Spring opener ULS wins thriller (313) 343-5577 Winter is past, the flowers appear Lady Knights pull off stunning upset $14.50 OFF THE NEWSSTAND as do the Detroit Tigers PAGE IB PAGE1C Grosse Pointe VOL. 70, NO. 8,42 PAGES FEBRUARY 19,2009 ONE DOLLAR pELTVERY 71e) One of America's great community newspapers since 1940 GROSSE POINTE, MICHIGAN Complete news coverage of all the Pointes week ahead CITY OF GROSSE POINTE 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 Vacant houses being torn down SUNDAY, FEB. 22 By Brad Lindberg • Grosse Pointe Memorial StaffWriter Church, 16 Lakeshore, Grosse Pointe Farms, hosts Classical Whenever Mark Torello Bells, a hand bell ensemble, in comes to town, he knocks concert at 4 p.m. Tickets are down a building and hauls it $10 and available at the door. away. A couple of years ago it was MONDAY, FEB. 23 the old municipal parking • The Grosse Pointe Public structure behind the former Library Board of Trustees Jacobson's building in the meets at 7 p.m. at the Woods downtown shopping district Branch Library, 20680 Mack, of the City of Grosse Pointe. Grosse Pointe Woods. The Now, its six neighboring board packet is available at the houses on St. Clair just south each library. of the Village. • The Grosse Pointe Park City Torello and his Port Huron- Council meets at 7 p.m. in based wrecking crew have council chambers, 15115 E. been contracted to tear down Jefferson. the houses, which have stood • The Grosse Pointe Board of vacant since Sunrise Senior Education meets at 8 p.m. at Living purchased them a few Grosse Pointe North High years ago with failed ambi• School. tions to build a condominium • Learn the fundamentals of complex. safe boat handling, operation City officials got tired of the and basic piloting in an eight- vacant houses and pressed week course beginning at 7 Sunrise for a solution. p.m.inthe Grosse Pointe "We said fix them up and North High School cafeteria. rent them out or come up with The fee is $5. For more infor• a plan to do something with mation, call (313) 418-5811 or them," said City Manager visitgpps-d9.org Peter Dame. "They decided they'd be better off tearing TUESDAY, FEB. 24 them down." • The Grosse Pointe Camera Sunrise retains ownership Club meets at 7 p.m. in Room of the properties. C-l 1, Brownell Middle School. PHOTO BY BRAD LINDBERG Members can submit three na• See TEAR DOWN, page 7A Demolition crews are knocking down and hauling away six vacant houses on St. Clair; but leaving mature trees alone. ture and one color creative im• age for critiquing. For more in• formation, visit grossepointe cameraclub.org or contact the club's president, Mike Florian, Seminar on appealhij [email protected]. Bledsoe aims for • The Grosse Pointe Democratic Club meets at 7 tax assessments set p.m. in the Grosse Pointe Wfcr Memorial Reception Room, 32 bipartisanship By Brad Lindberg • educate residents to un• Lakeshore, Grosse Pointe StaffWriter derstand property tax assess• Farms. The club will hold its By Brad lindberg uct. ments and annual election of officers. The StaffWriter "With residents around the If there's one thing that • inform residents about the Hon. Judge Roger LaRose will state tightening their belts in brings homeowners out in appeal process. swear in the new officers. Timothy Bledsoe's first sub• order to make ends meet, we droves, its a seminar on how to "This year, we're going to Detroit Free Press columnist stantial vote in the Michigan as lawmakers must lead by ex• appeal tax assessments. change the format," Severn Brian Dickerson is the featured House of Representatives ample," he said. "Last year, we had to turn said. speaker. For more information, came at his own expense. Despite the recession, people away," said Gary Instead of an expert speaker, visit gpdems.com. He kept a campaign promise Bledsoe has entered Lansing Severn, organizer of the free he's lined up a panel of local by voting to reduce his salary politics with a sense of opti• Grosse Pointe Board of assessors, appraisers and WEDNESDAY, FEB. 25 during economic downtimes. mism. Realtors Tax Assessment board of review members to • Behavior management is the "I hope I don't have too many "Even though there are very Appeal Seminar at the Grosse provide the public with infor• topic to be discussed by votes like that," he said. difficult rimes ahead, we'll pull Rep. Timothy Bledsoe Pointe War Memorial's Fries mation how to appeal assess• Veronica McAtee at the Bledsoe, the Grosse Pointes' through it," he said. "But, we've Auditorium. "It was a standing- ments. Partners in Parenting meeting first Democrat state represen• got to pull together." any. That's the kind of invest• room-only