The suspect is described as a 40-year-old black woman standing 5 feet 4 inches tall and wearing a black hat, glasses, a dark green jacket, a gray or black scarf and brown shoes.

According to police reports, about 12:15 p.m., the woman entered the P.A.C. Federal Credit Union branch, 25555 Warren, and handed the teller a note claiming she had a gun and demanded 100s, 50s and 20s from the drawer. The teller told officers the robber placed the money, totaling more than $2,000, in a black bag. She pulled her glasses down and said she was sorry before she walked out of the bank.

The credit union manager said she saw the woman run through the branch’s parking lot before escaping behind Stanley Turowski Funeral Home, 25509 West Warren.

According to police reports, a short time later the manager noticed a white Pontiac Vibe drive south on Kinmore at a high rate of speed near where the woman was last seen.

Wengrowski said the woman may have been the driver, because the car pulled away quickly after she left the bank.

In the report, the branch manager told police $100 of the stolen money was in marked bills and is traceable, but Dearborn Heights Police Sgt. Philip Wengrowski said police have no leads.

“She could have spent the money,” he said. “We could trace her only if we knew where it was.”

(Daniel Heraty can be reached at dheraty@bewickpublications.com)

Photo by Robert Ankrapp

Dearborn Heights Mayor Dan Paletko (center) joins Tim Hortons representatives, city, county, chamber of commerce officials and local business operators to celebrate the Jan. 27 ribbon cutting ceremony at the new Tim Hortons Restaurant at the northwest corner of the intersection of Telegraph at Warren roads. The restaurant, owned by Gary and Sharon David and Scott and Shannon Suryan, is among the first of the company’s newest restaurant designs, incorporating a larger menu and relaxed cafe atmosphere.

Photo by Daniel Heraty

By DANIEL HERATY
Times-Herald Newspapers
HEIGHTS – The attorney for four high school football players charged with assault said his clients are being singled out because they are Arab American.

The Star International Academy students, Ali Bajjey, 17; Hadee Attia, 17; Fanar Al-Asady, 17 and Mohammed Ahmed, 18, allegedly gave 15-year-old Lutheran High School Westland quarterback P.J. Guse a concussion during an altercation at the end of a game in October.

The players were suspended from school for two days and charged in December with misdemeanor assault and battery, which carries a 90-day jail term and a fine of $500. They were arraigned Jan. 13 before 20th District Court Judge Mark Plawecki.

During a Jan. 24 press conference at the Southfield headquarters for the Council on American Islamic Relations, Canton Township-based attorney Nabih Ayad said no Middle Eastern witnesses were interviewed and called the investigation “one-sided.”

“Would (prosecutors) have brought these charges had their names been John, Bill or Jason?” Ayad said. “Because of their Arab ethnicity, these charges were brought out with a racial (undercurrent) behind it.”

Police Chief Lee Gavin released a statement saying the department conducted a thorough investigation and submitted the findings to the prosecutor.

Ayad said those who agree to play football at any level waive the right to claim assault and battery because of the game’s physical style of play. He said holding the players to a higher standard than professional players is uncalled for.

“It is indeed a sad day in our criminal justice system when we are criminally charging our high school students for playing football,” he said. “This was a sloppy investigation and charged by the Dearborn Heights Police Department and the Wayne County Prosecutor.”

Ayad filed a motion Jan. 24 asking Plawecki to dismiss the case. The motion claims that what happened on the field was not assault and battery, but “simply young men playing football as it has always been played.”

“We cannot allow this (case) to become a precedent,” Ayad said.

Arab American Civil Rights League Executive Director Rashid Beydoun said the organization was alarmed by the case and said they will continue to investigate. He agreed with Ayad, saying if the case moves forward, players of all sports could be tried the same way.

In a letter to Wayne Count Prosecutor Kym Worthy, C.A.I.R., Michigan Chapter Executive Director Dawud Walid, Beydoun and NAACP Western Wayne County President Aaron Sims called for an investigation into Lutheran Academy assistant coach Jamie Hawley, who they allege threw one of the Star Academy players to the ground during the altercation. Walid called for Worthy to re-evaluate the case and examine the assistant coach’s actions. Hawley was suspended for the following football game.

