Zeina Jaafar
Author's Posts
Dearborn Heights appoints new director of public works
August 17th, 20240 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Mayor Bill Bazzi announced the addition of John Danci as the city’s new director of public works, effective immediately. Danci is a 10-year veteran of the public works profession – most recently serving as public works director for Sumpter Township. Prior to that position, he held several public...
Canton man shot and killed following confrontation with neighbor
August 17th, 20240 CANTON — A resident of Canton Township was shot and killed during a confrontation with a neighbor, reports state. The Michigan GOP identified him as Nathan Morris, 35. In a statement released by the RNC National Committeewoman Hima Kolanagireddy, shared on the Michigan GOP's X account, Morris was taking a walk in his neighborhood...
Travelers in Lebanon attempting to leave the country, airlines halt flights to Beirut amid rising tensions
August 10th, 20240 LEBANON — As tensions rise in the Middle East and an anticipated attack from Iran looms, Lebanese natives and foreigners attempt to evacuate the region at Lebanon's Rafic Hariri airport. Following Israel's strike in Beirut's southern suburbs that killed Hezbollah's second in command as well as Israel's strike in Tehran that killed...
The new Community College Guarantee scholarship covers Henry Ford College students’ in-district tuition
August 10th, 20240 DEARBORN — Beginning this fall, most Michigan high school students from the classes of 2023 and 2024 will be eligible for the Community College Guarantee. This new state-funded program covers in-district tuition for students to attend a community college and earn a degree or certificate. This opens another pathway to a valuable,...
Who is Tim Walz, Kamala Harris’ pick for vice president?
August 9th, 20241 Vice President Kamala Harris has selected her VP pick, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. The pair made their debut at a rally in Philadelphia on Tuesday, August 6. Harris shared her pride on X, stating, "As a governor, a coach, a teacher and a veteran, he’s delivered for working families like his. It’s great to have him on the...
Belal Muhammad becomes first MMA fighter of Palestinian descent to win UFC title
August 6th, 20240 Belal Muhammad has become the first mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter of Palestinian origin to win a UFC title. Beating English champion Leon Edwards and snatching away his welterweight crown, Muhammad is the first to defeat Edwards since 2015, according to reports. Muhammad, 36, was born to Palestinian immigrants in Chicago. He...
Dearborn’s Ford Community and Performing Arts Center fitness facility to undergo renovations
August 2nd, 20240 DEARBORN — Mayor Abdullah H. Hammoud and the city of Dearborn announced plans for extensive renovations to the city’s Ford Community and Performing Arts Center fitness facilities, located at 15801 Michigan Avenue. Renovations got underway this month. Renovations involve both equipment and design improvements, as well as facility...
Al Jazeera journalist and cameraman killed in Israeli strike
August 2nd, 20240 Al Jazeera Arabic journalist Ismail al-Ghoul and his cameraman Rami al-Rifi were killed in an Israeli air strike on the Gaza strip. Their deaths mark nearly 113 journalists or media workers killed since the violence between Israel and Hamas began, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). The CPJ also found that this...
Painting by the late Egyptian artist Zahran Salama on display in the Michigan State Capitol
July 30th, 20240 A painting by the late Egyptian artist Zahran Salama is on display in the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing. Salama, born in Menofia, Governate of Egypt, painted "Ibn al-Balad" in 1985. That painting now sits in Representative Abraham Aiyash's office. Aiyash, the first Arab American majority leader in the State House, chose this...
Michigan high school graduates can now attend local community colleges for free
July 13th, 20240 LANSING — Michigan high school graduates can now attend their local community college for free as part of the Michigan Guarantee. Governor Whitmer proposed this idea in her 2024 State of the State address in January and it now reality for high school graduates. A part of Michigan's $19 billion school aid budget, this is estimated...
Dearborn native Ahmad Hider making his mark on the world of medicine
July 11th, 20240 DEARBORN — Dearborn native Ahmad Hider is leading an accomplished and decorated academic and professional career. Hider, a general surgery resident at the University of Colorado and the first in his family to graduate from college, received his B.S. in biomolecular science from the University of Michigan, where he also attended...
Severely sick children medically evacuated from Gaza to seek treatment
July 5th, 20240 A medical evacuation occurred in the Gaza strip for the first time since the area of Rafah and its crossing was seized by Israel, as a group of sick children and their companions were evacuated from the region through the Keres Shalom cargo crossing. The war that has raged on since October 2023 has decimated parts of Gaza, including the...
