Officers responding to a call of a burglary in progress showed up at an apartment building at 301 North Beauregard Street. Once there they notice a suspect armed with two weapons. The two exchanged fire and the suspect was hit.
Posted by
Posted on
There have been three police-involved shootings in the last 24-hours. The most recent happened in Alexandria, Virginia this morning.
Officers responding to a call of a burglary in progress showed up at an apartment building at 301 North Beauregard Street. Once there they notice a suspect armed with two weapons. The two exchanged fire and the suspect was hit.
The unidentified man was rushed to the hospital where at last check he was listed in stable condition. The state police will now take over the investigation.
In the District of Columbia police officers shot a man who was randomly shooting at 51st and “F” Streets in Southeast. The suspect has been identified as 32-year-old Dennis Byrd of Southeast. His injuries are not said to be serious. The officers involved have been placed on administrative leave.
Then in Laurel police there fired at a man suspected of selling drugs. There was a brief chase before the vehicle the man was in slammed into a minivan while trying to elude police. Three officers responded to the scene and opened fire.
Investigator’s know who they are looking for. He has been identified as 20-year-old Alpha Mansaray and he was able to escape capture. Police say he should be considered armed and dangerous.
Follow me on Instagram and Twitter @taylorthomas963
Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club presents the legendary Howard Hewett tonight for an 7pm show. Then tomorrow night, Tamia takes the stage for a 8pm performance and then again on Sunday at 7pm.
The Manhattans featuring Gerald Alston performs at the Birchmere tonight at 7:30. Then tomorrow you can spend an Evening with Maysa, show time is 7:30pm.
Marlon Wayans is at the Theatre at MGM National Harbor Saturday night at 8pm.
The Mosaic Theatre Company presents Lynn Nottage’s “Fabulation”or the re-education of undine. Running through September 22nd.
August Wilson’s award winning production of “Jitney”opens tonight at Arena Stage and runs through October 20th.
The Wolly Mammoth Theatre presents the stage play “Fairview”, running through October 6th. It’s featuring recent Howard Graduate, Chinna Palmer.
Tune in to Taking it to the Streets, weekday mornings at 6:15, 7:08 and 8:40 on the Steve Harvey Morning Show on 96.3 WHUR.
Follow me on Facebook and twitter at @bobbygailes for updates and to stay connected.
With names like Curly Buttercream, Curly Meringue and Curly Pudding… you might think that we’re talking about dessert recipes. But we’re actually talking about the ingredients for a successful business. Miko Branch is the co-founder of Miss Jessie’s hair care products. The multi-million dollar hair care business is now nearly 20 years old. We talk about the big business of black hair care and entrepreneurship.
Guest:
Miko Branch, Co-founder, Miss Jessie’s Hair Care Products
LONDON (AP) — Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, has launched a clothing line for a British charity that helps unemployed women find work.
The wife of Prince Harry attended a reception at a John Lewis department store to showcase a collection of workwear and accessories she created with designer and friend Misha Nonoo.
The line includes professional attire such as a blazer, tote bag and trousers. The launch came the day before London Fashion Week starts.
The Smart Set collection supports Smart Works. Meghan is royal patron of the charity that provides women with training and interview clothes.
Meghan said: “As women, it is 100% our responsibility, I think, to support and uplift each other.”
The reception was one of her first royal engagements since the birth of her and Harry’s son Archie in May.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax filed a $400 million lawsuit Thursday against CBS, alleging the company defamed him when it broadcast interviews with two women he says have falsely accused him of sexual assault.
The lawsuit filed in federal court Thursday alleges nobody at the company investigated or adequately fact-checked the allegations made by Meredith Watson or Vanessa Tyson before airing them. It says CBS’ actions have damaged Fairfax’s reputation and “once promising career and political prospects.”
“Fairfax brings this action to restore his reputation and clear his name, ensure the truth prevails, stop the weaponization of false allegations of sexual assault against him, and vindicate his rights under civil law,” the lawsuit says.
CBS stands by its reporting and will “vigorously” defend the lawsuit, the company said in an emailed statement.
Fairfax, previously considered a rising star of the state Democratic Party, has faced calls to step down from his part-time government job. This summer, he resigned from the law firm where he had worked.
Tyson says Fairfax forced her to perform oral sex in 2004. Watson says Fairfax raped her in 2000 when both were students at Duke University.
Fairfax has adamantly denied their allegations, saying the encounters were consensual and that the women’s actions were politically motived.
Tyson and Watson’s allegations came to light at a moment when Fairfax seemed poised to ascend to the governorship. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam was facing a crisis after a racist photo showing a person in blackface and another in a Ku Klux Klan costume was found on his medical school yearbook page.
The lawsuit says CBS amplified the women’s “intentionally fabricated, false, and politically-motivated statements” without thoroughly investigating. It also alleges that a CBS attorney who was a Duke classmate of Watson and Fairfax “had information all along that Fairfax did not rape or sexually assault Watson.”
An attorney for Watson said in a statement, “We look forward to everyone testifying under oath, now that this matter is in court.”
Attorneys for Tyson said she stands by the statements she made in the interview with Gayle King.
“This lawsuit appears to be yet another desperate stunt by Mr. Fairfax to preserve his political career at the expense of survivors of sexual assault,” the attorneys, Debra Katz and Lisa Banks, said in a statement.
