It’s Valentine’s Day!

These days, it is rare to find couples who have committed themselves to loving each other — especially with the many curves life throws everyone’s way. Still, NewsOne found 10 couples who wholeheartedly believe in the sanctity of the institution and were willing to share their gems of wisdom to making one’s relationship survive the test of time.

1) Betty and George Wilson, married 56 years, five children (pictured above)

Even after 56 years as husband and wife, our relationship is STILL a work in progress!  Love is an ongoing process and we consciously work at it every day; we have to if we want to continue to be successful at it.

Our marriage is built on love and Godliness. 

When we were first married, we stumbled upon a biblical passage that we have tried to live by ever since. It is found in 1 Corinthians, 13:

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Whenever either of us feels frustrated with the relationship, we are comforted and fueled by reading these words.  The verse reminds us of what marriage is supposed to be and why we signed up for it in the first place.  Family is also everything to us; they can actually keep you from throwing in the towel, and we are so blessed to have a supportive network of love all around us.

 

2) Peter and Delisa Gibbs, married 35 years

Being together 35 years is no small feat!  Delisa and I staunchly believe that the most-important lesson to be learned from being married is that we have to be committed to staying the course no matter what happens. We feel any situation that could rock the boat in our marriage is workable — as long as we both are willing to work together as a team.   When two people have it firmly entrenched in their minds that marriage is forever, then when situations arise that could be detrimental to the union, the couple will be more open to learning lessons from them, that they can use to continue building upon the marriage.  

Delisa and I have worked really hard on building this marriage from the ground up, and there is an important credo that we live by:

Do not relive the past, move on. If you forgive, then forget. If you don’t completely forgive, then move on from the marriage, it will not work from that point on. 

We are firm, passionate believers in the institution of marriage and have even started a movement, The Celebration of Marriage Movement.  We offer insights on the intricacies of marriage and are working together on an upcoming book to help couples sustain a healthy marriage over time.

3) Debbie and Frank Wallace, married 34 years, 2 children

Every day we try to make an effort to communicate, laugh, and embrace the other person’s idiosyncrasies. There are days when Frank drives me crazy, and yet, there are those days when I can’t wait to hear this voice, see his smile and feel him snuggle up against me in a warm bed.

We never let a problem fester to the point that we cannot solve the issue.

Oh, but don’t get me wrong, we’ve had scream fests, non-talking days, even one busted-wall day, but we learn to forgive and move on.  We truly just try to enjoy those moments we have together because time flies by so quickly.

As we age, we’ve come to realize that it’s our history that has glued us together. No one knows more than your spouse all that you’ve gone through to get to this point.

Last but not least — through richer or poorer in sickness and in health — we have and will continue to support each other. On this roller coaster ride called “life,” we have encountered some pretty rough patches during our journey together as a couple, but we’ve always managed to pace ourselves, brace ourselves, and think to ourselves, I sure am glad I’m riding this out with you!

4) Judy and Marc Jenkins, married 25 years, two sons

A wife should always have a younger man on the side as a backup, as long as he doesn’t look like Rick Ross!  Oh, and the art of masturbation is crucial!

OK, so my husband and I don’t know what the hell has kept us together for a quarter of a century.

There is no secret formula as to what is making our relationship work except for the fact that we laugh one hell of a lot!  I’ve got jokes, he’s got jokes, our boys have got jokes, and even when we’ve been faced with life’s messes, we always seem to find humor somewhere.

We also love each other, and that is the common denominator, so we’ve built up from there. Besides, I’m sexy as hell and can STILL rock his world, so where is Marc going?

5) Linda Rivera and Beatrice Talms, together 20 years, married one year, one son

We run our household like an efficient governance: we each have assigned roles and our relationship is pretty smooth.  We don’t believe in one person ruling over the other, this is how discourse comes about.   We are united in a purpose, and from the very beginning, we made the decision to work every single day on creating a loving, mutually satisfying relationship that is founded on the precept of cooperation, and this way no one feels slighted in any way. We have noticed that in many relationships, there seems to be a power struggle. Not here!     The person who ultimately gains control can only find themselves being distanced from their partner and the inequality that will come about from such a move will only result in a failed relationship.    

6) Ed and Stacey Martin, married 19 years, 2 children

Every morning before we get out of bed, we cozy up to each other and whisper a prayer to start our day.

Just because we’re married doesn’t mean we have to take each other for granted!  When we get home from work, we greet each other with a kiss and ask each other about our day.

Calling, texting, sending smoke signals — every single day we communicate with each other a few times during the course of our day just to check in.

I might call Ed just to say, Hi, handsome! or send him a text telling him to have a beautiful day, and he’ll do the same for me. We also love having date night sans the kids. We also remember to do little things for each other that shows the other person they are appreciated and loved: I get up every morning at 5 a.m. to prepare for work and Ed doesn’t have to get up until 6:30 a.m.  In the winter, Ed will go out at 5:55 a.m. to warm up my car for me.

Kids will also stress a relationship to no end.

We have two teen girls, but Ed and I try to always be on the same page, especially when it comes to disciplining them. Overall, marriage is hard work, as a matter of fact, it is a full-time job!

One thing to keep in mind is that like anything else, the more you put in to it, the more you get out of it. We have invested quite a number of years in this relationship and we refuse to let our good years go to waste!  Nineteen years down the drain? We don’t think so!

