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Is It Too Soon for Imus Comeback?

Rumors about ousted shock jock Don Imus' return to radio began over the summer. Reports suggested New York-based WABC-AM, owned by Citadel Broadcasting, could pick him up and have him on the air by December. It is also being said that Imus could return to broadcasting on RFD-TV, a satellite and cable channel aimed primarily at farming and other rural communities, reports The New York Times. With RFD-TV, Imus could be watched in New York, Los Angeles and other big cities, but only by viewers with satellite service. Before Imus made his infamous "nappy-headed hos" comment for which he was fired in April, he had signed a $40-million, five-year deal with CBS Radio. Following his dismissal, he threatened a breach-of-contract lawsuit and collected a lucrative settlement, reports MSNBC.

(See also: Is Don Imus Making a Comeback? What Our Readers Said)

Univision GOP Debate Rescheduled: Who Will Attend?

Sen. John McCain is still the lone Republican presidential contender who has committed to participating in Spanish-language-network Univision's presidential forum, which is scheduled to take place in December in Miami. The December date marks the second time Univision has tried to accommodate Republican contenders' "scheduling and fundraising conflicts," which were their reasons for dodging the original forum scheduled in September. At the time, McCain was the lone GOP contender to commit, reports Hispanic Trending. The GOP's top presidential contenders also avoided the Tavis Smiley-moderated "All-American Presidential Forum," in addition to national conventions by advocacy organizations of color with national reach such as the NAACP and the National Council of La Raza. For an in-depth look at why the major Republican candidates are not attending events sponsored by black, Latino and LGBT groups, read the October 2007 issue of DiversityInc magazine and learn why this significant gap in customer service could cost the GOP the presidential election.

(See also: Race to Win Latino Votes--Dems: 7, GOP: 1 and Who Cares About Tavis Smiley? Top GOP Prez Candidates Diss 'Customers' of Color)

Transgender Woman Fights With IRS Over Qualifying Sex-Change Tax Deduction

Rhiannon O'Donnabhain claimed a $5,000 deduction after spending more than $25,000 on sex-reassignment surgery in 2001. The IRS, however, does not think she is entitled to that deduction, saying the surgery was essentially cosmetic and therefore not allowed under tax law. Now the two face off before a Boston federal judge, reports National Public Radio (NPR). O'Donnabhain described during trial how she suffered her whole life from gender identity disorder (GID), feeling throughout her childhood that she was born into the wrong body. She grew up as a young boy in a conservative, Catholic family and tried to suppress the feelings by playing with boys, working construction, getting married and fathering three children. "It was horrible. Absolutely horrible. I was thinking suicide was probably the only way out of this," said O'Donnabhain on NPR. "The IRS is arguing that gender-reassignment surgery is really no different, conceptually, than a tummy tuck or a Botox injection."

(See also: Gay-Rights Bill May Die Over Inclusion of Transgender People)

Gatorade to Partner with Tiger Woods

Gatorade Tiger is going to be a new drink from the Gatorade Co., which is owned by PepsiCo, No. 10 in The 2007 DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity^®. The new drink will debut in March and will include additional products at a later date, reports Dow Jones Newswires. Gatorade, once the lone top dog in the sports-drink category, faces stiff competition now. To regain its prominence, PepsiCo executives plan several new products, including a low-calorie version called G2.

(See also: Multicultural Marketing? How PepsiCo Got It Started)

Should Schools Fund Religious-Student Clubs?

A lawsuit filed by a high-school student in U.S. District Court in Burlington, Vt., last week alleges Middlebury Union High School in Montpelier violated the federal Equal Access Act and First Amendment when it refused official club status to a Christian-student club called the Youth Alive Club but granted official status to the Gay/Straight Organization, the Arabic Club and the Outing Club. "They're treating their religious students as second-class citizens, saying we'll allow you to meet informally but we're not going to officially recognize you or give you the same benefits as we do other clubs, and that's just pure and simple discrimination against religion," David Cortman, an attorney with the Arizona-based Alliance Defense Fund, which is representing the student, told The Associated Press. It's the funding that's the problem. If the club is officially sanctioned, it will receive school funds, said the school's principal. "Youth Alive's activities would become school sponsored with monetary support and an advisor assigned. Under the law, any such sponsorship by the School would violate Establishment Clause of the First Amendment," Principal William Lawson wrote in an Aug. 21 letter to the group, denying the petition for club status, reports The Associated Press.

Farrakhan Urges Blacks to Drop Materialism

"We have to come out of the thinking of a slave and come into the thinking and acting of free men and women. We cannot depend on others for what the horrible condition of our people demands now that we do for ourselves," Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan said at the Atlanta Civic Center, reports MSNBC. He added that separation from a world of materialism and individualism was the only way the entire black community could progress, reports The Associated Press.  

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