate Baseball cord from the wall before fleeing with League took on the Lansing-area $300, police reports said. All-Stars Wednesday night at See ROBBERY, 2A Ford Field. /1C Best around: The Finesse under- 18 girls softball team is among the Rosa Parks top-ranked slow-pitch softball teams in the country. The girls will find out how good they are stands up for when they compete in a tourna­ ment next week in Muncie, Ind. /1C her beliefs BY DARRELL CLEM STAFF WRITER Thirty-eight years after Rosa Parks refused to INDEX give up her seat to a white man on a public bus in Montgomery, Ala., most people still believe Classified*. B-D Malls 8B she resisted because she was tired — physically. Auto C,D Personals . 9A "The only tired I was, was tired of giving in," Employment . C,D Street Scene . 7A Parks says in her 1992 book, "Rosa Parks: My Real estate • • B.C Sports 1C Story." Indes 7B Taste IB Crossword .... SB Her defiance at age 42 led to her arrest and sparked the Montgomery bus boycott. A federal injunction against bus segregation came one year HERE'S HOW TO REACH US later. Parks is expected to bring her story to the Wayne-Westland school district next year. Jim Netter, a district resident and longtime African- Newsroom: 591-2300 American activist, is coordinating the visit to a district that has a 13-percent minority student Newsroom Fax: 591-7278 population, but few minority educators. Nightline/Sports: 953-2104 In a soft voice that belies her strong words. Reader Comment Line: 953-2042 Parks, SO, talked about her past and her hopes Classified Advertising: 591-0900 for the future during an interview Wednesday JIM jAQOrRI-D/STAIT PHOTOORAPKRR Display Advertising: 591-2300 with the Observer at Trinity Faith United Meth­ Home Delivery: 691-0500 odist Church in Detroit A living legend: Rosa Parks continues to be a voice for equality and justice, nearly four decades after she refused to give up her bus seat to a white man in Alabama. Be* HONOR, 3 A 2A(W) The Observer/ MONDAY, AUGUST 2,1993 DEE-O'GEES PET SUPPLIES Vandals spray-paint three schools 811 Inkster Road (between Ford & Cherry Hill) 261-1090 AQUARIUM SUPPLIES I Westland -Ultimate I BYDARRELLCLEM School employees have fought activity. One Marshall Junior Liepa said it's nothing new for • FEEDER GOLD FISH STAFF WHITER to keep the graffiti off the schools, High parent said children in her schools to be targeted by vandals, TROPICAL FISH | DOG FOOD | Three Westland schools have but vandals have struck on sever­ neighborhood have engaged in especially during summer 40 lb. bag... $1.50 OFF, been targets of spray painting, in al occasions, school officials said. disputes that resulted in jackets months. what could signal increasing "We have had problems," said being taken by force from young­ "We get that every once in a 20 lb. bag...$1.00 OFF ' youth gang activity, school offi­ Randy Liepa, the district's chief sters. while, but it has picked up a bit," cials said. fiscal officer. Another reader reported that he said. When asked if the vandal at­ her son, a carrier for the Observer, Titus and Elliott elementary tacks could' signal youth gang ac­ Schools became easier targets was mugged and his money taken for vandals during the summer schools and Marshall Junior High tivity, he said, "I think it's a pos­ in the Nankin Mills Elementary READER SERVICE PHONE LINES have recently been spray-painted sibility. months when classes aren't in School area, north of Ann Arbor session, Liepa said. with vulgarities, but a school offi­ "I don't think it's too serious Trail near Hubbard. HOMEtlNE: 953-2020 cial Friday could not confirm re­ right now, but it's something that Westland police officer Scott Westland police "do a real good >- Open houses and new developments in your area. ports that gang names, such as does concern UB," Liepa said. Hall has confirmed that some job" of trying to monitor activity >-Free real estate seminar information. West Side Mafia, were painted on Several Observer readers re­ youth gang activity appears to be around the schools, Liepa said. some buildings. ported what appears to be gang occurring in Westland. No one has yet been apprehended. CLASSIFIED AFTER HOURS: 591-0900 >-Place classified ads af your convenience. CIRCULATION AFTER HOURS Robbery from page 1A OAKLAND COUNTY: 901 -4716 • WAYNE COUNTY: 591 -0500 >- Request subscriptions at your convenience. In the other holdup, a*30-year- lice reports said. she was carrying in a brown paper police reports. He was described' EVENTS LINE: 953-2005 old female manager of a Romulus bag, police reports said.