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Aretha Franklin Says She’s Getting Married To Longtime Friend
January 2, 2012 - Aretha Franklin says she’s ready to tie the knot with longtime friend William “Willie” Wilkerson.
Franklin told The Associated Press in a statement Monday that the pair was considering a summer wedding, perhaps on Miami Beach. The Queen of Soul wants to follow the ceremony with a reception on a private yacht. Read more at newsone.com.
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Dennis Rodman to coach topless basketball team
January 1, 2012 - Dennis Rodman is bouncing back into basketball, this time as a coach for a topless women's team he is launching for Headquarters Gentlemen's Club, the New York mammary mecca.
The NBA bad boy dreamed up the team after hearing that rival strip joint Rick's Cabaret launched a league with former Atlanta Hawk Spud Webb, who runs the Texas Legends, an NBA Development League team. Read more at foxsports.com.
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Karen Freeman-Wilson: Gary, Indiana swears in first black female mayor
January 2, 2012 - On the first day of the New Year, Indiana will receive its first ever African-American woman mayor. Karen Freeman-Wilson, 51, was sworn in on December 31st to lead one of the nation's most depressed cities from the grip of stagnation towards genuine progress: Gary, Indiana. It's a tough job, but as a native of the city, the new mayor is more than willing to take it on, "In many ways, I feel like Dorothy from Oz -- there's no place like home," Freeman-Wilson said. Her official inauguration will go down on January 7th. Read more at thegrio.com.
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Beyoncé 'Enormously Pregnant in Sky-High Heels,' Says Source
January 2, 2012 - Despite the loud buzz that Beyoncé gave birth over the holiday weekend, the countdown to the arrival of baby Bey is still on.
On New Year's Eve, the singer, 30, ate for two at Buttermilk Channel in Brooklyn, where she and husband Jay-Z feasted on fried chicken and oysters. Read more at people.com.
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Will Gov. Rick Scott get it right when selecting a replacement for Lew Williams on the Pinellas School Board?
January 2, 2012 - As of last Friday, eight individuals have applied to fill the deceased Lew Williams’ seat on the Pinellas School Board. But even with that many candidates to chose from, that doesn’t mean Gov. Rick Scott will get it right when selecting Williams’ replacement. Of Florida’s 67 counties, few have been as difficult for Rick Scott to make inroads than Pinellas, a bastion of moderate Republicans, urban liberals and, of course, Charlie Crist acolytes. Read more at saintpetersblog.com.
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ALPHA KAPPA ALPHA TO UPHOLD DR. KING’S LEGACY THROUGH GLOBAL DIALOGUE, DINNER AND SERVICE ACTIVITIES
December 30, 2011 - In the spirit of promoting peace, inspiring community service, and upholding Dr. Martin Luther King’s Jr.’s legacy, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority will lead two signature events. They will take
place on January 15, the eve of the holiday in King’s honor, and on January 16, the national day set aside to celebrate King’s birthday.
The events -- America’s Sunday Supper and the Martin Luther King, Jr., Day of Service -- are aimed at providing a forum to engage the community in promoting dialogue to grapple with challenges that represent barriers to progress. The overarching goal is to effect change in the spirit of unity. Read more at aka1908.com.
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1911 United, a new super PAC, backs Barack Obama
January 1, 2012 - President Barack Obama has a new, moneyed supporter in this new year — a super PAC dedicated to mobilizing black voters in key swing states.
Calling itself 1911 United, the super PAC is aiming to raise $1.5 million during the election cycle and train its efforts on Colorado, Florida, Indiana, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia, committee treasurer Sinclair Skinner told POLITICO. Read more at politio.com.
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Study: Black Children Form Identity Through Race, Not Language; Opposite for Whites
December 30, 2011 - Black children in the same age group tend to form their identity more strongly by the color of their skin than a shared language, according to a new study, while the opposite was true for White children.
A study published in the November issue of Developmental Science and conducted by University of Chicago researchers Katherine Kinzler and Jacelyn Dautel presented some preliminary findings regarding how young children identify with others. Read more at afro.com.
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FAMU trustees will create anti-hazing committee
January 2, 2012 - Florida A&M University’s board of trustees approved plans to create an independent committee to study hazing Monday as well as a memorial to a marching band member who police say died after being punched and paddled during a hazing ritual.
The death of drum major Robert Champion in November and the alleged severe beating of another band member have brought renewed scrutiny to a hazing culture in the band. The board also announced it would name a scholarship after Champion. Read more at blackpoliticsontheweb.com.
