NEW SCHOOL SHOOTING ONE YEAR AFTER NEWTOWN.....Arapahoe High School Shooting Leaves 2 Injured, 1 Dead [UPDATE]....15-Year-Old Girl In Critical Condition... Congress's Record Since Newtown: Pathetic... At Least 194 Children Shot To Death In Last Year... Americans Decry Washington Inaction On Gun Control

At least two people were injured in a shooting at Arapahoe High School in Centennial, Colo. on Friday.

One student was taken to a hospital with serious injuries, according to KDVR. The second student suffered a minor gunshot wound...

At a 1:45 p.m. MST press conference, County Sheriff Grayson Robinson said the suspect, who was a student, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Authorities “found his body in the internal portion of the school in a classroom,” Robinson said at a 3 p.m. press conference. The shooter is believed to have acted alone. read more

Thamsanqa Jantjie, 'Fake' Mandela Interpreter, Was Reportedly Accused Of Murder was within arm's length of President Obama and other world leaders

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa's government was confronted Friday with a new and chilling allegation about the bogus sign language interpreter at Nelson Mandela's memorial: He was reportedly accused of murder 10 years ago.

Officials said they were investigating the revelation by the national eNCA TV news station. But they were unable, or unwilling, to explain why a man who says he is schizophrenic with violent tendencies was allowed to get within arm's length of President Barack Obama and other world leaders.

Investigators probing Thamsanqa Jantjie "will compile a comprehensive report," said Phumla Williams, the top government spokeswoman. But she did not say how long the investigation would take and insisted details would not be released until it was completed.

"We are not going to sweep it under the carpet," Williams said. "We want to own up if there is a mistake, but we don't want to be dishonest" to Jantjie. read more

MONTEGO BAY, JAMAICA: Hairdresser shot dead in MoBay......She has been identified as 36-year-old Monique Watson of Rose Heights St James

ST JAMES, Jamaica — A hairdresser was shot and killed during a daring attack at her business establishment at a popular plaza along Barnett Street, Montego Bay Friday afternoon.

She has been identified as 36-year-old Monique Watson of Rose Heights St James.Reports are that about 2:45 a lone gunman walked into Watson's hairdressing parlour and shot her at point-blank range..

She died on the spot. Detectives assigned to the St James police division are investigating. Read more: 

HOUSE SPEAKER, BOEHNER "Not taking it anymore"

 Speaker John Boehner is fed up with relentless criticism from outside conservative groups questioning his leadership and blasting a bipartisan budget proposal. FULL STORY

More: 

• Pelosi to Dems: Embrace the suck   
• House approves budget 
• 5 things that got lawmakers to say yes 
• Deal could up airline travel cost   
• What's next?  

The 14-year-old son of former national football coach, Theodore 'Tappa' Whitmore, was killed by a vehicle registered to the St James Parish Council......Investigation Complete

THE ST JAMES police have completed their investigation into the incident in which Jouvhaine Whitmore, the 14-year-old son of former national coach, Theodore 'Tappa' Whitmore, was killed by a vehicle registered to the St James Parish Council.

Theodore Whitmore

"We have completed our investigations and a file will be sent to the courts office for the clerk of courts to decide if anyone should be charged in connection with the incident," said Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Egbert Parkins, the commanding officer for St James.

Young Whitmore, a student of Cornwall College at the time of his death, was reportedly mowed down by an out-of-control Sports Utility Vehicle, which the parish had only recently sold to a councillor. The transfer of documents from the parish council to the councillor was incomplete at the time of the accident. read more

I Pick Tessanne To Win 'The Voice' - Blake Shelton

Tessanne Chin

The Voice coach Blake Shelton, whose team has won the last three seasons of the American reality television singing competition, is rooting for Jamaican songbird Tessanne Chin to walk away with this season's title.Boasting an incredible vocal talent...

IN JAMAICA: Murder Alarm - Spike In Killings Could Cripple Investor Confidence, Businessmen Warn

Livern Barrett, Gleaner Writer

As the bloodletting by criminals continues seemingly unabated, police statistics have revealed that all but five of the 19 police divisions across the island have reported an increase in murders this year.