“We have a situation where an adult who has the trust of being a coach ran on a field during a game,” Walid said, “and we believe assaulted a minor.”

In an email, Lutheran High Westland Principal Steven Schwecke declined to comment for this story.

Guse’s father, Lutheran High School head coach Paul Guse, said the Star Academy players “speared” his son twice with their helmets from behind while his son was on his hands and knees. He said the issue is about the players’ behavior, not ethnicity.

“If that’s the case, I would ask first was the attack racially motivated?” he said. “I never believed it was.”

He said he hopes the final outcome is a lesson for all high school athletes.

“We want them to understand that when they defy authority and choose to do something outside the parameters of the game, there will be consequences,” he said.

(Daniel Heraty can be reached at dheraty@bewickpublications.com)

Photo by Daniel Heraty

By DANIEL HERATY
Times-Herald Newspapers
HEIGHTS – Mayor Daniel Paletko said the State Legislature did little to help the city deal with its financial issues.

During the annual State of the City address Jan. 10, held at Warren Valley Golf and Banquet Center, 26116 Warren Ave., and attended by an estimated 125 people, he called the city’s financial difficulties a “perfect storm” and placed some of the blame on state lawmakers.

“The (2009 $787 billion) federal stimulus package … provided some relief to state and local governments,” he said. “However the efforts proved inadequate for the circumstances and the relief was short-lived.”

While national employment and financial levels have seen some growth, Paletko said local economies continue to struggle. Despite an influx of businesses, a $200,000 decrease in funding for a community development block grant program and a decline in property values – a projected 7 percent on top of 10 percent lost in 2011– dominated issues affecting the city, he said.

Paletko said despite the hardships, the voter-approved Headlee Amendment override did much to help offset further financial issues. He said without the override, which provided a three-mill tax increase and is expected to raise about $3.4 million for the general fund, the city faced severe cuts, including reductions in Fire and Police department staff.

“Words cannot express how grateful I am to our voters,who voiced their collective opinion that the continuation of our basic services and our quality of life is still a high priority in this city,” Paletko said.

He said even with the override, the city still faces challenges and the millage raise is only a portion of the savings needed to continue operating within a balanced budget. He said since he took office, the city has enacted cost-cutting measures, including a 10 percent pay reduction for city employees, consolidation of city-owned buildings, early-out retirement programs for city employees and a higher health care deductible with greater co-pays aimed at keeping insurance premiums to manageable levels.

“(The financial hardships) forced all of us to really look at the way we’ve been doing business,” Paletko said. “Everyone at every level must accept responsibility for providing top-quality service at the lowest cost possible.”

Paletko said unemployment levels in the city have dropped to 8.5 percent, their lowest levels since 2008, with many of the jobs coming from small businesses. He called the influx of about 100 small businesses, including a new Tim Hortons, 7205 Telegraph Road and a Bigby’s Coffee, 23902 Ford Road, the “lifeblood that keeps the city moving.”

Reaction to the address was positive.

David Zaletski, manager of St. Hedwig Cemetery, said he was optimistic that things are beginning to turn around. He said having new small businesses is the core to any community.

Basima Farhat, marketing director for Garden City-based Banners Nationwide, agreed, saying despite budget concerns, the mayor’s speech was encouraging. She said she would have liked to hear Paletko talk more about the city’s future, but was pleased with the overall message.

“We have to come together and make sure we sustain ourselves,” she said. “When you feel better, you go out and do better.”

(Daniel Heraty can be reached at dheraty@bewickpublications.com)

The proposed plan followed the city’s Dec. 22 submission of an audit report to the state’s Department of the Treasury which revealed a $5 million general fund deficit.

A meeting between councilors and Mayor Daniel Paletko to discuss the plan is scheduled for Jan. 17.

According to published reports, officials from Southfield-based auditing firm Plante & Moran, LLC informed City Councilors during an emergency meeting Dec. 13 of the deficit, from an audit spanning finances from July 1, 2010 through July 31, 2011 and informed the councilors of their findings.

Phone calls to Paletko seeking comment on this story were not returned by press time.

According to published reports, during a November meeting, Paletko revealed a tentative plan that included wage concessions and elimination of overtime from the Police Department and 20th District Court staff reductions. The proposed cuts would eliminate the deficit to create a surplus of about $16,000 in 2017.

