WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — Police say a Pennsylvania woman chased her boyfriend around a dining room and stabbed him in the chest because he started eating Thanksgiving dinner while she slept off a bender.
Authorities say Jacklyn Blake confessed to officers who responded to her Wilkes-Barre (WILKS’-ba-ree) home Thursday. Officers found her boyfriend inside holding a towel over his chest. He was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.
The 47-year-old Blake is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, simple assault, reckless endangerment and making terroristic threats. It wasn’t clear if she has a lawyer.
According to police, Blake’s boyfriend says she’d been drunk earlier in the day and attacked him after waking up from a nap. He says she stabbed him and then threw the knife, striking him just below the left eye.
By JAY REEVES and JOHN ZENOR
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — UAB is shutting down the football program after one of the Blazers’ stronger seasons, the first school to make that cost-cutting move in nearly two decades.
The university announced the decision Tuesday minutes after President Ray Watts met with the Blazers players and coaches, while several hundred UAB students and fans gathered outside for the third straight day in efforts to support the program. UAB made the decision after a campus-wide study conducted by a consulting firm over the past year.
“The fiscal realities we face — both from an operating and a capital investment standpoint — are starker than ever and demand that we take decisive action for the greater good of the Athletic Department and UAB,” Watts said in a statement released by the university. “As we look at the evolving landscape of NCAA football, we see expenses only continuing to increase. When considering a model that best protects the financial future and prominence of the Athletic Department, football is simply not sustainable.”
UAB said in the release that it subsidizes $20 million of the athletic department’s operating budget of some $30 million annually, and said both those numbers rank fifth in Conference USA. The university said the difference over the next five years would be an extra $49 million with football, including a projected $22 million needed for football facilities and upgrades.
Despite the numbers outlined by UAB, Watts insisted at an afternoon news conference that the decision “is not about financial woes. This is about planning for excellence in the future in everything we do.”
UAB is the first major college program since Pacific in 1995 to shut down.
Players cried and hugged after leaving the meeting. An emotional coach Bill Clark, who just completed his first season with a 6-6 record, briefly addressed supporters, saying players, families and coaches were all hurting. UAB is eligible for only its second bowl appearance and first since 2004.
“This is one of the most difficult days that I have had to endure in my personal as well as my coaching career,” Clark said in a statement. “I am absolutely heartbroken for my players and my assistant coaches.”
He has two years left on a contract worth $500,000 annually. Watts wouldn’t give the specific cost of shutting down football. UAB’s deal for the opener with Tennessee alone called for either school to pay $925,000 to get out of the game.
UAB tight end Brandon Prince, 20, transferred from Austin Peay back to his hometown to help his ailing father. Now, he’s not sure where he’ll be able to do what he loves most: Play football.
“It’s like SMU,” Prince said. “We got the death penalty without any NCAA violations.”
Eliminating football jeopardizes UAB’s membership in Conference USA and associated programs including the school’s marching band, though the school said it hopes to remain in the league and Division I. Members of the band and cheerleaders joined in protests on campus.
Conference USA’s current bylaws require members to sponsor football. Commissioner Britton Banowsky said the league’s board of directors will decide UAB’s status.
“We don’t fully understand the decision, nor agree with it, but do respect it and the authority of the UAB administration to make it,” Banowsky said.
UAB is also the cutting bowling and rifle programs, which school officials said cost a combined $400,000-$600,000 annually to operate.
Athletic director Brian Mackin will now serve as special assistant to the president for athletics. Senior Associate Athletic Director Shannon Ealy will take over on an interim basis.
Zac Woodfin, the team’s strength coach and a former player, said a decision to eliminate the program would hurt not only the 125 players and 50 coaches and support staff but also other sports that could see scholarship reductions, band members and fans.
“The trickle effect is going to be huge in a negative way,” said Woodfin.
Playing in the shadows of Southeastern Conference powers Alabama and Auburn and lacking an on-campus stadium, UAB has struggled to develop a fan base and consistent attendance in the nearly two decades since it joined the Football Bowl Subdivision.
Average attendance doubled this year under Clark to more than 20,000 fans per game.
University of Alabama System Trustee John D. Johns, a Birmingham businessman, said Watts made a tough decision in a methodical, objective manner.
“It’s really a rough, tough situation any way you look at it,” Johns said.
Cash For Crooks Div. of Refuge In (RITT) Trouble Times, PO Box 28083, Birmingham, Ala. 35228-0001.
