Some Dearborn students returning to classrooms in February for their second semester will find they have new teachers, the result of mid-year layoffs caused by Michigan Gov. Granholm’s decision to slash school funding.

“Just as many of us have had to make adjustments in our own homes as a result of the changing economy, we too are faced with making changes due to less revenue coming from the State,” said Dearborn Public Schools Supt. Brian Whiston

The unprecedented action by the school district – laying teachers off in the middle of the school year – will result in two days off from school for students so remaining teachers can move their belongings to their new teaching locations. This new news comes just days after Dearborn schools announced that as many as 26 staff positions could be saved as a result of the state restoring about $2 million of the $12 million in funding it cut from the district.

Students will be off from school the following days:

Jan. 29, 2010 – No Students, Teacher Duty Day

Feb. 1, 2010 – No Students, Teacher Duty Day

Feb. 2, 2010 – Full Day All Students and Staff

In the coming days, every home in Dearborn will receive a two-page newsletter from the school district explaining these mid-year school changes, how things may look for their students when they return to school in February and answers to many questions about the district’s budget situation.

Supt. Whiston, says every school in the district will experience some changes.

“Unfortunately these reductions could result in some elementary students having a new teacher for the second semester and all grade levels may see a slight increase in class size,” Whiston said. “Principals and district administrators have been working very hard to make as few changes as possible. They’ve focused on protecting class size in grades kindergarten through second and the core subjects (math, English, science) at the middle and high school level.”

While students can also expect to see a decrease in the level of service offered in the Media Centers, Whiston said the centers will remain available for students. Media Centers will be staffed by a Media Specialist only one day a week in larger schools and a half day in smaller elementary schools. Teachers will still be able to bring their students to the Media Center and parents have asked to volunteer in the Media Center to help keep them operating.

“There is no doubt that the district will look different,” Whiston said. “But I’m confident that despite these devastating reductions, our dedicated and highly trained staff will continue to provide each student with effective instruction that ensures academic success.”

Dan Enos

We don’t cover sports much on these pages but when a Dearborn native gets a job as the new head coach of a Division 1 university that deserves an attaboy.

So to Edsel Ford High School graduate Dan Enos, who on Tuesday was named the new head football coach of Central Michigan University, we say well done.

Enos’ five year contract calls for a base annual salary of $250,000, with a $75,000 bonus for radio and television appearances, or $325,000 per year. Enos also could receive performance incentives.

Enos, 41, served as running backs coach at Michigan State University during the past three seasons after coaching the quarterbacks in 2006. Enos also played quarterback at Michigan State from 1987-1990.

While in high school, Enos earned all-state honors as a senior for then Coach Jack Bridges at Edsel Ford High School. He accounted for 5,743 total yards and 46 TDs during his prep career.

The Dearborn man who hoarded more than 100 live and dead Chihuahuas in his home on Orchard last summer will serve five years probation under the supervision of a Wayne County mental health court.

A July photo of some of the nearly 100 dogs removed from Lang's home.

We wrote several stories about Kenneth Lang Jr., 56, last summer after the live and dead Chihuahuas were discovered in his home packed full of debris and animal waste on Orchard Street. On Tuesday, he pleaded guilty to an animal cruelty charge but will not serve any jail time.

According to the Detroit Free Press, Lang admitted in court that the animals in his home were in abusive conditions because he was overwhelmed by their sheer numbers.

Under the terms of the plea agreement, Lang will not be permitted to own any animals, and will be under the supervision of Circuit Court Judge Timothy Kenny. He also must make $3,000 restitution to the Animal Legal Defense Fund for the examination of the dead dogs, as well as yet undetermined restitution to the city of Dearborn.

We earlier wrote that cleanup costs alone to the City of Dearborn were nearly $40,000. City officials tell us they plan to tear down the home so costs will increase. The Lang family likely will have the option of giving the property to Dearborn as a way to cover all restitution payment.

Dearborn Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr., Police Chief Ronald Haddad, Deputy Fire Chief Dean Creech and State Representative Gino Polidori will be giving up their day jobs to moonlight as “guest bartenders” Saturday to help raise money for the Dearborn Firefighters Burn Drive charity.

The guest bartenders will be “working” Saturday, Jan. 16, from noon to 6 p.m. at the VFW Post 2107 at 1312 Monroe St.

The guest servers will do what it takes to bring in the tips as all the money collected will be donated to the Dearborn Firefighters Burn Drive. Last year, the Burn Drive raised and donated $50,000 to local burn centers, hospitals and families in need.

