Curbside leaf pickup begins Oct. 25.

It is that time of year again for deciding how to handle loose leaves.

With the city struggling with its budget, residents should probably get into the habit this year of bagging leaves rather than raking them to the curb. If there is one service that could be cut to save dollars this might be one of them.

But until that happens, the city will offer loose leave pickup beginning Oct. 25. Crews will be neighborhoods on trash days during non-recycling weeks.

Bagged leaves can be set curbside on scheduled trash pickup days, which the city says is its preferred method of collection. Leaf pickup by this method is continuous every week from now until Saturday, Dec. 4 although weather conditions can alter this schedule.

Residents are asked to rake their leaves into the street as close to their trash day as possible during their neighborhood’s non-recycling week.

The city does say there will be limitations on loose leaf pickup. Trash sections are larger than in the past, which means city crews may not complete picking up loose leaves in your neighborhood on your trash day in one week.

City crews will not return to your neighborhood until your next non-recycling week. City crews will start in your section where they left off during the last trash day in the non-recycling week in your neighborhood.

For more information, you can call the Leaf Collection Hotline at 943-2444.

The City of Dearborn has been recognized for its work to foster entrepreneurial growth and economic development in a study by researchers at the University of Michigan Dearborn’s Center for Innovation Research (iLabs.)

The city in a press release Wednesday said it was honored as a four-star community through the program known as eCities for its efforts to promote investment in the community and for its support of businesses pursuing innovative endeavors.

The eCities research surveyed more than 100 communities in the State of Michigan that are home to 128, 242 entrepreneurs, earning $3.4 billion in annual income. These communities also had $1.2 billion in commercial development last year. They account for nearly half the state’s commercial property.

Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr. said the four-star designation reflects Dearborn’s commitment to fostering a vibrant and diversified economy.

“Dearborn has a history of promoting economic development, and in these challenging times, we know it is even more important to continue to pursue entrepreneurs and commercial investments. We appreciate this distinguished recognition of our efforts,” O’Reilly said.

“We are pleased to have participation from so many communities throughout the state in eCities 2010,” said Tim Davis, director of iLabs. “The focus of this project is assisting local communities by identifying best practices and methods that they can implement which will aid with job growth strategies, economic diversification, and development of entrepreneurship.”

Dearborn and 55 other communities were honored at a ceremony at UM-D on Oct. 19.

The annual eCities research project uses date supplied by the participants, as well as other public records, to assemble a six-factor, 30-item index to encourage entrepreneurial activity. The factors are clustering, incentives, growth, policies, community and education.

The study focuses on entrepreneurships because of its importance to expansion and diversification of Michigan’s regional economies and the impact small businesses have on job creation.

If you are looking for something close to home to do today, you might want to consider stopping by the Dearborn Firefighters’ pumpkin patch at the Fire Safety House, just across the street from Dearborn High School at 19750 W. Outer Drive (next to the Fire Station 2).

The annual benefit for the Dearborn Firefighters’ Burn Drive will be held today, Sunday, Oct. 17 and Saturday, Oct. 23 and Sunday, Oct. 24 from noon to 5 p.m.

You can pick out any size pumpkin for $5. Kids of all ages will enjoy the free coney dogs, popcorn, cider, donuts, cookies and other refreshments.

Dearborn residents need to put in an order for a city calendar by Nov. 5 if they want home delivery this year.

Faced with growing budget challenges, the city of Dearborn will no longer mail a city calendar to each household.

Instead, residents who would like an official 2011 city calendar delivered to their home will now be required to order one from the city by Friday, Nov. 5.

Those who order the free calendar will receive it in December.

This is a smart move by city leaders and should have been done long ago. Previously, the calendar was mailed to 36,000 households in Dearborn at a considerable cost to taxpayers.  

The new 2011 calendars can be ordered two ways:

 By completing an online order form on the City’s website at www.cityofdearborn.org. The form can be accessed by clicking on “Order a 2011 City Calendar” on the right side of the home page. Orders must be in by Nov. 5 to be eligible for home delivery.

 Or leaving a voice message at 313-943-3003. Callers will be asked to leave a message that includes their name and a complete Dearborn address. They will also be asked to leave their telephone number in case the City needs to clarify their Dearborn address.

If neither way works, you can always find a city calendar in the Mayor’s office at City Hall come December.

A printable, electronic version of the 2011 city calendar will be available at www.cityofdearborn.org in December. In addition, limited quantities of the 2011 City Calendar will be available at City Hall and other public buildings in December.

