Census 2020 will impact our communities and futures
August 17th, 20190 The 2020 Census will officially take place on April 1, 2020. That may seem a ways off, but the stakes of the census are high. We cannot afford a moment of complacency. People of color, along with other groups including seniors, students, and rural residents, have been under counted by previous censuses. This not only affects...
2020 presidential candidate Cory Booker says he went to Senate to defend Israel
August 17th, 20190 WASHINGTON, D.C. — In response to a recent question inquiring whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is racist, New Jersey Senator and presidential candidate Cory Booker said he entered the Senate to stand up for the state of Israel. Booker was asked about Netanyahu at the Iowa State Fair on August 10 by Jewish...
Arabic for America: Conveying a critical language through leadership and mentorship
August 17th, 20190 DEARBORN — Extending the emphasis on critical languages and global empowerment, teachers from across the state of Michigan gathered to expand on their techniques and to increase the effective resources of conveying Arabic as a critical language. STARTALK, a federal grant program funded by the National Security Agency and...
Tlaib, Levin and Dingell urge Dearborn police to stop cooperating with ICE detainment of immigrants
August 17th, 20190 DEARBORN — More than 150 demonstrators gathered outside the Dearborn Police station on Michigan Avenue on Tuesday, demanding an end to the department's cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for detaining area residents. Among those leading the protests were U.S. Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit), Andy Levin...
Ann Arbor Human Rights Commission refuses to discuss Israeli occupation at contentious meeting
August 17th, 20191 ANN ARBOR — Nearly a month after scoring a breakthrough in their quest for a boycott resolution of U.S. military support for Israel, local activists were rebuffed by the Ann Arbor Human Rights Commission on Wednesday night, which refused to discuss the proposal. “This is a commission of killers!” Ann Arbor resident Mozhgan...
Dearborn Heights candidate asks for recount, here’s how it works
August 17th, 20190 DEARBORN HEIGHTS - While incumbents on the Dearborn Heights' City Council were happy about the results of the August 6 election, candidate Jamal Bazzi has asked for a recount of the votes, which will take place next week. "I believe that there was a mistake somewhere along the line," Bazzi told The Arab American News. "The reason I...
Michigan attorney general lashes out at Israeli government’s denial of Tlaib, Omar visit
August 16th, 20190 LANSING — Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel released a statement on Thursday expressing her disappointment in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to bar U.S. Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit) and Ilhan Omar (D-MN) from visiting. “I am extremely disappointed that the Israeli government has adopted the bigoted...
Democrat Dave Coulter named new Oakland County executive after weeks of political turbulence
August 16th, 20190 PONTIAC — Ferndale Mayor Dave Coulter was appointed as the new Oakland County executive on Friday after weeks of intense political controversy, winning in an 11-10 vote. Coulter, a Democrat, must resign his post as mayor of Ferndale before taking the position, which was vacant due to the passing of longtime Oakland County Executive...
Fayrouz Saad named first-ever executive director of the Office of Global Michigan by Governor Whitmer
August 16th, 20191 LANSING — On Thursday Governor Whitmer officially announced the appointment of Fayrouz Saad as the first executive director of Global Michigan. Saad will help lead the administration on matters of immigration. “Michigan’s greatest strength has always been the people who call this state home,” Whitmer said. “If someone...
Man arrested for scamming travelers at several airports including Detroit Metro Airport
August 13th, 20190 DETROIT - On Saturday, August 10, the Wayne County Airport Authority Police Department arrested 44-year-old H. Michael Borovetz in Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport’s McNamara Terminal. Borovetz is well-known as a professional poker player who has also been convicted multiple times for fraud at several airports. Borovetz is...
Congressman Levin secures return of deported Iraqi American man’s body to the United States
August 13th, 20190 WASHINGTON, D.C. — The body of Iraqi American Jimmy Aldaoud, who was deported to Iraq and died of a diabetic crisis when he was unable to obtain his insulin, will be returned home according to an announcement from his congressman, U.S. Rep. Andy Levin (D-Bloomfield Hills). Levin made the announcement after working to secure the...
Saudi Arabia blocks Palestinians fleeing Syria’s war from Hajj
August 10th, 20190 BEIRUT - On top of being refugees who have been displaced twice, Palestinian refugees who previously resided in Syria and fled the war to Lebanon have been rejected entry visas to visit Mecca for the holy pilgrimage. Tens of Palestinian refugees with "stateless" passports from Syria have been denied the chance to perform Hajj by Saudi...
Dearborn Schools seeks $240 million bond in November vote
August 10th, 20190 DEARBORN — The Dearborn Public Schools Board of Education recently approved language to be placed on the November 5 ballot, asking residents to approve a $240 million bond proposal for the district. According to a statement by the school district, the $240 million is the amount of money that can be added to the current bond debt...
