?ig Band sound comes to lomelbvvn ( OMMt -MtA r ItiNf* NH f WQH^"' Putting you In touch Thursday with your world July 1,1999 Serving the Westland Comrnufiity for) 35 years : a,;"••.•' VOLUME 35 NUMBER 8 WESTLAND, MICHIGAN • 66 PAGES • http://observereccentric.com "SEVENTV-^RV^CeST: .© lW9Ham«To»7i Comtnunicalionj Nrt.'wftrV,.Inc. > • II is The Westland City Council nixed an assisted Plumley of Crabill & Company of Livo­ living center plan back in April. Its backers nia, commercial real estate agents for . "."• : Focd Road the site, made the presentation. re returned Monday to push the plan, and-met .4 some skepticism. A vote could come as early-as "What is different? You're asking us to approve today what we denied (April s •A: BY fXmtE SKOGLUND . next Tuesday, July 6. 19)," Said .Councilman Richard :...1 - flK-'-Jni STAFF WRITER ,» N BY*EN£E>SKOGLUND by a majority' vote at the April 19 coun­ LeBlanc. At that time, LeBlanc had [email protected] favored a more commercial use of the ......... STAFWtoMTEB •: A iC^year-old Westland girl on a cil meeting. "We didn't have enough 0 [email protected] information at the time," said council property. •"""': ^u bike escaped abduction yesterday Rourke said the basic proposal was Approval for a proposed 5.47-acre, $6 President Sandra Cicirelli. when she fought, off- her alleged kid­ "exactly the same," AygTKia't million assisted liVing center site on During a study session Monday — Will council say yes? napper.' ' Plumley, however,, said he had A proposed'ass'fsied living Merriman Road just south of Cherry evening, council members received a -The girl was riding her bike on undertaken a study of retail vacancies center would have 80 Hill could be granted at the Westland more in-depth presentation of the pro­ Venoy, just north of Ford, at 5:18 p.m. in the area. He provided council mem­ rooms and 113 beds, plus Pa!nr:er ;when a commercial semi-truck pulled City Council's ilext regular meeting posal . developed by Hearthstone a 20-bed extension for bers with. photographs of several • • Tuesday, July 6. Assisted Living of Houston, Texas. people with Alzheimer's, i tip. "The driver got out, ran up and ) -'• grabbed her and started to drag her The proposal had been turned down Thorn Rourke of Hearthstone and Dave ii - -..-.••• ' Please see ASSISTED, A2 HELEN FURCEAN/ STAFF ARTIST back to the truck," said Lt. Marc Sto­ bbe of the Westland police. The girl screamed and struggled with the truck driver, who had Ready, set, go! grabbed her by the arms. *7 Stobbe said a man who witnessed the incident approached the truck dri­ ver, who had returned to his truck, and asked him if he had grabbed the true to girl and attempted to drag her back into his truck. According to the police report, the truck driver replied, "Yes, I did." The witness then told the driver not to leave and told the girl to go to a nearby house and call 911. The driver Greg Baracy, who attended school in stayed in his truck until police the same district he now heads as arrived. Wayne-Westland superintendent, has "This is very unusual. I can only been named recipient of Wayne Memo­ imagine what was going through his rial High School's 1999 Distinguished mind," said Stobbe, Alumni award. ' ' The suspect was being interrogated ' "It is. a great honor,'' he said, "and I this morningv and police expect to am very blessed the staff selected me." arraign him on kidnapping charges Baracy is the first Wayne-Westland soon; : superintendent to have completed Stobbe sent the man's description kindergarten through 12th grade here. oyer teletype across the nation. "I'm He has been either a student or an getting calls from all over. We don't educator here for more than 30 years. know if he's involved (in other He attended Jackson Elementary, attempts), but we're still investigat- Franklin Junior High and Wayne ingn Memorial, which had no alumni arena The suspect, a Novi resident, is a or math and science wing when he white male,, age 53, 6*foot, 185 went there. The school did have A larg­ pounds. He drives for a commercial er student population then: about trucking .'firm* within the iftetro 2,300. Detroit area. .''•.