About 10 a.m. Monday, resident Janice Frandsen was riding her personalized scooter south across King from the Dunham’s Sports parking lot, just west of Fort Street, when she collided with a motorcycle heading west on King. Both Frandsen and the 32-year-old Riverview man driving the motorcycle were thrown from their vehicles.

Both were transported to Oakwood Southshore Medical Center, where Frandsen died Monday and the man was being kept in the intensive-care unit as of press time.

“He’s still in critical condition,” Police Chief Don Ginestet said. “He had internal and head injuries.”

Police are investigating the crash, but do not know how fast either vehicle was moving or who may be at fault, Ginestet said.

Once the investigation is complete, Ginestet said, the results will be turned over to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s office to determine if any charges will be filed.

(Contact Chris Jackett at cjackett@bewickpublications.com)

Julie Ames, a teacher and homecoming committee adviser, wants this year to be extra special by inviting all the former homecoming kings and queens from the past five decades back to Riverview for a special pregame ceremony before the Pirates’ Oct. 8 contest against the Monroe Jefferson Bears.

“We wanted to do something special for our 50th anniversary,” Ames said. “We actually started our discussions about two years ago. I have been in charge of the court voting for the last six years, so it seemed like a great idea to get as many of the former kings and queens together as possible.”

Ames said a similar gathering took place for the 10th anniversary, but putting one together for the 50th anniversary is a much larger task.

“I have about 15 so far,” Ames said. “I am hoping, with the event approaching, I will be able to find more soon. We have been advertising on cable, newspaper, Website and Facebook. The best advertisement, though, seems to be word of mouth.”

Usually faced with the task of planning the homecoming parade and halftime show every year, Ames hopes to add to the event this year with as many former members of Pirate royalty as possible.

“We are planning to have all the court members in the homecoming parade, and then we will be doing an on-field recognition during the pregame ceremony,” Ames said. “I am hoping to have the ‘oldest’ queen and the 2009 queen do the crowning of the 2010 queen together.

After halftime, there will be a reception in the school for all of the former court members.”

A 1988 graduate of Flat Rock High School, Ames said she won’t be one of the former Pirate queens at the event, but noted that her daughter was a freshman court representative last year.

Any former Riverview homecoming kings or queens are encouraged to contact Ames at rchs50th@gmail.com.

(Contact Chris Jackett at cjackett@bewickpublications.com)

Community Development Director Dave Scurto said the city briefly looked at allowing medical marijuana use within its boundaries, but that the City Council is in consensus agreement not to allow it. Medical marijuana is legal by state law, but illegal by federal law.

“Right now, the federal law prohibits the use of marijuana,” Scurto said. “The direction of council is to go with the federal law. There’s really no substantive changes.”

Scurto said other cities such as Southgate, Livonia, Ypsilanti, Royal Oak and Troy are debating allowing medical use and have come to varying decisions.

“The only way we would find out if anyone had (any marijuana) is if the police pull someone over and they have it on them,” Scurto said. “The growth of medical marijuana plants was approved by the state in 2008.”

Although marijuana for medical use will be prohibited throughout city, the council also is looking at legally prescribed “lifestyle” and “cosmetic” drugs as a means of cost savings among city employees. Such drugs include prescription-based remedies for erectile dysfunction, wrinkles, hair growth, infertility, depigmentating agents and growth hormones.

“Drugs are expensive, very expensive, and the average employee doesn’t know the true cost,” said John Hajkus, Riverview’s human resources director. “To save money and preserve jobs, that’s what it’s all about. You don’t want
to regulate what goes on in the bedroom.”

Hajkus said there were four layoffs recently, including three full-time Department of Public Works employees on June 25 and a part-time Parks and Recreation employee on July 1.

“If you go to the drug store and get a prescription, you pay your co-pay of $20 or $30 or whatever it is and you walk out of there with your drug,” Hajkus said. “On the back side, the city could pay several hundred dollars.”

The council has been looking at ending its subsidization of lifestyle and cosmetic drugs.

“They were in favor a week ago, but they wanted to know about who’s on human growth hormones, how much it costs, etc.,” Hajkus said. “I can say five employees filled out prescriptions for human growth hormones, but I can’t say who got it because of HIPAA laws.”

If the city stops paying for employees’ lifestyle and cosmetic drugs, it could save the city much-needed funds to maintain other programs. Hajkus said he is still looking into what the total savings would be for the city, but said it would be enough that the council strongly is considering approving the proposal at an upcoming meeting.

Drugs to increase fertility also fall under the city’s definition of lifestyle drugs, he said.