Andrew Martin’s body was found by police, after someone called on February 8, 2013, on the 41st Street North and Messer Airport Highway in a 2001 Honda Prelude. He had been shot and unconscious sitting in the driver’s seat. No one has giving any leads in this case. His parents needs closure. Think back to this time if you were the person who called; do you remember seeing anything suspicious, if so call Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777. You need not give your name, a cash reward will be given for any arrest/conviction made. NO NICK NAMES PLEASE.
RITT writes these and other stories to shed awareness on unsolved homicides here in our local and state-wide area. Our police can’t be everywhere, it would help them if we will boycott this “No Snitch” code to help solve this and other cases listed, “will you help?”
If you know of a case or story you’d like seen again, in hopes someone will make the call about email:odussasplace@yahoo.com or call Minister Ward at 205-240-9910. Let’s help the BPD and Sheriff Mike Hale take this huge bite out of crime to bring closure to the love ones’ hurting and bleeding hearts. .
AG Strange Joins Lawsuit Challenging President’s Executive Order on Immigration
MONTGOMERY –Attorney General Luther Strange joined a lawsuit filed by Texas challenging the President’s recent immigration actions as unconstitutional and illegal. The lawsuit deals with a November 20 executive order and Department of Homeland Security directive that unilaterally suspended immigration laws as applied to millions of undocumented immigrants in the United States.
“This lawsuit is not about immigration. It is about the rule of law, presidential power, and the enforcement of the U.S. Constitution,” the complaint asserts. By his own action and contrary to laws passed by Congress, the President “issued a directive that legalizes the presence of approximately 40 percent of the known undocumented immigrant population, and affords them legal rights and benefits…That unilateral suspension of the Nation’s immigration laws is unlawful.”
“I want to thank Attorney General Abbott for leading this effort,” said Attorney General Strange. “I am proud to stand with my friends in Texas in this important case regarding the rule of law.” The lawsuit, Texas v. U.S., was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. Texas was joined by the States of Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Montana, Nebraska, South Carolina, South Dakota, West Virginia, Utah and Wisconsin; and the Governors of Idaho, Maine, Mississippi and North Carolina.
“The President is obligated by the United States Constitution to ‘take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed’—to uphold and enforce the laws passed by Congress,” said Attorney General Strange. “Instead, he has claimed a prosecutorial discretion that simply does not exist, as an excuse to change the law himself to achieve what he wanted that has failed to gain Congressional approval. He made dramatic changes that extend legal benefits to people who are openly violating the law, without so much as the notice and opportunity for comment that is required for changes in the federal rulemaking process. These actions are unconstitutional and illegal, and will severely impact the States with increased costs for law enforcement, health care and education.”
The complaint notes that the President failed in his attempts to persuade Congress to change the law, and that he admitted numerous times in the past that he did not have authority to act on his own: “There are enough laws on the books by Congress that are very clear in terms of how we have to enforce our immigration system that for me to simply through executive order ignore those congressional mandates would not conform with my appropriate role as President,”….“[I]f this was an issue that I could do unilaterally I would have done it a long time ago…The way our system works is Congress has to pass legislation,”…..”We have certain obligations to enforce the laws that are in place…[W]e’ve kind of stretched our administrative flexibility as much as we can,”…”But if we start broadening that, then essentially I would be ignoring the law in a way that I think would be very difficult to defend legally.”
Federal Grand Jury Indicts Madison County Man for Producing and Possessing Child Pornography
BIRMINGHAM – A federal grand jury has indicted a Madison County man on multiple charges of producing child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance, Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Raymond R. Parmer Jr. and Etowah County Sheriff Todd Entrekin.
A six-count indictment filed in U.S. District Court charges Jeremy Joseph Nelson, 42, of Huntsville, with producing child pornography between 2012 and 2014, and with possessing child pornography depicting children under age 12.
The first four counts of the indictment charge that Nelson did “use, persuade, induce, entice and coerce a minor” to engage in sexually explicit conduct so he could produce a visual depiction of the conduct. Count One states the crime took place at a Huntsville dance studio. Counts Five and Six charge Nelson with possessing child pornography on computer, computer disk or videotape.
The Alabama State Bureau of Investigation arrested Nelson in October on state charges of producing child pornography by hiding cameras in the bathrooms of three Huntsville businesses.
