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8A(C
Opinion
Marybeth Dillon Ward editor 459-2700
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Neighbor aims
at drunks
1-800-MI-REDDI.
Impaired drivers seen anywhere in
neighboring Oakland County can be reported
by calling that toll-free telephone
number It's part of an aggressive program
to combat drunk driving sponsored
by the Traffic Improvement Association
iTIA) of Oakland County
The goal of REDDi is to identify persons
driving so erratically that they could
be described as an accident just waiting to
happen.said Bruce Madsen. TIA managing
director
More than likely, erratic driving is the
result of too much alcohol, but it could be
drugs or even a phy
The Oakland sheriff's department will
handle REDDI's dispatch It will require
the location and direction of travel of an
erratically driven vehicle and its make,
color and license number Callers will not
be asked to identify themselves
This information will then be called to a
deputy, state trooper or local police officer.
depending on the jurisdiction in which
the offense occurs
Wayne County, though it has made
progress, could well follow the Oakland
County example
IF VOl THINK the battle against
drunk driving has accelerated in the past
year, you're right It's about time
The statistics are appalling It has been
estimated that drunk driving accounts for
26.300 deaths every year or about half of
all auto fatalities More persons die because
of accidents caused by drunks than
die in any other accident including falls,
drownings fires and poisonings
Safety experts predict that 50 percent
of us will be victimized by drunk drivers
during our lifetimes That's enough for us
to get mad
SOME PEOPLE are doing something
about it.
• Police chiefs in Wayne County recently
obtained a 1400.000 federal grant to
put more patrol cars on the road and arrest
more drunk drivers Using a state police
computer printout of roads where
drinking accidents most frequently occur,
additional police cars will be dispatched
to those sites Arrests will then be made
Many local police departments in Wayne
license Defendant was asked
to step from his vehicle As he did so he
almost threw himself into traffic on Michigan
Avenue. Strong odor ol intoxicants
apparent speech slurred, subject very
unsteady on his feet
Could recite ABC's up to C Asked to
stand in a vertical position with his eyes
closed defendant almost fell over sideways
1 20 a m Saturday, 1 1 26 83
Two-door Chevy being driven on Michigan
near Beck was proceeding erraticallycrossing
over center line of roadway, back
to right shoulder, then back across the
centerline to the left shoulder Vehicle
was chased and finally pulled over
INVESTIGATION: Subject had to use
vehicle for support to stand Speech was
slurred, eyes bloodshot and glass\ Odor of
intoxicants observed Subject had great
difficulty saying the ABC's Counting from
O&E Thursday December 1. 1983
20-1 backwards, she skipped trom 14-y
Asked to stand in a vertical position with
eyes closed, she almost fell over forwards
Midnight Friday 11 26 83
While On routine patrol near Cherry Hill
and Canton Center, officer observed a
two-door Ford swerve into the eastbound
lane, nearly striking this officer's patrol
unit- Vehicle crossed centerline on Sheldon
Road several times and stalled vehicle
at Canton Center
INV ESTIGATION: Subject had difficulty
standing and walking Had bloodshot
eyes, speech, and the strong odor of intoxicants
about him Subject said he had no
idea what city or street he was on Could
not complete countdown from 30
145am Saturday. 11 26 83
Two-door Mercury near Ford and Canton
Center observed proceeding onto east
shoulder crossing center white line
INVESTIGATION: While getting out
subject lost his balance and used his vehicle
to steady himself Strong odor of intoxicants
came from his person. Eyes
were very bloodshot and glassy Could not
continue reciting alphabet after F
Counting backwards from 50 he said '>0
49. 51. 52. 49
In all cases, subjects tet&stered const
deruhly over 10 on the lireath'il;j:er
Wsi, dos wd t)ond and we re released
When sports writing isn't fun
THOUSANDS OF people look with envv
on members of the journalistic fraternity
- especially sports writers — who put
their thoughts on paper and then see them
in print They think it is the most interesting
and fascinating position in the world
Sure, the writers are given front-row
seats at the opera and all special events
and private seating at sports activities
But the job isn't all peaches and cream
Writing for daily and weekly journals
has many unusual facets First, you never
write the same thing twice Once the opera
or the spirts event is over it is considered
old stuff
What's more you can often see the lady
of the house wrap up your day's work and
place it in the garbage can. or it is often
just tossed to the winds How would you
like to see your day s work tossed aside
befoi% it is a day old° Yet that happens to
ft newn wntrr nw*t evrrv dsv of h« it-fe
THEN THERE is another si3e that is
even more unusual than seeing your work
tossed to the winds There are times when
you wish you could recall a story — even
those on which you worked so diligently
and never have the public*ee it
The Stroller well remembers many
such times in his long trek on the journalistic
trail The one he best remembers is
his storv of a fight between Max Baer the
heavyweight champion.
