(Nov. 4, 2009) - On Nov. 18, Heather R. Ellis goes to trial in Dunklin County, Mo., on two felony and two misdemeanor charges. She faces a possible 15-year sentence for charges stemming from her allegedly cutting in line at a Walmart store in her hometown of Kennett.

(October 31, 2009) - Connecticut police have charged three men in connection with the murder of University of Connecticut football player Jasper Howard, according to The Associated Press.

(October 28, 2009) - Hampton University basketball star Theo Smalling died Oct. 26 from what police call an accidental shooting outside a nightclub, The Associated Press reported.

(October 28, 2009) - WASHINGTON -- The Rev. Walter Fauntroy remembers well the successes of the Civil Rights Movement. And he wants to see them replicated in the final push for a robust government-sponsored option to be included in the health insurance reform legislation that is even now being wrangled over in Congress.

(October 28, 2009) - It was around this time seven years ago that the Washington, D.C., area was gripped with terrorizing fear.

(October 28, 2009) - Given the challenges that have recently beset him—an expanded ethics investigation, Republican calls to strip him of his authority and an upstart challenge for his seat in the 2010 elections—Democratic Rep. Charlie Rangel is exhibiting an eerie level of cool.

(October 24, 2009) - Text messages between slain NFL star Steve McNair and his girlfriend show that he had affection for the woman and was not planning to end their affair, while she was distressed about money issues in the 24 hours leading up to their July 4 murder-suicide.

(October 22, 2009) - Almost 38 years ago, Charles Hill participated in several crimes. According to reports, he, Ralph Goodwin and Michael Finney were driving from California to Mississippi carrying weapons and dynamite.

(October 21, 2009) - A teenager accused of beating 16-year-old Derrion Albert to death on a Chicago street last month was released from prison Oct. 20 after prosecutors dropped the murder charges against him, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

(October 21, 2009) - On any given day, nearly 23 percent of all young Black men ages 16 to 24 who have dropped out of high school are in jail, prison, or a juvenile justice institution in America, according to a disturbing new national report on the dire economic and social consequences of not graduating from high school.

(October 21, 2009) - WASHINGTON (AP) — For Democrats determined to get a health care bill, Sen. Roland Burris is like the house guest who couldn’t be refused, won’t soon be leaving and poses a plausible threat of ruining holiday dinner.

(October 14, 2009) - HAVANA — By his own admission, Charles Hill is a skyjacker. Prosecutors in New Mexico say he's a cold-blooded killer, too.

(October 14, 2009) - Washington, D.C. – This past weekend, thousands gathered throughout the nation’s capital in support of full equal and civil rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans.

(October 14, 2009) - WASHINGTON - Young adults will be able to be covered under their parents' health insurance until age 26, according to health care reform provisions proposed Tuesday by House Democrats, including Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md.

(October 14, 2009) - “Health care is a civil right –not a privilege, and the current system discriminates against people who are sick.”

(October 14, 2009) - If it’s any consolation to President Obama, the controversy swirling around his recent naming as the 2009 recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize puts him in good company.

(October 15, 2009) - ESPN reports that conservative political commentator Rush Limbaugh—well known for his history of racially discriminating comments—has been booted from a group interested in buying the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League.

(Oct. 11, 2009) - Minimizing inequities in health care access and outcomes is not only good for the public’s health but also the nation’s fiscal health, area researchers have found.