Hassan Khalifeh
Author's Posts
Henry Ford College’s millage renewal explained
October 19th, 20180 DEARBORN – Since its founding in 1938, Henry Ford College has been touted as one of the best pathways to a higher education in the state and in bringing capital to the city. On November 6, Dearborn residents will decide whether to reinvest in the school. By law, every Wayne County community must belong to a community college...
ACRL champions Arab rights, freedom of the press at annual gala
October 19th, 20180 DEARBORN – As varied as the issues facing Arab Americans are, it’s rare to hear them all addressed with clarity and poignancy in one place. On October 11, several hundred community members and elected officials from every level in government convened at the Arab American Civil Rights League’s (ACRL) Fight for Justice Gala. Its...
Dearborn Heights man indicted for ethnic intimidation of Arab American family
October 12th, 20181 DEARBORN HEIGHTS – In one of the most diverse counties in the United States, bad neighbors and a dismissive law enforcement has resulted in the arrest of a racist man and a family wanting to leave town. Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy has charged Jason Glenn Sherman, 35, a Dearborn Heights resident, in connection with the ethnic...
Dearborn Heights: Former building director threatens to sue councilman over corruption accusations
October 12th, 20180 DEARBORN HEIGHTS – Following his sudden resignation, the city’s former building and engineering director is threatening to sue a Council member for making allegations about corruption in the department. The mayor accepted Mohamed Sobh’s resignation on September 27, two days after Councilman Bill Bazzi said at a City Council...
Dearborn Heights Building Department head resigns amid accusations of corruption
October 5th, 20181 DEARBORN HEIGHTS – The city’s Building and Engineering director, Mohamed Sobh, has resigned amid accusations by a City Council member that he harassed and extorted residents. At a September 25 Council meeting, Councilman Bill Bazzi said he heard from at least 20 residents and real estate agents that Sobh’s department approves...
Jocelyn Benson: Secretary of State should respect your time and money, protect your vote
October 4th, 20180 DEARBORN – Jocelyn Benson sees the secretary of state as the chief guardian of our democratic process. Benson, a former dean of the Wayne State University Law School, is the Democratic candidate for Michigan's secretary of state. On September 28, Benson made a campaign stop at The AANews offices in Dearborn, where she met with...
A tour of Dearborn’s aging schools: District prepares for expensive, but needed infrastructure upgrade bond
September 27th, 20180 DEARBORN – The buildings of the state’s third largest public school district are by no means anything like what has been documented at Detroit’s public schools. Dearborn’s 29 schools seem relatively in fair shape, clean and properly maintained – there are no major safety hazards, no visible mold or asbestos falling from...
Discrimination complaints forces city to revise confusing gazebo ordinance
September 22nd, 20180 DEARBORN – Inconsistencies in ordinances have been causing confusion among city officials, as residents who have gazebos on their properties complain of excessive ticketing and press administrators struggling to iron out the enforcement language, to find a fix. Although City Council members attempted to tackle this issue last...
School Board candidate Aman Fidama is first Yemeni American woman to run for office in Michigan
September 15th, 20180 DEARBORN – More than half of the candidates running for two seats on the Dearborn Board of Education are of Arab origin, with one of them – Aman (Amy) Fidama – being the first Yemeni American woman to run for office in Michigan. Two six-year seats are up for grabs and voters will determine who’ll fill them on November...
Whitmer reiterates support for Israel and opposition to anti-boycott laws
September 15th, 20181 DEARBORN – Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gretchen Whitmer has reaffirmed her “unwavering support” for Israel and said she is 100 percent opposed to BDS.” In response to what Whitmer’s campaign calls “baseless smears” from her Republican opponent Bill Schuette's “partisan attack dogs” in the form of articles...
Michigan Democrats concerned about GOP-passed minimum wage raise and sick leave measures
September 8th, 20180 LANSING — On Wednesday, state lawmakers adopted proposals to raise Michigan’s minimum wage and require employers to offer paid sick leave, keeping the citizen-initiated proposals off the November ballot and making it easier for the GOP-majority legislature to amend them after the elections. The proposals that Michigan’s Senate...
Arab festivals are popular everywhere, when will Dearborn’s return?
September 8th, 20183 DEARBORN – Between 1995 and 2012, thousands flocked to the capital of Arab America for a taste of their homeland’s culture, where nostalgia for music and food alike would meet their match at the Arab International Festival. It was a kind of celebration one could only experience in a city in which nearly half its residents are of...
