The third season of MTV's reality show "Run's House," which begins April 9, will feature a poignant episode.

Rev. Run Simmons, 42, was a founding member and lead vocalist of the '80s rap group Run-DMC and is now a preacher. He and his wife of 12 years, Justine, 43, are parents to five children, ages 10-23. The oldest three are from Run's first marriage.

The reality show centers around family life at their New Jersey home. The cliffhanger ending of season two was Justine's announcement to Rev. Run as cameras rolled that she was pregnant, and their subsequent announcement together to their children through a guessing game of charades. What viewers will learn in season three is the baby, born Sept. 26, 2006, and named Victoria Anne, died two hours after she was born. They will also learn Run and Justine were told midway through her pregnancy the baby had a birth defect, omphalocele, which causes abdominal organs to grow outside the body. The Simmons' opted not to abort. They also opted not to tell their children before delivery so that real responses and emotions would be filmed.

'Strong Possibility' Gas Will Rise to $4 - For the past two weeks, Iran has not just been holding 15 British soldiers captive; it's been holding the world's oil markets hostage, too.

"There's been a $5 or $6 premium that's been built into the price of oil over this," said Phil Flynn, vice president and energy analyst at Alaron Trading. "Even though this crisis has ended, the oil market is still on guard that the tensions in the Middle East are going to continue."

The Stanly County (NC) News & Press reports that Stanly County Commissioners, meeting on Monday night, failed to recognize April as Southern History and Heritage Month, as requested by the Albemarle Camp #1734 of the North Carolina Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV).

It is unclear what effect this will have on the efforts of the Norwood SCV Camp #2065 to convince the Stanly County Commissioners to recognize May 10 as Confederate Memorial Day. Last year, for the first time, the Commission officially recognized Confederate Memorial Day as a county holiday. You can view television coverage of last year's event.

On Monday night, according to the article, commissioner Gene McIntyre said that he did not want to set a "precedent" with Southern History and Heritage Month because "there would not be enough months in the calendar year to accommodate all groups who would come forward wanting local recognition." McIntyre was also involved in the commission's 2001 decision to rescind Confederate Memorial Day.

Contact information for the Stanly County Commissioners follows. Politely let them know that you regret their decision not to recognize Southern History and Heritage Month, and ask them to officially recognize Confederate Memorial Day in 2007, as they did in 2006.

Count me as one of the few who don't share the same enthusiasm for the bill to reform H-1B/L-1 that was introduced to the senate by Durbin and Grassley. The "H-1B and L-1 Visa Fraud and Abuse Prevention Act of 2007" is generating loads of excitement by well intentioned people who are buying into overblown hoopla. Both senators have pitiful voting records on H-1B but that doesn't seem to generate a bit of skepticism by those that are jumping on the bandwagon to support the bill. Durbin and Grassley voted for the H-1B program in 1990 and they have voted in favor of every single increase in the yearly cap, and yet nobody seems to question their motives.

Isn't that kind of weird?

Grassley's website is more like a self-serving advertisement for the bill -- it's what it doesn't say is what's important.

JobDestruction.com

Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) may have raised the most money in the first quarter of 2007, but the real winner in the money race will be Sen. Barack Obama. Clinton's campaign has not yet released the amount of her $36 million ($26 million raised and $10 million transferred from her Senate account) that can be applied to the Democratic presidential primary.

Obama nearly beat her in funds raised ($25 million), and he will likely beat her in another important measure: He had far more donors who gave smaller amounts. Of the $25 million raised, $23.5 million can be applied to the Democratic presidential primary. Donors are permitted under federal law to give $2,300 to the primary and the same amount for the general election, but the general-election money being collected by candidates now cannot be used in the primary.

Former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) made a respectable showing with $14 million, $13 million of which is primary money. This is certainly enough to remain competitive for now.

On the Republican side, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) came out on top, raising $23 million. By tapping into the financial world (his professional home) and the Mormon world (his religious home, and one of the wealthiest demographics in the United States), Romney has kept himself well in the race, despite recent poll numbers -- which at this point mean little anyway.

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) was impressive in another way, since he started so late and still managed to raise $15 million -- $10 million of it in one month.

The biggest loser is Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), the former frontrunner who was reportedly caught off guard by the vigor of other candidates' efforts. To be sure, McCain's $12.5 million would have been a record if not for the other candidates' showings. But the maverick candidate of 2000 now finds himself trailing among the top three. Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) confirmed everyone's fears about his fundraising by bringing in just $1.9-million, including a $575,000 transfer from his Senate account.

Non-Muslim West Point cadets are also said to be experiencing "immersion training" in the Muslim religion.

The US Air Force Academy is engaging in 'Muslim sensitivity training.' CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations), which has voiced its support for terrorist groups Hamas and Hezbollah, is providing yet additional "sensitivity training" to US Marines. Sensitivity training for our military from a group that supports some of the very terrorist groups who are waging war against the West? Insane....

From the Maddening Crowd (Thank God For Them)

Folks,

You have an opportunity this next election to either change the course of America or to let it keep going in the direction it has been..... downhill.

I have always told you to check and verify the records of those asking for your vote - do not simply accept their campaign rhetoric as fact as it seldom is. We have a lot of peacocks on the campaign trail right now and probably a few more to fluff their feathers yet. Do not let the amount of money they raise be the deciding factor in who you will vote for - That will only prove you have joined the BARABBAS club instead of taking responsibility for making your own decision.

At my age I have watched a good many campaign for President - Ron Paul is the FIRST one to actually have a solid track record of standing strong for the Constitution - the kind of government America was created upon. No other candidate that I know of can make that claim and back it up with recorded votes as he can.

Jackie Juntti - WGEN

In response to my letter to the editor's

"this is just another example of using taxpayer money to 'build something' - and then give it to a owner who turns around and leases it back to the same people that already own in

Major Daley of Chicago sets a prime example for this type of tactic - going beyond selling the toll roads (which were built back in the 60s and damn well have been paid for many times over) he even sold the airport to a private organization and now the taxpayers (who paid to build and maintain it for years) are now having to pay to use it

for every main feeder road in our area they are trying to do the same thing (make them toll roads own by individual corporations)...all I have to say is "what the f... are they doing with the tax dollars we pay to build new roads and maintain the old"

the American people need to wake up - the taxpayers of the city of Jackson will own the parking garage if they put up the money and build it - not the private owners. If the private owners want to build a parking lot and rent out spaces, which is something they would do if they thought it would be profitable, let them do it with their own money. If the City of Jackson can't afford to build a new parking garage, well then they 'do without'....which I doubt will cause the earth to come tumbling down. There were plenty of places were EDS sent me to work where the contract company didn't provide free parking - and I lived to tell about it.

What a crock!"

Jocelyn

May God Bless and  Keep You This Day Till Tomorrow