Prejudice still spewing over Farmington school sale to Islamic Cultural Association
FARMINGTON — “It was just really a shock. And it was hurtful to feel that hate. I never felt that living in this country,” Muslim American Reem Shukairy says while speaking about the controversy surrounding the sale of Eagle Elementary to the Islamic Cultural Association (ICA). The ICA made a $1.1 million offer to purchase the...
Basketball game killing shocks Dearborn Arab community
July 16th, 20110 DEARBORN – A year after an 18-year-old man was stabbed to death outside of an ice skating rink on the same date, tragedy struck the community again on Wednesday, July 13 as another young man was shot multiple times and killed. The incident happened after a pick-up basketball game near Riverside Academy West on the city's east side...ACLU suing CIA for documents on Michigan professor, anti-war activist
DETROIT — The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Michigan filed a lawsuit on Wednesday, July 13 demanding that the federal government turn over any documents it has relating to University of Michigan Professor Juan Cole, a vocal critic of the Iraq War and the Bush administration who writes for the popular blog Informed...New study: Women drivers more accident-prone than men
ANN ARBOR – A new study from the University of Michigan of 6.5 million car crashes found that a disproportionate number of accidents happen when both drivers are women. The study showed that female-to-female accidents accounted for 20.5% percent of all crashes, a number that was higher than expected considering that most drivers...Macomb County to get more aggressive on home foreclosures
MACOMB —Macomb County is looking to get more aggressive on foreclosing occupied homes of people who fail to pay their property taxes in 2012. According to Macomb County treasurer Ted Wahby, for years the county has avoided such measures as foreclosure, with policies that help home owners come up with negotiations for payment plans....Welfare benefits limited to 48 months in Michigan
LANSING – A special summer session of the state Senate passed a bill that will limit welfare benefits in Michigan to 48 months by a tally of 24-12. It was opposed by a voting bloc of Democrats before passing. The limit previously only applied to the the state's Work First program according to The Detroit News and to those in an...States asked to wait for more data before passing cellphone ban
WASHINGTON — A safety group has called on Michigan and 40 other states that haven't banned the use of hand-held cellphones by drivers to wait until more data can be researched before passing new restrictions or rules. The group, the Governors Highway Safety Association, submitted a 50-page report this past week making other...Severe storm hits Dearborn, city offers tree limb removal
DEARBORN – The severe thunderstorm that blew through the city on Monday led to more 70 downed trees according to city officials.Three house fires were also reported as were reports of about 100 downed wires and more than 500 calls to 9-11 during the storm. The city also said that about 20 people were transported for hospital care...
Shooting suspect Faraj arraigned on first-degree murder charge from basketball shooting
July 15th, 20110 DEARBORN - Shooting suspect Fadi Hussein Faraj, a resident of the city, was arraigned this afternoon in front of Judge Mark Somers in the city's 19th District Court on first degree murder and felony firearm charges. The murder charge, which resulted from the fatal shooting on Wednesday evening of 23-year-old Hassan Zeidan of...
Fatal shooting on Dearborn’s east side shocks community one year after stabbing death
July 14th, 20110 DEARBORN – A year after an 18-year-old man was stabbed to death outside of an ice skating rink on the same date, tragedy struck the local community again as another young man was shot multiple times and killed after a pick-up basketball game near Riverside Academy West on the city's east side. The victim was believed to be...Dearborn offering dry ice, branch collection after storm
The City of Dearborn is distributing dry ice from 10:30 a.m. July 12 until the supply runs out to Dearborn residents only at the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center, 15801 Michigan Avenue. Residents are asked to bring a cooler and proof of residency. Look for signs...Game Headz: Out of the gas station and into the mainstream
Founded in 2003 by Wissam Merhi, who began selling games out of a Sunoco gas station, the Game Headz franchise has made waves in southeast Michigan with five locations in major Detroit suburbs. Merhi has surrounded himself with fellow avid gamers and hopes to expand by 10 franchises in the next two years as his business...Local woman, rights group question hijab removal procedure of Dearborn Police
DEARBORN – A local Muslim woman along with a Council on American-Islamic Relations-Michigan spokesman have questioned the protocol of the city's police department after the woman was forced to remove her headscarf in the presence of male officers during a "facial recognition" procedure. Rachel ChinavareRachel Chinavare said she...Michigan’s new sex offender registry law now in effect
LANSING - Beginning last Friday, many teenagers convicted of having consensual sex with minors will no longer be included in the state of Michigan's sex offender registry database. Young offenders who had sex with partners between the ages of 13 and 16 are exempted, as long as the offender is not more than four years older than the...Dearborn court worker Pucci awarded more than $700,000 in damages
DEARBORN — Julie Pucci, 43, a former Dearborn deputy court administrator, was awarded $732,361 in damages on Thursday of last week after a verdict said she was denied due process after being fired in 2006 in the city's 19th District Court. The result was the second similar award in recent weeks against the court and Chief Judge Mark......
