Gary Coleman to Appear in Court
Former actor Gary Coleman, 41, is set to appear in court today in Santaquin, Utah. The court date was a provision of his $1,725 bail, which was paid by a fan. Originally, Coleman failed to appear in court for a prior domestic violence charge and was picked up by police, who had a warrant for his arrest, on Jan. 24. [ABC News]

Jackson Doctor to Receive Manslaughter Charge
Dr. Conrad Murray, Michael Jackson's former doctor, is expected to be charged with involuntary manslaughter on Monday. For about a week, Murray has made it clear that he is willing to surrender to authorities, but negotiations about whether he should be handcuffed has delayed the charge. Murray is charged with Jackson's death after allegedly administering a number of sedatives to the singer. [Washington Post]

Gov. Paterson Fights Rumors, Unpopularity in Re-Election Bid
New York Governor David Paterson met with lawmakers to discuss his re-election campaign over the weekend. The rumors that have bubbled up about his past affairs and drug use, coupled with his pervasive unpopularity, have made his proposed full-term bid quite precarious. [NY Times]

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Laura Silsby Blamed for Illegal Transport of Children
Defendant Attorney Edwin Coq is blaming Baptist missionary leader Laura Silsby (pictured above) for the botched attempt to transport 33 children out of Haiti. Coq says that the other nine missionaries were unaware of the laws and the paperwork needed to pull off such a task, but that Silsby was fully aware and led the entire group astray. [Washington Post]

Unemployment Report to Be Released on Friday
Today the job loss report for January will be released, and it is expected that the number of jobs shed during the first month of the year will be even worse than previous months. While 2010 is expected to generate 1 to 2 million jobs, analysts say it will be at least three to four years before employment is back on track. [ABC News]

U.S. Committed to Recovering Americans from Haiti
The United States is committed to finding each person lost due to the earthquake that hit Haiti on Jan. 12. One place that had the highest number of Americans is the Hotel Montana, which is said to have been flattened like a pancake in the quake. The roof of the building is only inches from the ground. While 21 people were extricated from the building shortly after the quake, 28 people were removed posthumously. Investigators still have many more bodies to remove. At least 100 bodies have still not been claimed from the hotel. In all, 4,000 Americans haven't been located. [Boston Herald]

Ohio to Lead in Executions for 2010
Ohio is set to become the leader in lethal injection executions this year. They have already executed three inmates for the year and are scheduled to execute nine more. Ohio is also the first state to employ the one-dose lethal injection; previously, it was using the three-dose injection but stopped due to complaints that the process was too painful and inhumane. [MSNBC]

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Scott Brown to Be Sworn in to Senate Today
Scott Brown, the Republican who won against Martha Coakley in the Massachusetts senate race, will be sworn in on Thursday rather than on Feb. 11, as was originally planned. Initially, Brown said he would need time to get his staff together, but amid growing pressure from conservatives within his party, he changed his mind and pressed for a rush swearing-in. [Washington Post]

House Votes on Increasing Debt Limit
Today, the House will vote on whether the government should go $1.9 trillion deeper in debt for next year. The vote would raise the federal debt limit to $14.3 trillion, making some wonder how future generations will manage under such a hefty burden. The increase in the debt cap, though, is said to be necessary to stop the United States from defaulting on its loans. [New York Times]

Jackson Doctor to Be Arraigned
Dr. Conrad Murray will be arraigned on Friday for the death of pop icon Michael Jackson. There is no confirmation yet on the what the actual charge will be, but several who are involved in the case contend that Murray will be charged with involuntary manslaughter. The arraignment will take place in a Los Angeles courthouse. [MSNBC]

Baptist Missionaries to Stand Before Prosecutor
The 10 Baptist missionaries who were arrested last week for attempting to transport 33 children out of Haiti without proper documentation or clearance will stand before a prosecutor today. The prosecutor will determine whether the Baptists should be charged or let go. Some of the parents who have been contacted about their children being among the group to be transported said they willingly gave up their children because they could not feed them. [Yahoo News]

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Dr. Conrad Murray Is Ready to Surrender
Dr. Conrad Murray, who was Michael Jackson's physician, is said to have met with his three lawyers to surrender to authorities if prosecutors file charges. Murray administered propofol and two more sedatives to Jackson before he died. Propofol is supposed to only be given by an anesthesiologist within a medical setting. Charges are expected to be filed shortly. [ABC News]

