#8220;Someone died, so I don’t care about the band’s absence,” Gionni Crawford, an incoming freshmen student said. Robert Champion’s death had a huge impact on the 2011-2012 school year. Media reports were filled with hazing analyses, listing of Champion’s injuries, and then the arrests of 13 Marching “100” members. Graduating […]
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Florida Board of Governors Agrees to Tuition Hikes for State Universities
Students at Florida’s public universities will face tuition increases of 9 percent to 15 percent – the highest allowed by law – after a sharply divided Board of Governors approved the requests Thursday over Gov. Rick Scott’s objections. The panel considered the increases on a school-by-school basis, often taking multiple […]
Southern Baptists Elect First Black President
NEW ORLEANS (AP) – At the end of the day Wednesday, the presidency of the Southern Baptist Convention will pass to an African-American pastor for the first time. The nation’s largest Protestant denomination voted Tuesday to elect the Rev. Fred Luter Jr. to lead them, an important step for a […]
Calls: George Zimmerman told Wife to Wear Bulletproof Vest
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – The former neighborhood watch volunteer who killed Trayvon Martin told his wife to buy bulletproof vests for them and for his attorney, according to jailhouse calls released Monday. “As uncomfortable as it is, I want you wearing one,” George Zimmerman told his wife. Zimmerman was wearing […]
Long-time Administrator Promises to Remain Accessible to Pharmacy Students as New Dean
Florida A&M’s Michael Thompson wants to increase research and community service opportunities for pharmacy students. And he has the authority to make these changes: Thompson is the newly appointed dean of FAMU’s College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Thompson, who has been an employee at FAMU since 1981, is quick […]
L.A. Beating Victim, Rodney King, Dies
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Just a few months ago, Rodney King was once again the center of attention as the world checked back in on the man whose videotaped beating by police sparked one of the nation’s worst race riots. King had left Los Angeles behind, moving an hour east […]
Ammons to NPR: FAMU Had No Idea Hazing Happened to ‘Elite of the Elite’ in Marching Band
Florida A&M President James Ammons said before the hazing death of drum major Robert Champion, the university did not know that ritualistic beatings and mistreatment were common for the “elite of the elite” at FAMU’s revered Marching “100” band. He was talking to National Public Radio’s Michelle Martin on her daily talk show “Tell […]
Fla. Gov. Scott Appoints Health Care Exec to Board of Governors
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) – Health care executive Elizabeth Webster is the newest member of the Florida Board of Governors, which oversees the State University System. Gov. Rick Scott, himself a former hospital chain CEO, appointed the 39-year-old Webster on Thursday. She lives in Weston and is regional vice president of […]
Legal Battle Looms for Fla. Voter Purge
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) – The administration of Florida Gov. Rick Scott is headed to a legal showdown with two different federal agencies over a contentious voter purge. Florida filed a lawsuit in a federal court in Washington D.C., demanding that the state be given the right to check the names […]
Gang Expert on Criminal Violence: ‘This is Real’
Before turning the lights down, gang expert Carter Hickman warned the scattering of young men in the room: “The things that I am going to show you tonight I do not want you to let go to your head like you can beat the system.” He assured the audience that […]