976

General Discussion Forum / 'Wire' actress among 30 arrested in Md. drug raids

« on: March 10, 2011, 11:45:09 AM »

BALTIMORE – Police in Baltimore say an actress who appeared on the HBO series "The Wire" was among dozens of people arrested in an early morning drug raid.

Police say Felicia "Snoop" Pearson, who played a killer of the same name on the hit television series, is among about 30 people who were arrested. Police declined to say what charges she faces.

Drug Enforcement Administration agents, Baltimore police and others carried out the raids Thursday in the city.

Pearson was convicted of second-degree murder as a teenager. In 2008, she was arrested on a minor drug charge when police went to her home to pick her up for refusing to cooperate as a witness in a murder trial. Court records show she was found not guilty on the charge


http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/mar/10/wire-actress-among-30-arrested-md-drug-raids/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS

977

General Discussion Forum / Hey 87, Undercover boss with the Mayor of Cincy is on

« on: March 06, 2011, 09:19:39 PM »

Anybody wathing undercover boss? Why when the black man goes undercover they make him wear braids  ?

978

General Discussion Forum / Miss. license plate proposed to honor KKK leader

« on: February 10, 2011, 08:41:52 AM »

JACKSON, Miss. – A fight is brewing in Mississippi over a proposal to issue specialty license plates honoring Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest, who was an early leader of the Ku Klux Klan.

The Mississippi Division of Sons of Confederate Veterans wants to sponsor a series of state-issued license plates to mark the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, which it calls the "War Between the States." The group proposes a different design each year between now and 2015, with Forrest slated for 2014.

"Seriously?" state NAACP president Derrick Johnson said when he was told about the Forrest plate. "Wow."

Forrest, a Tennessee native, is revered by some as a military genius and reviled by others for leading the 1864 massacre of black Union troops at Fort Pillow, Tenn. Forrest was a Klan grand wizard in Tennessee after the war.

Sons of Confederate Veterans member Greg Stewart said he believes Forrest distanced himself from the Klan later in life. It's a point many historians agree upon, though some believe it was too little, too late, because the Klan had already turned violent before Forrest left.

"If Christian redemption means anything — and we all want redemption, I think — he redeemed himself in his own time, in his own actions, in his own words," Stewart said. "We should respect that."

State Department of Revenue spokeswoman Kathy Waterbury said legislators would have to approve a series of Civil War license plates. She said if every group that has a specialty license plate wanted a redesign every year, it would take an inordinate amount time from Department of Revenue employees who have other duties.

SCV has not decided what the Forrest license plate would look like, Stewart said. Opponents are using their imagination.

A Facebook group called "Mississippians Against The Commemoration Of Grand Wizard Nathan Forrest" features a drawing of a hooded klansman in the center of a regular Mississippi car tag.

Robert McElvaine, director of history department at the private Millsaps College in Jackson, joined the Facebook group. McElvaine said Forrest's role at Fort Pillow and involvement in the Klan make him unworthy of being honored, even on the bumpers of cars.

"The idea of celebrating such a person, whatever his accomplishments in other areas may have been, seems like a very poor idea," McElvaine told The Associated Press.

Mississippi lawmakers have shown a decidedly laissez-faire attitude toward allowing a wide variety groups to have speciality license plates, which usually sell for an extra $30 to $50 a year. The state sells more than 100 specialty plates for everything from wildlife conservation to breast cancer awareness. One design says "God Bless America," another depicts Elvis Presley. Among the biggest sellers are NASCAR designs and one with the slogan "Choose Life."

The Mississippi Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans has had a state-issued specialty license plate since 2003 to raise money for restoration of Civil War-era flags. From 2003 through 2010, the design featured a small Confederate battle flag.

The Department of Revenue allowed the group to revise the license plate this year for the first of the Civil War sesquicentennial designs. The 2011 plate, now on sale, depicts the Beauvoir mansion in Biloxi, Miss., the final home of Jefferson Davis, the Confederate president.

SCV wants license plates to feature Civil War battles that took place in Mississippi. It proposes a Battle of Corinth design for 2012 and Siege of Vicksburg design for 2013. Stewart said the 2015 plate would be a tribute to Confederate veterans.