Iraqi man from Detroit dies after Trump administration deports him
August 10th, 20190 BAGHDAD — Jimmy Aldaoud, a 41-year-old Detroit man deported to Iraq in June, died on Tuesday, according to the American Civil Liberties Union and two people close to the man's family. Aldaoud spent most of his life in the U.S., but passed away in Baghdad, likely because he was unable to obtain the insulin needed to treat his...
Wayne County Commissioners remember mass shooting victims, condemn violence and hate speech
August 9th, 20190 DETROIT — The Wayne County commissioners paused for a moment of silence on Thursday to remember victims of the recent mass shootings in Dayton, Ohio, El Paso, Texas and Gilroy, California, unanimously approving a resolution which, “strongly condemns any hatred toward immigrants already residing or seeking to reside in the United......
Incumbents get top votes in Dearborn Heights City Council primary elections, Bazzi asks for recount
August 9th, 20190 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Voters in Dearborn Heights headed to the various polling stations to cast their votes for City Council candidates and to decide on a millage proposal in the Crestwood School District. Incumbents Dave Abdallah, Lisa Hicks-Clayton and Ray Muscat competed for three seats, along with Jamal Bazzi, Larry Henney, Stephen...
Westland considers marijuana opt-in, encourages public input
August 8th, 20190 WESTLAND — The city of Westland is currently considering local ordinances to be in alignment with state law as it relates to allowing medical and recreational marijuana use along with growing, retail, transport and processing operations within city limits. In November 2018 Michigan voters passed Proposal 1, which allows individuals......
Environmental Justice Town Hall held for discussing solutions to Dearborn’s south end pollution nightmare
August 7th, 20190 DEARBORN — The southend of the city, and the health of its residents, has been heavily damaged by pollution from local factories for decades, including multiple AK Steel plants that were recorded as having hundreds of pollution related events in the first quarter of 2019 alone. In addition to air pollution problems, roads in the...
Fake mortgage racketeer ordered to pay full restitution, sentenced to one year in prison
August 5th, 20190 LANSING —A Livingston County man who stole tens of thousands of dollars from more than 30 Michigan residents using a fake mortgage assistance scheme has paid $116,615 in restitution and was sentenced to one year in county jail, according to a press release from Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. Lawrence Sefa, 65 of Fenton,...
Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson passes away at age of 80
August 3rd, 20190 INDEPENDENCE TWP. — Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson passed away Saturday morning at the age of 80 in his home here after a battle with pancreatic cancer. “It is with deep sadness that I report the passing of our friend and county executive, L. Brooks Patterson,” Chief Deputy County Executive Gerald D. Poisson said....
Dearborn Heights City Council overturns three mayoral vetos, resolves to appeal court’s decision
August 3rd, 20190 DEARBORN HEIGHTS – In a third regular meeting of the Dearborn Heights City Council on Tuesday, Council members resolved to keep the second version of the retainer agreement with the outside law firm a majority of the Council wants to hire. They also voted to appeal last month’s Wayne County District Court decision in favor of......
Nine candidates competing for three seats in Tuesday’s Dearborn Heights City Council Primary
August 3rd, 20191 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Nine candidates, including three incumbents, are competing for three seats in the Aug. 6 Dearborn Heights City Council primary election. Incumbents Dave Abdallah, Lisa Hicks-Clayton and Ray Muscat are competing for the seats, along with Jamal Bazzi, Larry Henney, Stephen Henry, Nadine Jones, Rose Tripepi and...
Six Muslims among nine candidates competing for three seats on Hamtramck City Council
August 3rd, 20190 HAMTRAMCK — Nine Hamtramck City Council candidates, including six Muslims, will face off on Aug. 6 for three seats, with the top six vote getters going on to compete in the November 5 general elections. The six Muslim candidates are Nayeem Choudhury, Mohammed Alsomiri, Anam Miah, Abu Musa, Saad Almasmari and Mohammed......
Crestwood School District voters to decide millage amendment hike on non-homestead property
August 3rd, 20190 DEARBORN HEIGHTS - Voters in the Crestwood School District will decide the fate of a hike in the district’s 18-mill operational millage that would impact all property except exempt principal residences. Should it pass, this increase would only affect businesses and rental properties and not homes. The ballot states that “shall...
Exclusive: Arab American employee files discrimination lawsuit against Beaumont Hospital in Dearborn
August 3rd, 20190 DEARBORN — A lawsuit filed by former Beaumont Hospital employee Ali Saleh alleges that he faced discrimination based on his national origin and that he was forced to resign when he attempted to investigate and report a series of violations by hospital employees. The lawsuit was filed in the Wayne County Third Circuit Court on July......
