By Mike Schneider and Kyle Hightower

Posted May 18th 2012

ORLANDO, Fla. — Medical examiners found evidence of marijuana in Trayvon Martin’s system after he was fatally shot by a neighborhood watch volunteer, according to an autopsy released Thursday in a massive package of evidence.

Also included in the release was an investigator’s recommendation to prosecutors that suspect George Zimmerman be arrested on manslaughter charges. The investigator, who was on the scene after the shooting, wrote on March 13 that the confrontation should have been avoided. That report came nearly a month before Zimmerman was arrested.

The documents, photos and video were turned over by prosecutors to defense attorneys earlier this week before they were released to the media. Among the many witness interviews were accounts by an acquaintance of Zimmerman’s who said he’s racist and a co-worker who said Zimmerman bullied him and mocked him with an exaggerated Middle Eastern accent.

The autopsy says medical examiners found THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, when they tested Martin’s blood and urine. A police report shows Martin had been shot once in the chest and had been pronounced dead at the scene.

Also in the package is a photo showing Zimmerman with a bloody nose on the night of the fight. A paramedic report says Zimmerman had a 1-inch laceration on his head and forehead abrasion.

“Bleeding tenderness to his nose, and a small laceration to the back of his head. All injuries have minor bleeding,” paramedic Michael Brandy wrote about Zimmerman’s injuries in the report.

Whether Zimmerman was injured in the Feb. 26 altercation with Martin has been a key question. Zimmerman has claimed self-defense and said he only fired because the unarmed teenager attacked him.

Zimmerman was not arrested for weeks because he invoked Florida’s “stand-your-ground” law, which does not require a person to retreat in the face of a serious threat. He was released on bail and is in hiding while he awaits trial on a second-degree murder charge. He has pleaded not guilty.

The investigator who called for Zimmerman’s arrest, Christopher Serino, told prosecutors in March that the fight could have been avoided if Zimmerman had remained in his vehicle and awaited the arrival of law enforcement. He said Zimmerman, after leaving his vehicle, could have identified himself to Martin as a concerned citizen and talked to him instead of confronting him.

He said there is no evidence Martin was involved in any criminal activity.

The lawyer for Martin’s parents seized on the investigator’s recommendation.

“The police concluded that none of this would have happened if George Zimmerman hadn’t gotten out of his car,” said attorney Ben Crump. “If George Zimmerman hadn’t gotten out of his car, they say it was completely avoidable. That is the headline.”

A separate report written by Serino at the crime scene says Martin had $40.15, Skittles candy, a red lighter, headphones and a photo pin in his pocket. A single 9mm shell casing was found near Martin’s body.

New witness accounts also emerged Thursday. A witness, whose name is redacted, told investigators he saw “a black male, wearing a dark colored hoodie,” on top of a white or Hispanic male who was yelling for help.

The witness, who was looking out the sliding glass door at his home about 30 feet away, said he saw the black male throwing punches “MMA (mixed martial arts) style.”

He said he told the fighters he was calling the police. He said that as he was making the call, he heard a shot. He looked outside and saw the person who had been on top laid out on the grass as if he had been shot. He said the other fighter was standing on the sidewalk, talking to another person with a flashlight.

The case has become a national racial flashpoint because the Martin family and supporters contend Zimmerman singled Martin out because he was black.

Another police report says that on four occasions between last August and Feb. 2, Zimmerman called police to report young black males acting suspiciously in his neighborhood. He never called about anyone of another race.

Two acquaintances paint an unflattering picture of Zimmerman in police interviews.

A distraught woman tells an investigator that she stays away from Zimmerman because he’s racist and because of things he’s done to her in the past, but she didn’t elaborate on what happened between them.

“I don’t at all know who this kid was or anything else. But I know George, and I know that he does not like black people. He would start something. He’s very confrontational. It’s in his blood. We’ll just say that,” the unidentified woman says in an audio recording.

A man whose name was deleted from the audio told investigators said he worked with Zimmerman in 2008 for a few months. It wasn’t clear which company it was.

The man, who described his heritage as “Middle Eastern,” said that when he first started many employees didn’t like him. Zimmerman seized on this, the employee said, and bullied him.

