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A monthlong mission in Ohio recently turned up 45 missing children and led to 179 arrests, authorities said.

In an operation dubbed Autumn Hope, the US Marshals Service in Ohio and Virginia tracked the children, including a “high-risk” 15-year-old girl from Cleveland who was linked to suspected human trafficking, authorities said Monday.

Twenty other children were also located as authorities checked on their well-being.

During one of the missing children recoveries, a loaded gun was recovered. A 15-year-old boy had two warrants and is suspected in multiple shootings and a murder, authorities said.

Two other juveniles were found in West Virginia during a traffic stop, leading to the arrest of an adult male who was charged with concealment/removal of a minor child in Jackson County.

Autumn Hope was conducted by the marshals in conjunction with the Ohio Attorney General’s Office and the Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force, as well as the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and state and local agencies in Ohio.

“My thanks to all personnel who have stepped up for this operation,” said Peter C. Tobin, US Marshal for the Southern District of Ohio. “These are the same personnel who hunt down violent fugitives every day. I’m incredibly proud of them and pleased that they were able to apply those same skills to finding missing children. I know Operation Autumn Hope has made a difference in a lot of young lives.”

The US Marshals have conducted similar operations before, including in Ohio.

Last month, they said 35 missing children, between the ages of 13 and 18 from the Cuyahoga County area, were located during Operation Safety Net. Just over 20 percent of the found cases were tied to human trafficking.

That same month, the marshals also announced the arrest of 262 suspects, including 141 gang members, and the recovery of five missing children in Oklahoma.

Thirty-nine children were found in Georgia during Operation Not Forgotten in August and eight missing kids were recovered in Indiana in September as part of Operation Homecoming.

The marshals have found missing children in 75 percent of cases the agency has received — and 72 percent of those cases were recovered within a week, officials said.

Since 2005, the agency has recovered more than 2,000 missing kids.

Source: New York Post

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Yanadameen Godcast season 2, segment 2 of 3

In this segment of the Yanadameen Godcast, Lord Jamar and Godfrey shed light on our missing black girls and woman. Black girls continue to disappear but few eyebrows are raised...why isn’t the mainstream media covering this story?

0:00 Brooklyn's Black Lady Theater ad
0:40 Today's Mathematics
1:02 Intro
1:22 Lord Jamar and Godfrey address an epidemic. 75,000 black woman are missing in America
3:40 Lord Jamar speaks about the value of melanin
5:25 Lord Jamar talks about black woman having they their body parts harvested
7:29 Godfrey and Lord Jamar give advice to black women on how to survive
8:45 Credits/ Outro

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Penny Marshall, who starred in “Laverne & Shirley” before becoming one of the top-grossing female directors in Hollywood, has died. She was 75.

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(Reuters) A chartered plane carrying top-tier Brazilian soccer team Chapecoense to the biggest game in its history crashed in the Colombian mountains, killing 75 people on board, authorities said on Tuesday.

Dozens of bodies were laid out and covered with sheets around the wreckage of the BAe 146 aircraft, which was lying in mud near La Union, a small town outside Medellin.

The plane went down about 10:15 p.m. on Monday night with 72 passengers and a crew of nine. It was unclear what caused the crash, although local media said the plane had reported an electrical fault shortly before it disappeared off radar screens.

A Reuters photographer said the plane split in two, destroying the tail end. Rain hampered the dozens of rescuers as they combed the muddy and forested area.

Chapecoense, from Brazil's top league, had been flying to face Atletico Nacional of Medellin on Wednesday in the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana final, South America's equivalent of the Europa League. On Tuesday, Atletico Nacional offered the championship to Chapecoense.

It was the first time the small club from the southern city of Chapeco had reached the final of a major South American club competition.

#BreakingNow Insta Vid of player Filipe Machado, rec on plane just hrs before the crash in Colombia. #Chapecoense pic.twitter.com/uwckTgit8F

— Breaking Now! (@BreakingNowThis) November 29, 2016

Colombia's civil aviation head, Alfredo Bocanegra, said by Tuesday morning, there were 75 confirmed fatalities, with six injured survivors. He said the death toll could rise.

Tributes poured in from the global soccer family and Brazil declared three days of mourning.

"I express my solidarity in this sad hour during which tragedy has beset dozens of Brazilian families," President Michel Temer said.

"The government will do all it can to alleviate the pain of the friends and family of sport and national journalism."

Brazilian news organizations said 21 journalists had been on board to cover the match.

Colombia's disaster management agency listed players Alan Ruschel, Danilo Padilha and Jakson Follmann as survivors.

Our thoughts go out to #Chapecoense after the tragic plane crash this morning#ForçaChapecoense pic.twitter.com/AEcW8vpAND

— Dream Team (@dreamteamfc) November 29, 2016

Flight tracking service Flightradar24 said on Twitter the last tracking signal from flight 2933 had been received when it was at 15,500 feet (4,724 m), about 30 km (18.64 miles) from its destination, which sits at an altitude of 7,000 feet (2133 m).

The BAe 146 was produced by a company that is now part of the UK's BAE Systems.

