From low income single mother to state senator
January 18th, 20190 LANSING — Betty Jean Alexander worked as a clerical specialist at the Wayne County Clerk’s office this time last year. She made $16 an hour, qualified for food stamps and took the bus to work. Now, after a surprising primary election win last fall, the 53-year-old Detroiter and single mother of two daughters is a state senator....
Michigan to send food stamps out early due to federal government shutdown
January 18th, 20190 LANSING — The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) will be issuing Food Assistant Program (FAP) benefits early for the month of February, as the partial federal government shutdown pushes toward a fourth week. As part of an early move to ensure assistance next month, Michigan is rushing to hand out February food...
Chad Newton appointed CEO of Detroit Metro Airport
January 18th, 20190 ROMULUS — Army veteran and former Wayne County deputy sheriff Chad Newton was elected chief executive officer of the Wayne County Airport on Wednesday, bringing with him a security background and a focus on diversity hiring. Newton previously served as VP of public safety at the airport and was appointed to his current post in...
Accused mastermind of opioid fraud case freed on record-setting $7M bond
January 17th, 20190 DETROIT — U.S. District Judge Stephen Murphy released Dr. Rajendra Bothra on a record $7 million bond on Tuesday despite concerns that he may flee to his native India. The Bloomfield Hills doctor is awaiting trial in July on charges of masterminding an opioid drug fueled scheme. Dr. Bothra and five other doctors allegedly cheated...
Rashida Tlaib fires back at Florida official and right wing media
January 17th, 20190 WASHINGTON, DC - Recently elected U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit) responded to racial attacks from Annabelle Lima-Taub on Wednesday, at a time when the Florida city commissioner faced calls for her resignation online. Lima-Taub signed an online petition last week calling for Tlaib's removal, according to a photo of her Facebook...
Dearborn Schools board of trustees select new officers
January 17th, 20190 DEARBORN — As part of School Board Recognition Month, Superintendent Glenn Maleyko took time at the January 14 school board meeting to thank the trustees for their service to the community. The school board trustees dedicate a lot of time sharing their expertise to benefit the students and families in the district. Maleyko said...
Nabih Ayad elected chairman of Wayne County Airport Authority Board
January 16th, 20192 ROMULUS — Arab American attorney Nabih Ayad was elected as the new chairman of the Wayne County Airport Authority Board today, a little over four years after he was first appointed to the board by former Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano in November 2014. Ayad, who has previously served as the board's secretary, is...
Florida official says Muslim Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib might ‘blow up’ Capitol Hill
January 15th, 20190 HALLANDALE BEACH, Florida — A Jewish commissioner from Hallandale Beach has accused a Muslim congresswoman from Michigan of being an anti-Semite who might “blow up Capitol Hill.” Her comments were directed at U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, who sparked a political firestorm soon after being sworn in to Congress on Jan. 3 by vowing...
Dearborn museum shows off stolen artifact recovered by FBI after 60 years
January 15th, 20190 DEARBORN — Media, residents, and history buffs alike gathered at the Dearborn Historical Museum's Commander's Quarters on Tuesday, as FBI and other officials showed off a newly recovered item with significant historical ties to the city. The item, an oxen powder horn made in 1757 and stolen from the Dearborn Historical Museum in...
New York federal judge blocks citizenship question from 2020 Census
January 15th, 20190 NEW YORK - United States District Judge Jesse M. Furman today, January 15, blocked Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross’s plan to add a citizenship question to the 2020 Census, agreeing with a coalition of states, cities, mayors and immigrant rights groups that Secretary Ross’s decision would be illegal. The Commerce Department, which...
Fadwa Hammoud appointed first Arab American and Muslim solicitor general in U.S. history
January 15th, 20190 LANSING — Fadwa A. Hammoud, a resident of Dearborn, has been appointed as the state's solicitor general by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. She is the first Arab American and Muslim solicitor general in U.S. history. “I am proud of the seasoned veterans who have chosen to return to state government – and to those who have...
Wayne County Circuit Judge Evans announces abrupt retirement on social media
January 15th, 20190 DETROIT — Wayne County Third Circuit Court judge Vonda Evans abruptly announced her retirement on Monday, January 14, at a time when she was facing a suspension from the Judicial Tenure Commission. “There comes a time when you have to make a decision. Do we turn the page or do we close the book?” Evans said in a tearful...
