VivaSync

Black residents in Centreville, Illinois, say officials ignored their pleas for help for years. Now theyre quarantined in toxic conditions Sharon Smith has to plunge her toilet to get it to flush. On rainy days, wastewater spills into her yard from nearby drainage ditches. Twice in the last year her house has flooded, leaving behind

You cant take away someones ability to choose what they want to read, says Smith, as forces of free speech mobilise for 2014 event focusing on graphic novels and comics The 10 most challenged titles of 2013 in pictures

Does anyone have a foolproof method of keeping tobacco moist in a tin? Tom Blackshaw, Lytham St.Anne's Lancs Kate, Brighton UK j owens, london uk j owens, london uk Eric Wilson, Bath, UK Mary Hinge, Bewdley UK

Ambrice Miller has remodelled a 17th-century former malt house into a comfy family home Ambrice Miller is sitting in her dining room on a bobbin chair that she designed. On the wall behind her is a hyper-realistic drawing by Ramadhan Hamis, an artist she represents. An equine bust and two Persian rugs also fill the

A leading US conservative magazine, the National Review, has fired a prominent contributor over an online column advising his children to protect themselves by avoiding African Americans, to closely scrutinise black politicians and to accept that white people are more intelligent.