No. 04
NEWS YOU CAN USE, NEWS YOU CAN TRUST
75¢
Jan. 25 – 31, 2018
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 father accused of killing
his 2-year-old son will face
trial April 2 inWayne County
Circuit Court.
See page 4.
Northville Superinten-
dent of Schools Mary Kay
Gallagher thanked members
of the school board as part of
School Board Recognition
Month.
See page 5
.
Vol. 133, No. 04
Vol. 71, No. 04
Vol. 71, No. 04
Vol. 18, No. 04
Fifth-grade students from
Barth, Halecreek, Romulus
andWick elementary schools
in Romulus attended the
filmWonder recently.
See page 5.
Vol. 133, No. 04
Vol. 71, No. 04
Vol. 71, No. 04
For home delivery of The Eagle call 734-467-1900.
Wa y n e - We s t l a n d
Community
Schools
Superintendent ShelleyHolt
spoke Jan. 18 to members of
the Westland Rotary Club
where she discussed aca-
demic achievement in the
district.
See page 4
The Village Theater at
Cherry Hill will exhibit a
quilt created by the
Plymouth-Canton Interfaith
Community Outreach group
at the Gallery@VT through
Jan. 31.
See page 2.
Vol. 18, No. 04
Middle Park Manor Block
Club will present A Black
History Celebration from 5-8
p.m. Feb. 10 at Pentecostal
TempleChurch.
See page 3.
A forum regarding the
Plymouth
Arts
and
Recreation Complex (PARC)
plan to build a $30 million
performing arts theater drew
an audience of nearly 175
people.
See page 3.
Belleville Mayor Kerreen
Conley and Romulus Mayor
LeRoy Burcroff are once
again teaming up to host the
5th Annual Mayors' Ball
March 3.
See page 2.
Owners of the Michigan
Disposal Waste Treatment
Plant and landfill in Van
Buren Township are seeking
to expand the hazardous waste
storage and treatment capaci-
ties, conduct treatment outside
of treatment tanks, and add
two new waste streams for the
treatment of dioxins, a known
cancer-causing agent. The
company is also seeking a per-
mit to accept waste containing
sulfides, another highly toxic
element, which, if inhaled
causes respiratory problems
anddeath.
The facility, already the
largest hazardous waste treat-
ment operation by volume in
the country, is seeking a permit
to accept the deadly chemicals
for disposal.
The chemicals would be
treated and stabilized and
then disposed of at a landfill,
usually Wayne Disposal also
ownedbyU.S. Ecology.
The facility also processes
and disposes of low-level
radioactive waste from oil and
natural gas fracking opera-
tions. U.S. Ecology purchased
the landfill operation from
MichiganDisposal in 2014.
Dioxins are highly toxic and
can cause cancer, reproductive
and developmental problems,
damage to the immune system
and can interfere with human
hormones, according to a state-
ment from the U.S.
Environmental Protection
Agency. Dioxins are usually
created as by-products of
industrial processes.
“Dioxin (2,3,7,8-TCDD) is
one of the most toxic man-
made chemicals known,”
according to an EPA docu-
ment. One part per billion of
dioxin in soil is considered a
health concern in residential
areas according to the federal
Centers for Disease Control
andPrevention.
In a statement, officials
from U.S. Ecology said,
“Michigan Disposal is
equipped to responsibly
accept and manage this
waste.”
The request to treat sulfide
bearing waste is also being
considered by the DEQ.
Sulfide gas has the potential to
generate hydrogen sulfide gas,
which, if inhaled, “can quickly
lead to death,” according to the
application from U.S. Ecology.
The proposal to treat thewaste
outside treatment tanks was
See
Permit,
page 2
Dioxin (2,3,7,8-TCDD)
is one of the most toxic
man-made chemicals known...
”
Romulus police have arrested two men in
separate instances of criminal sexual con-
duct.
Christopher Joseph Jordan, 29, was
arraigned in the 34th District Court in
Romulus Jan. 17.
Romulus detectives began investigating
allegations that Jordan had sexually assault-
ed his 15-year-old stepdaughter in October of
last year. The charges were referred to
Romulus from theCantonPoliceDepartment.
The subsequent investigation determined
that Jordan had assaulted the teen dating
fromOctober of 2016.
