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No. 14
NEWS YOU CAN USE, NEWS YOU CAN TRUST
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April 4 – 10, 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
Wayne resident Julie
Golnick has a special affection
for themonth of April, which is
officially designated as
National SocialWorkermonth,
Golnick's job for 24 years.
See page 5.
Three Romulus women
raised money for the
American Lung Association
during the "Fight for Air
Climb" on March 3 at the
Renaissance Center in
DowntownDetroit.
See page 4.
The man accused of the
murder of former Plymouth
Township resident Kaitlin
Hehir will face a psychiatric
examination prior to his next
court appearanceMay 22.
See page 3.
Next Monday, a controlled
burn has been scheduled
along Hines Drive, approxi-
mately one-half mile north of
Six Mile Road in Northville to
kill off invasive plant species.
See page 3.
There won't be any immedi-
ate changes to the sign and
zoning ordinances in the City
of Belleville, but discussion
will continue among the plan-
ning commissionmembers.
See page 4.
Vol. 128, No. 14
Vol. 66, No. 14
Vol. 66, No. 14
Vol. 13, No. 14
Vol. 128, No. 14
Vol. 66, No. 14
Vol. 66, No. 14
An Inkster woman will face
charges of second-degree mur-
der in the death of a Westland
mother of four who police say
she struck with her car during
an argument over aman.
See page 5.
For home delivery of The Eagle call 734-467-1900.
A contract with employees
of the Wayne-Westland schools
is expected to save the district
an estimated $11-$13 million
during the next three years.
See page 5.
A pair of Canton Township
doctors were out of the office
for more than a week recently
traveling to Guatemala to per-
form surgeries for residents of
remote villages.
See page 3.
City council asks mayor to step aside
Vol. 13, No. 14
As the May 7 election date
draws near, efforts to educate the
public about the $114 million
bond request from the Plymouth-
Canton Community School
District are picking up steam.
The citizen's committee pro-
moting the bond hosted a formal
kick-off party last week and
District Superintendent Jeremy
Hughes visited the Canton
Township Board of Trustees to
give a bond presentation, saying
how important it is for the school
district to keep members of all
the communities it serves
informed.
The schools are asking for $114
million to construct a newmiddle
school in Canton, upgrade tech-
nology throughout the district,
make building improvements
and replace its aging bus fleet. If
approved, the bondwill not result
in a tax increase but would sus-
tain the 4.1 mills current levied
by the schools.
“This will not result in an
increased tax rate,” saidHughes.
The bond will include $35 mil-
lion for upgrades to district build-
ings, $37.3million to construct the
new middle school-which will
replace Central Middle School in
Plymouth, which the district
would then close-as well as 23.9
million for technology and 15.6
million for buses.
The new middle school would
be constructed on land the dis-
trict purchased inCanton to site a
new school, located on Cherry
Hill Road west of Canton Center
Road. The new school is impor-
tant because Central is no longer
a viable school due to its age and
maintenance issues. It should be
constructed in Canton, Hughes
said, because about 75 percent of
the district middle school stu-
dents live in Canton. Sixty-two
percent of the students at Central
areCanton residents.
The remaining middle schools
would receive additions or reno-
vations that would better support
the district Science, Technology,
Engineering and Mathematics
A man with more than five
previous convictions for driving
while impaired and 30 suspen-
sions/revocations of his driver's
license will face several more
charges in an vehicle crash dur-
ing which a Westland teen was
injured last week.
Daniel Joseph Florance, 33, is
accused of operating the van
which struck a 17-year-old
Westland student as he was dis-
embarking from a school bus at
about 2:15 p.m. March 25. The
teen suffered a broken pelvis,
wrist and forearmbut is expected
to recover fromthe injuries.
The student was leaving a
school bus in the area of
Schuman and Cherry Hill when
the white commercial van, taking
a turn onto Schuman too fast,
ended up driving on the grass
and sidewalk. The driver overcor-
rected to the right and the van
careened across Schuman and
struck the student, causing his
injuries, according to police
reports. The bus was stopped and
the emergency flashers were illu-
minated, according to police
reports.
After striking the student, the
van ran into a tree and Florance
was injuredwhen his head struck
the windshield. He was not wear-
ing a seatbelt, according to police
reports.
Police said that Florance had
a .32 blood alcohol level, which is
four times the level considered as
legally intoxicated. Police also
said he was also under the influ-
ence of opiates.
Judge Mark McConnell of the
Westland 18th District Court
arraigned Florance on charges of
third offense drunken driving, a
felony; driving with a suspended
license causing serious injury;
reckless driving causing serious
injury; second offense driving
with a suspended license and
causing injury in a school bus
zone. The arraignment took place
March 27 at Oakwood Hospital in
Dearborn where Florance was
treated for his injuries.
McConnell set bond for Florance
at $1 million. He was remanded
to police custody when released
fromthe hospital.
Police discovered that
Florance also had current war-
rants for his arrest from the 22nd
District Court in Inkster for pro-
bation violations and two from
the Westland court for operating
while intoxicated and driving
while his licensewas suspended.
