University of Michigan sets enrollment record, remains state’s largest university
October 9th, 20260 ANN ARBOR — For the fourth consecutive year, the University of Michigan retains its title as the state’s largest university by total enrollment, setting an all-time record at the start of the current fall semester with 54,181 students. That represents a 1 percent increase over last year, when enrollment totaled 53,488 students in...
Sheffield, Bettison highlight falling crime and improved youth safety
October 9th, 20260 DETROIT — Seeking to counter the negative impression created by several crimes that recently rocked the city, Mayor Mary Sheffield and Police Chief Todd Bettison held a joint press conference with other officials on Monday to highlight the “historic” improvements in public safety the city has experienced since the beginning of this...
Mohamad Ihssan Bazzi appointed a magistrate at Dearborn’s 19th District Court
October 9th, 20260 DEARBORN — Last week, the city of Dearborn announced the appointment of Mohamad Ihssan Bazzi as a magistrate at the 19th District Court, succeeding Rula Aoun, whom Gov. Whitmer recently appointed to the Wayne County Circuit Court. She had served as a magistrate at the 19th District Court since 2019. Bazzi’s appointment will...
Dearborn launches three-hour parking limits in West Downtown
October 9th, 20260 DEARBORN — The city of Dearborn began implementing a pilot program on Monday that limits free parking to a maximum of three hours at several parking locations in West Downtown, replacing unrestricted free parking. The measure covers four parking locations in the commercial district, which is busy with restaurants, cafés and other...
More Michigan communities abandon Flock license plate cameras
October 9th, 20260 MILFORD — The city of South Lyon and the village of Milford in western Oakland County recently joined a growing list of Michigan communities that have decided to stop using Flock license plate surveillance cameras. Milford Village Council members voted unanimously on Monday to end their contracts with Flock Safety at the request of...
Interviews held for Dearborn Heights vacant city council seat
October 8th, 20260 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Five residents interviewed for the vacant City Council seat, despite seven individuals submitting letters of intent. The interviews were held during a special meeting on Oct. 6 and are intended to fill the seat vacated by former Council Chairman Hassan Ahmad. The candidates included former Councilman Ray...
Crestwood student Ahmad Bazzi a winner in Michigan’s “I Voted” sticker contest
October 2nd, 20260 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — An Arab American student at Crestwood High School in Dearborn Heights is a winner in Michigan’s contest for the best designs for the “I Voted” stickers that voters receive after casting their ballots at polling stations. Michigan will offer nine winning designs for the small stickers in the upcoming November...
Dearborn recognized for financial transparency for the fourth straight year
October 2nd, 20260 DEARBORN — For the fourth consecutive year, the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) has awarded the city of Dearborn its Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting, recognizing its Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025. In a press release, the city described...
Dearborn denies religious favoritism alleged in federal lawsuit
September 25th, 20260 DEARBORN — The city and Mayor Abdullah Hammoud face a federal lawsuit filed by a resident who alleges that public money was used to promote Islamic observances while Christian and Jewish holidays were ignored. Hammoud has categorically denied the allegations, affirming his administration’s commitment to treating all residents fairly...
ACLU, Amnesty accuse the University of Michigan of suppressing pro-Palestinian student speech
September 25th, 20260 ANN ARBOR — The University of Michigan is one of six campuses examined in detail in a new report by the American Civil Liberties Union and Amnesty International USA that accuses colleges of restricting pro-Palestinian speech and responding to protests with excessive discipline and police force. The report, released September 23,...
Improving Arab and African American relationships beyond responding to crises
September 25th, 20260 There was an unfortunate series of events which took place last week, which have renewed conversations in Metro Detroit regarding tensions between Arab American and African American communities. An incident in the Warrendale neighborhood in Detroit involving an Arab American woman involved in a hit and run car accident with an African...
Fatal stabbing of Chipotle worker raises concerns about downtown Detroit safety
September 24th, 20261 DETROIT — While taking a break in the alley behind her workplace, an employee of a Chipotle restaurant on Woodward Avenue in downtown Detroit was stabbed several times and killed in broad daylight on Sunday, in view of passersby. Although Detroit police quickly identified and arrested the assailant with the help of the many...
Dearborn Heights names new council chair and pro-tem, accepting applications for vacant seat
September 23rd, 20260 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — During the Sept. 22 City Council meeting, the Dearborn Heights City Council appointed a new Council chair and Council chair pro-tem. In a 4-2 vote, Councilman Hassan Saab was appointed to be the new Council chair while Councilman Bob Constan was appointed to be the new Council chair pro-tem. Councilman Tom Wencel...
