Arab American candidate Abbas Alawieh has announced that he’s running to become the next state senator in District 2. The newly drawn district includes Dearborn, Dearborn Heights and parts of Allen Park and Detroit. 

Alawieh says he is running to uplift people’s voices. 

“I want to become a state senator that wields the power of a movement of people that will come together around this campaign to say, hey, District 2 is here to play.  We're going to show up with our values, with our leverage, with our people power.” 

Alawieh previously worked on Capitol Hill for U.S. Representatives Andy Levin and Rashida Tlaib. He also served as chief of staff to Congresswoman Cori Bush. 

Alawieh also co-founded the Uncommitted National Movement, which aimed to pressure then Presidential candidate Kamala Harris to address U.S. policy on the war in Gaza. 

Inaugural Rising Voices Artist & Creatives Cohort

The Asian American civic engagement nonprofit “Rising Voices” has launched a new project. 

The Rising Voices Artist & Creatives Cohort will sponsor four emerging creatives next year. Each artist will receive $2500 and a mentorship to create pieces for a gallery exhibition in July. The theme will be “Revolution, Resistance & Joy.” 

The deadline to submit an application is Feb. 1. Winning artists will be announced in March, with work time between April and June. 

Bus safety in Dearborn

The City of Dearborn and the Dearborn Public Schools unveiled a new bus safety program today. The program detects and penalizes drivers who illegally pass school buses. About 40 million drivers in the U.S. illegally pass bus stops annually, leading to 2,200 violations.

School buses in the city will be equipped with “BusPatrol” technology  which uses stop-arm enforcement cameras to record violations and report them to the Dearborn Police Department.

The new features are part of an effort to increase traffic patrols and educate the public about how to keep children safe as they’re getting on and off school buses. 

Hospitals make a call on vaccines

Several Michigan hospital systems reportedly plan to disregard federal recommendations and continue giving infants the hepatitis B vaccine. 

A federal advisory panel said earlier this month that doctors should wait to vaccinate babies against hepatitis B unless their mother tested positive for the disease. 

Health experts warn that will lead to an increase in childhood liver disease. Evidence shows giving newborns the vaccine early is safe and has drastically reduced hepatitis B in kids. 

The Detroit Free Press reports that Corewell, Henry Ford, McLaren, Munson and the University of Michigan health systems will continue to give the vaccine to children within the first day after they are born. 

Reporting by Quinn Klinefelter and Pat Batcheller  

Warming centers 

The city of Detroit has opened warming centers to help residents escape the bitter cold. City officials say residents can escape the frigid conditions during the day at Detroit's recreation centers and public library branches. Overnight shelter is also available. 

Those in need should call the Detroit Housing Resource Help Line for assistance at 866-313-2520 or online at detroitmi.gov. 

People can also go to a Detroit police precinct. 

Weather forecasters say the potentially life-threatening sub-zero wind chills are expected to abate later this week. 

Reporting by Quinn Klinefelter