Observer & Eccentric Enter Our Oscar Contest Newspapers Volume 35 OBSERVER Number 68
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Trial ordered in store thefts, A4 ^ ^ THURSDAY February 18, CANTON 2010 The Observer & Eccentric Enter our Oscar Contest Newspapers Volume 35 OBSERVER Number 68 75 CENTS online at hometownllfe.com Courtesy ofAMPAS CANTON Fallen Canton Marine 'wanted to defend' country ing the military as far back as junior CONNECTION BY BRADKAORICH Bangladesh and Iraq. "Honor, cour- OBSERVER STAFF WRITER age, commitment... what can I say, high school. that's him." But with everything going on in On Marine Cpl. Jacob l\irbett's Sheila 1\irbett said she talked to the world — particularly the wars Fish fry Myspace page, the 21-year-old wrote, her son just a couple of days before in Iraq and Afghanistan — Canton "'Bout to head out for a while, if he was killed. Jacob's unit was wait- High School auto teacher Jim O'Connor debated the point with With Lent under way, many you want to get updates, talk to the ing to push into Marjah, but were "Rirbett, whom O'Connor called "a churches are gearing up for Friday wifey. Mood: anxious." delayed by a sand storm. TUrbett and great kid." fish fries. That update was posted around others in his unit found the delay frustrating, according to his mother. Tell us about yours and we'll 1:24 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 11. "I talked to him about my fear of publish it in an upcoming issue. TVo days later, "Rirbett, a 2007 "He said he was looking forward to him not coming home, but he had already made his mind up," said Send the time, dates, and place, Canton High School graduate who it... they were kind of put off that the O'Connor, who taught "Rirbett in along with cost, menu and other entered the U.S. Marines right out of sand storms weren't cooperating," both his automotive technology and information relevant to the event. high school, was dead, killed in the said Sheila TXirbett, who said Jacob called her regularly. "We got to say collision repair classes. "I respected E-mail to Sharon Dargay, sdar- war in Afghanistan. our 'I love yous.'" him for that, and he was good [email protected], or mail "Rirbett was apparently felled by enough to listen to my opinions, but to her at 615 W. Lafayette, Second a single gunshot over the weekend, Jacob TYirbett followed in a long he was very adamant about serving Level. Detroit, MI 48226. according to his mother, Bedford line of family members — one grand- Township resident Sheila Tbrbett. father, two uncles and a cousin were his country." "He was actually looking for- Marines, his sister, Jamie, started Tlirbett wasn't to be swayed and Jobs town hall ward to going over there," Sheila Navy boot camp Feb. 3 — to serve ultimately enlisted in the U.S. Marine Cpl. Jacob Turbett, a 2007 graduate their country. of Canton High School, joined many family state Rep. Dian Slavens, D- TUrbett said about his tour of dut)' in Canton, hosts a Job Resource and Afghanistan, which followed tours in TVirbett himself talked about join- Please see MARINE, A3 members In serving in the U.S. military. Retraining town hall meeting 11 a.m. Fridays Feb. 19, in Canton. The e>-ent features presentations by speakers from state and local com- munit)' service agencies on a variety Feds kill plan of topics, including No Worker Left Behind and other worker retraining programs, job search and job place- ment services offered by Michigan Works! and help with unemploy- ment benefit claims. Speakers include Slavens, improveinents Chanina McKander of the Unemployment Insurance Agency, Brad ^eck, assistant director BY DARRELL CLEM of the Michigan Works! Livonia OBSERVER STAFF WRITER Service Center, and Gregorv' Pitoniak, director of the Southeast Federal officials have reject- Michigan Community Alliance. ed a $20.3 million proposal to reshape the I-275/Ford Road The event takes place at the interchange and ease traf- Canton Public Library, 1200 S. fic congestion, but Canton Canton Center Road in Canton. Township officials vowed Wednesday to continue their Home expo fight for a remedy. Township Supervisor Phil Canton's ninth annual Home LaJoy confirmed Wednesday Improvement Expo takes place morning he received word Saturday, March 6, from 9 a.m. from Michigan Department of to 5 p.m. and Sunday, March 7, Transportation Director Kirk from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Canton's Steudle that the project had Summit on the Park. been dealt a crushing blow. The expo features exhibitors Erlnne Williams got some good cuddling out of big brother Kevin Yopek after her December 2009 surgery. "It's extremely disappoint- offering show specials and dis- ing," LaJoy said, but he already counts, making the expo the per- had started pressing state