9 Feature Stories You Can't Miss This Week: The Troubles, Troublemakers, And Class Clowns

This week for BuzzFeed News, Ken Bensinger profiles black America's favorite white comedian. Read that and these other great stories from BuzzFeed News and around the web.

1. Class Clown — BuzzFeed News

Matt Roth for BuzzFeed News

A household name to black audiences yet completely unknown to white audiences, Gary Owen, a blond, blue-eyed stand-up from Ohio, has a career wholly unlike that of any comedian before him. But will his attempts to bridge the gap cost him all that he’s built? Read it at BuzzFeed News.

2. Where the Bodies Are Buried — The New Yorker

Clockwise from top right: Press Association via AP (Price); Peter Marlow / Magnum (Adams); Press Association via AP (McConville); David Caulkin / AP (IRA); Judah Passow (Divis Flats)

A sprawling, stunning account by Patrick Radden Keefe of the disappearance of a West Belfast woman at the hands of the Irish Republican Army. Her story, one of countless tragedies to come out of The Troubles, raises broader questions of the lingering effects of the era on North Irish radicals, politicians, and citizens. Read it at The New Yorker.

3. The Brief, Extraordinary Life of Cody Spafford — Seattle Met

Courtesy of Geoffrey Smith for Seattle Met

Allecia Vermillion chronicles the life of Cody Spafford who, in a few years, rose from an inexperienced oyster shucker to the sous chef at one of Seattle's premiere restaurants. How, then, did he end up robbing a bank and dying at 26? Read it at Seattle Met.

4. Three Shootings in Vallejo — BuzzFeed News

Vallejo Police Department

Albert Samaha reports from Vallejo, CA, where 2012 marked an unprecedented year for police-involved homicides. How could one officer who was responsible for half those shootings walk away without consequences — and earn a promotion? Read it at BuzzFeed News.

5. The Broad City Hustle — New York Magazine

Photograph by Bobby Doherty for New York Magazine

Jada Yuan profiles Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson, the intoxicating best friend duo behind Broad City. “We’re still in Broad City all the time. I wish money made it feel like we were living in L.A., but it fucking doesn’t!” Read it at New York Magazine.

6. Disney's $1 Billion Bet on a Magical Wristband — Wired

Bob Croslin for Wired

Disney World's new MagicBands allows park-goers to check in for rides, make payments, place orders for food, and more — all with the flick of a wrist. Cliff Kuang gets a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at where the magic happens.

Read it at Wired.

7. The Wrong Way — Mother Jones

Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call / AP

A harrowing account by Jennifer Gonnerman of the events surrounding the death of Miriam Carey, the Connecticut mother who fatefully drove into a restricted White House checkpoint and was gunned down by police in 2013. In the wake of subsequent speculation and paranoia, one crucial question was lost: Was her death really justified? Read it at Mother Jones.

8. The Immigrant Leader Accused of Fooling Immigrants, the Media, and Daddy Yankee — BuzzFeed News

David Noriega for BuzzFeed News

Oswaldo Cabrera says he was crusading for the rights of undocumented immigrants, yet many of the people he was supposed to be helping say he was just taking their money. As Cabrera stands accused of fraud in two separate lawsuits, David Noriega asks: Is he a hero or a hustler? Read it at BuzzFeed News.

9. The Bad Blood: My Life with Sickle Cell Anaemia —BuzzFeed News

Jenny Chang for BuzzFeed News

A beautiful essay by Sara Bivigou about living and coping with sickle cell disease. "When you are sick – when you have a sickness – you do whatever you can to seem well, even cheat your way to it." Read it at BuzzFeed News.

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