“Infertility agents have an average annual cost of between $5,000 to $20,000, and growth hormone treatments/medications have an average annual cost of $15,000 to $50,000,” Hajkus said. “These amounts are what would be charged to the city. Erectile dysfunction drugs average between $15 and $20 per pill.”

(Contact Chris Jackett at cjackett@bewickpublications.com)

The Riverview Public Library’s second annual Summer History Lecture Series starts at 7 p.m. Monday with an overview of the medieval period.

“I think a lot of people have this idea of the Middle Ages as knights, ladies and castles, but that’s just a specialized part of it,” said Pamela Sayre, a premodern history professor at Henry Ford Community College in Dearborn who will lead four of the six sessions in the lecture series. “I’m trained as a historian, so it’s coming at things for the historian’s viewpoint.”

The series will have lectures 7 p.m. every Monday through Aug. 17. In addition to tomorrow’s kickoff overview, Sayre also will lead lectures titled “Daily Life in Medieval Times – peasants, town folk and nobles” July 26, “Towns and Cathedrals” Aug. 9 and “Knights, Chivalry and Courtly Love” Aug. 17.

Also scheduled to speak are Michael Farrell of the Art House of Detroit for a July 19 discussion on “Angels, Demons, Fables and Lust: Art along the Pilgrimage Routes during the Middle Ages” and library Director Kirk Borger, who will speak about “Medieval Eastern Europe” on Aug. 2.

“Medieval Eastern Europe tends to get overlooked because we tend to think of France, Germany, etc.,” Borger said.

The lecture series will last at least 60 minutes per speaker each week before a question and answer session opens up so attendees can learn any other specific information they may be curious about. The entire event lasts up to two hours per week.

“In 2005 we received a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to put on a lecture (about World War II). We decided to do one in the summer, and it’s been very popular,” Borger said.

Officials were able to decrease expenditures appropriated by $721,000 – from $24.9 million in 2009-10 to $24.18 million for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins July 1. About $258,000 of that came from expenses for basic programs, which still stands at about $12.86 million in appropriated funds.

“We’ve deferred some high school and middle school computer purchases. That saved $50,000,” said Rick Muszynski, the district’s director of business and finance. “Retirements were a big help. They contributed $900,000 in reduced costs.”

However, revenue and transactions also are down $579,000, from $23.36 million to $22.78 million. Although local and federal revenue is down a combined $853,000, state revenue increased nearly $224,000. Other incoming revenue and transactions are up about $50,000.

“We’re losing some grant funding,” Muszynski said of one-time American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grants. “Our expenses related to those grants go away.”

The district took other measures to cut costs, including combining the middle school’s seventh- and eighth-grade teams into one team for all sports and eliminating ninth-grade teams completely.

“We also implemented pay to participate,” Muszynski said, noting that specific fees still are undetermined, but that participation fees and program cuts will save $75,000.

He also said $385,000 in staff expenses would be saved by increasing class sizes to align similarly with those in other districts, and hopes a solid showing through Schools of Choice enrollment will also add to revenue.

“We have an excellent Schools of Choice program here,” Muszynski said.

The district was able to balance the budget without making any layoffs, he said, adding, “The retirements really helped.”

The $1.4 million red-ink difference between the district’s total revenue and expenses was taken out of the district surplus, dropping it to $1.4 million. Additionally, the percentage of the surplus set aside for expenditures decreased from 11.22 percent to 5.78 percent.

A similar $1.4 million deficit next year would clean out the surplus, likely resulting in layoffs and additional program cuts districts across the state are already experiencing.

“If school funding remains the same, we’re going to have to start making deeper cuts,” Muszynski said.

With health care costs increasing and state funding decreasing or sitting idle, Muszynski said the earliest any changes would take place is February 2011, when district administrators begin working on the 2011-12 budget.

(Contact Chris Jackett at cjackett@bewickpublications.com)

They found that someone to be former board member Paula Miller.

Miller, 50, served from 2002 to 2006 and brings a bevy of firsthand knowledge to the table.

“I thought it was a great experience. It was a great opportunity for me both personally and professionally,” she said of her first term. “It was nice to bring a health care perspective to an educational setting.”

Starting May 25, just one day after her interview for the position, Miller already is familiar with much that has happened in the district since her last term. She said she still keeps in touch with the board members she served alongside and also watches the meetings.

“The real reason I was interested in running and now running again was my love for education and my real passion about children. These are our future leaders,” Miller said. “It fit into my schedule. I figured, if I can give 150 percent, I would go ahead and apply and I did.”

