No. 47
NEWS YOU CAN USE, NEWS YOU CAN TRUST
75¢
November 17 - 23, 2011
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
St. Mary Catholic Church in
Wayne will begin a year-long
celebration of the 150th
anniversary of the church
founding in 1862 with a con-
certNov. 27.
See page 5.
Responding to rumors,
Councilman William
Wadsworth said last week that
the recent euthanasia of kit-
tens at the Romulus Animal
Shelter was unfortunate, but
unavoidable.
See page 3.
The 15th Annual Auction at
Hermann's Olde Town Grille
for Toys for Totswill take place
from noon until 5 p.m. on
Sunday, Dec. 4 and donations
are still being sought.
See page 3.
The Tipping Point Theatre
presents the Oscar Wilde clas-
sic The Importance of Being
Earnest through Dec. 18.
Tickets are now available for
the English farce of mistaken
identity.
See page 4.
Sky Lights of Love, a benefit
planned to help with medical
bills of Amy Rauch Neilson,
will take place Dec. 3, at the
Van Buren Township Lookout
Point.
See page 6.
Vol. 126, No. 47
Vol. 64, No. 47
Vol. 64, No. 47
Vol. 11, No. 47
Vol. 11, No. 47
Vol. 126, No. 47
Vol. 64, No. 47
Vol. 64, No. 47
Due to a computer error,
the voting totals in the election
for an Inkster City Councilman
from District Two were
reversed, incumbent Marcus
Hendrickswas reelected.
See page 5.
For home delivery of The Eagle call 734-467-1900.
The proposed route cuts
proposed for the SMART sys-
tem have prompted hundreds
of calls to Westland Mayor
WilliamR.Wild's office.
See page 5.
A large crowd of demonstrators
marched outside Plymouth
Township Hall Tuesday evening,
just prior to a scheduled meeting
of the board of trustees, attempt-
ing to get the attention of the elect-
ed officials.
Itmay haveworked.
The marchers carried signs
with the message, “We Support
Our Firefighters” and “We Risk
Our Lives ToSaveYours.”
Township Hall was filled to
capacity with residents who inun-
dated the board members with
pleas to place a millage question
on the Feb. 28 ballot to support the
fire department.
One of the speakers, retired
Circuit Court Judge Marvin
Stempien Jr., reminded the board
members that they could put this
question on the ballot by a simple
majority vote adopting a resolu-
tion. He cited Michigan Law, MCL
41-801, and said he was making his
request again for them to “use
your lawful authority to put a levy
of additional millage on the bal-
lot.” He reminded the boardmem-
bers that they could have taken
this action long ago as it is within
their legal authority.
While Township Supervisor
Richard Reaume attempted to
silence Stempien by enforcing the
regular time limit on speakers, the
crowd erupted with shouts of “Let
himspeak.”
Stempien ended his remarks
withaheartfelt, “Let us vote.”
A citizens group presented peti-
tions to the board prior to the
November ballot with 3,500 signa-
tures, which the board rejected
claiming there were questions
about the correct owners of prop-
erty. The Citizens Action Group
Tonight's the night.
The first visitors to the 14th
Annual Northville Community
Foundation Holiday Home Tour
will see the homes during special
previewevening tonight.
From 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. tomor-
row and Saturday, Nov. 18 and 19,
the five privately-owned homes in
Northville that have been profes-
sionally decorated for the holidays
will be open to ticket holders, and
according to Foundation Director
Shari Peters, gasps may be heard
throughout the area.
“The homes are really lovely
this year,” she said last week. The
tour is sponsored
again this year by
Toll Brothers, and
tickets are $25 if
purchased the
day of the tour at
Ward Church on
Six Mile Road in
Northville.
Homes this
year include a
contemporary filled with animal
prints and the owners' African
safari photos. Designer Linda
Krause is decorating the home
using supplies from Cornwell
ChristmasWorld inPlymouth.
The owners of Razzamatazz on
Forest Street in Plymouth are
decking the halls, and everywhere
else in a home full of unique sur-
prises and magnificent architec-
tural lines. Many of the surprising
furnishings in the homewere actu-
ally purchased on line by the
owner.
