New England Sun-Times

Facebook, ACLU weigh in on case of deputy sheriff who says he was fired over politics By Brandon Butler , Network World August 10, 2012 11:37 AM ET    It started in 2009 when Daniel Ray Carter, a deputy sheriff in Hampton, Va., pushed the little thumbs up button on his Facebook page. Carter's problem: He "liked" his boss's political opponent and he claims he was fired because of it. Carter and five of his coworkers were subsequently released of their duties in the Hampton, Va. Sheriff's office after his boss won re-election. Sheriff B.J. Roberts says Carter's release was not politically motivated. Carter challenged his firing in court and the issue has created a whole new debate: Is pushing the "like" button on Facebook an act of free speech protected by the First Amendment? A U.S. District Court Judge initially ...

We already toldya ex NFL star Warren Sapp is broke after playing more than a decade in the NFL! Well now our attention turns to NBA star Joe Johnson. We know that Joe Johnson makes a crazy amount of money. In 2010 he signed a ridiculous $126 million dollar contract with the Hawks but he was recently traded to the Brooklyn Nets. We know he has an endorsement contract with Jordan Brand that gifts him with multiple exclusive versions of pretty much every shoe they make. We even know that he has a gigantic shoe closet that houses his shoes, seen below. But we didn’t know just how extravagant that a combination of those things can be. I mean, there’s no way you could even guess what else he had in his huge shoe storage because it barely makes sense. From Dime Magazine: Dime: Describe the room to me. Joe Johnson: It’s a nice size. It’s big enough for me and probably about six or seven of my friends. We all go in there and we sho...

The Rev. James Harris sat through a three-day trial on charges of sex crimes involving juveniles, rarely showing emotion during closing arguments on Thursday. But after a jury convicted him of the charges — for which he faces up to 80 years in prison — he surprised everyone in the courtroom by trying to swallow several white pills. Courtroom deputies immediately grabbed Harris, repeatedly yelling at him to spit out the pills as they wrestled with him in the West Palm Beach courthouse. Once they subdued Harris, deputies called West Palm Beach Fire Rescue and bagged the extra pills so they could be identified. Harris, 64, was on trial for six felony sex crimes stemming from his encounters with a 15-year-old boy in 2008 and 2009. He lured the victim, an athlete, with claims of professional contacts such as trainers who could help the boy achieve his dreams of playing in the NFL. The victim testified that Harris performed s...

A drunk Norwegian tourist ended up taking a ride with his bag at Rome’s Fiumicino airport . When the 36-year-old man found the checkout counter for his flight to Oslo unstaffed, he fell asleep on the baggage belt—still clutching his beer—and remained passed out as he and his bag moved through the airport’s secure baggage area for 15 minutes. Workers eventually spotted him on X-ray monitor screens. After airport cops managed to wake the Norwegian from his deep sleep, he was taken to a local hospital due to concern about his exposure to X-rays. He’s now facing charges over the incident. Officials at the airport, which is Italy’s busiest, defended their security procedures. “There’s usually an episode like this once a year, and we are alert,” explained an official. “In this case we were notified, we sounded...

Don’t mess with Big Mama on her job! A robbery suspect got a lot more than he bargained for when he went to take money from a discount store in Richland County, South Carolina. Richland County deputies say the unidentified man went into the Family Dollar around 9 a.m. and according to deputies, the suspect pretended as if he was going to pay for an item at the counter, but instead reached over the barrier and took money out of the register. The store manager, however, responded by punching the man on the head over and over again. After about 15 to 20 seconds, he fled from the store with some money he’d been able to grab. CBS Station WLTX/News19 spoke with the manger, Chanel Thomas, who told us she was upset about him attempting to take the money, but also because he touched her. While I’m cashing out his transaction I saw him lean a little bit so I kinda prepared myself, ” Thomas said. “As soon as I saw his hands reach in I closed the register and he pushed it op...

