Sierra Leone president turns down huge salary increase. An attempt to increase the salary of President Ernest Bai Koroma ten-fold has sparked a public outcry and forced the resignation of his senior aide. Koroma claimed he was unaware of the proposed raise and had not approved it. The requested pay hike also provided retroactive pension payments dating back to 1996 for former President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah and other senior members of the previous administration. Secretary to the President James Sanpha Koroma, who resigned, claimed not to have been the one proposing the increases, but he accepted responsibility. “The president says 2.5 million leones is enough for him- he’s not interested in any increment,” the presidential press secretary told Reuters.  Daily life is a struggle for most Sierra Leoneans, who face erratic supplies of light and water, appalling roads and poor access to health and education services. The proposals sent to Parliament last week would have upped the president’s pay from 2.5 million leones to 25 million leones a month. A similar raise was proposed for his vice president, Samuel Sam-Sumana.

Study shows teen suicide rate up in U.S. For more than a decade, the suicide rate among kids in this country had steadily and consistently declined. However, that trend ended abruptly. “Suddenly in 2004 we see the sharpest increase in the past 15 years and it appears that it’s persisting in 2005,” says Jeff Bridges, Ph.D. at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. Bridge co-authored the study with Carnegie Mellon statistics Professor Joel Greenhouse. Researchers say while the numbers dipped slightly between 2004 and 2005, they’re still up significantly. Now that researchers have identified what may be an emerging crisis, the next step is to figure out the cause. Dr. John Campo says one reason might be the number of kids taking prescribed anti-depressants has dropped by as much as 20 percent. “The vast majority of young people who complete suicide have some sort of psychiatric disorder. Most commonly depression or some mood disorder,” said Campo. Campo says there’s no proven link between the drop in prescriptions and the rise in suicides, but the simultaneous happening is worth looking into. The study looks at young people aged 10 to 19 between 1996 and 2005. Researchers say they also want to look into the role the Internet may play in the number of kids committing suicide.

Radial disparities persist in breast cancer treatment. Black breast cancer patients are not being prescribed radiation therapy as often as Whites, finds a study – the largest of its kind – which was presented Wednesday in advance of the American Society of Clinical Oncology Breast Cancer Symposium. “Although there have been smaller studies of racial disparities in breast cancer care, no prior research has examined the differences across the nation in the rates of radiation therapy after lumpectomy between Whites and Blacks,” said Grace Li Smith, M.D., Ph.D., the study’s lead author and a postdoctoral fellow in M. D. Anderson’s Department of Radiation Oncology. “The national Medicare database, because it’s so comprehensive, allowed us to determine the extent to which racial disparities in radiation therapy affected patients across the country.” The researchers reviewed the Medicare records of more than 37,000 patients diagnosed with early stage breast cancer in 2003. They used Medicare claims to examine the treatment history of women aged 66 and older diagnosed in 2003 with early stage, newly diagnosed breast cancer. Of the 37,305 women who underwent a lumpectomy for their breast cancer, 34,024 were White and 2,305 were Black. Overall, 74 percent of the White women received radiation therapy after their lumpectomy; in contrast, 65 percent of the Black breast cancer patients received the same treatment. “The use of radiation after lumpectomy is considered to be the standard of care for women with invasive breast cancer, as clinical trials have demonstrated that it both reduces the chance of recurrence and improves the chance of survival,” said Thomas Buchholz, M.D., professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology and the study’s senior author. Perhaps the most unexpected aspect of the study, Smith said, was the magnitude of the disparity in specific areas of the country: the Pacific West, 72 percent (Whites) vs. 55 percent (Blacks); East South Central, 72 percent (Whites) vs. 57 percent (Blacks), and the Northeast, 70 percent (Whites) vs. 58 percent (Blacks). “Until further research is conducted, we may only speculate about the underlying reasons why Black and White women are not receiving radiation at the same rate,” Smith said. “We don’t know if fewer Black women are receiving radiation simply because it is not offered to them, because they decline the treatment, or perhaps because they are unable to complete a whole course of treatment due to other health problems. These questions will be important subjects of future study.”

Removal hearings for Kwame Kilpatrick scheduled for today

Barring a last-minute plea agreement, historic proceedings are set to begin this morning for the possible removal of Detroit’s mayor. Gov. Jennifer Granholm will preside over the hearings requested by Detroit City Council, in the wake of multiple felony charges leveled against Kwame Kilpatrick this spring. He’s accused of both lying in court about an extra-marital affair with his ex-chief of staff and hiding evidence of the affair by settling a multi-million-dollar lawsuit with ex-cops who could’ve exposed the romance. Kilpatrick’s lawyers worked through Labor Day weekend and on Tuesday trying to negotiate a plea that wouldn’t include jail time for and hoping to get a court order stopping Granholm’s hearings. The mayor reportedly sought to offer his resignation, surrender his law license and state pension, do community service and probation, all in exchange for no jail time. Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy is said to be unyielding on the question of Kilpatrick’s incarceration. The mayor enjoyed a small victory Tuesday when a court agreed to let him remove his ankle monitor at a bond hearing. But a second judge, followed by the Michigan Court of Appeals, ruled that the governor’s hearing can proceed. Granholm’s removal of Kilpatrick would leave him subject to prosecution without the chance to resign as part of any plea. About a dozen witnesses are expected to testify at the 9 a.m. hearing, which Granholm - former Michigan attorney general - plans to oversee.