Police said that he had also
been convicted twice of felony
controlled substance violations,
twice for failing to stop at the
scene of an accident, for breaking
and entering, receiving and con-
cealing stolen property, posses-
sion of marijuana and retail
fraud. He was convicted 10 times,
police said, as a minor in posses-
sion of alcohol.
His preliminary examination
on the charges will take place in
WestlandApril 4.
A chef who learned her trade
at Romulus High School is one of
the 19 candidates on the 11th edi-
tion of the Fox Network's “Hell's
Kitchen” reality show.
Nedra Harris, 24, is a 2006
Romulus graduate who studied
three years in the school culinary
arts program. She then studied at
The School of Culinary Arts of Le
Cordon Bleu in Chicago and has
since moved to San Antonio, TX,
where she is a kitchenmanager of
Chart House Steak & Seafood at
TheTower of Americas.
According to the website
Fox.com/HellsKitchen, Harris is
one of the competitors trying to
gain the favor of premiere chef
Gordon Ramsay, who puts his 19
chefs through an intense culinary
academy to prove they possess
the right combination of ingredi-
ents towin a head chef position at
Gordon Ramsay Steak in the
ParisHotel inLas Vegas.
The show airs at 8 p.m.
Tuesdays onFox.
Harris' appearance on the
show has Romulus talking. Chuck
Usztics, was her instructor and
director of the culinary arts pro-
gramat thehigh school.
“Nedra was a wonderful stu-
dent - one of my top students,”
Usztics said. “She was in the pro-
gram for three years and then
went on to culinary school. She's
very smart, dependable and con-
scientious. She comes from a
good family.”
Usztics, who retired in 2011
after teaching 29 years, said
Harris also learned how to be an
ice carver. He said he was proud
of her success.
He said the culinary arts pro-
gramat Romulus High School is a
“diversified complex program
that challenges the kids a whole
lot.”
“I was like the crazy man on
'Hell's Kitchen,'” he said. “I always
shot for perfection, but did it with
love. By challenging them, they
met great standards and a lot of
themmoved on to college.”
Harris “loved cooking and the
culinary arts,” Usztics said. “She
was a very good ice carver, plac-
ing very high (third place) in the
Plymouth ice carving competi-
tions. I expected big things from
her. I always said 'do well and
come back and showme your new
restaurant.' I love to be wined and
dined.””
According to Harris' website
chefnedra.com, she “really
learnedwhat it meant to shine” in
Chicago. “While there, I met
Wolfgang Puck and was fortunate
enough to be selected to work for
himon some of his events.
“For my internship at Le
Cordon Bleu, I worked at Disney
World in Orlando, FL. There, I
learned what it really meant to
work on the line and move at a
high-stressed pace. We often
served groups of 500-plus in a
matter of hours.”
After the internship, Harris
returned to Chicago and graduat-
ed from Le Cordon Bleu in 2008.
One of her teachers asked her to
help start an Italian restaurant,
where she worked for nearly two
years.
According to the show website,
Harris' signature dish is honey-
glazed lamb chops with grilled
Romulus Mayor Alan Lambert
again stated he had no intention of
resigningMonday night, calling for
the city council and the communi-
ty to wait for the facts behind the
raid at his house last week before
passing judgment.
Lambert was not at the meet-
ing, but asked Tom Wilson, direc-
tor of public works for the city, to
read a statement onhis behalf.
“If I feel I should step down, I
will,” he said in the statement. “I
have nothing but love and respect
for this community. I'd never do
anything tohurt this city.”
Lambert's house was raided by
the Michigan State Police on
March 25 as part of what officials
have called an ongoing probe of
government
malfeasance.
Lambert said he was cooperating
with the investigation, but a copy
of the affidavit was not supplied to
him.
“I'm not in a position to com-
ment on what is being investigat-
ed,” he said.
In the wake of the raid and
Lambert's subsequent decision to
stay in office, Police Chief Robert
Dickerson and Economic Director
Tim Keyes have both resigned
their posts in the city. Dickerson
said he met with the mayor twice
after the raid and was disappoint-
ed in his decision to stay in office,
despite what Dickerson called a
'circus-like' atmosphere the inves-
tigation has caused. In his written
resignation notice, he reminded
Lambert that police officers and
public officials should adhere to
higher standards of conduct.
“Your serious lapses in judg-
ment, whether legal or illegal,
whichwere ultimately followed up
by the embarrassing police raid of
your residence has led me to
believe that you can no longer
capably meet the 'higher stan-
dards' mandate,” Dickerson said.
“In my mind, there cannot be a
double standard, just because you
are themayor.”
Keyes' resignation cited only
personal reasons. He pointed out
that he was proud of what he had
been able to accomplish in the
role that he assumed in 2001.
“To uphold my integrity and my
belief that public servants must
always put the people they serve
first, I can no longer in good con-
science work for the current city
administration,”Keyeswrote.
See
Probe,
page 4
Superintendent explains May 6 school bond vote
Convicted drunk driver runs down student
Hell’s belle?
Local graduate competes on TV reality show
See
Bond,
page 3
See
Chef,
page 4
Nedra Harris