WELCOME HOME CM EPpEs __” Serving Greater Greenville And Eastern North Carolina since 1988 - Michael J ackson Dies At Age 30 Death : Still ~ By Dan Whitcomb and Laura ~ Isensee Dan Whitcomb And “Laura Isensee — LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - _ Doctors Michael Jackson on Friday but could not immediately determine what killed the “King of Pop,” amid reports he had been injected with a narcotic painkiller shortly before collapsing, Jackson was in full cardiac arrest when paramedics arrived at his rented mansion in the Holmby Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles on Thursday afternoon, with his personal physician trying desperately to revive him. The 50-year-old Pop superstar was rushed to nearby UCLA Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead-without cause : of death (determination) has been deferred, which means that — the médical examiner has ordered additional testing such as toxicology and other studies,” Los Angeles County Coroner’s ‘spokesman Craig Harvey said. “Those tests we anticipate will take. an additional four to six weeks.” Speaking to a throng of reporters outside . the coroner's office, Harvey said, “There was no indication of. any external trauma or ~ indication of foul play to the body of Mr. Jackson,” Police said they were seeking to question Jackson’s personal physician, identified by news St John Em Christ, Disciples of Christ invite you to visit the St, John Empowerment Center located Church Road, Washington, North Carolina, The 22,000 square foot facility houses a multipurpose gymnasium state-of -the-art music room. with ties that are available to accommo. banquet, family reunion meeting or spe- date your nex conducted an. autopsy on the body of choose a mortuary for funeral arrangements, Harvey said. - | There was no immediate word - On when he would be laid to rest. Celebrity website TMZ.com, citing an interview with, an _ unidentified “close member” of the Jackson family, reported the entertainer was injected with Demerol about half an hour before he went into cardiac arrest. DAILY SHOT OF DEMEROL? TMZ, citing family members, said Jackson received a daily shot of Demerol; a narcotic painkiller, and that the family believed his death was caused by an overdose of the drug. Detectives searched. Jackson’s home and impounded Murray’s Mercedes from the driveway, saying it might contain evidence. _ An unidentified man called’a 911 emergency phone line from the mansion at 12:21-p.m. local time, saying Jackson was unconscious and not breathing. In excerpts from the call released by authorities; the caller said the physician was the only other person. present and was frantically performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the unconscious Jackson without results. “He’s pumping, he’s pumping his chest but he’s not responding to anything, sir, please,” the man said, A senior law enforcement official told ABC News that Jackson was “heavily addicted”. to the painkiller Oxycontin and was injected daily with that medication, along with Demerol. Lawyer Brian Oxman, a Jackson family spokesman, told CBS’ “The Early Show” he had been concerned about - the prescription drugs Jackson took due to injuries sufféred while performing. “I do not want to at 2240 St. John ‘Michael Unsolved After Autopsy ‘media as Houston-based __. cardiologist Dr. Conrad Murray. ~~ Jackson’s body will be released _, to family members after they point fingers at. anyone because I: want to hear what the toxicology report says and the coroner says but the plain fact of the matter is that Jackson. had Prescription drugs at. his disposal at all times,” Oxman said. Fans and fellow pop stars revived memories of Jackson’s musical genius, tarnished over the past decade by accusations of child molestation and eccentric behavior. U.S. President Barack Obama called Jackson a “spectacular performer” but said he believed aspects of his life were “sad and tragic,” the White House said. Facing a battered reputation and a mountain of debt that The Wall Street Journal reported ran to $500 million, Jackson spent the last two months rehearsing for a series of London’concerts, including Wednesday in Los Angeles. Despite reports of Jackson’s ill health, the promoters of the London shows, AEG Live, said in March that Jackson passed a 4 1/2-hour physical examination with independent doctors. TMZ reported it was AEG that had _ retained Murray. In death, Jackson’s music enjoyed an immediate rebound that eluded him for years. His songs surged to the top 15.on online retailer Amazon.com’s best-selling albums within hours. He dominated the charts in the 1980s and was one of the most successful entertainers, with 13. Grammy Awards and several seminal