news
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Freddie Gray Case: Hung Jury, Judge Declares Mistrial
Updated Wednesday, Dec. 16, 3:45 p.m. EST: A Baltimore jury failed to reach a verdict in the case of Baltimore Police Officer William Porter, the first of six officers set to be tried in the death of Freddie Gray, forcing Judge Barry Williams to declare a mistrial. According to CNN, jurors told the judge Tuesday…
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2 Tenn. Teens Jailed for Sagging Pants
Two Tennessee high school students were arrested and spent two days in jail for wearing sagging pants to school. According to the Huffington Post, four students at Bolivar Central High School were charged with indecent exposure for reportedly wearing sagging pants to school in November, and two of the students were jailed for the offense…
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Detroit Man Arraigned in Shooting of Federal Judge
A Detroit man was arraigned Monday in a case involving the shooting of a federal judge back in March, the Detroit Free Press reports. Kevin Andrew Smith, 23, was indicted by a one-man grand jury nine months after U.S. District Judge Terrence Berg was shot outside his home. Smith is facing multiple charges, including armed…
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High School Graduation Rates Reach Record Highs; Gap Narrows for Black and Latino Students
The U.S. Department of Education announced Tuesday that U.S. high school graduation rates reached record highs in the 2013-14 school year, with 82 percent of teens graduating. African-American and Latino students are also continuing to close the graduation gap with their white counterparts. According to the Education Department, there was a 17-point percentage gap in…
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All Los Angeles Public Schools Closed After Bomb Threat
Public schools in Los Angeles were suddenly closed and students sent home Tuesday after authorities electronically received what officials are describing as a credible bomb threat, the New York Times reports. Ramon C. Cortines, the superintendent of schools, said that schools would be kept closed until police were able to search all buildings to ensure…
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‘How Long Does It Take to Click a Seat Belt?’: Closing Arguments in Freddie Gray Case
“How long does it take to click a seat belt and click a radio to ask for a medic? Two, three or four seconds?” Baltimore prosecutor Janice Bledsoe asked as she faced jurors during closing arguments in the first trial regarding the death of Freddie Gray. She then placed on the table, so jurors could…
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Sam’s Club CEO Talks Diversity and White Men Are Outraged; Comments Deemed ‘Racist’
Sam’s Club CEO Rosalind Brewer is in hot water with white men after a CNN interview in which she championed diversity and talked about an experience meeting with a supplier who had no representation of women or people of color. “It has to start with top leadership,” Brewer said regarding the way she promotes diversity…
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NBA Ref Reveals He Is Gay Days After NBA Star Is Suspended for Reportedly Calling Him Gay Slur
On Dec. 3, Sacramento Kings point guard Rajon Rondo was ejected from a game by referee Bill Kennedy. Rondo refused to leave the court immediately after being ejected and instead followed Kennedy to the far sideline, where he reportedly called the 18-year veteran a gay slur. Rondo was quoted as saying, “You’re a motherf—king f—got.…
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Chicago Police Commander Accused of Shoving Gun Down Suspect’s Throat Is Acquitted
Chicago Police Cmdr. Glenn Evans, who was accused of pushing his service gun down a suspect’s throat, as well as holding a stun gun to the young man’s groin, was acquitted of battery and misconduct charges Monday, the Associated Press reports. It’s a controversial ruling by Cook County Judge Diane Cannon at a time when…
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Death of Alonzo Smith, Who Was in Custody of Security Guards, Ruled Homicide
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Washington, D.C., has ruled the death of a local man found unresponsive while in the custody of security guards last month a homicide, the Huffington Post reports. According to the report, a homicide ruling does not mean that a crime was committed, however. In November the Metropolitan…