Dearborn attorney detained at Detroit Metro Airport after family vacation; CBP questioned him about clients and attempted to seize his phone
April 11th, 20250 A brief family vacation turned into a harrowing experience for Dearborn-based Arab American attorney Amir Makled, 38, when federal agents detained him at Detroit Metropolitan Airport upon his return from the Dominican Republic. Makled, who specializes in criminal defense and civil rights cases, was subjected to extensive questioning and...
Michigan Supreme Court: Smell of marijuana no longer legal grounds for search
April 11th, 20250 LANSING – Police in Michigan can no longer use the smell of marijuana as a legal justification to search individuals or vehicles, according to a new ruling issued last week by the state’s Supreme Court. The court ruled that because marijuana use is legal in the state, law enforcement cannot justify a search — even if the smell is...
Spitting match turns violent: Gunfire erupts at Southfield gas station
April 11th, 20250 SOUTHFIELD – An Arab American gas station attendant in Southfield is facing charges of assault with a dangerous weapon after firing multiple shots to intimidate an African American customer who spat on him during a verbal altercation earlier this month. The incident occurred at a station on Greenfield Road near 10 Mile. The attendant,...
Federal crackdown continues on pro-Palestinian protesters: Visa cancellations hit international students at Michigan universities
April 11th, 20250 ANN ARBOR –As part of a federal crackdown on pro-Palestinian student voices at U.S. universities, at least five universities in Michigan have reported the cancellation of student visas by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The University of Michigan stated that visas for four international students were revoked, including...
Know Your Rights: CAIR releases educational guide for dealing with ICE officers
April 11th, 20250 WASHINGTON, D.C. – Under the title “Know Your Rights”, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) recently published an educational guide outlining what to do when interacting with officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal law enforcement agencies. CAIR said in a statement that the guide...
Nationwide “Hands Off!” protest campaign against Trump administration hits Michigan
April 11th, 20250 LANSING – Last Saturday, dozens of demonstrations took place across the state as part of a nationwide "Hands Off" protest campaign against President Trump’s administration policies, with the largest ones taking place in Lansing and Ann Arbor. Opponents of Trump and his billionaire ally Elon Musk organized more than 1,200 protests...
Republican U.S. Representative John James joins 2026 Michigan gubernatorial race
April 11th, 20250 SHELBY TOWNSHIP – U.S. Rep. John James (R-Shelby Township), has announced his candidacy for governor in the 2026 election. He joins a growing list of contenders aiming to succeed the term-limited Gov. Whitmer. James was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2022 and re-elected in 2024. He previously ran...
Four Hamtramck City Council members under investigation for election fraud
April 11th, 20250 Four of the six members of the Hamtramck City Council, along with a former member, are under criminal investigation for conspiracy and election fraud related to the illegal acquisition of absentee ballots. This is according to official documents recently released by the Michigan Attorney General’s Office, which requested the...
Abdul El-Sayed resigns as Wayne County public health director ahead of potential 2026 U.S. Senate run in Michigan
April 9th, 20250 ANN ARBOR – Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, director of the Wayne County public health department, has officially resigned from his position in preparation for a potential run for the U.S. Senate in 2026. Democratic Senator Gary Peters has announced he will not seek re-election, creating an open field for his seat. In comments to the Detroit...
Michigan sees biggest jobless spike as Trump tariffs fuel economic uncertainty
April 4th, 20250 LANSING – Amid growing fears of an economic slowdown triggered by the tariff war led by President Trump’s administration, Michigan has recorded the largest year-over-year increase in unemployment among all 50 U.S. states, registering one of the worst unemployment rates in the nation, according to the latest data from the U.S. Bureau...
Religious leaders, human rights activists urge Wayne State University officials to protect students supporting Palestinian rights
April 4th, 20250 DETROIT – On Wednesday, religious leaders and human rights activists in Michigan sent an open letter to Wayne State University President Kimberly Andrews Espy and members of the university’s Board of Governors, expressing deep concern over what they described as repressive campaigns targeting students protesting acts of genocide in...
Community holds fundraiser for Wayne County Executive Warren Evans’ 2026 re-election campaign
April 4th, 20250 DEARBORN – Friends of Wayne County Executive Warren Evans, led by Deputy County Executive Assad Turfe, organized a well attended fundraising event last Thursday evening at La Pita Banquet Center in Dearborn in support of Evans’ 2026 reelection campaign. The event drew an impressive crowd of public officials, elected leaders, business...
