Inside: Patriots stuff Lions in second half Inside: P

Detroit plunges to 2-9 on season after 45-24 defeat — Sports, 1B

for Prizeuzzles
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to win u e
$1,100 i p to
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Volume 165 Number 283

Friday-Saturday, November 26-27, 2010 www.livingstondaily.com 50¢

The road out of deficit for
Brighton Area Schools: $6.2 million Reductions in salary and
benefits for teachers. $2 million Savings from increasing
class size by 15 percent. $170,000 Reducing the administra-
tive ranks by one post.

EDUCATION

More schools join Brighton in red ink

District’s way out has doubters,
but officials will try to erase debt
By Jim Totten
DAILY PRESS & ARGUS
Brighton Area Schools is one of a grow-
ing number of Michigan school districts
falling into debt.
According to the Michigan Department
CARING, CARVING, SHARING: MEALS GO TO FEED HUNDREDS IN COUNTY
newcomers when it came to size of its
deficit last year, which was $2,396,282. Its
deficit has now grown to an estimated $8.5
“We are going to turn this thing around. It’s
not going to spin like NASCAR.”
million.
When looking at the entire list, the
largest deficits belong to Detroit Public — Greg Rassel
of Education, 14 schools became deficit Schools, facing a $218 million deficit; and Vice president, Brighton Area Schools Board of Education
districts in 2009-2010, with deficits rang- Benton Harbor Area Schools, facing an
ing from $4,216 to $218 million. A total of $11.6 million deficit. time a district is in deficit is two to four remains in debt. The district is preparing to
41 school districts were in deficit last year, How long Brighton stays on this list years. submit an amended plan for 2010-2012
and this list is expected to grow this year by depends on how quickly it successfully Brighton filed its first plan last year and that will eliminate an accumulated debt of
another 12 districts. completes its deficit-elimination plan. accomplished a number of reductions, but
Brighton ranked second on the list of 14 State officials said the average length of it’s required to submit a new plan since it Continued on page 4
911
‘Nightmare’ fire
hits family one
day after move
‘Everybody has
been a really big
help,’ mom says
By Jason Carmel Davis
DAILY PRESS & ARGUS

For a Howell family, the “big-

gest dream” of moving into a new
home turned into the “worst night-
mare” within 24 hours.
The family is “doing fine,”
according to Desiree Robertson,
even though they lost their unin-
sured downtown Howell home to a
Nov. 12 fire.
“We had only been in the house
exactly 24 hours,” said Robertson, File photo by GILLIS BENEDICT/
DAILY PRESS & ARGUS
who, with her boyfriend and their
three children, had just moved into Howell Area Fire Depart-
Photo by ALAN WARD/DAILY PRESS & ARGUS the home in the 300 block of West ment members battle flames
Brighton Rotary Club members Mark Sweatman, left, Tom Coates, right, and others prepare turkey in the kitchen Washington Street, a couple of at a Howell home Nov. 12. A
of Crystal Gardens banquet center for delivery to needy families in the community. With direction from Crystal blocks south of Grand River couple and their three chil-
Gardens executive chef James Casper and several volunteer employees, the Rotarians prepared 38 24-pound Avenue. dren had just moved into the
turkeys, an estimated 500 pounds of potatoes, 60 gallons of gravy, 180 pounds of dressing and 20 gallons of “We saw our biggest dream and place one day earlier.
cranberry sauce. The food was then packaged and made ready for delivery to needy residents Wednesday. our worst nightmare over the
course of 24 hours.” ed $100,000 in damage, fire offi-
COMMUNITY An electrical fire that started in cials said. Fire officials also said it
the kitchen of the family’s home appears the home is a total loss

