Another Case Of A Teacher Having Sex With Her Student ... One right after the other.
A Roseville High School teacher accused of having sex with her teenaged student aide last school year was arraigned on criminal sexual conduct charges today in a Clinton Township district court.
Janelle Batkins, 42, of Harrison Township, is charged with two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct, a 15-year felony. She was released on a $25,000 personal bond under the conditions she doesn’t go on the school grounds and doesn’t have contact with minors unrelated to her.
Batkins, who taught French for 15 years in the district and was named Teacher of the Year in 2002, resigned over the summer.
The married mother of two children, ages 14 and 21, had an affair with the 17-year-old boy from December of 2006 until the end of the last school year, police and prosecutors said.
The Free Press generally does not name victims of alleged sexual assaults.
The boy’s mother brought the allegations to Roseville police in July after finding evidence of the relationship on her son’s computer. Her son told detectives he consented to sex with Batkins when he was 17 in places like her home and a car in Roseville, police said.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Another Case Of A Teacher Having Sex With Her Student
Remember when it seemed that there was a rash of cases of teachers having sex with students? Well, here's another one...
Jessica Ashley Kahal, 22, turned herself in to officers about 11:30 a.m. at the police station with her attorney present.
Kahal resigned from the charter school on Oct. 5, after Douglas D. Smith, the school principal, began investigating her relationship with a 17-year-old boy, police and school officials said.
A teacher from another school told Smith about the relationship, said police Lt. Allen White. A school resource officer then interviewed the boy, a senior, who said he and Kahal had sex about five times in the past two months at various locations in the county, police said.
Police detectives who took over the investigation said they also interviewed other witnesses. In the meantime, Kahal resigned from the school and moved out of the county, police said.
Jessica Ashley Kahal, 22, turned herself in to officers about 11:30 a.m. at the police station with her attorney present.
Kahal resigned from the charter school on Oct. 5, after Douglas D. Smith, the school principal, began investigating her relationship with a 17-year-old boy, police and school officials said.
A teacher from another school told Smith about the relationship, said police Lt. Allen White. A school resource officer then interviewed the boy, a senior, who said he and Kahal had sex about five times in the past two months at various locations in the county, police said.
Police detectives who took over the investigation said they also interviewed other witnesses. In the meantime, Kahal resigned from the school and moved out of the county, police said.
Staph 'Superbug' Deaths May Top AIDS In U.S.
CHICAGO (CBS News) ― More than 90,000 Americans get potentially deadly infections each year from a drug-resistant staph "superbug," the government reported Tuesday in its first overall estimate of invasive disease caused by the germ.
Deaths tied to these infections may exceed those caused by AIDS, said one public health expert commenting on the new study. The report shows just how far one form of the staph germ, called methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, has spread beyond its traditional hospital setting.
Dr. Monica Klevens of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the federal agency that conducted the study, spoke to CBS News medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook, putting the numbers into shocking context.
"So what that means," Klevens said, "is that it's the equivalent of having a death related to MRSA about every 30 minutes in the U.S in a year."
The overall incidence rate was about 32 invasive infections per 100,000 people. That's an "astounding" figure, said an editorial in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association, which published the study.
Most drug-resistant staph cases are mild skin infections. But this study focused on invasive infections - those that enter the bloodstream or destroy flesh and can turn deadly.
Researchers found that only about one-quarter involved hospitalized patients. However, more than half were in the health care system - people who had recently had surgery or were on kidney dialysis, for example. Open wounds and exposure to medical equipment are major ways the bug spreads.
In recent years, the resistant germ has become more common in hospitals and it has been spreading through prisons, gyms and locker rooms, and in poor urban neighborhoods.
The new study offers the broadest look yet at the pervasiveness of the most severe infections caused by the MRSA bug. These bacteria can be carried by healthy people, living on their skin or in their noses.
An invasive form of the disease is being blamed for the death Monday of a 17-year-old Virginia high school senior. Doctors said the germ had spread to his kidneys, liver, lungs and muscles around his heart.
The researchers' estimates are extrapolated from 2005 surveillance data from nine mostly urban regions considered representative of the country. There were 5,287 invasive infections reported that year in people living in those regions, which would translate to an estimated 94,360 cases nationally, the researchers said.
