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No. 20
NEWS YOU CAN USE, NEWS YOU CAN TRUST
75¢
May 16 – 22, 2013
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
A current online program,
Bark For Your Park, is accept-
ing votes for funding for the
installation or construction of
a dog park inWayne.
See page 3.
The founder of the annual
Romulus Clean Sweep Day is
hoping for a large turnout for
the effort which begins tomor-
rowmorning.
See page 5.
Listeners will have some
interesting choices during the
25th annual radio auction at
the student-run Plymouth
Canton 88.1 this Saturday.
See page 4.
The aunt of the 2-year-old
brutally abused in Northville
Township last week has also
been charged in the incident.
See page 4.
Members of the Belleville
City Council declined a
request to officially endorse
the sale of beer at the upcom-
ing boat show, sponsored by
the
Central
Business
Community.
See page 2
.
Vol. 128, No. 20
Vol. 66, No. 20
Vol. 66, No. 20
Vol. 13, No. 20
Vol. 128, No. 20
Vol. 66, No. 20
Vol. 66, No. 20
Inkster women will be get-
ting some special attention this
week during National
Women's Health Week May 12-
18.
See page 2.
For home delivery of The Eagle call 734-467-1900.
Westland City Hall was shut
down Monday when a man
claiming to have explosives
threatened employees. The
man was taken into custody by
policewithout incident.
See page 2.
The increased need for
help from both Canton
Township and Belleville has
left the Canton Lions Club a
little shorthanded prompting a
membershipmeeting tonight.
See page 3.
Vol. 13, No. 20
Jeralean Talley is one in about
5 million who live to be a super-
centenarian.
She will celebrate her 114th
birthday onMay 23.
The Inkster resident is consid-
ered the oldest person in the
United States and one of the old-
est in the world. She was born
May 23, 1899 in Georgia and is the
last living of her 11 siblings, many
of whomlived into their 90s.
Her daughter, Thelma
Halloway, and her four grandchil-
dren will help Mrs. Talley mark
her birthday. She is a member of
New JerusalemChurch in Inkster
and is a 33rd Degree Eastern Star.
She still enjoys sewing and bowl-
ing although she did give up regu-
lar league bowling at 104.
After her birthday, she plans a
fishing outing with a friend from
church, Michael Kinloch.
Barbara Underwood, a fellow
church member, said that Mrs.
Talley has reached an amazing
milestone.
“I know her wisdom and expe-
rience have benefited those who
have had the privilege of knowing
her,” she said.
Underwood added that the
entire New Jerusalem church
family is wishing Mrs. Talley the
best and “many more years of
good health, prosperity and
hope.”
In a previous interview, Mrs.
Talley remarked that her motto in
Voters in the Plymouth-Canton
Community Schools District over-
whelmingly approved a $114.5
millionbondproposal last week.
Unofficial vote totals showed
that 10,727 voters said yes to the
proposal while 5,770 saidno.
The funding will allow the dis-
trict to build a newmiddle school
and supply a digital devise to
every student and teach in the
district.
The approval will allow the
district to continue to collect the
4.1 mill tax rate currently levied
but will not increase the rate
being paid by homeowners. If the
millage had been rejected, the
millage would have slowly gone
down during the next few years.
The 4.1 ratewill be effective for 10
years.
In addition to the new school
construction, the millage will
allow for $35 million in upgrades
to district buildings, and $15 mil-
lion for buses. Of the amount col-
lected, $37,5 million is designated
for the new middle school, which
will replace Central Middle
School in Plymouth. $23,9 million
will be used for technology
upgrades, officials said.
The new middle school will be
constructed on land the district
purchased in Canton on Cherry
Hill Road west of Canton Center
Road.
Themiddle school will be built
in Canton as the majority of all
middle school students reside in
that area, officials said.
Other middle schools will
received additions or renovations
to better support the district
Science, Technology, Engineering
and Mathematics, or STEM, pro-
grams.
Funeral services took place
Monday for the Wayne-Westland
firefighter who perished in a
restaurant blaze lastWednesday.
BrianWoehlke, 29, was the first
firefighter in the 47-year history of
the Westland Fire Department to
be killed on the job. He had been
with the department for only 10
months.
