inspire g | CANTON GADGETS FOR THE WEEKEND WARRIOR SUBSCRIBERS - FIND YOUR COPY OF INSPIRE WITH TODAY'S NEWSPAPER PRICE: $1 THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2 0 , 2012 hometownlife.com Holiday hours Residents with busi­ Local reps back Snyder’s gun veto ness to conduct a t Can­ to n Township Hall next week will have to wait pistol license holders who com­ ises if they see fit to do so.” icut, a church or school is a until Wednesday. pleted additional training to car­ Slavens, a D em ocrat from Can­ place for people to be carrying The township hall ry a concealed pistol in schools ton, couldn’t agree more. She guns,” Slavens said. “I was real­ building will be closed State Bep. Dian Slavens said and other places that currently said she’s gotten hundreds of ly pleased, very happy to see he Dec. 24-25 for the she delivered petitions with are off-limits. em ails and phone calls from con­ (vetoed) it.” Christmas holiday. It some 8,000 signatures from peo­ “While we m ust vigilantly pro­ cerned constituents urging the will reopen for normal ple urging Gov. Rick Snyder tect the rights of law-abiding governor not to sign the bill. Bill failure business hours at 8:30 to veto a Senate bill th a t would firearm owners, we also must She said she also heard testi­ Snyder said his veto w as pri­ a.m. Wednesday, Dec. have made it easier for gun own­ ensure the right of designat­ mony in com m ittee from rep ­ m arily based on the bill’s failure 26. Township hall will e rs w ith concealed weapons per­ ed public entities to exercise resentatives of the Catholic to let designated public entities follow th e same sched­ m its to carry guns into schools. their best discretion in matters Church, hospitals and day care such as schools, day care centers ule th e following week On Tbesday, Snyder gave them o f safety and security,” Snyder centers “urging us not to pass and hospitals opt out of the new for New Year's. w hat they wanted, vetoing the said in a statem ent “These public the bill" in th e first place. concealed carry provisions. Cur- The Canton Public controversial legislation that venues need clear legal authori­ “I don’t think, especially with Library will be closed would have allowed concealed ty to ban firearm s on their prem ­ w hat happened in Connect- Please see VETO, A3 Dec. 23-25 for the holiday and will reopen from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. W ednesday, Dec. 26. It will also follow the same schedule for the Staff, students New Year's holiday. Canton's trash and recycling pickup will be delayed tw o days seek clarity in during th e Christmas and New Year's holiday weeks. Canton Waste Recycling will not pick Conn. tragedy up garbage Christ­ mas Eve or Christmas Day. Rather than th e usual Monday through Thursday service, trash instead will be picked There are always questions and concerns up Wednesday through a fte r a tragedy such as the one th a t unfold­ Saturday — a two-day ed Friday in Newtown, Conn., a search for delay for all customers. answ ers fo r how and why something like that CWR also will not be could happen. making its rounds New R ather than wait for them to come, Plym­ Year's Eve or New Year's outh High School teacher Beth Savalox Day. Trash and recycling decided to send her practical law students service that week also on their own quest for answ ers in a stirring, will be Wednesday thought-provoking hour of discussion Mon­ through Saturday, day morning. marking a two-day Probing a half-dozen questions ranging delay for customers. from a sim ple recitation of facts to motives behind the shooting that killed 28 people, PHOTOS BY BILL BRESLER | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER including 20 6- and 7-year-olds, students Director’s ddV Enjoying the moment after defeating previously unbeaten Livonia Churchill for the District 2 engaged in anim ated talks they said after­ ^ championship in early November are Plymouth head coach Mike Sawchuk and his players. The ward helped lift the fog of tragedy a t least a Lt Todd Mutchler, cho- team could have all of its 2012 victories wiped out due to an ineligible player, little. sen to replace the retiring Savalox knew a 50-minute class wasn’t Pat Nemecek as Canton's going to produce solutions, but she said the director of public safety, discussion was absolutely worthwhile. begins his new job Jan. 1. “I think it’s safe we a re n ’t going to leave Mutch- Wildcats face forfeits here with a lot of answ ers,” said