Interior designer Jennifer
Imamura has put her artistic
Christmas touch to good use at a
home reminiscent of the resi-
dences at the Hamptons. The
home sits on 5 acres of Northville
property. Imamura was the interi-
or designer responsible for the
home furnishings, too.
A fish pond welcomes visitors
to a home near Seven Mile Road
decorated for the holidays by Suzy
Bone, who always manages to
bring a few surprises to the annual
holiday tour.
And one of the delights of the
tour, Peters said, is the home in
downtown Northville used in the
filming of theScreamIVmovie.
The designers from Home for
the Holidays,
assisted by Dawn
McAllister from
D e s i g n e r ' s
Choice
in
Plymouth, have
placed their
tongues firmly in
their cheeks to
create a tree sym-
bolizing a
Christmas movie in every room,
complete with posters, Peters
noted.
Sean Rhaesa and Susan Willett
put Christmas Present from A
Christmas Carol in the foyer and
decorated Christmas Past and
Christmas Future trees flanking
the living room fireplace. A
Christmas Story including
Ralphie's new Daisy Air Rifle and
broken glasses is in the family
room. Supplies for this home were
loaned to the decorators by
Cornwell ChristmasWorld and are
all available at the Ann Arbor
Road store inPlymouth.
“You can't miss Nightmare
Before Christmas as you head to
the lower level to see the Grinch
Who Stole Christmas,” Peters said.
“This one is sure to make every-
body smile.”
For information about the tour,
call (248) 374-0200. Ward Church is
located at 40000 Six Mile Road.
Tickets can be picked up or pur-
chased through the door off Lot D.
See
Meeting,
page 2
Shoppers searching for
local, harvest fresh food for
their Thanksgiving table need
look no farther than the
Canton Farmers' Market, open
from9 a.m. until 2 p.m. Nov. 20.
See page 4.
You can't miss
Nightmare Before
Christmas as you
head to the lower level
to see the Grinch
Who Stole Christmas.
”
Use your lawful authority to put a levy
of additional millage on the ballot. Let us vote.
Circuit Court Judge Marvin Stempien Jr.
”
From ‘Scream’ to dream
Northville Foundation Holiday
Home Tour begins tomorrow
Wayne County Lightfest will open tonight
One of the most popular holiday displays in
the area will officially open with a ceremony at
6 tonight on Hines Drive in Westland in the
MerrimanHollowarea of EdwardHines Park.
Included in the grand opening celebration
of the Wayne County Lightfest will be fire-
works, music, entertainment and light refresh-
ments. The event is open to the public.
New for 2011 is a new tunnel display.
Lightfest features more than 45 giant animated
displays and more than one million lights. It is
the largest and longest light show in the
Midwest, a spokesperson noted. The complete
Lightfest route is more than 4 miles of Hines
Drive.
The display will be open from7 p.m. until 10
p.m. through Dec. 31. It will be closed on
ChristmasDay.
There is a $5 per vehicle charge.
This year, the annual ToyNights will beDec.
6, 13 and 20. On these dates, the admission fee
with be waived for the donation of a new,
unwrapped toy fromeach vehicle. The toys will
be distributed to disadvantaged children in
WayneCounty.
Santa's Workshop will be open at the
Warrendale Park at the end of the Lightfest.
Santa will be there from Thanksgiving until
Dec. 23. Outside Santa's workshop there will be
a giant mailbox where children of all ages can
drop off their letters to Santa. Santa's elves will
pickup the letters eachnight.
Although Lightfest begins at 7 p.m., Hines
Drive will be closed to traffic beginning at 5:45
p.m. nightly. Visitors enter Wayne County
Lightfest at Hines Drive and Merriman, 2 ½
miles southof I-96 inWestland.
Lightfest is a partnership with Fox 2 News,
Friends of Wayne County Parks, DTE Energy,
ITC Holdings, Play Environments, Inc., DBT
Marketing and Promotional Group, McDonald
Modular, Entertainment Express Luxury
Limousine, Total Runner, and
Beatthetrain.com.
For more information, call (734) 261-1990 or
visit www.waynecounty.com.
A white flocked tree in the foyer represents Christmas Present in the
downtown Northville home used in the movie Scream IV while
Christmas Past and Christmas Future flank the living room fireplace.
Protesters demand fire millage vote