music videos. His 1982 album “Thriller” yielded seven top-10 singles. But he was twice accused of molesting young boys and was charged in 2003 with child sexual abuse. He was acquitted of all charges in a four-month trial in 2005. powerment Center Open To Serve The Entire Community | | the public at’a reasonable rate.The St. >» John empowerment center is equipped to - |) Serve'the entire community by offering “7 numerous services to address the issues 4 Of the total person.:Such as, the St. John | Leadership Academy that provides courses to both clergy and laity, the St, John Summer enrichment that serves chil- dren in grades kindergarten to eighth, - health programs courses in subjects such ‘aS Money management and basketbal] | "leagues .To learn more about the center, and its numerous amenities The St. John empowerment center can be reached at (252) 975.3700 and is currently open Monday-Friday between 10:00 am and 6:00pm pictured above Pastor Russel] Wilkins and Mrs.Fagan executive secre. lary, everyone is invited to stop by for a tour of the facility cial event The center also has a fitness center open to Photo by Hayward Johnson * June ~ July 2009 Free The Pitt County Branch of the NAACP _ Recognizes Operation Sunshine Cs The Executive Board of the Pitt County Branch of the NAACP recognizes operation Sun- VPESLZ S9TTTAtranan-e shine for the service the Organization has given our community, as well as the excellence they have obtained at their faxility, as advocates of young men and women in the community who acheived great accomplishments. The NAACP appreciates the time and energy Mrs. Davis and her staff spend as leaders of many. They also wanted to congratulate them for the manner that they continue even in these tough economic times. therfore they have been chosen as a recipient of the 2009 Pitt County NAACP Community Service Award in the anount of $1,000.00 Operation Sunshine the Minority Voice Salutes you! Keep up the good work! Photo by Jim Rouse | roti Ann Huggins Appointed To The North Carolina State Social Services Commission — Ann Floyd Huggins was appointed to the North Carolina State Social Services Commission by Governor Beverly Perdue. The appointment is effective imediately and. will expire on March 31, 2013. Commissioner Melvin McLawhorn administered the Oath of office. Attend- ees for the event were: Mayor Pat Dunn Social Services Director George.Perry, retiredSocial * Services Director Ed Garrison, Social Service Member LaVerna Parker, NAACP President Calvin Henderson and Beatrice Henderson. Congratulaions Mrs. Huggins you deserve it! The CM EPPES ALUMNI 30th Reunion Friday July 3 - July 5 2009 Friday _Saturday Sunday - 7:30pm «12:30pm 11:00 am Fun Night Community Church Service City Hotel Bistro’ Field Day Rey. Eve Rogers Thomas Foreman New Demensions Saturday __ Park Community ~~ -$:30am Church Reunion Saturday Sunday ina... 2 — 4300pm ~~ Reunion Cookout Guest Speaker 6 Vance St. Dr. Wiley Hines _for Information : City Hotel Bistro Ben Johnson eiactg Ph. 252.258.6817 Breakfast 3 City Hotel Bistro Banquet Saturday 3rd St. School - Welcome Home Bulldogs !!! ON po The - Minority Voice estes 6/1/09- 6/16/09 Page 7 ~ Black Press of America Convenening i in Minneapolis him. The Merit Awards, an event of the -NNPA Foundation, chaired by Dorothy Leavell, recognizes publishers and writers for their journalist excellence and Service over the past year. . ‘Leavell applauds King as “’the only contemporary publisher to have a Merit Awards category named for him. It will now be known as the Don King Best Sports Section Award. The award was voted to be named for him by the NNPA Foundation board of directors,” she says. “Hej joins a long list of luminaries and- distinguished publishers, staff members and outstanding . musical artists in having Categories named for them, including Robert §. Abbott, Carl Murphy, Ida B. Wells, Frank L. Stanley, Robert L. ‘Vann, Leon H. Washington, _ John ‘H. Sengstacke, Ada S. Franklin, Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong,” King is Don King ~by Hazel Trice Edney NNPA Editor N Cheif WASHINGTON (NNPA) - Boxing promoter and Black publisher Don King, actor/ comedian Bill Cosby, members of the Congressional Black Caucus and top Black publishers from around the nation are among the big names to highlight the 2009 National Convention of the National Newspaper being honored as much for his Publishers Association in community contributions as Minnesota this week, for his publishing career, ‘’He revolutionized boxing as we _know it today and has made significant contributions to African-Americans and African-American causes,” says Leavell. She also credits him for taking over and reviving the Call & Posts after the death of