offi- fect resource to help you start any cials for an alternate plan to home improvement project ease traffic congestion along a How-to wori^hops will be held Positive influence stretch of Ford Road that ranks all weekend on a variety of topics among the state's most acci- from landsc^ing to inkalling brick dent-prone. retaining walls, crown moldings and ceramic tile. Mini-woikshops, tar- Canton girl won't let muscular disease slow her down "We're not going to quit," geted to homeowners, homeowner LaJoy said. "It can't be just associations and businesses, will business as usual, because this area is just too busy, and there also be held on a wide range of top- BY BRADKAORICH What made the visit most poignant way, but they did. That's an amazing are too many accidents." ics. Workshop and mini-workshops OBSERVER STAFF WRITER — and, it turns out, completely char- connection to watch." topics and start times will be made acteristic — was Erinne's own medi- Canton officials had lob- available to all Expo attendees. During a recent visit to her ortho- cal history. As a patient suffering BEATING ODDS bied intensely for a grant proposal, submitted through To view a complete list of the pedic surgeon, Erinne Williams from spinal muscular atrophy (a form It's a connection Erinne's mom MDOT, that sought $20.3 mil- vendors, obtain the Expo layout, heard another young girl sobbing of muscular dystrophy), she's been in said her daughter makes with every- lion in federal TIGER — or and dowmload workshop and mini- uncontrollably in another room, and the hospital 18 times, had 12 surger- one. She was diagnosed with SMA, a Transportation Investment workshop schedules, visit wwv/. decided she might be able to help. ies to correct severe scoliosis and has disease her mom calls "Lou Gehrig's Generating Economic Recovery canton-mi.org/homeexpo.aspx. So Williams, a 12-year-old sev- four metal rods in her back. Confined disease for little kids," when she was to a wheelchair, Erinne has already 14 months old. She has been near — dollars to reshape the 1-275/ The Expo is free of charge and enth-grader at East Middle School confounded doctors' expectations: death — "She coded six times in one Ford Road interchange. hosted by Canton's Building and in Plymouth, went into the room they said she wouldn't live past the hospitalization," her mom said — to The proposal lost out amid Inspection Services Division, the to comfort the tearful patient, who age of 8. the point where one doctor suggested published reports of federal Canton Chamber of Commerce, faced a surgery that had her fright- ceasing life-support efforts. funding for other projects, and the Observer ^ Eccentric ened. By the time the visit was over, "Here's Erinne in her wheelchair, including $25 million for Newspapers. the girls — complete strangers just the other girl has very different Erinne's most recent surgery came Dec. 22. She came home the next a light rail system along For more information, call minutes before — had exchanged reasons for her problems," said Dr. Canton's Building and Inspection e-mail addresses and become good Michael Mendelow, Erinne's surgeon. Services Division at (734) 394-5200. friends. "I didn't think they'd connect that Please see ERINNE, A5 Please see FORD ROAD, A3 Your Keys to the Index Locals; Tax on services would drain revenue Right Mortgage APARTMENTS C2 AUTOMOTIVE C4 BY DARRELL CLEM • Great Rates CAREER BUILDER C3 OBSERVER STAFF WRITER CROSSWORD PUZZU C2 • Low Fees FILTER ... - B6,7 • Local Lenders OBITUARIES 88 Canton businesses and residents, already strug- gling through a battered economy, worry they will m PuSLic SAFETY A4 Let us help you buy your first home. REAL ESTATE C2 fall even further behind if state legislators accept SPORTS- 81 Gov. Jennifer Granholm's proposal to spread the rirst-time Home Buyer Tax Credit STRICTLY BUSINESS A6 sales tax to consumer services such as haircuts, extended to April 2010. dry cleaning, auto-repair labor, legal services and tickets to movies and sports events. Home Delivery: Even though Granholm's plan calls for reducing (866) 887-2737 the sales tax from 6 percent to 5.5 percent, locals SI 00 off Closing Costs Return Address; 41304 Concept Drive say expanding it to nearly 170 services currently See Mortgage SpedaHst for details not taxed could hit working-class residents espe- Plymouth MI 48170 Bill. BRESLERI STAfF PHOIOGSAPHJR cially hard. The governor has said the proposal, if passed, would raise $550 million next year and Vicki Taylor, with Nick Selimi, said the sales tax on services avert deeper cuts to public education. proposed by Gov. Jennifer Granholm would likely siphon h COMMUNITYRNANC'IAL But business owner Vicki Taylor said the sales revenue from the Canton Styling Center salon she has owned for 14 years.