Miller has lived in Riverview with her 21-year-old daughter for the past 14 years. Her daughter was in middle school when Miller started her first term. Now she’s a student at University of Detroit-Mercy.

Miller’s day job as marketing coordinator for occupational therapy at Henry Ford Health System in Detroit should be good experience for the board. She has worked in health care for the past 30 years, and her various experiences have helped her “think outside the box” to develop focus groups within the district that led to signage, communication (the district’s automated phone menu) and drug-tracking dogs in schools during her first term.

“What you see is what you get,” Miller said. “I feel I’m very fair and objective. I put what’s in the best interest of the kids first.

She was chairwoman of the policy committee for most of her first term, but also led the buildings and grounds committee and activities committee at some point and inherits leadership of the curriculum committee from Face. Though it’s one of the few she did not belong to during her previous term, she already has a few ideas as to what it can do.

“Because I’m in charge of curriculum right now, I want to review where we’ve come from and where we’re headed as a district,” Miller said, adding that balancing the budget is another immediate priority. “We need to be able to be fiscally responsible and protect our assets. It’s like a checkbook: You keep withdrawing and withdrawing and withdrawing and, pretty soon, you don’t have any money.”

Miller should have no problem working with her peers, since four of the other six board members worked with her during her first term. Treasurer Catherine Wells took over the position Miller vacated, and Trustee Amy Reeder is the next newest member.

Whether to return for another term after the current partial term ends Dec. 31 is a decision Miller still hasn’t made.

“I’m never going to say never,” she said. “I still have my campaign signs. I don’t know.”

The next board meeting is 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall’s Council Chambers, 14100 Civic Park Drive.

(Contact Chris Jackett at cjackett@bewickpublications.com)

Officials are hoping to sell 50 nonresident permits at $100 each. City officials say already seven of them had been sold as of Friday. Residents pay $25 for an annual permit.

Anyone who uses the launch without a permit is subject to a fine of $50.

The council anticipated before the meeting that some residents might fear increased boat ramp crowding and waits during peak usage hours. Officials noted, however, that former residents who still want to use the boat ramp have been known to have a city resident buy a boat ramp sticker for them in the resident’s name.

Mayor Tim Durand said people are willing to pay the amount because the wait to launch a boat in Riverview is shorter than at other public launch sites.

Councilman James Trombley suggested a $75 fee for nonresident city employees. Durand suggested revisiting the idea next season after seeing how the initial nonresident proposal is received.

Photo by Sue Suchyta

Riverview voters on Tuesday turned down a chance to let the City Council pass a 3.4 mill increase on all taxable property for three years by a 2-1 margin. The proposal would have overridden taxation limits as allowed by Headlee Amendment, which requires local governments to collect less tax money when assessed property values drop but gives voters the option of approving any increase to return revenue to previous levels. The unofficial vote tally reported on the city’s Web site was 832 voters in favor, with 1,792 opposed. Officials now may follow through on earlier budget recommendations to reduce staffing by three patrol officer positions, an animal control officer, four utility servicemen, one mechanic and the assistant library director.

By SUE SUCHYTA
Sunday Times Newspapers
RIVERVIEW — City employee layoffs and other budget cuts are coming soon after voters on Tuesday said no to a three-year, 3.4-mill tax increase.

The city is a facing a deficit of $1.6 million as part of its overall $10.6 million budget for 2010-11 because of lost revenue sharing; lower property values and their resulting decreased tax revenue; and higher health care costs. It also must deal with the loss of Taminco Higher Amines, which had been its largest industrial taxpayer, and less income from its landfill, the Riverview Land Preserve.

Voters rejected the additional millage by a more than 2-1 margin, with official vote tallies of 832 for and 1,792 against.

Officials had been seeking a 5-mill increase to keep staffing and services at current levels, but could not ask voters for additional money until millage was at the maximum allowed under the state Headlee Amendment.
The amendment prohibits municipalities from increasing taxes without voter approval and caps tax increases to 5 percent annually or the rate of inflation, whichever is lower.
Tuesday’s special election gave residents the choice to keep the millage the same or raise it, overriding the Headlee Amendment and allowing the city to collect taxes at a higher rate.

In order to do that, however, the City Council was required to raise the existing levy to 1.6 mills to the Headlee limit of 16.31 mills. That increase would have generated $567,000 in property tax revenue in the coming budget year, which starts July 1, but was contingent upon voters’ approval Tuesday of the Headlee override.

Officials say cuts will hit the Police and Public Works departments and include three patrol officer positions, the animal control officer, four utility servicemen, one mechanic and an assistant library director. A clerical position will be reclassified from full- to part-time.

