Bring That Week Back: Week of May 3, 2009
See how Chris Brown spent his 20th birthday. Plus | a look at the rest of last week's top stories!
1 / 19
Baby Killed - Richard Anthony McTear Jr., was arrested for allegedly throwing his ex-girlfriend's 4-month-old baby out of a car window, killing the child. According to police, 21-year-old McTear was in a fight with his 17-year-old girlfriend, before he grabbed her child and fled in a Chevrolet Impala. He then tossed the baby from the speeding car onto Interstate 275 in Florida. The baby, Emanuel Wesley Murray, was pronounced dead at the scene.
2 / 19
Escaped Death - Samantha Orobator, a 20-year-old pregnant, British woman escaped the death penalty because she is pregnant, according to a Laotian government spokesman. Orobator is accused of carrying more than a pound of heroin. Normally, anyone found in Laos with more than 500g of heroin faces the death penalty by firing squad.
3 / 19
Mayor Melton Dies - The mayor of Mississippi's largest city died early Thursday, less than two days after losing a primary re-election bid. His campaign was overshadowed by federal prosecution efforts to convict him in a 2007 sledgehammer raid on an alleged crackhouse. Melton had a history of serious health problems, but officials declined to say if that's what sent him to the hospital Tuesday shortly after polls closed with the mayor trailing. He was 60.
4 / 19
Bus Battle - A Jacksonville, Fla., school bus driver is off the job and facing criminal charges after being accused of punching a high school student in the face. Quarnetta Quaintance reportedly told police that she never touched the female student and only grabbed her when the student grabbed her first. The student was reportedly upset about being suspended from riding the bus.
5 / 19
Rapidly Spreading - On Monday, health officials added a student at historically Black Howard University in Washington, D.C., to the list of those stricken with the rapidly spreading swine flu. In the D.C. metro area – including the District and parts of Maryland and Virginia – there are 17 reported cases.
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6 / 19
Next Supreme Court Justice? - Obama has already made some significant changes while in office for just over 100 days and now he’s eyeing the Supreme Court for his next bold move. It is widely speculated that Judge Sonia Sotomayor will be Obama’s choice to become the first Latina on the Supreme Court. Late Thursday, news broke that Justice David Souter plans to retire when the court session ends in June, giving Obama his first chance to name a judge.
7 / 19
Detroit’s New Mayor - Ex-NBA baller Dave Bing has been elected Detroit's newest mayor and will serve through the end of the year. The 65-year-old Detroit Pistons great defeated incumbent and fellow Democrat Ken Cockrel Jr. Tuesday in a special runoff election. Bing will serve out the remainder of former mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's second term, but must run again in the regular Aug. 4 nonpartisan primary and win the Nov. 3 general election to hold on to the mayor's seat for a full four years.
8 / 19
Chicken Frenzy - When Oprah talks, everybody listens. The daytime diva's influence has resulted in a shortage of new grilled KFC menu items after she offered free meal coupons on her Web site. Many customers printed the coupons repeatedly, resulting in long lines at restaurants around the country. KFC was so overwhelmed on Thursday, just two days after Winfrey's announcement on her talk show, that the chain has temporarily stopped honoring the coupons.
9 / 19
NBA MVP - Cleveland Cavs swingman LeBron James, perhaps the most potent NBA weapon since Michael Jordan, claimed the league MVP prize Monday. He netted 109 of the 121 first-place votes, blowing away the next closest candidate, Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, last year’s winner, who earned two first-place votes.
10 / 19
‘Most Influential’ - She's already conquered Britain, France and Germany. On Tuesday, first lady Michelle Obama had quite the day in New York, appearing on "Sesame Street," talking to diplomats, and appearing before a glittery crowd at Time magazine's annual Time 100 gala, honoring its 100 "Most Influential People." Her husband as well as fellow honorees Oprah Winfrey, Barbara Walters and Suze Orman also made the most-influential list.
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11 / 19
2-Year-Old Genius - MENSA, the society for geniuses, has accepted its youngest member — a 2-year-old. Elise Tan Roberts from Edmonton, North London in Britain has an IQ of 156. Albert Einstein was believed to have an IQ of 160, while the average IQ is 100. Mensa normally only accepts children 10 or older, but the society made an exception for Elise because she tested so high on the Stanford-Binet intelligence scale. She is in the top 0.2 percent for her age. She is half Malaysian and half Nigerian.
12 / 19
'Phony Toni' - A concert promoter involved in the controversial "Phony Toni" case has come forward with an admission of guilt. Angel Ventura, the man responsible for promoting a concert that landed Toni Braxton impersonator Trina Johnson-Finn behind bars, has reportedly told a judge that he tried to pass the singer off as Braxton. Johnson-Finn was booed off stage at a show earlier this year and was later placed in jail on fraud related allegations.
13 / 19
Quiet Birthday - Usually, turning the big 2-0 is cause for a huge celebration, but in light of his felony assault charges, Chris Brown chose to spend the special day Tuesday with family in his home state of Virginia – without a camera-filled birthday bash like the one recently held for Rihanna. The singer reportedly enjoyed a small birthday celebration with friends. Brown recently pleaded not guilty to two felony counts – assault and making criminal threats – in the alleged Feb. 8 beating of Rihanna.
14 / 19
Rihanna Cancels - Just a month after Rihanna was booked for her first public performance since her alleged assault by Chris Brown, the show has been abruptly scrapped. The 21-year-old R&B star had been scheduled to perform later this month in the United Arab Emirates. However, her management said in a statement that she's not yet ready to return to the stage.
15 / 19
Concert Loses Nearly $1Mil - Jay-Z’s superstar presence was not enough to make a recent Arizona Stadium concert a success, as event promoters confirmed the show posted a loss of $917,000. The Last Smash Platinum Bash was organized by the Associated Students of the University of Arizona, who paid Jay-Z $750,000 to co-headline the event with pop star Kelly Clarkson. In total, the concert cost $1,420,000, while tickets and merchandise purchases only posted $503,502.
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16 / 19
Sued for $44 Mil - Michael Jackson's former publicist, Raymone Bain, says the King of Pop has not only breached his contract but has essentially ignored her. So, she's suing him for $44 million. Known widely for defending Jackson during his much-publicized and disputed child molestation trial, Bain filed suit against the pop star in Washington, D.C. this week. Bain just wants the 10 percent she's owed.
17 / 19
'Thriller' Haunts Michael - Meanwhile, Ola Ray, the ex-Playboy centerfold who played Michael Jackson's crush in his legendary "Thriller" video wants a jury to end her nightmare of trying to collect royalties. Ray’s attorney claims she was promised a cut of the 1983 promo’s revenue but has yet to receive a penny, and she wants her money! Ray doesn’t know precisely how much she is owed for the 26-year-old video, but her accountants will add it up for her.
18 / 19
‘Sunday Best’ Final Two - Judges Mary Mary and BeBe Winans finally narrowed the field down to two spirit-filled women with unique styles. Y’Anna Crawley, the powerhouse, and Jessica Reedy, the jazzy songstress are the last two standing on this year’s “Sunday Best.” Voters choose who the final winner is by voting online. The winner will be announced on Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 10 at 9 PM/8C.