Former Dearborn Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Sr. dies
DEARBORN — Former Dearborn Mayor John B. O'Reilly, Sr., father of the current mayor of Dearborn, who led the City through two terms from 1978-1985, died on Wednesday, February 6 at his Lakeport, MI home. He was 89. Remembered for his phrase: "Good neighbors make good neighborhoods," as mayor he moved Dearborn forward in a time...Zaha Hadid’s design selected for MSU’s Broad Art Museum
LANSING — World-renowned architect Zaha Hadid of London has been selected as the winner in the design competition for the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum at Michigan State University. Hadid joined the Broads at two public events where MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon announced the winner. Zaha Hadid "With today's announcement of...Harkat jailed
Mohamed Harkat, one of the five Muslim men subjected to security certificates in Canada because of suspected links to terrorism, was arrested on January 29 and thrown into jail. The five are resisting deportation to countries where they risk mistreatment and death. Police and Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) agents took...Ottawa woman makes modern hijabs
The hijab will never be the same, not after what Abeer Al-Azzawi has done to it. She has produced a form-fitting hijab, which Jessica Stewin, writing in the University of Manitoba student paper, says should put an end to sports bodies' concerns about safety. Abeer's hijabs are all made in Ottawa, and so naturally she produces...Trial for terror suspect
Moroccan Saïd Namouh was in a Quebec court on January 31, charged with editing jihadist propaganda videos, including some showing the interrogation and execution of Iraqi police and others how to make suicide belts. He is said to have received $800 from a contact in Vienna to buy a weapon. An RCMP officer claimed that he was...Israel blamed in death of Canadian
Israel was at fault in the deaths of four observers from the U.N. Truce Supervision Organization, including Canadian Major Paeta Hess-von Kruedener. That was the finding made public February 1 by a Canadian Forces Board of Inquiry. The incident occurred during the Israeli-Hizbullah conflict. The observers were killed by...Khan is back
Welcome back, Wajid Khan. MP Wajid Khan was forced out of the Conservative parliamentary caucus when he was faced with charges of overspending during his campaign for office. He was elected as a Liberal but after serving Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper as an envoy to bring back a report on the Middle East and...Afghan torture scandal widens
After the Conservative Harper government admitted that it had stopped transferring prisoners to Afghan authorities last November following evidence of torture, new evidence has surfaced showing that Canadian officials were aware of torture at least as far back as April, 2007. As with the earlier revelations, the new information...Speak for Peace Tour in Detroit
CHICAGO — The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) will be a hosting a Speak for Peace Tour that will include Raed Jarrar, an Iraqi who was featured in several speaking tours organized by AFSC, as well as Iraq War veteran Patricia McCann, currently a resident of Chicago. They will be talking about their experiences in Iraq, about...Students encouraged to nominate a teacher for annual award
DEARBORN — Nomination forms for the 2007-08 Alberta Muirhead Teacher of the Year Award, sponsored by the Dearborn Chamber of Commerce, are now available on the district web site at www.dearbornschools.org or the Chamber website, www.dearbornchamber.org. Forms are also available at all Dearborn public schools, and the district...Local boxer maintains perfect record
DEARBORN — As he stepped into the boxing ring at the Palace of Auburn Hills on February 1st to do battle with yet another opponent on his quest for a title shot, Dearborn's own Brian Mihtar couldn't help but feel the pressure. In the lower bowl stood dozens of Mihtar's hometown fans, cheering him on and heckling his opponent. Behind...House of Commons passes security legislation
Facing a February 23 deadline set by the Supreme Court of Canada, the House of Commons passed a new law on February 4 authorizing security certificates for non-citizens deemed to be a potential danger to the country. The Court unanimously struck down the old one as a violation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms because it failed...Legal issues surrounding citizenship
Be very careful if you leave the country for more than six months Because most of the issues I address in this article relate to holders of "Green Cards," I would like to address the term "Green Card." The card is now officially known as a "Permanent Resident Card." In fact, it's no longer even green in...MLK Day observed with scholarships
DEARBORN — After giving away $14,000 in scholarship money January 25 at Byblos Banquet Hall in Dearborn to students from throughout the region at their group's ninth annual Martin Luther King Day celebration, American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) officials said to just wait until next year's event. First place ADC Martin...ACLU hosts conference on civil rights
DEARBORN — The Metro Detroit Branch of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in Michigan held its "Reclaiming Our Rights" conference on Saturday, January 26, at the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn. Detroit Branch NAACP Deputy Director Donnell White (l, at table), Dawud Walid, of the Council on American-Islamic Relations......
Secretary of State wants to ease travel document requirements
LANSING — Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land has urged swift approval of legislation that eases the identification burden on residents traveling to Canada, and also allows those who are in the U.S. legally but temporarily to apply for a driver's license or ID card. "Protecting our borders is critical in this post-911 world," Land told...How Qatar helped Katrina victims
"We Are All Witnesses," a new book produced by the Qatar Katrina Fund, serves as a first hand account of the rebuilding of the areas devastated by Hurricane Katrina. In the wake of the hurricane, which hit the north-central Gulf coast in August of 2005, the State of Qatar was among the first countries to commit financial support to the......
Hastings, Dingell urge Bush to address Iraqi refugee crisis
Washington — Congressman Alcee L. Hastings (D-FL), Chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (U.S. Helsinki Commission) and Special Representative on Mediterranean Affairs for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's (OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly, and Congressman John D. Dingell (D-MI), Chairman of...U of M students protest for Gaza
DEARBORN — "Peace and Justice UMD, not until Gaza's Free." Students at University of Michigan-Dearborn (UMD) screamed and protested Tuesday, January 29. They chanted all sorts of slogans in the midst of the cold and rain. They chanted for unity, justice, peace and freedom. They said they came together not only as Arabs but also as...Oakwood names corporate directors
Dearborn — Oakwood Healthcare Inc. (OHI) has appointed Lisa Rutledge and Roy Sexton to leadership roles in directing Oakwood's communications, planning and community outreach services. Rutledge was named corporate director of community outreach in October 2007. In this role, she oversees community outreach efforts, including community...Tax assistance provided at ACCESS
DEARBORN — The Accounting Aid Society is scheduled to begin holding free income tax preparation assistance sessions at ACCESS, 2651 Saulino Court in Dearborn, starting Saturday, February 2. Assistance will be available every Saturday in February from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to low income families and individuals—up to $40,000 annual income......
City announces plans for Wards building
DEARBORN – Nearly seven years after Dearborn's massive Montgomery Ward department store at Michigan Avenue and Schaefer Road closed its doors and began deteriorating from the inside out, the city, which acquired the building in 2005, is on the verge of closing a deal to sell the property and have it redeveloped into a major...Hamtramck passes ordinance against profiling
The Hamtramck City Council passed an ordinance Tuesday prohibiting city employees from policing or denying services to people based on their appearance, immigration status and other factors. Council on Islamic-American Organizations-Michigan Executive Director Dawud Walid speaks to Hamtramck City Council during a hearing on an......
Chertoff warns of new rules
As of February 1, Canadians and Americans who have been visiting Canada will face enhanced identification requirements at land crossings. That is what Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff told a Toronto Globe and Mail reporter on January 18. Anyone over 19 crossing the border by land will need a document with a photo...Reporters ordered to reveal sources
In a classical collision between an accused's rights and the right of journalists to maintain the confidentiality of sources, Canadian Federal Court Judge Simon Noël has come down on the side of the accused. The case involves Adil Charkaoui, a Moroccan, who was imprisoned in 2003 under a security certificate, accused of being an......