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OJ Simpson, Claiming Brain Cancer, Seeks Obama Clemency
O.J. Simpson is asking President Barack Obama for clemency, saying he may have brain cancer and should be allowed to leave his Nevada jail cell, the Washington Times reports. Simpson, 66, reportedly wrote a letter appealing to Obama for relief from his 33-year sentence for kidnapping and robbery, the Times says. Citing the Mirror News,…
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Bipartisan Congressional Support for Mandatory-Sentencing Reform
Rising concerns about the fairness of sentences and the expense of running federal prisons have prompted an unusual alliance of Tea Partiers and liberal lawmakers to push for changes in the country’s mandatory-sentencing laws, the Associated Press reports. The bipartisan congressional push comes as President Barack Obama and his Cabinet focus attention on mandatory sentences,…
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Detroit’s 1st White Mayor in 40 Years Takes Office
Detroit’s new mayor took office Wednesday and got down to brass tacks, despite holding limited powers in a cash-strapped city whose finances are controlled by a state-appointed emergency manager, the Associated Press reports. Mike Duggan, who became the city’s first white mayor in 40 years, held his first staff meetings at City Hall after a…
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George Zimmerman’s Girlfriend Reveals Chilling Details in New Video
Last November, George Zimmerman’s 27-year-old girlfriend told police that he had threatened her with a shotgun during a heated domestic dispute that led to a 911 call. While the girlfriend, Samantha Scheibe, later withdrew the charges, saying in a sworn statement (pdf) that she was “intimidated” during police questioning and believed investigators had “misinterpreted” her…
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Gospel Singer Tells Station He Was Stalked by Missing Michigan Doctor
The mystery surrounding the missing 30-year-old Michigan doctor, Teleka Patrick, deepened Thursday after a report surfaced that she had allegedly stalked gospel singer Marvin Sapp prior to her disappearance, a Grand Rapids news station reports. Sapp reportedly filed for a personal-protection order in September against the Kalamazoo-based medical resident in Kent County, Mich., WOOD-TV reported…
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Chicago Homicides Plunge to Lowest Level Since 1965
Chicago’s Police Department said Wednesday that after leading the nation in homicides in 2012, recording more than 500, the city last year listed the lowest number of killings since 1965, and saw its overall crime rate fall to a level not seen since 1972, the Associated Press reports. By the end of 2013, the city…
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Jovan Belcher’s Mother Hits Kansas City Chiefs With Wrongful-Death Lawsuit
The mother of former Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the team after his body was exhumed so that his brain could be examined for trauma, the Kansas City Star reports. Cheryl Shepherd reportedly filed the suit in Jackson County Circuit Court in Kansas City, Mo., Tuesday, charging that…
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ESPN Columnist: Why the N-Word Was 2013’s ‘Sports Person of the Year’
Jemele Hill, an ESPN columnist and co-host of ESPN2’s Numbers Never Lie, said that while Time magazine uses its Person of the Year award to recognize impact, she wouldn’t use “Sports Person of the Year” to recognize high performers such as Serena Williams or Peyton Manning. Instead, she would nominate the n-word for 2013’s most impactful…
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Oklahoma Woman Receives Good Fortune After Returning $800
Teriasia Dean, a retail makeup artist from Oklahoma, said she was only doing the right thing this week when she returned a Coach purse containing $800, after finding it in the parking lot of her apartment complex, media reports show. “It wasn’t my bag. It wasn’t my stuff. That’s not my belongings; Teriasia Dean’s name…
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Obamacare Enrollment Surpasses 1,000,000
An estimated 1.1 million people reportedly enrolled in health care coverage through the federal marketplace between Oct. 1 and Dec. 24, the government announced Sunday, according to CNN. A large number of enrollees—975,000—signed up in December, Marilyn Tavenner, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said in a blog post. She called it…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
