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No. 1
NEWS YOU CAN USE, NEWS YOU CAN TRUST
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January 5 - 11, 2012
w w w . a s s o c i a t e d n e w s p a p e r s . n e t
TheCity ofWayne hired two
probationary firefighters in
November and will soon bring
back the K-9 officer program,
according to City Manager
Robert English.
See page 6.
Romulus has joined a
statewide effort to locate infor-
mation and photos of veterans
lost during the VietnamWar to
provide more information
about them at TheWall memo-
rial.
See page 2.
The Plymouth United Way
recently awarded more than
$20,000 in grant funds to help
families in Plymouth, Canton,
Northville andBelleville.
See page 3.
The Northville Art House
will open the new exhibit of
artist Topher Crowder, during
the First Friday Art Walk
through downtown tomorrow
evening.
See page 3.
Despite the objections of
one city council member,
Belleville has approved a con-
tract for emergency dispatch
services with Van Buren
Township.
See page 2.
Vol. 127, No. 1
Vol. 65, No. 1
Vol. 65, No. 1
Vol. 12, No. 1
Vol. 12, No. 1
Vol. 127, No. 1
Vol. 65, No. 1
Vol. 65, No. 1
The National Kidney
Foundation has received a
five-year grant to study the
healthof women in Inkster.
See page 6.
For home delivery of The Eagle call 734-467-1900.
Westland Mayor William R.
Wild and members of his
administrative team loaded up
four vehicles with gifts and
delivered them to the Wayne
County Family Shelter on
Michigan Avenue before
Christmas.
See page 6.
Sylvia James, the former chief judge at the
22nd District Court in Inkster, has been offi-
cially suspended with pay by the Michigan
Supreme Court while awaiting a formal hear-
ing on a complaint from the Judicial Tenure
Commission.
James has been on paid administrative
leave since April while the commission mem-
bers investigated accusations of mismanage-
ment and financial improprieties at the court.
The Judicial Tenure Commission filed a for-
mal complaint against her Oct. 26 and the
State Supreme Court has now appointed a
master to conduct a hearing on thematter.
Ann Mattson, a district judge now retired
fromWashtenawCounty will hear the charges
and allegations of the commission andmake a
determination in thematter.
Irregularities in the financial recordkeep-
ing were discovered during an audit by the
Supreme Court Administrative Office early
this year, after a dispute with Mayor Hilliard
Hampton and then City Manager Ann Capela
regarding access to court checking accounts.
Hampton and Capela demanded access to the
court finances and requested that all accounts
for payables and receivables go through the
city offices. James refused, noting that the
22nd was a state entity and that the city did
not have authority over the finances there.
The judge also expressed concern because
court bills that should have been paid to ven-
dors by the city were not remitted in a timely
fashion. She subsequently paid the bills on
her own authority and reimbursed herself for
some invoices she paid personally, according
to accounts of the incidents.
See
Judge,
page 6
Canton police are asking for
help from the public in identi-
fying two suspects sought in
connection with a theft from a
local retailer and possible
involvement in another crime.
See page 3.
Supreme Court formally suspends judge
The Wayne-Westland Commun-
ity School District is taking steps to
improve literacy in the area, and
school officials are looking for help.
The new Literacy Corps mem-
bers were introduced at the last
meeting of the Wayne Westland
Community School Board, accord-
ing to school board member John
Goci. The effort will pair volunteers
up with children who require addi-
tional help in learning reading and
writing skills.
“It's something I strongly believe
in,” said Goci. “I think it'll make a
tremendous impact in the commu-
nity.”
The district is looking for volun-
teers to help out in the program,
according to Paul Salah, district
deputy superintendent. Volunteers
will be paired with students at
school buildings according to their
schedule-after they go through a
basic background check.
“The goal of Literacy Corps is to
concentrate community effort
towards improving literacy in a
society where reading and writing
are important to a person's suc-
cess,” hewrote in a letter to parents
and community stakeholders.
He said students who have a dif-
ficult time with their literacy skills
are more likely to struggle with
employment and more likely to be
incarcerated and less likely to con-
tinue their education beyond high
school.
The district will host two train-
ing sessions on Jan. 17 at Adams
Upper Elementary School, one at 4
p.m. and one at 6:30 p.m.
Flyers will be available atWayne
City Hall, Westland City Hall, the
school administration building and
the Westland Community Credit
Union.
Goci said interested volunteers
will be able to pick the times they
canhelp out.
