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Former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin Found Guilty of Corruption
A federal jury found former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin guilty of 20 out of 21 charges of corruption, including various instances conspiracy, bribery and wire fraud, NPR reports. Nagin, 57, was accused of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes and kickbacks, as well as siphoning money and granite into a business owned…
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Louisiana Elementary School Principal Was Once the Janitor
Gabe Sonnier isn’t your ordinary elementary school principal. Still new to his job, although he has been at the same school for more than 30 years, Sonnier had a very unusual start to his career. His office was once the mop room in a hall because he used to be the Port Barre Elementary school’s janitor, CBS…
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Attorney General Eric Holder: Restore Voting Rights to Ex-Cons
Attorney General Eric Holder is calling for a group of 11 states to restore voting rights to their ex-felons as part of his initiative to fix flaws in the criminal-justice system that have a disproportionate effect on minority groups, the Associated Press reports. “It is time to fundamentally rethink laws that permanently disenfranchise people who…
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Obama to Sign Executive Order Raising Minimum Wage for Federal Contract Workers
President Barack Obama is set to sign an executive order on Wednesday, effectively raising the minimum hourly wage of federal contract workers to $10.10, according to a press release. The White House touted how the order would “benefit hundreds of thousands of people” working on the federal contracts who are currently making less than $10.10.…
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Muhammad Ali Boxing Gloves for Auction
A pair of Muhammad Ali boxing gloves is once again up for auction, ESPN reports. The pair, worn during his first heavyweight championship fight on Feb. 25, 1964, in a fight against Sonny Liston, was originally bought at an auction in December 2012 from an estate sale of Ali’s former trainer, Angelo Dundee, the sports…
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Detroit Swim Instructor Changed Clothes Instead of Saving Drowning Student
The prosecutor’s office in Macomb County, Mich., has authorized a charge of involuntary manslaughter for an East Detroit high school swimming instructor who allegedly allowed one of his students to drown last year, the Detroit Free Press reports. Johnathan Lamonte Sails, who has yet to turn himself in for the crime, could face up to…
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Russian Olympic Torchbearer Blames Racist Obama Tweet on Hackers
Former figure skater Irina Rodnina, who lit the Olympic flame for the Sochi opening ceremony, is now saying that her racist Obama tweet from last year was due to hackers, The Guardian reports. Rodnina, who now serves as a member of parliament from President Vladimir Putin’s United Russia Party, won three Olympic gold medals in…
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George Zimmerman Fight Back On
If you were hoping that you’d heard the last of the George Zimmerman “celebrity” fight, you may be out of luck. According to TMZ, online streaming service FilmOn.com is claiming that it has gotten the rights to the fight after the original promoter, Damon Feldman, abruptly canceled it because of threats made against his kids,…
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L.A. News Anchor Mistakes Samuel L. Jackson for Laurence Fishburne on Live TV
Ouch. A Los Angeles reporter did a number on himself on Monday when he apparently mistook Samuel L. Jackson for fellow actor Laurence Fishburne during a live TV interview with the star, TMZ reports. KTLA Entertainment anchor Sam Rubin was having a virtual sit-down with Jackson, who was in Atlanta for his new movie, RoboCop, when…
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Michelle Obama Calls Michael Sam an ‘Inspiration to All of Us’
Michelle Obama is once again standing behind gay athletes, this time calling University of Missouri football player Michael Sam “an inspiration to all of us” in light of his coming out on Sunday. The first lady sent the message from her official Twitter account: Vice President Joe Biden also showed his support, sending out a…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
