Top 5 Live-WURD Monday April 6
1. Government names Kenya attack mastermind
The Kenyan government says Mohamed Mohamud, also known as Gamadhere, is the mastermind of Thursday’s Kenya university terror attack, according to a tweet from the country’s Interior Ministry. Al-Shabaab, an al Qaeda-linked militant group based in Somalia, took responsibility for the attack.
Mohamud is “credited with having an extensive terrorist network within Kenya,” according to CNN.
Earlier, the ministry posted a “Most Wanted” notice for Mohamud. It offers a reward of 20 million Kenyan shillings, which is about $215,000.
“We appeal to anyone with any info on #Gamadhere to share with relevant authorities and security agencies,” the Interior Ministry posted on Twitter.
2. Public accounting near for Rolling Stone
Columbia University will publish the results Sunday of an extraordinary three-month review of Rolling Stone magazine’s editorial processes.
The public accounting of what went wrong with the article “A Rape on Campus” is, among other things, a bid by Rolling Stone to restore its reputation.
The review may also provide some closure for the University of Virginia community harmed by the article’s widely-challenged allegations of a violent gang rape at a frat party. Local police officials recently said they could find no evidence that a rape occurred.
Columbia’s review finds “systemic failure” on the part of Rolling Stone, according to people with direct knowledge of the forthcoming report.
3. Williams advisor runs charity funded by his donors
Sky Community Partners Inc. is a Philadelphia-based 501c3 organization and one of the program’s first state-approved scholarship organizations.
But Sky Community Partners isn’t just any scholarship organization. It’s run by Dawn Chavous, one of Williams’ most trusted political advisers and his mayoral campaign manager, and nearly all its funding has come from Williams’ political backers. Chavous is also married to Williams’ protege, Councilman Kenyatta Johnson.
Chavous incorporated Sky (and an education consulting firm called Greentree Education) in 2008.
Based out of a West Philadelphia rowhouse that Chavous owns and doubles as a mailing address for her political consulting company, Sky has received donations from the SIG affiliates through the state’s educational tax-credit programs totaling more than $1.3 million, according to state records in 2012.
4. Community College of Philadelphia goes tuition-free for hundreds
President Obama’s proposal to make community college free for most students may never get through Congress. But Community College of Philadelphia has decided to act on its own.
The school is doing away with tuition for all seniors graduating from a city high school this spring who have low-enough family incomes to qualify for federal Pell grants and who meet certain other requirements.
College officials estimate that 440 students will qualify for the program in the first year.
“There are far too many students who, even with financial aid, are unable to meet the gap that exists between the financial aid they get and what final tuition would be,” college president Donald Generals said.
The college will cover the gap between federal and state aid granted to low-income students and the cost of tuition and fees. That’s roughly $450 to $500 annually per eligible student, the college estimates. Tuition and fees run about $5,550 a year.
5. Election in Scarred Ferguson Carries Hope of ‘NewTomorrow
Last month, the Justice Department released a harsh report accusing Ferguson’s law enforcement of disproportionately targeting blacks and routinely violated people’s constitutional rights.
Currently, in a city that is 67 percent black, only one of the seven Council members is African-American. But in the races for three open seats, four of the eight candidates are black, including both candidates in Ward 3.
“This is how every municipal election should be,” said Councilman Dwayne James of Ward 2, only the second black councilman in the city’s 120-year history.
The National Working Families Party, local progressive groups, MoveOn.org and Democracy for America have jumped in to support certain candidates.
Click here to read these stories on 900amWURD.
Solomon Jones is an Essence bestselling author and award-winning columnist. He is the creator and editor of Solomonjones.com and morning host on 900 am WURD radio. Click here to learn more about Solomon
