lomeTbwn COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK Ulestlani) (Dbserwr Your hometown newspaper serving Westland for 36 years aW ^aw Sunday, June 18, 2000 hometownnewspapers.net 75C Volume 36 Number 5 Wastlang, MteNoan OeOOo HomeTown Communicator* Natwof«4t Glad you're my dad Victim feared for life • In emotional testimony Thursday, a woman described a brutal assault in Westland. Charges include attempted murder. BY DAHHELL CLEM 8TAWWWITO dcIea>Ao«JtoiB««oiUBUiet Raped, beaten and crawling on soggy ground in a dark, wooded area of West- land, a 48-year-old woman feared she was going to be killed when her attack­ er got into his pickup truck and started aurr Pacma n ft* MA*UY the engine. THE WEEK "To myself I said, 'He's going to run Thanksl Above, Valerie over me with his truck/ "the victim Poma, 2% of Westland testified Thursday. "I thought he was holds the picture frame she going to kill me because of the blows f^Wmmmg^Lwdf made for her dad, David, and the strikes and the way he was' for Father's Day at the beating me. I thought, This is it.'" Westland library this past Instead, she said, her attacker drove off after he forced her to perform oral MONDAY week. With Valerie in the sex, raped her inside his truck, and photo when she was a baby beat and kicked her so brutally that, is older sister Melissa. At she still winced in pain Thursday from City Hall: The Westland right, Darcy Vines, 5, of broken vertebrae and ribs she suffered City Council will meet 7 Westland works on the pic­ May 29. p.m. in council chambers The man she accuses is 42-year-old ture frame she made for her Brian Hurst of Westland, and her testi­ of Westland City Hall, dad, Chuck Vines. mony convinced 18th District Judge C. Ford near Carlson. There Charles Bokos to order Hurst to stand trial for assault with intent to murder^ will be a 6:30 p.m. study kidnapping and two counts of first- session on,miscellaneous degree criminal sexual conduct. Wayne Road reconstruc­ Hurst, jailed on a $500,000 cash bond, could face life in prison if convict­ tion contracts. The study ed of raping and trying to kill the session is open to the pub- woman about 1 a.m. May 29 in a wood­ ed area near Harrison and Powers, on tho ^itv'a anntVipattt wide. ~ Plea** M*> VICTM, AS THURSDAY Prosecutor forum: The five NewOpen s Act worries surface candidates for Wayne County prosecutor will BY DARRELL CLEM will file suit and seek unspecified dam­ twice, that's all. There was, therefore, registered voters and turned them over »r AFT WRITER ages and costs. no violation of any law by any member to City Clerk Joann Seaberg, seeking a debate the issues 7:30-10 dciciaA(>eJioaaecoiiuii*net Caldwell, president of UAW Local of the council." ballot proposal to amend the city char­ p.mi Thursday at Livo­ A local attorney haa leveled new alle­ 845, is involved in a recall effort The latest controversy followed earli­ ter and let residents start electing their nia's Civic Center gations of Open Meeting Act violations against Councilwoman Sharon Scott er allegations that Cox and council col­ own clerk. agaiuBi tiie We&tland City Council, over the Jan 18 firing of former Citv leagues Charles Trav" Griffin, David Council members have hired a spe­ Library, The forumJs co- claiming elected officials broke the law Clerk Patricia Gihhons. James and Sharon Scott violated the cial counsel to determine whether, sponsored by The Observ­ by ending a June 5 meeting and deny­ Dickson accused the seven-member Open Meetings Act by privately decid­ under the Home Rules Act of Michigan, er Nprwznniters and. The ing some citizens their right to speak. council of violating its own policies and ing to fire Gibbons before she officially such a petition drive is a legally appro­ -•.-•--* -,1- - -x Attorney Lyie Diukauu ua» threat­ the Michigan Open Meeting A** Hy Inat her job Jan. 18. priate way for making the clerk's job ened to file a lawsuit on behalf of resi­ closing the June 5 meeting and strip­ An investigation by the Wayne Coun­ an elected position. Northville Record; Time dent Roger Caldwell unless the council ping citizens of their right to speak, ty Prosecutor's Office found no wrong­ Dickson has threatened legal action Warner; and the Commu­ issues a public apology and agrees to even though they had waited for hours. doing by the council majority. if any city official tries to "halt, impede, nity Democratic Club. abide by rules allowing citizen com­ Council President David Cox rejected In another threat, Dickson