Breaking News
Trayvon Martin Drugs: George Zimmerman Wants Teen's Marijuana Use Referenced In Case
May 22, 2013 - An attorney for the neighborhood watch leader charged with fatally shooting 17-year-old Trayvon Martin is asking a judge to deny prosecutors' request that the teen's marijuana use be off limits.
George Zimmerman's attorney filed a motion Monday claiming that Martin likely was under the influence of marijuana at the time of his death in February 2012. Attorney Don West says that could be relevant to a jury evaluating Martin's actions the night he was shot. Read more at huffingtonpost.com.
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Why isn't New Orleans Mother's Day parade shooting a 'national tragedy'?
May 15, 2013 - On 3 September 2005 – less than a week after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast – I began to understand that America cared little about what was happening in New Orleans.
I was an undergraduate at Davidson College in North Carolina at the time, worried out of my mind because my family in Mississippi was still without electricity and friends and family in New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast were still missing. The images of families stranded on rooftops were trickling in via news outlets, but it was obvious that the response from the government would be slow. Read more at theguardian.co.uk.
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Darius Rucker responds to tweet telling him to leave country music to ‘white folks’
May 23, 2013 - Former Hootie and the Blowfish frontman Darius Rucker has carved a successful new career for himself as a country singer — but apparently some fans of the genre aren’t willing to welcome him with open arms.
The African-American singer was recently subjected to racist tweets which called on him to leave country music to “white folks.” “Wow is this 2013 or 1913,” Rucker responded, adding,” Ill [sic] take my grand ole Opry membership and leave your racism.” Read more at thegrio.com.
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Michelle Obama No. 4 on Forbes’ ‘Most Powerful Women’ list
May 23, 2013 - First lady Michelle Obama lands at number four on this year’sForbes magazine’s “Most Powerful Women” list, which ranks the top 100 most powerful women in the world.
The Forbes list contains political leaders, philanthropists, celebrities and CEOs. The top 100 women are ranked based on money, their media presence, and impact over the last 12 months. Read more at thegrio.com.
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Chicago Board of Ed votes to close 50 schools
May 23, 2013 - After what has become one of the most divisive debates in Chicago and in spite of a rash of rallies and protests, the Chicago Board of Education voted Wednesday to close 50 schools, the largest simultaneous school closing in the nation.
The move comes after months of opposition by the Chicago Teachers Union, parents, students and a teacher’s strike that shut down the nation’s third-largest school district for seven days. Read more at thegrio.com.
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Bronx ‘ghetto’ tours stop amid residents’ outrage
May 23, 2013 - A company that promised sightseer tours to the Bronx that included a New York City “ghetto” has stopped the bus rides under protest from an outraged neighborhood. Real Bronx Tours, which took mostly European tourists from Manhattan to see life in the South Bronx “from a safe distance,” issued a statement this week saying it would immediately cease all tours there. Read more at thegrio.com.
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Janet Jackson officially hits billionaire status
May 23, 2013 - Janet Jackson has officially joined the billion-dollar club, according to Variety. The mag credits her incredibly successful career over many decades for the singer’s lofty financial status.
She reportedly earned $458 million thanks to concert tours, $304 million in acting gigs likeThe Nutty Professor and For Colored Girls, $260 million in album sales (“Rhythm Nation, anyone?) and more than $81 million from sponsorships. Read more at eonline.com.
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Are the Obamas too willing to criticize fellow African-Americans?
May 23, 2013 - Speeches delivered by President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama at the commencements for historically black colleges over the weekend, in which both emphasized personal responsibility and highlighted some self-inflicted problems of African-Americans, have sparked a debate among black commentators, with some criticizing the Obamas for “scolding” black Americans in a tone they do not adopt with other groups. Read more at thegrio.com.
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Darius Rucker rides ‘Wagon Wheel’ to top of charts
May 23, 2013 - Darius Rucker is a fan of Old Crow Medicine Show, but says he didn’t really get what was so infectious about the string band’s signature hit “Wagon Wheel” at first.
Then he heard the faculty band at his daughter’s school play the song and it all started to open up for him. Read more at thegrio.com.