“We want to take care of business,” Councilman Elmer Trombley said at a council meeting before the election, “but guess what? We don’t have the money. I’ve been going on 29 years on this City Council and I have never, ever, seen it like this before.

“Do you think we want to lose those police officers, those DPW workers? No. But how are we going to pay them? And I don’t want to be like Ecorse or River Rouge going into receivership. And if we don’t balance the budget, that’s just what happens to us.”

City Manager Dean Workman said the 5 mills would have erased the current deficit. Mayor Tim Durand said it would have averted public safety employee layoffs, and that even with the cuts coming the city still will face another $800,000 deficit next year.

Durand emphasized that the only way to maintain the status quo would have been to cut costs or raise revenue.

Both were arrested and cited for being disorderly persons.

Harley stolen from sports bar
A black and burgundy 2006 Harley-Davidson motorcycle was stolen Friday night at about 11 p.m. from the parking lot at 3 Nicks Scoreboard, 18713 Van Born.

The owner said he was inside the bar for about 10 minutes and that he left the motorcycle unlocked.

Visitor’s car stolen
A locked white 1992 BMW was stolen from the 6400 block of Winona between 7:30 and 10:30 p.m. Saturday while the victim was at the house visiting friends.

Iguana sitter reports break-in
A resident checking on a neighbor’s iguana in the 15000 block of Euclid reported an unsuccessful break-in just after 8:30 a.m. Monday.

Police were shown a broken window pane on the side of the house and determined that no entry was gained through it.

House broken into, robbed
A house in the 6300 block of Shenandoah was broken into between 7:45 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Monday.

A 46-inch flat-screen television valued at $1,800, a wedding band valued at $2,000, a video console valued at $300 and eight personal checks were missing.

A rear door was pried and kicked and sustained a broken frame and glass; another rear door was left open. No fingerprints or witnesses were found.

Melvindale
Fingerprints may point to burglar
A large-screen television and an engagement ring were stolen from a ransacked apartment in the 100 block of Gale between 9:30 p.m. May 1 and 2:30 a.m. last Sunday.

The resident found the apartment unlocked when she came home.

An open window and a jewelry box that was moved were taken into evidence to be processed for prints.

Couple in park too curious about baby
A couple in their 40s raised suspicions of a woman Tuesday at Coogan Park at Robert and Cora, when they asked a series of questions about one of her children.

The woman was at the park about noon with several of her children when the couple began asking about her youngest daughter, a baby.

She reported the incident to police at 8:46 p.m. that day, saying the questions were “strange” and made her very uncomfortable. Police gave her the name of the person registered to the license plate number she reported for the couple.

Riverview
Athlete loses wallet
A wallet was stolen from a Riverview Community High School rowing team member between noon and 3:30 p.m. May 1 from a storage shed during a rowing competition at the Wyandotte Boat Club, 1 Pine St. in Wyandotte.

Athletes from other rowing teams had access to the building. The wallet contained the student’s driver’s license, a credit card and $45 cash.

Custodian cleans ups, clears out
A custodian who thought he had made a clean getaway with $715 in cash that wasn’t his ended up clearing out Monday at Riverview Community High School.

The custodian was caught on video accessing a safe and taking cash that was not his. When confronted with the evidence, the employee was suspected of several other cash crimes going back several months. School officials fired the individual but declined to press charges or to offer an explanation for the dismissal.

Wyandotte
Test driveaway
A 30-year-old Southgate woman never returned to McQuiston Motors, 3017 Fort Street, after a test drive at 4:30 p.m. April 29.

She was driving a gold 2004 Mercury Mountaineer with dealer license plates.

Thrift store victim of theft
A laptop computer valued at $2,000 was stolen from the Salvation Army, 1258 Biddle about 11 a.m. Sunday. The suspect may have been recorded on surveillance video.

Bike, tools gone from garage
Power and hand tools valued at $1,000 and a bicycle valued at $200 were reported stolen Sunday from an unlocked garage in the 3100 block of 22nd Street. Some of the missing hand tools were engraved with the owner’s nickname.

Power tools taken
Power yard and construction tools valued at $2,350 were stolen from a locked shed in the 100 block of Park Lane between May 1 and noon Monday.

A lock was removed from the shed to gain entry.

The resident said a lawn service contractor working on nearby railroad property during the time period may have witnessed or have information about the robbery.

Bicycle burgled
A bicycle valued at $200 was stolen from a garage with a damaged door in the 1600 block of 22nd Street at about 6 p.m.

The resident has since had the garage door fixed.

He was arrested and held without bond pending a review of his case, which included a Detroit warrant for his arrest. His vehicle was found in the store lot and impounded.

