Dance Theatre of Harlem )R[ ENTERTAINMENT! Inserted section Your hometown newspaper serving Canton for 29 years Go fish j SZ1\4 CANTON Favorite fillets ! hit the plate \ THURSDAY ?nt * February 26,2004 Taste, D1 75 cents VOLUME 29 NUMBER 68 ODbscruewww.hometownJife.com r ©2004 HOMETOWN COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK Win a $500 Farmer Jack Ball group: The games will continue See Page C8 for details With the president of the District Court last week with He said the situation came to already been made in the way summer league play last year, . Canton Community Junior embezzlement of funds in the board's attention when purchases are handled. he said the group takes in about Baseball/Softball Association excess of $20,000. He was some vendors did not get paid "A purchase order must be $250,000 a year. facing felony embezzlement released on a $20,000 personal and the money was not there to voted on and signed by a major- Are the charges against Hill charges, association vice presi- bond and faces a preliminary pay them. ity of board members before putting the organization under dent Rich Rohn wants parents exam on March 5. He acknowledged that the any order is placed," he said. a cloud? Memo and players to know that the "Invoices will not be paid with- "You always have rainy days," Rohn said the board has been accounting practices in the out receipts against the pur- Road Rally games will go on. aware of the accusations against group were somewhat loose, he said. "But the sun will shine "Everything this year will go Hill since last November, but in but said that at the moment the chase order." again. One person isn't going to The Canton on as scheduled," he said. conversations with Hill and the all-volunteer group has no He said all vendors have now make or break the organization. Thunderbirds girls "Nothing is going to change. We group's accountant, they had no treasurer and when bills have to been paid and the organization's We're here for the kids." fastpitch softball team want to make that clear." reason to believe at this time be paid someone has to deal financial situation is now fine. Anyone with questions about is organizing a Road Association president Harry that anything illegal had taken with them. With more than 3,000 kids the organization can contact Rally for Saturday, Hill was charged in 35th place. He said some changes have participating in spring and Rohn at (734)-812-9763. March 13. Tickets are $25 per person and include clue solving fun, buffet dinner and soft drinks, prizes and Expo will nail music. Cash bar avail- able. Entries are limit- ed. Contact Mike down tips Roberts at (734) 397- 1355 or look on their Web site at thunder- birdsoftball.tripod.com. for home Relay klckoff improvement m Former Canton Si&t Chamber of BY JOANNE MAtlSZEWSKI Commerce Executive STAFF WRITER Who's who? Chris and Todd LaJoy are Identical twins who Director Carleigh own the LaJoy Group, a staffing company that provides Flaharty will be the There's a good chance that every- services much like a human resources department. keynote speaker at thing you ever wanted to know the kickoff for about home construction, improve- Canton's Sixth Annual ments, repairs, home decorating and Relay for Life, spon- landscaping may be learned at sored by the American Canton's third annual Home Double take Cancer Society, at Improvement Expo and Parade of 7:30 p.m. March 10 at Homes Waltonwood of Cherry From how to install March 6-7 at Hill, 42600 Cherry Twin brothers share flooring to kitchen and the Summit Hill. bath design, the expo will on the Park. The public Is invited, offe'" 3 variety of work- "It is son their LaJoy Group 50-50 shops Page A2. ^ of as enter- please I taining as it You're not seeing double when you walk into ar is education- the offices of the LaJoy Group on Ann Arbor Community al," said Road in Plymouth. But a lot of clients think Excellence is soliciting John Weyer, Canton building offi- they are. nominations from the cial. Owners Todd and Chris LaJoy are identical pubiic for landscape, Both events will run from 9 a.m. twins — "mirror twins " Chris says — and peo- site and architectural to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 6, and 11 ple walking into their employee placement design for the annual a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, March 7- In business often do double takes. Canton Design addition to hundreds of local home "During the day, customers will come in and Excellence Awards by improvement and repair businesses, they'll think they just saw myself or Todd," June 30. Awards will the event also features myriad work- Chris said. "One of us walks down the hall and be presented at a cer- shops for homeowners. the other comes back. They'll leave and then emony in September. The expo was