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No. 31
NEWS YOU CAN USE, NEWS YOU CAN TRUST
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July 31 – August 6, 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
Nathan Adams the former
director of the Wayne-
Westland
Parks
and
Recreation Department,
resigned his position earlier
thismonth.
See page 5.
Fresh off the re-opening
of their largest park, officials
in the City of Romulus hope
to bring activity back to
Eugenio Fernandez Park off
Hearst Street.
See page 3.
The 1,000 visitors each
day at the Plymouth District
Library will soon notice
some changes at the facility
as more than $1 million in
repairs to the building take
place.
See page 2
.
Northville Township vot-
ers will be asked to approve
a dedicated millage of 1.550
during the Aug. 5 election
along with the renewal of the
existing 5.575mills.
See page 3
.
The Salvation Army in
partnership Van Buren
School District and several
local churches, will host a
“back to school blitz” school
supply drive from 1-4 p.m. on
Aug. 24.
See page 2.
Vol. 129, No. 31
Vol. 67, No. 31
Vol. 67, No. 31
Vol. 14, No. 31
Vol. 129, No. 31
Vol. 67, No. 31
Vol. 67, No. 31
For home delivery of The Eagle call 734-467-1900.
The All American Blues,
Brews & Barbecue is head-
ed back to Westland for the
fourth year and sponsor-
ships are still available for
the event.
See page 4.
Canton Leisure Services
is celebrating Shark Week by
offering shark-related events
and activities including
shark-inspired concerts,
recreation opportunities and
amovie night
See page 3
.
Vol. 14, No. 31
The Education Matters
campaign, a project of the
Inkster
Task
Force
Education Committee, is
designed to reprioritize edu-
cation in the community.
See page 5.
Raymore Jackson, 25, of
Inkster was bound over for trial
on charges of Murder First
Degree, Assault with Intent to
Murder, Torture, Felonious
Assault, Felon in Possession
and Felony Firearms during his
arraignment last week before
Circuit Court Judge David
Groner
Jackson is charged in the
fatal shooting of 2-year-old
KaMiya French and the wound-
ing of her father, Kenneth
French and 12-year-old Chelsea
Lancaster, a friend of the family,
as the three sat on the porch at
the family home at the Parkside
Estates Housing Complex in
Inkster.
A not-guilty plea was entered
on Jackson's behalf during the
arraignment on Wednesday,
July 23.
Also charged in the incident
was Rapheal Daniel-Jordon
Hearn, 29, of Inkster. He was
arraigned on charges of First
Degree Murder, Assault with
Intent to Murder and being a
Felon in Possession of a
Firearm. The court ordered a
mental competency hearing for
Hearn, who was remanded to
the Wayne County Jail without
bond. He is scheduled for a
hearing on that examination on
Sept. 4 in 22ndDistrict Court.
Prosecutors alleged that
Jackson walked up to the porch
of the home in the 3000 block of
Carlysle Street at about 8:30
p.m. July 1. He allegedly spoke
to French briefly and then fired
at the small child at point-blank
range. He then opened fire
striking French and the 12-year-
old and inflicting serious
wounds that required hospital-
ization. The cruelty and torture
charges were filed against
Jackson as a result of alleged
statements he made that indi-
cated he wanted the child's
death to be the last thing her
father saw before his own mur-
der.
Hearn is alleged to have
been the driver of the white van
that had been driven past the
scene of the shooting earlier
and then dropped the suspect
off a few doors from the house
just before the shooting.
The shooting occurred only
one day after Jackson was
released from parole, according
to court records.
Jackson had pleaded guilty
in August to a drug charged and
was sentenced to 11 months in
jail and two years probation.
At the arraignment, Groner
expressed dissatisfaction with
Jackson's early release from
probation based on “additional
time credited for statutory good
behavior,” according to a state-
ment from the office of the
WayneCounty Sheriff.
“Why would he have been
discharged from parole if I had
placed him on probation con-
secutive to his parole sentence?
Why would someone be dis-
charged from parole if they
picked up a new case.
…Certainly if someone is on
probation for this court, the
court wants to know what has
occurred and why the person is
out,” the judge said. The
spokesperson from the Wayne
County Sheriff's Office said that
Jackson was credited for good
behavior on an 11-month jail
sentence he received in
September and released in
March.
The case has been assigned
to the trial docket of Judge
UlyssesBoykin.
For the second time in less
than a week, angry residents
filled almost every seat in
Plymouth Township Hall
Monday evening in anticipation
of a vote by board trustees
changing the rules of meeting
conduct that, many said, would
stifle the voice of the public.
The brief agenda of the spe-
cial meeting, posted last Friday,
listed a closed session to discuss
pending litigation and a “work
session” to establish new meet-
ing rules and to set new town-
shippark ordinances.
