SLH 122211 by Deb Conner

Q&A WITH SANTA’S NO.1 ELF BUSINESS, A12

PETS ARE THE CAT’S MEOW AT THE HOLIDAYS

SIX-FIGURE JOBS ANYONE CAN GET SEE CLASSIFIED, SECTION B

LOCAL NEWS, A2

PRICE: $1 • THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2011 • hometownlife.com

Christmas heroes ‘pay it forward’

Holiday closures

In observance of the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, South Lyon City Hall will be closed Friday, Dec. 23, and Monday, Dec. 26 (reopening on Tuesday, Dec. 27, at 8:30 a.m.), and then Friday, Dec. 30, and Monday, Jan. 2 (reopening on Tuesday, Jan. 3, at 8:30 a.m.). Lyon Township ofﬁces will also be closed the same days.

Polar plunge

The Lyon Township Winterfest will take place 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 21, in and around New Hudson, including at James Atchison Memorial Park, Riverbank Golf Club and Haas Lake Park. The event will include sled dog rides, ice skating and figure skating demonstrations, a hockey goal shoot-off, igloo building, winter sports expo, a chili/soup/stew cook-off, GPS treasure hunt, and more. One of the events that organizers would like to have is a “polar plunge” in which participants jump into a large tank of water at Atchison Park. However, according to Lyon Township Area Winterfest chair Troy Powe, a local group is needed to organize/run the event, which would be a fundraiser for a charity. The charity could be determined by the person or group that takes on the responsibility to run the event. If interested, or for more information, contact Powe at (248) 255-3601.

Did you know?

Lyon Township is served by ﬁve post ofﬁces: New Hudson, South Lyon, Northville, Wixom, and Milford.

Shopping program provides Christmas surprise for local children By Kurt Kuban Staff Writer

Can you imagine a Christmas with no gifts? Most of us can’t. But, because of the economy or other circumstances beyond their control, many local children face that very prospect. However, thanks to a program that has been going strong for a decade, there are 25 local at-risk children who won’t go without this Christmas. The children were picked to take part in the Shop with a Hero program (former-

ly known as Shop with a Cop), which is a collaboration between the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, Walmart, South Lyon Area Youth Assistance, Pepsi, Lyon Township, and the Lyon Township Firefighters Association. Each of the children received $175 gift cards to go on a Walmart shopping spree Monday, and the best part was the fact they were able to do their shopping with either a police officer or firefighter. Please see HEROES, A3

HAL GOULD | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Oakland County Sheriff’s Ofﬁce Reservist Matthew Mulholland checks to make sure the boots Brytany Latterell, 13, picked for herself are a good ﬁt. Detective Scott Pasini looks on.

Cruelty charges expected after dead horses found at Salem facility

A little holiday jazz

By Diane Gale Andreassi Staff Writer

HAL GOULD | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Josh Gaab, a member of the South Lyon High School jazz band, plays the trombone during the band’s annual fundraiser earlier this month at St. Joseph Catholic Church in South Lyon. The event, which raised proceeds for both Active Faith and the school’s band program, featured dinner, a visit from Santa, and games and crafts for the youngsters. Those who attended the event were also asked to bring canned and non-perishable foods, which were donated to Active Faith.

Animal cruelty charges are expected to be filed this week in a case involving two dead horses and 18 other horses that were removed from the Double Diamond boarding facility in Salem Township last week. The Humane Society of Huron Valley received a tip that some of the 60 horses at the facility looked “like they weren’t being taken care of,” explained Deb Kern, HSHV marketing director. Kern said a HSHV cruelty investigator, along with the Michigan State Police, went

Please see HORSES, A3

Always a seat open at the Table of Knowledge By Diane Gale Andreassi Staff Writer

A group of men huddled around what they’ve named the “Table of Knowledge” eating their breakfast at Bob’s Carry-Out in New Hudson. They have given themselves the task of solving the world’s problems. While they might not reach that goal, they are on the road to helping one person in Lyon Township. They

all threw some money in an envelope and decided it would be given to a person or family in New Hudson who needs help. They didn’t know who to give it to, so they called the South Lyon Herald to get the word out. All the money they collect in this first event will be matched by the Pelican Foundation, made of business people and residents who work Please see SEAT, A5

HAL GOULD | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Most mornings a group of men gather for breakfast at Bob’s Carry Out in New Hudson around what they call the Table of Knowledge. They discuss the world’s problems and raise money for local causes. The group changes depending on the morning. Pictured here (from left) are Lenny Wajda, Bob Langan, Bob’s owner Bob Herc, Dale Gatteri, Adam Stankevich, and Ben Leo.

INDEX Business......................A12 Crossword Puzzle .......B6 Education ...................A4 Homes........................B6

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out to the facility, where they found two dead horses and another 18 horses that were malnourished and in need of medical attention. The boarding facility on Seven Mile near Currie Road had more than 60 horses on the property, Kern said. The facility provides space for owners to rent and it is the responsibility of owners to care for the animals, according to Kern. The investigation is continuing, and on Tuesday Kern said she believed animal cruelty charges would be filed as early as Wednesday (after press time). She

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Jobs............................B7 Obituaries...................A7 Opinion ......................A10 Public Safety...............A6

Services ......................B6 Sports.........................B1 Wheels .......................B8

• News/Advertising: (248) 437-2011 • Classified Advertising: (800) 579-7355 • Delivery: (866) 887-2737 • Mail: 101 N. Lafayette St. South Lyon, MI 48178

Volume 130 Number 52

Happy Happy Hol Holiidays days

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online at hometownlife.com

LOCAL NEWS

Hometown Weeklies | Thursday, December 22, 2011

A fabulous four-legged Christmas Area businesses know pets love the holidays too By Joanne Maliszewski Correspondent

magine your pet dog or cat scribbling a holiday wish list. Surely, squeaky toys and delicious treats would top the list. But some area pet businesses are taking holiday wishes a step further with luxurious and upscale gifts for the furry members of your family. There’s no wonder that pet products put retailers on the map, especially during the holidays. Today, more than 85 million households own 164.6 million dogs and cats. And that’s not including reptiles, birds, horses and fish, according to the American Pet Products Association.

“People take care of their pets regularly,” said Terri Bennett, longtime owner of Specialty Pets on Ann Arbor Road in Plymouth. “At Christmas, friends and relatives jump in. I think pets have become more important to people as economic times have gotten tougher.” National sales attest to that. In 2010, pet owners spent $48.3 billion. This year, the American Pet Products Association estimates that at least $50.8 billion will be spent on all types of products that ensure the health, safety, comfort and enjoyment of pets. Pet retailers aren’t much different than any other type of retailer. They count on the winter

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There’s no doubt that pet owners make like Santa at the holidays and spend somewhat unabashedly for their furry family members. It’s all about comfort. For example, Bennett sees families spending as much as $500 on quality cat furniture, including multi-tiered scratching posts, some with tree houses nestled at the top, while others are tall enough to be skyscrapers in the cat world. And for families who keep track of feral cats, the Backdoor Friends Cat Shoppe in Farmington Hills has outdoor heated beds and homes. “There is hope for the outdoor kitties,” said owner Anne Klein, adding that the number of abandoned cats has increased as families have lost their jobs and in some cases, their homes. Dogs don’t fare too badly themselves when it comes to gifts of furniture. Families are buying quality beds including chaise lounges, sofas, loveseats, self-warming loungers, beds with feather tops, air beds and travel beds, special orthopedic beds for their senior dogs. Sweaters, coats, leashes and collars — all that can be customized with the pet’s name — are big at Celebrity Pets, an upscale pet attire shop in North-

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HAL GOULD | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Joyce Somero, who owns Doggy Do Pet Grooming in New Hudson, specializes in sprucing up your pet in time for holiday guests. Here she is getting a little love from Teddy Boucher, a golden doodle, who was in recently to get groomed.

ville. “We have them in all types of materials including wool and fleece. Some coats have legs while others cover the chest of your pet, which is very important in cold weather,” said Ann Sakuta, manager of the Northville store. Celebrity Pets is also at Laurel Park Place in Livonia. Don’t forget the Muttluks boots for a cold and snowy day or sunglasses and ski glasses for the winter sun. “People are becoming more discriminating with quality. Quality comes first. Customers ask first about the safety of the product,” Bennett said.

Treats, toys and memories The owners of Specialty Pets, Celebrity Pets and Backyard Friends see an increase in the demand

toy for cats that includes a wand with various attachments, including realistic looking bugs of all kinds. “It is a great wand toy,” Klein added “And it is really sturdy.” Klein also specializes in out-of-the-ordinary catnip toys; some look like bananas and cigars. You can also buy pillows with eaude-catnip. In addition to all sorts of extraordinary catnip toys for the feline group and squeaky and pull toys for the canines, retailers, such as Specialty Pets, also feature interactive toys, known as “home alone” toys that allow the pet prolonged play to reach a hidden treat. “Overall, customers are looking for treats with a purpose. There are new ones coming on the market every day,” Bennett said. Please see PETS, A9

CORRECTION In the story “Mush! Inaugural festival offers a full day of wintry fun” in last week’s Herald, the phone number listed for organizer Troy Powe was not correct. The correct phone number for Powe is (248) 255-3601. Anyone interested in volunteering for Lyon Township’s Winterfest should contact him.

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for quality treats preferably made in Michigan, or at least in America. Popular Three Dog Bakery in Plymouth is known for its fresh-baked dog treats made of natural wheat products, frosted with yogurt, and without refined sugar. “We use honey and molasses to sweeten,” said bakery owner Gary Atkinson. At Three Dog Bakery, dogs are welcome to join their owners who on average spend $15 to $20 on individual treats, as well as holiday tins filled with delicious pet goodies. Like kids, pets are surely waiting for the toys that Santa will bring. How about a tiger mobile that you can hang from a door for your cats? The mobile rotates round and round. “It mimics exercise,” Klein said. “It is designed to catch their interest.” Neko Flies is another new

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THE S OUTH LY ON HER ALD P u blis hed Ea c h T hu rs d a y By T he S ou th Lyon Hera ld 101 La fa yette S ou th Lyon , M ic higa n 48178 P eriod ic a l AtS ou th Lyon , M ic higa n M a il S u bs c ription R a tes : In - C ou n ty: $37.50 for on e yea r. O u t of C ou n ty (in M ic higa n ): $48.00 foron e yea r. O u tof S ta te: $59.50 foron e yea r. F ord elivery c a ll 866- 887- 2737. T he S ou th Lyon H era ld is pu blis hed by F ed era ted P u blic a tion s , In c . a w holly ow n ed s u bs id ia ry of G a n n ettCo. In c . P os tm a s ter, s en d a d d res s c ha n ges to: T he S ou th Lyon Hera ld , 41304 C on c ept D rive, P lym ou th, M I 48170. P O LIC Y S T AT EM EN T . All a d vertis in g pu blis hed in T he S ou th Lyon Hera ld is s u bjec tto the c on d ition s s ta ted in the a pplic a ble ra te c a rd , c opies of w hic h a re a va ila ble from the a d vertis in g d epa rtm en t,T he S ou th Lyon Hera ld , 101 La fa yette, S ou th Lyon , M ic higa n 48178. T he S ou th Lyon Hera ld res erves the rightn otto a c c epta n a d vertis er’s ord er. T he S ou th Lyon Hera ld a d - ta kers ha ve n o a u thority to bin d this n ew s pa pera n d on ly pu blic a tion of a n a d vertis em en t s ha ll c on s titu te fin a l a c c epta n c e of the a d vertis er’s ord er. P u blic a tion Nu m berUS P S 503600

S O U T H LYO N /N EW H U D S O N

C H ILD C A R E & PR E-S C H O O L

D IR EC T O RY

Ifyou w ould like to b e included in this directory, contactK elley A lb rantat 313-378-6509 or kalb rant@ hom etow nlife.com

online at hometownlife.com

HEROES

Continued from page A1

Donna Weinstein, a case worker for the Oakland County Circuit Court Youth Program, targeted many of the children chosen for the program this year. She said it is valuable not only because of the fact the children will get some gifts, but also because it gives them a chance for one-on-one time with police officers and firefighters. The experience often changes their perceptions. “When you match them up with these heroes, it shows the kids how friendly they are, and that they don’t have to deal with them only when there is something wrong,” she said. “It also shows them that when there is something wrong, they can call the police if they need help. They are friendly and can be trusted.” Marty Bay, a deputy stationed at the OCSO Lyon Post, also chose several of the children based on his dealings with them. He actually came in on his day off Monday to help out. “We care about people. You want people to feel better about themselves,” he said. “A lot of moms and dads are out of work these days. This kind of takes the pressure off a little bit.”