The maximum penalty for producing child pornography is 30 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, per count. The maximum penalty for possessing child pornography is 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The Department of Homeland Security and the Alabama SBI investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jacquelyn Hutzell and Daniel Fortune are prosecuting.
Members of the public are reminded that an indictment contains only charges. A defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government’s burden to prove a defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial. Homicide Investigation
The Birmingham Police Department reports that detectives are conducting a homicide investigation. The incident occurred Friday, October 31, 2014 in the 100 Block of 5th Avenue Southwest.
The victim has been identified as:
Franquita Cunningham, B/F, 49, of Birmingham, Alabama
On October 31, 2014, officers from the South Precinct responded to the incident location on a person shot call. Upon arrival, officers observed the victim suffering from what appeared to be a gunshot wound to the head area. The victim was transported to UAB hospital and immediately went into surgery.
Our investigation revealed the victim was sitting with a friend on a bed in the back bedroom watching television when they heard gunshots coming from outside. Apparently, the victim was struck in the head by a round that came from the outside through the bedroom door. Investigators found multiple shell castings outside the residence.
On Tuesday, November 25, 2014 around 740pm, the victim succumbed to her injury.
Detectives are investigating the death as a homicide.
Additional information will be released as it becomes available.
If there is anyone who has information pertaining to the case, they are encouraged to contact the B.P.D. Homicide Unit @ 254-1764 or Crime Stoppers @ 254-7777.
Homicide Investigation Update
The Birmingham Police Department reports that detectives have arrested and charged a suspect in connection with a homicide investigation. The incident occurred Saturday November 29, 2014 in the 500 Block of 11th Street SW.
The victim has been identified as:
Krystal Rodriquez, W/F, 29, of Birmingham, Alabama
The suspect has been identified as: Brandon Cole, B/M, 29, of Birmingham, Alabama. A Murder warrant with a $75,000 bond has been obtained against the suspect. The suspect is in the custody of the Jefferson County Jail.
If there is anyone who has additional information pertaining to this case, they are encouraged to contact the B.P.D. Homicide Unit @ 254-1764 or Crime Stoppers @ 254-7777.
The Birmingham Police Department reports that detectives are conducting a homicide investigation. The incident occurred today, November 29, 2014 in the 500 Block of 11th Street SW.
The identity of the victim will be released upon notification of immediate family.
On Saturday, November 29, 2014 around 4:12 am, West Precinct officers were dispatched to the 2300 block of South Park Terrace on a domestic call. Upon arrival officers talked to the victim’s boyfriend, who stated he had been in an argument with the victim. The victim was not on the scene but at another location. The boyfriend took officers to the 500 block of 11th Street SW. Upon arriving, officers found the victim lying face down on the kitchen floor suffering from what appeared to be multiple knife wounds to the chest area. The victim was pronounced deceased by Birmingham Fire and Rescue.
Our investigation revealed the victim was involved in an altercation with her boyfriend that resulted in her death. The suspect was taken into custody and transported to the Administration building. Detectives are investigating the death as a homicide.
Additional information will be released as it becomes available.
If there is anyone who has information pertaining to the case, they are encouraged to contact the B.P.D. Homicide Unit @ 254-1764 or Crime Stoppers @ 254-7777.
The Alabama Power Foundation has selected the Elevate grant winners for 2015. Thirteen Elevate grants will be awarded to nonprofits across the state.
The Elevate grant packages include a $10,000 grant in 2015 and a $5,000 challenge grant in 2016 for each grant winner. Grant winners will also participate in workshops through 2015 to help them grow and find ways to expand their positive impact in the community.
“The aim of this program is to strengthen organizations and generate long-lasting change to help our state,” says John Hudson, president of the Alabama Power Foundation. “We look forward to seeing the great things that these organizations accomplish over the next couple of years.”
Recipients of the 2015 Elevate grants are:
· Alabama Possible – Birmingham
· Brantwood Children’s Home – Montgomery
· Family Services Center of Coffee County
· Gadsden Cultural Arts Foundation
· Habitat for Humanity – Northwest Alabama
· Interfaith Ministries – Calhoun County
· Jimmie Hale Mission – Birmingham
· McKemie Place – Mobile
· Mid-Alabama Coalition for the Homeless –Montgomery
· Red Mountain Theatre Company – Birmingham
· Salvation Army – Mobile
· Shelby County Arts Council
The Alabama Power Foundation is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2014. Since its creation in 1989 with funds donated by shareholders, the foundation has provided Alabama communities, educational institutions and nonprofits support with non-ratepayer money through more than 20,000 grants and scholarships. To learn more about the Alabama Power Foundation and its charitable initiatives, please visit www.powerofgood.com.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority (BJCTA) will host a “Stuff the Bus day in support of The Salvation Army Angel Tree Program. A MAX bus will be parked outside the Lakeshore Walmart on Friday, December 12, 10a.m.-8p.m.
