Giving Help, Getting Help In The Midlands, Feb. 3

By DYLAN LOVAN and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The U. S. Justice Department and the city of Louisville have reached an agreement to reform the city’s police force after an investigation prompted by the fatal police shooting of Breonna Taylor, officials said Thursday. The consent decree, which must be approved by a judge, follows a federal investigation that found Louisville police have engaged in a pattern of violating constitutional rights and discrimination against the Black community. Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said the “historic content decree” will build upon and accelerate, this transformational police reform we have already begun in Louisville.” He noted that “significant improvements” have already been implemented since Taylor’s death in March 2020.

Writing a comprehensive history of Polish citizens during the Holocaust is a hefty task. A Polish law that criminalizes any mention of Polish responsibility for or complicity in Nazi crimes makes it even harder. That makes the groundbreaking research conducted by acclaimed Holocaust historian Jan Grabowski for his new book, “On Duty: The Polish Blue & Criminal Police in the Holocaust” all the more remarkable. Relying on meticulous documentation, the book argues that Polish institutions were more than willing to assist the Nazis in their extermination campaign, and often led the way through their own initiatives.

By KEVIN FREKING, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — What was once a bipartisan effort to expand by 66 the number of federal district judgeships across the country passed the House of Representatives on Thursday, though prospects for becoming law are murky after Republicans opted to bring the measure to the floor only after President-elect Donald Trump had won a second term. The legislation spreads out the establishment of the new trial court judgeships over more than a decade to give three presidential administrations and six Congresses the chance to appoint the new judges.

(New York Jewish Week) — Jewish pitcher Max Fried has reportedly signed an eight-year, $218 million contract with the New York Yankees, the largest contract ever for a Jewish player as well as for a left-handed pitcher. Fried, who turns 31 in January, entered the MLB offseason as one of the most coveted free agents on the market after a dazzling eight-year run with the Atlanta Braves that included one World Series title.

By WILL WEISSERT and JONATHAN J. COOPER, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump said Wednesday that he’s picking Kari Lake as director of Voice of America, installing a staunch loyalist who ran unsuccessfully for Arizona governor and a Senate seat to head the congressionally funded broadcaster that provides independent news reporting around the world. Lake, an immigration hard-liner, was a television news anchor in Phoenix for nearly three decades until she left in 2021 after making a series of controversial statements on social media, including sharing COVID-19 misinformation during the pandemic. Telegenic, engaging and adept at communicating, Lake launched her political career a short time later, quickly building a loyal following and national profile as she sparred with journalists and echoed Trump in her sharp criticism of what she called the “fake news.” In a statement, Trump said Lake would be ultimately be appointed by and work closely with the head of the U.

(New York Jewish Week) — On an April Saturday in 1945, a Jewish teen living in East New York named Charlotte Buchsbaum washed her hair with lemon. “It looked nice,” she wrote in her diary. The following day, the 15-year-old Brooklynite went to a bar mitzvah at The Rainbow Room, where there was an “effective ceremony” followed by dinner and dancing. Two weeks later, she was at school when a loudspeaker announced that “hostilities have ceased in Germany and all Europe.” These musings by a Jewish high schooler, which reflect happenings both highly personal and historically significant, have recently found a contemporary audience of millions.