COMMUNITY

The
VOL. 28, NO. 42

Belleville Fire Department celebrates milestone See Page 1-B

SPORTS

Belleville beats Garden City in Homecoming game See Page 1-C

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2012 Weave the Web:
Make sure to click on www.heritage.com around the clock for the most in-depth coverage. See most popular stories....Michigan Football: Michigan State will be a real test for Wolverines.

Belleville native chasing music stardom

Rachel Williams love of country music leads to Nashville
By Andrew Kidd
Heritage Media

Belleville native Rachel Williams

Council declines to close Main Street on Halloween

By Jerry LaVaute
Special Writer

Wish granted

Dreams can lead people to places they would never have imagined going before. In the case of one Belleville resident, that dream led her to Nashville. Rachel Williams, a budding singer/ songwriter, left her hometown for Nashville in 2004 and has been on the road since, sharing the stage with artists such as Wynonna Judd, Trace Adkins, Clay Walker and Ronnie Milsap, among others. The performer has also been

featured on USA Networks Nashville Star 2 as a finalist, gaining her national exposure. The 26-year-old Belleville native has three albums and is currently collaborating with Jim Moose Brown (of Bob Segers Silver Bullet Band) to produce her newest album, which she says will incorporate Nashvilles country flavor with Detroits Motown sound. Theres going to be nothing predictable about this record, she said. Im really pumped beyond all belief to be doing something so great, something youre not going to typically hear on a radio station. Her latest album is still in pre-production, with numerous songs competing
PLEASE SEE WILLIAMS/3-A

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Belleville City Council members, absent Mayor Kerreen Conley who was excused, confirmed citysponsored events for all seasons in their regular meeting on Oct. 1: the downtown trick-or-treat event on Halloween, the Winter Fest on Dec. 1, BELLEVILLE and the continuation of the Music Lakeside series next June. An issue that has drawn fire in the past is whether Main Street will be open to vehicle traffic during trickor-treating, scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 31, between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. The Belleville Chamber of Commerce, which sponsors the event, sent a letter to the council asking that Main Street be closed between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m., to better ensure childrens safety. A straw vote by chamber members was 6-4 to close Main Street. The city council and city staff saw it differently. Why fix something that isnt broke? Mayor Pro Tem Jack Loria asked, referring to the absence of safetyrelated incidents in the past. Former mayor Tom Fielder said that a check of public safety records of the event over the last five or six years showed that there were no safety-related incidents caused by the closure of Main Street. How can you improve on a zero incident record? Fielder asked.
PLEASE SEE COUNCIL/7-A

The Belleville View is looking for Community Bloggers!

If you live in the greater Belleville area and are interested in writing about local events, news and views or even your own interests and hobbies, please contact Tanya Wildt at twildt@heritage.com.

Photos by Jim Pruitt

Above: Van Buren Township Fire Chief Dan Besson talks with Jahmier Mays, 7, outside Walmart Monday. Jahmier, who suffers from brittle-bone syndrome, which is fatal in children, received a special shopping spree through the Kids Wish Network. Below: One of Jahmiers acquisitions Monday was a new bike.

Local lad treated to fun shopping spree

By Jim Pruitt
Heritage Media

Local ads are just a hop away at the MIcentral. com marketplace. While you are there, you can check out all the special supplements of Journal Register Co. newspapers in Michigan. Click on marketplace on the home page of our website or go directly to www.marketplace.micentral.com.

The Marketplace:

INDEX
Editorial Calendar Sports Page 6-A Page 4-A Page 1-C

Jahmier Mays wanted a big day Monday and he got it thanks to a national charity and a local retailer. Jahmier, 7, was the guest of honor at the Van Buren Township Walmart as he went on a $1,000 shopping spree. Jahmier, a second-grader at Tyler Elementary School in Belleville, suffers from Osteogenesis Imperfecta, or as it is commonly known, brittle-

bone disease. Jahmier has had many trips to the hospital because of the disease, store representative April Warner said. We were contacted because (Jahmier) had a wish to go on a shopping spree, she said. In addition to the shopping spree, Jahmier and his family were treated to a pizza party. Joined by his mother, Angel Mays, grandmother Ernestine Mays, great aunt Regina Brown
PLEASE SEE WISH/4-A

Death Notices Page 12-A

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