Fairfax’s lawsuit suggests CBS was trying to “align itself on the side of perceived victims” because of sexual misconduct allegations against several high-profile CBS employees, including former CEO Leslie Moonves, who was ousted last September.
“In light of its need to improve its public image and put these incidents in its rearview mirror by currying favor as a media outlet for accusations against public figures, the network sought to visibly align itself with alleged victims of sexual misconduct and, therefore, had a strong incentive to hype and air the false allegations by Watson and Tyson against Fairfax,” the lawsuit says.
CBS’ actions have damaged Fairfax’s “extraordinarily successful” career in law and public service, the lawsuit claims. It says he had “little choice” but to resign from a partnership at a private law firm where he would have earned “millions of dollars” over the years.
As lieutenant governor, Fairfax presides over the state Senate in a part-time role that pays around $36,000 a year.
Fairfax’s wife and young children have also suffered “emotional trauma, public ridicule, threats to their safety, and invasions of privacy,” the lawsuit says.
“There are pictures of her that have been painted from the wrong time period almost,” said Erivo, the Tony-winning actress of the Broadway revival of “The Color Purple. “It’s important to know this was a really young woman who took a lot of risk in what she was doing.”
TORONTO (AP) — Hard as it may be to believe, “Harriet” is the first feature film about Harriet Tubman.
Kasi Lemmons’ movie about the Underground Railroad leader premiered Tuesday night at the Toronto International Film Festival where festival director Cameron Bailey, introducing the film, noted the cinematic injustice of Tubman only now making it to the big screen.
“There are 30 films about Gen. Custer,” said Bailey. “This is the first film about Harriet Tubman.”
“Harriet,” starring 32-year-old British actress Cynthia Erivo, presents a younger, more vibrant picture of Tubman, whose accomplishments have often been entombed in middle-school history books. And the best-known appearance of Tubman, who was in her late 20s when she escaped from slavery and began going back South to help others to freedom, has largely been of her as an older woman.
“There are pictures of her that have been painted from the wrong time period almost,” said Erivo, the Tony-winning actress of the Broadway revival of “The Color Purple. “It’s important to know this was a really young woman who took a lot of risk in what she was doing.”
Tubman, whose original name was Araminta Ross, was born into slavery in 1820 or 1821 on the eastern shore of Maryland. In 1849, she fled to Philadelphia, after which a reward for her recapture was posted. But Tubman returned to the South to lead other slaves to freedom, conducting more than 70 people through the Underground Railroad network of abolitionists.
She worked as a scout, spy and nurse for the Union Army during the Civil War. In 1863, she helped lead 150 black soldiers on a gunboat raid in South Carolina. With Col. James Montgomery, she rescued more than 700 slaves. Tubman also became a noted suffragette before dying in 1913.
“Harriet,” which will be released in theaters on Nov. 1, focuses on her escape from Maryland and, a year later, her returning raids.
“When we think of Harriet, we kind of don’t see her womanhood. That’s partly because in the pictures we have of her, she’s an older woman,” said Lemmons, the “Eve’s Bayou” filmmaker. “There’s a picture found fairly recently of Harriet as a young woman, and that was my inspiration. There was this very small, young woman who managed to do incredible things.”
Earlier this year, that previously unknown photograph of a more youthful Tubman, believed to be taken in the 1860s, was put on display at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington.
Efforts to make a movie about Tubman have been going on for several years, with Viola Davis (who Erivo co-starred with in Steve McQueen’s “Widows”) once in line to play the part. But the project came together around Erivo, a casting choice some have criticized because she isn’t American.
Erivo, however, believes there is more in common between the experiences of British and American black people. She defended her passion for Tubman in an earlier Instagram post: “I fought for the role of Celie, and spilled blood, sweat and tears playing her.”
Lemmons believes the production was guided spiritually by Tubman. She doesn’t think of the film as righting a wrong in film history.
“I didn’t think in those terms. I really thought about this as a task I took very solemnly of bringing Harriet to life so that young girls could see this young woman heroine, and that the world could see her as this fierce, strong, feminine presence that she was,” said Lemmons. “You want to remind people of what can be and what has been done through sheer force of will and courage.”
Traffic is snarled for miles. Avoid the area if at all possible. Stay tune to WHUR for the latest on this breaking news out of Prince George’s County.
Posted by
Posted on
A small plane has crashed into a vehicle onto the eastbound lanes of Route 50 in Bowie. The accident is right near the Freeway Airport. Investigators say the pilot misjudge the landing distance.
Officials say four people were hurt. Two people inside the plane are reportedly OK. Two people in the car where taken to the hospital with non life threatening injuries. Hazmat crews, fire fighters and State Troopers are on the scene.
Traffic is snarled for miles. Avoid the area if at all possible. Stay tune to WHUR for the latest on this breaking news out of Prince George’s County.
Follow me on Instagram and Twitter @taylorthomas963
Black transgender women have been killed this year in Alabama, Tennessee, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Texas, Michigan and Florida. Advocates tracked the deaths of 26 transgender people in 2018.
LUMBER BRIDGE, N.C. (AP) — “Okay, Mommy. I love you.”