City Councilman Kenneth Baron said after much discussion, councilors agreed 4-2 on the plan, with Councilwomen Janet Badalow and Marge Horvath dissenting.

Former Councilwoman Elizabeth Agius, whose term expired Dec. 31, was absent from the Dec. 13 vote.

The plan was sent to the state Department of the Treasury.

Baron was optimistic about eliminating the city’s debt, saying he isn’t expecting the state to reject the plan. If it were rejected, he said, the city could correct it. But first, the city needs to balance its budget.

“We have to move quickly on fine-tuning a plan,” Baron said. “We still need to make adjustments so we have a balanced budget.”

Financial issues affecting other communities and the ability to continuously update and revise the plan are buying the City Council time, Baron said, adding he doesn’t expect a quick response from state officials.

“I’ll be shocked if we hear from them in the next month,” he said. “By then, we’ll have something more fine-tuned.”

The plan still needs to be reviewed by the state’s Treasury Department before it can be implented. If the plan is rejected, the city could face possible takeover by an emergency financial manager. Baron said an EFM is unlikely because of actions to correct the deficit, including sharing information technology services with Dearborn and the Nov. 8 voter approval of a Headlee Amendment override. He expects a deficit reduction plan in place in the next three months.

The money collected from the override, a three-mill tax increase, is projected to trim about $3.4 million from the deficit.

Other service-sharing measures have been discussed, Baron said, but he declined to go into specific details. He said the city also applied for a Staffing for Adequate Fire & Emergency Response Grant created by the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency which allows for an increase in Fire Department staffing, which would potentially relieve some of the Fire Department’s overtime cuts.

“In the next five years, we need to make up the deficit,” he said. “We have to start getting down to the nitty-gritty real quick.”

(Daniel Heraty can be reached at dheraty@bewickpublications.com.)

Dearborn Heights Police Cpl. Mark Parinello said two cars in the area, a 2007 Pontiac Solstice and a 2006 Ford, were taken minutes apart while unlocked and the engines were left running.

Both thefts were reported within 12 minutes of each other, he said.

“Nobody saw anything,” he said. “One victim left the keys in the car and it was running. Five minutes later it was gone.”

Parniello advised people against leaving their cars running to warm the engines, saying they should have a remote starter installed.

“We haven’t had a theft in the south end since November,” he said. “Out of all the areas that are quiet, that area’s the quietest.”

(Daniel Heraty can be reached at dheraty@bewickpublications.com.)

Photo by Sue Suchyta

By DANIEL HERATY
Times-Herald Newspapers
July
DEARBORN –A former 19th District Court Administrator was awarded over $700,000 in a civil case against a district judge that ended June 30.

Jurors announced their verdict for former court employee Julie Pucci that day in the case she filed against 19th District Court Judge Mark Somers, alleging she was unfairly fired from her position due to her relationship with another judge.
.
DEARBORN – A 23-year-old man was killed and another man arrested following a shooting about 7:30 p.m. July 13 at Riverside Academy, 6345 Schaefer.

Fadi Hassan Faraj, 35, was charged by Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy July 15 with first degree murder and felony firearms possession. Faraj faces life in prison if convicted.

August
DEARBORN – A judgment that would have reversed a decision to award a former probation officer more than $400,000 in lost wages and benefits was dismissed Aug. 10 by 3rd Circuit Court Judge Jeanne Stempien.

Stempien rejected a judgment notwithstanding motion against a June 3 ruling in favor of Simone Calvas, who served as the 19th District Court’s probation officer from 2002 until 2007 when she was fired by Chief Judge Mark Somers.

DEARBORN – A temporary millage increase and a proposal to eliminate the Civil Service System appeared on the Nov. 8 ballot.

City councilors approved the revised ballot language during their regular meeting Aug. 8 allowing voters to decide two issues in the general election.

The millage increase is to generate an additional $12.25 million that will go directly into the city’s general fund in an attempt to close a $20 million budget shortfall. The city already has made cuts to full-time staffing and benefits, saving about $12 million per year.

September
DEARBORN – A 34-year-old Dearborn man accused of killing a 23-year-old after a fight on a basketball court faces first degree murder charges after a preliminary examination of the evidence against him that finished Sept. 2.

