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Eugene Smith still remembers his first real job: delivering the Eagle door-to-door toWayne residents to supplement his allowance when hewas in grade school.

He's come a longway since then. The former Wayne Memorial High School art teacher earned his bache-lors and masters in art edu-cation degrees at Eastern Michigan University and eventually became an adjunct professor in the art department at his alma mater.

He and his wife were living in Canton Township when they decided to move to Charlotte, N.C. where he now pursues his career as an artist. He has been involved in art exhibitions in North Carolina, New York and Detroit, which often bring him back to his home town while his work in being shown at area galleries.

His latest show will be this weekend at the Lawrence Street Gallery in Ferndale, which will once again have him visiting his two home towns ofWayne andCanton.

One of Smith's pet projects in North Carolina is the Art Beyond Sight project, an international effort among galleries, museums and schools to raise awareness that the visually impaired love to experience and create art, too. Smith, who taught art education for 36 years, said he “jumped at the chance” to enter a show of work for the visually impaired in Charlotte, NC recently.

“Art Beyond Sight truly inspired me to go into high gear to create amulti-sensory work of art,” Smith said. “I inventoried my studio for tactile materials that exhibited bumpy, rough, prickly, soft and smooth surface quality.

Through raised surfaces, brightly colored paint with textural additives and wheels that provide motion, I invited the visually impaired person to step for-ward and actively explore the composition,” he said. Smith's usual style is abstract and non-objective portrayed through painting, assemblages and collages, he explained.

The show this weekendwill feature 15 of his works, he said.

“By using the most common materials, dis-cards and sometimes unrecognizable objects, I hopefully will stir the imagination,” he said of hiswork.

“It is my intent to astonish or disturb the imagination of the audience and place themon a magical voyage that sails into the dream world of the enigmatical,” he added.

The gallery is located at 22620 Woodward Ave. in Ferndale, in the second block south of NineMile.

There will be a reception to meet the artist from 6-9 p.m. tomorrow. The exhibit of Smith and fellow artist Larry Zdeb's work will then be open from noon until 5 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday and from noon until 9 p.m. onFridays throughAug. 26.

Target employee Debbie Wright of Westland guides local student Amarea Wright, 10, also of Westland, through the store during the Target School Spree on July 26, whi le Westland student Antonio Carney, 12, ponders which items to put in his basket. In conjunction with The Salvation Army, the Target School Spree is an annual event that provides thousands of students in need across the country with the necessary supplies to go back to school in the fall.

Inkster voters approved the borrowing of $20 million to improve, construct, equip, extend and upgrade the combined sewer sys-tems in the city onTuesday.

The measure will mean a payment of $12 42 for each $1.000 of taxable home value in 2012 and an annual rate to retire the bonds of $3.27 for every $1,000 of taxable property value in the city.

Fifty-three percent of votes cast, or 836 Yes votes, carried the question while 744, or 47 percent of votes cast, opposed the meas-ure.

Voters also chose candidates to appear on the ballot in theNov. 8 election.

Incumbent Mayor Hilliard Hampton was the top vote getter for the $17,077.50 annual

job. He will face City Councilman Courtney Owens who received 338 votes, just squeez-ing past AaronSimswho received 325 votes. In the second district, voters will decide between incumbent City CouncilmanMarcus Hendricks who received 130 votes and Cutisene Barge who garnered 124 votes for the position which pays $14,697 annually. Third place candidate Haneef Sabree received 36 votes.

In the sixth district, Dennard Shaw was the top vote getter with 163 votes. He will face incumbent Henry Crump who received 79 votes. Third place candidate DeArtriss Richardson received 63 votes.

Each of the elected positions is a four-year term.