Henry Ford Community College and Lake Superior State University will formally announce at a noon press conference today a new partnership that would allow community college students to complete their bachelors degree in Dearborn.

Lake Superior State University (LSSU) will establish a regional site in Dearborn, partnering with Henry Ford Community College at the Dearborn University Consortium Center (DUCC) located on the campus of the Advanced Technology Academy (ATA). The university will offer degree completion options in Business and Criminal Justice beginning in the fall of 2010. Future degree completion offerings include Applied Geographic Information Systems, Computer Networking and Web Development in 2011.

“This is an extremely efficient and cost effective path for students to complete their education right here in the Dearborn community,” said Dr. Gale Mee, HFCC president.

The LSSU Board of Trustees approved the agreement to establish the Dearborn site.

“We’ve spent a lot of time on this agreement and in establishing this site, which will be very favorable for Lake Superior State,” said Board President, W.W. “Frenchie” LaJoie.

Added LSSU President, Dr. Tony McLain: “The establishment of the DUCC gives us a presence in Metro Detroit. It also allows us to bring our high value educational programs to students who never before had access to LSSU.”

Dearborn Mayor, John B. O’Reilly Jr., praised the partnership and said it will broaden options for students.

“Dearborn has always been a strong supporter of higher education and with the combination of the University of Michigan Dearborn campus and Henry Ford Community College we have over 27,000 students enrolled,” O’Reilly said. “This certainly qualifies us as a college town, but more importantly, demonstrates a commitment to meeting a significant demand for preparing professional and leaders for the Metropolitan Detroit area.

“This Next Generation Learning Center will mobilize educators, employers and community leaders to act on new ways to ensure education and training that will match the demanding requirements of 21st Century workforce.”

The Center is enrolling students for fall 2010 classes. Contact Eric Dubitsky, Regional Site Director, at 313-625-4712 or edubitsky@atafordpas.org to learn more about the Dearborn University Consortium Center.

The third of six free outdoor Jazz On The Aveconcerts is this Wednesday, July 28 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Arab American National Museum. The concert was moved from Dearborn City Hall park because of the threat of rain.

East Downtown Dearborn hosts the jazz series in July and August, along with V98.7 Smooth Jazz HD and WWJ News radio.  Concert co-sponsors include Oakwood Healthcare, the Dearborn Community Fund, the Dearborn Times-Herald, Dearborn Press & Guide and Metro Timesnewspapers. The outdoor concerts take place at Dearborn City Hall Park, 13615 Michigan Ave. at Schaefer. Bring lawn chairs or blankets and stake out a good spot for great music in the park.

Area restaurants will be open nearby, as well, providing concert-goers tasty carry-out dinners to eat in the park before the concert.

Here’s the schedule to mark your calendars:

- Wednesday July 28: Rayse Biggs Band

- Wednesday August 11: Thornetta Davis Band

- Wednesday August 18: Kimmie Horn Show

- Wednesday August 25: The Brothers Groove

PLEASE NOTE: In the event of inclement weather, the concerts will be moved inside the Arab American National Museum located directly across the street from Dearborn City Hall. No food or beverages are permitted inside the auditorium and seating is limited. Stay tuned to the EDDDA website for location updates as rain is in the forecast for tomorrow Wednesday July 28.

With the Aug. 3 Primary Election just around the corner, the League of Women Voters Dearborn & Dearborn Heights (LWVDDH) wants all to know that Voter Guides for the upcoming Primary are available at their website, www.lwvddh.org

The guide from the nonpartisan LWVDDH is helpful because it covers Dearborn and Dearborn Heights candidates for the Michigan Legislature, U.S. Congressional Districts, Wayne County, the Wayne County Transit Authority millage and candidates for Michigan Governor.

Those interested in statewide races can access information through www.lwvmi.org

Hard copies of the Voter Guide may be obtained at the City Clerks’ Offices and city libraries. For more information, please call 313-278-6476.

iburger lounge will soon open in the West Village Commons

Those in search of a burger joint other than Miller’s will soon have a new place to visit in Dearborn.

No, Fatburger isn’t opening, despite the sign that still proclaims it is “coming soon.”

Instead, get ready for the iburger lounge, which will soon open in the West Village Commons.

Hassan Aoun, owner/chef who worked as a chef at Ciao before it closed, is opening the new iburger with Houssam Aoude.

Aoun says his new iburger, which is moving into the space once occupied by Hot Spot, will serve burgers, gourmet pizzas, soups and salads. All of the items will be organic and nothing he serves will come from a freezer, he promises.

iburger will move into the space once occupied by Hot Spot.

The iburger will open in two stages. The restaurant portion will open in about a month, Aoun says. The “lounge” part, the second stage, will open in the now vacant space next to Hot Spot, where patrons can enjoy their food in a more relaxed space, he says.

To attract some of the bar crowd, Aoun says the restaurant could be open until 4 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.

It appears the 'dream' may not be over.

It appears “The Dream” isn’t over after all, which could be good news for downtown west Dearborn.

In an article in Sunday’s Dearborn Times Herald, reporter J. Patrick Pepper reports that Hakim Fakhoury has a new proposal for a west downtown development on city-owned land.

According to the paper, the proposed plan was submitted to the city in February. Preliminary rough plans call for a four-story, 160-unit complex comprising residential and commercial components with an estimated development cost of $31 million. The paper reports that Fakhoury’s potential partner in the enterprise is developer Jeff Helminski of Moravian Companies.

As for the demolition of several eyesore buildings owned by Fakhoury, the Times-Herald reports that city officials agreed to halt demolition proceedings on the former Giuliano’s restaurant, Brother’s Tuxedo and Bally’s Vic Tanny. In exchange for the delay, some aesthetic work would be conducted on the buildings, including “power washing, construction material cleanup and covering the windows with opaque film,” the paper reports.

