WENN.com

If things continue to go down this road, Pilar Sanders is in trouble.

Last Wednesday, A Dallas court ruled that while Deion Sanders and soon to be ex-wife Pilar will share custody of their three children in a week on/week off schedule, Deion is the only parent that will hold exclusive rights over the children. Well, at least until the final divorce trial, according to The Dallas Morning News.

What does this mean? Judge Ray Wheless decided that Deion will solely be allowed to make decisions about the kids’ primary residence, school(s) they attend and choose their athletic activities. Athletic activities? That sounds weird that they would eve be involved in the ruling. They’ll share all other decisions.

In December, a court granted Deion custody of their two sons, Shilo and Shedeur, while Pilar was granted custody of their daughter, Shelomi.  She also had her child support reduced from $10,000 to $5,000.

Pilar has also maintained that she is a victim of Deion’s celebrity status and that his finances are doing all of the talking.

Their divorce trial should begin somewhere around March 4th.

In the meantime, Deion will have to pay legal for the amicus attorney who represents the interests of their children.  Both he and Pilar will share the medical bills.

Wow, this is going to get a lot worse before it gets better. Based on reports, it seems like the adults may have forgotten about the most important thing: the kids (which explains why they had to bring in another attorney).

Do you think Pilar has a point in saying that Deion’s money is actually doing all the talking or has she presented herself in such a way that isn’t pleasing to the courts?

Listen, don’t shoot the messenger.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, TLC will be premiering “Best Funeral Ever” tonight with an hour long special. The show will follow Dallas funeral home, Golden Gate Funeral Home, as they come up with some of the most eccentric homegoing celebrations you’ve ever seen. The owner,John Beckwith Jr wants to bring about a certain attitude to the sad situation, looking to give a smile to the mourning friends and family, versus just going with continued sadness. They can pretty much make anything happen; as Beckwith said, “If the deceased wanted to dunk a basketball, we can make it happen.”

Golden Gate, while providing the wishes for the family and possible “too little, too late” dreams by the deceased, they also provide professional funeral mourners. Now, some of you may have seen this type of person at a church service or funeral you’ve attended , but they do it for free. The professional mourners hired by Golden Gate are trained to grieve loudly and excessively at funerals of people they’ve never met so the family will open up.

The show will likely turn into a full reality show if the special does as well as TLC expects with the ratings.

I’m not sure that I’m interested in watching a show about eclectic funeral arrangements but it certainly can’t be any worse than anything else on television.

WENN.com

Even if you didn’t watch the show when you were younger (for some, you may not have even been born yet), there’s little chance that you’ve never heard of the primetime, classic soap opera Dallas. On Friday, the iconic show lost one of its legendary actors.

Larry Hagman, best known as J.R. Ewing on Dallas, died at the age of 81 years old.  His family released a statement saying that his final moments were very peaceful and he was surrounded by family members. Hagman announced last year that he was battling stage two throat cancer; no word has been given on the cause of death.

Hagman as J.R. Ewing was one of the most loved and most hated villain in the history of television, with Dallas airing from 1978 to 1991.  In fact, the “new” Dallas made its debut on TNT earlier this year and Hagman reprised his original role.  The show is currently filming the second season so they’ll undoubtedly take very good care of incorporating his passing.

In addition to his role on Dallas, Hagman also played Major Anthony Nelson in I Dream of Jeannie, which ran in the 1960s. His costar Barbara Eden released a statement via her Facebook page sending condolences to his family and adding, “Goodbye Larry, there was no one like you before and there will never be anyone like you again.”

Larry Hagman is survived by his wife of 54 years, Maj, their two children and grandchildren.

Rest in Peace, Larry Hagman…we tip our cowboy hats to you.

Source

Josiah True/WENN.com

Rappers and their entourages…I just don’t know what to say.

