Dearborn Heights responds to new state rules for lead testing in tap water
October 21st, 20190 DEARBORN HEIGHTS - In 2018, the Michigan Safe Drinking Water Act (MSDWA) was changed to include more stringent procedures for testing and analysis for lead and copper. The new regulations are intended to have a more proactive approach in monitoring each community’s lead and copper levels. Since 1992, the City of Dearborn Heights,...
Judge spares prison time for Detroit-area men who sent millions to Yemen
October 20th, 20191 DETROIT - U.S. District Judge Avern Cohn refused to send to prison a group of Detroit-area men who transferred millions of dollars to Yemen without registering as a money transfer business. Cohn refused such sentencing, even though legal guidelines called for a few or more of the men to see prison time. The group of men reportedly...
Alnadwa Free Thinking Society holds first annual banquet
October 20th, 20190 DEARBORN — Members of the greater Dearborn area public met for a rationalist meeting of the minds last Wednesday in the Annex of the Arab American Museum on Michigan Avenue at the first annual Alnadwa Free Thinking Society Dinner. Honorees and speakers covered a wide array of topics relating to scientific rationalist thinking, free...
Michigan community organizations hosting largest of its kind immigration conference this weekend
October 18th, 20190 DETROIT — The Michigan United Organization, along with the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS) and the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center (MIRC), is hosting The National Immigrant Integration Conference on Sunday, October 20 through October 22 at the TCF Center (formerly the Cobo Center). The conference is...
New report shows immigrants contribute significantly to Wayne County’s economy
October 18th, 20190 Detroit — New research from New American Economy (NAE), in partnership with the office of the Wayne County executive and Wayne United, reveals that immigrants contributed more than $10.5 billion to Wayne County’s GDP in 2017. In addition to their financial contributions, including $430.5 million to Social Security and $110.6...
Westland City Council candidates prepare for November general elections
October 17th, 20190 WESTLAND – The November 5 general election in Westland will see seven candidates compete for four open City Council seats. The candidates are Michael Delph, Timothy Gilbert, James Godbout, Debra Kehrer, Michael Londeau, Mike McDermott and Andrea Rutkowski. Only Godbout, the current City Council president, and Londeau are...
Attorney General Nessel issues statement on injunction blocking the state from enforcing its vaping ban
October 16th, 20190 LANSING — Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel issued a statement today after a judge on the Court of Claims issued a preliminary injunction blocking the state from enforcing its emergency vaping rules, which banned he sale of flavored vaping nicotine products among other measures to protect public health. “We are resolute in our...
Wayne County offering lead-reducing water filters to eligible low-income households in Garden City
October 16th, 20190 DETROIT — In response to lead found in drinking water provided by the Garden City Department of Public Works, the Wayne County Department of Health, Human and Veterans Services Public Health Division is providing lead-reducing water filters to low-income households in Garden City with children or pregnant women, a press release...
Wayne County Department of Public Services hosting job fair
October 15th, 20190 BROWNSTOWN TOWNSHIP — The Wayne County Department of Public Services is hosting a job fair to fill nearly 40 positions on Wednesday, October 16 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Sibley Maintenance Yard. Job seekers will receive on-the-spot interviews and candidates chosen to move forward will begin the necessary paperwork that can...
Arab American artists win Knight Arts Challenge Detroit
October 15th, 20190 DETROIT — A group of Arab American artists accepted the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation’s 2019 Knight Arts Challenge Detroit at an evening event at the Garden Theater in Detroit on Thursday. The artists are recipients of various generous grants furnished by the foundation. The Knight Foundation named 36 winners, chosen...
Former Macomb County Health and Community Services director files whistleblower lawsuit alleging retaliation
October 15th, 20190 DETROIT — Rhonda Powell, the former director of the Macomb County Department of Health and Community Services, is suing County Executive Mark Hackel and Deputy County Executive John Paul Rea in a whistleblower lawsuit alleging that her firing occurred in retaliation for her efforts to investigate employee complaints of racial...
Arab American Civil Rights League hosts eighth annual gala, honors congresswoman who stood against Israeli abuse of Palestinian children
October 12th, 20190 DEARBORN — The Arab American Civil Rights League held its eighth annual “Fight for Justice” Gala on Thursday, October 10 at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center, honoring those who fight for justice locally and nationally. Locally, the Courage in Public Service Award was given to Fadwa Hammoud, who became the...
Dr. Youssef Mosallam named Crestwood’s new superintendent
October 12th, 20190 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — On Wednesday night, the Crestwood Public Schools Board of Trustees held a special board meeting to appoint Dr. Youssef Mosallam the district's first Arab American superintendent. Mosallam is an educator who served in leadership positions in the Dearborn Public Schools in different capacities for more than two...
