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Features
Family Needs Help To Bury Young Rapper Killed At Club
Commissioners Approve $475,870 To Prevent Spread Of Zika Virus
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
Nearly two week ago, on Saturday, February 6th, two young men died after being shot at a local strip club. The shooting that took place at the Club Rayne, 8123 N. Ne- braska Avenue, shortly after 2 a.m., also left 6 other club patrons injured.
The Tampa Police Depart- ment is investigating the double homicide. However, no one has been arrested and charged with the murders of 21-year-old Marvin Lan- caster, III, or 20-year-old Christopher Houston.
In addition to having to deal with the sudden and vi- olent death of Christopher Houston, a young father and aspiring rapper, his fam- ily is trying to raise funds for his burial.
His very grief-stricken uncle, Robert Sherman seemed inconsolable and he said, “I do everything I can to help this neighborhood, and now I need help to bury my nephew, and I’m not getting it.”
Through tears, Sher- man said, “People are blam- ing me for his death; I wish it had been me instead of him.”
Sherman said the fam- ily was hoping to having Houston’s funeral this weekend, however, they have not raised enough money and it will most likely be postponed until further no- tice.
Houston had walked into the club to let Sher- man know family members were outside when the shooting took place. Within minutes of walking into the
CHRISTOPHER HOUSTON
establishment, shots rang out. The up and coming young rapper was struck in the back of the head by a bul- let. He died as a result of his injury.
A native of Tampa, Houston was the son of Ms. Katrina Watkins and Christopher Houston. He attended the public schools of Hillsborough County.
At the time of his death, Houston was an artist with #TeamUpEnt. Having lost his brother, Sergio Smith, 21, to gun violence in March 2012, and his best friend, family and friends said Houston, 20, dedicated his music to spread awareness about gun violence.
In addition to being a rapper, the young man was also a Spoken Word Artist and enjoyed spending time with his family, including his two young children.
A GoFundMe account has also been established for Houston. Anyone wishing to make a donation can visit www.GoFundMe.com/chris houston.
On Wednesday, the Hills- borough County Board of Commissioners voted unani- mously to spend more than $400,000 to combat the Zika Virus. Currently, there are 3 verified cases of the virus in Hillsborough County.
Commissioner Les Miller, Jr., said, “We had to do this because of the mosqui- toes that are carrying the virus. We want to make sure that we don’t have the virus widespread in Hillsborough County so we took it upon our- selves to protect our citizens as
LES MILLER, JR., Hillsborough County Commissioner
best we can. But, it does cost money that will come from other places.”
The $475,870 will be used for spraying, mosquito traps, and additional mosquito sur- veillance. The funding also in- cludes overtime pay for the employees checking the traps and funding to cover costs as- sociated with mosquito sur- veillance and spray missions.
In an effort to eliminate standing water, Hillsborough County is allowing residents to dump old tires at 16180 W. Lake Drive, in Wimauma.
Channing Dungey Becomes First African American to Head Major Network
Channing
Dungey has
inked her name
in history as
President of
ABC Entertain-
ment, making
her the first Black
head of programming to run a major broadcast network.
Dungey is the former exec- utive Vice President of Drama at ABC and will report directly to Disney ABC Television
Group chief Ben Sherwood. She succeeds Paul Lee, who resigned from his role on Wednesday as President of the ABC Entertainment Group after reportedly clashing with Sherwood.
“Channing is a gifted leader and a proven magnet for top creative talent, with an impres- sive record of developing compelling, breakthrough pro- gramming that resonates with viewers,” Sherwood said in
his announcement. “We thank Paul for his many accomplish- ments at ABC and his devotion to the ABC brand, and we wish him continued success in the future.”
Dungey assumes the top programming role on the heels of her experience and close in- volvement in drama develop- ment, shepherding series such as “Scandal,” “How to Get Away with Murder,” and “Once Upon A Time.”
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2016 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 3-A