Washington Informer

Usher and his mother Jonetta Patton are the next celebrity guests on Oprah's Next Chapter and in the teaser promo Oprah promises that Usher will tell all about his marriage, his mother skipping his wedding and the down and dirty details of his child custody battle.

In addition to his thoughts on being granted primary custody of his two boys, Usher reportedly candidly addresses infidelity rumors and what really happened the night he walked off stage in Berlin and felt he may never perform again.

Winfrey also speaks with Usher's mother Jonetta Patton, who has remained silent throughout the custody battle, as Patton answers why she chose not to attend her son's wedding and the reason behind their reported rift.

In other Life and Style briefs:

Wyclef Airs Love Child Drama with Lauryn Hill in Tell-All

Married Fugees founder Wyclef Jean says it was Lauryn Hill's lies about the paternity of her child that doomed the '90s hip-hop trio.

Jean claims Hill tricked him into believing her firstborn son was his, when, in fact, the father was Bob Marley's son Rohan.

"In that moment something died between us. I was married and Lauryn and I were having an affair, but she led me to believe that the baby was mine, and I couldn't forgive that," Jean writes in his memoir "Purpose," which hit shelves on Tuesday.

Jean says the betrayal by Hill led to the band's 1997 breakup.

"She could no longer be my muse," he wrote. "Our love spell was broken."

He came to his own defense after celeb news sites and blogs bashed him for writing about the alleged drama.

"It's important because at the end of the day, I'm not coming at (attacking) L (Lauryn)," Jean told MTV. "This is a period of my life, and that's how I felt. If anything, I just brought closure to a chapter – because at the end of the day, I didn't do (an album like) Mis-education, so there was no closure in my chapter. I don't think that I should've left it (affair with Hill) as a myth. If she was reading my book, I don't think she would want me to be any other way than honest with my book – because she's straight-up honest."

Houstons Get New Docu-Series

The indiewire.com blog, Shadow & Act claims that Lifetime will air a 1-hour special, Remembering Whitney on October 17 starting at 8pm. This will be followed by a new docu-series The Houstons: On Our Own at 9pm.

"The Houstons: On Our Own" follows the lives of the late R&B and pop singer's family, starting with Pat Houston, Whitney's sister-in-law and manager, and Pat's daughter Rayah, Whitney's brother Gary, daughter Bobbi Kristina and mother, Grammy® Award-winning singer Cissy Houston. Those closest to Houston try to pick up the pieces after her untimely death. As the series follows Pat and her husband, Gary (Whitney's brother), viewers will watch them take on their greatest challenge, supporting and guiding Bobbi Kristina, who now faces the world without the one person she relied on the most, her Mother.

Congratulations Nationals!

Let me be one of the first Washington Informer readers to congratulate the Washington Nationals for earning a spot in the post-season. It's something special about having a major league baseball team in the city where you live, but it's really special for a winning team to reach the post-season. There is nothing like baseball in the fall. There's a reason the World Series is called the Fall Classic: it's the colors, the weather, and the excitement of anticipated match-ups.

To me, baseball is the ultimate team sport and every year at this time, no matter what teams are playing, I get excited. Names like Mays, Robinson, Aaron, Murray, Gibson, Jackson and so many others flash through my mind. Thanks, Nats, for a great year. Yes, we can go all the way, GO NATS!

Robert Hill

Washington, D.C.

The Poor Matter Too

Mr. Barrington Salmon's article, "Religious Leaders Chastise Politicians," September 20, 2012 was right on point. Finally, there are some individuals willing to take a stand for poor people in this country. Politicians think if they even mention the poor they will lose votes, and you know why? It's because the poor are mainly disenfranchised, and people who vote don't care about the poor.

We always hear about the middle class and what they have lost, well what about the people who have nothing, who have lost everything? America can't continue to brush this problem under the rug any longer and, yes, the world is watching. Mr. President, don't be ashamed to acknowledge the fact that there are poor people living in this country who need help along with businesses and the middle class.

Matthew Jennings

Upper Marlboro, Md.

