2012-02-29

Singer Davy Jones of the Monkees dead at 66


Singer Davy Jones of The Monkees has died of a heart attack at 66, the medical examiner's office in Martin County, Fla..

A statement issued by the medical examiner's office says that Jones complained Wednesday morning that he wasn't feeling well and was having trouble breathing.

He was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. No suspicious circumstances surrounded his death, and his family has been notified.

Jones reportedly passed away in his parked car after visiting his horses at a ranch near his oceanside home in Indiantown, Florida. Earlier, he'd told ranch hands he was having difficulty breathing. The previous night, he had gone to a nearby hospital complaining of chest pains, according to reports.

But before Tuesday night, there were few indications, at least publicly, that Jones was anything but the overgrown moptop who put a cheerful frontman's face on repeated Monkees reunions — the last of which came to a halt last summer under still-mysterious circumstances.

Jones' last gig was a solo appearance Feb. 19 at the WinStar Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma where, from all appearances, he'd been his usual chipper self.

In January, he'd spent a week at sea as part of an oldies-themed cruise, performing along with Paul Revere & the Raiders and the Buckinghams. "Had a WONDERFUL time," he tweeted upon returning to shore Jan. 28.

Jones had further dates lined up through the rest of the year, with a plan to return to the road March 11 in Wisconsin.

Monkees star Davy Jones is survived by his wife, Jessica, four daughters, and his horses.

2012-02-28

2012 Selma to Montgomery March for "Voters Rights"

Rev. Dr. Al Sharpton, President of National Action Network (NAN) and radio talk show host for the Syndication One News-Talk Network - partnering with national organizations, congressional leaders, and activists - will march from Selma to Montgomery March 4-9 to lead the fight to protect civil and voter rights. 

The 5-day march will commemorate the historic 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights march and will begin at the Edmund Pettus Bridge on Sunday, March 4th ending with a rally at the Alabama State Capitol on Friday, March 9. 

The march is in support of voting rights and to highlight the continuing efforts against voter suppression. This includes the efforts to defeat voter identification laws and reverse anti-immigration laws in the state of Alabama.  

Congressman John Lewis, who helped lead the march in 1965 with Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, will help lead the march again in 2012 with over a dozen Black and Hispanic members of Congress in support of the march.
Partnering with National Action Network and Congressman John Lewis are AFSCME (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees), the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the National Organization for Women (NOW), National Urban League (NUL), The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), NAACP, National Coalition on Black Civic Participation (NCBCP), American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) American Federation of Teachers (AFT), and Communications Workers of America (CWA).
The march will include daily rallies and teach-ins in cities along Route 80 in Alabama including Selma, Hayneville, Lowndesboro; and Montgomery. 

On the last day of the march on March 9th there will be a rally on the Capitol steps in Montgomery, Alabama.
Tentative Schedule for the 47th Anniversary of the Reenactment of the Selma to Montgomery March
Sunday, March 4th, 2012
Day
Date
Event
Time
Place
  Sunday   
                                                
Mar
4th
MLK & Coretta King  Breakfast
7:15
am
Wallace Community College
Sunday
Mar 4th
Pre-March Rally
1:30 pm
Brown Chapel AME Church
Sunday
Mar 4th
March Begins
2:30 pm
Brown Chapel AME Church
Sunday
Mar 4th
Ceremony-Inductions into the Voting Rights Hall of Fame
3:00 pm
Across the Edmund Pettus Bridge-Voting Rights Park
Sunday
Mar4th
Monument Dedication
3:30 pm
Voting Rights Memorial Park
Sunday
Mar 4th
Begin Selma to Montg. March Mile marker 87.3 Plantation Inn App. 2 miles
4:00pm
Hwy. 80, Across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Mile Marker 85
Sunday
Mar 4th
End march for the day
5:30 pm
At the Plantation/Economy Inn 2322 US Hwy 80

Tentative Schedule for the 47th Anniversary of the Reenactment of the Selma to Montgomery March
Monday, March 5th, 2012
Day
Date
Event
Time
Place
Monday
Mar 5th
March Start
9:00 am
Mile Marker 88
Monday
Mar 5th
Rest Stop
10:30 am
Mile Marker 91 Chevron Gas Station
Monday
Mar 5th
Rest Stop
12:15 pm
Lunch Southside High School Mile Marker 96
Monday
Mar 5th
March Resumes
1:00 pm

Monday
Mar 5th
Rest Stop
2:00 pm
Mile Marker 98
Monday
Mar 5th
March ends for the day
3:00 pm
Mile Marker 100 Care Office Benton, AL
Monday
Mar 5th
Rally
6:00-8:00 pm
Tabernacle Baptist Church- 1431 Broad Street Selma, AL 36701

