Whitmer appoints Dearborn Magistrate Rula Aoun to the Wayne County Circuit Court
August 21st, 20260 LANSING — Gov. Whitmer announced the appointment of Dearborn Magistrate Rula Aoun to the Wayne County Circuit Court on Wednesday, further expanding Arab American representation on the bench of Michigan’s largest trial court. Aoun was appointed alongside attorneys Robbie Gaines, Jr. and Robyn Liddell to fill three vacancies on the...
Dearborn officials and Christian clergy unite against anti-Muslim hate, as far-right agitators target city again
August 21st, 20260 DEARBORN — Ahead of an anti-Muslim demonstration organized by a far-right activist, the city of Dearborn took a series of security and preventive measures designed to protect public safety and deny outside agitators an opportunity to inflame religious and ethnic divisions. Jake Lang announced plans to return to Dearborn for a fifth...
Anti-Muslim agitators descend on Dearborn bringing chaos; police arrest 22
August 21st, 20260 A heavy police presence descended on Dearborn Tuesday as an anti-Muslim demonstration led by a far-right agitator drew hundreds of supporters and counter protesters, transforming the grounds of the Henry Ford Centennial Library into a chaotic gathering of groups spanning the American political spectrum. Amid heated verbal confrontations...
Dearborn, Crestwood School Districts tighten student cell phone rules under new Michigan law
August 21st, 20260 DEARBORN / DEARBORN HEIGHTS— Dearborn Public Schools updated its policy governing student use of cell phones and other wireless communication devices this summer in preparation for the new school year, bringing the district into compliance with a new Michigan law prohibiting students from using such devices during instructional...
Dearborn-area Arab American voters proved decisive in El-Sayed’s historic victory
August 14th, 20260 Once again, Arab American voters in the Dearborn area demonstrated their growing electoral importance across Michigan. After helping Donald Trump carry the state in the 2024 presidential election, the August Democratic primary for U.S. Senate provided further evidence that Arab American voters in Dearborn and Dearborn Heights can serve...
Dearborn Schools launches campaign for historic $1.51 billion bond proposal on the ballot in November
August 14th, 20260 DEARBORN — About three months before voters decide its fate in the November election, Dearborn Public Schools launched an informational campaign promoting a “transformational” $1.51 billion bond proposal that would construct new schools and modernize every building in the district, which serves all of Dearborn and a portion of...
ICE detains Iraqi man charged in alleged assault on Jake Lang as Dearborn braces for far-right agitator’s return
August 14th, 20260 DEARBORN — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has detained an Iraqi immigrant who was among three men charged in connection with the alleged assault of far-right agitator Jake Lang during Dearborn’s annual Arbaeen march on August 2. The development comes as Lang, an anti-Muslim agitator who has repeatedly targeted Dearborn, is...
Nearly 40 percent of Michiganders struggle to afford basic needs, U-M analysis finds
August 14th, 20260 ANN ARBOR — Nearly 40 percent of Michigan households struggle to afford basic necessities, according to a new analysis by Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan, highlighting the widening gap between traditional economic measures and the everyday realities families face in paying for housing, food and health care. The figure...
Family of four earning up to $61,050 may now qualify for Michigan WIC
August 14th, 20260 LANSING — Responding to inflation and updated federal guidelines, Michigan’s Women, Infants and Children program, commonly known as WIC, has raised its income eligibility limit for monthly food assistance. Under the updated guidelines, a family of four may now qualify for the program with an annual household income of up to $61,050...
Hamtramck Councilman Mohammed Hassan sentenced to probation in absentee ballot case
August 14th, 20260 HAMTRAMCK — Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Michael Hathaway sentenced Hamtramck City Councilman Mohammed Hassan to probation and community service after a jury convicted him last month of making a false statement on an absentee ballot application. The misdemeanor carries a maximum penalty of 90 days in jail. In July, the jury...
Michigan expands free community college program to residents 21 and older
August 14th, 20260 LANSING — More Michigan adults will be eligible for tuition-free community college this fall after the state temporarily lowered the minimum age for the Michigan Reconnect scholarship program from 25 to 21. The expansion was included in Michigan’s fiscal year 2026–27 education budget, with lawmakers allocating an additional $25...
Three men charged after far-right provocateur Jake Lang attacked during Dearborn Arbaeen procession
August 7th, 20260 DEARBORN — Dearborn police initially announced the arrest of one person in connection with the assault on far-right provocateur Jake Lang during Sunday’s annual Arbaeen procession, while asking the public for help identifying others involved in the attack. Police subsequently announced that three men had been charged in connection...
