news
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Effort Begun to Remove Ferguson’s Mayor
Five residents of Ferguson, Mo., have taken a step toward removing their mayor, James Knowles III, from his post, the Associated Press reports. The group filed an affidavit “seeking to recall Knowles,” AP explained. All they need are signatures of 15 percent of registered voters in the last mayoral election to jump-start a special election process…
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Ohio Mother Accused of Beheading Her 3-Month-Old Baby Daughter
When Cincinnati police walked into 20-year-old Deasia Watkins’ home Monday morning after receiving a 911 call, they found Watkins and a truly horrific scene: The head of Watkins’ 3-month-old baby girl, Janiyah, had been severed, ABC affiliate WCPO reports. Watkins was arrested and charged with aggravated murder for the incident. Watkins, who was taken for…
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Another NYC Fight Video Surfaces in the Wake of the McDonald’s Brawl
The now infamous Brooklyn McDonald’s fight on March 9 that left one girl severely injured isn’t the only recording of a beat-down to surface in the New York City borough. The New York Daily News has reported on a new video filmed last fall outside a burger joint that appears to show a group of…
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Dallas Family Releases Body-Cam Video of Mentally Ill Man Being Shot by Police
Controversial and graphic body-camera footage from a June 2014 officer-involved shooting of a mentally ill man in Dallas was released Monday, WFAA reports. Officers were responding to a call at Jason Harrison’s home—which they were used to doing because the family had called before for help with the 38-year-old, who suffered from bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.…
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NYC Mom Arrested After She Asked Police to Talk to Son About Stealing: Report
A mom living in the Bronx borough of New York City was merely trying to teach her young son a valuable lesson about why stealing is wrong. She petitioned the help of people who should know best—New York’s finest—when she ended up being handcuffed herself, DNAinfo New York reports. According to the report, 29-year-old Tyeesha…
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Ariz. Mom in Crying Mug Shot Pleads Guilty to Child Abuse
Shanesha Taylor, the Phoenix woman whose tearful mug shot went viral after she was arrested for leaving her two small children in her car while she attended a job interview, has pleaded guilty to child abuse. According to AZ Central, after Taylor’s arrest March 20, 2014, a crowdfunding campaign raised $114,000 in donations, and Taylor’s…
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US Diplomat Detained in the Congo During Raid
A U.S. diplomat is one of several people who were detained Sunday during a raid by security forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Associated Press reports. The raid targeted journalists and pro-democracy activists thought to be agitating the Congolese government by “posting a threat to stability,” a DRC government spokesman said. The diplomat…
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Ex-Rikers Island Guard’s Book Details Sale of Sex and Drugs Behind Bars
The head of the Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association lashed out at a former Rikers Island guard who he said “jeopardized” other officers in writing his tell-all book, Corruption Officer, the New York Daily News reports. “I’m outraged and livid that a member of service … would jeopardize the safety and security of his brother and…
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4 San Francisco Cops Investigated for Sending Racist Text Messages
The conviction against San Francisco Police Officer Ian Furminger was supposed to end there, with him serving jail time for robbing drug dealers during his tenure as a supervisor in his bureau’s plainsclothes unit, CBS SF reports. But during a court filing, federal prosecutors came across racist and homophobic texts sent between Furminger and three…
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NY Private-Equity Firm’s Founder Takes Plea Deal After Stealing $9,300,000
Lawrence Penn III, the founder of New York private-equity firm the Camelot Group, accepted a plea deal on Monday after admitting that he stole $9.3 million from investors to spend on personal items, the New York Post reports. The 45-year-old pleaded guilty to grand larceny and falsifying business records and received a reduced two- to…