Most cases were life-threatening bloodstream infections. However, about 10 percent involved so-called flesh-eating disease, according to the study.
There were 988 reported deaths among infected people in the study, for a rate of 6.3 per 100,000. That would translate to 18,650 deaths annually, although the researchers don't know if MRSA was the cause in all cases.
If these deaths all were related to staph infections, the total would exceed other better-known causes of death including AIDS - which killed an estimated 17,011 Americans in 2005 - said Dr. Elizabeth Bancroft of the Los Angeles County Health Department, the editorial author.
The results underscore the need for better prevention measures. That includes curbing the overuse of antibiotics and improving hand-washing and other hygiene procedures among hospital workers, said the CDC's Dr. Scott Fridkin, a study co-author.
Dr. LaPook spoke to Judy Tarselli, a hygiene specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital, who demonstrated the alcohol-based hand cleansers health workers use there. Tarselli also stressed the importance of this simple precaution.
"Hand hygiene is the single most important thing we can do to stop the transmission of germs that can cause infections in our patients," she said.
Massachusetts General's efforts have paid off. Since their handwashing program started five years ago, Dr. LaPook reports, they've been able to reduce their invasive staph infections - including MSRA - by half.
Some hospitals have also drastically cut infections by first isolating new patients until they are screened for MRSA.
The bacteria don't respond to penicillin-related antibiotics once commonly used to treat them, partly because of overuse. They can be treated with other drugs but health officials worry that their overuse could cause the germ to become resistant to those, too.
Dr. LaPook told CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric that people should not immediately ask their doctor for antibiotics and when they are prescribed, patients should get in the habit of asking, "Do I really need to take antibiotics?"
A survey earlier this year suggested that MRSA infections, including noninvasive mild forms, affect 46 out of every 1,000 U.S. hospital and nursing home patients - or as many as 5 percent. These patients are vulnerable because of open wounds and invasive medical equipment that can help the germ spread.
Dr. Buddy Creech, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University, said the JAMA study emphasizes the broad scope of the drug-resistant staph "epidemic," and highlights the need for a vaccine, which he called "the holy grail of staphylococcal research."
The regions studied were: the Atlanta metropolitan area; Baltimore, Connecticut; Davidson County, Tenn.; the Denver metropolitan area; Monroe County, NY; the Portland, Ore. metropolitan area; Ramsey County, Minn.; and the San Francisco metropolitan area.
Deaths tied to these infections may exceed those caused by AIDS, said one public health expert commenting on the new study. The report shows just how far one form of the staph germ, called methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, has spread beyond its traditional hospital setting.
Dr. Monica Klevens of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the federal agency that conducted the study, spoke to CBS News medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook, putting the numbers into shocking context.
"So what that means," Klevens said, "is that it's the equivalent of having a death related to MRSA about every 30 minutes in the U.S in a year."
The overall incidence rate was about 32 invasive infections per 100,000 people. That's an "astounding" figure, said an editorial in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association, which published the study.
Most drug-resistant staph cases are mild skin infections. But this study focused on invasive infections - those that enter the bloodstream or destroy flesh and can turn deadly.
Researchers found that only about one-quarter involved hospitalized patients. However, more than half were in the health care system - people who had recently had surgery or were on kidney dialysis, for example. Open wounds and exposure to medical equipment are major ways the bug spreads.
In recent years, the resistant germ has become more common in hospitals and it has been spreading through prisons, gyms and locker rooms, and in poor urban neighborhoods.
The new study offers the broadest look yet at the pervasiveness of the most severe infections caused by the MRSA bug. These bacteria can be carried by healthy people, living on their skin or in their noses.
An invasive form of the disease is being blamed for the death Monday of a 17-year-old Virginia high school senior. Doctors said the germ had spread to his kidneys, liver, lungs and muscles around his heart.
The researchers' estimates are extrapolated from 2005 surveillance data from nine mostly urban regions considered representative of the country. There were 5,287 invasive infections reported that year in people living in those regions, which would translate to an estimated 94,360 cases nationally, the researchers said.
Most cases were life-threatening bloodstream infections. However, about 10 percent involved so-called flesh-eating disease, according to the study.
There were 988 reported deaths among infected people in the study, for a rate of 6.3 per 100,000. That would translate to 18,650 deaths annually, although the researchers don't know if MRSA was the cause in all cases.
