COMMUNITY
Briana Gasorski
Author's Posts
COMMUNITY
Dearborn native becomes one of the first Muslim Americans to command U.S. naval ship
April 15th, 20210 DEARBORN — Commander Houssain “Sam” Sareini of Dearborn has become one of the first Muslim Americans to command a U.S. naval ship. On April 9, Sareini took command of the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Nitze (DDG 94) at a ceremony in Portsmouth, VA, according to a Navy press release. Sareini has been in...
Khodr Farhat announces candidacy for Dearborn City Council
April 14th, 20210 DEARBORN — Longtime resident and activist Khodr Farhat has announced that he is running for one of seven City Council seats up for grabs in the upcoming election. Farhat made the announcement in a Facebook post. “After many long conversations with community members, family and friends, I’m excited to announce that I will be...
Michigan to expand the use of monoclonal antibody therapy
April 14th, 20210 LANSING — Governor Whitmer and the MDHHS said that the state is expanding the use of medical intervention to reduce COVID-related hospitalizations and deaths. The intervention involves additional doses of monoclonal antibodies made available to providers and requests to providers to expand the number of infusion sites throughout......
Officer charged with second-degree manslaughter in Daunte Wright killing
April 14th, 20210 BROOKLYN CENTER, MN — The police officer who authorities say shot and killed Daunte Wright after a traffic stop has been arrested and charged with second-degree manslaughter. The officer, Kim Potter, resigned earlier this week and is now being charged in the shooting death of 20-year-old Daunte Wright. At the time of the...
Dearborn approves temporary pop-up food businesses during Ramadan
April 14th, 20210 DEARBORN — The Dearborn City Council approved temporary pop-up outdoor food businesses to operate to accommodate Ramadan gatherings. The initiative is intended to encourage individuals to celebrate Ramadan safely while practicing social distancing and was recommended by Mayor Jack O’Reilly’s administration and approved by the......
HAP selects Hassan F. Abdallah as interim chief compliance officer
April 13th, 20210 DEARBORN — Health Alliance Plan (HAP), the insurance subsidiary of Henry Ford Health System, has named Hassan F. Abdallah as its interim chief compliance officer. As the interim CCO, Abdallah will be responsible for ensuring the organization complies with federal and state laws, regulatory requirements and leading the organization...
Biden greets Muslims as they observe the holy month of Ramadan
April 13th, 20210 WASHINGTON D.C. — President Biden issued a statement marking the beginning of Ramadan to all Muslim communities. “In this pandemic, friends and loved one cannot yet gather together in celebration and congregation, and far too many families will sit down for iftar with loved ones missing,” the statement said. “Yet, our Muslim......
Michigan “pauses” J&J COVID vaccine over clot reports, CDC and FDA recommendations
April 13th, 20210 WASHINGTON D.C. — In a joint statement, the CDC and FDA announced the recommendation of a “pause” on using the single-dose Johnson & Johnson (J&J) COVID-19 vaccine. The agencies are investigating unusual blood clots in six women that occurred from six to 13 days after being vaccinated. The clots occurred in veins...
Aseel Almudhala named wrestler of the year, one of 10 heading to nationals
April 13th, 20210 DEARBORN — The Michigan Community College Athletic Association (MCCAA) has named Henry Ford College (HFC) wrestler Aseel Almudhala wrestler of the year at this year’s MCCAA tournament. The HFC wrestling team was also named a runner up at the tournament. Almudhala, whose weight class is 125 pounds, took first place at the MCCAA......
Local police remind the community about distracted driving
April 11th, 20210 DEARBORN — With April being National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, state and local law enforcement agencies are joining forces. The law enforcement agencies will be intensifying their enforcement of state and local texting and distracted driving laws to raise awareness about the dangers and legal implications of distracted...
ACCESS and Dearborn Fire Department selected to provide more equitable vaccine distributions
April 10th, 20210 DEARBORN — The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) and Protect Michigan Commission recently selected the Dearborn Fire Department and ACCESS to encourage more equitable vaccine distribution in more vulnerable communities. ACCESS and the Fire Department are among 22 pilot sites to receive doses of the COVID-19......
