Dearborn voters elect Hussein Berry and Fadwa Hammoud to School Board
November 11th, 20160 DEARBORN — On Tuesday Nov. 8, voters elected real estate broker Hussein Berry and Wayne County Assistant Prosecutor Fadwa Hammoud Dearborn School Board trustees. They came in first and second place, respectively. Berry received 16,303 votes and Hammoud received 15,913. Candidate Adel Mozip trailed behind with 11,195 votes and Khodr...
Nadia Berry becomes first Arab American elected to Crestwood School Board
November 11th, 20160 Nadia Berry (C) with her brother , Mike Jaafar, and his wife Angela.DEARBORN HEIGHTS — The Crestwood School Board race will go down in the books as a notable one, as Nadia Berry becomes the first Arab American resident to be elected to the board. Berry bolted into first place against her opponents, two of whom were incumbents....
Hunt wins heated Dearborn Judge race
November 11th, 20160 Gene Hunt with his family.DEARBORN — Attorney Gene Hunt first conceded before discovering that he was the winner of the 19th District Court judge race. When all of Dearborn's 48 precincts had reported their numbers, City Council President Susan Dabaja appeared to have been the winner, with more than 1,100 votes over Hunt. But...
Oakland County’s Arab American candidate results
November 10th, 20160 PONTIAC — In Oakland County, about 669 thousand residents voted, and there were no major surprises in the results. The county has sustained its Democratic leaning, as 51 percent of residents voted for Hillary Clinton. Donald Trump received 43 percent of the votes. Republican County Sheriff Michael Bouchard was re-elected, as about...
Police puzzled by Iraqi woman’s disappearance in Ohio
November 9th, 20160 LAKEWOOD, OH — Police and FBI in Ohio are searching for an Iraqi woman, and former Dearborn resident, who has been missing since October 16. Lakewood Police Chief Tim Malley held a press conference at Cleveland FBI headquarters requesting the public's assistance in finding Roaa Al Dhannoon, 24, who resided...
Local 2016 election results
November 9th, 20160 DEARBORN - Final election reports show that in Dearborn's 48 precincts, 64% of registered voters turned out at the polls on Tuesday -- that's 40,116 of 61,829. Of those, 73.2% (14,908) checked straight Democratic party on the ticket.Dearborn residents leaned toward Hillary Clinton, as almost 63% (24,940) voted for the Democratic...
Bill Clinton woos Arab Americans with surprise Dearborn visit
November 6th, 20160 A local woman chats with Bill Clinton at Super Greenland DEARBORN - Former President Bill Clinton surprised Arab American residents in Dearborn on Sunday evening, with unannounced visits to two local businesses. The 42nd President was in town following a rally in Lansing earlier in the afternoon, where he was campaigning for...
Marrying your cousin is no longer a social norm
November 4th, 20160 DEARBORN — Cousin-marriage is a social norm pretty much acceptable — culturally and religiously— in the Middle East, but not for today's generation of Arab Americans trying to bridge the Arab and American ways of life. Their life among two cultures allows them to see both sides of the picture and adapt to a middle ground....
Six test bombs, one missile accidentally fall from military plane near Grayling
November 4th, 20160 LUZERNE, MI – No one was injured after six training bombs and one training missile accidentally fell from a military plane near Grayling around 9 a.m. on Oct. 25. The Michigan National Guard is investigating the incident, but officials say mechanical failure is believed to be the cause of the release of the...
Eastern Michigan University students protest after more racist graffiti
November 4th, 20160 YPSILANTI – Students at Eastern Michigan University protested at a sit-in early Wednesday morning in the Student Center after the words “Leave N*****” were spray-painted on the outside of EMU’s Ford Hall on Monday. The words were immediately removed. This is the third time this year that anti-Black...
The Detroit Zoo breaks annual attendance record with more than a million visitors
November 4th, 20160 ROYAL OAK — The Detroit Zoo attracted 1,478,760 visitors by Oct. 31, according to spokeswoman Patricia Janeway, exceeding last year’s record by 2,400 visitors.Six months after Director Ron Kagan opened the new $30-million Polk Penguin Conservation Center, the number of visitors increased. The center is known...
The AANews publisher to discuss elections on WXYZ’s Spotlight
November 4th, 20160 SOUTHFIELD — On Sunday, Nov. 6, Osama Siblani, publisher of The Arab American News will appear on WXYZ Channel 7's 'Spotlight on the News' to discuss the national and regional elections. The station's editorial director Chuck Stokes, will also host Detroit News editor Ingrid Jacques, 910 AM radio station host Karen Dumas,...
