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No. 37
NEWS YOU CAN USE, NEWS YOU CAN TRUST
75¢
September 12 – 18, 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
Officials at Oakwood
Healthcare unveiled the final
phase of a major expansion
and renovation project at
Oakwood Annapolis Hospital
last weekend.
See page 5.
Family-owned and operat-
ed Lee Steel, one of the most
highly anticipated new firms
in Romulus, is now open and
operating.
See page 3.
The next distribution of
emergency food by Plymouth
Community United Way is
scheduled from 9:30-11 a.m.
next Thursday, Sept. 19.
See page 2.
The annual Victorian
Festival will fill downtown
Northville streets with music,
entertainment and community
booths for the 25th year start-
ing tomorrow.
See page 2.
The cause of a motorcycle-
vehicle accident last week at
the intersection of BemisRoad
andElwell Road inVanBuren
Township remains under
investigation.
See page3.
Vol. 128, No. 37
Vol. 66, No. 37
Vol. 66, No. 37
Vol. 13, No. 37
Vol. 128, No. 37
Vol. 66, No. 37
Vol. 66, No. 37
Tail Wagger's 1990, a local
501 C (3) non-profit organiza-
tion, is returning with their
low-cost vaccination clinic to
Pet Suite Retreat in Inkster
this Sunday.
See page 5.
For home delivery of The Eagle call 734-467-1900.
The Friends of the William
P. Faust Public Library of
Westland will host a sale of
used books, DVDs, CD, videos
and cassettes Sept. 20, 21 and
22.
See page 5.
The AARP Driver Safety
Program will be available at
the Canton Senior Center this
month in a series of three
classes.
See page 2.
Vol. 13, No. 37
Ali Mohamed Elatrache, 25,
was extradited from Canada last
week to face murder charges in
the death of his former girlfriend's
father last year.
According to reports from the
office of the Wayne Country
Prosecutor, Elatrachewas charged
with murder in the death of
Mohammed Aljbaily, 72, of Inkster.
Aljbailywas killed on July 18, 2012.
Prosecutors claim that the defen-
dant forced his way into the family
home on the 100 block of Cherry
Hill Drive last year, and strangled
the elderly male victim. It is also
alleged that the suspect stole
money and personal property
from the home before fleeing to
Canada the same day.
Elatrachewas transported from
Canada to Dearborn by law
enforcement officials last
Thursday.
Investigators said that
Elatrache made numerous threats
against Aljbaily and his 30-year-
old daughter, who was the former
girlfriend of the defendant.
Elatrache is charged with first
degree premeditated murder,
felonymurder, home invasion, first
degree andmisdemeanor stalking.
He was arraigned in the 22nd
District Court in Inkster before
JudgeSabrina Johnson last Friday.
He will face a preliminary
court examination on the charges
Oct. 9.
Northville Township Police
have arrested a 53-year-old
Plymouth man on charges of iden-
tity theft and illegal use of credit
cards.
Detectives took Matthew Ward
Phelan into custody at a country
club in Genesee County on Aug. 29
following an investigation which
included surveillance of the sus-
pect. Police said an anonymous tip
led themtoPhelan.
Northville police had released
surveillance photos of a man sus-
pected in the use of using credit
cards stolen from locker rooms at
local athletic clubs and golf cours-
es last week.
Meijer stores, Kroger stores
and Mobil gas stations had all
reported the use of the stolen
cards and provided a similar
description of the man making the
fraudulent purchases, according
to police reports.
The suspect was described as
wearing a white golf hat with the
logo from Pine Lake Country Club
on the front and was been report-
ed as wearing various golf shirts
and pants. According to witness
accounts, he was been seen driv-
ing a silver FordFocus, silver Ford
Taurus and awhite JeepLiberty.
Phelan was arraigned in the
3rd Circuit Court of Wayne County
on four counts of identity theft, a
five year felony and seven counts
of illegal use of financial transac-
tiondevice, a four year felony.
He is currently in the Wayne
County Jail in lieu of a $100,000 or
10-percent bond.
He is scheduled for a prelimi-
nary examination on the charges
tomorrow at the 35th District
Court inPlymouth.
The annual Parade of Lights,
which officially begins the City of
Romulus Pumpkin Festival, will
take place beginning at about 8 p.m.
Sept. 20. Dozens of lighted vehicles,
floats, people and even animals
parade in front of thousands of resi-
dents and visitors through down-
townRomulus during the event.