Ch r is

LOCAL NEWS

Bay said he is always impressed when most of the children not only buy for themselves, but for others in their family. That was the case Monday with 13-year-old Brytany Latterell of South Lyon, who purchased gifts for her mother, aunt, and little sister. She was paired up with Reserve Matthew Mulholland and Detective Scott Pasini of the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office. She said the two cops helped her pick out some gifts, but admitted she already had most of her list in mind when she entered the store. Still, she said the experience was “pretty cool.” “This is definitely a lot of fun,” she said, as she showed off some earrings she had picked out for herself. After the shopping spree, the items each of the children picked out were gift wrapped, and then there was lunch waiting for them provided by Leo’s Coney Island of New Hudson. It was clear as they ate their lunch, they had enjoyed themselves. “The smile on their faces is worth a million bucks,” said Tom Mihalic, chair of South Lyon Area Youth Assistance, who has been involved with the program since its inception. “This is one way for us to reach out to these kids and pay it forward.”

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HORSES

Continued from page A1

HAL GOULD | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Brytany Latterell, 13, looks for some items for her little sister, as Matthew Mulholland (left) and Scott Pasini of the Oakland County Sheriff’s Ofﬁce look on. Brytany Latterell, 13, shops with Reserve Matthew Mulholland and Detective Scott Pasini of the Oakland County Sheriff’s Ofﬁce at the New Hudson Walmart on Monday.

did not say who would be charged. The 18 animals were taken to Starry Skies Equine Rescue and Sanctuary in Scio Township where they are receiving veterinary care, food and nurturing, Kern added. “We think they will make a full recovery,” Kern said. “We’re a little amazed that we weren’t called sooner. Obviously they have been neglected for quite a while. That we didn’t get a tip earlier is hard to imagine. Sometimes people look away when they need to act, because they think someone will take care of it. Animals don’t have a voice. We have to be their voice.” Animal neglect has increased as the economy soured, said Kern, who stressed the need for people to call when they suspect animal neglect. Tips may be left on an anonymous basis by calling (734) 661-3512. Anyone who would like to make a donation of food or money to Starry Skies should call (734) 904-5090. dandreassi@hometownlife.com (248) 437-2011, Ext. 262

R O LEX SA LE

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Hometown Weeklies | Thursday, December 22, 2011

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KURT KUBAN, EDITOR kkuban@hometownlife.com (248) 437-2011, EXT. 245 FACEBOOK: HOMETOWNLIFE.COM

A4 . (SL) THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2011 HOMETOWN WEEKLIES HOMETOWNLIFE.COM

Programs for students with disabilities have grown dramatically By Linda Raye Guest Columnist

Field trip through history South Lyon High School teacher Toni Simovski took his AP government class to the Henry Ford Museum on Nov. 29. During the trip, his students worked on an assignment that he helped create connected with the museum’s “With Liberty & Justice for All” exhibit. The students made connections with what they learned in class to real life artifacts and situations that have occurred in the U.S. over the past 200-plus years. Simovski has been doing this ﬁeld trip for the last ﬁve years, and says it has been “a smashing success.”

SOUTH LYON SCHOOL BRIEFS Robotics celebrated

Lucas Burkowski, representing South Lyon and South Lyon East high schools, was named to the 2011 All-County MVP Robotics Team. He was among 17 students honored when the Oakland County Competitive Robotics Association (OCCRA) held their 8th Annual Awards Banquet on Nov. 30, at Oakland Schools in Waterford. The 22 schools participating in the robotics league were all represented as OCCRA celebrated its 12th season. Approximately 575 students, mentors and families in attendance enjoyed a buffet dinner, prepared by the culinary students at Oakland Schools Technical Campus Northeast. Students participating in the OCCRA competition this season had to put their science and technology skills to work. The challenge was to design and build 120-pound robots that played a full-contact version of tic-tac-toe. The championship robot alliance of Royal Oak High School and the Oakland Schools Technical Campus Northeast was recognized.

Penny wars

Centennial Middle School students raised more than $4,000 during the fall Penny Wars fundraising competition, hosted by the school’s chapter of the National Junior Honors Society. This season, the donations will go to COTS, the Coalition on Temporary Shelter. COTS, a Detroit charity, is housed in an

old hotel and provides affordable housing and meals for people in desperate need. Students donated coins, bills, and even checks during the first week of December. Eighth grade science teacher Brian Wilson’s class, alone, raised more than $1,100 during the competition. Great work Chargers!

Variety show auditions

Auditions for the 2012 South Lyon High School Variety Show will take place on Thursday, Dec. 15 from 2:307 p.m. in the South Lyon High School choir room. Auditions are open to K12 student performers from the South Lyon Community Schools. Students may sign up for an audition time on the day of the auditions outside the SLHS choir room. More information and audition forms are available in the South Lyon High School main office as well as from the music teachers at all South Lyon school buildings. The Variety Show will take place Friday, Feb. 10 at 7 p.m. in the South Lyon High School auditorium and proceeds will benefit the SLHS Choir Student Scholarship Fund as well as longterm financial goals of the SLHS choirs. Please contact Phyllis Viau, SLHS Choir Booster president, at (734) 7172348 or Andrew Hathikhanavala, South Lyon High School choir director, at hathikhanavalaa@slcs.us with questions.

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s I complete my 45th year in public education and my final year as director of special services, I would like to share moments in my career that reflect the growth and change of services for students with disabilities. When I began my career in another district, students were placed in tiers for reading instruction. Being the newest kid on the block, I was assigned the lowest tier where students had the greatest challenges to their educational success, both academically and behaviorally. Being a new graduate of Wayne State University, I was well versed in the art of sensitivity training. As part Linda Raye of this training, I was taught to identify the issues students brought into the classroom and to address the child first and the curriculum as it reflected on the child. Most of the students in the lowest tier had issues that were a result of failure and the emotionality of being unsuccessful. There were no special education laws at this time, so these students were not identified as disabled or provided special education supports; they were placed in the lowest tier. I was fortunate to have the training to assist these students and to promote success for them. As more students moved out of the lowest tier and became more academically successful, administration became more acutely aware of them and our classroom was moved from a basement room behind the furnace to the band storage room in the auditorium. Over the years, the tier one students gained even more success and our classroom was moved to the same corridor as the other reading classrooms where these students finally became part of the school community. This is not my story of a few groups of children, but of millions of students who waited for the law to address their disabilities. When special education was mandated by federal law in 1975, I chose not to be special education certified. I had seen success for the tier one students through improved reading instruction so I decided to further my education in this area. Soon afterward I was assigned to provide services to six elementary buildings as a reading specialist. The students who received my services were not yet identified as students with learning disabilities, but would meet the criteria today. We were still working out special education eligibility and using the old discrepancy model. These students would have qualified with the current Response to Intervention or Pattern of Strengths and Weaknesses which federal law now supports. Within a few years, I was asked to assume the role of assistant principal at a middle school and then an elementary school. Each of these buildings received millions of dollars in federal funding to address the needs of students with disabilities. It was my responsibil-

ity to finance staff and staff training, as well as parent training and student materials with these funds. It was thrilling to watch trucks unloading materials for reading and math instruction, to be a part of the training of staff and parents as they learned how to utilize these materials in their homes and classrooms, and to see the joy of the children as they interacted with these materials successfully. In 1992, I joined South Lyon Community Schools as an assistant principal and then principal at the middle school. Concurrent with the role as principal, I was also asked to assume the role of special education coordinator. With an extensive background of administrating programs for students with disabilities, the role of coordinator evolved into director of special services. In this role, I have watched the dramatic change in special education services. We had a little more than 400 students with disabilities in the district in 1992, 42 attending out of district programs around the state. We have grown to 917 students, not including early childhood. We have returned students to district programs ensuring Least Restrictive environment with only six students out of district this year. We have enriched staff instruction through a myriad of methodologies and instructional strategies, such as: Orton Gillingham, Language!, Visualizing and Verbalizing, Wilson Reading, Reading Literacy, Co Teaching, Touch Math, Nonviolent Crisis Intervention, Mismatch, TEACCH, Read Naturally, START for Autism, and inclusion in district trainings of Marzano, Katy Wood Ray, Ruby Payne, Matt Glover, and others. This list is not all inclusive as it would take pages to recognize them all. We must also acknowledge that our Special Education staff has participated in the pilots for Oakland County and international programs with strong data of success for students with disabilities. STELA, Communication Enhancement and Hanen are just a few of these initiatives. As we look toward the future of students with disabilities, the county is working through the process of Regionalization for Students in Center programs and the programs for early childhood. I am no longer the new kid on the block so I am frequently asked to be a member of these initiatives. As a member of the steering committee for both of these county initiatives, I will continue to keep you posted on their progress. We have come a long way from the time when students with disabilities were relegated to a room in the basement and out of sight of the general population. It has been my pleasure to watch this growth. I am especially proud of the commitment this district, its administration and the Board of Education, and its parents have made to students with disabilities. They have supported our vision and provided the funding necessary to pursue it. I take pride in the staff and the programs I leave behind. I have seen how far we have come in services to students with disabilities over these 45 years and am positive about the future for these students in public education. Linda Raye is director of Special Services for South Lyon Community Schools.

STUDENT OF THE WEEK

8761943

Conner Ryan Potter

• Name: Conner Ryan Potter • School: Bartlett Elementary • Class: Mrs. Hantz • Age: 7 • Grade: 2nd • School activities: Gym, music, art, loves reading and math. Favorite part of the school day is recess. • Hobbies/activities outside school: Loves video games, watching movies, playing football with the neighborhood kids, collects Star Wars everything, enjoys are and being with his brothers and friends.

SLCS CALENDAR

Week of Jan. 2

• H ig h ly C om p etitiv e In clu s iv e Ra tes

MONDAY, JAN. 2

• South Lyon Community Schools, Winter Break, no school

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 4

• Dolsen Elementary, Market Day pick up, 4 p.m., cafeteria • Centennial Middle

O E08752114

School, Health Breakfast Trip • Millennium Middle School, Science Olympiad meeting, 2:30 p.m., room 205

THURSDAY, JAN. 5

• Millennium Middle School, Band tours elementary schools, all day • Millennium Middle School, SIP meeting, 8 a.m., conference room • Millennium Middle

School, PTO meeting, 1:30 p.m., media center

FRIDAY, JAN. 6

• Bartlett Elementary, Popcorn Day • Brummer Elementary, MMS Beginning Band, 8:30-10:30 a.m. • Kent Lake Elementary, 4th grade ﬁeld trip, 8:15 a.m.-1:45 p.m., Lansing • Millennium Middle School, Geography Bee, 8 a.m., media center

online at hometownlife.com

LOCAL NEWS

SEAT

Continued from page A1

on charitable causes. The amount of money to be given away is unclear, because it keeps growing. Plans are for an annual event. The Table of Knowledge is open to anyone who sits down at the diner, usually in the early morning, when the men begin to chew on questions of the day. They might tackle local issues, other times

Hy Safran (from left), Janet Berman and Micki Grossman are the three co-chairs of this year’s Mitzvah Day event, sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit and the Jewish Community Relations Council.

