Graduation Rate Gap Widening Between Whites And Blacks In NCAA

Original Story Posted: March 16, 2010

"Regardless of race, if education is the most dominant important factor, you will usually see a higher graduation rate," said Dave Czesniuk, director of operations for Northeastern University's Sport in Society. 

There is a fine line when sports starts to eclipse the pursuit of education and for African American men, distinguishing which holds more significance is become a blurred line in regards to college and higher learning. 

An annual report prepared by The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at the University of Central Florida revealed that 45 teams had graduated at least 70 percent or more of their white players, which rose from the 33 teams reported the year before. 

Black athletes, however, were not as fortunate with the numbers as only 20 teams graduated at least

Minister Sentenced to Prison For Sex Abuse With 15-Year-Old Boy

Original Story Posted: March 08, 2010

"A man of great faith who preaches the whole counsel of God," according to the Web site for Refuge Temple Church of God in Christ. 

A minister in Shelbyville, Kentucky had been sentenced for particular, questionable escapades after having sex with a 15-year-old boy. 

To top things off, the minister, James Bell, is HIV positive and admitted to knowing that he was infected, even during the act. 

Bell has been sentenced to 7 years in prison along with another 20 years registered as a sex offender. 

Formerly a minister at Refuge Temple Church of God in Christ in Shelbyville, the case stretches back two years ago and the boy, now 17, reported that he was sexually abused on

911 Operator Hangs Up On Child While Mother Dies

Original Story Posted: March 08,2010

“Please help me.  You promise you will help me?” 

As most have come to know to dial 911 in case of emergency, a call from a traumatized young girl, while her mother lay wounded was in vain as the operator didn't seem to stress the urgency of the situation or cater to the girl's circumstances. 

With her mom dying in the basement from a gunshot wound, her 8-year-old daughter attempted to call for help when she dialed 911. 

In an attempt to send help, the operator tried to have the distraught child locate any type of address so that she knew where to send needed aid. 

Asking to speak with her mother, the girl replied: 

“No, she's…she's almost dead.  MOMMY!!!  I've got

Six Women Hospitalized After Butt-Enhancing Surgeries

Original Story Posted: March 09, 2010

The quest for a fuller bottom turned out to have consequences for six women as they were hospitalized after receiving injections that looked to enhance their rear ends. 

Reports state that the procedures went wrong, according to state health officials, and were administered by unlicensed providers. 

Since the incident, the women have undergone surgery and provided antibiotics, but there have yet to be any arrests. 

According to officials, the material within the injection is the same that is used by contractors when they

Sex Offenders Being Banned From Facebook??

Original Story Posted: March 09, 2010

With sexual predators on the rise, especially on the Internet, Georgia is taking steps forward to place restrictions on sex offenders on popular social networks. 

Child predators and abductions occur at an alarming rate within the United States as adults are able to easily manipulate the youth that surf the Web aimlessly with curiosity. 

Introducing a new measure later today, State Rep. Rob Teilhet is attempting to give the Georgia Bureau of Investigation the authority to send the information of sexual offenders to

Lawsuit Claims Facelift Killed Woman

Original Story Posted: March 04, 2010

In an attempt to restore youth, a mother in Massachusetts decided to go under the knife and have surgery to “transform her life”. 

The transformation, however, was not one that she expected, as Donna Ames, 49, lost her life.  In a lawsuit that was filed Wednesday in the Middlesex Superior Court, the family and lawyers for Ames are claiming that the procedure was the reason for her death. 

According to a summary that was written by the attorney's of her family, moments after the doctor administered anesthesia on Ames on July 10, 2009, her body, almost immediately, started to jerk violently and the oxygen in her blood purged. 

The woman had passed away by the time that the clinic was able to contact an ambulance for the emergency.  She had gone brain-dead

CEO Compares Michelle Obama to Chimpanzee

Original Story Posted: March 08, 2010

In the latest unnecessary onslaught of racial slurs, the CEO of Tennessee's Hospitality Association made the bold decision to send an e-mail out to a group of public figures where he compares the first lady, Michelle Obama, to a chimpanzee.

It was reported by the Tennessean of Nashville that CEO Walt Baker's e-mail compared Obama to the sidekick of character Tarzan, Cheeta.  The message features a picture of the first lady caught off guard with her lips pursed, accompanied by a chimp that has a similar expression on its face.

Since news broke, Baker has apologized for his actions.

