December 12th, 20240DEARBORN HEIGHTS - Mayor Bill Bazzi has announced that Dearborn Heights Deputy Police Chief Hussein Farhat will be appointed interim police chief effective Jan. 6.
This appointment comes with the resignation of current interim Police Chief Kevin Swope, who has accepted a similar position in another city.
Swope had been appointed...
November 29th, 20240DEARBORN HEIGHTS – Mayor Bill Bazzi has announced the appointment of digital marketing specialist Lielle Saad as the new director of the city's Community and Economic Development Department (CEDD). Bazzi expressed optimism about Saad's ability to advance the department in alignment with the city’s goals and the needs of its residents...
July 5th, 20240DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Following an intense budget battle that almost resulted in a government shutdown, Dearborn Heights Police Chief Jerrod Hart has resigned.
Hart submitted his notice of “constructive termination” to be effective immediately, stating that his departure comes as a result of, “... the continued harassment,...
June 28th, 20240DEARBORN HEIGHTS — As the budget deadline looms, the city of Dearborn Heights has failed to approve a budget proposal for the fiscal year beginning on July 1 and ending on June 30, 2025.
During a nearly two and a half hour-long City Council meeting on June 25, Councilwoman Nancy Breyer was the only Council member to move for the...
May 24th, 20240MONTREAL – The international Great Lakes-Saint Lawrence Cities Initiative recently honored Dearborn Heights Mayor Bill Bazzi as its 2024 U.S. Member of the Year. The award comes in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the organization's mission of promoting access to clean, safe and affordable water for all residents of the...
March 5th, 20240DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Dearborn Heights Mayor Bill Bazzi has announced the appointment of a new director of emergency management for the city.
Hussein Farhat, a 29-year veteran of law enforcement, began his career as a deputy sheriff with the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department before moving into a position with the Romulus Police...
February 2nd, 20240DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Barely over a week after the City Council passed a resolution canceling the salary and benefits for two police department directors and the chief of police announced a leave of absence, both directors and the chief have filed a federal lawsuit against the city.
Directors Kevin Swope, Paul Vanderplow and Chief...
January 26th, 20240DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Dearborn Heights Police Chief Jerrod Hart announced a leave of absence due to “employment induced” health concerns and voiced frustrations over actions taken by the City Council during a recent Council meeting.
During the Jan. 23 City Council meeting, the Council passed a “no confidence” resolution against...
January 25th, 20240DEARBORN HEIGHTS — The City Council passed a “no confidence” resolution against Mayor Bill Bazzi, Corporation Counsel Roger Farinha and Police Chief Jerrod Hart in a 5-2 vote and unanimously voted to cancel the salary and benefits of two directors within the Police Department.
The resolution passed with “yes” votes from Mo...
January 13th, 20240DEARBORN HEIGHTS — The city of Dearborn Heights will be hosting a free legal clinic for its residents at the end of the month.
The first legal clinic of 2024 will take place on Wednesday, Jan. 31 from 6 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. at the Dearborn Heights City Hall. Volunteer attorneys who specialize in landlord/tenant disputes, wills and...
October 27th, 20231DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Crestwood School District officials and city officials are responding after national media outlets misrepresented a peaceful, student-led walkout as being “pro-terrorist.”
On Friday, October 20 at 9:55 a.m., a group of Crestwood High School students organized a peaceful walkout that was intended to show...
September 8th, 20230DETROIT, DEARBORN HEIGHTS – Almost six weeks after the Wayne County Election Commission unanimously rejected a petition seeking to recall Dearborn Heights Mayor Bill Bazzi, the Wayne County Circuit Court rejected an appeal to the recall petition, which was rejected by the three members of the commission on July 25, last...
August 18th, 20230DEARBORN HEIGHTS – On Wednesday, a few days after coming in third place in the Aug. 8 primary election and advancing to the November general election, Dearborn Heights City Council Vice Chair Ray Muscat announced his resignation, citing "health reasons."
Muscat's resignation opens the door to a number of questions related to the...
July 26th, 20230DEARBORN HEIGHTS — In a 3-0 vote, the Wayne County Elections Commission rejected a recall petition levied against Mayor Bill Bazzi due to insufficient clarity.
