Community holds fundraiser for Wayne County Executive Warren Evans’ 2026 re-election campaign
April 4th, 20250 DEARBORN – Friends of Wayne County Executive Warren Evans, led by Deputy County Executive Assad Turfe, organized a well attended fundraising event last Thursday evening at La Pita Banquet Center in Dearborn in support of Evans’ 2026 reelection campaign. The event drew an impressive crowd of public officials, elected leaders, business...
Governor Whitmer declares April as Arab American Heritage Month in Michigan; Trump ignores it nationally
April 4th, 20250 LANSING – On Tuesday, for the fifth consecutive year, Governor Whitmer announced that April will be recognized as Arab American Heritage Month in the state. This designation celebrates the contributions of Arab Americans to Michigan's culture and economy. In stark contrast, President Trump has refrained from officially recognizing the...
Karmanos Cancer Institute recognized March as Multiple Myeloma Awareness Month
April 4th, 20250 DETROIT — The Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute cancer centers and other organizations nationwide recognized March as Multiple Myeloma Awareness Month. Multiple myeloma is a type of blood and bone marrow cancer, specifically targeting plasma cells, the cells responsible for producing antibodies. There is no cure for multiple...
Michigan begins implementing expanded unemployment benefits: Weekly maximum increased by $84
April 4th, 20250 LANSING – As of Wednesday, the state of Michigan began implementing new unemployment benefit rules, under legislation passed last year by the former Democratic majority in the State House and senate and signed into law by Governor Whitmer. The new benefits include a $84 increase to the maximum weekly unemployment payment, raising it...
Mo Baydoun kicks off Dearborn Heights mayoral campaign
April 4th, 20250 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Council President Mo Baydoun has kicked off his mayoral campaign in a large turnout event held at Crestwood High School. Joined by residents, elected officials, dignitaries and community members, Baydoun shared his commitment to the city, vowing to serve and unite the residents. Several people spoke at the event,...
Michigan begins enforcing new child car seat rules — what do they include?
April 3rd, 20250 LANSING – Michigan began enforcing new car seat safety regulations for children on Wednesday. These updated rules extend the required time children must remain in age-appropriate safety seats, aiming to improve overall vehicle safety for young passengers. The new law outlines specific requirements based on the child’s age, height...
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan highlights city’s resurgence in his last State of the City address
March 29th, 20250 Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan delivered his 12th and final State of the City address from the new Hudson's Detroit development, reflecting on the city's transformation during his 12-year tenure. He emphasized Detroit's revival through significant corporate investments, rising home values, improved city services and reduced crime rates after...
Fourth suspect charged in Dearborn murder of Arab American business owner in 2023
March 29th, 20250 DEARBORN – The number of individuals charged in connection with the fatal shooting of Arab American Hassan Mahmoud Salame in Dearborn in 2023 has risen to four, following an announcement last week by the Dearborn Police Department that criminal charges have been filed against 35-year-old Dawanne Midgett for his alleged involvement in...
Dearborn sees major drop in overdose cases and drug deaths in 2024
March 29th, 20250 Last week , the city of Dearborn announced a significant decline in drug overdose cases and related deaths during the year 2024. According to new data, overdose incidents dropped by 34 percent—from 93 cases in 2023 to 61 cases in 2024 — while overdose-related deaths fell by 43 percent, from 14 to just 8 fatalities in the same...
Florida man sentenced to 18 months for threatening Michigan Islamic organization
March 28th, 20250 Last week, a federal court in Detroit sentenced 73-year-old Michael Shapiro, a resident of West Palm Beach, Florida, to 18 months in prison for threatening the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and its staff in late 2023. According to court records, Shapiro left six threatening and profanity-laced...
Dearborn youth feed the hungry during Ramadan by turning leftover iftar meals into acts of compassion
March 28th, 20250 DEARBORN – During the holy month of Ramadan, a volunteer initiative in Dearborn has attracted national attention after the Associated Press published a report on a local youth-led organization that collects leftover food from Arab American iftar dinners and redistributes it nightly to the homeless in nearby Detroit. According to the...
$20,000 reward offered in road rage killing of 19-year-old Rawan Baseti
March 28th, 20250 DEARBORN – A month after the tragic death of 19-year-old Rawan Baseti in a fatal shooting that followed a road rage incident, Dearborn police — alongside the crime-fighting organization Crime Stoppers — announced a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of her killer. The announcement came during a press conference...
How authorities identified a suspect in last summer’s attempted jewelry store robbery in Dearborn
March 21st, 20250 CHICAGO – A report by WDIV-TV Local 4 has revealed details surrounding the arrest of one of the two men who attempted to rob a jewelry store in Dearborn on August 7, 2024. The report states that the suspects traveled from Illinois to Michigan to carry out the crime, only to return empty-handed after being repelled by the store's...