If these deaths all were related to staph infections, the total would exceed other better-known causes of death including AIDS - which killed an estimated 17,011 Americans in 2005 - said Dr. Elizabeth Bancroft of the Los Angeles County Health Department, the editorial author.
The results underscore the need for better prevention measures. That includes curbing the overuse of antibiotics and improving hand-washing and other hygiene procedures among hospital workers, said the CDC's Dr. Scott Fridkin, a study co-author.
Dr. LaPook spoke to Judy Tarselli, a hygiene specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital, who demonstrated the alcohol-based hand cleansers health workers use there. Tarselli also stressed the importance of this simple precaution.
"Hand hygiene is the single most important thing we can do to stop the transmission of germs that can cause infections in our patients," she said.
Massachusetts General's efforts have paid off. Since their handwashing program started five years ago, Dr. LaPook reports, they've been able to reduce their invasive staph infections - including MSRA - by half.
Some hospitals have also drastically cut infections by first isolating new patients until they are screened for MRSA.
The bacteria don't respond to penicillin-related antibiotics once commonly used to treat them, partly because of overuse. They can be treated with other drugs but health officials worry that their overuse could cause the germ to become resistant to those, too.
Dr. LaPook told CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric that people should not immediately ask their doctor for antibiotics and when they are prescribed, patients should get in the habit of asking, "Do I really need to take antibiotics?"
A survey earlier this year suggested that MRSA infections, including noninvasive mild forms, affect 46 out of every 1,000 U.S. hospital and nursing home patients - or as many as 5 percent. These patients are vulnerable because of open wounds and invasive medical equipment that can help the germ spread.
Dr. Buddy Creech, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University, said the JAMA study emphasizes the broad scope of the drug-resistant staph "epidemic," and highlights the need for a vaccine, which he called "the holy grail of staphylococcal research."
The regions studied were: the Atlanta metropolitan area; Baltimore, Connecticut; Davidson County, Tenn.; the Denver metropolitan area; Monroe County, NY; the Portland, Ore. metropolitan area; Ramsey County, Minn.; and the San Francisco metropolitan area.
Airline workers among 18 people charged with drug trafficking at JFK
I discovered this bizarre story while watching the evening news and would like to know if there is anybody left with any resemblance of credibility that we can trust?
By Laura Batchelor
CNN
NEW YORK (CNN) -- Eighteen people, including 10 airline workers at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, appeared in federal court Tuesday on international drug smuggling and distribution charges.
The drugs were hidden in luggage on international commercial flights from the Dominican Republic to JFK, the complaint alleges.
Once the luggage arrived, it was relocated to a "safe" area, hidden from law enforcement, it says.
While the diversion was taking place, the defendants used lookouts to watch for law officers.
The leader of the defendants was Henry Polanco, who dealt with the drug suppliers in the Dominican Republic, according to the complaint.
He used employees from Delta, American Airlines and food-services company Aramark to help smuggle the drugs into the United States, the complaint says.
The defendants were arrested earlier Tuesday and gave no comment as they were escorted into a U.S. Marshals Service bus.
The case "illustrates how conspiracy to smuggle drugs into the U.S. among airport employees compromised our border security," said Mark Lorenti, a special agent with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, in a statement.
The charges are a result of a two-year investigation, during which federal agents found 46 kilograms (101 pounds) of cocaine, 25 kilograms (55 pounds) of heroin and 3 kilograms (6 pounds) of MDMA (ecstasy), according to a Justice Department news release.
The Drug Enforcement Administration said the street value of the drugs is $875,000 for the cocaine, $1.1 million for the heroin and $75,000 for the ecstasy.
Delta Air Lines spokeswoman Chris Kelly said the carrier was aware of the investigation and cooperated with authorities.
"The seven Delta employees who are charged are being suspended without pay," she said.
Seven of the suspects are being held without bail, while bail for the remaining 11 was set between $250,000 to $500,000, according to the U.S. attorney's office.
None of the suspects entered pleas Tuesday. It is unclear when they will next appear in court.
CNN's Sarah B. Boxer contributed to this report.
By Laura Batchelor
CNN
NEW YORK (CNN) -- Eighteen people, including 10 airline workers at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, appeared in federal court Tuesday on international drug smuggling and distribution charges.