crowd." "There will be an opportuni• from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at tative and a City resident, co- He sees the economic crisis ment we need to make in one Goals of this year's seminar ty for questions and answers," Beaumont Hospital Grosse sponsored a successful House as an opportunity for himself another — building relation• from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Pointe, Connelly Auditorium, resolution for the State Officers and the state's more than 40 ships." Tuesday, Feb. 24 are to: See SEMINAR, page 7A 468 Cadieux, City of Grosse Compensation Commission to other freshmen representatives cut lawmakers' salaries 10 per• to sidetrack politics and work State of the state See WEEK AHEAD, page 6A cent. Cuts would also apply to together for a common good. Bledsoe said he liked what the governor, lieutenant gover• "We can, in some ways, rein• he heard during Gov. Jennifer POINTER OF INTEREST nor, attorney general and sec• vent government," said Granholm's State of the State retary of state. Bledsoe, on leave from his po- address. In her speech, You can't travel scared. People are willing to Opinion 8A Savings are litical science Granholm called for creating reach out their hands to you' Schools 13A projected to be professor• good-paying jobs, streamlining Obituaries 16A $1.2 million an• 'Even though thereshi arep at state government, environ• Business 17A nually. very difficult times Wayne State mental stewardship and capi• John Kurap Autos 18A During his University. "I talizing on the federal stimulus Seniors 6B campaign, ahead, we'llpull just talked package. Home: Grosse Pointe Farms Entertainment 7B Bledsoe through it' with "We will live within our Family: Parents, Kathy and Classified ads 8C pledged to tie (Republican) means and reform government the pay of TIMOTHY BLEDSOE, Rep. Bill so that we can relentlessly fo• Michael Kurap; sister, State representative Michigan's Rogers about cus on what everyone in Christine Crossley elected state of- a bipartisan Michigan cares most about — Claim to fame: Took a year off ficials to the caucus we're jobs," Granholm said. state's economy. The resolu• organizing. I told him maybe it Bledsoe said, "I have a hunch medical school to volunteer in tion was his first step toward would take one, two, three or she is feeling her way along poverty-stricken countries. tying salary raises and cuts to four years to build trust across the state gross domestic prod• the aisle. Right now, there isn't See BLEDSOE, page 7A See story on page 4A PHONE: (313) 882-6900 • FAX: (313) 882-1585 • MAIL: 96 Kercheval 48236 • ON THE WEB: grossepointenews.com • E-MAIL: [email protected] ACADIA Go to scjohn.org/emergency to learn more Sr. JOHN and enter for a chance to win a free 64-siice HOSPITAL • Domestic Relations cardiac CT (S7S0 retail value)! & MEDICAL 8 Estate Planning • Personal Injury CENTER. St. Clair Shores GREAT LEASES A PASSION for HEALING oi, vrrusst; r unite GROSSE POINTE NEWS, FEBRUARY 19, 2009 NEWS Yesterday's headlines Woods has won a request to delay the Old Eight Mile bridge construction project. The state delayed the date 50 years ago this week for letting bids for the widen• ing of the freeway cross-over • SHORES SEEKS while a traffic study of the BONDS: Shores voters will area is considered. vote on two separate bond The project would double proposal issues for public im• the size of the current two- provements. lane bridge. One proposition requests • SHORES WOMAN $140,000 to pay for a water FACES ASSAULT transmission main to be built CHARGES: A 55-year-old jointly with Grosse Pointe Grosse Pointe Shores woman Woods. faces preliminary examina• The second proposition, for tion on charges of assault bonds totaling $50,000, is for with intent to murder and the cost of construction of a felony firearm use In connec• garage addition at the village tion with a shooting at a municipal site at Lakeshore downtown Detroit law office. and Vernier roads. The woman allegedly fired • SEVEN-CAR TANGLE four shots at her husband in a ON LAKESHORE: A driver conference room where the stopped to permit a pedestri• two were giving depositions an to cross the road and the in a divorce suit. result was a seven-car acci• • TEACHER RETIRE• dent on icy Lakeshore Road. MENT BOOM?: A retirement The driver behind the bonus bargained into the stopped car could not stop his teacher's union contract may car in time on the icy road and prompt a bevy of retirements hit the stopped car. this June. A driver trying to avoid the In 1950, the number of accident-pulled around the ac• teachers employed by the cident into the other lane and school system was 228.