“The Most Happy Fella,” a Frank Loesser musical, will be performed by Friends of the Opera of Michigan (F.O.T.O.) at Dearborn’s Ford Community & Performing Arts Center on March 30 and 31 at 8 p.m.

Based on a Sidney Howard play titled They Knew What They Wanted, Loesser wrote the book, music and lyrics for “The Most Happy Fella,” a story about a romance between an older man, a much younger woman and a case of mistaken identity.

When the show first opened on Broadway in 1956, critics referred to it as a “missing link between Broadway and opera.” Loesser called it a musical comedy and songs like “Standing on the Corner” and “Joey, Joey, Joey” became part of the popular music culture. “The Most Happy Fella” enjoyed a 14-month Broadway run and many revivals over the years including one by the New York City Opera at Lincoln Center.

The F.O.T.O. cast is led by baritone Quinto Milito in the role of Tony. Other principal roles will be performed by: Katherine Kujala (soprano) as Rosabella; John Hummel (baritone) as Joe; Annie Klark (mezzo soprano) as Cleo; Elizabeth Mitchell (mezzo soprano) as Marie and Steven Patterson (baritone) as Herman. Cameo appearances will be made by Dearborn Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr. and internationally known tenor Carlos Seise.

“The Most Happy Fella” is under the direction of James Pinard. Other production team members include: Patricia Damian, choreographer; Steve SeGraves, Music Director and William S. Harrison, Conductor.

Tickets priced at $29 and $24 are on sale now for the March 30 and 31 performances at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center Box Office, 15801 Michigan Avenue, Dearborn. Box Office hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. or one hour prior to scheduled performances. Contact the Box Office at 313-943-2354 for phone orders. Tickets can also be purchased online anytime at www.dearborntheater.com. MasterCard, Visa and American Express are accepted.

“The Most Happy Fella” is presented through special arrangement with Music Theater International (MTI).

Richard Miller

Congrats to Dearborn Fire Chief Richard W. Miller who today was appointed state fire marshal by Gov. Rick Snyder.

The state fire marshal leads the Michigan Bureau of Fire Services within the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, and also serves as a member, or ex-officio member, of the State Fire Safety Board, Fire Fighters Training Council and State Board of Mechanical Rules.

“Richard Miller is a great fit for this post,” said Snyder. “He brings extensive training and more than 30 years of experience, and I am confident he will continue to ensure utmost quality and efficiency when it comes to safeguarding Michigan citizens and property from fire related emergencies.”

Miller has served as Dearborn’s fire chief since 2010. He began his career as a firefighter with the Dearborn Fire Department. He has held several positions with the department, including fire inspector, fire lieutenant, fire captain and senior battalion chief. Miller holds professional certifications for driver’s training, tactical and pump operations, hazardous materials, fire officer I, II and III and others from Michigan’s Fire Fighters Training Council. He has served on the Michigan State Fire Safety Board since August 2011.

He received an associate degree in fire science from Henry Ford Community College, a bachelor’s degree in fire science and occupational safety and health from Madonna University and attended Eastern Michigan University’s School of Fire Staff and Command. Miller replaces Ronald Farr, who resigned in 2011.

Miller will serve at the pleasure of the governor and his appointment is not subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.

Dearborn’s curbside yard waste program is set to kick off for the 2012 season on March 12 and last through December 14.

Beginning the week of March 12, residents can put yard waste in properly marked containers at the curb on their trash collection day, weather permitting.

Residents are reminded to place the yard waste materials in the proper containers at least three feet away from their trash cart and recycling cart. Do not set yard waste in the street.

Containers can be yard waste paper bags or your own 20 – 32 gallon container that is clearly marked with a yard waste sticker. These are available for free at Dearborn Public Libraries, the Public Works Yard and the Mayor’s office.

The city is reminding residents to not put yard waste into plastic bags or cardboard boxes as it will not be picked up.

This convenient nine-month service provides residents the opportunity to get a jump on spring cleanup and dispose of materials left over from the fall.

Yard waste includes grass clippings, weeds, leaves, shrubs and brush trimmings.

Before placing yard waste into containers, remove dirt from the roots and remove root balls from shrubs. Brush and shrubs must be less than three inches in diameter, be four feet or less in length, tied with a heavy cord or rope and weigh no more than 35 pounds.

Do not mix fruit, vegetables or animal droppings with yard waste. Remember sod and dirt are not yard waste and will not be collected.

To arrange for a special pickup of unbundled or improperly bundled brush or for more information, call the Department of Public Works at 313.943.2085.

The public is invited to attend Mayor John B. O’Reilly’s State of the City Address on Monday, March 5. It is 7 p.m. in the City Council Chambers of City Hall, 13615 Michigan Ave.

