Is the 1968 C10 Chevy panel wagon dressed with a custom graphic advertising Peder Blohm’s Internet business a commercial vehicle or a personal use one?

At a Dearborn Traffic Commission meeting on Tuesday at 7 p.m., Blohm will find out.

Is Peter Blohm's 1968 C10 Chevy panel wagon, pictured in the driveway of his Dearborn home, a commercial vehicle that is a nuisance to his neighbors or a personal use one?

Blohm’s “Beast”, the name he has affectionately given his ’68 Chevy, was recently found in violation of the city’s ordinance regulating commercial vehicles parked in residential neighborhoods.  According to Blohm, he received two violation notices at his Dearborn home that were signed by a Residential Services employee (formerly Building and Safety) telling him he had until Oct. 2 to move the vehicle.

Blohm says he contacted Dearborn’s Residential Services and tried to explain that the vehicle was not a commercial vehicle, and that it was registered as a wagon, driven for personal and not commercial use, and displayed at local car cruises and car shows. Still, he says, the inspector insisted it was a commercial vehicle.

We’ve written on these pages a couple of weeks ago how Dearborn was stepping up its enforcement of its ordinance regulating commercial vehicles parked in residential neighborhoods (see earlier story, HERE).

In a way, you can’t blame the enforcement officers. They are being told by their leaders to write up every commercial vehicle they see following a slew of complaints from residents on this very topic. In a recent four day sweep of the city more than 160 citations were issued.

Blohm admits that his vehicle has colorful graphics for a member-based Web site, mynewmarketplace.com that he is part owner of, and which helps to connect buyers and sellers nationwide.

He says when he asked the inspector if he were to purchase a $300,000 Bentley, put graphics on the doors, and keep it parked in his driveway, would it be considered a commercial vehicle. The inspector quickly replied “yes.” Blohm said he was told that if he continued to park his vehicle in his driveway the city would fine him and he’d be taken to court.

Which is why he is headed to the city’s Traffic Commission meeting Tuesday night with a petition signed by all of his neighbors (all want the city to approve it) seeking an exception to the ordinance.

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Earlier this summer, former Dearborn Charter Commissioner Raymond Trudeau came before the Dearborn City Council to ask questions about Judge Mark Somers and the more than $1.1 million in damages against him from two lawsuits that the city could end up writing a check for.

In his confrontational style of question asking, Trudeau wanted answers to two questions: would the city would have to pay $1.1 million for the jury awards and why Dearborn didn’t settle these two civil lawsuits for a fraction of the cost rather than going to trial.

City leaders said Dearborn wasn’t responsible for those jury awards.

That appears not to be the case now.

The Michigan Court of Appeals late last week denied an appeal hearing made by the attorney general’s office to throw out the award of $463,820 to Simone Calvas, a former probation officer at the district court in Dearborn.

This means the city of Dearborn could be forced to write the check for the entire amount. It is worth noting that the Appeals Court denied the motion because the attorney general’s office was late in filing the appeal within the required 21 day window from when the jury award was made. Kind of makes you wonder if the State should pay for the entire amount for being late with its appeal request.

The Calvas award is one of two that separate juries in two different civil trials awarded to two former District Court employees in Dearborn over claims they were fired by Judge Somers in violation of Michigan law. The second award was for $732,000 to Julie Pucci, a former deputy court administrator.

At that council meeting Trudeau attended in July, he never received an answer on why the city didn’t consider settling with Ms. Pucci.  According to Trudeau, Pucci would have settled for less than $50,000. One city council member told Deepsaidwhat.com that Judge Somers was asked to consider settling the suit on several occasions but he declined.

The season premier of Under The Radar Michigan will turn its camera lens on Dearborn.

The TV show airs locally on Detroit Public TV and various affiliates around Michigan and Ohio or on the website HERE. The show airs at 10:30 a.m. Dearborn’s Green Brain Comics will be one of the businesses featured on the program.

For those who may not be familiar with the program, Tom Daldin, the host of the show and Rochester, MI dad of  three,  makes our state’s underground gems shine on his cool PBS TV program.

Should be good . . .

A few years back, Dearborn kicked off a campaign called Fall into Dearborn.

It was great idea developed as a way to get people to visit Dearborn shops, restaurants, bars, museums, etc. But since its inception, the annual event appears to have lost some of its horsepower.

Enter Moose’s Martini Pub, whose owners initiated a meeting with the Dearborn Chamber of Commerce to get an event schedule rolling for this year’s event and to inspire some action in downtown West Dearborn.