Zimmerman wanted to “get in” with the clique at work so he exaggerated a Middle Eastern accent when talking about the employee, the man said. The employee told investigators that Zimmerman made reference to terrorists and bombings when talking about him.

“It was so immature,” said the employee, who ended up writing a letter to management about Zimmerman.

By Michael Gonzales

Posted May 18th 2012

In an era of forgettable one-hit wonders, Donna Summer will always be the genre’s one true icon.

For music fans who experienced the club-hopping ’70s, Donna Summer will long be remembered as the quintessential diva of disco, the oft-derided genre that rose and quickly faded within the span of a decade.

While many of her contemporaries were one-hit wonders, Summer was one of the few artists of the disco era to become a genuine star. “There was no question I would be a singer; I just always knew,” Summer said in a 1989 interview with the Associated Press. “I had credit in my neighborhood; people would lend me money and tell me to pay it back when I got famous.”

Born LaDonna Adrian Gaines on Dec. 31, 1948, right outside Boston, Summer honed her vocal chops singing gospel in church and dabbling in psychedelic rock during the ’60s. But by the middle of the following decade, she had emerged as the undisputed disco queen.

Summer parlayed her considerable singing and songwriting skills into a fruitful career that is notable for the release of the 1975 stereo-erotica hit “Love to Love You Baby.” Co-written by Summer, the stunningly sinful track was produced by Euro-synth wiz Giorgio Moroder, whom the singer met in Germany while touring with the musical Hair.

Signed in the States to Casablanca Records, where her labelmates included George Clinton and Kiss, Summer took the advice of the imprint’s visionary boss, Neil Bogart, who suggested that the tune needed to be remixed. Both its three-minute radio edit and an extended club version that ran nearly 17 minutes became monster hits.

With its seductive grooves and Summer’s hot-and-heavy breathing, “Love to Love You Baby” was an aural pleasure for the era’s dance-floor devotees, even as it shocked airwaves across more than a few nations. The BBC banned it completely.

“I actually found it very hard to sing,” a 26-year-old Summer told Blues and Soul magazine in 1976. “When we first started, there were no words other than ‘Love to Love You Baby,’ so I made it up as it went along, in the hope that what I was saying fitted the mood of the music. It took four-and-a-half hours in all just to put my vocal track on — and I ended up handling it the way it is … It got me to such a point that I threw everybody out of the studio except my producer, and he calmed me down by telling me just to sing it the way I felt it, rather than the way I felt it should be sung. Let’s face it: It’s in every woman to be seductive — whether she is a teacher or a whore.”

n addition to ushering in the rhythmic revolution, the track also inspired numerous artists, including Diana Ross with her equally wonderful “Love Hangover.” Years later, Beyoncé sampled the song for her 2003 single “Naughty Girl.”

With a career that spanned more than 30 years, Donna Summer went on to have hits that included the Oscar-winning “Last Dance” (1977), “MacArthur Park” (1978), “Bad Girls” (1979) and “She Works Hard for the Money” (1982). Mary J. Blige called Summer “a game changer,” while singer Gloria Estefan tweeted: “Few singers have impacted music & the world like Donna Summer! It’s the end of an era.”

At the height of Summer’s fame, the singer was considered by many in the gay community to be an icon on a par with Judy Garland and Marilyn Monroe. Yet when she became a born-again Christian in the late 1980s, a smear campaign circulated the rumor that she had said that AIDS was God’s revenge against homosexuals for their hedonistic lifestyle.

Although Summer always maintained that she never made such statements, her album and concert sales suffered. Her last disc, Crayons, was released in 2008. This year Summer was nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame but was passed over for induction.

After news of her death Thursday at age 63, Grammy-winning performer and gay activist Elton John recalled her profound artistry. “Her records sound as good today as they ever did. That she has never been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a total disgrace, especially when I see the second-rate talent that has been inducted,” he said. “She is a great friend to me and to the Elton John AIDS Foundation, and I will miss her greatly.”

Meanwhile, this from RuPaul: “Donna Summer, your last dance will remain in our hearts forever.”

