Source: AP

Details are very slowly emerging about Friday’s tragic school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Connecticut.

Lt. Paul Vance held a press conference Saturday morning and stated that all victims, 20 children and six adults, have been identified and their families have been notified.  All of the bodies have been moved from the school to the local morgue as the investigation continues. The medical examiner is expected to speak to the press later on Saturday and will be charged with identifying the names of all the victims.  Lt. Vance pleaded with the media to respect the wishes of the parents and families by not hounding them for comments and respecting their privacy. To that end, each family will be supplied with a trooper to be by their side at all times.

The police also didn’t say much about the shooter, now identified as 20 year old Adam Lanza.  While his older brother, Ryan, was detained for questioning by police on Friday, there has been no word on whether or not he was involved in this shooting.  The shooter killed his mother, Nancy, in her home before continuing on to the school, bring the death toll to 27 people.  Nancy Lanza was also a teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary. Law enforcement is still checking on a third crime scene in New Jersey but are not giving more information as to not give false information.

Lt. Vanza added that it appears that the shooter was not just openly welcomed into the building and forced his way in. It has been reported that the shooting occurred in a very specific area of the school and targeted only two classrooms.  There were three weapons found: a Bushmaster rifle was found in the car of the shooter and two pistols were found on him, all of which were legally purchased by his mother and in her name.  It is assumed that he killed himself after he finished his massacre.

The police expect the investigation will continue for at least another day while they continue to figure out the timeline of events.  Further, while they have not stated a reason for the shooting, police say they found evidence at Nancy Lanza’s home which gives them a good idea as to how and why it happened.

Source

We will keep you posted when any major news is given.

From ESSENCE

In light of the murder-suicide by Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher of his girlfriend, Kasandra Perkins, and himself, the National Football League is stepping in to provide financial assistance to the couple’s now-orphaned child. The league has agreed to pay for funeral arrangements and provide their three-month-old daughter, Zoey, with at least $1 million throughout her life span.

According to TMZ, the NFL agreed to pay for funeral arrangements to relieve the families from massive funeral and memorial service bills.

Baby Zoey, who is now in the custody of the Belcher family, will be taken care of through the league’s Surviving Child Benefit and health care plan. According to USA Today, she will receive $9,000 a month for the next four years and at least $4,000 a month until she turns 18, or 23 if she decides to go to college.

You can get the story in its entirety over at ESSENCE.

Source: WENN

Sherman Hemsley will finally be laid to rest soon in a military burial three-and-a-half months after the actor passed away July 24. Sadly, Hemsley’s burial was delayed due to bickering over his $50,000 estate, and based on the ruling the judge laid down it was all for nothing. During a hearing, Sherman’s original wish for Flora Enchinton to be the beneficiary of his estate was upheld in court.

The cause of the delayed burial was Richard Thorton, a man who claimed to be Hemsley’s half-brother and who challenged the validity of the actor’s will, which was written six weeks before he died. According to Fox News:

At a deposition in September, Thornton was ordered by the judge to take a DNA test to prove his relationship to Hemsley. According to his attorney, the tests did prove their brotherhood – but at that point the judge refused to take the evidence into consideration as Thornton missed the deadline to submit the results to the court.

The proceedings were dragged out due to complications associated with gathering evidence, and then pushed back to the travel woes caused by Hurricane Sandy. However, court proceedings may not be completely over just yet.

“The judge admitted the will to probate and appointed Flora Enchinton Bernal as the independent executrix of the Estate. The Court also ruled that Ms. Enchinton Bernal was the person authorized to make the decisions as to Mr. Hemsley’s burial arrangements. At the conclusion of the trial, Mr. Thornton’s attorney indicated that he planned to appeal. To my knowledge, no appeal has yet been filed,” added Neill.

Regardless of the threat of appeal, Echinton’s lawyer told Fox that a military funeral is now being planned for Hemsley, who served for four years in the United States Air Force prior to launching his acting career.

