Florida Sentinel Bulletin

GAINESVILLE, FL – Lawanda Lowery-Gale of Gainsville, Fla., has been charged with DUI, eight counts of child neglect and driving with a suspended license after officers allegedly caught her driving drunk with eight children in her van,

Six of the children reportedly belong to Lowery-Gales’.

The incident occurred Friday night around 9:50 p.m. when Lowery-Gale reportedly side-swiped another vehicle. When cops stopped her, they noticed that there were eight children in the vehicle and that she appeared to be intoxicated.

No one was seriously injured during the traffic incident, though more than $1,000 in damages were incurred.

NEW YORK CITY, NY — New York Police Department officers shot 51-year-old Darrius Kennedy dead in the middle of Times Square Saturday afternoon after he allegedly refused  to put down a large knife he was reportedly wielding at officers and tourists.

A reported 12 shots were fired at Kennedy after he allegedly advanced towards officers with the knife. He was shot several times in the stomach and later died at a local hospital.

The deadly encounter began around 3 p.m. when an officer reportedly noticed Kennedy smoking a joint. When the cop tried to cuff him, Kennedy grew irate and pulled out a six-inch blade. Kennedy allegedly began wielding it in the middle of Times Square.

He was pepper-sprayed six times, but it did not force Kennedy to give in to officers’ demands, according to NYPD officials. He was repeatedly asked to put down the knife but refused to do so, police officials said.

JONESBORO, ARK. — Two weeks after a handcuffed 21-year-old Mississippi man mysteriously died from a gunshot wound in the head while in the back of a police car in Jonesboro, Ark., local police are standing by their theory that it was the victim who pulled the trigger.

Chavis Carter and two other men were pulled over by cops in Jonesboro on July 29 for allegedly driving suspiciously. The officers called for backup. During the stop, marijuana and small plastic bags were reportedly found on Carter. Officers said that they placed Carter in the back of one of the police vehicles.

They claim he was not handcuffed at that point.

Carter’s family, as well as the FBI who are also looking into the case, find it odd that a handcuffed man could shoot himself while cuffed in the backseat of a police vehicle. But Jonesboro Chief of Police Micheal Yates says the scenario is not far fetched at all.

The arresting officers claim they do not know at which point the gunshot fired, even though they were only a car length away. It was only when the officers were about to head to the police station that they smelled smoke and noticed Carter slumped over and covered in blood. Police called 911 and tried to revive him, but he later died at a local hospital.

Carter’s mother, Theresa Carter, says that her son was shot on the right side of his head. She said he was left-handed.

Ohio has made voting harder for Democrats and easier for Republicans.

ThinkProgres, The Nation magazine and MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow reported this week that Ohio’s Republican Secretary of State Jon Husted has intervened in county-by-county voting rules to break ties in county boards of elections, siding with Republicans who want to limit voting in large urban centers like Cleveland — which are heavily populated by Democrats — to work hours, while county boards in Republican-leaning areas voted to allow expanded early voting hours that will make casting a ballot easier.

Starting October 1st, voters in Democrat-leaning urban centers including Cleveland, Columbus, Akron and Toledo will now only be allowed to vote between 8 am and 5 pm on weekdays, when the majority of people are at work. The board of elections in these counties, which are split evenly between Democrats and Republicans, was gridlocked over a Democratic effort to expand hours. The Republican Secretary of State Jon Husted stepped in to deny expanded hours in these counties. But Republican-heavy counties have actually expanded early voting hours on nights and weekends, when most people have time to go to the polls.

Northeast Pennsylvania Spirit of 1776, a branch of the Tea Party, has sent out an email blast with Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Patrick Henry and others, taking turns assaulting President Barack Obama, reports Think Progress. According to these self-proclaimed American patriots, it’s just for kicks and giggles.

A member of the Tea Party confirmed to Think Progress that the organization sent out the email because it was funny, and more importantly, because President Obama “may be a Muslim.”

