Monday, April 10, 2017

Dylann Roof Gets Nine Life Sentences in State Case

Convicted Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof was given nine consecutive life sentences in state prison after he pleaded guilty to state murder charges Monday, leaving him to await execution in a federal prison and sparing his victims and their families the burden of a second trial.

Judge J.C. Nicholson imposed the sentences following a hearing in which church members and Roof's grandfather testified about the personal toll of the case.

Standing at the defense table with his attorneys, clad in a gray and white striped jail jumpsuit and handcuffed to a chain at his waist, the self-avowed white supremacist entered his guilty pleas.

Under a plea agreement, Judge J.C. Nicholson sentenced Roof to life in prison on the state murder charges. The deal with state prosecutors, who also had been pursuing the death penalty, comes in exchange for a life prison sentence on the state charges.

Read more: Dylann Roof: Charleston Church Shooter Gets Nine Life Sentences in State Case

Jalisa Lafay Mils is missing.

WAKULLA COUNTY, Fla. Sheriff Jared Miller and the Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s assistance in finding a missing juvenile.

Jalisa Lafay Mils, 15, was last seen at her Wakulla County home on April 9, 2017, at 2:00 a.m.

Jalisa is described as an African-American girl, around 5’3” tall, weighing 115 pounds, and is believed to be wearing a white shirt with black and pink shorts.

Jalisa may possibly be in the southern part of Leon County, Florida.

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Jalisa is requested to contact Detective Sergeant Eddie Wester, Criminal Investigations Division, at 850-745-7100.

[SOURCE: WTXL]

Sunday, April 09, 2017

99 year old Tuskegee Airman to lead Memorial Day parade

One of World War II's Tuskegee Airmen will lead the township's 55th Annual Memorial Day Parade this year.

Charles Nolley, a 99-year-old Edison N.J. resident, has been named the Grand Marshall in the upcoming parade, Mayor Thomas Lankey announced Friday.

Nolley was drafted into the second World War in 1943 and served as one of the first black aviators in the history of the U.S. armed forces.

He trained at the Tuskegee Army Air Field in Alabama to become part of the Army Air Corps' four squadrons of all all-black servicemen. Nolley flew combat mission over Europe for three years with the 99th Pursuit Squadron.

"Not only is Mr. Nolley a witness to history, he is living history. His story is one of perseverance, dedication, service and success," Lankey said in release. "We are privileged to have Charles and his wife Martha as neighbors, and we are honored to have him as our parade Grand Marshal."

[SOURCE:NJ.COM]

Saturday, April 08, 2017

Chicago Student Earns Acceptance From 22 Black Universities

Ariyana Davis is an 18-year-old senior at Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School. She was able to apply to dozens of schools thanks to the Common Black College Application that allows students to apply to up to 50 HBCUs for a mere $35. She was accepted by 22 HBCUs, as well as Eastern Illinois University, a predominantly white institution.

“It was important for me to go to an institution that feels like home,” Davis added.

When her acceptances started to trickle in, Davis said she felt “excited and overjoyed.” The second-generation college student, who was offered a total of $300,000 in financial aid from all the schools, added that she felt “really grateful.”

Davis will attend Alcorn State University in Mississippi and is thinking about a master’s degree possibly at the University of Illinois.

Friday, April 07, 2017

Quadruplet brothers accepted into Harvard and Yale

Quadruplet brothers in Ohio have all been accepted at some of the nation's top universities, including each of them to both Yale and Harvard.

The Wade brothers of the northern Cincinnati suburb of Liberty Township say they have been notified in recent days of acceptances from a number of notable schools. Lakota East High School principal Suzanna Davis tells the Hamilton-Middletown Journal-News that the four seniors epitomize academic focus but are well-rounded, "great young men" with individual personalities.

Aaron, Nick, Nigel and Zachary haven't made their decisions, though Aaron likes Stanford University and his three brothers are leaning toward Yale. Financial aid offers likely will play an important role.

The youths said they are grateful to their parents and to the Lakota schools and their teachers.

"It's really something we couldn't have done on our own without all the support we have had through our lives," Nick said. "It has been awesome."

Their mother, Kim Wade, is a junior high school principal in the Lakota district, and their father, Darrin Wade, works at General Electric Co.

"We feel like getting into these schools show who the people around us are," Nigel said.

Zachary added that they have always gotten encouragement that "the sky's the limit" with their hard work.

"We were never told that we couldn't get somewhere," Zachary said.

The Washington Post reports that Harvard doesn't comment on admission statuses and that Yale said by policy, it doesn't discuss admitted students.

[SOURCE]