Hometown Weeklies | Thursday, December 22, 2011

they horse around making friendly jabs at each other and most of the time they’re laughing. The conversation topic is “anything about everything,” according to Bob Herc, Bob’s Carry-Out owner. Each day when they walk away from the table they might not expect to get a lot done, but this holiday season they will be making at least one life better. If you know of someone who is deserving and would like to be considered for the money call

Herc at Bob’s Carry-Out, (248) 437-9212 as soon as possible. There’s no official Table of Knowledge president, board members or meeting times and they haven’t set any specific rules for who will receive the money. The Table of Knowledge started shortly after Herc opened his doors in 1994. The people sitting at the table change daily, but you’re sure to see local guys, a township official now and then, and a lot of others coming in for a

Putting some Holiday Worship ‘Mitzvah’ into Services Christmas Staff Writer

South Lyon Citizens Bank branch manager Anita Fishman is spending Christmas day volunteering at Active Faith. She will be among volunteers throughout metro Detroit taking part in Mitzvah Day launched 20 some years ago by the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit and joined more recently by the Jewish Community Relations Council. Fishman is organizing a dozen people to take inventory at the South Lyon food bank to free up the day for those who celebrate the holiday. “This gives people a day back who would like to be free, because they want to spend time with family and friends,” Fishman said. She plans to begin the inventory at 10 a.m. and work four or five hours. She currently has seven volunteers signed up and she hopes to get five more. “I can help a wonderful organization and they do deserve a day off, because they really work hard throughout the year,” Fishman said. Mitzvah Day is a concerted effort on a single day to bring volunteers in the community together to participate in the holy task of tikkun olam, repairing the world. Mitzvah is a Jewish term meaning commandments. “We are commanded to do good deeds,” said Micki Grossman, cochair of Mitzvah Day. “Christmas day is not a holiday Jewish people celebrate, but we have friends and relatives who celebrate. We asked, ‘What can we do to be a good neighbor and a good friend,?’” The first year the fed-

eration attracted 200 to 300 volunteers and in later years they have been known to get more than 800 people willing to give their time at various projects. The oldest volunteer is 90. Three years ago the Muslim community began helping with the volunteer work as well. “It’s Jewish people and Muslims working together to give Christians a chance to take a day off,” Grossman said. “If we could only keep it going the other 364 days of the year.” Families with children, teens, young adults and seniors are invited to donate a few hours of their time to participate in activities, including visits to older adults in nursing care facilities, preparing and serving holiday meals, and delivering toys and gifts to families in need. All volunteer activities will conclude by 4 p.m. This year, the Phoenix Theatres at Livonia’s Laurel Park Place are providing Mitzvah Day volunteers with two free tickets redeemable before Jan. 1. Fishman is spearheading the volunteer work at Active Faith. Volunteer spots are filled on a first come, first served basis. For more information, call (248) 6425393 or e-mail mitzvahday@jfmd.org. dandreassi@hometownlife.com (248) 437-2011, ext. 262

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good, cooked meal. The qualifications to be a member of the Table of Knowledge is: “Anyone with knowledge who comes in here can be a member,” explained longtime table sitter Robert Langan. There’s no membership fees or meeting dates to put on your calendar. “It’s a nice place to come in the morning to gain knowledge,” said Langan. dandreassi@hometownlife.com | (248) 437-2011, Ext. 262

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Hometown Weeklies | Thursday, December 22, 2011

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PUBLIC SAFETY

SOUTH LYON AREA COP CALLS Domestic unrest Deputies from Oakland and Washtenaw counties were called to a residence in Salem Township around 8:30 p.m. on Dec. 14 after someone called 9-1-1 to report a man had threatened to kill everyone in the home on the 700 block of Buckingham. Before deputies arrived at the scene, however, the man had fled the home in a black Monte Carlo in an unknown direction. About an hour later, Oakland County deputies spotted the car near Eight Mile Road and Pontiac Trail and pulled the man over. They took the man into custody without incident, and then turned him over to Washtenaw County deputies. After questioning the man, dep-

uties determined the man had been involved in a domestic argument with family members and had not committed a crime, according to Sgt. Thomas Pennington of the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office. Nobody was hurt, and the man had no criminal history. He also did not have a firearm. He was released.

Home invasion

Northfield Township police were dispatched to the 2000 block of Five Mile Road on Dec. 4 for a report of a home invasion. The victim told police that after leaving the residence to attend church, someone kicked in the front door and stole multiple items from the home, which is

located in a “semi-secluded” area of the township. The crime took place in broad daylight, according to police reports. The case is currently under investigation.

Larceny from vehicle

On Dec. 5, a man called the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office to report someone had broken into his vehicle on the 61800 block of Fairland Drive in Lyon Township. According to police reports, the 2011 Dodge Ram pick-up was parked in the man’s driveway, and had been left unlocked overnight. Missing were a Tom Tom GPS unit and a Sony DVD player. The truck was not damaged. There are no suspects at this time.

Whale of a visit On Tuesday, Nov. 22 Austin Levi of the Plymouth Whalers hockey team visited Mrs. Randolph’s 3rd grade class at Kent Lake Elementary to present her with a $100 VISA card. She was entered in the Goals for Schools program sponsored by the Plymouth Whalers and Community Financial. The aim is to find classrooms in local schools that can use some extra help. Parents and teachers are invited to enter their classroom into the “Goals for School” program simply by filling out the information on the website www.plymouthwhalers.com/goalsforschools. The Whalers and Community Financial choose a winner for the first goal scored in every regular season home game during the 2011-12 season.

Police trying to figure out who poured red dye down well By Kurt Kuban Staff Writer

Oakland County Sheriff’s Office investigators are looking for tips to discover who was responsible for tampering with a water well last month at a home on the 26600 block of Spaulding in Lyon Township. According to police reports, a 47-year-old woman lives at the residence with her two adult sons. She was taking a shower last month when the water coming out of her showerhead turned a pinkish red, resembling a fruit punch. Panicked, the woman called police. When deputies were dispatched to the home, they found the woman’s well cap had been unbolted and taken off. They also found a red residue in the well. It was obvious someone had poured something down the well. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, along with the US Michigan National Guard, tested the water in the woman’s well, looking for heavy metals and other types of contaminants. Police say they found no trace of any kind of poison. Still, roughly 10,000

gallons of water were flushed from the well. “When we first went out we thought it might have been anti-freeze, but there was nothing detected at a toxic level,” said OCSO Detective Tim O’Dea. “Experts from the lab believe it could possibly be from food coloring. Even if the water hadn’t been flushed, it would have been safe to drink.” While police are relieved the water wasn’t poisoned, they would still like to find whoever is responsible for the crime, which is a felony. They have spoken to all of the woman’s neighbors, and do have a couple leads. But they are still seeking other information to help with the case. O’Dea said he has never heard of such a crime during his time on the force, but it is something they are taking very seriously. “Back in the old days, in the 1800s, tampering with someone’s well could get you in some serious trouble. You just don’t hear about it much anymore,” he said. Anyone with information should contact the OCSO Lyon sub station at (248) 437-0616.

Getting ready

Santa stopped by the Lyon Township Fire Department on Monday, asking directions to all the boys and girls homes in the area. According to Fire Chief Ron McClain, Santa relaxed a bit (here with firefighter Jim Huffman), and enjoyed some sweets brought in by some of the firefighters. McClain reminds all the kids out there to leave out some milk and cookies for the big elf. “He was looking a bit too skinny for his big trip. He needs to put on some weight,” McClain said.

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LOCAL NEWS

Hometown Weeklies | Thursday, December 22, 2011

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COMMUNITY BRIEFS Hockey alumni game This year’s South Lyon Varsity Hockey Alumni Game (alumni vs. alumni) will be held 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 27, at the Ice House. Get out your gear and come join the fun, catch up with former teammates and meet other South Lyon hockey alumni for a fun evening of hockey. There is a $15 fee to skate payable at registration. Pizza and pop will be provided for all skaters at the Top Shelf after the game. Teams will be filled on first come first serve basis so be sure to contact Brian Korpi at bpkorpi@yahoo.com to reserve your spot. Visit www.eteamz.com/slvarsityhockey for up-to-date information and photos from the 2010 event.

‘Warm the Winter’ Families Building Faith is collecting gently-used blankets and sleeping bags to distribute to the homeless. They are also looking for coats, gloves, scarves and winter boots to hand out as well. For more information, contact Michelle at (248) 4863172, e-mail familiesbuildingfaith@yahoo.com, or visit their Facebook page.

Grant will help get historic designation

The Community Foundation of Plymouth presented a $1,000 grant to the Salem Area Historical Society on Monday to be used towards its Jarvis Stone School Michigan State Historic Marker Project. Pictured (from left) are Pat Hatala (SAHS secretary), Susan DiMilia (SAHS treasurer), Helen Gierman (SAHS board member at-large), Marcia Van Fossen (SAHS vice president), Terry Cwik (SAHS president), William Lawson (CFP) and Kathy Aznavorian (CFP).) SAHS is currently in the process of obtaining a Washtenaw County Local Historic District designation for the Jarvis Stone School and is beginning the process to obtain the state historic marker. The Jarvis Stone Schoolhouse, located at 7991 North Territorial Road in Salem Township, was built in 1857 with locally found stone and boulders. In 1967, the school, then owned by Plymouth-Canton Community Schools, closed its “educational doors”. In 1977, Irene Lyke worked with the school board to transfer the title of the school to the Salem Area Historical Society, which occurred in 1978. In 1995, additional land was acquired and restoration was begun. Today, the Jarvis Stone School is used by the Salem Area Historical Society for its membership meetings and as its ofﬁce. More information about the Jarvis Stone School and membership to the Salem Area Historical Society can be found at the Salem Area Historical Society’s Website (www.sahshistory.org) or via an email request to Salem_Area_HS@yahoo.com.

SAHS meeting

The Salem Area Historical Society will meet at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 25 at Salem Township Hall. The business meeting will include discussions on projects and events for 2012, the start of the 2012 SAHS election process and a viewing of a DVD titled “From Moccasins to Main Street: A Journey Down the Old Chicago Road”. It began as a Native American foot trail. It later became a military road connecting Fort Detroit to Fort Dearborn in Chicago. It was traveled by explorers, missionaries and fur trappers. Eventually small communities appeared along it with just the right distance between them to refresh the horses of the stagecoach and replenish the water supply of the steam engine. This is

the story of the evolution of transportation in Michigan. For more information visit the Salem Area Historical Society’s website at www.sahshistory.org or send an e-mail request to Salem_Area_HS@yahoo. com. You can become a member or renew your membership for 2012 at any of the group’s events or via their website.

Ball fields fundraiser There is a fundraiser planned from 7-9 p.m., Jan. 20 at Pinz Bowling Center in South Lyon to support the rehabilitation and expansion of the ball fields at McHattie Park. This is an ongoing collaboration between Junior League and the

City of South Lyon Parks and Recreation Commission. Both groups hope to have the fields completed in 2012. The cost is $20 per person, and will include pizza, pop, two hours of bowling (including shoes). There will also be 50/50 drawings, as well as door prizes and raffles of gifts.

Lacrosse program

South Lyon offers a club Lacrosse program for 4th-8th graders in the South Lyon Community Schools District. The league is not run by the school district, but rather a group of volunteers made up of parents. Help is always welcome and volunteers are encouraged to join and help out alongside the coaches on the sidelines dur-

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DAHL, DONALD J.

HAYES, EVELYN CLAIRE

Age 80, of South Lyon, passed Dec. 17, 2011. Funeral mass was held Dec. 21, 2011 at St. Joseph Catholic Church. He was laid to rest at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, military honors were rendered. www.casterlinefuneralhome.com

Age 86, December 15, 2011. Funeral was December 19 at O’Brien/Sullivan Funeral Home, Novi. Donations can be made to St. John Hospice.

DEVERS III, DR. WILLIAM J. A long time resident of Highland, passed away in the care of his family December 18, 2011. He was 60 years old. In addition to Deborah, his beloved wife of 38 years, William is survived by his son William J. Devers, IV "Jamie" and daughter Emily Denise Devers; siblings Janet Devers, Paul Devers, Kathryn Smith, Mark (Margaret) Devers, and Ruth (Gary) Swick, also many nieces, nephews extended family, colleagues and dear friends. Funeral Liturgy was held from Church of the Holy Spirit Church, Highland, December 22. Fr. Leo Lulko officiated. Burial All Saints Cemetery, Waterford. Memorials to: Huron Valley Educational Foundation. For further information, please phone Lynch & Sons, Milford at 248.684.6645 or visit: www.LynchFuneralDirectors.com

DILWORTH, MARY L. Age 80, December 15, 2011. Funeral is Dec 22 at the O’Brien/Sullivan Funeral Home, Novi. Donations in Mary's memory can be made to Fr. Solanus Guild 1780 Mt. Elliot Detroit, MI 48207.