Mayor O’Reilly will review the economic challenges facing Dearborn, the city’s recent accomplishments, and initiatives to keep the community moving forward.

For those who cannot attend, the Address will be shown at a later time on CDTV and will also be posted at www.cityofdearborn.org

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce will host “Hiring Our Heroes – Dearborn/Detroit,”  a hiring fair for the region’s veterans and their spouses 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, April 11 at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center in Dearborn.

The City of Dearborn is a sponsor of the free event, which includes the Dearborn Chamber of Commerce and many partners.

Employers and job seekers must pre-register for this free event by visiting www.hoh.greatjob.net. Registration closes on April 3, 2012

The event is part of the U.S. Chamber’s 100-city “Hiring Our Heroes” initiative and is designed to be one of the Chamber’s largest fairs to date, with the goal of bringing 100 employers together with hundreds of local veterans.

After 26 years, the last day of business for Dee's Hallmark in Dearborn is Sunday, Feb. 26, 2012.

After 26 years of serving Dearborn, Dee’s Hallmark on Michigan Avenue will officially close its doors Sunday afternoon.

What remains in the store is all marked at 75 percent off. Bargain seekers will have until close of business today,  Feb. 26, to snap it up. Otherwise, store owners Don and Dee Belcher will pack all of the stuff up and take it home.

For those of us who like a good Hallmark store, there remains a good one in Dearborn’s Fairlane Town Center mall. That Hallmark is a corporate-owned store and is well kept and has a great selection of all things Hallmark. A clerk in Dee’s Hallmark said there is another Hallmark card shop in a strip mall at Cherry Hill and Merriman.

The Belchers are closing the store so they can retire. Clerks in the store say paid parking, which has hurt business, helped expedite the couple’s retirement plans.

The Dee’s Hallmark building remains for sale for a price of about $640,000.

When we wrote about the building being put on the sales block more than two years ago, Mr. Belcher said in a note he would do all he could to remain open even if it meant moving to a new location.

“My commitment to survival has always been strong but after closing (3) other stores and using the money to keep Dee’s going there was not enough left to (purchase the building Dee’s is currently located),” Mr. Belcher wrote in 2009. “It is common knowledge that this is not the best time to sell commercial property as evidenced by the many vacancies in our area. However should it sell I will make every effort to negotiate a favorable lease agreement with the new owner. If that is not possible I will look to relocate as close to my current location as I can. A smarter man would have given up long ago I think I’m just to dumb to know when it’s time to quit!!!!”

Dee’s hung on for as long as they could.

We will miss what was easily the best card shop in Dearborn.

Dearborn city officials say a recent online story about the 2011 salaries of City of Dearborn employees is inaccurate and issued a release to share the extensive checks and balances regarding compensation outlined in Dearborn’s City Charter.

The Mackinac Center for Public Policy recently posted a story reporting that Dearborn’s top city administrators saw lucrative pay increases while many lower-paid Dearborn employees took pay cuts in 2011.  According to the report, while Mayor John B. O’Reilly’s salary stayed relatively the same — “his gross income increased by $500 in 2011 from the previous year, seven top administrations saw their gross income increase by 8 percent to 12.8 percent from 2010 to 2011.”  See story HERE.

In a release issued Thursday,  Dearborn officials say the City Charter gives the Mayor authority to appoint a chief labor negotiator, who negotiates with unions on the administration’s behalf to determine annual salary adjustments for fulltime city employees. Negotiated settlements must then be approved by the City Council.

Under the City Charter, the Mayor does not have authority to give annual raises to people in appointed positions.

Instead, the City Charter specifies in Section 6.8 that people in appointed positions may receive an average of up to the same annual increases and decreases negotiated with city unions and approved by the City Council.

People in appointed positions wait until multiple union contracts are settled when the average of the annua increases can be determined, city officials explained.

According to the city, appointed employees had not seen an annual salary increase since 2007. Annual salaries for appointed employees stayed the same in 2008, 2009 and 2010.

In 2011, with the resolution of union contracts covering 2008 and 2009, general employees, as well as people in appointed positions, received retroactive pay for those years. This occurred in a single budget year, according to the city press release.

The union settlements meant that from 2007 to 2011, employees’ salaries increased a total of about 3 percent for that period, and therefore so did appointed salaries. There is no salary increase in place for 2012, the city press release said.

However, Dearborn officials say the Mackinac Center’s inaccurate report implied that appointed positions had received double-digit increases in their annual salary in just one year from 2010 to 2011.

