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Tennessee Judge Who Offered Freedom in Exchange for Sterilization Receives Mild Reprimand
A Tennessee judge who drew widespread condemnation this past summer for offering vasectomies in exchange for lighter jail sentences has been formally reprimanded. Judge Sam Benningfield of White County told repeat drug offenders in his court that he would cut their sentences by 30 days if they would sign up for sterilization. For male inmates,…
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Despite Trump’s Best Efforts, Obamacare Enrollment Reaches New Highs
Despite dogged attempts by Donald Trump and the GOP to throw salt on Obamacare, early data shows that Americans are signing up for it in record numbers. The Hill reports that on Nov. 1, the first day of open enrollment for health insurance under Obamacare, or the Affordable Care Act, 200,000 Americans signed up for…
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Former Educator Sexually Assaulted 42 Students and Filmed Sex Acts Over 2-Year Period, Authorities Say
A harrowing case of serial child sex abuse allegedly involving a former middle school teacher and high school track coach has turned out to be worse than investigators initially thought, officials say. According to WTOP-TV, authorities in Charles County, Md., are returning a 206-count indictment against Charles Deangelo Bell, a former teacher’s aide at Benjamin…
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Here We Go Again: Gulf Coast Braces for Yet Another Major Storm
Hurricane Nate, a storm that has already killed 22 people in Costa Rica and Nicaragua, is barreling toward the Gulf Coast. Nate is expected to make landfall late Saturday night or Sunday morning as a hurricane. The Washington Post reports that the National Hurricane Center has issued warnings for southeastern Louisiana, coastal Mississippi and Alabama.…
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DC Protesters Remember Terrence Sterling, Unarmed Motorist Killed by Police, 1 Year Later
Before the sun came up Monday morning, protesters had gathered at Third and M streets in Northwest Washington, D.C., to commemorate the first anniversary of the death of Terrence Sterling, an unarmed man who was shot and killed by police after his motorcycle hit a cruiser. The morning began with a candlelight vigil at 4:20…