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SSOCIATED
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EWSPAPERS OF
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ICHIGAN
P
AGE
4
August 30, 2012
B
ELLEVILLE
- C
ANTON
college, she said, because she was studying
travel and tourism and thought that joining
the Navy would be experiencing travel
rather than studying it. She spoke to a less
than pleasant recruiter in 1989who had seri-
ous doubts about a woman's ability to even
make it throughboot camp.
“I took that as a challenge,” she said. “Of
course, two days into boot camp I was think-
ing, 'Youdummy, what have youdone.'”
When she left active duty after four years,
she returned to college and studied commu-
nications. Her assignment in the Navy had
been to track submarines and she was on
duty in Iceland and San Diego, CA. As a
reserve, she works as a paralegal with the
Navy, the same job sheholds in civilian life.
“I've seen a lot of places, Italy, Qatar, and I
have a lot of miles under my feet across the
U.S.,” she said. “I've been sent to Death
Valley and various other states on investiga-
tions.”
When the commercial first aired, she said
her youngest daughter, now 8, began jump-
ing up and down with excitement and the
phone began to ring. She heard from friends
throughout theU.S. and around theworld.
“People from all corners of the States
tellingme that they just sawme,” she said.
She now holds the rank of Senior Chief
Petty Officer, E-8, which is equivalent, she
said, to anArmyFirst Sergeant.
She and her family have lived in Canton
for about 11 years, she said, but she grew up
in Dearborn and attended Edsel Ford High
School.
“I'll retire with 28 years, unless I can go to
30,” she said. “I've seen a lot in that time.”
Middle school students in the Van Buren
district may have an identity crisis next
month.
Students will now attend Owen
Intermediate School or McBride Middle
School, rather than the more familiar South
and North middle school names the district
was using.
The new names were approved during a
recent meeting of the board of education.
The name changes coincide with a redis-
tricting plan adopted early this year that will
have fifth and sixth grade students at the
newly named Owen Intermediate School,
which was previously South Middle School,
and seventh and eighth grade students at the
newly named McBride Middle School,
whichwas previouslyNorthMiddleSchool.
According to the district, the new names
are designed to demonstrate that the build-
ings have a new purpose and that they are
no longer housing the same grades.
The cost for the transfer is estimated by
district officials at about $6,000 per school
building. The costs include changing the
signs and other items to ensure a clear iden-
tity at eachbuilding.
In an effort to cut down on complaints
and to improve public safety, the Canton
Township Board of Trustees enacted an
ordinance to curb the use of fireworks
recently.
The ordinance amendment, now in
effect, limits the use of celebratory explo-
sives such as roman candles, bottle rockets
and other flying pyrotechnics to three
times per year.
The State of Michigan eased restric-
tions on the types of fireworks residents
could use this year, in part to gain some
additional revenue from the sale of them
and in part to halt them from being smug-
gled in fromother states.
Even some legislators who approved
the new laws, however, such as State Rep.
Richard Leblanc, say they regret voting for
them and are working to change them.
Leblanc posted messages on his Facebook
page asking for feedback on the new law.
In Canton, the use of those types of fire-
works would be restricted to the day prior,
the day of, and the day after the three
major national holidays of Memorial Day,
the Fourth of July and Labor Day. The
ordinance allows residents to shoot them
off at other times, providing they get a per-
mit from the township and inspection
fromthe fire department. Many other com-
munities are considering similar restric-
tions.
Leblanc is alsoworking on legislation to
tweak the newrules. He'sworking on legis-
lation that would restrict the fireworks to
the three main holidays and provide local
communities additional power to further
restrict them. He also introduced a bill to
require business owners to sell them from
a permanent structure, not a tent or some
other temporary building.
Incumbent Van Buren Township
Supervisor Paul White, defeated by 50 votes,
has requested a recount of the primary elec-
tion ballots which removed him from the
Nov. 6 election in favor of LindaCombs.
White filed a petition for a recount of bal-
lots in all 11 precincts including all walk-in
and absentee voters. He paid the required
$110 fee for the recount which will now be
performed by the Wayne County Board of
Elections.
White claimed in his filing that the num-
ber of absentee voter ballots turned into the
clerk's office did not match the number
counted. He also said in his petition seeking
a recount that the use of the electronic
counting system for the first time allocated
absentee voter total to each precinct rather
than in a separate category as has been past
practice.
Only two candidates filed petitions last
week for the two four-year terms on the Van
BurenPublic SchoolsBoard of Education.
Kathleen Kovach and incumbent board
member Toni Hunt, both of Sumpter
Township, submitted petitions for the Nov. 6
election. Brenda McClanahan, current vice-
president of the board, did not seek re-elec-
tion.
Voters in the area will also have four can-
didates for the three seats available on the
BellevilleAreaDistrict LibraryBoard.
Incumbents John Juriga, Joy Cichewicz
and Michael Boelter filed petitions for re-
election. George Chedraue of Belleville filed
nominating position for the board
The three top vote getters Nov. 6 will
serve on the library board.
Veteran
FROM PAGE 1
Middle schools renamed
Ka-boom
New fireworks rules adopted
Recount requested in Van Buren
Stuff the Bus
Mary Johanson, Bel levi l le
Meijer store manager, pres-
ents Brent Mikulski, Van Buren
Publ ic Schools Board of
Education member, with a
$500 gift card to buy school
supplies for the Back 2 School
Blitz 5. The "Stuff the Bus"
event took place last week in
the parking lot of the Twisted
Rooster located on Belleville
Road. This is the fifth year that
the Salvation Army has part-
nered with Van Buren Public
Schools to collect school sup-
plies for children who cannot
afford to buy suppl ies for
school this fall. For more infor-
mation, contact Laurie Aren at
The Salvation Army (734)
453.5464
or
laurie_aren@usc.salvation-
army.org.