news
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Wis. Inmate's Death by Dehydration Ruled a Homicide
The death of Terrill Thomas, a mentally ill black man who died of dehydration after begging for drinking water while being held in a Milwaukee jail, has been ruled a homicide, a county medical examiner revealed Thursday, Reuters reports. Thomas was found dead April 24, nine days after he was arrested as a suspect in…
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Officer Who Fatally Shot Amadou Diallo in 1999 to Be Named Sergeant of the Year
One of the New York City police officers who shot and killed unarmed Guinean immigrant Amadou Diallo in 1999 will be honored as Sergeant of the Year Tuesday at the Sergeant’s Benevolent Association, the New York Daily News reports. Sgt. Kenneth Boss, who currently works with the NYPD aviation unit, is receiving the award for rappelling…
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Calif. Student Refuses to Stand for the Pledge of Allegiance, Teacher Lowers Grade
A California high school student said that her teacher lowered her grade for participation after she refused to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. Leilani Thomas, a Native American student at Lower Lake High School in Lower Lake, Calif., told ABC News that she has been sitting during the Pledge of Allegiance since second grade and…
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Senate Water Projects Bill Includes $100,000,000 for Flint, Mich.
Water worries could soon be eased for the residents of Flint, Mich., with the passage of the Water Resources Development Act in the U.S. Senate by an overwhelming majority Thursday, the Detroit Free Press reports. The $10 billion water-projects bill includes a provision that would give the city of Flint $100 million to replace and…
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Mother Conned Out of $10,000 by Women Pretending to Be Her Daughter and a Friend
A 61-year-old woman from the Maspeth neighborhood of New York City’s Queens borough was conned out of $10,000 by crooks who pretended to be her upset daughter and a friend in urgent need of cash, the New York Daily News reports. Two suspects called the woman, one of them pretending to cry hysterically as her…
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Sandra Bland Wrongful Death Lawsuit Settled for $1,900,000
The family of Sandra Bland, the black woman who was arrested following a traffic stop in Texas and later found dead in jail, has settled a wrongful death lawsuit for $1.9 million, USA Today reports. According to the report, Connon Lambert, the lawyer for Bland’s family, told CNN that along with the cash settlement, Waller…
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7th Child Victim of Memphis, Tenn., House Fire to Be Allowed to Die
The only survivor of a horrific house fire in Memphis, Tenn., will be taken off life support and allowed to die after doctors harvest his organs Wednesday, the boy’s father said, according to the Commercial Appeal. The father of little Cameron Hollingsworth, Ernest Jett Jr., said that it was decided that Cameron’s organs would be donated…
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Mo. State Senator Refuses to Stand During Pledge of Allegiance
A Missouri state senator refused to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance Wednesday, remaining seated in the chamber to show solidarity with San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who has now repeatedly refused to stand during the national anthem at NFL games as a protest against police brutality and racial injustice, The Blaze reports. “I…
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13-Year-Old Boy Fatally Shot by Columbus, Ohio, Police
A 13-year-old boy was shot and killed by police in Columbus, Ohio, Wednesday night after officers say the boy pulled a gun—which later turned out to be a BB gun—from his waistband, the Associated Press reports. According to the report, officers were responding to a report of an armed robbery involving multiple suspects at the…
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Wells Fargo CEO Blames Low-Level Employees for Bank’s Recent Troubles
Wells Fargo is embroiled in a multimillion-dollar banking-fraud scandal stemming from its aggressive cross-selling tactics, and CEO John Stumpf blames low-level bank employees for the trouble. According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Wells Fargo has sought to distinguish itself as a leader in cross-selling banking products to existing customers. That, coupled with the bank’s own…