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Obama says he and his wife, Michelle, have told 14-year-old Malia and 11-year-old Sasha that if they ever decide to get a tattoo then “mommy and me” will get the
- Created on 25 April 2013
Virginia State University Students Charged In Hazing Deaths
Police arrested three men and sought a fourth Tuesday after two Virginia State University freshmen were swept away while trying to cross a swift, rain-swollen river as part of an initiation rite.
The body of one freshman, identified as Marvell Edmonson, 19, of Portsmouth, was recovered Monday. The search continued Tuesday for the second, Jauwan M. Holmes, 19, of Newport News.
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- Created on 25 April 2013
President Obama is Getting a Tattoo?
(AP) — President Barack Obama has a strategy to discourage his daughters from rebelling, perhaps by getting a tattoo himself.
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- Created on 24 April 2013
ACLU Lawsuit: Pittsburgh Police Favored Whites Over African-American Applicants
The American Civil Liberties Union filed an amended lawsuit against the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police along with five persons who had previously applied to work for the police force.
The April 15 lawsuit claims the bureau's hiring practices favor Whites over African-American candidates and the small number of monitories working on the force is a reflection of those practices.
Additionally, the lawsuit alleges the screening and hiring process for entry-level police officer positions endured an ongoing pattern and routine of racial discrimination.
The complaint alleges that the city has hired on 17 Black officers out of the 440 total –since 2001— that represents less than 4 percent of new hires. African Americans account for less than 16 percent of the total police force in spite of the fact they total 26 to 29 percent of the city's population.
"We've added three more plaintiffs and we've updated hiring data," said Vic Walczak, legal director of ACLU of Pennsylvania. "So there's been two classes since we filed the lawsuit and they are marginally better but still a very long way from a better system."
According to the lawsuit, discrimination occurs at every level of the hiring process and throughout the phases to come. The lawsuit alleges selected applicants are given special treatment on the account of their existing relationships with current officers. Also, when applicants take the Law Enforcement Aptitude Battery Test, which 13.8 percent of Blacks fail and only 2.8 percent of Whites fail.
"We haven't pointed a finger and said here's a person in a white hood, but they're clearly playing games," Walczak said.
According to the lawsuit, to end the discrimination the city could hire an outside company to conduct oral exams and videotape interviews, and to avoid bias all candidates should be kept anonymous.
The original lawsuit from the ACLU was filed in August.
Walczak told the Pittsburgh Courier the organization isn't even at the discovery stage yet.
"There's a saying, the wheels of justice grind slowly," he said.
- Created on 25 April 2013
1 in 4 Students Finish High School Late, American Students Falling Behind - Report
U.S. students are falling behind their international rivals. Young people aren’t adept at new technology. America’s economy will suffer if schools don’t step up their game.
“A Nation at Risk,” the report issued 30 years ago by President Ronald Reagan’s Education
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- Created on 24 April 2013
Former Woodruff Arts Center Employee Admits to Embezzlement
Ralph Clark, the Woodruff Arts Center's former director of facilities, struck a plea deal Tuesday after admitting to federal prosecutors that he embezzled more than $1.1 million from the nonprofit organization.
From 2005 and 2012, Clark submitted around $779,000 to Lowe's Services, an apartment cleaning business that his wife owned. The company billed for services that were never provided for the arts center.
"The Woodruff Arts Center is an important part of the fabric of our community," U.S. Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said in a public statement. "This defendant embezzled over $1 million from funds intended for the benefit of our citizens."
Clark began his tenure at Woodruff in 2004 as a mechanic. Rising through the ranks, he became the center's director of facilities in 2006, allowing him to sign off on contracts worth as much as $50,000.
Woodruff is Atlanta’s largest cultural organization and is home to the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Alliance Theatre, High Museum of Art and Young Audiences has filed an insurance claim for the loss, but has not been settled.
"Mr. Clark chose to violate his position of trust at the Woodruff Arts Center," FBI agent Mark F. Giuliano said. "In addition, he violated federal law by attempting to profit through arrangements with various contracted vendors. The FBI will continue to provide assistance and investigative resources in such matters that negatively impact our non-profit, cultural institutions such as the Woodruff Arts Center."
Clark's sentencing will be held on August 7, where he is expected to be given a sentence of between 41 and 51 months and be required to pay a fine of $250,000.