“The money we raise has a very direct and real impact on the lives of burn victims, many of them children,” said Lt. Steve Worden of the Dearborn Fire Department. “These events are how we raise money so I encourage everyone to come down and have a bowl of chili and a beverage. And don’t forget to leave a tip.”

Worden will be cooking up a batch of his firefighter five-alarm chili, which will be on sale at the event along with free hot dogs.

For more information about the Dearborn Firefighters Burn Drive or if you would like to help or donate to the cause, please contact Lt. Steve Worden at 313-478-6761.

(Press release below from Dearborn Heights Montessori Center)

What do you do when children misbehave? Parents who are interested in learning how to manage a variety of situations that arise with their children are invited to hear nationally recognized educator and speaker Chick Moorman on Monday, January 18, 2010. The free workshop will be held from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Dearborn Heights Montessori Center, which is located at 466 N. John Daly in Dearborn Heights.

Chick Moorman

“Mr. Moorman is highly regarded for helping both parents and educators,” said Kay Neff, head of Dearborn Heights Montessori Center. “This will be his third visit to our school, and we look forward to the wealth of information that he always brings to our staff and families.”

Moorman will present “The Five Voices of Enlightened Parenting,” regarding a variety of techniques that parents can use to help guide children through the daily challenges of family life. According to Moorman, when children misbehave, it can become a teaching moment for parents.

Although consequences or punishment may be the appropriate response to some misbehavior, Moorman will talk about other approaches that work better and create lasting improvement. He offers parents five “voices” that they can use to help their children through difficult situations.

Chick Moorman is a distinguished educator and captivating speaker who has addressed more than 300,000 parents and educators while conducting more than 2,000 talks on raising and educating children. He is noted for his humor and enthusiasm, as well as his ability to deliver practical ideas. He is the author of more than a dozen books and teaching resources. He writes monthly parenting columns for publications across the United States, and is a regular contributor to the Chicken Soup for the Soul series of books.

The free workshop, which is open to the public, will include complimentary child care. To ensure adequate seating, reservations are requested by calling 313-359-3000.

For additional information about the January 18 workshop and programs available at Dearborn Heights Montessori Center, call 313-359-3000 or visit www.dhmontessori.org

Residents Only for Traffic Between Brady and Military

Those of you who use Cherry Hill to get to work will need to make alternative plans beginning Monday, Jan. 11 as the section of street will be closed to through traffic between Brady and Military until the end of July as work begins on a sewer separation project.

The sewer project is part of the federally mandated combined sewer overflow project (CSO) in the City of Dearborn.

Portions of Ford Field Park in Dearborn will also be affected by the sewer separation work.

A section of the park, including a playground area, near the covered bridge will be closed to the public for at least four weeks starting Monday.

Also, the west section of the sledding hill near Long Boulevard will be closed to the public for approximately a week near the end of January, but other areas of the hill will be open for sledding.

Work on both Cherry Hill and the park will be completed before the Homecoming Festival on Aug. 6-8.

If you missed Dearborn’s inaugural ceremony for its 2010-2013 elected officials, you can now watch a rebroadcast on City of Dearborn TV (CDTV) at multiple times beginning today.

Dearborn's elected city leaders for 2010-2013 pose for a group photo at the city’s inaugural ceremony Dec. 30.

The CDTV schedule is as follows:

• Monday, Wednesday and Friday: 7 a.m., 11 a.m., 3 p.m., 7 p.m. and 11 p.m.

• Tuesday and Thursday: 8 a.m., noon and 4 p.m.

• Saturday and Sunday: 9 a.m., 1 p.m., 5 p.m. and 9 p.m.

CDTV is channel 12 on Comcast and channel 10 on WOW. (AT&T does not carry CDTV.) The inauguration will air throughout January.

The event also will be available for viewing any time on the City’s website, www.cityofdearborn.org, by Friday, Jan. 8.

Press release below from Arab-American National Museum

There was a standing-room-only audience at the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn, Michigan on December 10 when author Alia Malek came to speak about her new book, A Country Called Amreeka: Arab Roots, American Stories (Free Press; 2009; $25), which revisits key moments in recent American history as experienced by Arab Americans.

C-SPAN2 cameras were there, and at 5:15 p.m. Eastern this Sunday, January 10, Malek’s talk will premiere on the cable channel’s “Book TV” program. (Consult your cable provider’s channel guide to locate C-SPAN2 in your area). The program will re-air several times; visit www.booktv.org for weekly schedules.

