Organizations offer free citizenship workshop
CLINTON TWP. — A free citizenship workshop will be held Saturday, February 28 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Robert A. VerKuilen Building located at 21885 Dunham Road, Clinton Township, MI 48036. Several organizations will participate in the free regional citizenship workshop, including the New Americans Campaign, Welcoming...
Longtime City Councilman Doug Thomas dies
February 13th, 20150 BONITA SPRINGS, FLA. — Former Dearborn City Councilman and Dearborn native Doug Thomas passed away Feb. 6. He was 82. Thomas served on the city council for a total of 21 years. He was first elected in 1981, holding his seat until 1985 when he made an unsuccessful run for mayor. He was reelected to the council in 1989,...
County to repave section of Warren Ave. in Dearborn Heights and Detroit
February 13th, 20150 DETROIT — The Wayne County Commission voted 14-0 Feb. 5 to approve a five-year intergovernmental agreement with the city of Dearborn Heights for more than $1.4 million in improvements to Warren Avenue, between Telegraph Road and Outer Drive West in the city’s north end. The Dearborn Heights City Council approved the...
Home Depot to hire 1,500 in metro Detroit
February 13th, 20150 DETROIT — Home Depot stores in metro Detroit are expected to hire 1,500 new employees. The home improvement retailer has plans to hire about 80,000 people nationwide as the spring season draws near. Most of the positions are temporary or part time, while others are permanent. Home Depot pays above minimum wage. You can apply online...
Reportedly missing 19-year-old Dearborn student is in jail
February 13th, 20150 Hassan Alfatlawi.DEARBORN — After reports that a 19-year-old Henry Ford College student was missing circulated on social media for hours on Thursday, The Arab American News learned that the man is actually in the Calhoun County Jail. Sources at Dearborn's 19th District court told The Arab American News that Hassan...Teen reading series explores Muslim cultures at Dearborn library
DEARBORN — The Dearborn Public Library has been invited to participate in a second round of the Muslim Voices program for teens by the Michigan Humanities Council and the New York Council for the Humanities. The Library was a pilot site for the teen program of Muslim Voices last April, before it was launched nationwide. Muslim...
Arab community commemorates life of Jordanian pilot murdered by ISIS
February 13th, 20150 LIVONIA — Hundreds attended a commemoration ceremony honoring the life of 26-year-old Jordanian pilot Lt. Muath al-Kaseasbeh on Sunday, Feb. 8 at the St. Mary’s Cultural Center. Al-Kaseasbeh was burned alive by “Islamic State” terrorists last week. He was placed in a cage in an orange jump suit drenched with a flammable...
False report of jewelry robbery could land a man in jail
February 12th, 20150 Fairlane MallDEARBORN—Dearborn Police responded to Fairlane Mall to investigate a robbery that allegedly just occurred in the parking lot, on Feb. 12, 2014 A jewelry merchant, Yakov Aminov, reported to responding officers that he was just assaulted and robbed by two unknown males. Aminov reported that he...Duggan: Detroit on track for first balanced budget in 13 years
DETROIT—Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said the post-bankruptcy city will record its first balanced budget since 2002 when the current fiscal year ends on June 30. "We still have to run a very tight budget every single week in order to stay on track," Duggan cautioned in his state of the city address on...Longtime City Councilman Doug Thomas dies
DEARBORN, Mich. – Former Dearborn City Councilman and Dearborn native Doug Thomas passed away Feb. 6 in Florida, where he was a resident of Bonita Springs. He was 82.Thomas served on council for a total of 21 years. He was first elected in 1981, holding his seat until 1985 when he made an unsuccessful run for...
Wayne County investigation clears Ficano, Elder and Mullin
February 9th, 20150 Azzam ElderDETROIT - The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced on Monday the conclusion of the Wayne County government investigation. The federal government will not seek additional charges in the case.U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan Barbara McQuade thanked county officials who participated in the investigation,...
Colon cancer prevention program provides Arabs with services and education
February 6th, 20150 ACCESS associates from the Community Health and Research Center (L-R) Hoda Eldaou, Hiam Hamade, Ghada Aziz and Suhir Abdulghafoor.DEARBORN — Hiam Hamade, the supervisor of the ACCESS Chronic Disease Prevention Program, helps organize up to three educational seminars a month on colon cancer prevention. The seminars, hosted...