William 0. Walker. “’Don King revived the Call and Post newspapers “NNPA continues to be the much-needed voice for issues of concern that affect the. ongoing development and Success within the African American community,” John B. Smith Sr., chair of the federation of the more than 200 Black-owned newspapers and publisher of the Atlanta | Inquirer, says in a statement. by hiring"a professional staff that has maintained the high journalistic standards. that was the mission set out by Mr. Walker This year’s Merit Awards will also feature a ew HIV/AIDS Education Award, sponsored by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the California-based Black AIDS Institute, headed by HIV/AIDS activist Phill Wilson, Also, Members of the Congressional’ Black Caucus, including CBC Chairwoman Barbara Lee (D- Calif.); Keith Ellison (D-Minn.); and Donna Christensen (D-V.1:) are among those confirmed to lead a Saturday morning health “workshop: U. S. Sen--Roland Burris (D-IIl.), the only Black member of the U. S. Senate, in. the throws of a re-election campaign, is also expected to address the publishers. NNPA, among the / most powerful and most respected coalitions of journalists and publishers in the nation, will also hold an election of a new chair as Smith completes four years of leadership. The . summer conference is the largest of four annual gatherings of the NNPA. publishers. The other three are the annual winter conference, the September board meetings during the Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference, and Black Press | “2009 marks another | milestone for NNPA. because | it represents 182 years of news gathering, awareness building | and providing vitally needed | Services to our communities, | Through journalistic leadership and devotion to efficiently promote community progress, our mission is to empower minorities through — the Black Press.” Publishers Al McFarlane of Insight News and Tracey L. Williams of the Minnesota Spokesman- Recorder are co-hosting the annual summer event, “Their respective reputations in the community are outstanding with impressive records as advocates to. empower the minority cominunity,” says. Smith. Among the highlights, boxing promoter Don King, _ owher of the Cleveland and Columbus Call & Post newspapers, is slated to attend the annual Merit Awards Gala on Friday night as a sports : wfiting award is named for }—~ : pate roline ia East Dees "Caneievth, N Ce $ LP Week in March. As the Black Press of America is nearly two centuries ‘old, the annual summer conference illustrates the vitality and vibrancy of Black Newspapers €ven as many of them are struggling during the historic economic downturn. “Corporations will have the Opportunity to gain further insight about the significance of the Black Press Of America, the high trust level of its readership, and how to be effective partners,” says Smith. This is particularly apropos as Black newspapers played a Pivotal role in the eleetion of the nation’s first Black President ¢ Barack Obama last year. NNPA members met at the White House ‘with the President and First Lady during Black Press Week in March to give him the Organization’s Newsmaker of the Year Award. This week’s conference is not all business. On Saturday night, after an afternoon blues concert, the publishers will venture to the Minnesota Orchestra Hall for a show featuring comedian/actor and © steadfast commitment to author Bill Cosby. As many White-owned newspapers haye shut their doors across the ‘hation, the bond and unified among NNPA mission : Visit any of our Greenville locations or call: : 252.321.6439 252.321.6415 Normal credit approval applies. Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender @ iinlinntitiemteethindimminhtieeni uta Sareea aap cine ie ee _ Wanta home loanthat’s affordable, flexible and reasonable? - With First Citas Community Mortgage Lending, you can have all oa three. From flexible credit guidelines to reasonable down Payment ‘7 requirements, we're here to make buying a home affordable. , 1 ap % ‘ firstcitizens.com esteemed | First Citizens publishers continue # to fortify its strength and survival. Forums pertaining to revenue and advertising growth will be a staple at the conference, But a major focus will also be placed On issues such as racism and social disparities that have either. grown or remained steady in America. Concludes Smith, “Our theme, ‘Building Coalitions to Advance our Community: ' Educate, Empower, Inspire’, reflects our writing the stories tackling the issues that would otherwise go Behe arg. * TA he The Minority Voice Newspaper Page 8 ichael J ackson 3 Will The Stories Ever End We've heard them all befte: Michael Jackson sleeps the “Elephant Mai’s” bones