So at what point does the West Village Commons development emerge from the intensive care unit? Sadly, that much needed assistance feels a long way off now after seeing the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory quietly close its doors this week and quickly remove the equipment responsible for those tasty, pricey chocolates.

The Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory is the latest business to close in the Burton-Katzman developed West Village Commons project in Dearborn.

The Burton-Katzman team that sold the City of Dearborn and our elected officials on a project that seemed too good to be true has turned out to be just that — a project that so far hasn’t lived up to the hype. All that remains in the courtyard portion of the near vacant two-story structure is La Cigar and a struggling Maestro’s Restaurant.  A new bar called The Well is expected to open soon but that has been delayed, caught up in the bureaucracy of liquor licenses. It is doubtful this Burton-Katzman development will fill any time soon as the Bingham Farms developer is being sued by the City of Dearborn for failing to complete the very project it promised the city.

To be fair, there is a bright spot in the West Village Commons development. The portion of the building facing Michigan Avenue houses a Cold Stone Creamery, Sattva Yoga, a UPS store and the Kabuki restaurant. Those businesses, thankfully, seem to be holding on and they are doing it despite paid parking, which is another reason paid parking cannot be blamed for the current state of business in Dearborn.

We’ve lost track of the number of businesses that have closed on Michigan Avenue between Outer Drive and Brady. And, quite frankly, it is just too depressing to tally them up. It feels as if West Dearborn is sitting in this perfect storm — a devastated state economy, surrounded by other cities that are struggling even more (minus, the city of Allen Park, of course), and a string of empty, unkempt buildings that makes this stretch of Michigan Avenue even more unsightly and depressing to passersby.

Making matters worse is the fact no one can predict how many more businesses, such as the recent Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory closing, we are going to have to witness in West Dearborn before things get any better.

Let’s hope our elected officials have a plan to stop the hemorrhaging.

Golfers Jim Ives and Toni Tront were the lucky players to sink hole-in-one shots at the Dearborn Hills Golf Course.

We don’t normally write about golf results here but when we heard about the Dearborn Rotary’s recent golf outing yielding two hole-in-one winners, we thought we’d share it here.

Golfers Jim Ives and Toni Tront were the lucky players to sink hole-in-one shots, both on the first shots of the day. The two prize winners were participants in the Rotary Club of Dearborn’s Hugh Archer Golf Outing at Dearborn Hills Golf Course in late August.

“We promised golfers a fun event,” said Roger Miller, chairman of the fourth annual golf outing which helps raise scholarship funds in memory of the late Rotarian and Dearborn resident Hugh Archer. “We just didn’t know it would be quite this exciting.”

Event organizers were prepared with prizes for both hole-in-one winners who received golf trips–Ives to Las Vegas, Nevada and Tront to Garland, Michigan.

Other winners of the outing included the men’s team of Rick Goward, Pat Jensen, Randy Knight and Joe Guido who earned prizes and recognition as the overall winners. Women’s team winners were Julie Pucci, Pam Leshinsky, Sharon Langen and Corrine Celeski. Mixed team winners included Tim Peck, Lucy Peck, Maureen Wall and Jan Clarey.

Proceeds from the golf outing will help provide a scholarship award of $3,000 to a 2010 high school senior attending a public or private high school in Dearborn. Additional scholarship information and an online application are available on the Club’s website at www.dearbornrotary.org

As part of the weekend of activities for the upcoming “Fall Into Dearborn”, an antique appraisal clinic will be offered from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sat., Oct. 3, at the Dearborn Historical Museum’s McFadden-Ross House, 915 Brady St.

The clinic is open to the public and is sponsored by the Museum Guild of Dearborn.

The clinic will operate on a first come, first served basis.  Those interested must register at the event by 3:30 p.m. in order to participate.

Robert Du Mouchelle from Du Mouchelle Art Galleries will evaluate antiques, collectibles and whatever else participants deem as valuable.

The cost for appraisal is $10 per item and there is a limit of five hand-carried items per person.  Please do not bring musical instruments, furniture or weapons for appraisal. Proceeds from the event will be used for Museum restoration projects.

For information about the antique appraisal clinic, call 313-565-3000.