EVELETH, PHILLIP E. December 16, 2011, age 72. Beloved husband of Marylou Eveleth for 50 years. Funeral was Dec. 20 at Our Lady of Victory. Donations to Angela Hospice. Online Condolences: obriensullivanfuneralhome.com

KIMBLE, CHARLES E. Age 87, of Milford, peacefully passed away at home on December 12, 2011. Beloved husband of the late Dolores Kimble. Dear father of Margaret "Peggy" (Don) Green; Charles (Cathy) Kimble Jr.; and the late Ronald Kimble. Grandfather of Donald (Kimberly) Green, Christina (Patrick) Hartsig, Melody Green and Alyssa Kimble. Born in Meyersdale, PA, to Charles and Margaret Kimble. A Funeral Service was held at Lynch & Sons Funeral Home, Milford, on December 17, 2011, Fr. Ron Anderson officiated. For more information please phone: 248-684-6645 or visit www.LynchFuneralDirectors.com

KOWALCHUK, STEVE Age 22, of Novi, passed away Dec. 15, 2011. Funeral Service Thursday, Dec.22, 2011 at 11 a.m. at Casterline Funeral Home, Inc. of Northville. In lieu of flowers contributions to: www.davidlawrencecenter.org

MCCALL, MARY CATHERINE December 11, 2011, Age 79. Funeral was Dec. 14 at Christ the King Church, Detroit. Donations can be made to St Vincent DePaul of Christ the King. Condolences obriensullivanfuneralhome.com

STRICKER, MARGUERITE M.

Age 87, Dec. 17, 2011. Beloved wife of Herbert Stricker. Funeral was Dec. 19 at Holy Family Church, Novi. Donations to Alzheimer's Association or Seasons Hospice. Condolences: obriensullivanfuneralhome.com

THEISEN, EDNA THERESE ”E.T.” Dec. 13, 2011, age 84. Funeral was Dec. 17 at Holy Family Church, Novi. Donations to Capuchins, 1820 Mt. Elliott Street, Detroit, MI 48207. Online Condolences: obriensullivanfuneralhome.com

WILSON, DOROTHY A life long resident of Milford Twp. passed away in the care of her family December 14, 2011. She was 94 years old. Survived by her brother Wesley James (Ruth) Wilson and their children Jim (Patty) Wilson, and Don Wilson; and her sister Florine Ruth "Rene" (and the late Jack) Pulliam and their children Tim (Pat) Pulliam, Tom (Janet) Pulliam, Chris (Debbie) Pulliam; also nine great nieces & nephews. Dorothy was preceded in death by her nephews Jerry Wilson and Rob Wilson. Funeral Service was held Saturday, December 17th. Deacon Bob Dryer officiated. Burial St. Mary's Cemetery, Milford. Memorial contributions encouraged to Alzheimer's Association and Odyssey Hospice. For further information, please phone Lynch & Sons, Milford at: 248.684.6645 or visit www.LynchFuneralDirectors.com

ing games and practices. Currently the teams play their home games at Brummer Elementary School, along with practices scheduled during the week. Games and practices are during the week with usually one game per week. The season lasts about two months and at the end of the year teams have the chance to compete in a few tournaments against other players from around the area. If you are interested in signing your child up for the lacrosse league or interested in volunteering opportunities, registration is on Thursday, Jan. 12 at 7 p.m. in the Millennium Middle School cafeteria. For more information, contact Paul Loewer at paul.loewer@sbcglobal.net.

Hovercraft monthly meeting Local Michigan members of the HoverClub of America meet from 7-9 p.m. on the 4th Wednesday of each month at Java House Cafe (25840 Pontiac Trail) in South Lyon to discuss all forms of building, owning and operating these vehicles. Contact Chris Sorgatz at (248) 953-8668 with any questions about the subject or meetings.

Genealogical Society meeting The Livingston County Genealogical Society will meet at 7 p.m., Jan. 5 at Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 1041 Grand River, Howell. The topic of the meeting will be “What Do You Need?” — a help session for members and guests. The meeting is open to the public and free to attend. For more information, call (810) 227-7745.

Members of the South Lyon Special Stars.

Stars conclude another ‘special’ athletic season The South Lyon Special Stars concluded their athletic season by competing in the Special Olympics Bowling Tournament held in November in Waterford. Throughout the year, the Special Stars compete in various events. In February, for example, they competed in snowshoeing. Then in March, swimming was the event. In May, they competed in track and field events, including long jumps, shotput, and running. In the fall, the athletes played soccer — both team and individual events. In each of the competitions, all of the participants received ribbons or medals. “What is most important though is the fact that the Special Stars organization promotes physical, spiritual and emotional growth for persons with intellectual disabilities (ages of 8 through adult),” according to Special Stars volunteer Jackie Sawle. The roster of athletes

this year included Justin Brock, Addy Brown, Rachel Butkovich, Joey Bear, Ann Ferencz, Melissa Goyt, Ashley Herr, Christi Harrah, Martin Hansen, Maverick Hansen, jenny Lawrence, Stephen Lloyd, matt Mosley, Cassandra Knight-Ardito, Leona Knight-Ardito, Christopher Perrin, Chelsey Ramsay, Megan Kotulak, Nathan Raney, Chelsea Richards, Nicole Sawle, Lauren Schooler, Nicole Stewart and Justin Vennix. Coaches include Rose and Kevin Butkovich, Bob and Terry Ramsay, Dave Lloyd, Robin Raney, John Hall and Denise Lawrence. The Special Stars depend on donations from the community so the athletes can participate in the various events without cost to them. The group meets monthly and welcomes new athletes and volunteers. For more information or to donate to the group, please write to: South Lyon Special Stars, P.O. Box 804, South Lyon, MI 48178.

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X-mas at Cross of Christ

Cross of Christ Lutheran Church, 24155 Griswold Road (at Ten Mile Road), will host a candlelight Christmas Eve worship at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Christmas Day worship at 10 a.m. For more information, call (248) 437-8810.

Christmas Eve service

Our Saviour Lutheran, located at 8 Mile and Currie roads in Salem Township, will be having a candlelight service Saturday, Christmas Eve, at 6 p.m. All are welcome and invited to join the congregation for praise, thanksgiving, and worship. For more information, call the church at (248) 374-2268.

Christmas service

First United Methodist Church, 640 S. Lafayette in South Lyon, will host Christmas Eve worship services at 4 p.m., 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. Christmas Day service will be held at 10 a.m.

Shepherd’s Way schedule

Holidays at Fellowship

Shepherd’s Way Lutheran Church, an ELCA mission congregation located at 304 N. Lafayette , South Lyon (in Lafayette Plaza), will celebrate “Christmas Eve Eve” — an alternative to Christmas Eve — at 7:30 p.m., Friday, Dec. 23. The Nativity will be celebrated at 9:10 a.m., Dec. 25 with carols and communion. For more information, call (248) 887-8060 or (810) 229-0217.

Fellowship Evangelical Presbyterian Church, 22200 Pontiac Trail (south of Nine Mile Road) holds Sunday morning worship service is at 9:30 a.m. Their advent sermon series is “Home for the Holidays”. The Christmas Eve candlelight service is at 7 p.m. For more information, contact the church at (248) 437-2222 or visit www.fellowshipepc.org for information on all programs offered at the church.

Food bank

Cross of Christ preschool

Family Life Community Church’s Compassionate Care of South Lyon serves the community by giving food to those in need. It is by appointment only. If you are in need, please contact Rainell Nordquist at (734) 645-4801. Family Life Community Church is located at 62345 W. 8 Mile Road.

Cross of Christ Christian Preschool (corner of Ten Mile and Griswold roads) has a few openings for three and four year olds. The preschool features Christian learning environment and low tuition rates. For more information, call (248) 437-0871 or (248) 4378810.

Milford

GET IT LISTED To get your church news and events listed in the Herald, email information to Editor Kurt Kuban at kkuban@hometownlife.com.

First Presbyterian Church First Presbyterian Church, 205 E. Lake St. (corner of Wells and 10 Mile Road), South Lyon hosts Sunday service at 10 a.m.. Sunday school and Bible study take place 11:30 a.m. (September–May), and is for all ages — children to adult.

Scrapbooking/hobby nights First Presbyterian Church in South Lyon hosts Scrapbooking, Etc and Hobby Nights. Scrapbooking, Etc is held once monthly — usually the second Saturday of the month from 10

a.m.-5 p.m. Hobby Night is held once monthly — usually the second Monday of the month from 7-10 p.m. For more information, contact the church office at (248) 437-2875.

Suicide support group

New Hope Center for Grief Support is offering an ongoing support group for those who have lost a loved one to suicide. This monthly group meets from 7-8:30 p.m. on the first and third Thursday of each month, at the First United Methodist Church in Northville located at 777 W. Eight Mile Road. No registration is necessary for this monthly drop-in support group. For more information about this group or about the many other free, age and loss specific groups offered for children, teens, and adults, please call New Hope Center for Grief Support at (248) 348-0115 and visit www.newhopecenter.net.

Worship

Your Invitation to Brighton

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CHURCH EVENTS

Hometown Weeklies | Thursday, December 22, 2011

Novi

Highland

South Lyon

Livonia

New Hudson

Plymouth

Northville

O E 08 75 2 18 6

Wixom

For Information regarding this Directory, please call Donna Hart at 248-437-2011, Ext. 247 or e-mail: dhart@dnps.com

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LOCAL NEWS

PETS

Continued from page A2

Pet owners and friends and families of pet owners use the holidays as good time to immortalize their furry friends. Well-known pet photographer Jill Andra Young, in Plymouth, can attest to that. More than two months ago, Young began photographing families and their pets for holiday cards, portraits, even key chains, holiday ornaments, jewelry and magnets. Young’s pet photographs are of archival quality that can endure the strain of time for at least 100 years. Pet photographs are great gifts from friends and relatives. “Their loved ones understand how much they love their pet,” Young said. ”People are ecstatic when they receive these gifts.”

Loving care

December is also the time when pet owners want their pets clean and groomed ready for the holidays. Doggy Do’s Pet Grooming in New Hudson and Aussie Pet Mobile specialize in sprucing up your pet in time for holiday guests. The schedule at Doggy Do’s is fast filling up, but owners Joyce and Kenneth Somero will be open on Christmas Eve to accommodate all of the requests. If your pet is a large pooch or a breed, such as one of the doodles, Doggy Do’s is the right place. The Someros specialize in hand scissor cuts that allow a good trim and style for longer hair. When all is done, you pup will be topped off with a fancy bow or a col-

BILL BRESLER STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Henri, and Henri’s jewelry. Jill Andra Young’s Penniman Avenue photo studio offers a wide choice of pet-related gifts. This custom photo jewelry features your pet’s portrait. Jill can make your pet’s portrait or you can bring your own photo. Photo jewelry can be ordered up to Dec. 17 for Christmas delivery.

orful bandana, and freshened with a cologne sold in New York, Paris and London. That panic of what to do with your pet as your schedule gets busier, or if you leave town is a constant worry for pet owners during the holidays. That’s when Cheryl Hixson of Check

on the Dog LLC and Backdoor Friends Cat Hotel can come in handy. Hixson is a professional pet sitter who visits your house according to your needs to let your pooch out, feed and walk him and her, and who leaves a daily sheet of the visit on your kitchen counter ready for you to come home. Cats are included. She will make sure they are doing fine, have water and food, and some hugs. “I take care of anything that has four legs, fur and a bladder.” Licensed, bonded and insured Hixson takes pet sitting a step further. If you want, she will photograph your pets and send the photo immediately to your cell phone or computer with a date and time stamp so you can see your pet. The cat hotel at Backdoor Friends offers pet owners a number of choices: the Victorian Parlor, providing cats with a birds-eye view of the retail area; the Presidential Suite, which offers two rooms to relax and dine; and the Senior Resort that boasts a ramp leading to sleeping quarters. The importance of pets has grown over the decades, creating a perfect opening for pet product retailers, whether big box stores or small independent shops. The billions of dollars spent on pets doesn’t surprise photographer Young in the least. She opened her studio in 1989 just as the role of family dogs and cats began to change. “It’s amazing how everyone understands the bond. They have everything for pets now. It’s kind of fabulous!” Young added.