So beginning this Friday, Sept. 23, and running through Saturday, Oct. 1, Fall into Dearborn will get underway again with the goal of generating extra activity through the streets of downtown West Dearborn.

For a list of activities so far planned, you can visit a facebook page for the event, set up by Moose’s Martini Pub.

“I’m trying to do what I can to stir things up downtown,” said Hisam Elawad who owns and operates Moose’s with his brother, Chad. “It seems like it’s been pretty stale and that our city and Chamber are doing little to spark the business NOW, rather than just future. The things in the pipeline are great. However, the businesses that are here and that plan to stay need some incentive and push.”

Indeed.  West Dearborn has a lot to offer and the more we can find ways to draw people to visit the better. Mark your calendars and tell your friends to do the same.

Fall Into Dearborn kicks off on Friday, Sept. 23 with the Dearborn Symphony celebrating its 50 year anniversary with its first concert of the season.  On Saturday, Les Stanford will host a massive Corvette show at its dealership on Michigan Avenue.

All week offerings, include:

• Mati’s Deli: 10% off any time this week (call 313.277.3253)

• Silky’s: Half-off drinks and appetizers

• Big Fish: $20 for 3-course meal all week

• Village Picture Frame: 40% off framed art; 25% off gallery items

• SEEN Vision: 20% off all sunglasses

• Moose’s Martini: 3-5pm Fall Craft Beer bottles $2; pints $2 from 5-7pm.

For the facebook page that lists events and all participating businesses, click HERE.

It’s that time of year again to sign up for a city of Dearborn calendar, full of relevant information, city phone numbers and events in our city in 2012.

Dearborn residents can now order a free 2012 City of Dearborn calendar on the web from now until Nov. 4, 2011. Dearborn officials say that using the city website to order you calendar (www.cityofdearborn.org ) ensures accuracy and reduces the cost to taxpayers.

The new calendars will be mailed to Dearborn residents who place their order before Nov. 4, 2011. As a cost-saving measure, the calendar is no longer mailed to every household automatically.

The preferred method to order a calendar is to visit the city’s website, www.cityofdearborn.org

The request form can be found on the right side of the homepage. Click on “Order your 2012 Dearborn Calendar.” The direct link is HERE..

Residents without internet access can order a calendar by calling a voice mail box at 943-3003. They will be instructed to leave their complete mailing address.

Residents will also be able to find the 2012 City Calendar at www.cityofdearborn.org in January and can view or print the entire calendar or individual pages at their convenience.

Those who order a calendar should receive it in the mail before Dec. 23, 2011.

The city of Dearborn is stepping up enforcement of its ordinance regulating commercial vehicles parked in residential neighborhoods.

City leaders say they are taking this action as a way to preserve the residential character of our neighborhoods. Commercial vehicles parked illegally in these areas are subject to $60 citations ($30 if paid within three-business days.) .

In a recent four-day sweep of Dearborn, 164 citations were issued for commercial vehicles in violation of the parking ordinance.

“Dearborn residents want a safe City where people obey the laws,” said Police Commander Jimmy Solomon.

In ever increasing numbers, residents have told police that their quality of life is being affected by commercial vehicles, including semi-trucks, parked in their neighborhoods and along roadways.

“They (residents) tell us about big box trucks and semi-trucks, sometimes parked overnight, in driveways, side streets and even on main streets. These vehicles generate safety issues by blocking drivers’ views, as well as creating noise issues when left running,” Solomon said.

The Traffic and Motor Vehicles section of Dearborn’s Code of Ordinances states that it is “unlawful for any person to park any commercial vehicle on any residential street within the City or upon private property within a residential area of the City.”

Further, it is “unlawful for any person to park any commercial vehicle on any nonresidential street for a period of time longer than one hour between the hours of 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. of any day.”

People whose jobs require them to use a commercial vehicle and be on call 24-hours a day may apply for a permit through Dearborn’s Traffic Commission.

A processing fee of $50 and proof of employment are required. Details are found in Section 18-356 (Parking of Commercial Vehicles) of Dearborn’s Code of Ordinances.

Additional information may be obtained from the Dearborn Police Traffic Bureau at 943-2275.

