Two Massachusetts men who were sentenced to life in prison under a mandatory life sentencing law when they were juveniles pleaded for freedom Thursday. Joseph Donovan, 38, and Frederick Christian, 37 are hoping that their voices will be heard in light of recent changes to the state’s law regarding juvenile offenders.Â
On Wednesday, Google publicly released data on the diversity of its workforce, and admitted it was disappointed with its record for hiring African Americans, Latinos and women.Â
In January, an Instagram photo of two black gay dads taking care of their young daughters went viral. The image garnered mixed reactions, but also a memoir written by one of the dads.Â
Actor LeVar Burton (Roots, Star Trek) is hoping to bring back his influential series Reading Rainbow, which aired on PBS from 1983-2006. Burton has started a Kickstarter campaign, hoping to raise $1 million to create a web-based show.
According to a new study, a community’s poverty rate correlates with incidence of certain types of cancer. The study, published Tuesday, was released by Francis Boscoe, researcher at the New York State Cancer Registry.Â
A 7-year-old Chicago boy saved a 10-year-old girl from being abducted on the city’s Southwest Side.Â
World-renowned poet, actress and novelist Maya Angelou has passed away. She was 86 and died at her home in North Carolina according to her publicist Helen Brann.Â
On what would’ve been the legendary jazz singer’s 88th birthday, the city of New York honored Miles Davis with “Miles Davis Way.” A block on New York City’s Upper West Side where Davis created some of jazz’s most profound work was renamed in his honor.Â
Houston officials and residents honored civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. with a statue on Saturday. National leaders and activists have been pushing for the statue for decades.Â
A New York woman has reached a $650,000 settlement with Nassau County after a police officer accidentally shot her while conducting a drug raid involving her downstairs neighbors. Iyanna Davis was shot in the breast in 2010 after cops mistakenly burst into her apartment during a drug investigation.Â
Thursday night, 14-year-old Kevin Diaz was gunned down while walking to the store near his home in Chicago’s Marquette Park neighborhood. As he lie dead on the concrete, Christina Brown and her twin sister decided to take the tragedy, and use it to get through to their sons.Â
According to Nigerian officials, a group of more than 200 missing school girls who were abducted by Nigerian extremist last month have been located. But Air Marshal Alex Bedeh told demonstrators that the fear of using force could get the girls killed.