Michael A. Gonzales is a Brooklyn, N.Y.-based pop journalist who also writes for Wax Poetics, Juicy and One Robot.

By Betty Lin-Fisher, Beacon Journal Business Writer

Posted May 18th 2012

(PHOTO: PAUL GRIEG, CEO AKRON OHIO BASED FIRST MERIT CORP)

FirstMerit Corp. will eliminate 338 positions as part of its cost-cutting initiative this year and next, executives said Tuesday. The cuts represent 11 percent of the company’s overall work force.

The bank will save $30 million in 2013 and an anticipated $15 million in 2012 with the cost-cutting, which also includes branch closings, President, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Paul Greig said in a presentation to investors Tuesday morning in London. The bank said it used a consultant last fall to evaluate more than 4,000 submissions for cost-cutting by employees. There were 341 ideas selected to take “proactive steps to confront industry challenges” such as “current/future legislative environment, low [interest] rate environment, economic environment and declining level of branch traffic,” according to the presentation.

“This initiative speaks to our philosophy of addressing both challenges and opportunities in a proactive manner,” Greig said.

Last week, the Beacon Journal reported branch closures and that layoffs took place at the bank, including the elimination of assistant branch manager positions.

FirstMerit has 205 branches.

Spokesman Rob Townsend said he could not provide many immediate details of the initiative, but said “we hope to capture most of future positions through attrition.”

According to the presentation, 241 positions will be eliminated in an area dubbed “span of control,” which includes eliminating the assistant branch manager positions, an increase in teller staffing flexibility and eliminating what were judged redundant regional leadership positions.

Cutting duplication

In an area dubbed “duplication,” 75 positions will be eliminated in the reduction of branch geographic overlap, along with combining and eliminating statement printing and the consolidation of retail support call centers.

On Monday, the bank released the list of eight branches that would be closed and one being converted to a drive-up only location. Of the nine branches affected, six are in the Akron area. The closings will be later this summer in Barberton, Brunswick, Cuyahoga Falls, Medina, Sharon Center and Stow. The North Hill branch in Akron will convert to a drive-up location.

“The duties will be assigned within branches and the shift will be seamless,” Greig said. “We will continue to provide the same high levels of customer service for which we have been recognized.”

Another 38.5 positions will be eliminated in an area dubbed “other ideas,” listed on a FirstMerit presentation as “85 percent of the total ideas, 11 percent of the total positions eliminated and 14 percent of the total impact.” Greig said that area has another 291 ideas that will be used to cut costs.

Also on the slide presentation are negative numbers listed under positions eliminated, which include “strategic sourcing methodology, renegotiate vendor services, reduce temporary help, insource a portion of the attorney function for managed assets and replace non-billable … field examiners.”

An asterisk says those negative numbers indicate 16.5 positions added.

One-time expenses with the initiatives will be approximately $11 million before taxes, Greig told the analysts.

“We’re very pleased with the initiative, as the results will have a material impact on the company’s future bottom line and will progressively lower expenses over the remainder of the year,” he said. “We’re going to continue to look for ways to enhance the franchise in what is a very challenging environment.”

Before the cuts, the Akron-based bank said it employed 2,997.

Eye for acquisitions

Greig also told analysts that the company has a strong Chicago presence and continues to look for acquisition opportunities in the Midwest. Greig said the bank had looked at about 30 acquisition opportunities in the last two years.

Asked by an analyst if there were still opportunities in Chicago, Greig said there are many institutions of interest and the company will look for “real franchise value.”

“We’re not looking to add branches for the sake of adding branches. We’re looking to add an entity that will help us in generating good quality assets and give us a good deposit mix,” he said.

Betty Lin-Fisher can be reached at 330-996-3724 or blinfisher@thebeaconjournal.com.

Posed May 17th 2012

(PHOTO: EAST TECH HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL TEAM)

COLUMBUS: For the second consecutive year, Ohio high schools have voted down a proposal that would have addressed the ongoing competitive balance problems between public and private teams, particularly in football.

A bylaw that would have changed how schools are assigned to tournament divisions in the team sports of football, soccer, volleyball, basketball, baseball and softball was voted down 339-301. A similar proposal failed by a 332-303 vote a year ago.

