Jack the Club

A 14-year-old teen is resting easy in the strong arms of Child Protection Services after serving a four year stint as a prisoner in his own home.

37-year-old LaRhonda McCall has been charged with 20 counts of child abuse and neglect after her teenage son “escaped” from a closet that she locked him in for nearly 4½ years.
Police were alerted to the situation after the teen made his way to a National Guard facility in Oklahoma City and caught the attention of a security guard on duty. 

“He was hungry. He was dirty. He had numerous scars on his body,” said Sergeant Gary Knightsaid, the first member of law enforcement to arrive on location.

Wearing only a pair of oversized shorts kept in place by a belt, the boy was severely malnourished, a fact slightly less shocking than the origin of his scars and bruises. Police say the teen told them that some scarring occurred from being choked, hit with an extension chord, and from being tied up. The more prevalent marks, located on his stomach and torso, are the result of repeatedly being doused in alcohol and set on fire.

McCall and an accomplice, 38-year-old Steve Vern Hamilton, are both being held on $400,000 bond. Six other children that were living at home were taken by the Department of Human Services.
They have not shown any signs of abuse.

Mayor Eric Brewer has to regret the day that he came out of the closet so to speak, lambasting a local television station for airing out his sequin-laced dirty laundry.

Coming less than a week before he faces poll goers via a voting booth, the mayor of East Cleveland has been sited in rare form; looking fabulous in an amber wig and Jimmy Choo's.

In a move lambasted by Brewer, WKYC's Channel 3 was the first media outlet to shed light on the startling revelation, sending the picture and subsequent mayoral race into the stratosphere.

Reading a statement outside his campaign headquarters, the incumbent mayor vented his frustration with the event via a statement that left more questions than answers.

“I had not seen any of the pictures until WKYC's broadcast yesterday evening.” To date, he has refused to say or deny whether the person pictured is him.

Members of Brewer's campaign have named his opponent, City Council President Gary Norton, as their chief suspect into their search to find whomever leaked and circulated the photos.

Mayor Brewer is also looking into whether police involvement may have played a part in the affair due mainly to the firing of multiple officers during his freshman term.

Former Mayor of East Cleveland, Saratha Googins, says that she knew of the picture for years.
Speaking to WKYC, the woman defeated by Brewer nearly four years ago explained how she knows it is in fact East Cleveland's current leader in drag.

“It's him, alive and well,” said Goggins. “The guy got demon eyes. You can't put them on a woman.”

According to the Chicago Tribune, 3 teens have been charged in the brutal beating death of 16-year-old honor roll student Derrion Albert as he walked home from school through the Roseland neighborhood of far South Side Chicago last Thursday (9/24).

The three teens charged with first-degree murder are Silvanus Shannon, 19, Eugene Riley, 18, and Eric Carson, 16, according to the Cook County state’s attorney’s office. All 3 will be tried as adults.

The three were caught on video wielding 2-by-4 wooden boards which they used to strike Albert repeatedly about the head causing massive head injuries during a melee involving students from Fenger Academy High School. Albert was pronounced dead three hours later at a local hospital.

Four others are being questioned in the assault. Joe Walker, Albert’s grandfather who helped raise him from a baby, said police expect to arrest 6 or 7 people in the case.

Six Connecticut women are facing assault charges for attacking a Westchester County woman for her amateurish karaoke performance at a bar, police said Friday. Leidy Alcantara, 25, was singing “A Dios Le Pido” by Colombian superstar Juanes on Wednesday night when suspect Kiana Strickland, 20, began heckling her, cops said. “I was singing the song in Spanish, and some girl said I was very annoying,” Alcantara told the Daily News. “I didn’t know she was talking to me, and I said, ‘Excuse me, are you talking to me?’”

“‘Yeah, you’re very annoying,’” Alcantara quoted Strickland as saying. “Then she said something else and punched me in my face,” Alcantara said. Stamford Police Lt. Sean Cooney said, “The verbal exchange didn’t go well.” Strickland slapped Alcantara, and then her five friends joined in, kicking, punching and pulling Alcantara’s hair, police said. “I was covering my face on the floor, crying, feeling all the punching and kicking,” Alcantara said. “I felt the pain all over my body.” Alcantara was treated for bruises and a chipped tooth and was released from Stamford Hospital, police said.