Hometown Weeklies | Thursday, December 22, 2011

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Huro n V alle y S tate Bank 130 S .M ilford Rd , M ilford 248 -68 4-9626 2920 E.Hig hla n d Rd , Hig hla n d 248-887 -9 9 00 w w w .hv sb.co m Ind e pe nd e nce V illag e o f W hite L ake 935 Un ion La k e Rd . W hite La k e 248-36 0-7 235 w w w .se nio rv illag e s.co m Drs. Je ffe ry & S te phanie Jag hab, D.D.S . 416 S ou th M a in S tre e t (Northville Rd .) Northville 248-349 -27 50 w w w .jag hab.co m K e lly & K e lly, P.C . 422 Ea s t M a in S t. Dow n tow n Northville 248-348-049 6 w w w .K e llyK e llyL aw .co m L arso n Je w e lry De sig n 43155 M a in S t. S u ite 304 Novi 248-347 -46 53 larso nje w e lry@ ao l.co m M cN abb C arpe t 31250 S .M ilford Rd .(North ofI-96) M ilford 248-437 -8146 w w w .d e m cnabb.co m M ichig an Re habilitatio n S pe cialists 25700 Pon tia c Tra il S ou th Lyon 248-446 -2801 w w w .m rspt.co m M ilfo rd F am ily Practice 1265 North M ilford Rd . M ilford 248-6 85-36 00 w w w .m ilfo rd fam ilypractice .co m M ilfo rd S av -M o rPharm acy 1191 North M ilford Rd . M ilford 248-6 85-836 3 w w w .sav -m o r.co m N o rm ’s T o tal Auto m o tiv e 115 W e s t La k e S t.(10 M ile ) S ou th Lyon 248-437 -2086 Your Full S er vice Auto Repair C enter N o rthv ille C o llisio n 700 Dohe n y Drive Northville 248-349 -109 0 w w w .no rthv ille co llisio n.co m

Pets reveal Christmas wish list Dear Santa:

Hi. We are eagerly awaiting your arrival at our house this year. Me — the dog — and my feline friends are beyond excited and have tried really hard not to destroy any of the holiday decorations. We were just talking the other day how you had a tight squeeze coming down our chimney last year. But that’s why we ate your cookies and drank the milk that was left for you. We thought we would help you stay healthy! If it makes you feel any better, I did get blamed for all the cookie crumbs on the carpet. Speaking for all of my canine and feline buddies, I have to say sometimes we feel a little left out when you visit. It’s great that you think of our human family. The kids always have a really long list that is fun to yank on and tear up a bit. But, we would be very happy if you could consider us — the pets in our human families’ lives this year. For starters, us dogs and cats are really hoping for two very important gifts that you can share around the world. Here they are: Gift No. 1: Please make sure that all the pets that need good homes get them. We know a whole lot of very lonely pets and other outdoor-kind-of-animals that don’t have very good lives. I, for one, would give up a chewy bone every week if you could make this happen. Gift No. 2: Please put a giant lump of coal in the stockings of all the people around the world who neglect, hurt or even do worse things to pets. It’s just not fair. Us four-legged creatures have lots of feelings, just like humans. All we really want is to be safe, healthy, cared for and loved. Is that too much to ask? Now, me and my furry friends wouldn’t mind if you might throw in a few toys for us. The cats like that catnip stuff and I like a good squeaky toy and cookies. Oh, hold on … the cats are hissing because I didn’t include a new soft and stuffy bed for them. Well, while we are going on … I could use a new winter jacket and a good sturdy leash because I walk faster than anyone in this family! Well, I think that’s it. Have a good holiday. And please don’t forget us. Happy sleigh travels. Signed, Leo and my feline friends — Sweet Pea, Benjamin and Princess

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Pre se rv atio n De ntal Dr.W illia m De m ra y 371 Ea s t M a in S t. Dow n tow n Northville 248-348-1313 w w w .pre se rv atio nd e ntal.co m S unny Po inte C hild C are C e nte r 19149 F r y Rd .(a t 7 M ile , e a s t ofRock y’s ) Northville 248-347 -6 57 6 w w w .sunnypo inte .co m T e lco m C re d itUnio n 22245 Ha g g e rty Roa d – Novi 44575 W .12 M ile Roa d – Novi 219 85 Po ntiac T rail – S o uth L yo n 248.7 35.9 500 w w w .te lco m cu.co m Dr. L aurie Jayne T o o m ajanian DDS & Asso ciate s 201 Ea s t M a in S t., S u ite B Northville 248-348-6 7 80 w w w .sm ile no rthv ille .co m T he V illag e F lo rist 401 North M a in Dow n tow n M ilford 248-6 85-9 012 w w w .m ilfo rd v illag e flo rist.co m V illag e Party T im e 303 S ou th M a in S t. M ilford 248-6 84-89 6 5 All Your Holid ay Party N eed s W alke r’s S e rv ice , Inc. 402 Don ova n S ou th Lyon 248-437 -6 233 w w w .w alke rsauto clinic.co m

PAGE A10 . (SL) THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2011 HOMETOWN WEEKLIES HOMETOWNLIFE.COM

COMMUNITY VOICE

OUR VIEWS

Setting the example City, school district agreement should be model for state

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder last week signed a package of bills that aim to make it easier for local governments to consolidate services. Since he was elected, Snyder has made it one of his goals to help reduce the cost of government by encouraging local municipalities and other governmental agencies to combine services when they are redundant. In fact, former Gov. Jennifer Granholm also touted such a plan of action. W h i le, on paper, it makes perfect sense for neighboring communities to combine let’s say police and fire services to reduce costs, there have been few instances where local governments have actually followed through with such plans. In many cases residents have balked when it comes down to time to actually do something, because of the fear of losing local control. The governor signed the six bills — all sponsored by the governor’s Republican colleagues — he feels will make it easier to get the ball rolling. The bills, among other things, do the following: • Lift the requirement of maintaining prior labor contracts, staff seniority levels and benefit packages. • Authorize municipalities and public entities to enter into contracts to provide common services, define what a shared service contract can or cannot contain, exclude shared service contracts from being subject to a local referendum under a charter or ordinance and sets guidelines for funding joint ventures. • A mends the P ubl ic Employ ment Relations Act (PERA) to prohibit bargaining of agreements that limit a public employer’s ability to enter into an intergovernmental agreement. T he gover nor h a s a lso s a id st ate shared revenue will be tied to how local municipalities consolidate services. So if Lansing isn’t sufficiently satisfied with local efforts, state money will be withheld making it even more difficult for local municipalities to pay their bills. Perhaps state lawmakers should make a visit to South Lyon, where the city and the school district just signed a 99-year lease to continue one of the best examples of government consolidation around — one dating back to 1996. That’s when the City of South Lyon and South Lyon Community Schools built a joint administrative building, which is located on Warren Street. The two public entities both have their administration under one roof, share public meeting space, and shared building/ grounds maintenance. Under this arrangement, the city and district have been saving money for 15 years in a way that Gov. Snyder is promoting. “This building saves the taxpayers a ton,” explai ned South Lyon Clerk / Treasurer Julie Zemke. “It’s a shame it’s so unique, because it seems like a very logical thing to do,” said James Graham, the school district’s assistant superintendent for business and finance. “To my knowledge it’s the only administration building in the state shared between a school district and a municipality.” Yes, Zemke and Graham are tooting their own horns. In this case, however, it’s too bad they can’t toot them a little louder. Maybe state lawmakers could hear it all the way up in Lansing, where they are trying to force consolidation down the throats of local municipalities. Perhaps they could tout examples such as the one in South Lyon — where taxpayers are saving money because of a voluntary agreement — to convince others to follow suit. In the meantime, our local government leaders deserve some kudos for crafting such an agreement on their own.

Kurt Kuban,

Community Editor

Susan Rosiek,

Executive Editor

Our fundamental purposes are to enhance the lives of our readers, nurture the hometowns we serve and contribute to the business success of our customers.

Grace Perry, Director of Advertising

What is your all-time favorite Christmas? We asked this question at the Salem-South Lyon District Library.

“Having my kids home.”

Dale Bache South Lyon

“Working at a Soup Kitchen on Christmas Day.”

“I got a trip to New York City.”

Pam Baker

Lindita Gega South Lyon

“One Christmas we all went to Florida.”

Bob McBride South Lyon

White Lake Township

LETTERS

Speed limit needs change

As a resident of South Lyon and someone who lives in the central area of the city I have been concerned about the speed of traffic along 10 Mile Road, particularly to the west of downtown. I find it very difficult to exit onto 10 Mile Road from the various side streets. Folks are clearly driving faster than 35 m.p.h. And even at 35 m.p.h. it is clearly dangerous to pedestrians and local traffic. As most folks are aware the speed limit in this area was changed from 25 to 35 reportedly based upon the 2006 amendments to the state’s traffic laws. The amended Michigan Vehicle Code, Act 300 of 1949 Section 257.627 outlines the requirements for determining speed limits. This provision was used to justify adjusting the speed limit along 10 Mile Road for the section or roadway in question. The law states that the speed limit shall be: “25 miles per hour on a highway segment with 60 or more vehicular access points within 1/2 mile. (Vehicular access points are driveways or an intersecting roadway).” I took the liberty to count the access points using Google Earth. I counted approximately 54 access points starting at Hagadorn and heading east to just before Reese Street. This does not include the dense usage within the city center and the already established 25 m.p.h. speed limit there. If you exclude that area and extend the area by an equivalent amount, you exceed 60 points. Clearly it could easily be argued that the stretch of road from Gibson Street on the west to the railroad on the east would meet the criteria for a 25 m.p.h. speed limit. As a person who works with regulations, I know that there are often situations where conditions do not exactly meet the law as written and the state must exercise a reasonable level of flexibility. Clearly this is such a case. I also suggest you ask yourself this question: would you be OK ingesting 54 parts lead when 60 parts lead is unsafe and causes health problems? I wouldn’t. Furthermore, there is a school within 1,000 feet of this area. And students cross 10 Mile Road in an area without a traffic light. Section 257.628 of the traffic code states that the school superintendent can determine a safe speed limit: “If a superintendent of a school district determines that the speed of vehicular traffic on a state trunk line or county highway, which is within 1,000 feet of a school in the school district of which that person is the superintendent, is greater or less than is reasonable or safe, the officials identified in subsection (1) or (2), as appropriate, shall include the superintendent of the school district affected in acting jointly in determining and declaring a reasonable and safe maximum or minimum speed limit on that state trunk line or county highway.” What was our superintendent thinking, or maybe the school board was not informed?

WHAT DO YOU THINK? We welcome your Letter to the Editor. Please include your name, address and phone number for verification. We ask your letters be 400 words or less. We may edit for clarity, space and content. Submit letters via the following formats. E-mail: kkuban@hometownlife.com. Read or comment online: www.hometownlife.com Deadline: Letters must be received by 10 a.m. Monday to be published in the Thursday edition. Blog: You may also let your opinions be heard with your own blog at www. hometownlife.com.