A trial is scheduled for February before Third Circuit Court Judge Carole Youngblood.

In the conclusion of the exam that began Aug. 19 in 19th District Court, Judge Mark Somers ruled that 34-year-old Fadi Faraj, accused of shooting to death 23-year-old Hassan Zeidan following a fight at a basketball court at Riverside Academy in July, would stand trial on charges of first-degree murder and felony firearm possession.

DEARBORN – Florida pastor the Rev. Terry Jones, who gained national exposure following a mock trial that led to the burning of a Quran, failed to appear in Detroit Sept. 1 for a Circuit Court hearing stemming from charges levied by 19th District Court Judge Mark Somers and an arrest for failing to post bond.

Fellow pastor Wayne Sapp also was scheduled to appear at the hearing at the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center in Detroit.

DEARBORN – The buildings along Michigan Avenue that housed Giuliano’s Restaurant, Brother’s Formal Wear and Bally’s Fitness Center were given the go-ahead for demolition.

Councilors unanimously OK’d the demolition at their regular meeting Sept. 6.

HEIGHTS – Five cities proposed consolidating their district courts in a potential cost-saving measure.

City councilors unanimously approved a proposal at the regular meeting Sept. 13 to allow a consulting group to weigh the pros and cons of possible consolidation of the 20th District Court in Dearborn Heights, 22nd District Court in Inkster, 21st District Court in Garden City, 18th District Court in Westland and 29th District Court in Wayne.

October
DEARBORN – An appeal to overturn a court ruling in favor of a former 19th District Court employee was dismissed after the paperwork was filed with the wrong date.

The appeal stems from a 2008 civil case involving former 19th District Court probation officer Simone Calvas and 19th District Court Chief Judge Mark Somers.

HEIGHTS – A proposed amendment override, and ways to fix the city’s budget were the topics of discussion at a second town hall meeting held Sept. 26.

An estimated 700 residents filled a gymnasium in the Richard A. Young Recreation Center, 5400 McKinley, for the event, which followed one held Sept. 19, to hear Mayor Daniel Paletko and city councilors discuss the proposed override of the 1978 Headlee Amendment, which requires that voters approve any tax increase not authorized by charter before the amendment was adopted.

DEARBORN – A Combined Sewer Overflow facility designed to capture wastewater from heavy rains and snow melts opened Oct. 15 with an open house for residents.

The structure was under construction since 2007.

The facility, on Millitary Street between Morely and Alexandrine streets, is one of five similar structures constructed around the city.

November
DEARBORN — Residents of Dearborn and Dearborn Heights elected new city and school officials and passed measures allowing for temporary tax increases in an attempt to eliminate general fund deficits.

In Dearborn, residents approved a five-year operating millage (7,420 votes, or 60 percent to 4,860, or 40 percent), raising property taxes up to 3.5 mills and generating about $12.25 million in general fund revenue in an attempt to offset a $20 million general fund deficit
for the 2011 to 2012 fiscal year.

HEIGHTS – Dearborn Heights District 7 School Board members welcomed two new members following the Nov. 8 election.

Robert Brown and Vickie Bracken took their seats as school board trustees at the regular meeting Nov. 21.

December
DEARBORN — A former Dearborn health worker filed a sexual discrimination lawsuit Nov. 23 against the city, alleging he was fired for treating female patients.

Madison Heights resident John Benitez Jr. lost his nursing job with the city’s Health Department in December 2010 after a female Muslim nursing supervisor instructed him to refer female patients wearing a hijab, a traditional Muslim headscarf, to her for treatment.

DEARBORN — Judge Richard Wygonik, who has served in 19th District Court since March 2005 following the retirement of Judge Virginia Sobotka, was named Chief Judge of the court.

DEARBORN — Creators of TLC’s “All American Muslim,” faced a lawsuit from a company that claims the show’s creators stole their idea.

According to a lawsuit filed against Discovery Communications, the parent company of TLC, which airs “All-American Muslim,” following five Muslim families living in Dearborn, Los-Angeles-based Visionaire Media claimed responsibility for the premise for the show.

