Sleeping Bear Dunes, Michigan voted “Most Beautiful Place in America”
NEW YORK — The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore at the northwest part of Michigan's lower peninsula was voted the "Most Beautiful Place in America" by ABC's Good Morning America TV program. Other top competitors included Newport, R.I. Cape Cod, Mass., Aspen, Colo., Sedona, Ariz. and more. Sleeping Bear Dunes is a large...Dearborn train station to receive more than $28 million
DEARBORN – A new train station near the city's west side downtown area was approved this week for a total monetary award of $28.2 million according to The Federal Railroad Administration. The funding was originally awarded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and had been the subject of questions as to whether it...Online property auction opens Sept. 16, registration ongoing
DETROIT – Over 14,000 parcels of property will be offered for purchase as Wayne County Treasurer Raymond J. Wojtowicz conducts the second annual online auction for tax foreclosed properties. More than 14,000 properties are up for commercial and residential auction, which is mandatory for foreclosed properties, a 15% increase from...Obama to visit Detroit for unions’ Labor Day festivities Sept. 5
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama will give remarks at a Labor Day event on Sept. 5 sponsored by the Metro Detroit Central Labor Council, the White House announced this past week. Obama's visit is expected to bring out large crowds, with as many as 100,000 people expected compared with usual estimates of...New incentive program for Detroit homeowners
DETROIT – Mayor Dave Bing has announced a new plan for using housing incentives programs for police officers and employees in the city as well as homeowners in neighborhoods that have been targeted to be revitalized by the city's continuing project, Detroit Works. Bing hopes the programs will add to neighborhood pride and help...Heights budget plan includes cuts, possible tax raises
DEARBORN HEIGHTS – The City Council was presented with a budget plan by Mayor Dan Paletko on Tuesday that includes major cuts as expected and potential tax raises. The budget includes a Headlee override proposal according to local reports which would lead to a 3-mill increase in the city. Other items include possible unpaid...Jobless rate in Michigan rises again
LANSING — The Michigan unemployment rate raised four-tenths of a percentage point in July to 10.9 percent, with about 33,000 less Michiganders having jobs in the month of July compared with June according to state results. The rate has gone up slightly each of the past three months. But some trends have shown new hires in the...Prominent attorney who refused to betray Arab and Muslim clients speaks on civil liberties, life on terror watch list
The attorney-client privilege assuring confidentiality between the two parties is one of the most cherished rights of the American law system, but according to internationally recognized lawyer, author and professor Francis A. Boyle of the the University of Illinois-Champaign, government agents violated that privilege in a jarring summer...Preliminary murder examination in Zeidan case adjourned until Sept. 2
DEARBORN – On the morning of Friday, August 19, a preliminary examination was held in the case of the fatal shooting of 23-year-old Hassan Zeidan on a local parking lot basketball court outside of Riverside Academy in the city's 19th District Court. A picture of 23-year-old Hassan Zeidan, who was shot and killed last month, is...After failed negotiations, UN is the only option left
As Palestinians prepare to seek membership in the United Nations, critics are quick to label this a damaging unilateral strategy. But the Palestinian drive for admission to the UN is not damaging or unilateral or even a strategy. Understanding the genesis of the impending diplomatic battle set for September clarifies why Palestinians are...
Somalia famine worst humanitarian crisis on the planet … Locals ramping up relief efforts
August 21st, 20110 For victims of the drought in Somalia, every day is merely a battle for survival. After walking days seeking refuge from the famine with her two children, a mother collapsed and died, leaving them behind to complete the journey to salvation alone. "The little girl who was eleven had to carry the baby…until she made it to the border,"...
Chic boutique offers affordable luxury and royal service
August 20th, 20110 A trendy, hip boutique is making luxury affordable with its reasonable prices. At Royal Dutchess in West Bloomfield, dresses, blazers, tops and other high fashion garments can be found marked at $30 to $80. The deals set it apart from most swanky stores. Co-owner Leslie Binno said in today’s economy people want to look good without...
Advocates, players debate: Are some too young for tackle football?
