New England Sun-Times

Kristen Acuna Business Insider July 20, 2012  Warner Brothers pulled the trailer for upcoming film “Gangster Squad” from screenings of “The Dark Knight Rises,” which debuted in theaters last night. According to Deadline , Warner Bros. held a meeting the morning of July 20th to deliberate on whether or not to pull the trailer. The decision comes after news of the  Century Theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado , which, so far, has left as many as 12 dead and tens more wounded.

A 3-year-old boy has died after he was forgotten by his day care workers inside a hot van following a field trip, family and police in Texas report. The child identified as Benjamin Price was found unconscious outside Little T’s Tiny Tot Daycare in Dallas just before 5:15pm on Friday where temperatures reached 105 degrees. He was transported to Baylor Hospital during attempts to resuscitate him using CPR but pronounced dead at the hospital. According to Benjamin’s God mother Kawanea Hines, workers said the boy had fallen asleep in the van following their day’s outing. He was only discovered missing when his grandmother arrived to pick him up at the end of the day, but he couldn’t be found. ‘There was no place you wouldn’t know he was there. He made his presence known wherever he was. So for them to not know Benjamin was there, I just don’t see how,’ Ms Hines says. Police responding left two of the daycare’s white vehicles taped off in the facility’s parking lot. ...

A punching bag depicting President Barack Obama as a boxer with a black eye has been removed from the Republican Party tent at an Indiana fair after folks started complaining. Delaware County GOP spokesman Tom Bennington says he thinks the bag was placed outside the tent by party leaders. It was displayed at various times Monday through Wednesday at the fair in Muncie, about 50 miles northeast of Indianapolis. He says the bag was “meant in fun” to illustrate that Republicans hope to defeat Obama in November, but he found it “mildly offensive” because of how it portrayed the military’s commander in chief. It was removed after fair visitors — including at least one Republican — voiced concerns. It’s not the first time people have complained about political spirit crossing the line. In May, Republican South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley became a similar target for a game when a picture of her face was taped to a pinata at a ...

A 27-year-old Atlanta man who allegedly grabbed his wife’s Pomeranian and beat her with the dog was in the Fulton County jail Wednesday facing felony animal cruelty and other charges. The man’s wife also has been arrested and charged with interfering with the police investigation, authorities said. The dog did not survive. “It is probably one of the worst cases of animal cruelty that we’ve ever seen,” Capt. Steve Rose, spokesman for the Sandy Springs Police Department, told Channel 2. Emmanuel Alfredo Tadeo was arrested after officers responded to calls that he allegedly was beating his wife, Andrea Jill. The man allegedly was drunk. At some point, Tadeo stomped and kicked the Pomeranian, then grabbed it and swung the animal at his wife, striking her, police said. “It was a very graphic scene. The dog was dead. The man had not only kicked the dog and stomped on the dog, according to what he said, [he] snapped the do...

by Andres Vasquez posted July 19, 2012 at 12:55PM The ongoing battle for ownership of the name continues as "Freeway" Ricky Ross is given 10 days to amend his lawsuit against Warner Brothers in his legal fight with MMG rapper Rick Ross. Florida rapper Rick Ross and Freeway Ricky Ross have been engaged in an ongoing dispute over rights to the name. This week, a federal judge ruled that Freeway Rick Ross could continue his case in court against Warner Brothers, home of rapper Rick Ross' Maybach Music Group, rejecting the label's motion to dismiss the case. Freeway Ricky Ross was given 10 days to amend his lawsuit, a suit that can claim unfair business practice, false advertising and unjust enrichment against Warner Brothers. This ongoing dispute began in 2010 as Freeway Ricky Ross felt the rapper Ross was using his birth name to sell records. On top of this, Freeway Ross felt the rapper was using his status...

