Westland residents must boil water before drinking
Water main breaks have caused the City of Westland and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality to issue a mandatory boil water notice to residents in the Norwayne area of the city. The water main breaks have left the area with low or no water pressure, according to an alert issued this afternoon. The boil water notice is...Baby-making: Another struggling Michigan industry
The Michigan economy seems to have taken its toll on the child-birth rate in the state. Just 117,309 babies were born in 2009 in Michigan, the smallest supply of newborns since the end of World War II. The birthrate is just 11.8 per 1,000 Michiganders, the lowest since the 1870's; the state's all-time high was 27.6. Many young residents...Demand for Arabic teachers spurs MSU programs
East Lansing— A rising demand for teachers of Arabic in the state considered the capital of Arab America has led Michigan State University to launch new undergraduate and graduate programs. The East Lansing school says the moves will help fill the shortage of those who can teach the language. About 300,000 people in southeastern...Trial set for first of three lawsuits against local judge
DEARBORN — A jury trial for the first of three lawsuits against Chief Judge Mark Somers of the 19th District Court is scheduled to begin January 31 in the Wayne County Circuit Court. Former Probation Officer Simone Calvas, former Deputy Court Administrator Julie Pucci, and former court clerk Sharon Langen are alleging that Somers...Darany pledges to fight for Dearborn schools in Lansing
DEARBORN — House State Representative George Darany (D-Dearborn) is now on the Education, Health Policy, Military and Veteran Affairs and Homeland Security House committees for the 2011-2012 legislation session. Darany has participated on committees and projects related to the Dearborn school system in the past. He is looking...Local fundraiser to help Lebanese child fight leukemia
DEARBORN — A fundraiser will be held on Thursday, February 3 at Bint Jebail on behalf of Amir Samhat, a one-year-old in Tyr, Lebanon who is suffering from leukemia and needs a bone marrow transplant. Amir, who is called “the little prince’’ by his family, was diagnosed with leukemia in October of 2010. The family of five owns a...
WSU president says he pulled Helen Thomas award, admits decision was made too abruptly
January 27th, 20110 Wayne State University President Allan Gilmour said the decision to remove the Helen Thomas Spirit of Diversity Award was made solely by him. “I take accountability fully. The buck stops here,” Gilmour told The Arab American News after a WSU Board of Governors meeting earlier today. He admits the decision to remove the award...Dearborn, Dearborn Heights residents could get library-sharing option
A decision is expected by March 1 on a new plan that will allow Dearborn and Dearborn Heights residents to check out books and use computers and other services at each other's libraries. The city councils must approve the agreement first, however. There would be no cost involved if the plan goes through. ...Former MI Gov. Granholm has new job on west coast
Former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm is heading to the West Coast for a new job at the University of Cal-Berkeley, her alma-mater, to teach a joint course along with former First Gentleman Dan Mulhern. Granholm will also be a paid consultant for NBC's "Meet the Press," and has booked a speaking tour with her husband as well. In...SPJ votes to remove the Helen Thomas Lifetime Achievement Award
The Society of Professional Journalist’s board of directors voted to remove the Helen Thomas Lifetime Achievement Award on Jan. 14. SPJ will no longer offer a award for lifetime achievement. The action does not rename the award or remove Thomas’ name. A statement from the group following the...Yale law student group helps Iraqi refugees
The Ibrahims are a family seeking asylum in the west as refugees. They fled their home in Iraq after their son, Ibrahim, was blinded by a car bomb, their daughter, Tuhama, nearly died while trying to reach a hospital after they were repeatedly stopped by checkpoints and when the family’s life was threatened when the father...Attorney Akeel appointed ADC-Michigan Advisory Board Chairman
The American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee's Michigan (ADC-MI) office announced that attorney Shareef Akeel, a long-time friend and contributor to ADC, was appointed as the new Advisory Board Chairman. Akeel has tackled issues regarding immigration, First Amendment protections, religious organations' rights, discrimination, and...MLK Detroit March for Jobs, Peace, and Justice includes Palestine
DETROIT - The annual 2011 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Rally & March to Call for Jobs, Peace and Justice will begin on Monday, Jan. 17 from noon until 3 p.m. The event will begin at Central United Methodist Church on Woodward at Adams in downtown Detroit near Comerica Park and was sponsored by the Detroit MLK Planning...Human rights advocates release new resource
A new resource for human rights practitioners enabling them to monitor, document, and advocate for human rights was expected to be released on Thursday, Jan. 13 by the Advocates for Human Rights and U.S. Human Rights Network. The manual will provide guidance on how to use a human rights framework for social change and will be released...ISNA diversity conference this weekend
The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) is expected to hold its first annual diversity forum Jan. 14-16 at the Double Tree Hotel in Detroit. The workshop titled “Realizing the Dream: Finding Strength Through Diversity” is expected to educate attendees on the history, role and importance of diversity in Islam, and suggest tangible......
