Hazing trial to start for 4 in FAMU band

Hazing trial to start for 4 in FAMU band

ORLANDO, FLA.

Florida A&M University’s Marching 100 had played at a Super Bowl and before U.S. presidents. But one of the nation’s most-celebrated marching bands had a dark secret: Members were occasionally beaten with mallets, fists and drumsticks in a hazing initiation known as “crossing” Bus C.

The trial of four band members is scheduled to start today on charges of felony hazing and manslaughter, almost three years after drum major Robert Champion died from being beaten during that ritual. His death shone a spotlight on hazing at FAMU and other colleges, caused the band to be suspended for over a year and contributed to the resignation of FAMU’s president.

Fifteen former band members originally were charged with manslaughter and hazing in the death of Champion, of Decatur, Georgia. All but the four remaining defendants have had their cases settled, and several of them will be called as witnesses to describe what happened on the bus.

Darryl Cearnel, Aaron Golson, Benjamin McNamee and Dante Martin have pleaded not guilty. But a late challenge by the attorneys for Cearnel, Golson and McNamee about the inclusion of an additional hazing charge could delay trials for those defendants. Once it begins, the trial could last two weeks.

UK man charged under terrorism laws

LONDON

British police say they have charged a 23-year-old man with the preparation of terrorist acts. Hampshire police said Sunday that Mustakim Jaman, who was arrested after police executed search warrants Oct. 14, is scheduled for court today.

Jaman is from Portsmouth on the English coast, 75 miles southwest of London. The city is home to a handful of young men who have left England to join Islamic State fighters in Syria.

Police have warned that an increasing number of British Muslims are joining the conflict there and may return to Britain after receiving terrorism training.

The official threat level in Britain is set at “severe,” indicating that an attack is highly likely.

Hawaii volcano lava prompts concerns

Dozens of residents in a rural area of Hawaii were placed on alert as flowing lava from an erupting volcano continued to advance.

Authorities on Sunday said lava flow on the Big Island of Hawaii had advanced about 250 yards since Saturday morning and was moving at the rate of about 10 to 15 yards an hour, consistent with its advancement in recent days.

The flow front passed through a predominantly Buddhist cemetery, covering grave sites in the mostly rural region of Puna, and was roughly a half-mile from Pahoa Village Road, the main street of Pahoa.

Pro-Western parties leading Ukraine vote

KIEV, UKRAINE

Ukrainians overwhelmingly backed several pro-Western parties in a landmark parliamentary election Sunday, another nudge in the former Soviet republic’s drift away from Russia.

Two exit polls released as voting closed indicated that President Petro Poroshenko’s party will secure a narrow win in the parliamentary election, falling substantially short of an outright majority. Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk’s Popular Front followed close behind.

Although they lead rival parties, Poroshenko and Yatsenyuk share pro-Western sentiments and have campaigned on reform agendas aimed at pulling Ukraine back from the brink of economic ruin. The parties are expected to join forces with other reform-oriented groups to form a broad pro-European coalition.

Associated Press