The Detroit Free Press is reporting that the Wayne County Prosecutor’s office is expected to announce charges Thursday in the case involving the housing of hundreds of Chihuahuas.

According to the paper, one charge that could result from the investigation is aggravated animal cruelty, a felony that carries a penalty of up to 4-years imprisonment.

More than 100 live and dead Chihuahuas were discovered in a house packed full of debris and animal waste on Orchard in Dearborn in July. The man who lived in the house, Kenneth Lang Jr., 56, was taken for psychiatric evaluation after the discovery, but recently has been living in a group home in Oakland County, his attorney told the Free Press.

For the earlier story, please click HERE.

 A special evening of free music and fireworks will be offered on Thursday, Sept. 3, at Ford Field Park.

Fifty Amp Fuse will be in concert at 7:30 p.m., followed by a fireworks display at 9 p.m. This is the “makeup” date for the concert and fireworks, which were rained out on the final night of Dearborn’s Homecoming festival.

From the dog and cat files, we bring you yet another home in Dearborn found filled with animals.  This time the home was an abadonded one and with 20 cats inside, according to the Detroit Free Press.

The good news is that at least the cats were found and that we have a fantastic group of people at the Dearborn Animal Shelter who will work to find the animals a safe, new home.

For the Free Press story,  please click HERE.

It looks like the City of Dearborn will be left with a tab of more than $37,000 for the cleanup of a house where hundreds of dogs lived and died in squalor, the Detroit Free Press is reporting today.

While the paper quotes a city spokesman saying no decision has been made to try and recoup the costs, city officials we have spoken to say their primary focus is to raze the home and then offer homeowners on either side the chance to purchase half of the lot at a reduced cost.

Building and Safety inspectors say the home at 7840 Orchard is unfit for human habitation. There still are many steps that have to be taken before a demolition could take place, particularly since the homeowner could appeal any decision to demolish the structure.

For the earlier story on Deepsaidwhat.com, please click HERE.

The man who kept the Chihuahuas, Kenneth Lang Jr., 56, is living in a group home in Oakland County, according to his attorney, James Schmier of Birmingham.

For the full Free Press story, click HERE.

Baseball players wanting to be part of the Dearborn Crush travel team, who in 2009 were the American League Division champs in the Northwest Suburban League, should plan on making their way to Dearborn’s Levagood Park beginning Aug. 27.

Open tryouts for the 2010 Dearborn Crush travel baseball team for ages 12 and under will be Thursday Aug. 27, Sunday Aug. 30 and Monday Aug. 31 at 6:30 p.m. at Levagood 3.

All potential players must be present for the first day of tryouts. Players from the 2009 team must attend at least one of the tryouts. Players cannot turn 13 before May 1. Please contact Craig Cotter at craig.dbnbaseball@gmail.com for details.

Open tryouts for the 2010 Dearborn Crush travel team for ages 11 and under will be Sunday Aug. 30 from 2-5 p.m. at Levagood Park. Players from the 2009 10 and under league are eligible to tryout. Please contact Jim Moran at  jtmoran67@comcast.net for details.

Finally, open tryouts for the 2010 Dearborn Crush 13 and under travel baseball team will beSunday Aug. 30 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Levagood. Players must be 12 years old. Please contact Eric Krawczyk at  krawdad@wowway.com for details.

All three Dearborn Crush teams had great seasons in 2009. The 11 and under team won a division title, while the 12-year-olds and 10-year-olds reached the tournament finals.

The 11 and under Dearborn Crush team, pictured here, won a division title, while the 12-year-olds and 10-year-olds reached the tournament finals.

“It was nice to win a division at the travel level, as it was our first year competing at this level,” said Coach Craig Cotter. “All of these kids were playing in the recreation league last year.”

“The kids worked hard every day at practice as well as the games,” added Coach Kevin Barkoff. “This is a great accomplishment for Dearborn baseball.”

All three Crush teams ended the season with a great tournament in Otisville, Michigan. The boys and their families all enjoyed staying together at the Bavarian Inn in Frankenmuth, and the U10 and U11 teams capped off the weekend and the season by winning the tournament championship in their respective divisions, another great accomplishment for Dearborn baseball.

More information about Dearborn Crush baseball can be found at www.dearborncrush.com, or see instant game updates on Twitter by following @dearborncrush.

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.