November 3rd, 20170DEARBORN – The Arab American Political Action Committee’s (AAPAC) 20th anniversary gala was a celebration of political successes.
Six days before the Nov. 7 municipal elections, Arab Americans packed a large dinner hall at the Bint Jebail Cultural Center in Dearborn and reflected on two decades of achievements and looking forward...
November 3rd, 20170Dearborn—Construction of Wagner Place on October 28 has made left turns onto Mason, Monroe and Oakwood prohibited from east or west Michigan Avenue.
According to the city of Dearborn, the Wagner Place construction is a project for Ford Motor Company that aims to transform two blocks of old buildings, which are approximately 150,000...
October 27th, 20170DEARBORN — There are only ten days left until the November 7 general election and residents are still considering their options, but not much has changed since the primary election.
The city council and clerk races are still overshadowed by the contentious mayoral race.
City Council President Susan Dabaja and Councilman Michael...
October 27th, 20170DEARBORN — There is a lot on the line in the city — from major investments and revitalization projects, to alleviating high property taxes and diversifying the workforce. As they battle in a heated race, the two mayoral candidates say that on Nov. 7, Dearbornites will have a chance for the first time since 2001 to stick with already...
October 27th, 20170DEARBORN – In the Southend of Dearborn, across the street from the first mosque constructed in Michigan, a restaurant hangs a United States flag above a red, white and green flag. Although it may surprise some, the flag is not Lebanese, Jordanian or Palestinian.
It’s Italian.
“Our cultures aren’t very different,” Robert...
October 27th, 20170DEARBORN — This Monday, mayoral candidate and council President Pro-Tem Tom Tafelski was supposed to take part in a video interview with reporters from The AANews, as Mayor Jack O’Reilly had done, but due to a bout of laryngitis, he was unable to participate. Instead, he answered our questions via email.
Some people believe...
October 20th, 20170DEARBORN – It was an unfavorable outcome for some new candidates in Dearborn and neighboring cities' primary elections, but some might have another shot at making it into office on Nov. 7.
After a passionate debate on Tuesday, Oct. 17, The Arab American Political Action Committee (AAPAC) endorsed candidates in the general elections...
October 17th, 20170DEARBORN — The city has had its fair share of shock and scandal during recent elections, but it took the first contested mayoral race since 2001 to land incumbent Mayor Jack O'Reilly and his opponent, long-time City Councilman Tom Tafelski, in a media frenzy over poor judgment and regretted deals.
Increasing transparency in...
October 7th, 20170DEARBORN—On October 5, physical therapist Olajide Akunrounmu filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court accusing Dearborn officials of defaming his reputation.
Allegedly, Dearborn officials used Akunrounmu’s photo in lieu of a different doctor’s photo, Dr. Tete Oniango, who is facing federal drug charges.
Some of the officials...
October 6th, 20170DEARBORN — For the past 51 years, a popular local donut shop and coffee bar has been witness to the cultural changes that swept the city.
Located on Ford Road, a few miles east of the Southfield Freeway, Donutville, which has been in business since July 4, 1966, has served as a gathering place for residents of various races, creeds...
October 6th, 20171DEARBORN — A few days before the fifth annual "March for Justice" took place in Dearborn, the Ashura Project released a video promoting its organized procession with the question, Why do we march?
The video powerfully displayed scenes of injustices around the world that call for action and revealed the reasons. They march for Black...
October 6th, 20170DEARBORN — To those who are regularly held for questioning at airports or border crossings and believe they may be wrongfully placed on a federal watch list, the FBI's Terrorist Screening Center has news: You are most likely a terrorist or somehow connected to a suspected terrorist.
In Dearborn, where about half of residents are...
October 6th, 20170DEARBORN — East coast media outlets have been accused of being out of touch with middle America, so The Huffington Post embarked on a multi-city bus tour on September 12 titled "Listen to America."
In each city, HuffPost partnered with a news organization to host an event so that it could record stories from local residents.
The...
October 4th, 20170With a large population of Muslim and Arab Americans, Dearborn has the most per capita residents on a shadowy and unaccountable watchlist. It is nearly impossible to find out if you’re on it, let alone get your name off.
By Christopher Mathias, Rowaida Abdelaziz, Hassan Khalifeh, and Afaf Humayun
DEARBORN, Mich. — There’s...