The recall petition had been filed on July 7 by former Treasurer and Councilman Zouher Abdel-Hak, who is running for a seat on the City Council in the upcoming primary...
July 22nd, 20230DEARBORN HEIGHTS – Informed sources told The Arab American News that one of the people involved in vandalizing the Warren Valley Golf Course in Dearborn Heights has turned himself in to the local authorities who are pursuing investigations in order to reach at least two other people who were involved in causing severe damage to the...
July 14th, 20230DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Mayor Bill Bazzi has been elected to the Board of Directors of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, making the city one of three Michigan-based cities represented on the board.
The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative is a binational coalition of elected officials that works to protect and...
April 8th, 20230DEARBORN HEIGHTS — The city will host a public hearing regarding its plans to execute its state-mandated sewer separation project – along with plans to fund the project via the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes & Energy (EGLE) Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF). The hearing will take place Monday, April 24...
February 17th, 20230At a luncheon meeting hosted by the Dearborn Area Chamber of Commerce under the title of "The Tale of Our Cities"
Hammoud and Bazzi give briefings on the achievements of their administrations over the past year: Addressing the flood dilemma is a top priority
DEARBORN — Mayor Abdullah Hammoud and Dearborn Heights Mayor Bill Bazzi...
February 6th, 20230DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Mayor Bill Bazzi dropped into a resident's 100th birthday party at the Berwyn Senior Recreation Center.
Gene Monahan, a long-time resident of Dearborn Heights, reached the century milestone on January 22. Her birthday celebration was hosted on February 2 at the center with 20 other area residents and Berwyn staff....
October 15th, 20220DEARBORN HEIGHTS — A seventh grade student in the Dearborn Heights' District 7 School District has succumbed to his injuries after being struck by a car Friday night.
The student, 12-year-old Joey Smith, was fatally struck by a vehicle as he rode his bike home from a high school football game at Annapolis High School on Oct....
October 6th, 20220DEARBORN HEIGHTS — The Dearborn Heights police commissioner, Dr. Joseph E. Thomas Jr., has passed away at the age of 72.
Thomas died on Oct. 2 after a short illness.
Thomas had been hired as the city's first police commissioner in January on a six-month basis, which had been extended once already. He answered directly to Mayor...
July 3rd, 20220DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Elected officials and staff leaders from Dearborn Heights joined Wayne County department leaders to conduct an information workshop.
The event took place at the Dearborn Heights City Hall and was the first meeting of its kind between the city and the county.
The event was geared towards giving both the city...
June 19th, 20220DEARBORN HEIGHTS — A little over two months into its time with the city, Priority Waste has had numerous unhappy customers, and city officials have had enough.
Over the past several weeks, the city has received several complaints from residents regarding missed stops, delays in trash and recycling pick-ups and even accusations...
May 19th, 20220DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Employees and patrons of the Dearborn Heights library system joined forces to honor former library employees who have passed away.
The commemorative tree planting was requested by staff to honor Cyndi Howard, a long time staff member who recently passed away.
“In an effort to recognize some other staff that...
May 7th, 20220DEARBORN HEIGHTS — The city of Dearborn Heights has finally completed a long overdue renovation of its City Council chambers, now called “Studio B.”
The City Council kicked off its April 26 meeting with a celebratory ribbon cutting.
The room underwent a total renovation from the ground up, including construction, decor,...
May 6th, 20222DEARBORN HEIGHTS — The city is planning city wide sweeps to address blight and ordinance enforcement.
Mayor Bill Bazzi told The Arab American News that the city has been receiving several complaints about blight and ordinance enforcement throughout both the north and south ends of the city.
“These aren’t new complaints,”...
May 1st, 20220DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Months after former Police Chief Mark Meyers was terminated, the ACT 78 Commission ruled in his favor, but the city is still contesting.
Meyers was relieved of his position in February, which he contested before the Act 78 Commission on March 24.
Act 78, or the Police and Civil Service Act, was first passed in...
April 29th, 20220DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Dearborn Heights Police Officer Christopher Suggs has been promoted to police sergeant after eight years with the department.
Suggs, an officer with the Dearborn Heights Police Department since 2014, was originally studying mechanical engineering during his first two years of college.
“I started studying and...
