New England Sun-Times

After pouring thousands of dollars into her decrepit house, Tocco Collins made the heartbreaking discovery that she had been seriously scammed. The mother of 12 had waited patiently for her landlords to deliver on their promises to fix the house’s holes, broken windows and burned out light box, CBS Atlanta reports. But after seven months, Collins learned that the phonies she had been paying $600 a month in rent didn’t own the home and had also skipped town. The actual owner had no idea her home was being rented out. “Step by step, I’m trying to make some effort,” Collins told the news outlet. “Right now I’m lost.” The Atlanta mother and her children are now homeless. They’re also at risk of getting broken up by child services, a devastating fate that do-gooders are trying to prevent. Members of Occupy Atlanta are raising money for the family to buy a new home, and volunteers said they would help renovate the new residence after it’s secured. Getting duped by a

A sad reminder that life is short. The owner of an Akron restaurant where President Obama had breakfast Friday morning died of an apparent heart attack just hours later. 70 year old Josephine “Ann” Harris, (seen below) hugged Obama when he stopped at her family’s restaurant, Ann’s Place, on the second day of his Ohio-Pennsylvania bus tour. Obama phoned Wilma Parsons, Harris’ daughter, from Air Force One on his way back to Washington from his last campaign bus stop in Pittsburgh. “The president expressed his sorrow and his condolences,” White House press secretary Jay Carney said. “He was honored to meet her this morning and passed on his feelings that the whole family is in his thoughts and prayers today.” “I’m sure this was her highlight,” said Frankie Adkins, Harris’ sister, who lives in Tulsa, Okla., and heard about her sister’s sudden death from family members. “She loved Obama.” Obama stopped in Ann’s Pl

Morgan Freeman is a big supporter of President Obama, but he doesn’t buy the notion that Obama is America’s first black president. In fact, Freeman says the nation still hasn’t celebrated that particular milestone… “ First thing that always pops into my head regarding our president is that all of the people who are setting up this barrier for him … they just conveniently forget that Barack had a mama, and she was white — very white American, Kansas, middle of America. There was no argument about who he is or what he is. America’s first black president hasn’t arisen yet. He’s not America’s first black president—he’s America’s first mixed-race president .” At another point, Freeman makes clear that he blames the GOP for holding Obama back. “He is being purposely, purposely thwarted by the Republican Party, who started out at the beginning of his tenure by saying, ‘We are going to do whatever is necessary to make sure that he’

Ex-Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders lineman Anthony Wayne Smith is being charged with three additional murders even as he awaits retrial in another murder case. Smith was charged Monday in the November 1999 slayings of brothers Kevin and Ricky Nettles, and the June 2001 death of Dennis Henderson. He also faces other charges, including kidnapping and robbery. A mistrial was declared in April after a jury deadlocked on whether Smith should be convicted of murder in the 2008 death of Maurilio Ponce. Smith was a defensive end with Oakland and later the Los Angeles Raiders from 1991 to 1998. What do you think? SCOOP: CBS

U.S. employers added only 80,000 jobs in June, a third straight month of weak hiring that shows the economy is struggling and stats show Black folks still can’t catch a break. The Labor Department says the unemployment rate was unchanged at 8.2%. The economy has added just 75,000 jobs a month in the April-June quarter. That’s one-third of 226,000 a month created in the first quarter. Job creation is also trailing last year’s pace through the first six months of 2012. But among the major worker groups, the unemployment rate for blacks sits at 14.4% and edged up over the last month. In all 50 states the black unemployment rate remains higher than the national overall level of unemployment, according to an analysis released by the EPI. In the 25 states where Blacks are experiencing unemployment rates of 10% or higher, the expectation is they will continue to do so through the end of next year. SMDH! A weaker job market has m

A Mississippi man is in time out at the Rankin County Jail after his mother jacked up his attempt to rob a convenience store! LMAO! 22 year old Roy Mitchell, of Flowood, Miss., faces one charge of attempted armed robbery after he tried to hold up a clerk with a gun, which was later revealed to be fake, while paying for a bag of chips. His mom, who followed her son into the store to do some shopping, quickly intervened. The incident was captured on surveillance video (watch below). “The mother sees the commotion, grabs the gun out of the man’s hand and pushes him out of the store,” Chris Butts, assistant police chief in Brandon, told ABCNews.com.  The alleged attempted thief’s mother, Sharron Mitchell, told the clerk she was sorry, said her son was just playing and implored the clerk not to call the police, Butts said. After the pair left the store, the “shocked” employee called police, who located mother and son in nearby Pelahatchie. Mitchell was arrested and t

