3020 Caniff, Hamtramck, MI 48212 • (313) 874-2100Volume 9 No. 22

June 2, 2017

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Happy Ramadan!Many of our commu-

nity members of theMuslim faith are cele-brating Ramadan,which began last week-end.For the next month

many Muslims will befasting from sunrise tosunset. This is adeeply spiritual time inwhich many reflect ontheir life.City Councilmember

Saad Almasmarisummed up the mean-ing of the holiday beston his Facebook page:“Ramadan is a

month when Muslimsfast and pray to growcloser to Allah. It's atime to improve moralcharacter and focus onpositivity. Observanceis one of the Five Pil-lars of Islam.”

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By Charles SercombeHamtramck High School

students got a valuablelesson recently – a lessonthat educators hopesaves lives.The police and fire de-

partments put on a“Mock Prom” accidentscene outside the highschool to drive home themessage that drivingwhile drunk or high ondrugs can end terriblywrong.Prom season is a prime

time for celebrating highschoolers to make somebad choices – such asdrinking and driving. Fortoo many, it ends up intragedy and for some, jail.Teen drinking and driv-

ing isn’t just a prom nightphenomena. According tothe Centers for DiseaseControl and Prevention, in2011 one million drunkteens got behind thewheel during that year.Before students arrived

outside the high schoolbuilding, a car that hadbeen in a crash in Ham-

tramck was positioned tolook like an accidentscene. Inside the car, four stu-

dents, dressed as if theywere out on prom night,played their part as driverand passengers. Somewere made up to look se-verely injured, and oneplayed dead.The scene unfolded as

it would in real-life, firstwith the arrival of policecars racing — sirens blar-ing — to the scene of the“accident” and then thearrival of firefighters andan ambulance.What became immedi-

ately clear at the begin-ning of the accidentscene was that drinkinghad been involved. An

empty bottle of liquor waspulled out of the car andplaced on the roof for allthe students to see.The driver of the car

was the only one of thestudents who was not in-jured in this scenario. Po-lice officers walked thestudent driver through afield sobriety test, and the

Prom scene drinking ‘accident’drives home a lesson for students

Continued on page 4

By Charles SercombeIt now looks like City

Manager Katrina Powellwill not get a contract ex-tension.Mark Stema, a mem-

ber of a state-appointedfinancial review boardoverseeing Hamtramck,confirmed with The Re-view that the state Treas-ury Department willheed whatever the citycouncil wants to doabout filling the position.

The issue of extendingPowell’s employmentcontract has resulted ina couple of heated coun-cil meetings. A bare ma-jority of councilmembers– Anam Miah, Abu Musa,Saad Almasmari andMohammed Hassan –have opted to seek aninterim city managerwhile a search is con-ducted for a permanentone.Two councilmembers,

Andrea Karpinski andIan Perrotta, have vehe-mently opposed thatmove, saying Powell hasdone a good job and thecity needs continuity.

It’s finalfor citymanager

By Charles SercombeMark Ragsdale came to

Hamtramck two-and-a-halfyears ago as the Directorof Public Works with afive-year plan.Ragsdale has recently

left his post, but proudlypoints out that he man-aged to fast track andreach those goals duringhis short tenure.Except one: installing

new water meters in all ofthe businesses and resi-

dences.“Due to measures out

of our control that hasn’thappened yet,” he said.But the department is

chipping away in makingthe installations while thecity searches for a com-pany to do the job.In a wide-ranging inter-

view, Ragsdale talkedabout his experiencehere. Ragsdale has takena new job as Mainte-

Public Works Director leaveswith a sense of accomplishment

Continued on page 5

Recently, Hamtramck High School students witnessed a re-enactment of a carcrash that involved teens drinking and driving. The students were taught a lessonon the dangers and consequences of making that bad decision.

City Manager KatrinaPowell

Public Works Director Mark Ragsdale has taken anew job, but he is proud of his work in Hamtramck.File photo

Powell was hired by thecity’s former emergencymanager two-and-a-halfyears ago. Her contractexpires on June 30.For the past several

weeks there has beenspeculation that theTreasury Departmentmight step in to extendher contract. At the AprilReceivership TransitionAdvisory Board meetingthere was a discussionthat implied the TreasuryDepartment was indeedgoing to get involved inthe contract by modifyingthe emergency man-ager’s final order.At that meeting Stema

asked if the board coulddo anything about “Kat-rina’s situation.” At thattime the four coun-cilmembers who havemoved to seek an in-terim city manager alsohad rejected a proposalto have the city attorneynegotiate a contract ex-tension with Powell.A representative from

the Treasury Depart-ment, Patrick Dostine,replied: “Well, I guesswhat I can say is that theorder's been revised,and it's under reviewnow.”He was speaking in ref-

erence to the emergencymanager's final order.The Chairperson of the

RTAB, Deborah Roberts,also spoke on the matterand expressed her frus-tration with the city coun-cil.