7) Barbara and Monte Croft, married 15 years, one child

Monte and I have been married 15 years…and together another 4 before we jumped the broom — that’s damned near 20 years! How do we do it?   One day at a time.   Monte’s folks were married nearly 50 years before his dad passed, and my folks have been married 60-plus. I think we both had great role models.   Neither of us are inclined to throw in the towel even during those hard-to-deal-with moments. When you’re young and your boyfriend/girlfriend pisses you off, you can just walk away. Okay, next?   But when you find someone with common values, goals and you have a mutual respect for each other, then you know they’re a definite keeper.   Being married is not always easy. There are times when Monte or I feel underappreciated or undervalued, this is the time when we talk about it, hash is out, letting our feelings be known is tantamount to this relationship.   We listen to each other, then consider tweaking our ‘tudes or adjusting our perspectives.   Another important key toward maintaining our relationship is that Monte and I also allow each other to grow, evolve.   The bottom line is that both Monte and I are constantly keeping our eyes on the prize: each other. Just one more thing, it doesn’t hurt to have the hots for each other!   8) Yolanda and David Soto, married 13 years, two sons (pictured right)
  One of the things I believe helps David and I maintain our marriage is that we had already invested so much time and energy in to our relationship even before we said “I do.”   We dated for 10 years before he put a ring on it!    We were/are friends. Like friends, we have our good and bad days, but we’ve always understood that at the forefront of this relationship is that this, was a forever thing.   I am a product of divorce and want no parts of it. As far as spice, truthfully, there isn’t as much of it as we would like there to be, but we now find that the emphasis, romantically, is on quality and not quantity.   When we steal away from our boys, ages 9 and 6, we make romance count.  David and I make an effort to plan an outing that reminds us of those DINK days ( double income no kids), be it a fancy dinner, play, or fun night out with other couples.   Another bit of marriage savvy advice is that I know my husband only too well and try not to take him for granted. I respect the fact that I cannot change David.  So I pick up the socks he leaves in same place every night and just keep it moving.   David is a good father and a good man, many of us know people who do not have the luxury of saying this.    So I keep praying and doing my part.   He keeps praying and doing his part too and we try to be patient with one another. Bottom line, David and I are reminded of the fact that we are in this together, and we try to hold on to that loving feeling and remember why we said, “I do,” in the first place.   9) Antoinette and Daniel Atoukui, married 10 years, two sons Sometimes when things get a little rocky, I choose to look at my husband as my friend instead of my husband. I find the husband title sometimes lends itself to expect more, and certainly, to tolerate less.   10)  Melvin and Anesha Clark, married 21 years, three children   My wife and I are friends and business partners, a combination that is not easy but somehow we’ve made it work. Before we entered in to our restaurant business, we were warned by many that working together all day can either make or break you as a couple, and thankfully, we’re still here and very much in love.   We have some ground rules that we live by like working toward a common goal, having a shared vision. We also agree to disagree but always make difficult business decisions together.   There is no place for power struggles in our relationship; business or otherwise, we’ve come to appreciate each other’s strengths.   Most importantly, we trust each other and know that when each of us says something will get done, it gets done! There are times when life’s load gets a little heavy, but we feel secure in the fact that we have each other’s backs no matter what.   My wife is my bud, my rock, my life, and she feels the same about me and somehow knowing and trusting in this keeps us going strong.   Sound off! Take Our Poll  

Although African Americans make up just 13 percent of the U.S. population, we account for 33 percent of the missing in the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s database. Cases involving African Americans also tend to receive less media coverage than missing Whites, with missing men of color getting even less attention.

NewsOne has partnered with the Black and Missing Foundation and TV One to focus on the crisis of missing African Americans.

To be a part of the solution, NewsOne will profile a missing person weekly and provide tips about how to keep your loved ones safe and what to do if someone goes missing, while TV One‘s newest show, “Find Our Missing,” hosted by award-winning actress S. Epatha Merkerson, tells these stories in visual form.

                                                                                                —————————————

Isaac Winifred Danyus

Date of Birth: August 20, 1950
Missing Date: September 27, 2012
Age Now: 62
Missing City: Waukegan
Missing State: Illinois
Case Number: 2388766
Gender: Male
Race: Black
Complexion: Medium
Height: 5’9″
Weight: 170
Hair Color: Gray
Hair Length: Medium
Eye Color: Brown
Wear Glasses or Contacts: Yes

Location Last Seen: 2800 block of Dover Street in Waukegan, Ill.

SEE ALSO: New Orleans Business Owner Who Transformed Life Goes Missing

Circumstances of Disappearance: Danyus, 62, disappeared on September 27th, after helping to make funeral arrangements for his younger sister. Danyus’ family said he helped his 82-year-old mother prepare the arrangements after his sister died of lung cancer.

“We saw him on Wednesday (Sept. 26), when we made the arrangements,” his brother Charles Danyus told the Lake County News-Sun.

Danyus had breakfast with his wife and son the next day, but that was the last time Vicki Daynus saw her husband, she told NewsOne. He stopped answering his phone and wasn’t home when she returned. Issac Danyus also did not show up at his sister’s funeral.

“His clothes for the funeral were laid out just as he left them,” said Mrs. Danyus. “He hasn’t used any of our bank cards. I’ve checked the morgue and the homeless shelter and the police have nothing.”

The couple has been married for 38 years and he has never gone missing before, said Mrs. Danyus. Her husband is a truck driver.