Gov. Study Shows Dramatic Drop in Child Abuse
A study performed by the federal government reveals that there is a dramatic decrease in child abuse when comparing data between 1993 and 2006. In 1993 there were reportedly 743,200 abuse victims, while 2006 had 553,000 children abused, bringing the child abuse rate down 26 percent. Experts credit child abuse crackdowns as well as public awareness for the substantial drop. [AP]

A Broken Government Keeps Haitians from Receiving Aid
Due to transportation issues and violence, the global aid flowing in to Haiti to help earthquake survivors is not getting through. Aid workers upbraid the slow distribution of food and medicine on the port, warehouse and airport stations, which is the responsibility of the government. Consequently, aid is bottlenecked at the aforementioned venues and Haiti's people haven't been able to get any relief. [Washington Post]

Woman Charged as an Accessory to First-Degree Murder
Yesterday, Dorice "DeeDee" Moore was charged for being an accessory to the first-degree murder of Abraham Shakespeare, a Florida lottery winner of $30 million who had been missing since last April. Shakespeare's body was found in Moore's backyard. Moore claims that she didn't hurt Shakespeare. [Examiner]

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'We Are the World' to Debut During Olympics
Eighty artists, including Natalie Cole, will.i.am, Wyclef Jean, Usher, Jeff Bridges, Toni Braxton and Barbara Streisand came together to re-record 'We Are the World - 25 for Haiti,' which was originally recorded 25 years ago, with Michael Jackson, Lionel Ritchie and Quincy Jones at the helm. Ritchie and Jones recreated this effort, which will premiere during the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics this month to benefit those who were affected by the earthquake in Haiti. [USA Today]

Obama's Job Credit May Be Voted on This Week
President Barack Obama's jobs plan, in which employers would receive $5,000 for each new hire, may come up for a Senate vote by the end of this week. [AP]

Haitians Protest President Preval
Haitians turned a remembrance ceremony for the victims of the Jan. 12 earthquake into a political rally yesterday, denouncing President Rene Preval for his inability to effectively help earthquake survivors. Before the quake, Haitians were already protesting against Preval for the country's pervasive corruption and high unemployment. [Washington Post]

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Distinguished Tuskegee Airman Lee A. Archer Dies at 90
Lee A. Archer, 90, retired Air Force Lt. Colonel of the Tuskegee Airmen, died on Wednesday at Cornell University Medical Center in New York City. Archer was known in his successful career as the only black pilot to also be an executive for a U.S. company and a founder of a venture capital firm. As a Tuskegee airman, Archer earned the distinction of "ace pilot" for shooting down five planes in combat. [AP]

Last Quarter Reveals Fastest Economic Growth Since 2003, Yet Economists Remain Wary
The economy grew 5.7 percent last quarter, making it the fastest growth segment since 2003. Evidence such as industrial growth, the housing market and the lessening of company layoffs all signal that the Great Recession has ended. Many economic analysts, though, continue to watch the economy warily as they theorize that the economy's turnaround is likely due to artificial boots, such as the government stimulus package. Only time will tell. [Yahoo News]

Venus, Serena Win Doubles Australian Open Title
Venus and Serena Williams won their fourth doubles Australian Open title against Cara Black and Liezel Huber (6-4, 6-3) today. The Williams sisters won their first Australian doubles title in 2001. [ESPN].

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'We Are the World' Set to Be Rerecorded for Haiti
Quincy Jones will re-record the 25-year-old hit "We Are the World" with a new roster of stars this coming Monday. The proceeds from the song will be donated to Haiti. Information has not yet been released on which stars will be on the song. The original was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie. [Washington Post]

President Gives State of the Union Speech
Targeting job creation, small businesses, health care, and the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, President Barack Obama gave his first state of the union address on Wednesday night. Now, we look to see whether Democrats can follow through on the president's top initiatives. [Black Voices]

Teen Pulled Out Alive After 15 Days
In an event that is nothing short of a miracle, Darlene Etienne, 17, was pulled from the rubble of a collapsed home by a French rescue team yesterday. She had been held captive in the home for 15 days. Etienne is said to have been kept alive by a coca cola and some water from the shower room. [AP]

Elizabeth and John Edwards Separate
A week after John Edwards admitted to having an affair and child with Rielle Hunter and a former aide released a book about the senator's marital misdeeds, among other issues. Elizabeth and John Edwards have separated after 30 years of marriage. [Chicago Sun-Times]

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