Bring That Week Back: Week of Aug. 16
Wyclef receiving death threats? Plus Spelman is ranked No. 1 and Oprah's network is sued. Plus more!
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Singer Accused of Withholding HIV-Positive Status - Nadja Benaissa, a member of Germany’s biggest selling girl group, No Angels, was charged in court for knowingly spreading the HIV virus to three sexual partners. Informed of her status 10 years ago at age 17, Benaissa is accused of giving one of her three sexual partners, with whom she was in a relationship, HIV. “I am sorry from my heart,” said the German pop star in a court statement.
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Connecticut Teenager Shot by Bronx Gang - During a visit to see his father in NYC, Connecticut teenager, Tashawn Bromfield, fell victim to a random drive-by shooting. Shots rang out the passenger side of a sedan, hitting Bromfield in the chest and missing two other friends while they stood outside of Bromfield’s father’s Bronx courtyard. The slain teenager, described frankly as a “good kid,” planned to return home to his mother’s Connecticut suburb the following day.
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Jay-Z: Richest Rapper in the Game - Forbes is out again with its list of ‘Hip-Hop Cash Kings’ and New York rapper Jay-Z takes the cake, raking in $63 million in the past 12 months. In second, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs earned $30 million. Akon was third with $21 million. It is estimated that Jay-Z will pay approximately $22 million in taxes.
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Mother Reportedly Suffocates, then Drowns Sons - Twenty-nine-year-old Shaquan Duley told police that she suffocated her two toddlers in a motel before strapping them into their car seats and driving them off a boat ramp on the banks of the Edisto River in South Carolina. Authorities reported that she wasn’t a seasoned criminal, but rather an angry and unemployed mother unable to support her toddlers. “She just wanted to get rid of her children, sad as it may be,” said Sheriff Larry Williams.
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Erykah Badu Gets 6 Months’ Probation - After going au naturale in her now-notorious “Window Seat” music video, singer Erykah Badu has paid a fine of $500 and must serve probation for six months, ending next February. The video, filmed in Dallas, left the 39-year-old songstress with a disorderly conduct charge but also a good amount of buzz surrounding her exceptionally shapely derrière. The single is off her latest album, “New Amerykah Part Two: Return of the Ankh.”
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Mrs. Obama's Approval Rating Sinks After Trip - First lady Michelle Obama’s popularity ratings have plummeted after her recent mother-daughter trip to Spain, declining from 64 percent in April 2009 to 50 percent according to a recent Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll. Despite claims by White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs that the lavish Spain trip was funded by their own personal expenses, Mrs. Obama has been met with relentless criticism, in which some have labeled the first lady a “modern-day Marie Antoinette.”
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Gap Band’s Robert Wilson Dies - Member of the ‘funkadelic brotherly trio,’ the Gap Band, Robert Wilson has passed away at age 53. Bishop Wilson, father of the Band, died just last year from complications of prostate cancer, a disease that the Band’s main vocalist, Charlie Wilson, was diagnosed with in 2005. Beginning in the 1980s, the trio delivered hits like “Outstanding” and “You Dropped the Bomb on Me,” which both surged to the top of R&B charts.
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Former U.S. Marine Slain by British Kickboxer - During a vacation to study martial arts in Thailand, former U.S. Marine Dashawn Longfellow was killed by a hot-tempered British kickboxer, identified as Lee Aldhouse.
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Miami Heat’s Udonis Haslem Arrested - Miami Heat’s Udonis Haslem was arrested for drug possession, after Florida Highway Patrol spotted more than 20 grams of marijuana in his Black S63 Mercedes. The 30-year-old NBA athlete was originally stopped for going 78 mph on a 60 mph strip as well as for illegal window tint on his Benz, but both Haslem and passenger Antwain Fleming ended up in the Miami-Dade County Jail. Haslem was released on Sunday after posting $10,000 bail.
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Oprah Winfrey Network Sued - A woman identified as Catherine Dunn is filing a lawsuit against the Oprah Winfrey Network, OWN, for “wrongful termination and discrimination in the work place.” Hired back in August 2008, she argues that she was fired because of her Multiple Sclerosis, which was met by a hostile work environment within the network’s studios. Her MS symptoms, “exacerbated by the work place stress,” caused her to take leave, wherein the network replaced her with a “non-disabled and younger employee.”