Tentative Schedule for the 47th Anniversary of the Reenactment of the Selma to Montgomery March
Tuesday, March 6th, 2012
Day
Date
Event
Time
Place
Tuesday
Mar 6th
Bus leave for marching starting point Mile Marker 100
9:00 am
Care Office Benton,AL
Tuesday
Mar 6th
Rest Stop
10:30 am
Mile Marker 102 Shell Gas Station
Tuesday
Mar 6th
Rest Stop
12:15 pm
Lunch Interpreter Center Mile Marker 106
Tuesday
Mar 6th
March Resumes
1:00 pm

Tuesday
Mar 6th
Rest Stop
2:00 pm
Mile Marker 108
Tuesday
Mar 6th
March Ends
3:00 pm
Mile Marker 111 Viola Liusso Monument
Tuesday
Mar 6th
Rally
6:00 pm-8:00pm
First Baptist Church- 709 Dr. Martin Luther King Street Selma, AL 36701

Tentative Schedule for the 47th Anniversary of the Reenactment of the Selma to Montgomery March
Wednesday, March 7th, 2012

Day
Date
Event
Time
Place
Wednesday
Mar 7th
March Starts
9:00 am
Mile Marker 111 Viola Liusso  Monument
Wednesday
Mar 7th
Rest Stop
10:30am
Mile Marker 114 BP Gas Station Lowndesboro
Wednesday
Mar 7th
Rest Stop
12:15 pm
Lunch Canaan Hills Primitive Bapt. Church Mile Marker 116
Wednesday
Mar 7th
March Resumes
1:00 pm

Wednesday
Mar 7th
Rest Stop
2:00 pm
Mile Marker 118
Wednesday
Mar 7th
March Ends
3:00 pm
Mile Marker 120 Just inside Montgomery County Line
Wednesday
Mar 7th
Rally
6:00pm-8:00pm
Jackson-Steele Community Center- 590 Lowndes County Road 23 White Hall, AL 36040

Tentative Schedule for the 47th Anniversary of the Reenactment of the Selma to Montgomery March
Thursday, March 8th, 2012

Day
Date
Event
Time
Place
Thursday
Mar 8th
March Starts
9:00 am
Mile Marker 120
Thursday
Mar 8th
Rest Stop
10:30 am
Mile Marker 123
Thursday
Mar 8th
Rest Stop
12:15 pm
Lunch Mile Marker 126 Citgo Gas Station
Thursday
Mar 8th
March Resumes
1:00pm

Thursday
Mar 8th
Rest Stop
2:00 pm
Mile Marker 128 Fire Station M.P.D. Take Over Security
Thursday
Mar 8th
March Ends
3:00 pm
Saint Jude
Thursday
Mar 8th
Rally
6:00pm-8:00pm
St. Jude’s Educational Institute- 2080 West Fairview Avenue Montgomery, AL 36104

Tentative Schedule for the 47th Anniversary of the Reenactment of the Selma to Montgomery March
Friday, March 9th, 2012

Day
Date
Event
Time
Place
Friday
Mar 9th
March Starts
9:00 am
Saint Jude- Travel the Historic Selma to Montgomery March Route
Friday
Mar 9th
Rest Stop
10:30am

Friday
Mar 9th
Arrive at State Capitol
12:00 noon
State Capitol
Friday
Mar 9th
Rally
12:00 noon
Steps of the Alabama State Capitol- 600 Dexter Avenue Montgomery, AL 36130
Friday
Mar 9th
Rally
6:00pm-8:00pm
Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church- 454 Dexter Avenue Montgomery, AL 36104
MAP OF ROUTE:

Occupy the Vote



Dear NUL Friend,

Join me for the release of the 2012 State of Black America report, "Occupy the Vote to Educate, Employ & Empower".

Each year since 1976, the National Urban League has issued The State of Black America, an in-depth examination of the social and economic status of America's African-American and Hispanic communities. This year's report, "Occupy the Vote to Educate, Employ & Empower" examines the role of the political process in the national economic recovery. For the second year, the release of The State of Black America will be held at a high-energy Town Hall forum on March 7, 2012 at 7 pm ET, engaging distinguished leaders in the worlds of politics and government, academia, media and social justice. Visit our website for event details or to submit a question for the Town Hall!

click for The State of Black America Occupy the Vote event details

It's no accident that a nationwide rollback in voting rights for America's most vulnerable citizens is happening just as elected officials mount an unprecedented campaign to slash investments in education and economic development.

As the nation struggles toward a financial recovery, public investments in education, job training and job growth are indispensible, now more than ever. Yet those very investments are targeted for sacrifice in favor of diverting more and more of the nation’s resources to those at the very top of the economic pyramid. At the same time, a coordinated effort is under way to exclude from the political process the very citizens whose livelihoods hang in the balance.