Mrs. Danyus said her husband’s Chevrolet Blazer was found at an apartment complex near Washington Street and Greenleaf Avenue. Their only connection to the area was that their son lived in the apartment complex there two years ago.

“It looked like he just walked away,” said Mrs. Danyus. “There was no cell phone or no car keys in the car. Even his boss said he never misses work and this is not like Ike.”

“We can’t figure out why his truck was there,” his brother said.

The family did a door-to-door search of the apartment complex and searched a nearby wooded area. They even reached out to people from Danyus’ previous hometown with no luck.

Mrs. Danyus said her husband was less responsive than she expected after his sister died.

“He didn’t cry, he didn’t hug his mom whom he’s very close with like I would expect,” said Mrs. Danyus.

But the day he went missing, police still found a checklist of errands and other household chores that Danyus planned to accomplish that day.

Mrs. Danyus said her husband didn’t take any of his medicines or clothes.

With his 82-year-old mother dealing with the death of her daughter, Mrs. Danyus believes her husband would not have left on purpose and added an additional burden to his mother during a time of grief.

Mrs. Danyus worries that his sister’s death may have caused some sort of mental shock in Danyus, causing him to become confused and wander off.

Either way, she believes her husband is in danger.

“This is not like my husband. I’ve been with this man all my life. We are all having a hard time, his kid, his grandkids, his mom. We are taking it hard,” said Mrs. Danyus. “I just want to find him.”

Last Seen Wearing: Brown jacket

Identifying Marks or Characteristics: Index finger on right hand shorter than index on left.

If you have information regarding the whereabouts of  Isaac Winifred Danyus, please contact the Waukegan Police Department at (847) 599-2608 or the Black and Missing Foundation’s confdential Tip Line.

SEE ALSO: Trio Vanishes On Way To Louisiana, Texas After Attending Funeral

A ménage a trois went from pleasure to pain when Ashley Hunter (pictured left), 33, reportedly stabbed Orlando DeWitt (pictured bottom), 37, during a tryst. The stabbing allegedly occurred when DeWitt reportedly refused to switch positions during the sexual romp, reports International Business Times.

SEE ALSO: Chris Dorner Updates: LAPD Says Body Not Positively Identified [LIVE VIDEO]

Hunter and DeWitt, who had formed a relationship in prison, were partying with a few female acquaintances last Friday at a Fargo, North Dakota, bar.  The festivities were moved to Hunter’s home and reportedly continued way in to the wee hours of the morning.

DeWitt and Hunter became sexually involved with a woman at the residence who is only identified as Leticia. She was reportedly servicing both men, with Hunter allegedly receiving oral favors, when DeWitt asked his friend to change positions with him. When Hunter refused DeWitt’s request, the two men began a heated argument that escalated into violence.

According to the Fargo police department, Hunter reportedly pulled out a 12-inch butcher knife from his sofa and began wielding it at DeWitt and Leticia who ran in to the bathroom. Hunter allegedly kept spewing threats at the man and subsequently forced his way in to the bathroom.

DeWitt decided to make a run for the front door, and while he was able to get through the first door, by the time he reached for the exterior door of the home, Hunter’s knife reportedly sliced right in to the back of his left arm.

Even though he had been stabbed, DeWitt did manage to make it out of Hunter’s home, and as he ran out, he reportedly grabbed Leticia’s cell phone off a table and used it to call 911 from an alley.  As he cowered in the alley, naked, DeWitt could reportedly hear Hunter yelling that he was going to kill him and that he could also get his clothing off his front porch, DeWitt told police officials.

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When police investigators arrived on the scene, they recovered the butcher knife that was allegedly used to stab DeWitt.  They also found a trail of blood that led from Hunter’s home to the alley.

Hunter remains in jail in lieu of a $5,000 bail and is scheduled for a March 13th court appearance.

SEE ALSO: ‘Chrissy And Mr. Jones’ Star Jim Jones Arrested

In this Nov. 4, 2012 photo, South African Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius and Reeva Steenkamp, believed to be his girlfriend, at an awards ceremony, in Johannesburg, South Africa. Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius was taken into custody and was expected to appear in court Thursday, Feb. 14, 2013, after a 30-year-old woman who was believed to be his girlfriend was shot dead at his home in South Africa’s capital, Pretoria. (AP Photo/Lucky Nxumalo-Citypress)

PRETORIA, South Africa — Paralympic superstar Oscar Pistorius was charged Thursday with the murder of his girlfriend who was shot inside his home in South Africa, a stunning development in the life of a national hero known as the Blade Runner for his high-tech artificial legs.

Reeva Steenkamp, a model who spoke out on Twitter against rape and abuse of women, was shot four times in the predawn hours in the home, in a gated community in the capital, Pretoria, police said.

Hours later after undergoing police questioning, Pistorius left a police station accompanied by officers. He looked down as photographers snapped pictures, the hood on his gray workout jacket pulled up, covering most of his face. His court hearing was originally scheduled for Thursday afternoon but has been postponed until Friday to give forensic investigators time to carry out their work, said Medupe Simasiku, a spokesman for the prosecution.

South Africans were shocked at the killing but police said there was a history of problems.

There have “previously been incidents at the home of Mr. Oscar Pistorius,” said police spokeswoman Brigadier Denise Beukes. Police in South Africa do not name suspects in crimes until they have appeared in court but Beukes said that the 26-year-old Pistorius was at his home at the time of the death of Steenkamp and “there is no other suspect involved.”

