Dearborn Heights: The mayoral race is the only one on the Aug. 3 ballot
July 25th, 20210 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — With partial and full terms on the ballot for the 2021 elections, only the mayor’s position is up for election in the August 3 primary. The partial terms are for mayor, ending on Dec. 31, city clerk, ending on Dec. 31, and a City Council seat, ending on Dec. 31, 2023. Mayor The partial term for mayor is to...
Dearborn mayoral race in dollars: How much have candidates spent/received?
July 24th, 20210 Campaign finance reports show how much candidates in Dearborn’s mayoral race have received and spent in campaign funds through mid July. Dearborn mayoral candidate Gary Woronchak has compiled a summary of each candidate's finances, with numbers rounded up from reports publicly available. The information is found on Woronchak’s...
Westland: Four vying for mayor and 12 competing for four City Council seats
July 24th, 20210 WESTLAND — Voters will choose from four candidates for mayor and 12 for City Council in the Aug. 3 primary. In Westland, four Council members are elected at each regular odd year city election. The three candidates who receive the highest number of votes are elected to four-year terms and the candidate receiving the fourth highest...
City of Dearborn to offer Arabic translations for August 3 primary, bilingual ballots
July 24th, 20210 DEARBORN — With a packed ballot for the August 3 primary, Arab American advocates have been asking the city to offer translated voting material. On the ballot for the primary election, residents will be narrowing the fields for mayor and City Council and will decide the outcome of proposals asking for a renewal of a six-year...
Westland Mayor Bill Wild looking to retain his seat for a fourth term: “We still have much work to do”
July 24th, 20211 WESTLAND — Bill Wild, the city's longest-serving mayor, is currently running for a fourth term. Before first being elected mayor in 2007, Wild served for six years on the City Council and two years on the Planning Commission. As one of four candidates for mayor, Wild has already been endorsed by AAPAC, UAW Region 1A, Westland...
Retired Detroit Police Chief James Craig explores run for governor
July 23rd, 20210 DETROIT — Former Detroit Police Chief James Craig, who had 44 years of law enforcement experience, has announced his campaign for governor. In an appearance on Fox News Channel’s Tucker Carlson Tonight Program on Wednesday, Craig said, “I’ve got to tell you, I’m running.” That same day Craig officially launched an...
Around 100 Dearborn homeowners report water back up after last weekend’s storm
July 23rd, 20210 DEARBORN – Last Saturday’s rainfall brought flashbacks of late June’s horrific flooding in Dearborn. The Arab American News learned that approximately 100 homeowners in the area north of Hemlock Avenue between Schaefer and Miller Roads on the city’s east side reported 2-3 inches of water back up in their basements to the...
Flooded again: Dearborn Heights residents experience second flood within a month
July 23rd, 20210 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Following heavy rainfall on Friday, July 16, at least 75 residents reported flooding in their homes to the mayor’s office. The second round of flooding came just one day after President Biden announced a national disaster for the June flooding that devastated more than 12,000 homes in Dearborn and more than...
Delta variant and vaccine hesitancy put COVID advances in jeopardy
July 22nd, 20210 The U.S. is now seeing an uptick in COVID-19 cases, as the highly-contagious Delta variant driving infections among those unvaccinated across the country, especially in areas where vaccination rates remain relatively low. Johns Hopkins University tallies show the average number of daily COVID cases in the U.S. has gone up 66 percent...
City of Dearborn offers additional DPW yard hours for debris disposal
July 22nd, 20210 DEARBORN – While the city’s Department of Public Works (DPW) yard is usually open the third Saturday of every month, the city is expanding that for residents to dispose of bulk items. The DPW yard will be open from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Saturday, July 24 and Saturday, July 31 for disposal of flood-damaged items and other bulk...
Debbie Dingell to host virtual town hall to discuss flood assistance
July 22nd, 20210 DEARBORN — U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Dearborn) will be hosting a virtual town hall to discuss resources for residents impacted by the June flooding. Dingell will be joined by representatives from FEMA, the Small Business Administration (SBA) and state and local officials to provide the most up-to-date information for residents...
AG Dana Nessel warns of price-gouging by companies in response to the flooding
July 21st, 20210 LANSING — Attorney General Dana Nessel warns that her office has been receiving complaints of price-gouging from flood victims. The bulk of the initial complaints were related to the immediate effects of the flooding, including issues related to auto towing and storage, as well as property damage. We’re here to protect you and...
