MagicBaltimore - Magic 95.9 Baltimore's Home for the Adult Urban Community » Michael Baisden

Teenage Boy Shot 22 Times: “22 Holes In My Baby’s Body”

Michael Baisden — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 21:47:28 +0000

A 13-year-old boy died after he was repeatedly shot as he rode his bicycle near his West Pullman home Wednesday night, police and family say.

A neighbor in the 11500 block of South Perry Avenue said he saw a gunman stand over Robert Freeman and continue firing into the boy’s body shortly after 8 p.m.

”They said they found 22 holes in my baby’s body,” said the boy’s mother, Theresa Lumpkin as she was comforted by the boy’s father in front of her house.

The boy’s father said the gunman wore a mask and fired into a crowd. “My son was the only one got hit,” said Robert Freeman Sr. “I don’t understand how no one seen anything.”

Click here to read more

Click here to see gallery of children and violence

Two Teenage Girls Charged In Murder of Couple

Face Transplant Man Makes First Public Appearance

Michael Baisden — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 19:47:30 +0000

From SunTimes.com:

A Spanish man who underwent the world’s first full face transplant appeared before TV cameras Monday for the first time since his surgery, thanking his doctors and the family of the donor.

Identified only as Oscar, the 31-year-old spoke with considerable difficulty at a news conference at Barcelona’s Vall d’Hebron hospital, where he was operated on in late March.

Click here to read more

Click here to view photos:

RELATED:

Blacks Face Bone Marrow Donor Shortage

Rihanna On Jasmina’s Transplant: “Miracles Do Happen”

Lorenzen Wright’s Body Suffered Multiple Gunshot Wounds

Michael Baisden — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 17:02:56 +0000

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Relatives and friends of Lorenzen Wright gathered Wednesday and grieved for the former NBA player who has been missing for 10 days, as police investigated the discovery of a man’s body outside of Memphis.

Wright’s uncle, Curtis Wright, told The Associated Press that police called the player’s father, Herb Wright, Wednesday afternoon with the news he had died.

Sgt. Alyssa Macon-Moore of the Memphis Police Department wrote in an e-mail to the AP that police were investigating the death of an unidentified man beside a wooded area about 15 miles south of downtown Memphis. Asked if the man was Wright, she wrote they could not confirm the victim’s identity Wednesday night.

The family issued a statement through a cousin of Lorenzen Wright, Camella Logan: “Lorenzen’s family has come together to mourn his loss and honor his legacy. We appreciate your thoughts, prayers and condolences as they are comforting at this very difficult time. Additionally, we ask that you please respect our privacy as we try to cope with his sudden loss.”

Wright’s mother, Deborah Marion, arrived at the scene Wednesday night with a handful of family members. She crossed the crime scene tape and tried to talk to police when she was told to move back. She sat in a TV van before returning to the tape. Two officers then let her through.

The distraught Marion then started running down the road toward the crime scene before being stopped by an officer. She spoke with officers, then walked back past reporters without speaking straight to a van.

The 34-year-old Wright was last seen July 18 when he was expected to fly out of town. His family filed a missing person report July 22.

Wright played 13 years in the NBA for the Los Angeles Clippers, Atlanta Hawks, Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings and most recently the Cleveland Cavaliers with 17 games in the 2008-09 season. Wright left the University of Memphis early for the NBA, and the Clippers made him a lottery pick with the No. 7 selection overall.

He averaged 8 points and 6.4 rebounds in 778 career games.

By nightfall, nearly 200 people had visited the road blocked off by police while TV news helicopters showed investigators scouring the grounds for evidence. Police brought in a mobile command center that further blocked off the scene.

Former NBA star Penny Hardaway, who played at Memphis two years before Wright, said he heard the news from a friend and went to the scene near where the body was found.

“I cried. The emotions hit me immediately. It’s just sad because we lost a good person and a brother,” Hardaway said.

Elliot Perry, another friend and former Memphis player, also was at the scene. Wendy Wilson, who once worked as Wright’s personal assistant, also was there and said Wright often used the road police had cordoned off as a shortcut to his mother’s house.

“He was a good person. He did not deserve to die this way. God is not pleased with this,” Wilson said.

Memphis Grizzlies majority owner Michael Heisley issued a statement late Wednesday saying, “We are deeply saddened by the tragic death of Lorenzen Wright. We lost a member of the Grizzlies family. Lorenzen delighted fans on the court with his passion and off the court with his generosity in a Memphis community that watched him grow throughout his playing career …”

Click here to see gallery of sports related deaths of 2009

Lorenzen Wright Found Dead: Possible Suicide

Swastika Deemed Universal Symbol Of Hate

Michael Baisden — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:28:55 +0000

From NYTimes.com:

The swastika now shows up so often as a generic symbol of hatred that the Anti-Defamation League, in its annual tally of hate crimes against Jews, will no longer automatically count its appearance as an act of anti-Semitism.

