Sunday, March 27, 2005

Fans of aquarium race against clock

Advocates for Belle Isle facility will hold last-minute events to fight April 3 closure.

By Judy Lin / The Detroit News

The week ahead The Detroit City Council will be on spring recess this week. TUESDAY: Wayne State University Law School hosts a lecture by William Taylor, civil rights attorney with the NAACP. Taylor, who has litigated school desegregation cases throughout the nation, has just written his memoirs. The meeting begins at 4 p.m. in the Law School auditorium, 471 W. Palmer St. Rachel Simon, author of "Riding the Bus With My Sister," will speak at 6 p.m. at WSU. The free event is the first of a new author series. Simon's book chronicles the daily bus riding routines of her sister, who has a mental disability. The event will be in the Bernath Auditorium in the Adamany Undergraduate Library, 5155 Gullen Mall. For information, contact Kirsti Reeve, (313) 377-8562. WEDNESDAY: Amnesty International-Wayne State chapter welcomes Erion Veliaj, founder of MJAFT! (ENOUGH!) movement. Veliaj will participate in an open discussion at 1 p.m. in the President's Room at Wayne State's Student Center, 5221 Gullen Mall, and share ideas on human rights and worldwide justice. For more information on the free event, contact Eneida Hajiou, (313) 729-5231. THURSDAY: WSU will hold a symposium called "Detroit's Tsunami," which covers the city's past, present and future. The symposium, at 6 p.m. at the Adamany Undergraduate Library, is sponsored by the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies in the College of Urban, Labor and Metropolitan Affairs at Wayne State and the International Women's Writing Guild, Southeastern Michigan Region. For information, contact Trevor Richards, (313) 577-0832. Comment on this story Send this story to a friend Get Home Delivery

DETROIT -- Fish fans have until April 3 to visit the Belle Isle Aquarium before it closes due to budget cuts.

And that means one more week of last-ditch lobbying for those who oppose the shut-down.

Friends of the Belle Isle Aquarium is holding a string of events this week aimed at keeping the aquarium, off Jefferson in Detroit, open. For more than a month, members of the group have been rallying support and collecting donations.

The group will hold a rally at noon Tuesday in front of the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center. On Friday, a $100-per-plate benefit dinner and auction at the Detroit Yacht Club will begin at 6:30 p.m. A final rally is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday in front of the aquarium.

The city says it will save more than $500,000 annually from the aquarium closing. Kate Alan, president of the Friends of the Belle Isle Aquarium, said a boost in attendance combined with donations have yielded more than $80,000. She says the group has even received a commitment from roofers to make repairs at the aquarium.

For information about Friends of the Belle Isle Aquarium, visit www.belleisleaquarium.com.

You can reach Judy Lin at (313) 222-2072 or jlin@detnews.com.