Johnson, with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said he's not bothered by Civil War commemorative license plates generally. But he said Mississippi shouldn't honor Forrest, who was an early leader of what he calls "a terrorist group."

"He should be viewed in the same light that we view Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden," Johnson said of Forrest. "The state of Mississippi should deny any vanity tags which would highlight racial hatred in this state."

Democratic Rep. Willie Bailey, who handles license plate requests in the House, said he has no problem with SCV seeking any design it wants.

"If they want a tag commemorating veterans of the Confederacy, I don't have a problem with it," said Bailey, who is black. "They have that right. We'll look at it. As long as it's not offensive to anybody, then they have the same rights as anybody else has."

979

General Discussion Forum / Reagan on HBO

« on: February 08, 2011, 03:01:08 PM »

Did any of you watch the program last night and what are your thoughts

980

General Discussion Forum / White House loses nearly a quarter of its value

« on: January 05, 2011, 06:45:09 PM »

By Holly Bailey holly Bailey
Wed Jan 5, 11:46 am ET
 
On paper, it sounds like a property to die for: 132 rooms, including 16 bedrooms and 35 bathrooms, with 28 fireplaces, a tennis court, a bowling alley and an attached garage spread out over 55,000 square feet on 18 acres of centrally located land.

But the White House, as enviable a property as it is, hasn't been immune from the nation's housing crisis.

As syndicated columnist Lew Sichelman first noticed, the property value of the White House has lost nearly a quarter of its value over the last three years, according to the real estate site Zillow. In fact, in the last month alone, the White House's estimated property worth has dropped nearly $5.5 million.

[See also: America's most underwater housing markets]

At the height of the 2007 housing boom, the White House was valued at roughly $332 million. In January 2009, when President Obama and his family moved in, the fair market value was listed as $292 million. Now Zillow says the property is worth just $252 million — even with all the redecorating the Obamas have done since moving in.

That's still an impressive net worth, considering the property was reportedly built at a cost of just over $232,000 (roughly $3 million in 2011 numbers). One reason it was so cheap: The construction crews were up largely of slaves.

981

General Discussion Forum / Hey Birmingham

« on: January 03, 2011, 07:49:20 AM »

I will be in town for the bbva compass bowl this week to see my Panthers beat up Kentucky.  Can anyone tell me where are the good spots are in town? Are there any good historical Civil Rights spots, good eating spot and maybe a chill lounge or bar? Thank You !

982

General Discussion Forum / Sister's kidney donation condition of Mississippi parole

« on: December 30, 2010, 11:30:13 AM »

JACKSON, Miss. – For 16 years, sisters Jamie and Gladys Scott have shared a life behind bars for their part in an $11 armed robbery . To share freedom, they must also share a kidney.

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour suspended the sisters' life sentences on Wednesday, but 36-year-old Gladys Scott's release is contingent on her giving a kidney to Jamie, her 38-year-old sister, who requires daily dialysis.

[Related: Happy ending to one family's debt nightmare]

The sisters were convicted in 1994 of leading two men into an ambush in central Mississippi the year before. Three teenagers hit each man in the head with a shotgun and took their wallets — making off with only $11, court records said.

Jamie and Gladys Scott were each convicted of two counts of armed robbery and sentenced to two life sentences.

"I think it's a victory," said the sisters' attorney, Chokwe Lumumba. "I talked to Gladys and she's elated about the news. I'm sure Jamie is, too."

Civil rights advocates have for years called for their release, saying the sentences were excessive. Those demands gained traction when Barbour asked the Mississippi Parole Board to take another look at the case.

The Scott sisters are eligible for parole in 2014, but Barbour said prison officials no longer think they are a threat to society and Jamie's medical condition is costing the state a lot of money.

Lumumba said he has no problem with the governor requiring Gladys to offer up her organ because "Gladys actually volunteered that as part of her petition."

Lumumba said it's not clear what caused the kidney failure, but it's likely a combination of different illnesses over the years.

Barbour spokesman Dan Turner told The Associated Press that Jamie Scott was released because she needs the transplant. He said Gladys Scott will be released if she agrees to donate her kidney because of the significant risk and recovery time.

