Today is the last day of the SCOTUS term, and so they issued the last of their opinions. The two biggest cases — on Obamacare and sames-sex marriage — came out at the end of last week, so a lot fewer people were paying attention this morning. Here’s what happened: (1) DEATH PENALTY – The 5-4 decision in Glossip v. … Read More
End of Prison Break
Back stories: Prison Break and Richard Matt Shot Well, it looks like they got the other guy. The 22-day manhunt for David Sweat and Richard Matt ended Sunday when the fugitive was spotted just 2 miles from the Canadian border. He made it closer to Canada than Matt, who was found and killed Friday near Malone, New York. Both men had signs … Read More
Unconfirmed [Now Confirmed] Reports Say Richard Matt, One Of Two Upstate NY Prison Escapees Has Been Shot
Breaking: MALONE – Richard Matt has been shot and may be dead near Malone, a source has told The Buffalo News. Tweets from the Plattsburgh Press Republican said that several trooper cars with lights flashing were headed west in Malone of Fayette Road about 4 p.m.. New York Times confirms: Richard W. Matt, one of the convicted murderers who staged … Read More
Despite Charleston Mass Murders, GOP Doesn’t Want To Address Guns… Or Even Gun Murder Research
A GOP-led panel just blocked a proposal that would have reversed a nearly 20-year-old ban on funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to research on gun violence. The House Appropriations Committee voted 32-19 against ranking member Rep. Nita Lowey’s (D-N.Y.) amendment to a bill that would fund health, education and labor programs in the next fiscal … Read More
Mass Murder Hate Crime Leaves 9 Dead In Charleston Church
I may have been one of the first 1000 people to know what happened in Charleston last night. I was at rehearsal for a play I am in (barely), and backstage, I checked my phone. Nothing on the Breaking News app, nothing big on Twitter. I opened Periscope, and there was a guy working in some Charlotte newsroom who was … Read More
Prison Break
Seems like everybody is interested in that prison break from the maximum security Clinton Correctional Facility in New York, with two prisoners on the loose. Lots of reporting on where they might be, but the bottom line is…. they could be anywhere by now. Here’s what we know so far: Richard Matt, 48, was serving a sentence of 25 years … Read More
Billy Flynn Out Of Prison
Billy Flynn is out of jail. Nope. Not that one. This one: Or… as he looks today…. Billy Flynn is the convicted shooter in the Pamela Smart (pronounced “Smaht”) case. As a teenager, Billy shot and killed Gregg Smart in 1990. Gregg was the husband of Pamela Smart, with whom Billy was having an affair. Pamela was an audio-visual school … Read More
The GJ Charges Against The Baltimore 6
A Baltimore grand jury has charged all six police officers accused in the death of Freddie Gray. State Prosecutor Marilyn Mosby announced the revised charges yesterday, but the most serious charges – including second-degree murder – remained. In case you forgot already, Gray suffered a severe spinal cord injury in police custody in April and died a week later. His … Read More
New Study Shows One-In-Five Women Sexually Assaulted On Campus
A new study published online by the Journal of Adolescent Health finds that almost one-in-five women experience sexual assault ion college. The study, titled “Incapacitated and Forcible Rape of College Women: Prevalence Across the First Year,” which focused on first-year female students at one New York college, attempted to measure how frequently rape or attempted rape occurred by having female students … Read More
Shooting The Mentally Ill
I’ve written about this before — the propensity of the police to open fire on people they know to be mentally ill. Like their current problem with minorities, members of law enforcement seem to have a problem with showing restraint when it comes to the mentally ill. Earlier this week, the US Supreme Court had occasion to address this issue, … Read More
Guy Who Filmed Cops When They Arrested Gray Is Detained By Police For No Reason It Seems
The pushback is starting: Kevin Moore, the man who filmed police arresting Freddie Gray and dragging him on the ground was arrested on Thursday night, along with two other cop watchers from Ferguson. “The man who recorded one of two videos showing Baltimore cops dragging a screaming Freddie Gray into the back of a police van was arrested Thursday night, … Read More
Charges Brought Against Baltimore Police Officers In Death Of Freddie Gray
Breaking now: The death of Freddie Gray was a homicide, and there is “probable cause” for criminal charges, State’s Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby says, citing her office’s “thorough and independent” investigation and the medical examiner’s report on Gray’s death. Mosby announced a range of charges against several Baltimore police officers, ranging from second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter to assault and … Read More
Bullet Points On The Baltimore Riots
The catalyst, ostensibly, was the death of Freddie Gray — who died of a spinal cord injury sustained while in police custody. His funeral service was yesterday morning. There were peaceful protests throughout the day, but as high school kids left school, the protests became violent. 15 officers were injured — six seriously — from thrown bottles, rocks and bricks, as … Read More
Rapists And Parental Rights
For the life of me, I can’t imagine why this is even controversial. Not only do many conservatives believe that women should be forced to bear their rapists’s children against their will…. now some conservatives apparently think women must also share parental rights with their rapist after they give birth: Iowa Republican has held up legislation that would prevent convicted rapists from … Read More
Free Range Parents: What Is Neglect And What Isn’t?
There’s a good chance you’ve heard about the Meitiv kids (especially if you have children of your own or friends with children). The kids, ages 10 and 6, were walking home from a park a mile from their house in Maryland when they were spotted by a zealous citizen-protector, reported to the police, picked up 3 blocks from home, and … Read More