“Yes there are witnesses and there have also been interviews this morning,” Beukes told reporters outside the gated complex where Pistorius lived. “We are talking about neighbors and people that heard things that happened earlier in the evening and when the shooting took place.”

Pistorius’ father, Henke, declined to comment when contacted by The Associated Press, only saying “we all pray for guidance and strength for Oscar and the lady’s parents.”

Pistorius’ agent Peet van Zyl and coach Ampie Louw couldn’t be reached while Pistorius’ own cellphone went straight to an answerphone service.

Pistorius’ former coach, Andrea Giannini, said he hopes it was “just a tragic accident.”

“No matter how bad the situation was, Oscar always stayed calm and positive,” Giannini told the AP in Italy. “Whenever he was tired or nervous he was still extremely nice to people. I never saw him violent.”

Gianni said he believed that Pistorius had been dating Steenkamp for “a few months.”

“I know he had more than one flirt over the last year,” Giannini said.

Paolo Urbani, the mayor of the Italian town of Gemona where Pistorius had a training base and prepared for the London Olympics from said he is shocked as Pistorius was “a delightful person.”

“The news shocked not only me personally but also the whole of Gemona and the region,” Urbani said. “It come(s) as a huge shock to everyone who knew him. I was woken up this morning by a phone call from his general manager, who called me to let me know so that I didn’t find out about it from the news.”

Police said that earlier reports that Steenkamp may have been mistaken for a burglar by Pistorius did not come from the police. Several local media outlets had initially reported that the shooting may have been accidental.

“It would be very premature and very irresponsible of me to say what actually has happened,” Beukes said. “There have been allegations. We are not sure.”

Beukes also said there had been previous incidents and “allegations of a domestic nature” at the home of the Olympic star and double-amputee runner, who is one of South Africa’s and the world’s most famous sportsmen and made history at the London Games last year by being the first double-amputee runner to compete at the Olympics.

“I’m not going to elaborate on it but there have been incidents (at Pistorius’ home),” Beukes said.

Capacity Relations, a talent management firm, earlier named model Steenkamp as the victim of the shooting. Police spokeswoman Lt. Col. Katlego Mogale told The Associated Press that officers received a call around 3 a.m. after the shooting.

A 9 mm pistol was recovered and a murder case opened against Pistorius.

Mogale said when police arrived they found paramedics trying to revive a 30-year-old woman, who had been shot four times. Mogale, who was speaking to the AP from the scene, said the woman died at the house.

Police have still not released the name of the woman, but the publicist for Steenkamp confirmed in a statement that the model was dead.

“We can confirm that Reeva Steenkamp has passed away,” Steenkamp’s publicist Sarit Tomlinson said. “We are in communication with people on the scene, please wait for official statements, as there is too much speculation at this moment in time. We will provide further information as soon as we are able to provide accurate information as to what transpired.

“Our thoughts and prayers go to the Steenkamp family, who have asked to have their privacy respected during this difficult time, everyone is simply devastated. She was the kindest, sweetest human being; an angel on earth and will be sorely missed.

Tomlinson said Steenkamp, known simply as Reeva, was one of FHM’s (formerly For Him Magazine) 100 Sexiest Women in the World for two years running, appeared in countless international and national advertisements and was one of the celebrity contestants on Tropika Island of Treasure, filmed in Jamaica.

On Twitter, she tweeted messages urging women to stand up against rape alongside her excitement about Valentine’s Day. “What do you have up your sleeve for your love tomorrow?” she tweeted. “It should be a day of love for everyone.”

Mogale and Beukes said the victim’s family had not yet identified the body.

Pistorius made history in London last year when he became the first double-amputee track athlete to compete in the Olympic Games, propelling him to the status of an athletics superstar.

Having had both his legs amputated below the knee before his first birthday because of a congenital condition, he campaigned for years to be allowed to compete against able-bodied athletes. Having initially been banned because of his carbon fiber blades – which critics said gave him an unfair advantage – he was cleared by sport’s highest court in 2008 and allowed to run at the top events.

He competed in the 400 meters and on South Africa’s 4×400 relay team at the London Games, making history after having his selection confirmed on South Africa’s team at the very last minute. He also retained his Paralympic title in the 400 meters in London.

South Africa’s Sports Confederation and Olympic committee released a statement on Thursday saying they had been “inundated” with requests for comment but were not in a position to give out any details of the shooting.

“SASCOC, like the rest of the public, knows no more than what is in the public domain, which is there has been an alleged fatal shooting on the basis of a mistaken identity and an apparent assumption of a burglary,” the South African Olympic committee said. “The organization is in no position to comment on the incident other than to say our deepest sympathy and condolences have been expressed to the families of all concerned.”

The International Paralympic Committee also said it wouldn’t comment in detail apart from offering its condolences to the victim’s family.

“This is a police matter, with a formal investigation currently underway,” the IPC said. “Therefore it would be inappropriate for the IPC to comment on this incident until the official police process has concluded. The IPC would like to offer its deepest sympathy and condolences to all families involved in this case.”

South Africa has some of the world’s highest murder rates, with nearly 50 people killed each day in the nation of 50 million. It also has high rates of rape, other assaults, robbery and carjackings.

U.N. statistics show South Africa has the second highest rate of shooting deaths in the world, second only to Colombia.

