•^ i mm m^m mmwmmmmmmmm mm Cuddles project gives bears to youngsters, Bl Mkxixflbvvti Uvjtitiij£i\j.Si,i»JlW,W t»vpfe' Putting yeu fat t*>uefc Thursday with your world Deeenifaer 16,1999 Serving the WestlandCommunity for 35 years VOH •-•» 35 NtlMBf'? 5G WFMUM9. MICHIGAN • 74 PAGCS • http: observer eccontric.com Sr\ * \! < • F'vF Cf'N • ' * IWta BopMTow* Cammiimfk*iti«** tiwtwo*% !ae~ T^PT^ t :: Ttw Observer Newtpapers ..• Chuck gives up library position ajtalogiattt for any i^eoflYft-':,, • -i&tiabe pur adv^ui(^;::;»ader8 Chuck announced his resignation on always been positive in fighting what-- a»dciUTierfot<»tnAybaw The Westland library board will keep a policy r experwinced in calliag oar •; prohibiting the hiring of board family mem­ the saiTie night the board chose to keep ever issue we had to resolve Uvoftk office bers, following action taken during a Wednes­ a policy prohibiting the hiring of Wagner said Chuck's leadership has library board immediate family mem­ established "a benchmark for others to l«t«Ia«week A day night meeting. bers. • follow." new telephone Cheryl Chuck had kept her library Wilson, MUO fighting back tears, pre­ »yeUim ha* been BY DARRELL CLEM voice cracking with emotion. job all along, despite mounting public sented a.farewell plaque to Chock. installed and liie rnoat new STAFF WRITER The board cuim> under tire from some criticism on the issue. Outside the meeting room, she technology the "bugs* are still dclem^oeuhomecom m .net residents after Chuck's wife, Cheryl, Board members and Library Director strongly commended his accomplish­ being worked out. We Wgret Westland library board President started a &12-an-hour, 30-hour-a>week Sandra Wilson on Wednesday praised ments for Westland's highly successful, any delays this may have Jim Chuck resigned Wednesday night job in the children's room on Oct.. 18. Jim Chuck's job as president and said three-year-old library. caused in connecting with our amid a controversy that erupted when The situation only deteriorated after he will be sorely missed. She credited him with starting pro* customers. We are improving his wife was.hired for a part-time job in library board members indicated they "I think we've done a really good job grams such as an annual employee pic­ our phone system to meet our violation of a library nepotism policy. might drop the nepotism policy in the with your leadership," tearful board nic aiid worker merit raises based on company's needs into and *I knew it would be tough, but this wake of Cheryl Chuck's hiring. member Sharon Clark said, job performance. will be my last meeting," he said, his Bowing to public criticism, Jim "Jim has done a great job," board beyond 2000. We appreciate member Marty Wagrwr said, "He has your understanding and patience. : V ••'?• •' '." Sincerely, Susan Rosiek, Publisher Observer Newspapers on tap at IN THE PAPER YMCA BY DARRELL CLEM STKFT WRITER TODAY dclem^'w.homecomm.net The Wayne-Westland YMCA has a new leader who confirmed Tue*da> that a new facility could be built, on the ENTERTAl b'/7 S. Wayne Road sttr. But Rick Rainville. in ;i new po^t as team operations leader for Wavne- New Year's Eve: Find out Westtand. Livonia and Downriver YMCAs, said new construction isn't what's happening around certain. town to make your New "There, is a ponSiuility Uiiii"L' tne Year's Eve or Day a wor­ YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit will work with a developer to construct a thy celebration./El new faci 1 ity on the curre nt sit*'." Rainville said. "But that's wry much still in the discussion stage It's l^ln.^ explored," REAL ESTATE A,'ennvatien and partial tie v. con- .-.1 nii't;' ''.': ,'iiMi 1.- f KIS.M hie, ill >.[u{' Incoming: The new presi­ Either way, talks are ama'ci at hid­ ing ways to improw child care services dent of the Building an J Mt:|:iui (.itl/.'fll . (C i. J V 11 J I'S ill t.ilk' -STAFF J>H«TlW BV BBUN MtTl HKU. Industry Association Waync-Westlanti center. Rainville ~\nd. Those Were the days: Ed Zezulka laughs about the good old days. He remembered walnuts in loves his work as a Otherwise, the latest developments, stockings of bad kids. • shouldn't bring any major changes or builder /Fl disruptinns ui ser"viq- I'ur YMCA users'. lie said. "We're planning on Continuing with INDEX services, pretty much as wo have in .the memories past," Rarnviile said. • At Home D More precise d': tail.