Michigan becomes a crucial battleground state
November 4th, 20160 DETROIT — As the election draws near, both presidential candidates have put an emphasis on Michigan, expected to be a tight contest on November 8. Clinton is slated to rally Democrats in Detroit, where a large turnout of Black voters have long been crucial to success, following up on a last-minute meeting by former President Bill...
Star International Academy ranked safest high school in Michigan
November 4th, 20160 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Star International Academy was ranked by Niche.com, a website that analyzes public data sets about schools, as the safest high school in Michigan, in a comparison of 449 schools across the state. U.S. News & World Report also gave the high school a bronze on a national level in regards to performance, which is...
‘My husband abducted my kids and stranded me in Lebanon’
November 4th, 20160 Rolla Taha with her two sons. NORTHVILLE — In June, Rolla Taha traveled to Lebanon with her husband and two boys for what was supposed to be a 17-day vacation. Instead, she endured a four month long nightmare as a result of her husband's betrayal—he kidnapped their children and left her stranded. Rolla, now back in the U.S, is......
Wayne County education enhancement millage on November ballot
DETROIT — In the upcoming November 8 election, Wayne County is proposing a millage that would generate funds for public schools statewide. Michigan's Constitution gives the state control over funding for public schools with the exception of an enhancement millage that can be passed at the county level for operating...
International Kidnapping: Why it’s difficult to bring children back
November 4th, 20160 DEARBORN — A Canton woman's story of her children being abducted in Lebanon by her husband has sparked discussions in the local community about international custody battles and kidnapping cases. When Rolla Taha returned from Lebanon last month and announced on Facebook that her husband stranded her there and ran away with their......
Lebanese Americans cautiously optimistic about Aoun’s presidency
November 3rd, 20160 Aoun taking the oath of office.DEARBORN — In the old country, it seemed like every home was empty as gunfire and fireworks roared across Lebanon, breaking a dragged and suspenseful lull among the country's streets. Across the nation on Monday, a politically divided people celebrated the election of General Michel Aoun as Lebanon's...
White Americans explain why they support Trump
November 3rd, 20160 WYANDOTTE — The Metro Detroit area houses one of the most diverse populations in the country. Yet, in many cities outside of the Detroit-Dearborn area, the Donald Trump fanfare is quite prevalent among White voters. The AANews reached out to White residents to get their perspective on Trump's bid for the presidency and why they...
Oakland County politicians smear Syrian refugees
October 28th, 20160 WATERFORD TOWNSHIP — While those closely involved in the vetting process attest to its meticulousness, worries persist among local officials about the possibility of a Syrian wishing to inflict harm on American soil by slipping through the cracks of the procedure. That is why Waterford Township Board of Trustees passed a 7-0 vote at...The vetting process: Following the footsteps of a Syrian refugee
Abdel Fattah al-Jaafari with his daughters.DEARBORN — The Syrian refugee vetting process has been questioned by politicians across the country and became a theme at all three presidential debates. However, Syrians who fled the war and were resettled recently in the United States reaffirmed that the background checks are rigorous and......
YABA awards scholarships at 47th annual dinner
DEARBORN — The Yemeni American Benevolent Association (YABA) presented awards to community leaders and scholarships to Arab American students at a ceremony celebrating its 47th anniversary on Saturday, Oct. 22 at the Bint Jebail Cultural Center. Emcee Adel Mozip welcomed the audience to the dinner and introduced the president and...
Our endorsements: Vote on November 8
October 28th, 20160 On Nov. 8, Americans will head to the polls faced with two of the most unpopular presidential candidates in modern history. Republican nominee Donald Trump is unfit for the job. He lacks the judgment, experience and compassion needed to lead this great country. Meanwhile, his opponent, Hillary Clinton, represents a political class......
Former ambassador Ed Gabriel encourages Arab Americans to vote for Clinton
October 28th, 20160 Former ambassador Ed Gabriel gives a speech at the 19th annual AAPAC dinner. DEARBORN — Former ambassador Ed Gabriel— now Hillary Clinton's advisor to Arab American outreach efforts— made his second visit to Michigan on Thursday to campaign on Clinton's behalf. Before speaking at the Arab American Political...
AAPAC rallies the vote, awards leaders at 19th annual banquet
October 28th, 20160 AAPAC members and community leaders gather at the podium.DEARBORN — 'Community' was the focal point of the Arab American Political Action Committee (AAPAC)'s 19th annual banquet dinner on Wednesday, October 26 at the Bint Jebail Cultural Center. Hundreds of community leaders, elected officials, and professionals gathered to......