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Berry: First Black September Vogue Cover Girl - It’s been three years since her last interview, but Halle Berry is definitely back with a bang as the September cover girl for Vogue magazine. As the first Black woman to ever win an Academy Award for Best Actress, Berry understood the importance of not turning down the offer, even despite her aversion to tabloids. The 44-year-old actress, former model and beauty queen, will be one of only a handful of Black women to ever grace the cover of the fashion and lifestyle magazine.
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Weezy Writes Another Thank You Letter from Prison - In his fifth released letter from New York City’s Rikers Island prison, Cash Money rapper Lil Wayne reached out to his fans, updating them with some attained wisdom and gratitude. Via weezythanxyou.com, Dwayne Carter enlightened his fans on his most recent lesson in jail, which is “to not come back.” He tells them to expect him to come out “a little bulky,” as he has been lifting pretty heavily, and the brief correspondence ends with a long list of personalized thank-yous to the fans.
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The Million Father March Day - A group of fathers in Broward County, Nebraska are making an effort to motivate local dads to escort their children on the first day of school, and ultimately take on a larger presence in their children’s lives. About 50 fathers are currently involved in this ‘Million Father March Day’ movement designed to “celebrate [the] interaction of adult males with children,” but there are high hopes of attaining a participant number of 3000 fathers by the start of the 2011-2012 school year.
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“Entourage” Ending in 2011 - President Obama’s favorite television series, “Entourage,” has just announced that the eighth season next summer will be its last. Executive Producer Mark Wahlberg has a bigger interest in bringing the show’s star, Vincent Chase, to the movie screen in the near future. The producer and actor laid it down for MTV News: “I just think we can make a great movie. I think people always wanted [it] and have complained that the episodes are too short. … I think we’re going to do it.”
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Pressure on France to Repay Haiti - A diverse group of international scholars, including Dr. Cornel West and American linguist Noam Chomsky, have written a letter to the French President Nicolas Sarkozy insisting that France repay the billions of dollars of debt that Haiti paid for its independence 200 years ago. The New York Times estimates the debt to be currently worth about $22 billion. The 19th century payment, once requested by French slave owners, has been criticized by modern academics as being illegal and illegitimate.
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NYPD Dismisses Ice-T Charge - “That’s what I’m talking about — dismissed!” said rapper turned actor Ice-T after the New York Police Department withdrew unlicensed driving charges brought against Ice-T a couple weeks back. The New York Department of Motor Vehicles apologized for the computer glitch that claimed that the rapper’s 2009 Cadillac lacked insurance. All the while, the “Law and Order: SVU” detective held his ground, stating that he “never broke the law.”
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National Egg Recall Due to Salmonella Outbreak - Thirteen popular shelled egg brands produced in Iowa have been recalled nationwide after reported cases of salmonella illnesses in California, Colorado and Minnesota. The Associated Press estimated a total of 228 million eggs included in the recall, yet the company under investigation, Wright County Egg of Galt, Iowa, has failed to confirm this number. Federal health officials advise consumers to discard of the eggs with a date stamp between May 16 and August 13.
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Shirley Sherrod Defends NAACP, Bashes Tea Party - In an online open letter, Shirley Sherrod, former USDA Georgia State Director, defended herself against charges of reverse racism brought against her by the right-wing blogger Andrew Breitbart and the Tea Party. She went on to mention her acceptance of NAACP’s apology for its falling into the mob mentality that left Sherrod jobless and condemned by the media. Sherrod began the second half of her letter talking about the trials and tribulations of her life.
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Spelman Ranked Top HBCU - In the 2011 U.S. News and World Report College Ranking, Spelman College was found to be the best Historically Black College in the country. Considering elements like freshman retention rate, faculty devotedness and six-year graduation rate, Howard U. came in second, Morehouse ranked third, and fourth was Hampton University.
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Former Illinois Governor Blagojevich Found Guilty - Rod Blagojevich, former Governor of Illinois, was found guilty of lying to FBI investigators, and vindicated of the 23 other charges against him. Blagojevich could serve anywhere from one to five years in prison. Charges brought against the two-term Democrat included racketeering, wire fraud, bribery and extortion.
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“A Few Death Threats” Leave Wyclef in “Hiding” - Singer Wyclef Jean has received death threats, warning him to “get out of Haiti.” With former Fugees bandmate Pras Michel, Louis Farrakhan and actor Sean Penn against his candidacy for president of Haiti, the odds seem far from Jean’s favor. In addition, Haiti’s electoral commission has already remarked on the fact that Jean is currently ineligible for the position as he has not lived in Haiti for five consecutive years. Yet the Haitian native stands undeterred in his plight for presidency.
