Three years ago today, on July 4, 2006, The Cleveland Leader was born. Or actually that should be, re-born. When we launched The Cleveland Leader, our goal was to become the voice of independent local news, providing better coverage than what was already available through the traditional, established media.

In a nod to the past, we decided to call our new venture "The Cleveland Leader", giving homage to the late Cleveland newspaper of the same name which was launched in the mid-19th century and later gobbled up by The Plain Dealer in 1917. 89 years after it's demise, The Cleveland Leader returned to the Cleveland news scene and it hasn't been the same since.

The first big story we broke was in reporting the death of Gerald Levert in 2006, after we received a tip from a regular reader who also happens to a friend of the late singer. After breaking the story, we were bombarded with calls and emails from all around the country. The Cleveland Leader had gone national. Since then we've broken more stories than we can count, and have added to our staff the likes of Cleveland Hall of Fame journalist Roldo Bartimole, and others, who share in our goal to be the best source for Cleveland news.

The Michael Jackson gossip continues to flow on Independence Day, and while you're out cooking on the grill and enjoying fireworks, we're here slaving away bringing you all the latest. Today in MJ gossip is a sneak peek at MJ's 14K gold-plated, velvet lined casket, and the juicy rumor that he wanted to adopt Octomom's babies. Oh, and he also planned a duet in London with his son.

The Funeral Fit for a Pharaoh

King Tutankhamun would have been proud. Once the circus has ended on Tuesday, Michael Jackson will be buried, but he won't be buried in just any old wooden box. No, no, no, that certainly would not be fitting of the king of pop. Instead, a custom made casket was ordered from Batesville Casket Company. The model - called a Promethean - will feature flame blue velvet interior and a hand-polished, 14K gold mirror finish. The price tag? $25,000. This extremely rare casket was also used to bury James Brown.

Jackson Wanted to Adopt the Infamous Octuplets!

This time, the little sister came out on top. Serena Williams bested sister Venus in straight sets, thwarting her older sister's chance to win the prestigious title for a fifth time. This was Serena's first championship on the famed grass courts in England since besting her sister in 2003, and avenging last year's straight set loss.

Serena took the first set in a tiebreaker, but the second set was never in doubt. The younger Williams sister's serve was too much to handle, and she was able to break early and rolled 6-2 in for the straight set win.

I thought I would try to watch an Indians game again, well at least more than a couple innings even if it got to the usual 6-1 opponent lead by the third inning. So far as I’m writing this the Indians bats have come alive and they are leading 8-3, but it’s wayyyyyy early. There is still that thing called the bullpen waiting in the wings. I’m guessing win or lose the Indians and A’s players will want to escape from Progressive Field like smooth criminals before the MJ tribute fireworks show starts.

Here are some things that caught my script, and after this season, black and blue “I”:

-There is still some incentive to watch Indians games. STO is giving away Browns tickets during the Oakland series.

-It’s weird to see Jason Giambi on this A’s team. He’s not the star he once was but in my opinion he’s literally and figuratively too big for a small market team like Oakland, he looks out of place.

-To a lesser extent, the same can be said for Nomar Garciaparra.

-Changing gears a bit, good news for Columbus Blue Jackets fans as Rick Nash signed an 8 year, $62.4 million extension to remain in C-Bus earlier today.

-The am/pm and ESPN voice-over guys must be related in some way.

American Idol has been consistently losing viewers over the past few years, despite the continued coverage and hype the show receives in the media and gossip arenas. Over one year ago, we speculated that just as Britain's "Pop Idol" was eventually replaced with X-Factor, the same thing would happen here in the U.S. It appears as though our predictions were on target.

According to the UK's Daily Mirror, Cheryl Cole, has been tapped by Simon Cowell to take X-Factor across the pond. Cole is a member of Girls Aloud and the wife of footballer Ashley Cole, and became an X-Factor judge in 2008.

Senior execs from NBC are scheduled to fly to Manchester this weekend to see her in action at the live auditions.