said in void, suspend or otherwise delay the ments. the allegations. his letter that Caldwell also will seek process of placing this initiative before In a letter to council members, Dick­ "First, I do not recall anyone being legal action if city leaders try to block a voters ..." son demanded an apology at the begin­ denied the right to address the coun­ citizens drive to make the city clerk's Cox defended the council's decision to INDEX ning of Monday's 7 p.m. meeting at cil," he said. "I just remember two peo­ position an elected post. hire an attorney. City Hall. Otherwise, he said, Caldwell ple being denied the right to speak Citizens collected £,197 signatures of Apartments/17 Malls/C6 Please see SURFACf, A6 Arts/Ci Mov4es/C4 Automotive/H6 New Homes/El Class Ified/EAH 0bituarles/A2 Classified Real Estate/El er gas prices lndex/E4. Service Guide/HS Crossword Sports/Bl BY Jum BROWN one another." those for police work and public ser­ *AU I know is it's killing us," he said. Puzzle/E6 Taste/W 8TAF* wftrra Another commuter paying more than vices, are a factor, too. "We're going to be in trouble this year." Jobs/02 Travei/C» jbrown*o*Jho*«coiMLAet $2 per gallon at the pump is Greg "I'm sure it's beginning to have some­ Dittmar said the city would "be what of an impact,'* said Mayor Robert $l0,0O0-$lft,000over budget for the fis­ Local folks aren't necessarily fuming Baracy, Wayne-Westland school super­ : about gaB prices, but they'd like an intendent. Baracy's concerned not only Thomas. The city gets a volume dis cal year ending this June on gas. H*'d lliinif'i'wn Ib^iiii'd- explanation for the sudden hike. about what he pays, but also about the count on gas and pays no taxas on fuel, like some relief. school district feeling the pinch. but the pinch is still being felt. "For myself, too. I've got a gas guz­ "I think that we the people deserve zler," he said of his Ford truck. an explanation," said De'Adra The district's fiscal year starts July "It's still going to have an effect on WOKK! us." Some reports have indicated people Dawkins, administrative assistant for 1, and some $150,000 has been budget­ are putting off new car purchases due the Weatland Chamber of Commerce. ed for gasoline. Wayne-Westland's Thomas recalled gas for the city being as cheap as 45 cents a gallon in to high gas prices, but Tom North of "Iran a garage sale ad Dawkins has a three-minute drive to spent some $50,000 more on gas than North Bros. Ford hasn't noticed that. what was budgeted this past year. the early 1990s, when he was first and had great success with work, but her commutes to Eastern mayor. The mayor, who buys diesel "We haven't seen any impact yat," it, so I'm placing another Michigan University in Ypsilanti, The district's 86 buses cover more fuel at Meijer in Westland for his said North, vice president of the deal­ ad with the O&E. I'm very where she's a student, are 30 minutes .than 2 million miles a year. Baracy motor home, noted those prices have ership on Ford Road in Westland. Tbe Happy with the previous each way and drain her gas tank. said, and the schools have some other gone up as well. impact will hit, however, if high gas She complaint to friends and others vehicles as well. Colleague Richard Dittmar, public prices continue through the end of the response' year, he said. —ti.H, about the prices. "We all complain to Westland city vehicles, including services director for Westland. agreed. Livonia FM-.vt* \onr *id tod.iv! MEAP resu BTJULBBHOWN work with students is needed to guar­ trict went from 39,9 to 65.fi. clotm to the local curriculum is being aligned with STAffWimft antee learning'* taking place. state number of 67.8. the state framework on which the ftJMt "Overall, we've seen some real "These compare favorably to the MF.AP is based This past February, local fifth- and improvement," said Sam Barresi. assis­ state increases,-* said Barresi. who Superintendent Greg Baracy is alao eifhth-graden took the Michigan Edu­ tant superintendent for instruction for noted state satisfactory score** were up pleased with the latest results, H* cational Assessment test in science, the Wayne-Westland district. this year, too, noted fifth-grade and eighth-grade sci­ writing and social studies. District edu For example, the district's satisfacto­ In eighth-grade writing, the district ence improvements, along with other caton have received those results and ry percentage in fifth-grade science went from.60.1 last year to 70.3 thin areas which sh«wed increas*>s.