Journalist uses skills to help Muslim image in U.S.
Since September 11, 2001, Muslim Americans have had the challenge of facing stereotypes and prejudices within the media. Even with organizations and rights groups speaking out against hatred, “Islamaphobia” is still very high. In an effort to combat this, Mustafa Stefan Dill created a consultancy firm just for Muslims. Ummah...
Local former U.S. Navy man locked in isolation unit “without explanation”
January 15th, 20110 : United States Penitentiary Terre Haute, Ind. where the first Communications Management Unit was installed, locking prisoners away from the outside world including physical contact with families. Muslims have been disproportionately targeted according to the Center for Constitutional Rights.DEARBORN — A host of civil rights and......
Ford: 7,000 new jobs to be added; Dearborn positions likely
Last Monday, Ford Motor Company announced it would add 7,000 new jobs around the United States by the end of 2012. An estimated 750 engineering jobs are expected to come to Dearborn as part of the hirings. Ford is preparing to launch more SUVs and a line of hybrid electric cars. Ford reportedly earned a profit of $8.2 billion...Henry Ford Community College’s English Language Institute builds confidence, proficiency
DEARBORN —Could Henry Ford ever have imagined that the college bearing his name would one day be the gathering place for over 70 nationalities, all with one goal in mind: learning proficiency in English? Ford, whose father was an Irish immigrant, would be proud of Henry Ford Community College’s (HFCC) English Language Institute...ADC-MLK Scholarship essay submission deadline is Jan. 18, sponsors also sought
ADC-MI's Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship Program has announced that the deadline for student essay submissions is Tuesday, January 18, 2011 by 5 p.m. The organization's 12th annual dinner and reception will be held on February 11, 2010 in Dearborn at Byblos Banquet Hall at 6 p.m. For information on the scholarship and an application...CAIR claims partial victory in case against Debbie Schlussel
This afternoon at a hearing at the Theodore Levin U.S. Courthouse in downtown Detroit, local attorney and blogger Debbie Schlussel, known for her anti-Muslim rhetoric that many have deemed extremist in nature, announced through her attorney Andrew Kochanowski that she had changed the name of a website she created with the same name......
Vigil at Dearborn City Hall remembers victims of Gaza attacks
DEARBORN — A group of about 75 people gathered at the steps of Dearborn City Hall on Monday, December 27 in remembrance of the more than 1,400 victims, most of them civilians, of Israel's Operation Cast Lead in Gaza on the second anniversary of the attacks. Community members take part in a vigil to remember the more than 1,400...CAIR-Michigan sues Debbie Schlussel over trademark violations
SchlusselDETROIT - The Council on American Islamic Relations-Michigan (CAIR-MI) filed a lawsuit Wednesday, Jan. 5 against extremist Southfield blogger and attorney Debbie Schlussel for trademark infringement violations. Schlussel created the website cairmichigan.com which may be confusing supporters of the group who wish to......
Woman who threw pie at Levin charged
BIG RAPIDS — An antiwar protester who hit Michigan Sen. Carl Levin in the face with an apple pie has been charged with assault. An indictment filed Thursday charges Ahlam Mohsen of Coldwater with two counts of assault against the Democrat while he was meeting with constituents in August in Big Rapids. Her friend Max Kantar of Big...Helen Thomas back in action
Helen Thomas is back at work--this time, with a column in a weekly Virginia newspaper. Thomas was forced to resign last summer from her job as a columnist for Hearst after the controversy over her comments about Israel. But she has now secured a home for her weekly column in the Falls Church News-Press, which is located in Falls Church,......