All six women – two 20-year-olds and four 19-year-olds from Stamford and Norwalk – were charged with misdemeanor assault, conspiracy to commit assault and breach of peace.

“What she’s saying is a lie. No one attacked her. No one jumped her,” suspect Michelle Rosedom said. “This wasn’t about her singing, it was about her putting her hands on one of the girls, and a fight started. All we were doing was eating wings,” Rosedom said. “We weren’t even drinking, she was. And now we’re facing three charges. I didn’t even touch her.”

The six suspects were released on $500 bond and are due in court Oct. 5. Alcantara’s lawyer Darnell Crosland said he plans to sue the six women and the sports bar. “Bar fights in general tend to be about really stupid stuff, and this appears to be the most stupid,” Cooney said.

Johnson publishing has had a rough time with keeping their publications a float during the recession and now it seems their most prized possession Ebony Magazine is seeking investors to keep the mag from shutting down.

Linda Johnson Rice the current CEO and daughter of late Founder John H. Johnson, has had a rough year of layoffs, cutbacks and hard decisions in order to keep the multi-publishing company afloat.  Yet with all the cutbacks and layoffs, Rice is still facing the closure of Ebony Magazine, if she can’t find enough investors to invest in the magazine.  According to sources, Rice has sought out investments from Time Inc., Viacom, and private investors.  Time Inc., the world’s largest periodical publisher which already owns Essence and Viacom which is home to MTV, BET and other major networks, declined comment.

Sources say that Rice is definitely trying to keep the publication in-house because of its historical roots in the black community and she would rather get investors than put the magazine up for sale.  With Ebony’s advertising taking a decline for the past  three consecutive years, the hope of keeping the magazine apart of Johnson publishing may be a far reach.

Rapper Fabolous was rushed to the hospital on Saturday (September 26), after he believed he was poisoned. It was possibly food poisoning.
Rumors of his hospitalization over the weekend, after fans and friends offered prayers on their Twitter pages, saying the rapper had been in an accident. But, Fab took to his own Twitter account later to explain.

The rapper said he had "started feeling very sick" while driving, so he pulled over, called an ambulance and was rushed to the hospital.

"I was not in a car accident, but I think i know where it started," Fab tweeted. "I was drivin' yesterday morning and started feeling very sick and felt like I was gon pass out while driving. I veered off two the side of the road, had a ambulance called and they picked me up from the side of the road. Maybe that's where the car accident confusion came from."

Shortly after he further elaborated, revealing that he thinks he was poisoned, but didn't explain much further.

"Believed I was poisoned, so I checked in and was given medical treatment," Fabolous wrote. "A lil sedated, so I didn't tweet but was released to go late last night."
Fans, there's no need to worry, Fab is just fine. He's says he "just a lil sick" and he's going to "shake it off."

Grammy winner Wyclef Jean is going to college to further his education.

“I am enrolling in Berklee College in Boston to get my bachelor’s degree in music! That’s how important education is to me. I plan to work with Rev. Al Sharpton because that’s how important stressing the importance of education to children is to me,” the musician announced during the Congressional Black Caucus Phoenix Awards Dinner in Washington, DC on Saturday.

The former member of the hip-hop collective The Fugees was presented the George Collins Award for Community Service for his work as a Goodwill Ambassador to Haiti.

“I’m also not running for president of Haiti,” Jean emphasized during his speech, before adding: “Though I wish my uncle would.”

The Cleaveland Show made it’s debut last night and raked in 9.2 million viewers placing it in at second fro adult television on a Sunday night.  Which isn’t too shabby considering it was up against Desperate Housewives and Sunday Night Football. We’re glad blacks have something to watch besides reality TV.  The Cleveland Show comes on Sundays on FOX.

 
Baby, Mack Maine, Wayne and other members of the Cash Money crew are seen celebrating Lil Wayne's 27th birthday in a hotel room.

In addition to enjoying a diamond encrusted birthday cake, the rappers pop champagne, while Baby shows off his new tatt.

The clip features the Cash Money CEO showing off a huge tattoo down his right arm that reads “9-27-82,” Lil Wayne’s birthday.

