Among devastated Arabs and Muslims, Trump’s victory is a call to organize
November 11th, 20160 DEARBORN — Tuesday night was a nail biting ordeal for most Arab Americans. Across Dearborn and in Hamtramck, where high concentrations of Arab and Muslim Americans reside, the community was mobilized and went to the polls vote in promising numbers. After dozens of volunteers and local candidates campaigned at precincts, they...
Universal Academy holds memorial for teen who drowned saving sister
November 11th, 20160 Labak's mother and brother standing next to the memorial tree at the tree planting ceremony.DEARBORN — With the direction of the superintendent of Universal Academy, Nawal Hamadeh, the academy's administrative team held a memorial tree planting ceremony at the campus on Friday, Nov. 4 at 10 a.m. to honor the life of Abdulrahman Labak,...
Historic win for Abdullah Hammoud sets stage for challenges in state House
November 11th, 20162 State Rep-elect Abdullah Hammoud at a Dearborn polling location. DEARBORN — Sealing his promise to Dearborn voters, Abdullah Hammoud, the Democratic candidate for the 15th District in the State House of Representatives, became the first Arab American Muslim man to win that seat. An aura of unease and suspense set in...
Four Eastern Michigan students face possible expulsion after protesting racist graffiti
November 11th, 20160 YPSILANTI — Four students may be expelled after a group participated in a sit-in protest at Eastern Michigan University's Student Center on Wednesday, Nov. 2. The protests began Tuesday night after the racial slur "Leave N*****" was spray-painted outside Ford Hall that Monday. The graffiti was removed...
Regional transit proposal rejected in southeast Michigan
November 11th, 20160 ANN ARBOR — On Tuesday Nov. 8, southeast Michigan vetoed a $4.6 billion regional transit plan by a slight margin. The plan did not pass in two of four counties that had the proposal on the ballot. Most voters in Oakland and Macomb counties did not support it, while voters in Washtenaw and Wayne counties did. The 20-year,...
Local races drive Arab Americans to the polls
November 11th, 20160 DEARBORN — Arab Americans flocked to the polls on Election Day to support local candidates, but a lack of enthusiasm for any of the presidential candidates resulted in a lower turnout in Dearborn compared to the 2012 election. The community celebrated a major milestone with Democrat Abdullah Hammoud's win in the race for the...
McCollough-Unis School holding winter clothing drive for refugee and new immigrant students
November 11th, 20160 Students from the outreach program working on a Halloween activity and learning about the holiday - Courtesy of Mariam Abadeh. DEARBORN — As Dearborn Public Schools receive more refugee and immigrant students, the Multi-Tiered System of Support team at McCollough-Unis School started a winter clothing drive through...
Dearborn voters elect Hussein Berry and Fadwa Hammoud to School Board
November 11th, 20160 DEARBORN — On Tuesday Nov. 8, voters elected real estate broker Hussein Berry and Wayne County Assistant Prosecutor Fadwa Hammoud Dearborn School Board trustees. They came in first and second place, respectively. Berry received 16,303 votes and Hammoud received 15,913. Candidate Adel Mozip trailed behind with 11,195 votes and Khodr...
Nadia Berry becomes first Arab American elected to Crestwood School Board
November 11th, 20160 Nadia Berry (C) with her brother , Mike Jaafar, and his wife Angela.DEARBORN HEIGHTS — The Crestwood School Board race will go down in the books as a notable one, as Nadia Berry becomes the first Arab American resident to be elected to the board. Berry bolted into first place against her opponents, two of whom were incumbents....
Hunt wins heated Dearborn Judge race
November 11th, 20160 Gene Hunt with his family.DEARBORN — Attorney Gene Hunt first conceded before discovering that he was the winner of the 19th District Court judge race. When all of Dearborn's 48 precincts had reported their numbers, City Council President Susan Dabaja appeared to have been the winner, with more than 1,100 votes over Hunt. But...
Oakland County’s Arab American candidate results
November 10th, 20160 PONTIAC — In Oakland County, about 669 thousand residents voted, and there were no major surprises in the results. The county has sustained its Democratic leaning, as 51 percent of residents voted for Hillary Clinton. Donald Trump received 43 percent of the votes. Republican County Sheriff Michael Bouchard was re-elected, as about...