“I just think we're in anunfortunate circum-stance. … The RTAB wasput in place to help thecity transition back tolocal control,” Robertssaid. “We've been herefor two years. For somereason, the council ishaving an issue with tak-ing that control, andwants to keep throwing itback at the RTAB. “I think that's a sad sit-

uation that they've putthemselves in, so Iguess we'll all see whatgoes forward. I mean,it's too bad that the localcontrol has not comeinto place at this time.We tried.”It is not clear why the

Treasury Department de-cided to back off fromtaking action on Powell’scontract, but the missionof the RTAB was to onlyreact to financial deci-sions by the city – nottake an active role in de-cision-making.Powell’s relationship

with some councilmem-bers has been rocky dur-ing her stay.Councilmember Miahhas been the most vocalopponent of her.His main beef has

been that she makes de-cisions without fully con-ferring with the council.He was also angry over

her investigation into for-mer Police Chief MaxGarbarino, which re-sulted in his sudden res-ignation – a resignation

that many believed wasforced upon him.Powell never disclosed

what she was investigat-ing, and Garbarino neverexplained why he re-signed.Her supporters, which

includes Mayor KarenMajewski, have arguedthat not keeping Powellis reckless and will jeop-ardize the progress thecity has made.The city went from a

deficit budget to one witha $4 million surplusunder Powell’s manage-ment. She has also putinto place a long-rangestreet repair program,among other improve-ments.The big question now

is: Who will be the city

manager come July 1?There is speculation thatthe four councilmembersalready have someone inmind. They have deniedthat.The leading guess,

though, is city TreasurerJohn Gabor will betapped. Gabor was puton paid administrativeleave last week by Powellafter he openly criticizedher proposed budget forthe year at a budgetmeeting with the council.No matter who it is, ac-

cording to a special res-olution that theaforementioned fourcouncilmembers agreedon, that person will haveto meet “charter-man-dated qualifications.”

This week at the library...

For more information about events at thelibrary call (313) 733-6822,or visit its website at

http://hamtramck.lib.mi.us where you can also access the online catalog.

ESL Class – Monday,June 12, 9 a.m. and2:30 p.m. ESL classesare free to all Ham-tramck residents. Reg-istration is required.

ESL Class – Wednes-day, June 14, 9 a.m.and 2:30 p.m. ESLclasses are free to allHamtramck residents.Registration is re-quired.

ESL Class – Friday,June 16, 9 a.m. and2:30 p.m. ESL classes

are free to all Ham-tramck residents. Reg-istration is required.

Wayne Metro’s FreeTax Program -- FreePrior Year Tax Services,Mondays June 19 and26, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Theservice offers accessi-ble services through-out Wayne County, withdifferent times and lo-cations. While ap-pointments areencouraged, walk-insare also accepted. Tomake an appointment,

please call (313) 388-9799 or 1 (734) 284-6999.

Michigan ActivityPass -- The pass willenable Library cardholders to obtain aone-time free entry intoany Michigan Statepark or recreationarea, and free entryinto over 100 partici-pating cultural institu-tions. Ask at thecirculation desk formore details.

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CITY OF HAMTRAMCKNotice of Public Hearing

The City Council will hold a public hearing on theproposed fiscal year 2017-18 budget on Tues-day, June 13, 2017 at 7:00 PM in City CouncilChambers, Hamtramck City Hall, 3401 EvalineStreet, Hamtramck, MI 48212. The proposedbudget is available for public inspection betweenthe hours of 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM, Mondaythrough Friday at the City Clerk’s Office. Theproperty tax millage rate proposed to be leviedto support the proposed budget will be a subjectof this hearing.

Notice of Budget HearingCaniff Liberty Academy 2017-2018 School Budget

Please be advised there is a Budget Hearingscheduled for Caniff Liberty Academy for the2017-2018 school year, to be held at 2650 Can-iff Street, Hamtramck, Michigan 48212 on June20, 2017 at 6:00pm.

All public are welcome to attend.

Those needing special accommodations to at-tend the meeting may contact EMAN, Inc. for as-sistance at 248-327-7673. Arrangements mustbe made 48 hours in advance of the meeting.

