Moving the Needle

June cover stories from the past 20 years

By Sarah Kittle

“The more things change, the more they stay the same.” This quote attributed to French writer Jean Baptiste Alphonse Karr in 1849 still holds true 175 years later. As we look back on the span of stories gracing the Chaldean News covers in the month of June, many of these topics are still at the forefront of discussion in the community.

Take the 2004 cover, “Rebuilding a Homeland.” The US Army was still ensconced in Iraq at this time, and its leaders were struggling to outline the country’s future for its citizens. Two decades later, the country is still trying to rebuild.

The next four covers (2005-2008) feel like déjà vu as well. 2005’s cover story “Deadly Detroit” was about the large numbers of Chaldeans dying for the American Dream—getting shot and killed in their place of business. The dire situation would lead to the formation of the Waad Murad Fund, a reward system created by the Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce (CACC) for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrators of these heinous crimes. Over 100 individuals in the community have been killed while simply trying to provide for their families.

2006’s cover, “The Iraq Condition,” featured a story about what would happen in Iraq after the US pulled out (hint: a whole lot, and also nothing). 2007 had the CN singing the “House Sale Blues,” about the weak housing market in metro Detroit, and 2008 asked the question, “Who Are We?”

That was the year that the CACC engaged Walsh College and United Way to conduct a survey on the Chaldean population in southeast Michigan. They had historically been undercounted in national surveys, and the leaders of the community, including Michael George, wanted to make sure that Chaldeans were being seen and counted.

The survey results showed that the Chaldean population was younger than the general population, that their median income was higher than average, and that 61% of the adult population owned at least one business. The CACC engaged Walsh College to send out a survey again in 2023; the results show more of the same.

In 2009, our cover featured some good sports from the Chaldean Church Volleyball League and Mother of God Church. In 2010, we issued a special Father’s Day edition titled, “Baba Knows Best,” and in 2011, we asked “Where are they now?” about previous newsmakers Carey Denha (Mega 80s), Joey Nibras (“The Wacky Iraqi”), Jason Antone (JROCK), Josephine Dabish Fermanian (Germs Begone and Detroit Organics), and Ken and Virginia (Yatooma) Kroiczyk (Gotbibs.com).

Our 2012 cover featured the 7th Annual Chaldean Festival and 2013 gave advice on keeping kids active during the summer break.

On the cover ten years ago was Mar Francis! Father Frank, as he was known then, became Bishop Francis Kallabat in 2014. How does he look younger now than he did then?

In 2015, Katie Atto experienced a 7.8 magnitude earthquake while climbing Mount Everest. Her story, “The Adventure of a Lifetime,” dovetails nicely into the 2016 cover story, “A Lasting Legacy,” about John Loussia, who had climbed Mount Kilimanjaro sporting his blue boxers in support of prostate cancer awareness.

We were “Sprucing it up” in 2017 and offered tips on home improvement from experts in the community. In 2018, there was “New Hope” with democratic elections taking place in Iraq and changes in immigration laws.

In 2019, we celebrated some talented teens, including Michael Jonna, creator of the Ruru app, Michael Najor, a piano prodigy, and aspiring writer Maryam Ramzi.

In 2020, we covered the “Class of COVID 19” and wrote about the year without a commencement. We had teamed up with the Chaldean Chamber and Foundation to host a virtual graduation ceremony. It was a tough year for everyone, but especially difficult for a community that likes to gather in large groups to celebrate. We definitely saw some outdoor Zaffa playing!

We celebrated the graduates again in 2021. That year’s cover featured Adriana Mansour, who had suffered a great tragedy and physical impairment, but succeeded against all odds to graduate with her class.

In 2022, we honored our fathers – not just our family patriarchs, but our Church patriarchs as well.

And last year, we covered Chaldean Town’s “Last Man Standing,” about the holdout S&J Meats, who have been threatening to close their doors for decades but are still in operation on 7 Mile in Detroit.

We hope you have enjoyed these stories over the years!