35-year-old Dearborn resident dead after accidentally shooting himself
February 14th, 20140 DEARBORN — Shady Bazzi, 35, died Friday, Feb. 7 after accidently shooting himself with a gun at his home on the city’s east side late afternoon. A source says the gunshot wound was in the head. Bazzi is survived by his father, Raouf Bazzi, mother Marianna and sister Sandy. Bazzi.A friend of the family says Bazzi was...Dearborn welcomes new residents in Habitat for Humanity homes
Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr. (second from the right) was part of the dedication ceremony of two Habitat for Humanity homes on Feb. 6. New homeowners (from left) Ahmed Al-Karki and Rusul Al-Janabi and their daughter, Lamar Al-Karki, listened as Vincent Tilford, executive director of Habitat for Humanity-Detroit, welcomed them. ...College student in urgent need of kidney donor
DEARBORN — Mohammed Haidar, a 22-year-old student at Henry Ford Community College, is in serious need of a kidney donor. The donor must have type A or O blood. Haider lives in Dearborn Heights, and has been on dialysis since he was 15. Haidar.He has Alport Syndrome, an inherited disorder that damages tiny blood vessels in the...New program expands study of Islam in America’s heartland
ANN ARBOR — Islam’s complexity makes it nearly impossible for one university to offer enough courses to cover it all. To fill in the gaps, the University of Michigan is joining other Big Ten schools and the University of Chicago in establishing a distance-learning program that allows students to take courses about Islam not...Ficano administration presents new deficit elimination plan
DETROIT—Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano on Tuesday started the discussion on a completely new deficit elimination plan to address the County’s finances. With the county’s new chief financial officer, Mark Abbo, the county has revamped the way it is approaching both the structural operating and accumulated deficits.The county...ACLU applauds Michigan Supreme Court decision striking down local medical marijuana bans
MICHIGAN — In a unanimous decision Feb. 6, the Michigan Supreme Court struck down the City of Wyoming’s ordinance that bans medical marijuana because it directly violates the state’s Medical Marijuana Act. The ordinance was challenged by the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan (ACLU-MI) on behalf of John Ter Beek, a...“Raise Michigan” campaign pushing to get minimum wage increased by 2016
LANSING — On Monday, members of the “Raise Michigan” campaign submitted a request to the Board of Canvassers asking for the minimum wage to be increased to $9.50 an hour by 2016. Those earning Michigan’s current $7.40 an hour minimum wage live below the federal poverty line. "A family can't survive on $7.40 an hour," said...Council denies request to sell warehouse back to previous owner
DEARBORN — During a special city council meeting on February 4, the city denied a request to sell a property back to Sam Hamade, a former business owner of a warehouse located at 7041 Orchard Ave.The city had bought the property after the county foreclosed on it when Hamade had fallen behind on his property taxes. Mayor O'Reilly...Hotlines taking complaints over government No-Fly List and bank account closures
DEARBORN — The Arab American Civil Rights League (ACRL) this week reminded community members about two hotlines that were previously established to take complaints about the government No-Fly List and Watch List, in addition to the massive closures of Arab American bank accounts. If you or anyone you know is either prevented from...Henry Ford Community College recovering financially, looking to re-brand
DEARBORN — Henry Ford Community College (HFCC) is on track to end the year with a $1.2 million surplus, achieving an almost $18 million turnaround after facing a financial crisis for the last two years that nearly put its future in jeopardy. Last summer, the college began its recovery with an overhaul led by the appointment of...“The Bomb” Middle Eastern restaurant in Eastpointe stirs controversy
EASTPOINTE — When Syrian American couple Rana and George Georgi opened a small restaurant in Eastpointe, they did not expect their new business to turn into a media destination, let alone the subject of many hateful comments on the internet. They say all they wanted was to cook for and serve diners, but "The Bomb," the name they gave...Community celebrates retirement of longtime Dearborn Public Schools educator
DEARBORN — On Friday, January 31, community leaders and local residents gathered at Byblos Banquets to celebrate the retirement of long-time Dearborn Public School educator Hassane Jaafar. Jaafar, who announced his retirement in December, has been involved with Dearborn Public Schools since 1979, when he started as a para-pro at...Local teachers offer citizenship classes in Dearborn
DEARBORN — A group of teachers from the surrounding area are utilizing their teaching skills for immigration reform. Several area teachers have collaborated with honor students from local high schools in an initiative that aims to increase the number of citizenship applicants that pass the United States Citizenship Exam.The...