A copy of the budget is located at 2650 Caniff Street Hamtramck, MI 48212

It’s final for city manager Cont. from front page

Notice of Budget HearingOakland International Academy

2017-2018 School Budget

Please be advised there is a Budget Hearingscheduled for Oakland International Academy forthe 2017-2018 school year, to be held at the TroyCommunity Center 3179 Livernois Rd., Troy,Michigan 48083 on June 14, 2017 at 6:00 p.m.

All public are welcome to attend.

Those needing special accommodations to at-tend the meeting may contact EMAN, Inc. for as-sistance at 248-372-7673. Arrangements mustbe made 48 hours in advance of the meeting.

A copy of the budget is located at 8228 Conant St, Detroit, MI 48211

Friday, June 2, 2017 Hamtramck Review Phone (313) 874-2100 3

Second Front PageIt’s Time to Pray,

Please Join UsWe are a Multicultural Parish Family

Sunday English Mass 9 a.m.Sunday School 10 a.m.

Everyone is Welcome to Worship with Us

Holy Cross Parish Polish National Catholic Church2311 Pulaski, Hamtramck • Very Rev. Jaroslaw Nowak, Pastor

313-365-5191 www.HolyCrossPNCC.com

We are an ActiveParish Serving the

Community

Celebrating 94 Years of Traditional, Catholic,and Democratic Church

June 10 - Soup Kitchen, 2-4 pmJune 18 - Corpus Christi Mass 9am,

Father’s Day Breakfast Fundraiser to followJune 23 - Solemnity of Sacred Heart of

Jesus, Mass 9amJune 25 - Family Day Picnic, Mass 12:30pm

June 28 - Tigers Baseball Outing

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Hamtramck High SchoolNewsHamtramck High School

Senior Mitun Das won aMIPA (Michigan Inter-scholastic Press Associa-tion) award of HonorableMention for a brochure hemade encouraging stu-dents to join the CosmosTimes newspaper staff.This award was given inthe category of SpecialProjects.

Holbrook ElementarySchool News Holbrook students have

been going on many inter-esting field trips thisschool year. The 4th and5th grades visited TheHenry Ford at the begin-ning of May. Sixth and 7th grades

got to experience bowlingand skating, many ofthem for the first time.Kindergarten, 1st and2nd grades made a visitto the Detroit Zoo as partof their Social Studies les-sons. Third and 4th grades

went to Gleaners FoodBank and between thetwo classes packed9,600 bags of food forthe less fortunate. Eighthgrade had a trip toC. J. Barrymore's for afinal fun time before mov-ing on to High School. More fieldtrips are

planned in the few shortdays before school ends.

The Kindergarten, 1st and2nd grades will go to theDetroit Institute of Artsand Kensington Park inthe first few weeks ofJune.Eighth grade will have

their Promotion Ceremonyon June 14 at 2 p.m. Con-gratulations to the 8thgrade students for work-ing hard.Holbrook students had

an enriching academicyear and made fun mem-ories at the same time.

Early Childhood Elementary NewsOn May 23 the Early

Childhood Elementary stu-dents performed to apacked gym under the di-rection of music teachers,Mr. Matthew Rautio andMr. Maxwell Spayde. The crowd cheered as

the preschoolers, com-plete with flags fromaround the world sang,“It’s a Small World." Thekindergartners touchedour hearts with two songsof hope and love. The firstgraders got the rhythmgoing in the audience withthe songs, “The BananaBoat Song” and "HappyDays." The second graders

sang a song of peace aswell as rockin' the crowdwith “At the Hop." The first and second

graders then came out inthe audience to the “Mex-ican Hat Dance”

music. Families thor-oughly enjoyed the day asthey walked around thegym and viewed the art-work inspired by the stu-dents’ visit to the DIA.

Dickinson West Elementary School NewsDickinson West is plan-

ning field days for eachgrade, kindergartenthrough 6th grade, from

June 1 to 7. This is partof the schools positive be-havior intervention rewardsystem for students.

All Schools• Thursday, June 8 --

Last day for Preschool.• Friday, June 9 -- Ham-

tramck High School andHorizon High School Grad-uation Ceremony at 6p.m.• Thursday, June 15 --

Hamtramck High School,Horizon High School and

Kosciuszko Middle SchoolFinal Semester Exams,half day for allschools. Records day forall schools in the after-noon.• Friday, June 16 -- Ham-

tramck High School, Hori-zon High School andKosciuszko Middle SchoolFinal Semester Exams,half day for allschools. Last day of

school for allstudents. Records day forall schools in the after-noon.• Friday, June 23 -- Final

report cards mailed.

