Bring that week back: Week of Dec. 6
Bishop Long seeks to settle; "dead" celebs brought back to life and Vick leads votes. Plus more!
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Cam Newton Wins Heisman Trophy - Auburn University star quarterback Cam Newton received college football’s biggest award, the Heisman Trophy, Saturday night in a landslide win. "Honestly, it's a dream come true for me,” Newton said. “I'm living testimony that anything is possible." His win, though, is shrouded in some controversy, as his father, Cecil, (not in attendance) stands accused of breaking NCAA rules for trying to get another school to pay him $180,000 to have his son play there.
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James Moody Dies - Jazz saxophonist James Moody passed away Thursday after a fight with pancreatic cancer. He was 85. Moody is best known for his 1949 hit record, “Moody’s Mood for Love,” which was later recorded by Aretha Franklin, Van Morrison and Amy Winehouse. He’s survived by Linda Moody, his third wife; daughter, Michelle Bagdanove; sons Patrick, Regan and Danny McGowan; brother, Lou Watters; four grandchildren and one great grandson.
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Palin Visits Haiti - Former Alaska governor and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin made a weekend trip to Haiti alongside Rev. Franklin Graham. During her short trip, she urged Americans not to forget about Haiti and told them to “get out of your comfort zone and volunteer to help.” While in the nation, she visited Samaritan’s Purse Projects, which included cholera clinics. Palin was joined by husband Todd, daughter Bristol and a Fox News television crew.
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Teacher Loses Baby After Student Kick in Stomach - In a sad story out of New York, Bronx high school teacher Lissedia Batista miscarried after a student accidentally kicked her in the stomach as she was trying to break up a fight Wednesday. According to investigators, the students (a ninth-grader and an 11th-grader) were arguing over a chair when the incident occurred. She was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital, but it was too late. Batista is not cooperating with the police in order to keep the boys out of the criminal-justice system, acco
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Elizabeth Edwards Dies - Surrounded by her children, siblings, friends and estranged husband John Edwards, Elizabeth Edwards passed away in her North Carolina home Tuesday after a fight with cancer. She was 61. Edwards was a “tenacious advocate” for health care reform and fighting poverty, President Obama said in a statement. Funeral services were held over the weekend.
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Ban on Affirmative Action Upheld - On Wednesday, a federal judge in California upheld the state’s ban on the use of affirmative action in the public university admissions process. The plaintiffs, including the Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action as well as 56 California students, argued that the law violated the civil rights of minority students. Though the judge dismissed their challenge, they plan to appeal. Since the ban passed in 1996, the state has seen the Black and Latino populations at schools like UCLA and UC Berkeley
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Reports: Aretha Franklin Has Cancer - On Wednesday, Detroit media outlets reported that legendary songstress Aretha Franklin has pancreatic cancer. The previous week, Franklin, who has been mum about the nature of her illness, had “highly successful surgery.” In October, she cancelled all of her upcoming concerts due to doctors’ orders.
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Obama Allocates $4.6 Billion for Black Farmers - President Obama signed legislation Wednesday that puts aside $4.6 billion for settling claims by Black farmers who alleged discrimination. “It’s finally time to make things right,” President Obama said at the signing ceremony. In addition, the law will also be used to settle allegations by American Indians that they were cheated out of land-use royalties by the government.
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Vick Leads in Pro Bowl Voting - What a difference a year and a half makes. Eagles’ star QB Michael Vick, whose two-year stint in jail on dogfighting charges initially drew the ire of many NFL fans, is now the leading vote-getter for the Pro Bowl, the league reported Wednesday. Vick, who has led his team to the top of the NFC after starting the season as a backup, garnered 729,838 votes from fans; almost 40,000 more than second place vote-getter Peyton Manning.
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Long Agrees to Mediation - Bishop Eddie Long, whose sexual coercion lawsuits rocked headlines in September, recently agreed to go to mediation with his four accusers – Spencer LeGrande, 22, Jamal Parris, 23, Anthony Flagg, 21, and Maurice Robinson, 20 ¬¬– in February. The young men have accused the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church leader of abusing his spiritual authority and exchanging lavish gifts for sex while they were teenagers. If the mediation doesn’t go well, a tentative trial date is scheduled for July 11, 201
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