- about a possible • Classified Index F5 new facility could come as early a.s Feb­ Autos J2 ruary, he said. Home & Service Guide H7 still at Marquette House Pleas* see YMCA, A4 Jobs HI Rentals G2 BY JULIE BROWN was getting, suspicious about Santa, STAFF WRITER and her older brother said he saw • Community Life Bl [email protected] • Crossword F6 Mrs. Claus fixing the doll's finger s the December sun streams broken in shipping, Wounded • Entertainment El through the windows, the resi­ "It was my mother," Watson said. • Obituaries A14-15 Adents take turns describing Zezulka said outdoor decorations • Opinions A2 their Christmas memories, There's didn't come along until big depart­ • Be«J Estate Fl laughter, and agreement, as memo­ ment stores started the trend. He man OK ries combine, into common themes. remembered taking his kids to the • Sports CI The place is Marquette House Ford Rotunda, which later burned assisted living in Westland, down down. His children believed Santa BY DAKRELL CLEM lived there. STAFF WRITER HOW TO REACH US across from John Glenn High School. [email protected] Resident Mildred Vicary recalled see­ "It was really nice," he said of the ing not a thing of Christmas until Ford Rotunda, "They had animals, An electrical contractor renting a Newsroom, 734-953-2104 Christmas morning, in sharp con­ deer. They had everything:" Westland apartment was shot Satur­ day afternoon when he returned from Newsroom fax.734-591-727 9 trast to today's early start. He remembered his parents a,s being good at hiding presents. "Boy, an nut-'of'-town trip and found a Email; IbrwmQo* bonwcomm.net Edward Zezulka agreed, adding that walnuts given toa child at could they hide, I swear." stranger*'m his residence, a police offi­ 734-953-2104 cial *?*'<<] • NighVine/Sports Christmas meant the *hild had been Margaret Ramsdell remembered Major effort: Don Newell lived Reader Comment Line734-953-204 2 bad. "They'd put them in your stock­ her sister being in the Detroit parade Roger Burns, a Tennessee native, on an 80-acre farm, much of it survived a. single a hot from a 40-ca! Classified Advertising 734-591-0900 ings" in the 1940s, "tn those days, it was a real Christmas," she said. "N'ow, ii's wooded. He remembered the • a-r a :;ti'!ii at 1 ha-ndgun after Display Advertising:734*91-230 0 Marjorie Watson lived on a farm in Wallaceburg, Ontario. "It was a small so commercialized." cutting down of the Christmas entered hi* Yen<>v Terrain apartment. 734-591-0500 Home Delivery place and you had to order every­ Jeanette Snider remembered being tree as a big deal. "That was on Venoy south iif P,ilmi>r, at 12:20 thing from a catalog." p.m. Saturday, Lt Marc Stobbe said an event." A Singh'' bullet pierced' Ins upper Watson wanted a special doll. She Please see YUUT|Dfct A4 __ '' pu^ MH-'WOUNDtO1; A4 Traffic stop by real policeman nabs impersonator u 4 BY DAKULL CLEM l did not stop until I caught up with • K they b«li4V« It's not a equipped with a siren, specie! hejiU STAIV t wtrnr* traffic at Hunter aod Wayne," Matich lights, a front' window-mounted ^irot>e dclft»Oo«.hi>iaecomm.n*t wrote in his report "The vehicle real police officer, they light, and strobes'on the front and rear A fake police officer picked the wrong stopped behind me for a short timp. should keep on driving...' turn Signal.-*, motorist when he activated flashing then turned into the parking lot of CVS The fake point- oilut-t w„r- td^tttified light* and tried stopping a real West- (drugstore)" Lt. Marc Stobbe ;iif ";i» ^H-y ear'old whit'' n-iaSe trenr land patrolman in on unmarked car, Matich started trailing the suspi Wayne Meanwhile. .StohUe otlored .iUivice lot Findjustphot you need, The incident happened while West- cioua car and called• f»»r help from, an expired license and no paperwork, land Officer Michael Matich was dri­ marked police car* irjotorist^ who heheie a drke olTicrr i-- and he told nlTirer?* he was a Rnmuhi* UMllg to.pull thelil ciV.'i- from toy soldiers to dining ving near Hunter and Yale, a half-mile While waiting for ll»' marked cars to ftrrfigtiter who had forgotten his iden arrive, Matich said the suspicious dri­ "Jl they believe 11 s not ,« ival pohcr room tables in today's south of Westland Shopping Center tification and badge, police reports ver drove toward him, and Matich was officer, they should keep on driving at a Matich and the fake officer arrived at said. able to identify himself as a police -offi­ sate speed and pull tnle u police station Hometown Classifieds! a atop sign at the name time last Fri He then changed his story again, and cer by showing his badge and identifi­ or a populated area " Stobbe *.nd. "A day at 5:30 p,m., and the suspicious officers placed him under arrest His cation.