Compiled byJanice Gandelman

By Charles SercombeHamtramck streets have

long had a reputation ofbeing among the worstwhen it comes to potholesand craters.But a recent review of

the Kia Sportage took it toanother level.Auto writer Maureen Mc-

Donald , the Senior Editorfor the Michigan Bureau ofThe Auto Channel, wroteabout the vehicle in an ar-ticle entitled: “2017 KiaSportage ‘Hamtown’Safari

— Exotic Road Trip Re-view.”The road trip was a day-

long drive through the city.While praising the car’s

handling when it came totraveling over rough sec-tions of Hamtramck’sstreets, she pulled nopunches calling it “someof the roughest concrete inDetroit.”She didn’t let up there.“Take most vehicles to

Hamtramck -- or otherareas the cement mixers

forgot -- and you mighthave to fish it out of a giantpothole or limp along tothe nearest tire shop for arim and a tire.”Ouch.But there was a plus

side to the review. McDon-ald went at length to praisethe city’s culinary and artsscene, making it a positivepromotion of the city. Shealso touched on the city’sdiverse ethnic communi-ties and the many amazing

Auto review includes a sightseeingtrip through Hamtramck

Continued on page 5

Students at the Early Childhood Elementary Schoolrecently put on a concert for their families.

4 Hamtramck Review Phone (313) 874-2100 Friday, June 2, 2017

HOLY BUDDHA PURNIMA CELEBRATION, 2017BANGLADESHI BUDDHIST COMMUNITY

OF MICHIGAN, USAThe Buddha Purnima (Boishakhi Purnima – the full moon day of Boishakh) is the most important andsignificant holy day in Buddhism and is celebrated by Buddhist people all over the world. It’s the dayof three noble and sacred memories in Buddha’s life – on the day 1. our lord BUDDHA was born, 2.discovered the way of Nibbana supreme enlightening by himself and 3. Attained Parinibbana (passed

away).This year we, the “Bangladeshi Buddhist Community of Michigan, USA” are going to celebrate the sa-cred day following the Buddhist and Bangali Traditions. In order to pay homage to Buddha’s noble

three memories, participation on this highly meritorious and wholesome event all believers may makemore merits and enrich their Dhamma practice with noble qualities such as generosity, compassion,

kindness and virtue.

We would cordially like to invite you to participate in this merits making Holy Buddha Purnima Celebration on Saturday, June 3rd, 2017.

Venue: Gates of Columbus Hall, 9632 Conant Ave., Hamtramck, MI, 48212.PROGRAM SCHEDULE

Religious Session:10:00 AM: Arrival of Moha Sangha and lay community.10:30 AM: Promising five precepts, Buddha Pooja and Monk’s chanting.11:30 AM: Offering luncheon to the Monks.12:30 PM: Lunch for the lay community.1:45 PM: A traditional Bangali Buddhist Peace Procession wit Buddha nam keerton.2:00 PM: Speech, Dhamma presentation, blessing chants offering merits.3:00 PM: Ending the religious session.

Cultural Session: 3:30 PM: Cultural show – organized and presented by Bangladeshi Buddhist

Community of Michigan, USA.8:00 PM: The end of the program.

! NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

PROPOSED 2017-2018 BUDGET

The Board of Education of the School District of the City of Hamtramck will hold a Public Hearing on Wednesday, June 14, 2017 at 6:30 p.m. in the Administration Building, 3201 Roosevelt Street, to review and consider the school district’s 2017-2018 proposed budget. The property tax millage rate proposed to be levied to support the proposed budget will be a subject of this hearing. Copies of the 2017-2018 Proposed Budget will be available for examination in the Superintendent of Schools Office, 3201 Roosevelt, from 8:00 a.m. June 13, 2017, until the time of the Public Hearing. Salah Hadwan, Secretary Hamtramck Board of Education

"driver" was eventuallytaken away in handcuffs.Meanwhile, firefighters

went to work to extractthe passengers. Today’sfirefighters use specialtools to remove the roofand windshields to ex-tract injured passengers. Back in former days

passengers were simplypulled out, which some-times caused further in-juries.“It’s all about being

careful about theirspines,” said Fire ChiefDanny Hagen.The process of remov-

ing the car roof can takesome time, but in the longrun it ensures passen-gers are carefully re-moved without causingfurther injury.In cases where it is

clear that immediate ex-

traction is required, thosepassengers are removedwithout waiting.This was the second

year in a row such adrama was enacted.Hagen said last yearthere were no drunk driv-ing arrests involving stu-dents in the city duringprom night.Students watching the

drama unfold kept theirfocus. Several recordedthe re-enactment on theircell phones. One studentsaid to another: “This isscary.”It’s a good bet that was

one lesson learned well.