Groups try to bring spread throughout the house and

rendered the home inhabitable.
The family, Robertson said,
did not have insurance on their
due to the fire.
“I probably should have had
(insurance) on the house before

home. The fire caused an estimat- Continued on page 4

Thanksgiving to all This Weekend’s Best Bets

Gardens banquet center for executive chef
Big dinners require James Casper.
“He starts at 2 a.m., and his staff comes in
Fantasy of Lights takes over Howell
The Howell Area Chamber
special commitment on their day off to help out,” said Brighton
Rotary President Jeremy Jones. of Commerce Foundation
Nearly all Brighton’s Rotarians pitched in presents the annual night-
By Sarah K. Norris to help with the meal throughout the day, and time Fantasy of Lights
DAILY PRESS & ARGUS hand-delivered dinners to families in Liv- Parade at 7 p.m. today in
ingston County on Wednesday night, with
Cooking Thanksgiving dinner for a family plenty of time to spare before Thanksgiving downtown Howell. The
gathering of 10 can be daunting — but dinner. parade that traditionally
organizing a dinner for 500 people is an In their fifth year of the effort, they expect- draws thousands of peo-
effort that requires a special commitment on ed to serve 400-500 people, with the help of ple to Howell on the day File photo by ALAN WARD/DAILY PRESS & ARGUS
Thanksgiving. donations and discounts from Crystal Gar- after Thanksgiving begins
Both Cornerstone Evangelical Presbyter- dens, Banana Jacks produce, ASB Bread The Fantasy of Lights Pa-
ian Church in Brighton Township and the Distributors and Sysco Detroit. at Citizens Insurance on rade will happen tonight.
Brighton Rotary Club pooled their collective Volunteers and congregation members Photo by SARAH K. NORRIS/DAILY PRESS & ARGUS
Grand River Avenue at reindeer and a display of
resources to put together Thanksgiving din- managed to carve out a chunk of their day Sofia Byrum, 10, mixes milk with Byron Road and heads gingerbread houses. A 5K
ners for hundreds of people. to help out with preparing a sit-down dinner east on the avenue toward (3.1-mile) run starts at 6
Preparation for the yearly Rotary dinners
ranch dressing mix to help prepare
for Cornerstone Evangelical Pres- Elm Street. Other events p.m.; find out more on
began early Wednesday morning at Crystal Continued on page 4
byterian Church’s fourth annual begin at 4 p.m., including page 1B. Call (517) 546-
community Thanksgiving dinner. entertainment, Santa vis- 3920 or see www.howell.
Cornerstone, in Brighton Township, its, cookie decorating, live org for more details
“It’s our way of giving back. You see the joy on everyone’s faces, offers a free meal to members of its
and it teaches our kids a good lesson about what’s going on in the congregation as well as needy and Holiday program slated for the kids
homeless people in Livingston The Livingston Players is for kids 10 and younger
world today.” — Sue Byrum, volunteering at Cornerstone Evangelical Presbyterian Church for Thanksgiving County. Junior Theater group pres- with a responsible adult.
ents 90 minutes of singing, Tickets are $5 each and
dancing, stories, puppetry must be purchased in

Inside:
Today is Black Friday, and
Video:
At livingstondaily.com, see video
and crafts with Santa’s elves
in the Ho Ho Holiday pro-
gram at 3 p.m. Saturday
and Sunday at the City of
advance at the center or at
the Greater Brighton Area
Chamber of Commerce,
131 Hyne St. in Brighton.
massive crowds are expected of rehearsals from the Hartland Brighton Arts, Culture and Other shows are set for the
to surge into retailers. Pick up Players Encore Youth Theater pro- History Center, 202 W. Main next two weekends; see
some shopping tips on page 3A. duction of “A Christmas Carol.” St. in Brighton. The program more at www.livplayers.org.

