PEOPLE IN THE NEWS
A judge on Friday spared comedian Artie Lange, who has struggled with drug addiction, a prison term for heroin possession. Instead, Lange, a cast member on the HBO series “Crashing,” will serve four years of probation. The Hoboken resident also must complete an outpatient drug treatment program.
The charge stemmed from a May 2017 traffic stop on the Garden State Parkway. Lange pleaded guilty in December, when Essex County prosecutors agreed to drop a 2016 cocaine possession charge.
Lange also performed on the Fox sketch comedy series “Mad TV” and spent nearly a decade as a co-host on “The Howard Stern Show.”
School board president steps down after Roseanne post
A school board president in northeastern Indiana has stepped down after sharing a post online in support of Roseanne Barr following the star’s racist tweet.
The Marion Chronicle-Tribune reports Cathy Mortiz resigned Thursday as president of the Marion Community Schools board. Mortiz plans to serve out her term as an elected board member and said in a statement she’s “sorry for the message that was conveyed.”
The newspaper reports Mortiz earlier posted an apology on her Facebook page for sharing a post from another page that included a photo of Barr and the words: “We stand with Roseanne. Share if you do too.” Mortiz said she hadn’t read Barr’s racist tweet before sharing the post.
ABC canceled its reboot of “Roseanne” on Tuesday affter Barr’s tweet.
— From wire reports