Further, according to statistics compiled by the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), eight of these divisions recorded double-digit increases.

This adds up to 1,130 reported murders between January 1 and the first week of this month, a 10 per cent spike when compared with the corresponding period last year.

Zacca

"The trends are very alarming," Christopher Zacca, president of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica, declared yesterday.

"It hasn't gotten there yet, but if it (current trend) continues, it will shake investor confidence," he warned.

Zacca said that the business community is very concerned about the latest developments because "we were making progress, but in recent months, those trends have been reversed". read more

Beyonce Surprises Fans With New Album Featuring Jay Z, Blue Ivy, Drake

Beyonce knows her way around a holiday surprise. The singer end-capped 2013 with an "exclusive visual album" that hit iTunes as Thursday ticked into Friday morning. Her fifth LP is entitled "Beyoncé" and features tracks with Jay Z, Drake, Frank Ocean and the singer's daughter, Blue Ivy.

Beyonce

Every song on the album also comes with its own music video, a mammoth investment for a singer at Bey's level. The project comes amid whispers that Beyonce -- who let the Presidential Inauguration and Super Bowl pass without a new single -- wouldn't let 2013 go without a new album. Whispers turned into a reality that played out on Twitter, where fans excitedly shared the news, mostly in all-caps messages that included the letters "OMG." read more

IN JAMAICA: Under-300 under threat; Road fatalities now stand at 290

FROM all indications, it appears the death toll on the nation's roadways will surpass the 300 figure.

Kenute Hare, director of the Road Safety Unit (RSU) in the Ministry of Transport, Works and Housing, said his office is "very concerned" about this situation. "Our ability to get below 300 is not where we want it to be," he told Auto yesterday.

"The toll currently stands at 290 and we are profoundly concerned." The director said based on projections, the figure could rise to as high as 307. However, he used the opportunity to appeal to road users.

"Breadwinners are being killed... fathers, mothers, sons and daughters, and in many instances, this could have been avoided. We're appealing to everyone, please be cognisant of how you use the roads," he said. Hare said the Ministry of Health has spent close to $2 billion to treat road accident victims. Read more:

Winnie Mandela describes ex-husband's last moments......"one never prepares for death" and describing the "heavy feeling" surrounding his passing.

LONDON (AP) — Winnie Mandela says she feels "very blessed" to have been with ex-husband Nelson Mandela when he died, describing how she sat by his bedside until he drew his last breath.

Winnie Mandela

She spoke to Britain's ITV news about the pain of losing Nelson Mandela, saying that "one never prepares for death" and describing the "heavy feeling" surrounding his passing.

"I went close to him and I noticed he was breathing really slowly. I was holding him trying to feel his temperature and he felt cold. Then he drew his last breath and just rested. He was gone," she said in an interview broadcast Thursday. She told ITV the most difficult moment of the past week was when the military came to remove Mandela's body and she realised "he was leaving the house for good". Read more: 

Canadian-based company to invest US$238 million in Guyana’s mining sector.

Prime Minister Samuel Hinds addressing signing ceremony (GINA Photo)

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Thursday December 12, 2013, CMC – The Canada-based Guyana Goldfields says it is investing US$238 million in the Aurora Gold Project as the government said it was looking forward to large scale gold production by the company during the first quarter of 2015.

Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, welcoming the second largest investment in the mining sector, said as a country, “we have to open to the world.…we have to partner with the world,” particularly given the potential size of the multimillion-dollar investment.

Guyana Goldfields Inc. focuses on the exploration and development of gold deposits here and Hinds said that the experience, expertise and technologies which the investors were bringing into the country would have been difficult source locally. Read more: 

We Never Got To See Michael Jackson Look Like This at 40.

From the time Michael Jackson became a bona fide superstar at the tender age of 5 years old, until his untimely death in 2009 the world got to witness the entertainer grow up before their eyes. But it seems that some folks were a bit eager to see what the King of Pop would turn out like.