All I can say is what the heck is going on here? Why didn’t the leaders of this town examine this issue before rolling over and letting the limit be increased to 35 m.p.h.? Do they have the citizens in mind or was this a business decision? We need to join together and ﬁgure out a way to get the speed limit lowered back to where it belongs, 25 m.p.h. Let’s keep this city safe. Steve Hoin South Lyon

Cool Yule success

There are so many people to thank for the outstanding 2011 South Lyon Cool Yule. Thank you to the Cool Yule Committee for taking care of the details: Claudia DeGrazia, Hugh Irwin, Lorraine Salins, Scott Smith, Dorothy Tennant and Diane Wynings. Special thanks to committee member Sandy Stewart, who (as usual) went over and above the call of duty to make sure this event was a success. Thanks as well to the South Lyon Area Historical Society for sponsoring all the events at the Historic Village, the Chamber of Commerce for sponsoring the parade, Kiwanis of South Lyon for donating the tree, Kim Roth for helping to get the word out, Laura Hogan and the other talented musicians who performed in the chapel, the librarians who read stories in the schoolhouse, the docents who made sure the buildings were open, the South Lyon DPW — in particular Troy Dehoff and Bob Cavitt, Chief Lloyd Collins and the South Lyon Police Department, Chief Mike Kennedy and the South Lyon Fire Department, South Lyon Cycle for hosting Santa and his reindeer, Rebecca Connell and Hugh Irwin for help with staging the parade and all those Girl Scouts (over 100), and the Northville Rotary Club. Thank you to Randy and Alex Clark for organizing a food drive for Active Faith. Thank you to Mayor Tedd Wallace for emceeing the tree lighting ceremony. The South Lyon Herald provided excellent coverage of the event — we appreciate your support, Kurt Kuban, Diane Andreassi and Kelley Albrant. We would also like to thank the many businesses and organizations who participated in the parade: The American Legion Color Guard, Grand Marshall Lee Claire (get well soon!) and his family, South Lyon Area Girl Scouts, Rockford

Chimney, Richard Badarak and St. Joseph Catholic Church, The Masonic Lodge, South Lyon High School Dance Company, Victory Lane, Duncan Disposal, South Lyon Cycle, Kroger, Bob Martin (Bob, you are awesome!), Kroger, Huron Valley Ambulance and last, but certainly not least, Santa Claus. We’ll be back next year with an even bigger and better event for the South Lyon area community. Kim Thompson Chamber of Commerce for the South Lyon Area Kristen Delaney City of South Lyon

Catholics have options

My heart goes out to Karen Weber who is saddened by Catholic church closings (letters, Dec. 8). From the tone of her letter, she is a gentle soul, and cares deeply about the closings since she was so motivated to write. Nowadays, we Catholics no longer are limited to “pray, pay and obey.” About 15 years ago, a previous cardinal announced via TV that 56 parishes would be closed. The Detroit Catholic Pastoral Alliance expanded its membership. Parishioners from all over Detroit and suburbs organized to protest. We held demonstrations at the cardinal’s home on Boston Boulevard and everywhere he went. Meetings and rallies were held across the metro area; the result was about 30 parishes were saved. At the beginning of 2011 Vicariates (regional districts) were directed to meet. After long and serious deliberations, the priests and parishioners came up with plans on how they could help one another. These plans were submitted to the Archdiocese. These plans have been disregarded by the local hierarchy. The archdiocese claims there is a shortage of priests. There is no shortage of priests or vocations. If the hierarchy accepts Anglican married priests with children, why doesn’t it accept Catholic ordained priests who left to marry and have families? Many women have prayerfully announced their calling to the priesthood. Currently, there are women who have completed the required studies for the priesthood, have been ordained by bishops, although, they are not acknowledged by the Vatican. Theologians state that there is nothing in scripture to prohibit women from the priesthood. The early Christian church had women priests and bishops. Some of the early church leaders were misogynistic, they resented the women. In the Middle Ages, abbesses had great inﬂuence and were leaders of large convents. No, Karen, we Catholics need not accept the closing of our churches that we have supported for decades. We will speak up. You may consider joining the Detroit Catholic Pastoral Alliance of priests, sisters and lay people: (313) 922-1435. We’ll make our voices heard for justice and fairness just as Jesus would want us to. Delphine Palkowski South Lyon

online at hometownlife.com

LOCAL NEWS

Hometown Weeklies | Thursday, December 22, 2011

(SL) A11

Survey: Salem residents concerned about roads, police presence By Diane Gale Andreassi Staff Writer

Road maintenance and the ease of finding information on the township website were among the lowest rated services identified by Salem Township residents who responded to a township wide survey. On the other hand, courtesy at township hall and fire protection were the top rated services identified. Two survey distributions, one in October and another in November, went out to 2,542 homes and businesses and garnered 958 responses, which accounts for a 38 percent response rate — more than the 25 to 35 percent response expected from township officials. “Ultimately, it was the residents and businesses who really came through in a big way and they should be congratulated,” explained Salem Trustee Wayne Wallazy, who headed the survey committee. “It speaks volumes on how much they care about their community.” The clarity of the township newsletter and the ease of reaching the appropriate person at town hall were among other top rated services in the community. Timeliness of online information posted on the township website and relevance of the online information found on the website were among the lowest rated. Fire and police services, as well as gravel road improvements and road repavement projects were identified by the majority of respondents as their highest funding priorities. Most

respondents were against building a new town hall and constructing additions to town hall. They were also not in favor of spending money on roundabouts and installing additional traffic lights. Even though road maintenance is a county responsibility the township has paid around $200,000 annually for improvements. “Will the board look at this survey and allocate more funding?,” Wallazy said. “Roads were a big issue.” Salem’s rural character and the fact that Salem doesn’t levy local taxes were identified as the community’s best attributes. Respondents also want to see an increase in police presence. Work sessions to address survey results will begin in January, Wallazy said. The committee began working on developing the questions last January and spent $9,000 for Cobalt Research to conduct the survey. “I’m very encouraged the board wants to move forward on this,” said Wallazy, who also serves on the Salem Planning Commission. “I’m hopeful the survey will help direct the planning commission.” Survey committee members include Sharon Bell, Mary Cowmeadow, Jan Griffiths, JoAnn Heyl, Greg Timmons, Trustee Marcia VanFossen and Wallazy. “This is a true voice of the residents of Salem Township and it will give the board of trustees a solid direction,” Wallazy said. dandreassi@hometownlife.com | (248) 437-2011, ext. 262

Doris Planke, Fred and Marge Thomas, and Wilma and Norm Sieb were among the more than 350 seniors who attended the Kiwanis Club’s annual holiday dinner.

Seniors turn out for annual Kiwanis dinner Nobody likes to pass up a free meal and some good company. That was certainly the case last week when more than 350 local seniors showed up for the Kiwanis Club’s 60th annual holiday dinner for seniors. Held Dec. 12 at South Lyon High School, the event featured a free meal — prepared by local Kiwanians and their friends and then served by with the help of high school Key Club members and local Girl Scouts. After a brief opening ceremony that is typical of all Kiwanis gatherings, the seniors enjoyed a meal of turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, mixed vegetables, cole slaw, plus several varieties of cake for dessert. Following dinner, seniors relaxed to the sweet sounds of musical harmony provided by the barbershop quartet Sharp Attack, whose members hail from South Lyon, Brighton and Milan. Floral prizes were awarded to seniors who lived for the longest time in the South Lyon-Lyon Township area, had been married for the longest time, married for the shortest time, had the most grandchildren, and was the oldest in attendance. “The evening was filled with fun, fellowship and the spirit of the holiday season. By the smiles of everyone’s face as the event came to a close, it was very apparent that a good time was had by all,” said Rich Sobota, a Kiwanis member.

Bri B rin ng g in the the N New ew Y Yearw ear w it th h us! us!

Kiwanis members Dennis Moline, Phil Weipert, Rich Sobota and Abe Ayoub pose with Norm and Wilma Sieb (center) at the annual holiday dinner. The Siebs said they had purchased the last Christmas tree from the Kiwanis Club. The dinner is funded by the annual tree sales in McHattie Park.

KURT KUBAN, EDITOR kkuban@hometownlife.com (248) 437-2011, EXT. 245 FACEBOOK: HOMETOWNLIFE.COM

A12 . (SL) THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2011 HOMETOWN WEEKLIES HOMETOWNLIFE.COM

Pride in the Mitten

SANTA’S WORKSHOP Business Name: Santa’s Workshop Business Address: The North Pole Your name: Howard DeElf Number of Employees: Seasonal Hours of operation: 24/7 (there’s no other way to keep up with demand) Your Business Specialty: Making millions of toys for girls and boys.

YesMichiCan offers cool, Michigan-centric gift ideas

By Diane Gale Andreassi Staff Writer

If you’ve got a student out of town, a family member in the military or you just want to spread state pride, Lyon Township resident Lisa Burnia’s company, YesMichiCAN might have just what you want. “Don’t Mess with the Mitten” T-shirts, hoodies and auto air fresheners could be just the right gift for out of town guests, Michiganders who had to leave their beloved state and Michigander wantabes. “We want to show our pride in Michigan,” Burnia said. “We grew-up here and we want our kids to stay here.” Merchandise can be found at independent retailers throughout Michigan, or ordered online and shipped. A portion of all proceeds are donated to Bridgepionte, a Michigan-based charity that helps families throughout the state. The Northville-based company uses all local vendors, including Tshirts from Border Bros. in Plymouth, screen printing at the Identity Source in Novi and layout by Pryor Design in Ann Arbor. The company was founded in 2009 by lifelong friends, Terri O’Brien, of Northville, and Burnia. “We’ve been friends since we were 12 and ever since the auto bailouts and learning about friends who were losing

Elves dedicated to children’s happiness HAL GOULD | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Lyon Township resident Lisa Burnia, co-owner of YesMichiCAN, shows off “Don’t Mess with the Mitten” T-shirts and hoodies.

their jobs, we wanted to do something to help,” Burnia said. Their slogan is, “We can’t do everything but we can do something to help neighbors, family and friends,” Burnia said. The merchandise can be found at independent retailers throughout Michigan or ordered online and shipped directly to college students,

military personnel and Michigan natives who have moved out of state. To learn more about the products call O’Brien or Burnia at (248) 347-4350 or visit www.yesmichican.com. Look for new YesMichiCAN products, including baseball caps, in 2012. dandreassi@hometownlife.com (248) 437-2011, ext. 262

Herald: Tell us about your business, including the types of services and/or products you feature? Howard DeElf: Our business is making children happy, and what business could possibly be better? We do this in concert with Santa, matching toys, games, electronic devices, dolls and all other manner of enjoyment for children of all ages around the world with his famous “list.” We do this only after, of course, he checks it twice for those who’ve been naughty or nice. (Quite frankly, though, he’s pretty lenient). Herald: How did you first decide to get into the business? Howard DeElf: Well, my brother Hermey actually got me interested in being one of Santa’s elves. He was really dedicated to the craft, until his interest in dentistry was piqued. When he was promoted to Santa’s dentist, some of the other elves approached me about following in his footsteps. I’ve always been good with my hands, and I thought making toys for the good little girls and boys around the world would be a way for me to give something back. Herald: Why did you choose Santa’s Workshop at the North Pole? Howard DeElf: Well, when you’re an elf, and you want to make toys, where else are you gonna go? Toys R Us? Santa’s Workshop is the major leagues of the toy-making world. Every elf who starts off whittling wooden dolls in his garage dreams of one day making it to the Big Time. Herald: What makes your business unique? Howard DeElf:

Well, ﬁrst of all there aren’t all that many businesses where your soul purpose is making children happy. That’s unique in itself. But the way it all comes together, from the way all the elves work together to how Mrs. Claus fattens Santa up for the season to the reindeer using their annual reindeer games to train for that one big night, is really impressive, if I do say so myself. Of course, you get the occasional reindeer laughed at and called names, or the stray elf who gets ridiculed for his career choices, but all in all, we’re a huge, cohesive team striving to make that one holiday a year the merriest of all. Herald: How has it changed since it opened? Howard DeElf: The overall business hasn’t changed in generations. It’s still all about the kids. It’s the kids who’ve changed. Where a child may have wanted a Chatty Cathy doll or a Matchbox car years ago, now they all want the high-tech stuff. Computers, radios, cameras, video games, “smart” phones ... it seems like if

there’s an “i” in front of it, the kids want it these days. Steve Jobs really made this work a lot harder. Herald: How has the recent economy affected your business? Howard DeElf: The economy hasn’t affected the business from our end; we still get so much work we’re never sure how we’re going to get it all done, though in the end we do. The economy has changed it for the people we serve, though, making it tougher for their parents to provide for them. Herald: Do you have an amusing anecdote to share? Howard DeElf: Well, there was the time I had an appointment with Hermey, and he gave me too much novocaine. When I went back to the line, my mouth was still numb, and the other elves had trouble understanding me. That was the year we had a whole shift’s worth of Barbie dolls that ended up with Ken heads. Herald: Any advice for other business owners? Howard DeElf: Be true to yourself, be true to your customers and learn as much about every aspect of the business as you can. And don’t let them tell you you’re too small, or too slow or your nose glows too brightly to do the job. And learn how to use social networking. You wouldn’t believe how many Letters to Santa he gets e-mailed now. Herald: What’s in store for the future of your business? Howard DeElf: We will continue to grow, continue to adapt to the changes in the world and continue to make as many children as happy as possible.