Multilingual Super Bowl Coke commercial draws mixed reaction
February 7th, 20140 DEARBORN — "I, too, sing America," African American poet Langston Hughes wrote in the mid-1940's, affirming his belonging and contributions to this nation. Seventy years later, a Coca-Cola Super Bowl ad features "America the Beautiful" being sung on national television in seven different languages. The commercial, which presents varied...
The doggie debate: Muslim dog owners debunk stigmas
February 7th, 20141 DEARBORN — 47 percent of American households own at least one dog, and 20 percent own a second. But in Dearborn, a town with a large concentration of Arabs and Muslims, there are far less barks heard around the neighborhood. A dog’s place in Islam has been heavily debated, with many Muslim families believing that owning,......
Local business owner finds and returns $100K in savings bonds
Saleh.DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Norman Saleh, the owner of XS-Trash found $100,000 in savings bonds inside a house he was hired to clean. Saleh immediately returned to the money to the owner, and was tipped $15,000 and given the keys to the house which is valued at $160,000. Norman told the owner that he didn’t expect anything it...Arab American NFL coach’s team wins Super Bowl
DEARBORN — Growing up, Dearborn native and Fordson High School graduate Robert Saleh dreamed about being part of the NFL. Today, Saleh is a quality control coach for the Seattle Seahawks, who beat the Denver Broncos in the 2014 Super Bowl on Sunday, Feb. 2. Saleh’s uncle, Robert Saleh, who played football at Michigan State......
DDOT hiring qualified mechanics and bus drivers
DETROIT — Mayor Mike Duggan and new Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT) Director Dan Dirks have made it a priority to improve DDOT transit services for its customers. As part of this commitment, DDOT is seeking qualified individuals to fill several mechanic and bus driver positions. To qualify for the General Auto...Deadline extended to March 1 to submit ‘ animal tales’ to Dearborn Public Library as part of The Big Read community celebration
Deadline extended to March 1 to submit ‘ animal tales’ to Dearborn Public Library as part of The Big Read community celebration. DEARBORN — Are you an animal lover? Do you have a great story about your pet, the outdoors or wildlife? As part of The Big Read celebration of Jack London’s “The Call of the Wild”, Dearborn...Groups call on universities to protect open debate on Palestine Israeli conflict
MICHIGAN — The National Lawyers Guild and other organizations calling for human rights and for the rule of law in Palestine and Israel on Thursday urged academic institutions to reaffirm their commitment to free and open campus debate. The plea for free expression, including the right to call for human rights boycotts, was...Tuberculosis exposure at local hospitals being investigated
DETROIT — State health officials are investigating numerous cases of tuberculosis exposure at four health care facilities in Detroit. The Michigan Department of Community Health said Thursday a healthcare worker who was unknowingly infected with TB worked last year at multiple hospitals. The MDCH says the worker was in contact......
CBP accused of teaching kids to shoot at targets that resemble immigrants
DETROIT— Unsettling images spread over the web recently showing Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents helping children aim at targets some groups say resemble brown-skinned immigrants. The Northern Borders Coalition and other groups fighting for immigrant families expressed outrage at the practice they believe could instill bigotry in...Law corner: Employment discrimination still exists
Many people believe that there is no way that racial, sex, religious or other forms of discrimination could still exist in the workplace in 2014. The laws against such practices have been in place for decades. People should just know that you can’t do that sort of thing, right? In fact, workplace discrimination is......
Gov. Rick Snyder launches re-election campaign with “comeback story” tour
MICHIGAN — This week, Gov. Rick Snyder continued his statewide “Comeback Story” tour, jumpstarting his campaign for re-election. Snyder won his firstcampaign in 2010 on a platform of job creation, a smarter tax code and putting the state back on firm financial footing.“When I first ran for governor, I said I would put politics...About the Publisher
Osama A. SiblaniPublisher, The Arab American NewsSince September 7, 1984A Michigan Journalism Hall of FamerApril 21, 2013 Osama Siblani is the publisher of The Arab American News, the largest and most widely circulated Arab American publication in the United States. He was inducted in the Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame on April 21,......