culture

An American citizen attempted to escape a Namibian prison, the Associated Press reports. In 2011 Marcus Kevin Tomas, a Los Angeles native, and another American, Kevin Townsend, were charged with the murder of Andre Hackmair, a Namibian national. Prison authorities say that Tomas climbed a tree outside Windhoek Central Prison and attempted to climb over…

The first lady of New York City says that the New York Post is “spreading lies.” Writing for the New York Daily News, Chirlane McCray says that a Post article quoting her criticism of New York City police Commissioner Bill Bratton for the resignation of black NYPD Chief of Department Philip Banks is just false:…

The mother of Eric Garner, the unarmed New York City man who died after being placed in an illegal choke hold by a police officer earlier this year, is denying allegations that she received special treatment from city police officers during an Oct. 21 traffic stop, reports the New York Daily News. Gwen Carr told…

A former FBI agent was paid $157,000 to oversee security efforts at Alabama’s Huntsville City Schools, including monitoring the social media activity of students, an effort that critics argue unjustly targeted African Americans. The spying on social media accounts like Facebook and Twitter led to 14 expulsions—12 of them of African-American students—last school year.  According…

Florida Navy veteran Kendrick Taylor was headed to the gym when he heard a 76-year-old woman screaming for help in the Winn-Dixie parking lot. The woman was being robbed, and Taylor and several other good Samaritans rushed to her aid last week in Orange County, Fla., without any regard for their own safety.  “What if…

Turns out that not everyone running for office is trying to distance himself from the president. An Orlando, Fla.-area construction-company owner who’s running for local office proudly boasted a letter of endorsement written by President Barack Obama and posted the letter on his Facebook page. There was only one problem: The president didn’t write the…

When I tell my friends that the last time I had a girlfriend was during my freshman year in college in 1998, they respond with disbelief. For them it’s bemusing to fathom that a man who is well-traveled, gainfully employed, bilingual, degreed, childless, not living in his mother’s basement and debt-free could go 16 years…

Live news broadcasting is serious and important business, but it can also lead to memorable gaffes. Here are a handful of examples. Grace Under Pressure: Lester Holt Viewers who saw it live Saturday night were convinced that a weather reporter was relieving himself when anchor Lester Holt tossed to him. But an NBC representative says that…

A “cloaking device” would have come in handy last week for a traveling companion of Star Trek’s Nichelle Nichols, who played Lt. Uhura on the popular, classic TV series. The 81-year-old actress was stopped at Los Angeles International Airport Friday after her 20-something male companion was discovered carrying drugs, New York’s Daily News reports, citing…

Revenge allegedly was on the mind of a Hueytown, Ala., teen, who is accused of robbing four Subway Restaurants. Zachary Rapheal Torrance, 18, allegedly told investigators he was angry and wanted his money back after failing to lose weight on the eatery’s famous so-called Jared diet, according to AL.com. He was arrested Thursday and charged…