Join the National Urban League and a coalition of civil rights organizations and political analysts including NAACP's Benjamin Jealous, NCLR's Janet Murgia, Hip Hop Caucus president Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Politic 365's Jeff Johnson, Howard University President, Dr. Sidney Ribeau, Kevin Powell, political analyst Keli Goff, and radio host, Warren Ballentine as we "Occupy the Vote to Educate, Employ & Empower".

If you're in the Washington, D.C. area, do not miss this FREE event. If you can't attend in person, you are invited to watch the live webcast and participate on www.iamempowered.com/SOBA2012. Join the event page on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to join the conversation (#SOBA)!


Yours in the movement,
Marc Morial
Marc H. Morial
President and CEO
National Urban League

Alleged Ohio school gunman from violent family

Story by MSNBC, AP, and Reuters

In rare situations, students who are isolated from their peers, and lose interest in activities they used to like doing, can sometimes become violent says NBC's Chris Jansing.

The teen who authorities believe was behind a deadly shooting Monday in Chardon, Ohio, had violence in his life from early on, Cleveland's Plain Dealer newspaper reported.

Court records showed that Thomas Lane Jr., the father of suspect T.J. Lane, had been arrested several times for abusing women he had children with, including the teen's mother, the newspaper reported. The father had been warned to stay away from the teen's mother at least once, records reportedly showed.

Thomas Lane filed for divorce from the teen's mother in 2002 and later that year was charged with attempted murder, felonious assault and kidnapping, WKYC-TV cited court records as showing. He was convicted of felonious assault and sentenced to 5 years probation. It was not immediately clear what the charges stemmed from.
Police have not formally identified the suspect, but T.J. Lane's family issued a statement Monday night saying they were stunned by what happened and the teen is set to appear before juvenile court at 3:30 p.m. ET Tuesday.

T.J. Lane

It was not clear whether the teen and his father had any contact, the newspaper reported.

The suspect's family said through attorney Bob Farinacci that they were struggling to comprehend what had happened a day after the worst U.S. high school shooting in nearly a year.

"This is something that could never have been predicted. T.J.'s family has asked for some privacy while they try to understand how such a tragedy could have occurred and while they mourn this terrible loss for their community," the statement read.

Students at the high school outside of Cleveland were told to stay home Tuesday.
Officials believe Lane opened fire inside a high school caferteria at the start of the classes on Monday, hitting five students. Daniel Parmertor was killed instantly and on Tuesday officials said Demetrius Hewlin had died while Russell King Jr. was declared brain dead. Two others remain hospitalized.

"He had no emotion on his face, he was just shooting," a Chardon student told WKYC.

Travis Carver, another student present in the cafeteria at the time said the expression on the gunman's face was "straight determination."

Terrified students turned to social media to console one another and find out more information. NBC's Kevin Tibbles reports.

The suspect was taken into custody near his car a half-mile from the suburban Cleveland school after football coach Frank Hall chased him from the building, according to FBI officials.

The motive for the shooting, which took place while students were studying and eating breakfast, remains a mystery. Fellow students told local media the suspect was a quiet loner who may have been bullied.

Some witnesses told local media he appeared to deliberately target a table where a student who had started dating his former girlfriend was seated with friends, but that could not be confirmed.

Lane was not a student at Chardon High School. He attended the nearby alternative school Lake Academy in Willoughby, which serves at-risk students. Students may have been referred to the school because of academic or behavioral problems.

'Good kid'

When asked about the suspect, his family's lawyer called him a "good kid."

"By all accounts T.J. is a fairly quiet and good kid. His grades are pretty impressive," Farinacci said. "He's a sophomore. He's been doubling up on his classes with the intent of graduating this May. He pretty much sticks to himself but does have some friends and has never been in trouble over anything that we know about."

Some fellow students called the 17-year-old quiet and sweet, although others said he had a temper, the Plain Dealer reported.

"He would never really talk about his family," Haley Kovacik said. "But you can always tell he had a very sad look in his eyes all the time. He usually just kept to himself."

Kovacik said she never saw him get bullied, but said it could have happened, as he was "very quiet."

"He never really stood up for himself very much," she said.

His now-deleted Facebook page showed one picture of him bare-chested and glaring at the camera and another behind a huge teddy bear that bore a heart and the words "Be Mine," according to the newspaper.

He listed "primitive hunting" among his interests, the newspaper reported.

The suspect's family said they were struggling to comprehend what had happened.

"The family wanted me to convey to the citizens of Geauga County and Northeastern Ohio that the family is devastated," Farinacci said in the statement late Monday. "They want to give their most heartfelt and sincere condolences to the family of the young man who passed and their continuing prayers are with all those who were injured."


The mother of a student in Chardon, who asked not to be identified, said her son knew the accused gunman.

"My son's reaction was 'this doesn't surprise me.' T.J. (Lane) was a nice sweet kid who was misunderstood and he probably cracked from being different," she said.