The drugs were hidden in luggage on international commercial flights from the Dominican Republic to JFK, the complaint alleges.
Once the luggage arrived, it was relocated to a "safe" area, hidden from law enforcement, it says.
While the diversion was taking place, the defendants used lookouts to watch for law officers.
The leader of the defendants was Henry Polanco, who dealt with the drug suppliers in the Dominican Republic, according to the complaint.
He used employees from Delta, American Airlines and food-services company Aramark to help smuggle the drugs into the United States, the complaint says.
The defendants were arrested earlier Tuesday and gave no comment as they were escorted into a U.S. Marshals Service bus.
The case "illustrates how conspiracy to smuggle drugs into the U.S. among airport employees compromised our border security," said Mark Lorenti, a special agent with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, in a statement.
The charges are a result of a two-year investigation, during which federal agents found 46 kilograms (101 pounds) of cocaine, 25 kilograms (55 pounds) of heroin and 3 kilograms (6 pounds) of MDMA (ecstasy), according to a Justice Department news release.
The Drug Enforcement Administration said the street value of the drugs is $875,000 for the cocaine, $1.1 million for the heroin and $75,000 for the ecstasy.
Delta Air Lines spokeswoman Chris Kelly said the carrier was aware of the investigation and cooperated with authorities.
"The seven Delta employees who are charged are being suspended without pay," she said.
Seven of the suspects are being held without bail, while bail for the remaining 11 was set between $250,000 to $500,000, according to the U.S. attorney's office.
None of the suspects entered pleas Tuesday. It is unclear when they will next appear in court.
CNN's Sarah B. Boxer contributed to this report.
Dr. James Watson Is A Major Racist Idiot Who Needs A Spanking
Yep. You saw the headline. I'm not going to waste a lot of space on some racist idiot who thinks he can judge who's smart and who's not based on his own racism and his ego and arrogance that led him to the "unravelling of DNA." This nut job says that Africans are less intelligent than Westerners. Now think about it. If Watson -- who's "Western" -- found that Westerners were less intelligent, would he report it? Hell no. Not at all. Because it would mean he's less intelligent.
He's not intellectually honest enough to place himself in that position. And while I'm at it, if you follow his belief, you're dumber than he is, and need a lobotomy!
He's such a confused 79-year old twit that he would judge the intellect of a person based on perceived skin color. What a stupid. Part of me wants to go on and on, but the other part wants to stop, knowing that this guy's just plain out of his mind.
Why?
Well, you, him, or I am not capable of judging how smart someone is. Suppose that person knows only French? Does that mean he or she is not smart because they don't know English? That's nuts. Totally stupid. But that's what I've come to expect from James Watson -- acts that pander to racists, because he's a racist.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Ann Coulter - Say She's Part Of A Sick Joke - Admits Bigotry Is Wrong
Political Pundit and all around bomb-thrower Ann Coulter posted this on her site yesterday:
Dear Readers,
I've been participating in a charade for nearly eleven years, now. Quite frankly, I'm sick of it. You have all been a part of a sick joke that I began considering shortly after first getting on the air. At first, it was quite interesting to see how people would react when I would use twisted logic and poorly masked bigotry.
But eleven years is a long time to be living a fake life, and I can no longer tolerate this falsity. Even someone as fake as I tires out eventually.
Here's the truth, I don't care what people believe. Jews don't need to be "made perfect" as I so arrogantly proclaimed to Editor & Publisher not a half week ago.
I don't even care if people are Muslim. Granted, I don't know much about the religion or the people, but they are people. This is something that we cannot forget, they are in an abhorrent situation. These people are in need of education. Perhaps if we did not participate in causing them misery, they would not hate us so.
In fact, does it really matter whether we are Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Atheist, or even Pagan? We are one nation. One. We should not let petty differences separate us, we are all American, and should act in that manner.
And with that, my precious viewers, I bid you adieu. My career as a media figurehead is over.
Signed,
Ann Coulter
That was posted on her site. It's too bad it was not her writing. (Or that's what they say -- it could have been a publicity stunt. ) It's said that her site was "hacked" but I'd like to know by who. I'd like to congratulate them.
Chambers headed to Chargers in trade with Dolphins
Smart move by the Chargers to strengthen their porous receiving core. As for the woeful Dolphins, they lose their primary target on offense and will have a difficult time replacing stabilizing what is a volatile offense.