Federal judge transfers case of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil out of Louisiana to New Jersey court in positive legal turn
March 21st, 20250 On Wednesday, in a positive development in the case of the Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, one of the leading figures in the protest movement on U.S. college campuses against the Israeli war on Gaza, a federal judge ordered the case to be transferred to a court in New Jersey from Louisiana, the hardline state chosen by the Trump...
Secretary of State’s Office shuts down second Hamtramck driving school
March 21st, 20250 HAMTRAMCK – Last week, the Secretary of State's Office ordered the closure of Conant Driving School, located at 10323 Conant Street, marking the second such shutdown of a Hamtramck driving school this month. The immediate shutdown of Conant Driving School was due to record-keeping issues and the graduation of students without......
16-year-old seriously injured in fight between Arab American teenagers in Dearborn Wednesday, two suspects arrested
March 21st, 20250 DEARBORN – A brawl between two groups of Arab American teenagers at a gas station in East Dearborn Wednesday evening resulted in one teen sustaining serious injuries. He was transported to a local hospital, where he is now recovering as his condition stabilizes. According to a statement from Dearborn Police, a group of several...
Detroit to add 679 area code in November, marking end of 313-only dialing era
March 21st, 20250 DETROIT – Starting November 7, phone service providers in the Detroit area will begin issuing phone numbers with the new 679 area code, as the historic 313 area code nears exhaustion, according to a statement issued by the Michigan Public Service Commission (MSPC) on Monday. The agency announced that the 679 code will serve the same......
Official and community iftar dinners in the Dearborn area promote Islamic values and compassion during the holy month of Ramadan
March 21st, 20250 DEARBORN, DEARBORN HEIGHTS – During the blessed month of Ramadan, numerous official and community iftar dinners took place in the Dearborn area after a period of intermittent pause in such activities in recent years due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the repercussions of the Israeli wars on Gaza and Lebanon, which heavily...
Historic Dearborn Inn reopens after extensive renovation
March 19th, 20250 DEARBORN – After more than two years of extensive restoration, a reopening ceremony was held Wednesday for the historic Dearborn Inn hotel, designed by renowned architect Albert Kahn and built nearly a century ago by automotive pioneer Henry Ford. Mayor Abdullah Hammoud, Ford Motor Company CEO Bill Ford and a group of officials from...
ACCESS is asking for volunteers for care package assembly for shelters and refugees affected by Southwest Detroit flood
March 18th, 20250 DEARBORN — ACCESS (Arab Community Center for Economical and Social Services) is asking for volunteers for a care package assembly event Saturday, March 22, from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. at the ACCESS headquarters, 2651 Saulino Court, Dearborn, MI 48120. These care packages will be for shelters, refugees and all those affected by the...
Trump nominates Dearborn Heights Mayor Bill Bazzi to be U.S. ambassador to Tunisia
March 15th, 20250 WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a move seen as a reward for his support during Trump's 2024 presidential campaign, President Trump announced on March 11, on his Truth Social platform, the nomination of Dearborn Heights Mayor Bill Bazzi as the United States ambassador to Tunisia. The appointment requires confirmation by the U.S. Senate. Bazzi,......
Trump nominates Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib to be the U.S. ambassador to Kuwait
March 15th, 20251 WASHINGTON, D.C. – President Trump has nominated Amer Ghalib, the Yemeni American mayor of Hamtramck, to be the next U.S. ambassador to Kuwait, rewarding him for his support of Trump’s successful bid to return to the White House in the November 2024 presidential election. In an announcement on his Truth Social account on Friday,...
Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud hosts Iftar dinner uniting all walks of life
March 15th, 20252 DEARBORN — Mayor Abdullah Hammoud hosted an Iftar dinner on Wednesday, March 12 at Byblos Banquet Hall, bringing together some 700 people of different backgrounds for an evening of unity to celebrate an important part of the holy month of Ramadan. Community members, appointed and elected officials, esteemed individuals and members......
Dearborn Heights Council Chairman Mo Baydoun hosts fourth annual Iftar dinner with Fire Department
March 15th, 20250 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Dearborn Heights City Council Chairman and mayoral candidate Mo Baydoun hosted the fourth annual Iftar dinner with both the Dearborn Heights Fire Department and the Dearborn Heights Police Department. Baydoun told The Arab American News that this initiative started four years ago when he challenged Battalion Chief...
Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist joins Michigan’s 2026 Democratic gubernatorial race
March 15th, 20250 DETROIT – Targeting President Trump, whom he described as a "fire starter", Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist II officially launched his campaign for the 2026 gubernatorial race Tuesday, aiming to become the first Black governor of the Great Lakes State. He seeks to succeed Governor Whitmer, who is term-limited and cannot run for a third......
