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No. 28
NEWS YOU CAN USE, NEWS YOU CAN TRUST
75¢
July 10 – 16, 2014
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
Members of the Wayne
City Council have agreed to
sell the historic State Wayne
Theater onMichigan Avenue
for $60,000 in past-due man-
agement fees.
See page 5.
Summer recreation pro-
grams have returned to the
City of Romulus including a
youth day program, arts and
crafts, youth and adult soft-
ball andmany others.
See page 3.
A Plymouth Township
plan for a recreation com-
plex may include the disput-
ed 323-acre parcel of farm-
land now the subject of a
lawsuit filed by the City of
Detroit.
See page 4
.
Northville Public Schools
will save taxpayers just over
$1 million, and make lower
debt payments after the sale
of 2014 refunding bonds in
the amount of $13.28million.
See page 2.
Van Buren Township
Police Sgt. Louis Keele and
Sgt. Marc Abdilla were
among the graduating mem-
bers of Northwestern
University School of Police
Staff andCommand.
See page 3.
Vol. 129, No. 28
Vol. 67, No. 28
Vol. 67, No. 28
Vol. 14, No. 28
Vol. 129, No. 28
Vol. 67, No. 28
Vol. 67, No. 28
For home delivery of The Eagle call 734-467-1900.
Westland residents cele-
brated the opening of the
new and improved Tattan
Park last Thursday and
enjoyed the new improved
H20 ZoneSprayPark.
See page 5.
CantonTownship has con-
tinued a 20-year record of
excellence in financial
reporting according to audi-
tor Plante-Moran, the inde-
pendent township auditing
firm.
See page 2
.
Vol. 14, No. 28
The Leanna Hicks Inkster
Public Library will be offer-
ing used books for sale
Thursday, Sept. 4 and
Saturday, Sept. 6 and has
numerous programs open to
the public.
See page 4.
Nearly 100 residents who live
near Plymouth Township Park
met last week at the Plymouth
District Library to discuss
options and plans to halt a
planned amphitheater in the 80-
acre park.
Plymouth
Concerned
Citizens, an ad-hoc group of resi-
dents and businesspeople,
meets each month to share
information and discuss critical
issues, hosted themeeting.
The only agenda item at the
meeting was a discussion of the
impact the controversial town-
ship project will have on the
lifestyle and property values of
homes adjacent to or near the
park. Many of the attendees live
in Beacon Hill, an upscale sub-
division near Ann Arbor Trail
east of Beck Road that adjoins
the park property and golf
course.
Homeowners Chris Hunter
and John Stewart addressed the
standing roomonly crowd.
Stewart, an attorney, is a for-
mer state representative and
past township trustee. Hunter,
also an attorney, presented a
timeline of the events, which led
to the current state of the proj-
ect planned for construction this
summer.
“I do not want an amphithe-
ater in my back yard. I do not
want the noise. I do not want the
litter. I do not want the activities
taking away from the communi-
ty. I do not want the traffic,” she
said at a recent boardmeeting.
Options discussed during the
meeting of citizens last week
included seeking legal remedies
although homeowners had sev-
eral questions for the two attor-
neys. Residents cited the
Two men have been remand-
ed to the Wayne County Jail and
are being held without bail in
the shooting death of a 2-year-
old and wounding of two others
that occurred last week at the
Parkside Estates Housing
Complex in Inkster.
Charged with first-degree
murder, torture and other
offenses in the shooting is
Raymone Jackson, 24, also
known as Money. Jackson, of
Inkster, is alleged to have
walked up to a porch in the com-
plex where 2-year-old Kamiya
French was sitting with her
father, 34-year-old Kenneth
French, and family friend,
Chelsea Lancaster, 12, at about
8:30 p.m. July 1. Witnesses told
police that the shooter
approached the three outside
the house in the 30000 block of
Carlysle Street and began talk-
ing to French. He then pulled
out a handgun and fired at
point-blank range at the toddler,
killing her, then turning the gun
on her father and the 12-year-
old, wounding each of themseri-
ously.
According to witnesses, the
gunman then walked to a white
van, gun still in hand, got in and
the vehicle was driven away.
Witnesses said that the same
white van had driven past the
house earlier and had dropped
the suspect off a few doors from
the house just before the shoot-
ing.
Jackson was arrested
Wednesday in Brownstown
Township following an intensive
investigation by Michigan State
Police. The cruelty and torture
charges were levied against him
as results of alleged statements
made that indicated he wanted
the child's death to be the last
thing her father saw before his
ownmurder.
Jacksonwas arraigned before
Judge Sabrina Johnson at the
22nd District Court in Inkster.
Johnson ordered him held with-
out bail and granted his request
for a court-appointed attorney.
