American News May 26

Eight people were shot and wounded in Harlem after shots broke out Memorial Day around 10:15 p.m., The New York Times reports. The group reportedly came up towards 125^th Street and Lenox Avenue after hanging just south of there, at Marcus Garvey Park. One of the eight was reportedly wounded from another shooting on 131^st Street. Seven were men and two of the victims were 13 and 16 years old.

Two U.S. colleges, Smith College and Wake Forest University, have removed the entrance requirement that forces applicants to list their SAT and ACT scores, The New York Times reports.

A number of child welfare groups have teamed up to fight Federal Laws that are meant to ignore race and encourage the adoption of black children by white couples, The Washington Post reports. The organizations are worried about eh 1994 Multi-Ethnic Placement Act that aims to have race omitted as a factor considered to determine suitable parents. The consortium says the law is idealistic but not realistic.

As of July 1, 2008, California residents over 18 will only be allowed to talk on cell phones if using a hands-free piece, The Los Angeles Times reports. Residents 16 or 17 years of age will only be permitted to use a cell phone in the case of an emergency.

About half of the wildfire in Santa Cruz County, California, has been contained because the temperature and winds lessened, The San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Five family members were found dead in an Orange County, Calif., home, The Los Angeles Times reports. Two of the bodies, a man and woman in their 40s or 50s, had guns near their body and the man had a gunshot would. The bodies are thought to have been decomposing for about 60 weeks, which is why authorities are having trouble finding other wounds.