for $1 million. Michael _ Cleans his own bedroom. Tabloid-esque speculation ina hyperbaric chamber. Michael Jackson purchased Jackson’s pet monkey Bubbles is potty-trained and defined the life of the late King of Pop, so it’s not all- ors would follow him to the grave. Here’s some of the wackier post- ackson (who was there leading the tour), y ensued. Fans from all-over began pointing out the image, and - chat forums were flooded with messages insisting the shadow was J ackson’s ghost Secret girlfriend? As Tumors swirl around the mysterious paternity (and maternity, for that matter) of Michael’s three children, - UK’s Mirror is adding a twist to the custody battle. According to the paper, at the time’ of his death, Jackson was in a long-term relationship with hig childre n’s nanny, 42-year-old Grace Rwaramba.The Mitror claims: “Ian Barkley, who travelled the woild with J acko for three years as his personal photographer, in love while she was nanny to his n call Rwaramba “mom” and Jackson and Rwaramba Married, but that has been denied by Rwaramba sa Show must go on? } Reports claim that Joe Jackson and the Jackson brothers are planning a Jackson 5 reunion tour and will have Michael performing beside them in hologram-form. The family is said to be hoping the hologram will =. be ready for Jackson's memorial service at E-A."s Staples Center. Buried brainless? , Los Angeles Coroners office has reported] out his brain. Sources tell the Mirror that Jackson’s brain was " with Sans the important organ instead of Waiting for it to be returned. Soon after Jackson’s death, rumors emerged that the late King of Pop had converted to Christianity just a my few weeks before his death with the help of gospel singer Andrae Crouch. The Boston Globe briefly cited | the conversion in an article about Jackson’s religious explorations, and Christianity Today even took to | their blog to address the rumors. But according to Crouch’s Facebook page (via Crouch’s administrator); | “The Crouches did NOT lead Michael Jackson to the Lord, They DID pray with him, but NOT a prayer of | ‘salvation’. It is arumor that they ‘led him to Christ’, Please spread the ‘truth’ as quickly as the rumor has | spread. It’s understandable that such an extraordinary life would be riddled with | Michael Jackson may be gone, but if the media coverage Surrounding his death is any indication, his story is far from over. NEW YORK — On Tuesday (June 30), the Reverend Al Sharpton led a memorial for | Michael Jackson at Harlem’s Apollo Theater. Thousands 0 } -Allison Louie-Garcia Reverend Al Shapton Leads Memorial At Apollo Theater NEW YORK — On Tuesday (June 30), the Reverend Al Sh o the world-famous venue, where it looked as if more than “ a ee ce ees eeaeee arpton led a memorial for Michael Jackson at | Harlem’s Apollo Theater. Thousands of fans lined up as early as. 5 a.m., according to reports. The theater . 910.209.0542 | | Michael in 2002 came back and performed at the Apollo for the Democratic National Committee. * ee | e ) , ees oo ee . ' . } e-mail keiimul @ yahoo.com ‘ . | | . | . opened its doors at 2'p.m., admitting Jackson’s fans 600 at a time. MTV News went to the world-famous | -— For Department Store venue, where it looked as if more than 1,000 people were lined up waiting. “The Apollo has always been the |= pe. = symbol for black music and, later on, popular music becausé as black music expanded, American popular | sy P erfumes / Colognes | music became greatly grounded in the black music tradition,” Sharpton explained from his office, “No one was | | $45.00 Any Kinds | Tesponsible for that more than Michael Jackson. “1 said, ‘We need to do a memorial in New York and give the | Ve ° people in New York an Opportunity to express their love for Michael, similar to when we brought James | Contact Miss Rouse } | Brown’s body to the Apollo,’ “ Sharpton continued. “Michael was a part of Amateur Night at the Apollo, , | | | ee ne ECONOMIC RECOVERY WORKSHO PS Por SMAILI & Fis MORI ALYY TT. NWDERUTILIZEM BUSINESSES Preparing NC Minority and Small Businesses For Job Opportunities NOW! "uy 16, 2000 9:30 me Todays Christian — 252,258-6541 office | Today's Christian 1 Magazin he reaches the most influential fuential | ERR She Sy a = oe audeince of today with new content and infor- LOCATION | . {| | mation most enjoyed by the christian community, this Te ee ran Business Center Magazine offers a unique and rich array of marketing , yr ~yprmearaiel 27892 options for its clients to reach the afore metioned commu- nity. For Ad placement call 252.258.6541 or email ; pastoradams @ todayschristianmagazine.com i atin ae Ne \ sis ; Res a carat We a a ge al’ ei Ga | Rae NCRacoviky cov fi * Ly Olive Comin Meum y & Tinemalerenl ne we i