No. 14
NEWS YOU CAN USE, NEWS YOU CAN TRUST
75¢
April 2 – 8, 2015
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, facing a $2 mil-
lion deficit budget next year,
and an ongoing current
budget shortfall, still want to
be consulted about their own
wages for serving in elected
offices.
See page 3
.
Cierra Bond, a 5-foot, 9-
inch tall former Romulus
High School student, has
helped lead the South
Georgia Technical College
Lady Jets.
See page 5.
Plymouth Township will
receive $127,000 toward the
repair of the peeling paint
on the metal roof of
Township Hall and Fire
StationNo. 1.
See page 4.
The Northville Art House
is now accepting entries in
the 7th Annual West of
Center exhibition which fea-
tures local art in anymedia.
See page 5.
The Van Buren Township
Fire Department will con-
duct the third Citizen's Fire
Academy classes beginning
thismonth.
See page 5.
Vol. 130, No. 14
Vol. 68, No. 14
Vol. 68, No. 14
Vol. 15, No. 14
Vol. 130, No. 14
Vol. 68, No. 14
Vol. 68, No. 14
For home delivery of The Eagle call 734-467-1900.
They may have lost the
game, again, but the
WestlandWildWings' charity
game last week raised about
$30,000 for improvements to
theMikeModano IceArena.
See page 3.
Canton Township resi-
dents who notice a green dot
or two painted on their side-
walk can expect to receive a
bill for repairs to the walk-
way.
See page 4.
Vol. 15, No. 14
The quick actions of
Inkster firefighterswere able
to save the life of a 35-year-
old man trapped in a house
fire last week.
See page 2.
The Eloise Complex in
Westland will be sold by Wayne
County if a plan for consolida-
tion of all county offices and
services proposed by Wayne
County Executive Warren C.
Evans is finalized.
Evans announced the plans
last week noting that the effort
could eventually save nearly $3
million annually in rent and
maintenance costs and increase
efficiency in services provided
by the county.
The plan was proposed and
is supported by a report pro-
duced by O'Keefe & Associates,
which outlined how to better
manage the county real estate
holdings. The report examined
how to reduce costs, better use
existing properties, identify
potential properties that could
be sold, and reduce long-term
liabilities.
“This is the first time Wayne
County has done a systematic
review of its owned and leased
properties,” Evans said. “This
report is another tool formaking
rational decisions onways to cut
costs and help to eliminate the
county's budget deficit. “
The first step in realizing the
cost savings of consolidationwill
be the relocation of staff from
640 Temple to the Guardian
Building,
Evans
said.
Additionally, 18 leased county
facilities, encompassing almost
750,000 square feet of space, are
also in review for possible con-
solidation.
“Rationalizing the county's
real estate holdings is an impor-
tant continuation of my effort to
reduce county expenditures
begun with the hiring freeze I
recently announced,” Evans
said. “With the county's current
dire financial state, my office is
immediately implementing
opportunities to reduce county
expenditures while preserving
essential services.”
The Eloise Complex, at 30712
Michigan Ave. should be sold
and the property returned to
local tax rolls, according to the
report. The barn, greenhouses,
gardens and grounds at the
Regional Educational Service
Agency (RESA) facility inWayne
should be sold or turned over to
the Wayne County RESA,
according to the report.
Eloise was a large hospital
complex located in Nankin
Township. The name stemmed
from the post office on the
grounds which opened July 20,
1894 and was named Eloise
after the postmaster of Detroit's
daughter, Eloise Dickerson
Davock. Eloise operated from
1839 to the early 1984 and start-
ed out as a poor house and farm
but developed into an asylum
andhospital.
In 1832 it was called the
Wayne County Poorhouse; in
1872 it was the Wayne County
Inkster Police Chief Vickie Yost has
turned the investigation of a much-publi-
cized violent drug arrest over to the
Michigan State Police while continuing a
department reviewof the incident.
Police videotapes of the arrest of Floyd
Dent, a 57-year-old Detroit resident, were
broadcast last week, showing Inkster Ofc.