Lil Wayne sports the new Chopard watch the Baby purchased, which is reportedly worth $1 million dollars.

EVE revealed that she has permanently shut down her Fetish clothing line.  YBF reported a while back that she was in the midst of revamping the line for a re-release possibly under a different name and under a different company.  But she says everything has completely ended due to “legal reasons”

Eve confirmed that she has indeed left her label Geffen Records.  Which means her album Flirt won’t be seeing the light of day anytime soon.  It was supposed to be released two years ago.  She says she’s still working on some things but is a “free agent” as of right now. She’s in the upcoming Drew Barrymore and Ellen Page movie Whip It! and will be guest starring on “Glee”.

NY DailyNews---Life on the D-list isn't so bad for Khloe Kardashian: The reality TV "star" is set to make a hefty sum from her wedding to the Lakers' Lamar Odom.
Sources say OK! magazine is about to shell out $300,000 for an exclusive on the Sunday nuptials, besting lesser offers from Us Weekly and People.

But Odom won't be making a dime off the deal, according to a Kardashian family insider. The source says that Khloe will pocket all the cash — with a cut going to her manager-mom, Kris, of course.

Alexander Amosu claims to have created the world’s most expensive diamond encrusted BlackBerry, crafted in solid 18 carat yellow gold and encrusted with 4,459 brilliant cut diamonds (weighing 28.43 carats).

The handset is personalized with your name or company logo and comes with a 24-hour global concierge service. Only three diamond-encrusted BlackBerrys will ever be made, and of which one handset costing $200,366 has already been sold to a client in the Middle East.

Rick Ross was just handed a temporary child support order until the matter between he and baby mama Tia [the one who's down with 50 Cent] can be settled. Tia told the judge Rick hasn't given her a dime for their son in over two years. Now Rick has to cough up a monthly amount [unknown] as well as medical expenses. Rick was also granted visitation.

This is Robert Melia, a Moorestown police officer who video taped himself getting brain from a few calves. He also did some things to underage girls: 

During a bizarre hearing yesterday, a Superior Court judge dismissed animal-cruelty charges against a Moorestown police officer accused of sticking his penis into the mouths of five calves in rural Southampton in 2006, claiming a grand jury couldn’t infer whether the cows had been “tormented” or “puzzled” by the situation or even irritated that they’d been duped out of a meal. 

“They [children] enjoy the act of suckling,” the judge said. “Cows may be of a different disposition.” 

Burlington County Assistant County Prosecutor Kevin Morgan was certainly irritated by the ruling, claiming the grand jury didn’t see the videos of the alleged incident, including one in which one hungry calf allegedly head-butts Melia in the stomach. 

“I think any reasonable juror could infer that a man’s penis in the mouth of a calf is torment,” Morgan argued. “It’s a crime against nature.” 

Morley said it was questionable whether Melia’s alleged crimes against cows, although “disgusting,” fit the definitions in the animal-cruelty statute. “I’m not saying it’s OK,” Morley said. “This is a legal question for me. It’s not a question of morals. It’s not a question of hygiene. It’s not a question of how people should conduct themselves.” 

Sex with cows is the least of Melia’s problems, though. 

He and former girlfriend, Heather Lewis, of Pemberton Township, are also accused of sexually assaulting three young girls over a five-year period, sometimes in Melia’s Cottage Avenue home in Moorestown, where he was a patrolman, authorities said. Melia has been suspended from the force, said a spokesman with the Prosecutor’s Office. Melia and Lewis were both arrested in April 2008, shortly after one of the girls told her stepfather of the alleged abuse. During the course of the investigation, authorities also discovered child pornography on Melia’s home computer as well as videos of him with the cows. Morley also ruled yesterday that the prosecution must turn over copies of images and videos from the computer to the defense, including one video that allegedly shows one of the girls being “subjected to sexual activity.”

Lewis, who also appeared in court yesterday, is also accused of sexually assaulting a juvenile male. Morley denied a defense motion to have Lewis’s individual sexual assaults separated from Melia’s case. Melia, Lewis and their attorneys declined to comment after the hearing.

Morgan, the prosecutor, said in court that the owner of the cows was “very upset” by the incident.