Formula theft thwarted
A 42-year-old River Rouge man was taken into custody just before noon April 24 after attempting to steal more than $100 worth of baby formula from Meijer, 3565 Fairlane Drive.

The man had warrants against him in Dearborn, Lincoln Park and Detroit. However, because he had a prosthetic leg and a medical condition requiring him to wear a colostomy bag, he was released on personal bond.

Harley now hot
An uninsured burgundy 2006 Harley-Davidson motorcycle with an expired Michigan license plate was stolen 11:30 a.m. April 24 from a parking lot at Willow Cove Apartments.

The owner said it was stolen sometime during the night.

Taurus taken
A white 1998 Ford Taurus with a blue driver’s-side back door was reported stolen at 9:30 a.m. April 24 from Foley Park Apartments, 11415 Old Goddard Road.

The victim said the vehicle was locked, and that she has the only set of keys. No broken car window glass was found in the parking space.

The woman said the car is insured, but only for public liability and property damage, not replacement.

Melvindale
Car window smashed
A driver’s-door window valued at $250 was smashed out of a car parked in front of the owner’s house in the 18000 block of Reed at about 7 a.m. Tuesday. Nothing else was reported stolen or damaged.

The type of car was not specified in the police report.

Apartment robbed of TV, video game console
A 42-inch flat-screen television valued at $1,200 and a home video game console valued at $525 were taken between 4 and 11 p.m. Monday evening from an apartment at 50 Gale.

The apartment was ransacked. A neighbor who was home sick reported hearing “some loud commotion” around 5:30 p.m.

Snowblower, weed trimmer gone from shed
A snowblower valued at $300 and a power weed trimmer valued at $150 were reported stolen overnight from a shed in the 2500 block of Norman by the resident at about 2:30 p.m. Monday.

Riverview
Lock damaged
A door lock was damaged in the 17000 block of Mulberry.

The aluminum screen door locking mechanism valued at $200 was broken sometime between 5 p.m. April 23 and 9 p.m. April 24. No other damage was observed.

Stolen car abandoned with engine running
A Riverview woman recovered her red 1996 Dodge Neon after residents at a Taylor trailer park reported an abandoned car with its engine running at 5:20 p.m. Sunday.

The car was stolen from the parking lot of a Riverview Apartment Complex in the 14000 block of Brookview between 11:30 p.m. April 24 and 1:30 p.m. Sunday.

Wyandotte
Ambulance hit on way to hospital
A ambulance transporting a patient to Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital was struck by another vehicle at Third and Eureka at about 1:30 p.m. April 23.

The patient said he was not injured by the crash; he was taken to the hospital in another ambulance.

The 24-year-old Rockwood woman driving the Ford E-350 ambulance said she was traveling east on Eureka with the lights and siren activated when she slowed for a red light at Third.

A 46-year-old Grosse Ile woman driving a 2009 Ford Edge said she was northbound on Third and had a green light at Eureka, and heard the siren but did not see the ambulance until just before she crashed into it.

Car left at scene of sideswiping
A Ford Taurus was sideswiped and damaged on the front and rear driver’s-side of the car while it was legally parked about 2 a.m. April 24 in the 1000 block of 12th Street.

The Chrysler Sebring that struck the Taurus sustained severe damage to the front passenger side, a blown-out tire and a damaged rim. Both its airbags deployed.

The car was left at the accident site with the keys in the ignition.

Police went to the residence of the Chrysler’s driver, a 50-year-old Southgate woman, who admitted to sideswiping the Taurus and leaving the scene. She said she was intoxicated and was coming home from a bar.

The woman was cited for leaving the scene of a property damage accident and improper lane usage. She was arrested and processed at the Wyandotte police station, then released on bond.

Firebird stolen from dealership
A silver 2000 Pontiac Firebird was stolen from Vizachero Motors, 1411 Fort Street, between 4 p.m. April 24 and 7:45 a.m. Monday.

The vehicle had been locked and no keys were missing. A padlock was cut to remove a chain blocking the driveway from Fort Street.

A red Chevrolet Camaro Z-28 that was parked next to the Firebird had minor passenger side panel damage that occurred when the stolen vehicle was removed from the lot.

Bicycles, garden tiller stolen from garage
Two bicycles and a power garden tiller were stolen at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday from a garage in the 4000 block of 23rd.

One bike is valued at $530, the other at $375. The tiller is valued at $300. The garage’s side door jamb was damaged and revealed pry marks.

The owner said the theft occurred between 9 p.m. Tuesday and 7 a.m. Wednesday.