September 29th, 20170DEARBORN — The Butcher's Grille isn't your ordinary butcher's shop. Yes, you can pick up fresh cuts of halal meat to take home, but you can also have it cooked on site and eat it there.
Founder Samer Saad said the success the restaurant/butcher shop has experienced since its opening in April of 2016 is because of the continuous hard...
September 29th, 20170DEARBORN— When comparing the Ashura programs offered at local mosques to those found in the Middle East or any Muslim countries, for that matter, there’s evidently a lot of time and effort put into them with hopes of keeping the message of Ahlulbayt’s (the Prophet Mohammad’s family) sacrifice for humanity alive and teaching it to...
September 29th, 20170DEARBORN — On the two-year anniversary of the removal of former Dearborn Mayor Orville Hubbard’s statue from City Hall, the city’s historical commission made a decision in hopes of putting the much-debated issue to rest.
However, it didn't come without some contention among museum administrators.
On Sept. 26 at the...
September 29th, 20170DETROIT – Join the National Arab Orchestra as the curtain rises on its eighth season of thrilling audiences of all nationalities and cultures.
“A Night of Tarab” will feature musical splendor and surprise performances from the Dearborn Fordson High School Choir.
The term “tarab” is used in Arab culture to describe the...
September 29th, 20170DEARBORN — Henry Ford College is partnering with Glacier Hills Senior Living Communities to host a career expo on October 12 from 3 to 6 p.m. The event is open to current students, alumni and the public.
This year’s expo “promises to be the biggest and most user-friendly ever”, according to a press release. Henry Ford...
September 22nd, 20170DEARBORN — For the last few months, all eyes have been on the city's government and how it will respond to calls for proper representation of Arab Americans, who make up about half of its population. Many also have deep roots in the community.
As the city's residents and officials argue over the fate of the statue of famous...
September 22nd, 20170DEARBORN — The cries of a local mother's children as they were dragged away by state officials still echo after three decades.
Wrongfully accused in 1985 of murdering her 2-year-old son, Rehab Amer relives the horrors of trying to bring her other children back every day. Now, she's making sure other children's distress calls do not...
September 14th, 20171DETROIT — The U.S. government did not violate the Constitutional rights of two Dearborn businessmen, Nasser Beydoun and Maan Bazzi, by routinely subjecting them to extra security screening at airports, a federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday.
Beydoun and Bazzi, both U.S. citizens from Dearborn, accused the government of violating...
September 12th, 20172WICHITA ― Sattar Ali, a Dearborn man who moved his family to Kansas says he regrets the decision, after he, his wife, and daughter were all in handcuffs while attempting to deposit a large check that was acquired through the sale of their home.
According to the Kansas-based TV station, the Ali family recently sold their Dearborn...
September 8th, 20170DEARBORN — If you didn't already know what she looked like, you'd be surprised to see Mariam Bazzi greeting a line of guests at the entrance to her own investiture ceremony.
Bazzi – appointed by Gov. Snyder in May as a judge in the Wayne Country Third Circuit Court – pointed attendees to the auditorium, and judges and family...
September 8th, 20170DEARBORN — There is little doubt that Arab Americans have become significantly more civically engaged in the past decade, yet Dearborn residents and businesses have not yearned any less for their issues to be better adequately reflected in city government.
In this Detroit suburb – with about half its population as Arab Americans,...
September 7th, 20170HOUSTON, DEARBORN — Striding strenuously down a freeway, mostly mothers and their children were knee deep in water, making the journey away from their drowned homes.
They carried on their shoulders only what they could save. The water rose so fast that few families in Southeast Texas were left unthreatened by Hurricane Harvey's...
September 3rd, 20170DEARBORN — Henry Ford College has named Sam Bazzi to be the college's first Arab American community liaison. The position is in its first year and will attempt to, "promote the mission of HFC within the Arab American community, continue to build and nurture personal relationships and facilitate a productive dialogue regarding...
September 3rd, 20170DEARBORN — On August 30, former Dearborn City Clerk Kathleen Buda, who'd previously pled no contest to several felonies, was ordered by Judge Lawrence S. Talon to reimburse the city for its pension contributions from the date of the offense until her retirement, which totaled $2,716.88.
Buda was sentenced to 24 months probation on an...