A small Connecticut town is being sued for allegedly discriminating against minorities in an effort to keep its black population “so low that it does not register above zero percent,” according to a federal complaint. The town of Winchester “systematically and unlawfully” works to keep out African-American families by denying access to federal housing vouchers known as Section 8, according to a lawsuit brought by the Connecticut Fair Housing Center and plaintiff Crystal Carter. “We are challenging a pattern of denying minorities fair access to housing,” said Greg Kirschner, staff attorney for the Connecticut Fair Housing Center. Carter, a single mom of six children, joined the lawsuit after she was allegedly told by the Winchester Housing Authority (WHA) that she was ineligible to apply for Section 8 housing in the town because she was not already a resident. The WHA also told Carter “that Winchester was not on a ‘bus li...

This video is crazy! Columbus police are still searching for a man suspected of assaulting and then shooting a passenger on a COTA bus back in June. Cops say the shooter and three unidentified black men boarded the bus and then exited the rear door of the bus. While the suspects were exiting the bus, one of the suspects slapped 18 year old passenger Jamar Brantly. Brantly tells officers he chased after the suspects out of the rear of the bus, at which time he was shot in the balls by a fourth suspect. You can hear him screaming in the video. Brantly was transported to an area hospital in stable condition. The shooter is described as a black male between the ages of 18 and 20. He was last seen wearing a red shirt and sunglasses. Anyone with information is asked to contact Columbus police at 614-645-4545. SCOOP: NBC24

A Utah woman was suffering from panic attacks and had taken too much Xanax when she crashed her SUV through the lobby of a building in an attempt to mow down her estranged husband, her defense attorney argued. 36 year old Brenda Christine White, went on trial this week on charges of attempted murder and criminal mischief in connection with the 2006 incident, which was caught on surveillance video (seen below). The case against White has been stuck in appeals as her lawyers tried to use an “extreme emotional distress defense.” As the trial got under way, her lawyer said White was heavily medicated on Xanax to deal with the stress of her divorce from Jon Robert White. “At some point in our lives we have all done or said something that we wouldn’t have done if we were in total control of our body,” her attorney told jurors. Six years after being chased by his wife’s SUV, Jon Robert White teared up remembering the incident, which left him with a broken leg and othe...

2:03 PM EDT 8/8/2012 by Zondra Hughes Major General Marcia M. Anderson is the highest ranking African American woman in the U.S. Army. Photos by Zondra Hughes Major General Marcia M. Anderson is the highest ranking African American woman in the history of the U.S. Army. In 2011, she made history as the first African American woman in the Army’s history to achieve the rank of major general. As Deputy Chief of the Army Reserve, Maj. General Anderson’s responsibilities include developing professional training and leadership programs throughout the country. Maj. Gen. Anderson recently participated in the 2012 Essence Music Festival where she highlighted the Army Reserve’s role in empowering the nation’s soldiers, families, and their communities, and her commitment to empowering women is clear. “There are two pieces of advice that I would give women,” she tells rolling out . “One is a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt, ‘well-behaved women rarely make history.’ I didn’t say ...

The mother of a 7-year-old girl thrown from an SUV during a crash on Interstate 85 is facing six charges related to the chase. According to a written statement from the sheriff’s office, deputies initially received information from friends and family that the child, Queniya Tykia Shelton, was Errika Shelton’s niece. Shortly before the girl’s death, however, investigators learned Errika Shelton was the child’s biological mother. Sheriff Chuck Wright said two deputies inside one car pursued Shelton’s vehicle after they noticed erratic driving and initiated a traffic stop on I-85 Monday morning. Wright said the suspected traffic violation was following too close or improperly changing lanes. Wright said the chase topped speeds of 100 mph and continued for a couple of miles. The chase ended after Shelton lost control of the 2012 Dodge Journey she was driving and struck the guardrail. Lance Cpl. Bill Rhyne with the S.C. Highway Patrol said the SUV overturned, eje...

President Obama is taking heat for telling a black Magazine that he is “not the president of black America.” Some say critics in the black academic and media community are holding Obama to a tougher standard than they held his Democratic predecessor Bill Clinton. Obama’s remark to Black Enterprise made some African-Americans upset, while others defended his point. He made the comment when asked about criticism that he hasn’t done enough to help black business owners who have suffered more than others in the recession. “My general view has been consistent throughout, which is that I want all businesses to succeed,” Obama said. “I’m not the president of black America, I’m the president of the United States of America , but the programs that we have put in place have been directed at those folks who are least able to get financing through conventional means.” “I’ll put my track record up against anybody in terms of us...

