Michigan to receive $156M in federal funds for rooftop solar panels in low-income areas
April 26th, 20240 LANSING – Michigan will get more than $156 million in federal funding for a program to expand residential solar in low-income communities, part of a federal initiative to confront climate change while reducing energy bills for people in low income areas. “Michigan is committed to leading the future of clean energy, lowering utility...
Michigan implementing “kinship care” rule; feds say it’s first in the country to do so
April 19th, 20240 Michigan has become the first state to be approved to implement separate licensing standards for kin caregivers — extended family members like grandparents, aunts and uncles serving as foster care providers. Advocates said goal of kinship care is to keep families together, increase equity in the child welfare system and allow...
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani visits Metro Detroit, meets with community
April 19th, 20240 On Thursday, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani paid a quick visit to Metro Detroit. The Iraqi leader's first stop was at the Islamic Institute of America, a Dearborn Heights mosque, and his second stop was at the Shenandoah Country Club in West Bloomfield, where he had dinner with local Iraqi Americans. al-Sudani's visit was...
AG’s office to investigate how Fay Baydoun used a $20M grant
April 19th, 20240 Attorney General Dana Nessel's office has opened an investigation into a $20 million grant awarded to a Metro Detroit businesswoman used on expenses that included a $4,500 coffee maker, an $11,000 first-class plane ticket and $408,000 in salaries for two people over three months. Nessel's office confirmed Wednesday it had opened an...
LaPita Restaurant in West Dearborn celebrates 30 years of serving authentic Mediterranean cuisine
April 19th, 20240 DEARBORN – During the last week of the Holy month of Ramadan, LaPita Restaurant in Dearborn held a Ramadan Iftar on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of its founding, attended by local officials and community leaders. While Dearborn has plenty of Middle Eastern restaurants that make it a destination for connoisseurs of...
Dearborn Heights landlord agrees to pay $185K to eight women he sexually harassed
April 12th, 20240 DETROIT – On Monday, April 8, the Justice Department announced that a Dearborn Heights landlord, Mohamad Hussein, has agreed to pay $185,000 in damages and a civil penalty to the government to resolve the Fair Housing Act (FHA) lawsuit concerning his sexual harassment of actual and prospective female tenants. Hussein has owned and...
Dearborn neighborhood pools to receive major upgrades for the first time in 70 years
April 12th, 20240 DEARBORN – Three city-owned neighborhood pools will undergo major renovations for the first time since their construction in the 1950s. On Tuesday, April 9, the City Council unanimously approved a $5,371,430 contract to overhaul public pools and bathhouses at Ten Eyck, Lapeer and Summer Stephens Parks beginning in May. “With...
“Death to America” chants during Al-Quds rally in Dearborn receive strong condemnation from Arab Americans: It has no place in our community
April 12th, 20240 DEARBORN – Anti-American chants from some participants in the International Day of Al-Quds or “International Jerusalem Day” march held in Dearborn last Friday sparked wide condemnation by local Arab and Muslim Americans. Several local officials and leaders in the Dearborn area were quick to condemn the chants, while the right-wing...
CAIR reports anti-Muslim discrimination high as Israel’s war on Gaza continues
April 6th, 20240 Michigan’s chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations saw more than a 200 percent increase in civil rights complaints reported, according to its 2023 report, “Gaza and the Rise in Bigotry against Michigan Muslims”, released on Tuesday. Nationally, CAIR received 8,061 complaints – 495 of which from Michigan – in...$4,500 for a coffee maker? $40,000 for furniture? How Fay Beydoun is spending a $20m taxpayer grant
April 6th, 20240 A $20 million state grant given to Fay Beydoun, a Metro Detroit businesswoman in 2022 continues to raise concerns as former associates — including the chairman of the American Arab Chamber of Commerce — question the means by which the money was obtained and how it’s being spent. Fay Beydoun, who received the $20 million grant to...
Palestinian American journalist files discrimination lawsuit against CBS Detroit
March 29th, 20240 Palestinian American journalist Ibrahim Samra filed a federal discrimination lawsuit against CBS News Detroit and its parent company, Paramount, after being fired on Feb. 28. The lawsuit alleges CBS fired Samra after he filed complaints about how the station treated him and went about covering Israel's war on Gaza, Samra’s lawyer...
U.S. Supreme Court’s unanimous vote allows CAIR’s challenge against No Fly List placement to proceed
March 22nd, 20240 WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Yonas Fikre’s challenge to his previous placement on the No Fly List can proceed, rejecting the government’s claim that his removal from the list rendered the lawsuit void. Fikre is an Arab and Muslim American initially from Sudan, who was tortured and...