#breaking A plane carrying the Brazilian foofball team #Chapecoense has crashed in Colombia. #CP2933 pic.twitter.com/PcZH9rLHXb

— euronews (@euronews) November 29, 2016

TRIBUTES

The crash evoked memories of other soccer air disasters, including the Munich crash in 1958 that killed 23 people, including eight Manchester United players, journalists and traveling officials.

World governing body FIFA said on Twitter its "thoughts were with the victims, their families, fans of Chapecoense and media organizations in Brazil on this tragic day."

FIFA's thoughts are with the victims, their families, fans of Chapecoense & media organisations in Brazil on this tragic day. #ForçaChape pic.twitter.com/plDFRYqteo

— FIFA.com (@FIFAcom) November 29, 2016

Chapecoense qualified for the biggest game in its history after overcoming the Argentine club San Lorenzo in the semi-final on away goals following a 1-1 draw in Buenos Aires and 0-0 draw at home.

They were underdogs for the match against a club going for a rare double after winning the Copa Libertadores in July.

Chapecoense was the 21st biggest club in Brazil in terms of revenue, bringing in 46 million reais ($13.5 million) in 2015, according to a list by Brazilian bank Itau BBA.

The club has built its success on a frugal spending policy that eschewed big money signings and concentrated on blending young talent and experienced journeymen.

"They were the hope of our city," said Jean Panegalli, 17, a student in Chapeco. "They played for love of the shirt and not for money. They played with the commitment that only those who have lived here know.

"They were ferocious."

Chapecoense's best-known player was Cleber Santana, a midfielder whose best years were spent in Spain with Atletico Madrid and Mallorca. Coach Caio Junior also was experienced, having managed at some of Brazil's biggest clubs, Botafogo, Flamengo and Palmeiras among them.

The crash prompted an outpouring of solidarity and grief on social media from the footballing community, with Brazilian top flight teams Flamengo and Santos tweeting messages of support.

Porto goalkeeper Iker Casillas tweeted: "My condolences for the plane accident that carried @ChapecoenseReal. Tough moment for football. Good luck and stay strong!"

Mis condolencias por el accidente de avión en el que viajaba el @ChapecoenseReal. Momento duro para el fútbol! Mucho ánimo y fuerza! pic.twitter.com/8mVTZaETu3

— Iker Casillas (@IkerCasillas) November 29, 2016

The South American football federation suspended all games and other activities following the crash.

(Writing by Julia Symmes Cobb; Additional reporting by Helen Murphy, Julia Symmes Cobb and Luis Jaime Acosta in Bogota, Andrew Downie, Anthony Boadle and Dan Flynn in Brazil and Tim Hepher in Geneva; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Bill Trott)

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(Billboard) Jerry Heller, N.W.A’s controversial original manager and music industry veteran, has died, his cousin Gary Ballen confirms to Billboard. He was 75; the cause of death is not yet known. 

Already in his mid-40s when he paired up with aspiring rap mogul Eazy-E, Heller became an unlikely booster of gangsta rap, and his efforts helped N.W.A and its label Ruthless Records make hardcore hip-hop popular around the world. Outspoken and litigious, he sued the makers of the 2015 hit biopic Straight Outta Compton and was the subject of numerous diss songs. 

N.W.A.

After rapper Ice Cube left N.W.A he famously suggested in his 1991 song “No Vaseline” that the remaining group members “Get rid of that devil real simple / Put a bullet in his temple.”

Raised in Shaker Heights, Cleveland, Heller said he faced anti-Semitism growing up, and that his father, the owner of a scrap metal business, spent time with the Jewish mob. He enlisted in the Army, and after getting out earned a business degree from the University of Southern California. During the ‘60s and ‘70s his career in the music industry began to take off, and he served as agent for artists including Creedence Clearwater Revival and Marvin Gaye, and promoted Pink Floyd, Elton John, and Kraftwerk on their first U.S. tours. His fortunes later declined, however, and by the mid-‘80s he was living with his parents in Encino, Calif., he wrote in his 2006 memoir Ruthless.

His second act would come by way of the emerging L.A. hip-hop scene, which was largely based around a Hollywood record plant and label called Macola. Tipped off by his friend Morey Alexander, a music manager, Heller began hanging out at Macola and introducing himself to the artists, and became the manager of acts including World Class Wreckin’ Cru and C.I.A., the first groups of Dr. Dre and Ice Cube, respectively. 

Eazy E

But his greatest pairing was with Eazy-E, aka Eric Wright, a diminutive Compton drug dealer who was looking to go straight. Wright famously paid World Class Wreckin’ Cru leader Alonzo Williams for the introduction to Heller, whom he believed could take his label Ruthless Records to the next level. Heller invested money in Ruthless and became the manager of many of the label’s acts, who experienced unprecedented success in the George H.W. Bush and early Bill Clinton years, with acts including N.W.A, Eazy-E, J.J. Fad, Michel’le, D.O.C., and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony going gold or platinum. By 1995 Ruthless “was bringing in millions per month,” Heller claimed in his memoir.