A report finds 41 percent of Michigan residents facing poverty and financial struggles
June 22nd, 20240 A report released by the Michigan Association of United Ways in partnership with United for ALICE, the Consumers Energy Foundation and local United Ways throughout the state shows 41 percent of Michigan residents are living in poverty or financially struggling. This report assesses how the economic conditions influence people using......
MMA fighter Abe Alsaghir achieves first pro title, winning the Lights Out Championship
June 19th, 20241 Dearborn Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter Abe Alsaghir achieved a pivotal win in his latest fight. The Lights Out Championship, fought by Alsaghir against Jimmy Sandlin, took place at Hype Athletic Center in Wayne. The fight was scheduled for five rounds. Alsaghir stopped the fight in the second round due to a technical knockout...
UNICEF finds 9 out 10 children in Gaza lack necessary food for growth
June 15th, 20240 UNICEF has found that nine out of 10 children in Gaza do not have enough food necessary for growth and development. "In the Gaza Strip, months of hostilities and restrictions on humanitarian aid have collapsed the food and health systems, resulting in catastrophic consequences for children and their families," UNICEF said in a......
Dearborn Heights student earns nearly $10 million in scholarship money
June 7th, 20240 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Star International Academy student Ahmed Jawad has a set a new record for the amount of scholarship money earned in the district. Jawad earned $9,926,344 in scholarships. "We are incredibly proud to announce that Ahmed Jawad, a distinguished senior at Star International Academy, has achieved an...
Police break up protest and encampment on Wayne State University campus
June 1st, 20240 Police broke up a pro-Palestinian encampment at Wayne State University and arrested 12 people. Tents and fences were previously set up on the lawn outside the Wayne State undergraduate library. Police in riot gear removed the fences and broke down the tents constructed last week, following several warnings issued, according to...
Dr. Ghada Beydoun: a trailblazer in the field of dentistry
June 1st, 20240 DEARBORN — Dr. Ghada Beydoun has embodied the American Dream, which fills the hearts of immigrants all over the world looking to build better lives for themselves and their families. The daughter of Lebanese immigrants, she is a first-generation American and the first in her family to attend college. She told The Arab American...
AI Image “All Eyes on Rafah” goes viral on Instagram with 45 million shares
May 31st, 20240 An AI-generated image bringing attention to the attack on Rafah has gone viral, with nearly 45 million Instagram users sharing the image on their accounts. Celebrities, including Gigi and Bella Hadid, Dua Lipa and Nicola Coughlan, also shared the post. The AI image read "All Eyes on Rafah" in large letters surrounded by what seems to be......
Dartmouth College students speak out about their pro-Palestinian protests; city of Hanover passes ceasefire resolution
May 17th, 20240 Several protests on Dartmouth College's campus have sparked, with a more recent one leading to 90 arrests, including students, faculty and community members. The university, located in Hanover, New Hampshire, has seen student protesters' presence grow on campus to voice their support for the Palestinians and call for...
Henry Ford College student Soliman Touelh awarded national Jack Kent Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship
May 17th, 20240 DEARBORN — The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation (JKCF) has announced that Henry Ford College (HFC) student Soliman Touelh (pronounced "Twee-la") has been awarded the Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. “I was between classes at the HFC Honors Hub when I found out I was selected,” Touelh, of Dearborn Heights, said in a press......
A West Bloomfield doctor is stuck in Gaza after completion of medical mission
May 17th, 20240 A doctor from West Bloomfield is trapped in Gaza after completing a medical mission at the European Hospital in Al-Fakhari, about seven miles from Rafah. Dr. Ammar Ghanem, a critical care and pulmonary physician and father of three, is currently stuck in a region destroyed by war. Trapped among desolation, he and an international team...
Former Dearborn Qahwah House employee opens new location in Ohio
April 26th, 20240 COLUMBUS — Abdelrahman Yasen, a former employee of Qahwah House in Dearborn, has opened his own franchise in Columbus, Ohio with his brother Abdalziz, expanding the franchise to a new state. Located at 189 E Main Street, Columbus, Ohio, the coffee shop will be open to the public in roughly four weeks. Yasen, a Palestinian who......
