Tracy Morgan Settles Civil Lawsuit With Walmart For Fatal Accident How big a check do you think they had to write Tracy Morgan ? Via ABCNews Walmart has agreed to settle a civil lawsuit brought by comedian Tracy Morgan, ABC News has learned. The terms of the proposed settlement were not disclosed, and will need to be approved by a federal judge in New Jersey, where the case was filed. A representative for Morgan did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Last June, Morgan, 46, was involved in a serious accident on the New Jersey Turnpike after a Walmart truck slammed into the limo van in which he was traveling. The comedian sustained a brain injury, as well as a broken leg, nose and ribs. Three others were injured as well, and his friend, comedian James McNair, died. “He’s still fighting and trying to live his life at the same time and trying to get better, and he’s just not better,” Morgan’s lawyer, Benedict Morelli, said last November. “We’re hoping and praying to get him back to where he was. But the jury’s out.” Congratulations, Tracy! Get well soon! Image via D. Dipasupil/FilmMagic
Identical Twin Sisters Graduate With Identical 4.0 Grade Point Averages Two Virginia twins who were previously were co-Valedictorians at their high school with 4.0 GPAs have done it again. Alissa and Ariel Barrow recently graduated from North Carolina A&T State University with identical 4.0 grade-point averages. Via RelationsNCAT.Edu Their paths through the university have varied only slightly over the past four years. Alissa has been an economics major. Ariel majored in marketing and sales. Alissa had two internships with GE Capital; Ariel, with Kraft and 3M. They’ve been active in different organizations, the Aggie Economics Association for Alissa and the American Marketing Association for Ariel, for example. Their academic accomplishments are nothing new. The twins were co-valedictorians at Armstrong High School in Richmond, Virginia. At A&T, both were honor students and received the Dowdy Scholarship, the university’s preeminent four-year scholarship. And they arrived on campus with the same goal. “When we came in as freshmen, we definitely had a goal to graduate with a 4.0,” Alissa says. “We had an honors mentor who actually had a 4.0. That set the groundwork for us. We said, ‘If she can do it, then we can definitely do it, too.’” After graduation, Alissa will go to work for GE Capital; Ariel will join General Mills. Amazing! Go girls!
During the school year, I am a teacher. And as most teachers know, students are constantly asking for positive reinforcement. The millennial generation thrives off of rewards. In my class, a reward might mean getting out of class five minutes early. But a recent “good behavior award,” took a different shape at a West Virginia high school. Students, who were determined to be praised for their hard work, convinced their teacher to show 50 Shades of Grey . The Hampshire High School teacher, who must live in a cave, claimed to not know what the film was about. Principal Jeff Woofter reported that the film was turned off after about 10 minutes when the assistant principal walked by and saw what the class was watching. Not only did this teacher eff up by showing big-budget, mainstream porn; movies of any kind are prohibited in the classroom. At this time, it is unclear if students or teacher will face any punishment. The first installment of 50 Shades opened this year on Valentine’s Day. The dates for the next two sequels have been released for 2016 and 2017. View Slideshow: Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan Naked Fifty Shades of Grey Photos
After their cover of Beyonce‘s ballad “Pretty Hurts” went viral with 8 million views, Chloe and Halle Bailey just earned the ultimate compliment for their…
The death of Natasha McKenna, the mentally ill, 37-year-old woman who was restrained by handcuffs, leg shackles and a mask when she was reportedly tasered four times…
Reddit user Kevin Matthew Dennis uploaded this image of he and his new bride on their wedding day showing a ghostly face in between them. #39;Me and my wife#39;s favourite wedding photo… Until we saw what was between us… We still don#39;t know who it was,#39; Reddit user Kevin Matthew Dennis, from Virginia in the U.S., captioned the image. Mr Denis#39;s wife Christiana had been using it as her profile picture on Facebook before a friend pointed out the ghostly face hidden between their smi
