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Ursula Burns Stepping Down as CEO of Xerox, Leaving No Black Woman as CEO of an S&P 500 Company
When Ursula Burns announced last week that she was leaving her position as CEO of Xerox, she also, in effect, announced the end of the minuscule representation of black women in leadership positions at companies within the Standard & Poor’s 500 index. As New York magazine reports, the move now leaves a huge gap: Once…
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Calif. Jury Deadlocks in Case of Man Who Spent 16 Years in Prison Before Murder Conviction Was Dismissed
A mistrial has been declared in the case of a California man who spent 16 years in prison before his murder conviction was overturned, the Los Angeles Times reports. The mistrial comes as a Compton jury deadlocked Tuesday on charges of mayhem and assault with a deadly weapon in the case against 42-year-old Reggie Cole,…
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White Idaho High School Football Players Charged in Brutal Sexual Assault of Black, Disabled Teammate
Three Dietrich, Idaho, teenagers have been charged with sexual assault in the brutal rape of their high school football teammate, the Washington Post reports. One teammate, under the guise of giving the victim—who reportedly has “mental disorders, including learning disabilities”—a hug, restrained the boy while another player allegedly thrust a coat hanger into his rectum,…
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Okla. High School Graduate With Cerebral Palsy Walks for the 1st Time to Receive His Diploma
On Friday, Oklahoma high school graduate Micah McDade accomplished two amazing milestones. Not only did McDade accept his diploma that day, but the graduate—who was born with cerebral palsy, a disorder that affects movement, muscle tone or posture—walked for the first time in public in order to receive his certificate, the Okmulgee News Network reports. The…
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Police Searching for Calif. Father Accused of Purposely Setting House on Fire, Killing 5-Year-Old Son
Vallejo, Calif., police are asking the public for help with any details about a father who is suspected of purposely igniting a fire that killed his 5-year-old son and injured other family members over the weekend, the Los Angeles Times reports. Darrylone Shuemake Sr., 53, is “on the run” and wanted in connection with the…
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Family of Baseball Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn Sues Tobacco Industry Over Star’s Cancer Death
The family of baseball star Tony Gwynn is blaming the tobacco industry for the death of the Hall of Famer, who succumbed to salivary gland cancer in 2014, and filed a lawsuit Monday in San Diego Superior Court, the Washington Post reports. The wrongful death suit names several defendants, including Altria Group Corp., the parent…
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Calif. Toddler Declared Brain-Dead Transferred to Unidentified Hospital Outside the US
A California 2-year-old whose family fought to keep him on life support after he was declared brain-dead has been transferred to another hospital, according to his family. The family’s GoFundMe page declared that Israel Stinson was transferred to an undisclosed hospital in another country over the weekend. “Israel Stinson was transferred out of Kaiser Permanente…
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Texas Girl, 12, Severely Injured by Rope Around Neck on School Trip
A Texas mother is furious that her 12-year-old daughter returned home from an overnight school trip with a severe rope burn around her neck, the Dallas Morning News reports, and has taken her child out of school. According to the report, the girl, who is black, attended the mostly white Live Oak Classical School, a…
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Supreme Court Sides With Black Death Row Inmate Convicted by All-White Jury, Orders New Trial
The Supreme Court of the United States ruled in favor of a black death row inmate Monday, declaring that prosecutors in Georgia went against the Constitution and blocked black jurors from his trial nearly 30 years ago, USA Today reports. Timothy Foster’s 1987 case came up before the Supreme Court after a series of notes…
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Report: Software Used to Predict Future Crime Shows Racial Bias
Risk-assessment scores, which are becoming ever more common in courtrooms across the nation, are often used to make important decisions regarding a defendant’s freedom or the terms of the defendant’s freedom. However, according to ProPublica, the scores—which are based on an algorithm whose creators claim can predict defendants’ likelihood of committing another crime—seem to show…

