Scott Smallwood, a 27-year-old Upper Marlboro resident and bus driver for Prince George’s County Public Schools, was arrested on May 21 at a Prince George’s County bus depot in Brandywine on charges of child pornography. According to court documents, a cell phone memory card was found at a 7-Eleven convenience store in Clinton, Md. The […]
Category: NEWS
Posted inNational News
American Missionary Back Home Following Conviction in Haiti for Kidnapping
An Idaho woman returned to the United States on May 18 after she was convicted of trying to take nearly three dozen children out of Haiti in the aftermath of that county’s devastating January earthquake. Laura Silsby, 40, was the leader of 10 American missionaries who visited Haiti and attempted to remove children from that […]
Posted inNational News
Tea Party Senate Candidate Rand Paul Draws Fire over Civil Rights Criticism
The Tea Party supported, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Rand Paul of Kentucky has come under fire for comments he recently made about segregation and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. During the week of May 17, Paul questioned the federal government’s right to desegregate private businesses under the act decades ago. This had been a […]
Posted inNational News
SCLC Leadership Dispute Boils Over
The feud between two factions of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference came to a head during the week of May 17 over an alleged break-in at the group’s Atlanta headquarters. The Rev. Markel Hutchins, who claims he was named interim president, CEO and CFO of the group, welded shut the back doors of the headquarters […]
Posted inNational News
Teacher Hypothetically ‘Shoots’ President as Part of Math Lesson
An Alabama math teacher who developed a hypothetical assassination plot against President Obama to teach angles and lines in a geometry class will not face charges, but may lose his job. In the lesson, students at Corner High School in Jefferson County, Ala. were tasked to determine the most effective angles for shooting the president. […]
Posted inNational News
Supreme Court: Sex Offenders Deemed “Dangerous” Can be Held Indefinitely
Sex offenders considered sexually dangerous can now be held in prison indefinitely after their prison terms are completed, the Supreme Court ruled on May 17. According to the Associated Press, the Supreme Court in a 7-2 decision reversed a lower court ruling which held that Congress exceeded its authority in passing a law permitting indefinite […]
Posted inPrince George's County News
Duncan Praises Pr. George’s Public Schools for Student Achievement
In a visit to Bladensburg Elementary School today, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan praised Prince George’s County for its commitment to improving school performance. “What they’ve done here in Prince George’s County has been great example of the type of applicants we’d like to see more of,” said Duncan in a call with reporters after […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Baltimore Surpasses 2000 Census Count
As of April 27, Baltimore City census participation was 66 percent. Two weeks prior, the mayor congratulated residents for a 61 percent return rate, beating the 2000 census return rate by one percentage point. Still, city officials are pushing for all residents to return their forms. “We had the lowest turnout of any major city […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
City Council Races Gearing Up
Except for the highly anticipated contention for the mayor’s seat and City Council chairmanship, the upcoming City Council elections probably won’t stir much excitement, a political analyst said. Ron Walters, retired University of Maryland political science professor, added that at this point, both races appear to be a toss-up. “As far as I’m concerned, Gray […]
Posted inPrince George's County News
Six Flags Stages a ‘Lock Out’
Six Flags America may be facing a lawsuit over what two women say are discriminatory hiring policies. Janet Bello and Jackie Sherrill are crying foul because theme park representatives allegedly said they could only work there if they changed their dreadlocked hairstyle. Bello said she went to the park to pick up an application for […]
Posted inPrince George's County News
County Executive Candidate Pledges to Clean Up Prince George’s Politics
Former State Del. Rushern Baker, candidate for Prince George’s County Executive has released his proposed plan for ethics reform in the county. Baker’s “Raising Our Standards Ethics Initiative” was put in place to mitigate the political corruption that has marred the tenures of some of the county’s elected officials. “I’m going to move this government […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Legislative Black Caucus Chair Returns to Baltimore
Maryland State Sen. Catherine Pugh will soon head the country’s third largest assembly of African-American lawmakers. She was recently elected the new chair of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland (LBCM) and will take office on July 1. Pugh has been an active member of the caucus since 2005 and previously served as the first and […]