PART TWO: Detroit residents complain of health effects from breathing in toxins
December 12th, 20140 A diagram provided by the Sierra Club that shows which companies need to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions. DTE Energy is responsible for 85 percent of sulfur dioxide emissions in Wayne County according to the Sierra Club. MICHIGAN — Sulfur dioxide is harmful to human health. Short-term exposure to the toxic gas causes...
Detroit exits bankruptcy
December 12th, 20140 DETROIT — Mayor Mike Duggan, Governor Rick Snyder, Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr and Councilman Gabe Leland discussed Detroit's exit from bankruptcy Wednesday morning during a press conference. Orr submitted his resignation to Snyder earlier this week. In July 2013, Detroit filed for bankruptcy. During that period paychecks for...
Mayor O’Reilly, Lowrey student light the City of Dearborn Christmas tree
December 12th, 20140 DEARBORN — The city of Dearborn signaled the beginning of the Christmas holiday season with the lighting of the Christmas tree at the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center on Dec. 8. Each year Mayor John B. O'Reilly, Jr. invites a special guest to be the honorary assistant. 5-year-old Nagi Nasser, a kindergartener from...
ACRL joins newly formed Coalition for Justice and Fairness to Reform Law Enforcement
December 12th, 20140 DETROIT — The Arab American Civil Rights League joined the newly formed Coalition for Justice and Fairness to Reform Law Enforcement. The Coalition is working to prevent incidents such as the shooting of a Black man by a White police officer in Ferguson, Missouri from happening in Detroit. Additional members of the group...
Rasmea Odeh released on bond
December 12th, 20140 DETROIT — Rasmea Odeh was released from jail on Thursday afternoon, after Judge Gershwin Drain ruled to reinstate her bond. The Palestinian American activist was convicted of immigration fraud on Nov. 10 for not disclosing a conviction in a military court in Israel on her U.S. citizenship application. Federal marshals arrested...
Local minors were heavily involved in Warrendale area drug ring, three adults convicted
December 10th, 20140 DETROIT— Three members of a Warrendale area drug ring were convicted in federal court this week after a six week trial before U.S. District Judge Stephen Murphy that led to a nine-day deliberation from a grand jury. Two of the men, who were arrested last year, are brothers. Mohamed "Mojo" Faraj, 31, and Foaud "Fred" Faraj, 44,...
Arab American community divided over Ferguson events
December 5th, 20140 DEARBORN — Daren Wilson's shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO, followed by a grand jury's decision not to indict the police officer, sparked angry protests and countless conversations about race, police brutality and law enforcement across the country. But while conservatives generally applauded the grand jury's decisions and...
Prescription drug abuse prevalent among community adolescents
December 5th, 20140 DEARBORN — 52 million people in the United States over the age of 12 have used prescription drugs non-medically in their lifetime. The United States has 5 percent of the world’s population and consumes 75 percent of the world’s prescription drugs.Our communities aren’t immune from the abuse of prescription drugs. According to...
Rasmea Odeh’s defense requests her release on bond
December 5th, 20140 DETROIT — The judge in Rasmea Odeh's case is expected to soon make a decision on a defense motion requesting the reinstatement of her bond.Last month, Odeh, 67, a Palestinian American activist living in Chicago, was found guilty of lying on her U.S. naturalization application about having been arrested and convicted in Israel 45...
City officials deny hookah exemption to local business
December 5th, 20140 DEARBORN — City officials have denied the owners of Signature Cafe, a hookah bar and restaurant located on Warren Ave. and Chase Rd, an exemption to a six month hookah moratorium, forcing the business to a halt in trying to secure a hookah license from the state. The owners of Signature Cafe claim they had been trying to obtain...
Henry Ford College Student selected for exclusive nationwide NASA program
December 5th, 20140 DEARBORN — Ali Tarraf, a Dearborn resident studying at Henry Ford College (HFC), was the only college student in Michigan selected to travel to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, this past fall to participate in the National Community College Aerospace Scholars (NCAS) project.Tarraf, an alumnus of Fordson High School, is one...
Public invited to Dec. 15 open house at Dearborn’s new train station; Amtrak will move operations as of Dec. 10
December 5th, 20140 DEARBORN — The public is invited to a free open house at Dearborn’s new train station, the John D. Dingell Transit Center, from 4-6 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 15.The new transit center is at 21201 Michigan Ave., near Brady Street, at the entrance to the west downtown business district.At the Dec. 15 open house, residents can tour the...
