Looking back: Remember activities in Tri-Community in 1996?

At this quiet time of year, we can look back to see what happened in the past to bring this present time into being.
These are stories from the Jan. 4, 1996 issue of the Independent:
There was an open letter from the Independent on the front page to each member by name of the Van Buren Township Board of Trustees asking them to direct their Public Safety Director Mark Perkins to uphold the Constitution and provide police news to the Independent as it regularly does to The View, the Ypsilanti Press Edition of the Ann Arbor News, and the Belleville Enterprise.
It has been 11 weeks of Director Perkins’ news blackout. Perkins told us a seminar speaker said police do not have to speak with a reporter they do not like (ie. does not report the way they think it should be reported). We have just one reporter, so that is a problem.
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Homeowners in the Lake Crest Subdivision on the north shore of Belleville Lake in the Harmony Lane area are considering re-energizing their homeowners’ association to fight the houses which suddenly have appeared on two neighborhood lots.
According to reports, A Taylor speculator purchased two or three lots in the neighborhood, at about $40,000 each, and is moving homes from the Metropolitan Airport construction area to Van Buren Township. One small home is on Fisher Drive and a large home is on Harmony Lane.
A reader furnished a picture he took out of his front window on Dec. 21 that showed two houses and a garage going by even though the subdivision covenant prohibits such homes from being moved into the area.
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Page three showed five pictures of the 60th birthday party thrown by Barbara Rogalle Miller for her brother, Lawrence, at the Eagles Lodge. Lawrence, a special needs person, was a member of the Eagles.
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Inside on page six, an article by Dee Crowe tells of the fun of running all year round, especially when the temperatures are below zero. She cites books that tell people not to do this, but she suggests the reader give it a try. She said up to 30 BBC Striders run all year long and she provided a phone number readers can call for more information.
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On page seven, there was a report on a Van Buren Township Planning Commission meeting where auto auctions were discussed. Darrel Ibach had asked for a rezoning of his property of about seven acres at 13000 Haggerty for a Pro-Tech business to hold auto auctions. He learned he already could have indoor auctions under the present zoning, so he withdrew his request. Amendments to the zoning ordinance were suggested to allow outdoor auctions. Meanwhile, Pro-Tech opened as an indoor-only auto auction.
During the discussion, Hakim Shakir, who was representing Ibach, told the commission he talked to someone at the Wayne County Road Commission and was told there are plans to widen Haggerty Road to four lanes the next year.
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Page nine showed pictures of those attending the Davenport Brothers Christmas open house at their new facility at 301 Industrial Park Dr. in Belleville. The new headquarters for their construction company was given an award by the City of Belleville in July for outstanding improvement to the property in the city’s industrial park.
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On page 11 is police news furnished by bystanders, including an eye-witness report of a suspect who escaped from a Van Buren Township police car and ran off. There were dogs and a helicopter looking for him, the reader reported.
On page 12 is a column by Lois Morioka telling stories of two loving husbands who stood by their wives during medical problems. One of the husbands was her husband Ted.
Lois wrote that she had two strokes, one leaving her with a bum leg that got bummer as the years passed. The other stroke left her with a weak mind, she said, adding that her mind, however, got stronger over the years.
She said she had liked to climb a high hill to look at fall colors near a state park she and her husband visited. She knew she couldn’t climb it any more, but he insisted and helped her slowly up the hill with her cane and after she had enjoyed the beautiful colors, helped her slowly down the hill again. “Sometimes saying ‘I love you’ just isn’t enough. You have to show it,” she wrote.
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On page 19 was a story about Keith Kaye of Westland, who sued Van Buren Township police for allegedly beating him up at the township hall on April 25, 1993. Kaye accepted an out-of-court settlement of $75,000 from the township.
Kaye was called to township hall in 1993 to bring $100 to bail out his minor son who was arrested by VBT police for soliciting without a license. The boy worked for Home Window Company in Westland and was with youths that would be let out in a neighborhood and go door to door, asking residents if they were interested in replacing windows. If they were, the youngsters would send a salesman to talk to them. The teen had been working for them for two years.
Kaye, a union steward at General Motors and a former police officer, learned the officers had arrested his son while walking to the company van and had not observed him soliciting. As a former police officer, he said he knew the arresting officer had to observe the solicitation personally for a misdemeanor arrest without a warrant.
According to court documents obtained through FOIA by the Independent, Kaye said he asked one of the officers to go outside to discuss the matter. After less than a minute outside the officer reentered the building and warned Kaye not to reenter or he would be charged as a disorderly person. Kaye reentered and that’s when he was attacked, he said. He said he was kneed in the chest and his rib broken among other injuries. The charges against him were dismissed before he was due at 34th District Court.
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On the back page, was an ad for Huron River Food Market, a packaged liquor store located next to the Belleville Police Department on E. Huron River Dr.
One dozen large eggs was 49 cents, loaves of bread were two for $1.49, half-gallon of ice cream was two for $3, and Pepsi and Coke were 99 cents each for a warm, two liter, plus deposit.