DETROIT (AP)—On Jan. 12, 1959, Elvis Presley was in the Army. The Beatles were a little-known group called The Quarrymen casting about for gigs in Liverpool. The nascent rock ‘n’ roll world was a few weeks away from “the day the music died”—when a single-engine plane crash claimed the lives of Buddy Holly, J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson and Ritchie Valens. Smokey Robinson is joined by Berry Gordy It’s also the day a 29-year-old boxer, assembly line worker and songwriter named Berry Gordy Jr. used an $800 family loan to start a record company in Detroit.
CHICAGO (AP)—Thousands of Oprah Winfrey’s fans gathered on Michigan Avenue to help the talk show celebrate the 24th season of her show with a public taping on Tuesday that was to include the Black Eyed Peas and Rascal Flatts. Diane Stimson lined up at 5:30 a.m., nearly 12 hours before the taping was set to begin, and by the afternoon the 43-year-old Chicagoan was dancing behind a metal barrier as she waited. She called Winfrey an inspiration. WHITNEY HOUSTON AND OPRAH WINFREY ON THE SET
WASHINGTON (AP)—The recession has eaten into people’s nest eggs so the government is promoting ways to make it easier to save for retirement. One initiative that President Barack Obama outlined in his weekly radio and Internet address Saturday will allow people to have their federal tax refunds sent as savings bonds. Others are meant to require workers to take action to stay out of an employer-run savings program rather than having to take action to join it. PROMOTING WAYS TO SAVE— President Barack Obama arrives on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Sept. 7. “We know that automatic enrollment has made a big difference in participation rates by making it simpler for workers to save,” Obama said. “That’s why we’re going to expand it to more people.”
PITTSBURGH (AP)—Dion Lewis scored three touchdowns by halftime while running for 129 yards in his first college start, and Pittsburgh showed off a balanced offense while cruising to a season-opening 38-3 victory over Youngstown State on Saturday. Pitt made certain there was no repeat of last season’s 27-17 opening day loss to Bowling Green that ranks among the biggest upsets in school history, taking a 21-3 lead at halftime. Not that the opponent was as good—Youngstown State lost eight of its first 10 while going 4-8 last season and hasn’t scored a touchdown in its last five games against Football Bowl Subdivision opponents. IMPRESSIVE START—Freshman running back Dion Lewis rushed for 129 yards and two touchdowns and caught a pass for another touchdown in the Pitt’s 38-3 win over Youngstown State.
PITTSBURGH (AP)—Sometime early in a new player’s career, he’ll be pulled aside and instructed about the way the Pittsburgh Steelers do business. It won’t be the traditional welcome-to-the-NFL talk from coach Mike Tomlin, or a stay-out-of-trouble warning from team president Art Rooney II. Rather, a long-established player such as Hines Ward, James Farrior, Ben Roethlisberger or Aaron Smith will deliver a message that is subtle but easily understood. FIRE IS BURNING—Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin reacts to a call in the first half against the Carolina Panthers during a preseason NFL football game at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., Sept. 3.
JOHANNESBURG (AP)—Former President Nelson Mandela has congratulated South African runner Caster Semenya, whose dramatic improvement, deep voice and muscular build have sparked questions about her gender. The International Association of Athletics Federations initiated tests on the 18-year-old athlete after she won gold in the 800-meters at the world championships in Germany. PRESIDENTIAL GREETING—South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma, right, congratulates athlete Caster Semenya, left, during their meeting at The Presidential Guest House in Pretoria, South Africa, Aug. 25.
ATLANTA (AP)—The city that became a post-civil rights movement emblem of the political power held by African-Americans could have a White mayor for the first time in a generation—a possibility that has some in the Black community scrambling to hold on to City Hall. Atlanta Councilwoman Mary Norwood, who is White, is one of the front-runners for the Nov. 3 election, along with City Council President Lisa Borders and state Sen. Kasim Reed, both of whom are Black. FINAL PREPARATIONS— City of Atlanta mayoral candidates Mary Norwood, second from left, is surrounded by a field of Black candidates including Lisa Borders, left, Peter Brownlowe, right, Rod Mack, second from right, and Glenn Thomas as they make final preparations before facing off in a debate. If Norwood wins the election she would become the first White mayor of Atlanta in a generation. All three have bristled at a racially charged e-mail circulated by a Black leadership group calling for Norwood’s defeat before a possible runoff. If the Black candidates split the African-American vote, Norwood may find herself in a runoff, where she could benefit.
JACKSONVILLE, N.C. (AP)—Authorities say they are charging a North Carolina woman who slept as a pit bull chewed the toes off her 4-month-old baby’s left foot. The Onslow County Sheriff’s Office said Monday that the child’s mother, Robie Lynn Jenkins, and her boyfriend, Tremayne Spillman, will be charged with felony child abuse.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP)—The son of the pastor who was brutally killed inside her Oklahoma church says her funeral will be another chance for his mother to spread the word of God.Services for 61-year-old Carol Daniels were held Aug. 31. in Oklahoma City. Daniels’ mutilated body was discovered Aug. 23 at her small Pentecostal church in Anadarko. PASTOR SLAIN—This undated photo shows Carol Daniels of Oklahoma City. Daniels, pastor of Christ Holy Sanctified Church in Anadarko, was discovered Aug. 23, inside the church in what the local district attorney described as the “most horrific crime scene I’ve ever witnessed.”
BELGRADE, Mont.(AP)—Trying to lower the temperature of the health care fight, President Barack Obama last Friday denounced news media emphasis on angry protesters at town hall meetings. Obama ventured west for the latest of his own town hall-style events, fielding polite but occasionally tough questions—one man declaring the president couldn’t pay for his plan without raising taxes. Tieless and rolling up his sleeves in campaign mode, Obama pitched his overhaul plan to a crowd in an airport hangar near Bozeman. The president didn’t deny that there have been angry outbursts by foes of his plan at town halls featuring Democratic lawmakers this month. But he said that was hardly the whole story. PRESIDENT OBAMA