A peace officer for a NYS agency and a woman are accused of growing marijuana in the same home they were operating an illegal day care. The DEC began investigating 29-year-old Jamie Fanton and 25-year-old Jasmine Almeter after complaints of an illegal dumping. Inside several garbage bags, environmental agents found evidence of a marijuana growing operation. Authorities say the two were running an illegal day care and four children aged 2- to 5-years-old were present when the search warrant was executed. In one room of the house was a marijuana growing operation with several plants, a quantity of dried marijuana and other drug paraphernalia. Fanton, who has been a peace office for the NYS Finger Lakes Developmental Disabilities Service Office for the past seven years, is charged with fourth degree criminal possession of marijuana, two counts of unlawfully growing marijuana, and four counts of first degree unlawfully dealing with a child. Almeter is charged with...

By John Bender - Ether Zone Several people have done a splendid job of documenting the racist history of gun control laws. But there is little being written about the role guns played in securing the victories Blacks achieved in the civil rights movement of the 1960s. This month we will examine some of the cases where Blacks used their Second Amendment right to own and carry guns to advance the cause of securing their other civil rights. In Monroe, North Carolina, in 1958, Mr. Robert Williams reopened a local chapter of the NAACP. He enlisted the help of Dr. Albert Perry, a physician and leader in the Black community. These two men created an active and robust local chapter of the NAACP and worked for equal rights for the Black population. However, Monroe was KKK country. The Klan included in its membership the sheriff, most police officers, several judges and every elected official in the county. As the Black population grew more organized the Klan...

The headline is like something out of a bad horror movie . But unfortunately it’s true. An Afghanistan girl was forced to marry a 40 year-old man. The 11 year-old girl told the reporter taking the picture that she was sad to be engaged because she would have to leave school. She’s one of 52 million child brides around the world. Nearly one third of those child brides come from India each year. Out of that one third 126,000 will die in child birth every year. Photographer Stephanie Sinclair has traveled around the world documenting the atrocity. Sinclair was asked if the child brides were forced to consummate the marriage. Sinclair said the men told her they had to wait to consummate the marriage but the women pulled her aside and told her the grooms were indeed having sex with the young girls. SCOOP: CNN

We’ve learned actress Stacey Dash has been released from the hospital and is recovering at home. We toldya yesterday (Tuesday) that she was rushed to the E.R for an unconfirmed illness. Her camp contacted BMS to let us know the cause of her illness was extreme food poisoning. She was treated for dehydration and released last night. She’s home recuperating and should be back on her feet soon. Today she wrote this letter to fans… I just wanted to clear up any rumors that are out there. After feeling sick after eating Sunday night, I thought I was getting better, and then suddenly I turned deathly ill. I thought the pain from Sunday was going to go away, but it got worse and worse and it got to a point where I was really scared, so I rushed to the ER. The pain was so excruciating…I’ve never felt so bad in my life, I literally thought I was going to die. Thank God for the doctors who treated me. ...

Nivea will have to find a way to rebrand itself without one of the most famous women in the world. They axed ya girl Rihanna. Rihanna’s wild lifestyle has finally cost her a lucrative $25 million dollar modeling deal with skincare brand Nivea. In an interview with German newspaper Welt, Nivea’s new CEO, Stefan Heidenreich, aired his concern about the role the 24-year-old played in modelling for the brand. “Rihanna is a no go… I do not understand how to bring the core brand of Nivea in conjunction with Rihanna” he said, explaining: “Nivea is a company which stands for trust, family and reliability.” Rihanna was chosen to front Nivea’s 100th birthday campaign last year, and a head and half-body shot of her featured upon limited-edition tins of the body cream. The singer, who was famously told to cover up and “find god” by a farmer in Northern Ireland while filming a music video on his land, has been admitted to hospital...

A South Carolina woman returned home from the grocery store and told her grandson that she bought some chicken salad. That’s where the ish hit the fan! However, 26 year old Jesse Beam, misheard his 67-year-old grandma. “Don’t call me chicken, again!” said Beam, according to a Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office report. Beam’s grandmother told deputies that she “attempted to explain to Jesse she was not calling him chicken,” but her grandson threw a bowl of food at her and shoved her to the ground as she sought to escape the home. Granny sustained assorted cuts, contusions, and scratches, and possibly a broken nose during the attack. SMDH! Beam, pictured in the above mug shot, was arrested for assault and battery and booked into the Spartanburg County jail. He remains in custody in lieu of $2000 bond. SCOOP: TSG

Just thank goooood old BILL for helping Hillary Clinton come out of her shell! She clearly knows how to party. The Secretary of State got down on the dance floor at a state dinner in South Africa last night, showing off her moves for the first time since her unforgettable conga line incident lol! Check her out below!

