Houston, TX

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Herbie J Pilato

In the mid-1970s, Good Timesmade a star of actor/comedian Jimmy 'JJ'/'Dynomite' Walker. However, behind the scenes, the tension between the stars was relatively challenging. According to what Jimmie Walker once relayed, most of the show's cast rarely had any interaction behind the camera. Walker didn't recall having any conversations with actress Esther Rolle, who played his TV mother, Florida Evans, or actor John Amos, who played James Evans, his TV mother.

Actor/Comedian Jimmie "JJ" Walker Behind the Scenes of TV's 'Good Times' in the 1970s

South Carolina State

Colleton County, SC

Explore Beaufort SC

Some beachgoers were in for a surprise this week when a bizarre looking prehistoric fish washed ashore in Colleton County along Edisto Beach at Edisto Beach State Park. It turned out to be an atlantic sturgeon.

Rare Atlantic sturgeon washes ashore on South Carolina beach

Colorado State

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David Heitz

A bill quietly introduced this spring in the Colorado legislature to decriminalize the possession of drug paraphernalia obtained by harm reductionists has become law. As low-key as the legislation was introduced, the bill was signed into law without fanfare June 6. It garnered little to no media attention.

Colorado legalizes needles, pipes for meth and crack if obtained by harm reduction group

Booneville, MS

Mississippi News Group

Written with A.I. assistance. In a coordinated operation on Tuesday, July 2nd, 2024, at approximately 7:00 P.M., the North Mississippi Narcotics Unit, in conjunction with the Prentiss County Sheriff's Department, conducted a search warrant at a residence situated on Martin Luther King Drive in Booneville. According to the Prentiss County Sheriff's Department, the raid targeted suspected illegal drug activities.

Booneville Residence Raided for Drug Manufacturing

Ohio State

The Lantern

On Tuesday, licensed Ohio dispensaries began legally selling non-medical marijuana to consumers; however, the drug’s possession, growth and/or usage are still prohibited on Ohio State’s campus. Credit: Jefferee Woo/Tampa Bay Times/TNS [Original caption: Four citizen-led petitions with proposals to update Dallas’ charter hit the 20,000 valid signature threshold to make it on the Nov. 5 election ballot, including one that would ban police officers from arresting or citing people carrying less than four ounces of marijuana.] As of Tuesday, students 21 and older can now legally purchase marijuana in Ohio.

Dispensary sales of recreational marijuana began Tuesday; possession and usage still prohibited on Ohio State’s campus

Virginia State

Kentucky Vibes.net

Disclaimer: This article was written with the help of A.I. software. On July 28, 2024, a TikTok video posted by Erica W., known as @tasteofmelanin on the platform, garnered significant attention after she exposed disturbing racist decorations in an Airbnb rental. The incident occurred in a rental property that Erica had booked, although the exact location remains unspecified. The video has since gone viral, prompting widespread concern and leading to the removal of the listing from Airbnb's platform.

Airbnb Listing Taken Down After Black Woman Finds Hanging Monkeys and Cotton Used As Decor

Jacksonville, FL

Jacksonville Today

A historic marker could be erected to honor the victims of the racist mass shooting at the Dollar General store in Jacksonville’s New Town neighborhood nearly a year ago. If approved by the Jacksonville City Council, a marker would be installed at Kings Road and Canal Street on Aug. 25, a day before the first anniversary of the shooting, when a white gunman took the lives of three Black people.

Memorial considered to honor Dollar General victims

Kansas State

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Missouri State

CJ Coombs

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) helps to locate missing children. Since July 1, 2024, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), 174 children have been reported missing in the U.S. Since January 1, 2024, there was a total of 1,445 reported missing in the country.

Missing Missouri children as of July 17, 2024, according to the NCMEC

Los Angeles, CA

L.A. TACO

Last month, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) released video footage that shows a veteran LAPD officer chasing a young man through a Pacoima housing project before fatally shooting him in the back as he ran away.

20-Year-Old Fatally Shot in The Back By LAPD Officer in Pacoima Projects

Denver, CO

More dangerous substances are entering the Denver drug supply, Harm Reduction Action Center warned in a newsletter this week. “The Iron Law of Prohibition posits that as law enforcement becomes more intense, the potency of prohibited substances increases,” HRAC Executive Director Lisa Raville wrote in the newsletter. That is exactly what is happening, she said.

Dangerous substances entering Denver drug supply

Kentucky State

Northern Kentucky Tribune

Gov. Andy Beshear sent a letter to Anne Milgram, administrator for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on Wednesday, expressing his support of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ recommendation that the DEA ease restrictions on marijuana.