A source told the Mirror:

"Simon is on the brink of signing a deal to take The X Factor to America and, if he gets his way, Cheryl will be its star.

He thinks she has amazing presence and her down-to-earth Northern charm will appeal to the American public. She is also an incredibly beautiful girl.

She won’t get paid anything like the million pound salary she’s on here, because obviously she is not as well known in the States.

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin announced Friday that she intends to resign from office at the end of the month, further fueling speculation that she will focus on a bid for the White House in 2012. The former GOP vice presidential candidate made the surprising announcement from her home in Wasilla on Friday morning, stating that she would step down effective July 26. Palin, however, did not elaborate on her plans.

In a statement released by her office, Palin said:

"Once I decided not to run for re-election, I also felt that to embrace the conventional Lame Duck status in this particular climate would just be another dose of politics as usual, something I campaigned against and will always oppose.

It is my duty to always protect our great state. With that in mind, my family and I determined that it is best to make a difference this summer, and I am willing to change things, so that this administration, with its positive agenda, its accomplishments, and its successful road to an incredible future, can continue without interruption and with great administrative and legislative success."

Lt. Governor Sean Parnell will thus take over as the state's governor, and will be inaugurated at the governor's picnic in Fairbanks at the end of the month.

Yesterday, Roldo mentioned that Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland may be a one term Governor. It appears many voters in the state feel the same way. A new poll has been released shows a dramatic decrease in Buckeye State residents approving of the way Strickland is running the state.

In May, Strickland was judged favorably by 57% of people surveyed. Fast forward just two months later and only 46% of respondents said that they approve of how the Govenor is handling his job.

Uh oh. Busted. Rihanna's love of tattoos may have just landed her in some hot water. Last night the pop star picked up a tattoo needle at a parlor in NYC and tattooed three of East Side Ink's artists with umbrellas and the letter R. Neither of the three cared that she didn't have a proper license, but the NYC Law Department feels quite differently.

Tattooing without a license is highly illegal, and according to the NYC Law Dept., Rihanna could be slapped with three misdemeanors for the offense. Each also carries its own penalty - $300 for the first offense, $500 for the second and $1000 for the third. In addition, the tattoo parlor could also face considerable fines if an investigation is opened.

Speaking with TMZ, the NYC Health Department said:

A joint Australian-Vietnamese study investigating the links between diet and the bone health of humans has found that vegetarians have slightly weaker bones than their meat-eating counterparts. As a part of the study, the studied the diet and bones of more than 2,700 people.

Lead researcher Tuan Nguyen said that vegetarians had 5% less dense bones than meat-eaters. Vegans, who refrain from eating all animal products were found to have 6% weaker bones.

However, researchers found "rapctically no differnece" between the bone density of meat-eaters and ovolactovegarians - people who don't eat meat or seafood but include eggs and dairy in their diets.

The scientists have not yet determined whether the lower bone density, howver, is linked to an increased risk of fracture.

"Given the rising number of vegetarians, roughly 5% (of people) in Western countries, and the widespread incidence of osteoporosis, the issue is worth resolving." Nguyen said.

While most of the country is either on vacation or getting ready to enjoy the holiday weekend, the nation's gossip writers are being kept busy with the continuing onslaught of breaking Michael Jackson news. As long as there is news to share, we will be here relaying the messages. Instead of traveling from site to site searching for the latest Wacko Jacko news, we offer one-stop shopping here at the Cleveland Leader.

Sedative Diprivan Found at Jackson's Home

Sources told the press today that investigators found the powerful sedative Diprivan inside Michael Jackson's home. Diprivan is an intravenous drug used in hospital operating rooms to knock patients out, and would be highly unusual to have found in a private home. CNN said that sources told them that Jackson suffered from such a severe case of insomnia that he traveled with a private anesthesiologist during the 1990s.

Medical experts say that the drug can lead to cardiac arrest, especially if combined with other drugs. Perhaps not coincidentally, Jackson, 50, died suddenly on June 25 after going into cardiac arrest at his Bel Air estate.

Jackson Memorial Service Details Announced