That was Brenda Scurlock’s last text from her son, Avery, before he was shot eight times, his body abandoned in a field in eastern North Carolina.
Scurlock had always worried about Avery’s safety. He was young and black in a society where those qualities could make him vulnerable.
And to multiply her worries, he was transgender.
Her fears came true June 5, when the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office responded to reports of gunshots and found Avery Scurlock’s body. Friends say he was meeting a man he had met on a dating website.
Avery, 23, was one of 18 transgender people slain so far this year in the U.S., according to the Human Rights Campaign . Seventeen were black transgender women , including two killed within two weeks of each other in South Carolina. A woman in Dallas who became a vocal advocate for transgender rights after she was attacked in April was killed in May in what the mayor described as “mob violence.” In Detroit, a black transgender woman and two gay men were killed in an attack that two other people survived.
The majority of transgender people killed yearly typically are black women, said Sarah McBride, the campaign’s national press secretary. “When transphobia mixes with misogyny and systemic racism, it can often have deadly consequences,” she said.
Black transgender women have been killed this year in Alabama, Tennessee, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Texas, Michigan and Florida. Advocates tracked the deaths of 26 transgender people in 2018.
Although Brenda Scurlock supported her child and was accepting of his gender identity, she used male pronouns and always called him Avery, just as everyone else did. His friends say he insisted on his female name, Chanel, only when dressed as a woman in public. Because of that, The Associated Press is using Avery and male pronouns for the sake of clarity.
Avery told his mother about four years ago that he was gay. “The way he dressed, you know, that was just him,” Brenda Scurlock said.
He would leave their home in Lumber Bridge in women’s clothes and makeup — he loved false eyelashes and his jean jacket. “He dressed how he wanted to dress,” Brenda Scurlock said. “I never really hit on the transgender part. He just dressed how he wanted to dress.”
On the evening of June 4, Avery told her he was going to a Chinese restaurant in nearby St. Pauls, then coming home. At 9:49 p.m., she texted him: “Are you Okay?” Two minutes later, he responded: “Yes Mommy.” She asked him to call or text when he was on the way home.
At 9:53 p.m., he responded: “Okay Mommy. I love you.”
What Brenda Scurlock didn’t know was that Avery — presenting as Chanel — had connected with someone on a dating website who wanted to meet that night, said his best friend, 19-year-old Shania Aguirre. He left St. Pauls and first met with Aguirre at a hamburger joint in nearby Lumberton, Aguirre said.
They discussed the man who wanted to meet him, she said, and Avery told Aguirre that he had decided against it. She reminded him that another person whose friends said he was bisexual had been murdered in that same area in May 2018.
Then Shania uttered words that she wishes hadn’t come true: “I said if something happened, we’re not going to find out until the next morning or whenever.”
Aguirre said she left the restaurant parking lot about 11:50 p.m. Avery had pulled out a few minutes ahead of her. At 12:13 a.m. June 5, she texted him and got no response. A few hours later, she said she learned police had responded at 12:07 a.m. to a report of shots fired.
About 20 minutes had passed since Aguirre saw her friend pulling out in his car, she said. Before leaving, he had asked to be godfather to her 2-year-old daughter and told her he wanted eventually to have sex-reassignment surgery, she said.
Avery’s absence leaves an empty place in Aguirre’s life. She said she alternates between being too depressed to leave her home and too afraid.
“He was very supportive, always there,” she said. “We were there for each other.”
Meanwhile, Brenda Scurlock wants the death penalty for Javaras Hammonds, the 20-year-old charged with first-degree murder in Avery’s death. He’s being held without bond in the Robeson County Detention Center. Neither his attorney nor the district attorney responded to email or phone messages from the AP about the case.
She also wants authorities to charge Hammonds with a hate crime. However, Capt. Forest Obershea of the sheriff’s office says authorities believe robbery was the motive because Avery’s car and other belongings were stolen.
McBride, the Human Rights Campaign spokeswoman, says that’s another part of the safety issue for transgender people, who are more likely to live on the edges of society and take chances. While the killer might have planned a robbery, he also probably knew that a transgender woman named Chanel was more likely to risk meeting a stranger in the dark along a lonely road, McBride said.
Avery had told Aguirre he knew he took too many chances and worried his mother. He knew he had to change his ways soon, she said.
“I had told him not to meet up with anybody,” Brenda Scurlock said. “I told him it was dangerous.”
She’s learning more about what it means to be transgender and getting support from LGBTQ advocates, some of whom go to court with her. She’s determined to get justice for Avery’s memory.
“That was my child. And I had to accept him, whatever he was — gay, bisexual, whatever,” she said. “That was my child. And it shouldn’t give nobody a right to kill him.”
“We know this level of convenience resonates” with our customers, said Tom Ward, senior vice president of digital operations at Walmart U.S. “If you need milk, bananas and birthday presents, this is a fantastic solution.”
NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart is rolling out an unlimited grocery delivery subscription service this fall as it races to gain an advantage in the competitive fresh food business.
The service will charge an annual membership fee of $98 for subscribers to access unlimited same-day delivery, which will be offered in 1,400 stores in 200 markets. By year-end, it will extend to a total of 1,600 stores — or more than 50% of the country.
