Historic church destroyed by fire
Chicago A massive fire Friday destroyed a landmark South Side church where Mahalia Jackson and other gospel royalty often sang during the 20th century, and the man considered the father of gospel music led the choir.
The fire gutted Pilgrim Baptist Church, collapsing its roof and steeple. No major injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire was not immediately known, though repair work had been under way on the roof.
The church, built in 1890 as a synagogue and converted to a Christian church in the 1920s, was designed by the famous architectural firm headed by Louis Sullivan and his partner.
It was here that Thomas A. Dorsey perfected his cross of the raw soulfulness of the blues with the sacred music of his youth into a sound that became gospel music. Dorsey, considered the “father of gospel music,” was Pilgrim’s music director from 1932 until the late 1970s. His greatest hit, “Take My Hand, Precious Lord,” was popularized by Mahalia Jackson and became a favorite of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
Bill with fruit sticker auctioned for $25,300
Orlando, Fla. A $20 bill printed on paper that mysteriously had an ordinary fruit sticker on it sold Friday for $25,300, an auction company official said.
The flawed note bears a red, green and yellow Del Monte sticker next to Andrew Jackson’s portrait. The 1996 bill originated at a U.S. Treasury Department printing facility in Fort Worth, but how the fruit tag found its way onto the paper of the greenback is unknown.
The buyer did not want to be identified.
Couple went to Vegas, left kids at home alone
Walnut Creek, Calif. Prosecutors filed felony counts of child endangerment Friday against a San Ramon, Calif., father and his wife accused of leaving his two boys home alone while they spent New Year’s weekend in Las Vegas.
Police alerted by the boys’ grandmother went to the home Saturday night and found the 10-year-old and his 5-year-old autistic brother asleep and alone.
If convicted, Jacob Calero, 39, and Michelle de la Vega, 32, could each face up to 12 years in prison.
Police said the couple departed for Las Vegas on the morning of Dec. 30, leaving the boys with cereal and frozen dinners to eat, and a cell phone number to call in case of emergencies. Meanwhile, the couple arranged for de la Vega’s mother to watch their three dogs – Popo, Pumpkin and Snow White.
Five pension officials indicted in San Diego
San Diego A federal grand jury indicted five current and former San Diego pension fund officials Friday on 20 counts of fraud and conspiracy in an investigation of the city’s troubled finances.
The five were accused of concealing information from fellow board members about a crucial 2002 vote that allowed San Diego to escape payments to the retirement fund and, at the same time, enhance pension benefits.
The 2002 vote and a similar move in 1996 were largely to blame for a pension deficit that has swelled to $1.37 billion. The pension debacle has crippled the city’s ability to borrow money, sparked talk of bankruptcy and led Mayor Dick Murphy to resign from office last year a few months after he was narrowly elected to a second term.