How many of these figures would be up here apologizing if they weren't caught?  There's no point in saying sorry for something that had its full intentions when the idea first came to mind.

On Saturday, he stated, through e-mail to Nashville Metro Council, that the message was not meant to be looked at as being something malicious, but was only trying to provide some

KKK Hood Appears at University of California Amidst Racial Tension

Original Story Posted: March 03, 2010

With the racial tension continuing to build across the campuses of University of California, things may be on the verge of boiling past the point of return. 

Already fuming over the “Compton Cookout” and the noose found in one of the campus buildings, students were outraged with the announcement that a KKK-style hood was located on the campus grounds Tuesday. 

The hood was found by officials on a statue of children's book author Theodor Giesel, known to most as Dr. Seuss, outside the main campus library. 

Pushing the movement against intolerance, it was reported that close to 250 gathered to

Missing Chicago Teen Finally Found

Original Story Posted: March 03, 2010

A short disappearance was able to cause a stir for a South Side Englewood neighborhood as a 14-year-old girl had gone missing. 

The search, fortunately, has come to a close as the girl, Nieja Patterson, was finally found as she showed up for school on Tuesday.  A missing person's alert had been issued for the teen Monday. 

Nieja had last been seen on February 26, according to

TSA Looking to Implement Shoe Scanners At Airport

Original Story Posted: March 03, 2010

In an attempt to put an end to the frustration of trying to get cleared for a flight at the airport and make the trip through security a little smoother, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is looking to revive an old idea which would handle checking footwear.

Since 2001, the TSA has pushed to have passengers remove their shoes after Richard Reid tried to ignite explosives in his boots on a flight heading to the United States.  By 2006, show removal was mandatory after another failed attempt to blow up planes with liquid explosives.

With close to a dozen companies developing shoe scanning machines, the TSA has stated that it is in the process of buying 100 of these innovative pieces of technology by 2011.

Able to find metal weapons and explosives within shoes, the machines weren't able to

Eighth Graders Penalized for “Sexting” In School

Original Story Posted: March 04, 2010

As the Atlanta schooling system is looking to crack down on behavior and have more of a grip on conduct and what is expected within school, two students were made examples.

With one being suspended and the other withdrawing, The Lovett School felt such actions necessary after the two were engaging in improper cell phone communication.

Making the transition from dirty texts, the students were caught “sexting” in which they were sending inappropriate images back and forth and sending sexually explicit messages, which is deemed as being a violation of Lovett's Technology Code of Conduct and Use Agreement.

"The students, both eighth-graders, engaged in the electronic transmission of

Man Convicted Of Smashing Dog's Head With Sledgehammer; Canine Survives

Original Story Posted: March 04, 2010

As the owner felt he was doing the right thing, the court system saw things differently as a man was convicted of beating his dog.  

Not denying the fact that he smashed his dog in the head with a sledgehammer twice, Joe Waters told the DeKalb County Superior Court that he believed his dog was sick and putting him out of his misery would be the best resort. 

A case dating back to December 1, 2008, the almost lifeless body of the canine was found by Robert Kennedy in Murphey Candler Park in Atlanta the following day. 

The dog suffered from a severe skull fracture along with

Georgia's Unemployment Rate Hits Record High

Original Story Posted: March, 03 2010  

"Georgia's unemployment crisis is deepening," Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond said in a statement released early Wednesday. 

With a financial crisis that is showing no signs of diminishing, some states are still feeling the blunt trauma as the job market has ceased to open up nationally. 

Last reported back in January, the unemployment rate in Georgia is steadily climbing and it was announced today, by the state's commissioner, that it had

Georgia Colleges May Have to Face Major Cuts to Balance State Budget

Original Story Posted: March, 10, 2010

The educational system for the state of Georgia might be running into a roadblock if there is any chance in balancing out its budget. 

In trying to cut close to $600 million from its budget, colleges and universities within the state would be forced to lay off thousands of employees, severely limit freshman classes and eradicate popular programs outside of the campus boundaries. 

Such a drastic move is in preparation for a hearing taking place Wednesday as the General Assembly is making efforts to find a means to fill a potential $1.1 billion budget deficit for the fiscal year that would start on July 1, according to sources at the Atlanta Journal Constitution. 

Stemming from a report that was put together by the University System of Georgia, there would be close to 2,500 faculty and staff jobs that would be cut at