Jaguars offensive tackle undergoes surgery, still in critical condition

A NFL player who was shot several times early Tuesday morning has undergone surgery, but he is still in critical condition. Richard Collier’s Jacksonville team has offered support for the offensive tackle, who was wounded while waiting for acquaintances in a car outside a Florida apartment building. His injuries are reportedly life-threatening. “We’re shocked and deeply saddened by the news about Richard Collier,” says Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver…The entire Jaguars family is praying for Richard and his family at this time.”

He’s walking in the steps of LBJ and MLK, both champions of the poor

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, taking a cue from such anti-poverty crusaders as President Lyndon B. Johnson and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., says it’s time to launch a full-frontal assault on poverty. “We need to re-invest in America,” the 66-year-old civil rights leader told a crowd of nearly 300 people in Chicago during a fund-raiser for Covenant United Methodist Church. The speech attracted Democrats and Republicans, and it did not address either political party. That’s because it’s not all about politics or presidential campaigns, said Jackson, who is pushing voter registration and education. “Change has to come from the bottom up, not just the top down,” Jackson said at a news conference prior to his speech.

Rapper’s nightclub in Las Vegas closes its doors.

The rumored deal involving a Sands Corp. takeover of Jay-Z’s 40/40 club in Vegas for even more millions than he could ever spend is complete. But rather than expanding the 40/40 as part of its casino and hotel property empire, as previously reported, Sands is eager to recycle the 24,000 square feet that 40/40 occupied in the Palazzo Hotel Casino for its own purposes. Open for just nine months, the Nevada location reportedly shut down last week and will now be renovated into more casino space.

 Accused murdered doesn’t seem crazy, judge says

Attorneys for Brian Nichols, the 36-year-old Atlanta man accused of killing his judge, a court reporter and two law-enforcement officials during a daring courthouse escape three years ago, does seem as insane as he wants everybody to believe, the presiding judge said Tuesday. Superior Court Judge James Bodiford did not hear expert psychiatric testimony, but he said he also hasn’t heard anything that would lead him to accept Nichols’ claims that his diminished mental state is the reason for his testimony. Nichols had pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. The fact that defense witness Vincent Velazquez, an Atlanta Police detective, testified that Nichols was not only coherent but clear and articulate following the alleged murders helped undermine the insanity argument “that Nichols had suffered from a delusional compulsion at the time of the killings,” The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. “He was very up front and very detailed and meticulous in telling me what happened,” Velazquez said. “It was one of the easiest interviews I’ve ever done.” 

Anti-affirmative action measure dies in its tracks. Advocates of an Arizona initiative aimed at doing away with affirmative action programs have finally given up the fight - at least for now. Last week, the head of the Arizona Civil Rights Initiative - which critics say is deceptively labeled - told the East Valley Tribune that Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Edward Burke gave supporters until this week to prove that a major chunk of the signatures they had accumulated to force a ballot initiative were not bogus. Max McPhail had claimed that he had garnered more than enough signatures from registered voters, and that Proposition 104 had earned a rightful spot on the November ballot. He apparently no longer thinks so. “Because of the upcoming primary, Maricopa County said we could have only two computers to check 4,000 signatures,” he said. “It takes about six minutes to check each signature. It’s not humanly possible to check all the remaining signatures (the county declared invalid) to present on Tuesday.” But the fight isn’t completely over, McPhail says. He says that a new ballot initiative will be introduced in the 2010 election. If passed, the measure would prohibit the consideration of race or gender in any state hirings or college admissions. However, state Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Phoenix) says the initiative won’t pass now or ever because she’ll work to expose it for the divisive program it is. “When they understand it’s going to eliminate programs that help, for instance, young Latina women prepare for college, like the Mother-Daughter Hispanic Program, they don’t want to eliminate those programs,” she said.

R&B prince wraps up his third LP

R&B superstar, Neyo finishes third LP in time for his Sept. 16 release date. In addition to his new album, he’s also hitting the road with Hennessey. Read more!

Hip-hop CEO reflects on 15 years of success. Ted Lucas takes time to reflect on the success of his Slip-N-Slide franchise. Read more here!

Black Republicans are calling African Americans back “home.”

Saying that Sen. John McCain is the better candidate, some high-profile Black Republicans say that if African Americans check their values, they’ll see that they line up precisely with the Grand Old Party. Should Black folks be hooking their collective wagon to an elephant instead of a donkey? Find out more at Pamela On Politics.

“Beverly Hills Cop,” “Boyz N the Hood” make cut.

The Los Angeles Times top-10 list of movies that best reflect L.A. city life and culture is filled with Black star power. Among the contributions are: Jackie Brown, starring Pam Grier and Samuel L. Jackson; Boyz N the Hood, starring Cuba Gooding Jr., Laurence Fishburne and Ice Cube; Beverly Hills Cop, starring Eddie Murphy; and Collateral, starring Jamie Foxx. The movies included were all released within the past 25 years and feature the L.A. landscape as a “main character” in the script.

“Lakeview Terrace” minimizes its Madea factor

Apparently, Hollywood can only accommodate one crazy Black woman character at a time. Samuel L. Jackson’s new film Lakeview Terrace, co-starring Ray’s Kerry Washington, cut a scene in which Washington appears to “lose it” on camera. Washington, who plays the wife in a couple terrorized by their neighbor, pretends to seduce the next-door character, Jackson, but then pulls a knife on him. “It got removed,” she says. “The producers felt like, at that point in the film, my character was the only sane one and they needed her to stay sane in the mix. She was losing it.” Madea would surely be disappointed with the decision.