Gov. Andy Beshear pens letter to DEA in support of easing federal restrictions on marijuana

Georgia State

Tallahassee, FL

Daily Coffee Press

The FBI is investigating the disappearance of a now 13-year-old girl who went missing from Florida last year and has ties to Georgia and Tennessee. A $15,000 reward is being offered to anyone with information that can lead to her location.

FBI Investigating Disappearance of 12-Year-Old Girl Who Has Ties to Georgia

Apache Junction, AZ

Suzy Jacobson Cherry

When I studied Anthropology in college, I learned that teeth have been indicators of economic status just about forever. Archaeologists look at the teeth in ancient skeletons and know who the rich were based on their tooth decay. During the Renaissance period, it became fashionable for women to blacken their teeth to look like they were better off than they were, because the royals and aristocrats, who could afford sugar and sweets, had more rotten and missing teeth than the poor.

Opinion: Stop Stereotyping Bad Teeth as a Sign of Drug Addiction

No, pallet shelters for people experiencing homelessness don’t fold into caskets. It’s a question a reader posed one of the first times I wrote about pallet shelters. I find the pallet shelters to be more palatable than ice fishing tents. The Colorado Village Collaborative operates both micro-communities and the so-called Safe Outdoor Spaces with the tents. We all learned the tents are not safe when a fire roared through a CVC Safe Outdoor Space, destroying the compound quickly. Officials never disclosed a cause of the fire.

Opinion: No, pallet shelters for homeless in Denver, Aurora don’t fold into caskets

In addition to collecting more than 8,000 used needles in the past year from Denver drug users, the Harm Reduction Action Center passed out 10,000 meth pipes and “snort kits,” according to a newsletter sent to its supporters Thursday. They also connected about 1,700 people to medical, mental health and substance abuse treatment.

Denver group hands out 10K meth pipes, ‘snort kits,’ connects 1,700 to treatment annually

Camden, NJ

Cornelius, NC

Morristown Minute

CAMDEN, N.J. – Lisa Smith, 61, of Cornelius, North Carolina, has admitted to her role in a fraudulent scheme involving over $3.5 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today that Smith pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Karen M. Williams in Camden federal court on July 17, 2024, to a charge of bank fraud conspiracy.

Woman Pleads Guilty to $3.5M COVID Relief Scam

Newark, NJ

NEWARK, N.J. – Nygee Johnson, also known as “Gito,” a 25-year-old member of the Rollin’ 60s Neighborhood Crips, has admitted his role in a racketeering conspiracy. The announcement was made today by U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger. Johnson pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton in Newark federal court on July 17, 2024, to a superseding indictment charging him with Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) conspiracy.

Rollin' 60s Crips Member Pleads Guilty to Racketeering

Louisiana State

Natrona County, WY

Houma, LA

WyoFile

A worker died Aug. 5 when the crane he was operating toppled at a wind farm construction site in remote Natrona County, state and local officials say. The victim, John William Hoffpauir, Jr., 55, of Houma, Louisiana, was working as a crane operator at the Cedar Springs wind energy construction site north of Casper and Glenrock under the control of Blattner Energy at the time of the accident. Hoffpauir was a Blattner Energy employee, a spokesperson for the company told WyoFile.

Worker killed in accident on wind energy construction site in Natrona County

Massachusetts State

Dianna Carney

Sandy Paws Rescue Inc., a foster-based rescue in Massachusetts, is still looking for a forever home for an adorable six-year-old French bulldog named Joannie. The local animal rescue explains: “Joannie was found as a stray extremely emaciated and less than half her current weight now. She was missing fur on her body, face and ears. She has been nursed back to health and is doing wonderfully. While her age and exact history is unknown, it is clear she has mothered more than enough litters in her short lifetime.”

Meet The "Extreme Snuggler" French Bulldog Still Looking For Love

Sandy Paws Rescue Inc., a foster-based rescue in Massachusetts, has recently introduced a tiny 8lb dog named Bingo who is looking for her forever home. Bingo is a 3-year-old Shih Tzu mix with an adorable appearance and a sweet disposition. However, she needs a patient and understanding owner who recognizes that "dogs are not toys, and not all dogs love to be picked up right away," explains Sandy Paws Rescue Inc. This little lady requires some decompression time upon arriving at her new home to settle in comfortably.

Meet The Sweet Little Lady Looking For Love

Bellaire, TX

Galena Park, TX

Pasadena, TX

South Houston, TX

Channelview, TX

Humble, TX

Missouri City, TX

Pearland, TX

Deer Park, TX

Stafford, TX

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“Get back up and go”: CenterPoint linemen take on a broken grid as Houstonians seethe

Sign up for The Brief, The Texas Tribune’s daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. As a lineman, Trice...

“Get back up and go”: CenterPoint linemen take on a broken grid as Houstonians seethe

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