Mack Williams Launches A Petition For Outkast Members
The removal of the Confederate battle flag from the capital grounds in South Carolina has sparked discussions around the country about other monuments dedicated to the Confederacy. One of the most high-profile disputes is over a sculpture at Stone Mountain Park in Georgia.
The Atlanta area site features three Confederate leaders President Jefferson Davis, General Robert E. Lee, and General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson engraved on the side of Stone Mountain. The NAACP has called for the sculpture to be removed. But another group is seeking to have two of Atlanta’s most accomplished musical representatives added to the state owned monadnock.
Mack Williams has launched a petition on MoveOn.org to have OutKast members Andre 3000 and Big Boi chiseled onto Stone Mountain. As of press time, the petition has collected over 4,000 signatures with a goal of 5,000.
Cops Have A Lead On Brown's Home Invasion
Cops have a hot lead on who is behind the home invasion robbery at Chris Brown's house ... and it centers around a recent club appearance where Chris was paid a fortune in cash. Law enforcement sources tell TMZ, they believe the mastermind behind Wednesday's break-in was someone who knew Chris had just received $50,000 in cash for a nightclub gig.
We're told Chris typically does not have huge amounts of money lying around, so having it at the house was unusual. TMZ broke the story ... the robbers made it clear to Chris' aunt who was in the house that they knew the identity of the homeowner.
The robbers demanded to know from the aunt the location of the safe, and during the robbery they let it slip they knew about the $50k. Law enforcement sources say only a few people knew about the cash, and they believe a promoter is a likely suspect of masterminding the heist.
Short Serves His Time For Violating His DUI Plea Deal
Too Short just told a judge he would NOT go on probation for violating his DUI plea deal, and the judge was more than agreeable ... so Short is now in jail. TMZ broke the story ... the rapper was busted for DUI in 2013 and actually tried running from the cops without much success.
Short struck a very sweet deal in which he avoided jail and simply had to complete community service and spend 3 years on probation.
It's was a great deal because he had multiple DUIs on his record. But Short came up short today in court because he didn't complete is
community service. The judge offered him more time, provided he'd agree to 3 more years of probation, but Short was sick of being monitored, so he told the judge he'd rather serve time.
Short got his wish, and he's now in the first day of a 90-day sentence. The reality, though ... because of overcrowding, he'll probably be a free man soon.
Conspiracy to Kill Lil Wayne
Young Thug and Lil Wayne's feud reached a tipping point back in April, when Weezy's bus was shot up in Atlanta. There were rumblings after that said it was gang-related and that the shooter was actually linked to Thugger.
Now, according to Mike Petchenik of Atlanta's WSB-TV, an indictment has surfaced that points to Thugger and Birdman being involved in a conspiracy with a third individual to kill Lil Wayne. The alleged suspect, Jimmy Winfrey, who police say was the triggerman, was arrested in early June. While Birdman and Thug aren't charged in the indictment, they're both named as working with Winfrey, reports Petchenik. Furthermore, the indictment alleges that Winfrey "carried out" the shooting on behalf of Young Thug.
Prosecutors are also looking into the trio's "Blood street gang" affiliation and also plan to use Young Thug's video for "Halftime" as evidence in the forthcoming legal case. The news is the latest in the feud between the three artists.
Earlier in the week, Birdman was in the news for reportedly throwing a drink at Wayne during a performance at a Miami nightclub over the weekend.
Birdman Sues Jay Z for $50 Million
Birdman is going after Jay Z in court, claiming Jay is a failure at music streaming and is illegally using Lil Wayne to save his business.
Birdman's company, Cash Money, is suing Tidal for streaming songs from Lil Wayne's album 'FWA' ... suing for $50 MILLION. Cash Money claims it has exclusive rights to Wayne's music and Tidal is an illegal intermeddler.
The lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, gets nasty, with Cash Money claiming Jay Z's fledgling company is now resorting to "a desperate and illegal attempt to save their struggling streaming service."
