NEW YORK (LALATE) – The Melissa Petro (photos below) controversy has revealed that New Yorkers are willing to forget people’s pasts. But when Melissa Petro chose to bring up her past while being a teacher and role model to young kids, the equation changed. Melissa Petro had left behind a past of being a “working woman” to take a job at a Bronx elementary school.

Her new home was Bronx elementary school PS 70. Petro’s picture is even featured on Columbia Univeristy’s website for the Department of Pediatrics at Harlem Hospital. The site discusses promoting “developmental theory and relational model to guide work with families and children”. While trying to be a role model for kids, Petro was taking to the Huffington Post to give elaborate details about her past.

Petro didn’t leave her past behind her. When local news asked New Yorkers this week if it bothered them that a local school teacher had a tarnished past, they said no. But when asked what they thought of a current teacher writing an extensive article about her former “tricks”, residents fumed.

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Petro makes $61,333.00 a year as an art teacher. So it certainly wasn’t money that motivated her to take to the net and reveal her own past. Ironically, in her Huffington Post article, she lists her bio as ““Former s- worker, researcher, writer, educator, and feminist.” Petro admitted that she worked the streets, or perhaps the web, from October 2006 to January 2007. Eight months later, she had a job at PS 70 and gave up the life that she called “physically demanding”. Now three years later, she’s still a teacher while online writing about her past.

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“I found the lifestyle physically demanding, emotionally taxing and spiritually bankrupting, and so I made a decision to desist some months after I’d gotten started, exiting the industry just as freely as I’d entered–never have I felt it was the state’s obligation- -nor its right–to protect me from the decisions I made.”

As FOX8 News reports, this is not the first time the current teacher has took the net to talk about her former “working” past. She’s posted a video about taking off her clothes in Mexico. “She had also posted other accounts about her … escapades on lesser known websites” claims FOX News.

Petro does make mention of her current job. “I hope to never again make the choice to trade [relations] for cash even as I risk my current job and social standing to speak out for an individual’s right to do so.” Petro’s job has been risked. She has been reassigned claims Natalie Ravitz, a spokeswoman for the Education Department.

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LOS ANGELES (LALATE) – Sarah Palin was not booed on Dancing with the Stars says ABC. Sarah Palin and booing were both in the gallery, but weren’t related, at least claims the ABC. But are tv viewers in agreement?

After boo-gate was captured last night during the live broadcast, the Washington Post reached out to ABC for a comment. An unidentified ABC spokeswoman quickly told the Post that the booing was not for Palin but for Jennifer Grey’s score. The spokesperson claimed the gallery was booing in displeasure over Grey’s scoring Monday night.

Of course that makes no sense because Jennifer Grey got the night’s highest scores. So the Post was then granted a series producer to speak with. This is where ABC messed up. ABC should have put on the director or someone from the control booth who saw the tape from the gallery.

The rep put on Conrad Green, executive producer of “Dancing”. His response was a basic “IDK”. “I don’t know why everybody booed.” He qualified that he would “guess” the booing was because the gallery thought Grey was great and deserved 9s.” He speculates that the booing would have continued when the broadcast cut to the gallery. “That’s my guess, I can’t say for sure”.

Yet, this is all cat and mouse for the news reporter. The person who did know the answer wasn’t put on the phone – the director. In the control booth, the director had to have seen the gallery’s camera at the time of booing. If the missed the camera’s feed from the gallery, the director and ABC still had that tape.

Palin didn’t seem flustered, but was a bit antsy. “This is amazing! It’s so exciting! It’s great to see all this courage and joy and exuberance by every dancer! It’s awesome … Oh, my goodness, they’re all amazing, they really are. This is great. Bristol’s not up yet. Bristol the Pistol, yeah, that’s who we’re rooting for!”

The question is whether the gallery was rooting for Sarah as well.

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LOS ANGELES (LALATE) – Audrina Patridge and boyfriend Corey Bohan are getting serious. Audrina Patridge has been dating Corey Bohan off and of for sometime. The Hills stars were dominating ABC’s programming last night with Kristin Cavallari dating Jay Cutler, who was playing on ESPN Monday Night Football, and Bohan dating Patridge, who was appearing on ABC’s Monday night Dancing with the Stars.

Bohan’s bio ironically on ESPN lists his status as single. The pro rider has been competing since 2002, originally from Brisbane. He has been voted five times in a row to the NORA Cup Award for Dirt Jumper of the Year (2004-2008).

Bohan recently appeared in the Dew Tour BMX prelims on September 17. In the BMX Dirt Prelims, Bohan finished third less than one minute behind race leaders Dennis Enarson and James Foster. At the 2010 X Games, he finished a lackluster 8th. He won the competition three years in a row from 2004 to 2006.

