Mayor, city council sworn in at inauguration ceremony
January 10th, 20140 DEARBORN — A snow emergency did not stop hundreds of locals from turning out to the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center on the evening of Thursday, January 2 to witness the inauguration ceremony of Dearborn's elected officials.The ceremony comes two months after a historic city election landed first-time city council candidate...
Dearborn Police issue 2,841 parking citations during snow emergencies so far this season
January 10th, 20140 DEARBORN — In the last month, the city officially declared a snow emergency on four separate days, ordering residents to move all parked vehicles off of neighborhood streets in order for plow trucks to undertake their work.However, over 2,800 citations have been given out by the Dearborn Police Department since the city declared its...An in depth look at Dearborn’s plowing operations
According to the Department of Public Works, up to 27 full time employees could be out plowing snow during an emergency, covering 267.56 centerline miles of roads. Mary Laundroche, the Director of Public Information, says the city's goal is to get the plowing completed in a 12 hour period, but sometimes the severity of the snow...Activist and philanthropist Suheila Ajluni dies at age 79
BLOOMFIELD HILLS — Arab American activist and philanthropist Suheila Ajluni passed away at age 79, on Sunday, Dec. 29.Aljuni, who was born in the Palestinian town of Ramallah on May 20, 1934, immigrated to the United States in 1957, where she dedicated her time and efforts to community service and raising funds for projects that...ACC founding member Father John Badeen passes away at age 86
Acclaimed activist and World War II veteran the Very Reverend Alfred John Badeen, of Beaumont, Texas, passed away at age 86 on Wednesday, Dec. 25. Badeen dedicated his life to community service and helping others. He was born on April 9, 1927, in Damascus, Syria. Badeen was a minister for St. Michael Antiochian Orthodox...Syrian ambassador to UN speaks to packed house in Livonia
LIVONIA — The focus of the crisis in Syria has shifted over the last few years.Initially, attention centered on addressing massive calls for democracy and human rights, but today Syrians seem to be more worried about fighting terrorism. Since the uprisings first struck Syria in 2011, the power of Al Qaeda linked terrorist groups...HBO documentary chronicles lives of students at Detroit Islamic school
DETROIT — A documentary chronicling the lives of students at Al-Ikhlas Training Academy, an Islamic school based in Detroit, debuted on HBO Monday, Jan. 6. “The Education of Mohammad Hussein” was created by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady. The pair also produced the documentary “Detropia” that focused on the city’s economic...Call for entries: Dearborn Library to publish short story collection “Animal Tales”
DEARBORN — Dearborn Public Library is seeking submissions of short stories, poems, and essays for publication in a short story collection titled, "Call of the Wild Dearborn: Animal Tales." Submissions should be original work on one of the following themes: Dogs, Nature or the Environment, Wildlife, or Jack...Educator’s new book helps American Muslim children learn Arabic
DETROIT — Hanadi Rashad, a teacher at the Annoor Islamic Center in Clemmons, North Carolina, has written a book that helps Muslim children living in the United States learn Arabic. Rashad says that while in many Arab countries children are taught the Arabic language by professional instructors and speak it in class or at home,...Residents directed not to store disabled cars or recreational vehicles on property
DEARBORN — With the warm weather season over, the City of Dearborn is reminding residents about the rules prohibiting storage of recreational vehicles, trailers, and boats on residential property.The same rules apply to the long-term storage of cars and trucks that are not working and cannot be driven.In addition, the parking of...Law corner: Marijuana is only kind of legal
Effective January 1, 2014, Colorado became the first state in the country to allow cultivation, possessiond use of marijuana for recreational purposes. Analysts estimate that Colorado will enjoy billions of dollars of increased annual revenue as a direct result of its decision to legalize marijuana. Marijuana is heavily taxed...Duggan urges Detroiters to wait six months for improvements and not to move out
DETROIT — Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan urged frustrated Detroiters to give his administration six months to make improvements before they consider moving out of the city. Speaking before a crowd of city, county and state leaders who were gathered earlier this week for a investiture ceremony in Detroit, Duggan said, “Maybe your...Brenda Jones is new Detroit City Council president
Jones.DETROIT — Longtime Detroit City Councilwoman Brenda Jones was voted into the council presidency this week. There are four new members of the Council that recently won election in November. The City Council voted 5-4 to elect Jones as president over Saunteel Jenkins, who took on the position after Charles Pugh left the...Snyder buys Super Bowl ad time
LANSING — Some people watch the Super Bowl for the football; others are only interested in the ads. Governor Rick Snyder's re-election campaign is trying to capitalize of the popular event. The campaign has bought $400,000 in Super Bowl Sunday airtime.The 60-second ad will air on Detroit's Fox television affiliate during the National...Local mosque board members donate $7,500 to seek retrial for mentally unstable man
DEARBORN — Board Members of the Islamic Institute of Knowledge on Schaefer Rd. have donated $7,500 to help a man who is believed to be mentally unstable seek a re-trial after he was convicted of assault with intent to murder. Hassan Ibrahim Bazzi, now 41 and facing 10 years in prison, was operating a vehicle on Schaefer Rd. in......
