October 22nd, 20210DEARBORN HEIGHTS — With the general elections fast approaching, some residents may not know what is on the ballot for their precincts.
On all precincts’ ballots, there are the partial terms for mayor, ending on Dec. 31, city clerk, ending on Dec. 31, and a City Council seat, ending on Dec. 31, 2023, as well as the full terms...
October 16th, 20210— Amer Zahr is a comedian, writer, speaker and adjunct professor at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law
I have been closely following the Michigan redistricting process as it pertains to Dearborn and the State House. I presented once in front of the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (MICRC) on Sept. 7...
October 16th, 20210DEARBORN HEIGHTS — District 7 School Board of Education member Nathaniel Cann is responding to rumors about his past and his present.
Residents elected Cann to the school board in the general election last year and he made history by becoming the first Black man to be elected to the D7 School Board.
On Jan. 6, a fellow board...
October 15th, 20210DEARBORN — A fresh set of draft maps for the State House, Senate and federal Congressional districts published by the state’s citizen-led Redistricting Commission have been available for public consideration for the past few weeks.
Those draft maps currently in front of the 13-member Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting...
October 9th, 20210DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Mayor Bill Bazzi and his administration announced their ideas for flood mitigation during a recent town hall meeting.
The meeting was held at the First Assembly of God and included City Engineer Ali Dib and U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit) to discuss the infrastructure and Ecorse Creek flooding issues.
Dib...
October 8th, 20210DEARBORN — Members of the Arab American Political Action Committee (AAPAC) have voted on their endorsements for the 2021 general elections.
AAPAC is the oldest Arab American political organization, established in 1998 and formed by a group of Arab Americans who set out to organize and encourage the political activities of the Arab...
October 7th, 20210DEARBORN HEIGHTS — The Michigan Supreme Court is hearing arguments in the case of a man sentenced to 17 years in prison for the shooting death of a woman in 2013.
Ted Wafer of Dearborn Heights is asking the court to reconsider his second-degree murder and manslaughter convictions.
He is arguing that it was improper to be charged...
October 2nd, 20210The state’s citizen-led redistricting effort is approaching some crucial deadlines and draft maps have been released for public consideration that show how the process could potentially rework the state’s political maps.
Michigan voters approved the creation of the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (MICRC) in...
September 29th, 20211DEARBORN HEIGHTS — With only three members of the City Council attending the Council meeting, there was no quorum and the meeting was forced to be adjourned.
The Council meeting lasted only 12 and a half minutes as only Council Chairwoman Denise Malinowski-Maxwell, Councilman Mo Baydoun and Councilman Bob Constan were in...
September 29th, 20210DEARBORN HEIGHTS — With residents becoming increasingly frustrated over the service being provided by GFL, the city is stepping into action.
Ever since the June flooding that impacted more than 1,500 residents, GFL has not been performing well and some residents have even reported it taking days or even weeks for their yard waste,...
September 27th, 20210— This article was written with generous support from the Education Writers Association's Reporting Fellows program
There is little doubt that the Arab American community in Metro Detroit has made great headway in gaining political and economic security as it grows and evolves. Much of this momentum can be attributed to a culture...
September 12th, 20210DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Mayor Bill Bazzi has recently been accused of faking his military service, his name and using his military uniform for political gain.
Bazzi served four years in the Marine Corps and 17 years as a reserve officer before retiring in 2016 as a gunnery sergeant.
The allegations came forward at the Aug. 24 City...
September 10th, 20210DEARBORN HEIGHTS — After nearly a month of back-and-forth, tension-filled meetings and allegations, Mayor Bill Bazzi is addressing the water bill debacle in detail.
Council Chairwoman Denise Malinowski-Maxwell alleged that Bazzi had written off more than $30,000 worth of water bills for the Bellagio Banquet and Conference Center on...
September 8th, 20210WAYNE COUNTY – The deadline for survivors of the June 25–26 severe storms and flooding to register with FEMA for individual disaster assistance has been extended to Wednesday, Oct. 13, the agency announced Wednesday.
The extension applies to survivors living in Wayne and Washtenaw Counties. The original deadline was Sept....