This year, Romulus Rotary Club
members, who organize the event,
anticipate even more entries than
usual as local businesses will pro-
vide $100 cashprizes to those judged
the best in six categories.
There is no cost to enter and
applications are available at
www.RomulusRotaryClub.com.
The night of the parade, partici-
pants start assembling at 6:30 in the
parking lot of Romulus City Hall,
11111 Wayne Road. At about 8:30
p.m., they cross Wayne Road by a
nearby apartment complex and then
make their way west and south on
Goddard Road, finishing at Five
Points. At that point, participants
are invited to enjoy free refresh-
ments at theProgressiveClubHall.
All entries must have lights.
Photos are taken of the entries as
they parade through town and the
photos posted in the Rotary Club
booth of the Pumpkin Festival,
which is Sept. 20-22 in the area of
RomulusHistorical Park.
The public is invited to vote for
their parade favorites in six cate-
gories:
Commercial,
Non-
Commercial, Classic Car, Tractor,
Schools and Non-Motorized. Non-
Commercial and Classic Car are
newcategories this year.
Judge Brian Oakley, parade
chairman and a past Rotary presi-
dent, said organizers always look to
grow the parade so they are solicit-
ing donations of $100 from local
businesses to use as prize money for
the winning entries. The winners
also will receive a plaque as they
have in years past.
“We want to build up the Parade
of Lights to make it larger and more
exciting than ever,”Oakley said.
The Rotary Club will have one of
a number of floats in the parade.
Oakley said he hopes a number of
classic car owners enter the parade,
as it's one of the new categories and
would add to the spectators' enjoy-
ment. Each parade is different.
Paintings of Plymouth resident
and nationally-known artist Tony
Roko will be on display at The
Plymouth Community Arts
Council thismonth.
The exhibit, The Lost Art of
Apprenticeship, a collaborative
show featuring the paintings of
Roko and Brian Rizza, which uti-
lize materials rescued from the
fallen structures of Detroit. The
works explore the creation of
something meaningful in the wake
of the city's bankruptcy.
Art will be for sale throughout
themonth, with each artist and the
arts council donating a portion of
the proceeds to local charities that
benefit families inneed.
“This aspect of the exhibit was
an important component in com-
pleting the full circle of giving
back to our community; transform-
ing discarded materials from the
ruins of so many lives into some-
thing of value, and then giving part
of that back to those very people.
“Tony and Brian both have
young families, they are both from
the Plymouth-Canton area and
want to contribute to the rebirth of
this area. I think its beautiful when
people use their talent in such a
generous way,” said Plymouth
Community
Arts
Council
ExecutiveDirector LisaHoward.
The exhibit celebrates the rela-
tionship between student and
teacher, mentor and apprentice,
calling to attention the social
responsibility to pass on one's
knowledge to another, and to share
one's gifts, an appropriate subject
for September and “back to
school” season.
Rizza said the public will have
a chance to see what happens
when an internationally renowned
artist takes up the challenge of, “
mentoring an unknown with no
prior painting experience; passing
down secrets of the craft he has
amassed through years of work as
well as the lessons that must be
caught rather than taught.”
That's what visitors will see at
this exhibit, he added.
Roko, who also has a show cur-
rently at the Janice Charach
Gallery, and who was recently fea-
tured in Hour magazine along
with collaborative artist Bowen
Kline, graduated from the
Plymouth-Canton schools. His
family still lives in Canton, while
he and his wife and two sons are
Plymouth residents. Roko has
worked at ford Motor Co. since his
graduation and his work can be
seen in nearly every Ford factory
and in many of the Ford family
homes.
His work in the factories used
industrial car finishes in the cre-
ation of murals “in the bowels of
the plants” while his artistic work
for the Ford families is far more
representational. His work can be
seen at the Motown Museum, the
Charles A. Wright Museum and at
galleries throughout the state.
Gallery hours are from 9 a.m.
until 4 p.m. Monday through
Thursday, during all public events
and by appointment. The exhibits
run throughSept. 28.
Picture perfect
Renowned local artist to
exhibit works at arts council
Murder suspect extradited from
Canada, hearing set for October
Credit card fraud suspect nabbed
Parade of Lights entries still accepted
See
Parade,
page 3
Ali Mohamed Elatrache
“The Art Critic”
“John”
Matthew Ward Phelan