initiated as a means turn and come back into the office. They just : The array of awards of creating public awareness and to had to see us together. They'll say, 'I thought includes: allow homeowners to talk with somebody changed clothes too quickly.'" Landscape design experts in home improvement. It Born 31 years ago in Oklahoma City where • Neighborhood also develops relationships between What could be better? their dad, state Rep. Phil LaJoy, was working entryway the construction world and the for UPS, the twins were not expected. • Single family: township's building department, Betty Lebioda of Canton, who is decked out in Mardi Gras beads, takes a delightful bite of "He and our mom (Jean) thought there was Professionally Weyer said. a paczki to celebrate the annua! Fat Tuesday, traditionally the day before Ash Wednesday installed and home- The workshops came from an ini- at the Canton Senior Center. PLEASE SEE BROTHERS, A4 owner installed. tial invitation to Joe Gagnon, also • Commercial known as the Appliance Doctor, to • Public buildings, speak at an early expo. "I saw that Search v#rrsw erftrwo i>r® Jc&ntst* 'Js Utw such as churches or they also wanted to hear from con- schools struction people," Weyersaid. "The Redesigned Web site offers • Environmental workshops allow people l^ get even excellence more information.* Architectural design The Parade of Homes coincides more news, information fmn • Residential , with the. expo. Signs will direct peo- • Commercial ple to the homes that are iil quite a Readers of the Canton Communications Network, Inc., Public buildings few subdivisions in Canton. Maps Observer are invited to access the company that owns the also will be available at the expo to HomeTownLife.com, the most Observer. help people find the model homes. ut&m* rapidly growing community- "It's been a little more than wtttuietm It was a smash last "This really helps promote the based Internet site in Michigan. three years since we launched year, so Canton product line," Weyer said. "This will Now entirely redesigned for our Internet portal, Leisure Services is also help anyone who wants home easier use and offering many new HomeTownLife.com," said offering women age 18 decorating and landscaping ideas." features, HomeTownLife.com Power. "During that time, it has »t> trf #*#$*** and up another oppor- The weekend event will be spon- provides local news, community grown beyond what any of us tunity to pamper sored by Canton's Building and information and classified ads dreamed. The site registered 36 This photo illustrates the newly redesigned home page of our Web themselves. The Inspection Services Division, the from the Canton Observer, as million hits and 650,000 visitors portal site, HomeTownLife.com. On the left is a 'navigation bar/ a evening wili feature Canton Chamber of Commerce and well as business listings from its viewed 2,341,000 pages during convenient way for readers to get to specific places on the site. In dinner prepared by the Observer £? Eccentric Newspapers. sister "yellow pages" telephone January alone - a 300 percent . the middle is a listing of all the communities served hy newspapers Summit Gourmet, live For more information, call the directories, according to Phil belonging to the HomeTownLife.com family. On the right side are music and a comedi- building division at (734) 394-5200. Power, chairman of HomeTown PLEASE SEE WEB SITE, A4 ads highlighting special values and consumer opportunities. an. "Girls Night Out" 2004 is 6:30-8:30 p.m. Friday, March 12, in the Summit Walnut MRS. FIELDS COOKIES i INDEX room. Advance regis- Hiring for ftill and part time help. CONTACT US LOOKING AHEAD _ Must be able to work days, nights... tration is required and Newsroom - (734) 459-2700 Apartments F7 Jobs F9 American Profile Newsroom fax - (734) 459-4224 At Home C1 Movie Guide E6 ends on March 5. The Classifieds - 1-800-579-SELL The Dvorak family of Perry, Okla., "Great Response! We hired 2 people Automotive G3 Obituaries C7 cost is $25 for resi- Home delivery - 1-866-88-PAPER has been involved in Future right away!" K., Livonia Classified Index F5 Real Estate F5 dents and $30 for Farmers of America for three gen- 1 -800-579-SELL Crossword Puzzle F6 Sports B1 nonresidents. PUT OUR CLASSIFIEDS TO WORK FOR YOU! HomeTown erations. COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK For The Record A4 Taste D1 Washington Mutual .'hi! Power of Yes HOME LOANS We're your new neighbor... 17909 Haggerty Road • Northville • 248-374-4501 A2 (C) Observer & Eccentric j Thursday, February 26,2004 LOCAL NEWS www.hometoicnlife.com Dead and dying ash trees a threat of their own Workshops run The phrase natural catastro- expect 80 percent of the ash James Zoumbaris, Livonia's those customers live in the phe is usually associated with trees to die.