by Meenal Vamburkar | 12:02 pm, July 20th, 2012   A 24-year-old man, James Holmes , was identified earlier this morning as the suspected gunman involved in the shooting at a screening of The Dark Knight Rises , in Aurora, Colo. According to reports, Holmes had recently moved to Colorado from San Diego, Calif., to pursue a medical degree. Holmes was a student at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Denver, until he withdrew in June. Asked about her son’s possible involvement, Holmes’ mother said , apparently with gut instinct, “You have the right person.” His North Aurora apartment is about five miles from where the shooting took place. According to the FBI, he is 6 feet, 3 inches tall, and was born on Dec. 13, 1987. Suspected to have acted alone, Holmes’ motive is not yet known. The image of Holmes, below, via Reuters (sent by Colorado University): Undated photo below:

This mom was really doing the most! A Pennsylvania woman faces six felony charges for allegedly hacking into her children’s school computer to change their grades and read school officials’ emails. 45 year old Catherine Venusto, of New Tripoli, worked for the Northwestern Lehigh School District from 2008 through April 2011 and has at least two children in the district, according to the District Attorney’s office. She has been accused of changing her daughter’s failing grade from an F to an M for “medical” in June 2010, and then changing her son’s 98 to a 99 in February 2012, nearly a year after she quit her job as an administrative office secretary to work at another school district. When ABCNews.com attempted to contact Venusto at her current job as an event coordinator at Lehigh University, a school employee said her employment ended Wednesday. A school administrator said she first realized something was wrong when a...

A least 14 people were killed and dozens injured in Colorado early this morning when a 6 foot gunman kicked in a theater exit door during a midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises and opened fire with an assault rifle. The rampage occurred at a Century 16 theater in an Aurora mall outside Denver after the gunman apparently tossed a tear gas canister into the theater before opening fire. 14 people are believed to have been killed and up to 50 wounded, including a baby who was shot in the back A 24 year old suspect, James Holmes., who was wearing a gas mask, has been arrested . Initially, some movies fans thought the gunshots were part of the film. Others thought “they heard firecrackers, then they saw the bullets flying,” she added, citing witnesses. Panicked moviegoers stampeded for the doors when they realized what was happening as the six-foot gunman clad in black continued to squeeze off rounds. 3 local hospitals were alerted to prepare for a “mass casua...

By Raelyn Johnson , CNN updated 7:47 PM EDT, Thu July 19, 2012 Tony Mack, mayor of Trenton, New Jersey, said he did nothing to violate public trust in the wake of a federal raid of City Hall.   STORY HIGHLIGHTS Federal agents raided City Hall in Trenton, New Jersey, on Thursday They raided the home of the city's mayor, his brother and a campaign supporter Wednesday It was not immediately clear why the raids were conducted and authorities declined to elaborate Mayor Tony Mack says he has "not violated the public trust in any way" (CNN) -- Federal agents raided City Hall in New Jersey's capital on Thursday, one day after they swarmed the home of the city's mayor, his brother and a campaign supporter. "The FBI is executing search warrants at various offices at Trenton City Hall, pursuant to an ongoing investigation," said FBI spokeswoman Barbara Woodruff. It was not immediately clear why the raids were conducted ...

New York’s legendary “Queen of Soul Food” Sylvia Woods, whose iconic restaurant drew dignitaries and ordinary folk from all over the world to Harlem to taste her fried chicken, died today (Thursday) at 86. News that she died broke just as Mayor Bloomberg was paying tribute to the 50th anniversary of “Sylvia’s” at a gala reception at Gracie Mansion. “We lost a legend today,” the mayor said. “Generations of family and friends have come together at what became a New York institution.” The Woods family said she was surrounded by loved ones when lost her battle with Alzheimer’s. Tributes quickly began pouring in. “Sylvia’s has been more than a restaurant, it has been a meeting place for black America,” said the Rev. Al Sharpton, who recalled dining there with everyone from President Obama to Caroline Kennedy. What do you think? Did you ever eat at Sylvia’s? My fave was the collard greens, mac & cheese & sweet pota...

