Black athlete expelled after intimidation charge. Days after word that White students allegedly used racial intimidation against Black college athletes, one of the players is charged with the same crime. Harold Washington, 18, has been expelled from Quinnipiac University in Connecticut after he was charged with bigotry-based intimidation, harassment and breach of peace against one of two Black fellow basketball players. Washington’s White roommate Charles Merritt was first charged with intimidation and expelled after Washington and the other Black athletes allegedly received threatening, racist phone calls. Two other students were also charged. But police say their investigation led them to interviews and searches connected to Washington when another victim complained of racist comments posted to his Facebook.com page. Washington’s “response was not to the person harassing him,” says Hamden Police Chief Thomas Wydra. “His response was to a fellow victim, and that’s what’s disturbing to us.” No motive, such as whether Washington competed with the other Black student for playing time, was revealed.

Teen apparently scaled a restricted-area fence to retrieve his hat

A South Carolina teenager died this weekend after he was struck and killed by a rollercoaster in Georgia’s Six Flags Amusement Park, reports The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Asia Leeshawn Ferguson, age 17, and a friend scaled two fences that surrounded the Batman ride as a short cut to get back into the park Saturday afternoon, police said. Ferguson was decapitated and died instantly when the coaster hit him. Both fences, police say, were marked with warning signs, one saying “restricted area” for “authorized personnel only” and other saying “Danger zone” and “Do not enter.” “The area’s clearly defined with signs. It’s very tragic that these individuals would decide to jump over the fence. It would be hard to imagine somebody not seeing the signs and jumping two fences,” Sgt. Dana Pierce, a Cobb County Police spokesman, told reporters. The Batman Ride travels up to 50 m.p.h. Ferguson, whose family was in the park when the tragedy occurred, was in Georgia on a church trip, reports the newspaper. No one who was actually on the ride was injured in the incident. Afterward, the ride was closed to the public. It was scheduled to reopen today. This is the second fatality at the same park and on the same ride. In 2002, 58-year-old Samuel Milton Guyton was killed when he was kicked in the head by a teen girl on the Batman ride. Here’s more.
 

NAACP wins a round in a long-running racial-profiling case
The NAACP won a major victory in its long-running battle with the Maryland State Police when Baltimore circuit court judge ruled that the civil rights group may review documents relating to allegations of racial profiling. The Maryland chapter of the NAACP and the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit last year accusing the law enforcement agency of withholding information about its handling of racial-profiling complaints. In his decision Friday, Judge Timothy Martin gave the NAACP’s lawyers 120 days to examine the documents and pick the ones they want copied. Responding to concerns expressed by attorneys for the Maryland troopers, Martin ordered names of officers and people who filed complaints blacked out. “I believe the fair approach is to find a middle ground,” Martin told The (Baltimore) Sun. “I know state police fear a precedent, but I believe the NAACP is entitled to disclosure of these documents.” Brian L. Schwalb, lead attorney for the NAACP and ACLU, said, “We are not on a witch hunt against troopers,” he said. The decision comes on the heels of another major racial-profiling decision three months ago. In that case, the state of Maryland settled the infamous 1998 “Driving While Black” case after being accused of stopping motorists because of their race. Six plaintiffs received a total of $400,000. Maryland troopers are required to document the race of drivers they stop, because of a federal ruling in 2003.

The radio show host says he’d have to be “insane” to make a fresh racist remark

Don Imus says that people are taking his latest controversial remarks out of context, but the Rev. Al Sharpton didn’t sound like he was buying it. “It has been reported to me that statements were made by Mr. Imus this morning, and National Action Network has monitored his show since his return,” Sharpton said in a statement. “I find the inference of his remark disturbing because it plays into stereotypes. Any use of stereotypes is always counterproductive. We will determine in the next day or so whether or not his remark warrants direct action on our part as we did in April of last year.” Imus, who was suddenly a well-known name in Black households after his infamous “nappy-headed hos” comment last year, says he definitely wasn’t dissing Dallas Cowboys D-back Adam “Packman” Jones when he asked “what color is he” after hearing that the baller had been arrested again. In fact, he says he was making a “sarcastic point” about racial injustice. “What people should be outraged about is that they arrest Blacks for no reason,” Imus told The Associated Press Tuesday. “I mean, there’s no reason to arrest this kid six times. Maybe he did something once, but everyone does something once.” Another racial controversy is the last thing that Imus can afford after his nine-month suspension after slamming the women on the Rutger’s Women’s Basketball Team in April 2007 with the nappy-headed hos remark. Many people, including Sharpton, initially called for Imus’ firing. The civil rights leader later said that Imus, who promised future sensitivity, had a right to forgiveness. Six months ago, Imus returned to the airwaves. During Monday’s broadcast, sports announcer Warner Wolf mentioned Jones’ run-ins with the law. That prompted Imus to ask, “What color is he?” Responded Wolf: “African-American.” Imus responded: “There you go. Now we know.” On Tuesday, Imus said he’d be crazy to be guilty of what he’s currently accused of. “How insane would I have to be? What would I be thinking?” Imus said. Jones told The Dallas Morning News in Tuesday editions that he’s upset by Imus’ comments and plans to pray for the radio host. Take this poll.