Campbell in a Chicago ring
the stroller
w.w.
Edgar
and Frankie
For several rounds the fight was rather
drear> Then Campbell suddenly fell to
the floor and was counted out
The Stroller didn t see the punch land
Neither did many of the nation s leading
sports writers
As edition time drew near he wrote
that Campbell seemingly went down without
being hit and that he set the pugilistic
game back about 20 vears
After the Uascu. most of the writer*
gathered around Damon Runyan the famous
writer in the lounge of his Chicago
hotel for a storytelling session
AFTER SEVERAL hours of chatting
with the sun beginning to rise the news
boys arrived with the earlv edition of the
Chicago newspapers Across the front
page was a story in bold type Frankie
Campbell had died from the effect of Max
Baer s punch
Imagine the position The Stroller w,-><
in His paper carried the story of what he
termed a fiasco and it was on the streets
of Detroit Then the afternoon paper came
out with the story of Campbell's death
His thoughts immediately turned In
what would happen to him when he returned
to his office Sure enough he was
questioned But he had th presence of
mind to gather several Chicago paperthat
featured the "unseen punch It wa>
the only thing that saved him
Would you have envied the sports venters
in that position 0
THEN THERE uas the time in 1936 on
the night before the first Max Schmeling
Joe Louis fight in New York
He wrote that the length of the fight
would depend on Mrs Louis If she wanted
to go to a movie. Joe would make it a
quick knockout Tf she wanted to go night
clubbing after the fight .Joe might let the
German stay around for awhile
Well, you know what happened
Schmeling knocked Louis out in one of the
fight game s major upsets
Would you env\ The Stroller in that po
sition when he returned to the office"
So vou see. the sports writing assign
ment isn t all fun and games
Suburbs still
fight water rates
By Tim Richard
staff writer
Suburban governments are raising
money again to fight the city of Detroit's
water rate increases.
"But we're in the driver's seat for the
first time," an optimistic Livonia Mayor
Edward H. McNamara told representatives
of the 77 suburbs this week.
"We've got to stick to it."
"This is the first reported case where
the customers won," added George
Ward, attorney for the Suburban Association
of Detroit Water Customers. Although
confident of ultimate success,
Ward predicted the seven-year-old case
could drag on for more years.
IN OCTOBER the Michigan Court of
Appeals ruled a circuit judge erred in
calculating the rate of return Detroit is
permitted to earn on water it sells to
the suburbs.
The appeals court sent the case back
to the circuit court for new hearings on
what should be the proper rate of return.
If the suburban position is upheld,
the 77 governments could win back as
much as $35 million for five years of
water bills plus interest at 12 percent.
Meanwhile, however. Detroit has
asked the state Supreme Court for
leave to appeal — a motion Ward opposes
as premature. "If it goes to the
Supreme Court, it'll go back to the circuit
court (for rehearing on the facts),
and you know what'll happen: It'll be
right back up to the Supreme Court,"
said Ward.
"The Supreme Court might take as
much as nine months to decide whether
to grant an appeal, though it might be
as short as six months. Assuming the
Supreme Court slams the door (on Detroit),
it might be six months before the
circuit judge hears it."
SO SUBURBAN city councils and
township boards are being asked to
contribute 5 cents per capita (based on
the 1980 census) to fight the appeal.
Earlier assessments of 5 cents and
2.5 cents, beginning in 1976, raised a
total of $147,000, McNamara reported.
Of this, the association spent 178,000
on attorneys fees, 132,000 on engineering
testimony and $31,000 on certified
public accountants, with outstanding
bills of $5,000. Thus, the group is out of
money with more appeals in sight,
McNamara said.
There were technical questions from
the audience — mostly public officials
from other Wayne, Oakland and Macomb
county suburbs — but no hint
that anyone was unhappy at being assessed
again.. About 75 percent of the
local governments contributed to the
earlier assessment.
WARD GAVE this explanation of the
court of appeals victory:
Detroit figured it earned $22 million
on its investment of $245 million in the
water plant — a rate of return of 9 percent
The circuit judge ruled the rate
was fair.
But the suburbs argued that Detroit's
actual ownership equity (subtracting
the amount of bonded debt) was only
$86 million Subtracting interest payments
of $6.9 million, Detroit actually
earned $15 million — a rate of return
of 17 percent.
"We said 17 percent is too high,"
Ward said.
By his caluclations, Detroit overcharged
the suburbs at least $7 million
a year for five years — a total of $35
million. The appeals court panel ruled
in the suburbs" favor.
A Detroit resident. Ward was chief of
staff for the Detroit Charter Commission
in the mid-1970s and chairman of
the Wayne County Charter Commission
in 1980-1
BOB FREDERICKS, deputy Oakland
County drain commissioner, urged local
officials to support senate bills 544
and 545 to reform the Detroit water
board
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It's time to get
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