“The schools have spoken,” said Dr. Dan Ross, commissioner of the Ohio High School Athletic Association, the sanctioning body for prep sports in the state.

Rather than place schools into tournament divisions strictly on their enrollment, the proposed bylaw would have used several factors, including a controversial one based on a school’s success in that sport.

By Kara Warner, reporting by Josh Horowitz

Posted May 17th 2012

‘I won’t name them, but there were a few,’ singer-turned-actress tells MTV News of her onscreen role models.

Only a few more days until the year’s biggest aliens-at-sea adventure movie “Battleship” sails into theaters. In addition to the intrigue surrounding the sheer spectacle of the film and the very attractive cast, the Peter Berg-directed tentpole features the highly anticipated motion-picture debut of pop superstar Rihanna.

In the film, Rihanna plays the no-nonsense, tough-as-nails Petty Officer Cora “Weps” Raikes, who delivers one of the film’s more memorable one-liners, as well as a believably badass performance. When MTV News caught up with the “Where Have U Been” singer recently, we asked if she looked to any specific action movies or actresses for inspiration.

“There were a few — I won’t name them, but there were a few,” Rihanna admitted of studying other badass onscreen ladies. “[They were] mostly actresses I looked to and looked up to and embodied their characters and tried to see how they would approach the action. I watched a lot of bad bitches,” she said with a smile.

In looking ahead toward a potential acting career, Rihanna said she doesn’t have a specific five-year-plan, but she hopes to be able to explore more opportunities as they come her way.

“You can’t plan for anything, the unknown really. I hadn’t done anything in acting so I didn’t feel like it was appropriate to have any plan,” she said. “I didn’t know if I would like it or be good at it. I really enjoyed the experience and I want to do more, try different types of roles so that I can see what I excel in most or like best.”

Posted May 16th 2012

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A judge in Los Angeles says the original lead singer of the Village People can reclaim at least partial ownership of the copyrights to more than two dozen of the group’s songs, including “Y.M.C.A.,” ”Macho Man,” and “In the Navy.”

U.S. District Judge Barry T. Moskowitz on Monday rejected a lawsuit by two music publishers who argued Victor Willis had no right to regain ownership of 33 songs he co-wrote for the group under contract.

It’s the first test of a decades-old copyright provision and could mean millions in additional royalties for Willis.

The former San Diego resident tells U-T San Diego (http://bit.ly/J4txjZ) that the ruling benefits all songwriters.

But Stewart Levy, an attorney for Scorpio Music and Can’t Stop Productions, tells the New York Times that it doesn’t lay out how much Willis will get and the case is far from over.

By Zerlina Maxwell

Posted May 16th 2012

Last months jobs report was on the weak side as U.S. economic growth, which recently had shown some signs of life, stalled in April. While overall unemployment fell one percentage point to 8.1 percent, the labor force only added 115,000 jobs, down 39,000 from the previous month.

The percentage of the working age population that is participating in the job market is at its lowest rate in 30 years. Somewhat hidden in the tepid news are positive numbers for one segment of the population: black women.

Since December 2011, black women have knocked more than 3 percentage points off of their unemployment rate, going down from 13.9 percent to 10.8 percent. That drop is the largest for any demographic group, with the growth concentrated in education, health care, and the retail industry.

Meanwhile, unemployment for their black male counterparts has gone down from 15.7 percent in December to 13.9 percent currently. White men and women both have an unemployment rate just below 7 percent, but the gap between black and white workers has closed significantly since the economic downturn began.

The lack of enthusiasm over the April jobs report is due to the fact that nearly 342,000 workers dropped out of the labor force. Such a high number for the economic indicator known as the “labor force participation rate” is cause for alarm because it means that, while the overall unemployment number went down from March to April, it wasn’t because of an improving economy and increased opportunities for the unemployed. It means that a significant number of job seekers are leaving the workforce and aren’t being counted in the overall rate. Many of those workers are long term unemployed for whom unemployment insurance has run out or who have had difficulties landing new jobs because of lack of employment for such long periods of time.

