NAACP Suspends Birmingham President Hezekiah Jackson
The national office of the NAACP has suspended the organization’s local Birmingham President Hezekiah Jackson IV.
The NAACP issued a statement Wednesday evening saying it is investigating whether Jackson advised residents not to have their soil tested for potentially damaging toxins and if he received payment for those activities.
Jackson, who has been president of the NAACP, Metro Birmingham Branch for about 20 years, says he has done nothing wrong and will be exonerated by the investigation.
Testimony, emails and invoices presented in a recent corruption trial connected Jackson to a scheme to discourage residents in North Birmingham and surrounding communities to be potentially included in an EPA cleanup site.
A coal company executive and a lawyer were convicted in that trial. In connection with the case, former state legislator Oliver Robinson pleaded guilty to bribery, fraud and tax evasion. Robinson, is scheduled to be sentenced later this month.
Israel strikes Gaza as both IDF and Hamas accuse each other of breaching ceasefire
The Israel Defense Forces said Sunday it responded after "terrorists" attacked troops operating in the Rafah area with gunfire and an anti-tank missile. Hamas said it was unaware of the clashes.
Masked thieves steal ‘priceless’ jewels from the Louvre museum
France's Interior Minister, Laurent Nuñez, called the heist "a major, highly organized operation" that lasted just seven minutes. Authorities were still drawing up the value of the stolen items.
ICE tried to send one immigrant to a country he never lived in. Then he lawyered up.
Roman Surovtsev is like many others who were detained at their regularly scheduled ICE check-ins. What makes his case different is that his wife has marshalled a team of lawyers on his behalf.
Grab the goggles. Pickleball eye injuries are on the rise
Safety precautions haven't caught up with enthusiasm for the sport. Researchers call for a new push for eye-ware.
Sunday Puzzle: Anagrams from a hotel room
NPR's Don Gonyea plays the puzzle with Minnesota Public Radio listener Matt Walsh of St. Louis Park, Minnesota and Weekend Edition Puzzlemaster Will Shortz.
3 takeaways from the second No Kings day of nationwide protests
Organizers said some 2,600 protests were planned in the U.S. on Saturday. The protests were largely peaceful, as demonstrators united in their stated aim to safeguard the country's democratic values.
