University President Talks with Famuan about Marching '100,' Finances, Student Participation

Florida A&M's Marching "100" will not be returning to the field again for any reason for at least another year. This was FAMU President James H. Ammons' response to the Famuan Monday when this newspaper asked whether he would think about lifting the band's suspension for the 2012-2013 school year early. Includes Video Interview with Ammons. Full story

Woman Reserve Officer Runs for Leon County Sheriff

History could be in the making for the 2012 elections as Lisa Sprague, a sworn reserve police officer with the Department of Environmental Protection, will run for Leon County sheriff. If elected into office, Sprague will be the first female sheriff in the county. Full story

Ammons: Marching '100' Stays Suspended

Florida A&M President James H. Ammons announced Monday that the university's famed Marching "100" will stay suspended throughout the 2012-2013 school year following the hazing-turned-homicide that killed drum major Robert Champion in November. 

Silent for a Semester, FAMU's Voice of '100' Remain Suspended

On the hills of Florida A&M University, located in the heart of the Foster-Tanner Music Building, sits a room that was once filled with the rhythmic and melodic sounds of the Marching “100.” FAMU’s famed band performed at countless Super Bowl games and Grammy Awards shows, received national and international accolades for its talent and even performed for President Barack Obama. Now, it is silent. Full story

Innocence Found

Florida Non-Profit Helps Wrongfully Accused Get Long-Awaited Freedom

Proving someone’s innocence is more than just saying, “I’m innocent” and a DNA test. The Innocence Project of Florida helps to unlock the truth. Full story

Residents, Industries on the Rebound after Gulf Oil Spill

ST. GEORGE ISLAND- Zach Thompson, a third-generation oysterman, slips his boat into the warm, glassy water of Apalachicola Bay. He starts his outboard engine and hums away into the orange of the rising sun in search of the staple of his livelihood. Full story

Trayvon's Family Remembers Him as 'Happy Go Lucky,' Free Spirit

Trayvon Martin, 17, cried for help before his attacker, 28-year-old George Zimmerman, shot him in the chest. Zimmerman said he acted out of self-defense on that February night. He has not been arrested or charged. Full story

In a Quincy Cemetery, A Civil Rights Heroine Rests

One hundred people gathered at St. Hebron AME Church in Quincy, Fla. to lay Patricia Stephens Due to rest Sunday afternoon. Full story

Guru Adrianna Thomas Offers Advice to Women about Hair

Nowadays when girls are having a beauty emergency they turn to YouTube as their one-stop-shop, but who would’ve guessed that a YouTube hair guru walks the hills of this very campus? Full story

The 'Real' China

I've been studying at Shantou University in Shantou, Guangdong, China, for a month, and I'm still discovering the “real” China. Full story

Veganism Heals Mind, Body

Whoever said herbivores were extinct told a little white lie. Florida A&M graduate Craig Beacham has lived on fruits and vegetables for the past four years. Full story

Let's Get in Shape, Tallahassee

"Bang, bang, choo-choo train!" shouted Zumba instructor Sue Tucker from the fit floor as she demonstrated fat-burning dance moves. With more than 1,500 residents anxious to begin the new year with a healthy lifestyle, vendors at the fifth annual  Full story

Quincy Farmer Cultivates Food, Nurtures Proud Family Tradiiton

A pebble-covered trail leads into a driveway of a wood cabin that seems to have stood for generations. A tarp covers the roof damaged by past hurricanes. Leafless trees surround the structure. At the back of the cabin, red, yellow and white chickens and roosters mill around. Full story

Too soon for FAMU's Marching ‘100’ to return

Correspondent Kethlene Jean-Jacques tries to picture how the football stands will look when the Marching “100” isn’t there to play. With or without the band, our Rattler pride is what counts. Full story

SGA is a reflection of FAMU Administration

More than a month has passed since students at Florida A&M voted for student government positions. As of now, there are still no winners for the positions of president or vice president. FAMU’s Office of Student Activities had decided recently to host a run-off election, but our question is why has it taken so long to get to this point? Full story

New Football Uniforms Won't Boost Morale among Students

As a Graduate Senator in the 41st Student Senate, I felt a responsibility and duty to be a steward for not just graduate students but the entire student body at Florida A&M University. Feb. 27, Senate meeting, the 41st Student Senate unwisely appropriated $29,360 to the Florida A&M football team for a set of black and white uniforms. Full story

Are Dress Standards Really the Solution?

Discussions of implementing a dress standard have begun among the Florida A&M administration, and like a lot of schools, it seems like a difficult subject to handle. The administration is perfectly within its rights to have one, of course, but the collective level of goodwill the student body has for the administration might be permanently altered because of it. Full story

Trayvon Martin's Shooting Gives Us A Reason to Fight

  There are a few things that bother me about this case. What crime did Martin commit by walking to the corner store? His skin color was not a crime, but apparently it was to Zimmerman. Just when we begin to think racism is not as bad as it used to be, things like this happen.  Full story

Triples, Trimesters and Trials

Tenisha Dixon found that hiding her pregnancy was easier than the struggles she endured after labor

It was the eve of the ESPNU softball game, a nationally broadcast event against North Carolina A&T at the Lady Rattlers Softball Complex in April 2011. Florida A&M head softball coach Veronica Wiggins called team-captain Tenisha Dixon to her office. Dixon had a secret, and Wiggins wanted to expose it.  Wiggins pleasantly began that night’s questioning with small talk. The coach wanted to comfort Dixon before asking “the big one” – “Are you pregnant?”  Dixon never saw it coming.  Full story

From Cafe to Softball Diamond: 'Obie' Roberson Does it All

Robbielyn “Obie” Roberson has gone from cooking food in Florida A&M’s cafeteria to catching strikes on the softball diamond. Full story

A 'Walk-On' Sprints to the Top of His Game

It began in fall 2010. Then-freshman Derrick Morgan walked into men’s track and field head coach Wayne Angel’s office, Gaither Room 207, and introduced himself. As Angel stared from his arbor-colored desk, the 6-foot-2, 165-pounder talked about his track and field accomplishments at North Central High School in Indianapolis. Morgan had competed in both the regionals and state finals during his senior year.  Full story

David Duncan: Recovering Hero of FAMU's Baseball Team

A severe arm injury can devastate a pitcher’s career. David Duncan, however, is one of the few who have rebounded to maximum form. Duncan, a junior pitcher for the baseball team and a freshman walk-on, has risen in the ranks to become one of the team's most valuable players. But the journey was difficult. Full story

Ray Bellamy: A Trailblazer for Equality On The Gridiron

Raymond Bellamy is simply a Florida A&M academic advisor to many people. But to those whose drive and soul has ever been tested by discrimination, he is much more – he is a pioneer. He is the first African-American to sign a football scholarship with the University of Miami. Full story