INDEX
Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2D
Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6B
Crossword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6B
Health & Fitness . . . . . . . . . . . .9A
Horoscope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6B
Lottery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2A
Nation & World . . . . . . . . . . . . 7A
Obituaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4A
Contact Us Snow showers
Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6A For home delivery: 1-888-840-4809 High 34
Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1D
Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1B To report news: 517-548-2000 or 517-552-2828 Low 22
State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5A
Television . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2C To place a classified ad: 1-888-999-1288 Weather - 2A
The Weekender . . . . . . . . . . . . 1C
4A DAILY PRESS & ARGUS-Friday, November 26, 2010

NEWS

District sets sights on shedding $8.5M debt

Continued from page 1 “This is a very aggressive plan to cation Association, expires next

$8.5 million, which includes $7.2
million in debt accumulated from
the previous two years and a pro-
jected $1.3 million deficit for the
current year.
Several Board of Education
members said they don’t believe
Brighton can eliminate $8 million
in one year, but they view the plan
as a goal they will work toward
achieving.
“The plan we’re looking at is a
very aggressive plan, and we all
know that,” board President Cheryl
Leach said.
The new deficit-elimination plan
calls for the following:
“The plan we’re looking at is a very aggressive
plan, and we all know that.”
President, Brighton Area Schools Board of Education
• Increasing class size by 15 per-
cent, a $2 million savings.
• Reductions in salary and bene-
fits for teachers, a total of $6.2 mil-
lion in savings
• Reducing the administrative
ranks by a post, a total savings of
$170,000 in salary and benefits.
She said many of the items need
— Cheryl Leach
to be negotiated, and the district
will give it a “good go to try and
accomplish it.”
Leach said the district has made
tremendous progress in the last
year, cutting more than $7 million
in expenditures. She said the dis-
trict kept those cuts away from the
classroom.
achieve in one year,” school board summer.
Vice President Greg Rassel said. Rassel said the district has BRIGHTON
Can it be done? accomplished a lot in the last two
“I would be surprised it we years, including closing two build-
achieved it in one year,” ings, eliminating teacher
SCHOOLS
Rassel said. What do positions and privatizing While Brighton might spend a
He said some of the you think? its janitorial services and few years as a deficit district, it cer-
items — increased class Share it at bus drivers. tainly isn’t headed toward setting
sizes and reductions in livingston- Although the district the record for length of time on this
teacher pay and bene- daily.com. had reduced its expendi- list. That title belongs to Madison
fits — will have to be set- tures significantly, Rassel District Public Schools, in Madison
tled through negotiations. said the district is like a battleship Heights in Oakland County. State
“Hopefully, we’ll be more being turned in a new direction. It figures show that district spent 17
successful than we have in the takes time. Still, he’s confident it years in deficit before finally get-
past,” Rassel said about teacher can be done. ting off the list in 2009.
negotiations. “We are going to turn this thing Contact Daily Press & Argus
The district’s contract with its around,” he said, adding. “It’s not reporter Jim Totten at (517) 548-
teachers’ union, the Brighton Edu- going to spin like NASCAR.” 7088 or at jtotten@gannett.com.

Tips on smart holiday spending

Continued from page 3
retailers on social networking sites likes Twitter
and Facebook, and retailers are taking full
advantage. It’s much easier for businesses to
launch and retract deals online, where matching
inventory with demand is less of a challenge.
Coupons and last-minute offers can arrive as e-
mail alerts or through social network accounts.
Smart phone apps like Coupon Sherpa also pro-
vide in-the-moment help. It enables iPhone
users to search coupons by category or store
name, and find the nearest location. According
to Deloitte Research, nearly one in five shoppers
plans to use a cell phone during the shopping
process.
Extended warranties
Here’s when to buy an extended warranty,
said Greg Daugherty, executive editor of Con-
sumer Reports: “Basically never.” The manufac-
45-inch flat-screen TV offered at one store and
much better odds for the less spectacular bargain
down the road. Planning is important throughout
the shopping season. Check the Web site of each
store you plan to visit for the latest bargains, and
make a list of what you want to buy from each
store.
Gaps on gift cards
Give gift cards another look if you’ve spurned
buying them because of fees and other issues.
Thanks to recent rule changes, this is the first
holiday season in which any gift card purchased
cannot expire for at least five years. What’s
more, inactivity and other fees are banned in the
first year. Still, you should beware of buying gift
cards through online auction sites or classified
ads. They may be counterfeit and could have
been obtained illegally.
might sound worth it. But remember that retail-
ers promote their store cards because they come
out ahead on interest and late fees. Interest rates
of more than 20 percent are quite common.
That’s what you’ll find at the Gap and Macy’s,
among many others. Signing up for a store’s
credit card and then canceling after a short peri-
od, even if you pay it off on time, can harm your
credit score. If you apply, be very selective.
Exposing your ID
File photo by GILLIS BENEDICT/DAILY PRESS & ARGUS
Grab deals from the comfort of your living Flames shoot from the roof of a home in the 300 block of
room but take precautions to avoid becoming a
victim of identity theft, which costs U.S. con-
West Washington Street in Howell in fire that destroyed
sumers more than $50 billion a year. Only do the second floor and roof Nov. 12. A father and an infant
business with Web sites that are properly secure. who had just moved in were hospitalized for smoke
A common indictor that it’s OK to enter confi- inhalation. The mother says the family is doing fine now.
dential information is the presence of a padlock