HEIGHTS – A local pastor was placed on a six-month leave of absence as of Oct. 1 amid allegations he molested several female church members when they were between the ages of 8 and 13.

According to reports, the Rev. Ioan Buia allegedly inappropriately touched several female members of his church, the Alleluia Romanian Pentecostal Church of God, 4470 Pardee.

As of press time, six women have come forward with allegations.

DEARBORN — Dearborn native Rima Fakih, who became the first Arab-American to win the Miss USA pageant in 2010, was arrested for drunken driving in Highland Park about 2:15 a.m. Dec. 3.

According to published reports, Fakih, 26, was stopped by Highland Park Police on Woodward Avenue after officers saw her black 2011 Jaguar driving in excess of 60 mph and swerving in and out of traffic.

HEIGHTS — Dearborn Heights officials could seek legal action following flooding from rains Nov. 29 and 30 that dumped about 3 inches of water on parts of the city.

Mayor Daniel Paletko said he is considering filing a lawsuit against Wayne County and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers if clarification is not found on a 2009 Corps study that reviewed similar research in 1987 which recommended construction of a retention basin along the north branch of Ecorse Creek.

DEARBORN — A United States District Judge awarded former 19th District Court Deputy Administrator Julie Pucci $1.2 million in damages and legal fees stemming from a 2007 lawsuit against 19th District Court Judge Mark Somers.

U.S. District Court Eastern District Judge David Lawson upheld a jury’s decision in a legal opinion filed Dec. 16, awarding Pucci about $735,000 in compensatory damages and about $417,000 in attorney fees. Lawson also denied Somers’ appeal to dismiss a June ruling that he denied Pucci’s constitutional rights by firing her.

DEARBORN — The decision to pull ads from the TLC realty series “All-American Muslim” brought a backlash to Lowe’s Home Improvement.

The retailer removed advertising from the show after receiving emails from Florida Family Association, a religious group based in Tampa, Fla., urging them to remove the ads.

Photo by Daniel Heraty

By DANIEL HERATY
Times-Herald Newspapers
January
DEARBORN — Carmel Halloun, owner of Taboon restaurants in Flint and Sterling Heights, purchased the rights to the La Shish name and reopened the original location at 12918 Michigan Ave.

The restaurant chain closed in 2006 because of previous owner Talal Kahine’s legal troubles, including charges of tax evasion and his son’s 2005 sentencing for charges of second degree murder.

DEARBORN – Former 19th District Court employee Julie Pucci’s suit against Chief Judge Mark Somers, which began in 2007, was heard in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

Pucci, who worked as deputy court administrator until she was terminated in 2006, sued Somers a year after she left the position, alleging wrongful termination due to her complaints regarding Somers’ use of religious language in court settings and Bible passages on court stationery.

February
DEARBORN — News of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s resignation Feb. 11 following weeks of demonstrations in the Middle Eastern country brought strong reaction from Arab American leaders in metropolitan Detroit.

“We are witnessing history in the Arab world, the awakening of the Arab people and the beginning of democracy across the region,” Congress of Arab-American Organizations spokeman Osama Siblani said in a statement following Mubarak’s announcement.

HEIGHTS – City Clerk Judy Dudzinski tops a list of 14 elected and administrative officials who have announced their retirement.

Dudzinski, Deputy Clerk Donna Pawlukiewicz and City Council secretary Maria Lawrence retired March 31.

“It was definitely not an easy decision,” she said, declining to give a specific reason.

March
DEARBORN – A local couple sued a foster care center for monetary damages, saying that three of their children were abused under its care.

Rehab Amer and her husband, Ahmed, both of Dearborn, filed a lawsuit March 15 in the U.S. District Court for Eastern District of Michigan against three women employed by the Judson Center in Royal Oak and two employed by the Michigan Department of Human Services.

DEARBORN – Two men from Detroit suspected in the March 15 shooting death of a local businessman were arraigned March 21 in 19th District Court before Judge Mark Somers.

Tanaka Jayvon Wells, 19, and Ronnie Lamont Matthews, 18, were charged with murder and armed robbery in the shooting of Jay Shin, 60, the owner of a Sunrise Beauty Supply.

DEARBORN – The Divine Child girls basketball team marked its fifth state championship in 25 years. The Falcons captured the Class B crown with a 43-35 win against previously undefeated Three Rivers High School March 19.