The move allows the nation’s largest grocer to further tap into time-starved shoppers looking for convenience at a time when Walmart is locked in an arms race with Amazon and others to expand fresh-food delivery — one of the fastest growing e-commerce sectors.
“We know this level of convenience resonates” with our customers, said Tom Ward, senior vice president of digital operations at Walmart U.S. “If you need milk, bananas and birthday presents, this is a fantastic solution.”
The grocery services will be fulfilled by local stores and require a minimum order of $30. With same-day delivery, there’s a four-hour minimum wait time between placing order and having it delivered. Walmart will also allow shoppers to order groceries online and pick them up at their local store or curbside for free. Curbside pickup is available at 3,000 stores and will expand to another 100 stores by the end of the year.
About 100,000 items, which include fresh food and pantry staples as well as select general merchandise like lightbulbs and basic toys, qualify for both grocery pickup and delivery. Walmart will also offer a monthly subscription option for $12.95; customers will still be able to pay a per-delivery fee of $7.95 or $9.95 for same-day delivery if they decide against the subscription service.
Walmart says it will rely on its more than 45,000 personal shoppers to pick products off store shelves to fulfill orders. It will also continue using the same patchwork of delivery services as before, including Postmates and DoorDash.
Walmart is facing increasing pressure to expand its fresh grocery delivery service amid fiercer competition in that space. About two years ago, its key rival Amazon purchased Whole Food Market Inc. and now is offering same-day grocery delivery in various cities. Meanwhile, AmazonFresh costs $14.99 a month and is available to Amazon Prime customers, who pay an annual membership fee of $119, in select cities.
Grocery delivery startup Shipt, whose store partners include Costco and Piggly Wiggly, currently charges $99 annually. Target, which bought Shipt in December 2017, announced in June a new option for Shipt shoppers to pay a per-order fee of $9.99 for the first time. It also integrated Shipt on Target.com. And last year, Instacart slashed its annual subscription fresh grocery service fee to $99 from $149.
Amazon changed consumer expectations when it launched two-day delivery for Prime members back in 2005 and forced other retailers to step up their game. But then the online behemoth needed to cut the delivery time in half to make its membership more attractive since others like Walmart offered free two-day deliveries without any membership.
This past spring, Amazon cut its two-day delivery to one day for Prime members. Soon after, Walmart began rolling out free next-day delivery for its most popular items with a minimum order requirement of $35 . It plans to roll out the service to 75% of the U.S. population by year-end.
But the fight in state legislatures has been fierce. Lobbyists for the vaping and tobacco industry fought bans on flavors in Hawaii, California, New Mexico, Massachusetts, New York, Maine and Connecticut.
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Efforts to ban flavored e-cigarettes and reduce their appeal to youngsters have sputtered under industry pressure in over a half-dozen states this year even as one state, Michigan, moves ahead with its own restrictions and President Donald Trump promises federal ones.
In many cases, the fight by the industry and its lobbyists has focused on leaving the most popular flavors — mint and its close cousin, menthol — alone. But public health experts say that all flavors should be banned, and that menthol can still hook kids on vaping.
The proposal Trump outlined on Wednesday, which would supersede any state inaction, includes a ban on mint and menthol, and an industry giant quickly indicated it would capitulate.
“We strongly agree with the need for aggressive category-wide action on flavored products,” read a statement released by Juul Labs Inc. “We will fully comply with the final FDA policy when effective.”
But the fight in state legislatures has been fierce. Lobbyists for the vaping and tobacco industry fought bans on flavors in Hawaii, California, New Mexico, Massachusetts, New York, Maine and Connecticut.
Such bans failed or stalled, even as Michigan’s governor this month ordered emergency rules prohibiting flavored e-cigarettes. New York Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday expressed a desire to ban flavored e-cigarettes.
Trump’s federal proposal, as it stands, would require no congressional approval, meaning lobbying efforts to defeat it could be less effective than in state legislatures. Juul spent $1.9 million in the first half of the year to try and sway the White House, Congress and the Food and Drug Administration.
The Vapor Technology Association has reported spending $78,000 this year in its lobbying fight against California’s proposed flavored e-cigarettes ban, while one of the world’s largest tobacco producers, Altria, reported spending over $100,000 last fall solely to lobby such legislation. The bills have since stalled.
Reynolds American, which sells Vuse Alto e-cigarettes, reported spending $240,000 on paid lobbyists in New York this year. At least $23,000 alone went to fund their lobbying push against a flavored tobacco ban that failed to pass this year.
Altria — which is also Juul’s biggest investor— also spent over $70,000 in Maine alone this spring on an online social media and email campaign in its efforts to defeat a ban on flavored e-cigarettes and all tobacco products, according to lobbying reports filed with state ethics officials. Maine still has no flavor ban.
The global e-cigarette and vape market was valued at as much as $11 billion in 2018. The rise in teen vaping has been driven mainly by flavored cartridge-based products such as Juul, which controls roughly three-quarters of the U.S. e-cigarettes market.
The proposals and the lobbying fight come as health authorities investigate hundreds of breathing illnesses reported in people who have used e-cigarettes and other vaping devices. No single device, ingredient or additive has been identified, though many cases involve marijuana vaping.