Associated Press
SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego Chargers acquired wide receiver Chris Chambers from the Miami Dolphins on Tuesday in exchange for a 2008 second-round draft pick.
The Chargers have been without No. 1 wide receiver Eric Parker since June and needed to bolster their passing game.
"We are very excited to add Chris to our team," San Diego General Manager A.J. Smith told chargers.com. "He brings a wealth of experience and outstanding production. He is an extremely talented football player and we have held him in high regard throughout his career."
Chambers has 31 receptions for 415 yards and no touchdowns this season. He was a second-round choice by Miami in 2001 and enjoyed his best season in 2005, when he made 82 catches for 1,118 yards and 11 scores.
Chambers is signed through 2009.
"This trade will give some of our younger players at that position, such as Ted Ginn and Derek Hagan, more of an opportunity this year," Dolphins general manager Randy Mueller said in a statement. "Chris did everything we asked of him and represented this organization in a first-class manner. We wish him and his family the best of luck in San Diego."
To make room for Chambers on the active roster, the Chargers placed Parker on the Injured Reserved List. Parker had not played this season while recovering from August surgery to repair a cracked bone near his right big toe he injured during June minicamp. The Chargers originally expected Parker to be out up to 10 weeks.
The trade suggests the Dolphins are looking to the future following an 0-6 start, which matches the worst in franchise history.
The Dolphins are in their first season under Cam Cameron, the former offensive coordinator of the Chargers.
San Diego (3-3) has its bye this Sunday. Miami plays unbeaten New England.
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press
Associated Press
SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego Chargers acquired wide receiver Chris Chambers from the Miami Dolphins on Tuesday in exchange for a 2008 second-round draft pick.
The Chargers have been without No. 1 wide receiver Eric Parker since June and needed to bolster their passing game.
"We are very excited to add Chris to our team," San Diego General Manager A.J. Smith told chargers.com. "He brings a wealth of experience and outstanding production. He is an extremely talented football player and we have held him in high regard throughout his career."
Chambers has 31 receptions for 415 yards and no touchdowns this season. He was a second-round choice by Miami in 2001 and enjoyed his best season in 2005, when he made 82 catches for 1,118 yards and 11 scores.
Chambers is signed through 2009.
"This trade will give some of our younger players at that position, such as Ted Ginn and Derek Hagan, more of an opportunity this year," Dolphins general manager Randy Mueller said in a statement. "Chris did everything we asked of him and represented this organization in a first-class manner. We wish him and his family the best of luck in San Diego."
To make room for Chambers on the active roster, the Chargers placed Parker on the Injured Reserved List. Parker had not played this season while recovering from August surgery to repair a cracked bone near his right big toe he injured during June minicamp. The Chargers originally expected Parker to be out up to 10 weeks.
The trade suggests the Dolphins are looking to the future following an 0-6 start, which matches the worst in franchise history.
The Dolphins are in their first season under Cam Cameron, the former offensive coordinator of the Chargers.
San Diego (3-3) has its bye this Sunday. Miami plays unbeaten New England.
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press
Trade - Michael Bennett from Kansas City Chiefs To Tampa Bay Buccaneers
From ESPN.com
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have acquired seventh-year veteran tailback Michael Bennett from the Kansas City Chiefs.The Chiefs received an undisclosed draft pick in the trade.
"We believe that the addition of Michael Bennett will strengthen our running back position," Bucs general manager Bruce Allen said in a statement.
Although Bennett does not fit the model of the kind of running back that the club had been attempting to add in trade talks over the past week, the swap provides the Bucs a veteran back who was a starter in the league early in his career, and who was named to the 2002 Pro Bowl after rushing for 1,296 yards that season.
"It really caught me off-guard," Bennett told the Kansas City Star. "I heard the speculation for the past few days, but nobody from the Chiefs said anything to me, so I guessed it wasn't going to happen. I was wrong. It's a business. It's just one of those things that happen.
The departure of Bennett from the Chiefs could mean that Kansas City tailback Priest Holmes, who hasn't played in two years because of a neck condition, is ready to return to the practice field. Holmes is on the non-football injury list, and players on that reserve list are eligible to start practicing again on Tuesday, by league rule.