Case in point, in 1985 Ebony magazine commissioned an artist named Nathan Wright to dream up what Michael would look like in the year 2000. In celebration of Throwback Thursday (#TBT) here's a look at what Wright created... read more

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Marcia Griffiths's musical journey for docu-film......REGGAE Meets Samba is the title of a Brazilian documentary about singer Marcia Griffiths.

by Cecelia Campbell-Livingston

REGGAE Meets Samba is the title of a Brazilian documentary about singer Marcia Griffiths, currently being filmed in the city Sao Paulo.

Marcia Griffiths

"It surrounds my musical journey. The producer thought I would make a good subject," Griffiths said in an interview with the Jamaica Observer, before leaving for the South American country. Reggae Meets Samba is produced by Bossanova Films, a company located in the city of Salvador de Bahia.

Griffiths, whose career began in the 1960s, said although the feature is about her, it was not the sole reason for participating. "It is a positive move, anything that can establish and take the music to another level, I'm willing," she said.

Griffiths had a number of hit songs during the 1960s for producer Clement Dodd including Feel Like Jumping and Really Together (with Bob Andy). Read more: 

MONTEGO BAY, JAMAICA: Five dead, two injured in St James shootings overnight

MONTEGO BAY, St James — Five people were shot dead and another two were injured in two shooting incidents in this parish yesterday. Last night, Senior Superintendent in charge of the St James Police Division, Egbert Parkins has sought to reassure the public that the constabulary will utilise all legal means to bring those responsible to justice.

In the first incident, the police say about 4:15 am they responded to calls from residents about explosions in the 'Gully' area of William Street of Montego Bay. They said that, on arrival, an unidentified male was seen lying in a pool of blood with what appeared to be gunshot wounds. Two other persons, who were found suffering from gunshot wounds, were taken to the Cornwall Regional Hospital for treatment. One, 19-year-old labourer Leonardo Haughton, died while undergoing treatment, and the other, identified as his mother, Rose-Marie Haughton, was treated and released. The name of the person who was lying in the pool of blood was not ascertained.

In the second incident, which occurred in the Hibiscus area of the Norwood community, the police said 27-year-old mechanic Shane Angling and a female identified as Nicolette Palmer were found dead following explosions in the area. A third person, 20-year-old Natasha Palmer, who was also injured in the incident, later died in hospital.

Read more:

JAMAICA Forex: J$106.07 to one US dollar......Canadian dollar traded for J$100.62.....British pound ended trading at J$174.15

KINGSTON, Jamaica - The US dollar traded at an average J$106.07 on Wednesday, December 11, according to the Bank of Jamaica’s daily foreign exchange trading summary.

Trading closed at J$106 for one US dollar on Tuesday.

1/1

 Meanwhile, the Canadian dollar traded for J$100.62 and the British pound ended trading at J$174.15...

 

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tx) Walks Out Of Nelson Mandela Memorial Service In Protest......While Barack Obama extended his hand, Ted Cruz turned his back.

While Barack Obama extended his hand, Ted Cruz turned his back.

The Cuban-American U.S. Senator from Texas traveled to South Africa as part of a congressional delegation to attend Nelson Mandela’s memorial service on Tuesday. In contrast to President Obama, who made headlines for greeting Cuban head of state Raúl Castro with a handshake, Cruz walked out of the ceremony when Castro’s turn came to speak, ABC News reports.

Ted Cruz

“Sen. Cruz very much hopes that Castro learns the lessons of Nelson Mandela,” Cruz spokeswoman Catherine Frazier told ABC News. “For decades, Castro has wrongly imprisoned and tortured countless innocents. Just as Mandela was released after 27 years in prison, Castro should finally release his political prisoners. He should hold free elections, and once and for all, set the Cuban people free.”

CNN noted that Castro's speech would be a “challenging moment” for the senator, whose father emigrated from Cuba at age 18 in the 1950s, shortly before Cuban dictator Fidel Castro came to power. Like most Cuban exiles who left around those years, Cruz’s father is a dogged critic of the Cuban government. read more

SHOCK: UNIVERSE COULD BE HOLOGRAM.......Is The Universe A Hologram? Physicists Say It's Possible

A team of physicists has provided some of the clearest evidence yet that our Universe could be just one big projection.

