What’s the future hold for community newspapers? That’s the topic of discussion this Sunday morning on WDIV’s Flashpoint that airs 10 a.m. on Channel 4.

As a former Detroit News writer and blogger for four years with Deepsaidwhat.com, I was invited to be one of the guests on Sunday’s program.

The Ann Arbor News may have closed and the company that owns the Dearborn Press & Guide just emerged from Chapter 11 but not all local papers are in trouble.

The topic is a timely one and worth watching if you have time on Sunday.

In case you missed it,  last week FoxDetroit, channel 2, featured Dearborn as one of their Zip Trips. The news station described Dearborn as a city with the feeling of a small town with all of the amenities of “big city”.

 We’re anxious to hear your opinions about this feature story.

Just two years after graduating from Dearborn High School, Sean O’Reilly, the son of Dearborn Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr., already is making a name for himself on the silver screen. Sean O’Reilly appears in two scenes in this trailer for an upcoming movie called “Whip It.”

The movie is about a young Texas teen, tired of being pushed into beauty pageants by her parents, who finally finds herself after joining a female roller derby team.

Directed by Drew Barrymore, Whip It is slated to be released October 9. In addition to Barrymore, the movie also stars Ellen Page, Zoe Bell, Marcia Gay Harden and Kristen Wiig,

O’Reilly can be seen, albeit briefly, in two scenes in this trailer. One where a teen is pouring water on two kids (he is far left on screen) and a second time in a restaurant scene where a group of teens are sitting in a booth (he is the second one from the right).

From the looks of the movie preview, this looks like a fun film made even more special because many of us can say we know a certain Dearborn High School graduate who appears in it. How cool is that?

Oh, yeah, and O’Reilly also is appearing in a second film called “The Irishman”. For a bit more on that film, please click HERE. We’d say quite an accomplishment just two years out of high school.

The January fire at the Sarah Jordan Boarding House . . .

If you haven’t made it over to The Henry Ford yet this summer, there is still plenty of time to take in a visit to this national gem located right here in the City of Dearborn.

If you take a walk through Greenfield Village, visitors will also notice that the Sarah Jordan Boarding House has been restored to its original condition since the building was damaged by fire in January.

Visitors will be hard-pressed to notice any changes to the circa-1870 duplex. The conservation effort has returned the 10 rooms to their original condition.

The Sarah Jordan Boarding House was home to many of Thomas A. Edison’s unmarried employees in Menlo Park, N.J. in the late 1870s and early 1880s. It was one of the earliest buildings brought to Greenfield Village.

. . . The Sarah Jordan Boarding House in August, restored to its original condition.

“As fires go, we were pretty lucky,”  Mary Fahey, chief conservator at The Henry Ford says on The Henry Ford web. The fire had been burning for only about 20 minutes when it was reported, and Dearborn firefighters arrived quickly to extinguish it.

In some areas of the home, damage was minimal and most of the furnishings inside the house survived the fire, Jeanine Miller, The Henry Ford’s curator of domestic life, says on the museum’s website. The Sarah Jordan Boarding House contains 806 artifacts. Of those, 33 have been replaced since the fire.

Now a small number of small artifacts — such as hair brushes, a doll and some linens — have been replaced. The wallpaper patterns in Sarah Jordan’s parlor on the main floor and in the north bedroom upstairs had to be changed. As for large items, a different table sits in the boarders’ parlor on the main floor, a new dresser and bed furnish the north bedroom upstairs and a different bed is in the south bedroom upstairs. The large items that replaced those damaged in the fire are all from The Henry Ford’s collection.

Below is a video that captures a portion of the restoration that took place at the house paid for by the company that did some of the work. You can view the video full screen by pressing the tab at the lower right of the video box.

For more information about The Henry Ford or to order tickets, click HERE.

Dearborn Homecoming kicks off today and we thought it would be worth running a quick list of “to dos” if you are making plans to attend.

One big change will be the new “blankets on the hill” rule”, which will generate a bit of controversy, for sure.

People cannot put their blankets on the hill until after 8 a.m. on Saturday and after 8 a.m. on Sunday. All blankets must be removed by midnight both nights. The size of the of a blanket is limited to no more than 8 feet by 8 feet to accommodate as many families as possible.

This is a good rule change but I do feel sorry for the Homecoming staff working on blanket patrol over the weekend. Some long-time Homecoming hill campers will be upset, for sure.

Other things to do at the 30th annual Homecoming include:

Rick Springfield-8:30 p.m. Saturday, Main Stage
Pop singer Rick Springfield, best known for the song “Jessie’s Girl” from his early career and as a star on the daytime drama “General Hospital,” is the headline act on Saturday night.
He brings high-energy and enthusiastic audience contact to every show, and Homecoming will be a rare chance for his devoted fans to see him for free.

