Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Names and faces
■ Dr. Dre is pledging
$10 million toward the construction of a performing arts center at Compton High School in California. The Compton Unified School District said that the rapper-producer will help raise more money for the new facility, which is expected to break ground in 2020. The Compton native said in a statement that his goal is to “provide kids with the kind of tools and learning they deserve.” The performing arts center will feature digital production equipment and a 1,200-seat theater. Dre is an original member of N.W. A who released his debut solo album, The Chronic, in 1992. He’s also the co-founder of Beats Electronics, which Apple acquired in 2014 for more than $3 billion.
■ While the cause of death was listed as sleep apnea and other factors, Carrie Fisher’s full autopsy report showed the actress had cocaine in her system when she fell ill on a plane last year and died four days later. The report released Monday states Fisher, 60, may have taken cocaine three days before the Dec. 23 flight on which she became ill. It also found traces of heroin, other opiates and MDMA, which is also known as Ecstasy, but that they could not determine when Fisher had taken those drugs. The findings were based on toxicology screenings done on samples taken when the Star Wars actress arrived at a Los Angeles hospital. A news release issued Friday mentioned drugs were found in Fisher’s system, but it did not provide details. Monday’s full report also stated that while heroin is detectable in the system for a briefer period of time, investigators could not determine when Fisher took it or the Ecstasy. Toxicology tests also found other opiates in Fisher’s system, including morphine, although the report states the morphine could have been a byproduct of heroin. Among the factors that contributed to Fisher’s death was buildup of fatty tissue in the walls of her arteries, the coroner’s office said last week. Fisher’s daughter, Billie Lourd, issued a statement to People magazine Friday linking her mother’s death to drug use. “My mom battled drug addiction and mental illness her entire life. She ultimately died of it. She was purposefully open in all of her work about the social stigmas surrounding these diseases,” Lourd said.