The feds are looking for an angle that lets them prosecute Megaupload on U.S. soil and one way involves Alicia Keys’ hubby Swizz Beatz seen below on left side of pic! They really want Kim Dotcom (seen below) , the founder of the Megaupload online file-sharing site. The FBI alleges that Dotcom, a German national who lives in New Zealand, led a group that has netted $175 million since 2005 by copying and distributing music, movies and other copyrighted content without authorization. Lawyers for the flamboyant entrepreneur say the company simply offered online storage. Acting on a request from the FBI, New Zealand armed police, backed by helicopters, swept into Dotcom’s rented estate outside Auckland in January, confiscating computers and hard drives, art works, and luxury cars. Dotcom and the three others were arrested, and Dotcom was kept in custody for a month before being granted bail. The New Zealand courts have...

Pharrell Williams is allegedly secretly engaged to long-time girlfriend Helen Lasichanh, according to a new report. The ‘Hot and Fun’ singer apparently proposed to the fashion designer and model last summer. Williams and Lasichanh were spotted at the world premiere of The Dark Knight Rises on Monday (July 16), where Lasichanh was seen sporting a large diamond ring. The couple have a 3-year-old son named Rocket together, and are notoriously private with their relationship. Williams has yet to publicly comment on the engagement reports. The 39-year-old musician recently previewed a new track produced with Usher called ‘Twisted’. Peep ‘Twisted’ by Usher and Pharrell Williams below… Congrats! What do you think? SCOOP: DIGITALSPY

Basketball Wives star Jennifer Williams dropped her pending lawsuit against Evelyn Lozada‘s assistant, Nia Crooks for slapping during an episode that aired in January. A rep says Jennifer, who recently had her Bentley repo’d, is “already dealing with her difficult divorce and did not feel that it was necessary to continue to pursue civil action [against Crooks].” Crooks’ lawyers have since revealed that Nia is happy that the lawsuit is over, “We have always maintained that the frivolous lawsuit brought by Jennifer Williams was nothing short of a last-gasp attempt to maintain her dwindling relevance on the ‘Basketball Wives. Nia is happy to put this issue behind her and start looking ahead to work on her own career.” In case you missed the “slap heard ’round the world” peep it here ! What do you think…should Jen have dropped the lawsuit? SCOOP: JUICYMAG

A Georgia woman has been charged with misusing the 911 system after she called police dispatchers to register a complaint about the quality of a mug shot taken following a prior arrest. Tonya Ann Fowler called police after spotting the photo in “Bad & Busted,” a local publication that compiles images of recent arrestees. The photo that so displeased Fowler was snapped following an earlier collar. A Winder Police Department report notes that Fowler dialed 911 on July 15 “in reference to being upset about a picture.” In a conversation with a cop, Fowler explained that she “was upset about how she looked on the front page of the Bad and Busted printing.” As a result of the 911 call about her mug shot, Fowler was afforded the opportunity to pose for a fresh booking photo since she was charged with unlawful use of 911 and disorderly conduct. Fowler is pictured above in her latest photo snapped at the Barrow County Dete...

Well, isn’t this an ironic turn of events! Just weeks after saying President Obama isn’t the first Black president, Morgan Freeman donates $1 million dollars to his campaign! WTH! In a statement, Freeman praised Obama, saying he has “done a remarkable job in historically difficult circumstances.” He specifically lauded the end of combat operations in Iraq, Wall Street reforms, ObamaCare, his choices in Supreme Court justices, and the Detroit bailout. “I am proud to lend my voice—and support—to those who defend him,” said Freeman. “Priorities USA Action is doing a great job of protecting the values I believe in. I am happy to help them and I hope others will join me.” Aint that something! What do you think? SCOOP: POLITICO

Do you like to charge your weekly grocery purchase on a credit card for the convenience, cash back or reward points? It could soon cost you more to do that if Kroger is your go-to grocery store. Kroger, the nation’s largest grocery chain, told The New York Times that it is considering charging Visa and MasterCard users more to use their plastic to buy groceries. A Kroger spokesman, Keith Dailey, confirms that the chain is looking into this, but says it would not happen until early next year. He also said customers should look at it as a “discount” for cash or debit card customers, not a surcharge. Allowed Under New Settlement This could be the first major change after the recent settlement between Visa and MasterCard with retailers. Under the agreement, stores would be allowed to pass along “swipe fees” to consumers for the first time. Kroger says it is exploring the possibility of giving cash users a discoun...