SOUTH LYON AREA BUSINESS NEWS Driving school Around Town Driving School has gift certificates available, which can be used for any 2012 drivers education. The following are upcoming dates for drivers education: • Segment I is scheduled to begin Jan. 9. Classes are Monday-Thursday for three weeks from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Cost of class is $289. Call (248) 437-4833 for registration, or register at www.aroundtownds.com.

Warming tree at Brostrom

Brostrom Physical Therapy, located at 22180 Pontiac Trail, Suite E, South Lyon (south of 9 Mile on the east side of Pontiac Trail), is holding it second annual “Warming Tree” collection. The business is collecting items to keep people warm (hats, gloves, scarves, blankets, etc.). They have placed a Christmas

tree in their lobby for people to drop off items. At the end of December, the items will be donated to Active Faith. For more information, contact Brostrom at (248) 446-0155.

Resale Shoppe fundraiser

The South Lyon Resale Shoppe, 120 East Lake Street in downtown South Lyon, has set up an account for the South Lyon Soccer Club. All you have to do is drop off the items and say, “This is for the SLFC.” This will be an ongoing program — donate all year. Currently the Resale Shop is accepting winter clothes. They also accept clothing for women, men and children, books, toys, household items, etc. South Lyon Resale Shoppe requires that all items taken in for consignment be in excellent condition. For more information, call (248) 4375055.

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Hometown Weeklies | Thursday, December 22, 2011

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Hometown Weeklies | Thursday, December 22, 2011

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INSIDE: EAST BOYS BASKETBALL TEAM HAMPERED BY INJURIES — B2 SECTION B . (SL) THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2011 HOMETOWN WEEKLIES HOMETOWNLIFE.COM

SPORTS

SLU hockey knocks off Chiefs, 5-3 Senior Collin Tittle had four assist, junior Cam Thomas scored two goals, senior Jake Taiariol added a goal and an assist, and senior Jared Vincek had two assist to lead the visiting South Lyon Unified hockey team to a 5-3 victory over the Canton Chiefs last Wednesday night. Senior goalie Louis Carnevale came off the bench to relieve injured starter sophomore Aaron Callan, turning aside 17 of the 20 shots he faced for the victory. South Lyon outshot the Chiefs 2924 for the game, but were outshot 9-4 in the final stanza as Canton closed the scoring to one goal but could not net the equalizer. Unlike most of the season where the varsity team found itself down early, South Lyon led after the first period, outscoring Canton 4-2. South Lyon’s first goal came from senior Juho-Petteri Maki-Lohiluoma as he picked up a shot from senior Jeff Gunn in the corner and stick handled to the slot to open the scoring. Later in the period on the powerplay, South Lyon increased the lead to two when Thomas scored on a nifty give-and-go with Taiariol, with the second assist going to Tittle. Just 29 seconds later, with Canton trying to get build some momentum, Tittle moved the puck up the left wing board to Vincek who skated into the offensive zone on a two on one. He flipped a pass over the sprawling defenseman to Taiariol who one timed it waist high to take commanding 3-0 lead. The Chiefs closed the gap quickly, scoring two goals in less then two minutes to get back in the game. South Lyon responded before the period would end on a back-hand goal from senior forward Matt Burton with senior Jake Telep and Tittle assisting on the play. The second period came and went without any scoring. South Lyon had numerous powerplay opportunities to pad their lead, with two 5on-3 advantages added to the mix. Canton was called for five minor penalties in the frame, and while South Lyon peppered 14 shots, none of them crossed the goal line. Early in the third period South Lyon found itself in penalty trouble, even though it killed off the first infraction, a powerplay goal by Canton made it a one-goal game with exactly eight minutes left with a shot from the point. Canton increased the pressure to force a deadlock with much of the play in front of goalie Carnevale. With the time of the third period dwindling down, the Chiefs pulled their goalie for an extra attacker. Tittle stripped the puck from a Chief forward and cleared the defensive zone. Vincek forced a turnover in the Chiefs zone and passed the puck to Thomas who clinched the game with an empty net tally. With the win, South Lyon improves to 6-4-1, 2-3 in the KLAA.

Cougar girls reach 5-1 with big wins By Jeff Theisen Sports Writer

South Lyon East girls were challenged with back-to-back games last week and passed with flying colors. The Cougars laid the wood to Milan before turning around and winning by nine in a KLAA crossover game against Churchill.

East 71, Milan 23

PHOTOS BY HAL GOULD | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

South Lyon’s Ashley Ignace puts up a shot against Chelsea.

Lion girls claim pair of victories

South Lyon’s Cam Thomas controls the puck against Rochester.

Please see GIRLS, B2

jtheisen@gannett.com | (248) 437-2011, ext. 228

South Lyon shot right back to .500 with a pair of wins last week against Livonia Franklin and Wayne. The Lions were able to match solid games at both ends of the floor, putting a solid offense to go with the usual focus on defense.

South Lyon 44, Franklin 12

The Lions had their best offensive game of the young season, hitting five of nine three-pointers and 20 of 30 free throws. “Our team was much more aggressive attacking the basket in the set offense and in transition, which gave us free throw opportunities and chances to kick out to our shooters,” said Thomas. “The intensity we played with on defense really made its way to the offensive side of the floor. “I especially have to give credit to Jessica Mehr and Gabrielle Williams for contain-

East 43, Livonia Churchill 34

ing Wayne’s two best players throughout the majority of the game. Jessica usually has to guard a player inside, but we needed her to defend Wayne’s point guard and she really set the tone to frustrate their team as they tried to get the offense going.” The Lions managed to break out to a 3219 halftime lead thanks to six points in the final minute of the second quarter and basically played even with the Zebras in the second half to head into the break on a two-game winning streak. Slavik had a monster night with 20 points, four rebounds, four steals and

Sports Writer

The Lions took control early, holding a 10-3 lead by the end of the first. South Lyon stayed on the gas pedal with a 14-7 edge in the second for a 24-10 lead at the half. “Our defensive pressure was very good throughout the entire game, which led to some easy scores off steals and good passes ahead, especially in the third quarter,” said coach Erica Thomas. “Since it was the first opportunity to play in our league with conference crossovers last week, we hoped to represent our division well.” The Lions allowed just two points in the second half to turn the game into a route. South Lyon controlled the boards, holding a 47-22 rebounding advantage. Jessica Mehr led the way with 11 points and eight rebounds. Gabby Williams had about the same night with 10 points, eight rebounds and four steals. Ashley Ignace scored five, and Emily Slavik scored four, snagged four rebounds, dished out six assists and had seven steals.

The Cougars were fresh off its first loss of the year and took out their frustrations with a hammering against Milan on Dec. 15. East jumped out to a 16-8 lead by the end of the first with six Cougars contributing to the scorebook. East continued to get balanced scoring with seven players contributing in the second quarter en route to a 36-13 halftime lead. Any chance of a letdown in the second half was quickly put to rest with a 15-4 advantage in the third and closed out with a 20-6 fourth-quarter edge. “We came out with great energy and were able to capitalize on Milan’s turnovers,” said coach Rob Leadley. “I enjoyed the way the girls shared the ball and how they maintained a high quality of play, even with a big lead.” Taylor Jones led the offense with 16 points, followed by 13 from Willow Cohn and nine each from Sydney Jones and Erica Meissner. The Cougars shared the ball well, with an all-time high of 22 assists for the team led by Taylor Jones (5), Rachel Jankowiak (4), Willow Cohn (4) and Erica Meissner (4). The Cougars also dominated the boards, with Solana Gillis grabbing 12 rebounds and Willow Cohn pulling down seven.

With little time to rest, the Cougars were back on the floor the next night but came through once again. East jumped out to an 11-4 lead and finished the quarter with a Meissner three-pointer for a 14-6 advantage heading into the second. The Chargers went on an early run to get within a point, but Taylor Jones put in eight straight for East to maintain a 22-17 lead at the half. Churchill changed up its defense in the second quarter and trimmed the lead to two before a Gabi Bird bucket pushed the lead to 30-26 heading into the fourth. The Chargers managed to tie the game at 30 with six minutes to play. From there, it was all Cougars, running off a 13-4 streak to close out the win thanks to 7for-8 free-throw shooting in the fourth. The Cougars went 18-for20 at the line for the game. Taylor Jones again led the offense with 12 points, followed by 10 from Cohn, eight from Bird and seven from Sydney Jones. Bird (7) and Gillis (6) led in rebounds, and Gillis also snagged five steals. “We know that to be competitive we need to be able to maintain our focus,” said Leadley. “When Churchill made their run early in the fourth quarter, our players increased their focus and finished the game in a very business-like manner. Our freethrow shooting was outstanding and that really made the difference.” East heads into the holiday break at 5-1.

By Jeff Theisen

South Lyon 55, Wayne 40

HAL GOULD | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

JEFF THEISEN, EDITOR jtheisen@gannett.com (248) 437-2011 EXT. 228

South Lyon’s Jessica Mehr sets up vs. Chelsea.

(SL)

Hometown Weeklies | Thursday, December 22, 2011

online at hometownlife.com

LOCAL SPORTS

East’s Patterson medals at county

Injury sets East back in rough week By Jeff Theisen Sports Writer

a 39-33 lead entering the fourth quarter. As in their opener, the Lions rallied in the fourth quarter. Short and junior Connor Weidman each knocked down a threepointer during the rally, but South Lyon couldn’t get back in control of the game. “The fact is that when you go on the road you have to significantly outplay teams to post victories, and right now we’re playing just well enough to be there at the end,” said Host. “We just need to learn from that and be a little tougher mentally to do those little fundamental aspects of the game more consistently.”

SPORTS SHORTS Hockey alumni game

This years Alumni vs Alumni game will be held 7:30 p.m. Dec. 27 at the Ice House. Get out your gear and come join the fun, catch up with former teammates and meet other SL hockey alumni for a fun evening of hockey. A $15 fee to skate is payable at registration. Pizza

and pop is included for all skaters at the Top Shelf after the game. Teams will be filled on first come first serve basis so be sure to contact Brian Korpi at bpkorpi@yahoo.com to reserve your spot. Go to www.eteamz.com/slvarsityhockey for up to date info and photos from the 2010 event.

Milan 66, East 43

The Cougars again stayed close early, trailing by just one at the end of the first. East was within two in the second quarter when junior guard Thomas Hollingsworth went down with a severe knee injury. “This took the wind out of our team, and we went down seven by half and couldn’t match the athleticism in the second half,” said Tomczyk. “We played them about as tough as we could, but in the end it wasn’t enough.” Matt Griffey led the

GIRLS

Continued from page B1

two assists. Williams posted a double-double with 18 points and 10

HAL GOULD | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

East’s Thomas Hollingsworth works inside against Fowlerville.

Cougars with nine points. Playing on back-to-back nights and the loss of Hollingsworth proved to be a bad mix for the Cougars.

“We struggled to make open shots and layups and Churchill capitalized on all of our mistakes,” said Tomczyk. Leckner led East with seven points.

rebounds. She connected on four three-pointers. Mehr also found double digits with 10 points and nine rebounds. The Lions still have a couple of games before

the end of the year with a pair of games in the Dexter tournament. South Lyon faces Howell on Dec. 29 and will face either Dexter or Lincoln Park the next day.

Churchill 48, East 28

SO C I A L SE C U R I TY In a d d ition to pra c tic in g on ly S oc ia l S e c u rity d is a b ility la w a ttorn e y Bie s ke ha s w ritte n a b ook fora ttorn e ys a b ou t the s u b je c t a n d ha s b e e n in te rvie w e d on va riou s te le vis ion prog ra m s .Both a ttorn e y Bie s ke a n d Alfon s i ha ve a ls o b e e n in te rvie w e d on ra d io prog ra m s a n d ha ve g ive n s pe e c he s to m a n y g rou ps .

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Attorn e ys Bie s ke a n d Alfon s i c a n ofte n m a ke a w in n in g d iffe re n c e a t the a pplic a tion s ta g e . An d , ifa n a ppe a l is n e c e s s a ry the y ha ve w on s e ve ra l hu n d re d c a s e s b e fore a c ou rt d a te is e ve n s e t. Thos e d e n ie d c a n a ppe a l on the irow n b u t s ta tis tic s for m a n y ye a rs re ve a l tha t thos e re pre s e n te d b y a ttorn e ys w in a m u c h hig he rpe rc e n ta g e of a ppe a ls .An d a ttorn e ys w ho s pe c ia lize in S oc ia l S e c u rity D is a b ility c a s e s w in a m u c h hig he rpe rc e n ta g e ye t.

