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Pinkett Smith talks hair loss ‘shame,’ outcome of Oscars slap
Jada Pinkett Smith turned her husband’s Oscar-night blowup into a teachable moment about alopecia areata, the hair loss disorder affecting her and millions of others that, in some cases, can impact a person’s sense of identity.
Mississippi civil rights activist ‘Bud’ McGee dies at 81
William “Bud” McGee, a Mississippi civil rights activist who worked to register Black voters in the 1960s, has died.
Family of Irvo Otieno agrees to $8.5M settlement
The family of a man who died while handcuffed and pinned to the floor for about 11 minutes as he was being admitted to a Virginia psychiatric hospital has reached an $8.5 million settlement with the state and the county and sheriff whose deputies were involved in restraining him. A judge approved the out-of-court wrongful death settlement Tuesday, according to an agreement filed in Henrico County Circuit Court.
Trump charged with 34 felony counts in hush money scheme
A stone-faced Donald Trump made a momentous courtroom appearance Tuesday when he was confronted with a 34-count felony indictment charging him in a scheme to bury allegations of extramarital affairs that arose during his first White House campaign.
Virginia Lawmakers decry USPS Inspector report on region's processing center
An audit conducted by the Postal Service’s inspector general found significant problems at a new regional processing facility in Virginia, including water-damaged mail left unprocessed for months and a worker asleep at a forklift.
Influential African-Americans who died in 2022
They were literary giants, luminaries of stage and screen, and masters of their chosen professions – be it music, sports or fashion. Most are famous, a few are notorious. Yet they all profoundly impacted their fields of endeavor.
Northam orders speed up of unemployment cases
Following months of complaints from laid-off workers, Gov. Ralph S. Northam said Tuesday he is taking steps to expand the Virginia Employment Commission’s ability to process complex unemployment claims.
Tory Lanez denied new trial in Megan Thee Stallion shooting
A Los Angeles judge on Tuesday denied a motion for a new trial from lawyers for rapper Tory Lanez, who was convicted of three felonies in December for shooting hip-hop star Megan Thee Stallion in the feet and wounding her.
Simone Biles dazzles in her return from a 2-year layoff to dominate the U.S. Classic
Simone Biles spent two years trying to distance herself from those strange days in Tokyo and all the outside noise that came along with it.
Tyre Nichols’ family sues Memphis Police over beating, death
The family of Tyre Nichols, who died after a brutal beating by five Memphis police officers, sued the officers and the city of Memphis on Wednesday, blaming them for his death and accusing officials of allowing a special unit’s aggressive tactics to go unchecked despite warning signs.
Youngkin, Earle-Sears join annual anti-abortion demonstration in Richmond
Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, both Republicans, joined thousands of Virginia activists Wednesday for an annual anti-abortion demonstration, where attendees denounced Democratic lawmakers who have blocked proposed restrictions since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
Trump changing complexion of federal courts
President Trump is nominating white men to America’s federal courts at a rate not seen in nearly 30 years, threatening to reverse a slow transformation toward a judiciary that reflects the nation’s diversity.
No charges for officer who pepper-sprayed Army lieutenant
A former police officer in Virginia should not be criminally charged but should be investigated for potential civil rights violations after he pepper-sprayed, struck and handcuffed a Black U.S. Army lieutenant during a 2020 traffic stop, a special prosecutor has determined.
Half of Ferguson City Council now black
Two black candidates were among three people elected to the Ferguson City Council on April 7, tripling African-American representation in the St. Louis suburb where poor race relations have been a focal point since the August shooting death of an 18-year-old black youth by a white police officer. The election means that half of the six-member city council in Ferguson, a town where two-thirds of the 21,000 residents are black, now will be African-American. The lone black incumbent councilman was not up for re-election. The mayor, who would break any tie votes, is white.
‘It felt racist’
Black victims of violent crime disproportionately denied aid in many states
The cold formality of the letter is seared in Debra Long’s memory. It began “Dear Claimant,” and said her 24-year-old son, Randy, who was fatally shot in April 2006, was not an “innocent” victim. Without further explanation, the New York state agency that assists violent crime victims and their families refused to help pay for his funeral. Mr. Long was a father, engaged to be married and studying to become a juvenile probation officer when his life was cut short during a visit to Brooklyn with friends. His mother, angry and bewildered by the letter, wondered: What did authorities see — or fail to see — in Randy? In this April 19, 2023, photo, Debra Long of Poughkeepsie,
Judge dismisses lawsuit seeking reparations for the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre
An Oklahoma judge has thrown out a lawsuit seeking reparations for the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, dashing an effort to obtain some measure of legal justice by survivors of the deadly racist rampage.
Christine King Farris, the last living sibling of Martin Luther King Jr., dies at 95
Christine King Farris, the last living sibling of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., died Thursday, June 29, 2023, at age 95.
Atlanta’s Spelman College gets largest-ever single HBCU donation
A billionaire couple is giving $100 million to Atlanta’s Spelman College, which the women’s school says is the largest-ever single donation to a historically Black college or university.
Fight over guns center of annual Virginia lobbying day
Gun control and gun rights proponents rallied Monday at the State Capitol during an annual day of advocacy, as lawmakers from both parties offered a tempered assessment about what’s possible on the issue during this year’s legislative session.
West Virginia’s Farrakhan, others suit up after court ruling against NCAA transfer policy
College athletes who have transferred multiple times but were denied the chance to compete immediately can play through the remainder of the academic year, a federal judge ruled Monday. U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey in West Virginia made the ruling on a motion filed Friday by the NCAA and a coalition of states suing the organization. Judge Bailey extended a temporary restraining order he issued last Wednesday barring the NCAA from enforcing its transfer rule for 14 days.
