I’m accustomed to Fraternal Order of Police president John McNesby denouncing black protesters and white allies who speak out against police shootings of African Americans. He did so in 2014, using words such as “professional hatemongers” and “convicted thugs” to describe those who protested after grand juries declined to charge the white police officers who…

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When fellow columnist Stu Bykofsky said Black Lives Matter Pennsylvania’s Asa Khalif should not be allowed to interrupt government news conferences while protesting the killings of black men by police, I was flummoxed. Last time I checked, the First Amendment granted every American the right to free speech. It’s what protects my right to pen…

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THE INHERENT conflicts of interest between Philadelphia’s union bosses and political figures were brought sharply into focus by last week’s FBI raids on Electricians Union leader John Dougherty and City Council Majority Leader Bobby Henon. To be clear, neither man has been charged with a crime, and we don’t yet know what the FBI was…

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Top 5 Live-WURD Friday July 24 1. Gunman kills 2, then himself in Lafayette, Louisiana, movie theater As the previews ended and the lights dimmed for the screening of the comedy “Trainwreck,” a man stood up inside a Louisiana movie theater, pulled out a handgun and began firing indiscriminately. The shooter, a 58-year-old white man,…

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Top 5 Live-WURD Friday June 12 1. Judge Backs Charges Against Cleveland Officers in Killing of Tamir Rice  Acting under a rarely used provision of Ohio state law, a judge found probable cause Thursday to charge Cleveland police Officer Timothy Loehmann with murder in the fatal shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice last year. Cleveland Municipal…

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Top 5 Live-WURD Friday June 5 1. China accused of hacking U.S. Government Four million current and former federal employees may have had their personal information hacked, the Office of Personnel Management said on Thursday. The agency, which is responsible for security clearances and background checks, warned it was urging potential victims to monitor their financial…

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Top 5 Live-WURD Wednesday May 27 1. Cleveland, DOJ announce changes in police force  The city of Cleveland and Department of Justice announced Tuesday how they are moving forward on agreed changes to the city’s police force. The consent decree is the next step after the city agreed to changes last year following a scathing report from DOJ…

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Top 5 Live-WURD Friday May 22 1. Grand Jury Indicts 6 Baltimore Officers In Freddie Gray’s Death A grand jury has returned indictments against all six Baltimore Police Department officers charged in connection with the death last month of Freddie Gray, the state’s attorney in Baltimore says. Prosecutor Marilyn Mosby said at a news conference that…

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Top 5 Live-WURD Thursday April 2  1. Atlanta schools cheating scandal: 11 of 12 defendants convicted  All but one of 12 defendants charged with racketeering and other crimes in the Atlanta Public Schools cheating scandal were convicted Wednesday. “We’ve been fighting for the children in our community, particularly those children who were deprived by this…

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