Immigrant advocates prepare for DHS’s tightened new public charge rule
October 12th, 20190 YPSILANTI – Attorneys from the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center (MIRC) have shared information about the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) new public charge rule ahead of its implementation this month. Following the August 14 publishing of new changes to the ground of admissibility of immigrants to the U.S. based on the...
Alleged victim testifies at Ibrahim Aljahim’s trial, confusion and deadlock ensues
October 10th, 20190 HAMTRAMCK – At a preliminary examination for Ibrahim Aljahim at the 31st District Court in Hamtramck on Thursday, both prosecutors and defense were unable to pin down for the court an accurate description of what occurred on the day of an alleged sexual assault by Aljahim on a student at the Oakland International Academy High......
Garden City Hospital celebrates five-year transformation and major facility upgrades
October 9th, 20190 GARDEN CITY — Garden City Hospital (GCH) celebrated its fifth anniversary with Prime Healthcare last month with a celebration of achievements in improved patient safety, efficiency, better outcomes and reduced cost. The improvements and new additions were unveiled at two open house events held at the hospital on September 25 and...
“Dearborn Girl” podcast hosts successful event to promote second season, including episode on mental health
October 9th, 20191 DEARBORN — The Arab American National Museum hosted a watch party for the “Dearborn Girl” podcast's second season on Wednesday, September 25, featuring the show's hosts and a Q&A session with recent “CNN Hero” awardee Najah Bazzy. The podcast, which is available on Youtube, Apple Podcast, Spotify and Stitcher, also......
Eleven individuals, including Dearborn Heights man, charged in health care scam
October 8th, 20190 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — A local man was among those named in federal indictments involving a Medicare fraud scheme. Eleven individuals in total from the Metro Detroit area were named in the unrelated schemes, during which the defendants are accused of pocketing tens of millions of dollars. The charges, announced this past Friday, were...
Opioid crisis continues to worry community as organizations search for solutions
October 6th, 20190 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — The nationwide opioid addiction crisis has been a source of pain and hardship in both the state and the local community in recent years, prompting organizations to rally and offer support. In the time period spanning from 1999 to 2016, a 17-fold increase in opioid prescription drug-related deaths was recorded...
AAPAC votes to endorse Dearborn Public School’s BRICS bond
October 6th, 20190 DEARBORN — Dearborn Public Schools (DPS) representatives met with the Arab American Political Action Committee (AAPAC) on Monday to present and discuss their proposal and seek endorsement for the upcoming BRICS bond placed on the November 5 ballot. The public meeting, held at The Arab American News offices in Dearborn, included...
40 years of service: Celebrating ACC’s mission with focus on the Seven Mile Project
October 6th, 20190 DETROIT – A usually quiet neighborhood on Seven Mile Road near John R appeared bustling with life on a pleasant, sunny Tuesday morning as a team of volunteers worked hard to organize a bimonthly food pantry. By 11 a.m., a large crowd of the area needy had convened on the four-building complex used by the Arab American and Chaldean......
Egyptian American artist uses digital medium to represent her spiritual journey
October 6th, 20190 Rowaida Omar, a 22-year-old Egyptian American artist, draws digital sketches she says are a reflection of what she sees in her life and surroundings. She said she’s been drawing since she was a young child. As she grew up, she turned to a digital medium for convenience of use and sharing her art online. “It just kind of grew...
Iraqi forces fire at protesters in Baghdad after prime minister pledges vague reform
October 6th, 20190 BAGHDAD — Iraqi police shot at a small group of protesters in Baghdad on Friday after three deadly days of anti-government unrest, and Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi said no “magic solution” was available, pledging vague reform unlikely to placate Iraqis. At least 27 people have been killed so far in violent demonstrations that......
Dearborn elementary receives National Blue Ribbon honor for third year in a row
October 4th, 20190 DEARBORN — Charles A. Lindbergh Elementary was officially recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a National Blue Ribbon School for the third year in a row on Thursday, September 26. The school educates 325 students in Kindergarten through fifth grade. “We recognize and honor your important work in preparing students...
Feds sue Troy for illegally rejecting mosque, denying religious freedoms
October 3rd, 20190 TROY — A lawsuit was filed on Thursday accusing the city of Troy of violating the religious rights of a Muslim group after denying zoning approval to build a mosque. The Council on American-Islamic Relations of Michigan (CAIR-MI) in Farmington Hills was among those offering praise for the decision. “The city of Troy is one of......