On Thursday night, Nelly’s tour bus (there’s a joke in there somewhere) was stopped at a very well-known checkpoint in Sierra Blanca, Texas and the cops found probably more than they even expected.  During the routine check, the cops found and seized one .45 caliber pistol, 36 baggies of heroine and about 10 pounds of weed.  Yes, this is true.

Nelly and his entire crew were detained but ultimately, one of the security guards, Brian Keith Jones, said everything belonged to him.  He was officially placed under arrest and everyone else, including Nelly, were free to go.

Early Friday morning at about 2am, Nelly went on a mini-rant on Twitter saying, “I’m not gone front I’m MAD as Hell about this sh#t!!2have some1 who works 4u n who u call a friend 4 ova 10years jeopardize ur life WTF?…That being said he was not only an employee but he was fam some1 who protected my life 4many years!No excuses for wad he did!!!!… My heart goes out to his fam and is kids!!!!” (Everyone understand that? Okay.)

Now, I’m confused as to why this security guard would bring bags of heroine on the bus of a superstar (yes, he’s still famous) and not tell the bus driver that he needed to take a different route?  I mean, artists like Fiona Apple, Snoop Dogg and Willie Nelson have all found themselves in trouble at this checkpoint.  Further, why would you put the person you’re supposed to be protecting at risk for being arrested? This is all quite weird but hopefully, Nelly will make better decisions about his employees.

By the way, Nelly was in Atlanta Friday night hosting his “alleged” boo Ashanti’s birthday party and celebrating with her so seems like all is well.

Rappers and entourages…when will they ever learn?

Source

powerbuzz.org

We are certainly living in a different era.

13 year old Elizabeth Robinson was finally caught in Nashville last Thursday after stealing her brother’s car and her mother’s debit card in an attempt to drive from Texas to Kentucky to meet her boyfriend Dylan that she’d met while playing Xbox. She was able to make it 800 miles before police were able to track her down.

Her parents say Elizabeth had started retreating to her bedroom more and more to play the game and was always on the headset, which players use to connect with other players across the world.  Her parents said they tried to throw her off the morning she disappeared by saying she was being bullied in school and was going to a friend’s house. Her parents also decided to break into her email account and ended up finding Dylan’s address.

According to Elizabeth’s dad, she’d been upset that he’d taken the game away from her. He also became a bit suspicious when she became oddly fascinated by the amount of gas mileage on her brother’s car.

A Tennessee patrolman recognized her from the Amber Alert that had been put out for Elizabeth.

Of course, like the young man he is, Dylan decided to possibly keep himself out of major trouble by letting her come to him – he never left his house.

The young car thief must have been a pretty good driver for making it 800 miles without one accident. What is this world coming to?

Source

Source: LipstickAlley.com

Do you know where your tithe dollars are going?

If you were a faithful member of Bethel Institutional Missionary Baptist Church in Houston Texas, then they may have been going right into the pocket of your pastor and his wife…then to a Louisiana slot machine.

KHOU-11 news in Houston reports:

A Houston pastor and his wife are in the Harris County jail charged with bilking their former congregation out of more than $400,000 and using that money for gambling trips to Louisiana.

Charles Gilford, 58, and Adriane Gilford, 53, were indicted Wednesday by a Harris County grand jury and charged with aggregate theft and “misapplication of fiduciary property.”

Prosecutors allege the Gilfords used at least $430,000 in church funds to gamble at the Coushatta Casino near Lake Charles between 2004 and 2007. They were pastor and first lady of Bethel Institutional Missionary Baptist Church (BIMBC) on Selinsky Road in southeast Houston at the time.

“Over that three-year period of time as fiduciaries there, they were able to take that total of $430,000 from that little Baptist church,” said Amy McCauley with the white collar crimes section of the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.

At that little Baptist church, a fixture in this neighborhood for decades, the current leadership told us they didn’t want to comment on the case. The Gilford’s left BIMBC five years ago.

Not only did this pastor and his wife allegedly steal money from the church, but they are believed to have gambled it away too? Looks like one idiot move leads to another.