April
HEIGHTS – A Crestwood School District Board of Education member was sued for embezzlement in a civil case in Oakland County Circuit Court.

Janey Golani, a board member since 2002, allegedly took over $700,000 from two companies where she worked as an office manager.

DEARBORN – The Rev. Terry Jones, leader of the Dove World Outreach Center in Florida, planned to protest Islamic law April 22 at the Islamic Center of America, 19500 Ford Road.

The protest was postponed until April 29 after Jones and fellow Pastor Wayne Sapp were jailed for refusing to post a $1 peace bond by 19th District Court Judge Mark Somers.

Jones, who gained national attention for threatening to burn a copy of the Quran, assumed leadership of the 30-member fundamentalist church in 1996.

May
DEARBORN – The Rev. Terry Jones filed a lawsuit April 23 against the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, claiming his First Amendment rights were violated.

Jones and a fellow pastor at the Dove World Outreach Center, Wayne Sapp, were jailed April 22 following a trial in 19th District Court, where it was determined Jones’ plans for a protest outside the Islamic Center of America posed a credible threat to public safety.

Jones and Sapp refused to post a $1 peace bond ordered by Judge Mark Somers. The trial was initiated by a complaint from Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy.

DEARBORN – Local reaction was guarded but excited about news of the killing of Osama bin Laden.

The al-Qaida leader was killed May 1 following an order given by President Barack Obama after receiving information on bin Laden’s whereabouts. He was struck twice in the head following a shootout with Navy SEALs in a compound surrounded by 15-foot-high walls in Abbotabad, Pakistan, 31 miles northeast of Islamabad, the nation’s capital.

DEARBORN – The U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled May 22 in the city’s in a case related to the distribution of religious literature at the 2009 Arab International Festival.

The ruling stated festival rules enforced by the city regarding distribution of literature on public sidewalks did not violate the plaintiff’s Constitutional right of freedom of association. The court also determined festival rules did not violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution.

June
DEARBORN – About 100 people went to Ten Eyck Park & Pool for a rally May 30 in an attempt to convince city officials not to close the city’s pools.

The pool closings were among cuts to the budget the city proposed to reduce a projected $20 million shortfall for the 2011-12 fiscal year, which began July 1. The proposed closings were Ten Eyck, Hemlock and Whitmore-Bolles pools in 2012, followed by Summer-Stephens, Crowley and Lapeer pools in 2013.

DEARBORN – A former 19th District Court probation officer was awarded more than $400,000 in lost wages and benefits following a civil lawsuit that ended June 3.

In the lawsuit against the Court and Chief Judge Mark Somers, Simone Calvas, who Somers fired in 2007, claimed her dismissal was discriminatory, and that Somers did not have just cause when he fired her.

DEARBORN – A police officers’ union agreed to return an award from a June 15 arbitration hearing against the city.

The arbitration case, filed in August 2010, stemmed from the 2010 Dearborn Homecoming festival, which was held Aug. 6 to 8. At the event, 17 Dearborn Police Reserve officers were used by the city as security on a roaming basis, meaning they patrolled the area, and relieved other officers while they patrolled the parking lot and vendor area.

DEARBORN – More than 21,000 people went to the Henry Ford Museum between 7 p.m. June 20 and 7 a.m. June 22 to get a glimpse of the Emancipation Proclamation.

The document was featured as part of a larger traveling exhibit called “Discovering the Civil War.” On loan from the National Archives in Maryland, the document was displayed from June 20 through June 22 and was available for viewing 24 hours a day.

(Daniel Heraty can be reached at dheraty@bewickpublications.com.)

The Goodfellows chapters took to the streets Dec. 2 and 3 for their annual newspaper sales drive, with benefits going to provide families with toys and meals for Christmas.

In Dearborn, the Goodfellows set a goal of $50,000 for the newspaper sales, created specifically for the event. In Dearborn Heights, Goodfellows President Lee Gavin said volunteers raised about $38,000, with the largest turnout coming from the corner of Ford and Telegraph roads, where reserve officers collected about $9,700.

