Largely White Town May Secede from Black School System, Judge Rules

A predominately White Alabama town will be allowed to seceded from a mostly Black school district, a judge has ruled. But Judge Madeline Haikala in her ruling said that the split was motivated by race and sent negative messages to Black children. Gardendale, Ala., has been trying to leave the Jefferson County system and break off into its own school system for as long as 50 years ago. The town says it is simply seeking local control, but their critics say they only want to segregate themselves from the Black students. Under the ruling, Gardendale will be able to secede under a three-year plan but will have to create a desegregation strategy and must have at least one African-American person on its board within 60 days, according to Al.com.

Aaron Hernandez Estate Worth Nothing, Affidavit Says

The estate of Aaron Hernandez, the one-time NFL star who committed suicide in prison last week, is worth nothing, court records say. The New York Daily News reported that Hernandez fiancé, Shayanna Jenkins-Hernandez, who is also mother to his four-year-old daughter, filed an affidavit in probate court that his estate has a value of $0.00 and had no personal assets. The court allowed her to expand her authority over the estate in order to sell his suburban Boston home, which is worth nearly $1.3 million. But the mother of Odin Lloyd, which Hernandez was found guilty of murdering, is suing for proceeds from the sale of the home.

Arkansas Moving Forward with Fourth Execution Over Past 8 Days

The Arkansas Supreme Court has rejected two requests to stop the execution of Kenneth Williams, who is scheduled to die by lethal injection at 7 p.m. Thursday. If his execution is caried out, Williams will be the fourth person put to death by Arkansas in the last eight days. On Tuesday, the state executed Marcel Williams and Jack Jones on the same gurney about an hour apart. Last week, Ledell Lee was executed as well. Kenneth Williams was found guilty of the murder of an individual who he killed after escaping prison while serving life for another murder. The four men were part of a group of eight inmates set for execution, but legal maneuvers and appeals have spared the lives of four at least for now.

South African Demonstrators Call for President Jacob Zuma to Leave Office

At least 2,000 demonstrators gathered in Pretoria, South Africa to call for the ouster of President Jacob Zuma who has been embroiled in a corruption scandal that has rocked the ruling African National Congress. The nation’s “Freedom Movement” held picket signs that said “Zuma Must Go” as many in the country have bashed the one time ally of Nelson Mandela over a reshuffling of his cabinet that resulted in a decreased bond rating for the country. Zuma’s term expires in 2019, but several opposition parties have entered a “no confidence” vote against him.