And those signs that proclaimed “The Dream is Over – For Sale”? The city required Fakhoury remove them as part of the agreement. The signs, the Times-Herald says, were a “public proclamation” of Fakhoury’s frustration with city officials.

You can read the complete Times-Herald story HERE.

We spoke of chickens here once before, so we thought it might be appropriate to share this story in today’s Detroit News about a rooster that is getting the boot from a residential neighborhood near Petoskey after a 16 month fight.  For that story, click HERE.

No hens in Dearborn.

As for the chicken case in Dearborn, resident Syeda Akbari, who had been hoping to keep her chickens, has been denied the right to do so at her home in Dearborn. That earlier story is HERE.

Dearborn City Council decided to punt the matter to the city attorney’s office.  The legal team simply sent a letter to Akbari saying “City Council would not take any further action on the subject at this time.” Attached to that letter sent to Akbari was a copy of a paper the legal department sent to Council members simply containing the relevant city codes on chickens and a recommendation to draw up a new ordinance if the council wanted to permit Akbari to keep chickens as pets.

The council’s decision to take no further action means there will be no chickens, at least not until a homeowner some day decides to challenge the current ordinance in court.

Moose's Martini Pub in Deaborn is now open for business.

After nearly seven months of renovations and paper work, Dearborn’s newest bar is now open.

Moose’s Martini Pub, 22217 Michigan Ave., officially opened its doors this afternoon. Hisam Elawad who owns and operates the pub with his brother, Chad, says their new place is a mix between a martini pub and a bar.

“It has a northern lodge feel,” says Elawad, a Dearborn resident. “I wanted something casual and fun.”

We wrote that the pub was coming back in January  We will have more to say about this newest martini pub but here are some facts about the club until then:

- “Happy Hour” 3pm-7pm‎ Half Off All Food Items‎‎ (Drink Specials begin Monday, July 19)

- “The Nooner” Noon-3pm‎ $1 Domestic Bottles everyday‎‎ (Drink Specials begin Monday, July 19)

- Corporate Parties‎ Yes.‎‎

- Food Yes. Oven Baked Appetizers

- Drink Specials‎ All Day, Every Day‎‎ (Drink Specials begin Monday, July 19)

- Email‎ info@moosesmartinipub.com‎‎

- Music‎ Adult Contemporary/Classic Rock/Motown by day & 70s, 80s, 90s Hits‎‎ by night

- Outdoor Seating‎ Yes.‎‎

- Payment Accepted‎ American Express‎‎, Cash‎‎, Discover‎‎, MasterCard‎‎, Visa‎‎

- Sport Friendly‎ Yes. Six 50-inch LED TVs‎‎

If you have questions about the Wayne County Commission, County Commission Gary Woronchak will answer them in Dearborn on July 15 at Dearborn City Hall.

The meeting with Woronchak (D-Dearborn) will begin at 10 a.m. in the City Council Chambers.

Meetings of the Wayne County Commission are usually held in downtown Detroit at the Guardian Building.  Some meetings are scheduled in individual commissioners’ districts so the public can more easily attend.

Woronchak arranged for the July 15 meeting to be held in his 13th District, which includes Dearborn, Allen Park and Melvindale.

“It’s not always convenient for residents of my district to travel downtown to see a commission meeting,” said Woronchak in a release, “so I’m glad to be bringing a meeting into the 13th District so people can see the commission do its work.”

The Wayne County Commission is the legislative branch of county government, serving as a check and balance to the executive branch, which is headed up by Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano. The chief role of a commissioner, a part-time position with an annual salary of nearly $70,000, is to adopt a budget and enact ordinances.  The commission also approves contracts and appointments. There are 15 commissioners elected in individual districts.

After nearly eight months of running her own business, Vicki Snapp Barndollar is closing the door on her Deli on the Avenue.

Deli owner Vicki Barndollar, left, and her niece, Heather VanOast, began serving sandwiches in December.

Rather than try to sell her business (she did consider it), for personal reasons Barndollar says she is simply going to sell the equipment in her deli, 949 Military, and move on to the next chapter in her life.

We wrote about her Deli on the Avenue when it opened in December and again in May when city officials approved the deli’s request for outdoor seating.  Barndollar said closing was a tough decision to make but a necessary one at this point in her life.

“It saddens me to say that I have had to close it due to personal reasons,” said Barndollar, a 1978 Fordson High School grad. “I do want to thank everyone who came in and supported us. We had so many regular faces each and everyday. They had honestly become our friends. It was a hard battle to get where we had become but it was so worth every minute of it.

“I think it would be wonderful if someone could do the same type of thing that I did, but right now for me the timing was just off.”

Down the road might there be a Deli on The Avenue Two? “Who knows,” Barndollar says.

Best of luck . . .

It appears the last auction for the Dearborn Atrium, formerly Adams Jr. High School, didn’t fetch an amount that was likeable to its owners. Read earlier story, HERE.

Sold in 2005 for $19 million, the Dearborn Atrium bidding begins at $390,000.

The Dearborn Atrium is again being offered through an online auction with REDC Commercial and CB Richard Ellis. Like the first auction, the starting bid is $390,000. You can submit a bid by clicking HERE.

There will be two open houses at renovated school on Friday, July 16 and July 23 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

The auction itself will begin July 27 and is scheduled to end on July 29, 2010 at 1:05 p.m. (EST).

For those interested in scheduling a walk through the property, you can contact Christopher Conwell at 248-351-2049 or christopher.conwell@cbre.com