Page 24 - Florida Sentinel 11-13-15 Edition

National
Killer Whale Show At San Diego Sea World Being Phased Out
Two Black Police Officers Held On $1M Bond For Fatal Shooting Of Child, 6
Macy’s To Open For Black Friday At 6 P.M. Thanksgiving Day
America's biggest retailers are still betting millions of peo- ple want to shop on Thanksgiv- ing.
Despite a group of compa- nies taking bold stances this year against what's become a holiday shopping tradi- tion, Black Friday will once again start on Thursday for major brands.
Macy's and Sears will all open at 6 p.m. Toys R Us will one-up them by opening at 5 p.m. Wal- mart hasn't announced its hours yet but opened at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving last year.
Still, as retailers' plans have trickled out over the past week or so, they show that the Black Friday early-opening frenzy may have finally reached its peak. After years of retailers pushing store hours earlier and earlier from Black Friday into Thanksgiving, this year most stores are opening at the same time as last year. That may be because while con- sumers show a willingness to shop on the holiday, retailers have to be careful not to dimin- ish the importance of spending time with family, says Rod Sides, retail and distribution practice leader for consulting firm Deloitte.
While retailers' Black Fri-
day and Thanksgiving store hours have led to protests and complaints for years, compa- nies say they are simply re- sponding to customer demand.
Black Friday is expected to be the number one day for sales and busiest day of customer traffic all season, according to ShopperTrak.
This year, half of consumers plan to shop on Thanksgiving, with 40% saying they'll go to a store and 43% shopping online, according to a holiday shop- ping survey by consulting firm Accenture. More people, 63%, plan to shop on Black Friday.
At the same time, the preva- lence of online and mobile shopping has led retailers to offer compelling reasons to shop all season, and consumers don't necessarily feel the need to shop on Black Friday to grab the best deals. More than half of consumers say they rely less on Black Friday than they used to, according to Deloitte's holi- day survey of more than 4,000 people.
Retailers are also making a store trip unnecessary by push- ing the same deals online and making deals available at vari- ous points throughout the sea- son.
Derrick Stafford and Norris Greenhouse, Jr.
The iconic killer whale shows at SeaWorld San Diego will be phased out of the park as early as next year, SeaWorld Enter- tainment's CEO announced during the company's investors meeting Monday.
The killer whale show that features Shamu has been part of the park's identity for decades. SeaWorld Entertainment CEO Joel Manby said at the meet- ing the show will be phased out as part of a shift in focus to pro- mote conservation as part of the company's brand.
"Now, we've been doing a lot of this quietly, ourselves, but we're making it a part of our brand going forward," Manby said.
He began laying out a roadmap for investors Monday detailing the future of SeaWorld Parks, saying he envisions a hands-on experience that would inspire people and teach them more about the animals there.
The two marshals charged with fatally shooting a 6-year- old Louisiana boy and critically injuring his father will be held on $1 million bond each, a judge said Monday.
Derrick Stafford, 32, of Mansura, and Norris Green- house Jr., 23, of Marksville, each face charges of second-de- gree murder and second-de- gree attempted murder for the shooting death of Jeremy Mardis, who was killed when marshals fired on the child's fa- ther's vehicle on last Tuesday. Mardis' father, Chris Few, was critically injured.
Investigators have been ana- lyzing evidence to determine what sparked the shooting, which Louisiana State Police said happened "at the conclu- sion of a pursuit." Mardis was struck by five bullets, according to the Avoyelles Parish coro- ner's office.
Few's attorney, Mark Jeansonne, told The Associ- ated Press on Monday that po- lice body camera video shows his client had his hands up and didn't pose a threat when the officers shot into his car. Jean- sonne said he hadn't seen the video, but it was described dur-
Jeremy Mardis was laid to rest Monday.
ing Monday's bond hearing. Jeansonne also told the AP that Few's condition was improving, but the father had- n't yet been told that his 6-
year-old had died. Greenhouse and Stafford
— who are being held at the Avoyelles Parish jail, according to jail records — will be ordered to home detainment with elec- tronic monitoring if they meet bond, according to Avoyelles court documents.
The autistic 6-year-old was laid to rest on Monday.
