FEATURES SUBSCRIBE Earth Day Soccer potpourri (313) 343-5577 There is a job to do in our North, South ULS girls $14.50 OFF THE NEWSSTAND homes and backyards PAGE IB teams in action PAGE IC Grosse Pointe News VOL. 70, NO. 16,32 PAGES APRIL 16,2009 ONE DOLLAR (DELIVERY 71e) One of America's great community newspapers since 1940 GROSSE POINTE, MICHIGAN Complete news coverage of all the Pointes week ahead THE FIVE GROSSE POINTES 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 ?S River berms THURSDAY, APRIL 16 •An adult poetry slam featur• could lower ing Tom Budday is from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Grosse Pointe Public Library, Woods branch. Prizes will be awarded to the top three poets. lake levels • A free bag of microwave popcorn will be given when a movie is checked out from one By Brad Lindberg of the Grosse Pointe Public StaffWriter Libraries. A broken ankle has kept Kay Felt dry-docked during MONDAY, APRIL 20 most of the winter, but in a couple of weeks she'll set •Wayne Count Commissioner course for the nation's capital to participate in a May 1 Tim Killeen, D-Detroit, holds a news conference about regulating Great Lakes water Meet the Commish from 9 to levels. 10 a.m. in the Grosse Pointe Felt, a Grosse Pointe Shores attorney, co-chairs a Park City Hall, 15115 E. United States advisory board working with North Jefferson. American scientists to study water level fluctuations in • The City of Grosse Pointe the upper Great Lakes. council meets at 7 p.m. in A subset of the overall International Upper Great council chambers, 17147 Lakes Study questions whether flows down the St. Clair Maumee. River have been artificially increased to cause unnatural • The Grosse Pointe Woods declines in water levels upstream; and, if so, should any• Left, Owen Mulcahy of Grosse Pointe Park holds up the goodie bag he received after finding multiple council meets at 7:30 p.m. in thing be done about it. eggs. Right, Not to be upstaged by the Easter Bunny, Oliver Cassidy, 2, wears his bunny outfit to the Easter council chambers, 20025 Mack The Grosse Pointes could see consequences in Lake Plaza. St. Clair if researchers determine the river should be egg hunt as he checks out the eggs he found at the Edsel & Eleanor Ford House annual egg hunt. Below, partially blocked to restrict drainage out of Lake Huron. children race across the lawn during the Park's egg hunt. TUESDAY, APRIL 21 "If you were to slow the flow of the St. Clair River, that • The Tuesday Musicale of would hold water back in Lake Huron," Felt said. "Guess Detroit presents An Evening of who wouldn't have as much water? Us." Opera for the Soul with Dina The main, upper lake study has been going on for Soresi Winter at 7:30 p.m. at three years and is more than halfway through. It deals Grosse Pointe United with trends in lake levels from Niagara Falls north Methodist Church, 211 through Lakes Erie, Michigan, Huron and Superior. Moross, Grosse Pointe Farms. Research was commissioned by the International Joint Featured artists include sopra• Commission, a binational body created 100 years ago by nos Bonnie L. Brooks, Iris a treaty between the United States and Canada to look at Fordjour and Laura Petrak; issues involving boundary water. mezzo soprano Dorothy An independent study board consists of 10 scientists, Duensing; tenor Giuseppe five from each country. Dozens of other scientists have Delena; bass Edward Hanlon; been commissioned to do various projects. Felt co-chairs and baritone Steven the U.S. half of a 20-member public advisory board Henrikson. Contributions will be accepted. For more infor• See LAKE LEVEL, page 7A mation call (248) 848-9930. •The Grosse Pointe Community Band's spring con• cert begins at 8 p.m. in the GROSSE POINTE WOODS Parcells Middle School audito• rium. The concert is free. • The Lakeshore Optimist Straggling to solve Club of Grosse Pointe, FOX2 members and Big Boy International are joining for a Celebrity Server Night from 5 budget shortfalls to 8 p.m. at the Big Boy restau• rant, Nine Mile and Jefferson, By Kathy Ryan age rate. St. Clair Shores. Proceeds will StaffWHter When an error in an ac• benefit the George Kappaz counting formula was discov• Memorial Scholarship Fund. Grosse Pointe Woods city of• ered that resulted in a short• •The Grosse Pointe Chamber ficials thought they were very fall of $1.8 million, officials of Commerce business before close to a balanced budget for were back at square one to hours begins at 8 a.m. at Stifel the next fiscal year, with few develop a budget in time for & Nicolaus, 17000 Kercheval, cuts in city services and no in• S-240. crease