Top 5 Live-WURD Tuesday May 12
1. At least 32 dead after another powerful earthquake hits Nepal
A new powerful earthquake convulsed the traumatized nation of Nepal on Tuesday, killing at least four people.
The earthquake shook a country still picking up the pieces from the magnitude 7.8 quake that hit central Nepal on April 25, killing more than 8,000 people. The magnitude 7.3 earthquake Tuesday struck at a depth of about 15 kilometers (9 miles), the U.S. Geological Survey said, slightly revising its earlier estimates. A series of significant aftershocks, the strongest measuring magnitude 6.3, followed the initial larger quake.
The shock waves rippled out from a remote area of eastern Nepal, near the border with China, leveling buildings already damaged by the devastating quake that killed thousands of people two and a half weeks ago.
2. NFL suspends Brady 4 games for deflated footballs
The NFL suspended Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady for the first four games of the season, fined the New England Patriots $1 million and took away two draft picks Monday as punishment for deflating footballs used in the AFC title game.
The league also indefinitely suspended the two equipment staffers believed to have carried out the plan, including one who called himself “The Deflator.”
A league-authorized investigation by attorney Ted Wells found that Brady “was at least generally aware” of plans by two Patriots employees to prepare the balls to his liking, below the league-mandated minimum of 12.5 pounds per square inch.
The Patriots defeated the Indianapolis Colts 45-7 and went on to beat the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl.
Brady will miss the season’s showcase kickoff game on Sept. 10 against Pittsburgh, then Week 2 at Buffalo, a home game against Jacksonville and a game at Dallas. He will return the week the Patriots face the Colts in Indianapolis.
3. George Zimmerman shot at by motorist, police say
George Zimmerman, acquitted by a Florida jury in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin in 2013, suffered minor injuries Monday after being shot at by a motorist, police said.
Zimmerman and the man who shot at him had been in an ongoing dispute, according to police.
No arrests have been made or charges filed in relation to Monday’s shooting, which is in the early stages of the investigation.
Lake Mary police spokeswoman Bianca Gillett confirmed that the man who shot at Zimmerman, Matthew Apperson, is the same person who called police last year because he felt threatened by Zimmerman.
According to police, Zimmerman flagged down a Lake Mary police officer early Monday afternoon, saying he was involved in a shooting.
4. Records: Thousands too injured to enter Baltimore jail
Thousands of people have been brought to the Baltimore city jail in recent years with injuries too severe for them to be admitted, newly released records show.
The records, obtained by The Baltimore Sun (http://tinyurl.com/pdbu29k) through a Maryland Public Information Act request, show that correctional officers at the Baltimore City Detention Center refused to admit nearly 2,600 detainees who were in police custody between June 2012 and April 2015.
The records do not indicate how the people were injured or whether they suffered their injuries while in custody. However, they do suggest that police officers either ignored or did not notice the injuries. Suspects are constitutionally guaranteed health care before they are booked into jail.
5. Council committee authorizes city to buy waterfront land for new prison
City Council’s Committee on Public Property voted on Monday to approve a bill that authorizes the city to purchase a 58-acre parcel of land on the Delaware River for the purposes of building a prison facility to replace the 140-year-old House of Correction.
The bill, introduced last month, authorizes the city to spend up to $7,265,299 to purchase the property at 7777 State Road. The property is currently owned by 7777 Philadelphia Loan Associates, LLC, a New York-based group that bought the property last year for $100, according to city records. It is assessed at around $7.3 million.
The land is adjacent to the current House of Correction. Michael Resnick, the city’s director of public safety, told PlanPhilly last week that the facility is outdated and “not conducive to mass management” of the roughly 1,500 inmates who are housed there.
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Solomon Jones is an Essence bestselling author and award-winning columnist. He is the creator and editor of Solomonjones.com and morning host on 900 am WURD radio. Click here to learn more about Solomon
