Dana Nessel announces her transition team, including two Arab Americans
November 13th, 20180 LANSING - Michigan Attorney General-elect Dana Nessel recruited a team of experts to assist with the transition as she prepares to take office as Michigan’s 55th attorney general on Jan. 1. Nessel chose former Attorney General Frank Kelley, who served as Michigan’s AG for 37 years, as chair of her team. He was the longest-serving...
Michiganders had highest turnout in five decades for midterm elections
November 12th, 20180 DEARBORN - Around 4.3 million Michiganders cast their ballots on Tuesday — more than 1 million more than the last gubernatorial election in 2014 — a surge that pushed voter turnout beyond levels seen in five decades. In 2014, 3,188,956 ballots were cast. Statewide turnout among registered voters was 57.5 percent — much higher...
Women win both Michigan Supreme Court seats
November 12th, 20180 LANSING— Elizabeth T. Clement, who was snubbed by her own Republican party, and Megan Cavanagh, a Democratic nominee for the state's highest court, rode the pink wave in winning the two seats on the Michigan Supreme Court, which will now have three women and four men deciding cases that affect millions of Michiganders. Cavanagh, a...
Stabenow defeats James, retains her seat in the U.S. Senate
November 11th, 20180 LANSING— Democratic U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow defeated her Republican challenger, John James, a 37-year-old Farmington Hills businessman, by the smallest margin since she was first elected back in 2000. Stabenow won a fourth term in a contest in which President Trump backed James. Stabenow, 68, of Lansing, won 52 percent of the...
Republicans keep majorities in Michigan’s House and Senate, despite Democrats’ gain
November 11th, 20180 LANSING — Michigan Republicans will retain majorities in the Michigan House and Senate despite losing seats to Democrats in Tuesday's election, stopping a blue wave that swept the state's highest offices and setting the stage for a divided government that will be led by Democratic Governor-elect Gretchen Whitmer. The Republicans...
Rashida Tlaib wins U.S. House seat in landslide, defeats Jones’ write-in campaign
November 10th, 20180 DETROIT — Rashida Tlaib will be one of two Arab American and Muslim women ever to be elected to Congress after winning the seat of former U.S. Rep. John Conyers Jr. and defeating Brenda Jones' last minute write-in campaign, on Tuesday. The Palestinian American and vocal critic of President Trump was announced the winner of the 13th...
Sam Baydoun wins seat on the Wayne County Commission
November 9th, 20180 DEARBORN — On Tuesday, long-time real estate associate broker Sam Baydoun was elected to the 13th District Wayne County Commission seat vacated by outgoing Commission Chairman Gary Woronchak. Baydoun ran unopposed and received 30,920 votes. Woronchak, who mounted an unsuccessful run for State Senate, will step down in...
Arab Americans win in Northville and Crestwood, but lose in Dearborn School Board races
November 9th, 20184 DEARBORN — In a dramatic contrast, all five Arab American candidates failed in the Dearborn Board of Education race on Tuesday, while other Arab Americans scored victories in Dearborn Heights' Crestwood School District and the Northville School Board. In Dearborn, the Arab American capital of the U.S., thousands of Arab voters went...
Voters pass all three state-wide proposals
November 9th, 20180 LANSING — All three of the statewide proposals in Michigan passed on Tuesday, November 6. Proposal One, which legalized recreational marijuana for adults, passed overwhelmingly, 55 to 44 percent, with 2,344,450 voters approving it and 1,849,005 voting no. Proposal Two's passage means an independent redistricting commission...
Dearborn voters renew Henry Ford College millage by wide margin
November 9th, 20180 DEARBORN — Voters living in the Dearborn Public School District approved on November 6 the renewal of a Henry Ford Community College millage for five years, starting in January. The approved mill represents approximately $4.2 million in annual revenue for HFC, amounting to about 5 percent of HFC’s nearly $90 million operating...
Worthy endorses Wilder for Michigan Supreme Court
November 4th, 20180 DETROIT – Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy issued a statement endorsing Justice Kurtis Wilder for election to Michigan Supreme Court on Tuesday, Nov. 6. "On November 6, the citizens of Michigan will be voting for one of the most important offices on the ballot, the Michigan Supreme Court,” Worthy said in the statement. “I have...
Go to the polls on Nov. 6 and cast your vote
November 2nd, 20180 On Tuesday, November 6, the Arab American community must rise to the challenge and exercise their right and duty to vote. Now more than ever Arab American voters are needed at the polls to share history in the making. Rashida Tlaib won a historic race and was on her way to capitol Hill to be the first Arab American and Muslim woman to...
Poll: Schuette and GOP gaining ground on Whitmer
October 29th, 20180 DETROIT— According to a new poll commissioned by the Detroit Free Press and its media partners, Democratic leads over Republicans in the Michigan races for governor and secretary of state have shrunk to 5 and 4 points respectively, while the attorney general's race is heating up as well. Although in the U.S. Senate race Democratic...
Opponents of Michigan pot legalization proposal speak out
October 28th, 20180 DETROIT — Community leaders and advocacy groups voiced during a news conference Tuesday their opposition to a measure on the Nov. 6 ballot that asks Michigan voters to decide on legalization of recreational marijuana use. Proposal 18-1, “supports the very issues that are harming our neighborhoods and killing our families,” said...
This is why Arab Americans should vote YES on Proposal 18-3
October 26th, 20180 For too long the Arab American voice on Election Day in Southeast Michigan and in cities like Dearborn, Dearborn Heights and Hamtramck in particular has been muted. Proposal 3 is a statewide ballot measure that would reduce some of the barriers that prevent us as a community from fully participating in elections and we urge our readers......
AAPAC honors community leaders, promotes candidates at annual dinner
October 26th, 20180 DEARBORN — The Arab American Political Action Committee (AAPAC) hosted its 21st annual banquet dinner on Oct. 24 at Byblos Banquet Center in Dearborn. AAPAC President and attorney Mona Fadlallah highlighted the committee’s role in empowering women and encouraging their participation in politics. “There has been a...
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......
AAPAC issues across-the-board endorsements as Election Day approaches
October 19th, 20181 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 October 17, The Arab American Political Action Committee (AAPAC)...
This is why Salwa Fawaz is seeking a seat on Crestwood school board
October 15th, 20180 DEARBORN HEIGHTS – Salwa Fawaz, one of four candidates campaigning for three open seats on the Crestwood Board of Education, would only be the second Arab American on the board for a district that comprises of 70 percent Arab American students. The only current Arab American member is Nadia Berry, who was elected in 2016. Fawaz...
Uber to offer free rides to the polls on Election Day
October 15th, 20180 Uber will take you to your polling place for free on Election Day. A new button will appear in the Uber app on Nov. 6 with a function that will allow users to find their polling place and book a ride to go and vote. These free rides will be funded by Uber and the non-profit groups #VoteTogether and Democracy Works.
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......
General election information for Dearborn voters
September 30th, 20180 DEARBORN – In the Nov. 6 general election, Dearborn voters will make their choice for governor, state senator, state representative, county commissioner and other important offices. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday Nov. 6. The deadline to register to vote in the November general election is Oct. 9. The City...
Green Party of Michigan endorses proposal for marijuana legalization
September 29th, 20180 LANSING — The Green Party of Michigan announced its formal endorsement of Proposal 18-1 to legalize and regulate marijuana at its recent statewide membership meeting. The Green Party stated in a press release that it discussed concerns about Proposal 18-1 before taking a vote to endorse it. The press release also included Green......
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......