The reason the positive numbers for black women stand out amongst this mediocre economic outlook is because their changing rate was not the result of a decrease in the “labor participation rate.” In fact, black women, by and large, are getting back into the market and the workforce. The “labor participation rate” for black women has increased from 53.5 percent in December up to 56.1 percent in April’s jobs report.

Overall, the economy has a long way to go before it fully recovers from the financial crisis that left so many unemployed. Nearly 9 million jobs were lost and, as of April 2012, only 3.7 million jobs have been added back in. The jobs numbers are important politically as we head into election season, where both sides cherry pick data which they can spin in their favor or to attack the opposition.

The numbers reflect an economy still reeling from the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression and, even though there are significant positive signs for black women, the rest of American workers are not out of the woods yet.

Follow Zerlina Maxwell on Twitter at @zerlinamaxwell

By Gina Hobbs

Posted May 16th 2012

(PHOTO: JOSIE B. LINDSAY, PRESIDENT & CEO BELL & LINDSAY)

Second in four-part Quarterly Dialogue Series to feature Organizational Leadership Panel on May 17th!

Who:               The Women of Color Foundation and American Greetings Corporation.  The series is co-sponsored by Cleveland Clinic, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland State University and WEWS-TV NewsChannel 5.

The event will feature Josie B. Lindsay (Moderator), President & Chief Executive Officer, Bell & Lindsay, Inc, along with panelists:  Susan Jensen, Executive Director, Walmart Team, American Greetings Corporation; Anne E. Bomar, Senior Vice President & General Manager, Dominion East Ohio; Diana Billamoria, Ph.D., Professor of Organizational Behavior, Weatherhead School of Management, Case Western Reserve University; and Barbara Danforth, Senior Vice President, Business Development, Ratliff & Taylor

What:              The Women of Color Foundation and American Greetings is proud to announce the launch of a new, women’s quarterly Speaker’s Series.  The second workshop in the series is “Managing Dynamic Organization Strategies for Success!”  The event is one of several events taking place as part of the Women of Color Foundation’s 10^th Anniversary celebration.

When:             Thursday, May 17, 2012 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Where:            American Greetings Corporation. Corporate Headquarters-One American Road Cleveland, Ohio 44144

Why:                 To facilitate the collaboration, networking, mentoring, sharing, education, leadership  development and training of women of all colors. To benefit the Women of Color Foundation

Cost:               Available online for $25 at www.womenofcolorfoundation.com or by contacting 866-962-3411.

For information on registration, including available scholarships, please contact 216-391-4300, ext. 307 or visit the website, www.womenofcolorfoundation.com

]]> http://www.mxoentertainment.com/women-of-color-foundation-and-american-greetings-corporation-launch-new-speaker%e2%80%99s-series/feed/ 0 http://www.mxoentertainment.com/a-statement-from-mayor-frank-g-jackson/ http://www.mxoentertainment.com/a-statement-from-mayor-frank-g-jackson/#comments Tue, 15 May 2012 09:00:23 +0000 Osupa http://www.mxoentertainment.com/?p=23732 City of Cleveland

Posted May 15th 2012

“I appreciate President Barack Obama’s show of support for same-sex marriage.

Cleveland is a city that celebrates and embraces its diversity. We

recently extended Domestic Partner Health Benefits to our employees.

The City of Cleveland will host the 2014 Gay Games, an international sports and cultural event. President Obama’s endorsement for same-sex marriage promotes a message of equality and will add a significant layer of support that was absent from the games when they were held in the United States back in 2006.”

By Georgette Cline

Posted May 15th 2012

Lauded singer Chaka Khan has shed some weight from her waistline, looking noticeably thinner during a performance in Washington D.C. E! News reports that the “Through the Fire” creator has been working on her physical fitness and dropped 60 pounds as a result.

At the Kennedy Center Annual Spring Gala on May 6, Khan appeared half her size in a black jumpsuit. The body-hugging outfit showcased the 59-year-old’s new slimmer frame.

Khan has yet to comment on her dramatic weight loss, but the chanteuse, who suffered from high blood pressure and diabetes, obviously has been living a healthier lifestyle.