William Melendez pulling Dent from his
vehicle and striking him about the head
with his fists 16-18 times. Dent, according to
official police reports, ran a stop sign in the
area of South River Park Drive and Inkster
Drive at about 10 p.m. Jan 28. He allegedly
did not immediately respond as the officers
attempted to make a traffic stop but drove
another four blocks. When Dent did pull
over, he opened his car door as officers
approached his 2011 Cadillac with guns
drawn. Police reports indicate that Dent
made a verbal threat against the officers as
he opened the car door, prompting their
defensive actions, an allegation Dent and
his attorney, Gregory Rohl of Novi, strongly
deny.
The videotape, which has gone viral on
the internet, shows Melendez pulling Dent
from the car, executing and maintaining a
choke hold on Dent while continuing to
strike him in the head. Dent is using his
right arm in an apparent attempt to shield
Lorraine Zaksek finds herself repeating
the story of a family excited about celebrat-
ing Thanksgiving and Christmas at a table
in their home this year instead of on a bed
in ahotel room.
Zaksek credits a grant from Plymouth
Community UnitedWay for making the hol-
iday celebration possible for a family that
was homeless before they found help from
a program at the St. John Neumann
Conference of St. Vincent de Paul, which is
helpedby the local UnitedWay group.
“If someone is homeless we can put
them in a hotel until we can find other
accommodations,” said Zaksek, second
vice-president and outgoing president of St.
John Neumann Conference. “We provide
food, assistance with transportation. We're
helping families maintain transportation to
keep their jobs and gain their independ-
ence.”
Plymouth Community United Way
(PCUW) recently announced a total of
$469,039 in allocations, grants and designa-
tions to organizations that provided basic
needs, education and human services in
Plymouth, Canton and Western Wayne
County in 2014.
St. Vincent de Paul societies at St. John
Neumann and Resurrection churches in
Canton Township received money to help
See
Eloise,
page 3
Sweet
treats...
Annual county
marshmallow
drop is tomorrow
More than 20,000 marshmallows will
fall from the sky into the hands of wait-
ing children at 11 a.m. tomorrow during
the 31st Annual Marshmallow Drop by
theWayneCountyParksDepartment
"The annual Marshmallow Drop is
the start of many fun, free, family-orient-
ed events offered by Wayne County
Parks each year and I am happy we can
provide these opportunities for our resi-
dents and visitors," said Wayne County
Executive Warren Evans. "Going on 31
years, it has become a tradition for fami-
lies from across the metro Detroit area,"
Evans added.
The marshmallows will be dropped
from the Easter Bunny's helicopter
while children in the park scramble to
collect the confections and trade them
in to receive prizes.
To ensure that everyone has an
opportunity to fully participate, children
will be divided into age groups, 4 years
old and younger, 5 - 7 years old and 8 - 12
years old. There will be one colored
marshmallow to be found for each of the
age groups. The finder of the colored
marshmallow will receive an extra spe-
cial prize, organizers said.
Nankin Mills is located at 33175 Ann
Arbor Trail inWestland.
The Marshmallow Drop is the first of
many fun-filled, warm weather events
planned by Wayne County Parks for
2015, a spokesperson added.
For more information on
Marshmallow Drop or any other Wayne
County Parks event, call (734) 261-1990
or visit
.
The Wayne County Parks
Marshmallow Drop is co-sponsored by
Trenton Parks and Recreation, ITC
Holdings, Taylor Ford, Flagstar Bank,
Zeal Credit Union, KSP Insurance,
UAW Region 1A, N Zone Sports, Jack
Demmer Ford, Wayne County
Community College and Friends of
WayneCountyParks.
See
Grants,
page 4
See
Arrest,
page 2
”
Dent, according to official police
reports, ran a stop sign.
”
Wayne County Executive Warren C. Evans
announced the plans last week...
State police investigate violent Inkster arrest
United Way announces 2014 grant recipients
County proposes sale of Eloise Property