Savalox, I ler has who is also Plymouth-Canton’s National Hon­ or Society advisor. “It’s important to discuss ] his way up causes and prevention, a s well as the pro­ I through cess. The discussion itself is valuable. They | the ranks over ineligible player m ay not figure out how they feel until they o the top answer it.” I position, The discussion in Savalox’s classroom was Mutchler starting as Erin MacGregor, Plym- MacGregor and Business ju st one of several ways the district dealt a patrol of­ outh-Canton’s director of Services Executive Direc­ with the tragedy this week. The reaction ficer hired by Canton in secondary education, said to r Brodie Killian, detailing started Saturday morning, when Superinten­ 1988. He has a bachelor's An "unintentional” adm in­ the district has "already the situation. dent Dr. Jerem y H ughes em ailed a letter to degree in criminal justice istrative oversight literally put into place safeguards to “This eligibility issue was parents reassuring them the district is doing and a master's degree in could have record-shatter­ make sure this doesn’t hap­ discovered after the season “everything we can to keep them safe.” interdisciplinary technol­ ing repercussions for Plym ­ pen again,” and hopes the w as over and was complete­ A mom ent of silence was observed in all ogy, both from Eastern outh High School’s varsity MHSAA will leave the vic­ ly unintentional,” the letter district buildings Monday morning and Michigan University. football team. tories in place. to parents stated. "This was teachers, counselors and social workers The Michigan High “We think we made a the result of an oversight at w ere w atching for, and talking to, students School A thletic Association strong case,” MacGregor the adm inistrative level and will determ ine in early Jan­ said. “We’ll have to wait and the appropriate corrective Please see TRAGEDY, A2 INDEX uary w hether to forfeit the see.” m easures have been im ple­ Business................. A8 W ildcats’ nine victories in The association’s execu­ mented. Crossword Puzzle. B10 2012 — including two dur­ tive board will decide the “Coach Mike Sawchuk Entertainment B6 and his staff also had no Food.... ing the postseason — due to W ildcats’ fate. .. B10 the team having an ineligi­ “The school district was knowledge of the situation Jobs ......... ...B10 ble player on the roster. very forthright, very good until well a fte r the season Obituaries... It w as recently discov­ communication,” said ended." Opinion...... ered that a player compet­ Thomas Rashid, MHSAA Also in the letter, parents ed despite being in his ninth associate director. “They w ere notified that Sawchuk Sports ........ discussed the situation with Wheels ...... sem ester of high school, a contacted us upon discov­ violation of MHSAA eligi­ e ry and we believe they’ve the team Monday. © The Observer & Eccentric bility rules. handled it very well. “While we understand the A form al letter notify­ “We know it’s alw ays a boys are disappointed and ing the MHSAA of the rules very difficult situation. But concerned, it is incum bent violation was sent Dec. 13 we know everybody (in P- on the D istrict to protect by Plymouth-Canton Com­ CCS) believes in following the identity of the student munity Schools. The district the rules and doing things involved," it stated. Return Address: filed that report with an right and we are pleased The ineligible player Sarah Reasoner of Canton, a junior at Plymouth 41304 Concept Di High School, said she was "devastated" when Plymouth Nl 48170 appeal for a waiver of con­ with that." “w as unaware that he was sequences because the vio­ P arents received a let­ she learned of the massacre at a Connecticut lation was inadvertent. te r dated Dec. 17, signed by Please see FORFEITS, A2 elementary school Friday. C o m m u n i t y F i n a n c i a l right h ere right for you www.cfcu.org (877) 937-2328 1 •SubjGO to crfldit application and approval. Annual P**c«otage (APR) ir.ay vaiy and is dependent on individual oed* tusrcuy aod oriw Factor Stated rate 25% d.sco^t vvben payments are auicr-at^ , onducted from 1 I A2 (C) Observer & Eccentric | Thursday, December 20, 2012 L O C A L N E W S online a t hometownlife.com Red Cross appeals for blood donations By Darrell Clem their mind. They're busy,” Ris­ Red Cross needs 17,000 blood or call her at (313) 549-7052 to • 1-6:45 p.m. Jan. 4, Plymouth ko said. “They have to shop and donations a day fo r patients in set up an appointment.