At a black hole, Albert Einstein's theory of gravity
apparently clashes with quantum physics,
 but that conflict could be solved if the
 Universe were a holographic projection.
 | MARK GARLICK via Getty Images

In 1997, theoretical physicist Juan Maldacena proposed that an audacious model of the Universe in which gravity arises from infinitesimally thin, vibrating strings could be reinterpreted in terms of well-established physics. The mathematically intricate world of strings, which exist in nine dimensions of space plus one of time, would be merely a hologram: the real action would play out in a simpler, flatter cosmos where there is no gravity.

Maldacena's idea thrilled physicists because it offered a way to put the popular but still unproven theory of strings on solid footing — and because it solved apparent inconsistencies between quantum physics and Einstein's theory of gravity. It provided physicists with a mathematical Rosetta stone, a 'duality', that allowed them to translate back and forth between the two languages, and solve problems in one model that seemed intractable in the other and vice versa. But although the validity of Maldacena's ideas has pretty much been taken for granted ever since, a rigorous proof has been elusive. read more

Obamacare Enrollments Surpass 1.2 Million in 2 months......Quadrupled in two months. People are getting healthcare. The Republicans don't like it that folks are signing up....Website is fixed.

Eric Rawlings of Decatur, Ga., used HealthCare.gov to purchase a health insurance 

WASHINGTON -- More than two months after Obamacare's ugly debut, the number of Americans using the system is starting to grow: Nearly 1.2 million people are on track to have health coverage in place next year from the law's health insurance exchanges, the Department of Health and Human Services announced Wednesday.

From Oct. 1 through Nov. 30, almost 365,000 people enrolled into private health insurance via the federal and state marketplaces and more than 803,000 were deemed eligible for Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program, according to the department..

The federally run exchanges in more than 30 states accounted for 137,000 of the enrollments in private coverage, and the remaining states signed up 227,000. About 1.9 million more people had been determined eligible for coverage through the marketplaces, but hadn't yet chosen a health plan. The new data don't include an apparent flurry of enrollments in the early days of December. read more

6-year-old suspended for kissing girl, accused of sexual harassment......action placed on his record.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• 6-year-old suspended for kissing a girl on the hand, CNN affiliate KRDO reports
• KRDO: Superintendent says behavior fits description of sexual harassment
• Boy was suspended before for rough-housing, kissing same girl on cheek
• Boy's mother calls school response "extreme," wants charge removed from record

Editor's note: Kelly Wallace is CNN's digital correspondent and editor-at-large covering family, career and life. Read her other columns and follow her reports at CNN Parents and on Twitter.

(CNN) -- This is another one of those stories that seems absolutely hard to believe.

A 6-year-old boy near Colorado Springs, Colorado, was suspended from school for kissing a girl on the hand. You read that correctly. "It was during class," first-grader Hunter Yelton said in an interview with CNN affiliate KRDO. "We were doing reading group, and I leaned over and kissed her on the hand. That's what happened." Not only did Hunter's peck get him suspended from school, but the school accused him of sexual harassment, KRDO reported.

Hunter's mom, Jennifer Saunders, is outraged. read more

PORTMORE, JAMAICA: Gunmen murder brilliant 16-year-old school student, John-Michael Hett and the shooting of two other youngsters. The community is devastated by teen’s death.

THE murder of 16-year-old John-Michael Hett and the shooting of two other youngsters on Monday night has hit the community of Portsmouth in Portmore, St Catherine very hard.

Hett, who was a brilliant student of the Dunoon Park Technical High School, was looking forward to sitting six subjects in the upcoming Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations.

A policeman from the Greater Portmore
Police Station offers his condolences
 to grieving neighbours of John-Michael Hett
who was shot dead in the community
of Portsmouth on Monday night.
(PHOTO: JOSEPH WELLINGTON)

 

Police report that Hett and his two friends were walking along a pathway in the community when gunmen pounced and shot all three. The friends are now in hospital being treated for gunshot wounds but Hett was not so lucky.

