news
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Man Faces 20 Years to Life in Prison on Charges He Stole Candy in New Orleans
A man is facing 20 years to life in prison after being accused of stealing $31 worth of candy bars from a New Orleans Dollar General store in December, the New Orleans Advocate reports. On Thursday, 34-year-old Jacobia Grimes appeared in court for an arraignment and pleaded not guilty to the charges. According to the…
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Police in Idaho Accused of Assaulting 12-Year-Old Boy Who Was Reported Missing
A mom is accusing police in her town of Idaho Falls, Idaho, of assaulting her 12-year-old son after she called them to inform them that the child—who had been reported missing—had been found, KIDK reports. Amy Olzak’s attorney sent a tort claim to the Idaho Falls Police Department last week, claiming that an officer used…
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2 Employees Charged After Teen Dies at Lake Villa, Ill., Troubled-Youth Facility
Two employees at a Lake Villa, Ill., residential treatment center for troubled youths are facing charges in the death of a 16-year-old resident after an altercation Wednesday night, CBS Chicago reports. The resident, Shaquan Allen, was having behavioral issues at the Allendale Association residential treatment center as employees James Davis and Justin Serak were trying…
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Chicago Pastor Accused of Sexually Abusing Underage Girl
A South Side Chicago pastor remains in his pulpit despite evidence that he behaved inappropriately and may have sexually molested a girl in his office over the course of several years, reports the Daily Beast. The Rev. George Waddles Sr., pastor of the 200-member Zion Hill Missionary Baptist Church for the last 29 years, has…
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$250,000,000 HBCU Innovation Fund Act Introduced to Congress
Rep. Alma S. Adams of the 12th Congressional District of North Carolina this week introduced the HBCU Innovation Fund Act, or H.R. 4857, HBCU Buzz reports. The legislation would create the HBCU Innovation Fund, which would make $250 million in competitive grants available to historically black colleges and universities across the country and allow for the…
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UNC, Villanova Advance to NCAA Championship
As March Madness ends, two teams have emerged as victors heading into the 2016 NCAA championship game: Villanova University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. On Saturday, both teams played in top form at NRG Stadium in Houston, a 70,000-plus seat venue. Villanova handily destroyed a No. 2-seeded Oklahoma 95-51 in the…
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2 SC Residents Sue City of Aiken for Illegal Cavity Search
The suit alleges that an officer said to Pontoon, “There is something right here between your legs.” Elijah Pontoon and Lakey Hicks, who have children together, filed the lawsuit last September. It was moved to federal court in November. According to the lawsuit, Pontoon and Hicks say they were illegally stopped by officers for driving…
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Chicago Murders Soar 72 Percent in 1st 3 Months of 2016
In what is even more bad news for a beleaguered city (which also had a teachers strike this week), a new report from the Chicago Police Department confirms that murders in the city rose 72 percent, and shootings increased 88 percent, in the first three months of 2016 in comparison with last year. USA Today…
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Watch: Lunchables Platypus Raps Notorious B.I.G.’s ‘Hypnotize’
In what is becoming a hilarious cottage industry (see Bert & Ernie’s rendition of “Regulate”), the Lunchables’ platypus is the latest make-believe character to jump into the rap game through some clever computer manipulation. Released on April Fools’ Day, YouTuber Joe Capo took the platypus and jackalope from Lunchables- commercial fame and mashed them up…
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Rihanna, Shonda Rhimes, Gladys Knight, Others Honored at Black Girls Rock!
As has been the case for the last few years, Black Girls Rock!—the annual celebration of all things black and female—didn’t disappoint. The venue was packed to the rafters with black celebrity women and others of note, with black women and their daughters, nieces and sister-friends coming together in celebration. Singer Rihanna, TV mogul Shonda…