Supporters of flavors argue that adult cigarette users say flavors helped them quit, and that legislators should instead focus on companies that are trying to hook young nonsmokers with clearly kid-friendly marketing and packaging.
“One of the things that we are finding is that state legislatures are reflexively reacting to media stories and without a scientific basis making determinations that flavors are the problem so we need to get rid of all the flavors,” said Tony Abboud, president of the Vapor Technology Association.
There had been concern that the tobacco and vaping industries were winning their fight to keep at least the most popular flavors — mint and menthol — in play. That concern has now been tempered by Trump’s announcement Wednesday that his ban would include menthol and mint.
Last November, the FDA announced plans for a crackdown that could lead to federal regulators pulling all e-cigarette flavors besides menthol and mint — thought to be useful to adult smokers — from shelves. The FDA also said it would also seek to ban menthol cigarettes.
The FDA’s announcement came just two days after Juul announced the halting of in-store sales of mango, fruit, creme and cucumber flavors in retail stores.
The company’s CEO has said that Juul never intended for young people to use their products but that they are “sensitive” to concerns raised by the FDA.
And a spokesman for Juul, Ted Kwong, said before Wednesday’s announcement by Trump that the company would support an outright ban on flavors that mimic kid candies, foods and drinks.
Still, in line with the FDA’s proposed policy, Juul Labs still distributes mint, menthol and tobacco flavors in retail stores. The company also sells flavored products through its website.
Anti-tobacco and -vaping groups say there’s no scientific basis for leaving menthol or mint alone. They warn menthol has been unethically marketed toward African Americans, and that such flavors can still increase the appeal of e-cigarettes for young people who aren’t smokers by overcoming the harshness of nicotine.
“Anything that is overcoming the harshness of tobacco flavoring is something that kids are going to find more appealing,” said Hillary Schneider, director of government relations in Maine for the American Cancer Society Action Network.
But banning minty flavors has been politically contentious.
In Maine, convenience store owners upset by a proposed flavor ban argued that mint, wintergreen and menthol represent 30% of flavors offered in stores statewide and $32 million in tax revenue.
Lawmakers then considered a tweak to only allow menthol, mint and wintergreen flavors. Maine ended up passing a bill — backed by the tobacco and vaping industries, as well as small retail stores — that instead makes it illegal to sell e-cigarettes to people under 21 and give them to minors under 16.
Officials in Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration discussed exempting mint and menthol flavors from the e-cigarette ban, but “determined that the action taken was the best path forward to protect youth,” said Bob Wheaton, spokesman for the state Department of Health and Human Services.
A court challenge is expected for Michigan’s ban.
Abboud argued before Wednesday that states should hold off on further action for now.
The Democratic Party’s strongest presidential contenders — according to polls and fundraising, at least — meet on the same debate stage for the first time Thursday night.
The Democratic Party’s strongest presidential contenders — according to polls and fundraising, at least — meet on the same debate stage for the first time Thursday night.
The lineup in Houston will be different but the dynamic familiar: Former Vice President Joe Biden will fight to preserve his front-runner status as a crowded stage of lower-tier candidates scrap for attention and momentum any way they can. Opportunities and risks abound for a race that is far from settled.
Seven big questions heading into the third Democratic debate, to be carried on ABC:
HOW WILL INTERNAL DIVISIONS PLAY OUT WITH A COMPLETELY NEW GROUP?
These 10 have never shared the stage before. Biden and Elizabeth Warren will stand shoulder to shoulder for the first time and may attract much of the pre-event hype, but any number of significant friction points could emerge in a group that highlights the extraordinary diversity of the 2020 class. There will be three women on stage, four racial minorities, one gay man and an age gap that spans four decades. Don’t forget about the ideological divide that features a democratic socialist on one side and an establishment-backed moderate on the other. There will almost certainly be fireworks on multiple fronts, especially with the second-tier candidates desperate for a breakout moment.
___
WHERE HAVE ALL THE MODERATES GONE?
This moment marks a dramatic contraction of the Democratic Party’s 2020 class of candidates, which has essentially been cut in half — for now, at least. Suddenly gone are several outspoken moderate voices — former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, former Maryland Rep. John Delaney and Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan — who were not shy in previous debates about warning the party against nominating someone too far to the left. Their absence leaves Biden with far fewer allies in his push for pragmatism over ideological purity. And it may make it easier for progressive policy besties Bernie Sanders and Warren to continue pulling the party leftward on health care, taxes, immigration and education. President Donald Trump is only too happy to let Democrats showcase their plans to transform America.
___
HOW FRAGILE IS THE FRONT-RUNNER?
Biden holds a significant lead over the crowded field, despite signs of soft support, a weak organization and repeated missteps. His performance on Thursday will either create more anxiety for his supporters or strengthen his claim on the mantle of undisputed front-runner. What’s clear is that Biden will be at the center of the action. He plans to be aggressive if provoked, and his opponents are prepared to test him. Kamala Harris wounded Biden in a testy exchange over race in June, but Biden effectively deflected attacks in last month’s meeting. Which Biden will show up?
___
CAN WARREN WIN?