Police puzzled by Iraqi woman’s disappearance in Ohio
November 9th, 20160 LAKEWOOD, OH — Police and FBI in Ohio are searching for an Iraqi woman, and former Dearborn resident, who has been missing since October 16. Lakewood Police Chief Tim Malley held a press conference at Cleveland FBI headquarters requesting the public's assistance in finding Roaa Al Dhannoon, 24, who resided...
Local 2016 election results
November 9th, 20160 DEARBORN - Final election reports show that in Dearborn's 48 precincts, 64% of registered voters turned out at the polls on Tuesday -- that's 40,116 of 61,829. Of those, 73.2% (14,908) checked straight Democratic party on the ticket.Dearborn residents leaned toward Hillary Clinton, as almost 63% (24,940) voted for the Democratic...
Bill Clinton woos Arab Americans with surprise Dearborn visit
November 6th, 20160 A local woman chats with Bill Clinton at Super Greenland DEARBORN - Former President Bill Clinton surprised Arab American residents in Dearborn on Sunday evening, with unannounced visits to two local businesses. The 42nd President was in town following a rally in Lansing earlier in the afternoon, where he was campaigning for...
Marrying your cousin is no longer a social norm
November 4th, 20160 DEARBORN — Cousin-marriage is a social norm pretty much acceptable — culturally and religiously— in the Middle East, but not for today's generation of Arab Americans trying to bridge the Arab and American ways of life. Their life among two cultures allows them to see both sides of the picture and adapt to a middle ground.......
Six test bombs, one missile accidentally fall from military plane near Grayling
November 4th, 20160 LUZERNE, MI – No one was injured after six training bombs and one training missile accidentally fell from a military plane near Grayling around 9 a.m. on Oct. 25. The Michigan National Guard is investigating the incident, but officials say mechanical failure is believed to be the cause of the release of the...
Eastern Michigan University students protest after more racist graffiti
November 4th, 20160 YPSILANTI – Students at Eastern Michigan University protested at a sit-in early Wednesday morning in the Student Center after the words “Leave N*****” were spray-painted on the outside of EMU’s Ford Hall on Monday. The words were immediately removed. This is the third time this year that anti-Black...
The Detroit Zoo breaks annual attendance record with more than a million visitors
November 4th, 20160 ROYAL OAK — The Detroit Zoo attracted 1,478,760 visitors by Oct. 31, according to spokeswoman Patricia Janeway, exceeding last year’s record by 2,400 visitors.Six months after Director Ron Kagan opened the new $30-million Polk Penguin Conservation Center, the number of visitors increased. The center is known...
The AANews publisher to discuss elections on WXYZ’s Spotlight
November 4th, 20160 SOUTHFIELD — On Sunday, Nov. 6, Osama Siblani, publisher of The Arab American News will appear on WXYZ Channel 7's 'Spotlight on the News' to discuss the national and regional elections. The station's editorial director Chuck Stokes, will also host Detroit News editor Ingrid Jacques, 910 AM radio station host Karen Dumas,......
Michigan becomes a crucial battleground state
November 4th, 20160 DETROIT — As the election draws near, both presidential candidates have put an emphasis on Michigan, expected to be a tight contest on November 8. Clinton is slated to rally Democrats in Detroit, where a large turnout of Black voters have long been crucial to success, following up on a last-minute meeting by former President Bill...
Star International Academy ranked safest high school in Michigan
November 4th, 20160 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Star International Academy was ranked by Niche.com, a website that analyzes public data sets about schools, as the safest high school in Michigan, in a comparison of 449 schools across the state. U.S. News & World Report also gave the high school a bronze on a national level in regards to performance, which is......
‘My husband abducted my kids and stranded me in Lebanon’
November 4th, 20160 Rolla Taha with her two sons. NORTHVILLE — In June, Rolla Taha traveled to Lebanon with her husband and two boys for what was supposed to be a 17-day vacation. Instead, she endured a four month long nightmare as a result of her husband's betrayal—he kidnapped their children and left her stranded. Rolla, now back in the U.S, is...Wayne County education enhancement millage on November ballot
DETROIT — In the upcoming November 8 election, Wayne County is proposing a millage that would generate funds for public schools statewide. Michigan's Constitution gives the state control over funding for public schools with the exception of an enhancement millage that can be passed at the county level for operating......