Black folks are tired of having to go above and beyond to be accepted in something we earn and deserve, like Sydney Leroux. She is only second to the great Abby Wambach in goals scored for the last few years… So why is she not a shoe in to start this summer in the World Cup? Starting with Coach Jill Ellis, the U.S. Women’s World Cup squad will have a distinctive mid-Atlantic flavor. Six weeks before the roster deadline, the British-born but Virginia-raised Ellis on Tuesday settled on her 23-player team that will head to Canada this summer in pursuit of its first global title since 1999. The squad includes two members of the Washington Spirit pro club, two University of Virginia Cavaliers and a former locally based scoring ace. Ellis, in charge since last spring, is a graduate of Fairfax County’s Robinson Secondary School and William and Mary, and was a college assistant at Maryland and Virginia. Right back Ali Krieger and backup goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris play locally for the Spirit in the National Women’s Soccer League. Krieger, who started at the 2011 World Cup in Germany, has deep local ties: She embraced the sport in Prince William Soccer, a youth club, and starred at Forest Park High School in Woodbridge. In spring 2003, she was The Post’s All-Met player of the year. “I’m very honored and privileged to represent my country as a member of this incredible group of footballers,” Krieger said. “We are well-prepared, motivated, determined and ready to succeed.” Defender Becky Sauerbrunn and midfielder Morgan Brian came from the elite U-Va. program. Sauerbrunn, 29, also played for the Washington Freedom in the WPS, the NWSL’s predecessor. At 22, Brian is the youngest member of the U.S. squad. In both 2013 and ’14, she won the Hermann Trophy as the nation’s best collegiate player. Krieger, Brian and Sauerbrunn are expected to start for the Americans, who lost to Japan in the 2011 final and are No. 2 behind Germany in the current FIFA rankings. Krieger, 30, is recovering from a concussion, her second in less than two years, suffered in last Friday’s season debut in Houston. She is doubtful for the Spirit’s home opener this Saturday night against defending champion FC Kansas City at Maryland SoccerPlex. The core of the U.S. squad remains in place: goalkeeper Hope Solo, defender Christie Rampone, midfielders Carli Lloyd, Megan Rapinoe and Lauren Holiday, and forwards Alex Morgan and Abby Wambach. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/soccer-insider/wp/2015/04/14/u-s-womens-world-cup-soccer-squad-announced/ Amy Rodriguez, who resembles Genie from House of Lies, is fighting for the position along with Sydney Leroux… But a girl that is a guarantee… Mainly because of her looks, is Alex Morgan. Alex is a great player… No doubt… But no greater than Sydney Leroux.
Virginia To Retrain Police After Brutal Beating Of UVA Student After Martese Johnson was brutally beaten by police outside an area bar with no real reason, the state of Virginia appears to be taking measures to rectify the issue. First a formal investigation was launched into the incident, and now, the governor of Virginia has ordered an emergency re-training of state officers in alcohol enforcement. But can a retraining on policy put a stop to bias-based actions like Martese’s beating? Via RawStory : Virginia’s governor, Terry McAuliffe, has issued an executive order mandating that state alcoholic beverage control enforcement agents be retrained in the wake of the violent arrest of university student Martese Johnson – who is appearing in court on Thursday charged with resisting arrest and public drunkenness. In swift action just a week after the event that occurred outside the University of Virginia (UVA) campus in Charlottesville, McAuliffe signed an executive order on Wednesday that is due to go into effect immediately and requires all such agents to be retrained by 1 September. State alcoholic beverage control (ABC) officers arrested Johnson, 20, close to the UVA grounds after he was turned away from a bar that was only admitting over-21s. Johnson ended up on the ground with blood gushing down his face from a head wound, in a scene that was captured on mobile phone video and went viral, sparking mass protests on campus and prompting the governor to order a state police investigation. In addition to the investigation, which is expected to continue until late May, McAuliffe issued an executive order that ABC enforcement agents must be retrained in the use of force and in matters of cultural diversity and how they interact with young people. Sounds like they’re trying to make a step in the right direction…or at least quiet down all the public outcry over their officers’ racist actions. Do you think this is enough?