Of all the candidates, Warren has shown the most upward trajectory so far, still trailing Biden but consistently placing among the top three. But that status will invite more scrutiny, including on the debate stage, of her many plans and the price tags they carry — issues that Trump could easily use against her in a general election. And unfortunately for Warren, no quality matters more to Democratic primary voters in the age of Trump than the ability to win. Warren has a prime-time opportunity to answer that question directly as she stands alongside Biden for the first time on the debate stage. Can she stand up to him, literally and figuratively, to help convince skeptical voters that she can take down an older, outspoken and unapologetic man?
___
DOES AGE MATTER?
South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg has something the rest of the top tier does not: youth. At just 37 years old, he’s more than three decades younger than Biden, Sanders and Warren. He has so far been reluctant to seize on his opponents’ age to help himself, but with voting set to begin in less than five months, he’s under increasing pressure to use his comparative advantage more aggressively — especially as the 76-year-old Biden faces increasing questions on the campaign trail about whether he’s lost a step after four decades in politics. It’s a delicate issue that cuts both ways. But the generational divide is a key factor as Democrats work to reassemble the coalition that twice elected President Barack Obama.
___
DO THEY REALLY WANT DIVERSITY?
Democrats were quick to highlight the diverse slate of candidates they sent to Congress last year, but the top tier of the Democrats’ 2020 presidential field has been dominated by white people. The people of color in the race — Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, Julián Castro and Andrew Yang — are fighting to change that. But Harris’ early-summer surge has disappeared, and the others have been mired in the single digits. That’s even as they have proved to be dynamic candidates on the campaign trail. But as Trump embraces a strategy that focuses almost exclusively on winning white voters, Harris, Booker and other minority candidates are tasked with convincing voters that diversity is both the nation’s strength and its future.
___
CAN ANYONE IN THE LOWER TIER BREAK OUT?
Ten candidates have already been cut from the debate stage altogether (yes, a few may return next month). But anyone on stage has a path to the nomination — on paper, at least. But time is getting short for those now participating in their third debate and still stuck in low single digits like Booker, Amy Klobuchar, Beto O’Rourke, Castro and Yang. It’s quickly becoming time to put up or shut up. To break out they may have to get creative. Reports suggest that Yang, who has been captured on video crowd-surfing in recent days, is promising to do something Thursday night that’s never been done by a presidential candidate before.
Anne Arundel Count State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess says it’s important that all children know that their bodies are their own and not to allow anyone to touch them and if someone does you must tell an adult.
Posted by
Posted on
A convicted child predator who served 10 years in prison in Worcester County, Maryland for sexually abusing a 4-year-old is headed back to prison this time for good.
Officials say 33-year-old Joseph Earl Carter of Davidsonville has been given the maximum prison time of 60 years for an unthinkable crime. Sexually abusing a 3-year-old child of a family friend.
Prosecutors say it happened last year when the victim was a friends house and told the parent that he would watch the child as they took a nap.
The child told her parent after the incident. She even testified in the case. Prosecutors say she was very forthcoming and clear about what happened. Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess says “Children need to know that they should tell us if something has happened to them.” They were very impressed and proud of the little girl.
Leitess says it’s important that all children know that their bodies are their own and not to allow anyone to touch them and if someone does you must tell an adult.
Follow me on Instagram and Twitter @taylorthomas963
he process that Democratic lawmakers are taking is nothing new. It’s the same procedures that have been used on past U.S. presidents.
Posted by
Posted on
Democratic lawmakers in the House plan to discuss mapping out what steps will need to be taken to impeach President Donald Trump.
The Judiciary Committee is preparing to meet today to discuss and then vote on the parameters for possible impeachment proceedings. Nothing has been decided.
The committee is looking at five areas of possible obstruction in the matter involving former Special Counsel Robert Mueller and his probe in Russians interference in the U.S. 2016 Presidential Election.
Leaders will also look at hush money paid to two women who claim that they had affairs with him. Other concerns include claims that the president used his office to benefit his private business even though he agreed to separate from them during his time at the White House.
The process that Democratic lawmakers are taking is nothing new. It’s the same procedures that have been used on past U.S. presidents.
If you are wondering how the numbers look right now. Of the 235 Democrats in the House 134 of them reportedly support impeachment proceedings. It is not something Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi supports right now. In fact, she told lawmakers if you want to get Trump out of office the party needs to win the 2020 Presidential Election.
Follow me on Instagram and Twitter @taylorthomas963
DMV do you know what day it is? It’s Thursday and that means WHUR and Wells Fargo will be hitting the streets for our Pay It Forward Thursday. Joining me this morning to talk about this goodwill campaign is Monica Mitchell – Vice President, Community Relations and Corporate Responsibility for Wells Fargo.
Pay It Forward Thursday is a partnership between Wells Fargo and WHUR in which we have been crisscrossing the DMV for the past two months caring out random acts of kindness. We have been popping up at local businesses to pay the bills of unsuspecting customers.
Tune in to Taking it to the Streets, weekday mornings at 6:15, 7:08 and 8:40 on the Steve Harvey Morning Show on 96.3 WHUR.
Follow me on facebook and twitter at @bobbygailes for updates and to stay connected.
Wide ranging discussion about the future of historically black colleges and universities and the how the Congressional Black Caucus is impacting their success.