LOS ANGELES  — Fugitive ex-Los Angeles police officer Christopher Dorner was charged Monday with killing a Riverside police officer. He also is suspected of killing an Irvine couple after declaring a revenge war on law enforcement in an alleged online rant. Here’s a look at the victims:

MONICA QUAN

Monica Quan, 28, and her fiance, Keith Lawrence, 27, (both pictured above) were found shot in his car in the parking structure of their Irvine condominium complex on Feb. 3.

Quan was in her second year as assistant women’s basketball coach at California State University, Fullerton – the culmination of her love for the game that began when she was a child.

A standout high school basketball player, Quan once dreamed of playing professionally for the Los Angeles Sparks. She had a reputation for being fiery and intense.

Quan met Lawrence while both were playing basketball at Concordia University in Irvine.

After several coaching jobs, she joined Fullerton, where she was known as “Coach Mo.”

“I loved her work ethic. I loved her passion for life,” head coach Marcia Foster said.

Quan’s father, Randal, was the first Chinese-American captain in the Los Angeles Police Department. Later, as an attorney, he represented Dorner in the officer’s failed appeal of his dismissal to a department Board of Rights.

Dorner allegedly posted an online rant naming Quan and others that says: “I never had the opportunity to have a family of my own, I’m terminating yours.”

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KEITH LAWRENCE

Keith Lawrence loved basketball so much that he would drive miles for a pickup game. But his professional goal was to be a cop.

In August, he was hired as an armed public safety officer at the University of Southern California, where he was praised for his professionalism. Before taking the job, he attended the Ventura County Sheriff’s Academy and trained with Oxnard police.

He grew up playing basketball. As a player in high school and at Concordia University, he was known for his calm, no-drama attitude, even after scoring a half-court basket.

Friends told the Orange County Register that Lawrence was flamboyant in other ways; he loved wearing bright colors, such as neon green and yellow, and loudly played every kind of music from hip-hop to country.

He and Quan were such basketball fans that Lawrence even wanted to propose at a Nike store. His younger brother, Chris, talked him out of it.

Days before their deaths, Lawrence instead scattered rose petals on the floor of their Irvine home, got down on a knee and asked for her hand, the Los Angeles Times reported.

MICHAEL CRAIN

Michael Crain, a police officer with the city of Riverside, was mortally wounded on Feb. 7 in an ambush shooting as he sat in a police car at a stoplight.

Crain, 34, leaves his wife, a 4-year-old daughter and a son, 10.

According to the department, Crain loved attending dance recitals with his daughter, coaching his son’s baseball team and restoring his 1970 Chevy Nova.

An acquaintance told the Riverside Press-Enterprise that Crain, a SWAT and field training officer, was always focused on officer safety when answering a call, and always had a plan if something went bad.

But officials said he had no time to react when a car pulled up and rifle fire erupted as Crain and a trainee officer sat in their patrol car during a graveyard shift. The trainee was wounded and is expected to survive.

Crain joined the Riverside police force in 2011 after leaving the Marine Corps, where he served two tours in Kuwait, was promoted to sergeant, and later taught military operations in urban terrain at Camp Pendleton in San Diego County.

Thousands gathered for his funeral Wednesday. A white-gloved honor guard carried his flag-draped coffin inside to the sound of bagpipes.

JEREMIAH MACKAY

Jeremiah MacKay, a San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputy, was killed on Feb. 12 after a shootout with Dorner who made his last stand in a cabin in the Big Bear Lake region.

MacKay, a detective with the department for 15 years, leaves behind a wife, a 7-year-old daughter and a 4-month-old son.

The Associated Press on Feb. 9 spoke with MacKay, who was on his third day of patrol.

“This one, you just never know if the guy’s going to pop out or where he’s going to pop out,” MacKay told an AP reporter. “We’re hoping this comes to a close without any more casualties. The best thing would be for him to give up.”

MacKay said officers were taking precautions by working in pairs or in larger groups.

“Everyone is here for the safety of everyone,” MacKay said, “for the safety of each other, for the safety of you.”

MacKay was hit several times during the shootout and was airlifted to the hospital where he died of his injuries. Another deputy, Alex Collins, was also hit and remained hospitalized Wednesday after undergoing multiple surgeries. He was expected to recover.

Rapper and reality show star Jim Jones (pictured) was arrested Wednesday in front of his Fair Lawn, N.J., home after he allegedly “got out of line” with an officer who had responded to a traffic-related complaint, reports Patch News.

The star of VH1′s hit reality spinoff, “Chrissy & Mr. Jones,” which co-stars his better half, ride or die chick Chrissy Lampkin, had spotted an officer near his home who was investigating two illegally parked vehicles. When Jones approached the officer, Sgt. James Corcoran, to inquire as to what he was doing, the officer decided to run his name through the police database.

After receiving Jones’ information, Sgt. Corcoran reviewed the data and discovered that there were two outstanding arrest warrants for the 36-year-old performer whose actual first name is Joseph. One of the warrants stemmed from a motor vehicle-related incident and the other was for failing to remove snow from his sidewalk.

When Sgt. Corcoran asked Jones to accompany him to police headquarters in order to settle the warrants, the rapper allegedly refused and became hostile. Since Jones did not cooperate with police, the officer was obligated to cuff him and take him into custody.

According to Lt. Derek Bastinck, Jones’ situation was relatively cut and dry: “If [people with outstanding warrants] agree, we’ll just have them come down and pay what they owe but if they don’t agree, they’re placed under arrest.”

Fair Lawn, N.J., is an upscale town and Lt. Bastinck says the Jones incident is the first time they had ever encountered a problem with a celebrity resident.