Fireworks, Saturday and Sunday
Homecoming wouldn’t be Homecoming without spectacular fireworks on Saturday and Sunday nights. They are sponsored by BP/Armada Oil and Gas on Saturday and by B&K Collision on Sunday.

Car Show and Drive-In Movie
The Cruisin’ Dearborn car cruise organized by the Dearborn Chamber of Commerce will begin at the 19th District Court at 7 p.m. on Friday and travel down Michigan Avenue to Outer Drive to Cherry Hill and into Ford Field Park. The classic car show will last until about 10 p.m.
Accompanying the car show this year is a drive-in movie, with the screen set up near the cars at the bottom of the hill. Showing will be Three Stooges shorts and the movie American Graffiti. The fun begins at 9:15 p.m. and is sponsored by Mayor John B. O’Reilly.

Other stage entertainment
Local favorite Fifty Amp Fuse will be the final act on Sunday night, playing at 8:30 p.m.
On Friday, Larry Lee and the Back in the Day will be on the Main Stage 7-9 p.m. The popular Detroit band, led by former NFL player and executive Larry Lee, can play funk, blues, jazz, classic rock, gospel, and even some contemporary tunes.

Other favorites
The Dearborn Community Arts Council’s Craft Show will take place on Friday from 5-8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
And back again is the Living History Hill with historical re-enactors, musical entertainment, crafts, antique firearms, a high tea and more.
The Turbo Turtle Race returns for its second year on Sunday at 4 p.m. to raise money for the Kiwanis Club of Outer Drive’s children’s projects.
Back in 2009 is the Nickelodeon channel’s live stage show on Sunday afternoon.
And service clubs and charitable organizations will be serving food, beverages and beer from Labatt Blue once again.

New to 2009-Guitar Hero
It is the sensation that can’t be stopped. New to Homecoming in 2009 is a “Guitar Hero” tournament on Saturday and Sunday. $5 fee applies. Registration is at noon both days, and the tournament begins at 1 p.m.

Welcome back-pancake breakfast
A pancake breakfast by the First Presbyterian Church of Dearborn from 9-noon on Sunday, inside the Polish Tent, on the east side of the carnival.

For more info:
Visit  www.cityofdearborn.org for the complete schedule.

The word “America” represents the end of the rainbow for many immigrants seeking a better way of life. For native Arabic speakers dreaming of a new life in the U.S., the word often comes out sounding more like “Amreeka” than “America.”

Amreeka, the award-winning feature film debut of Arab American writer/director Cherien Dabis, will have its Michigan premiere at 6 p.m. Saturday, August 29, at the Arab American National Museum (AANM) in Dearborn.

Cherien Dabis will be present for a post-screening Q & A session. This special evening also includes a halal iftar dinner (those observing Ramadan will break their fast, while others may simply enjoy the delicious Arabic meal) plus dessert and coffee.

Tickets for the film screening only are $7 ($6 for AANM Members), while tickets for the entire evening (film, Q&A, dinner, dessert) are just $10 ($9 for AANM Members). That’s a complete evening of dining and entertainment for less than the price of a multiplex movie ticket.

To purchase advance tickets, available ONLINE ONLY, visit http://www.arabamericanmuseum.org/amreekamichiganpremiere.

 Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Email questions to Rachid Elabed at relabed@accesscommunity.org.

Amreeka chronicles the adventures of Muna, a single mother who leaves the West Bank with Fadi, her teenage son, with dreams of an exciting future in the promised land of small-town Illinois. Told with heartfelt humor by writer/director Dabis, Amreeka is a universal journey into the lives of a family of immigrants and first-generation teenagers caught between their heritage, the new world in which they now live and the bittersweet search for a place to call home.

Amreeka stars Nisreen Faour as Muna; Melkar Muallen plays her 16-year-old son. Also in the cast are Hiam Abbass, Alia Shawkat, Yussef Abu-Warda and Joseph Ziegler. For more on the film and Dabis, please visit www.amreeka.com.

Amreeka premiered as on official selection at this year’s Sundance Film Festival; was the opening night presentation at New Directors/New Films; and won the critics prize in Directors Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival, where it also took home the FIPRESCI Prize.

National Geographic Entertainment is hosting advance screenings of Amreeka in major U.S. cities in advance of a mid-September commercial opening. In metro Detroit, the film opens September 18 at the Uptown Birmingham Theatre and Landmark Maple 3. For group sales information, email  amreekagroupsales@gmail.com.

This special event is presented by: Arab American National Museum; National Network for Arab American Communities; American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan; www.ArabDetroit.com; Greenlight Film Funding; and Mike Mosallam, in collaboration with National Geographic Entertainment.