Death and destruction in Gaza leave local Muslims little to celebrate in Ramadan this year
March 22nd, 20240 From new fundraisers to event cancellations for extra reflection, Ramadan looks especially different this year. The Ramadan Suhoor Festival in Dearborn usually attracts thousands of people to the Fairlane Town Center. Founder Hassan Chami said he canceled the event this year because he doesn’t think the joy is justified, even if the...
Former Grosse Pointe Park pharmacist sentenced to prison for filling fake prescriptions
March 22nd, 20240 DETROIT – On Wednesday, March 15, a New Baltimore resident and former Grosse Pointe Park pharmacist was sentenced to 8 years and 4 months in federal prison for filling fake prescriptions, following her convictions for 26 drug-related crimes, including unlawful distribution of controlled substances and conspiracy to unlawfully...
Local artist presented with the Art and Culture Award by the Lebanese Ministry of Culture
March 21st, 20240 DEARBORN — During an exhibition showcasing some of his work, international artist Haroutioun “Harout” Isack Bastajian was presented with the Art and Culture Award by the Lebanese Ministry of Culture. The Lebanese artist of Armenian ethnicity decorated the interior of the Islamic Center of America prayer room and his artwork has......
New naturopathic clinic opens in Dearborn
March 19th, 20240 DEARBORN — A new naturopathic clinic has made its way to Dearborn with the inception of Tribal Wellness opened by Dearborn native Dr. Ahmad Ali Anani, ND. Located in the heart of West Dearborn at 22022 Michigan Avenue Suite #27, this clinic offers naturopathic consultations to discern the root causes of health issues and imbalances....
Statewide Tornado Drill Scheduled for March 20
March 18th, 20240 LANSING — Governor Whitmer has declared March 17-23 as Michigan’s Severe Weather Awareness Week, and the Michigan State Police, Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division (MSP/EMHSD) is calling on residents to act by participating in a voluntary statewide tornado drill at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, March 20. “Last August,......
Dearborn Police make arrest in violent home invasion
March 18th, 20240 DEARBORN – On March 17, at approximately 2 p.m., Dearborn Police officers responded to a residence near Southfield Rd and Outer Dr following a reported home invasion and assault. Upon arrival, officers discovered two elderly female residents who had been severely abused and sexually assaulted by an unknown adult male who illegally...
Dearborn native Fayrouz Saad appointed as an assistant to DHS Secretary Mayorkas
March 15th, 20240 WASHINGTON, D.C. – On February 25, Dearborn native Fayrouz Saad was appointed to serve as the assistant secretary, office of partnership and engagement, at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. In this role, Saad serves as the primary advisor for DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on external engagements and the impact of the...
ICE agents begin wearing body cameras in Detroit and four other cities
March 15th, 20240 WASHINGTON, D.C. – Starting Wednesday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in five U.S. cities started wearing body cameras as required by an executive order from President Biden. ICE agents in Detroit, Philadelphia, Washington, Buffalo and Baltimore are wearing the cameras in the first phase of deployment for the...
War on Gaza costing Starbucks in the Dearborn area big bucks
March 15th, 20240 DEARBORN – Starbucks cafés in the Dearborn area are witnessing an unprecedented decline in customers’ demand for the chain’s most famous products, just as they are elsewhere in the U.S and around the world. This decline comes in conjunction with continuing campaigns on social media platforms to boycott the company, which is......
State of Wayne County address: Evans touts achievements and future challenges, describes conditions in Gaza as inhumane
March 15th, 20240 DEARBORN – On Tuesday, Wayne County Executive Warren C. Evans delivered his annual State of the County address at the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center in Dearborn, to a packed house of state, city, regional and county officials and community leaders, as well as friends and family. He spoke about the milestones and many...
Delegation from UNRWA visits Dearborn, meets with mayor and community leaders
March 15th, 20240 DEARBORN – Amid preparations by U.S. officials for a potentially indefinite suspension of funding to the principal U.N. agency supporting Palestinians due to Congressional opposition, the American Human Rights Council (AHRC-USA) welcomed a delegation from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) to......
DWIHN looks to youth voices helping to address critical mental health issues
March 15th, 20240 DETROIT – Over the last decade there has been an increase in crisis response to tragic incidents that directly impact young people, from school shootings to suicides across the nation – many of which stem from unaddressed mental health concerns. Agency launches Mental Health Youth Council for High Schoolers In response to this, the...
DWIHN mobile crisis services expanding to reach more people in need
March 8th, 20240 DETROIT – The Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network (DWIHN) is entering phase two of its mobile crisis roll out, expanding its services now to help children and adolescents as well as adults in crisis. The mobile crisis team has also moved to operating seven days a week, Monday-Sunday, 7 a.m to 3 p.m. “We are excited to announce......
