Wilmington University pulls piece featuring decapitation of the President
Last Friday, Wilmington University, a private institution located in New Castle, Delaware, had a piece of student artwork removed from an online showcase because the artwork depicted President Donald Trump decapitated. University officials later removed the piece, after approving it a month earlier in a contest for pieces produced by students during class. The University stated that they removed the piece due to it not meeting the school’s values and, while the contest had no specific rules for the show, the piece was removed after individuals in the university expressed concern.
Boston approves first Marijuana shop
Last Thursday, Boston’s first retail marijuana store was approved for business over a year after numerous other stores opened around the state. The store, Pure Oasis, gained approval from the state’s Cannabis Control Commission and was given final license approval to be open for business, making the store the first minority-owned marijuana business in the state. This approval came after individuals voiced their frustration, both state and nationwide, for the slow pace of approval for businesses owned by minorities, specifically in the cannabis industry. Pure Oasis plans on opening two other retail locations in the Boston area and has been holding job fairs in predominantly minority locations to hire workers.
Crime charges filed for El Paso shooting
Patrick Crusius, the man responsible for the El Paso mass shooting that took place last summer, was indicted by a federal grand jury on Friday. Crusius, a 21-year-old former student, was charged with 22 counts of hate crimes resulting in death, 23 counts of hate crimes involving attempted murder and 45 counts of discharging a firearm in the commission of a hate crime. After announcing the charges, the Justice Department and FBI stated that the gunman attacked the victims because of their national origin. Crusius was already facing state charges on capital murder in connection to the shooting last September, an act punishable by death or life in prison without parole in Texas.
New York court rules fantasy sports contests illegal
Last Thursday, the New York state appellate court ruled that fantasy sports contests constitute gambling and are, in turn, prohibited in the state of New York. In August of 2016, a law signed by Governor Andrew Como declared that fantasy sports did not constitute gambling and allowed for consumer safeguards ensuring its legality. However, that law was challenged in a case that began in October of 2016 by four New York residents, claiming harm from fantasy sports gambling. The case outlined that the law by Como was an illegal expansion to the state constitution on gambling, which forbids the practice besides a few exceptions such as a number of horse tracks and casinos in the state. The attorney representing the four New Yorkers stated after the decision that the law was unconstitutional and, therefore, due to penal law fantasy sports contests are prohibited.
Photo: O. Rana
