When Gerry Pickens arrived in Orting, Wash., to begin his job as a police officer—becoming the first black police officer in the town since its founding in 1889—city officials saw it as a milestone for a place that was once known as “the White City.” According to the Washington Post, one city administrator called Pickens’…

A major Hyundai supplier in Selma, Ala., has been hit with a temporary restraining order after allegedly threatening workers who spoke out against health and safety conditions at the plant, resulting in the termination of a whistleblower. An Alabama federal judge issued the restraining order Thursday, a day after the Labor Department charged Lear Corp.,…

Addressing the public for the first time on the Today show, the volunteer deputy who killed Eric Harris in Tulsa, Okla., claimed that it was not his intention to kill the unarmed man and that he is in shock, USA Today reports. Robert Bates, 73, said Friday morning that he is not quite sure how…

The Milwaukee man suspected in the fatal shooting of two people after a traffic accident that took his young nephew’s life has committed suicide, the Daily Mail reports. Ricky Ricardo Chiles III reportedly took his life with a single gunshot after officers tracked him down at the Presidential Inn and Suites in Lyon, Ill., Thursday…

One angry New York mom is facing charges of second-degree assault and strangulation after authorities say she beat a Hempstead, N.Y., middle school teacher to the point of unconsciousness, the New York Daily News reports. Annika McKenzie, 34, is accused of attacking 22-year Hempstead School District teaching veteran Catherine Engelhardt outside her classroom 2 p.m.…

Jeb Bush endorsed Loretta Lynch for attorney general Thursday night, urging Senate Republicans to confirm the president’s pick for who will replace Eric Holder, Politico reports. “I think presidents have the right to pick their team,” Bush said during a “Politics and Pie” forum in New Hampshire. According to Politico, the former Florida governor pointed…

Friday ends the week but brings in a fresh start for Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, who will be reinstated by the NFL as an active player, CNN reports. Peterson was first placed on an exempt list in September, which kept him off the field while keeping his paycheck intact. However, after he pleaded…

A Kent, Wash., man was arrested pending an investigation of disorderly conduct after he allegedly called a 6-year-old black child a “monkey” and threw a rock at the boy as he walked past the man’s home, the Kent Reporter reports. The incident reportedly occurred the evening of April 4. Officers arrived at the man’s home to…

When it comes to cancer, there has been a significantly higher rate of related deaths among African Americans than among white Americans. One type of cancer for which blacks have a higher mortality rate, for example, is colon cancer. Much of this disparity correlates with socioeconomic issues such as discrepancies in income, education and access…

Charlie Bothuell V, the boy who was reported missing, only to be found 10 days later in his parents’ basement, is set to testify against his father and his stepmother, detailing the alleged abuse he suffered, reports the Detroit Free Press in USA Today. Charlie, who has since turned 13, told investigators that he was beaten…