U.S. - Houston Stringer

Grassroots organizers speak out against Gov. Ivey’s request for more time to carry out executions after botched executions

22Dec

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Alabama

Grassroots organizers speak out against Gov. Ivey’s request for more time to carry out executions after botched executions

Press Release (December 22, 2022) - Grassroots organizers are speaking out against Gov. Kay Ivey’s letter asking the Alabama Supreme Court for more time to execute Alabamians after a series of botched executions in recent months. Alabama’s current law makes it illegal for the Department of Corrections to carry out a death warrant after 11:59 p.m., the day of the execution. Alabama failed to carry out executions twice in two months – September and November 2022 – and three times since 2018. In July 2022, the state carried out an execution, but after a three-hour delay caused by a similar situation of not being able to start the IV line for the lethal injection. “The League of Women Voters of Alabama continues to be troubled by the state’s lack of adequate resp...

Virginia Deputy kills three, sets fire to home in California after meeting 15-year-old online

1Dec

By Houston StringerNo Comments

California

Virginia Deputy kills three, sets fire to home in California after meeting 15-year-old online

November 25, 2022 - Austin Lee Edwards, now a former Virginia police officer was killed in a shootout after he drove across the county, committed a triple homicide and set fire to a home in Riverside, California. He did this after ‘catfishing’ a teenage girl in to thinking he was a 17-year-old boy. Edwards killed both of her grandparents and her mother before setting the home on fire. Edwards was spotted driving with the teenager in San Bernardino County. He was killed by a deputy after exchanging gunfire when sheriff’s deputies tried to stop him. Police are still investigating and have not determined if it was a kidnapping but police stated they have no reason to believe she was complicit in the murders or fire. Austin Lee Edwards (Riverside Police Department)

Uvalde parents, teachers, staff, and students are seeking billions in compensation in a new class action lawsuit

30Nov

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Texas

Uvalde parents, teachers, staff, and students are seeking billions in compensation in a new class action lawsuit

The families of victims, teachers, staff, and students have now filed a class action lawsuit in the United States District Court - Western District of Texas (Austin Division). The lawsuit alleges, what we already know about how police in Uvalde dropped the ball tremendously in securing the school from the active shooter that killed 21 people including 19 students and two teachers. Plaintiff's are seeking over $27 billion in compensation. The lawsuit names the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District, Uvalde School Police Department, (including Chief Pedro Arrendondo), and Texas Department of Public Safety, as well as others as defendants. From the complaint: "In administering the schools under its control, CISD employed its own policedepartment (“CISD-PD”). Not on...

Mayor Turner: “Our children deserve better”, after federal judge blocks law prohibiting handguns for young adults

25Aug

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Texas, U.S.

Mayor Turner: “Our children deserve better”, after federal judge blocks law prohibiting handguns for young adults

In a court ruling today, a federal judge in Texas signed an order that effectively blocks a law that was enacted after the Uvalde massacre. The law made it a crime for young adults between 18 and 20 years old from carrying handguns for self-defense outside of their homes. In his order, United States District Judge, Mark Pittman ruled that it prohibiting young adults that are between the ages of 18 and 20 years old goes against the Second Amendment. Mayor Sylvester Turner released the following statement Thursday night: "The State of Texas has not changed a single law since Uvalde. Now, just as young students are returning to school, high school seniors who are just turning 18 can openly carry a handgun? Making gun access – with no background checks or training - is making it harde...

Hertz is being sued again after customers were wrongly accused of stealing cars

25Aug

By Houston StringerNo Comments

Florida, U.S.