Attainable housing critical to growing economic opportunity
July 20th, 20211 — The following article was contributed by Michele Wildman, senior vice president at the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC). When it comes to economic development, topics around jobs and private investment often dominate the conversation – and there is no doubt they are a crucial driver of growth and talent...
Dearborn residents raise questions over Mayor O’Reilly’s ability to lead
July 17th, 20210 DEARBORN — During Tuesday’s nearly four and a half hour City Council meeting, residents voiced their concerns over the health of Mayor Jack O’Reilly. After O’Reilly posted a recent statement on the city’s Facebook page, resident Mike Hacham produced documents to the Council on why the mayor is unable to continue in his...
Dearborn residents voice frustrations over flooding
July 17th, 20210 DEARBORN — With a packed agenda of 61 items for the City Council to address, residents filled the Dearborn Administrative Center (DAC) to make their voices heard. With Council chambers at full capacity, residents were guided by the heavy police presence to overflow rooms where they could view the meeting on TV screens throughout......
ACC president writes to Biden urging support for Jordan’s King Abdullah
July 17th, 20210 TROY — Dr. Haifa Fakhouri, founder, CEO and president of the Arab American and Chaldean Council (ACC), wrote to President Biden on Thursday, urging "moral and financial support" for Jordan's King Abdullah II, on the occasion of his visit to the White House on July 19. "As Jordan being the United States' longest and strongest ally...
What to know when filing flood claims with the insurance company
July 17th, 20210 DEARBORN/HEIGHTS — With residents still reeling from the devastating flooding that impacted Wayne County in June, one attorney is offering advice for dealing with insurance agencies. Rabih Hamawi, an attorney based in Southfield, is an expert when it comes to insurance claims and property damage. Hamawi began working as a......
Biden declares disaster in Wayne County
July 15th, 20211 WAYNE COUNTY — President Biden has issued a presidential disaster declaration for Wayne County following the storms that devastated the area in late June. The declaration comes after Governor Whitmer requested FEMA’s help. “President Biden’s declaration opens up critical resources to help Michigan residents recover from...
Peters, Stabenow announce Detroit Metro Airport will receive more than $111.7 million through the American Rescue Plan
July 15th, 20210 LANSING — U.S. Senators Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow announced that Detroit Metro Wayne County Airport will receive federal funding. The airport is expected to receive $111,717,342 in federal funding to come from the American Rescue Plan to help the airport maintain operations and provide economic support that was lost as a...
Dearborn Heights votes to allocate $300,000 for clean-up efforts
July 15th, 20210 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Near the end of an almost three-hour meeting, one City Councilman spoke up to change the rules a little bit. Nearly two weeks after heavy rainfall devastated the city by causing flooding and sewer backup in many homes, Councilman Mo Baydoun said there is still debris sitting on curbsides. “There is still...
Hamtramck Public Schools purchases new property to expand services
July 14th, 20210 HAMTRAMCK — Hamtramck Public Schools (HPS) announced this week the purchase of additional property, the second such purchase this year. The district, which services much of the area's diverse population, including Yemeni and Bengali families, has finalized the purchase of the property at 8633 Joseph Campau Avenue. This comes after......
Whitmer requests disaster declaration to secure federal aid for flood victims
July 13th, 20210 LANSING — The state completed a crucial step in getting federal aid to Wayne County communities affected by recent flooding on Tuesday. Governor Whitmer requested that President Biden declare a major disaster for the state as a result of the heavy rainfall and flooding in late June. The request comes at the conclusion of an...Dearborn call center lets residents report flood damage by Aug. 9 deadline
July 13th, 20210 DEARBORN — The city government is reminding residents of a phone line for flooding-related business. Residents can call the Dearborn Flood Response Call Center at 313-586-3181 to report flood damage to the city and get information on resources. The deadline for residents affected by the storms of June 25-26 to report flood......
Q&A: Dearborn Engineering Dept. answers questions about flooding, sewage, east and Southend of Dearborn
July 10th, 20210 DEARBORN — The Dearborn Engineering Department answered the following questions regarding recent flooding in the city. The questions from The Arab American News were conveyed through the city's public information director, Mary Laundroche. A federally-mandated sewer separation project to mitigate pollution into the Rouge River was...
Mayor O’Reilly makes statement on public absence during flood crisis, cites health issues
July 9th, 20210 DEARBORN — After alarm from the community about the very public absence of the city’s longtime mayor during a historic flood, Mayor O’Reilly made a statement declaring he has had health issues on Friday. The statement, attributed to O'Reilly, says health issues have impacted his "ability to attend public engagements" and make......
