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Rap mogul Suge Knight shot, wounded in nightclub

By WTOP Staff

GILLIAN FLACCUS
Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Death Row Records founder and rap mogul Marion “Suge” Knight was shot and injured in a packed nightclub early Sunday, but he was expected to survive, a Los Angeles County sheriff’s sergeant said.

Knight was one of three club patrons struck by gunfire around 1:30 a.m. at 1OAK on West Hollywood’s Sunset Boulevard, said Sgt. C. Tatar, watch commander at the Los Angeles County sheriff’s West Hollywood station.

Two other victims, a man and a woman, were taken to the hospital for treatment and were expected to survive.

Authorities are still seeking a suspect and declined to release additional information, citing the ongoing investigation.

The shooting came just hours before MTV’s Video Music Awards in Inglewood Sunday evening. R&B singer Chris Brown, who was co-hosting a party at the nightclub with Pia Mia, was also inside the club but not hit by the gunfire, Tatar said.

“This incident did not involve Chris; he was merely the host of the event,” the singer’s representative said in a statement. “He has and will continue to cooperate with the investigation.”

MTV said it had no affiliation or connection to the event. Calls to the club rang unanswered.

Laura Coverson, a spokeswoman for Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, said she could not confirm reports that Knight was being treated there because of strict medical privacy laws.

Knight has been shot before. In 2005, he was struck in the leg during an MTV awards pre-party in Miami Beach.

Knight’s genius for poaching up-and-coming talent helped him land and make megastars out of Tupac Shakur, Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre and shifted the center of the rap universe to the West Coast in the 1990s.

Knight formed a separate artist management company before co-founding Death Row Records in 1991 with Dr. Dre, who had broken with popular Compton rap group N.W.A.

Dr. Dre’s solo debut album, “The Chronic,” became one of the most profitable and influential rap albums of the 1990s. It also made a star of Dr. Dre’s underling, Snoop Dogg, whose debut album “Doggystyle” was also widely popular.

Knight, however, has been in and out of jail over the past two decades because of parole violations and physical attacks relating to a “rap war” he fueled with East Coast artists.

Financial troubles also eventually lead to Death Row Records filing for bankruptcy.

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AP Writer Mesfin Fekadu in New York contributed to this report.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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