Officials, Arab American Democrats rally behind party unity ahead of elections
August 31st, 20180 LANSING – Michigan voters are gearing up to elect candidates for governor, attorney general and secretary of state, among others, on November 6. Following the primary elections, which saw the defeat of progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed to his rival and establishment Democrat, Gretchen Whitmer, elected officials and Arab Americans...
Dearborn city staff seek public’s aid for Arab American colleague with cancer
August 25th, 20180 DEARBORN — It’s not easy supporting five children and a spouse while being employed part-time. It’s especially difficult after being diagnosed with stage 3 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Houssam “Sam” Berry immigrated to Dearborn from Lebanon in 2015. Shortly after, he became a part-time employee with the city of Dearborn as a...
Kresge Foundation names Arab American woman as lead attorney
August 24th, 20180 TROY — The Kresge Foundation has announced that Metro Detroit native Zenna Elhasan will join the organization on October 1 to serve as its first lead attorney. In her newly created role, Elhasan will advise the foundation’s Board of Trustees and staff on legal matters, support the development and enforcement of foundation policies......
Greater Detroit Area Health Council awards local Arab American activist
August 24th, 20180 DEARBORN ― The Greater Detroit Area Health Council has awarded Hassan Abdallah, co-founder and executive director of SAFE Substance Abuse Coalition, with the Breakthrough Award. He is the first Arab American to receive that distinction from the organization. The GDAHC is a multifaceted leading non-profit that aims to create...
Dearborn Heights to proceed with Warren Valley Golf Course purchase
August 24th, 20180 DEARBORN HEIGHTS – The city is moving forward with the purchase of the Warren Valley Golf Course from Wayne County, despite objections from a newly elected City Council member who claimed the city’s financial condition doesn’t allow for its upkeep. While many residents want to keep the course, they and Councilman Bill Bazzi......
Trump supporters win key GOP primaries in Michigan
August 18th, 20180 All three Republican candidates in key races won in Michigan's August 7 primary election and will face their Democratic challengers in November. While Democrats in Michigan and across the nation are basking in the victories of progressive candidates, including minorities and women, Republicans supporting President Trump's...
How fighting cancer advanced high school twins to academic heights
August 18th, 20180 DEARBORN – Not even a life-threatening disease could stop Mohamad Osman in his tracks. It did for only a brief period, shortly after he noticed he was running slower than his usual pace while running cross country and track during his senior year at Dearborn High School in September 2017. A blood test at Henry Ford Hospital’s...
Dearborn’s aging public schools need over $160 million in infrastructure upgrades, rebuilds
August 17th, 20180 DEARBORN – More than a dozen of the city’s 29 public schools will turn a century old between 2020 and 2030, according to Dearborn Public Schools Communication Director Dave Mustonen. The district’s operations department has determined that more than $160 million in maintenance and repair is needed to update the schools,...
Abdul El-Sayed’s gubernatorial bid sparks new engagement and hope for a progressive Michigan, despite loss
August 10th, 20180 DEARBORN/DETROIT – Abdul El-Sayed might have fallen short of the votes needed to win the Democratic gubernatorial primary on Tuesday, Aug. 7, and the possibility of going on to become the nation's first Muslim governor, but his platform’s momentum continues in full thrust among many progressives across the state. The 33-year-old......
Dearborn and Michigan voters set new voter turnout records
August 10th, 20180 DEARBORN— About 2.1 million people out of 7.4 million registered cast their votes in Michigan in the Aug. 7 primaries, with a nearly 28.6 percent voter turnout breaking records going as far back as 1978, according to state election officials. The results of Michigan's gubernatorial race mirrored most polls that had former State...
AAPAC endorses candidates in more races
August 4th, 20180 DEARBORN – Several key races are brewing that could alter the course municipalities and the state take as they face challenges like improving public education, fixing dilapidated infrastructure and lowering insurance premiums. After interviews and deliberations on August 1, The Arab American Political Action Committee (AAPAC)......
City Council blocks proposal to sell Camp Dearborn land
August 2nd, 20181 DEARBORN – To many residents' satisfaction, the city won’t ask voters whether they want to sell a 40-acre parcel of land in Camp Dearborn that houses trailers to fund necessary infrastructure renovations. Property and home owners are already paying hefty taxes, having to support a school district that includes a college, public...
Dearborn City Council rejects millage proposal for historical museum upgrades
August 2nd, 20180 DEARBORN — The City Council rejected putting a millage proposal on the November ballot for the repair, renovation and operations of the Dearborn Historical Museum for up to five years. According to a draft of the proposed millage as read by Councilman Mike Sareini, if adopted, it would raise an estimated $1.2 million the first year......
