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No. 27
NEWS YOU CAN USE, NEWS YOU CAN TRUST
75¢
July 3 – 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
Members of the Wayne
Golden Hour Club celebrated
the 60th anniversary of the
Wayne organizationwith a spe-
cial luncheon recently.
See page 3.
The Romulus Public
Library will be among the
libraries participating in the
"Michigan Activity Pass pre-
sented by The Library
Network," which debuted last
month.
See page 6.
The Emergency Food
Assistance Program distribu-
tion is scheduled for Thursday,
July 18, at St. Kenneth Catholic
Church for Plymouth and
Northville residents.
See page 2.
Family Fun Night at
Moraine Elementary School
proved to be very profitable
when the school was given a
check for $580 from Dick Scott
ChryslerDodge JeepRam.
See page 2.
DanWilson was honored by
the Van Buren Board of
Trustees during a recent meet-
ing for his 30 years of service
as a township firefighter.
See page 6
.
Vol. 128, No. 27
Vol. 66, No. 27
Vol. 66, No. 27
Vol. 13, No. 27
Vol. 128, No. 27
Vol. 66, No. 27
Vol. 66, No. 27
Inkster residents won't have
to travel any farther than the
Dozier Recreation Center to
feel like they are down on the
farmnext week.
See page 3.
For home delivery of The Eagle call 734-467-1900.
Recently, the Westland
Goodfellows and the Westland
Rotary club awarded scholar-
ships to graduates of both
Wayne
Memorial
and
Westland John Glenn high
schools.
See page 3.
Canton Township will be
hosting the Senior Olympics
Basketball Shoot at 2:30 p.m.
Aug.12 at the Summit on the
Park.
See page 2.
Vol. 13, No. 27
If Comcast agrees to add Public Education
and Government fees to subscribers' bills in
Plymouth Township, those funds can only be
used as directedby state and federal laws.
That was the message of a Comcast execu-
tive who addressed the Plymouth Township
Board of Trustees at their regular meeting
last Tuesday. His comments confirmed that
the cable provider and the township were
involved in a disagreement regarding the use
of Public Education and Government (PEG)
fees.
Frederick Eaton, senior manager of
Government Affairs for Comcast, spoke dur-
ing the public comments period of the meet-
ing. Eaton detailed Comcast's community
investment in Plymouth Township and
explained the correct and legal usage of PEG
fees to the boardmembers.
PEG fees are capped by state legislation at
2 percent of total fees in a municipality and
can, by law, be charged to cable subscribers
by the company to support the government
and education cable television channels as
part of the franchise agreement. The cable
company then remits the collected fees to the
local government for the purchase of cable
television equipment such as cameras, lights
and editing machines to be used at the local
government cable channel.
Eaton's statements indicated that the
Plymouth Township board members want
Comcast to begin to collect PEG fees from
subscribers. Eaton apparently wanted to
express his opposition to the fee collection
and at the same time explain that the govern-
ment controlled fees cannot be used except
for PEGrelated expenses.
Citing community investment and help to
low-income families in co-operation with
Plymouth Canton schools, Eaton said
Comcast is Plymouth Township's largest
video provider with a 60 percent penetration
rate and has more than 700 people employed
Two men from Detroit were
arraigned in 35th District Court
last Tuesday on criminal charges
related to an armed home inva-
sion.
The men were charged in a
June 22 incident inwhich a Canton
Township man answered a knock
at his apartment door. The man
was confronted by two men with
their faces partially concealedwho
forced their way into his apart-
ment, according to police reports
of the incident.
One of the suspects was in pos-
session of a weapon and struggled
with the victim, while the other
suspect stole property from the
apartment, police said. The sus-
pects fled the apartment and drove
away from the scene, according to
police. The two suspects were
identified and later arrested fol-
lowing an investigation by mem-
bers of the Michigan State Police
and
the
Canton
Police
Department.
Defendant Aaron Nathaniel
Bourdreaux-Brown, 21, was
charged with one count of robbery
- armed, a life or any term of years
felony; one count of home inva-
sion, first degree, a 20-year felony;
one count of robbery - unarmed, a
15-year felony and one
count of larceny in a
building, a four-year
felony.
Defendant Justin
Deontae Echols, 19, was
charged with one count
of robbery - armed, a
life or any term of years
felony; one count of
home invasion, first
degree, a 20-year felony;
one count of robbery - unarmed, a
15-year felony and one count of lar-
ceny in a building, a four-year
felony.
Judge James A. Plakas set bond
for both defendants at $500,000 - 10
percent surety, with a preliminary
court examination on the charges
on July 5 at 35th District Court in
Plymouth.
The Romulus City Council
approved a tax abatement last
Monday night that will help
Detroit Thermal Systems, LLC,
create a company headquarters
within the city.
The council unanimously
approved a 10-year tax abatement
for the project, which is estimated
at $41.8 million and will bring at
least 300 jobs to the city, said attor-
ney Richard Barr, a spokesperson
for the project.
“They've already started to hire
some people,” he said. “Things are
goingwell.”
The company first applied for a
industrials facility exemption cer-
tificate earlier this year. The
abatement will grant them 50 per-
cent relief on new industrial per-
sonal property taxes for the next
10 years, saving them about $1.9
millionduring that time frame.
Detroit Thermal Systems cre-
ates injection mold parts for the
auto industry, creating heating
ventilation and air condition units
for the automobile industry, said
Nancy Colah, a representative of
Detroit Thermal.
“We're a brand new company;
we're in start-up mode,” she said
of the facility that will be located
in a leased facility on Cogswell
Road. She said Detroit Thermal
2 Detroit men charged in Canton robbery
See
Tax,
page 6
See
Millage,
page 2
His comments confirmed that the
cable provider and the township
were involved in a disagreement...
”
Cable official warns board about new fees
Good clean fun
Annual County Mud Day will be next Tuesday
Wayne County Parks is set to
transform the Hines Park-
Nankin Mills Area into a giant 75
by 150 foot mud pit playground
from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. next
Tuesday, July 9. Children, ages
12 and younger, will have the
opportunity to get down and dirty
in one of the messiest play-
grounds southeast Michigan has
ever seen.
“MudDay is a fun, unique and
rare annual event that draws
international attention,” said
Wayne County Executive Robert
Ficano. “Regardless of the time
of year, Wayne County Parks have
great opportunities for families
to enjoy themselves and create
life-long memories,” Ficano
added.
Thousands of children will
charge into the mud at 11 a.m.
Youngsters will be separated into
age categories for events such as,
“Mud Limbo” and wheelbarrow
races. Also, the 2013 King and
Queen ofMudwill be crowned.
Children should wear old
clothes and shoes and bring a
clean change of clothes. There
are no showers on-site; however,
a clean-up area is available with
hoses to aid in rinsing off the
mud. Parents are also advised to
bring a supply of towels. Plastic
bags will be provided to ensure
that all dirty clothes are properly
contained for the triphome.
The Hines Park Nankin Mills
Area is located on Hines Drive,
east of Ann Arbor Trail in
Westland. Sponsors for Mud Day
include:
ITC
Holdings,
Community Alliance Credit
Union, Parkside Credit Union,
CVS, Kroger and the Western
WayneCountyHMRT.
For more information about
Mud
Day,
email
parks@waynecounty.com or call
(734) 261-1990.
They've already started
to hire some people.
Things are going well.
”
Romulus council OK’s 10-year tax abatement
Justin Deontae
Echols
Aaron Nathaniel
Bourdreaux-Brown