Kansas City coach Herm Edwards told local reporters Monday that Holmes would rejoin the team when it practiced on Wednesday in preparation for this week's game. Many felt that Holmes would retire in the offseason, but he surprised even Chiefs officials by reporting to training camp this summer.
"He's been here," Edwards said of Holmes. "I've been talking to him, about every other day or so. We talk about where he's at, how he's doing, what we're thinking. He knows what I expect and I know where he's at right now."
If Holmes does resume practice this week, the Chiefs, by NFL rule, would have a three-week window in which to evaluate him.
Tampa Bay has been beset by injuries in its backfield. The team lost veteran fullback Mike Alstott in the preseason and starting tailback Carnell "Cadillac" Williams suffered a torn patella tendon three weeks ago that ended his 2007 season. Most recently, Michael Pittman, who replaced Williams as the starter, sustained an ankle injury that could sideline him for two months, according to club officials.
Veteran free agent Zack Crockett was signed last week by the Bucs, but he is more of a short-yardage specialist. Tampa Bay, which is tied for the lead in the NFC South, used fourth-year veteran Earnest Graham as the starter last week, but he rushed for only 29 yards in the team's victory over the Tennessee Titans.
With the resurgent Bucs sensing a chance to steal the division, particularly given the struggles of the defending NFC South champion New Orleans Saints, many in the league felt that Tampa Bay general manager Bruce Allen would try hard to add a veteran tailback before the Tuesday 4 p.m. trade deadline. Allen was rebuffed in his attempts to acquire fourth-year veteran Mewelde Moore from the Minnesota Vikings, but was active in discussions on several fronts the past few days.
A Bucs officials said late Monday afternoon that the team was definitely pursuing a back and hoped to make a deal. Asked specifically about Bennett, who was being shopped by the Chiefs, the official noted that the club was looking for more of a physical runner. A former Olympic sprint candidate, Bennett is more noted for his speed than his power. But the Bucs almost had to make a move given their situation, and Bennett was the best option.
Bennett was the first-round pick of the Vikings in the 2001 draft. The former Wisconsin standout played his first five seasons in Minnesota (2001-2005), then signed with New Orleans to be the backup to Deuce McAllister in 2006. But the Saints then selected Reggie Bush in the 2006 draft, making Bennett expendable, and he was dealt to Kansas City last summer to fill the Chiefs' need for a backup to Larry Johnson.
He played sparingly in 2006, as Johnson established a league record with 416 carries. This season, Bennett carried 20 times for 52 yards and no touchdowns and had 10 receptions for 47 yards and no scores.
For his career, Bennett has 769 rushes for 3,426 yards and 12 touchdowns and 145 catches for 1,164 yards and five touchdowns. Since rushing for 1,296 yards in 2002, he has never gained more than 500 yards on the ground. Bennett has appeared in 81 games. He is in the final year of his contract, with a base salary of $1.2 million, and Tampa Bay will now be responsible for the prorated portion of that.
Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL reporter for ESPN.com. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have acquired seventh-year veteran tailback Michael Bennett from the Kansas City Chiefs.The Chiefs received an undisclosed draft pick in the trade.
"We believe that the addition of Michael Bennett will strengthen our running back position," Bucs general manager Bruce Allen said in a statement.
Although Bennett does not fit the model of the kind of running back that the club had been attempting to add in trade talks over the past week, the swap provides the Bucs a veteran back who was a starter in the league early in his career, and who was named to the 2002 Pro Bowl after rushing for 1,296 yards that season.
"It really caught me off-guard," Bennett told the Kansas City Star. "I heard the speculation for the past few days, but nobody from the Chiefs said anything to me, so I guessed it wasn't going to happen. I was wrong. It's a business. It's just one of those things that happen.
The departure of Bennett from the Chiefs could mean that Kansas City tailback Priest Holmes, who hasn't played in two years because of a neck condition, is ready to return to the practice field. Holmes is on the non-football injury list, and players on that reserve list are eligible to start practicing again on Tuesday, by league rule.
Kansas City coach Herm Edwards told local reporters Monday that Holmes would rejoin the team when it practiced on Wednesday in preparation for this week's game. Many felt that Holmes would retire in the offseason, but he surprised even Chiefs officials by reporting to training camp this summer.
"He's been here," Edwards said of Holmes. "I've been talking to him, about every other day or so. We talk about where he's at, how he's doing, what we're thinking. He knows what I expect and I know where he's at right now."