Many attendees were resi-
dents of the township park area
where a controversial amphithe-
ater is being built. Others, from
several township subdivisions,
were angered by recent media
reports about flagrant spending
by the board on recreation proj-
ects.
Three pages of proposed
“rules for the conduct of meet-
ings and general business,”
were drafted by Township
Treasurer Ron Edwards and
Township
Clerk
Nancy
Conzelman after they said, “The
board's meetings are getting to
be uncontrollable” defending
their proposed new rules of con-
duct as an attempt to “calm this
down.”
The five-hourmeeting started
at 6 p.m. After 15 minutes board
members left the room for three
hours to conduct their closed
session meeting leaving the
approximately 100 residents in
attendance towait.
At 8:30 p.m. impatient resi-
dents, inspired by former
Plymouth Township Deputy
Clerk Sandra Groth, decided to
conduct their own inner-meet-
ing. One-by-one, attendees intro-
duced
themselves
and
expressed their candid feelings
anddisapproval about what they
called mismanagement and lack
of transparency in the current
township hall administration.
The audience included media
personnel, attorneys andRoland
Thomas, former Plymouth-
Canton school boardpresident.
Groth who worked for
Plymouth Township for 16 years
was concise in her criticism of
Edwards.
“Why is the treasurer
involved in the decisions about
the golf course, the level of serv-
ice provided by the fire depart-
ment, the activities in the park,
the fireworks and the picnic,
which streets are plowed by the
DPW, which employees get rais-
es, and now the rules of conduct
for the meetings?” she demand-
ed.
When board members
returned to public session at
9:15 p.m., Township Supervisor
Richard Reaume, upset by audi-
ence members shouting com-
ments, stood up, threw down his
microphone and stormed across
the hall to the police depart-
ment to summon Lt. Robert
Antel to come and sit in the hall.
Board members reviewed
two of the four sections listed on
a draft published with the board
meeting packet by the end of the
meeting. No vote on the new
rules of conduct was taken.
”
The shooting occurred only one day
after Jackson was released
from parole, according to court records.
Romulus officials have
scheduled a public session of
“Envision Romulus”, the vision
plan for the future. A public
open house is scheduled for 5:30
to 7:30 p.m. next Wednesday,
Aug. 6, at the Romulus Athletic
Center, 35765NorthlineRoad.
The open house will engage
residents, the business commu-
nity, school officials, clergy
members, civic leaders and oth-
ers in creating a vision for the
city. Participants work alongside
city officials to develop a vision
that will respond to public senti-
ment and aspirations, react to
changing market conditions,
build on best management prac-
tices, and remain mindful of
current and future economic
and social conditions in the
community.
The vision plan is being built
almost exclusively on public
involvement, gathering informa-
tion and consensus around a
shared desired outcome for the
community. To date, members of
the community have been asked
to consider “ideas for the
future” and the “kind of commu-
nity they want to be part of.”
Topics have included the envi-
ronment, economic develop-
ment, infrastructure, housing,
transportation, community serv-
ices, recreation and open space,
and the community image and
brand.
A Community Summit on
June 4 attracted dozens of par-
ticipants who answered ques-
tions and provided perspective
regarding the future of the com-
munity. A community survey of
300 residents and 100 non-resi-
dentswas also conducted to gain
perspective on how the city is
perceived internally and exter-
nally.
The Aug. 6 meeting will
include a presentation of the
results compiled from the June
Summit and community survey,
as well as online feedback
gained from the project website
www.EnvisionRomulus.com.
Following the presentation par-
ticipants will be engaged in an
interactive workshop. During
the workshop a draft vision
framework will be presented,
and participants will have the
opportunity to identify specific
actions that need to be accom-
plished to achieve the communi-
ty's' vision. Participants will also
be asked to prioritize elements
of the vision that they feel are
most important to achieve their
desired vision.
Project Manager Aaron
Domini, senior planner with
OHM Advisors, a regional archi-
tecture, engineering and plan-
ning firm, said the process has
provided “a fair assessment of
the intuitive knowledge” of resi-
dents and other participants.
“We will use the information
to shape the vision and goals
and objectives,” Domini said.
“The key is the community's
wants and aspirations. It's truly
the community's plan.”
Domini called the turnout at
the Community Summit “excep-
tional” during what was a busy
time of the year for many peo-
ple.
“To me, it says that the com-
munity is very interested in par-
ticipating in the process and
making sure voices are heard in
shaping the community,” he
added. “It's also a reflection of
community pride. I hope the
Aug. 6 turnout is equally as
exceptional.”
Why is the treasurer involved
in the decisions
about the golf course...
”
Accused killer earned early release
Envision Romulus
Community input sought to plan for future development in city
Residents continue to protest ‘new meeting rules’
Don Howard
Staff Writer
A Community Summit in June attracted dozens of participants.