 Demoltion Paves Way for Site's Redevelopment

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Mayor Vincent C. Gray and other community leaders are celebrating the commencement of the demolition of the Skyland Shopping Center – a long-stalled development project that will provide new retail, housing and amenities to the Ward 7 and Ward 8 communities.

"I made a promise to the District that we would move the redevelopment of Skyland forward as quickly as possible, and today is further evidence that we're keeping faith with that commitment," Mayor Gray said on Sept. 26. "The One City Action Plan is a roadmap to guide us to where I would like to take the District, and alleviating blight and revitalizing this site into a bustling town center is a critical goal for my administration."

Gray was joined by Ward 8 Council member Marion Barry, Ward 7 Council member Yvette Alexander, local Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners, Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Victor L. Hoskins and residents to demolish a blighted, legally unencumbered portion of the Skyland site.

While on site, Gray Administration officials also provided an update on the status of outstanding litigation that has stalled the redevelopment. At the beginning of 2011, there were seven pending cases related to Skyland. As of today, the District is awaiting a decision from the D.C. Court of Appeals in only one remaining case, District of Columbia v. 7.06 Acres/Greene. All others have been resolved either in or out of court.

The Skyland Shopping Center is an 18-acre site located at the intersections of Alabama Avenue, Good Hope Road and Naylor Road SE that will be transformed into more than 315,000 square feet of retail space to include a combination of national-brand retailers and neighborhood-serving shops and restaurants. Additionally, redevelopment plans for the project include the addition of 468 units of housing.

"I am proud that we have progress to announce here at Skyland and will continue to work to reinvigorate neighborhood corridors and introduce economic vibrancy where there is blight throughout the District," said Deputy Mayor Hoskins. "The redevelopment of Skyland will create a quality, mixed-use destination for our East of the River residents."

TrackDC and One City • One Hire Recognized as Bright Ideas in Government Innovation

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government today recognized the District's TrackDC and One City • One Hire initiatives as "Bright Ideas" in government innovation. The programs are among 111 government initiatives from across the United States recognized as highly innovative problem-solving efforts.

"One of my goals is to make the District government work better for everyone in our city, and it's gratifying to be recognized by Harvard for the innovative work we're doing on behalf of District residents," said Mayor Vincent C. Gray. "Both Track DC and the One City • One Hire initiative demonstrate the standard we've set for ourselves as a government, in creating and implementing programs and initiatives that change lives."

This year's cohort of honorees hails from all levels of government, including school districts; municipal, state, and federal agencies; and public-private partnerships. The programs honored demonstrate a creative range of solutions to issues such as education, crime, environmental problems, urban and rural decline and economic development and unemployment.

TrackDC

TrackDC allows residents to track the performance of individual District government agencies and learn about agencies' performance plans and key performance indicators; previous years' performance accountability reports; operational budgets and spending; and recent newsworthy developments. Users are also able to access agency data when it is present in the data catalog and connect directly to an agency via links to the agency's website and "Ask the Director" page.

The goal of TrackDC is to lessen the gap between citizens and their government, and present operational data in as transparent and up-to-date a manner as possible.

"We're honored that the Kennedy School has chosen to recognize TrackDC as being among the most innovative government programs in the country in delivering on Mayor Gray's promise of transparency about government operations," said Rob Mancini, the District's Chief Technology Officer. "I am proud of our Citywide Data Warehouse team, who are as dedicated as they are hard-working."

Discussion to Include Essential Health Benefits Plan and Exchange Certification

Members of Executive Board of the Health Benefit Exchange Authority will hold its regularly scheduled meeting from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., Sept. 24 at the D.C. Department of Health, 899 North Capitol St., in Northeast. 

The agenda includes discussion of the Essential Health Benefits Plan followed by public comments, Exchange Certification and reports from the Board Working Committees: Health Benefits Exchange, Insurance, Business Operations, Marketing and Consumer Outreach and IT Infrastructure and Eligibility. The Executive Board meeting, chaired by Dr. Mohammed Akhter, is open to the general public.

