Los Angeles, CA

In the Unites States, homelessness is a massive problem, especially in areas like Los Angeles and New York where economic prosperity has made the cost of living simply too high for many people. The US Department of Housing and Urban Development's Annual Homeless Assessment Report states that as of 2018, there were around 553,000 homeless people in the United States on a given night.

This woman gives homeless people free makeovers. The results are beautiful.

Punishment has never reduced homelessness. Yet, the Supreme Court recently decided civil penalties for sleeping in public are neither cruel nor unusual, and fining people without housing is legal as long as the fees are not excessive. Since the “social question” of homelessness is “complex,” six of the nine justices reasoned penal sanctions are one of several legitimate “public policy responses required to address” extreme housing inequality in America.

Penal sanctions can’t end homelessness, but the opposite can

Missouri State

Missouri woman Sandra Hemme has been serving time for four decades after being wrongfully accused of a 1980 murder — now a court has cleared a path for her freedom. The 64-year-old’s dealings with the criminal justice system have been turbulent. Aside from being considered the longest-known wrongly incarcerated woman in the US, in recent weeks, her situation became more complicated.

Sandra Hemme to finally be freed from prison – after spending 43 years in jail for a murder she didn’t commit

New Mexico State

Eddy County, NM

In a significant development, the New Mexico Supreme Court has postponed Alexee Trevizo’s pre-trial hearing, originally scheduled for August 6. The delay comes as the court reviews whether certain evidence, including Trevizo’s statements made at the hospital, can be admitted in court. Trevizo faces serious charges, including first-degree...

New Mexico Teenager Who Dumped Newborn in Hospital Trashcan Wins Legal Battle

Alabama State

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Los Angeles County, CA

Herbie J Pilato

It's been 21 years since actress/singer Nell Carter, best known for the 1980s NBC sitcom, Gimme a Break!, died of natural causes at only 54. This is her story. Nell Carter was born September 13, 1948, in Birmingham, Alabama. After initially finding fame on and off-Broadway, and via a brief role in 1977 on the TV datime drama, Ryan's Hope, Carter took the lead in Ain't Misbehavin'!, a live stage revue of the works of composer Fats Waller.

The Brief Life & Tragic Death of Nell Carter ('Gimme A Break' & 'Ain't Misbehavin'): 21 Years Later

Jacksonville, FL

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Jacksonville Today

A former Jacksonville police officer pleaded guilty Tuesday to enticement of a minor to engage in unlawful sexual activity, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Josue Garriga III, 34, faces a mandatory penalty of 10 years to life in federal prison and must register as a sex offender. A sentencing date has not been set.

Former cop pleads guilty to enticing 17-year-old girl

Colorado State

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

Washington, DC

D.C. is the worst in the country at processing applications for programs residents rely on for food and other basic needs, like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and Medicaid, according to the U.S Department of Agriculture. These delays can leave residents waiting for months without coverage.

District residents are going months without their SNAP benefits

Illinois State

Harvey, IL

Hollywood Unlocked

A former food service director who previously worked in an Illinois school district will be spending 9 years in the slammer after pleading guilty to stealing $1.5 million worth of chicken wings. According to Fox News, the wings were supposed to distributed to students during the peak of the coronavirus pandemic.  While working for Harvey ... Read more

Illinois School District Teacher Sentenced To 9 Years In Prison For Stealing $1.5 million Worth Of Chicken Wings

The Standard

A former Metropolitan Police officer branded the “devil” after being exposed as a serial rapist must serve at least 18 years in prison, judges have ruled. Cliff Mitchell, 24, was called a “pathetic excuse of a man” by one of his victims when he was jailed for life with a minimum term of 14 years in May.He had subjected two victims to years of sexual abuse, and boasted that he would never be caught because of his status as a police officer. At the Court of Appeal on Thursday, judges agreed to increase the minimum term by four years after...

Met Police officer exposed as serial rapist to serve at least 18 years in prison

D.C.’s Department of Human Services (DHS) has drafted a plan to open six homeless shelters over the next four years, adding more than 500 shelter beds amidst a wave of encampment clearings and reports of shelters reaching full capacity this summer. DHS presented their timeline for raising the number...

D.C.’s plan to add 500 shelter beds by the end of 2028

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

Mississippi State

Meridian, MS

The Mirror US

Emily Lawhead, a spokesperson for Management and Training Corporation, which manages the facility, said Clarence Gillie, 59, was found unresponsive in his cell on Thursday

Mystery deepens as third inmate found dead in cell this month at Mississippi prison

Beloved actress Nichelle Nichols, who died at 89 in 2022, found fame with her pioneering role as Communications Officer Lt. Nyota Uhura on TV's original Star Trek series (NBC, 1966-1969). She went on to play a groundbreaking role in several feature films and, as an African-American actress, became a beacon of dignity and diversity in Hollywood.

'Star Trek's' Nichelle Nichols Was Not Allowed To Play Secretary 'Peggy Fair' on TV's 'Mannix'

Kansas State

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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

The front page would feature a picture or pictures of current topic issues such as candidates for primaries this season. There would be jobs and housing for everyone. Pictures of apartments, homes for sale, and even shelters for the disadvantaged — refugees and immigrants. The next section would be...

If I made Street Sense

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

Denver, CO

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

Lafayette County, MS

Mississippi News Group

Written with artificial intelligence assistance. Deputies from the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of possible animal cruelty on County Road 418 on August 4, according to Dark Horse Press. Upon arrival, officers encountered a distressing scene: several malnourished dogs and multiple deceased dogs still attached to their collars and chains.

Man Arrested for Animal Cruelty After Disturbing Discover

In just seven days, District authorities closed three encampments, displacing over 40 people, many without a plan of where to go next. At the end of July, the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services (DMHHS) closed three encampments: one outside Community for Creative NonViolence (CCNV) the city’s largest homeless shelter, on July 23, one in Eastern Market on July 25, and one in Foggy Bottom on July 30.

Encampment Updates: Three closures leave people scrambling to find somewhere to go

NewsBreak

Can the homeless sleep outside?

On April 22, the Supreme Court heard the case of Grants Pass v. Johnson, which decided laws that restrict sleeping in public, camping on public property,...

Can the homeless sleep outside?

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