Nick Meyer
Author's Posts
Levin, more than 100 Democrats send letter to Pompeo expressing “strong disagreement” with Israeli settlement policy reversal
November 29th, 20190 WASHINGTON, D.C. — Led by U.S. Rep. Andy Levin (D-Bloomfield Township), more than 100 Democratic members of Congress have signed a letter expressing “strong disagreement” with the Trump administration's decision to no longer classify Israeli settlements in the West Bank of Palestine as illegal under international law. The...
Report warns of technology-based threats from WhatsApp, other apps prior to 2020 election
November 26th, 20190 NEW YORK CITY —A major New York-based university is warning of potential technology-based threats that could compromise the 2020 presidential election, the website Tech Times reported. In a report released this September by the New York University Stern Center for Business and Human Rights, the organization said that bad actors...
Fourth and final defendant pleads guilty in Coldwater child sex abuse conspiracy ring
November 26th, 20190 LANSING — Matthew Toole, 33 of Battle Creek, pleaded guilty to one felony count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping and one felony count of conspiracy to commit first degree criminal sexual conduct on a child under the age of 13, a press release from Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said. Toole was the fourth and final...
Human Rights Watch official expelled by Israel over alleged support for pro-Palestinian boycott
November 25th, 20190 JERUSALEM — An official from the Human Rights Watch non-governmental organization was expelled by Israeli officials on Monday over accusations that he backs an international pro-Palestinian boycott, a report from Reuters said. Omar Shakir, a U.S. citizen representing the New York-based organization in Israel and the Palestinian...
Arab American leaders criticize Whitmer’s decision to ignore community concerns before departing for Israel
November 21st, 20190 DEARBORN — Arab American community leaders representing a wide group of civil rights advocates, political and local civic organizations held a press conference on Thursday, November 21 to express their strong disapproval of Governor Whitmer's trip to Israel this week and her decision to ignore their community concerns prior to...
Attorney General Nessel announces second conviction in clergy abuse investigation
November 20th, 20190 LANSING — Just hours after the first convicted defendant in Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel's clergy abuse investigation was sentenced, Nessel announced the second conviction in her department's ongoing investigation. Brian Stanley, age 57, of Coloma, a city on the west side of the state near Lake Michigan, pleaded guilty to...
Michigan Civil Rights Commission appoints Mary Engelman as interim director
November 20th, 20190 DETROIT — Mary Engelman, the acting Michigan Department of Civil Rights director, was appointed as interim director of the Department on Monday. She was appointed along with Sylvia Elliott, who was named as a special adviser to the Commission. Both women interviewed for the position of interim director last month. Engelman...
Governor Whitmer appoints Arab American Zeinab Hussein to Health Endowment Fund Board
November 19th, 20190 LANSING — On Wednesday, Gov. Whitmer appointed Dearborn Heights resident Zeinab Hussein, the director of diversity and inclusion for Wayne County, to the Health Endowment Fund Board. The governor also appointed Emily McDonough of Williamston to the Data Collection Agency Governing Board. Hussein is a national and state board...
Attorney General Nessel joins 18 others to urge withdrawal of proposal obstructing asylum-seekers’ ability to work
November 19th, 20190 LANSING — Eighteen attorneys general joined Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel last week in opposing a proposed rule from the Trump administration that would eliminate the 30-day time frame currently in place for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to review asylum-seekers work permit applications. The move...
“Leading While Muslim” author, scholar to speak in Dearborn
November 17th, 20190 DEARBORN — Longtime New York City educator, administrator and diversity expert Debbie Almontaser is expected to speak at the University of Michigan-Dearborn on Monday, November 18. Almontaser is the author of of “Leading While Muslim”, which will be the title of her discussion. The founding principal of the Khalil Gibran...
Recreational marijuana shops could begin sales this December
November 17th, 20190 LANSING — Recreational marijuana shops could start selling product as soon as Dec. 1 after state regulators said Wednesday they could transfer some of their medical marijuana products to their new adult use supplies. Medical marijuana shortages are now being feared by some industry stakeholders. Those store owners with an...
Wayne County ballot to include DIA millage renewal in March
November 17th, 20190 DETROIT — Voters in Wayne County will consider a renewal of the Detroit Institute of Arts millage on the March election ballot, Wayne County officials announced. The Wayne County Art Institute Authority voted unanimously on Wednesday to put the renewal of the 10-year, .2-mill tax on the ballot next year — two years before it is...
Nessel kicks off robocall crackdown effort with State and Federal partners
November 15th, 20191 LANSING — State and federal partners joined Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel in Lansing on Friday to kick off a statewide crackdown on illegal robocalls targeting the state's residents. Michigan residents have received 1.3 billion robocalls in 2019 to date, a problem Nessel said requires action. “There is nothing more...