“My client is planning on a military funeral for Mr. Hemsley at Fort Bliss National Cemetery here in El Paso. Mr. Hemsley previously served in the United States Air Force and thus is eligible for a military funeral,” said attorney Alexander Neill. “At the present we are waiting for all of the final orders to be entered by the Court so the funeral plans can proceed.”

Let’s hope they wrap this up by Christmas — literally.

Source: Getty

As sad as it is for singer Natina Reed to have died so suddenly, the tragedy of the young singer’s death has been magnified by the fact that the circumstances surrounding her death remain unclear.

What is known is that the 32-year-old was hit by a car on Lawrenceville Highway near Hamilton Road in Atlanta. What’s unknown is why she was walking on the highway Friday night and what caused the driver of the car, whom police do not plan to file any charges against, to hit her. Natina’s parents spoke out to Channel 2 news seeking answers, with her mother, Tamara Goodridge, saying:

 “We’re not looking to be victims. We’re not seeking to be angry, but we do need a resolve.”

Natina’s father, Paul Reed, expressed those same sentiments, hinting at what he believes may have led to his daughter’s death.

“She was on the phone. She was walking across the street on the phone, and the next thing she’s on the floor.”

“I’m sure it played a big part in it, Natina’s mother added, “so I’m asking anyone who will view this tape to please be conscientious of the cellphones.”

Beyond that information, Natina’s parents and police want to know where their daughter was coming from that night and where she was headed. For now, though, they are preparing  for a public wake and funeral set for Friday and Saturday.

“[Natina] was full of life, tenacity and a visionary always a visionary and very good at what she did,” her mother said, with her father adding:

“Even her acting you could see the light of what she was trying to communicate. Her acting was so profound that you believed the story.”

Hopefully the singer’s parents will soon have more answers than questions regarding Natina’s death.

Source: WENN

We’re a bit late with this news, but last week LL Cool J’s father passed away. On Thursday, the rapper tweeted a message to his father James Nunya, who was 65 at the time he died, saying:

According to Rolling Out, LL was raised by his mother, Ondrea Smith, after his parents divorced when he was 4. It would appear his father James was still a big part of his life from the tweet LL sent out. The rapper didn’t share any details regarding the cause of death, only sending out a follow up message to thank his fans for their prayers and thoughts. We’re definitely praying for him and his family at this time.

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Source: WENN

Under normal circumstances I would say Sherman Hemsley must be turning over in his grave right now, but unfortunately the actor still doesn’t have one because he hasn’t been buried yet, despite passing away July 24. Shameful, right?

The hold up is the $50,000 “fortune” Hemsley left to Flora Enchinton, a woman he considered his “beloved partner.” Though the wish is plainly stated in a will, the actor’s alleged brother is contesting it, claiming the money should go to him and now a judge is making him prove his family ties. According to the Las Cruses Sun-News:

On Monday, Probate Court No. 1 Judge Patricia Chew delayed the trial over the actor’s estate — and his body — until Oct. 31. At the same time, the man who says he’s Hemsley’s brother was asked to take a DNA test.

Hemsley’s body has been at an East El Paso funeral home since he died of lung cancer July 24. The body will remain there until the probate trial ends and a beneficiary is determined.

The trial, originally scheduled for Monday, will settle a lawsuit involving Richard Thornton, the man claiming to be Hemsley’s brother, and Flora Isela Enchinton Bernal, his listed beneficiary, who lives in El Paso.

Thornton and his lawyer, Mark Davis, asked the court to order a genetics test to see whether Hemsley’s DNA matches Thornton’s. The request was made after Enchinton questioned whether Thornton was really Hemsley’s brother.

The genetics test must be filed with the court by Oct. 15.

“Be prepared to produce it because there will be no more continuances,” Chew said…

After hearing of Chew’s ruling, Mike Wells, who said he is a cousin on Hemsley’s mother’s side, said he will try to intervene legally before Oct. 31.