The inaccurate report purposely implied that gross earnings and salaries are the same, Dearborn officials said. In reality, gross earnings include other significant factors, like the retroactive payments in 2011.

The city explains that gross earnings in any given year also can include longevity payments to employees serving 10 years or longer, and factors that can vary from year to year, such as overtime for qualified employees, the choice to cash in paid time off (PTO) days, and minor payments, like mileage.

To clarify what the inaccurate online report should have listed as the 2010 and 2011 annual salaries, consider an example of one of the appointed positions featured in that story. Dearborn provided the information below:

The City Charter allows the Mayor, with Council approval, to set the salaries for appointed positions only once at the beginning of each elected term. It is a checks and balance provision that protects the taxpayers and doesn’t make department head salaries a controversial issue, the city states in the release.

According to the city, the last two opportunities to set department head salaries were in 2006 when the late Mayor Guido was in office, and in 2010 after Mayor O’Reilly was elected. However, due to the faltering economy, both Mayors declined to recommend one time increases for department heads as they began their new terms.

The Friends of the Library-Dearborn (FOLD) will feature incredible deals on VHS movies during its monthly sale 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 7 in the rotunda of the Henry Ford Centennial Library.

Regular movies will be available for five for $1; children’s tapes will be available for 10 for $1. These rates apply only to the sale of the VHS tapes.  Anyone still using a VCR should take advantage of the selection available at this sale. It is a great price.

The sale will also feature books and magazines, as usual.

Among the highlights will be books on home repair, redecorating and outdoor gardening, just in time for the spring. Complete fantasy paperback series will also be featured.

Proceeds from the book sale support FOLD’s mission to enhance the library experience.

Residents in the Dearborn Hills neighborhood affected by the sewer separation project beginning this month can get updates on the construction by visiting a new city website HERE.  

The new website can also be accessed from www.cityofdearborn.org. Look for the Construction icon on the home page.

Residents will find a schedule, answers to frequently asked questions, traffic information, map, project details and timely updates. They can sign up to be automatically notified when new information is posted on the website.

They also have the option of leaving a question of a general nature regarding the construction in the Dearborn Hills area. Answers that will assist other residents with understanding or coping with the construction will be posted for the public.

Residents affected by the sewer separation project are always welcome to call the City’s onsite Construction Engineering Technician, Kelli Moore, at 313.613.1994 or the Project Engineer, Soud El-Jamaly, at 313.801.8578.

The sewer separation project will impact Dearborn residents who live east of Telegraph, west of Outer Drive, south of Cherry Hill and north of the Rouge River well into next year.

The construction is part of the federally-mandated water pollution control project commonly called the CSO project.

Separating storm sewers from sanitary sewers will reduce the amount of untreated sewage that is released into the Rouge River during wet weather events.

Dearborn city officials say the sewer separation will also involve the installation of new water mains and new roads, which will improve the city’s infrastructure.

The Dearborn Police Department has implemented a new online system for residents that can assist in recovering stolen property.

The free online systems at reportit.leadsonline.com helps keep track of all personal property, safety and securely storing important information that could be useful in recovering property in the event of a loss or theft.

The Report-it site is a secure online service that allows citizens to record serial numbers and upload images for phones, electronics, and other valuables. If those items were ever stolen, Dearborn Police say the documented information could assist in accurately and quickly identifying a resident’s stolen property.

“The LeadsOnline ReportIt system is an outstanding free resource for our residents which will allow them to be proactive and further protect their property”, said Dearborn Police Chief Ronald Haddad.

The Report-it service is a part of LeadsOnline, the online system that works with police across the country to track and recover stolen property. The Dearborn Police Department recently implemented LeadsOnline to help track and recover stolen property —- everything from jewelry to sporting equipment to electronics, computers, cameras, and other items such as designer clothing, collectibles, and other items with invaluable personal worth. The system allows detectives to search for the items using a variety of parameters, including item descriptions and serial numbers.

When an item is sold to a pawn or secondhand shop, the product information is entered in the LeadsOnline database and is immediately viewable by participating law enforcement agencies across the country.

Since using the online system, Dearborn police say they have already had success recovering thousands of dollars in stolen property, including the recovery of property taken in recent burglaries, and developed additional suspect leads in several ongoing criminal investigations.

Citizens can store an unlimited number of serial numbers, item descriptions, pictures, and scans of receipts so items may be more easily identified in the event of theft. This record may also come in handy when filing claims with insurance providers in the event of loss. Citizens wanting to participate in ReportIt can register for the free service at reportit.leadsonline.com and begin building their personal property inventory list.

Dearborn Residents can also borrow engravers from the Dearborn Police Department Training Office that can be used to engrave their valuables.