No. 35
NEWS YOU CAN USE, NEWS YOU CAN TRUST
75¢
Sept. 1 – 7, 2016
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
The conversion to new
water meters in the City of
Wayne is expected to flow
smoothly as the new devices
are installed at commercial
and industrial properties
beforehomes.
See page 5.
Jennifer Lauria has been
named to the newly-created
position
of
Special
Education Supervisor for
Northville Public Schools,
where she has worked for
the past year.
See page 4.
Vol. 131, No. 35
Vol. 69, No. 35
Vol. 69, No. 35
Vol. 16, No. 35
Romulus residents can
enjoy playing bingo and
helping a good cause during
the Annual Romulus DDA
Pumpkin Festival this
month.
See page 3.
Vol. 131, No. 35
Vol. 69, No. 35
Vol. 69, No. 35
For home delivery of The Eagle call 734-467-1900.
Westland will offer resi-
dents opportunities to dis-
pose of unwanted items dur-
ing permit-free garage sale
weekends thismonth.
See page 5.
The changing demograph-
ics in Canton will be a pri-
mary factor in the future
recreation plans of the town-
ship, according to officials.
See page 4.
Vol. 16, No. 35
Mighty Men of Purpose
and Power, Inc. meet at 7
p.m. every Friday at High
Praise Cathedral Church on
MooreStreet in Inkster.
See page 5.
Recent visitors to the
Plymouth District Library
have discovered a large blue
police call station, with
doors, windows and a flash-
ing blue light. Dr.Who?
See page 2.
Charles James Cahill, 49,
the man accused of killing a
12-year-old girl while driving
drunk, has had his $1million
bond revoked by Chief Judge
TinaBrooksGreen.
See page 3.
Three men from Inkster and
Westland are facing drug and
animal fighting charges follow-
ing raids June 16 in both com-
munities.
According to police reports,
Floyd Dontino Hampton,
Michael Austin Boyd and
MauriceVictor Pressleywere all
arrested during raids conducted
by officers from Inkster and
troopers from the Michigan
State Police. Five people were
arrested during the raids, but
only three have been charged to
date. Also seized during the
raids were 25 dogs and dealer
amounts of cocaine, heroin and
marijuana, according to reports
fromtheMichiganStatePolice.
Police reported that officers
armed with search warrants
went to homes 1400 block of
Jeffrey Lane in Inkster and the
3200 block of Otsego inWestland
June 16, where officers also con-
fiscated a dog treadmill, appar-
ently used to train the fighting
dogs. Police also found and
seized more than $25,000 and
other dog-fighting equipment
while serving the two search
warrants. The raids, police said,
were in response to reports of a
dog-fighting operation and drug
trafficking in the area and both
homes are suspected to be con-
nected to those criminal opera-
tions.
The animals, of several dif-
ferent breeds, were placed in
the care of the Michigan
Humane Society. According to
Michigan State Police, the dogs
did not show signs of injury or
mistreatment.
All three of the defendants
are charged with animals fight-
ing; animals fighting equipment;
conspiracy to commit animals
fighting and conspiracy to com-
mit animals fighting equipment.
Hampton and Pressley are also
charged with possession of con-
trolled substance, more than 25
grams and possession of mari-
juana, according to records from
the office of the Wayne County
Prosecutor.
The three are due for a pre-
liminary examination on the
charges Sept. 19 before 22nd
District Court Judge Sabrina
Johnson.
The City of Romulus has
joined a number of other com-
munities in partnering with a
real estate firm to renovate fore-
closed properties and get them
back on the tax rolls.
The city has contracted with
Realty Transitions, LLC, based
downriver, to purchase tax fore-
closed properties from the coun-
ty, renovate them and sell them
to newresidents
“We're trying to revitalize
neighborhoods,” said Romulus
Mayor Leroy Burcroff. “That's
reallywhat wewant.”
Realty Transitions purchased
and renovated more than 100
homes through the tax foreclo-
sure process last year in Allen
Park and Taylor. In Romulus,
theywould take onninehouses.
Tim Keyes, Romulus eco-
nomic development director,
said this Neighborhood
Stabilization Program was
something the city had looked at
for a few years. Normally, the
city gets a list of tax foreclosed
properties from Wayne County
and has the right of first refusal
on their purchase. The city
would look at properties they
could use to expand city parks
or otherwise enhance the com-
munity, but pass on all others.
They would revert to the online
bounty bidding process and be
available to the general public.
“For the last two years, we've
been talking about how to take
some of the properties that actu-
ally have homes and do some-
thing meaningful with them,”
Keyes said. “What we're seeing
is properties that have struc-
tures on them are typically
bought by out-of-state or out-of-
area bidders-because it's all an
online bidding process-and
nothing is happening.
“Instead of the area getting
better with this process, the area
was getting worse because noth-
We're trying to revitalize neighborhoods.
That's really what we want.
”
Romulus council OK’s home revitalization plan
The animals, of several different breeds,
were placed in the care
of the Michigan Humane Society.
”
Charges filed in dog fighting ring
Area residents don't have to travel
far to see a pair of real stars in the
danceworld.
When Clive and Suzanne Phillips
take to the dance floor, they are gor-
geously unlike regular people. Hips
undulate smoothly, feet glide, backs
are arched and every movement is a
detail in unparalleled and breathtak-
ing grace.
The couple each earned their
nearly unmatched professional repu-
tations in the unique and demanding
world of dancewith years of training,
a singular dedication to their art and
a lifelong routine of exceptional
physical exertion.
That demanding exertionwas part
of the motivation for the couple who
opted to move from their New York
home to Plymouth about five years
ago. They opened a new version of
their famous Dance NewYork studio
on Forest Street almost a year ago
where they now coach professionals
and teachamateur dancers alike.
That studio name would be more
than familiar to nearly every dance
professional currently in competi-
tion or performing on stage. Dancing
With the Stars coaches Tony
Dovolani, Karina Smirnoff, Louis
Van Amstel and several others all
danced in the Phillipses' studio,
along with many recognizable
celebrity names training either for
fitness or for professional roles.
“At one time we had 120 instruc-
tors,” Clive Phillips said. “There was
nothing like it.”
He would certainly know. Phillips
continues to dominate in the world
of competitive dance, bringing home
another global championship just
last weekend with his partner and
student Janice Stanton, and moving
Dance NewYork into the top slot for
studio dance instruction in the
country while solidifying his
own reputation as the top
instructor in the division.
But that is all pretty rou-
tine for Phillips, who has
been dancing since he and
his sister, KarenMacDonald,
began dancing in Australia
when she was 10 and he
was 9. They loved it, her
for the beauty and grace
of the art form and him,
“because there were all
those girls.” The pair
rigorously pursued
their art for years and
became the Australian
and U.S. Champions
in smooth and rhythm
categories or Nine
Dance form in 1998,
1999 and 2000.
Pursuing those
titles, the siblings
See
Dance,
page 2
See
Plan,
page 3
Really
Champions bring
star power to new studio
Clive and Suzanne Phillips