September 4th, 20210DEARBORN HEIGHTS — The New York sensation, The Halal Guys, has found a home in Dearborn Heights, becoming the first location to open in Michigan.
The Halal Guys began as a hot dog cart in New York City in 1990, founded by three Egyptians.
As many of their customers were Muslim taxi drivers, the customers had told the founders...
September 1st, 20210WAYNE COUNTY — FEMA is reminding residents of Wayne County impacted by the June 25-26 severe storms and flooding that the application deadline to receive assistance is Monday, Sept. 13. The deadline is the same for residents of Washtenaw and Wayne Counties to get assistance towards damage or losses from the storms.
Washtenaw and...
August 31st, 20210MONROE COUNTY — Rescue crews have located the body of a missing Dearborn Heights man in Lake Erie. The man, who has since been identified as Ghaleb Assaf, 59, went missing on Sunday, Aug. 29 after leaving the boat he was on to swim in the lake.
Assaf's body was located in the water near Sterling State Park.
Monroe County Central...
August 27th, 20211A letter co-led by U.S. Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit) and Debbie Dingell (D-Dearborn) is urging the Biden administration to allow Lebanese nationals an extension of their stay in the U.S. during Lebanon's dire economic crisis, by designating Lebanon for Temporary Protected Status, or TPS.
Support for the letter is growing in the...
August 27th, 20210DEARBORN HEIGHTS — At an Aug. 24 board meeting, the District 7 (D7) School Board of Education voted to require masks, just six days before school starts.
Interim Superintendent Dr. Mary Ann Cyr had previously told The Arab American News that the district would allow parents and staff to make their own decision regarding wearing...
August 21st, 20211DEARBORN HEIGHTS — The city has announced it is nearing the final steps in demolishing another four homes in the flood zone.
The homes are near the Ecorse Creek flood zone, which will soon become green space to help absorb some of the Ecorse Creek’s overflow.
The homes are being purchased with funds provided through the...
August 21st, 20211DEARBORN HEIGHTS — After a tension-filled City Council meeting on Aug. 10, residents have started to respond to comments made and meeting practices.
During the City Council meeting and in a statement provided to The Arab American News, Council Chairwoman Denise Malinowski-Maxwell had referenced a resident named “Sam” who she...
August 19th, 20210DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Despite the city being flooded numerous times since June, Dearborn Heights has welcomed a new Department of Public Works (DPW) director.
Bob Conrad, who grew up in Fraser and has lived in Wayne County all his life, started with the city on July 1.
He graduated from Lawrence Tech in 1986 with a construction...
August 13th, 20211DEARBORN — Many Residents in Dearborn continue to be out of power, after strong winds and rain took out infrastructure earlier in the week, causing outages throughout southeast Michigan and surrounding communities.
DTE Energy's outage map shows massive outages on the west side of town, out into neighboring Dearborn Heights....
August 3rd, 20210DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Both Mayor Bill Bazzi and Council Chairwoman Denise Malinowski-Maxwell have issued statements thanking residents for their support and getting them through to the general election in November.
"I am humbled and honored by the outpour of support from our Dearborn Heights residents on our collective lead," Bazzi...
July 29th, 20210The following information, provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is up-to-date as of July.
Survivors who registered with FEMA for disaster assistance following the June severe storms and flooding will receive a letter explaining FEMA’s eligibility decision and the reason for that decision.
FEMA decision...
July 29th, 20210DEARBORN HEIGHTS - After being cancelled due to the June flooding, the city of Dearborn Heights has rescheduled their job fair.
The job fair will be held on Saturday, August 7 at the Caroline Kennedy Library at 24590 George Ave. from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m.
Those seeking jobs are advised to bring copies of updated resumes to...
July 27th, 20210The state of Michigan announced on Tuesday that major home loan lenders have agreed to delay monthly mortgage payments for homeowners impacted by recent flooding in southeast Michigan.
The state said the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS) and financial leaders across Michigan have agreed to "help...
July 27th, 20210DEARBORN/DEARBORN HEIGHTS — FEMA opened disaster recovery centers in both Dearborn and Dearborn Heights to help residents impacted by the June floods.
The storms in late June impacted approximately 12,000 homes in Dearborn and more than 1,500 in Dearborn Heights.
The center in Dearborn Heights is open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m....