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Tiger Woods Picked as 2011 Masters Favorite - It’s been two full seasons without adding to his 14 wins in major golf championships, yet Tiger Woods has already been given 5-to-1 odds of winning the 2011 Masters Tournament. Woods is No.1 in the golf Official World Rankings. Since admitting to marital infidelity, Woods has remained winless in the nine golf tournaments he has competed in.
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Miss Haiti to Compete in Miss Universe - Twenty-four-year-old Sarodj Bertin will compete in the upcoming August Miss Universe Pageant, as the first Haitian representative in 22 years. Bertin’s bio is unique; she is a lawyer, speaks four languages, and is the daughter of a Haitian political and social activist who was slain in front of her eyes. She has a lot to gain in this competition and the beauty considers the opportunity a true “privilege and honor,” and a chance to positively “change what people think about Haiti.”
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Dr. Laura Resigns After N-word Rant - Radio personality Dr. Laura Schlessinger is quitting her self-titled show after taking fire for her usage of the N-word on air. Schlessinger told Larry King that she was up against “hateful groups who don’t want to debate- they want to eliminate.” She was “regretful” for anyone she offended, and announced she will resign at the end of the year when her contract ends. Sarah Palin was sure to give her two cents via Twitter saying, “Don’t retreat…reload!”
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Report: $63,487 in Unpaid Taxes for Naomi Campbell - The Internal Revenue Service has filed a claim against supermodel Naomi Campbell for $63,487 in unpaid income taxes dating back to 2009. The tax lien listed the 40-year-old former Victoria’s Secret model’s Carnegie Hall Tower address in New York City.
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NFL Player Retires to Pursue Master’s Degree - Glen Coffee unexpectedly retired to follow his dream of returning to the University of Alabama, finishing as an undergraduate student, then moving on to pursue a master’s degree. Coffee told a reporter from the Sacramento Bee newspaper that his decision was inspired strongly by his religious beliefs. He claims God told him “a long time ago to walk away from the game.”
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Haitian School Founder Pleads Guilty - Douglas Perlitz of Colorado admitted to illicit sexual conduct with eight boys at a now-closed Pierre Toussaint School. Perlitz, in charge of the Haitian school, threatened the impoverished children with expulsion, and bribed them with food and money. Founding the school back in 1997, Perlitz is believed to have engaged in the abuse for at least a decade.
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Kanye West, Justin Bieber and Raekwon Collabo - Wu-Tang Clan rapper Raekwon has confirmed the announcement that he will collaborate with Kanye West and Canadian pop star Justin Bieber for a remix. Speculation began this week on Twitter when Kanye tweeted Bieber commenting about how much he loves Bieber’s music. The convo led to West’s offer to do a collabo with him and Raekwon. “Me, u, and the chef 2gether on a song = EPIC,” tweeted Bieber. “Might sound crazy 2 u but even having this convo is living the dream. Thanks.”
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American Combat Troops Homeward Bound from Iraq - After about seven years of U.S.-led combat in Iraq, President Obama has managed to get the final American brigade back home to the U.S. With a deadline of August 31 to end all American warfare operations in Iraq, Obama is well ahead of his set mark. This final task force consisted of troops from the 4th Stryker Brigade.
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Floods in Pakistan: 4 Million Homeless - Beginning as ruthless monsoon storms three weeks ago, a flooding crisis has emerged in Pakistan, effecting about 20 million people and has resulted in at least 1,600 fatalities. Officials estimate 3.5 million children are at high risk of cholera or other fatal diseases. The United Nations is calling for $460 million in relief efforts, but has only received less than half of that amount.
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Southern Sudan’s Plan: Animal-Shaped Cities? - Southern Sudanese officials have mapped out intricate blueprints of animal-shaped cities within their region. This $10 million concept will relocated Juba, the regional capital, to a rhinoceros-shaped plot of land, while Wau, capital of the Western Bahr el-Ghazal state, will take the shape of a giraffe. Oh, and there’s more: the lucky town of Yambio may be pineapple-shaped. Authorities look to investors to fund this plan, set for the not-so-near future.
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Marlon Jackson Accepts Award for Michael - Michael Jackson is the 44th inductee into the National Dance Hall of Fame, becoming the first ‘rock and roll’ dancer, as the others come from ballet and modern dance fields. The late King of Pop joins Alvin Ailey, Fred Astaire, and Bill “Bojangles” Robinson in this Hall of Fame. In a quick speech, Marlon expressed his happiness for his brother: “That he’s being recognized for his ability, his musical ability and dance ability makes me feel good inside.”