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No. 34
NEWS YOU CAN USE, NEWS YOU CAN TRUST
75¢
August 22 – 28, 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
Residents in the Oakwood
Family Medicine Residency
programat Annapolis Hospital
had a chance to thank former
Governor. Jennifer Granholm
recently
See page 3.
City Clerk Ellen L. Craig-
Bragg thankedRomulus voters
who turned out for the Aug. 6
Primary Election and
expressed hope that more vot-
ers cast ballotsNov. 5.
See page 3.
The Plymouth Community
United Way campaign to raise
money to fund programs that
focus on basic needs, educa-
tion and stability is underway.
See page 5.
Members of the Northville
Board of Education ratified a
two-year contract with the
Northville
Education
Association last week after
union members ratified the
pact the same day.
See page 5.
A vehicle accident that
severely injured a 57-year old
Belleville woman remains
under investigation by the Van
Buren
Public
Safety
Department.
See page 2.
Vol. 128, No. 34
Vol. 66, No. 34
Vol. 66, No. 34
Vol. 13, No. 34
Vol. 128, No. 34
Vol. 66, No. 34
Vol. 66, No. 34
The
Inkster
Police
Department is getting a little
help from the Michigan State
Police detectives who area
working in the city to help
solve the rash of recent homi-
cides.
See page 3.
For home delivery of The Eagle call 734-467-1900.
The Westland Police
Department now has a new
sergeant, lieutenant and
deputy chief sworn into their
newpositions byWestland City
ClerkEileenDeHart-Schoof .
See page 7.
The Village Theater at
Cherry Hill is now accepting
entries for the 21st Annual
Canton Fine Arts Exhibition,
set forOct. 3 -28.
See page 2.
Vol. 13, No. 34
The Michigan Pubic Service Commission
has concluded that the explosion at Frank's
Furniture in Wayne on Dec. 29, 2010 which
killed two employees and seriously injured the
owner was caused by natural gas that leaked
into the store through a sewer line.
The explosion, according to the state report,
was caused by pressure on the gas line over
time from construction of a nearby sanitary
sewer by the city. Wayne city records indicate
the gas line is about 70-75 years old. The report
also cited the installation of a chain-link fence
and a concrete wall constructed 25 years ago
above the gas line at the rear of the store as
probable causes of the leak as that construction,
too, may have placed pressure on the sewer
line beneath the installations. The report also
states that a sinkhole reported in the area may
also have been a factor in the explosion.
Investigators from the state also determined
that employees of Consumers Power failed to
follow regulations in their response to the situa-
tion prior to the explosion which leveled the
building on Wayne Road and was the main
cause of the closing of one of the oldest busi-
nesses in the city.
The report determined that if Consumers
Power employees had performed a complete
and thorough investigation into the first of two
Wayne residents' calls about gas odors in the
area the morning of the explosion, “Immediate
actions may have been taken to identify the
source and extent of the leak and evacuate the
area until conditionsweremade safe.”
Consumers Energy officials released a state-
ment last week in which they “fully accepted”
the findings of the report. As a result of the
report, which also found Consumers Energy
employees at fault for not following safety regu-
lations in the explosion that killed a homeown-
er and destroyed a Royal Oak neighborhood in
February, the state commission levied fines
See
Wayne,
page 3
After nearly 60 years, organiza-
tion at the annual Plymouth Fall
Festival is almost a science. There
has been, however, one ongoing
glitch that volunteers from Praise
Baptist Church hope to solve this
year.
There will be free parking at
the church located on North
Territorial Road and continuous
round-trip free shuttles into down-
town for visitors to the festival.
According to James Hooper, a
member of the church, the effort
to help alleviate some of the traffic
and parking problems during the
annual community event came as
a part of the church leadership
group.
“The churchwanted to bemore
involved in the community,”
Hooper said.
“We wanted to reach the com-
munity and we were looking for
ways to volunteer. We were talking
with Eric (Eric Joy, Fall Festival
chairman) and the idea of the free
shuttles and parking came up. It
just seemed like an ideal solu-
tion,”Hooper said.
The shuttles will run continu-
ously, he stressed and he expects
that the round trips will take no
more than 15 or 20minutes.
“The church will be open, so in
case of rain or hot sun, nobodywill
be waiting outside unless they
choose to,” he said.