Still no response from ICE on complaints of illegal activity by its agents
DETROIT — U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) National Assistant Secretary John Morton attended a meeting with local community leaders in April to discuss reported incidents of illegal activity by the agency. Morton promised a complete investigation into the complaints within 30 days. According to Alliance for Immigrants...Feds unseal indictment against Lebanese born Canadian in Israel bomb plot
DETROIT - Faouzi Mohamad Ayoub, age 44, who also goes by the name Fawzi Ayoub, allegedly tried to use a fake name and U.S. passport to get into Israel in 2000 to carry out a bombing plot, according to reports.The indictment was handed down in August 2009 according to the Detroit Free Press and the passport was under the name Frank......
Gov. Rick Snyder and NY Mayor Bloomberg to speak about immigration and the economy at New Michigan Media conference at WSU
DETROIT- Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder will deliver his first major speech on immigration and the regional economy at the New Michigan Media Conference on July 18, 2011 inside Wayne State University’s McGregor Memorial Conference and Community Arts Auditorium. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is expected to speak about the topic as well...Local photo exhibit breaks down Arab stereotypes before 10th anniversary of 9/11
DEARBORN — The Arab American National Museum (AANM) is featuring a photo exhibit created by the first generation of Arab American students who have no memory of time before the devastating events of Sep.11, 2001. Title: Friends (Niveen and Leann)Photographer: Hassan Hammoud, 13 "Niveen Dabaja, 12, and Leann Bazzi, 12, are...Driver still on the loose after Dearborn hit and run
DEARBORN – Police are hoping that someone will help identify and find the driver of a vehicle that struck a 79-year-old man in the city on Sunday, July 3. The man was crossing the street at the south side of Warren Road at Freda Street at 5:30 p.m. when a 1997-1999 light green-colored four-door Ford Escort struck him, sending him...Wayne County’s “NEW ME” program holding Multicultural Obesity Conference July 13
DETROIT — After kicking off its new initiative to fight what's being called an "obesity epidemic" earlier this year at Fordson High School in Dearborn, the Wayne County NEW ME program will hold its first-ever Multicultural Obesity Conference from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 13 at Ford Field, the state-of-the-art football......
West Detroit station owner warns others about gas-stealing scheme
DETROIT – A local gas station owner is warning his peers about a new gas-stealing scheme that has already robbed his business of about $45,000.Mohamed Jaber of the Fill & Go station at Schaefer and Jeffries on Detroit's west side said that thieves have been siphoning gas from underground tanks into an unmarked Ford Econoline white...Michigan home foreclosure protections extended by new bill
LANSING – Michigan Lt. Gov. Brian Calley has signed a bill that will extend key home foreclosure protections in a unique move.Typically, the governor signs bills into law, but Snyder was out-of-state at a wedding last week and wanted to make sure that it would be signed before the protections expired on Tuesday.The new law creates......
Detroit budget agreement reached; Bing warns of more layoffs and cuts
DETROIT – After a 7-2 vote, the city council and Mayor Dave Bing reached a budget agreement on Thursday as time wound down on the current fiscal year. Services such as police, fire, the People Mover transportation system and others were kept but Bing has warned that more cuts and layoffs will happen. The city council earlier...Ice cream truck workers apologize for park scare in Dearborn
DEARBORN – Two recent college graduates visited the city's police station last Friday to apologize for any scare they may have caused by documenting their first summer job in an ice cream truck with a camera.The man and woman, both in their 20's, had approached several children at a city park while filming. No charges have been filed ......