If Holmes does resume practice this week, the Chiefs, by NFL rule, would have a three-week window in which to evaluate him.
Tampa Bay has been beset by injuries in its backfield. The team lost veteran fullback Mike Alstott in the preseason and starting tailback Carnell "Cadillac" Williams suffered a torn patella tendon three weeks ago that ended his 2007 season. Most recently, Michael Pittman, who replaced Williams as the starter, sustained an ankle injury that could sideline him for two months, according to club officials.
Veteran free agent Zack Crockett was signed last week by the Bucs, but he is more of a short-yardage specialist. Tampa Bay, which is tied for the lead in the NFC South, used fourth-year veteran Earnest Graham as the starter last week, but he rushed for only 29 yards in the team's victory over the Tennessee Titans.
With the resurgent Bucs sensing a chance to steal the division, particularly given the struggles of the defending NFC South champion New Orleans Saints, many in the league felt that Tampa Bay general manager Bruce Allen would try hard to add a veteran tailback before the Tuesday 4 p.m. trade deadline. Allen was rebuffed in his attempts to acquire fourth-year veteran Mewelde Moore from the Minnesota Vikings, but was active in discussions on several fronts the past few days.
A Bucs officials said late Monday afternoon that the team was definitely pursuing a back and hoped to make a deal. Asked specifically about Bennett, who was being shopped by the Chiefs, the official noted that the club was looking for more of a physical runner. A former Olympic sprint candidate, Bennett is more noted for his speed than his power. But the Bucs almost had to make a move given their situation, and Bennett was the best option.
Bennett was the first-round pick of the Vikings in the 2001 draft. The former Wisconsin standout played his first five seasons in Minnesota (2001-2005), then signed with New Orleans to be the backup to Deuce McAllister in 2006. But the Saints then selected Reggie Bush in the 2006 draft, making Bennett expendable, and he was dealt to Kansas City last summer to fill the Chiefs' need for a backup to Larry Johnson.
He played sparingly in 2006, as Johnson established a league record with 416 carries. This season, Bennett carried 20 times for 52 yards and no touchdowns and had 10 receptions for 47 yards and no scores.
For his career, Bennett has 769 rushes for 3,426 yards and 12 touchdowns and 145 catches for 1,164 yards and five touchdowns. Since rushing for 1,296 yards in 2002, he has never gained more than 500 yards on the ground. Bennett has appeared in 81 games. He is in the final year of his contract, with a base salary of $1.2 million, and Tampa Bay will now be responsible for the prorated portion of that.
Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL reporter for ESPN.com. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
"Seven Days" Barack Obama Letter Makes Zennie Abraham Famous In Vermont
Seven Days, the alternative weekly of Vermont, published my letter to the editor, which I wrote in response to an article on Barack Obama's fundraising efforts out there. This is what I wrote and Seven Days posted:
THE NOVEL PRIZE
I’m responding to your article on Senator Barack Obama’s fundraiser [“Obama’s Vermont Appearance Raises Hopes — and More Than $250,000,” August 15] . . . and the idea that some of your readers express of the “novelty of a minority candidate.”
First: Being President of the United States means understanding that, at times, the military is an option that must be employed, but only intelligently. Senator Obama knows this. Second: Senator Obama is running to be President of the United States, which means he’s working for all of us.
Some people are so fixated on skin color they can’t see logic or fact. Logic tells us to vote for the best candidate, period. And the fact is that Senator Obama comes from a black father and a white mother. Big deal! The reason why Barack Obama is so popular is for reasons unique to who he is as an individual. Intelligent Americans know this, and there are a lot of us.
Zennie Abraham, Jr.
OAKLAND, CA
Abraham recently visited Vermont on business.
THE NOVEL PRIZE
I’m responding to your article on Senator Barack Obama’s fundraiser [“Obama’s Vermont Appearance Raises Hopes — and More Than $250,000,” August 15] . . . and the idea that some of your readers express of the “novelty of a minority candidate.”
First: Being President of the United States means understanding that, at times, the military is an option that must be employed, but only intelligently. Senator Obama knows this. Second: Senator Obama is running to be President of the United States, which means he’s working for all of us.