Bohan and Patridge split in 2009 but renewed their love interest in 2010.

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LOS ANGELES (LALATE) – Yes, Brad Womack is the new Bachelor for 2011; Brad Womack is returning to The Bachelor after  Chris Lambton turned down the offer. Brad Womack’s return to ABC’s The Bachelor has been Hollywood’s worse kept secret. And despite numerous news reports claiming exclusive, it was Reality Steve who first broke the news.

After initial hints of Womack’s return, Steve had tweeted “Definitely looking like Brad Womack is the next Bachelor. Again. Wow. Didn’t see that one. Still trying for 100% confirmation.”
When Steve confirmed the news, PEOPLE Magazine suggested readers another direction. Steve tweeted “Not a rumor anymore. Brad Womack will be the next Bachelor. Expect them to officially announce it”. Meantime, PEOPLE claimed  contenders were down to Chris Lambton and Ty Brown.

Reaction has been mixed at best with Womack’s return. Even in the last ten minutes, you would have difficulty finding anyone on Twitter reacting positive to the news. “The Bachelor has chosen Brad Womack… again? Dumb. I won’t be watching that one.” Another knew the pending news and still was bothered by it. “Wow Brad Womack is the new Bachelor again. I might have talked about this before I guess I’m still inshock.”

One viewer said it simply, “Will not be watching this season’s Bachelor, really Brad Womack again?! #notimpressed”.

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ATLANTA (LALATE) – One issue left unanswered by the Bishop Eddie Long scandal (photos below) is where all this money came from that allegedly funded trips, cars, free housing, and cash for at least four young men. The money trail of the Bishop Eddie Long scandal is one asserted by the complaint of four men; yet it is an issue that has long been questioned of Bishop Eddie Long by local news and even by Washington’s leaders. .

Long may have started in 1997 nonprofit charity, but by 2005 news reports confirmed he was driving a $350,000 Bentley, living in a $1.4 million 20 acre home, and getting $3 million in salary and benefits. A 2005 report said that Long’s charity was incorporated, not in Georgia, but New York. In a three year period, Eddie Long’s made $3.1 million in donations to others. During the same period, Eddie Long was paid $3.07 million in salary and benefits. What exactly was Eddie Long doing with his salary during that period? And how exactly was Eddie Long using federal granted money?

Jeff Krehely, deputy director of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, investigated the salary levels of Eddie Long in 2008. He told news at the time that when you combine Long’s cars, house, and salary, he had “never seen anything quite like [it]“.

Bishop Eddie Long Pictures Released by Plaintiff’s Attorney
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Long’s conduct prompted even one Senator’s concern at the time. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) issued a news statement then about Long’s financial dealings. “I’m worried that a few people are confusing the ringing of a church bell with the ringing of a cash register. When I hear about leaders of charities being provided a $300,000 Bentley to drive around in, my fear is that it’s the taxpayers who subsidize this charity who are really being taken for a ride.”  Long denied any wrongdoing.

Plaintiffs: Jamal Parris, Maurice Robinson and Anthony Flagg
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In 2004, Long’s ministry received a $1 million grant from the U.S. Administration of Children & Families under the Bush Administration. What was the money for? Bill Pierce, a spokesperson for the Health & Human Services office, said at the time that Eddie Long’s organization received the money as a faith-based, “individual development account” grant.

The question is what type of “faith” and what type of “individual development” was Long really doing with federal funds? Long is cited in 2007 telling his congregation in a sermon his approach to faith at the time. He said that society currently is “raising our young boys to be just like the women. We keep telling men to get in touch with their [sweetens his voice] sensitive self. The problem today and the reason society is like it is, is because men are being feminized and women are being masculine. You can not say, ‘I was born this way.’ … I don’t care what scientists say.”

And while Eddie Long received a “faith-based” grant under the Bush Administration, he is accused in the current four lawsuits of using church funds to fuel his alleged bedding of teen boys. The lawsuit does not explain the money trail allegations with any specificity. The complaint also makes no mention of the 2004 U.S. grant. But BJ Bernstein’s plaintiff(s) alleged did take church funds to alleged entice young men into men.

“Defendant Long uses monetary funds from the accounts of Defendant New Birth and Defendant Longfellows … to entice the chosen Spiritual Sons with cars, clothes, jewelry and electronics.” “Defendant Long’s Spiritual Songs are taken on public and private jets to U.S. and international destinations house in luxury hotels and given access to numerous celebrities including entertainment stars and politicians.”

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