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An investigatory task force has found the state of Michigan “fundamentally accountable” for Flint’s water-contamination crisis, pointing to the decisions made by the state’s environmental regulators and state-appointed emergency managers who controlled the city, the Associated Press reports.  The Flint Water Advisory Task Force, which was appointed by Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder to look into…

Former NFL star Darren Sharper is facing 15 to 20 years in prison after submitting a plea agreement in a New Orleans court, according to the Times-Picayune. Sharper has been in jail since February 2014, and his sentencing in the Louisiana case is scheduled for June 16. Sharper was already sentenced to nine years in Arizona…

Geoffrey Freeman, an Austin, Texas, police officer who shot and killed an unarmed 17-year-old, has been fired by the Austin Police Department. Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo said Monday that Freeman’s actions (pdf) violated department policy, according to the Associated Press. In February, Freeman shot and killed 17-year-old David Joseph after responding to a call about…

A mall Easter Bunny and an upset father made their first court appearance after getting into a fistfight over the weekend in a Jersey City, N.J., mall, the Associated Press reports.  Kassim Charles, who was playing the Easter Bunny, and Juan Jimenez-Guerrero, who became enraged after his 15-month-old daughter fell off a chair while getting…

Last March, Darryl Gillyard assaulted a pregnant 22-year-old woman after she didn’t thank him for opening a door for her. Lakeeyua Walker, the woman who was assaulted, was 10 weeks pregnant at the time and working for the New York City Housing Authority. She was attacked while working at the Chelsea Houses, where Gillyard lived.…

Howard University students are taking back the night, speaking out broadly about safety for women on campus, after an alleged victim took to social media to describe her upset over what she said was a lack of concern from school officials, the Washington Post reports.  According to the report, a crowd of students rallied Tuesday…

Devin Washington, 18, sure knows how to impress potential employers. The high school football player leaped into action after witnessing an attempted robbery while sitting for a job interview at the fast-food chain, Raw Story reports.  According to the report, a man reached into the restaurant’s cash register, grabbed some money and attempted to run…

A Chicago man was sentenced to 100 years in prison Monday for providing his 14-year-old niece with the weapon she allegedly used to kill another 14-year-old girl after a Facebook dispute over a boy, the Chicago Tribune reports.  Judge Thaddeus Wilson, who handed down the sentence, blasted Donnell Flora, 27, saying, “There is no excuse…

The first family’s elder daughter, Malia Obama, seems to be enjoying her time in Cuba, although apparently she’s still studying very hard … with her Spanish, at the very least.  It appears as if Malia Obama has picked up the role of her dad’s interpreter for the family’s historic trip to the Spanish-speaking island, if…