Savannah State University to leave NCAA Division I Athletics

In a surprise announcement, Savannah State University announced that it would be moving its athletics programs from NCAA Division I to Division II, which also means leaving the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. The HBCU cites financial disadvantages for the move. “While I am extremely proud of the progress our athletes and coaches have made at the Division I Level, it is not financially feasible for us to continue,” said Savannah State President Cheryl D. Dozier in a statement. She said the decision was made after months of deliberations. The Tigers moved from Division II to Division I in 1998. It became fully recognized by the NCAA in 2002 and joined the MEAC in the fall of 2010.

Man Kills 3 in Downtown Fresno

A man opened fire in the middle of downtown Fresno, Calif., killing three people, police say. Kori Ali Muhammad, 39, turned himself into police while shouting “allahu ackbar” (God is great). All of the victims of the shooting were White and had no relationship with the suspect. Muhammad is Black and was a known advocate of Black separatism. He also was wanted in connection with another killing days earlier, in which a security guard was shot and killed at a Fresno motel after responding to a disturbance.  Muhammad was said to be homeless, but it is unclear if he was known to be mentally ill. His Facebook page had many writings about Black militancy and his father Vincent Taylor, told the Los Angeles Times that he believed a war was going on between White and Black men.

Nobody to Lose Job Over United Dragging Incident

The CEO of United Airlines said nobody will be fired — including him — over the incident last week in which a man was dragged off an overbooked flight. David Dao, a 69-year-old Kentucky physician, was bloodied and dragged off the plane by Chicago airport officers who had been called by United employees. The airline and chief executive Oscar Munoz apologized to him and publicly, vowing such an incident would never happen again. But Munoz also said that the board of the company has supported him. “It was a system failure across various areas,” Munoz said. “There was never a consideration for firing an employee.”

Former President George H.W. Bush Hospitalized

President George H.W. Bush has been in a Houston hospital for the past four days with a recurrence of a case of pneumonia he had earlier in the year, a family spokesman said Tuesday, according to the Associated Press. The 92-year-old former president and father of former president George W. Bush has been in Methodist Hospital in Houston since Friday for observation because of a persistent cough. Bush spokesman Jim McGrath said in a brief statement that doctors diagnosed a mild case of pneumonia that has been treated and resolved. Bush, who served as president from 1989 to 1993, had spent 16 days in the hospital for treatment of pneumonia in January.