The wife of NBA All-Star Shaquille O’Neal has filed papers with Los Angeles County Superior Court to begin proceedings of divorce.

Citing irreconcilable differences in their relationship, Shaunie O’Neal has moved back to L.A, along with the couple’s children. It is believed she moved back to California from Florida because she will receive a larger spousal support payment on the West Coast, according to Shaq’s lawyers.

Shaq currently plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

After an exhausting manhunt, a suspected Cleveland rapist is in police custody after police officers discover six female bodies in his home.

Police originally came to the home of 50-year-old Anthony Sowell’s to serve an arrest warrant for an allege sexual assault .  Sowell was not inside the home but police discovered five female victims were found inside the home, and another female body was discovered outside the home, said Cuyahoga County (Cleveland) Coroner Frank Miller III, to CNN.com.

As police scoured the city in pursuit of the suspect, a citizen informed police of Sowell’s whereabouts.   He was arrested without incident Saturday.

Arshon Baker, 5, is dead because he wanted his mother’s attention. Now Angel Glass faces murder and abuse charges, according to Lt. Thomas Stacho, of the Cleveland Police Department.

From Cleveland.com

Police interviewed Glass on Friday night after Arshon was rushed to MetroHealth from their house in the 6600 block of Ovington Road, Stacho said.

“She said she was in her apartment doing another woman’s hair when the boy pulled on her dress to get her attention,” Stacho said. “She ordered him to stand in the corner. After a few minutes, he came out of the corner, so she said she took a brush and beat him on his hands.

“When that didn’t work, she took a braided belt and hit him with it,” Stacho said. “She said the boy ran away and she grabbed him and continued to beat him.”

Glass took her son to the hospital after being hit on the head after losing responsiveness.

A race for mayor in a suburban Cleveland community has become a national story as allegations of cross-dressing, criminal activity and police corruption hit the airwaves of a nationally syndicated news program.

On Tuesday, East Cleveland Mayor Eric Brewer appeared on Inside Edition to discuss allegations he levied against his opponent, Gary Norton, the East Cleveland Police Department and other city employees for “stealing” and disseminating photos of him in drag days before the election.

Brewer lost the Primary Election to Norton by a 2-1 margin.

Brewer, who admits taking to posing in several several pictures wearing bras, panties, hosiery, make-up and wigs wants the Ohio State Police to investigate who stole the photographs and is suing news organizations who broadcast the photos.

 

According to several local Cleveland news sources, police have confirmed that Davon Crawford, the 33-year-old man suspected of killing five family members, is dead. Cleveland Police Lt. Thomas Stacho says that police responded to a call from a tipster who saw Crawford entering a house on West 128^th Street in the city. Police surrounded and searched the home and when they found Crawford hiding inside, he shot himself to death.  The suicide ends a manhunt that began Thursday night, when police say Crawford shot and killed his wife, her sister, a 5-year-old girl and 2-year-old twins. Read More.

There is a massive manhunt underway in Cleveland for a man who allegedly shot to death his new wife, four children and injured another child, CNN reports. “We believe wholeheartedly that he’s armed,” Cleveland Police Lt. Thomas Stacho said of 33-year-old Davon Crawford, noting that the wife and four children – two of whom are toddlers – are dead. The fifth child, a 7-year-old boy is in “very critical condition.” Read more.

 ”He’s stupid. That’s all I’ve got to say about that,” LeBron James said Friday night about Charles Barkley before he hit the court in a game against Golden State. On TNT’s NBA studio Barkley said, “If I was LeBron James, I would shut the hell up. I’m a big LeBron fan. He’s a stud. You gotta give him his props. I’m getting so annoyed he’s talking about what he’s going to do in two years. I think it’s disrespectful to the game. I think it’s disrespectful to the Cavaliers.” James, who has been slammed recently with questions about his future, has been hinting at leaving Cleveland for one of the bigger NBA teams come 2009.”I think July 1, 2010, is a very big day,” James said when the Cavaliers were in New York. “It’s probably going to be one of the biggest days in free-agent history in the NBA. So a lot of teams are gearing up to try to prepare themselves to be able to put themselves in position to get one of the big free-agent market guys.”

King James hasn’t said that he’ll leave Cleveland. Calling speculation that his superstar will leave the team in two years “an insult to the city,” the Cleveland Cavaliers owner denies such gossip. Dan Gilbert says any word of LeBron James heading to New York in 2010 is mere conjecture. James has made no mention of heading East when his contract expires in two years, says Gilbert. He adds that the Cavs and James will focus on competing for a championship.

ESPN recruits rapper to share views via Web. Commenting on everything from his love of the Red Sox to his recent Wimbledon-viewing party and little league football career, a rapper has joined ESPN. Lil Wayne is a guest blogger for ESPN The Magazine. “I don’t watch nothing but sports – no movies, no news, no television shows – so I thought this would be fun,” he writes in his first entry. An editor’s note introducing the commentary describes Weezy as “mega-rapper of the moment.” Doesn’t seem very nice.

Jets, Giants distance themselves from ex-Nazi backer. A potential $30 million-a-year deal has been called off after NFL fans complained about discussions between New York teams and a former Nazi-associated company. German insurance program Allianz was in the running to acquire naming rights of a stadium where the Giants and Jets will play beginning 2010. Jewish organizations criticized the proposed deal because Allianz once insured Nazi death camps and refused to pay claims to Jewish clients. Most commonly associated with the atrocities of the Holocaust, Nazi doctrine called for the extermination of Blacks and other non-White ethnicities.  

Patrick Ewing Jr., whose famous dad was a star in New York basketball for years, has joined the Knicks squad after a recent trade. The younger Ewing was swapped from the Rockets, in exchange for Frederic Weis. “Coming to the Knicks, and hopefully being able to contribute, means a lot to me,” Ewing Jr. said in a statement. “It has always been my dream to play for this team. My goal is to show the coaches that I can play and do all that I can to help the team win some games.” The elder Ewing, who’s set to join the NBA Hall of Fame next week, wishes his son “a long and productive career” in New York.Browns receiver recovers from bizarre foot injury. Braylon Edwards will start in Cleveland ’s high-profile opener this week versus Dallas after returning to his team’s line-up Monday. Edwards had been sidelined since Aug. 9 when he was gashed in the back of his foot by a teammate’s cleats as they raced after practice, Edwards in his socks. The player hasn’t spoken to media about the circumstances of his injury and won’t be available for questions until Wednesday. He received stitches for the gash and stayed overnight at a hospital after the incident. The banged-up Browns have suffered in the pre-season without their star receiver and quarterback Derek Anderson. “I missed ya’ll, man,” Edwards told teammates Monday.

The Ohio Democratic lawmaker was revered by her constituents

Colleagues, friends and family of Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-Ohio) are mourning her death. As a avid supporter of Sen. Hillary Clinton, the Cleveland-based congresswoman seemed to have lost considerable clout among her Barack Obama-loving constituents. But she will be remembered as loyal, progressive and productive. Read more about what her fellow Congress members had to say at Pamela On Politics. More about how brain aneurysms affect Blacks and women more at Vital Signs. Send your condolences below.