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No. 19
NEWS YOU CAN USE, NEWS YOU CAN TRUST
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May 8 – 14, 2014
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 special exhibit celebrat-
ing National Peace Officers
Day will be mounted at the
Wayne Historical Museum
throughout themonthofMay.
See page 2.
Six individuals earned
prizes by losing weight during
the Mayor's Fitness Challenge
at the Romulus Athletic
Center (RAC).
See page 5.
Names of the local
Plymouth-Canton middle
school students whose essays
were chosen as winners in the
annual Rotary Four-Way Test
contest are listed.
See page 3
.
The Northville Township
Fire Department conducted
two controlled burns Monday
at the request of the Wayne
County Department of Public
Services.
See page 3
.
There will be thunder
throughout Van Buren
Township and Belleville this
Memorial Day when more
than 300 motorcycles travel
through the community.
See page 2
.
Vol. 129, No. 19
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Vol. 14, No. 19
Vol. 129, No. 19
Vol. 67, No. 19
Vol. 67, No. 19
For home delivery of The Eagle call 734-467-1900.
The Westland Police
Department
recognized
Officer Eric Rodriguez as the
2013 Police Officer of the Year
and also hired a new officer,
promoted three veteran offi-
cers, and retired Police K9
“Friday.”
See page 5.
A special party for best
friends has been planned from
11 a.m. until 1 p.m. May 18 at
the Canton Dog Park. Bark in
theParkwill feature entertain-
ment and vendors.
See page 3.
Vol. 14, No. 19
Two men linked to other
killings have been charged with
the robbery, torture and imprison-
ment of twoWestland teens discov-
ered in a Detroit field nearly two
years ago.
Frederick K. Young, 25, of
Detroit and Ferlando D. Hunter,
25, an inmate at Jackson prison,
have been charged with first
degree premeditated murder, first
degree felony murder, torture,
armed robbery, unlawful impris-
onment and felony firearm. Young
has also been charged with felon
inpossession of a firearm.
Maria Miller of the prosecutor's
office said the charges followed
and extensive investigation by the
Detroit Police Department in con-
junction with the prosecutor's
office, into the deaths of Jacob
Kudla, 18, and Jourdan Bobbish,
17, both of Westland. Their bodies
were discovered at about 9 a.m.
July 27, 2012, about five days after
they were reported missing. A
passerby found the decomposing
bodies in a field located at Lyford
and French Road in Detroit and
notified Detroit police. The Wayne
County Medical Examiner deter-
mined that Kudla died of multiple
gunshot wounds andBobbish from
a single gunshot wound to the
head.
Young and Hunter have also
been charged indeath of a 62-year-
old grandfather, John Villnef,
which took place when four men
broke into a home in Detroit in
August of 2012. The man's grand-
daughter ran to his home for pro-
tection in the incident which took
place about two weeks after the
death of the Westland teens.
Relatives said that Villnef died
attempting to protect the girl, 12.
Young faces charges of felony
murder, assault with intent tomur-
der, armed robbery, first-degree
home invasion and felony firearm
in Villnef's death. He was convict-
ed of felony murder committed
during another home invasion and
is already serving life in prison in
Jackson.
Young was arraigned in 36th
District Court on the charges stem-
ming from the murder of the
Westland teens this week. Hunter
was arraigned on the charges by
video from prison. A preliminary
court examination on the latest
charges was set for May 13 before
JudgeMichaelWagner.
More than 1,298 area students submitted
entries this year in the annual Rotary Club of
PlymouthFour-WayTest essay contest.
Last Friday, after all the entries had been
read and evaluated, the club announced the
winners of the contest, all 48 of them.
The contest, organized this year by
Rotarians Carol Saunders and Tony
Bruscato, is open to all middle school stu-
dents, grades six through eight who are in the
local school district.
The process began, according to Saunders,
in December when representatives of the
club met with administrators and teachers to
present the rules for the contest. The teach-
ers then explain the Four Way Test to the stu-
dents and ask them to write an essay about
“How the Four Way Test can apply to them,
individually.
The Four Way Test is one of the founda-
tions of the Rotary Club. Members are told to
hold decisions and conduct up to four ques-
tions: “Is it the truth? Is it fair to all con-
cerned? Will it build goodwill and better
friendships? Will it be beneficial to all con-
cerned?”
Essays are collected from the schools in
early March and a blind numbering system
employed to ensure anonymity of the authors
as judges read and evaluate the entries.
