news
-
NY Student Accepted at All 8 Ivy League Schools
At a time when tens of thousands of American students are getting turned away from their first-, second- and even third-choice college picks, Harold Ekeh, of Long Island, N.Y., has an enviable quandary: deciding which of the eight Ivy League colleges he will attend next year, according to CBS New York. For all his hard…
-
Is Mumia Abu-Jamal Being Denied Urgent Medical Care?
Imprisoned former Black Panther and political activist Mumia Abu-Jamal, who was recently rushed to the hospital in diabetic shock, is still in need of urgent medical care and treatment, his friends and supporters said in an email to The Root. He has been sick with dangerously high blood-sugar levels for months and hasn’t received proper…
-
Those Racially Charged Emails From Ferguson Cops and Court Officials Are Pretty Bad
The unredacted content of racially charged and religiously insensitive emails sent by the former court clerk of Ferguson, Mo., and two former supervisors in the Ferguson Police Department were released Thursday to the Washington Post. The emails, released in response to a public-records request, were sent and received by Mary Ann Twitty, who was Ferguson’s court…
-
San Francisco Chief Seeks to Fire 7 Officers Over Racist, Anti-Gay Texts
San Francisco’s police chief on Friday said that he plans to recommend that seven officers be fired after an investigation into racist and homophobic text messages, according to the Associated Press. Chief Greg Suhr has asked a police oversight committee to approve firing the officers. Six others face disciplinary actions that include reassignment to positions…
-
Deion Sanders Reminds Son of $1,000,000 Trust Fund After ‘Hood’ Tweet
In a sign of modern-day parenting, Deion Sanders took to social media this week to put his son in line and maybe even brag a little to their Twitter followers about the youth’s $1 million trust fund. On Thursday Deion Sanders Jr., a sophomore at Southern Methodist University, tweeted to his 66,100 followers: Gotta get…
-
Nashville Prosecutor Fired Over Female Sterilization in Plea Deals
A prosecutor in Nashville, Tenn., was fired after reports emerged that he had demanded that women involved in some plea negotiations undergo sterilization, the Associated Press reports. Brian Holmgren, a former Davidson County assistant district attorney, told AP on Wednesday that he had been fired. He declined to say why he was dismissed, and officials…
-
Death Row Inmate Released After 30 Years
Anthony Ray Hinton walked out of prison a free man Friday after nearly 30 years on Alabama’s death row. He stepped into the sunshine, praised God and thanked his lawyers, according to CNN. Jefferson County Circuit Court Judge Laura Petro on Thursday dismissed the case against the 58-year-old man. One day earlier, prosecutors told the…
-
Racist Email at U of Md. Goes Unpunished; President Defends Vulgar Language as Free Speech
The University of Maryland decided to pursue a course of “restorative justice rather than legal justice” against a student who sent his fraternity brothers a racist and misogynistic email, according to the Huffington Post. University of Maryland President Wallace D. Loh announced that decision following an investigation of a student, and Kappa Sigma Fraternity member,…
-
McDonald’s Workers: $1 Raise Is Insulting; We Want $15 Per Hour
Despite all the hoopla, many workers at McDonald’s feel insulted by the restaurant chain’s announced increase in wages $1 above the federal minimum wage, especially since that policy applies only to people working at company-owned restaurants, Forbes reports. That means that for the 90 percent of McDonald’s employees who work at franchise locations, their wages…
-
Duke Student Admits to Hanging Noose; School Won’t Release Name
Officials at Duke University have announced that an undergraduate at the school has come forward and admitted to hanging a noose from a tree on campus. Officials are, however, refusing to release the student’s name. According to the Associated Press, the unnamed student has left the campus but is still enrolled at the school. Duke…