Brother of ALS patient urging community to sign petition for groundbreaking drug
February 6th, 20154 From (L-R ) Belal Majed, Jehad Majed, and Wissam Majed, who suffers with ALS.DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Local resident Jehad Majed is looking to raise awareness about Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a disease that has severely impacted his brother, who was told by doctors he only has two to five years to live. ALS is a progressive...
Deadline for Obamacare open enrollment Feb. 15
February 6th, 20150 MICHIGAN — The deadline for open enrollment in the Affordable Care Act for 2015 is Feb. 15. This is true both inside and outside the marketplace. So, no matter how you plan to get private coverage for yourself or your family you'll need to sign up before open enrollment ends. If you aren’t covered by health insurance in...
235 snow emergency tickets issued in Dearborn, residents grow weary of services in Dearborn Heights
February 6th, 20150 A family in Dearborn Heights allege that DPW trucks dumped snow in front of their home and blocked them in.DEARBORN — The Detroit metro area appeared to be well prepared for the snowstorm that impacted the area on Sunday, February 1 and Monday, February 2 and has since gone on record as the third largest recorded snowfall to hit the......
Walled Lake teacher named Elite 40 under 40 winner
February 6th, 20150 OAKLAND COUNTY — Melody Saroki Arabo was named Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson’s Elite 40 under 40 2015 winner. Arabo, 35, is a third grade teacher at Keith Elementary School in Walled Lake, where she has been employed since 2002. Oakland County Executive’s Elite 40 Under 40 program celebrates its fourth year...
Pope Francis grants Royal Oak church honorary title of ‘minor basilica’
February 6th, 20150 ROYAL OAK — Pope Francis has granted the title of minor basilica to the National Shrine of the Little Flower Church in Royal Oak. Shrine is now one of 82 churches in the United States — and only the second church in Michigan — to hold the title of minor basilica. The Basilica of St. Adalbert in Grand Rapids was named a minor......
State will not appeal court decision on 300 same-sex marriages
LANSING — Gov. Rick Snyder said Wednesday that he will not appeal U.S. District Court Judge Mark Goldsmith’s ruling recognizing the validity of the approximately 300 same-sex couples married in four counties on March 22, 2014 and issued the following statement: “The judge has determined that same-sex couples were legally married...
Former executive director of Michigan Department of Civil Rights dies
February 6th, 20150 BINGHAM FARMS — Daniel Krichbaum, the former executive director of the Michigan Department of Civil Rights (MDCR), died on Tuesday, Feb. 3 after a cerebral hemorrhage following a stroke, according to relatives. He was 72. Krichbaum spent decades championing civil rights. Many Arab American leaders considered Krichbaum a close...
LAHC scholarship application deadline April 6
February 6th, 20150 DEARBORN — The Lebanese American Heritage Club (LAHC) is celebrating its 27th annual gala on Friday, May 8 at the Adoba Hotel in Dearborn. The last day to apply for a scholarship from the LAHC’s Arab American Scholarship Foundation Program is Monday, April 6. Throughout the past 27-years, the program has awarded more...Michigan Democratic lawmakers back MENA category on the Census
WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, Senator Debbie Stabenow and Senator Gary Peters sent a letter to U.S. Census Bureau Director John Thompson this week in support of a proposal to test a Middle East and North Africa (MENA) category for inclusion in the 2020 Census. According to the Arab American Institute, Michigan......
The Islamic Center Board suspends Sayed Qazwini for two months
February 5th, 20150 DEARBORN — Sayed Hassan Qazwini will leave the Islamic Center of America for at least two months, while the center's Board of Trustees discusses the responsibilities of the spiritual leader, revises the bylaws and finds a solution for the issues at the ICA, a board member said. The board came to this decision on Wednesday...Man walks naked on I-75 in the middle of a snowstorm
AUBURN HILLS—A man was videotaped walking naked down the middle of I-75 during last weekend’s snowstorm. Francis Gojcaj, a driver who witnessed the incident and recorded it on his phone, also posted a video online showing the man walking along the freeway in the altogether. Concerned citizens began......
Arab American family alleges harassment by Delta agent, passenger
February 3rd, 20150 DETROIT — A passenger on a Delta plane leaving from Florida to Detroit harassed an Arab American family on board, and the airplane crew did not address the racial intimidation, according to the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC).The victim, Darlene Hider who was traveling with her husband and four children...Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan stresses snow shoveling safety
DETROIT—Michigan experienced record snow falls over the past two days, forcing residents to head outdoors to clear driveways and walkways. Physicians at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network recommend residents keep heart health in mind and pace themselves when clearing snow from......