According to the lawsuit, Tidal has claimed Cash Money does not have a exclusive lock on Wayne ... Tidal claims Wayne specifically gave it the right to stream his music, in return for part ownership in the company. Cash Money begs to differ, and the company quotes portions of its contract with Lil Wayne in the lawsuit. The contract specifically says Wayne does not have the power to license his music to anyone else. And get this ... Cash Money trashes Wayne's 'FWA' album, saying it got "tepid reviews" and could hurt Cash Money's attempts to exploit Wayne's music.
Buju Banton Denies Becoming A Pastor
Buju Banton made a conscious decision to serve out his 10-year prison sentence in a US prison after years of legal battle.
This week there are rumors circulating claiming that the Grammy-winning reggae superstar accepted Jesus and became a pastor in prison. In a blog post published last week, Buju Banton was quoted as saying that he has also changed his opinion on homosexuality and now fully support the recent Supreme Court ruling.
A rep for the “Driver” singer told Urban Islandz that those reports are false. “Those are all rumors and these folks should stop trying to tarnish Buju reputation anymore than what has been done already,” the singer’s rep told us. “We will have our legal team address these false stories because Gargamel didn’t speak to any journalist and tell them that.” Banton’s rep also told us that he is pursuing a Master’s Degree in prison and has been counseling his fellow inmates.
“He is pursuing his Master’s Degree while serving his time and will be returning home to Jamaica upon his release in early 2019. A lot of the inmates look up to him and he has been like a mentor to them,” the reggae star rep added.
Source-Urban Islandz
Man Shot By Police Officer At Nightclub in the Bahamas, Dies In Hospital
A MAN who was shot by a police officer at a Faith Avenue nightclub on Tuesday night has died in hospital.
According to police reports, the officer was at a nightclub on Faith Avenue north around 8.30pm when he received a report of an adult male at the rear of the club with a firearm.
"The officer went to the rear of the club, where he saw a man who pointed an object at him," the police report said. "The officer ordered the male to drop the object but he refused to do so. The officer, being in fear of his life, shot the suspect with his police-issued firearm. The suspect was transported to hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries," the report added.
The identity of the victim is being withheld until next of kin have been notified. The Coroner is currently investigating this matter.
CDB Approves USD2.37 Million in Grant Assistance for Haiti Catastrophe Risk Insurance
July 17, 2015, BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – The Board of Directors of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) approved, today, grant assistance of USD2,377,250 to the Government of Haiti to meet the country’s insurance premium for coverage being provided by the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF) for the 2015-2016 hurricane season.
Haiti is one of 16 Caribbean nations that buy policies from CCRIF, which provides rapid cash payments to help Regional Governments maintain essential services in the aftermath of a natural disaster.
“This grant assistance is just part of our ongoing commitment to support the Government of Haiti in its efforts to better mitigate and manage the impacts of natural disasters. CDB will remain a close development partner and help Haiti advance and emerge as a stronger, more resilient economy,” said Dr. Warren Smith, President of the CDB.
Haiti continues to recover from the catastrophic magnitude 7.0 earthquake in 2010, which caused more than 300,000 deaths, displaced more than three million people and made more than one million homeless. Since then, the country experienced devastating torrential rainfall, flooding and other localised disasters in 2012, 2013 and 2014.
At a July 3rd meeting with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Caribbean agencies involved with climate change, including CCRIF, Dr. Smith affirmed that building resilience to natural hazards is central to CDB’s mandate to reduce poverty in the region. He added that adequate resourcing is urgently needed given the economic constraints faced by Caribbean countries.
“CDB has also been helping CARICOM countries to directly address the more complex socio-economic, environmental and natural resource management issues that exacerbate their climate vulnerability. Weak fiscal buffers and unsustainable levels of debt have severely restricted these countries’ ability to finance robust capital investment. Therefore, substantial climate finance is urgently required. CDB has been emphasising support for the rebuilding of infrastructure to higher standards. However, we could make a more significant contribution to the Region’s efforts in both disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation, if adequately resourced,” said Dr. Smith.
CDB’s Country Strategy Paper for Haiti 2013-2016 states that support with insurance coverage is an area of intervention, which aligns with Haiti’s development objectives. Its particular benefit is that such financial support will help Haiti recover more quickly from the effects of natural disasters.
