No grand jury indictment in Emmett Till case

Each year during third quarter, the students in my eighth grade communication arts classes do a major research project on some aspect of the civil rights movement. Some of them elect to research the Emmett Till case, in which a 14-year-old African American was brutally murdered after whistling at a white woman.

The two men who committed the murder were found not guilty at their trial, but admitted they did it a year later in an interview with Look magazine. For the past half-century, many have believed that the woman Till whistled at, Carolyn Bryant, pointed him out to the killers and was responsible for the death.

During the past three years, it has appeared Ms. Bryant might finally be brought to justice, but a decision issued Tuesday by a grand jury in Mississippi indicates that may never happen:

"This was our last hope — and it was dashed today," said Simeon Wright, 64, Till's cousin, who was with him at the grocery store and heard him whistle at Donham (Ms. Bryant remarried.). "The Emmett Till case started with one person, and that person is still alive. She played a role in identifying Emmett, she participated in his kidnapping, and now she is getting away with murder."

Some members of Emmett Till's family would prefer not to send Ms. Bryant to prison, but simply get her to tell the truth once and for all:

With the trail in the Till case as cold as ever, some of his family members say they would prefer truth more than payback. Marvel Parker, 60, of Summit, Ill., is the wife of Wheeler Parker, a cousin of Till's who was with him at the Mississippi store. He is now hospitalized after a stroke. His wife said they would prefer to see Carolyn Bryant Donham receive immunity in exchange for telling her story. "Mrs. Bryant is still alive, and her husband admitted that he did it," Marvel Parker said. "We don't want her to go to jail…. But you don't have to be a Rhodes scholar to know that she knows something."

Devil's Messenger on sale at Hastings in Joplin

As of approximately 5 p.m. today, my second novel Devil's Messenger is on sale at Hastings in Joplin. Five copies were put on the shelves at that time and more will arrive later as the time grows closer for the 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 21, signing.

The book is on sale at three locations in Joplin- Hastings, the Changing Hands Book Shop and Always Buying Books. It is also available at Pat's Books in Carthage, and at the Lamar Democrat office in Lamar. More sites will be added in the near future, and more signings will be scheduled in late spring and during the summer.

The book also can be purchased directly from me. Send me an e-mail at rturner229@hotmail.com for more information. It is available from several internet outlets, including Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, BooksAMillion.com, and the publisher I-Universe.

The novel is a combination horror story/murder mystery about a teenage girl who communicates with her murdered father through Instant Messenger.

Congressman pushes to award Anne Frank honorary U. S. citizenship

Students throughout the world are aware of the story of Anne Frank, whose diary of her experiences hiding from the Nazis during the Holocaust has been a worldwide best seller for half a century.
A United States Congressman is attempting to make Miss Frank the seventh honorary citizen in the history of the United States, according to an article in today's New York Times.
Rep. Steve Israel notes that Otto Frank, Miss Frank's father, was trying desperately to get his family to the United States:

"The best way we can honor Anne Frank in death is to give her what her father sought for her in life," the congressman said. Seventeen House members from both parties have signed on as co-sponsors. It would make Anne Frank only the seventh person to be granted honorary citizenship in the history of the country. The others are Winston S. Churchill; the Marquis de Lafayette; Mother Teresa; the Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, who worked to save Jews in World War II; William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania; and his wife Hannah Callowhill Penn.

Politicians looking at longer school days

American students may be in for longer school days sometime in the near future.
An Associated Press article indicates that some schools are considering 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. schedules or going more days during the year to catch up with other nations.

The article includes information that Congress, as it works on renewing the No Child Left Behind law, is seriously considering extending the school day and adding more days to help increase test scores.

School lockers are not big enough

With all of the backpacks, larger-than-life textbooks, and the other necessities of teen living, lockers are no longer big enough to serve today's students.
That issue is addressed in an article in today's Washington Post:

Lockers aren't getting smaller. Lockers are one of the few things that haven't changed much in the daily rounds of students. But bulky textbooks have spawned bulky backpacks, some of which, in turn, have taken the next evolutionary step and grown wheels.

Principal buys crack cocaine at school

How do these people get into education?

Associated Press reports a middle school principal in Tampa, Florida, bought crack cocaine from an undercover officer at the school while it was in session:

"It's a very disturbing case," Tampa Police Information Officer Laura McElroy said. "The officer expressed concern about doing the deal when school was in progress and [Giancola] said he could guarantee no students would be around and that was where he felt safe and secure." Additional officers posed as parents in the school lobby while the deal took place. McElroy said they made sure no students were nearby. Giancola, who lives in St. Petersburg, was charged with possession of cocaine and soliciting to purchase cocaine on school property, a felony that carries a minimum sentence of three years in prison, McElroy said.

Missouri MAP tests replaced by high-stakes senior final

Plagued for years by the problem of high school students who do not try on the MAP tests because their grades are not affected by them, the State Board of Education voted this week to head in a different direction.
The board authorized bids for high-stakes exit tests for seniors in algebra, English and biology for 2009:

While the details are to be worked out later, education staff proposed that students' performance on the new exams should count for at least 10 percent of their final grades, with districts able to give the tests more weight.

Judge dismisses MySpace lawsuit

A federal court judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the family of a girl who was sexually assaulted by someone she met through MySpace:

In dismissing the suit, Judge Sparks said that as an "interactive service," MySpace was protected from materials posted on its site by the Communications Decency Act (CDA) of 1996. Sparks explained that the CDA is aimed at allowing Internet and other interactive services to continue to develop.

"To ensure that Web site operators and other interactive computer services would not be crippled by lawsuits arising out of third party communications, the Act provides interactive computer services with immunity," Sparks' ruling said.

Iowa bill tackles bullying problem

An anti-bullying law, with specific protection for gay students, has been adopted by the Iowa Legislature, according to an article in the Des Moines Register:

"A lot of people say it's just so gay kids get all these special rights, but it's not," said Tyler Mooers, 18, who revealed his sexual orientation in his sophomore year and was bullied enough that he sometimes wanted to skip school. "It's about protecting everybody."

Rep. Jodi Tymeson, a Republican from Winterset, doubted the legislation's effectiveness.

"It won't stop one kid from being bullied," she said.

Several Republicans unsuccessfully tried to strike the list of specific categories, arguing schools should simply protect "all students" without distinction.

"Why are the four-eyed, band-playing, choir-singing, too small to play high school athletics, why are those traits not worthy enough to make this list?" said Rep. Christopher Rants, a Republican from Sioux City. "How does adding 'any' or 'all' diminish what you want to accomplish

?"