Middle East wars converge as Iran, Yemen, Lebanon and Gaza crises deepen
September 18th, 20260 Middle East Weekly Briefing: September 11–17, 2026 War on Iran Trump signals that the seven-month Iran war may be approaching an end President Trump said on September 16 that the conflict was “hopefully” nearing its conclusion. He is expected to meet leaders of the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries during the upcoming...
Michigan removes more than 20,000 people from Sex Offender Registry
September 18th, 20260 LANSING — Until recently, any Michigan resident could determine whether a person convicted of a sex offense lived near their home or within their neighborhood by visiting the state’s online Public Sex Offender Registry. The registry contained approximately 43,000 people before it was reduced by nearly half under a landmark Michigan......
Detroit native looking to keep legacies alive
September 17th, 20260 DETROIT - A local cultural anthropologist is working to help Arab and Muslim families capture their elders’ stories and keep their history alive. Zarinah El-Amin, a Detroit native, has worked in book publishing since 2009 but said that everything shifted for her when she lost her parents, her mother in 2019 and her father in...
Detroit police determine death of Ali Wissam Aoun was a suicide
September 16th, 20260 DETROIT — The death of 27-year-old Dearborn resident Ali Wissam Aoun has been determined to be a suicide, according to the Detroit Police Department. Detroit Police Department spokesman Jackson Vidaurri informed The Arab American News of the department’s findings by phone and email and said the investigation has been closed. “Mr.......
Four Dearborn school board seats, $1.51 billion bond on the November ballot
September 11th, 20260 DEARBORN — Two separate races for four seats on the Dearborn Board of Education will be held in the November 3 election, alongside a vote on a $1.51 billion bond proposal to rebuild or modernize every school facility in the Dearborn Public Schools District. Voting in the school board races and bond election will be limited to...
Poll shows Benson and Gilchrist lead as Senate and Attorney General races remain tight
September 11th, 20260 LANSING — Michigan’s races for governor and U.S. Senate remain highly competitive less than two months before Election Day, as voters express growing dissatisfaction with the economy, the Iran war and President Trump’s performance, according to a new statewide poll. The Detroit News/WDIV-TV survey found Democratic Secretary of...
Michigan voters to decide constitutional convention and campaign finance proposals
September 11th, 20260 LANSING — Voters across Michigan will decide two statewide ballot proposals in the November 3 election: An automatic, periodic question on whether to convene a constitutional convention and a citizen-initiated measure seeking to prohibit political contributions from regulated utilities and major government contractors. A third...
Metro Detroit community honors Imam Musa al-Sadr’s legacy 48 years after his disappearance
September 11th, 20260 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Under the banner “A Nation’s Trust”, the Al Amal Social Foundation commemorated the 48th anniversary of the disappearance of Amal Movement founder Imam Musa al-Sadr and his two companions during a large gathering Wednesday evening at the Islamic Institute of America in Dearborn Heights. The event featured......
Dearborn Coffee Week returns for eight days of coffee, culture and community
September 11th, 20260 DEARBORN — From traditional Arabic coffee to the latest trends in contemporary cafés, coffee has become an integral part of Dearborn’s social and cultural landscape, a tradition the city will celebrate again with the third annual Dearborn Coffee Week, running from September 25 through October 2. Over eight days, cafés and public...
Hamtramck Mayor Adam Alharbi focuses on city improvements amid unresolved election dispute
September 4th, 20260 HAMTRAMCK — Despite the complex and continuing legal process surrounding the November 2025 Hamtramck mayoral election — and the political disputes and community divisions it has produced — Mayor Adam Alharbi says he remains focused on improving one of Michigan’s most ethnically diverse cities. Alharbi described himself to The......
More roundabouts planned across Wayne County
September 4th, 20260 Wayne County has only one roundabout on its county road system, compared with 15 in Macomb County and 45 in Oakland County. But that is about to change in Michigan’s most populous county, as Canton Township and the cities of Romulus and Northville plan to build new roundabouts at several busy intersections, while Westland and Dearborn...
Redford Township approves front-yard vegetable gardens
September 4th, 20260 REDFORD TOWNSHIP — The Redford Township Board of Trustees has approved a new ordinance allowing residents to grow vegetables in their front yards, with the change scheduled to take effect Sept. 14. The proposal passed 4–3 during the board’s final meeting in August, following months of debate over aesthetics, neighborhood blight......
