July 21st, 20220LANSING — You now have to be 21 years of age to purchase tobacco products in Michigan.
The new rule is the result of a package of legislation signed by Governor Whitmer on Thursday that target public health-related issues.
Legislation targeting the legal age for tobacco purchase in the state includes bills in both the State...
July 20th, 20220LANSING — A new website set up by the state’s health authority has the most up-to-date info on the monkeypox virus.
The new website, Michigan.gov/mpv, is run by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS).
The site provides information about the signs and symptoms of monkeypox and the number of cases in the...
July 15th, 20220FLINT — The state’s new education budget promises the highest per-pupil spending in Michigan to date.
Governor Whitmer signed the educational budget agreed upon by the state’s legislature, at the Mott Community College Regional Tech Center in Flint on Thursday.
She said the budget also invests half a billion dollars in...
July 14th, 20220LANSING — The fight to maintain abortion rights intact in the state continues, with new actions from Governor Whitmer as well as voters.
This week, Whitmer signed an executive order refusing to extradite people who come to Michigan seeking reproductive health care. It also protects providers of legal abortion in Michigan, who will...
July 14th, 20221MICHIGAN — A new program, made possible by the just-passed new state bipartisan budget, provides up to $200,000 in student loan debt relief for health care providers working in behavioral health services in underserved areas.
The MI Kids Now Loan Repayment Program medical education debt repayment program is now open to providers of...
July 12th, 20220DEARBORN — The Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS) and Leaders Advancing and Helping Communities (LAHC) are two Dearborn-based organizations out of four total in the 12th Congressional District to each receive $125,000 in federal funding to prevent youth substance abuse, U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell...
July 8th, 20220A new report by a Muslim civil rights and political organization shows significant disapproval among Muslim voters of President Biden’s performance, but a projection that voters will prefer Democrats in the coming midterm election.
The report was released this week by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) — which calls...
July 8th, 20220This August, voters in Arab American-concentrated precincts in Dearborn, Dearborn Heights and Detroit will have a chance at some fresh representation in Michigan’s legislature.
Citizen-led independent redistricting efforts have created three new State House districts in the Dearborn, Dearborn Heights and Detroit areas that have...
July 7th, 20220State authorities say they have charged Dr. Husam Thamin Abed, 52, with unauthorized practice after an investigation revealed he was treating young girls for vaginal conditions they did not have.
The State Attorney General’s Office said Abed is a Sterling Heights resident, but practices out of Grand Rapids. He has been charged with...
July 6th, 20220LANSING — State election officials are reminding voters that Michigan’s statewide primary elections are just under four weeks away.
Voters can already cast their ballots for the Tuesday, Aug. 2 primary from home or vote early in person by absentee ballot at their local clerk’s office. Or they can vote at their polling place on...
July 2nd, 20220By Wayne County Executive Warren C. Evans
The July Fourth holiday is when most of us celebrate American independence and the freedoms we are all accustomed to taking for granted. Yet the ongoing January 6 Commission hearings serve as a painful reminder of how those freedoms — indeed our entire democracy — are coming under...
June 30th, 20220OAKLAND COUNTY — State health officials have detected the first Michigan case of the monkeypox virus in an Oakland County resident.
The virus, which is similar to smallpox and has caused an ongoing global outbreak, can cause fever, headaches, rashes and other symptoms and is treatable. The Michigan Department of Health and Human...
June 24th, 20220WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Supreme Court has officially overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that recognized women's constitutional right to abortion.
The court, in a 6-3 ruling powered by its conservative majority, upheld a Republican-backed Mississippi law that bans abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
The vote was 5-4 to...
June 23rd, 20220MICHIGAN — State health officials are urging residents to protect themselves against mosquito bites this season, following the detection of the year's first mosquito-borne virus.
Mosquitoes recently collected in Bay County have tested positive for the Jamestown Canyon virus (JCV) at the Michigan Department of Health and Human...