Hassan Ahmad appointed to the Wayne County Commission
August 6th, 20260 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — City Council Chairman Hassan Ahmad has been appointed to the Wayne County Commission to fill a seat vacated by David Knezek, who was recently appointed president of Henry Ford College. Ahmad has an engineering degree from Oakland University and a master's in business administration from the University of Phoenix....
Anti-Semitic flyers distributed in Southfield and Berkley neighborhoods
July 31st, 20260 SOUTHFIELD — In a new wave of anti-Semitic propaganda, unidentified individuals targeted neighborhoods with sizable Jewish populations in the Oakland County cities of Southfield and Berkley last weekend, prompting the Anti-Defamation League to urge residents to help authorities identify those responsible. In a statement issued Sunday,...
Gordie Howe International Bridge opens amid escalating U.S.–Canada trade dispute
July 31st, 20260 DETROIT — The Gordie Howe International Bridge opened to vehicle traffic Monday, July 27, providing a long-awaited new connection between Detroit and Windsor even as an escalating trade dispute cast a shadow over a project designed to symbolize cooperation between the United States and Canada. Canadian officials held a ribbon-cutting......
Michigan to issue new chip- and tap-enabled Bridge Cards later this year
July 31st, 20260 LANSING — Michigan residents who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits will begin receiving upgraded Bridge Cards equipped with chip and tap-to-pay technology later this year, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. The new cards are intended to provide stronger protection against...
Former Dearborn Heights police chief sues city and Mayor Mo Baydoun, alleging retaliation and discrimination
July 31st, 20260 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Former Dearborn Heights Police Chief Ahmed Haidar has filed a lawsuit against the city and Mayor Mo Baydoun, alleging that he was wrongfully terminated in retaliation for actions he took while leading the department. According to the lawsuit, filed in Wayne County Circuit Court in July, Haidar was removed from his......
Gov. Whitmer signs final $85 billion Michigan budget, boosting roads and education
July 24th, 20260 LANSING — On Tuesday, Governor Whitmer signed her eighth and final state budget into law, approving an $85 billion spending plan that includes nearly $23 billion for education and marks the final budget of her administration. The budget was approved after marathon bipartisan negotiations earlier this month before being sent to the...
Wayne County judge denies Hamtramck mayor’s emergency injunction request to reinstate city manager
July 24th, 20260 HAMTRAMCK —A Wayne County judge has denied Hamtramck Mayor Adam Alharbi's request to temporarily reinstate dismissed Hamtramck City Manager Adel Al-Adlani, allowing the City Council's decision to remove him from office to remain in effect until the court issues a final ruling in the mayor's lawsuit against the Council. The July 20...
ACCESS names Lina Hourani-Harajli as its next president and CEO as Maha Freij announces her retirement
July 17th, 20260 DEARBORN — ACCESS President and CEO Maha Freij will retire this fall after more than 35 years of service to the nation's largest Arab American nonprofit organization, marking the end of an era that helped transform ACCESS into a nationally recognized institution. The ACCESS Board of Directors announced that it has unanimously...
Michigan DNR to auction 97 state-owned properties across Michigan in August
July 17th, 20260 LANSING — The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will auction 97 surplus state-owned properties across 27 counties during a series of online auctions scheduled between Aug. 4 and Aug. 28, including several parcels in the Metro Detroit area. The county-by-county online auctions will begin at 10 a.m. on......
Wayne County Airport Authority cancels bar lounge project at Detroit Metro Airport
July 17th, 20260 DETROIT — The Wayne County Airport Authority has canceled plans to move forward with a proposed bar lounge concept at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW), citing financial and economic uncertainty following the closure of Spirit Airlines and concluding that now is not the right time to introduce a new, untested concession...
Michigan investigates unprecedented Cyclosporiasis outbreak as infections surpass 1,200
July 10th, 20260 Michigan health officials are scrambling to identify the source of an unprecedented outbreak of the foodborne parasite Cyclosporiasis, which has already infected more than 1,200 people across the state in just over two weeks, sending dozens of patients to hospitals with severe dehydration. Since the state's first confirmed case was......
Deadly storms leave six dead as widespread power outages fuel outrage across Metro Detroit
July 10th, 20260 DEARBORN — On the eve of Independence Day, powerful thunderstorms fueled by extreme heat swept across southeast Michigan, leaving six people dead, knocking out electricity to more than 400,000 homes and businesses and intensifying criticism of DTE Energy over prolonged power outages that left thousands of families without electricity...
Poll: Majority of Michiganders support lowering legal blood alcohol content limit for drivers
July 10th, 20260 A survey conducted by EPIC-MRA says Michiganders support lowering the legal blood alcohol content limit for adult drivers from 0.08 to 0.05. The survey, sponsored by 0.5 Saves Lives, an advocacy group that seeks to reform blood alcohol content standards for drivers, found that 52 percent of people strongly supported the change and 16......