turer’s warranty should protect you against any
defect for up to a year, and the cost of protection
beyond that generally isn’t worth it. Instead of
wasting anywhere from tens to hundreds of dol-
lars on an extended warranty, put some extra
cash in your emergency fund to help cover pos-
sible repairs or replacements.
Bargain blunders
Black Friday can be a shopper’s dream. But
long lines and overzealous crowds can really
wear you down and make it harder to spend
wisely. So map out a plan in advance and read
the fine print on door-buster deals. At 5 a.m.,
you may have a slim chance of landing the lone
Groups bring Thanksgiving feasts within reach
Continued from page 1
on Thanksgiving Day at Cornerstone.
“We have easily 250 volunteers coming in
and out,” said Karen Leaf, the church’s caring
ministries facilitator. This is the fourth year the
church has opened its doors to the community,
as well as the needy, for a Thanksgiving meal.
“We don’t want it to be a soup-kitchen envi-
ronment, ever,” said Leaf.
The church works hard to create a homey
atmosphere, filling a room with tables set for
eight and decorated with fall flowers.
In addition to volunteers and congregation
members, Cornerstone reaches out to more
than 1,100 families in Livingston County
through Love In the Name of Christ. The pro-
Shipping costs
Free shipping is easier than ever to find. Giant
retailers are dangling it as an inducement to
spend. Walmart, Target and J.C. Penney are
among the retailers promoting free shipping
programs. More than 1,000 merchants also are
participating in Free Shipping Day (www.free-
shippingday.com) on Dec. 17. Even if you don’t
get free shipping, don’t wait too long or you’ll
blow your budget to ship to out-of-town friends
and family.
Store credit cards
Saving 20 percent on a single large purchase
gram began with Cornerstone hosting the Sal-
vation Army’s Responding Everyday Against
Community Homelessness program seven
years ago, which it continues to do.
“For our first dinner, we had about 30 peo-
ple,” said the Rev. Brian Tweedie, pastor of car-
ing ministries and deacons. “This year, we start-
ed getting reservations for the dinner in August.”
Sue Byrum has been volunteering at Corner-
stone’s Thanksgiving meal for four years,
along with her children. Family dinners are
something her family experiences year round,
but this Thanksgiving meal is a special oppor-
tunity for them.
“It’s our way of giving back,” she said. “You
see the joy on everyone’s faces, and it teaches
our kids a good lesson about what’s going on in
in the address bar on the checkout page. This
means that the data you input will be properly
encrypted for your protection.
Family recovering
Fear of negotiating after fire hits home
Prices frequently are negotiable in electronics, Continued from page 1
jewelry and department stores. Consumer
Reports surveys on haggling have found that we walked through the door, but I
shoppers are successful more often than not never thought we’d lose it in 24
when they ask for a better price. Make the nego- hours,” Robertson said.