Prom scene drinking ‘accident’ drives home a lessonfor students Continued from front page

By Charles SercombeThe newly remodeled

Zussman Park is in-creasingly becoming acommunity gatheringspot.Last Friday evening

continued that trendwith the annual Art inthe Park, which wassponsored by the city.Local artists displayedtheir artworks, and localmusicians formed an im-promptu circle and per-formed for thegathering.A few hundred adults

and children filled the

park, despite cloudyskies that threatened torain.Kids had plenty of ac-

tivities to enjoy, particu-larly trying out their hulahoop skills.Kids and adults also

got to try their hand inHamtramck’s newestsport, fowling, which is acombination of footballand bowling.

Art in the Park is another success forcity’s remodeled park

FMICFood Ministries In Collaboration Apostle Connie and Bro. Bill can be heard every Thursday at

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May all beings be happy.

Holy Buddha Purnima Celebration

Committee

BANGLADESHIBUDDHIST

COMMUNITY OFMICHIGAN, USA

Scenes from the recent“Mock Prom” re-enact-ment of what often hap-pens when teens drinkand drive.

The annual Art in thePark was once again asuccessful and fun eventfor kids and adults.

Friday, June 2, 2017 Hamtramck Review Phone (313) 874-2100 5

In Our Opinion

It’s time to move on.City Manager Katrina

Powell will not be savedby the state Treasury De-partment and allowed toremain after her employ-ment contract expires onJune 30.There had been specu-

lation that the state wouldstep in. Instead, we aretold the state will abide bythe will of the city council.A bare majority on council– which includes Coun-cilmembers Saad Almas-mari, Anam Miah,Mohammed Hassan andAbu Musa – has decidedto not extend her contractand to hire a new citymanager.But before a permanent

city manager can befound in time before Pow-ell leaves, the same coun-cilmembers voted to findan interim city manager.There has been a lot of

criticism heaped on thecouncil over how they han-dled this situation, includ-ing accusations that theyviolated the state’s OpenMeeting Act.Powell has a number of

supporters as well as de-tractors. She can leavewith her head high know-ing she put the city in abetter place financially.She and her administra-

tion also put forth a streetrepair program and won agrant to install a muchneeded sewage drainagesystem that so far seemsto have made a major im-pact in preventing base-ment floodings.There are a number of

other accomplishments.But what has been doneis done. The state is tran-sitioning from overseeingthe city’s finances to re-turning local control.Four years ago the gov-

ernor declared the citywas in a financial crisisand appointed an emer-gency manager to takeover. By law the EM couldstay here for no morethan 18 months.After the EM left Powell

was hired as city managerbut the city was still underthe supervision of a state-appointed financial advi-sory board.That advisory board is

about to begin theprocess of stepping downand returning local con-trol.The last few weeks

have been pretty roughgoing for the council andthe community. There is alot of division on whichway to go: keep Powell onor look for someone new.One thing is for sure,

and that is the majority ofthe council decides whatwill happen. It’s unfortu-nate that the council is di-vided, but that is nothingnew for this city.However, political divi-

sion has also led to previ-ous financial meltdownshere and ultimately stateintervention.Hamtramck cannot af-

ford to find itself in an-other crisis requiring thehelping hand of the state.City officials need to finda middle ground andcome to terms. President Lincoln once

famously said: “A housedivided against itself can-not stand.”It would be wise to heed

those words.

Hamtramck finds itself a‘house divided’ over CM issue

Review: Opinion Page

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The Hamtramck ReviewPublished every Friday

3020 Caniff, Hamtramck, MI 48212 Phone: 313-874-2100 Fax: 313-874-2101

www.hamtramckreview.comemail news@thehamtramckreview.com

Publisher: John Ulaj • (248) 866-1110 julaj@thehamtramckreview.com

Editor: Charles Sercombe

Office Manager: Jean Ingenthron

Sales Manager: Dave Sweet

Reporter/Copy Editor: Ian Perrotta

This newspaper is not responsible for mistakes in advertising beyond the cost of the space involved.