Former NBA All-Star Dan Roundfield is being hailed a hero after drowning off the coast of the Caribbean island of Aruba while saving his wife. Roundfield and his wife, Bernie, were swimming off the southern tip of the island yesterday when they went beyond a protected reef area and got caught in rough water, according to police. The 59-year-old grandfather managed to get his wife to some rocks where she scrambled to safety but he was then swept away in the current. Search and rescue teams found Roundfield’s body about 90 minutes later, trapped by rocks underwater. ‘It’s a real tragedy,’ said John Larmonie, a spokesman for Aruba police. ‘He drowned saving his wife.’ Julia Roundfield, a sister-in-law of the athlete, who lives in Detroit, said the family was still trying to get to the bottom of what happened. ‘He was a real sweet guy,’ she said. ‘He really was a sweetheart.’ The player’s wife, Bernie, was treated for shock ...

An abortion doctor was caught on camera admitting that he murders babies. Not only does Dr. Ron Virmani admit he kills babies but goes on to explain why he does so, giving viewers two of his very best reasons: 1.) black babies are too ugly to adopt and 2.) ugly black babies who cannot be adopted end up burdening the tax payer and the system as a whole. Virmani was captured on camera last month by pro-life Christian group, Operation Save America. Two activists wearing T-shirts with religious slogans approached the ob-gyn’s door in Charlotte, North Carolina. Day Gardner, president of the National Black Pro-Life Union, expressed outrage over the doctor’s comments. He said in a statement: ‘It’s all too obvious that he had a particular disgust for black babies and therefore has no problem killing them.’ SCOOP: CHRISTIANPOST

In a Louisiana public school, female students who are suspected of being pregnant are told that they must take a pregnancy test. Under school policy, those who are pregnant or refuse to take the test are kicked out and forced to undergo home schooling. Welcome to Delhi Charter School, in Delhi, Louisiana, a school of 600 students that does not believe its female students have a right to education free from discrimination. According to its Student Pregnancy Policy, the school has a right to not only force testing upon girls, but to send them to a physician of the school administration’s choice. A positive test result, or failure to take the test at all, means administrators can forbid a girl from taking classes and force her to pursue a course of home study if she wishes to continue her education with the school. This is in blatant violation of federal law and the U.S. Constitution. Today, the ACLU of Louisiana and the ...

Athens, Ga. police arrested a woman early Sunday morning after she beat a man in a wheelchair at her Oak Hill Drive home in Athens. After a trip to Athens Region Medical Center hospital to treat her for a stab wound to her breast, police arrested Sylvestine Davis, 51, on a charge of aggravated assault-domestic violence. Davis and a 62-year-old man (NOT pictured) visiting her started arguing late Saturday evening over keys. The argument escalated when Davis started hitting the wheelchair-bound man on the face and arms, according to a police report. To defend himself, the man told police he grabbed a pair of scissors and stabbed Davis in one of her breasts. Davis then grabbed a metal cane-walker and beat the man, knocking him out of his wheelchair before neighbors intervened to stop the fight, said police. Davis also threw at the man plates and glass items, the remains of which were scattered in a breezeway outside of her apa...

21 year old Olivia Moody, from Chicago graduated from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. Six days later she went to prison to begin a 30-year sentence for second-degree murder. Life changed in an instant for the honor student who worked her way out of Chicago’s crime-ridden Roseland neighborhood to become the first in her immediate family to graduate from college. In May, less than a week after she received a degree in criminal justice from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, a jury convicted her of killing a 21-year-old mother of two after a senseless altercation over a young man. Moody claims that she had been bullied by a group of women from the neighborhood and that the shooting was self-defense. The jury decided it was second-degree murder. Now the young woman born to a prostitute and crack addict who abandoned her at the hospital after birth, a young woma...