22 THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
PEOPLE
JULY 6 - JULY 12, 2005
COSBY DENIES MORAL ISSUES HURT CAUSE
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — Bill Cosby doesn't believe allegations of infidelity prevent him from speaking out about moral issues.
In an interview that aired Wednesday on ABC's "Good Morning America," Cosby said he should be able to teach others to learn from his mistakes. He likened his mistakes to hitting a pothole while driving on a rainy road and trying to warn others to avoid the same fate.
Cosby, 67, best known as a warm, wisecracking TV dad, sparked debate last year with blunt remarks on personal responsibility aimed at the black community. In 1997, the long-married Cosby acknowledged a brief affair with the mother of Autumn Jackson, a young woman convicted of extorting him.
The entire ABC interview was set to air Wednesday on "Nightline."
Cosby was asked if his own failures of judgment disqualify him from speaking about others.
"No," he replied. "I couldn't care less what you think of me as long as you begin to execute that which will save your children."
Cosby faces a civil lawsuit filed by a former Temple University employee who alleges that he drugged and fondled her at his home in suburban Philadelphia. The woman, who now lives in her native Ontario, Canada, sued Cosby in March. She went to Canadian authorities on Jan. 13, about a year after her alleged encounter with the comedian.
When asked in the interview whether those allegations would hurt his standing on moral issues, Cosby said, "If they are not true, what happens if they are not true?"
Lawyers for Cosby, a Temple University alumnus and booster, have said Cosby considered himself a friend and mentor to the woman. Cosby denied the assault allegation but acknowledged giving her over-the-counter medication after she complained she was stressed and couldn't sleep.
"Sabrina"" actress expecting her first
LOS ANGELES — Melissa
LOS ANGELE Joan Hart, who starred in the TV series "Sabrina the Teenage Witch," is reportedly expecting her first child.
Hart, 29, is married to Mark Hart Wilkerson, 28 lead singer and guitarist for
the rock trio Course of Nature. Their baby is due in January, People magazine says in its July 11 edition.
Calls by The Associated Press Wednesday to Hart's representatives were not immediately returned.
"I'm thrilled to death," Paula Hart, the actress' mother, told People. "Melissa is feeling great. So far, so good."
Hart and Wilkerson were married in July 2003.
Thief of rocker's car sentenced to prison
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.
Rod Stewart was not amused.
After the theft of his powerful Viper performance car in 2004, the singer wrote: "(Someone) stole my Viper. I'm not amused."
On Wednesday, Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Jack Cook sentenced Donald Michael Smith, 23, to 11 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to several charges, including stealing
Stewart's car and driving it into a canal.
According to a police report, Smith drove off in Stewart's Dodge Viper after he was fired from his job.
Prince William travels to represent queen
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Britain's Prince William showed his rugby skills Friday in a training session with leading members of the British Lions rugby team here.
On the second day of his first solo trip abroad representing the British sovereign, the second-in-line to the throne kicked, caught and passed the ball with seeming ease under bright clear midwinters sun.
William will represent his grandmother, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, at wreath-laying ceremonies marking the end of World War II.
— The Associated Press