A New Jersey couple, Shanae Howard and Brandon Brown, were found dead in an suspected murder-suicide in a secluded park in Montclair after neighbors reported hearing “five or six gunshots.”

The bodies were discovered about 10:30 p.m. Thursday in Canterbury Park. WABC-TV reports Shanae Q. Howard, 24, was found partially naked and lying face up, while Brandon Brown, 26, was found face down. Relatives believe the couple was killed by someone who knew them but the police believe it was a murder-suicide.

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REPORT Beyoncé Pregnant:  E! reports Beyoncé is pregnant with her second child with husband Jay-Z. Speculation was rampant after Beyoncé, canceled a show in Belgium because of dehydration and exhaustion. Blue Ivy Carter, who was born in January 2012, is going to have a sibling. Congrats to the couple.

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BREAKING:  One person confirmed dead in a fire near Nellis AFB near Las Vegas. An explosion was reportedly heard. According to media reports, early reports indicate a fire after a possible gas tank explosion at 4915 Sloan Lane.

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Andrea Rebello (right) ID’d as Hofstra Student Killed During Home Invasion on Long Island (Facebook)

Andrea Rebello has been identified as the Hofstra University student killed during a home invasion early Friday morning in Long Island. The masked intruder, armed with a handgun, entered the home which she shared her twin sister, Jessica Rebello, and other friends, was also killed.

The intruder, who hasn’t been identified, forced his way into the home on California Avenue, after knocking on the door. He went to the second floor and held the occupants hostage. NBC New York reports he allowed one of the women to leave the home to withdraw money from an ATM and she called 911, Nassau County Deputy Inspector Kenneth Lack said.

NBC reports she told the 911 dispatcher that the intruder had a silver handgun pointed at her friend’s head in a second-floor bedroom and that there were multiple hostages. The police were dispatched to the home.

Andrea Rebello, who describes herself as “100% Portuguese,” was a member of the Beta Sigma Phi sorority and lived with six of her sorority sisters at the home. She was studying Public Relations and Sociology at Hofstra. RIP Andrea!

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An unidentified female Hostra University student and an armed suspect were killed during a home invasion in Long Island Friday morning. The man, who was armed with a handgun and wearing a ski mask, broke into the home on California Avenue at about 2:20 a.m. There were three women and a man inside the home, the NY Post reports.

The gunman let one of the women leave about 10 minutes after the break-in and she immediately called 911, Lack said.

When cops arrived at the scene armed with shields, bullets started flying, leave one of the women inside the home and the gunman dead.

Cops don’t believe there was any relationship between the gunman and the victims, Lack said. Source

Hofstra University issued a statement saying:  ”The Nassau County Police have notified us that early this morning a Hofstra student was killed during a tragic crime which took place in a rental house off campus. The police investigation is ongoing, and we do not yet know all of the relevant details. What we do know is that a young member of the Hofstra family has been taken from us in a senseless act of violence. Our hearts and minds and our thoughts and prayers are with her family, her friends, and her classmates. While our hearts are laden with grief, this weekend’s commencement ceremonies will go on as scheduled. The accomplishments of our graduates must be recognized, and together our community will heal and find the strength to move forward.”

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Former GA Guberatorial Candidate Karen Handel Announces Senate Bid, Is This a Joke? (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

(HinterlandEditorial) — Karen Handel is in the news again. You will recall she was a gubernatorial candidate in 2010 and lost to Nathan Deal. She also resigned abruptly from the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure after an uproar involving Planned Parenthood. Yep, she almost wrecked the organization. We have written about Karen Handel in the past and still hold the same opinion — she is not a credible candidate for anything, much less to best represent the LGBT, black and Hispanic communities. Karen Handel is another self-righteous Republican hypocrite who placed so little value on education that she didn’t bother to get a college degree. Yeah, Karen Handel is Georgia’s Sarah Palin — zero qualifications and a lot of hubris.

Roll Call: “Handel is the fourth Republican to enter the race for the seat of retiring GOP Sen. Saxby Chambliss. Notably, she is also the first woman and first candidate who is not a member of Congress. GOP Reps. Paul Broun, Phil Gingrey and Jack Kingston are running. David Perdue, the cousin of former Gov. Sonny Perdue, announced an exploratory committee this week.”

Karen Handel was the main force behind the organization’s move to change the criteria that had a direct impact on Planned Parenthood. Once again, she would rather feign ignorance than accept her role in this mess. Karen Handel is no stranger to the cut-and-run mentality. She threw the former head of the Log Cabin Republicans, a group of gay and lesbian GOP voters, under a bus, when she claimed she didn’t support same-sex domestic partnerships, though there were a number of emails indicating she supported granting such benefits.

Karen Handel also implemented the Georgia’s photo ID law, which requires Georgian voters to show state-issued photo identification before casting their vote in person.  The voter ID program sparked controversy and many in the black community said it worked against them and was a way to deter blacks from voting. The law was challenged as unconstitutional, but was eventually upheld by the Supreme Court. Karen Handel is a HYPOCRITE in all caps. Plain and simple. Source

After Karen Handel’s abrupt departure from Susan G. Komen, she wrote a book — “Planned Bullywood” — slamming Planned Parenthood and painting the organization as “a bunch of schoolyard thugs.” Who better would know about schoolyard thugs than someone who barely finished high school. She claimed she had nothing to do with the funding being reduced to Planned Parenthood, but during a speech to the Family Research Council last December, Handel implied that her battle with the the family planning organization was far from over. She said, “Planned Parenthood counted on conservative elected officials to be quiet, and they were silent, but they didn’t count on me. Cecile Richards has absolutely no idea who she’s picked a fight with, folks.”