“We'll work around your sched-
ule. If you have just one hour a
month to volunteer, that'll work,” he
said.
Wayne Councilman Skip Monit,
who served for 12 years on the
Wayne-Westland school board,
applauded the effort.
“We had been trying to get this
going for years,” he said. “I think it's
a good direction. I think it's very
well done. It's not only going to help
(the students) out, it's going to help
the community out.”
For more information on the
program, call (734) 419-2000 or visit
the school website, www.wwcsd.net.
Wayne-Westland literacy program seeks volunteers
The Plymouth Ice Festival is
returning to downtown Plymouth
Jan. 20-22 for the 30th year.
Festival producers are prom-
ising a bigger and better show
than ever before with more
sculptures and new and upgrad-
ed on-site activities to help mark
the thirtieth anniversary of the
event.
That will present some chal-
lenges, however, since more than
100,000 people braved some of
the coldest days of the year to
visit the widely popular winter
event last year.
“This is a
huge milestone
for the event
and we are
e x t r e m e l y
excited about
this year being
the
30th
anniversary of
the Plymouth
Ice Festival,”
said
Sam
Walton, produc-
er of the
Plymouth Ice Festival. “Through
the years the event has gone
through many changes, but the
fact that the festival continues to
dazzle and delight tens of thou-
sands of visitors from across the
country every January is truly
special. And this year will prove
no different. The festival will be
bigger than ever with more than
100 ice carvings on display and
new and improved activities
around the downtown area.”
The 30thAnnual Plymouth Ice
Festival officially begins at 3 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 20, and wraps up at 6
p.m. Sunday, Jan. 22. The three
days will be full of events,
demonstrations and activities,
Walton said.
The Dueling Chainsaws
Speed Carving Extravaganza will
be back by popular demand at 7
p.m. Saturday, Jan. 21. This year
there will be more sculptors,
more speed, more ice, more
action and more fun. Family
activities will be found scattered
throughout downtown Plymouth,
including ice-carving demonstra-
tions in the newly expanded Hot
Spot warming tent, a petting
farm, and a lineup of wintertime
sports and product demonstra-
tions on Saturday, Jan. 21, and
Sunday, Jan. 22.
For the older kids - 21 and up -
theOfficial Plymouth IceFestival
Party Lot returns behind E.G.
Nicks restau-
rant on Forest
Avenue. The
tent will offer
beer, food, live
music, and give-
aways for adults
from 6 p.m.
until midnight
on both Friday,
Jan. 20 and
Saturday, Jan.
21.
The
Ice
Throne - a huge
hit in 2011 - will be available
again for photo opportunities for
the duration of theweekend. The
elaborate Fire & Ice tower is
back for 2012 as well - except this
year, there will be one ignited
each evening. Culinary art stu-
dents from local colleges will
face off in the annual ice-carving
contest with individuals compet-
ing on Saturday, Jan. 21, and
teams onSunday, Jan. 22.
And, of course, there will be
more ice carvings and sculptures
displayed throughout downtown
Plymouth than ever before.
“What better place to host a
great family event like the
Plymouth Ice Festival than the
perfect family community,”
Walton said. “Plymouth is a
friendly, clean and safe commu-
nity that offers great specialty
shops and restaurants for every
style and taste - many of which
will run specials all weekend
long.
So, while taking in the fun and
excitement of the festival, come
prepared to see, hear, smell and
taste what downtown Plymouth
has to offer. You won't be disap-
pointed.”
Admission to the Plymouth
Ice Festival is free. For a com-
plete listing of festival activities
and information, visit www.ply-
mouthicefestival.com.
Current Plymouth Ice Festival
sponsors include: Aisin World,
Anderson Windows, Barnes
Concessions, Fifth Third Bank,
Chelsea Milling Company- Jiffy
Mixes, Matheson Consulting,
Mercurio's, Mr G's, Plunkett and
Cooney, Plymouth Chamber of
Commerce, Wade Trim, Channel
7, The Observer & Eccentric
Newspapers,WRIFandWYCD.
For the latest updates on the
2012 Plymouth Ice Festival, visit
www.plymouthicefestival.com or
follow updates on Facebook
(www.facebook.
com/ply-
mouthicefestival) and Twitter
(twitter.com/#!/plymouthice).
Organizers prepare for 30th Plymouth Ice Festival
The festival will be
bigger than ever with
more than 100 ice
carvings on display and
new and improved
activities around the
downtown area.
”