People: First lady thanks military families
Michelle Obama said Monday she is shining a light on military families who are her heroes and a medical facility that treats them as she gives thanks during an early Easter celebration.
The first lady visited the Fisher House at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., as families decorated Easter cards.
She thanked the Fisher House for providing military families with “a home away from home” during tough times. The foundation gives free temporary housing to military and veterans’ families while their loved ones receive medical care. It has served more than 200,000 families since 1991.
Obama was accompanied by first dogs Bo and Sunny, as she handed out cookies made by the White House pastry chefs in the shape of the Portuguese water dogs and the White House. She also brought tickets for the families to attend next Monday’s annual White House Egg Roll.
Rapper Flavor Flav gets probation
Entertainer Flavor Flav pleaded guilty Monday to reduced charges and was sentenced to probation and more counseling in a Las Vegas domestic violence case involving the teenage son of his longtime girlfriend.
The 55-year-old rapper and reality TV personality, whose legal name is William Jonathan Drayton Jr., acknowledged in court that he wielded a kitchen knife during an Oct. 17, 2012, argument at home in Las Vegas.
The teen testified during a preliminary hearing a year ago that Drayton threatened to kill him, chased him to a bedroom and stabbed the knife through the door during the argument.
The family has since reconciled and has been undergoing counseling, defense attorney Kristina Wildeveld told Senior Clark County District Court Judge Kathy Hardcastle on Monday.
In court, Drayton called the victim his stepson. “I love my son and my son loves me, too,” he told the judge.
The teen, now 18, and his mother were not in court when Drayton entered his plea to misdemeanor charges of attempted battery that could have caused substantial injury and battery constituting domestic violence.
The birthday bunch
Country singer Roy Clark is 81. Columnist Heloise is 63. Actress-screenwriter Emma Thompson is 55. Rock musician Ed O’Brien (Radiohead) is 46. Rock musician Patrick Carney (The Black Keys) is 34. Actor-writer Seth Rogen is 32. Actress Emma Watson is 24.