Teen’s Murderer Given 65-Year Sentence
Lockheed Martin Donates To Tuskegee University
OXON HIL, MD --- An Oxon Hill man was sentenced to 65 years Monday in the death of a 15-year-old boy who was targeted over a Valentine's Day gift intended for his girl- friend, prosecutors say.
Tayvon Williams re- ceived the maximum sentence in the murder of Suitland High School freshman Charles Michael Walker Jr., who was gunned down in February 2013.
Williams pleaded guilty earlier this year to second-de- gree murder, two counts of first-degree assault and re- lated charges.
Prosecutors say Walker had sold some video games to buy a pair of boots for his girl- friend for Valentine's Day. They were in a shopping bag that Walker was carrying in Hillcrest Heights, Maryland, on Feb. 18, 2013. Authorities say that day; five men -- in- cluding then-21-year-old Williams -- were driving around in a white Ford van, searching for someone to rob. They saw Walker walking carrying the shopping bag and wearing headphones. Williams and another man got out of the van and grabbed him, and when Walker saw them, he tried to run away. He was then shot in the back. The shoes were found at the crime scene, authorities said. In court Monday, Williams
Tayvon Williams was sen- tence on Monday. He killed Charles Michael Walker, Jr., 17.
apologized to the victim's mother, telling her that he is not what everybody says he is, and that he is not a bad per- son.
Walker's mother, Na- tasha Massey, wiped away tears, saying the loss of her son has affected everyone, saying the loss still feels as though it just happened. She has to ex- plain to her other sons why they shouldn't be bad, like those who killed their brother, Massey said. The prosecutor said Williams shot and wounded someone else later that day and was also respon- sible for another shooting six months earlier, also non-fatal. He was also on probation from an assault charge in D.C. at the time of the shooting. Before handing down the sentence, judge said Williams terror- ized the community and was a menace.
Missouri’s President Resigns
University of Missouri Presi- dent Tim Wolfe resigned Monday morning amid racial controversy in which students and faculty staged walkouts and hunger strikes to bring at- tention to the issue.
"I take full responsibility for this frustration, and I take full responsibility for the inaction that has occurred," Wolfe said in a press conference announc- ing his resignation.
The embattled president has faced blazing criticism from black students at the university who say that he has not done much to stop racially charged incidents on campus. As NPR notes, over the past few months the university has seen in- creased racially charged inci- dents, including one in which someone drew a swastika in a dorm bathroom using human feces.
In October, student protest- ers confronted the president at a homecoming parade. Wolfe, however, did not address them, and the students said that the vehicle in which Wolfe was traveling nicked at least one of them as it drove off. Since then, one student has been on a hunger strike and black foot- ball players have said that they will not play another game until he resigns. Their
Mizzou President Tim Wolfe announcing his resignation.
coach and white teammates have supported them, the news site notes.
Wolfe originally refused to resign, according to MSNBC, issuing a statement on Sunday declaring that he was "dedi- cated to ongoing dialogue."
On Monday morning, some faculty joined in the protests, staging a walkout. Lawmakers also joined the fray, demanding that Wolfe step down. With growing outrage from faculty, students and onlookers alike, Wolfe ultimately submitted his resignation after a meeting of the university's board of cu- rators, according to NPR.
"Please, please use my resig- nation to heal, not to hate," he said.
TUSKEGEE, AL — Industrial giant Lockheed Martin is mak- ing an investment in the next generation of Tuskegee Univer- sity engineers. The company has given $90,000 to support the institution’s Freshman Ac- celerated Start up and Training for Retention in Engineering Curricula program. Known as FASTREC, for nearly 30 years, this eight-week program has of- fered to high school graduates who are interested in engineer- ing careers a head start on their goals.
Each summer, FASTREC stu- dents pursue an intensive course of study in mathematics, science, engineering, graphics, and freshman orientation. The program provides students with an early opportunity to begin their engineering career and earn up to seven credits toward for a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering. The participants also are awarded full tuition and book scholarships for the program.
Dr. Heshmat Aglan, in- terim dean of the College of En- gineering, said the donation will be used to fund tuition, scholar- ships, books and supplies.
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