A N.Y. school is renamed for Obama. The Barack Obama name seems to be catching on everywhere – even at schools.  The former Ludlum Elementary School in Hempstead, New York, was renamed at a school board meeting Thursday – effective immediately – in honor of the president-elect.  The new name is the Barack Obama Elementary School. The school, which is made up of about 440 students, is mostly Black and Hispanic.

MLK Memorial may have hit a snag. Wal-Mart is kicking in a large chunk of change to help along plans for the Martin Luther King Memorial in Washington, D.C., The Associated Press reports. The Wal-Mart Foundation has announced a $12.5 million letter of credit for the planned memorial. The group working to build the King memorial says it has raised $100 million of the $120 million needed for the project. Meanwhile, the memorial may hit a snag over a disagreement about how to secure the site. The National Park Service wants the design to include security measures, feeling the memorial might be targeted by racist extremist groups, AP reports. But the National Capital Planning Commission doesn’t want the security barriers, saying it’s an affront to King’s legacy of inclusiveness.

Obama pool table selling on eBay for $500,000. Just about everything Obama touches seem to turn to “sold” these days.  The owner of the pool hall in West Virginia is planning to sell the  tournament-size pool table along with the cues, balls and lamp used by Obama during a campaign stop back in May. John Mawyer, the owner of the pool hall, posted the pool table on eBay with a starting price of $500,000. Some of the proceeds will go to charity.

 “Mama Africa” memorial service draws hundreds.

Hundreds of people came out to celebrate the life of legendary South African singer Miriam Makeba (also known as “Mama Africa”) at a public memorial service Saturday, reports the BBC. The 76-year-old singer died last weekend when she suffered a heart attack after performing at a benefit concert in Italy. The service drew fellow musicians, poets, South African government officials. Makeba, who was exiled from the country for using her music to speak out against apartheid, was described as “a woman whose name became synonymous with the worldwide struggle for freedom in South Africa,” by the nation’s Arts minister, Pallo Jordan. Hugh Masekela, a trumpet player and her former husband, performed at the service, and a South African poet, Maishe Maponya, read a poetic tribute. Thabo Mbeki, South Africa’s former president was also in attendance. The current president, Kgalema Motlanthe, who was in the United States for the G20 economic summit, sent a video message. “Let us say it loud and clear. Miriam Makeba was not affectionately called Mama Africa for nothing. Her music reverberated with consciousness about the real conditions of South Africans,” he said. South Africa started a period of national mourning the day after her body was flown to the country last week. Makeba, who was the first Black singer to win a Grammy award, also was the voice behind such hits at “Pata Pata” and “The Click Song.”

World leaders, minus Obama, meet to discuss economy.

Twenty leaders from all over the world converged in D.C. this weekend to talk about ways to solve the international economic crisis, reports CNN. The Group of 20 leaders (who’s nations collectively own 90 percent of the world’s economy) agreed on some aspects of the causes of the crisis and some places for solutions and decided to meet again in April to look at the progress. Various economic stimulus plans, such as interest rate cuts, found support among the nations; they also agreed to help developing nations hit hard by the global crisis. They also agreed on greater oversight for credit agencies. President George Bush called the meeting “very productive.” “All this is an important first step. In other words, this is a beginning of a series of meetings,” he said following the summit. President-elect Barack Obama did not attend the meeting, instead sending former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and former Republican congressman Jim Leach. “There is one president at a time,” a joint statement from Albright and Leach said, echoing the words of Obama during his first policy speech. “So, the president-elect asked us to represent him in receiving the views of these important partners.” And Obama’s absence didn’t seem to fade other world leaders, such as U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who believes he would be onboard with what they decided anyway. “What we decided today – to use fiscal measures to stimulate demand, and all countries signed up – is very much in line with what Obama said he would do,” he said. Hundreds of demonstrators hit the streets surrounding the World Bank to speak out against everything from the government to international financial institutions to capitalism.

The R&B, soul icon passed away Sunday at the age of 65

A celebration of the life of powerhouse composer-musician Isaac Hayes will be held on Monday at Hope Presbyterian Church in Cordova, Tenn. The Grammy-, Golden Globe and Academy-award-winning artist passed away Sunday in Memphis at the age of 65. We are overwhelmed with the outpouring of support and love from Isaac’s dear friends, colleagues and fans from every corner of the world, and we thank each and every one of them for their kind thoughts and prayers,” the family issued in a statement late Tuesday. For more on what the family said, the services and where to send condolences, go to  BET.com/News.

