Judge convicts Baltimore Police officer of lying in court, misconduct in office

A Baltimore Circuit judge convicted Officer Michael O’Sullivan of perjury Thursday for lying about a criminal case and misconduct in office. O’Sullivan, 44, testified under oath that he had seen Yusuf Smith ditch a handgun while running from officers on The Alameda in May 2018. Prosecutors, however, said they checked body camera footage and discovered O’Sullivan couldn’t have seen what he testified to in court. A grand jury indicted him on charges of misdemeanor perjury and m

Comedian John Witherspoon Dies at 77

John Witherspoon, an actor-comedian who for decades made audiences laugh in TV shows and films, including the hit Friday feature franchise, died suddenly at his home today. He was 77. “It is with the deepest sorrow that we can confirm our beloved husband and father, John Witherspoon, one of the hardest working men in show business, died today at his home in Sherman Oaks at the age of 77,” Witherspoon’s family said in a statement to Deadline. “He is survived by his wife Angela

John Conyers Jr., Longest-Serving African-American in Congressional History, Dies at 90

John Conyers Jr., an advocate of liberal causes for five decades and the longest-serving African-American in the history of Congress, has died. He was 90. His death was confirmed by a family spokeswoman, Holly Baird. Mr. Conyers, a Democrat, resigned in 2017 after accusations of unwelcome sexual advances by two women. His lawyers denied the accusations, but both Paul Ryan, a Republican and then the Speaker of the House, and Nancy Pelosi, the House Democratic leader at the tim

Princeton seminary will pay $27M in slavery reparations

The Princeton Theological Seminary says it will set aside some $27million to fund scholarships as well as 'cross-cultural' changes to its curriculum as a way of 'repenting for its past ties to slavery,' the school announced. The theological institution's board of trustees unanimously endorsed a reparations plan last week. The initiative came about after students pressured the Presbyterian school to offer reparations. In October 2018, the seminary published a report that inclu

Texas meat company execs plead guilty to selling $1 million worth of uninspected beef to Fed Prisons

Two executives of a now-defunct meatpacking company pleaded guilty to selling more than $1 million dollars worth of adulterated and uninspected beef to the federal prison system, the Department of Justice announced. Jeffrey Neal Smith and Derrick Martinez, president and operations manager of West Texas Provisions, respectively, admitted to contaminating and mislabeling approximately 775,000 pounds of meat that were then distributed to 32 prisons in 18 states. Specifically, Sm

Michael Jordan opens clinic in North Carolina to serve the uninsured

Michael Jordan opened a clinic in Charlotte, North Carolina on Thursday to serve people who are uninsured and underinsured. The NBA legend and Charlotte Hornets owner cut the ribbon at the grand opening of the Michael Jordan Family Medical Clinic. Two years ago, Jordan made a $7 million donation to Novant Health to build the state-of-the-art facility in Charlotte's west side, as well as a second facility that has yet to open. In his speech, Jordan praised his hometown of Char

Oprah donates $1.15 million to help minority students succeed in college

(CNN) Oprah Winfrey stunned a predominantly-female audience in Charlotte by announcing she would donate $1.15 million to help minority students attend and succeed in college. Winfrey was speaking at the 17th annual Maya Angelou Women Who Lead Luncheon, where the United Negro College Fund was hoping to raise $1 million for North Carolina students. After the video screen showed that $1.15 million had been raised, Winfrey announced: "So here's what I'm going to do, I'm going to

Harvard is set to award the W.E.B. Du Bois Medal to Queen Latifah

Music artist and actress Queen Latifah is among the honorees being recognized by Harvard University this year for their contributions to black history and culture. Harvard is set to award the W.E.B. Du Bois Medal to Queen Latifah and six other recipients on Oct. 22, according to the Cambridge, Massachusetts, school's Hutchins Center for African and African American Research. Other honorees include poet and educator Elizabeth Alexander, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution

Bulletproof memorial to Mississippi civil rights icon Emmett Till replaces vandalized sign

A new bulletproof memorial to slain civil rights icon Emmett Till was unveiled Saturday in Mississippi after previous historical markers were repeatedly vandalized. The new 500-pound reinforced steel sign, placed at the spot where the 14-year-old's body was pulled from the Tallahatchie River, has a bulletproof-glass front, according to Patrick Weems, executive director of the Emmett Till Interpretive Center. The sign will be open to the public but also protected by a gate and

Representative Elijah Cummings, of Baltimore, died early Thursday at the age of 68

Representative Elijah Cummings, of Baltimore, died early Thursday at the age of 68, his office said. Cummings passed away at Johns Hopkins Hospital at 2:45 a.m. from "complications concerning longstanding health challenges," his office said. He hadn't returned to work after having a medical procedure that he said would only keep him away for about a week, The Baltimore Sun noted. Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, the chairwoman of the Maryland Democratic Party and Cummings' wife, sa

California law bans for-profit, private prisons, including immigration detention centers

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill on Friday that would eliminate private, for-profit prisons, including those used for immigration detention, by 2028. Starting on Jan. 2020, the state's Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation won't be able to enter into or renew a contract with a private, for-profit prison to incarcerate people. Operating a private immigration detention facility and incarcerating people in for-profit prisons will be prohibited after Jan. 2028, a

History Montgomery, Alabama, elects its first African-American mayor

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Montgomery, a city where more than half the population is black and known as the birthplace of the civil rights movement, elected an African American to the highest position in municipal government for the first time in its 200-year history. Steven Reed, the Montgomery County probate judge, on Tuesday, beat television station owner David Woods in a runoff, gaining 32,918 votes to Woods' 16,010 votes, according to incomplete, unofficial returns. Reed will be

Saints linebacker Demario Davis wins appeal over 'Man of God' headband

NEW ORLEANS - Saints defensive star Demario Davis says he's won his fight against an NFL fine over his "Man of God" headband. Davis announced on social media that he got word from his agent that he'd won his appeal. The league fined Davis after week 3 for the headband, which league officials decided constituted a uniform violation. The announcement of the $7,017 fine angered fans, prompting an outpouring of support for Davis, who swore to keep wearing the headband despite the

BREAKING: Neighbor who testified against Amber Guyger shot and killed in Dallas

A key witness in Amber Guyger's murder trial was shot and killed Friday evening at an apartment complex near Dallas' Medical District, authorities said. Joshua Brown, a neighbor of Botham Jean's and Guyger at the South Side Flats apartments, was slain about 10:30 p.m. in the 4600 block of Cedar Springs Road. Brown, 28, lived across the hall from Jean and testified about the night he was killed. Dallas County prosecutor Jason Hermus, the lead prosecutor in the Guyger case, sai

Amber Guyger convicted of murder for killing Botham Jean

A Dallas County jury convicted fired officer Amber Guyger of murder for fatally shooting Botham Jean in his apartment last year. Cheers broke out in the hallway outside the courtroom after the verdict was announced. Jurors will now resume deliberating to decide Guyger’s punishment. In Texas, murder carries a punishment of five to 99 years or life in prison. The charge is not eligible for probation. Guyger, 31, fatally shot 26-year-old Jean in his apartment last year. She had