The Arab American National Museum documents, preserves, celebrates, and educates the public on the history, life, culture, and contributions of Arab Americans. It serves as a resource to enhance knowledge and understanding about Arab Americans and their presence in this country. The Arab American National Museum is a project of ACCESS, a Dearborn, Michigan-based nonprofit human services and cultural organization. Learn more at  www.arabamericanmuseum.org and www.accesscommunity.org.

The Arab American National Museum is a proud Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. Read about the Affiliations program at  http://affiliations.si.edu.

The Museum is located at 13624 Michigan Avenue, Dearborn, MI, 48126. Museum hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday; noon-5 p.m. Sunday. Closed Monday, Tuesday; Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. Admission is $6 for adults; $3 for students, seniors and children 6-12; ages 5 and under, free. Call 313.582.2266 for further information.

While this was just Round One for selecting who will serve next year on the Dearborn City Council, the makeup of the top seven finishers in Tuesday’s primary suggests Dearborn residents — at least the 18.4 percent of registered voters who took the time to cast a ballot — only want a little bit of change.

Five of the top seven vote getters were city council incumbents, including Thomas Tafelski who finished as the top voter getter with 5,629 votes. Nancy Hubbard, amazingly or maybe not so, depending on your perspective, finished second with 4,457 votes.

Perhaps the most interesting primary election news were the two new names to break into the top seven, Sharon Dulmage and Brian O’Donnell. Dulmage had the good fortune of serving more than 20 years on the Dearborn School Board, so she is a familiar name with a track record. Some people we spoke to after voting said they cast a vote for that “incumbent Sharon”. Whatever the reason, Dulmage was the sixth top voter getter with 3,533. She was followed by newcomer O’Donnell, a newbie on the Dearborn political scene. He finished seventh.

The other seven candidates who will round out the 14 council candidates on the November ballot include incumbent Doug Thomas, a part-time Dearborn resident; incumbent Robert Abraham; David Bazzy, a former Dearborn Charter commissioner; George Hart (proof positive that the right name really can get you elected); Patrick Kiernan, owner of Kiernan’s Steak House; Patrick D’Ambrosio and Ali Sayed, who is very active in Dearborn recreation events for children.

Still, it is too early to read too much into these results. The heavy campaigning starts now and the council incumbents will have the upper hand. Throw out the order of how the top 14 candidates finished in Tuesday’s primary. This is an all new race and it begins Wednesday.

The results, in order of finish, are below. Those names in bold will appear on the November ballot:

1. Thomas Patrick Tafelski. . . . . . 5,629
2. Nancy A. Hubbard . . . . . . . . 4,457
3. George T. Darany . . . . . . . . 4,140
4. Suzanne Sareini . . . . . . . . 4,051
5. Mark C. Shooshanian . . . . . . . 3,931
6. Sharon Dulmage. . . . . . . . . 3,533
7. Brian C. O’Donnell . . . . . . . 3,417
8. Doug Thomas. . . . . . . . . . 3,284
9. Robert A. Abraham. . . . . . . . 3,232
10. David W. Bazzy. . . . . . . . . 2,759
11. George Hart. . . . . . . . . . 2,372
12. Patrick M. Kiernan . . . . . . . 2,267
13. Patrick D’Ambrosio . . . . . . . 2,170
14. Ali Sayed . . . . . . . . . . 2,004
15. Adrenne Wygonik . . . . . . . . 1,958
16. Nancy Siwik. . . . . . . . . . 1,644
17. Stephen S. Dobkowski, Jr. . . . . . 1,497
18. Rabih Hammoud . . . . . . . . . 1,432
19. Terry Burke. . . . . . . . . . 1,182
20. Scott J. Marquette . . . . . . . 1,031
21. Khalil Dakhlallah. . . . . . . . 989
22. Mark J. Dawdy . . . . . . . . . 884
23. Hussein Sobh . . . . . . . . . 880
24. Molly Sharp. . . . . . . . . . 630
25. Joseph Agius . . . . . . . . . 446
26. WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 94

Today Dearborn is holding a Primary Election to determine candidates for the November General Election.  The key item on the ballot are the 25 candidates running for City Council.

The unfortunate part with these summer elections is they generally have very low turnout.  The selection of the people who will go on to the general election will directly impact our everyday life in Dearborn.

So please make sure you vote today. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Those of you unsure of your polling location can click HERE to find that and see a sample ballot.

The Dearborn Recreation Commission is inviting the public to an Aug. 4 meeting to discuss whether dogs on a leash should be allowed in Dearborn Parks.

The meeting will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 4, in Studio A of the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center,  15801 Michigan Ave.

The meeting will cover two parts:  whether dogs on a leash should be allowed in City parks, and if so, the rules governing the allowance of dogs in City Parks.

Dearborn is looking at building a park for dogs just off of Gulley behind the Dearborn Racquet and Health Club. Setting up some rules in advance will be a good first step. For that earlier story, click HERE.