Catastrophic claims auto fee in Michigan to be cut in half or eliminated in 2020
November 14th, 20190 LANSING — Michigan drivers will see their catastrophic claims fees cut in half or eliminated in 2020, as part of a series of changes that advocates say will lower costs to drivers, the Detroit News reported. Those who decide to pick lifetime, unlimited medical benefits will pay $100, down 55 percent from $220, and others will pay no...
Five movies given “outdated cultural depiction” warning on new Disney+ service; “Aladdin” not one of them
November 14th, 20190 The new Disney+ streaming service officially launched on Tuesday, November 12, with popular animated movies such as the original “Aladdin”, “Bambi”, “Dumbo” and “Cinderella” among the titles included. The service racked up more than 10 million subscribers on its opening day alone, and estimates it will have between 60......
Federal court rules in favor of Arab American family: Suspicionless searches of phones and laptops unconstitutional
November 12th, 20190 BOSTON — A federal court in Boston ruled in favor of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and the ACLU of Massachusetts on behalf of 11 travelers on Tuesday. The court ruled that suspicionless searches of travelers' electronic devices by federal agents at airports and other U.S. ports of...
2019 Election Roundup: Controversial Mayor Fouts re-elected in Warren, Wimberly defeats Nolen in Inkster and Neeley unseats Weaver in Flint
November 9th, 20190 WARREN — Mayor Jim Fouts, the controversial leader who has been accused of making racist and discriminatory remarks in the past against African Americans and mentally disabled people, was reelected in Michigan's third most populous city, defeating challenger Kelly Colegio on Tuesday and winning his fourth term. Fouts took home......
Dearborn Schools BRICS bond fails, supporters and opponents pledge to move forward in search of solutions
November 9th, 20191 DEARBORN — A hotly discussed and debated race to improve the infrastructure of schools in Dearborn failed on Tuesday, leaving the Dearborn Public Schools District's top educators wondering how to move forward without what they said were much-needed funds and the opposition committee emboldened to find new solutions without the...
Election 2019: Incumbents Abdallah, Hicks-Clayton and Muscat Re-elected in Dearborn Heights, Crestwood millage fails to pass
November 7th, 20190 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Voters took to the polls in Wayne County Tuesday, casting their votes for Dearborn Heights City Council among other local races. Voters in the city, which includes a growing Arab American population and has become a hub for local business owners, also rejected a millage proposal for the Crestwood School...
Dearborn charity founder Najah Bazzy named a 2019 Top 10 CNN Hero, voting runs now through December 3
November 6th, 20190 INKSTER — Najah Bazzy, the CEO and founder of the local nonprofit Zaman International, has been named a 2019 Top 10 CNN Hero. The announcement was made October 30 on the cable network's “New Day by Anderson Cooper” show, which showcased the impact Bazzy has brought to hundreds of thousands of women and children living in...
Bills introduced by Hammoud, colleagues to ban harmful vaping chemical
November 5th, 20190 LANSING — State Reps. Abdullah Hammoud (D-Dearborn), Frank Liberati (D-Allen Park) and Joe Bellino (R-Monroe) introduced House Bills 5159-5161 this week to ban vaping products containing vitamin E acetate in Michigan. The chemical has been linked to recent health issues across the country by the Food and Drug Administration. A......
Nov. 5, Elections time in cities across Michigan, including some with Arab American presence
November 2nd, 20191 DEARBORN — Several municipalities in Michigan will hold elections on Tuesday, November 5, with key positions up for grabs in many of the state's and Wayne County's most populous cities. New to this year's election is a state law that allows voters to register to vote on the day of the election, although the state encourages voters...
Arab American mother allegedly evicted from Florida hotel because of her perceived religion: “We don’t want you here”
November 2nd, 20190 WEST PALM BEACH, FLA — A south Florida mother named Rosemarie Mohammed has claimed she was evicted from a hotel here because of her Arab ethnicity and perceived religion, and has filed a lawsuit accusing Hilton Worldwide Holdings over the alleged incident. “We don't want you here,” Mohammed was allegedly told by a Hampton Inn......
Remembering former U.S. Rep. John Conyers, a civil rights advocate and friend of the Arab American community
November 2nd, 20190 DETROIT —During his five decades in Congress, former U.S. Rep. John Conyers, who died Sunday at age 90, played a major impact in both local and national politics. In the wake of his passing, those who knew him and/or worked with him spoke out about him and his accomplishments. “John Conyers lived to serve Detroit, his community...
Dearborn protesters rally for change in Lebanon and in support of the uprising
November 2nd, 20190 DEARBORN — Protests in support of the uprising in Lebanon continued this past weekend in Dearborn, with nearly 500 people showing up to rally for reforms and the resignation of government officials in front of the Henry Ford Centennial Library and Dearborn Police on Sunday, October 27. The protest followed a pair of similar events......