Attorn e ys Bie s ke a n d Alfon s i offe rfre e phon e oroffic e c on s u lta tion . Ifthe y re pre s e n t you , the re w ill b e n o fe e c ha rg e d u n til a fte rthe c a s e is w on . The fe e is a pe rc e n ta g e ofre troa c tive b e n e fits . Bie s ke a n d Alfon s i re pre s e n t c lie n ts from a ll ove rthe s ta te ofM ic hig a n . The irLivon ia offic e is on S ix M ile R oa d ju s t w e s t ofI-275. The irNovi offic e is loc a te d on H a g g e rty R oa d ju s t n orth of12 M ile R oa d . Ca ll the m a t 1-800-3 3 1-3 53 0 fora fre e c on s u lta tion ifyou ha ve b e e n d e n ie d , orifyou a re thin kin g ofpos s ib ly a pplyin g forS oc ia l S e c u rity b e n e fits .

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said coach Doug Host. “Despite those issues, there are some encouraging signs as well. “Right now, the team, even shooting just over 50 percent from the freethrow line is making more free throws than our opponents are taking, which is generally a hallmark of very good teams. I felt like our guys made a lot of progress with our shot selection and more consistently generating the tempo we were hoping to generate.” South Lyon ran out to a 14-9 lead early in the second quarter, but Wayne Memorial (2-2) outscored South Lyon 30-19 in the next two quarters to grab

08 74 93

Wayne Memorial held off a late comeback by South Lyon, thanks in part to a pair of late threepointers to secure a 47-46 KLAA crossover victory. Junior Luke Short led the Lions (0-2) with 14 points. Senior Joe Remstad added eight points and 10 rebounds, and senior Nick Dyer scored five points. “Some of the same things plagued us in this game that hurt us in our opener - too many turnovers, missed free throws, slow rotations in our helpside defense and too many offensive rebounds allowed. That’s obviously frustrating for all of us to repeat mistakes,”

Lions fall just short vs. Wayne

O E0 8762845

South Lyon East junior wrestler Luke Patterson placed eighth at 215 pounds in the Oakland County Tournament. “Luke wrestled some strong competition — ﬁve wrestlers in his weight class are ranked in Michigan,” said coach Fred Vera. “He ended with a tournament record of 3-3.”

It was a rough week for South Lyon East boys basketball, dropping three games. Things started with a 42-23 loss to Milford. East (1-3) stayed within 7-6 at the end of the first but scored just two points in the second and fell behind 17-8 by the half. Milford put the game away with a 17-8 advantage in the third for an 18point lead heading into the fourth. “Milford’s size really impacted our ability to score and rebound,” said coach Mike Tomczyk. “This was the key factor in their victory.” Dustin Chum led the Cougars with nine points, followed by seven from Jack Leckner.

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LOCAL SPORTS

Hometown Weeklies | Thursday, December 22, 2011

(SL)

Lakeland’s Zuk tops Division 1 field at finals By Jeff Theisen Sports Writer

Lakeland senior Garret Zuk runner had one goal in mind at the State Finals for his senior year - win his last race in high school. Zuk did just that by besting the Division 1 field in a time of 15:21.2. He finished second at regionals, the conference meet, the Oxford Invite and at the Jackson Invite. He was third at Oakland County and at the Nike/ Holly Invite. “Garret has been a tremendous part of our program the last four years,” said coach Joe Verellen. “His efforts are perfectly matched by his accomplishments.”

First team

Brian Kettle, Milford

The Milford sophomore was Zuk’s main competition throughout the year, with Kettle getting the upper hand more than once, including at regionals with a first-place finish for Kettle in a scorching 15:25. Kettle went on to place second at the State Finals in an even faster 15:24 to propel the Mavs to a State Championship. Kettle also won the Lakes Conference

ALL-AREA BOYS XC

RUNNER OF THE YEAR Garrett Zuk, Lakeland FIRST TEAM Brian Kettle, Milford Cody Snavely, Milford Paul Ausum, Milford Dan Sims, Northville Scott Neff, Lakeland SECOND TEAM Nick Noles, Northville Edward Clifton, Northville Grayson Thomas, Lakeland Chris Housel, Milford Nicholas Lanzetta, Catholic Central HONORABLE MENTION South Lyon — Mark Cogo, Mike Brodowicz, Andrew

title, was runner-up at Oakland County and is the sophomore record holder at Milford. “In Brian you have a runner with poise, confidence and a burning competitive desire,” said coach Brian Salyers. “He loves to compete. This season allowed him the opportunity to grow into one of the state’s best runners, something that fueled our State Championship run.” Cody Snavely, Milford

The Milford junior was another top force for the Mavs, finishing fifth at the State Finals, third at regionals and an Oakland

Thomas South Lyon East — Ian Juntunen Lakeland — Ryan Carrigan Novi — Ryan Tgiros, Brian Barnes, Ben Jenkins, Eric Gardner, Kevin Hanlon, Dan Lee, Cameron Richman, Mike Benkarski, Allen Potter, Tim MacPherson, John Potter Northville — Jason Lerner, Jason Ferrante, Matt Sierra, Neson Nesmith, Sean McCullough Milford — Matt Graves, Steven Sloboda, Shawn Welch

County invite title. He earned All-State, regional medalist and First Team Lakes Conference honors along the way. He had a top time of 15:31 on the year. “He is driven, consistent and committed to excellence,” said Salyers. “Cody sets the tone for practice, workouts and races with his all business attitude and old school work ethic. Cody provided the team presence essential to bring Brian and Paul to the forefront of the racing scene.” Paul Ausum, Milford

The lone senior in Mil-

ford’s top five at the State Finals also earned All-State honors in 13th (15:51). He was a regional medalist, was 2nd Team All-Conference and qualified to represent Team Michigan at the Mid-east Cross Country Championships. “Paul is the Heart of our team,” said Salyers. “He is passionate about his sport, the program and his teammates. Paul is a tireless worker filled with dedication and determination. Watching a senior realize his potential as a runner and lead his team to the podium is one of the coolest things I have experienced as a coach.” Dan Sims, Northville

The Mustang sophomore claimed 11th at the State Finals (15:48.9) to claim All-State honors. He turned in a top time of 15:41 at Huron Meadows. Sims finished second at the MSU invite, third at the Wayne County Championships, finished sixth at regionals and won the KLAA Kensington Conference title. “From beginning to end, one could argue that Dan has had perhaps the best season of any runner in last 35 years for Northville cross country,”

said coach Chris Cronin. “Dan combines great talent with a ferocious competitive spirit. You might beat Dan once or even twice, but his ability to adapt from race to race sets him apart from other runners.” Scott Neff, Lakeland

The Lakeland senior joined Zuk in All-State status by finishing 27th in 15:59 at the State Finals. He was 22nd at regionals, 12th at the KLAA meet, fifth at the Nike/Holly meet and third at the Oxford Invite. “Scott has improved leaps and bounds this year,” said Verellen. “Last year, he was consistently our No. 4 guy, and this year he has been our solid No. 2 runner behind one of the best in the state. Scott’s toughness has become legendary at Lakeland when he ran over 2.5 miles in our dual meet against Mott at Hess Hathaway with only one shoe.”

Second team

Nick Noles, Northville

The Mustang freshman blitzed a path to AllState status with a 29thplace finish at the State Finals (16:01). He had a season-best time of 15:57 at Huron Meadows. Noles

was fourth at the KLAA Conference meet and 13th at regionals.

Edward Clifton, Northville

The senior Northville runner finished 52nd at the State Finals in 16:18. Clifton had a top time of 15:54 at Huron Meadows where he placed 11th at regionals. Other highlights included a thirdplace finish at the South Lyon Invite, sixth at the Bath invite, fourth at the MSU invite, and third at the KLAA Conference meet. Grayson Thomas, Lakeland

The Lakeland junior ran to 45th at the State Finals (16:14). He was 16th at both the regional meet and at the KLAA Conference meet. Chris Housel, Milford

The Milford junior finished 75th (16:27) at the State Finals for the champion Mavs. He had a top time of 16:07.

Nicholas Lanzetta, Catholic Central

The Catholic Central junior just missed qualifying for All-State honors by placing 32nd at the State Finals (16:02). The top 30 earn All-State. jtheisen@gannett.com (248) 437-2011, ext. 228

Milford Barrett’s runs to top of the field By Jeff Theisen Sports Writer

Milford runner Rachel Barrett backed up an AllState performance as a freshman with another as a sophomore. Barrett hit the tape in 15th place at the State Finals with a time of 18:30. “In Rachel you have a young and gifted runner who is learning the intricacies of distance running,” said coach Brian Salyers. “With two solid years under her belt she has all the tools to continue to rewrite the Milford record books throughout her career. All season long she provide our team with a front running presence yielding low tickets in every meet.” Barrett earned several honors throughout the year, including All-State,

Academic All-State, First Team All-Conference, Regional runner-up and an Oakland County medalist.

First team

Morgan Bridgewater, Lakeland

The Lakeland senior was next across the line for the local All-Area runners at the Division 1 State Finals in 26th place to earn All-State status. She was first at the Flint Carmen Ainsworth invite, second at the Jackson invite, third at the Brother Rice/West Bloomfield invite and fourth at the KLAA Lakes Conference meet and sixth at the regional meet. She has been Lakeland’s MVP two years running. Jackie Mullins, Novi

The Novi junior qualified for the State Finals and just missed out on making All-State, finish-

ing in 37th (19:00.7). She was the KLAA Conference champion and earned All-Region and All-County honors. She was also a captain for the Wildcats. “Hands down the number one runner for our program this year,” said coach Marsha Reid.

Rachel Coleman, Northville

Despite being a sophomore, she was the leader for the state-qualifying Northville Mustangs. She was first in for the Mustangs at state in 57th place (19:14), helping the Mustangs to eighth place as a team. She earned AllConference, All-Wayne County and All-Region honors. Coleman helped the Mustang reach the State Finals with a seventh-place finish at regionals (18:42.4). “She finished in the top 2 spots at every dual

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meet this season,” said coach Nancy Smith. “She is very talented and I think she still has not seen her true potential as a runner.”

She earned All-Conference, All-Wayne County and All-Region honors.

as well as competing at state for the third time.

Second team

The Mustang sophomore finished shortly after Coleman at the State Finals, claiming 65th place (19:18.9). She earned All-Conference and AllWayne County honors. “Erin again had another great year running a career best time of 18:56 at regionals (17th place),” said Smith. “Dedicated and hard-working day in and day out, always striving to get better.”

The sophomore Mustang ran through knee issues, finishing the year by claiming 84th at the State Finals. She also finished 13th at regionals with a career-best time of 18:48. She earned AllConference, All-Wayne County and All-Region honors.

The sophomore finished third for the Mustangs at state in 68th (19:23). She also finished 18th at regionals in 19:04. She earned All-Conference and All-Wayne County honors. Kerri McMahan, Novi The Novi sophomore ran 18:45.9 to finish ninth at regionals to punch a ticket to the State Finals. She finished 110th at state. McMahan earned AllCounty, All-Conference and All-Region honors.

Erin Zimmer, Northville

Erin Dunne, Northville

Dunne ran a career-best 18:53 at regionals to claim 15th place in helping the Mustangs advance to the State Finals. She placed 77th at Michigan International Speedway in 19:28.

Taleen Shahrigian, Northville

Gina McNamara, Northville

The lone senior on Northville’s team to finish eighth at state helped the Mustangs get there with a 14th-place finish at regionals (18:51). She went on to finish 151st at state. She earned All-Conference, All-Wayne County and All-Region honors

Alison Robinson, Northville

Christina Swain, South Lyon

South Lyon’s top runner ran a 19:30 at the KLAA Conference meet and a 19:33 at regionals to place 27th. Swain won three dual meets, won the MVP award and was the leading point-scorer for the Lions.

(SL)

Hometown Weeklies | Thursday, December 22, 2011

online at hometownlife.com