Washington, D.C. (Wednesday, September 11, 2019) – WHUR is keeping you informed and connected to the important issues and discussions taking place this week at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Annual Legislative Conference. We held a special CBC edition of the Daily Drum from 3rd Annual National HBCU Braintrust. Congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle along with HBCU Presidents, students, business leaders, and others gathered with WHUR’s Harold Fisher for the discussion to talk about the triumphs, challenges, and how to expand the national platform of historically black colleges and universities.
North Carolina Republican Congressman Mark Walker, North Carolina Democratic Congresswoman Alma Adams and Daily Drum Host Harold Fisher Dr. Stephanie Rodriguez – Vice President of Policy and Engagement with Anitab.org, Steven Newman – Director of Government Affairs at American Airlines, and Gigi Dixon -Senior Director of External Relations for Wells Fargo
Four years ago North Carolina Congresswoman Alma Adams founded the Bi-partisan HBCU Caucus to help promote and protect the interest of HBCUs.
“The Ball family is grateful for the prayers, donations and immense support of Neiron and his recovery,” Myricks said in her statement. “Neiron was a very special and loving father, brother and teammate. Neiron has transitioned to a place of peace.”
Former Oakland Raiders linebacker Neiron Ball, who played college football at Florida after recovering from brain surgery, has died at age 27.
Ball’s sister, Natalie Ball Myricks, released a statement announcing her brother’s passing early Tuesday. Ball’s agency, the Sports & Entertainment Group in Washington, D.C., confirmed his death to The Associated Press.
Ball’s death came nearly a year after he suffered a brain aneurysm and was placed in a medically induced coma at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta. In late July, the Ball family announced that the Georgia native was out of the coma but was a quadriplegic.
A GoFundMe effort raised nearly $137,000 to help cover his medical expenses. Former Florida teammates and current NFL players Jon Bullard, Jaylen Watkins, Max Garcia, Keanu Neal and Jordan Reed gave between $1,000 and $10,000 each. Chicago Bears All-Pro linebacker Khalil Mack, who played with Ball in Oakland, gave $7,000.
“The Ball family is grateful for the prayers, donations and immense support of Neiron and his recovery,” Myricks said in her statement. “Neiron was a very special and loving father, brother and teammate. Neiron has transitioned to a place of peace.”
Added the Sports & Entertainment Group: “Neiron was a rare and special spirit with the ability to touch anyone he met. His talent was met with relentless drive, no matter the obstacle. … Neiron was a loving and cherished father, brother, and teammate. He will be missed dearly.”
Ball sat out his sophomore season at Florida in 2011 because of a congenital condition called arteriovenous malformation, which causes the brain’s blood vessels to get tangled and rupture. He recovered after a year away and played in 33 games — with 16 starts — during his final three seasons in Gainesville.
The Raiders selected Ball in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL draft. He played in six games as a rookie before landing on injured reserve. He was on IR again in 2016 and then waived with a non-football injury designation in July 2017.
“Anybody that came in contact with Neiron Ball liked him,” former Florida coach and current South Carolina coach Will Muschamp told the Orlando Sentinel last month. “I don’t know if I could find anybody on earth that did not like Neiron Ball. He’s just one of those people that just has that certain personality that is just electric with people.
And she brought her baby daughter along for the ride: As she made her traditional post-show bow, wearing a snakeskin-style miniskirt that she designed, she was carrying little Olympia, 2, in her arms.
NEW YORK (AP) — Talk about a quick recovery. Only three days after her shocking loss in the U.S. Open final, Serena Williams went from the court to the runway to present the latest collection of her fashion label, S by Serena.
And she brought her baby daughter along for the ride: As she made her traditional post-show bow, wearing a snakeskin-style miniskirt that she designed, she was carrying little Olympia, 2, in her arms.
As befitting a tennis legend, Williams had some prominent fans in attendance, notably Kim Kardashian, TV host Gayle King, and Vogue editor Anna Wintour.
Also attending: #MeToo movement founder Tarana Burke, who said Williams was “strong in so many ways, not just physically. I’ll always support her.”
The runway show in midtown Manhattan began with a lush brown trench-style coat, followed by a suit in the same fabric with an asymmetrical wrap skirt. Pants and slouchy sweaters followed, then a series of dresses, tops and coats in an animal-style print.
The 37-year-old Williams showed herself to be a fan of bold prints, in hues like purple or bright blue, or in black and white. And she is also clearly partial to bright colors, as in one hot pink ensemble that was part midriff-baring pantsuit, part long skirt.
But perhaps the most striking and creative sight on the runway came when two models wore the same outfit together, side by side, one in a plus size and one not — an effective statement about size diversity.
Williams noted later on the red carpet that she her intention was “to show diversity of all colors and all backgrounds and all sizes — just beautiful women.”
Burke praised Williams’ runway for being truly diverse. “I love Serena,” she said, adding that fashion is “another world for her to conquer.
It may be sheer coincidence that the cost of paying for both Apple and Disney subscriptions will still be a dollar less than Netflix’s main plan, priced at $13 a month. But the intent to disrupt Netflix’s huge lead in the streaming business couldn’t be clearer.
CUPERTINO, Calif. (AP) — Apple is finally taking on Netflix with its own streaming television service and, uncharacteristically for the company, offering it at a bargain price — $5 a month beginning on Nov. 1.