tiations friendly. Daugherty suggested saying The fire sent Robertson’s
something like: “I’d like to buy this but the price boyfriend, Chris Oslund, and their
is over my budget. Can you do any better?” 9-month-old son, Brayden Robert-
Often, the manager can if the clerk cannot. son, to the University of Michigan
“You’re not going to embarrass yourself,” he Medical Center in Ann Arbor for
said. “They’ve heard it before.” Along the same treatment of smoke inhalation. The
lines, ask the cashier if there’s a discount on your infant was released Nov. 15, and
item even if you don’t have a current coupon. Oslund was released the next day,
Desiree Robertson said. Oslund
suffered a burn on his arm during
the fire, but is healing, Desiree
Robertson said.
the world today.” Desiree Robertson and another
Organizers at Cornerstone say their dinner is adult female in the home at the time
about more than helping the less fortunate; it of the fire were not injured. The
gives people with nowhere else to go some- two older Robertson children —
where to spend the holiday. A.J. Robertson, 3, and 6-year-old
“People who’ve experienced a tragedy often Matthew Robertson — were not
can’t conceive of how to go through a holiday,” home at the time of the fire.
Tweedie said, noting that families who have Chief Andy Pless of the Howell
recently experienced divorce or deaths often Area Fire Department said flames
visit Cornerstone on Thanksgiving. were through the roof on the rear of
“You don’t want to do what you’ve always the home and heavy smoke was
done, so this helps people get through a trauma showing when firefighters arrived
or transition,” he said. “You may just do it for a at the home late Nov. 12. A neigh-
year, to get through a tough time.” bor called 911 about the fire about
Contact Daily Press & Argus reporter Sarah 11:27 p.m. that night, Pless said.
K. Norris at (517) 552-2847 or at sknorris@ “The fire was in the wall in the
gannett.com. kitchen. It burned the roof right off
and gutted the second floor,” Pless
County EMS, the Howell Police
Department and the Livingston
County chapter of the American
Red Cross responded to the scene.
The Red Cross is assisting the dis-
placed residents.
Robertson on Monday said she
has talked with area real estate
agents about rental properties. The
family, she said, is staying with
family and friends. The Red Cross
aided the family, Desiree Robert-
son said, by supplying them with
blankets and money for new
clothes and food.
“Everyone has been a really big
help to us,” she said. “There’s a lot
of people I’d like to thank.”
The Big Boy restaurant where
the mother works is accepting
financial donations for the family
while Howell Bowl-E-Drome has
held 50-50 raffles on a number of
nights since the fire.
Mike Robertson of the Big Boy
at 2222 E. Grand River Ave. in
Genoa Township said the restaurant
also is accepting household items
for the family. Anyone interested in
making a donation is asked to visit
the restaurant. He asked that any-
one donating a household item call
first. The restaurant’s phone num-
ber is (517) 548-1800.
Contact Daily Press & Argus