Black Hollywood Start Gallery

CHICAGO (AP) — President Barack Obama‘s post-State of the Union speech in Chicago will be at a high school on the city’s South Side.

The White House says Obama will speak Friday afternoon at Hyde Park Academy. The visit comes days after first lady Michelle Obama sat next to the parents of Hadiya (hy-DEE’-uh) Pendleton during the president’s State of the Union address on Tuesday.

See President Obama speak on Chicago violence with MTV’s Sway Calloway:

Fifteen-year-old Hadiya was shot and killed about a mile from Obama’s Chicago home. The majorette was killed just days after she performed at events for Obama’s inauguration in Washington last month.

The president is expected to address gun violence and other issues.

Michelle Obama attended Hadiya’s funeral in Chicago last weekend. Police say the girl was an innocent victim in a gang-related shooting.

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BIG BEAR LAKE, Calif. — There was no question. The man standing before Rick Heltebrake on a rural mountain road was Christopher Dorner.

Clad in camouflage from head to toe and wearing a bulletproof vest packed with magazines, the most wanted man in America over the last week was just a few feet away, having emerged from a grove of trees holding a large, assault-style rifle.

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Teams of officers who had sought the fugitive ex-Los Angeles police officer since last week were closing in. Dorner pointed the gun at Heltebrake and ordered him to get out of his truck.

SEE ALSO: Phaedra Parks Turns Down ‘RHOA’ Spin-Off

“I don’t want to hurt you. Start walking and take your dog,’” Heltebrake recalled Dorner saying during the carjacking Tuesday afternoon.

Dorner, who wasn’t lugging any gear, got into the truck and drove on. Heltebrake, with his 3-year-old Dalmatian Suni in tow, called police when he heard a volley of gunfire erupt soon after.

A short time later, the police had caught up with a man they believe was Dorner and surrounded a cabin in which he had barricaded himself and began a standoff that was broadcast around the world and ended with the man’s death in the burning building.

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By day’s end, the man had mounted a last stand in a shootout in which he killed a sheriff’s deputy and wounded another before the building erupted in flames.

A charred body was found in the basement of the burned cabin along with a wallet and personal items, including a California driver’s license with the name Christopher Dorner, an official briefed on the investigation told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigation.

The coroner’s office is studying the remains to positively determine the identity. It was not clear how the cabin caught fire.

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Recalling his encounter, Heltebrake said on Wednesday that he wasn’t panicked in his meeting with Dorner because he didn’t feel the fugitive wanted to hurt him. “He wasn’t wild-eyed, just almost professional,” he said. “He was on a mission.”

“It was clear I wasn’t part of his agenda and there were other people down the road that were part of his agenda,” he said.

Dorner, 33, had said in a rant that authorities believe he posted on Facebook last week that he expected to die, with the police chasing him, as he embarked on a campaign of revenge against the Los Angeles Police Department for his firing.

The apparent end came in the same mountain range where his trail went cold six days earlier, when his burning pickup truck – with guns and camping gear inside – was abandoned and on fire near the ski resort town of Big Bear Lake.

His footprints led away from the truck and vanished on frozen soil.

Deputies searched door-to-door in the city of Big Bear Lake and then, in a blinding snowstorm, SWAT teams, with bloodhounds and high-tech equipment in tow, focused on scouring hundreds of vacant cabins in the forest outside of town.

With no sign of him and few leads, police offered a $1 million reward to bring him to justice and end a “reign of terror” that had more than 50 families of LAPD officers who were mentioned as targets in the rant under round-the-clock protection.

If the body proves to be Dorner, the death toll in his rampage would be four, including two police officers, one of them killed on Tuesday.

LAPD Lt. Andrew Neiman said the agency had returned to normal patrol operations but about a dozen of the targets would continue to be protected until the remains are positively identified. “This really is not a celebration,” he said.

Neiman would not answer any questions regarding what occurred in the mountains the previous day, saying it was the investigation of San Bernardino County authorities.

Just a few hours after police announced Tuesday that they had fielded more than 1,000 tips with no sign of Dorner, word came that a man matching his description had tied up two people in a Big Bear Lake cabin, stole their car and fled.

Lt. Patrick Foy with the California Fish and Wildlife Department, which aided the search, said two housekeepers surprised Dorner in the cabin when they came to clean it Tuesday morning. The women were tied up but one freed herself and call 911, Foy said.

Fish and Wildlife wardens spotted the Nissan that had been reported stolen going in the opposite direction and gave chase, Foy said. The driver looked like Dorner.

They lost the car after it passed a school bus and turned onto a side road, but two other Fish and Wildlife patrols turned up the road a short time later, and were searching for the car when a white pickup truck sped erratically toward them.

“He took a close look at the driver and realized it was the suspect,” Foy said.

That was Heltebrake’s truck.

Dorner, who allegedly stole the pickup truck at gunpoint after crashing the first car, rolled down a window and opened fire on the wardens, striking their truck more than a dozen times, he said.

One of the wardens shot at the suspect as he rounded a curve in the road. It’s unclear if he was hit, but the stolen pickup careened off the road and crashed in a snow bank.

The driver then ran to the cabin where he barricaded himself and got in a shootout with sheriff’s deputies and other officers, two of whom were shot, one fatally.

LAPD officers used the Internet to monitor radio chatter during the shootout. “It was horrifying to listen to that firefight and to hear those words. `Officer down’ is the most gut-wrenching experience that you can have as a police officer,” Neiman said.