Mr. Woehlke's body was found
in the rubble of the collapsed roof
of the destroyed building by other
firefighters. The Wayne County
Medical Examiner determined
that he haddied of smoke and soot
inhalation. Mr. Woehlke is sur-
vived by his wife of four years,
Jennifer and their daughter, Ava,
13months old.
Mr. Woehlke was saluted by a
long line of firefighters and a pro-
cession of vehicles fromChurch of
the Divine Child in Dearborn to
St. Hedwig's Cemetery. Mr.
Woehlke was transported in the
first use of a fire engine hearse
that was renovated by the Detroit
Firemen's Fund and numerous
volunteers. Flags across the state
were lowered to half-mast by
order of Gov. Rick Snyder to honor
Mr. Woehlke's sacrifice and com-
fort his family.
Distraught Wayne-Westland
Deputy Chief Rob Arbini, made
the official statement of Mr.
Woehlke's death to reporters at the
scene of the fire.
Arbini said the first call about
the fire came in at 8:17 a.m. last
Wednesday. The fire started in the
strip mall on North Wayne Road
that contained the former pool
hall and poker room, Electric
Stick, and a restaurant next door,
Marvaso's Italian Grille, both
owned by the George Marvaso
family. The Electric Stick had
been converted to a charity gam-
ing room.
According to details gathered at
the scene the fire was almost
under control by 9:30 a.m. when a
distress call was received. At
noon Arbini announced a fire-
fighter was missing; a first respon-
der who had entered the building.
Arbini said they had deployed
every available resource to scene
of the fire to find the missing fire-
fighter.
114 and counting
Inkster woman is now oldest in country
A court hearing has been set for May 31 in
the corruption trial of formerRomulus Police
Chief Michael St. Andre, his wife, Sandra St.
Andre; Det. Sgt. Richard Balzer and detec-
tives Richard Landry, Donald Hopkins,
JeremyChannells andLarryDroege.
During a court hearing last Friday, Wayne
County Court Criminal Division Chief Judge
Timothy Kenny assigned the case to 3rd
Circuit Visiting Judge Thomas Jackson. The
trial, originally set for July 8, has beenmoved
to Sept. 9 due to misconduct in office charges
filed against the original judge assigned to
the case.
Attorneys for the officers have submitted
multiple motions to quash evidence in the
cases filed by the Wayne County Prosecutor.
The charges, filed in 2011, came following a
three-year investigation by Michigan State
Police and include felony racketeering which
carries a maximum penalty of up to 20 years
in prison against St. Andre, his wife, Balzer,
Landry and Hopkins. Channels and Droege
face felony charges that carry a maximum
sentence of five years inprison, if convicted.
Prosecutors allege that while St. Andre
oversawan investigation of liquor license vio-
lations, prostitution and narcotics trafficking
at the Landing Strip Bar in Romulus and
Subi's Place in Southgate the officers embez-
zled drug forfeiture money, solicited prosti-
tutes and made false police reports. It is also
claimed that St. Andre used drug forfeiture
money to buy a tanning salon in Westland for
his wife. She is accused of receiving and con-
cealing stolenproperty.
Officers are accused of spending more
than $40,000 in one year on prostitutes, mari-
juana and alcohol.
Rulings on the motions to quash some of
the evidence are expected at the May 31
hearing. Defense attorneys have claimed that
their clients were entrapped during the
investigation.
Michigan State Police seized boxes of evi-
dence from the Romulus police station, St.
Andre's home, the Westland tanning salon
and the homes of the officers during the exe-
cution of search warrants during the investi-
gation.
See
Fire,
page 2
See
Birthday,
page 2
Jeralean Talley
Plymouth-Canton voters OK school millage request
Defense attorneys have claimed
that their clients were entrapped
during the investigation.
”
Hearing set for ex-Romulus chief, officers
Area mourns fallen fire fighter
Hundreds of firefighters and police officers from throughout the area
stood at attention as Brian Woehlke's casket was transported during
his funeral Monday.
The blaze that took Firefighter Brian Woehlke's life gutted two busi-
nesses on Wayne Road last week.. No cause for the fire has yet been
determined by investigators.