A 20 year old Saint Louis woman is dead after suffering a gunshot wound while in police custody. The dead woman’s family says she managed to get the gun away from an Alton police officer and kill herself. Police have not confirmed or denied any details from the Wednesday morning shooting. Stephanie Hicks was being driving by an officer to BJC Christian Hospital on what police referred to as a crisis intervention. Family members say Hicks has had a history of mental problems, and was known to Alton Police. Her mother says the young woman was walking across the Alton Bridge; on the way to seek help herself, when the Alton officer, a thirteen year veteran, picked her up. Police confirm he was driving her to the hospital when the shooting happened. Outside Alton Police Headquarters, Robbin Hicks, the girl’s mother, shared what details she says police had given her. “She was walking across the bridge to go to the hospital to check herself in because she knew sh

For years, the American Civil Liberties Union has aggressively tried to police the police, filing suit after suit against law enforcement agencies it believed crossed the line. Now, the ACLU’s New Jersey chapter has gone beyond the courtroom, introducing a smartphone application to allow state residents to secretly record police stops, protect the recordings from being deleted by displeased officers and report the incidents to civil rights groups. “This app provides an essential tool for police accountability,” said Deborah Jacobs, executive director of the ACLU of New Jersey. The arrival of the app, called Police Tape, follows some high-profile cases in which police have clashed with citizens over their recording of officers. It also speaks to the notion that, anywhere, any time — whether it’s by a police department’s security camera or a motorist’s cell phone — everyone can be recorded. Citizens have been hassled and even arrested after recording police offi

Police followed a “trail of chips” to arrest a Pennsylvania man who allegedly broke into a Subway restaurant and only made off with nine bags of chips. Investigators say 21 year old Benjamin Sickles broke out three glass windows at a Subway in Washington, a city 20 miles southwest of Pittsburgh. Sickles, pictured in the mug shot above, approached the cash register, but apparently was unable to secure some loot. So he “threw cups at the cash register, grabbed two hands full of chips (9 bags)” and exited the Subway with the stolen snacks. When Washington City Police Department cops arrived, “a trail of chips lead to suspect who was on steps of Washington High School,” according to a criminal complaint. The Subway eatery is only a couple of blocks away from the school, from which Sickles graduated in 2009. Charged with burglary, criminal trespass, theft, and criminal mischief, Sickles is being held in lieu of $30,000 bond

Pop star Rihanna is suing her former accountants, saying they spent years mismanaging her finances and cost her millions of dollars during a recent tour . The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Manhattan, accuses the singer’s former accounting firm, Berdon LLP, and two accountants of causing “significant financial losses.” In addition, “gross mismanagement” of the singer’s finances cost her millions of dollars during her 2010 “Last Girl on Earth” tour. “Between 2005 and 2010, Tourihanna suffered significant financial losses due to Defendants’ financial mismanagement and other acts and omissions,” the lawsuit states. Tourihanna was the concert touring company established by Berdon on Rihanna’s behalf, according to the suit. Rihanna, who goes by her real name, Robyn Fenty, in the lawsuit, seeks unspecified damages from the firm and the two accountants. A spokeswoman for New York-based Berdon did not immediately return a m

A couple have been accused of killing a nine-month-old baby boy by injecting him with heroin and cocaine. 24 year old Oscar Sanchez-Rivera, and 27 year old Viameri Santana-Berrios, were babysitting the boy when he died from a drug overdose. Doctors found needle marks on his hands and feet as well as undigested heroin and cocaine in his body. WTH! A medical examiner told a court in Philadelphia that the young victim, Milton Rojas, had so many drugs in his body that he likened him to a drug mule – the slang for someone who smuggles drugs in their body. The shocking details of the baby boy’s death were revealed at a preliminary hearing in Philadelphia where a judge ordered Sanchez-Rivera, to stand trial on murder. His girlfriend Santana-Berrios will go on trial on third-degree murder charges following a five hour hearing into the circumstances of the boy’s death. Medical examiner Lieberman Edwin said an autopsy showed eigh

Thinkstock By: Jenée Desmond-Harris | Posted: July 5, 2012 at 11:23 AM     To get one important point out of the way: This isn't unique to black women. An association between higher levels of childhood physical or sexual abuse and an increased risk of obesity has been found in previous studies. This is simply the first time that researchers have looked specifically at it in a large group of women who identify as African American, the Los Angeles Times reports . Researchers from Boston University published their findings (based on the Black Women’s Health Study, an ongoing study begun in 1985) in the August journal of Pediatric. In 2005, 33,298 women responded to questions about childhood physical or sexual abuse. Nearly 58 percent of the women reported at least one instance of abuse as a child or teen, and 11 percent reported severe physical or sexual abuse. And "severe abuse," the study authors wrote, was &