Governor Whitmer declares April as Arab American Heritage Month in Michigan; Trump ignores it nationally
April 4th, 20250 LANSING – On Tuesday, for the fifth consecutive year, Governor Whitmer announced that April will be recognized as Arab American Heritage Month in the state. This designation celebrates the contributions of Arab Americans to Michigan's culture and economy. In stark contrast, President Trump has refrained from officially recognizing the...
Karmanos Cancer Institute recognized March as Multiple Myeloma Awareness Month
April 4th, 20250 DETROIT — The Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute cancer centers and other organizations nationwide recognized March as Multiple Myeloma Awareness Month. Multiple myeloma is a type of blood and bone marrow cancer, specifically targeting plasma cells, the cells responsible for producing antibodies. There is no cure for multiple...
Michigan begins implementing expanded unemployment benefits: Weekly maximum increased by $84
April 4th, 20250 LANSING – As of Wednesday, the state of Michigan began implementing new unemployment benefit rules, under legislation passed last year by the former Democratic majority in the State House and senate and signed into law by Governor Whitmer. The new benefits include a $84 increase to the maximum weekly unemployment payment, raising it......
Mo Baydoun kicks off Dearborn Heights mayoral campaign
April 4th, 20250 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Council President Mo Baydoun has kicked off his mayoral campaign in a large turnout event held at Crestwood High School. Joined by residents, elected officials, dignitaries and community members, Baydoun shared his commitment to the city, vowing to serve and unite the residents. Several people spoke at the event,...
Michigan begins enforcing new child car seat rules — what do they include?
April 3rd, 20250 LANSING – Michigan began enforcing new car seat safety regulations for children on Wednesday. These updated rules extend the required time children must remain in age-appropriate safety seats, aiming to improve overall vehicle safety for young passengers. The new law outlines specific requirements based on the child’s age, height......
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan highlights city’s resurgence in his last State of the City address
March 29th, 20250 Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan delivered his 12th and final State of the City address from the new Hudson's Detroit development, reflecting on the city's transformation during his 12-year tenure. He emphasized Detroit's revival through significant corporate investments, rising home values, improved city services and reduced crime rates after...
Fourth suspect charged in Dearborn murder of Arab American business owner in 2023
March 29th, 20250 DEARBORN – The number of individuals charged in connection with the fatal shooting of Arab American Hassan Mahmoud Salame in Dearborn in 2023 has risen to four, following an announcement last week by the Dearborn Police Department that criminal charges have been filed against 35-year-old Dawanne Midgett for his alleged involvement in...
Dearborn sees major drop in overdose cases and drug deaths in 2024
March 29th, 20250 Last week , the city of Dearborn announced a significant decline in drug overdose cases and related deaths during the year 2024. According to new data, overdose incidents dropped by 34 percent—from 93 cases in 2023 to 61 cases in 2024 — while overdose-related deaths fell by 43 percent, from 14 to just 8 fatalities in the same...
Florida man sentenced to 18 months for threatening Michigan Islamic organization
March 28th, 20250 Last week, a federal court in Detroit sentenced 73-year-old Michael Shapiro, a resident of West Palm Beach, Florida, to 18 months in prison for threatening the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and its staff in late 2023. According to court records, Shapiro left six threatening and profanity-laced......
Dearborn youth feed the hungry during Ramadan by turning leftover iftar meals into acts of compassion
March 28th, 20250 DEARBORN – During the holy month of Ramadan, a volunteer initiative in Dearborn has attracted national attention after the Associated Press published a report on a local youth-led organization that collects leftover food from Arab American iftar dinners and redistributes it nightly to the homeless in nearby Detroit. According to the...
$20,000 reward offered in road rage killing of 19-year-old Rawan Baseti
March 28th, 20250 DEARBORN – A month after the tragic death of 19-year-old Rawan Baseti in a fatal shooting that followed a road rage incident, Dearborn police — alongside the crime-fighting organization Crime Stoppers — announced a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of her killer. The announcement came during a press conference......
How authorities identified a suspect in last summer’s attempted jewelry store robbery in Dearborn
March 21st, 20250 CHICAGO – A report by WDIV-TV Local 4 has revealed details surrounding the arrest of one of the two men who attempted to rob a jewelry store in Dearborn on August 7, 2024. The report states that the suspects traveled from Illinois to Michigan to carry out the crime, only to return empty-handed after being repelled by the store's...
Federal judge transfers case of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil out of Louisiana to New Jersey court in positive legal turn
March 21st, 20250 On Wednesday, in a positive development in the case of the Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, one of the leading figures in the protest movement on U.S. college campuses against the Israeli war on Gaza, a federal judge ordered the case to be transferred to a court in New Jersey from Louisiana, the hardline state chosen by the Trump......