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The New York Times offers End-of-Year Gesture to Bed-Stuy Blacks: A Middle Finger
December 29, 2011 - This "Crime Scene" column in The New York Times is surely, if nothing else, persistent.
It is a throwback to yesteryear, when poor but hopeful whites from across the pond -- from Ireland, Italy and the Jewish ghettos of Europe -- came to this city of hope seeking freedom and (even they would concede) lots of money. Read more at amsterdamnews.com.
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Michelle Obama’s backside is your business how?
January 2, 2012 - Can you imagine how the incident would play out if an African American congressman made a crude remark about First Lady Laura Bush’s body? It certainly would have taken more than an insincere apology to wash that sin away. That scenario never happened — hopefully because those congressmen were raised with a measure of common decency. I know that America’s first family – an image this country presents to the world — is traditionally granted a certain amount of respect across party lines. Read more at washingtonpost.com.
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Deadline to Register for Presidential Preference Primary Is Today
Today, Jan. 3, marks the registration deadline for voters who wish to cast a ballot in the upcoming Presidential Preference Primary. New voter and change of party registrations must either bear today's postmark, or be delivered to any elections office by 5 p.m. Read more at New Tampa Patch.
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Has America’s stolen election process finally hit prime time?
December 31, 2011 - It took two stolen US Presidential elections and the prospect of another one coming up in 2012. For years the Democratic Party and even much of the left press has reacted with scorn for those who've reported on it.
But the imperial fraud that has utterly corrupted our electoral process seems finally to be dawning on a broadening core of the American electorate---if it can still be called that. Read more at Press TV.
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Wilson’s bill will punish hazing victims who do not report hazers
January 2, 2011 - The U.S. Department of Education has a long list of restrictions on financial aid eligibility. It cannot award grants or loans to illegal immigrants, previous aid recipients who are in default on their repayments, or sexual offenders serving a civil commitment.
Congresswoman Frederica Wilson wants to add two more categories to that list. She says the federal government should also deny aid to anyone a university sanctions for hazing or failing to report an act of hazing he or she witnessed. Read more at Rattler Nation.
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FAMU to honor Champion’s memory with memorial and scholarship
January 3, 2011 - Yesterday, the FAMU Board of Trustees approved the creation of a campus memorial and scholarship fund dedicated to the memory of Marching 100 drum major Robert D. Champion, who died from injuries he sustained during a hazing incident.
Trustees also gave the green light for an independent blue-ribbon committee that will make recommendations on how the university band should be supervised. It will examine how other institutions of higher education have addressed hazing. Read more at Rattler Nation.
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Serena Williams Wins 1st Match After Layoff
January 2, 2012 - Serena Williams won in her first match since losing the U.S. Open final last September, beating Chanelle Scheepers of South Africa 6-2, 6-3 on Monday at the Brisbane International.
Williams had her service broken in the opening game before settling in. She needed just 68 minutes to advance, firing seven aces and taking advantage of eight double-faults by Scheepers. Read more at newsone.com.
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Heisman Winner Leads Team To Bowl Victory
December 30, 2011 - If that really was Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III’s final college game, what an incredible way to go out.
Just ask him. “We went out in style!” Griffin shouted to his teammates. Read more at newsone.com.
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Obama Says NDAA Bill Will Not Authorize Indefinite Detention
January 2, 2012 - President Barack Obama signed a wide-ranging defense bill into law Saturday despite having “serious reservations” about provisions that regulate the detention, interrogation and prosecution of suspected terrorists. The bill also applies penalties against Iran’s central bank in an effort to hamper Tehran’s ability to fund its nuclear enrichment program. Read more at newsone.com.
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Hollywood in 2012: Out of love with Barack Obama?
January 1, 2012 - Hollywood loves the Next Big Thing, and four years ago, that was Barack Obama, the equivalent of a breakout movie star.
"He is 'The One,'" said Oprah Winfrey, his biggest and most influential celebrity champion.
"The best candidate I've ever seen," said George Clooney. Read more at thegrio.com.
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Savannah Brinson gets the ring as LeBron James proposes
January 1, 2012 - Lebron James may not yet have a ring, but Savannah Brinson does. The Heat star is now engaged to his longtime girlfriend, Brinson, according to the Associated Press.
According to the AP, James asked his high school sweetheart to marry him during a New Year's Eve party Saturday night. The party was also doubling as James' 27th birthday party. Read more at thegrio.com.
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