Severe weather effects on local businesses
January 10th, 20140 DEARBORN — Shortly after the holidays, waves of unbearable cold and snow headed toward our region from the Arctic North. Sunday's snowfall, followed by the "polar vortex" of arctic wind, froze most aspects of life in the Midwest. Schools closed, meetings were called off, flights were canceled and cars hardly started.In Dearborn, like...
Year-end review: The top international, national and local stories of 2013
December 27th, 20130 20 13The Arab American News (TAAN) experienced deep grief this year after the passing of its co-founder and longtime executive editor M. Kay Siblani, who lost her battle with cancer Jan. 1, 2013. At the same time, TAAN had a lot to be proud and excited about. Its publisher, Osama Siblani, was inducted into the Michigan Journalism......
International charity raises funds for medical center, rehab facility in Lebanon
December 27th, 20130 DEARBORN - Medrar Foundation, an international charity organization, is raising funds for a medical center in Lebanon, which will include a rehabilitation program for drug addicts,.The organization has started building the Medrar Medical Complex in Shokeen, a town near Nabatiyeh in south Lebanon. President of the Medrar Foundation...
Arab American News report initiates changes, improvements at local Secretary of State branch
December 27th, 20130 DEARBORN - A report published by The Arab American News (TAAN) last September regarding concerns raised at a local Secretary of State (SOS) branch has prompted some changes at the office.When TAAN randomly visited the SOS Dearborn location at 5094 Schaefer Rd. last August, we documented troubling issues that included an absence in Arabic...Drug busts, murder rate drop in 2013 attributed to new policies at Detroit Police Department
DETROIT - The Detroit Police Department appears to be ending the year on a positive note with a turnaround that has seen the arrests of hundreds of drug dealers and decreased murder rates across the City in 2013. After a decade long battle concerning unconstitutional conduct that landed the department under federal monitoring with...Blind student inspires peers, family and friends
DEARBORN - Henry Ford Community College student Khodr Farhat is blind but still manages to academically perform better than his peers. “It has never stopped me. Nothing can stop me. I don’t know the meaning of failure, to be honest. Whether it is in class or on a test, I really don’t know the meaning of failing and not......
Holidays celebrated at Dearborn City Hall
Last week The Arab American News mistakenly stated in a story titled "The Muslim Christmas," that the City Of Dearborn displayed a "Seasons Greetings" sign instead of a "Merry Christmas" sign for the first time ever. However, according to the City, the Seasons Greeting sign, along with a "Happy Holidays" sign have been displayed there...Tactical Paramedics Join Dearborn SWAT Team
DEARBORN - Dearborn Police in conjunction with the Dearborn Fire Department announce the addition of two paramedics to the Dearborn Police Special Weapons and Tactics Team.The two added SWAT Team paramedics are part of a Tactical Emergency Medical Support (TEMS) initiative. TEMS is also supplemented by an Oakwood Hospital......
Detroit reaches deal to end interest-rate swaps
DETROIT - The city of Detroit reached an agreement on Tuesday with two banks to end a costly interest-rate swap agreement, a significant step as the city negotiates with creditors to put together a plan to exit the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history.Detroit will pay $165 million, plus up to $4.2 million in costs, to end the...Law corner: Healthcare fraud criminal prosecutions are on the rise
Last week, I presented a general overview of the meaning of the word “fraud.” This week, I explore a certain type of fraud commonly known as “healthcare fraud.”In general, healthcare fraud involves the filing of false claims by medical practitioners, with private or government payers, for the purpose of obtaining money.......