He is facing three counts of Felony
Criminal Sexual Conduct in the First Degree,
one count of Felony Criminal Sexual Conduct
in the Second Degree and three counts of
Felony Criminal Sexual Conduct in the Third
Degree. Judge David M. Parrott set his bond
at $500,000 or 10 percent.
He was remanded to the Romulus Police
Department where he remains in custody,
according to police reports. Should he be
released on bond, the judge ordered that he
be placed on a tether and have no contact
with the victimor her familymembers.
He is scheduled to appear for a probable
cause hearing in the 34th District Court Jan.
31.
In a separate investigation, Jose Osmin
Cortez-Mendoza was arraigned in Romulus
on Jan. 15 and was charged with six counts of
Felony Criminal Sexual Conduct in the
SecondDegree.
Cortez-Mendoza is accused of sexually
assaulting three victims, ages 16, 13 and 11.
He was arraigned on six counts of Felony
Criminal Sexual Conduct Second Degree on
Jan. 15 at the 34th District Court in Romulus
beforeMagistrateMichael Golematis.
Romulus police detectives began the
investigation into the allegations of sexual
abuse in November following a referral from
the State of Michigan Child Protective
Services.
Golematis set Cortez-Mendoza's bond at
$250,000 or 10-percent. Should he be released
frompolice custody on bail, the judge ordered
that he be placed on a tether and have no con-
tact with the victims or their family members.
Hewas remanded to theWayneCounty Jail.
Cortez-Mendoza was scheduled back in
court for a hearing on the charges yesterday,
Jan. 24
Romulus detectives are asking anyone
who believes they may have been victimized
by either of these defendants to contact them
at (734) 942-6879.
2 men are charged with sexual abuse
Dioxin disposal permit requested
Miracle
‘worker’
After decades,
director hands
reins to staff
Dale Yagiela's proud of what
he's accomplished at Growth
Works, where he served as
executive director for many
years.
“I think I've developed a
pretty good understanding of
how kids think and how they
operate,” said Yagiela, the
social service agency's first hire
in 1971 when it was known as
PlymouthYouth Inc.
Novi resident Yagiela has cut
back on his duties to 25 hours a
week, with longtime staffer
Scott Levely named as the new
CEOand executive director.
“He understands the values
of the organization. He's got a
real good group of people to
work with. And our board is
great, they'll continue to work
with him.” Yagiela said of
Levely, who has been with
GrowthWorks since 1973.
Yagiela recalled the less-
than auspicious beginnings of
GrowthWorks.
“I was just out of University
of Michigan. I was a conscien-
tious objector,” he said, when
he learned through an initiative
of the Plymouth Jaycees that a
group of Plymouth youths want-
ed a drop-in center. Then-
District Court Judge Dunbar
Davis arranged for the group to
use theFralickHouse.
“It turned into a fiasco,”
recalled Yagiela. “They got out
of this arrangement.”
T h e n - S u b u r b a n
Communications Corp. owned
the current building on Main
Street, which needed renova-
tions. A trust arrangement with
the city of Plymouth was
devised and the predecessor of
PNC bank loanedmoney for the
building repairs, with car deal-
er ClarenceDuCharmeworking
with the Plymouth Rotary
Foundation. Leo Calhoun, Gary
Hall, Jim Jabara and Jim
McKeon were co-signers for the
loan.
“And one more none of us
can remember,” addedYagiela.
“Mostly what has been inter-
esting is being a part of seeing
people change their lives. And
they don't always do it on our
time,” he said.
He said he was recently
approached by a young woman
acknowledging she needed
counseling. He said he works to
build a relationship with the
young people, “and not judge
them for what they do or don't
do, andnot lie to them.”
Agency programs have
evolved, with the early focus on
drugs at a time when drug use
was becoming amajor issue.
“Plymouth was a much dif-
ferent place then,” he said.
“The city itself had a large
working-class population,” with
many coming north from places
likeTennessee.
“This was the first explosion
of drug use in Michigan,”
Yagiela said. Students died in
drunken driving crashes, and
therewas a lot of drug dealing.
Plymouth-Canton High
School counselor Nic Cooper
approachedYagiela about alter-
native education for students
impacted by the attendance pol-
icy. Yagiela put his teaching cer-
tificate tousewith that.
Federal grants helped, but
dried up in the Reagan years.
Julie Brown
Special Writer
Dale Yagiela
See
Yagiela,
page 3
Christopher
Joseph Jordan
Jose Osmin
Cortez-Mendoza