The Dearborn city calendar is a comprehensive resource for City programs and services, event dates and phone numbers. It includes information about public safety, property maintenance, trash pickup and recycling, leaf pickup and snow removal, and recreation and cultural arts. It also explains the City’s budget by listing revenues and expenditures.

In case you missed it, Dearborn Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr. took to the national airwaves Monday evening to set the record straight about our city, a week after Republican Senate candidate Sharron Angle said Dearborn and Frankford, Texas are subject to Sharia law.

Dearborn Mayor O'Reilly speaks with CNN's Anderson Cooper.

O’Reilly did a nice job representing our city with CNN’s Anderson Cooper on AC 360 Monday night.

This is what Angle said at a rally of Tea Party movement supporters.

“We’re talking about a militant terrorist situation, which I believe isn’t a widespread thing, but it is enough that we need to address, and we have been addressing it,” Angle said according to audio of the rally obtained by the Washington Post. “My thoughts are these. First of all, Dearborn, Michigan, and Frankford, Texas, are on American soil, and under constitutional law. Not Sharia law. And I don’t know how that happened in the United States.”

Cooper called Angle out, too, pointing out that Frankford, Texas, is now part of the city of Dallas. All that remains in Frankford is a church. So we’re not sure where Angle is getting her information but her misrepresentations were on national TV for all to view.

O’Reilly sent the Nevada candidate a personal invitation to visit Dearborn and in his letter gave her a good history lesson, too. (You can read the entire letter HERE.) We doubt she will visit but she could at least call O’Reilly.

“I am afraid that many share the perception that Muslims have only recently immigrated to this area and are imposing their culture on our region,” O’Reilly writes in his letter to Angle. ”The truth is that Muslims have been in America since the Revolutionary War, fighting for our independence. The first mosque in the Detroit area was in Highland Park, in the center of Detroit, and was opened almost 100 years ago to serve automotive workers who were flocking to Detroit to earn the unheard of wage of $5 a day at the Ford Motor Co. Model T Plant. When Henry Ford built the still unrivalled Rouge Manufacturing Complex in Dearborn in the early 1920s, the second mosque was opened a short walk away from the plant. Muslims have been practicing their faith in our community for almost 90 years without incident or conflict. To suggest that they have taken over ignores the fact that Dearborn hosts 7 mosques and 60 Christian churches . . .”

” . . . Contrary to the Sharia Law misconception, there are Christina Evangelists who proselytize to Muslims 365 days a year without resistance or interference from anyone.”

You can watch the entire interview by clicking HERE.

The race between Dearborn Council members George Darany and Suzanne Sareini for the 15th District seat in the Michigan House of Representatives is heating up.

Republican candidate Sareini picked up on Sunday the endorsement of the Detroit Free Press. Although the paper did say “either (candidate) would serve the district well.” Just how much weight the endorsement of newspapers holds these days isn’t clear, but here is what the Free Press had to say:

“Democrat George Darany, 54, and Republican Suzanne Sareini, 59, have lined up to replace term-limited Democrat Gino Polidori. Both have served on the City Council and should be well known to voters in their hometown.

Both also have long histories of involvement with civic and community groups, and their platforms are remarkably similar with a focus on job creation, efficient government and education. Either would serve the district well.

But Suzanne Sareini, with her 20 years on the City Council compared with Darany’s two years, seems better prepared for the legislative process, with an almost ingrained urge to find consensus. She makes a good case, in particular, that she knows how to make hard choices.”

A longtime Dearborn Civic Service commissioner who was removed from her position after it was discovered she had not properly taken an oath for office may get another chance to reclaim her seat.

A Wayne County Circuit judge heard a request earlier this week for a temporary restraining order to prevent the City of Dearborn’s Civil Service Commission from appointing someone to the Commission until it can be determined whether Marge Powell -– a commissioner for 17 years -– should be allowed to return. Powell was removed from her position after it was discovered she did not take an oath of office 10 days after her appointment, a requirement of Dearborn’s City Charter.

While Judge Brian Sullivan didn’t grant the restraining order, the city did agree to depositions of several of Dearborn’s top officials. That list includes: City Council President Tom Tafelski; City Clerk Kathleen Buda;  Human Resources Director Valerie Murphy-Goodrich and Civil Service Commissioner Kathy Mackie. The plaintiff in the case, Joanne Arrick, and Powell also will be deposed. Among other items, the judge will want to hear whether Dearborn officials selectively enforce the City Charter’s oath requirement.

