Author's Posts
Bent wheels and damaged suspensions: Drivers continue to suffer through a rough pothole season
March 4th, 20220 WAYNE COUNTY — Pothole season continues in Metro Detroit and across the state, with drivers facing expensive repairs and even insurance claims from damaged wheels and suspensions. Wayne County announced last week its highway division was increasing crews and work hours on roads it’s in charge of maintaining, expanding repair...
Banquet halls, barbers, other business that have seen hardship are eligible for substantial grants
March 1st, 20220 MICHIGAN — $409 million is available in Michigan to provide grants to businesses that have suffered declining sales during the pandemic. The Growing MI Business Grant Program is available from March 1 through 11:59 p.m., March 31, 2022, and is funded by dollars from the American Rescue Plan Act. Grants will be awarded as a resource...
Jeff Pepper wins Democratic special primary for 15th District state representative amid low voter turnout
March 1st, 20220 DEARBORN — In a special primary election propelled by absentee voting on the west side of Dearborn, Jeff Pepper beat out Alabas Farhat (3,590 to 2,778) to be the Democratic candidate for state representative for the 15th House District. Pepper, a local attorney, will now face Republican Ginger Shearer, formerly known as Virginia...
Dearborn voters urged to participate in March 1 special primary election to decide on a state representative until year’s end
February 25th, 20220 DEARBORN — The local community is urged to participate in electing a new state representative for the 15th House District, after the seat was vacated by Mayor Abdullah Hammoud following his victory last November. To fill the vacancy, Governor Whitmer called for a special primary election on Tuesday, March 1 and a general election...
Fairlane Town Center mall expected to be sold to unnamed buyer next month
February 24th, 20220 DEARBORN — The Fairlane Town Center shopping mall is expected to be sold next month. The information comes from a New York City-based company that tracks commercial real estate loans, as reported by Crain's Detroit on Wednesday. The sale is expected to close next month to unnamed buyer. Fairlane Town Center was built in 1976....
Arab, female-founded “relationship” app sees growing global success
February 22nd, 20220 DETROIT — A U.S.-based, Arab female-owned dating app has seen a massive increase in users around the world and growing popularity in international app markets. Baklava, an "Arab relationship app for dating, marriage and friendships", announced last week that it is now at 160,000 plus downloads and growing. The app is now seeing...
Mosque arsonist identified as local Arab American, former U.S. army translator in Iraq, with history of mental health issues
February 18th, 20220 DEARBORN — The local community was shocked by a disturbing incident last weekend when an armed man set fire at a mosque, shot at responding Dearborn police officers and was subsequently killed after a pursuit. The Arab American News later learned from sources that the suspect in the attack on the Al-Huda mosque last Saturday...
State health officials update COVID mask requirements after “post-surge recovery phase”
February 16th, 20220 LANSING — The state’s health authority said this week that COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to decline since this winter’s surge brought on by the spread of highly infectious variants and that it is adjusting its approach to the pandemic in the recovery phase. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services...
New program covers up to $25,000 in expenses for homeowners experiencing COVID hardship
February 15th, 20220 LANSING — The state’s housing authority has launched a new program to help homeowners experiencing pandemic-related financial hardships get current on housing expenses and avoid foreclosure. The Michigan Homeowner Assistance Fund (MIHAF) is expected to help more than 8,300 homeowners stay in their homes by giving them direct...
ACRL’s new Executive Director Mariam Charara looks to continue work in advocacy, Arab American civil rights
February 11th, 20220 DEARBORN — Mariam E. Charara has begun work as the Arab American Civil Rights League’s (ACRL) new executive director. The ACRL is a non-profit organization, founded in 2011 in response to the overwhelming need in the Arab American community for advocacy and protection of civil rights and liberties. The organization is based...
Michigan officials call on Canada to resolve Ambassador Bridge closure caused by vaccine mandate protests
February 10th, 20220 LANSING — Governor Whitmer is urging Canadian authorities to resolve a multi-day Ambassador Bridge closure so manufacturing and agriculture in the Midwest can continue humming along. Protests over Canada’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates spread from Ottawa to Windsor, which led to protesters blocking traffic from accessing the...
Report shows millennials, desperate for home ownership, take risks, face remorse amid inflation
February 8th, 20220 A new real estate report reveals the desperation and anxieties behind millennial home ownership in the pandemic-era home market. The report, published by Clever, a real estate data company, says it surveyed millennials to get insight into the economic reality of their home buying habits and preferences. In popular understanding, a...