June 22nd, 20220WASHINGTON, D.C. — With resentment and desperation growing among Americans amid soaring fuel costs, the Biden administration is scrambling to ease the pain at the pump, and made a largely symbolic attempt to do so on Wednesday.
In a move that economists believe will make little difference if any on actual prices at the pump,...
June 21st, 20220LANSING — Both the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines are now approved for children under 5 years of age, after an emergency use authorization from the federal government, and may be available as soon as Tuesday.
The Pfizer vaccine, which was already authorized for ages 5 and up, is now authorized down to 6 months of age, while...
June 9th, 20220ALLENDALE — The FBI arrested Michigan Republican gubernatorial candidate Ryan Kelley on Thursday over misdemeanor charges stemming from his role in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol by throngs of then-President Trump's supporters, the Justice Department said.
Kelley, 40, of Allendale, is one of five Republicans in the...
May 27th, 20220LANSING — As the U.S. Supreme Court gets set to reveal a decision that could overturn the federally established right to abortion access nationwide, states are taking actions to continue those protections on their own.
In Michigan, the Democratic officials have taken steps over recent months as the high court presides over a case...
May 27th, 20220DEARBORN — Dearborn officials are holding an emergency baby formula distribution event on Friday, spurred by a nationwide formula shortage.
Mayor Abdullah Hammoud, Public Health Director Ali Abazeed, other city officials and non profit partners will host the event from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday at the west entrance of the Ford...
May 26th, 20220WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) said it has identified nine monkeypox cases in seven states across the country as of Wednesday.
Symptoms include fever and a distinctive bumpy rash.
Cases were confirmed in Massachusetts, Florida, Utah, Washington, California, Virginia and New York. As of...
May 26th, 20220LANSING — The state is giving away 100 tuition prizes to children in a random statewide drawing that family and friends can enter students into.
The prepaid tuition prize is worth $15,000 and is in celebration of the Michigan Education Trust’s (MET) 35-year anniversary.
Governor Whitmer announced the launch of the MET 35th...
May 19th, 20220WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Biden took steps on Wednesday to address the shortage of infant formula in the U.S., invoking the Defense Production Act to help manufacturers obtain the ingredients needed to ramp up supply, the White House said.
Biden also directed U.S. agencies to use Defense Department commercial aircraft to bring ...
May 17th, 20222NEW YORK — Law school faculty at a major university in New York have joined the ranks of educational and professional organizations supporting the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) and recognition of Palestinian rights.
Last week, the City University of New York (CUNY) Law Faculty unanimously endorsed a CUNY Law Student...
May 17th, 20220DETROIT — The International Institute of Metropolitan Detroit (IIMD) is offering free citizenship legal services to Metro Detroiters through a grant from the federal government.
The institute is encouraging anyone thinking of applying for citizenship to reach out to it. Immigration legal staff will assist people applying for...
May 14th, 20220- Amer Zahr is a law professor at the University of Detroit Mercy and president of New Generation for Palestine
On Wednesday morning, in the occupied Palestinian city of Jenin, Israeli occupation forces assassinated Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh. Since 1997, Shireen has been the face of Palestine for Al-Jazeera, the...
May 14th, 20220The Biden administration, Democrats and Republicans in the U.S. Congress have created the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which provides eligible households $30 per month off their Internet bills.
The government has secured commitments from 20 leading Internet providers to offer ACP-eligible households a high-speed Internet...
May 10th, 20220Lebanese living abroad cast 142,041 ballots for parliamentary elections on Friday and Sunday, many backing political newcomers after the worst crisis since Lebanon's 1975-90 civil war led to widespread poverty and a wave of emigration.
Only 225,277 Lebanese living overseas were eligible to participate in the elections in more than 50...
May 5th, 20220DEARBORN — Democrat Jeff Pepper defeated Republican challenger Ginger Shearer for the District 15 State House partial term in Tuesday’s special election, amid low voter turnout and heavy absentee voting.
The low overall turnout was consistent with the special primary that preceded Tuesday’s general. Only 9.5 percent of...