nance Manager with theGreat Lakes Water Author-ity.One of his key accom-

plishments, he said, wasbuilding the departmentup almost from scratch.When he came on boardthere were only two em-ployees in the field, andnow there are four full-timers and a foreman.In a way it’s the exact

opposite of a certain phi-losophy in government cir-cles to outsource workinstead of hiring employ-ees. The thinking is, byoutsourcing jobs munici-palities can save moneyin health benefits andpensions.But Ragsdale’s old

school approach has re-duced costs by about$500,000 compared tolast year’s budget – sim-ply by doing away withsome contracted workand bringing it back in-house.For example, the city got

rid of its snow plowingservice and then boughtsome trucks and as-signed employees to thejob on overtime. Whathad cost $48,000 for asnowplowing and saltingnow runs the city about$4,000.There was also another

contractor, which we won’tname, that Ragsdale was

determined to get rid ofthat had been doing whathe said was poor workand charging top dollar.“That saved the city so

much money, it’s unreal,”Ragsdale said.Another major project

Ragsdale pointed to wasthe installation of a newsewer system in thesouthend, all thanks to afederal grant.That work was

prompted by a lawsuitseveral years ago by resi-dents who were fed upwith frequent basementbackups of sewer waterduring heavy rain storms. So far, according to

southend residents, thenew system has done justwhat it was supposed todo, fingers crossed.And then there was the

adoption of a systematicstreet repair plan, whichis something past admin-istrations failed to ad-dress. Once again,federal funding helpedpay for some of the costs.Coming this year will be

a major reconstruction ofa part of Holbrook, andalso the kickoff of aneventual citywide alleyrepaving.Ragsdale’s biggest

praise is reserved for CityManager Katrina Powell,who he says “is the bestthing to happen to this

city in a long time.”But with Powell not get-

ting a contract extension,that prompted Ragsdaleto seek a new job. Pow-ell’s employment contractwith the city expires onJune 30, and there is abare majority on city coun-cil who did not wish her tostay.That drama of will she

stay or go weighed on hismind considering thatRagsdale is an “at will”employee – meaning hecan be fired by the nextcity manager.“That was all I needed

to see,” Ragsdale said.“That was the writing onthe wall.”He lashed out at those

on city council who re-fused to extend her con-tract.“Your actions reflect on

everyone,” he said.Although the political

side of what has beenhappening in city hall lefta sour taste in his mouth,Ragsdale also leaves witha deep affection for thecity – an impression thatthe many people whohave served the city alsotalk about.“Hamtramck is not like

any other city,” he said.“The thing I’ll miss mostare the people.”

Public Works Director leaveswith a sense of accomplishment Continued from front page

Bangladeshi, Yemeni andPolish markets and restau-rants.In all the review, which

can be found atwww.theautochannel.com,is a fascinating ridethrough the community.Oh yeah, she gave the

car a big thumbs up.The review hit one small

bump in the road. McDon-ald mentioned going pasta parking lot belonging tothe former Woody Pontiacdealership. Close, but notquite. The site she refersto belonged to the formerKrajenke Buick dealership,which is actually on the De-troit side of the Ham-tramck-Detroit border on

Jos. Campau.That site is now an Is-

lamic center.Woody’s, on the other

hand, was in Hamtramck

and demolished severalyears ago. The former siteis now home to the state’sDepartment of HumanServices.

Auto review includes a sightseeingtrip through HamtramckContinued from page 3

By Charles SercombeThe recent annual

“Spring Fling” once againcelebrated the best of thecity.The Hamtramck Com-

munity Initiative’s annualevent, held at PNA Hall onConant, was as usualpacked with communitymembers. Congress-woman Brenda Lawrencewas a featured speaker.Her district includes

Hamtramck. She said thecity is a “shining exampleof diversity.”She also said Ham-

tramck is a communitywhere there is a “senseof place” – meaning it’s acommunity with residentswho are active in local af-fairs and take care oftheir property.The 2017 Awardees

were: • Hamtramck Police De-

partment Officer of theYear: Officer Michael Fe-denis• Hamtramck Reserve

Officer of the Year: Re-serve Lt. Jeremy Bist

• Hamtramck Police De-partment Civilian of theYear: Dispatcher JustinAsh• Hamtramck Fire De-

partment Firefighter ofthe Year: Vincent Capor-uscio• Business of the

Year: Dr. Ali Thabet,owner, Infinity Drugs Phar-macy

• Residents of theYear: Adnan “Eddy”Gobah and Vanessa Gray• Community Service

Project of the Year: The3C7 Anti-Littering Project,Blair Arbaugh and the stu-dents of Kosciuszko Mid-dle School: Mylitka Grove,Shakira Wheeler andLouis Boyer

Hamtramck shines inannual HCI awards

No, that isn’t a Kia Sportage pictured above -- butthat pothole is authentic, which is one of too manythat can be found in the city.

Vanessa Gray, Resident of the Year, poses with Re-view Publisher John Ulaj.

