Bring That Week Back: Week of June 21, 2009
A virus breaks out at T.I.'s prison; A popular pastor is busted in a sex sting; Plus more.
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Dead at 50 - Michael Jackson, who bridged the gap between Black soul and White pop music, died in Los Angeles on Thursday. He was 50. Paramedics responded to a call at Jackson’s home around 12:26 p.m. He was not breathing when they arrived. The paramedics performed CPR and took him to UCLA Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.
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Virus Outbreak At T.I.’s Prison - The prison where rapper T.I. is currently serving his one-year sentence on gun charges, has been hit with an outbreak of an unknown virus which is spreading through the entire prison. The illness has reportedly hit a number of inmates, and officials have temporarily suspended visitation at the federal Forrest City prison. Prison officials say they don't yet know what's sickened the inmates, but that they don't suspect swine flu.
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Busted in Sex Sting - A popular New York pastor was busted over the weekend in a sex sting with underage girls in Jamaica. Authorities say the Rev. Paul Lewis, founder of the Messengers for Christ Ministries World Healing Center, was arrested for having sex with a 15-year-old girl while a 14-year-old watched. Lewis, 45, who was on the island for a crusade at a local church, is accused of offering the girls between $30 and $60 for the romp.
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$20 Million in Tithes - In a special report that ESPN did this past weekend on athletes giving 10 percent of their salaries to preachers, bankrupt boxer Evander Holyfield claims he paid $20 million in tithes to Creflo Dollar's Work Changers Church in Atlanta. Holyfield's home is being foreclosed; he’s behind in child support payments and is reportedly still giving his money to Dollar's ministries. Holyfield reportedly said, "...me paying that tithe, it’s going to better me off in the long run.”
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Dollar Sued - Meanwhile, the Rev. Dollar is being sued by a California businessman who says the pastor stole his business idea of charging followers a monthly fee for devotional text messages. Also named in the lawsuit are Dollar’s son, Jeremy, whom the plaintiff, Devone Lawson, alleges reneged on the deal, pilfered his trade secrets and launched “Word on the Go” three years ago. Lawson is seeking in excess of $10 million in lost revenues.
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6 / 23
Weezy in Court - Rapper Lil' Wayne appeared in court Tuesday for a pretrial update on the investigation into drug possession and weapons charges he faces in Yuma County, Ariz. The rapper's attorney had asked the judge for access to a sniffer dog’s training record. He said, "If the dog is not reliable, then that puts the entire probable cause for the stop into question." The request was refused and Weezy will now return to court on Aug. 11.
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Arrested - Roberto Guzman Rosado Jr. - better known as the rapper Tru Life - has turned himself in to police following a stabbing that resulted in the death of an 18-year-old last week. The 33-year-old rapper, once signed by Jay-Z, is jailed on Rikers Island on charges of murder, assault and weapons possession, police said.
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'Guilty' - Chris Brown dodged jail time with a guilty plea Monday. Brown, 20, fessed up to beating up his ex-girlfriend Rihanna. He is expected to receive five years probation and be ordered to complete 180 days, or more than 1,400 hours, of community labor when sentenced Aug. 5. He must also undergo 52 weeks of domestic violence counseling.
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Free on Bail - Former NBA star Jayson Williams will remain free on bail after a New Jersey judge Monday rejected a prosecutor's request to revoke the bail and send him to prison for trying to cover up the 2002 shooting of his limousine driver. The judge noted that Williams always showed up for his court appearances and that to sentence him now risked double jeopardy.
10 / 23
Attacked by Cops - Mike Brennan says he was getting off a Vienna subway when two undercover cops in Austria pounced on him, mistaking him for a drug dealer. The 35-year-old teacher believes he was singled out because he is Black and is taking legal action against the police for assault. Vienna Police admitted the mix-up Monday and expressed regret, but never suspended those involved. Brennan is recovering from bruises, swelling and sprains to his back, neck and hand.
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11 / 23
Spare Troy Davis - The NAACP is urging everybody to get involved in helping spare the life of Troy Davis, whom they argue is about to be executed for a murder he never committed. Davis was convicted in 1991 for the shooting death of an off-duty Savannah, Ga., police officer. Seven of the nine witnesses who identified Davis as the killer during the initial trial have since recanted their testimony. Despite several appeals, Davis remains on death row.
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Eminem Lyrics Shouted During Murder - A 29-year-old Arizona man reportedly told police this week that he shouted lyrics from an Eminem song while fatally stabbing his wife and daughter. "Here comes Satan, I'm the anti-Christ, I'm going to kill you," Michael Miller reportedly screamed. His 4-year-old son survived the attack, despite being stabbed 11 times. According to police, Miller said he was possessed and believed that his wife was a demon.
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Killed in Brutal Attack - A 26-year-old philosophy student's dying moments were caught on cell phone video this week. Sources say Neda Agha-Soltan was standing next to her father on the side of the road, in the capital city of Tehran, watching fellow protestors during a rally when an Iranian Basij fighter shot her with a sniper rifle from a nearby rooftop. She was dead within minutes. At least 17 people have been killed in the protests.
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Devastation in D.C. - A subway train smashed into the back of another at the height of evening rush hour in Washington, D.C. on Monday, killing at least nine people and injuring scores more. The dead included the female operator of a six-car train that rear-ended the second train. D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty said 70 people were treated at the scene while some went to local hospitals; two with life-threatening injuries.
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R.I.P. Ed McMahon - Hollywood icon Ed McMahon passed away on Tuesday. McMahon, most famous for his work as Johnny Carson’s sidekick and announcer on NBC's “The Tonight Show,” and as the host of the classic TV talent show “Star Search,” was 86. McMahon reportedly suffered from systemic bone cancer.
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16 / 23
Controversial Scholar Dies - Philip D. Curtin, a leading but controversial scholar on the African slave trade, who is credited with pumping new life into African studies, passed away of pneumonia. He was 87. Curtin sparked a firestorm with his research that questioned the importance of Goree Island, Senegal, which has become a major tourist draw as the "door of no return" where millions of Africans were shipped out as slaves.
17 / 23
Back in Print - Four books that have been long out of print by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. will be published again under a deal with Beacon Press brokered by King's youngest son. The new editions include: "Stride Toward Freedom," "Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?,” "Trumpet of Conscience" and "Strength to Love." Beacon will also compile King's writings, sermons, lectures and prayers into new editions with introductions by leading scholars.
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‘Fierce’ Support - Beyoncé served up some glamour at the launch of a new food donation drive Monday. The singer urged fans to support the "Show Your Helping Hand" campaign by bringing non-perishable food to her concerts or donating online to Feeding America. Bey told fans outside Madison Square Garden, "There are a lot of children that don't have meals because school is out so they depend on the food bank."
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Telling It All - Word is, original Destiny's Child member LaTavia Roberson is now ready to fill fans in on her post-Destiny's Child life via a tell-all book. The book will cover her time with the group, but it’s said she will also speak on her struggles with family (rumor: they thought she was an ATM machine) and other areas in her life and how she’s overcome them.
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Kickin’ Butt - With a nod to his own struggle with nicotine addiction, President Obama signed a bill Monday giving federal regulators sweeping new powers to scare smokers straight. The law empowers the Food and Drug Administration to crack down on Big Tobacco's efforts to lure kids into lighting up. Later this year, the law will take cigarettes with candy, fruit and spice flavors off the shelves for good.
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