CHICAGO — A cast member on the hit television show "Empire" alleged he was physically attacked by men in Chicago who shouted racial and homophobic slurs, police said Tuesday. Police did not release the actor's name but a statement from Fox, which airs "Empire," identified him as Jussie Smollett, 36....
Georgia Man Tells Police R. Kelly’s Manager Threatened Him
STOCKBRIDGE, Ga. — A Georgia man involved with a recent documentary detailing abuse allegations against R. Kelly told police the singer's manager threatened him. Timothy Savage told an officer on Jan. 3 that Don Russell had texted him saying it would be best for him and his family if the...
She Swiped Co-Worker's Coke Can. Police Say It Cracked 28-Year-Old Murder Case.
The police were again circling the Franz Bakery Outlet in the spring of 2017, hungry for information, and now she knew why. The shop, a branch of a commercial outfit supplying baked goods to customers across the region, was on an empty two-lane road north of Bellingham, Washington. The investigators...
Search Underway for Killer of Veteran Valley Police Officer
Authorities launched a manhunt Wednesday after they said a gunman shot and killed a police officer during a traffic stop in the Stanislaus County town of Newman. In an alert, the California Highway Patrol said the suspect, whose name was not known, is considered to be armed and dangerous. Suspect...
Should You Need to Pass a Social Media Check to Get a Gun?
ALBANY, N.Y. — Should hateful tweets keep you from getting a gun? That's a question many have asked after suspects in several horrific mass shootings were found only later to have left social media hints of violence that went unheeded for years. Now a New York lawmaker has introduced a...
With Crime This Bad, Now Is Not the Time for a Parks Tax
This is the reality of life in Fresno, and it doesn't matter where you live. Every time you park your car, you wonder if a window will be smashed and everything inside will be stolen. This has happened to me twice in the last year. You go to work every...
Tax Vote Should've Been 50/50 For Parks & Police: Ashjian
It has been said, "Two men look through the same jail cell walls, one sees mud and one sees stars." Certainly, this is the way that I see the Fresno parks sales tax initiative. First, I think some background is in order. At the ultimate fallout of the Great Recession, Fresno's...
California High Court Sides With Police in Case Over Chases
SAN FRANCISCO — The California Supreme Court on Monday unanimously rejected a lawsuit that sought to make it easier to hold police liable for crashes that occur during pursuits. A state law says police agencies are immune from liability if they have a written pursuit policy, provide annual training about...
Police Lineups Are Flawed. Can They Be Fixed?
Police lineups are a staple element of crime shows on TV and in the movies. An eyewitness, behind one-way glass, pointing out a criminal suspect among a group of four or five decoys standing along a wall at police headquarters makes for a highly dramatic moment on the screen. But...
Want to Fight Crime, Fresno? Plant Flowers With Your Neighbors.
Neighborhoods struggling with physical decline and high crime often become safer simply when local residents work together to fix up their neighborhood. My colleagues and I at the University of Michigan School of Public Health Youth Violence Prevention Center have spent nearly a decade documenting why. Research from cities across...