With the standoff under way, officers lobbed tear gas canisters into the cabin. A single shot was heard inside before the cabin was engulfed in flames, said a law enforcement official who requested anonymity because the investigation was ongoing.

Police said Dorner began his run on Feb. 6 after they connected the Feb. 3 slayings of a former police captain’s daughter and her fiance with his angry manifesto.

Dorner blamed former LAPD Capt. Randal Quan for providing poor representation before a police disciplinary board that fired him for filing a false report. Dorner, who is black, claimed in his online rant that he was the subject of racism by the department and was targeted for reporting misconduct by other police.

Chief Charlie Beck, who initially dismissed Dorner’s allegations, said he would reopen the investigation into his firing – not to appease the ex-officer, but to restore confidence in the black community, which had a long fractured relationship with police that has improved in recent years.

Dorner vowed to get even with those who had wronged him as part of his plan to reclaim his reputation.

“You’re going to see what a whistleblower can do when you take everything from him especially his NAME!!!” the rant said. “You have awoken a sleeping giant.”

NEWARK, N.J. — Three people are under arrest in New Jersey after a video surfaced showing a naked man being whipped because of his father’s debt.

SEE ALSO: Phaedra Parks Turns Down ‘RHOA’ Spin-Off

Newark Police Director Samuel DeMaio said Wednesday that the three men who are in custody are affiliated with a gang.

They were identified as 22-year-old Ahmad Holt, 31-year-old Raheem Clark and 23-year-old Jamaar Gray. Police say Holt administered the beating, using a belt provided by Clark. Charges include robbery and aggravated assault. Police say only one of the men has an attorney, but they didn’t provide a name.

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The video shows a 21-year-old man being forced to strip and then whipped with a belt, supposedly because his father owed someone $20.

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DeMaio says the victim suffered welts and abrasions during the August attack but didn’t require hospitalization.

Watch video of attack below:

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A $1 million dollar reward for citizens who were critical in helping law enforcement to corner the presumed dead Chris Dorner may not be distributed.

RELATED: Residents Plead With L.A. Cops On Signs, Shirts: I’m Not Chris Dorner! Don’t Shoot Me!

TMZ reports that there were three awards offered for information leading to the capture of Dorner. The mayor of Los Angeles offered a $1 million award, which was funded by private citizens. The stipulation is that Dorner must be “captured and convicted” before anyone can be given the reward money.

RELATED:Dorner Caught On Camera Buying Scuba Gear Two Days Before Murder

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The L.A. City Council announced a reward for $100,000 for information leading to “the identification, apprehension, and conviction” of Dorner. Though, if Dorner is officially announced dead, there may be an issue with the “conviction” part. Sources in the City Council tell TMZ that there is a disagreement between the Legislative Analyst and the City Attorney over how to interpret the reward language.

RELATED: Read Full Uncensored Chris Dorner Manifesto Here

The L.A. County Board of Supervisors also offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to the ex-cop’s capture. Though one source said that Dorner was “cornered,” not captured.

Simply put: No one may get a dime of the reward money. There is no word on whether the rules will be amended to accommodate citizens for any information that helped law enforcement in the presumed capture and death of Dornor.

NewsOne‘s readers are never shy about sharing their views, so we asked readers on  Facebook to give us feedback on President Barack Obama’s State Of The Union address last night.

RELATED: SOTU: President Lays Out Ambitious Agenda For Second Term While Republicans Sulk [WATCH HERE]

For the exercise, NewsOne asked readers to use only one word to describe or rate the President’s performance, and the responses reflected just how passionate our readers really are. With some describing the address as “excellent,” others called the President a “liar,” while others still said that the presidential address was “outstanding.” To showcase your responses, we collected and rated them using a Wordle-word cloud, which is a tool takes text and displays them in a cloud form (pictured above). The larger and more pronounced the words appear reflects the number of times those particular words were repeated by readers.

Enjoy!

RELATED: 8 Things You (Probably) Didn’t Know About The State Of The Union Address

CHICAGO  — A jury has convicted a Chicago attorney of murdering former NBA center Eddy Curry‘s ex-girlfriend and infant daughter four years ago.

Fredrick Goings showed no reaction when the jury’s guilty verdict was read Tuesday in the January 2009 shooting deaths of 24-year-old Nova Henry and her and Curry’s 10-month-old daughter, Ava.

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Goings represented Henry in a child custody case against the former Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks and Miami Heat center, and was also romantically involved with her. Prosecutors say Henry tried to end her relationship with Goings and moved out with her and Curry’s two children.

SEE ALSO: Did Dorner Upstage Obama?

They say Goings shot Henry in her home while she was holding the infant. Her and Curry’s son, who was then 3 years old, was also in the home but wasn’t harmed.

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Curry, who now plays in China, didn’t testify.

Henry’s mother, Yolan Henry, said expressed relief after the hearing, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

“I’m feeling elated. I can breathe,” she said. “I feel justice has been served.”

Yolan Henry testified that she found her surviving grandson, Noah, with the bodies of his sister and mother, and that he told her, “Fredrick did it.”

Attorneys for Goings maintained that he was innocent and said there was no physical evidence linking him to the killings.

Moment: Oprah Winfrey Ends Longtime Talk Show, Launches OWN Network

From 1986 to 2011, television host and media mogul Oprah Winfrey ruled the airwaves with her nationally syndicated television and eponymously named talk show, which still remains the highest-rated program of its kind. Stepping down after 25 seasons, Oprah would enter the next phase of her career with the Oprah Winfrey Network. After reporting heavy losses early last year, a major overhaul at the network and other savvy moves aim to bring OWN and its slate of original programming to prominence.

