Blue Ivy Carter – This little miss bundle of talent caused quite a stir when she made her way into the world

Connie Harper celebrates 80 years

BornOct. 28, 1932, our illustrious associate publisher and editor-in-chief Connie Harper turned 80 years old. To honor this momentous milestone, Harper along, with her Club 32 gang – others who entered the world the same year – started celebrating birthdays in June and continued throughout December.   

Trayvon Martin, Jordan Davis deaths

This year Black America was up-in-arms when not one, but twoFloridateens were subjected to senseless deaths at the hands of the “Stand Your Ground” law.

Despite police warnings to seize pursuit, armed neighborhood watchmen George Zimmerman ignored, shot and killed 17 year old, unarmed Trayvon Martin – who was returning from a store with a bag of skittles – the country went into an uproar, demanding the arrest and investigation of Zimmerman who was booked or charged based on his claim of self-defense, causing many to challenge Florida’s Stand Your Ground law. Hundreds of protestors converged inStanford,Fla.to demand justice. Others wore hoodies to show solidarity.  Zimmerman is currently in jail awaiting trial.

Davis, also 17, was shot to death on Nov. 23 inJacksonville,Fla.after Michael Dunn, a 45-year-old white male, said he felt threatened by the two Black teenagers and one young Black man sitting withDavisin an SUV. Dunn said he argued with the group over the volume of their music, saw a shotgun emerge from one of the SUV’s windows then, fired his handgun eight or nine times before fleeing. Three bullets struck and killedDavis. Police say the passengers were unarmed. Dunn was charged with murder and is currently in jail.

Opening of the Horseshoe Casino

Hundreds of people stood in line back in May, waiting for the doors ofOhio’s first casino to open in the historic Higbee building onPublic Square.Clevelandis now a 24-hour city!

Gabby Douglas brings home the gold

With an amazing performance during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, and an inspiring background story to match, Gymnast Gabby Douglas went on to win gold medals in both individual and team competitions. She’s the first African-American gymnast to claim the sport’s biggest prize, “all-around” Olympic title and the Associated Press recently named Douglas Female Athlete of the Year.

Supreme Court upholds ‘Obamacare’

The day that Obamacare (President Obama’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act) was enacted, several individuals and 26 states filed lawsuits to strike down the law, arguing Obamacare is a violation of the US Constitution’s Commerce Clause (our federal government’s power to regulate commerce between the states).  The court decided the law could not be upheld under the Commerce Clause, but it also held that the law’s individual mandate “penalty” could be considered a tax, and upheld Obamacare as a constitutional application of Congress’s taxation power.

 

Cleveland Browns transfer ownership

After a decade of Lerner Family possession, the Cleveland Browns were sold to Jimmy Haslam III – owner of Pilot/Flying J Travel Centers – for a whopping $1 billion.

Magic Johnson becomes first Black owner of a MLB team

Whoever dubbed Earvin Johnson with the moniker “Magic” definitely possessed some clairvoyance clearer than the Mayans. He just says the word and “voila…” Magic gets it done. As if leading the Lakers to five NBA championships, owning everything from movie theaters to Starbucks to TGIFridays and outliving HIV wasn’t amazing enough… He is now the first African-American owner of a Major League Baseball team – The Los Angeles Dodgers. Obama runs the country, but Magic’s on his way to owning it!     

Election 2012 and the reelection of President Barack Obama

In an effort to finish the job he’s started POTUS took on Republican challenger Mitt Romney in probably one of the most expensive, mudslinging presidential campaigns in the history of nations. And, in a desperate attempt to regain the oval office and retain a number of key seats throughout the country, the GOP pulled out many of their “poli-tricks” of yesteryear, hoping to suppress, discourage and disenfranchise voters with scare tactics.  Again,Ohioshowed up and showed out at the polls, putting POTUS over the top to become a two-term president. 

Artis Hughes “The Uppercut Bus Driver”

RTA Bus Driver Artis Hughes became infamous for his line ‘You going to jail now!’  as well as his boxing skills when an amateur video of him uppercutting a female passenger went viral. Hughes claimed victim,Shedia Lane spit on him. After learning about the incident, RTA terminated Hughes.