His next court appearance is
planned for July 16.
A second suspect, Rapheal
Daniel-Jordan Hearn, 29, was
arrested by state police and
arraigned on charges of first-
degree murder, two counts of
assault with intent to murder,
being a felon in possession of a
firearm and other charges at
34th District Court in Romulus
July 6. He was also denied bail
and remanded to the Wayne
County Jail.
A third suspect arrested in
connection with the shooting
was released by state police
pending “further investigation.”
No further information was
released about him.
Inkster Police Chief Hilton
Napoleon said the shooting may
have been “ in retaliation” for a
Suspects face murder, torture charges in shooting
See
Shooting,
page 4
When Art In The Park
returns for the 35th year this
weekend, at least three origi-
nal attendees are expected to
be onhand.
Debbie Maloni, one of the
original exhibitors and Debbie
Potvin, one of the original spec-
tators, said they would be in
attendance-as usual. Also
expected is Lorna Nitz who is
one of the volunteers this year.
Nitz moved to Plymouth about
two days before the original
Art in the Park and has been
coming back ever since. This
year, she is one of the volun-
teers helping keep the event
running smoothly.
“I've only missed one,” said
Potvin, a Wayne resident, “and
that was the year that my
daughterwas gettingmarried.”
Founded by Plymouth
Resident Dianne Quinn, the
art fair was once a much sim-
pler venue. In its inaugural
year, there were only a dozen
or so artists that took part. The
event was centered-and con-
tained-in Kellogg Park. Quinn
will retire after the show this
year and turn the event over to
her daughter, Raychel Rork,
who has been at every Art In
ThePark.
“It was very small, but I
loved it,” said Potvin, of the
first few events. “We walked
around through it at least twice
in one afternoon. Now, it takes
two or three days to see every-
thing.”
Maloni, a Plymouth resi-
dent, was one of the first
exhibitors. She sold decorative
cross-stitched tops for mason
jars.
“It was very small to begin
with, but it was still a great
thing to take part in,” said
Maloni, a teacher who retired
from the Plymouth Canton
Community School District this
year. “We've watched it grow
over the years.”
Maloni said she met Quinn
through a quilting class and
was soon convinced to take
part in the inaugural event.
She has been astounded at the
way it has grown, aswell.
“It's my favorite weekend of
the year in Plymouth,” said
Maloni. “I plan my summers
around it.”
She has a plan for the event
every year, too. It starts on
Friday, when she meets up
withher regular group at about
10 a.m. at Panera Bread. For a
while, their first stop was at
Gabriala's, where Larry Bird
handed out free bags to Art
Festival attendees. They would
visit the booths, have lunch at
the Box Bar, walk around the
fair more and then “collapse at
home.” Later, they would take
their husbands back into town
for dinner.
“It's so much fun to see all
the people in Plymouth,” said
Maloni.
She added that she's been
impressed with the kind of
organization it takes to pull off
the event every year. From its
humble beginnings, the Art in
the Park has now grown into
one of the largest art fairs in
the state, attracting more than
400 artists of all types every
year. She said Quinn and Rork,
who is assuming full responsi-
bility for the event beginning
next year, should be commend-
ed for thework they put into it.
“I appreciate the effort they
go through to make it so suc-
cessful,” saidMaloni.
Maloni said she wouldn't
miss the event this year, but
she no longer has a table to dis-
play herwork.
“I think the caliber of
exhibitor is far beyondmy abil-
ity,” she joked.
She will be making her reg-
ular rounds, though, as will
Potvin.
“I've done some major dam-
age at that place over the
years,” said Potvin. “You can
always find so many different
unique things.”
Potvin said she always likes
to look for new things, but finds
herself heading back to one of
her favorite staples: candles.
“They're so beautiful,” she
said. “Sometimes I buy a six-
month supply.”
Art InThe Parkwill be open
from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. tomor-
row, from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m.
on Saturday and from 10 a.m.
until 5 p.m. on Sunday. Shuttle
services are available from the
ACH plant at 144425 Sheldon
Road near M-14 continuously.
The drop off point is Plymouth
CityHall.
(More information about Art
In The Park is included in the
special insert in this edition of
TheEagle
.)
Original art
35th Art In The Park will
welcome back first attendees
Raychel Rork and Dianne Quinn
Residents protest township amphitheater plan
Don Howard
Staff Writer
See
Protest,
page 4
Residents put up protest signs
just prior to the Plymouth
Township 4th of July fireworks
last week urging a “stop” to the
proposed amphitheater.
I wouldn't call it retaliation.
Retaliation for what?
Take somebody's life away for retaliation.
I mean, just to mention that as part
of a motive is silliness to me.
”