McCormack elected chief justice of Michigan Supreme Court
January 14th, 20190 LANSING - In an unanimous vote by her colleagues, Michigan Supreme Court Justice Bridget McCormack was elected chief justice on Wednesday, making this the first time in the state's history that the offices of governor, attorney general, secretary of state and chief justice are all held by women. McCormack succeeds Steve Markman, the...
The American Moslem Society celebrates 80th anniversary
January 14th, 20191 DEARBORN — On Friday, April 19, members of the Muslim community will celebrate the 80th anniversary of the American Moslem Society (ASM). Established in 1938 by first generation Muslim immigrants, AMS is celebrating 80 years of serving the community. The AMS, also known as the Dearborn Mosque, is one of the oldest mosques in...
Swearing-in ceremony sends off Rashida Tlaib to Washington D.C.
January 14th, 20190 RIVER ROUGE - Rep. Rashida Tlaib celebrated taking the oath of office as congresswoman of Michigan’s 13th District with a swearing-in ceremony at River Rouge High School on Saturday. Sophia Chue, executive director of Caribbean Community Service Center in Detroit, emceed the event. Supporters performed music and poetry leading up......
Henry Ford College President Russell Kavalhuna appointed to talent creation subcommittee
January 12th, 20190 DEARBORN — Late last year, former Gov. Snyder appointed Henry Ford College President Russell Kavalhuna to a two-year term on the state's 21st Century Talent Creation Subcommittee. The subcommittee will work with the governor’s Talent Investment Board, which includes industry executives, labor leaders, educators, lawmakers and...
Sam Baydoun sworn in as new Wayne County commissioner for Dearborn area
January 10th, 20191 DETROIT — Democrat Sam Baydoun of Dearborn was officially sworn in as the 13th District Wayne County Commission representative on Jan. 8, during the commission's organizational meeting for the new year. Baydoun, who represents the 13th District, was elected to a two-year term during the Nov. 6 general election and received the...
Congresswoman Dingell Honors Abbas Family on House Floor, Introduces Bill to Stop Drunk Driving
January 10th, 20190 WASHINGTON, DC – With people throughout Metro Detroit still reeling from recent news of the horrific car accident that took the lives of the Abbas family of Northville, Congresswoman Debbie Dingell took to the House floor today to memorialize them, and to introduce new legislation to stop drunk driving. “In every sense of the...
Wrong-way driver who killed Arab American family identified, suspected to be driving drunk
January 8th, 20190 LEXINGTON, KY — The man accused of killing a local Arab American family of five in Kentucky has been identified as Joey Lee Bailey, a report from FOX 2 News said. Bailey, was allegedly driving drunk in a Chevy pickup truck on the wrong way of I-75 for miles before hitting the Abbas family of Northville's SUV head-on in the early......
Michigan Supreme Court appoints new chief judge for Dearborn Court
January 7th, 20190 DEARBORN – The 19th District Court has announced the appointment of Gene Hunt as chief judge, a position in which he serves on Wayne County's second largest district court, effective January 1. The chief judge serves as the presiding officer of the court and also has “administrative superintending power and control over the...
Local Arab American family killed in wrong way driver crash in Kentucky
January 6th, 20190 LEXINGTON, KY — Six people were killed in the early hours of January 6 morning here as part of a wrong-way crash on I-75, police confirmed. Among them were Issam Abbas, Dr. Rima Abbas, and their three children. According to a report from LEX 18 in Kentucky, the crash happened around 2:30 a.m. near the 107 mile marker. The......
Rashida Tlaib shakes up Capitol Hill, calls for Trump’s impeachment
January 4th, 20194 WASHINGTON, D.C. — Just hours after being sworn into Congress, U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) shook up Capitol Hill by calling for President Trump's impeachment and repeating an expletive she used against him following her election in November. The comments were made to a crowd at an event sponsored by MoveOn, a progressive public...
Dearborn Police officer involved in collision while chasing stolen car
January 3rd, 20190 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — A Dearborn police officer was involved in a collision while driving through the intersection of Ford Road and Beech Daly on Wednesday around noon, according to a press release from Dearborn Police. The on-duty officer was responding to a call for backup from another officer who was following a......