In A Country Called Amreeka, Malek weaves the stories of the Arab American community into the story of America, using lively and moving narratives of real people, including several metro Detroit residents, who have lived history all around the country. Among the book’s metro Detroit subjects are Ron Amen, recently appointed development director for the City of Dearborn Heights; Ahmad Chebbani, chairman of the Dearborn-based American Arab Chamber of Commerce; Amal Berry-Brown of Comerica Bank; and attorneys Michael Berry and Bill Swor.

Alia Malek is an author and civil rights lawyer. Born in Baltimore to Syrian immigrant parents, she began her legal career as a trial attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. After working in the legal field in the U.S., Lebanon and the West Bank, Malek, who has degrees from Johns Hopkins and Georgetown Universities, earned her master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University. Her reportage has appeared in Salon, The Columbia Journalism Review and The New York Times. A Country Called Amreeka is her first book.

Further details are available at www.ACountryCalledAmreeka.com

The U.S. Census bureau already has opened a new Dearborn office in the Westborn Mall as it prepares for the 2010 Census and now the cities of Dearborn and Dearborn Heights are doing their part to make sure all residents are counted.

Dearborn Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr. and Dearborn Heights Mayor Dan Paletko have invited leaders from neighborhood associations, service clubs, faith-based organizations and educational institutions to a special presentation Wednesday evening to hear a presentation from the local office of the U.S. Census Bureau about how to help ensure all residents are counted during the 2010 Census.

The census – a once-in-a-decade event – has a big impact on funding for cities across America, which is why there is such urgency around it here in Dearborn and our state of Michigan.  The number of people we have in Michigan will determine how many representatives we have in the U.S. House. The U.S. government also will use the results from the census  to determine how to divvy up some $400 billion in annual federal spending for such things as education, transportation, human services, and medical programs.

In addition to O’Reilly, Paletko and the representative from the local Census office, Hassan Jaber, executive director of the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS), also will address those who attend.

Dearborn and Dearborn Heights officials want to be sure senior citizens, particularly “snow birds” and the Arab-American community are counted in the upcoming Census.

U.S. government officials on Monday officially kicked off a $130 million campaign to encourage public awareness of Census 2010. The event kicked off in Times Square in New York.  As the campaign gathers speed, it will be hard to miss: Vehicles promoting the census will crisscross the United States, and ads for the census will run in nearly every form of communication. So get ready.

For those wondering how the last census went in 2000, the U.S. government says just 67 percent answered the survey. In general, those who don’t answer the survey usually do so because they are afraid the information might be used by the government to track them down or might be used for some other bureaucratic use. Government officials say Census information is not shared with law-enforcement agencies or other government agencies such as the Internal Revenue Service. It is all confidential. This likely will be a message stressed at Wednesday’s meeting in Dearborn, too.

Those attending the Dearborn event also will receive information about how to apply for a Census job. The positions, while temporary, are expected to be good paying. In New York, for example, the Census Bureau is paying up to $20 per hour to those hired.

Here are the details for those interested in attending this Wednesday:

WHEN: 7:30 -8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2010

WHERE:Dearborn City Council Chambers, inside City Hall, 13615 Michigan Ave.

If you’ve had the chance to walk through the West Village Commons project lately, something interesting appears to be taking place: new businesses are moving into the development that once was the site for the Jacobson’s department store and Price’s Menswear.

Moose's Martini Pub is the newest "homegrown" business making plans to move into West Village Commons

The newest business making plans to move in is a martini bar called Moose’s Martini Pub, 22217 Michigan Ave., aimed at the 35 and older crowd. If all goes well, the bar will open in the spring.

The bar probably isn’t the kind of business originally envisioned by our city leaders when they inked the multi-million dollar development deal with Burton-Katzman, the Bingham Farms developer who dangled the names of big name stores in front of our elected officials. Rather than national chain businesses, the West Village Commons has become home to two bars (a third, Moose’s, is on the way), two restaurants, a UPS store, yoga center, ice cream shop and one art & frame store.

What is interesting in all of this is that most of these new places (not all) are unique to Dearborn and usually owned by Dearborn residents or at least people from surrounding communities. Those elements could very well be the critical pieces necessary to ensure the survival of the mostly-vacant West Village Commons.

It also may be indicative of what really works best in Dearborn -– homegrown and home-owned businesses.