Pastor (Mark Wolford) Killed by His Rattlesnake

A “serpent-handling” West Virginia pastor died after his rattlesnake bit him during a church ritual, just as the man had apparently watched a snake kill his father years before.

Pentecostal pastor Mark Wolford, 44, hosted an outdoor service at the Panther Wildlife Management Area in West Virginia Sunday, which he touted on his Facebook page prior to the event.

“I am looking for a great time this Sunday,” Wolford wrote May 22, according to the Washington Post. “It is going to be a homecoming like the old days. Good ‘ole raised in the holler or mountain ridge running, Holy Ghost-filled speaking-in-tongues sign believers.”

Robin Vanover, Wolford’s sister, told the Washington Post that 30 minutes into the outdoor service, Wolford passed around a poisonous timber rattlesnake, which eventually bit him.

“He laid it on the ground,” Vanover said in the interview, “and he sat down next to the snake, and it bit him on the thigh.”

Vanover said Wolford was then transported to a family member’s home in Bluefield about 80 miles away to recover. But as the situation worsened, he was taken to a hospital where he later died.

Jim Shires, owner of the Cravens-Shires Funeral Home in Bluefield, told ABC News that Wolford died Monday. Wolford’s church, the Apostolic House of the Lord Jesus in Matoaka, will host a viewing Friday and a funeral service Saturday morning. Wolford will be buried at the Hicks Family Plot in Phelps, Ky.

Officials at the Panther Wildlife Management Area had been unaware of Sunday’s event until they were notified by callers after the service.

“We did not know that this event was happening, and if we had known about it or if we had been asked for permission, permission would not have been granted,” Hoy Murphy, public information officer for the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, told ABC News.

Hoy said West Virginia state park rules prohibit animals other than dogs and cats on the property.

While snake-handling is legal in West Virginia, other Appalachian states, including Kentucky and Tennessee, have banned the practice in public spaces.

Snake-handlers point to scripture as evidence that God calls them to engage in such a practice to show their faith in him. Mark 16: 17-18 reads, “And these signs shall follow them that believe: In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues. They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.”

Wolford told the Washington Post magazine in 2011 that he is carrying on the tradition of his ancestors by engaging in snake handling.

“Anybody can do it that believes it,” Wolford said. “Jesus said, ‘These signs shall follow them which believe.’ This is a sign to show people that God has the power.”

Wolford said watched his own father die at the age of 39 after a rattlesnake bit him during a similar service.

“He lived 101/2 hours,” Wolford told the Washington Post Magazine. “When he got bit, he said he wanted to die in the church. Three hours after he was bitten, his kidneys shut down. After a while, your heart stops. I hated to see him go, but he died for what he believed in.

“I know it’s real; it is the power of God,” Wolford told the Washington Post Magazine last year. “If I didn’t do it, if I’d never gotten back involved, it’d be the same as denying the power and saying it was not real.”

Eldee Picks Rapper, Eva Alordiah As First Lady

Trybes Records’ boss, Eldee The Don has signed female rapper, Eva Alordiah as the label’s first lady. Eldee is presently promoting his new album titled ‘Undeniable’.

He announced on twitter, Good morning you all! Join me as I welcome @evaalordiah, the newest member of Trybe Records v2.0!”

Fashola Recalls 788 Sacked Doctors

- The Lagos State Government on Thursday said it has recalled all the 788 doctors sacked earlier this month for allegedly participating on what it termed illegal strike action.

The government’s decision to recall the sacked doctors was disclosed by Hakeem Bello, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Lagos State governor, Babatunde Fashola.

Mr Bello said the decision to recall the doctors followed several pleas from the national and state leaders of the Action Congress Party (ACN), traditional leaders in the state and other concerned leaders in the country.

P-Square signs distribution deal with Universal Music Group

P-Square has signed a distribution deal with Universal Music, South Africa. The deal was signed and sealed this afternoon at a press conference in Johannesbourg, South Africa. The music label will be releasing past and future projects with them; and handle all their digital and CD sales all over the world. 

Congrats to them!

Michelle Obama Talks The President’s Ritual Of Tucking Her In At Night, Doing The Dougie & Brushing Off Criticism On The View

President Obama may have one of the most demanding jobs in the US, but he still finds time to tuck his wife and kids in every night and that is one of the many reasons why it’s hard not to love this couple.

Earlier this week, Michelle Obama revealed to People Mag that her hubby Barack has a ritual of tucking her in and turning the lights out each and every night and she also stopped by the View yesterday afternoon to talk about their nightly tradition:

“We have a ritual where he tucks me in, because I’m usually in bed before anybody…He’ll come and turn the lights out and give me a kiss, and we’ll talk. He’s like, Ready to be tucked? I’m like, Yes I am.
That has always been a tradition. It is just one of the many ways that Barak shows me and the girls how special we are, and that’s the thing that touches me about him. I don’t care what’s on his plate, I don’t care what he’s struggling with, when he steps off that elevator into our residence, he is Barak, and Dad. There’s just those little things that you do that reminds ya, “I still got ya.”