Some people are so fixated on skin color they can’t see logic or fact. Logic tells us to vote for the best candidate, period. And the fact is that Senator Obama comes from a black father and a white mother. Big deal! The reason why Barack Obama is so popular is for reasons unique to who he is as an individual. Intelligent Americans know this, and there are a lot of us.
Zennie Abraham, Jr.
OAKLAND, CA
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Hillary Clinton Is "Two-Faced" To National Black Chamber Of Commerce - Clinton Voted Against Bill To Help Blacks With AIDS
Is Hillary Clinton Flip-Flopping Blacks?
Hillary Clinton's painted as two-faced to African Americans.
In a letter that was totally ignored by the mainstream media, Harry Alford, President of The National Black Chamber of Commerce, wrote directly to Senator Hillary Clinton that he was "stunned" that she appeared at Howard University for a debate before an African American audience acting as the champion of approving funding for HIV / AIDS treatment in low income Black communities, when she herself voted against a bill that would have improved monies and help for HIV / AIDS treatment in those same communities.
This is the letter Mr. Alford wrote below. It's a hell of a damning read:
July 11, 2007
The Honorable Hillary Clinton
United States Senate
428 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Senator Clinton:
I watched the June 28th Democratic presidential candidates’ debate at Howard University with great interest, and in particular I wanted to address your comments about HIV/AIDS.
I found it interesting that you chose a presidential debate, held before a largely African American audience, to speak out on the fact that HIV/AIDS funding does not fairly reach African Americans with HIV. I only wish you had voted the same way last year in the United States Senate, when we really needed you.
In fact, as was reported in the Washington Post on August 23, 2006, you led the effort to gut provisions in the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Modernization Act of 2006 (S. 2823) which would have fixed the increasingly unfair and outdated formulas that hurt African Americans, particularly in the rural South. The bipartisan remedy to this problem, which would have ensured funding would follow the caseload instead of short-changing African Americans, had been supported by 19 of the 20 Senators on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee – and you were the lone “no” vote.
I was stunned to see you, less than a year later, performing before a black audience as if you had led the fight for these changes instead of being the lone warrior against them. Indeed, due to your efforts, these desperately needed remedies had to be cut from the bill or you would not have allowed the Ryan White program to be renewed.
African Americans have overtaken every other ethnic group to become the face of HIV/AIDS in America, and we all have a duty to ensure that every black American living with HIV/AIDS has equal access to the care and support services needed from the federal Ryan White CARE Act to stay healthy and stay alive.
I am glad that at least now, unlike last year, you recognize that women of color in the South are 26 times more likely to be HIV-positive than white females. But thanks to your determined fight against reforms last year, a large portion of Ryan White CARE Act funding is still set aside for large metropolitan areas, and most of the states in the South will never qualify for it. African Americans make up 19% of the South’s population, but accounted for over 60% of all new AIDS cases in 2003. Eight southern states have had to treat the same number of people with HIV/AIDS as other states which have gotten more funding under the outdated formulas. You blocked the changes we needed to fix that.
In fact, as Congressional action dragged on without resolution last year, three people died in South Carolina among some 300 HIV/AIDS patients sitting on an AIDS Drug Assistance Program waiting list at the time because the state’s Ryan White funding had once again run out too early.
It is distressing to see the person who single-handedly defeated the most recent effort to get equitable HIV/AIDS funding formulas for African Americans appear today as if she is their greatest champion. Sadly, our community has seen far too much pandering in presidential campaigns and far too little getting delivered that will make a difference for all of us, no matter where we live.
African Americans with HIV/AIDS need visionary leaders with innovative ideas. We need someone who will finally win the fight to make health care funding follow the need in this country, instead of leaving entire communities out in the cold. We don’t need ever-changing candidates who know how to pander, but don’t know how to lead.
I respectfully ask that you bolster your newfound enthusiasm for correcting the growing disparities in HIV/AIDS funding by actively working to undo the damage of your efforts last year. If you’re truly seeking to lead, please introduce new legislation that would ensure that the Title I funding formulas in the Ryan White CARE Act follow the HIV/AIDS caseload with no more unfair set-asides and end the injustice that has cost lives and harmed the nation’s integrity.
Sincerely,
Harry Alford
President/CEO
cc: The Honorable Barack Obama
With all of this, one wonders why Senator Clinton gets as much support from the Black community as she does. Perhaps it's because people -- in general -- just don't know what's going on.
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