Glenn loses to Wailed Lake Western, Bl Hom^tcAvn IDIlMt-HATI'W* I^M-T WlHil- Putting you in touch Sunday wtth your world November 14,1999 Serving the Westland Community for 35 years o VOLUME 35 NUMBER 47 WESTLAND, MICHIGAN • 66 PAGES • http://observer eccentric,com SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS « l**f HowTwum CwwIwIHitlilrtwitft, IM, THE WEEK AHEAD Church homes, hearts • Families are finding ood deals on nice three- gedroom homes in a West- ALL WEEK land neighborhood that is being spruced up with Books and more: The help from a local church. Westland library and Hudson's Westland will BY DARRELL CLEM STAFF WRITER celebrate National Chil­ di;lem<S>oe.hornecomrrunet dren's Book Week Nov. 14- A Westland church's crusade to 20. Events include the revive a deteriorating.southeast-side play "The Emerald City of neighborhood is helping families like Darrell Stewart's find new, affordable Oz* 7 p. m. Monday; Phil housing. t • Kaput, "The Rhythm A nonprofit arm of Peoples Commu­ • <. Man," 7p.m. Tuesday; nity Missionary Baptist Church has sold three new homes and started Craft Day Wednesday construction on two others in Carver afternoon; and a Bopk subdivision, southeast nf Middlebelt Quiz all week. Registra­ and Annapolis roads. Stewart and his girlfriend, Shawna, tion is required for some moved into a three-bedroom, stick- events; call (734) 326- built house on Annapolis in late Octo­ 6123. ber, one month after their baby, Bri­ anna, was born. Stewart found a mortgage company and is buying the $79,000 house that was built and sold by Peoples Com­ MONDAY munity Hope For Homes - the church Wtttt MlHUS II TOM WtWIXt group that will use the money to spur other Carver revitalization efforts. A new home: Darrell Stewart, 24, holds little daughter Brianna inside the three-bedroom house City Hall: The Westland he is buying through a program sponsored by Peoples Community Missionary baptist Church. City Council will meet at "This is the style of house we want- Ull fr ¢^ id. 7p.m. Monday in council Until the couple found their nearly Homes, initiated in 1997-by the Rev. • Two other new houses, under r>hri m Hr>-r>0 /•> fri+y, Hnll nrt 1,300-square-foot home, Stewart and . VArm-pofcV-J ~1 his girlfriend had become frustrated John Hearn, has begun to make a construction on Annapoiis near Irene, Ford near Carlson. hv price tag.4 between $130,000 and tangible difference in Carver subdivi­ could be readv for the market as early $210,000. sion. as? March. ,A~ *-•-y-f :•".. _. IT An other house near Annapolis / j ;. Van B»n ..."Now w£>e paying £485-a month, Up toTJT SATURDAY and we had been paying $505 a and Irene is peggecTtor construction month for a one-bedroom apartment As many as 12 new home;* could he next spring. Neighborhood in Taylor," Stewart said. "It was real occupied - and oivthe city* tax rolls - B A dilapidated house on Middle- revitaltzation: Santa's coming: Santa small. 1 like the space that we have by next year, Hope For Homes Kxecii; belt between Eton and Richard has A local church is heiping to • Claus will arrive at 11 now." tive Director Sam Brown said, been demolished to make room for a spruce up the Catwr subdivision a.m. Saturday by horse Their new home also is close to Consider: new home next spnng. Metro airport, where they both work. • Stewart has bought a house on • A run-down house on Powers is and carriage outside "It's four minutes down the road," Annapoiis, and two other families pegged to be demolished, and land that will be used to build four. Entrance 6 of Westland Stewart said. have moved into new home? on replaced. more houses on Annapolis. Richard Street. S Hope For Homes has acquired I Center, just eastofJ.C. Peoples Community H.u.pe For ~~ Please sec CHURCH, A3 Penney. Santa and West- * ley Holiday Bear will • i feel that visit with kids and hand the church is out candy canes. Photos at its best Pastor's gifts reach wilt be available for pur­ when it is chase. outside of the walls that beyond community you're doing BY DARRELL CUEM own family." .. • your work/ STAFF WRITER Hearn plans to u.,iiain involved in INDEX dclemdoe-homecomm.net Rev. John the church, which has 300 active members, but he is ready to relin­ • Obituaries A6 Hearn A Westland pastor who fights —retiring pastor poverty in Haiti as faithfully as he quish his duties to his son. pastor- • Classified Index U elect Gerry Hearn on Nov, 28, ' of Peoples battles neighborhood blight near his