Watch Oprah’s last show here:

SEE ALSO: Top Moments In Black History: Halle Berry Becomes 1st Black Woman To Win Best Actress Oscar

In one of the largest cases of animal cruelty, Loney L. Garrett (pictured) was arrested on Monday and charged with the ill treatment of animals, after Berkeley County, S.C., deputies discovered the remains of more than 200 dogs in his backyard, 45 of which were barely alive, reports ABC News 4.

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The Sheriff’s office was contacted when neighbors complained of an unexplained horrific stench that permeated through the air from Garrett’s property.

When deputies arrived at Garrett’s home, investigators could reportedly see animal bones that had been haphazardly discarded on the surface of a ditch. According to officers, Garrett had not even made an attempt to bury the dogs in many instances.

Police officials spent hours rummaging through Garrett’s backyard, where they unearthed thousands of bones.

Some of the dogs, according to investigators, had bullet wounds to the head.

The officers staked pink flags into the ground in order to mark the carcasses of the dogs.

According to Dan Moon, who spoke to ABC News 4, he had never heard of an animal cruelty case of this magnitude before.  Some of the dog bones had been there for years, according to Moon.

The 45 dogs that were still breathing when found were emaciated and nearly on the brink of death.   “I don’t know how many of them will make it,” Moon said. “They are so emaciated, just skin and bones.”

Watch video of this incident here:

Still, Garrett’s daughter-in-law, Diane Luckie, is staunchly defending Garrett, telling ABC News 4, “He’s not a bad person. He’s not done anything wrong but love those animals.”

Luckie is disturbed by the fact that deputies have placed caution tape in front of her father-in-law’s home and feels they are making him out to be an unfeeling and cruel individual.

“This is his hobby is to hunt deer and rabbits. He enjoys everything that he does with those dogs. He has no intentions to hurt those animals,” Luckie added.

Regarding the 45 fragile dogs police found — which reportedly have skeletal frames due to malnutrition — Luckie contends, “Those are hunting dogs. They run. They carry their weight off,” she said. “You don’t want no fat dog.”

The case is still being investigated.

The faceless woman behind the botched butt implant YouTube video that went viral late last year went public for the first time on “Trisha Goddard,” a one-hour NBC daytime talk show.

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Renee, who did not want to give her last name, spoke on a segment titled “My extreme butt implants nearly killed me.” RadarOnline got previews of the show exclusively. She told Trisha how she first realized that something was amiss about her surgery. “I was showing my girlfriend how I could reach up under the implant and it just kind of flipped and freaked me out,” she said. “I started getting really sick, I couldn’t breath.”

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As NewsOne previously reported, Renee posted the video in November. She is shown in the 21-second clip flipping the implant and telling the camera, “I don’t think an implant’s supposed to do that. It shouldn’t be able to flip.”

See the video below:

A plastic surgeon told the New York Daily News the problem with the implants was that they were too large. “That implant appears to be among the largest available for implantation. It’s just huge,” he said. “It’s way too big for her body.”

“Most implants we use contain around 320 (cubic centimeters of silicone gel),” he said. “That woman appears to have 700 or 800 cc implants. That’s the size of a dinner plate,” he added.

During the show, Renee showed the audience the butt implants that she flipped around during the YouTube clip, causing a loud gasp in the studio. As for Renee, she had a message for anyone wanting to augment their appearance: “Love the skin you’re in. Please don’t go and do this stuff to yourself.  If more people would come out and tell their stories then less women would go and do this.”

Watch the preview clips below:

The death of a 23-year-0ld Detroit mother who went missing on New Year’s Day has been ruled a homicide, Fox News 2 Detroit reports.

Scroll down for news video

RELATED: Dynasty Myles’ Body Found In Abandoned House

Dynasty Myles‘ body was found inside of an abandoned home in Detroit last week. She had been shot point blank range in the head. Her stepmother, Tara Paymon, was tasked with identifying the body. “It’s horrible the feeling, the hurt, the pain, the loss,” Paymon. “It’s unexplainable. You can’t explain it.”

“To me, you only see stuff like this in TV shows, she added. “You would never think it would be close to home.”

As NewsOne previously reported, Myles dropped off her six-year-old daughter with her father and stepmother at their Southfield home on New Year’s Day. That was the last time anyone from her family saw her alive. Though she did call that night around 9 a.m. to say she would drop off some clothing for her daughter the next morning.

She never showed up.

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After a missing persons report was filed, police found her vehicle out outside of a restaurant in Dearborn, a suburb of Detroit. Surveillance video shows her getting  into a silver, late model Dodge Durango. Sources tell Fox 2 News that Myles knew the man inside of the vehicle. The man had been robbed earlier that week and he may have believed that Myles has something to do with it. Police say that the man took her to an unknown location, shot her execution style in the back of the head and dumped her inside of an abandoned house.

Myles’ family has been hit hard by her death but Paymon says that the toughest part was telling her 6-year-old daughter that her mother is gone.

“She looks just like her,” Paymond said. “To know this little girl is going to grow up without her mother, I mean that’s horrible.

Myles’ family has set up a fund to cover her funeral expenses and anything left over will go to support her daughter. Donations can be made to the Dynasty Myles Memorial Fund at any Bank of America location.