Dearborn Goodfellows President Larry Johnson said the organization is forecasting the funds will be used to help 1,000 families. The total amount of money raised is not known as of press time because donations trickle in as late as January. He estimates netting more than the $50,000 raised last year.

“We were up at the same point last year,” he said. “We had a good distribution of the sellers and the weather was better, which helped.”

He said about 300 families requested assistance this year as of Dec. 8, and he expects more will apply. In the past, those who have received aid have gone on to donate to help others, he said.

“Parents will not stay on hard times together,” Johnson said. “They’ll remember who helped out.”

(Daniel Heraty can be reached at dheraty@bewickpublications.com.)

Photo courtesy of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular

By SUE SUCHYTA
Sunday Times Newspapers
HEIGHTS — A local girl hit the jackpot when she was in Las Vegas last summer without setting foot on the casino floor.

Dearborn Heights resident Sarah Sibole, 12, learned on July 12 that she would share the role of Clara from “The Nutcracker” scene Nov. 18 to Dec. 24 in the “Radio City Christmas Spectacular” at the 4,000-seat Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville.

In addition to the Nashville show, there are companies this year in New York, Boston and Durham, N.C.

Sibole was competing at the West Coast Dance Explosion national finals dance competition at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas with the competition team from her Dearborn dance studio, the Noretta Dunworth School of Dance, when on July 12 she got the news.

When the show closes Christmas Eve, she will have performed Clara in “The Nutcracker” number for half of the 58 performances. Sibole was Clara in the Nov. 18 opening show.

Sibole says being in the show is an incredible experience.

“I was nervous on opening night but after that I relaxed and just had fun with it,” she said. “The more crowded the Opry is and the more children in the audience, the more I enjoy it. It is fun to see their faces when I come out on stage in my tutu.”

Sibole and the other “Clara,” Lauren Yakima, 10, of Northville are the only children in the Nashville cast, also are in the show’s Living Nativity scene.

It’s the third year that she has auditioned for the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, and the first year that she was cast.

This year’s journey began May 4 when Sibole went to New York City for the initial audition. After surviving the first round of cuts she returned the first week of July for final auditions at the New York City Dance Alliance national dance competition finals. Sibole said was up against 50 to 60 other girls in the finals for the part of Clara, and was one of the top 10 finalists.

After learning in July she had been cast in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, Sibole reported to Myrtle Beach, S.C., with her mother Nov.1 to learn the dance routines.

Then on Nov. 9 she reported to the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville and started rehearsing on stage for the Nov. 18 opening.

While in Nashville she stays with her mother in a hotel suite and balances rehearsals with tutoring.

Sibole, a seventh-grader at Divine Child School in Dearborn, is keeping up with the same assignments her classmates at home do in addition to performing.

She says she’s always wanted to be a dancer.

“I love performing on stage and now that I’ve danced professionally, I know for certain that this is something I want to continue to do when I grow up,” Sibole said.

Her mother, Cheryl, an accountant for a local business, has been doing her work from Nashville, juggling her daughter’s performance schedule and her job. She said her family has been very supportive.

Sibole said the adults in the cast treat them like little sisters or nieces and try to watch their language and curtail adult conversations around the two girls who play Clara.

“The cast members and crew are all so very nice and I’m going to miss them so much when it is all over,” she said. “They take good care of the Claras.

They buy us puzzles and help us put them together, play (board) games with us in between shows, and we’ve even gone out bowling together. I’ve also learned to knit while I’ve been here.”

She said it will be hard going back to her ordinary routine in January, but is even more determined to become a professional dancer.

“I will continue to focus on dance at the studio, attend dance intensives, and keep auditioning,” Sibole said. “I really want to be a Rockette or part of the ensemble with Radio City after I graduate high school.”

She said she knows that learning to sing will help advance her career as a dancer, a skill she will need to demonstrate at some auditions.

“To make it on Broadway you have a better chance if you can also sing,” Sibole said. “A cast member suggested that I should start taking vocal training and we’re going to check into doing that when I’m done with Radio City Christmas Spectacular.”
She added that she also hopes she will tall enough when she is 18 – at least 5 feet 6 inches tall — to audition to be a Rockette.

“Being part of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular has been an amazing experience,” Sibole said. “Being in the actual show is incredible … this is something I want to continue to do.”