Family of woman found hanged in Texas jail calls for federal probe
Was Sandra Bland murdered? That’s what distraught family and friends of the 28-year-old woman are asking after she was discovered hanging by a plastic garbage bag in a Texas jail cell three days after she was arrested during a routine …
Ramadan ends with Eid al-Fitr feasts
Since June 17, Muslims marking Ramadan observed the holy month of fasting in the Islamic calendar. Eid celebrations break the fast and begin the 10th month on the Islamic lunar calendar at the sight of the new moon.
Communion wine ban in prisons rejected
Can prisons ban inmates from drinking communion wine at religious services behind bars? The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals says no.
3 dead in 3 days
City inmate deaths raise questions about medical care
Case against Bill Cosby continues to escalate
The latest in the Bill Cosby case has drawn attention to an unusual condition. A lawyer for one of the women who accused the comedian of sexual assault raised the possibility that he might have the little-known condition called somnophilia.
$5.9M settlement for Garner family in chokehold death
The family of Eric Garner, who died after a white police officer put him in a chokehold a year ago, renewed calls this week to criminally charge the police officer, a day after the family reached a $5.9 million settlement …
50 Cent out of dollars?
Rapper and actor 50 Cent filed for federal bankruptcy protection Monday, days after a jury ordered him to pay $5 million in an invasion-of-privacy lawsuit.
President calls for criminal justice reforms at NAACP convention
“Mass incarceration makes our country worse off, and we need to do something about it,” President Obama told 3,000 cheering people at the 106th annual NAACP National Convention in Philadelphia this week.
Federal appeals court upholds former governor’s conviction
When will former Gov. Bob McDonnell go to prison? That appears to be the only unanswered question in the case of the once powerful and now disgraced Virginia Republican.
Federal recognition for Pamunkeys brings tribe closer to nationhood
Defeated in battles with the English invaders who took their land, the Pamunkey Indians have been on a reservation and under the thumb of Virginia’s government for more than 350 years — long before there was a state. Now the …
Washington NFL team shot down by federal court
Can the government ban trademark registration of the racist mascot name of Washington’s pro football team? Yes, a federal judge ruled Wednesday in throwing the team for a big loss in its efforts to defend and maintain the name. The …
‘New America’ prevails in U.S. Supreme Court’s historic decisions
Old America largely conceded to New America in the latest round of major U.S. Supreme Court decisions. New America is the coalition that came to power with President Obama in 2008 and gave him the winning majority. It’s a coalition …
Free Press wins 3 national awards
The Richmond Free Press was recognized with three national awards at the National Newspaper Publishers Association’s annual convention in Detroit.
Scott co-leader of bipartisan effort to curb federal prison spending
From Virginia to California, states are pushing change to cut their ballooning prison costs that collectively approach $60 billion. Instead of automatically locking up people, 32 states have put in place reforms during the past five years that have reduced …
Go further
‘I don’t think God wants us to stop’ at removing the Confederate flag, President Obama tells mourners at Rev. Pinckney’s funeral in S.C.