He died on the spot.A group of residents , gathered close to the house where he lived with his mother were openly hurt and devastated at the news of the demise of one of the community's brightest. "He was always on his laptop (computer) studying. He was always one who had manners and you could ask him any word and he could tell you the meaning out of his head," one resident, close to tears, told the Jamaica Observer. Read more: 

TESSANNE CHIN in the FINALS on The VOICE NEXT WEEK.....LIKE, SHARE & VOTE for TESSANNE to # 1. Call your friends & neighbors and encourage them to VOTE for TESS.

PALAS Awards Ceremony w/ Hon. Phillip Paulwell & Patrick Campbell at XLCR High School August 25, 2012. Forty-Two (42) scholarships were awarded.

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SOUTH AFRICA: The Handshake Seen Around The World, Obama shakes hands with Cuba's Raul Castro..... Will The Republicans make a big deal about this?

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — President Barack Obama has shaken hands with Cuban President Raul Castro at a memorial service for former South African President Nelson Mandela.

US President Barack Obama shakes
 hands with Cuban President Raul Castro
 at the FNB Stadium in Soweto, South Africa

 

The handshake between the leaders of the two Cold War enemies came during a ceremony that's focused on Mandela's legacy of reconciliation. Obama was greeting a line of world leaders and heads of state attending the memorial in Johannesburg. He also shook hands with Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, who has clashed with Obama over alleged National Security Agency spying.

The U.S. and Cuba have recently taken small steps toward rapprochement, raising hopes the two nations could be on the verge of a breakthrough in relations. But skeptics caution that the two countries have shown signs of a thaw in the past, only to fall back into old recriminations. Read more: 

Few Can 'Tess'- Jamaicans Assess Chin's Competition As 'The Voice' Nears End..... "Bridge Over Troubled Water" (VIDEO)....Tessane is # 2 on iTUNES DOWNLOAD

Tessanne- NBC photo

The vision of Tessanne Chin walking away as the winner of 'The Voice' is now less of a dream and more of a possibility. Tessanne has already secured herself a spot in the semi-finals and, here at home, fans of the artiste are already rallying support for more votes by hosting viewing parties around the Corporate Area. An E News online poll also recently showed that 43 per cent of American voters think Tessanne should win competition. The Gleaner canvassed some Jamaican voices to determine who is seen as Tessanne's biggest competition and why. read more

- Davina Henry.

IN KINGSTON, JAMAICA: Gunman shoots his 6 month old infant niece, boy Police searching for gunman who shot kids

A gunman shot his six-month old niece and a teenage boy yesterday during a heated argument with other thugs at Pink Lane in downtown Kingston. Up to press time last night, the 16-year-old boy and the infant were still being treated in hospital.

According to the Kingston West Police, about 11:00 am, men in the area were having an argument that escalated into violence. “Reports we received are that, during the argument, one man went away and returned with a gun.

Minutes later, gunshots were heard in the area,” said Superintendent Steve McGregor. “Since the incident, the police have launched a search for persons involved,” McGregor told the Jamaica Observer, adding that the police will be keeping a close watch on the area to ensure that the incident does not escalate. Read more: 

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa: Barack Obama Remembers Nelson Mandela, His Legacy (VIDEO/PHOTOS).....Ubuntu, "I Am Because You Are".....

President Barack Obama spoke at the memorial service for South African icon Nelson Mandela. (NBCNews.com)

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — President Barack Obama arrived in South Africa on Tuesday for a day of remembrance and celebration for his personal hero Nelson Mandela, the anti-apartheid icon who died last week at age 95.

Obama's motorcade pulled up to a rain-soaked stadium in Johannesburg about an hour into the ceremony, where world leaders and Mandela's grandchildren were lionizing the former South African president. Mourners erupted into massive cheers as they first spottedObama 

and first lady Michelle Obama on television screens. Joining Obama on the 16-hour trip aboard Air Force One were former President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, and former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. Former Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter were also scheduled to attend the memorial service, but traveled to South Africa separately. read more

Star witness to be recalled in VYBZ Kartel trial

THE prosecution's star witness in the murder trial of entertainer Adidja Palmer, better known as Vybz Kartel, and four other men in the Supreme Court in downtown Kingston will be recalled to the witness stand.

Defence attorney Tom Tavares-Finson, who is representing Kartel, informed the court that he wanted to further question the witness in relation to a letter that the witness denied writing and sending to the Office of the Public Defender.