“There is only one person in the world who I believe Sherman would call a sister, and that is my mother,” Wells said. “And I’ll say that in court anywhere and to anyone.”

Wells believes that Enchinton was not close to Hemsley and that the Thorntons are not related to the actor.

“I believe I might know who Sherman’s father is, and it is not a Thornton,” Wells said. “We are family, and we are not looking for money. But if we are entitled to something, we don’t want anyone else to have it.”

Before the judge ordered the test, Thornton’s nephew, Robert Thornton, took the stand to speak in favor of a DNA test.

Robert Thornton said his uncle’s father, William Thornton, was a “lover” of Hemsley’s mother but was with another woman by the time Hemsley was born.

Robert Thornton said that Hemsley lived with William Thornton for five years as a child and that there was a loving relationship between Hemsley and his alleged father.

“It was family knowledge that he was Sherman’s father,” Robert Thornton said. “I saw the relationship was there. He was present with Sherman quite often.”

When Neill brought up media interviews in which Hemsley said he was an only child and did not have contact with his father, Robert Thornton maintained that the two were close.

“I couldn’t know what was in his head or why he would be saying that at the time,” Robert Thornton said. “He was at his father’s funeral. If he had no relationship with his father and didn’t care of him, why would he travel over 2,000 miles to attend his funeral?”

I really don’t even know what to say about all of these individuals quarreling over $50K that it appears Hemsley clearly delegated who he wanted it to go to. But of course as these things go, the supposed distant relatives don’t believe the will is valid.

“I’m aware she has a paper,” Robert Thornton said. “It seems kind of strange to me, one of the signatures seems like a tracing to me. I’m not a signature expert or anything, but it looked odd.”

I think the best way to tell who really has Hemsley’s best interest at heart is the person willing to put foolishness aside in order to finally put his body at rest. So basically no one.

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Image: iStockphoto

Death is never a subject many people like to think about. But there are several financial steps you need to take to prepare for the inevitable.

According to a new Forbes article, “7 Money Musts Before You Die,” there are key things to do to make sure your family not only inherits your fortune but also understands the family´s financial situation.

Here’s what Forbes suggests:
1.    Make sure you have adequate life insurance.
2.    Update beneficiaries on retirement accounts, annuities and life insurance policies.
3.    Research whether you can add beneficiaries to your other assets, such as bank and investment accounts.
4.    Draft a will.
5.    Consider creating a trust. This is an option to take especially if you have a complex financial or family situation.
6.    Try to involve your spouse in family finances.
7.    Make a record of where everything is.

Besides these steps there are others things to do, according to Investopedia like take stock of what you own, make a list of your debts, the organizations you belong to and charities you support.

You should also make a list of all your social media passwords, so your family can close your email, Factbook, Twitter and other online accounts, a modern issue that tends to get overlooked.

Source: Allvoices.com

Families know how to act up when someone with a little bit of money dies don’t they? In case you were wondering why there were never any details reported on Sherman Hemsley’s funeral it’s because it hasn’t happened yet — and it likely won’t for a long time. “The Jefferson’s” actor has been dead for over a month now, 36 days to be exact, yet his remains still remain refrigerated in an El Paso, TX, funeral home because of a dispute over the validity of his will.

News One reports:

In the will Hemsley signed six weeks before dying of lung cancer July 24, he named Flora Enchinton, 56, whom he called a “beloved partner,” as sole beneficiary of his estate, which is estimated in court documents to be more than $50,000.

The will is being contested by Richard Thornton of Philadelphia who claims to be Hemsley’s brother and says the will might not have been made by the actor.

Enchinton told the Associated Press on Wednesday that she had been friends with Hemsley and had been his manager for more than 20 years. Over the time she, Hemsley, and Hemsley’s friend Kenny Johnston, 76, lived together, she said he never mentioned any relatives.

“Some people come out of the woodwork – they think Sherman, they think money,” Enchinton said. “But the fact is that I did not know Sherman when he was in the limelight. I met them when they (Hemsley and Johnston) came running from Los Angeles with not one penny, when there was nothing but struggle.”

