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Matthew Knowles is proud of his daughters, no doubt. His eldest Beyoncé once won a talent competition at the age of seven, singing John Lennon’s “Imagine,” and has apparently gone on to achieve some success in the music and film industries. His youngest daughter Solange’s greatest professional success came when she starred opposite Hayden Panettiere in Bring It On: All or Nothing, moving 750,000 copies in its first week, making it one of the best-selling straight-to-DVD titles ever. But yesterday, when Mr. Knowles mentioned that impressive figure, it was a mere sidebar to the real reason we found ourselves in a Universal Music boardroom with Jay-Z’s father-in-law. Flanked on all sides by Solange glamour shots, Mr. Knowles was there to boast his daughter’s latest and greatest artistic achievement, her upcoming album SoL-AngeL and the Hadley St. Dreams. Unorthodox title, unorthodox record.
When Ashlee Simpson danced a jig to musical stardom, it was in direct opposition to her sister’s assembly-line bubbly pop. But no matter how hard Ashlee tried to rock out of her sister’s shadow, she was always defined by who she wasn’t, not who she was. So when Mr. Knowles told us that Solange’s new album “was for that hipster kid, for that intellectual kid, and for that skater kid,” we were skeptical. No need, jaded journalist, because Hadley St. Dreams surprised on all angles. The album features a “dream team” of production, songwriting, and appearances from visionaries like the Neptunes, Mark Ronson, Q-Tip, Lil Wayne, Bilal, Cee-Lo, Lamont Dozier, and even Scottish electronic duo Boards of Canada. And Solange, who has written songs for Destiny’s Child, has a knack for personal lyrics, crammed into exploratory arrangements. The album is an astral throwback to Motown’s heyday that travels beyond R&B to the farthest frontiers of pop music and beyond. Solange describes the sound of her record as if the Supremes, the Marvelettes, Dusty Springfield, and Minnie Riperton “were making their music today, with a modern touch.” You can listen to the Neptunes-produced first single “I Decided” on Solange’s MySpace page, and look for the video, which features Solange channeling a young Diana Ross, coming soon to a YouTube near you.

blackbookmag.com

A Fairfield man is in jail because his daughter hasn’t gotten her General Equivalency Diploma (GED).
A judge ordered the father to stay on top of his daughter’s education months ago and when that order wasn’t followed, Brian Gegner was sentenced to 180-days in the Butler County jail.
The daughter, Brittany Gegner, says her father shouldn’t be punished for her problems.
Especially, she says because she’s now 18, an adult.
"It’s ridiculously wrong," said Brittany Gegner.
"Of all the punishments they could have given him, to make him go to jail?," she asked. "I mean, probation – until I get my GED – would be reasonable, but to send him to jail? That’s overboard."
Butler County Juvenile Court Judge David Niehaus ordered Gegner to jail for contributing to the delinquency of a minor by not following a court order which required Gegner to be sure his daughter got her GED.
This comes after ongoing problems of Brittany skipping classes at Fairfield High School and then, Butler Tech.
While Brian Gegner had custody of her, Brittany says it was while she lived with her mother that she was truant.
"I’m about to be 19 and my Dad’s being punished for something I did when I was 16," she said.
"It’s like I should, if anybody should be punished for this," said Brittany. "I would way rather me go to jail than my Dad."
"They probably should have punished me if they were going to punish anybody," said Brittany’s mother Shana Roach. "Because she did live with me at the time, but because he had the custody, that’s why he’s being punished."
"But I don’t understand the punishment all together because she’s going to school, she’s been going for four months," said Roach. "The only thing that’s holding her back is she can’t pass her math test."

wcpo.com

Dawn Gantt walked to the stage at North Aiken Elementary School to stand next to her daughter, fifth-grader Raven Parks, Friday.
For “Just for Moms” Day, Raven read a tribute to her mother; how she loves her and, even though they fuss a lot sometimes, ultimately “you can’t tear us apart.”
Gantt was clearly moved, as Raven’s words brought tears to her eyes.
“We’re going through a lot,” said Gantt. “She can get an attitude, but she does understand that everything I do is for the best. I know deep down that she loves me.”
More than 100 moms, grandmothers and aunts attended the breakfast program. Entertainment was provided by the Aiken High School chorus. Rosanna McClain’s first-grade students spelled out “Mother” with all the qualifies that moms everywhere have. After the program, the adults visited their children’s classrooms.
Guest speaker Tammie Newman, the Aiken County School District’s communications specialist, described how her mother was her strongest cheerleader and provided unconditional love.
“We had a wonderful turnout,” said guidance counselor Cynthia Baker. “The children really appreciate it. We’re glad to do this for the mothers, because they do a lot for us. Some of the teachers will have Mother’s Day plays, poems and cards.”
Several of teacher Jane Timmerman’s fifth-grader students read tributes to their moms. Jabria Jackson wrote how her mom, Lotosha Jackson, is always there for her. Even when her mom fusses, at the end of the day, Jabria appreciates how much her mom cares about her.
“I love you, Mom, and I know you love me,” Jabria wrote. “Thank you for being responsible, caring and loving to me like a wonderful mom is supposed to be.”
Lotosha Jackson admitted she was a little shocked by her essay, because she and her only child do fuss a lot.
“I see stages as Jabria gets older, and it can be exasperating,” Jackson said. “But I wouldn’t change it for the world. It was important for me to be here today, and this was the best present I could get.”

aikenstandard.com