Briana Gasorski
Author's Posts
Beaumont chief says fourth COVID surge looks more like a “marathon”
November 11th, 20210 ROYAL OAK — With COVID cases on the rise again, Beaumont’s chief medical officer is saying this fourth surge is taking on a different shape. Previous COVID surges in 2020 and early 2021 saw rapid increases in cases and then climbs in hospitalizations, followed by rapid declines in both cases and hospitalizations. But this...
Whitmer signs legislation allowing for two-year vehicle registrations
November 11th, 20210 LANSING — Governor Whitmer signed legislation Wednesday in hopes of saving drivers a trip to the Secretary of State’s office every year. House Bill 4117 allows drivers to choose a two-year vehicle registration, helping to improve the convenience of Secretary of State services. Whitmer also signed Senate Bill 220, allowing for...
Henry Ford Early College, Haigh Elementary receive Blue Ribbon School Awards in Washington
November 11th, 20210 DEARBORN — Representatives from Henry Ford Early College and Haigh Elementary received Blue Ribbon School Awards. The schools learned earlier this year that they would be among 13 schools in Michigan and 325 across the country to receive the recognition. Haigh Principal Zachary Short, HFEC Director Majed Fadlallah and...
Michigan opens applications for $350 million childcare grant program
November 10th, 20210 LANSING — The state has opened up applications for the Child Care Stabilization Grant, which aims to distribute $350 million in grants. The grants would be used to give every full-time childcare professional a $1,000 bonus and keep childcare programs open and serving children. “Childcare is the backbone of a strong economy and...
Arrest made in Southfield shooting, carjacking may be related to violent Dearborn attack
November 10th, 20210 SOUTHFIELD — Police believe a shooting and carjacking by masked men in Southfield may be related to a violent attack in Dearborn. The attack in Southfield happened at 10:10 p.m. on Nov. 8 in the 25800 block of Southfield Road. According to authorities, the victim told police that he had been shot by two men who then stole his...
Former Oakland County priest pleads guilty in sex abuse cases
November 10th, 20210 LANSING — A former priest in Oakland County has pleaded guilty to sex abuse in cases that stemmed from allegations of abuse in the 1970s. The allegations involved three different victims who were between 13 and 15-years-old at the time. Gary Berthiaume, 79, was sent to trial in July by Judge James Brady in Oakland County’s...
Westland: Mayor Bill Wild wins re-election in a landslide, Godbout, Hart and Herzberg return to Council
November 5th, 20210 WESTLAND — Voters in Westland had the difficult decision of choosing a mayor and four City Council members in the general election. Mayor Bill Wild, who has served as mayor since 2007, ran for reelection against Councilwoman Tasha Green. With 12,122 votes cast, Wild received 8,704 or 71.8 percent, giving him his fourth term as...
Dearborn Heights: Constan, Wencel and Baydoun return to Council, Ahmad and Bryer newcomers
November 5th, 20210 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — With partial and full terms for City Council and clerk, a full term for treasurer and different proposals on the ballot this year, the results are in for all but one position. City Council One of the partial terms on the ballot was to finish out former Councilwoman Lisa Hicks-Clayton’s term when she was...
Dearborn: Three new Council members and Sareini clinches the Council presidency; nine Charter Commissioners elected
November 5th, 20210 DEARBORN — As a historic election comes to an end, the city will be welcoming three new faces to the City Council and nine Charter Commissioners. City Council All seven City Council seats were up for grabs, with four incumbents — Mike Sareini, Erin Byrnes, Leslie Herrick and Robert Abraham — running for re-election and...
Bill Bazzi becomes first Arab American to be elected mayor; beats Council chair
November 3rd, 20210 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Mayor Bill Bazzi has beat challenger Council Chairwoman Denise Malinowski-Maxwell and will continue being mayor. Bazzi earned 73 percent of the vote for a partial term that ends this year and 72 percent of the vote for a full four-year term that follows. The partial term was to finish the term of former...
State Rep. Abdullah Hammoud makes history as Dearborn’s first Muslim and Arab American mayor
November 3rd, 20210 DEARBORN — State Rep. Abdullah Hammoud became the seventh mayor of Dearborn following the Nov. 2 election, beating Gary Woronchak by nearly 3,000 votes. The votes cast were 13,040 for Hammoud, giving him 54.6 percent, and 10,796 for Woronchak, giving him 45.2 percent. “The people of Dearborn spoke loudly,” Hammoud said....
Children’s Garden II to open in Dearborn
October 31st, 20210 DEARBORN — With child care being such an important topic among many working families, Children’s Garden II is set to open next week. The new location, located on Henry Ford College’s campus in Building I at 5101 Evergreen Road, at the south entrance of the HFC campus in Dearborn, will host two open house events for parents to...