•.' :> • Baracy has been an edu­ It's here: Kevin Feagan of Wade Shows replaces the color bulbs in the "Skyrider." The West- IN THE PAPER cator for 26 years after land Summer Festival began Wednesday with a parade and ends Sunday, July 4, withfire- graduating from the Univer­ works at dusk. For more on the fun, see Page A4. ; sity of Michigan with a bach­ TODAY Fsst has elor's degree in education. Because of his love for cars, Baracy helped start the Motor Sports Club at Wayne. He also played football but Festival; TasteFest cele­ a winner admits he was "just an average Joe." It was his high school counselor who brates its 11th anniver­ encouraged him to become a teacher. "It was a turning point for me," Bara­ sary with 75 free stage (hen Kimberly Corney was u performances and 35 fgrowing up, she had»hip cy said. He saw that teaching was a problems that put her in the love I had - and still do," restaurants selling hospital. Corney, now 18 going on Baracy has been an educator for 26 "tastes" of specialties./El 19,: hopes to become a registered years after graduating from the Uni­ nurse and work in a children's hos­ versity of Michigan with, a bashelor's pital's orthopedic department. degree in education. He received his master's degree in occupational educa­ The Westland resident is this tion/administration from U-M. and his REAL ESTATE year's MissWeitland. "I was in total doctorate in curriculum and instruction shock," she said of her crowning Sat­ from Wayne State UniveYsity. urday, June 26. "I did not expect it Well done: Engineering at all. Very, very shocked arid sur­ He has taught at the college level Society of Detroit chooses prised." .; and served as a department chair, X assistant principal, principal, vocation­ The lifelong^ Westland resident is construction and design al director and assistant superintend a student at the University of Michi­ dent for general administration before gan-Dearborn. She plaifs to transfer winners. his current position. to U-M in Anil Arbor for her junior and.senLoryears in the nursing pro­ •'Education has been good to me and gram. :..:.:, -:.-.:, _' •'•'•• '•'.''•:''••.,. ••'" my family," Baracy said. INDEX . For now, she'll preside over the He still has plans for change in Westland Summer Festival, "help­ Wayne-Westland, including improving "Obituaries ' A8 ing put when, people need things.. I instruction, raising student'tes.t scores, . am looking forward-to' the festival, monitori ng fina rices-', and boosting;-. tHe, • Classified Index F4 : I'm excited.". l: public's perception of thedistriet. • J TteftVEstrtte F4 However, he s^id the district alreairr She is a 1998 graduate of John has "turned the corner." in recoct years Crossword. F6 Glenn High School and the daughter by starting programs lik^> Camp Rcad- of kathy Corney. Kimberly Corney Home & Service G8 a-Lot, restoring middle school sports, plans to study after college to be a • Automotive G9 buying now textbooks and winning physician's assistnnt,-.spccializing in voter approval of a $1.08,3 million bond •;';-. Employment ; Hio orthopedic pediatrics. • Opinion A12-13 issue for building'improvements. : In addition to being an educator, • Calendar • B4 Presiding oyer festival: Kim­ Baracy also serves on many civic and •.Sports'':;. .. CI berly Corney is Mis? West- governmental boards and committees. a R*tti-Esi«i*3' •••••.••/•:•:.,'•. Fl Id nd.Shc is a 1998 gradu a te His hobbies include golfing, collecting and rcfinishing antiques and tinkering of John Glenn High School. with his 1926 Model "T Ford, lie way STMT PHOTOS BV TOM M.WUY HOW TO REACH US Please see BARACY, A2 T'rr t*6w$r60iii.•734-S&3-210 4 :J. T u />r» . ',:. Newsroom fdx:734-5931.727 9 owner 0 bull ulvuufZ ufi wu, i/'C E-mail:, bjwhrrmn© oehom«cdfnm,ne. t : NighVine/Sports : 734-9532104 BY RKNlvK SKOOWND . attacked her and hit Her on the forehead ,and face," ing person hut an arrest warrant may be prepared y Reader Comment Line,734-953-204 2 MxMy WRITER - said I,t, Marc Stobbe of the Westland Police Depart­ today charging him with failure to surrender his dog, r*k<)ff1uhd@o<?.hOmccomm>nct » Classified Advertising• 734r591-0$00 ment. The girl/who was mauled on.the face, was filing a false police report.an* failure to immunize his dog against rabies. Display Advertising:734-591-230 0 Police need help in localing 'Gary. Polchna of West- taken to the University of Michigan Hospital, where land, whose pit bull attacked a 2/,~yenr-old Taylor she received 35 stitches. •'.Kccords from the'Westland Veterinary Clinic indi­ Home'Delivery734591-050 0 4 girl June 23. Polehnadisappenred with his clog short­ The girl faced a series of painful rabies shots if the cate Polchna brought the dog'iu .June 26 for a rabie.s ly after the attack, : .--.:- dog had not been-found. Polohiia told police at the vaccination. The girl's fathei' wants the dog The dog is at the Wefltlnnd Humane Society, l>ut tiiue of the fncident the rabies .shots had .expired. destroyed'. Polehna is still miHsing.Th.e attack occurred at 7:30 Stobbe said when the animal cuntiol officer, went to Polchna' is a white male.