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April 30 – May 6, 2020 NEWS YOU CAN USE, NEWS YOU CAN TRUST 75¢

No. 18 www .associatednewspapers.net

THE BELLEVILLE 50 corpses discovered in makeshift morgue
ENTERPRISE
ENTERPRISE
Vol. 135, No. 18 Following the public furor demanded entry into the ware-
Sumpter Township surrounding the abrupt closing ” house,” Geary said.
Director of Public of Beaumont Wayne last week, The Wayne County Health Division has launched an Congresswomen Rashida
Safety/Police Chief Eric an inspection by officials of the investigation to determine whether county health Tlaib and Debbie Dingell from
Luke has found a means of Wayne County Health Congressional District 12 and 13
honoring the officers of his Department last Tuesday dis- ordinances were violated by the hospital system. respectively wrote strong letters
department while adhering covered more than 50 corpses in to Beaumont Health manage-
to the Stay Home Stay Safe a makeshift morgue at the hos- ment this month, requesting
executive order of the gover- pital. violated by the hospital system,” space could serve this tempo- information about the business
nor. The inspectors were initially Nowling said. rary purpose in a safe, appro- model that would allow the clo-
See page 4. refused entry to the hospital by The inspection seemed to priate and respectful way. sure of the 185-bed community
staff members who demanded a validate one claim of employees Beaumont continues to use the hospital. Both lawmakers
search warrant before allowing who were laid off when the hos- rest of the warehouse to store expressed their disagreement
THE CANTON the inspectors to enter. Phone pital was closed last week. much needed supplies we dis- with the decision and reiterated
EAGLE negotiations resulted in that Several of the health workers tribute to our hospitals across several employee complaints
EAGLE
accused the Beaumont system
about unusual practices at the
metro Detroit,” Mark Geary,
demand being rescinded and
Vol. 73, No. 18 the inspectors, along with of hoarding scarce personal Beaumont director of external Wayne facility, including the
Wayne County Sheriff's protection equipment in the communications, claimed in a unconventional storage of bod-
Members of the Canton deputies, entered the hospital same Wayne warehouse and prepared response. ies. Those communications pre-
Township administration campus where the bodies were union busting tactics in the clos- The City of Wayne issued a ceded the discovery of the
have suspended community discovered in a warehouse ing of Beaumont Wayne. formal statement stating that corpses last week.
events and festivals through being used both as a morgue In response to the report of Beaumont requested permis- In response, Beaumont
June 30 in response to the and supply storage center. the makeshift morgue, a sion for the temporary morgue administrators said the closure
coronavirus pandemic. According to an official spokesman said that Beaumont from the Building and of the Wayne hospital, which
See page 2. report from Bill Nowling, a “received approvals from the Engineering Department in had been emptied of all patients
spokesman for Wayne County, City of Wayne Department of mid-April, but had not yet pro- by March 26 and then designat-
THE INKSTER health inspectors discovered Community Development and vided the requested photo- ed as a COVID-19 only treat-
LEDGER STAR the approximately 50 bodies in Planning, Building Department graphs and documents. ment center, was temporary and
LEDGER STAR
a vacant building on the hospi-
and Fire Marshall to convert
“Without advanced notice,
that the hospital would re-open
Vol. 73, No. 18 tal grounds. part of a warehouse into a tem- without being able to explain after the current pandemic
The racial disparity of the “The Wayne County Health porary morgue. their purpose, and without when specific state controls
coronavirus will now be the Division has launched an inves- “Once we obtained approval, appropriately fitting PPE to pro- were lifted. Whether the hospi-
subject of a state task force tigation to determine whether we worked quickly to ensure tect themselves from the coron-
created by Gov. Gretchen county health ordinances were that part of the warehouse avirus, various individuals See Morgue, page 6
Whitmer last week.
Canton Public Safety Director and
See page 6.

