Zena Issa
Criminal Justice ReporterZena Issa is Michigan Public’s new Criminal Justice reporter, joining the team after previously working as a newsroom intern and Stateside production assistant. She has contributed to award-winning projects like Voter Voices and What the Vote. A fluent Arabic speaker and experienced multimedia journalist, she has reported for WLNS-TV, WDIV-TV, and WBAL-TV, and brings strong social media storytelling skills to her new role. She's also a graduate of the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. (Go Blue!)
-
“The crusade has begun,” far-right activist Jake Lang said, and then, addressing Muslims, he added, “Your time in this country is running short.” -
The Michigan Immigrant Rights Center says it needs to end legal representation for more than 500 unaccompanied immigrant children due to a federal contract expiring. -
The Michigan Department of Corrections paid out over $7 million in legal judgments in fiscal year 2025. Although payouts more than doubled from the prior year, legal experts emphasize that the sum represents a tiny fraction of the agency's $2 billion budget. -
Dearborn Public Schools have proposed a $1.51 billion bond to be voted on during the November election that aims to replace or renovate all 36 district facilities over a 20-year period. -
Inside Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility, incarcerated people face what they describe as a culture of institutional skepticism where medical staff routinely dismiss severe physical symptoms as faking or drug-seeking behavior. Researchers point to Michigan’s privatized prison healthcare model as the root cause, arguing that for-profit healthcare contractors prioritize corporate bottom lines over patient safety. -
The June death of 36-year-old Ashley Hoath is one of four under investigation by the Michigan Department of Corrections. The four women died in a span of two months. -
Autopsy released for one of four incarcerated women who died in the span of 2 months at Huron ValleyThe Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) has officially released the autopsy results for 28-year-old Khaira Howard, crediting her death to a blood clot in the lung. -
Attorneys for Krystal Clark have filed an emergency motion demanding her immediate removal from the facility, saying her health is failing due to toxic mold. -
Dalephenia Jones, 62, died at Trinity Health Hospital Thursday, two weeks after being transported to the emergency room for what hospital staff believe was a cardiac event. Her death follows three before her whose deaths are all still under investigation.
-
Thousands of Muslims in Dearborn marched through the streets to mark the holiday of Ashura. What many bystanders don't see are the rows of tents offering warm meals and cold drinks to those walking in the intense heat.
