October 30, 2008
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Election art entertainment sr"-Dl Our Views, L. October 30,2008 75 cents WINNERS OF STATE AND NATIONAL AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE www.hometownlife.com BY DfiRRELL CLEM a document that Assistant publicly revealed what some to redevelop about 15 acres City Councilman Charles to partially compensate for OBSERVER STAFF WRITER Wayne County Executive Alan officials had known for years — along the 100-acre park's east Pickering has voiced frustra the park's closure by erecting Helmkamp said will likely that Central City Park, a former ern edge for use as soccer fields tion with the pace of progress in a huge play structure, dubbed After tweaking a plan to amount to "many hundreds of landfill, was contaminated yet and walking areas. addressing the park situation. Play Planet, that was built last redevelop portions of lead-con pages" before it is handed over still used for recreation purpos "I feel good that things are In another development, week in Tattan Park, just north taminated Central City Park, to MDEQ officials. es ranging from Little League moving along," Westiand Mayor Helmkamp confirmed that of Central City Park. He also Wayne County and Westiand When asked Monday if he is baseball to the cancer-fighting William Wild said Monday, a verbal agreement has been said the city hopes to install city officials hope to submit confident the proposal will be fund-raiser Relay for Life. adding that he is hopeful "shov reached that continues a long just south of Play Planet a a formal proposal in early submitted before the December Meanwhile, county and city els can be put into the ground standing agreement, which was summertime "spray park" — a December to the Michigan holidays, Helmkamp said, "that officials in September learned this spring." to expire this fall, in which the water-play area dubbed H20 Department of Environmental certainly will be the case, if all that they would have to fine- Even so, officials can't say county diwns the park but leases Zone — within the next year Quality. things go as we hope." tune a conceptual plan sub with certainty when any of the it to the city. A more formal or so. Project consultants are November will mark the two- mitted two months earlier to park's fenced-off areas might be agreement is pending. working diligently to prepare year anniversary when it was MDEQ. Initially, officials hope ready for public use. Westiand Wild said the city has tried [email protected] I (734)953-2110 Across the street, across the hall It's back! 3 intersections targeted for Click It or Ticket campaign BY DARREU CLEM highest compliance for safety OBSERVER STAFF WRITER belt usage in the United States," said Westiand police Although Michigan ranks Sgt. Ron Kroll, who is in among the top states for seat- charge of the local depart belt usage, some drivers still ment's traffic bureau. "In refuse to buckle up. a continuous effort to save Westiand police hope to lives, we are proud to help prod them with traffic stops enforce this worthwhile cam and fines today (Thursday) paign." through Sunday, when local Mayor William Wild issued officers will join the now- a prepared statement saying familiar Click It or Ticket he hopes the program "will campaign. encourage motorists to be Local officers will target mindful that the simple act three of Westland's busiest of wearing a seat belt can not and most accident-prone only prevent you from getting intersections during the four- a ticket, but can ultimately day crackdown — Ford and save lives." Wayne, Ford and Newburgh, According to the NHTSA and Wayne and Warren. Web site, more Americans Motorists who get slapped than ever are buckling with tickets could face up. U.S. Secretary of fines of $65, according to Transportation Mary E. Westiand 18th District Court. Peters said the rate has A seat-belt survey last increased to 83 percent summer by the Wayne State nationwide — still well below University Transportation Michigan's rate. Research Group found that "We have seen seat-belt use 97-2 percent of Michigan rising steadily every year, motorists are buckling up. In and that means more and TOM HAWLEY1 STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER contrast, 93.7 percent of the more lives are being saved Bernie Karody, 99 (left), and Joe Frey, 98, lived atross the street from each other as children. Now they live across the hall at American House I in Westiand. state's drivers wore their seat and countless serious injuries belts in 2007- prevented," Peters said in a The Click It or Ticket statement. From childhood through golden years, friends stay connected effort, a National