August 20th, 20110 Fordson High School football coach Fouad Zaban (in sunglasses and white t-shirt) speaks to his players at practice on Wednesday, August 17. Zaban said that his team is closely tended to by medical staff and also noted that players will undergo concussion testing prior to the season as many advocates have suggested for high school...Dearborn Public Schools receive mostly passing marks in state report card
LANSING/DEARBORN — Statistics were released on Monday by the Michigan Department of Education showing Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) reports for the state's public school as part of its annual Michigan School Report Card. The reports are a key part of the No Child Left Behind Act.The Dearborn Public School district received mostly...‘March Without Fear’ this Saturday
DEARBORN — On Saturday, August 20, 2011, CAIR-MI will join lawmakers, advocates and concerned community members for a rally in Southwest Detroit to protest discrimination and profiling by U.S. Border Patrol and U.S. Customs Border Protection (CBP). In recent months, CAIR-MI has received numerous complaints regarding CBP agents......
Video: Local soldier interviewed by AAJA Voices
The following piece, a video interview with soldier Brian Ashkar of Dearborn, was shot for AAJA Voices by reporter Liberty Zabala upon her arrival to Dearborn for the AAJA's annual convention, which was held in Detroit this past weekend. ...
AAJA convention kicks off in the heart of Arab America
August 14th, 20110 The publishers along with city officials including Dearborn Mayor Jack O’Reilly and community leaders welcome guests to Dearborn for the opening reception of the AAJA convention. DEARBORN — More than 500 professional journalists from major media outlets across the country descended upon the city's Arab American National Museum and......
O’Reilly extends greetings, highlights mutual respect at annual iftar
August 13th, 20110 State Rep.?George Darany (D-Dearborn) presented a plaque of House Resolution No. 50 extending Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr greetings to Muslims in Michigan and across the world at the annual iftar. PHOTOS:?Nafeh AbuNab/American Elite Studios DEARBORN – Mayor Jack O'Reilly hosted an iftar at Byblos Banquets as about 400 local community...
Air Pollution in Dearborn-Detroit area linked to higher asthma rates
August 13th, 20110 DEARBORN/DETROIT - The South End residents of Dearborn and its bordering neighbors in southwest Detroit have probably grown familiar to the distinctive smell in the air from the nearby industrial plants, which have resided in the area for decades now. But according to a new study, many of these residents have also grown familiar to the...Dearborn Stars bring home MIPSL Cup after unbeaten season
Dearborn Stars players, coaches and team sponsor Ned Fawaz (holding cup) of the LIBC celebrate after winning the MIPSL Open Division title on Sunday, August 7. Nafeh AbuNab/TAAN DEARBORN — There are few things more frustrating in sports than a game ending in a tie, but last Friday night's draw by the Dearborn Stars against the...
Man allegedly shouts racial slurs at Muslim woman in traffic then points gun at her
August 13th, 20110 ANN ARBOR — A Muslim woman was stopped while driving home from work here on Sunday by a man who pointed a gun at her after making racial comments. The 21-year-old woman asked not to be identified and wears a traditional Islamic headscarf. She was stopped at a red light when the man started honking his car horn at her. According to......
Pittsfield Township rejects zoning request to build Islamic school, final vote expected soon
DEARBORN — Recently some residents in Farmington Hills, Michigan filed a lawsuit against the Farmington Hills School Board for authorizing the sale of Eagle Elementary to the Islamic Cultural Association (ICA). While the ICA was successful in its bid, the Michigan Islamic Academy (MIA) of Ann Arbor had its rezoning request to build a...Michigan Sporting finishes 2nd in Indiana
Another Dearborn-based MIPSL team, Michigan Sporting of the Premier Division, which is sponsored by Papaya Fruit Market, traveled to Fort Wayne, Indiana this weekend to participate in Regionals, but fell short on penalty kicks in the final match, finishing second in the tournament. The team previously won the State Cup this season......
Lebanese restaurant, lounge brings Beirut flair to Michigan
August 12th, 20110 In Lebanon, the Gemmayze is one of the liveliest, trendiest sections of Beirut, a city which just happens to be one of the top tourist attractions in the world. "The Lebanese people have been through so much so they're looking for ways to release themselves, Gemmayze was born out of that...we're trying to give people the same kind of...Fakih to begin work at DMC clinic in Dearborn Heights
Dr. Mona FakihDEARBORN HEIGHTS — Dr. Mona Fakih will begin practicing at the Detroit Medical Center Clinic on Ford and Telegraph in Dearborn Heights on August 29.Fakih is a foundation board member of Henry Ford Community College, Civil Rights appointee in Dearborn Heights, and a specialist in treating abnormal uterine bleeding,......