Winners selected for Women’s Leadership and Community Service Award
April 10th, 20210 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — The Dearborn Heights Community and Cultural Relations Commission has announced five winners for the Women’s Leadership and Community Service Award. Current commissioners were removed from the selection pool out of fairness and the community was asked to submit nominations for Women’s History Month in...
Susan Dabaja kicks off mayoral campaign with a fundraiser event
April 10th, 20211 DEARBORN — Council President Susan Dabaja kicked off her mayoral campaign with a fundraiser event at Byblos Banquet Center in Dearborn. The event, which was held outdoors and observed CDC guidelines with mask requirements and social distancing, brought out supporters from all around the community. Fellow Council member Leslie......
Dearborn police denies “excessive force” was used in arrest of homeless Black man, A4D responds
April 9th, 20210 DEARBORN — Just one month after settling a $1.25 million lawsuit for the wrongful death of an unarmed Black man, the city investigated an excessive force case this week. The activist group Accountability For Dearborn (A4D), has been going to City Council meetings for nearly a year, calling on police reform and action in the...
“Barber Al” announces candidacy for Dearborn City Council
April 9th, 20210 DEARBORN — Ali Alhashemi, owner of Uppercutz in Dearborn, has announced that he will be running for a seat on the Dearborn City Council. Alhashemi, better known as “Barber Al”, is a 26-year-old barber born to Iraqi American immigrants. “My parents came to this country, to this city, in pursuit of the American dream,” he......
Crestwood senior accepted to Harvard, Yale and Columbia Universities
April 8th, 20210 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — 18-year-old Zaharaa Altwaij, a senior at Crestwood High School, has been accepted to three prestigious universities. Altwaij received acceptances to Harvard, Yale and Columbia. With an intended major in mind, Altwaij said she applied to see what was out there. “My intended major is biomedical...
Garden City man charged with murder of Detroit police officer granted bond
April 8th, 20210 DETROIT — A Garden City man charged in the shooting death of his domestic partner, an off duty Detroit police officer, was granted bond. Eddie Ray-Jr. Johnson was charged with the killing of Elaine Williams in their home on June 2, 2019 in Garden City. Officers had arrived at the home in the 200 block of Belton Street at 11:45......
Oakland University to require students living on campus to be vaccinated
April 8th, 20210 ROCHESTER — Oakland University has announced that students living on campus this fall will be required to be fully vaccinated upon their return. Ora Hirsch Pescovitz, the university’s president, decided to require students to be vaccinated prior to moving into any of the six residence halls on Aug. 27. “It’s only mandatory...
State Rep. Jewell Jones reportedly facing felony, misdemeanor charges following vehicle accident
April 7th, 20210 INKSTER — Sources have reported that Michigan State Representative Jewell Jones is awaiting arraignment following a vehicle accident. Jones (D-Inkster), represents the 11th District, which is all of Garden City and Inkster and portions of Dearborn Heights, Livonia and Westland. He is 25-years-old and reportedly facing multiple......
Nessel, other attorneys general, to fight sales of fake vaccination cards
April 6th, 20210 LANSING — A coalition of 45 attorneys general issued a letter to different companies’ CEOs to prevent people from selling fraudulent vaccination cards. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel joined the coalition, calling on Twitter, eBay and Shopify to act immediately in preventing people from offering to sell the fraudulent CDC...
Dearborn sewer separation project coming to an end
April 6th, 20210 DEARBORN — Residents can begin looking forward to the completion of the sewer separation project toward the end of the year, four years ahead of schedule. The project was an alternative to mitigate the federally-mandated Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Control and was originally not anticipated to end until 2025. The project,......
Detroit man charged with terrorism threat against Detroit police officers
April 5th, 20210 DETROIT - Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy has charged 60-year-old Bernard Smith of Detroit in connection with making terrorist threats against Detroit police. On April 2 at approximately 1:02 p.m., Detroit police officers responded to a parking complaint for the defendant’s vehicles in a vacant lot across from a residence in the...
Wayne County Commissioners declare April as Arab American Heritage Month
April 2nd, 20210 DETROIT — Wayne County Commissioners voted unanimously to approve a resolution recognizing April as Arab American Heritage Month. The resolution was put forward by Commissioners Sam Baydoun (D-Dearborn) and Al Haidous (D-Wayne) to honor the county’s Arab American population and its numerous contributions. In presenting the......