Crossword E5 church is retiring. "Unless something changes, I'm Community Jobs Gl After 42 years, the Rev, John just as happy as.. Lean pe." Hearn, 69. Baptist Church Heam is,leaving his pastoral post at said Thursday inside his church' Home & Service H3 Peoples Community Missionary Bap­ office, Automotive H4 tist Church on Annapolis, on the •Hearn, an Inkster resident, has car­ • Sports & Recreation Bl city's southeast side. ried out his duties by following a sim­ ple but de-ep-felt philosophy: "I feel M Arts 9t Leisure CI "He has been the father of the church - the first pastor and the only that the church is at its best when it • Taste 01 pastor," church member and office is outside <>f the walls that you're • Health A Fitness D5 manager Frances Jones said. "He has nurtured it like his own baby, his : Please we PASTOR, A3 HOW TO REACH US ' , -Newsroom: 734-9S3-2104 Newsroom Fax: 734-591-7279 £ wail: Jbrowneoe.Jwmecomm.net Nigtiiiine/SfiOfts: 734-9504104 ..J T„^, BY KENEE gXOGLUND The miiiages are: 8 A 2o-year. ¢0,1/ iiulnuu uuiiu issjUf Hit: L'UIIU .(jm lit: 1.,1 I*.4*1^ Reader Comment Line: 734*853-2042 STAFF WRTHIH for the expansion and renovation of "We're Working through a two- or rtkogtund4oeJiomeconun.net a The renewal of ,7f>'iftil).s on home Classified Advertising: 734-591-0900 and private property, which generates gymnasium? and athletic facilities for three-month process," said Watson. Display Advertising: 734-591-2300 A new textbook or a new sink? $1.9 million a year, and the renewal of the three high schools and four middle He offered further explanation of the 18 mills on b-ufciness property, which .school*. It would cost taxpayers .4 mill millag'e votes The IS mills is factored Home Delivery; 734-591-0500 When it comes to spending money, the Livonia Publk- Schools does not •generates $29 million a year. * a year for 25 yean? by the state into the district's founda­ want to choose between instruction and B The renewal of a sinking'fund tax District officials have asked the tion grant and. while mandated by maintenance, said Superintendent Ken •of I mill on 'all. property, which gener­ board to set the election date at the state law. it must be authorized hy vot- Watson during an interview Thursday ates $4 miHimr-a yfttr^Hy law. this JiCJi.. regarding three proposed miliage votes money must be used exclusively for the board to formalize the ballot lan­ The 75 mill on homes represent* w renovation and repair guage - setting the actual amount of AprillO. Please se« M&LASC, A2 Disability doesn't mean life can't be r BY DARRKUL CLEM tax-paying citizen? of the community.'' Wort»«r: 8TAIV WfttTtK Unda Long said: dclem9o«.hoBt(>coRnTun«t Angela . Angela, a John Glenn High sopho­ J sing hags Thinking about a new car Angela Long's bosses rjever worry more, got a temporary, grant-funded grtwriesi that she's shirking her job dutie* job at Kroger last summer after she or a good second car? Even when, she talks to customer* at received help from Han Burtk/i, who at Kroger You'll find a huge selection the Kroger store on Foni Road in West- heat!" her school's special education- on Ford i.n land, Angela keeps bagging groceries programs Wrstlarui of auto ads in today's *Some Qf my other employee* can't She did such a good job that she got Thf John Homelbwn Classifieds seem to figure out hqw to do that.* hired for a part-time job. and nhe now Gl?nn stu works, about 20 hour?* a week She assistant ntore manager Ed Mngielski dent has said. makets $5.70 «n hour Ang»ln'« mother. Linda Long, said "Ibnf the groceries and bring the Down sv'j h«?r 17-year-old daughter has* nlwayis cart« in from outsidi and sweep the ({Tr>mc. frit she had more to prove than nvost jutore," Angela man I "My favorite partis ppople bscause wbe haw Down syn bagging beciiuwe 1 don't like going nut. drome, side that much " "I'm trying to get the word out in the She often w-* neighbors, Tri^ndH and ,- community that these kid* can make relatives while sh* h working, find -*be it, and they'can become productive. *i'Uft' l^f'Tn « 63174 10011 5 TTeH m> «r*i "*rWAJW>IMOrA2 h> r->*i Hsu n ijUki* mmmm +m The Obmrver A EcctrUricf SimnAV, NOVEMBER 14, 1998^ (W)A2 frontpage Al reduction of .4 mill, over the last programs in the state by the Also, after receiving money narrow margin: 7,315 to 6,517. time voters authorized the mill- Governor's Council of Physical from the Durant settlement, the The owner of a home valued at age in 1995.