Racial gap is narrowing for injury-related deaths.

When it comes to injury-related deaths, the gap between Black and White American youths is narrowing, according to a study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The study found that between 1999 and 2005 injury-related deaths among Blacks ages 15 to 24 decreased, while injury-related deaths among Whites increased. The findings are published in the June, 2008, edition of Injury Prevention. “Between the years of 1999 and 2005 the injury mortality rates among Black males have experienced a steady decline,” said Susan Baker, MPH, an author of the study and professor in the Bloomberg School ’s Center for Injury Research and Policy. “The reduction could be due to a number of preventive efforts, as well as demographic and economic changes,” said Guoqing Hu, Ph.D., lead author and postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Health Policy and Management. The researchers found the most important factors in the reduction of injury death disparity was fewer car crashes and suicides by gun among Black males and an increase in suicide by suffocation (typically hanging) and unintentional poisoning, such as a drug overdose, among White males. Among young women, Black females experienced a decline in the rate of firearm suicide, while White females experienced an increase in unintentional poisoning and suicidal suffocation.

High blood pressure follows you to adulthood.

High blood pressure in childhood is associated with higher blood pressure or hypertension in adulthood, according to a study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Their analysis of previously published blood-pressure tracking studies over the last four decades show a consistent relationship between children’s blood pressure levels with their blood pressure levels as adults. “The blood pressure tracking data indicate that children with elevated blood pressure levels often grew up to become adults with elevated blood pressure,” said Youfa Wang, MD, Ph.D., senior author of the study and associate professor with the Bloomberg School’s Center for Human Nutrition. “It is important to monitor blood pressure in children – since early detection and intervention could prevent hypertension and related disease risks later in life. For example, studies show that even slightly elevated blood pressure as adults will increase future risks for cardiovascular disease considerably. “Wang and Xiaoli Chen, MD, Ph.D., former postdoctoral research fellow in the Bloomberg School’s Department of International Health, studied blood pressure levels at various ages and follow-up lengths from previously published studies that monitored children’s blood pressure levels for as long as 40 years across multiple countries and continents. Currently it is estimated that nearly 73 million adults in the United States have high blood pressure. African Americans have higher rates of hypertension, which is one of the major modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease, can lead to heart disease, heart failure, stroke, kidney failure and a number of other health problems. A previous study conducted by Wang and colleagues found that approximately 60 percent of American adults had pre-hypertension or hypertension in 1999 to 2000, and several population groups were disproportionately affected. The prevalence of hypertension has increased nearly 10 percentage points compared to findings in a 1988-94 national survey. Wang credits this in part to the rising obesity epidemic.

Ex-NASCAR employee sues for $225 million
A Black woman suing NASCAR for $225 million says she was treated with racist harassment, including being called “nappy-headed,” while working for the organization. Mauricia Grant was employed as an inspector for NASCAR from 2005 to 2007. She says she was subjected to working in the heat for longer periods of time than White employees because they feared sunburn. Grant also says White co-workers called her “nappy-headed Mo,” a variation of the insult that broadcaster Don Imus infamously called the Rutgers women’s basketball team. She alleges that employees also questioned her sexual preference. She was fired in October, despite having been previously praised by her supervisors, Grant says. NASCAR chairman Brian France has denied that Grant made any complaints about mistreatment on the job.

Tiger returns from knee surgery
The top golfer in the world and Tiger Woods is back just in time to play one of his favorite courses at Torrey Pines. Does he have a shot to win the U.S. Open? More at Playa Hater.

Eleven-time Pro Bowler says he’ll leave Ravens
Twelve-year Baltimore Ravens veteran Jonathan Ogden says he’s hanging up his cleats. A nagging toe injury during his last two NFL seasons is among the reasons the 11-time Pro Bowler says he’ll retire. “It took a little while to decide,” he tells the Baltimore Sun. “You just can’t make a decision like this overnight. I tried to work out, I tried to practice on the toe. But it never came back to 100 percent.” Regarded by some as the best offensive tackle in recent memory, Ogden helped the the Ravens to victory at Super Bowl XXXV. His career highlights include catching two touchdown passes.

Bills player is believed to have driven a vehicle that struck a pedestrian.

Marshawn Lynch may be charged with a felony. Having awaited an interview from Marshawn Lynch to discuss what happened two weekends ago when a vehicle registered to him struck a pedestrian, prosecutors are moving forward. Erie County District Attorney Frank Clark says the presumption is that Lynch was the driver in the hit-and-run accident, involving his 2008 Porsche SUV. The running back hasn’t made himself available to be interviewed about the incident, but investigators say damage to the vehicle further connected it to the crime scene. The 27-year-old woman struck by Lynch’s vehicle was bruised and treated at a hospital. Police later located the Porsche in Lynch’s driveway. “So the logical presumption is that he was driving the car,” Clark says.