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By Charles SercombeA small gathering of

Hamtramckans took timeout on Monday morning tocommemorate MemorialDay.A special Mass was

held at Our Lady Queen ofApostles Church, followedby a short ceremonyhosted by the HamtramckAllied Veterans Council.Mayor Karen Majewski

spoke, acknowledging themany sacrifices familieshave made during thecountry’s history to pre-serve freedom.

“We remember theircommitment,” she said.Gary Nosis of the HAVC

thanked those who cameto honor the nation’s de-ceased service men andwomen.“This is what Memorial

Day is all about,” he said.Hamtramck’s veteran

community continues toshrink in numbers eachpassing year. During thepast year several mem-bers of the communitydied, leaving now just ahandful of fellow veter-ans.

For some, Memorial Day ismore than a holiday LARIVEE

T r a c yL a r i v e e ,43, diedMay 17,2017.Ms. Lar-

ivee is predeceased byher mother and father,Linda and Mark Larivee,and her brother Scott.Ms. Larivee is survivedby her son, Nicky Alongi;brother, Mark Larivee;many other family andfriends. Tracy was a res-ident of Warren and orig-inally from Hamtramck.A memorial service will

be held Friday, June 2, at6:30 p.m., RenaissanceUnity Church, 11200 E.11 Mile Rd., Warren, MI,48089. A celebratorygathering of Tracy’s lifewill be held following thememorial service atPLAV Post #10, 11824Joseph Campau, Ham-tramck, MI 48212.Arrangements weremade by Jurkiewicz &Wilk Funeral Home.

KOZICKICarolyn Kozicki (nee

Kwapisz), 73, died May31, 2017.Mrs. Kozicki was the

beloved wife of Edward;mother of Kenny, Robert(Shannon), KarenPleaugh; grandmother ofDanielle Pleaugh, TimRichardson, Ryan Koz-icki; sister of RonKwapisz.Visitation was Thurs-

day, at Jurkiewicz & WilkFuneral Home. Mrs. Koz-icki will lie in state Fri-day, June 2, at 9:30 a.m.until the time of the fu-neral Mass at 10 at OurLady Queen of ApostlesCatholic Church, 11200Conant at Prescott, Ham-tramck, MI 48212.

Friday, June 2, 2017 Hamtramck Review Phone (313) 874-2100 7

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By Charles SercombeThis week’s Crime Log

covers May 23-29.

Tuesday, May 23• At 1:30 a.m. officers

responded to a call about amale prowling in the back-yard at a residence in the11500 block of Fleming.Officers recovered the sus-pect’s bicycle, but the sus-pect could not be found.• A resident reported he

was being stalked over so-cial media.• Two Klinger neighbors

filed assault reportsagainst each other.

Wednesday, May 24• At midnight a Lumpkin

resident reported seeingsuspects attempting tobreak into their home.• A Detroit resident was

arrested after a traffic stopfor driving without a li-cense.• A resident reported

someone withdrew moneyfrom their bank account viaan ATM located in anotherstate.• A student reported

being approached on theway to school by a man of

Middle Eastern descentwho was driving possibly aToyota Camry with tintedwindows. The man, whowas wearing sunglasses,offered her candy and toldher to get into his car. Thestudent walked away andthe driver tried once moreto lure her. There was alsoanother man in the back-seat. The student ran toschool and the driver spedaway.• A Detroit resident was

arrested for possessing anopen intoxicant in a publicplace.• A Yemans resident re-

ported someone at-tempted to break into hisresidence.• A Jos. Campau busi-

ness reported someone at-tempted to pay formerchandise with counter-feit $50 bills.

Thursday, May 25• A St. Aubin resident re-

ported being assaulted byher child’s father. • A resident reported

someone opened up nineaccounts in his name.• A resident in the 5000Continued on page 8

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2 br., spacious upperflat, newer carpet, appli-ances, water, $500/mo.+ security, immediate oc-cupancy, 248-302-2070.6/2

2 br. lower, Holbrook St.near Kelly’s Bar, 1 fullbath, kitchen, living anddining rm., pantry, freshpaint, no pets, no accessto basement, includesfridge and stove, tenantpays water, gas, light,$650/mo. + 1 ½ mo.sec. dep., $25 non-re-fundable application fee,248-579-3872. 6/9

Hamtramck, 2 br. upper+ lower, $600/mo. + se-curity deposit, move-in-ready, 313-712-6021. 6/9

Hamtramck, 3 br., Lump-kin St., living, dining,kitchen, basement, move-in ready, $850/mo. +sec. dep., includes fridge,stove, washer and dryer,no access to garage, nopets, tenant pays water,gas, light, $25 non-refund-able application fee, 248-579-3872. 6/16

11845 St. Louise, 4 bed-room, 12829 St. Louise,3 bedroom, call 248-659-2278 or 248-659-2325, ask for Palo orDiane. 6/30

For Sale, 30231 E. Jeffer-son, Brick, 5 br, 1, 2 halfbaths, great room, FP, re-ception counter, fostercare, medical, senior as-sisted, 1900 sq ft, 2 lots.Johnksells@gmail.com,$151,700. 586-771-1211.