Of course, as we’ve seen in several high profile scandals in churches across the country, even when faced with damning evidence, congregants cannot wipe the smoke out of their eyes and see when they’ve been had. Unfortunately, some members of this church are no different. The article goes on to say:

Close friends say they have trouble believing the couple would steal from their congregation.

“And when I tell you impeccable people, outstanding people willing to help, I just, this is a little bit too much for me,” said friend Regina Davis when she learned about the arrests.

“It doesn’t make sense,” added her son Freddie Davis. “As far as I know, they are really genuine people, both pastor Gilford and sister Gilford. They have been courteous and amazing over the years.”

But after poring over boxes and boxes of financial records, prosecutors convinced a grand jury to indict the pair on charges that carry anywhere from 5 years to life in prison.

Ummmm of course they were “courteous and amazing” — the members were funding their gambling addiction. I know that no one wants to believe the worst about leaders in their church, but unfortunately you can’t put this kind of behavior past anyone. You also can’t be too shocked when it happens. You like to think people are honest, but when you do the math, even small churches bring in a ton of money and most don’t have any financial oversight. In addition, too many of these pastors have people around them willing to turn a blind eye to their egregious actions. Granted, it definitely takes a special kind of boldness to steal money from a church, especially if you’re the pastor or his wife. Unsurprisingly, Adriane’s thievery was not confined to the church building. The story also said she was  arrested in 2010 on a felony charge of writing bad checks in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana.

This couple is out of control. Fortunately, congregants who tithe out of obedience to the Bible know that they will be blessed regardless of any “misappropriation of funds”, but it does make you think twice before dropping your hard-earned money in the offering plate.

Alissa Henry is a freelance writer (and church girl) living in Columbus, OH. Follow her on Twitter @AlissaInPink

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Source: ktsm.com

Horizon City’s Angie Gomez, 19, was recently indicted for receiving donations of up to $17, 000 after lying to people in her community about having cancer. The young woman started her lie in January of last year, telling her high school classmates that she’d found out that she had cancer and only had six months to live. Once word spread about her “diagnosis,” the publications in the area, including the El Paso Times, reached out to interview Gomez and to get her story to the masses. According to ABC News, this is what she told the paper:

“The doctors are telling me to prepare myself and to start planning for what’s about to come. They think the worst is coming, when you start to feel sick and you can’t move. I think they’re all crazy.”

It’s understandable why Gomez was so optimistic and thought doctors were crazy. She was faking, of course! Detective Liliana Medina of the Horizon City Police told ABC News that after investigating, it became clear that Gomez hadn’t had cancer at any point. Ever. In life. Gomez and people in the community started the Achieve the Dream Foundation that was supposed to help young people with cancer. They sold T-shirts and accessories to raise money, but a lot of that money wound up in the hands of Gomez. They even threw a prom in her honor after she told people she missed her high school prom because of treatments for her cancer.

But by summer, people who were helping to raise money for Gomez started to become suspicious of her. Though her cancer was allegedly terminal, she was still up, moving and appeared in great health and spirits. These same individuals informed police, and the investigation kicked off in June of last year. If you’re wondering what role her parents played, somehow the mother of Gomez was unaware for a time that she was doing all of this, but when she found out, she allegedly pushed her daughter to tell the truth. Gomez, now 19, was arrested last week and indicted on a state felony charge of theft of property of $1,500 to $20,000. Her bail is set at $50,000.

Source: nypost.com

And as you should know, Gomez is not the only person who got caught lying about having cancer to attain money and gifts. We told you the story earlier in the month of 25-year-old Jessica Vega, who lied about having leukemia so that she could get people to help her have a lavish wedding and honeymoon. The mother of two told people in her town, which is near NYC, that she just wanted to have her “dream” wedding before she passed. And she did have it–at the expense of those who opened their wallets and hearts to her. But when her new husband found out about her lies, they fell out and eventually divorced, and he told everyone involved that she was a liar. She was arrested on April 3.