Since May 2013, CDB has provided grants for full payment of Haiti’s CCRIF premiums, given its fragility and high vulnerability to natural hazards.
Haiti was formally admitted into membership of the CDB on January 19, 2007.
Alisa Folkes Becomes first TCI Citizen to receive CHTA Scholarship
PROVIDENCIALES, Turks & Caicos Islands; Wednesday, June 17, 2015- Earlier this year Turks and Caicos students and industry professionals pursuing higher education or professional development in the tourism and hospitality field were given the opportunity to apply for scholarships through Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association Education Foundation (CHTAEF).
After receiving a strong pool of 85 plus applicants the Foundation then had the difficult task of awarding a record number of scholarships to 36 Caribbean-based students including TCI's very own Alisa Folkes who became the first ever TCI citizen to receive such a scholarship from CHTA.
The funding totaling US$141,800 and supported by CHTAEF's partners Virgin Holidays, Interval International, FirstCaribbean International Bank, Johnson and Wales University and Florida International University will provide Alisa, a full time HR Assistant at Seven Stars Resort with US$3,000 to assist with her online Tourism Management programme at Ashworth College.
On receiving confirmation from CHTA Alisa stated, "When I heard that I was the first recipient from the Turks and Caicos to receive such a sponsorship I was thrilled and overjoyed. Having worked at Seven Stars for the past two years I knew that furthering my studies in the tourism field would make me a true asset to the resort and would also make me more marketable in the industry. I am therefore thankful to CHTA for giving persons the opportunity to develop academically and am grateful to TCHTA for informing industry workers about the sponsorship."
Stacy Cox, TCHTA's Executive Director noted, "Since 1987 CHTAEF has awarded over US$2 million in scholarships and grants to applicants who demonstrate a strong commitment to the hotel and tourism industry. We are therefore elated that TCI through Alisa was able to secure one of these coveted scholarships. The response we received shows us that the future of our tourism industry is secure as persons remain eager and excited to be a part of our country's vital economic resource."
Cox added, "Education and training are essential in order to be successful in any work field and CHTAEF's scholarships present an opportunity for motivated individuals like Alisa to pursue higher education and career training regardless of financial need. We also commend our hotels who answered the call and donated room nights to CHTA for auction to support the scholarship programme. These prizes made it possible for CHTAEF to provide the scholarships and in turn made it possible to assist Alisa with her online tuition while continuing her tender with Seven Stars."
THE PDM ON THE PASSING OF SAMANTHA WILLIAMS GLINTON
The PDM yesterday added its voice to the mountain of sympathies and well wishes that continue to pour in since her passing of Samantha Williams Glinton, a senior member of Staff of the Director of Public Prosecutions Office early Sunday morning.
The death of such a brilliant, young, productive Turks and Caicos Islander is a tragic event to a fledgling country as ours. Mrs. Glinton though young had already touched many lives positively in these Islands and as such has left an indelible mark. Her professional contributions to her chosen field is above all to be celebrated having attained the level of Senior Prosecutor so early in her career.
With a vivacious personality, her passion for life and her career was unmatchable, said Hon Sharlene Cartwright Robinson in a statement to RTC News.
“Having known Samantha all of her life, I find this to be an extremely difficult experience. I have very fond memories of watching her grow up on the Island of South Caicos, interacting with her as her Sunday School teacher and as an older youth in our Church and as an older youth from the South Caicos community who pursued the same profession and then as adults. I can say as many of us have said already, that this is a major loss for us and our home Island of South Caicos which has over the years suffered some deafening blows and by extension, these Islands. Sam was an outspoken and opinionated person who let you know what she felt, whether you liked it or not. Her strong personality and confidence radiated from her. To say that she will be sadly missed is an understatement”, says Hon Robinson.
The PDM wishes to offer our sincerest sympathy to her husband, Officer Tomiko Glinton and her parents Sonia Greene Williams and Colin Williams. Our prayers remain with them and the entire family.
The Turks and Caicos Islands has indeed suffered a great loss,” the statement added.