Highway The NHTSA estimates that Traffic Safety Administration nearly 270 lives are saved for BY SUE MASON the business card he had given. long time, he's a friend that you childhood friend was mov campaign started in 1993, every 1 percent increase in OBSERVER STAFF WRITER He called the number on it and can trust and have fun with," ing in. "I told my kids Joe was has repeatedly stressed the seat-belt use. three weeks ago moved into said Frey, 98. "We use to chase coming and they could hardly importance of drivers — par For more information, go When it was time for Joe a room across the hall from the same women at the same believe it. They remember him ticularly teens — wearing online to www.nhtsa.gov. Frey to move into a "rest Karody at American House I time." from when they were little." their seat belts. home," he thought of his child- in Westiand. "I couldn't believe it," said "Michigan has the second [email protected] I (734) 953-2110 hood friend Bernie Karody and "He's a friend I've known a Karody, 99, when he heard his Please see FRIENDS, A3 ice open Saturday for election Military veterans: BY SUE MASON request an absentee ballot. droves" to register. By the Oct. predicts election day will be a OBSERVER STAFF WRITER They're available during regu 6, deadline the tally was at busy one. your memories lar business hours through more than 4,300 new voters. "I brought in a cake from If the foottraffic continues, Friday and during special And it's been a steady Mary Denning's (Cake The Observer & Eccentric is information to sdargay@ Westiand Clerk Eileen DeHart hours — 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. stream of residents coming Shoppe) that said six more looking for photographs and hometownlife.com or mail to expects absentee ballots will — Saturday. As of Monday, in or faxing over requests for „ days for my staff, but we stories from local veterans. Sharon Dargay at the Observer surpass the number of ballots people needing absentee bal absentee ballots. People have haven't had time to eat," she Send us your memories, '& Eccentric Newspapers, 36251 issued in the 2004 presiden lots will have to come in and been waiting in line at 9 a.m. added. anecdotes, and stories — no Schoolcraft, Livonia, MI 48150. tial election. vote at city hall. to wait for the clerk's office to Westiand City Hall is at longer than 200 words — and Be sure to include a tele- "As of Wednesday, we've "Those hours will be strictly open, DeHart said. 36601 Ford, west of Wayne we'll publish them in an phonenumber and your city of given out 9,750 ballots, so I for the election, don't plan "At any given time, there's a Road. For more information, upcoming issue. residence. Submissions must be think we'll easily surpass the to come in to buy dog tags," line of 20 people at the coun call the clerk's office.at (734) Include a photo from your received by Tuesday, Nov. 4. 10,000 we issued in the last DeHart said. ter," she added. 467-3185. time in the service, as well as a All memories and photo presidential election," she said. Interest in the election is Everything has gone recent photo. E-mail the photos graphs will be published in the Time is running out to running high. People "came in smoothly to date and DeHart smasonHhometownlife.com I (734) 953-2112 — attached as JPEGs — and Sunday, Nov. 9, edition. 5 The Observer & Eccentric INDEX For Home Newspapers APARTMENTS C4 Delivery call: AUTOMOTIVE C8 Volume 44 We Beat Any Only at: The Corner of Ford & Merriman CLASSIFIED C3-C10 (866) 887-2737 Number 45 AT&T Wireless Offers in Garden City «734-421 »8000 CROSSWORD PUZZLE C3 FILTER D1 Joss C7 fesm OBITUARIES D6 •>. OPINION A8 PINK D8 Coming Sunday: REAL ESTATE C3 Country music's ' ^JSZ '&ZJ3SS2&3& SERVICE GUIDE C3 53174 10007 S /%AKK9£TT cnnortriir Racral Flattc •ml Hi -mm m i ""WW-W*** * **-w^racfn^ i.,"»^i"^eS zm Observer S Eccentric 1 Thursday, October 30,2008 A2 (W) LOCAL NEWS www.hometownllfe.com in 2 armed robberies BY BARRELS. CLEM (734) 722-9600. him, Borisch said. tained some gray hair. According OBSERVER STAFF WRITER A lone gunman brandish The Check 'n' Go incident hap to the witness, the suspect wore V. ing what was described as a pened when a lone black male black pants and a black-hooded Westland police are investigat semiautomatic handgun went went into the store last Friday sweat shirt that had large letters ing a pair of armed robberies into the Dollar General store morning and robbed a male across the front. His pants had on opposite ends of the city, and and robbed an employee of an store employee of an undisclosed an unknown letter that appeared authorities don't believe the inci undisclosed amount of money, amount of money, police Sgt.