Vega was just ordered to somehow pay back $13,368 to her victims, and she will have to remain in jail until May 15 to see if she will have to do any real time. She plead guilty in Orange County Court to scheming to defraud and possession of a forged instrument. The forged instrument was a fake letter by her that was supposed to be signed by a doctor to prove that she was indeed ill. Though her ex-husband is the one who told people she was lying, he plans to help her pay back the victims. Guess he doesn’t want to see the mother of his children go out like that.

It’s truly sad to see the extent people will go to get a little bit (or a lot) of money. There are individuals out here with cancer-stricken children and battling these illnesses themselves, and they could use all the help and d0nations they can get. But instead you’ve got these trifling fools tricking people. Once again, karma is one evil, well-dressed b***h, and these two better look out…

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Lakay Roberts has been using a walker at New Caney Independent School in Montgomery County, Texas, for the past two years. The 5-year-old has cerebral palsy and needs the device to move around, but after falling in the parking lot because her walker collapsed, the school has said the walker is “unsafe” and she can’t use it in school.

Lakay’s mother, Kristi Roberts, plans to file a suit against the school for denying her daughter use of a device she obviously needs. She likened the incident to a student falling on the playground during a conversation with Kings Manor Elementary School special education director Gary Lemley, and asked whether he asks students who fall during recess to take their shoes off and buy new ones. Lemley responded,

“No, m’am, they’re not using walkers.

“Basically she can’t use the walker because we don’t think it’s safe,” Lemley told her. When Lakay’s mother asks why it isn’t safe, he responded, “I just told you. We don’t feel it’s safe any longer.”

Unless Lakay’s walker has proven to be faulty, this seems like a ridiculous ban. Support for Lakay has been growing strong as word of this situation has spread. Elise Hough, CEO of special needs nonprofit Easter Seals Houston, told KPRC-TV the school district has an obligation to provide a safe school environment for Lakay and other students.

“You don’t tell somebody you trip on your feet so chop ‘em off to come to school, you’re safer in a wheelchair,” she said. “For a person with a disability, their assistive technology is like an extension of their body.”

Kristi hopes filing a lawsuit will get the results she’s seeking and that her daughter needs.

“I want Gary Lemley to resign. I’d like an apology, and I would like her to use her walker again and get things changed in the special education department,” she said.

So far, Lakay’s school hasn’t commented on the details of their decision, instead they’ve defending themselves against the recording of the conversation between Kristi and Greg Lemley.

“It is important to know that the video and audio recording at issue was not sanctioned or authorized by the District to be released for public dissemination,” they said in a statement. “Furthermore, the District does not agree that the recording at issue here is a complete recounting of the entire underlying confidential discussion and is therefore neither representative nor accurate towards explaining the District’s ongoing efforts to serve its students.”

They’re going to have to do better than that.

What do you think about this case? Should the special education director resign?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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Source:Tonyaparkerforjudge.com

Tonya Parker, a Dallas County district judge in Texas, has taken a firm stand for gay rights by refusing to marry heterosexual couples.  According to Loop 21,  she spoke before an audience during an event earlier this week and explained that until gay people gave the same right she won’t participate in any wedding ceremonies:

“I’m sorry I don’t perform marriage ceremonies, because clearly the state does not have marriage equality and until it does I’m not going to partially apply the law to one group and not apply it to another group of people,” she said. “It doesn’t seem right for me to perform ceremonies for people that can’t be performed for me.”

Because Texas doesn’t mandate that judges perform marriages, Judge Parker’s stance doesn’t violate any laws but it has caused some to question her ability to judge fairly considering her personal beliefs are preventing her from performing ceremonies for straight couples. Still, supporters of gay rights are applauding her willingness to take a public stand for their cause.

Check out the video of Judge Parker’s speech below. Do you agree with her choice to stop performing ceremonies? Do you think her decision suggests she’s incapable of being impartial as a judge?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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