Martese Johnson Not Belligerent Or Drunk At Time Of His Arrest Martese Johnson, the UVA student who was brutally assaulted by ABC officers on St. Patrick’s Day, was “polite and cordial” at the time of his arrest. Furthermore he was not intoxicated when he was slammed face first onto the ground and wounded so badly that he needed 10 stitches. USA Today reports: The 20-year-old black University of Virginia student bloodied by alcohol-control officers outside a bar last week was denied entry after a “polite and cordial” conversation because he named the wrong ZIP code for the address on the Illinois license he presented, the pub says. Johnson “did not appear to be intoxicated in the least” and simply walked off after being turned away, the Trinity Irish Pub said in a statement released Saturday night. It called reports that bar staff were “belligerent” toward Johnson or that he was belligerent to management “patently untrue.” A Breathalyzer test showed Johnson was not intoxicated. In its version of events, the pub said co-owner Kevin Badke was at the door just after midnight Wednesday to monitor the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations and be sure underage drinkers did not enter. He said the ABC had alerted the bar beforehand that it would be watched closely because “they were Irish.” Until 10 p.m., the pub admits patrons of all ages. After that, “under no circumstances do we allow anyone under the age of 21 to enter the establishment,” the statement said. Johnson had been in line to enter around 12:30 a.m., and Badke, who is from the south side of Chicago, was at the door helping check identifications. Badke asked Johnson for his ZIP code, a key question used to catch fake IDs. Johnson’s answer didn’t match the 2011 Illinois license he presented, and “probably realizing the reason for the error, stated that he had moved,” the statement said. After a brief “cordial and respectful” conversation, Badke said he couldn’t let Johnson in and handed him back his ID. “He was just disappointed he didn’t get in. He was just acting like a normal college kid,” Badke said in a interview. “It was very cordial. I actually asked him what high school he went to.” Moments after Johnson walked away, video shows three uniformed ABC special agents confronting him. While showing them his Illinois ID, he is grabbed by the neck and pushed face down onto the brick sidewalk just steps from the Trinity entrance. Johnson can be heard yelling that he was a U.Va. student. “How did this happen, you (bleeping) racists!” Johnson screams. The ABC arrest report describes Johnson as “belligerent” and “very agitated.” The arresting officers have been reassigned to administrative duties during the investigation, which Gov. Terry McAuliffe is monitoring. Yet another example of respectability politics not meaning ish, Martese was “cordial” and “respectful” and still got his head bashed open. SMH…
Oil Tanker Derails And Explodes In West VA A train transporting 100 tankers of crude oil derailed in West Virginia, exploding and sending thousands of gallons of oil into the town’s water supply. Via ThinkProgress : Crude oil is pouring into a river that supplies drinking water and approximately 1,000 people have been evacuated from their homes due to an oil train derailment and explosion in southern West Virginia on Monday, according to media reports. The train, owned by CSX Corp., was carrying more than 100 tankers of crude oil from the Bakken shale in North Dakota when it derailed at about 1:30 p.m., the L.A. Times reported. Officials estimated that approximately 14 of those tankers were involved in the derailment and subsequent fire, which as of 9 p.m. was still raging. Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin declared a state of emergency at around 5:40 p.m. One home has so far been confirmed destroyed, and at least one person has been sent to the hospital for inhaling smoke. CSX put out a statement Monday night saying it would provide hotel rooms for displaced residents. Concerns have also been raised about the potential contamination of local water-treatment facilities, after officials noted that at least one of the derailed tanker cars fell into the Kanawha River. The area is about 30 miles from the location where 10,000 gallons of a coal industry chemical called crude MCHM spilled and tainted the drinking water supply a little over one year ago. Response efforts have so far been hampered by heavy snow. The area has been under a winter storm warning, according to the Associated Press, and is expected to get anywhere from 5 to 10 inches of snow tonight. SMH! Hopefully they can get this situation under control soon… CBS