(BlackMediaScoop) A 9-year-old boy leaped or fell to his death from a bedroom of his family’s 9th floor apartment unit. After the fall, no paramedics arrived on the scene and the boy was transported to the hospital in a police car. A state lawmaker is blaming city budget cuts for the lack of EMS response. According to cops, the kid had threatened to commit suicide several times. The incident occurred about 5:30 p.m. at a low-income housing complex, about one-half mile west of Henry Ford Hospital. Wednesday’s apparent suicide comes less than two months after the May 23 death, later ruled a suicide by the Wayne County Medical Examiner, of a 7-year-old Detroit boy. He was found hanging by a belt from his bunk bed after he locked his bedroom door, following weeks of complaining about being bullied at school, according to a police report. Experts said that children considering suicide do not show the usual signs of depression but instead may act irritable or angry...

Wednesday, 18 Jul 2012 02:34 PM By Katie Lotman 0 in Share     Unregistered voters in the state of Washington will be able to register to vote through an application on Facebook expected to launch next week, according to the secretary of state’s office. The application, which has been a year in the making, will allow Facebook users to let the site access their information to prefill basic information on the voter registration form. Users will then enter a driver’s license or state ID number. After registration the user can ‘like’ the application or recommend it to their friends. "In this age of social media and more people going online for services, this is a natural way to introduce people to online registration and leverage the power of friends on Fa...

Well that was fast. The Game and his fiancee Tiffney Cambridge have cancelled their wedding ! They were set to jump the broom on July 28th. This comes just a few days after it was reported that they were going to film their wedding for a reality show. The announcement was made on their wedding website stating, “We regret to inform you that the wedding of Tiffney Cambridge & Jayceon Taylor has been cancelled.” Peeps close to the couple the two “just didn’t get along. It just didn’t work out.” Game tweeted : “What you gone do when LOVE don’t even LOVE no more?” followed by “When LIFE throws you lemons…Squeeze em’ & mix em with Patron.”     He proposed to his baby mama October 2011 in front of MTV cameras . This is the second for engagement The Game who was previously engaged to Valeisha Butterfield. What do you think went down…they were so cute together? SCOOP: ENTRUNDOWN  

She rocked blonde braids during her Destiny’s Child days and Beyoncé has now decided to revisit the look. The singer debuted her new look during an outing in in Manhattan today. She had daughter Blue Ivy cradled in her arms during the outing and the six-month-old is so big now with a head full of hair ! The little one’s thick thatch was visible as the the star stepped out of her apartment but the protective mother later wrapped her in a blanket. Beyoncé and rapper husband Jay-Z welcomed their first child in January this year. She recently hinted that the inspiration for her unusual baby’s name came from a poem written by Rebecca Solnit. Part of the poem reads: ‘The world is blue at its edges and in its depths. This blue is the light that got lost. Water is colourless, shallow water appears to be the colour that lies beneath it. But deep water is full of his scattered light, the purer the water, the deeper the blue.’

by Slava Kuperstein posted July 18, 2012 at 9:28PM Former Hot Boy B.G. is headed to federal prison for weapon and witness tampering charges. B.G.'s legal saga has come to an unfortunate conclusion for the New Orleans rapper. Nola.com reports that the former Hot Boy was sentenced Wednesday (July 18) to 14 years in federal prison for gun possession and witness tampering. The report provides that B.G. arrived in a jumpsuit, and sat in a wheelchair. The rapper, who was arrested after a 2009 traffic stop, previously pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. He then obstructed justice by convincing one of his associates to claim ownership of the gun. Prosecutors reportedly sought a 25-year prison sentence, citing B.G.'s past criminal activity. Prosecutors also claimed that he was "profiting off of New Orleans' "cycle of violence," pointing to his music videos as an example, but U...