The Arab American News endorsements for Dearborn’s municipal elections
October 30th, 20210 DEARBORN — With a historic election on the horizon, The Arab American News has announced its endorsements for mayor, City Council and Charter Revision Commission. The Arab American News made the decision of endorsing State Rep. Abdullah Hammoud for mayor and incumbent Mike Sareini, Mustapha Hammoud, Khodr Farhat, Samra’a Luqman,...
The Arab American News endorsements for Dearborn Heights’ municipal elections
October 30th, 20210 The Arab American News is endorsing three candidates for City Council, one for mayor and one for treasurer in the Nov. 2 election. For mayor, The Arab American News is endorsing incumbent Mayor Bill Bazzi for both the partial and full term. Bill Bazzi was appointed mayor on January 26 to succeed the late Daniel Paletko, who passed...
AAPAC hosts pre-election reception, encourages high voter participation
October 29th, 20210 DEARBORN — As Election Day looms, the Arab American Political Action Committee (AAPAC) hosted a pre-election reception at Byblo's Banquet hall in Dearborn. While the event was not as large as typically would be due to COVID, elected officials and candidates alike were in attendance. “This is probably the most critical and......
Party store owner pleads guilty in Taylor mayor bribery scandal
October 29th, 20210 TAYLOR — A party store owner and developer plead guilty Wednesday to conspiring to commit bribery with Mayor Rick Sollars, the city’s development manager and another developer. Hadir Altoon, 49, who owns the party store Dominick’s Market, along with two property development companies, plead guilty after being accused of letting...
Governor Whitmer signs executive directive expediting distribution of vaccines to children
October 27th, 20210 LANSING — Governor Gretchen Whitmer has issued an executive directive to state departments and agencies to expedite ordering of the COVID-19 vaccine for kids. The directive is also to expedite distribution of the vaccine to ensure that students could continue in-person learning in a safe environment. “Today, we’re taking......
Blockbusters Free Film Series returns to the Henry Ford Centennial Library
October 27th, 20210 DEARBORN — The Dearborn Public Library has announced the return of its popular Blockbusters Free Film Series. The event will start on Sunday, Oct. 31 at 2 p.m. with a recent, family-friendly film and doors will open at 1:30 p.m. The programming schedule has a new time, with movies now showing every Sunday at 2 p.m. in the...
Dearborn Public Library presents “Supplement Your Income with Dividends” discussion
October 27th, 20210 DEARBORN — The Dearborn Public Library is hosting a free, online discussion regarding income and dividends. The discussion will help teach individuals how to supplement their income with dividend-paying stocks. “Supplement Your Income with Dividends” will be offered online through Zoom on Tuesday, Nov. 9 from 6:30 p.m. until...
AlTayeb restaurant makes New York Times’ top 50 list
October 27th, 20210 DEARBORN — AlTayeb of Dearborn has become the only restaurant in Michigan to make the New York Times’ list of top 50 restaurants across the U.S. The Lebanese restaurant is located at 15010 Warren Ave. in Dearborn. Ali Hamade and his son-in-law, Ahmad Sanji, opened the first AlTayeb restaurant in Garden City four years ago,...
Wayne County and Dearborn Heights work together to clean up Ecorse Creek
October 27th, 20210 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Wayne County has joined forces with the city of Dearborn Heights for “Phase One” of the Ecorse Creek cleanup. On Oct. 23, teams removed loads of debris and log jams from sections of Ecorse Creek near Swapka Park. The event started with opening remarks from Mayor Bill Bazzi, Wayne County Executive Warren C.......
COVID vaccine hesitancy campaign continues in Wayne County
October 27th, 20210 DEARBORN — C-Assist, a Dearborn-based NGO headed by Nancy and Zeina Berry, is one of two given a grant for vaccine hesitancy by the Health Services and Resources Administration Agency. The campaign, Partners of Health Equity, is a COVID vaccine awareness campaign that began in August and targets the Arab American communities...
Seat opens up on the Crestwood School Board
October 27th, 20210 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — With the recent announcement of a surprising resignation, a position is open on the Crestwood Schools Board of Education. Trustee and treasurer Ed Garcia, who was first elected to the school board in 2004 and served as a police officer in Dearborn Heights from 1991-2013 before running for mayor in 2017, has......
Stephen Fletcher named Dearborn’s 2021 Veteran of the Year
October 27th, 20210 DEARBORN — The Dearborn Allied War Veterans Council (DAWVC) has announced the 2021 Veteran of the Year to be honored at the annual Veterans Day Ceremony. Stephen Fletcher, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and member of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, was selected as Veteran of the Year and will be honored at the Veterans Day Ceremony at...
Committee of the Whole, City Council meetings rescheduled to Nov. 9 and Nov. 16 to accommodate Election Day activities
October 27th, 20210 DEARBORN — The November Committee of the Whole meetings and regular City Council meeting are being rescheduled to accommodate Election Day activities. The Committee of the Whole will now be held on Tuesday, Nov. 9 and the regular City Council meeting will be Tuesday Nov. 16. Both meetings will start at 7:30 p.m. and will be held......