Hertz is being sued again after customers were wrongly accused of stealing cars

A lawsuit has been filed in Florida after several customers were reported to police for stealing cars from Hertz. This caused the police to not only pull them over, but in some cases, the customers were held at gunpoint, arrested, and charged with grand theft auto. Similar cases have been filed across the country over the last few years. According to the lawsuit, filed in Miami's 11th Judicial Circuit, on August 15, 2022, this is not a new problem and has been happening for years and accuses the car rental company of putting profits first, and their customer's liberty and freedom last by ignoring policies they enacted to deal with "overdue" and "lost inventory" case. Furthermore, the lawsuit quotes Hertz from an article written in The Philadelphia Inquirer on August 3, 2020, by Sam W...

University of Chicago/AP-NORC Poll: 4 out of 10 Americans fear they will be a victim of gun violence in the next five years

23Aug

By Houston StringerNo Comments

U.S.

University of Chicago/AP-NORC Poll: 4 out of 10 Americans fear they will be a victim of gun violence in the next five years

According to a recent poll conducted by the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, 4 out of 10 Americans believe they will become a victim of gun violence in the next five years. The poll, which was conducted at the end of July, also found that Black Americans and Hispanic Americans are twice as likely to have experienced gun violence themselves or know someone that has already experienced gun violence. Most Americans surveyed in the poll (71%) all agree that gun laws should be somewhat stricter, with 59%, or nearly 6 out of 10 supporting a ban on semi-automatic weapons. There is also overwhelming public support for a federal gun law that will ban the mentally ill from obtaining guns legally. 52% of tho...

Judge: Walgreens substantially contributed to the opioid epidemic in San Francisco

10Aug

By Houston StringerNo Comments

California, U.S.

Judge: Walgreens substantially contributed to the opioid epidemic in San Francisco

U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer of the United States District Court in Northern California ruled on Wednesday that Walgreens "substantially contributed to an opioid epidemic in San Francisco". The lawsuit, which was brought on by the City and County of San Francisco, originally had dozens of defendants. Only four of these defendants remained when a trial was held in April. By the end of the closing arguments which took place in July 2022, only Walgreens remained. The other three defendants settled their cases, according to court documents. Judge Breyer agreed that the trial established between 2006 and 2020 that "Walgreens pharmacies in San Francisco dispensed hundreds of thousands of red flag opioid prescriptions without performing adequate due diligence". Performing this due...

CVS may have violated the ACA by forcing employees to obtain their HIV/AIDS medications through CVS to save money

9Aug

By Houston StringerNo Comments

U.S.

CVS may have violated the ACA by forcing employees to obtain their HIV/AIDS medications through CVS to save money

A federal judge in California ruled that CVS Pharmacy may have violated patients' privacy rights by forcing them to obtain their HIV/AIDS medicine either by mail order or at a local CVS pharmacy. The judge dismissed CVS' motion to dismiss. In the ruling, filed in the Northern District Court of California last week on August 5, 2022, the plaintiffs allege that CVS "have discriminatorily denied them benefits under their employer-offered prescription drug benefit plans. Plaintiffs allege that their benefit plans allow them to obtain their HIV/AIDS medications at favorable “in-network” prices only via mail or a CVS pharmacy". If the employees wanted to fulfill their prescriptions outside of their employer, they would be forced to pay higher prices since this would no longer be "in-netwo...

27Jul

By Houston StringerNo Comments

U.S.

Mega BILLIONS Frenzy: Did anyone win?

The winning numbers were 07, 29, 60, 63, 66 and the Mega Ball was 15 according to the lottery's website. No one matched all six numbers on Tuesday, July 26, 2022 and the jackpot is now worth $1.02 billion. This number will rise depending on how many tickets are bought. The next drawing is scheduled for Friday, July 29, 2022.

Mega Millions Frenzy: Did anyone win Friday’sjackpot?

23Jul

By Houston StringerNo Comments

U.S.

Mega Millions Frenzy: Did anyone win Friday’sjackpot?

The winning numbers were 14, 40, 60, 64, 66 and the Mega Ball was 16 according to the lottery's website. No one matched all six numbers on Friday, July 22, 2022 and the jackpot is now worth $790 million. The next drawing is scheduled for Tuesday, July 26, 2022.