Shoppers are encouraged to purchase a toy or coat and drop the unwrapped gifts by the MAX bus parked outside the Walmart store, which will be marked with “Stuff the Bus” signage. The toys and coats collected will be shared with children in need who would otherwise be left out on Christmas. “We are excited to participate with The Salvation Army Angel Tree Program and in giving back to the children and families in our community during the holiday season,” said Ann August, BJCTA Executive Director.
Since 1979, The Salvation Army Angel Tree Program has provided gifts for thousands of children to open Christmas morning. The popularity of this program grows each year, and so does the need. “We are grateful that MAX Transit is hosting this event to help us fill the need for children in the Birmingham area,” said Major Parker, Area Commander for The Salvation Army of Greater Birmingham.
Dr. Marchita Masters’ new line of soap includes hand crafted Artisan Soap, Jewelry Soap embedded with jewelry worth up to $1,000 and Soap Making Kits allowing anyone to make their own soap at home.
SAN DIEGO, Calif. (BlackNews.com) — For most individuals, using soap is simply just a part of their grooming regimen, but for Dr. Marchita Masters, it represents fun, creativity and togetherness. “I enjoy pampering myself, being creative, doing activities with my 6-year-old son, and being environmentally responsible.” Co-creator of Soap Fantastic, Masters’ soap line allows her the opportunity to share the joys of soap making with others. “One day, I was trying to not waste small bars of soap I had, so I tried to smash them together to create a new bar. Suddenly I realized that soap is a very malleable material allowing for great artistic expression.
“As a licensed Clinical Psychologist with over 25 years of therapeutic experience with children, Masters’ role as a mother truly allowed her to delve into the joys of soap making with her son. Mr. John Evans, also a co-creator of the company, shares his motivation behind the creations stating, “I was highly motivated to offer these types of soaps as I felt that each would offer a particular value set. The soap kits could be very instrumental in having families spend quality time together. Families could interact, develop and possibly improve their relationships with each other while having fun!” Masters believes the beauty in it all is that “even if individuals have never made soap before in their entire lives, they can make their own soap at home and experience the joy I did when I found soap as a creative outlet,” she says. “The soap business is really an expression of one’s own creativity,” shares Masters. “Some artists use paint, others sculpt, still others use musical instruments; I use soap; it’s my canvas. I like to say, If you can dream it, we can probably make it with soap,'” she says.
Soap Fantastic offers an amazing variety of soap for all types of occasions. The soap kits are made with no lye and are very safe for children. Not only does Soap Fantastic offer kits for at home fun with family and friends, but the company offers an amazing line of Artisan Soap, Jewelry Soap and Customized Hand-sculpted Soap Stamps. “The Artisan Soaps can be celebrated as works of art and enjoyed for their own sake,” says Evans, who has always admired the Japanese tradition of bringing a small gift when you are invited to someone’s home as a guest. “Artisan Soaps make very fine gifts and can also be used to celebrate special holidays and events.”
This holiday season, Soap Fantastic will be unveiling their beautifully hand crafted, culturally sensitive holiday line which includes soaps for Christmas, Kwanzaa and Hanukkah. “I was really impressed seeing a picture of the earth, shot from outer space. It shows we are all one people living in a fragile existence. The earth is made up of many cultures, religions and ethnicities and I’m inclined to find ways to celebrate them all.” While these are the only initial offerings of culturally centered soaps, Masters is adamant that there are many more to come.
Wanting to share his adventurous side with his soap connoisseurs, Evans was inclined to offer a soap that presented a surprise inside; jewelry. “Like Forrest Gump’s box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get. With our jewelry embedded soaps you will always get something nice to keep or to share.” Evans believes there is always a chance that you can hit the jackpot, affording you an opportunity to get a very valuable high end piece of jewelry worth up to $1,000 inside your soap. “At any rate you can still clean up,” he jests.
