June 11th, 20190DEARBORN – Residents who enjoy relaxing or entertaining in the shade of gazebos got some clarity from the city this week about the requirements governing their installation on their property.
The City Council recently approved an amendment to an ordinance that details the definitions of the popular canopy-like structures and...
June 10th, 20190Dearborn Heights – Several residents raised concerns about parking, noise and hostile mosque attendees at the May 28 City Council meeting, following the three-day Ramadan Night of Power festivities.
The residents, who all reside within a few blocks of the Islamic Institute of America (IAA) at Ford Road and Kinloch Street in Dearborn...
December 10th, 20180DEARBORN – A pending renovation of the comfort station at the city's Levagood Park will provide a more user-friendly experience in the city’s most-visited park.
At its Dec. 4 meeting, the Dearborn City Council approved a complete renovation of the bathroom facility within the park, located at Wilson Street and Silvery Lane on the...
October 5th, 20181DEARBORN HEIGHTS – The city’s Building and Engineering director, Mohamed Sobh, has resigned amid accusations by a City Council member that he harassed and extorted residents.
At a September 25 Council meeting, Councilman Bill Bazzi said he heard from at least 20 residents and real estate agents that Sobh’s department approves...
September 22nd, 20180DEARBORN – Inconsistencies in ordinances have been causing confusion among city officials, as residents who have gazebos on their properties complain of excessive ticketing and press administrators struggling to iron out the enforcement language, to find a fix.
Although City Council members attempted to tackle this issue last...
August 11th, 20180ANN ARBOR – Challenger Ali Ramlawi defeated Chuck Warpehoski in the Fifth Ward Ann Arbor City Council race on Tuesday, with about 51 percent of the vote.
Ramlawi, owner of the Jerusalem Garden restaurant in downtown Ann Arbor, made his second run for City Council within the past year. After almost defeating Chip Smith, the other...
March 23rd, 20180DEARBORN – Tensions are high among community members over the proposed opening of a Holiday Inn Express hotel about 500 yards from Dearborn’s largest mosque.
The hospitality chain seeks to construct a business-geared hotel in place of a church that has been vacant for three years, on a triangular block that’s home to the Islamic...
February 9th, 20180
HAMTRAMCK — When Saad Almasmari made history in Nov. 2015 by receiving the most votes in the Hamtramck City Council race— making it the first City Council with a Muslim-majority in the U.S— he pledged to ensure proportional representation and that the city would handle resources well enough to move on from emergency...
February 2nd, 20180DEARBORN HEIGHTS — As federal officials and states remain in a tug of war on the legality of marijuana, cities across the nation where the consumption of the drug is permitted on some level are grappling with whether to allow dispensary stores in their neighborhoods.
In Dearborn Heights, residents of the largely bedroom community...
January 26th, 20180By Farah Harb
HAMTRAMCK — Members of a Hamtramck family claim the police treated them pitilessly during a traffic stop on Jan. 3 in which the father was pulled over for an expired tag and ticketed for having no insurance.
Nasser Almasmari had his pregnant wife, 10-year old son and 2-year-old and 11-month-old daughters with him when...
January 12th, 20180DEARBORN — During the inauguration ceremony for Dearborn city officials on Jan. 9, Mayor Jack O'Reilly told the audience that Dearborn is a unique community.
"I have to tell you there aren't communities like Dearborn all over the place, said O'Reilly, who was sworn in for his third full term. "There aren't people that come together...
December 15th, 20170DEARBORN — Candidates in Dearborn's Nov. 7 municipal elections spent almost $ 1 million during the election, according to the Wayne County Clerk.
Dearbornites voted for a mayor, seven City Council members and a City Clerk.
The final campaign finance reports show that all 18 candidates spent a total of $997,864 out of $1,146,725...
November 23rd, 20170As Arab American and Muslim families gather around the dinner table this Thanksgiving holiday, they will show gratitude for their blessings, but will also be bound to express fear for each other’s safety.
Since President Trump’s candidacy and after his election, the country has been deeply inflamed with hate crimes, racism and...
November 17th, 20170YONKERS, NY — Last week, Mike Khader, an Arab American attorney and a former Central Intelligence Agency official, made history when he beat incumbent Republican City Council President Liam McLaughlin for his seat in the fourth largest city in New York.
Khader, 41, had never held elective office, but said he decided to run after he...
November 10th, 20170DETROIT — On Tuesday, Nov. 7, incumbent Mayor Mike Duggan retained his seat, defeating State Sen. Coleman A. Young II in a landslide victory, with 72 percent of the vote.
"It's been a year-long campaign and though all of the different kinds of attacks, I've been treated with nothing but warmth and kindness from Detroiters… I am...
November 10th, 20170HAMTRAMCK — Mayor Karen Majewski won reelection to a fourth term on Tuesday, Nov. 7. She received 1,960 votes, while Mohammed Hassan finished with 1,231.
The overall voter turnout in the city's Nov. 7 general elections was 22 percent.
In the City Council race, Fadel Al-Marsoumi became the second Arab American elected to that...
November 10th, 20170DEARBORN HEIGHTS — It looked to be a close race between Mayor Dan Paletko and City Councilwoman Lisa Hicks-Clayton in Tuesday's election, but once the absentee votes were counted, Paletko won by 1,143 votes.
Paletko won with 4,467 votes, which was 55.83 percent of the total votes for mayor, and Hicks-Clayton received a total of...
November 10th, 20170DEARBORN — A few months ago, a slew of new names on the Aug. 8 ballot signaled a community was gaining leverage in the local political sphere.
While Arab Americans dominated the polls on Nov. 7, their victories were not among the elected candidates, but in the weight of their vote.
Dearborn's primary elections saw a handful of...
November 10th, 20170DEARBORN — It was the city's contentious mayoral race that drove most voters to the polls.
Many voters told The AANews reporters they hoped for a change of course in the city government, as things have changed since Mayor O'Reilly was elected a decade ago.
But voters re-elected O'Reilly with 10,999 votes (57 percent) in the Nov....
November 3rd, 20170DEARBORN – Since it was established in 1927, Dearborn has become recognized as a model city where families enjoy top-notch public schools, safety, city services and national landmarks.
Unified on maintaining that level of city services, residents have taken a particular interest in their municipal elections throughout the decades,...
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...
October 27th, 20170
DEARBORN HEIGHTS — The main races in the November 7 election are between incumbent Mayor Dan Paletko and challenger Lisa Hicks-Clayton, and also for the four open City Council seats.
Paletko has been mayor since 2004. He came in first in the Aug. 8 primary election, with about 1,000 votes more than Hicks-Clayton.
In the City...
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, 20170By Farah Harb
The Arab American News – intern
DETROIT – On Nov. 7, Detroiters will vote for mayor, elect City Council candidates and choose a city clerk. These elections are the first to take place since the city emerged from state control under Michigan’s emergency manager law.
Because it has come a long way since 2013,...
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 — 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 27th, 20171HAMTRMACK – A few divisive races and shake ups in the City Council are bound to emerge during elections in a town as diverse as Hamtramck.
After a contentious debate over who to appoint as the new city manager, disparaging remarks by a Council member and a state investigation over voter fraud by an incumbent Council candidate,...
October 24th, 20170DETROIT - The Detroit City Council on Tuesday approved nearly $125 million of bonds to finance road and other projects aimed at revitalizing neighborhood commercial corridors.
The 9-0 vote sends the borrowing to the Detroit Financial Review Commission, a state oversight board created as part of the city’s bankruptcy exit plan, and...