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'Scandal' Withdrawal: It's a Real Thing
May 23, 2013 - Thursday nights will never be the same (at least until September). After last week's head-exploding closing line -- "Dad?!" -- fans of ABC's cultural phenomenon Scandal have been left with a gaping hole in their social calendars. What to tweet about? What to actually talk about? What's a gladiator to do without the deliciously over-the-top antics of Olivia Pope and Associates to spice up an otherwise nonscandalous existence? Read more at theroot.com.
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Oklahoma and Defense of Big Government
May 23, 2013 - The tornado that devastated Oklahoma this week requires significant government aid to support recovery. This presents a unique problem for the Republican Party writ large -- both in the state and in Washington, D.C. -- as requests for aid, and approval thereof, undercut its meme of "self-reliance" and the dangers of "big government." Read more at theroot.com.
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Cleveland Eateries Promise Charles Ramsey Free Burgers For Life
May 23, 2013 - The man who famously put down his Big Mac to help rescue three women held captive for a decade in an Ohio house will never have to pay for another burger in his hometown. Charles Ramsey has been promised free burgers for life at more than a dozen Cleveland-area restaurants. The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer reports that the restaurant where Ramsey worked as a dishwasher initially created a special burger in his honor, but eateries in the city decided a larger tribute was due. Read more at newsone.com.
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St. Petersburg City Council candidates don't live where they claim
May 23, 2013 - District 4 City Council candidates Darden Rice and David McKalip said they would move to run for council even as they criticized the redistricting process that drew their current homes out of the district.
Both candidates said publicly they would make the sacrifice because they wanted to help improve the city. Read more at tampabay.com.
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Why no one takes impeaching Obama seriously
May 22, 2013 - The Republican party is playing with fire. If House Republicansactually file articles of impeachment against the first African-American president, they can kiss the black vote goodbye, forever.
And the Hispanic vote, the Asian vote, and the South Asian vote. Read more at thegrio.com.
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Robin Roberts to write memoir about illness
May 22, 2013 - NEW YORK (AP) — Robin Roberts will tell the story of her battle with a life-threatening illness in a new memoir.
Grand Central Publishing says the “Good Morning America” anchor will be writing the as-yet-untitled book for publication next April. Read more at thegrio.com.
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9-year-old identified as Oklahoma tornado victim
May 22, 2013 - 9-year-old girl who was “always smiling” is among the first of the Oklahoma tornado victims to be identified.
Third-grader Ja’Nae Hornsby was one of the students who perished when the twister demolished Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, Okla. on Monday afternoon. Read more at thegrio.com.
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[FATHER/HOOD] Biological Didn’t Bother
When my daughter was born, I didn’t experience the love at first sight that so many parents talk about. In fact, I felt nothing. As I cut her cord, I descended into thinking that it was this absence of feeling that caused my father to leave me when I was less than a day old. As I held her swaddled nine-pound body, I descended further into wondering if there was going to be something wrong with me. Did I have an anti-child gene? Was I an absent father sleeper agent—as soon as the baby arrived, I’d activate and get as far away from it as I possibly could? Would I stay around? Read more at ebony.com.
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Garcia apologizes for joking he’d serve ‘fried chicken’ to Tiger Woods
May 22, 2013 - Sergio Garcia’s feud with Tiger Woods has deepened, with the Spaniard denying accusations of racism after “fried chicken” comments during an awards dinner.
Garcia appeared on stage at the European Tour’s awards dinner in England on Tuesday and was asked in jest if he would invite Woods to dinner during the U.S. Open. Read more at thegrio.com.
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Tyrese and Ludacris: ‘We want Halle Berry in ‘Fast & Furious’ franchise’
May 22, 2013 - Tyrese Gibson and Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges have teamed up for Fast & Furious 6, the latest installment of the Fast & Furiousfranchise. The pair star alongside Vin Diesel, Dwanye Johnson, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster. TheGrio got a change to catch up with Tyrese and Ludacris while they were in London promoting the film. Read more at thegrio.com.
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Rapper Chief Keef arrested at hotel near Atlanta
May 22, 2013 - Police in suburban Atlanta say rapper Chief Keef, whose name is Keith Cozart, has been arrested and charged with disorderly conduct.
Police spokesman Timothy Fecht says officers arrested Cozart after responding to a call about illegal drug activity at the Le Méridien hotel just north of Atlanta Monday afternoon. Fecht says officers saw smoke and smelled marijuana wafting from a room. Read more at thegrio.com.
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