News Brief 7-13
AFRICAN AMERICANS ARE MORE OFTEN TARGETED BY PHONE FRAUD – Learn the steps to recognize and report a scam. Many types of fraud start with a phone call. Do you know who’s calling you?
Featured Stories
Blackflix Movie News Presents: Hancock
Studio: Sony Pictures (90 min.)
Plot: A misunderstood superhero turns to the help of a PR agent to improve his image.
Cast: Will Smith, Jason Bateman, Charlize Theron
Rating: PG-13
Bottom Line: **1/2
Local Woman Teaches Lessons of Dignity
Reading is Fundamental: Tim Wong, who’s a former student of Marilouise Smith-Mays visited her recently. Mays specializes in teaching adults how to read or improve their reading skills. Photo by Quincy Allan Hodges
Cost of Fuel is Top Economic Concern for Michigan Families
MICHIGAN — Michigan has had more than its share of economic hardships in recent years, but when Michigan voters were asked the biggest economic problem facing their family, the cost of fuel trumped everything. Gas prices have risen to $4.15 across the nation.
EDDIE MURPHY MAY GO BACK TO STANDUP: Actor flirts with retirement from films
Is Eddie Murphy getting tired of the Hollywood grind? While plugging his upcoming film "Meet Dave," due in theaters July 11, the actor told "Extra’s" Tanika Ray that he may leave movies for good and return to his roots on stage.
Report Reveals Broken Scales of Justice For Michigan’s Poor Defendants
LANSING, MI – Ken Wyniemko was convicted of a rape he didn’t commit in 1994. Wyniemko was freed from prison in 2004, after spending 9 years locked up. The results of DNA test of a cigarette butt and semen stained nylons showed that it didn’t match his DNA. Although, Wyniemko professed his innocence, he was convicted of rape and burglary. A court appointed attorney assigned to Wyniemko’s case had less than a week to prepare for his defense. The jury also heard from a jailhouse informant who was spared a life sentence for his testimony that Wyniemko confessed. Even though the victim was blindfolded and the attacker wore a ski mask, she said she was certain that it was Wyniemko. A judge exceeded the sentencing guidelines because Wyniemko didn’t show remorse and sentenced him to 40 – 60 years in prison.
News Briefs 7-12
Dr. Judi Brown Clarke, Silver Medalist in the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, California
BBB Warns Vacationers that Travel Club Membership Doesn’t Always Pay
Before you sign on the dotted line, check it out before you check in:
Would-be travelers are spending thousands of dollars to take advantage of travel deals that didn’t exist.
One company was also ordered to pay $70,000 in restitution to the Michigan Attorney General’s Office.
Best, Brightest and Most Beautiful 2008: Jamil B. Scott, Ph.D.
Jamil B. Scott, Ph.D., A Researcher at the Center for Community-Based Research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, a Harvard Medical School affiliated cancer center
Best, Brightest and Most Beautiful 2008: Robert “Bob”Allen Hoffman
Robert “Bob”Allen Hoffman, Wharton Center for Performing Arts Manager of Public Relations