"She wanted to do it," Turner said. "That wasn't something we introduced."

Barbour is a Republican in his second term who has been mentioned as a possible presidential contender in 2012. He said the parole board agreed with the indefinite suspension of their sentences, which is different from a pardon or commutation because it comes with conditions.

[Related: Police in Berlin pepper spray snowballers]

An "indefinite suspension of sentence" can be reversed if the conditions are not followed, but those requirements are usually things like meeting with a parole officer.

The Scott sisters have received significant public support from advocacy groups, including the NAACP, which called for their release. Hundreds of people marched through downtown Jackson from the state capital to the governor's mansion in September, chanting in unison that the women should be freed.

Still, their release won't be immediate.

Mississippi Department of Corrections Commissioner Chris Epps said late Wednesday that he had not received the order. He also said the women want to live with relatives in Florida, which requires approval from officials in that state.

In general, that process takes 45 days.

Mississippi NAACP President Derrick Johnson said the Scott sisters' release will be "a great victory for the state of Mississippi for two individuals who received an excessive sentence" and he has no problem with the kidney donation requirement because Gladys Scott volunteered.

"I think it's encouraging that she's willing to share a kidney so her sister can have a better quality life," Johnson said.

National NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous said the suspension of the sentences represents the good that can come with the power of governors.

"It's again proof that when people get engaged, keep the faith, we can win," Jealous said.

983

General Discussion Forum / Woman, 27, found dead at August Busch IV 's home

« on: December 24, 2010, 03:43:20 PM »

By JIM SALTER, Associated Press Jim Salter, Associated Press
Fri Dec 24, 8:02 am ET
 
.HUNTLEIGH, Mo – Police found the body of a 27-year-old woman in the upscale suburban St. Louis home of ex-Anheuser-Busch CEO August Busch IV though it could take at least a month before authorities know how she died.

The woman was identified as Adrienne N. Martin, of St. Charles. Police were called Sunday afternoon to the St. Louis suburb of Huntleigh and found her body in Busch's gated home. St. Louis County forensic administrator Suzanne McCune said Thursday there were no signs of illness or trauma. An autopsy was conducted but results could take four to six weeks.

Art Margulis, an attorney for Busch, said Martin was a friend of Busch who was visiting the home and there was "absolutely nothing suspicious" about her death.

"It was a tragic death of a young woman," he said. Margulis told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that Martin and Busch had been dating for at least a year.

Frontenac police, whose area of coverage includes Huntleigh, provided information in a news release that did not say if the death was considered suspicious. Phone messages seeking an interview were not returned. The release did not say why news of the death was not announced until four days later.

The statement from police said the department received a 911 call at 1:15 p.m. Sunday about an "unresponsive person" at the home. Martin was deceased when paramedics and officers arrived, the release said.

McCune declined to speculate on the investigation or the cause of death. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch quoted an unnamed law enforcement source as saying the case was being investigated as a possible overdose. McCune would only say that an overdose was among the possible causes.

Citing a divorce file, the Post-Dispatch reported that Martin was married in 2002 to a 45-year-old man but they separated in February 2009. The couple had joint custody of an 8-year-old son, the paper reported.

A woman identified as Adrienne Nicole Martin, from the St. Louis area and the same age as the victim, posted on the website iStudio.com that she was studying to be an art therapist and was hoping to become a model. "I really would like to do beer advertising," the woman wrote in the posting.

Busch, 46, was chief executive at Anheuser-Busch from 2006 until the maker of Budweiser, Bud Light and other beers was purchased by InBev in 2008. The $52 billion merger created the world's largest brewery. Busch remains a member of the board of directors for InBev.

The Post-Dispatch reported that Busch and his wife of 2 1/2 years divorced in 2009.

In 1983, Busch, then a 20-year-old University of Arizona student, left a bar with a 22-year-old woman. His black Corvette crashed and the woman, Michele Frederick, was killed. Busch was found hours later at his home. He suffered a fractured skull and claimed he had amnesia. After a seven-month investigation, authorities declined to press criminal charges, citing a lack of evidence