A new vocabulary word gets introduced

Emmanuel and Phillip Hudson had us clicking, liking and sharing their YouTube videos so much that not only did they go viral, but we even incorporated their now famous term “ratchet” into our everyday vocabulary. The Urban Dictionary has the term defined as: “A diva, mostly from urban cities and ghettos that has reason to believe she is every man’s eye candy. Unfortunately, she's wrong.” This term has expanded to be used as a noun, verb and adjective and a synonym for almost every ghetto, trifling and God-awful thing imaginable.  

Death of Emilliano Terry

Three-year-old Emilliano Terry, ofCleveland, was found wrapped in garbage bags, dead, after his mother Camillia Terry reported him missing fromKassuthPark. Terry has been arraigned, held on $2 million’s bond and awaiting trial.

Falling off the Fiscal Cliff

With theU.S.economy experiencing slow recovery, a credit rating downgrade, and a constantly rising debt ceiling, it seems only natural for it to approach this proverbial “fiscal cliff” as lawmakers in the nation’s capitol toggle over soon to be expired tax rates and spending cuts. As of press time, the president and Congress failed to reach an agreement.

Hurricane Sandy

Many thought this weather system would be some meek, weak storm. But, on the contrary, the damage caused by winds and rain along the Eastern seaboard proved them wrong. HurricaneSandyclosed the stock exchange for two days, the longest weather related shut down in history and halted gas delivery. Even us Clevelanders got a taste ofSandyand felt what life was like with no lights.

Justified police shootings?

There were two controversial cases that erupted this year and had us raising an eyebrow when dealing with the CPD.

After a 25-minute police chase that started at the Justice Center in downtown Cleveland and ended at Heritage Middle School in East Cleveland, 13 Cleveland police officers fired 137 shots into a car killing Malissa Williams and Timothy Russell and causing the public and politicos to call for a federal investigation.

Another case that caught our attention happened back in March. Twenty-year-old rapper Kenny Smith was killed by an off-duty cop onE. 9th St.after leaving a club with friends. The shooting, originally ruled justified, has since been changed to homicide. Oddly, the charge hasn’t been handed down to the cop who shot him and is attempting to be put off on others who where there. Hmm… [Insert head scratch] The C&P is waiting to see how this plays out.

Five new African-Americans elected to Congress

There will be five new African Americans in Congress next year brining the total to 44.  The 113th Congress will be sworn-in during the first week in January and will include new additions:Ohio’s Joyce Beatty,Nevada’s Steve Horsford,Texas’ Marc Veasey,New York’s Hakeem Jeffries andNew Jersey’s Donald Payne Jr. They will all serve in the U.S. House.

Children slaughter in Newton, C.T.

A raging lunatic, armed with deadly assault weapons, enters Sandy Hook Elementary School and opens fire, killing 26 people including 20 children ages 5 and 6. This becomes the second deadliest mass murder, behind the Virginia Tech shooting, in U.S history. This incident has also reigniting the debate on gun control.

Notable deaths

Whitney Houston, 48, pop icon

Sherman Helmsley, 74, television icon

Don Cornelius, 75, creator of Soul Train

Donna Summer, 63, Queen of Disco,

Chuck Brown, Godfather of Go-Go

Michael Clarke Duncun, 54, noted for role in The Green Mile.

Rodney King, 47, known for the infamous police beating that sparked the LA Riots in 1992.

Yvette Wilson, 50, actress and comedian, role in shows Moesha and The Parkers

Jimmy Ellis, 74, lead singer of The Trammps

Etta James, 73, legendary singer/songwriter

Notable births

Blue Ivy Carter – This little miss bundle of talent caused quite a stir when she made her way into the world, shutting down hospital wings, songs by the “best rapper alive” written about her and swirling rumors of being an illuminati baby. And this was all in the first 24 hours of life!

12-12-12babies – Every news station was all aflutter with the births of babies born on12-12-12.