In an appearance on “Anderson Cooper 360°,” Tea Party leader Mark Williams claimed that Pres. Obama was “Racist-in-Chief” and an “Indonesian Muslim turned welfare thug,” who did not have America’s best interest at heart

SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco’s mayor has abandoned a police stop-and-frisk proposal designed to get weapons off the streets.

There was an outcry after Mayor Ed Lee said in June that he was considering stop and frisk, which involves officers stopping and searching suspicious people for weapons.

Stop and frisk is popular in New York City, but critics liken it to racial profiling.

The mayor now says he will instead rely on targeted police enforcement, crime-tracking software, and increased involvement by ministers to combat the gun violence.

Lee is announcing details of his alternative plan on Tuesday at Bayview’s Calvary Hill Community Church.

A series of recent developments in the Trayvon Martin case reveal that the parents of the slain teen are not sitting idly while their son’s killer, George Zimmerman, awaits his fate.

Sybrina Fulton filed paperwork last week to jumpstart a lawsuit against the insurance company for the Retreat at Twin Lakes homeowners association, seeking monetary damages in the death of her 17-year-old son within the gates of the townhome community.

In the documents, Travelers Casualty and Surety Company of America is seeking clarification of its responsibilities in Trayvon’s and requested the judge to strike down any chance of the company having liability in the case.

According to a report, Travelers is asking the court for defense against paying monies to the Martin family and to rule that the company “has no duty to defend The Retreat at Twin Lakes,” according to the filing. While the courts are not releasing the amount of damages sought by Fulton, Travelers’ documents reveal that the amount exceeds $75,000.

Martin family attorney Benjamin Crump said that while Travyon’s parents are committed to seeking justice for their son, he also feels that his office should pursue the claims against other entities that could be responsible as well.

JACKSON, Miss. — A predominantly white Mississippi church has apologized for its refusal to allow a Black couple to marry in its sanctuary, though the couple said Monday they knew nothing of the apology until a reporter called.

The First Baptist Church of Crystal Springs posted the apology on its website Sunday, saying it was seeking “forgiveness and reconciliation” with Charles Wilson and Te’Andrea Henderson Wilson, their families and friends and God.

“This wrong decision resulted in hurt and sadness for everyone. Both the pastor and those involved in the wedding location being changed have expressed their regrets and sorrow for their actions,” reads part of the six-paragraph statement.

However, Charles Wilson said no one from the church had contacted him or his wife.

“I can’t believe they think they’ve apologized,” Wilson said. He said only one or two people from the church have contacted him in recent weeks, and they did so personally and not as representatives of the church.

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama celebrated his 51st birthday Saturday with a round of golf and a quiet weekend at Camp David, taking a break from campaigning three months before Election Day.

Pres. Obama, wearing a white golf shirt, khaki pants and sunglasses, boarded Marine One at Andrews Air Force Base after about six hours on the golf course before heading to Camp David. He was joined by a small group of friends and aides that included White House chef Sam Kass, a frequent golf partner.

He returns to campaign mode soon enough, with fundraisers in Connecticut on Monday and campaign rallies in Colorado on Wednesday and Thursday.

Next weekend, Pres. Obama will hold several birthday-themed fundraisers in Chicago, including one at his family’s South Side home. Pres. Obama’s campaign used the event to drum up small-dollar donations before the end of the July fundraising deadline, offering two lucky winners the chance to attend the fundraiser at Pres. Obama’s red brick home.

Pres. Obama: Electoral Votes Make Nice Birthday Gifts

WINTER PARK, Fla. — President Barack Obama has a simple wish for his upcoming 51st birthday: Florida’s 29 electoral votes.

Pres. Obama was serenaded to the tune of “Happy Birthday” on Thursday during the start of a campaign rally in battleground Florida, an early nod to his birthday on Saturday. The Democratic president, locked in a tight re-election campaign against Republican Mitt Romney, was not too bashful about suggesting potential gifts.

“If I had known you guys were going to sing we would have had a cake. And then I would have blown out the candles, I would have made a wish, that probably would have to do with electoral votes,” Pres. Obama said. “Winning Florida wouldn’t be a bad birthday present.”