Comedian FouseyTUBE to perform in Dearborn Jan. 17
December 5th, 20140 DEARBORN — Yousef Saleh Erakat, also known by the stage name FouseyTUBE, will appear live in Dearborn Saturday, January 17 at 8 p.m. at the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center.Erakat is an American entertainer and motivational speaker who produces parodies, vlogs, comedy sketches, and pranks for his YouTube channel. He is a...
Aging infrastructure blamed in massive Detroit power outage
December 5th, 20140 DETROIT — The city of Detroit found itself in the dark for several hours after a widespread power outage, Tuesday. The blackout affected thousands of people. The cause is still under investigation, but city leaders say Detroit's aging infrastructure is to blame.The massive power outage brought downtown to a standstill; it cut power...
Metro Detroit Youth Day co-founder Edward Deeb receives Neighborhood Leadership Award
December 5th, 20140 Deeb.WARREN — Metro Detroit Youth Day (MDYD) co-founder Edward Deeb recently received the Exemplary Neighborhood Leadership Award from the Detroit Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) for his role in supporting and inspiring metro Detroit youth to do the most good.Deeb was nominated by peers and chosen by an independent panel......
LAHC honors three for community contributions
December 5th, 20140 LAHC members pose for a photo.DETROIT — On Saturday, Nov. 29, the Youth Leadership Committee (YLC) of the Lebanese American Heritage Club (LAHC) celebrated its third annual gala at Byblos Banquet Hall in Dearborn.The YLC-LAHC honored three Lebanese Americans for their contributions to the community. “We wanted to honor...
Dearborn police hiring Arab Americans, chief prepares for winter
December 5th, 20140 From Left to Right; Chief Haddad, Hammoud, Salisbury and Nasser.DEARBORN — Police Chief Ron Haddad is looking to hire more officers into the department's police force in 2015 with the assistance of a Department of Justice grant. The Dearborn Police Department currently has 178 officers. Haddad seems adamant about hiring qualified......
BCBSM encourages consumers to enroll in health plan before Dec. 15
MICHIGAN — With just under two weeks to go before the Dec. 15 deadline guaranteeing Jan. 1 health plan coverage, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network are encouraging consumers to enroll now in a health plan before call volumes and wait times increase later this month. Consumers have until Feb. 15, 2015 to enroll for...
A look at Thanksgiving traditions
November 27th, 20140 On Thursday, Nov. 27, millions of Americans took the day off from school or work, gathered with relatives and ate a large turkey in celebration of the holiday of Thanksgiving.For some, the celebration also involved watching football on T.V. and/or watching or participating in parades. For my family, Thanksgiving involves gathering with...
PART ONE: Environmental groups seek to overturn controversial emissions permit
November 27th, 20140 (L-R) SDEIA members Hashem Saeed, Ahmed Alwahaishi, Mohamed Saleh, Mohamed Ahmed, Abdo Bapacker and Zouher Abdel-Hak met with The Arab American News on Nov. 15 to discuss the four lawsuits the organization has initiated involving Severstal. DEARBORN — In May, the Michigan Department of Environmental...
Midwest Recycling joins forces with American Red Cross, distributes donation bins across metro Detroit
November 27th, 20140 Community leaders gather with Red Cross officials for a $10,000 donation given by Midwest Recycling.DEARBORN — On Monday, November 24, the American Red Cross Southeastern Michigan Region held a press conference at the warehouse of Midwest Recycling, a clothing and shoes recycling company, to announce a new and unique partnership for......
Advocates weigh in on executive order on immigration
November 27th, 20140 DEARBORN — Last week, President Obama signed an executive order that would spare about 5 million undocumented immigrants from deportation and allow them to live and work legally in the United States for at least three years. However, the presidential action does not guarantee a path to citizenship and will not affect most of the...
Arab American Marlo Thomas, Rep. John Dingell honored with Presidential Medal of Freedom
November 27th, 20140 The medal is the nation’s highest civilian honor, given to those who have made “meritorious contributions” to U.S. security, world peace or cultural endeavors. Thomas is an actress, producer, activist, and philanthropist. She has spent her life advocating on behalf of children, families and gender equality. She currently serves......
UM-D hosts event on combating terrorism in the Middle East
November 27th, 20140 DEARBORN — On Tuesday, Nov. 25, The University of Michigan Dearborn (UM-D) hosted an event titled “Unmasking Terrorism”, in which panelists discussed and defined terrorism and its origins. The event was followed by a Q&A session. The organizations involved in this event were Supply Chain Association; The Arab Student...
Immigration action: Moving beyond myths
November 27th, 20140 With the stroke of his pen, President Obama took historic steps last week toward fixing the country's broken immigration system. The actions will provide relief to millions of undocumented individuals who currently reside in the United States, and extinguish their liminal legal and existential status. The actions will become......