THE NORTHVILLE
EAGLE township reach legal settlement
EAGLE

Vol. 20, No. 18
Joshua Meier will resign his ment terms to sign the agree- Merit Commission members last
Voters in Northville position as Canton Township ment and seven days to revoke July that the township had erred
Township will be asked to Director of Public Safety as part the contract after that signing when his pension multiplier was
approve a millage to fund of a proposed settlement agree- date. According to township reduced from 2.8 to 2.5 signifi-
police, EMS, fire, parks, ment in his lawsuit against the attorney Kristin Bricker Kolb, cantly reducing his pension
recreation, senior and youth township. the township will not purchase amount. The multiplier is the
services on the Aug. 4 ballot. Other provisions of the pro- the services credits until the formula factor which deter-
See page 3. posed agreement include the eighth after Meier signs the mines the amount of the lifetime
purchase of an equivalent 2.5 agreement. annuity a pensioner receives,
THE PLYMOUTH years of Municipal Employees' Meier has worked for the usually a percentage of final
EAGLE Retirement System (MERS) township since 1997 and was compensation multiplier by
EAGLE
Vol. 20, No. 18 service credit at a cost of named fire chief in 2012 and years of service. Meier claimed Joshua Meier
promoted to director of public
$150,233 which would allow
the current interpretation of the
Voters in Plymouth Meier to retire. The settlement safety in 2016. multiplier is wrong.
Township will choose the agreement includes a $75,000 The settlement was negotiat- Following a second merit Supervisor Pat Williams,
names to appear on the Nov. payment to Meier and his attor- ed following April 13 mediation commission hearing and a Human Resources Manager
3 ballot during the primary ney Todd Flood. Meier has 21 of Meier's lawsuit conducted by denial of his claim by a vote of Kerreen Conley, the members of
election set for Aug. 4 from a days from April 21 when the retired Court of Appeals Judge the board of trustees, Meier the board of trustees and the
field including only one township board of trustees Michael Talbot. Meier had ini- filed a lawsuit Nov. 7 in Third members of the Merit
Democrat. approved the settlement agree- tially notified the township Circuit Court naming Township Commission.
See page 2. Romulus residents question waste well operators

THE ROMULUS
ROMAN been new, the concerns of ” well is permitted to take. He
ROMAN
While the method may have
said the well cannot take flam-
Vol. 135, No. 18 Romulus residents remained One questioner reminded the officials mable or radioactive waste.
Members of the Romulus the same during a virtual webi- that there had been a leak at the well in 2005 which In response to a later ques-
Police Department sent a nar regarding the hazardous subsequently shut down operations there. tion regarding the danger of
thank you to all the residents waste disposal well in the city. cornonavirus at the facility, he
and businesses who have Romulus residents have been assured the participants that the
“fed us, prayed for us, even protesting the operation of the well does not take any medical
thought about us during this wastewater disposal well for two concerns about the operation monitored. He said if there is waste.
thing.” decades since it was first pro- and safety measures at the deep any leak or any irregularity, the Frost explained that all waste
See page 3. posed in the city and became injection well. system performs an instant shut was offloaded in a closed, con-
operational. Answering questions submit- off. tained area at the well, which
A subsidiary of Republic ted by area residents were John Residents also questioned limited the possibility of any
THE WAYNE Services, Republic Industrial Frost, division manager, indus- the possibility of the well caus- spill or danger to the public.
EAGLE and Environmental Services trial services and Gary ing earthquakes or tremors. The concern about the truck routes
EAGLE
Residents also expressed
officials said those instances
(RIES), purchased the haz-
McCuistion, vice president of
Vol. 73, No. 18 ardous waste well facility locat- business development with were reported at high-volume through heavily traveled inter-
Zeke, the therapy dog who ed on Citrin Drive in the city last Republic Services. salt water wells, but that there sections in the city. McCuistion
joined the Wayne Police year. The transfer of the license Residents submitted numer- had never been solid evidence said that there is some risk
Department last December, was considered a minor modifi- ous questions about the well that wells like the one in throughout the industrial area
has been an invaluable aid to cation to the permit and as such during the hour and a half webi- Romulus caused earth tremors and that Republic has an emer-
officers during the recent did not require public input nar, many regarding the safety or earthquakes. gency contingency plan which
pandemic. under current state statutes. The practices in place and the effect Residents also asked about includes a third party to help
See page 5. state and federal well permits, on the area in case of an emer- plans of the company to make mitigate any such instance. In a
and state operating license are gency at the facility. an investment in the community. follow up response, he noted
issued for 10 years and may be One questioner reminded the Both officials responded that that evacuation of residents in
THE WESTLAND renewed as long as the facility officials that there had been a they would look at those oppor- the case of a spill or traffic acci-
EAGLE
EAGLE meets applicable requirements. leak at the well in 2005 which tunities but that the operation dent was highly unlikely but that

Vol. 73, No. 18 The 10-year permits and licens- subsequently shut down opera- just started and that Republic the operation did have contin-
already has announced several
gency plans in place.
es were last renewed in 2011
tions there.
Westland Mayor William and will expire in 2021. At the McCuistion said the there are outreach programs. Questioned He further explained that
R. Wild presented a $72 mil- request of Romulus officials, currently 24-hour alarm systems about the limits of distance Republic has more than 30
lion balanced budget to Republic Services scheduled a and inspections of every waste could travel to the years experience in operating
members of the city council virtual community meeting process, including the contain- Romulus well, McCuistion said hazardous waste disposal wells
last week. through the internet last ment system, and said flow rates that cost is a limiting factor
See page 5. Monday to address residents' and pressure are constantly along with the kinds of waste the See Well, page 6

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