Secondhand smoke kills 600K yearly, study says said.

LONDON (AP) — Secondhand
smoke kills more than 600,000
people worldwide every year,
according to a new study.
In the first look at the global
impact of secondhand smoking,
379,000 deaths from heart disease,
165,000 deaths from lower respira-
tory disease, 36,900 deaths from
asthma and 21,400 deaths from
lung cancer a year. Altogether,
those account for about 1 percent
real toll of tobacco,” said Armando
Peruga, a program manager at the
World Health Organization Tobac-
co-Free Initiative, who led the
study. He said the approximately
603,000 deaths from secondhand
In addition to Howell firefight-
ers, personnel from Livingston
reporter Jason Carmel Davis at
(517) 552-2857 or at jcdavis@
gannett.com.
“The mix of infectious diseases
and secondhand smoke is a deadly
combination,” Peruga said.
Children whose parents smoke
have a higher risk of sudden infant
death syndrome, ear infections,
Passages Obituaries, Memorials & Remembrances

Call 888-999-1288 or Email lcp-obits@gannett.com

researchers analyzed data from
2004 for 192 countries. They found
40 percent of children and more
than 30 percent of nonsmoking
men and women regularly breathe
in secondhand smoke.
Scientists then estimated that
passive smoking causes about
of the world’s deaths.
The study was paid for by the
Swedish National Board of Health
and Welfare and Bloomberg Phil-
anthropies. It’s being published
today in the British medical journal
Lancet.
“This helps us understand the
smoking should be added to the 5.1
million deaths that smoking itself
causes every year.
Peruga said the WHO was partic-
ularly concerned about the 165,000
children who die of smoke-related
respiratory infections, mostly in
Southeast Asia and Africa.
pneumonia, bronchitis and asthma.
Their lungs may also grow more
slowly than kids whose parents
don’t smoke.
Peruga and colleagues found the
lowest rates of exposure were in the
Americas, the Eastern Mediter-
ranean and Africa.
View Passages Online: www.livingstondaily.com
OBITUARY POLICY SEAN PATRICK O'BRIEN
Age 41, a resident of Novi and for-
The first seven lines of an obit- merly of Brighton, died in the care
uary are published free of of his family on November 24, 2010.
He is survived by his wife, Diana;
charge. After that, there is a fee daughters, Morgan, Ashley, Caitlin,

Woman wins $100 Meijer gift card as puzzle prize
For the second week in a row, a
woman from Brighton was the
winner of the Puzzle for Prizes
contest that appears daily in the
Livingston County Daily Press &
Argus.
Wanda Usher’s name was
drawn from about 700 entries of
people who correctly pieced
together a puzzle of a familiar
Livingston County landmark. She
wins a $100 Meijer gift card.
There is a different contest each
week for six weeks with puzzle
pieces appearing somewhere in
Nature center
NEWS BRIEFS opens tree farm
the paper from Sunday through
Friday. Readers need to collect
the six puzzle pieces and deliver
them or mail them to the newspa-
per office, 323 E. Grand River,
Howell MI 48843.
Deadline is 4 p.m. Wednesday.
There will be six $100 weekly
prizes. All entries will then be eli-
gible for the grand prize, which is
a $500 Meijer gift card.
The Christmas tree farm will
open for business starting today
at the Howell Conference and
Nature Center, south of Howell
at 1005 Triangle Lake Road in
Marion Township.
The tree farm will be open
daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. until
all the trees have been sold.
Douglas firs, Fraser firs, con-
color firs, pines and spruces will
be available for purchase. Prices
range from $39 to $89. Wreaths,
roping and poinsettias will also
be for sale.
Proceeds benefit the nature
center.
Visitors to the tree sale can also
see live wildlife presentations,
take a hayride, enjoy hot refresh-
ments and shop at the Nature
Cents Gift Shop.
For more information, call the
center at (517) 546-0249 or visit
www.howellnaturecenter.org.
of $3 a line. Pictures may be
published for $25.
*Deadline for obituaries is
4:30 p.m. Monday through
Thursday for publication in the
next morning’s newspaper.
Obituaries received Friday or
Saturday by 1 p.m. will be
published in Sunday’s newspa-
per.
For more information,
call 888-999-1288,
or contact your funeral home.
*Holiday deadlines are subject to change.
Delaney; parents, Kevin & Donna
O’Brien; brothers, Kevin Jr., Chris
(Ellen); grandmother, Sophie Dubs
and loving aunts, uncle, nieces,
nephews, cousins and dear friends.
A Memorial Service will be held at
Brighton Christian Church, 4309
Buno Rd, Brighton on Saturday,
November 27, 2010 at 11 AM. Pas-
tor Joe Kohler to officiate. Friends
may gather from 10:30 until time of
Service. A luncheon will follow at
the Church. Memorial donations
may be made to the Sean O’Brien
Memorial Fund. For further informa-
tion please contact Lynch & Sons
Funeral Directors, Brighton at 810-
229-2905 or visit www.LynchFu-
neralDirectors.com

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