February 21, 2010 |
|
Shani Davis Wins Gold And Silver At The 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics
American speed skater Shani Davis won the 1,500 meters silver medal Saturday at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games, four days after winning his second gold medal in the 1,000 meters.
Davis, a Chicago native, finished the 1,500 meters in 1 minute, 46.10 seconds to Dutch skater Mark Tuitert's 1 minute, 45.57 seconds. Norway's Havard Bokko won the bronze in 1 minute, 46.13 seconds.
Davis finished the 1,000 meters in first place, winning the gold with a time of 1 minute, 8.94 seconds.
Davis burst on the world olympic stage at the 2006 Turin Games in Torino, Italy, winning the gold medal in 1,000 meters, becoming the first black man to win an individual gold medal in the Winter Olympics. He also won the 1,500 meters silver medal in Torino.
Davis began skating at six. His mother moved to Chicago's far North Side from the South Side, making it easier for him to train. It paid off.
In 2002, he became the first African-American man to earn a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team. He holds world records for 1,000 meters and 1,500 meters. In 2008 and 2009, he was named World Cup Champion for 1,000 meters and 1,500 meters. ^ Top|Share |
|
|
Texas Governor Expected To Sign Petition Pardoning Innocent Man
The Innocence Project of Texas filed a petition this week with the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles for a posthumous pardon of Timothy Cole, 39, who died in prison in 1999 for a rape he did not commit.
In 2008, DNA evidence cleared Cole of the 1985 rape of Michele Mallin in Lubbock County, Texas. The test implicated convicted rapist Jerry Wayne Johnson, who confessed in letters to court officials dating back to 1995 but for unexplained reasons law enforcement officials failed to pursue the lead.
Johnson also mailed a letter in 2007 to Cole's home, confessing to Mallin's rape. Cole's mother read the letter and began working with the Innocence Project of Texas to clear her son's name. Ironically, prosecutors cannot prosecute Johnson for Mallin's rape because the statue of limitations expired.
Cole and Mallin were Texas Tech students in Lubbock when a series of rapes occurred on campus. A Lubbock undercover cop, posing as a Texas Tech coed targeted Cole but there was not any clear reason why he became the rape investigation's subject. Cole's family has since filed a federal lawsuit against a Texas Tech police officer and four Lubbock police officers, including the undercover cop.
Mallin's court testimony sent Cole to prison for 25 years, but he maintained his innocence until his death from asthma complications. Mallin now supports the Innocence Project of Texas' petition for Cole's pardon. Lubbock Police Chief Dale Horton said Cole is innocent and supports the pardon application.
If the board approves the application, Texas Gov. Rick Perry said he would pardon Cole, making Cole the first person in Texas to receive a posthumous pardon based on DNA evidence, according to the Texas Innocence Project.
Initially, Perry refused to sign a posthumous pardon, believing he could not legally do so. In January, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott ruled Perry could pardon Cole.
Last year, Perry signed the Timothy Cole Act, increasing financial compensation. The law, scheduled to take effect Sept. 1, increases the lump-sum payment to wrongfully convicted exonerees to $80,000 annually for every year they spent in prison, according to the Innocence Project of Texas, Lubbock, Texas-based organization that works with the wrongfully convicted. ^ Top|Share |
|
|
Darden Restaurants Raises 2010 Financial Outlook
Clarence Otis, chairman and CEO of Darden Restaurants Inc., owner of Olive Garden and Red Lobster restaurants, raised its 2010 outlook ahead of reporting third-quarter earnings March 23 after markets close.
Investors trade Orlando, Fla.-based Darden's stock on the New York Stock Exchange.
"The signs of sales and traffic improvement we began to see late in the second quarter and discussed during our December conference call with investors continued into January and February," Otis said in a statement Tuesday. "As a result, we are revising upward our outlook for same-restaurant sales and earnings per share for the fiscal year. We recognize that conditions continue to be far from normal. Still we believe our brands are well positioned and our teams are delivering more than ever on our promises to our guests."
Darden Restaurants will open 50 to 55 new restaurants this year. Darden is the world's largest company-owned and operated restaurant company with over $7.2 billion in annual sales. The company employs 180,000 workers. Besides Red Lobster and Olive Garden, Darden ownes LongHorn Steakhouse, The Capital Grille, Bahama Breeze and Seasons 52. ^ Top|Share |
|
|
Memorial Service Held For Murdered University of Alabama Professors
University Alabama Huntsville held a memorial service Friday for two black faculty members and their department head murdered allegedly by a colleague disgruntled because the university denied her tenure.
Huntsville police charged Dr. Amy Bishop with capital murder in the Feb. 12 shooting deaths of Dr. Adriel D. Johnson, Sr., associate professor of biological science; Dr. Maria Ragland Davis, associate professor of biological science, and G.K. Padila, department of biological sciences chairman. Padila,52, was a native of India.
Bishop, a Harvard University Ph.D, allegedly pulled out a gun and began shooting during a routine department meeting. The shooting destroyed the 11-member department. In addition to the three killed, Bishop allegedly wounded three others. Hospital officials released one person.
More than 3,000 students and faculty members attended the memorial service. Johnson, who in 1989 joined the University of Alabama Huntsville faculty, taught general biology, organismal biology, genetics, biochemistry, anatomy and physiology, neurobiology, cellular, molecular and developmental biology. A prolific researcher, his areas of expertise focused on cell biology and nutritional physiology. Johnson authored numerous scientific journal articles.
An Eagle Scout, Johnson was active with the National Eagle Scout Association and the Boy Scouts. He also was actively involved in encouraging black students to pursue degrees in math and the sciences. Johnson earned a bachelor's degree in biology from Washington University, two masters degrees in biology from Tennessee Technology University and a PhD in animal science from North Carolina State University.
Johnson, a Tuskegee, Ala., native, was buried Friday.
Davis, 52, joined the University Alabama Huntsville faculty in 2002, teaching plant genomics and biotechnology. The university awarded Davis a grant to assist her research in plant defense responses to fungal pathogens. The University of Michigan awarded her a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering. She earned a master's degree in chemical engineering and a PhD in biochemistry and plant pathology from North Carolina State University.
Davis, a Detroit native, was a breast cancer survivor. ^ Top|Share |
|
|
|