Three Rotarians score the essays in teams
of three, using a rubric on a class by class
basis. First and second place essays are
determined from each class and school. The
student winners are presented with $100 and
$50 gift certificates respectively to Barnes &
Noble and each of the schools is awarded a
National Women's Health
Week, May 11-17, will see sev-
eral community events in
Inkster planned to educate
women about how to prevent
andmanage diabetes.
See page 2.
As upgrades and repairs at two
railroad crossings in Plymouth
appear stalled, CSX Railroad offi-
cials will not reveal the number of
railroad tanker cars carrying haz-
ardous or flammable materials
throughout the area but contend
that such information would be
available to public safety officials,
should they request it.
Carla Groleau, CSX communi-
cations director, said the volume of
hazardous material and chemicals
being shipped through local com-
munities fluctuates on a day-to-
day basis.
Currently, the railroad is work-
ing on upgrading the tracks at two
critical Plymouth crossing areas.
Some local residents have
expressed concern regarding the
conditions of the rails throughout
the area following the train derail-
ment last week in Lynchburg, VA
when crude oil tanker cars
derailed, forcing the evacuation of
a large part of the downtown area
along the James River, a short dis-
tance from office buildings and
homes. In Plymouth, trains travel
so close to many homes city com-
missioners are currently consider-
ing the possibility of making the
city a quiet zone, restricting train
horns. Plymouth is part of a major
railroad intersection known main-
ly to yardmasters and hobbyists as
the Plymouth Y. CSX maintains a
yard office in Old Village for main-
tenance but train traffic and cross-
ing gates are controlled from
Jacksonville, FLA. Currently, CSX
is working on the Farmer Street
crossing, near the Plymouth
Community Cultural Center and
the Lilley Road crossing, which is
south of AnnArbor Trail. Delays in
the upgrades and repairs were
due to weather, according to
Groleau.
In the Lynchburg crash, 300 res-
idents were evacuated when 15
cars derailed, including three that
caught on fire and continued to
burn after plunging into the river.
The tankerswere carryingBakken
Anyone expecting to see con-
struction barrels in downtown
Romulus this week will be disap-
pointed.
A major reconstruction project
on Goddard Road won't begin on
time and may have to be put off
until the 2015 construction season,
“We'll have to reevaluate when
the job can get done,” said Robert
McCraight, public services direc-
tor for the city.
The road was set to be com-
pletely reconstructed in two phas-
es that would also includework on
the water main and other infra-
structure. The sidewalks in the
downtown were to be widened
and decorative pavers added,
combined with additional
streetscape features like decora-
tive lighting and crossing signals,
crosswalks and improvements at
street corners.
When the bids for the project
were opened, however, they came
in at $800,000 more than the budg-
et estimates-perhaps due to the
amount of work required through-
out the state due to the particular-
ly harsh winter, or because Dan's
Excavating, the low bidder, is also
the main firm handling the recon-
struction of I-96.
“We don't know what the rea-
son for that is,” saidMcCraight.
McCraight said the City of
Southfield is in the same predica-
ment for some of their scheduled
projects. A hearing is set for May
22, and city officials may not get
any information about why the
bids came in so high before then.
McCraight said that depending on
the outcome of that meeting, they
will reevaluate what can be done,
and when. Putting the project off
another year is a possibility, but
not an ideal one, he added.
“We might be able to get a bet-
ter contract, or lower bids, or
more contractors to bid on this job
over the winter months,” he said.
“That is, in my opinion, a worst-
case scenario. We really don't
want to do that. We want to see
this project move forward, but we
also want to look out for the tax-
payers and the best interests of
the city and get this done in an
appropriate manner, and the most
efficient and cost-effective man-
ner.”
There were also problems with
4-Way-Test
Rotary Club chooses
winning student essays
See
Winners,
page 3
Currently, the railroad is working
on upgrading the tracks at two critical
Plymouth crossing areas.
”
We'll have to reevaluate
when the job can get done.
”
Their bodies were discovered at
about 9 a.m. July 27, 2012, about five days
after they were reported missing.
”
Virginia train derailment prompts local concern
2 charged in deaths of Westland teens
Justin Kinville, the eighth-grade, first place winner from Discovery Middle School, accepts con-
gratulations from Plymouth Noon Rotary Club President Tom Adams as winners of the Four Way
Test Essay Contest are announced. Co-chair of the contest committee Carol Saunders who
announced the winners, is at right.
See
Trains,
page 4
Romulus road repairs stalled by steep construction costs
See
Road,
page 5