Soap fragrances include: Spiced Chestnut, Cinnamon Candies, Ocean Rain, Orange Cranberry, Lilac in Bloom, Santa’s Tree Farm, Hot Apple Pie with Cinnamon, Mahogany Teakwood with Patchouli, South Pacific Waters, Jasmine, Lavender and Lemon, with many more to come.
For the holidays, Soap Fantastic is offering various contests, providing consumers with an opportunity to win some great prizes. Soap Fantastic will give away Happy Holidays Soap Making Kits, Jewelry Soap, Holiday Artisan Soap (Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Happy Kwanzaa Artisan Soap) and Hand-sculpted Soap Stamps. Check www.SoapFantastic.com often for upcoming details!
INDIANAPOLIS — Journalist, educator, hip-hop generation intellectual and Ebony Power 100 honoree Marc Lamont Hill will deliver the keynote address during the 46th Annual Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Dinner.
Hill, distinguished professor of African American studies at Morehouse College in Atlanta, was included among Ebony magazine’s annual list of the 100 “most influential and intriguing men and women in Black America” and celebrated as such during a Hollywood ceremony Wednesday. The 2014 Ebony Power 100 list is featured in the magazine’s December issue.
The IUPUI Black Student Union will host the annual IUPUI King Dinner, one of Indianapolis’ longest-running events honoring the slain civil rights leader, at 6 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 18, at the Indiana Roof Ballroom, 140 W. Washington St.
Hill, the host of HuffPost Live and BET News, will address the dinner’s theme of “Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution.”
“Today as one of the world’s leading hip-hop intellectuals, Dr. Marc Lamont Hill enjoys sharing his teachings as well as his experiences with audiences all around the world, and we truly look forward to having him share them with us as well,” said Karina Garduño, coordinator for social justice education in the IUPUI Office of Student Involvement.
Individual dinner tickets are $25 for IUPUI students, $65 for IUPUI faculty and staff and $75 for general admission community guest tickets. They are on sale now at the Office of Student Involvement at the IUPUI Campus Center, Suite 370, 420 University Blvd.
Sponsorship packages are also available for $1,000, $850 and $435 and include respectively, 10, 10 and five dinner tickets, along with advertisement space in the dinner program and sponsorship of student tickets.
The deadline for ticket purchases is Dec. 19.
For additional information, contact the Office of Student Involvement at 317-274-3931 or dinner@iupui.edu.
Birmingham, Ala. – McWane Science Center is pleased to announce the opening of its annual holiday exhibit, Winter Wonderland and the Magic of Model Trains, opened Saturday, Nov. 22. Winter Wonderland along with the Magic of Model Trains exhibit features many winter-inspired activities, holiday films in IMAX and visits from Santa. For the fifth consecutive year, Royal Cup, Inc., a Birmingham-based coffee and tea distributor, is the presenting sponsor of the Winter Wonderland and the Magic of Model Trains exhibit.
“Especially during this time of year, Royal Cup supports initiatives that are family-oriented, and these sponsorships at McWane Science Center are a great example of that,” said Bill Smith III, vice president of Royal Cup, Inc. “We look forward to Winter Wonderland and the Magic of Model Trains and hope all enjoy the holiday fun!”
Winter Wonderland will occupy the third floor of the museum along with the Magic of Model Trains for the rest of the holiday season. Children can zip across the room on our extended zipline, slide down the Ice Slide, take a picture in Santa’s sleigh or try their luck ice fishing. Winter Wonderland also includes holiday films in IMAX, breakfast in Santa’s workshop, and holiday themed camps. A schedule of events and registration information are available at www.mcwane.org.
“We really enjoy the holidays and the excitement they bring to McWane,” said Amy Templeton, CEO of the McWane Science Center. “Children of all ages come and enjoy Winter Wonderland each year.”
The Winter Wonderland and The Magic of Model Trains exhibits opened Nov. 22 and will run through Jan. 11. For more information, visit www.mcwane.org.
HABD Procurement Staff giving vendors in depth information on vendor opportunities
The Housing Authority of the Birmingham District (HABD) held a public meeting at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens entitled “Doing Business with the Housing Authority of the Birmingham District.”
The meeting was hosted by the HABD procurement office to inform and educate potential vendors on possible vendor opportunities with HABD, whom you should contact, requirements and bid processes. Attendees received in-depth information from representatives of upcoming modernization projects, the Section 3 Program, and DHUB participation as well as individual one-on-one sessions with the HABD procurement staff.
For more information regarding HABD procurement processes and vendor opportunities visit www.HABD.org.