I will boldly predict that if Karen Handel manages to win the GOP nomination, she will go on to lose the election and the Democrats will pick up a seat. As a woman, I am always very supportive of women running for higher office, but this hypocrite isn’t worth anyone’s vote. She has zero credibility and is very divisive.  I must also remind the black community in Atlanta that she was instrumental is getting rid of the nation’s first black female sheriff, Jackie Barrett, on corruption charges.  Sarah Palin endorsed her in 2010 and it’s ironic that they both have the sickening quality of never completing what they start. Nathan Deal slammed Handel on not finishing her term as Secretary of State. As soon as Karen Handel sets up a campaign office we will be calling for an interview. I guess the theatrics will be coming soon. Break out the popcorn.

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Lt. Col. Darin Haas, the manager of the sexual assault response program at Fort Campbell, was arrested for domestic dispute and fired from his position.

Lt. Col. Darin Haas reportedly turned himself in to police Wednesday on charges of violating an order of protection and for stalking. He and his ex-wife have orders of protection against each other.

Police said Col. Haas was arrested after his ex-wife said he repeatedly contacted her Wednesday, despite the order.

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TYRONE BROOKS INDICTED:  Georgia State Rep. Tyrone Brooks Sr. (D-Atlanta) was indicted on fraud and tax charges for allegedly misappropriating nearly $1 million in charitable funds from Universal Humanities and the Georgia Association of Black Elected Officials.

Brooks was charged by a federal grand jury in a 30 count indictment including charges of mail, wire and tax fraud. The indictment charges that from the mid 90s through 2012, Brooks solicited contributions from individuals and corporate donors to combat illiteracy and fund other charitable causes, but instead, used the funds to pay personal expenses.  Source

The indictment alleges Tyrone Brooks Sr. substantially underreported his income to the IRS for the years 2007 through 2011. Another black politician bites the dust. Sad way to end a long career in Georgia politics. It’s rather shameful, but he’s presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Here’s an excerpt from the FBI’s press release about the Tyrone Brooks indictment:

Universal Humanities Scheme

The indictment charges two fraud schemes, the first involving a tax-exempt charity, Universal Humanities, Inc., that Brooks established in the early 1990s. From at least 1995 through 2012,Brooks solicited contributions for Universal Humanities from corporate and individual donors purportedly to combat illiteracy in disadvantaged communities in Georgia and across the southeastern United States, eventually raising more than $780,000. Donors included the Coca-Cola Company ($400,000), Georgia Pacific Company ($140,000), Northside Hospital ($240,000), and others who gave smaller amounts. Brooks made specific false representations in his written solicitations about the work that Universal Humanities was doing to combat illiteracy and how the donated funds would be used, claiming that Universal Humanities had established literacy programs and was conducting workshops and tutoring and mentoring students. He also falsely claimed that Universal Humanities utilized a staff and operated under the direction of a board of directors.

The indictment alleges that in reality, Brooks did not use the donations to promote and address literacy in Georgia or elsewhere, or to retain a staff, occupy office space, fund workshops, hire instructors, or conduct programs attended by students. Instead, Brooks used the money to pay personal expenses for himself and members of his family, including home repairs, furniture, lawn service, life insurance, entertainment, personal credit card expenses, utility bills, food and clothing, dry cleaning, electronic equipment, jewelry, and payments on personal loans, among other personal expenses.

GABEO Scheme

A second related scheme charged in the indictment alleges that Brooks also diverted charitable donations he solicited on behalf of GABEO and used much of the money to pay personal expenses for himself and his family. GABEO is an organization of state, county, and municipal elected officials that promotes voter registration, crime prevention, literacy and economic empowerment initiatives.

The indictment alleges that Brooks solicited contributions to GABEO from corporations, organizations, and individuals. When Brooks was elected as GABEO’s president in 1993, the organization already maintained an official bank account at a local bank. This account was administered by GABEO’s treasurer, and disbursements required two signatures by GABEO board members. In December 1997, Brooks secretly opened a second GABEO bank account at a different bank. Brooks set himself up as the sole signatory on this account and had the account statements sent to his address rather than the address of the GABEO treasurer. Brooks then deposited the donations he solicited on behalf of GABEO into this undisclosed account, and used much of these funds to pay personal expenses for himself and his relatives.

Between 2002 and 2012, businesses, civic, religious groups, and individuals contributed approximately $300,000 to GABEO through Brooks, which he then deposited into the undisclosed GABEO account. The indictment alleges that Brooks misappropriated donations he solicited on behalf of GABEO from corporations, local teacher unions, small business owners, and individual donors—all of whom relied on Brooks’ assurances that the contributions were intended to further GABEO’s community activities. The GABEO board was unaware of this activity and did not approve these transactions. In fact, the indictment alleges that after Brooks began diverting donations, members of GABEO’s board of directors noted the organization’s apparent loss of most of its corporate donations.

 

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BREAKING NEWS: USA Today reports President Obama will name Daniel Werfel as acting IRS Commissioner. Daniel Werfel is currently the controller of the Office of Management and Budget. He has served in that role since 2009. He will replace Steve Miller was resigned at the request of President Obama and Treasury Secretary Jack Lew.

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Julian Bond, former NAACP head, believes the IRS was justified in going after the Tea Party, which he calls a ‘Stalinist religion’ full Of ‘Cafeteria Christians.’ Ouch. The NAACP came under IRS scrutiny after publicly opposing President George W. Bush.

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