Birmingham mayor is arrested for alleged misdeeds. Federal agents arrested Birmingham Mayor Larry P. Langford, on Monday, charging him with taking bribes in exchange for doling out county financial business to a favored firm when he led the Jefferson County Commission from 2002 to 2006, reports The New York Times. Langford, 60, was charged in the 101-count indictment with taking over $230,000 in cash, clothing and jewelry for making sure that a well known Alabama investment banker and bond company owner, William B. Blount, got a portion of lucrative bond deals related to the financing of improvements to Jefferson County’s failing sewer system. Read the rest here.

Blacks are most likely to be victimized because of their race

While most crimes went down dramatically over the past half-decade, those committed against people because they happen to be Black, White, Latino, Jewish, Asian or gay skyrocketed over that period, according to a recent report. reports. The Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission annual report shows that hate crimes rose by 28 percent, to 763 offenses, with hate-related vandalism leading the way, The Los Angeles Times. The spike in hate crimes is what Robin Toma, executive director of the Human Relations Commission, describes as an alarming trend. The most victimized have been Blacks, at the hands of Latino suspects, the report shows. Next, Latinos have been victimized at the hands of Black suspects. “Latinos also made up the largest number of suspects in hate crimes based on sexual orientation. Whites were the leading suspects in religion-based incidents,” the Times reports. “Overall, Blacks made up nearly half the hate crime victims, totaling 310.”

Judge resigns after calling crack a “Black man’s disease”

A White South Carolina judge who said that being addicted to crack cocaine is a “Black man’s disease” was forced to resign following a reprimand by the state Supreme Court. George Peter Lamb, former Beaufort County magistrate, had engaged in a series of actions deemed inappropriate by the Supreme Court, including his behavior toward women workers and his incorrect admonishment to a defendant about the penalty he could face if convicted. When the justices publicly reprimanded Lamb, they said it was the most severe penalty they could mete out, because Lamb already had stepped down. He also agreed not to seek any other judicial position within the state without permission from the high court.

Award-winning singing preacher is about to get a promotion

After 14 years of pastoring one of the fastest growing churches in New York City and in Bensalem, Pa., the Rev. Hezekiah Walker is about to add bishop to his resume. The 45-year-old singer and pastor will be named bishop in the Pentecostal church on Aug. 3, in Atlanta , in recognition of his work among young people and for starting new churches – five in the U.S. , and one in Cape Town , South Africa . “This is a very great honor,” said Walker, 45, founder of the Love Fellowship Tabernacle in East New York , and host of “Afternoon Praise” on WLIB-AM.