With no date set yet for this case to be heard in court, there’s no telling when Sherman’s body will finally be laid to rest. Whatever the deal is with his will, I’m sure this isn’t what he had in mind.

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Source: Shadow and Act

When Sherman Hemsley passed away late last month, his death was a shock to everyone. Though “The Jefferson’s” actor had been somewhat out of the spotlight for a while, his sudden passing at 74 seemed odd given no one was aware of any health complications. The El Paso, Texas, resident did in fact have them though, as TMZ reports he was suffering from lung cancer.

 ”According to the Postmortem Report, obtained by TMZ, the primary cause of death is listed as “superior vena cava syndrome” — a complication resulting from a mass on Sherman’s lung.

“According to the report, Sherman had been advised to get chemo and radiation therapy before he succumbed to his illness. It’s unclear if Sherman was a smoker.”

As we mentioned when Sherman passed July 24, he had no wife or children and it doesn’t appear any other relatives released a statement on his passing. His obituary in both the LA Times and New York Times noted “Information on survivors was not immediately available.”

Perhaps Sherman decided not to endure the pain of chemo and embrace death rather than try to sustain his life battling this disease.

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demangotree.com

I hadn’t heard of writer Erica Kennedy, but I’d seen her title Bling on the shelf at Barnes & Noble a few times. Still, having only heard her name in reference to her June passing, I was taken by the number of requiems penned by fellow woman-writers in her honor, most of whom had never met her face to face. The memories were similar in that each written memoriam agreed that Kennedy was mentor to many and a connector of women who, in some fashion, had demonstrated promise in the realm of writing and publishing. All agreed that she was witty and sharp, but most of all, Erica Kennedy was remembered as an encourager.

This made me wonder about the legacies we leave. This was not the first time, however. During Whitney Houston’s funeral in February, a friend tweeted, “Who will speak at your funeral, and what will they say?”

In late-March, a co-worker of mine passed unexpectedly. In the days after the staff received word of the terrible news, we moved around each other in the halls, pressing our lips together and raising our cheeks in contrived acknowledgement and grief. As I placed my lunch in the break room refrigerator the following week, I had to push a Diet Pepsi out of the way. I wondered if it belonged to my deceased co-worker, a man whose penchant for the drinks became the stuff of office folklore. Did he have any food left in the fridge or freezer? I thought about how this simple sign of life turned into a striking reminder of how frail and fleeting our moments can be.

My officemates and I were rows deep in the sanctuary of a catholic church the following Monday, offering support to the grieving family and to each other at the funeral. Throughout the church were emblems of the departed’s life outside of the office: the youth athletic teams he coached (both current players and alumni), old friends, co-workers from past professional lives, and members of a tight-knit family, all of whom had faces flushed with shock and sorrow, all of whom spoke highly of their coach, colleague, and loved one. I thought about how much this said about his legacy.

The question of legacy hit home once again when, in the wee hours of July 20, twelve moviegoers were killed in the theatre tragedy in Aurora, Colo. Among them was Jessica Ghawi, an aspiring sports journalist whose social media prowess prompted her to post an essay about narrowly missing the gunfire at a Toronto mall the month prior to attending the fateful midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises in Colorado. The message she shared with her blog readers: “…every moment we have to live our [lives] is a blessing.”

It seems that we work hard to be somebody in this world, to be seen, to be “important,” as if our titles and toys mean anything really. What we can learn from all of this is that what matters are our connections, real and digital — reaching out to others, using our stories for good, and being an encourager and a mentor. It’s about using our platforms and positions for good and not just for gain. It’s a cliché because it’s true: you can’t take it (the spoils, the toys, the titles) with you. Whether online or in real life, our connections are lasting relics of our spirits. What remains are memories of your encouragement, your belief and your passion for someone and something other than yourself.

Readers, what do you hope is part of your legacy? Who will speak at your funeral, and what will they say?

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