Judge rules in Kwame Kilpatrick’s favor this time around

Embattled Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick remains free after facing the same judge on Tuesday who ordered him to jail last week on a bond violation. A Detroit news outlet had published a photo of Kilpatrick at his mother’s home at the same time that his sister visited the house, raising questions of whether his presence there violated court restrictions.  Get the latest details at BET.com/News.

Money for MLK Memorial pours in.

The money keeps on pouring in for the historic Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial in Washington, D.C. On Tuesday, organizers announced that donors, including $3 million from Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates and his wife, Melinda, had compelled them to raise the fundraising goal from $100 million to $120 million. Contributions for the memorial, which will be built on the National Mall, already has reached $99 million, according to Harry E. Johnson, Sr., president of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, the private group in charge of the effort. So why the new money goal? There are “a number of variables,” including changes in the structural plan, the addition of a bookstore and security costs as well as inflation for the rising cost estimate, Johnson says. After a stormy past few months over the design of the 28-foot statue of King, to be sculpted by Chinese artist Lei Yixin, the project appears on a positive track. Still, the project must win final approval for all aspects of the memorial site before construction can begin. The memorial is expected to take about 18-20 months to complete.

Muslim hate-crime victim leaves the hospital. The Muslim native of Uzbekistan, who was shot repeatedly while pumping gas at a Cleveland gas station, left the hospital Monday, nearly eight weeks after the tragic episode was captured on videotape. Police have been investigating the incident as a hate crime. As he left the MetroHealth Medical Center, 49-year-old Fazliddin Yakubov offered “a million, million thanks” for all the support he has received, The Plain Dealer newspaper reported Tuesday. He had been shot three times in the abdomen while his son was pumping gas. The video led to the arrest of 18-year-old William Neal of Cleveland, who’s charged with felonious assault and attempted murder. He’s being held in a Cuyahoga County jail on $250,000 bond.

Comedian’s family expected that he would pull through from illness

A public memorial is scheduled for this coming weekend at Chicago’s House of Hope after star comedian Bernie Mac’s death due to complications from pneumonia. Funeral arrangements for the popular performer and actor are pending, Mac’s daughter, Je’niece Childress, says. Family members expected that Mac, whose real name was Bernard McCullough, would overcome the illness when he came down with pneumonia three weeks ago. “He had sarcoidosis, but it was in remission,” Mac’s sister-in-law Mary Ann Grossett tells People. “But because he had it, his immune system was compromised.” Of Mac’s wife since 1977, Rhonda McCullough, Grossett adds: “She’s devastated, however, she’s at peace about his transition because of her faith in God. Her faith is what is sustaining her.  Services are scheduled for noon Saturday in the 10,000-seat House of Hope, 752 E. 114th St., Chicago, said Danica Smith, Mac’s publicist. Donations in Mac’s honor may be sent to the Bernie Mac Foundation for Sarcoidosis, 40 E. 9th St., Suite 601, Chicago, IL 60605, Smith said. See more on Bernie Mac at BET.com/News.

The project is less than $5 million from its $100 million goal
The seemingly insurmountable mound of money needed to complete the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial is just a hair off the mark now, and construction for the historic landmark featuring an African-American leader is expected to kick off soon, according to the foundation responsible for overseeing the project. After an intense feud over the design of the memorial – particularly disagreement over the statue of the slain civil rights leader – the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts is reportedly close to approving a new concept, and construction is slated to be complete within two years. In recent weeks, the Commission’s secretary blasted the proposal for the centerpiece statue, to be sculpted by Lei Yixin of China, saying that King looked angry and “confrontational.” The design shows King, with his arms crossed, rising from two large blocks, which represent the Mountain of Despair and the Stone of Hope. The statue is the centerpiece of the memorial, which will reside on the Tidal Basin near the Jefferson, Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt memorials. In a statement issued at a fundraiser last week, Harry Johnson, president and CEO of the memorial foundation, said, “The memorial foundation has had an ongoing and productive dialogue with the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, and we are proud that our collective hard work has led us to a design solution that will honor the ideals of democracy, justice, hope and love for which Dr. King stood.”