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March 14 – 20, 2019 NEWS YOU CAN USE, NEWS YOU CAN TRUST 75¢

No. 11 www .associatednewspapers.net

THE BELLEVILLE Excess snow days may impact schools
ENTERPRISE
ENTERPRISE
Vol. 134, No. 11
Julie Brown ” Schools. She noted the state is
The city of Belleville has Staff Writer likely to add three additional
ratified a 3-year union con- We shouldn't need days to the standard six “forgiv-
tract with the local Police As superintendent of Van to add any time or days en” from Lansing already.
Officers Association of Buren Public Schools, Peter “We shouldn't need to add
Michigan. Kudlak doesn't take school to the school year. any time or days to the school
See page 7. inclement weather closing days year,” said Naughton. “We do
lightly. His district has had 12 have some dirt roads. Mileage-
closed days this year for various wise, we're not a huge district
THE CANTON reasons, some due to building the state requires 180 student have been all right,” he noted. but it still can be treacherous.”
EAGLE power outages. days and 1,098 instructional Additional June days for stu- Naughton and others stress
EAGLE
“Everything had something
Vol. 72, No. 11 to do with the weather,” said hours per year. dents and staff in Van Buren school closing decisions are
“As of right now, we'd have to
could happen, although he and
made early and with careful
Christina Bair of Canton Kudlak. “We have 88 square make up three days,” said others note the state may for- deliberation focused on student
Township has been named miles. We have a lot of dirt Kudlak, who cited Good Friday give additional days due to this and staff safety. TV and radio
chair of the advisory board roads in Sumpter Township.” as one option. “For us, the extremely harsh winter. stations continue to air school
of the Plymouth Canton He and other Van Buren worst part of it was the ice,” “So far, we've had seven closings and there are phone
Giving Hope, Women's Schools leaders haven't yet when school buses are hard to snow days,” said Janet and email alerts, although the
Giving Circle. decided on possible makeup operate. “If that would have Naughton, communications
See page 3. days later, with Kudlak noting fallen as snow I think we would specialist for Northville Public See Schools, page 3

THE INKSTER
LEDGER STAR
LEDGER STAR
Vol. 72, No. 11
Inkster Police Chief
William Riley was appointed
by the governor to serve on
the Michigan Intelligence
Operations Center for
Homeland Security advisory
board.
See page 4.

THE NORTHVILLE
EAGLE
EAGLE

Vol. 19, No. 11
Northville Public School
District is sponsoring Parent
Camp 2019 beginning at 8:30
a.m. Saturday, March 23 at
Northville High School, with
more than 20 break-out ses-
sions.
See page 7.
Canton firefighters battled an apartment fire last Friday night with two aerial ladder trucks spanning 75 and 100 feet. A total of 16 fire-
fighters and four paramedics were on the scene for 6 hours and 15 minutes. Photo by Matt Zmuda
THE PLYMOUTH Apartment blaze displaces 8 Canton families
EAGLE
EAGLE
Vol. 19, No. 11
A fast-spreading fire at the the first alarm at 6:18 p.m. on in the township. Stoecklein Northville, Van Buren
The Margaret Dunning Canton Crossings apartment Friday, March 8 within 7 min- said that the cause of the fire Township, Livonia, Dearborn
Foundation provided a complex last week displaced utes, according to Canton Fire was accidental and could Heights and Garden City.
$20,600 grant for the pur- eight families and sent one Chief Chris Stoecklein. have been the result of some- “When we arrived, the fire
chase of a washer and dryer woman to the hospital with The blaze caused serious one burning incense. was already through the roof.
designed for firefighter gear smoke inhalation, according damage to one building in the Firefighters from Canton We immediately took the
at the Plymouth station. to fire officials. complex which is located were assisted by units from
See page 2. Firefighters responded to south of Joy Road near I-275 Plymouth Township, See Blaze, page 8

THE ROMULUS Charges prompt contract review in Romulus
ROMAN
ROMAN
Vol. 134, No. 11 Romulus officials are looking at Taylor City Hall as well as two tract with the firm. Realty Transition partners
into the city contract with Realty residences owned by Mayor “This is more of a proactive with municipalities to purchase
Dave and Judy Rakotz of Transition after the company Rick Sollars. step,” said Romulus Mayor foreclosed or abandoned homes.
Dave's Barber Shop in name surfaced recently in a cor- No charges have been filed Leroy Burcroff. They purchase the homes at a
Romulus were recently hon- ruption probe involving the City and all agencies are cooperating Romulus City Attorney Steve discounted rate-often the sum of
ored by the city council for of Taylor. with the investigation, according Hitchcock said his office was any back taxes owed-rehabilitate
their 50 years of community Federal investigators raided to reports from law enforcement reviewing the contract and all them and put them back on the
involvement. the office of the real estate firm agencies. Sollars has said he was activities of the firm in the city. market. The partnership allows
See page 5.
along with the home of the innocent of any wrongdoing, and “I don't have any reason to cities to proactively clean up
owner in the wake of an investi- is also cooperating. Romulus is believe there's any issues with it, blighted properties and get them
gation into potential wrong- not part of the investigation. but we're going to sort through it back on the tax rolls.
THE WAYNE doing in Taylor, an investigation Even so, Romulus officials from one to the other to make
EAGLE
EAGLE that prompted an additional raid decided to look at their own con- sure that's the case,” he said. See Review, page 5
Students from Stevenson Suspect arrested in series of arsons
Vol. 72, No. 11

Middle School placed in the A man long suspected in sev- shows the suspect running igniting it with a flare, according
top three of the Regional eral vehicle fires has been through an alley to flee the to federal investigators.
History Day category last arrested and charged with arson scene. They added that Diedo is also
Saturday at the Detroit in a series of blazes including Nicholas Diedo, 35, of a suspect in a fire set in his next
Historical Museum. two at a strip center at Inkster Dearborn Heights, is facing fed- door neighbor's BMW in June of
See page 6. and Cherry Hills roads in eral charges of maliciously last year. Investigators said
Inkster. destroying a building used in police reports reveal that
Surveillance video of the interstate commerce by means between April 15 and 22 of 2018,
THE WESTLAND Feb. 3 blaze at the Inkster strip of fire, or arson in the incident. five vehicles parked at resi-
EAGLE mall which destroyed five busi- Federal investigators said dences within a mile of Diedo's
EAGLE

Vol. 72, No. 11 nesses shows a tall man pour that tips led them to Diedo who home were deliberately set on
gas from a plastic container out-
is also suspected of igniting a
fire. Diedo is also a suspect in
The Westland Chamber of side the building and then throw fire at the same strip mall last the fires in two other vehicles in
Commerce will host the a match onto the fuel, instantly April. In that instance, a surveil- December of 2016 which took
Health & Business Expo igniting a blaze that subsequent- lance video shows a man pour- place at a strip mall on Ford
from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. on ly destroyed businesses in the ing an accelerant from an Road in Dearborn Heights, also
Saturday, March 16. mall. orange Tide bottle onto the out-
See page 6. The surveillance tape also side of the building and then See Fires, page 4 Nicholas Diedo

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