 It looks like things are heating up in the drama department for the Jackson family. Paris Jackson may only be 14, but the teenager isn’t afraid to speak her mind. Michael Jackson’s only daughter hit up twitter about one of her famous uncles, saying, “I will defend my beloved family members with all I have, even if it means from other family members.” The high school sophomore was referring to a letter in which Randy, along with famous siblings Jermaine, Janet, Tito and Rebbie demand the resignation of John Branca and John McClain from their positions as executors of the Michael Jackson estate. CLICK to get caught up on the story! In the letter, the family claims Branca and Mclain have taken such advantage of the family that stressed out Katherine Jackson suffered a ‘mini-stroke’ as a result. Katherine, 82, has been caring for the late singer’s three children since Michael died three years ago at the age of 50. ...

A veteran Texas pastor gave the last sermon of his life Sunday, collapsing and dying in front of a crowded sanctuary of churchgoers after preaching that morning. Rev. Jerome McNeil, Senior Pastor of Christian Chapel CME Church in Dallas, had served the community there for 21 years. “All of a sudden I heard a thud and I didn’t know what it was. I looked around and he was gone,” church member Cherry Bullard told KTVT correspondent Steve Pickett. “It hurts to even think about it, but he’s in a better place.” McNeil’s charismatic leadership helped the 150-year-old institution known as the Temple of Faith expand from a small chapel to a church that now has 7,000 members. Before he was a pastor, he was the first black administrator for a Dallas County agency, second in command for the Juvenile Department in 1981. So sad. What do you think? SCOOP: KTVT

The Houston mother charged in the beating death of her 4-year-old son was allegedly upset that the boy wet himself, according to CPS and court documents. 27 year old Vastie Coleman, was being held without bond Tuesday in the Harris County Jail for allegedly killing Kyron Barnes. The boy’s two surviving sisters described routine whippings by their mother in court documents. One of them told investigators Coleman used a cord to whip Kyron, because “the belt was broken because mom kept whipping the kids so hard it broke into pieces.” Neighbors in the Villas of Pine Lake Apartments off were stunned to hear the news. “I have kids of my own and I just can’t imagine somebody doing that,” one woman said. “She deserves to pay for what she did,” said another tenant. Coleman, according to CPS documents, confessed to EMS workers on the scene, saying, “I did it, I beat him, it’s all my fault and I don’t care what happens to me.” According to CPS records, Coleman snapp...

Surveillance cameras in Boston caught a woman taking a nasty tumble after she tried to ride an escalator in her motorized wheelchair . The 56-year-old steered the chair to an up escalator but as it started to climb, she flipped backward and somersaulted down the stairs. A good samaritan tried to help her, but tripped over the 250-pound scooter . The Boston news station said the woman wasn’t hurt.

Janet, Tito, Jermaine, Rebbie and Randy Jackson have sent a letter to the current executors of Michael Jackson’s estate, John Branca and John McClain, demanding they resign from their positions because they’ve “failed to perform” their duties. In the 3 page letter, the Jackson family claims that the two attorneys have not only failed at their executor duties, but have also “taken advantage of a grieving mother and family.” The letter states that after Michael passed, Mr. Branca told 82-year-old Katherine Jackson: “I am Michael Jackson now.” The family’s letter goes on to accuse the two lawyers of knowing that Michael’s signature on the will is fraudulent. The Jacksons say Michael was not in California at the time the will was signed … which was on July 7, 2002. Furthermore, the letter says Michael’s siblings have evidence to back up their claims. Branca and McClain have yet to respond. Read the entire letter BELOW! Michael Jackson siblings letter to John Branca, ...

Pentecostal televangelist Juanita Bynum recently shocked the public when she admitted to having had sexual relations with women. “I’ve been there and I’ve done it all. I did the drugs, I’ve been with men, I’ve been with women. All of it,” she said during a recent interview. The unexpected confession was made as the self-professed prophetess was on popular Atlanta-based radio station V-103 to discuss her “Get Your Life Back” theater production. The stage play – starring Bynum, Anthony Dalton and Miss Venetia “Princess” Lewis – tackles true life issues, shame and guilt, according to a description of the show. Bynum was asked by DJ Frank Ski to speak on the power of purpose and how to bounce back from struggles or trauma. She responded, “I’ve been there … but I think the minute I allowed somebody to help me to take full responsibility for my life and not doing the blame game to say ‘oh, this is their fault;’ I took full resp...