Entertainer Vybz Kartel entering
 the Supreme Court during
 a recent hearing.
 (OBSERVER FILE PHOTO)

 

The team of defence lawyers contend that the witness penned the letter, claiming that he was forced by police to give a statement implicating Kartel, Shawn 'Shawn Storm' Campbell, André 'Mad Suss' St John, Shane Williams, and Kahira, Jones and that he had seen Clive 'Lizard' Williams after the day he was allegedly murdered in August 2011.
The defence is also claiming that the witness, who testified that he saw Williams' body lying motionless in the living room of a house Kartel owned at Havendale in St Andrew, gave his aunt the letter to deliver to the public defender.
Read more:

Vote for TESSANNE CHIN (855-864-2305) on The VOICE......SHARE & VOTE for TESSANNE- "Bridge Over Troubled Water"

Needless to say, I am sure you were all blown away as I was, by another absolutely amazing performance by Tessanne. Time and time again she has proven that she not only deserves to be in this competition, but she also deserves to make it all the way to the top. we now move away from the "judges" portion of the competition to the Live Rounds, which means every performance by Tessanne that you see as of this point in time will be happening in real time. It's also the portion of the competition where advancement doesn't necessarily depend on the judges, but on votes. Click this link  to Vote for Tessanne Chin and see her standings. http://starsofreality.tv/2013/11/05/the-voice-vote-who-are-you-voting-for-on-the-voices-first-live-performance-show/

Largely White Audience Turns Out To Hear Rand Paul Speak At African-American Outreach Event

Rand Paul

WASHINGTON -- The Michigan Republican Party is seeking to increase its visibility in Democratic- and minority-heavy Detroit, and last week, it brought Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) to the city to open the party's African-American Engagement Office. But if anything, the launch event put into stark relief just how much work the GOP has to do, when a largely white audience turned out to hear the senator speak.

Republican National Committee Chair Reince Priebus has said that attracting more minorities to the GOP is crucial for the party's future. He visited Michigan last month, hired radio personality Wayne Bradley to head the African-American Engagement effort in the state and launched the Michigan Black Advisory Council. read more

Fox News Paid Ousted Exec $8 Million In 'Hush Money': Gawker

We now know what it reportedly takes to keep a fired Fox News executive from spilling the beans on all the juicy inner workings at the network: about $8 million.

That's the figure that Gawker said Brian Lewis, the ousted former consigliere to Roger Ailes, was paid by Fox News in a recently uncovered settlement.

Gawker, which reported the figure on Monday, described the payment as "hush money." The site's report is just the latest in a long-running story of intrigue inside one of the most secretive and cutthroat companies in the media industry.

Lewis, who was Ailes' right-hand-man for years before falling out with him, was clearly a potential threat to Fox News and News Corp; as his lawyer told the media in a statement in June, "Roger Ailes and Newscorp have a lot more to fear from Brian Lewis telling the truth about them than Brian Lewis has to fear from Roger Ailes and his toadies telling lies about Brian Lewis."

News Corp has a history of giving its executives a big payout when they leave under something of a cloud; former British newspaper chief Rebekah Brooks, for instance, was paid a whopping $17.6 million when she resigned from the company. read more

Ice, ice baby: Thousands of flights canceled as wintry weather wallops East Coast

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• NEW: Federal agencies in Washington will open two hours late Monday
• Parts of the East Coast from Virginia to New York could get a quarter inch of ice
• More than 3,700 flights have been canceled Sunday and Monday
• "The apocalypse has started," one Texan says

(CNN) -- As Texas begins to thaw from its bizarre deep freeze, East Coast states more accustomed to ice could see a lot of it Monday.

"The greatest area of concern is in central Virginia to southeast New York, where freezing rain is possible," the National Weather Service said. Some parts may see up to a quarter of an inch of ice before temperatures rise late Monday morning and the storm system leaves.

Federal agencies in Washington will open two hours late Monday due to the weather, according to the Office of Personnel Management.

And across the country, stranded travelers are now living at airports as the nasty wintry weather has canceled thousands of flights. read more

A city inside an airport