Dan Merritt, co-owner of Dearborn’s Green Brain Comics, sent over this news to us about the 50^th anniversary of the Fantastic Four and a tribute that will be held at his store.  Drop by and see the exhibit and say hello to Dan. The news begins below:

Fifty years ago a new “world” was created. Ushered into existence by creators Jack Kirby and Stan Lee, the Marvel Universe was born with the first issue of Fantastic Four in November, 1961.

​To pay tribute to this visionary comic book, and its lasting impact on popular culture, you need a suitably grandiose concept. Green Brain Comics’ co-owner and Headspace Gallery curator Dan Merritt came up with one: Assign 26 different artists a page each of the landmark issue’s entire contents (The cover and 25 interior story pages). Each artist was asked to bring their own style to the page while staying loyal to the original content and intent of the overall issue.

The results of this tribute will be on display in Green Brain Comics’ Headspace Gallery starting on Wednesday, September 21 with an opening reception from 7-10pm. The exhibit will be shown through Dec. 31, 2011.

Many local artists will be featured, including contributions from Dave Acosta, John Nagridge, James Anderson and Sean Bieri. Admission to the reception is free, however, we will be accepting donations for the nonprofit arts and literacy advocacy group KIDS READ COMICS.

HEADSPACE GALLERY is located inside GREEN BRAIN COMICS at13210 Michigan Avenuein East Downtown Dearborn. For more information check the website HERE or call 313-582-9444​

Residents living in the Dearborn Hills who awaked Wednesday and noticed the water coming into their homes was a rusty color shouldn’t be alarmed as a water main break is the culprit.

Water department officials with the city of Dearborn tell DeepsaidWhat that a water main break on Denwood, between Mohawk and Merridan, broke Wednesday morning and crews are now making repairs. The 12 inch diameter pipe that broke on Denwood feeds homes in the sounding neighborhoods.

The water discoloration noticed by some residents is simply rust in the pipes mixing with the water coming into homes. While we are told it is not a safety issue, it certainly isn’t nice to look at nor is it a good idea to wash white clothes with the water at this time.

Dearborn Water department officials say the main will be repaired by day’s end and the water lines will be flushed.

Dearborn residents are invited to discover the results of three public workshops and an online survey that contributed to the creation of a new master plan for the city, at a meeting at 7 p.m. Sept. 20 at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center.

The Summation Workshop will be in Club Room One of The Center, 15801 Michigan Ave.

Dearborn’s new master plan is being developed as a vision for the future of transportation, land use, the economy and environmental and cultural stewardship in the city.

The master plan will help determine the physical characteristics of the city and facilitate the renovation of the community residents want to see for the long term.

Three public workshops on different neighborhoods of the city have already been presented. As part of the process, residents also had a chance to take an online survey to give input on the desirable features they’d like Dearborn to cultivate.

The city of Dearborn will be activating its citywide Emergency Warning Sirens at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 11 in observation of the National Moment of Remembrance. Residents are advised not to call the police when they hear the sirens.

The city of Dearborn is observing the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001 in two important ways: by promoting the National Moment of Remembrance at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 11 and by partnering with The Henry Ford and the Dearborn Area Ministerial Association (DAMA) for a public Remembrance and Unity Ceremony at 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 11

The National Moment of Remembrance, initiated by the U.S. Senate, asks all people in America to cease work or other activity at 1 p.m. September 11.

It is also asked that the moment be marked in an appropriate manner, including by ringing bells, blowing whistles, or sounding sirens at 1 p.m. Dearborn will be activating its citywide Emergency Warning Sirens.

The Dearborn City Council, upon request of Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr., approved the resolution in support of the National Moment of Remembrance at Tuesday’s council meeting. The resolution is attached.

In addition, Mayor O’Reilly is inviting the public to attend the Remembrance and Unity Vigil Sunday on the lawn of the Henry Ford Museum, the same site that hosted a community candlelight ceremony in September, 2001.

The City is joining with The Henry Ford and DAMA, as well as the Dearborn Public Schools, the Vanguard Voices and other community members to honor those who perished on September 11, recognize the changes that the event brought to all of our lives, and to look forward with hope, empowered by strong community connections.

Mayor O’Reilly and Gov. Rick Snyder will speak and the ceremony will be hosted by Patricia Mooradian, president of The Henry Ford.

Local clergy will offer prayers and reflections, and members of the community will light candles in memory of the victims, and in honor of the heroes and families still touched by the tragedy.

Other members of the community will present hopeful visions for a more peaceful world.

The ceremony should last about one hour and will be presented regardless of the weather. Candles will be provided. Chairs will be available only for people who are disabled.