Arrick and her attorney, Dearborn resident Morris Goodman, are both friends of Powell. Some of you may recognize Goodman from the occasional column he submits to this website and the Dearborn Press & Guide.

Powell’s status as a commissioner was called into question by Tafelski last May. Tafelski discovered Powell had not taken an oath for her most recent four-year reappointment one day after the Civil Service Commission by a 3-2 vote tabled a request from Tafelski to re-assign/classify an employee from the City Council office to the City Clerk’s office.

Powell, a former Dearborn councilwoman, was reappointed in May 2009 and had been serving for a full year before Tafelski’s discovery. The Civil Service Commission oversees the hiring and appointment of persons to various city government positions and their salaries.

Depositions are scheduled to take place on Oct. 19. A hearing on those depositions is currently set for Nov. 9.

Of course, there wouldn’t be a need for any of the depositions if the City of Dearborn’s Civic Service Commission simply decided to reinstate Powell and have her take an oath. Judge Sullivan left that option open for both sides as a way to end this matter.

Each spring, Lisa Lark, a teacher at Edsel Ford High School, takes part in a Memorial Day ceremony to honor the men from the high school who died in Vietnam.

She says it was this annual ceremony that moved her to begin researching the men from Dearborn who died during the Vietnam War. Since July, she has been actively researching the 68 men with ties to Dearborn. While she has made some great strides, Lark said she still has a long way to go.

Lark contacted Deepsaidwhat.com and requested that we let others know about her project in the hope that by increasing the visibility of her work she could keep the memories of these men alive.

”I would love to hear from people who knew these men and would be willing to share pictures or memories,” Lark said. ”My goal for this project is to keep the memories of these men alive, and to share the stories of their lives and their heroism. I believe these stories also tell about an important time in Dearborn’s history.”

”I am firmly ensconced in the research portion, and need as much help as I can find. While some families have been easy to locate, others have spread all over the country and the world. What I am looking for is anyone who knew any of the young men that I have identified. No amount of information is too small: childhood memories, who they had for math class, where they went to church, where their parents worked. Photos would be most welcomed as well.”

Lark has set up an email where people can reach her dearbornsvietnam@gmail.com and has set up a Facebook page (search Dearborn’s Vietnam Heroes or click HERE.) where people can see photos of the men and connect with others who knew them.

The list of the 68 men identified by Lark are listed below:

(more…)

The Automobile Theft Prevention Authority (ATPA) along with The Dearborn Police Department will be holding a free Vehicle VIN etching event on Friday Oct. 8 and Saturday Oct. 9 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Dearborn Police Department in the east parking lot.

Dearborn police say this is the first VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) etching in our city. While all vehicles are built with unique VIN numbers on various parts, window VIN etching is believed to be a proven theft deterrent because the VIN is etched on to all of a vehicle’s windows. Police say would-be thieves resist stealing a vehicle that is VIN-etched because that vehicle is more easily identified and, if stolen, all glass must be replaced in order to remove traces of the VIN.

This is a free service provided by the Dearborn Police Department and the ATPA.

Dearborn voters on Tuesday, Oct. 5 will have a chance to meet with candidates vying to fill a seat on the Dearborn School Board.

The forum will take place from 7 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. in the Board Room of the Ten Eyke Administration Building, 18700 Audette, in Dearborn. Dearborn community access television will rebroadcast the forum after the event.

The Dearborn Council of the Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) and the League of Women Voters Dearborn/Dearborn Heights are teaming up to host the candidate forum in anticipation of this November’s election for Dearborn School Board. Thomas Trimble will moderate and candidates will answer questions submitted by the public.

Dearborn voters are being asked to choose between two familiar faces for the one open school board seat.

Roxanne McDonald, who ran unsuccessfully in 2009, is the only challenger to file against Dearborn school board incumbent James Schoolmaster.

McDonald is the mother of three sons, two still in Dearborn Public Schools and one serving in the military. She is a former vice president of PTSA and served four years on Nowlin PTA’ s executive board. A longtime Dearborn resident, she is a Dearborn High School graduate and earned two associate’s degrees from Henry Ford Community College.

Incumbent Schoolmaster is seeking his fourth term on the board. A practicing attorney, Schoolmaster chairs the school board’s finance committee. He has two children who are graduates of Dearborn High School and his wife, Darlene, was a long-time teacher in the district.