The Exchange is the central mechanisms created by the health reform bill to help individuals and small businesses purchase health insurance coverage. Beginning in 2014, an Exchange will be established to help consumers make valid comparisons between certified plans that have met benchmarks for quality and affordability.

The Exchange will also administer the new health insurance subsidies and facilitate enrollment in private health insurance, Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

LARGO, Md.— Improve your health and explore the arts during October at Prince George's Community College. All events are open to the general public.

Annual Art Faculty Exhibition, October 1 – November 8, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Friday, Marlboro Gallery. Discover art through the eyes of Prince George's Community College faculty. Exhibition includes ceramics, computer graphics, drawings, paintings, photographs and sculpture. Some artworks will be for sale. The exhibit is closed October 30 for College Enrichment Day at Prince George's Community College.

Breast Cancer Awareness Table, October 9, 11 a.m. -1 p.m., Bladen Hall Room 132. Empower yourself with information about breast cancer prevention and treatment and enter a contest to win prizes.

Smoking Cessation Seminar, October 11 and October 25 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Learn how to stop using tobacco products. A smoking cessation specialist will discuss how to prepare to quit smoking and natural prescription aids available to help kick the habit.

Midnight Madness, October 12, 6 p.m., Novak Field House. Cheer for your favorite basketball team as students compete against faculty and staff. Halftime activities include a hot shots contest, kids relay and slam dunk competition.

CareFirst, Culinary Arts program and Health Education Center's Survivor Appreciation Luncheon, October 16, noon - 1:30 p.m., Bladen Hall Room 132. Celebrate fighting cancer with survivors and enjoy lunch. Participants will share stories about their battle with the disease and discuss how the experience impacted their lives and families.

Cafe Night, October 18, 4 – 6 p.m., Largo Student Center, Community Room A. Showcase music, poetry and comedy talents at the first open-microphone forum of the year.

For more information on campus events, contact the Office of College Life Services at 301- 322-0853.

Pathologists at the Smithsonian?s National Zoo performed a necropsy (animal autopsy) Sept. 23 on the six-day-old giant panda cub that died earlier that morning. A final pathology report will provide more information in the next few weeks, but the preliminary report suggests two potential abnormalities: moderate levels of fluid in the cub?s abdomen and an area of hardness in the liver. The significance of these findings is not yet clear. The veterinary and pathology team will continue to work closely during the ongoing histological evaluation.

The giant panda cub born Sept. 16 appeared to be female. At the time of death, she weighed a little less than 100 grams, about four ounces. There were no signs of trauma, external or internal, her heart and lungs appeared healthy and normal, and a small amount of milk was found in the cub?s gastrointestinal tract, which suggests that she nursed. The mortality rate for pandas in their first year of age in human care is 26 percent for males and 20 percent for females. Note that some early mortality rates may be underestimated.

The panda team continues to the cub?s mother monitor Mei Xiang via the Panda Cam. She appeared to sleep well last night. Watchers noticed her cradling an object, as she did before to the birth of the cub. Scientists and keepers believe this is an expression of her natural mothering instinct.

Mei Xiang is moving around this morning, and the panda team was able to weigh her. She weighs 217 pounds, which is less than her regular weight but normal for a mother who has not eaten (Mei Xiang had not left her den in more than a week). She ate most of her normal diet (some bamboo, fruit and biscuits) and drank some water this morning, and Zoo veterinarians took a blood sample and a vaginal culture to confirm the state of her health. Zoo staff fully anticipate that she?ll return to her normal behaviors soon. Once this happens, visitors will be able to enter the David M. Rubenstein Giant Panda Habitat.

The Zoo will continue to work closely with Chinese colleagues and share the information it has learned about giant panda reproduction and cub health. No decisions will be made about Mei Xiang and Tian Tian?s future at the National Zoo until Mei Xiang?s behavior returns to normal.

The Panda Cam, sponsored by Ford Motor Company Fund, will remain on so panda enthusiasts around the world can continue to watch Mei Xiang and Tian Tian.