2954 Goodson, 4 br., liv-ing, dining rm., kitchen,full basement, 2 cargarage, turn-key house,$125,000, 248-879-2521, ask for Pete.

All positions chef, cook,dishwasher, driver, MaineStreet Restaurant askfor Mario 313-368-0500.

Moving sale, lots of an-tiques and collectables,Christmas items, fire-place, June 3 and 4, 10-6 p.m., 3862 Doremus.6/2

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Holmes St., 2 br. upper,living and dining rm.,bathroom, extra room,1000 sq. ft., includesfridge/stove, no pets, noaccess to basement,tenant to pay water, gas,light, $750/mo. + 1 1/2mo. sec. dep., $25 non-refundable applicationfee, 248-579-3872. 6/23

It’s said that whateverhappens to Detroit, sogoes Hamtramck. Ourfriends over at modeld-media.com have been re-porting on fascinatingdevelopment projects forthe past several years.With their permission,

here is an edited versionof this week’s story:

Just a reminder, thereis still time for smallbusinesses to tap into avery special grant pro-gram.Attention small busi-

ness owners: the NewEconomy Initiative (NEI)is now accepting applica-tions for its NEIdeasChallenge. For the fourth

consecutive year, NEI willaward 20 already exist-ing small businesseswith $400,000. To apply, a business

must have been foundedat least three years agoand have a demon-strated need for capitalin order to grow. Thereare two tiers to the pro-gram, $10,000 and$100,000, dependingon how much a businessgrosses.According to a press

release: "Since itslaunch in 2014, NEIdeashas awarded 96 localbusinesses a total of$1.5 million to helpthem realize their ideasfor growth, as well asconnected hundreds ofothers to technical as-sistance opportunities.Nearly 70 percent ofpast NEIdeas winnersare minority-owned busi-nesses, and 65 percentare woman-owned busi-nesses."

block of Evaline reportedsomeone entered theirhouse by cutting a screenin a window and then stoleseveral items.• A Detroit resident was

arrested for sexual assault.

Friday, May 26• A resident was ar-

rested after a traffic stopfor driving without a li-cense.• A Charest resident re-

ported being assaulted byher boyfriend.• A resident was ar-

rested for stealing a car.• A juvenile was ticketed

after a traffic stop for driv-ing without a license, hav-ing an improper licenseplate and not having insur-ance.• A Norwalk resident re-

ported a group of childrendamaged his house whileplaying ball.• A Hanley resident re-

ported he was assaulted bya classmate on the wayhome from school.• A Mitchell resident re-

ported she was assaultedby two McDougall resi-dents.• Caniff Liberty Academy

reported a man attemptedto gain entry into theschool.

Saturday, May 27• At 1:30 a.m. a Belmont

resident reported being as-saulted by a family mem-ber.• A Holmes resident was

arrested for assaulting hissmall son. The boy hadnon-life threatening in-juries.• A resident reported

that while in the 9800block of Jos. Campau amale stole their cellphoneand ran away.

Sunday, May 28• Two Hamtramck juve-

niles were arrested forshoplifting at a Jos. Cam-pau business.• Officers responded to a

call about a fight on Eva-line. A resident was ar-rested for being disorderlyand being wanted on aHamtramck warrant.• At a little after 1 a.m.

officers responded to a call

about a fight in the Carpen-ter/St. Aubin area. A resi-dent was arrested for beingwanted on a Hamtramckwarrant.• At a little after 3 a.m.

two people were arrestedafter a traffic stop. Thedriver was arrested for nothaving a license, and thepassenger was arrested forpossessing narcotics.• A resident in the 3800

block of Caniff reportedsomeone entered his prop-erty and then attempted tosteal his car.

Monday, May 29• Officers recovered a

dog roaming the area ofCasmere and Mackay. Anhour or so later a relative ofthe dog’s owner picked upthe dog.• A Detroit resident was

arrested for being wantedon a Hamtramck warrant.The warrant stemmed froman unpaid ticket issued lastMarch.• A tree fell on a car on

Gallagher. Public Works em-ployees were dispatched tothe scene and removed thetree.

8 Hamtramck Review Phone (313) 874-2100 Friday, June 2, 2017

Continued from page 7

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