Rather than a large church bus,
volunteers from the church will
drive two smaller vans with plenty
of room to accommodate passen-
gers and make more frequent
trips, Hooper said.
“These are experienced drivers
who do volunteer driving for the
church,” he said. From the church
parking lot, passengers will be
dropped off at the corner of Ann
Arbor Trail and Forest Street,
where they will also be picked up
for a return trip to their vehicles
parked in the church lot.
The vans will not leave anyone
standingwaiting, Hooper said, and
won't need to wait until they have
a full load of passengers to make
the route. “If there are people at
the church or at the Forest Street
stop, the vans will take them
downtown or back to the church,”
he said.
Hooper said the Fall Festival
board members had also author-
ized signage for the shuttles this
year and there will be signs and
arrows to follow to find the church
at 45000NorthTerritorial Road.
“The reality is, traffic has been
a problem during the event. The
church members thought this
would be a great way to help the
community. The church wants to
be a part of what makes the com-
munity of Plymouth such a won-
derful place to reside and visit.
“We're really looking forward to
this,”Hooper said.
Praise Baptist Church was
formed by the amalgamation of
Main Street Baptist and First
Baptist Church of Plymouth in
2008 and the church members
recently celebrated the fifth
anniversary of the merged congre-
gations.
To me, the $90,000
in Wayne is an insignificant
slap on the wrist...
”
The Canton Lions Club has a
secret.
They know where to buy the
very best locally grown corn and
that knowledge, along with their
unique roasting process, has
made the annual Corn Roast one
of the most popular events the
grouphosts.
According to Lions Club mem-
ber Bill VanWinkle, the club eas-
ily serves about 1,000 ears of corn
at the event which has become so
popular the club switched from
their annual Sunday to Saturday
this year in order to accommo-
date larger crowds.
From 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. this
Saturday, Aug. 24, the Lions
members will be serving all-you-
can-eat roasted corn at the
Cady/Boyer Barn on Ridge Road,
just north of Cherry Hill Road in
CantonTownship.
“The Farmers Market here (at
the historic barn) continues to
grow, too, and last year with the
market and the corn roast at the
same time, it was hard for people
to get in and out,” Van Winkle, a
30-year Lionsmember said.
For a $5 donation, visitors
receive all the corn roasted to
perfection they can eat, hot dogs,
bakedbeans and ice cream.
“We've got Sno-cones for the
kids, too, and this year we're even
taking the popcorn machine,”
Van Winkle said. Cotton candy
and watermelon will also be
available and club members will
be selling raffle tickets for $5
each toward a $500 cash prize for
the winner. The second prize
winner will receive $200 cash
with the third prize winner
receiving a gift certificate from
N. A. Mans Lumber for $100.
The Corn Roast is no small
undertaking for the club mem-
bers. It takes about 22 volunteers
to get the corn to the site the
night before the roast and put it
into long tubs of cold water
where it is soaked thoroughly in
preparation for roasting the next
day.
“The water soaks into the
shucks so when you put it on the
grill, that water heats and that's
what really cooks the corn,” Van
Winkle said. “After about 20 min-
utes on the grill, where the ears
are turned strategically, the
shucks are just ready to fall right
off the ears which are ready to
eat,” he said. The grills used are
about 15-20 feet long and often
the clubmembers have two going
to keepupwith the crowds.
Van Winkle said he thinks this
is about the 15th year for the
Corn Roast and it has grown
every year.
The Corn Roast is a fundrais-
ing effort of the Canton Lions
Club and all proceeds are used to
help their efforts throughout the
community.
Van Winkle said the group is
already planning for the Corn
Roast next year, hoping to add a
car show and more events for
children. “Maybe we can even
get a band,” he said. “It just
grows and grows.”
For more information or to get
involved with the Canton Lions,
contact Van Winkle at (734) 254-
9404 or govbill1@wowway.com.
Getting an earful
Annual Canton Lions Corn
Roast set for Saturday
Canton Lions Club members John Chew and Denny Cojei were
among the many volunteers roasting fresh ears of corn at the annual
Corn Roast last year.
Consumers Power fined in explosion
Praise Baptist Church will provide free shuttles to the Fall Festival.
Area church will provide free shuttles to Fall Festival