How cute is that? During First Lady’s visit to the View yesterday, she also took the time to share her thoughts on being a tradition First Lady, whether she believes race will play a big part of the upcoming election and why she continues to brush off the criticism that the President has received over the past few years.

On being unsure if she’s a classic First Lady
I have never seen a first lady hula hoop on the South Lawn. Jump double dutch. [Do the] Dougie. It’s not doubts but it’s just wondering – not too many people have done what I’ve done. My motto is I have to be authentically me. You can smell inauthenticity. When people are phoney. To do this job and to do it well you have to be yourself so I have to go with me.
If Race will play a part in the election:
I think people wanna know that we live in a country where there’s fairness and equity, where people have a fair shot. Where kids like myself who grew up with parents that didn’t go to college, didn’t have all the opportunity, went to public school, we all have an opportunity to succeed, and I think people are focused on that. For me, I know that I’m focused on the world that I want to leave for my kids.
Race is still an issue in this country, but I can tell you right now, Barak Obama is President of the United States and he’s done a phenomenal job. This country put him in office.
On how she deals with the criticism her husband receives:
The one thing I get to do is travel around the country, and so does he, and the majority of what people give us is a lot of love and respect and appreciation, and that’s the country that we’re working for. That’s what we tell our kids, we remind them that we live in a decent country.
The truth is something else. There’s what you hear, and then there’s the truth. The truth is this: There’s a warmth and a connection, and I want America to understand we have more…Elizabeth and I talk about this and we were saying…There’s more that unites us than divides us and I don’t want anybody to get discouraged from that kind of chatter, because the truth is , we’re all fighting for a decent America.
[Barack's] motto is ‘They go Small, you go Big!” That means you always take the high ground because you don’t get lost in the chatter and the noise, and that’s why he’s been such a phenomenal president. He has kept his eye focused on getting this country back on track, and that’s the President that we need. I’m gonna be working for that man.

Also watch Michelle Obama discuss childhood obesity, bringing recess back into the schools and more below:

 Necole Bitchie 

Vanessa Simmons Poses In Sexy Catsuit For New Photo Shoot

 Rev Run’s daughter Vanessa Simmons turned up her sexy, all while keeping her clothes on, in a recent shoot with Taylor Ector Studios. The former ‘Daddy’s Girl’ star and entrepreneur posed in a blue catsuit and red lip for the promo shots taken for ‘Today’s Black Woman Style Report’ as well as her brand new lingerie line, ‘Rose By Vanessa Jean’.

She has branched off from the multi-million dollar ‘Pastry’ brand that she shares with her sister to create a trendsetting, fashion forward intimate apparel collection that features pieces with names like,  “Naughty Lil’ Princess,” “Rock Your Sexy” and “Vintage Chic’.

Peep the photos from the shoot below:

 

Necole Bitchie

[Video] Kelly Rowland To Appear On Tonight’s Episode Of ‘L.A Hair’

 If you’ve ever looked at Beyonce, Brandy, Monica, Mary J. Blige, or Kelly Rowland’s hair and wondered who the stylist was that hooked them up then you’re looking at Kim Kimble working her magic. Kim has been a stylist for over 20 years, working with celebrities as one of the most sought after hairstylists in the game. She has her own high end salon in West Hollywood and not only has been featured in the most popular hair magazines, but even snagged a spot on the Oprah Winfrey Show. Now WeTv is taking us behind-the-scenes with Kim, her celebrity clients and her drama-filled staff with her reality show ‘L.A. Hair.’

On the premiere episode, which airs tonight on WeTV, Kim Kimble runs into a few obstacles while attempting to style Kelly Rowland’s hair for a photo shoot. Her assistant isn’t moving fast enough with bringing the tools that she needs to style Kelly’s hair which puts the entire photo shoot in jeopardy.

Check out a sneak peek of tonight’s episode, plus see what Kim Kimble had to say about what makes her show different from all the other shows out there below:

Sneak Peak of Episode 1

Via Essence.com : Kim Kimble reveals how her show will be different than the over-the-top shows that are out right now:

“You’re definitely not going to see anyone getting her weave pulled out! If you thought you were going to see that, you won’t. Everybody has been to a hair salon before and knows some of the drama that goes on in the salon so there’s a little bit of drama on the show to spark your interest, but there is always a solution to the drama. That’s the difference. Viewers will find themselves asking every week, “Oh my goodness, how did that situation turn out?” Another thing that makes our show different is you’ll learn a thing or two about hair. You’ll be inspired to do different hairstyles because the cast is so talented and everybody does beautiful hair. Women are always thinking about their hair and want to know what’s hot and what products to use, so there will be an educational aspect to the show as well.
I really have a love for the hair industry and I opened up my life and my business so that people can learn more about us and what we do. I wanted to set a good example for the industry and inspire other women who ask me how they can become a celebrity hairstylist. There are so many things that Black women can do — we can be Michelle Obama, Beyoncé, an astronaut or even a celebrity hairstylist. I just want to represent my profession so people can really see what it’s like and how I was able to achieve my dream.”

Check out the full trailer for ‘L.A. Hair’ below:

Necole Bitchie