Eazy E with Bone Thugs-N-Harmony

But Heller clashed with many of his artists along the way. N.W.A’s iconoclastic lyricist Ice Cube left the group following seismic 1988 debut Straight Outta Compton, claiming that he hadn’t been paid properly. The group’s main producer Dr. Dre left after their 1991 follow-up Efil4zaggin, amidst a similar financial dispute. Heller denied allegations of financial impropriety, and was strongly backed by Eazy-E. “People callin’ me, askin’ me, ‘Why you got a white man as your manager?’ ” Eazy told Rap Pages at the time. “It’s like, when I was lookin’ for a manager, I closed my f---in’ eyes and I said, ‘I want the best.’ Jerry happened to be the best.” 

Jerry Heller

Heller’s legal battles with the group continued over the years. In October of 2015, shortly after Straight Outta Compton was released, Heller filed a $110 million lawsuit with a litany of claims boiling down to the fact that he was presented as the villain in the film, not compensated for the use of his likeness, that the defendants stole his work and breached an agreement that settled an old dispute with the Eazy E estate. In June 2016, a U.S. District judge dismissed all of Heller’s lawsuit, but allowed one claim to continue. 

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Michael Dunn will spend the next 75-years in prison after being found guilty of 4 of 5 counts in the murder trial of Jordan Davis. However, the jury could not reach a verdict on the most serious charge of first-degree murder.

47-year old Dunn was convicted of three counts of attempted second-degree murder and one count of firing into a vehicle The attempted second-degree murder charges carry sentences of 20 years each. 15 years will be added on for shooting into the SUV that carried 17-year old Davis and three of his friends on Nov. 23, 2012.

As we previously reported, Dunn and his fiancee, Rhonda Rouer, pulled into a Jacksonville gas station and parked next to Davis and his three friends on that fateful night. While Rour was inside buying alcohol, an argument was sparked when Dunn either asked or told the teens to turn down their music.

During the argument, Dunn said he saw the barrel of a shotgun sticking out of the rear window where Davis was sitting. He claimed that threats were being made and he feared for his life.

Michael Dunn, gestures on the stand in his own defense during his trial in Jacksonville

He testified that Davis exited his vehicle to confront him. At that point he reached into his glove compartment, grabbed his 9mm pistol and said, "You're not going to kill me you son of a b*tch," before firing 10 shots into the SUV. He continued to shoot as the teens pulled out of their parking space in an attempt to get away from him.

9 of the 10 shots fired hit the SUV. Davis was struck twice in the leg. A third bullet entered his right side and damaged his ribs, diaphragm, liver, aorta and lungs. He was dead within minutes. None of the other teens were wounded.

Police later searched the Dodge Durago the teens were in and didn't find a gun. It was later determined that Jordan was not outside of the vehicle when he was shot, based on the trajectory of the bullets and his wounds.

Rhonda Rouer

Rouer testified at the trial that she and and her fiance had been drinking at the wedding reception of Dunn's son prior to stopping at the gas station. After the shooting they checked into a hotel where they ordered a pizza and spent the night. Neither one of them called police.

Dunn was arrested at his Satellite Beach, Florida home the following day. Police tracked him down using his license plate number. An alert witness to the shooting wrote it down as Dunn fled the scene.

Lucia McBath, left and Ronald Davis, right, parents of Jordan Davis

After today's verdict was read, Davis' parents spoke at a news conference.

"It's been a long, long road. And we're just happy to have a little it of closure," McBath said. "It's sad for Mr. Dunn that he will live the rest of his life in that sense of torment, and I will pray for him. And I've asked my family to pray for him. But we are so grateful for the charges that have been brought against him. We're so grateful for the truth," she continued. "We're so grateful that the jurors were able to understand the common sense of it all. And we will continue to stand. And we will continue to wait for justice for Jordan."

State Attorney Angela Corey said prosecutors would seek a new trial in Duval County on the 1st-degree murder charge.

"Justice for Jordan Davis is as important as it is for any victim," Corey said.

Jordan's mother shared a similar message on Twitter.

Tomorrow is my boy's 19th birthday. I pray we will celebrate not only him but a just and righteous verdict. Patiently we wait.

— Lucia Kay McBath (@lucymcbath) February 15, 2014

Michael Dunn verdict read in court

Jordan Davis' Parents to Michael Dunn: Our Son Is Not Just Another Day at the Office



Sources: NY Daily News, CNN and the Associated Press



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Don Cornelius, the creator of the ground breaking television show "Soul Train" has been found dead.

TMZ is reporting that the body of the 75-year old was discovered this morning at around 4 AM PT in his Sherman Oaks, California home. According to the report police believe Cornelius died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

Sources said there was no sign of foul play, but the Los Angeles Police Department is investigating.

"Soul Train" was a very popular variety show that featured performances from many star R&B, soul and hip hop acts. It aired from October 1971 to until March 2006.

As the show's host, Cornelius ended each episode with the popular catchphrase: "I’m Don Cornelius, and as always in parting, we wish you love, peace and soul!”

R.I.P. Don Cornelius.

Don Cornelius dead at age 75

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