Q&A with Alabas Farhat, special election candidate for the State House in the 15th District
February 5th, 20220 DEARBORN — Three names have emerged as contenders to fill the State House seat vacated by Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud through the end of the year. On the Democratic ticket are Alabas Farhat and local attorney Jeffrey Pepper. One Republican, Ginger Shearer, formerly known as Virginia Polk, is also in the race. Governor...
Dearborn students named semifinalists for prestigious national college scholarship
February 4th, 20220 DEARBORN — Rehab Nader Jadallah, a senior at Fordson High School, and Ronny Majeed Abdullah from Edsel B. Ford High School, have been named semifinalists for the prestigious Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship Foundation's Cooke College Scholarship. Two other Michigan students are on the highly selective list that saw thousands of...
Amnesty International accuses Israel of crimes against humanity, apartheid, in devastating new report
February 3rd, 20220 LONDON — An investigation by a renowned international human rights agency shows the state of Israel imposes a system of oppression and domination against Palestinians. The devastating report by Amnesty International, a thorough analysis of how Israel’s actions against Palestinians, stretching back to the state’s settler......
Bilal Hammoud announces candidacy for new State House seat covering Dearborn Heights, West Dearborn
February 2nd, 20220 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Local community activist and former Michigan Department of State employee Bilal Hammoud announced his candidacy for state representative for the newly drawn 15th State House District, representing West Dearborn and all of Dearborn Heights, for this November's election. “I am dedicated to breaking bureaucratic...
Q&A with Jeff Pepper, special election candidate for the State House in the 15th District
January 30th, 20222 DEARBORN — Three names have emerged as contenders to fill the State House seat vacated by Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud through the end of the year. On the Democratic ticket are Alabas Farhat and local attorney Jeffrey Pepper. One Republican, Ginger Shearer, formerly known as Virginia Polk, is also in the race. Governor......
More than 1.1 million child COVID-19 cases reported across the country last week
January 28th, 20220 Data collected by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) from across the nation show alarming levels of COVID-19 infection among children. Data collected for the week ending Jan. 20 showed states with more than 1.1 million child COVID-19 cases. The definition of “child” cases is based on varying age ranges reported across...
Hamtramck Council censures judge who berated elderly cancer patient
January 25th, 20220 HAMTRAMCK — The Hamtramck City Council voted 5-0 Tuesday to censure a judge who made national headlines for shaming and berating a 72-year-old cancer patient for not maintaining his yard. The Hamtramck community was outraged over remarks made by Judge Alexis Krot towards Burhan Chowdhury in a court appearance over Zoom earlier this...
Israel draws condemnation for forced removal of Palestinian family, demolition of their home
January 19th, 20220 After a multi-day standoff, Israeli authorities illegally removed a Palestinian family from their home in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem and demolished it. Resident Mahmoud Salhiyeh and members of his family took to the roof of the home to defend it on Monday and threatened to blow it up with gas canisters...
Candidates emerge for special election to fill State House seat vacated by Abdullah Hammoud
January 17th, 20221 DEARBORN — Three names have emerged as contenders to fill out the State House seat vacated by Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud through the end of the year. Wayne County Clerk records show three people are now in the race for the State House District 15, which encompasses most of Dearborn. On the Democratic ticket are Alabas......
Schools nationwide to receive 5 million COVID tests from the federal government
January 14th, 20220 Schools in the U.S. can expect additional COVID-19 tests, being made available by the federal government, in about two weeks. The additional tests are part of a Biden administration strategy to keep schools open during a nationwide coronavirus surge, accelerated by the highly contagious Omicron variant. The White House has said the...
Lebanese judge imposes travel ban on central bank governor amid probe
January 11th, 20220 BEIRUT — A Lebanese judge said on Tuesday she had imposed a travel ban on central bank governor Riad Salameh, who is at the center of investigations into alleged fraud and other misconduct launched after Lebanon was plunged into a deep financial crisis. Salameh, who said he had no knowledge of the ban and denied any wrongdoing, is......
International year in review: Israel leads genocidal campaigns against Palestine, continued crises in Yemen and Lebanon
January 9th, 20220 2021 saw continued turmoil in the Middle East, with the U.S. reaping the fruits of long established and disastrous foreign policy escapades. Israel ramped up its ethnic cleansing in Palestine, with the Biden administration continuing to stand by Israel as it conducted blatant humanitarian crimes, despite international condemnation....
Hamtramck schools extend virtual learning through COVID surge
January 5th, 20220 HAMTRAMCK — The Hamtramck Public Schools District announced this week its schools will be continuing virtual learning for all students until Jan. 14, amid a COVID-19 surge in the region. HPS originally scheduled virtual learning for students upon the week following the district’s holiday break, Jan. 3 – 7, but is now......