in the property tax mill- See SHORTFALL, page 7A •The Grosse Pointe Shores See WEEK AHEAD, page 7A POINTER OF INTEREST 'Entrepreneurs have to be enthusiastic about Opinion 8A their plans.' Business 10A Autos 11A Schools 1AII David Galbenski Obituaries 4 AII Seniors 4B Prayer breakfast Home: Grosse Pointe Shores Entertainment 6B Gathered to set the agenda for the 23rd annual Mayors' Prayer Breakfast, from left, Grosse Pointe Age: 39 Classified ads 5C Woods Mayor Robert E. Novitke, Harper Woods Mayor Kenneth Poynter, (seated) City of Grosse Family: Wife, Lynn; daughter, Pointe Mayor Dale N. Scrace, Grosse Pointe Park Mayor Palmer T. Heenan; Grosse Pointe Shores Sarah Mayor James M. Cooper and Grosse Pointe Farms Mayor James C. Farquhar Jr. The breakfast is at Claim to fame: Global Board 7:30 a.m. Thursday, May 7, in the main ballroom of the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club, 788 Lakeshore. of Entrepreneurship Miss America 2003 Erika Harold is the keynote speaker. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at Organization chairman any of the aforementioned city halls. For more information, call Mary Celmer at (313) 343-1078. See story on page 4A PHONE: (313) 882-6900 • FAX: (313) 882-1585 • MAIL: 96 Kercheval 48236 • ON THE WEB: grossepointenews.com • E-MAIL: [email protected] DISCOVER THE ACADEMY ADVANTAGE With Traditiotwl Performance AndwsenSs Windows come fei styles, shapes and sires OPEN HOUSE to IB any purpose and personality, with natural wood Interiors, low maintenance exteriors and a Sunday, April 26,1-3 p.m. host of elegant options savvy customers choose Andersen® Windows more than any older brand. Eastside's Premier Landscape Company ifejj& THE GROSSE POINTE WIACADEMY 170S Brt Sued Wjewtottt 1BWK 586-774-0090 0. 15251 E. 12 Mile • Roseville 171 Lake Shore Road, Grosse Pointe Farms 734-283-3436 s . .wf>« ouu~3<*3~4u2i www.backeriandscaping.com 3i3.8S6.i22i gpacademy.org View our OnSne Gatlerv At www.aotieriorwiniiowco.coei GROSSE POINTE NEWS, APRIL 16, 2009 NEWS Yesterday's headlines converted to a 74-space, single Recommendations for slowing level parking lot. The school the traffic included widening would receive $50,000 from the the boulevard, adding rumble city to improve the school's strips and speed bumps and us• 50 years ago this week Ridge Road playground and ing pavement markings to out• Messner Field in exchange for line a two-lane road and park• • SCHOOLS FACING a 20-year lease to the city. ing lanes. CASH SHORTAGE: The • STUDENTS GET AN- •ARMED ROBBERY: For Grosse Pointe Board of OTHER CHANCE: After meet• the second time in a year, a Education asked the Michigan ing with students and student store in the Village was robbed Municipal Finance Corporation representatives, South High by a gunman who snuck for permission to borrow mon• School's administration has de• through a back door while em• ey to finance the schools' oper• cided to reverse its decision to ployees were distracted taking ations for the balance of the cal• ban theme dances at South. deliveries. The thief made off endar year. The State of The ban came after nine South with about $4,000 in small bills. Michigan is in arrears paying students were caught in pos• out state aid funds and the local session of alcohol in the S- system is forced to borrow parking lot before the recent money to keep going. The pajama dance. board is asking to borrow $ 1.75 • SOUTH GIRLS ARE million. Last winter wheri state TOPS: Forthe first time, Five years ago this week aid funding was delayed, the Grosse Pointe South High board borrowed $500,000. School sent an all-female choir •ARMED CAR THEFT • RUNAWAY FOUND: A to compete at a district festival NEAR MACK-MOROSS: An 15-year old Grosse Pointe and the girls received the high• armed gunman stole a 1993 Woods boy sought by police for est possible rating. By receiving Lincoln SUV parked at a tire questioning about a robbery at a top rating, the group is eligi• store at Mack and Kerby in FROM THE APRIL 16, 1959 ISSUE OF THE GROSSE POINTE NEWS his employer's store, was ar• ble to compete at the state level, Grosse Pointe Farms. rested by Grosse Pointe Park however they will not attend. The victim, a 69-year-old police. The event is on the same day as Park man, was standing near Pancake paradise The boy, who ran away after the choir's concert at Orchestra his son's Aviator with other cus• allegedly taking cash and Hall. tomers when two males pulled This fortunate young man is getting a preview of the pancakes to be served at the upcoming pan• into the store parking lot and signed checks from the Grosse cake dinner at Richard Elementary.