Thinkstock By: Kirsten West Savali | Posted: July 6, 2012 at 12:43 AM     Clutch magazine 's Kirsten West Savali presents a provocative theory about why African-American parents resist the science that says hitting children is ill-advised. ... I have been waiting, patiently, for someone to give me one reason -- other than the immediate gratification of getting a child to stop in that moment and "police won't beat them" -- that proves hitting children as a form of discipline is effective. What lesson is learned other than fear and submission to authority -- when in their presence? I have heard horror stories from parents with children that they "have to" lay out with belts to get them to listen, and then lay them out again when they don't listen again. Of course, as parents, we have to do what's best for our children and there is no universally accepted blueprint, but t

By Michael Winter , USA TODAY Updated 11h 52m ago CAPTION Maricopa County Sheriff's Office   A 36-year-old Phoenix mother has been charged with child abuse for allegedly pouring beer into her 2-year-old son's sippy cup, according to news reports. Police say a waitress at Peter Piper Pizza reported that Valerie Marie Topete poured beer in her son's cup Tuesday evening and that he drank some, the Arizona Republic reports . She told officers he "kept reaching" for the pitcher of beer. Police said she also left the boy alone at one point. The Republic , published by USA TODAY's parent, Gannett, writes that the boy's father and his two siblings, ages 4 and 8, were also at the restaurant. but doesn't indicate where. The 2-year-old was taken to a hospital as a precaution and released to his father.

A Video posted to Facebook is causing outrage inside and outside St. Louis. The images show a fist fight between two small children, with the mother of one of the kids egging them on, even offering instructions to the tiny combatants. “Got some action! Got some action!” the woman can be heard yelling as she shoots the video. “Y’all better ball up some fists!” The video was posted to Facebook on Sunday. An acquaintance of the mother in question alerted the TV station in St. Louis. “It’s just sickening and I feel like there should be some kind of criminal action taken,” she told FOX. “I couldn’t even watch the whole video. I had to stop it and look again. It was sad.” She says the urging of the mother was as disturbing as the pictures themselves. St. Louis’ Department of Social Services has the video and is investigating. The D.S.S. went on to say people should always report any suspicions they have of trouble.

Nia Long insists that marriage is not a “priority” for her. The 41-year-old actress welcomed son Kez 8 months ago with boyfriend Ime Udoka. She also has an adorable 10 year old son Massai from a previous relationship. But she told Essence magazine that despite the negative feedback she gets from people, she is content where her life is right now. “Marriage is not a priority for me,” she told the publication. “I’m not saying I’ll never do it; it’s just not where we are as a family.” “I’ll be at home with my man(seen below), having a perfectly loving time, and I’ll see all these comments on some site about how wrong I am for not being married. I don’t feel less loved or less loving because I’m not married.” Nia recently reconciled with her own father after years of estrangement which has made her view life differently. “I’m a lot calmer,” Nia explained. “Less clingy and demanding. When Ime has to be gone for lo

With would-be homebuyers continuing to sit on the sidelines, rental vacancies dropped to a 10-year low last quarter, driving up rental prices to record levels around the United States. Rental prices have reached record highs in 74 of 82 markets measured by real estate tracking firm Reis. The biggest climb last quarter came from New York City, where average rents jumped 1.7% to a hefty $2,935 per month. "The market is in a very tight position,” Reis said in a research report. “There is a scarcity of available units.” Nationwide, rental vacancy rates are just 4.7%—only the third quarter in 30 years they have been below 5%—down significantly from 8% in 2009, around the worst part of the economic downturn. But with people worried about job security, tighter lending standards, and wariness over long-term housing prices, rental demand is expected to stay strong, pushing rents ever higher. The one wildcard, however

A study of 16,000 women found genetic mutations associated with breast size were also linked to cancer. Researchers say some of these are involved in regulating the female sex hormone estrogen, which can trigger the growth of both breasts and tumors. While research has linked breast density – the amount of non-fat tissue – to an increased risk of cancer, there has been little evidence of a link with breast size before. Participants in the study were asked to give their bra size on a 10-point scale from smaller than AAA to larger than DDD. Out of seven that were strongly linked to breast size, three were also associated with breast cancer. Dr. Nicholas Eriksson of the California-based genetics firm 23andMe said it was the first substantial link between breast size and cancer, but added much more research was needed before it could be considered concrete. He said: ‘Our results identify genetic variants that have an eff

