news
-
Okla. High School Graduate With Cerebral Palsy Walks for the 1st Time to Receive His Diploma
On Friday, Oklahoma high school graduate Micah McDade accomplished two amazing milestones. Not only did McDade accept his diploma that day, but the graduate—who was born with cerebral palsy, a disorder that affects movement, muscle tone or posture—walked for the first time in public in order to receive his certificate, the Okmulgee News Network reports. The…
-
Police Searching for Calif. Father Accused of Purposely Setting House on Fire, Killing 5-Year-Old Son
Vallejo, Calif., police are asking the public for help with any details about a father who is suspected of purposely igniting a fire that killed his 5-year-old son and injured other family members over the weekend, the Los Angeles Times reports. Darrylone Shuemake Sr., 53, is “on the run” and wanted in connection with the…
-
Family of Baseball Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn Sues Tobacco Industry Over Star’s Cancer Death
The family of baseball star Tony Gwynn is blaming the tobacco industry for the death of the Hall of Famer, who succumbed to salivary gland cancer in 2014, and filed a lawsuit Monday in San Diego Superior Court, the Washington Post reports. The wrongful death suit names several defendants, including Altria Group Corp., the parent…
-
Calif. Toddler Declared Brain-Dead Transferred to Unidentified Hospital Outside the US
A California 2-year-old whose family fought to keep him on life support after he was declared brain-dead has been transferred to another hospital, according to his family. The family’s GoFundMe page declared that Israel Stinson was transferred to an undisclosed hospital in another country over the weekend. “Israel Stinson was transferred out of Kaiser Permanente…
-
Texas Girl, 12, Severely Injured by Rope Around Neck on School Trip
A Texas mother is furious that her 12-year-old daughter returned home from an overnight school trip with a severe rope burn around her neck, the Dallas Morning News reports, and has taken her child out of school. According to the report, the girl, who is black, attended the mostly white Live Oak Classical School, a…
-
La. Set to Pass ‘Blue Lives Matter’ Bill; Would Classify Cop Attacks as Hate Crime
Louisiana is set to approve a bill that would consider any attack of violence against police officers, firefighters or emergency medical services personnel a hate crime. Gov. John Bel Edwards is expected to sign the “Blue Lives Matter” bill soon. The first-of-its-kind bill has already passed both chambers of the Louisiana Legislature, CNN reports. The ambush…
-
Okla. Mom Stops Burglar With Crutch and Vacuum
An Oklahoma City mother was shocked Tuesday morning when a burglar forced his way through a locked window and threw his backpack inside her house. “I was afraid. I was freaked out about the whole situation because I had this guy I don’t know hanging from my window trying to get in,” Natalie Williamson told Fox…
-
Supreme Court Sides With Black Death Row Inmate Convicted by All-White Jury, Orders New Trial
The Supreme Court of the United States ruled in favor of a black death row inmate Monday, declaring that prosecutors in Georgia went against the Constitution and blocked black jurors from his trial nearly 30 years ago, USA Today reports. Timothy Foster’s 1987 case came up before the Supreme Court after a series of notes…
-
Report: Software Used to Predict Future Crime Shows Racial Bias
Risk-assessment scores, which are becoming ever more common in courtrooms across the nation, are often used to make important decisions regarding a defendant’s freedom or the terms of the defendant’s freedom. However, according to ProPublica, the scores—which are based on an algorithm whose creators claim can predict defendants’ likelihood of committing another crime—seem to show…
-
Baltimore Officer Found Not Guilty in Death of Freddie Gray
Baltimore Police Officer Edward Nero was found not guilty Monday on all four charges in connection with his alleged part in the April 2015 death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray. Nero, 30, had pleaded not guilty to all charges he faced following the arrest and subsequent death of Gray, who suffered a spinal injury while in…