Ryan Farrick is a writer and small business advertising consultant based out of mid-Michigan. Passionate about international politics and world affairs, he’s an avid traveler with a keen interest in the connections between South Asia and the United States. Ryan studied neuroscience and has spent the last several years working as an operations manager in transportation logistics.
Members of the Coleman family, which lost 11 relatives in a Missouri duck boat accident, have filed a second lawsuit against the aquatic tour’s operators. USA Today reports that the estates of Belinda and Angela Coleman are listed as plaintiffs. The suit alleges that the duck boats owners and operators intentionally ignored design problems and
A Florida killing is forcing the state and its residents to re-examine its policies on ‘stand your ground’ and the use of firearms in self-defense. Six years after the death of Trayvon Martin, another tragic, controversial series of shots is challenging statutes. Last week, footage from a Clearwater, FL, convenience store captured video of an
On Monday, a federal judge ruled that the U.S. government cannot continue administering psychotropic drugs to immigrant children without their consent. The decision caps a controversial practice which was revealed in July. An immigrant detention facility in Texas was accused of force-feeding children medications intended to treat psychiatric disorders. Told they were taking ‘vitamins,’ the
Michigan State University is suing its insurance carriers for refusing to cover the financial fallout of its recent sexual assault scandal. The university issued a statement announcing the suit last Thursday. It named 13 of its insurance providers as defendants. “We are suing our carriers, including our largest carrier United Educators, for failing to honor
Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos is striking down regulations that protect students from predatory, for-profit colleges. According to The New York Times, the planned cut-back will remove gainful employment requirements. Under the Obama administration, for-profit universities were made to show the employability of their graduates. A crackdown on the industry and its enablers led to
Bernie Sanders is promoting a bill introduced last Wednesday, which would end the practice of using cash bail at the federal level and encourage states to follow suit. Called the No Money Bail Act, the bill would end the use of secured bonds in federal criminal proceedings. The Root reports that the legislation recommends providing
The American Civil Liberties Union in New Jersey is suing a dozen schools and districts across the state, accusing them of denying immigrants an education. According to the ACLU, enrollment is restricted to students who can provide Social Security numbers or show proof of legal residency. If true, the districts would be violating New Jersey
A Maine man is suing the state Department of Corrections, saying it won’t let him continue to take his opioid withdrawal medications in prison. Filed on behalf of 30-year old Zachary Smith of Caribou, ME, by the American Civil Liberties Union, the suit accuses the Maine Department of Corrections of violating the Americans with Disabilities
The Minnesota Supreme Court remanded a high-stakes school segregation lawsuit on Wednesday, one year after an appeals court had thrown the case out. The 4-2 ruling settles a question that had plagued the litigation since its inception: whether the provision of adequate education is an issue best taken up courts or congress. Writing for the
A heat wave covering central Texas is reigniting concerns over the welfare of prisoners incarcerated without climate control. The Texas Tribune reports that some seventy-five percent of prisons within the state don’t have air conditioning in housing areas. While hard time isn’t meant to be easy, extreme weather can endanger the well-being of thousands. Thermometers