Oprah Winfrey bought the Nashville barbershop her father, Vernon Winfrey, has run for nearly 50 years. Now Oprah’s in control and reportedly leaving Vernon’s wife, Barbara Winfrey, out in the cold. Barbara Winfrey said after the barbershop went into foreclosure she had a plan to fix the situation but claims her husband was given bad advice. One of the people she blames is Oprah. “I know what is going on. I’m tired of it, and I’ve had enough,” Barbara Winfrey said. Together, Barbara and Vernon Winfrey opened the current barbershop last year to replace the original location nearby. Last month, the building went into foreclosure and then was sold in an auction Friday. “There is no reason for it to go into foreclosure like this. The property is upside down, which is what a lot of properties are. It cost us $481,000 to build this building, but it’s only worth $350,000,” Barbara Winfrey said. Barbara Winfrey said she was ready to take out a loan with another bank t

A Florida coach is out of jail after posting $15,000 bond on sex charges. West Broward High School girls basketball interim coach Marquita Adley has been charged with three counts of sexual battery by a custodian on a victim under 18 years of age. The 25-year-old former Florida International University Panther reportedly had sexual contact on several occasions between the months of April and June at the girl’s house, a teammate’s house during a sleep-over party and in North Carolina on a basketball tournament trip, according to an affidavit. Adley “digitally penetrated” and performed oral sex on the girl, the affidavit alleges. All incidents lasted less than five minutes, the girl reported. The girl advised that she “actively participated in the sexual encounters and never told Adley to stop or tried to push her way,” the report states. However, the girl is under the age of consent. “The victim asked Adley not to te

Singer Fantasia may be a single woman again after her boyfriend and father of her son, Antwaun Cook, dumped her for a reality star. The former American Idol winner has been in a turbulent relationship with Cook on and off for the last few years, and the couple welcomed their first child together, Dallas Xavier Barrino in December of last year. After months of speculation that Antwaun was leaving Fantasia for his ex-wife, Paula, it seems he has left her after all but for a completely new woman. Antwaun allegedly kicked Fantasia to the curb for Oxygen, who stars in Bad Girls Club.   Fantasia recently broke down in tears during a recent concert in Trinidad, saying: “The only person who will never leave you is Jesus.”   If Antwaun has left Fantasia, it’s probably for the best given his track record. What do you think?  

A judge set George Zimmerman’s bond at $1 million. Zimmerman had been free on $150,000 bail, but he was sent back to jail last month after his attorney revealed that the defendant had lied his azz off “misinformed” the court about how much money he had. “The state would more accurately describe it as – lied to,” Assistant State Attorney Bernie de la Rionda wrote in a motion to Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester. Lucky for Zimmerman, his legal defense fund’s balance is $211,000, says his lawyer, meaning he has access to the 10% portion most bonding companies charge. Authorities still aren’t sure how soon he would be released. Prosecutors provided bank records that showed that on April 20, the day of Zimmerman’s original bond hearing, he had $135,000 cash at his disposal, even as his family professed to be broke. Taped jailhouse phone calls between him and his wife showed he had instructed her to transfer money he had raised on

“They said that they were the police and this was a raid and everyone get on the floor,” said Pastor Steve Arthur. It happened inside a home on Detroit’s west side. The pastor was asleep when he heard a group of men kick in his front door. “By the time I got to them, they were already in the home,” he said. At first, the pastor actually thought they were police officers. “They came in and I [saw] the ‘police’ on their shirts and uniform they [were] wearing and whatnot.” However, it became clear this was no raid. It was a robbery. The men tied up Pastor Arthur, his wife and their 17-year-old daughter. “They went through the house and ransacking the house.” Arthur says the ordeal lasted for 15 minutes, then a friend stopped by the house in the midst of the robbery. “They saw these [men] in the house, so they took off running and they called the police.” The real police came quickly, but the impostors got away. The pastor believes

A babysitter has been indicted on a murder charge in the death of a one-year-old boy found wrapped in a garbage bag in the closet of a southwest Ohio apartment. Marquita Burch was babysitting William Cunningham of Cincinnati when he died from a brain injury the next day, according to County Prosecutor Joseph Deters. Deters said the 26-year-old did not seek medical treatment for the toddler when she injured him, dumped his body in a garbage bag, hid the boy in her cousin’s home and reported him missing. ‘This child did not have to die,’ Deters said in a news release, according to KyPost.com. ‘It is bad enough that Burch injured the child, but horrible to think of the child’s suffering. It’s clear the child might have survived if the defendant had sought prompt medical treatment.’ Coroner Dr. Lakshmi Sammarco ruled the case a homicide and said Cunningham sustained trauma to his head and had blood inside his skull, acco