“The swastika has morphed into a universal symbol of hate,” said Abraham Foxman, the national director of the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish advocacy organization. “Today it’s used as an epithet against African-Americans, Hispanics and gays, as well as Jews, because it is a symbol which frightens.”

Click here to read more

Click here to view photos:

“I Swastika” Obama Carved Into Massachusetts Golf Course

Haitian Woman Reunites With Baby She Thought Was Dead After Earthquake

Michael Baisden — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:54:34 +0000

From MSNBC

LONDON — A mother broke down in tears as she was reunited with her baby girl six months after the earthquake that devastated Haiti.

“I had thought Landina was dead and when I heard she was alive I was in shock,” the eight-month-old infant’s mother, Marie Miracle Seignon, told Britain’s Channel 4 News. “This is very emotional for me.”

Doctors said the January earthquake that killed hundreds of thousands in the Caribbean island nation actually saved Landina’s life.

Click Here For More

Haiti Earthquake Six Month Anniversary: Nothing Has Changed

Court Date Set In Katrina Shooting

Michael Baisden — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:38:24 +0000

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A Mississippi man is set to be arraigned on charges he fired a shotgun at three black men in what prosecutors call a racially motivated attack in Hurricane Katrina’s aftermath.

One of Roland Bourgeois Jr.’s alleged victims was shot in the throat but survived. Two others had less serious wounds.

Bourgeois, a 47-year-old white man from Columbia, Miss., allegedly opened fire on the men as they tried to leave New Orleans after the August 2005 storm.

A five-count indictment handed up this month claims Bourgeois and others discussed shooting black people and defending a New Orleans neighborhood on the south side of the Mississippi River from “outsiders” after the storm.

Bourgeois is scheduled to appear before a federal magistrate Thursday for his arraignment.

Click here to see gallery of Hurricane Katrina

Man Charged With Shooting Blacks After Katrina

Kilpatrick To Undergo Seven Hours Of Questioning About Slain Stripper

Michael Baisden — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:09:43 +0000

Ex-Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick is scheduled to undergo seven hours of questioning today about whether he ordered police to scuttle the investigation into the killing of a woman said to have danced at a rumored wild party at the Manoogian Mansion in 2002.

But whether he will answer any questions about exotic dancer Tamara Greene, with criminal charges hanging over his head, remains a mystery.

Click here to read more

Click here to see our gallery of Black political firsts

State Proposes Kilpatrick Get Boot Camp, Parole 90 Days

Judge Recommends No Charges For David Paterson

Michael Baisden — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 16:32:46 +0000

From NYTimes.com:

The retired judge investigating Gov. David A. Paterson’s intervention in a domestic violence case involving a former top aide will not recommend any charges against the governor, according to a person with knowledge of the case.

Instead, the judge, Judith S. Kaye, the former chief judge of the New York State Court of Appeals, found that Paterson had engaged in “inappropriate conduct” in his contact with the victim in the case, according to a second person with knowledge of the case. Ms. Kaye is expected to release the results of her four-month investigation into Mr. Paterson on Wednesday afternoon.

Click here to read more

Click here to see gallery of Gov. Paterson’s highs and lows

NY Gov. David Paterson’s Son Arrested for Shooting Dice

Harlem Reverend Helping Raise Coffee In Ethiopia

Michael Baisden — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:25:51 +0000

From NYTimes.com:

From a 542-square-foot office above a bustling intersection in Harlem, the Rev. Nicholas S. Richards is building what he hopes will be a 7,000-mile bridge to the eastern highlands of Ethiopia.

It is a bridge more than 200 years in the making.

In that modest two-room office off East 125th Street, the Abyssinian Fund, the only nongovernmental organization in Ethiopia formed by an African-American church, the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, finally has a home.

Click here to read more

Click here to view photos:

GOOD NEWS: Donors Save Harlem School Of Arts From Closing

Al Goodman From Ray, Goodman, And Brown Dies At 63

Michael Baisden — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 13:41:49 +0000

From Soultracks.com:

It is with immense sorrow that we inform SoulTrackers that Al Goodman, one-third of Ray, Goodman & Brown as well as the Moments (”Love on a Two Way Street”), has died. Part of two of the most underrated soul groups of the past half century, Goodman provided the “bottom end” on hits such as “Special Lady” and “Take It To the Limit.” We had gotten to know Al here at SoulTracks, and he was a wonderful man and a consummate entertainer. He often wrote to us to tell us about the newest happenings with the group and always expressed a deep love for the audiences who had supported him throughout his career. All of the deaths of soul music greats so far in 2010 have hurt, but this one brings particular pain to us.

Ray Goodman and Brown. Part of the generation of soul music groups that arose in the late 60s and early 70s, the combination of Harry Ray, Al Goodman and Billy Brown became most notable as perhaps the greatest live performing group of that elite bunch. While many groups of that era had more successful recording careers, few have equaled the stage presence and consistent crowd pleasing shows of RG&B.

Click here to read more

Click here to see gallery of hot pics for the week

RELATED:

Two people shot at Old Navy store

Gunman Kills EMT Who Ignored Dying Pregnant Woman

North Korea Warns US Of “Sacred War”

Michael Baisden — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 22:48:56 +0000

From BBCNews.com:

North Korea says it will use its “nuclear deterrent” in response to joint US-South Korean military exercises this weekend.

Pyongyang was ready to launch a “retaliatory sacred war” at any time, the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

Washington and Seoul say the war games are to deter North Korean aggression.

Tensions between the two Koreas have been high since the sinking of a South Korean warship in March.

Click here to read more

Click here to view photos:

Somali Pirate Hijack North Korean Tanker

Man Finds $4,800 In Marijuana In Auction Painting

Michael Baisden — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 21:15:40 +0000

From Associated Press

CANTON, Ga. (AP) — A Cherokee County man found a hidden treasure in a painting he bought at an auction: four pounds of marijuana.

Gordon Clement, 80, discovered the pot stashed inside of the painting, which he bought at a post office auction about five years ago. He found the drugs last weekend when he tried to sell the artwork at another auction.

Text continues after gallery …

Clement planned to ask $25 for the piece. Police said the marijuana was worth about $4,800.

Alarmed, he called his lawyer and turned the painting over to authorities.

Wyclef Jean Preparing To Run For Haitian Presidency

Michael Baisden — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 20:57:54 +0000

From CNN.com:

Wyclef Jean for president?

There are reports that the musician is mulling a run for the top office in Haiti. Reached by phone, Jean told CNN that talk of a campaign is a bit premature as he is still mulling it over.

“I can’t sing forever,” Jean said.

Click here to read more

Click here to view photos:

RELATED:

Wyclef Gets Honorary Doctorate Degree

VIDEO: Wyclef Tells Oprah “Haiti Is A Morgue”

Rookie NFL Player Refuses To Be Hazed By Teammates [VIDEO]

Michael Baisden — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 19:35:41 +0000

Video From ESPN

From ESPN.com

SAN ANTONIO — Receiver Dez Bryant has done everything right on the field during the first two days of Dallas Cowboys training camp, but he refuses to participate in an NFL rite of passage.

According to the rookie first-round pick, Roy Williams and the other veteran receivers can carry their own shoulder pads after practice.

Dez Bryant wouldn’t take part in innocent rookie hazing at the hands of Roy Williams. ESPN.com’s Matt Mosley is amused, but how will Bryant’s Cowboys teammates react?

Williams gave his pads to Bryant after Sunday’s morning practice, but Bryant declined to carry them. Williams threatened to go to “step two” when talking to reporters.

“I’m not doing it,” Bryant said. “I feel like I was drafted to play football, not carry another player’s pads.”

Text continues after gallery …

“If I was a free agent, it would still be the same thing. I just feel like I’m here to play football. I’m here to try to help win a championship, not carry someone’s pads. I’m saying that out of no disrespect to [anyone].”

It’s a common duty for rookies, who typically get some sort of hazing. Bill Parcells used to make first-round picks bring him water during breaks in practice. The Cowboys’ rookie offensive linemen are given awful haircuts by the veterans at some point during each training camp.

“Everybody has to go through it,” Williams said. “I had to go through it. No matter if you’re a No. 1 pick or the 7,000th pick, you’ve still got to do something when you’re a rookie.

“I carried pads. I paid for dinners. I paid for lunches. I did everything I was supposed to do, because I didn’t want to be that guy.”

Read rest of story

French Hostage Killed By Al-Qaida In North Africa

Michael Baisden — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 17:59:31 +0000

From Voanews.com

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has confirmed that a French hostage was killed by al-Qaida’s branch in North Africa.

President Sarkozy said Monday during a television broadcast he condemned the “barbarous act” against Michel Germaneau, a French aid worker.

Text continues after gallery …

In an audio message broadcast Sunday on the Arabic network Al-Jazeera, a man identified as the leader of al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb said Germaneau was killed in retaliation for the death of six al-Qaida members during a raid last week in Mali.

The al-Qaida leader said Mr. Sarkozy was unable to free Germaneau through a “failed” military operation.

Mr. Sarkozy also urged French citizens to avoid traveling to Africa’s Sahel region. Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb has carried out numerous attacks and kidnappings across the Sahara and Sahel regions.

Read rest of story.