Walt Disney Co. is launching its own assault on Netflix the same month, for just $7.
Apple delivered the news Tuesday while also unveiling three new iPhones that won’t look much different than last year’s models other than boasting an additional camera for taking pictures from extra-wide angles.
The aggressive pricing is unusual for Apple, which typically charges a premium for products and services to burnish its brand. Most analysts expected Apple to charge $8 to $10 per month for the service, which will be called Apple TV Plus.
But Apple is entering a market that Netflix practically created in 2007 — around the same time as the first iPhone came out. And Netflix has amassed more than 150 million subscribers, meaning that Apple needed to make a splash.
“You have to expect they’re going to do something, considering how hyper competitive the streaming video space is,” said Tim Hanlon, CEO of Vertere Group.
Apple CEO Tim Cook did not have much new to say about the TV service beyond its pricing and debut date, although he did show a trailer for a new Jason Momoa-led series called “See.”
Netflix declined to comment. In the past, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings has depicted the increased competition as a positive for everyone, allowing consumers to create their own entertainment bundles instead of accepting bundles put together at higher prices by cable and satellite TV services.
Like Netflix and similar services from Amazon and Hulu, Apple has been spending billions of dollars for original programs. The most anticipated so far seems to be “The Morning Show,” a comedy starring Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon and Steve Carrell. The service will launch with nine original shows and films, with more expected each month. It will only carry Apple’s original programming and will be available in 100 countries at launch.
Since it began focusing on exclusive shows and movies six years ago, Netflix has built a huge library of original programming and now spends upward of $10 billion annually on its lineup.
Apple also announced a new videogame subscription service that will cost $5 a month when it rolls out Sept. 19. Called Apple Arcade, the service will allow subscribers to play more than 100 games selected by Apple that are exclusive to the service.
Disney, one of the most hallowed brands in entertainment, is also muscling its way into the market with a streaming service featuring its treasured vault of films and original programming.
That means both Apple and Disney will be undercutting the industry leaders. Besides Netflix, there is Amazon at $9 per month and Hulu at $6 per month.
The price war is unfolding as Netflix tries to bounce back from a rough spring in which it suffered its first quarterly drop in U.S. subscribers since 2011. Apple’s pricing tactics caught investors’ attention. Netflix’s stock fell 2% on Tuesday.
Each new entry into the crowded video subscription market stretches the limits of just how many monthly plans viewers are willing to pay for.
The Apple streaming service will, at least for now, offer fewer viewing options than Netflix or Disney but also at a significantly lower price.
Apple’s pricing shows it is serious, and the company will probably take a loss “as it plays catch-up,” said Colin Gillis, director of research at Chatham Road Partners.
Hoping to propel its streaming service to a fast start while also boosting iPhone sales, Apple will give a year of free TV access to anyone who buys an iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch or Mac.
The new iPhones were accompanied by an unexpected price cut for the cheapest model, which underscored the company’s efforts to counteract the deepest slump in sales for its flagship product since the phone was unveiled 12 years ago.
IPhone shipments are down 25% so far this year, according to the research firm IDC, putting pressure on Apple to generate revenue from services such as music, video streaming, games and its App Store. Revenue from services rose 14% to nearly $23 billion during the first half of this year.
Apple is cutting the price of the iPhone 11 to $700 from $750, the price of last year’s XR. The lower prices reverse a trend in which premium phones get more expensive as people upgrade them less often.
The new phone models resemble last year’s iPhone XR, XS and XS Max. And they have the same design — with more display space, less bezel and no home button — that Apple switched to with the iPhone X in 2017.
Unlike some of the other devices coming out this year, the new iPhones won’t support upcoming ultrafast cellular networks known as 5G. Apple paid billions of dollars to settle a royalty dispute with chipmaker Qualcomm in April to gain the technology it needs for 5G iPhones, but those models will not be ready until next year.
___
AP technology writers Mae Anderson in New York and Barbara Ortutay in San Francisco contributed to this story.
“As a rape victim of Antonio Brown, deciding to speak out has been an incredibly difficult decision,” Taylor said. “I have found strength in my faith, my family, and from the accounts of other survivors of sexual assault. Speaking out removes the shame that I have felt for the past year and places it on the person responsible for my rape.”
New England Patriots wide receiver Antonio Brown has been accused of rape by a former trainer.
Britney Taylor says Brown sexually assaulted her on three occasions, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday in the Southern District of Florida.
Brown has denied the allegations. Darren Heitner, a lawyer representing Brown, told The Associated Press his client plans to countersue.
“He will pursue all legal remedies to not only clear his name, but to also protect other professional athletes against false accusations,” Heitner said in a statement.
Heitner said Brown and Taylor had “a consensual personal relationship.”
The New York Times first reported about the lawsuit.
The AP does not typically identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault unless they come forward publicly, but Taylor was identified in the federal lawsuit and was quoted in a statement provided by her lawyer, David Haas.
“As a rape victim of Antonio Brown, deciding to speak out has been an incredibly difficult decision,” Taylor said. “I have found strength in my faith, my family, and from the accounts of other survivors of sexual assault. Speaking out removes the shame that I have felt for the past year and places it on the person responsible for my rape.”
Taylor also said in the statement she will cooperate with the NFL and any other agencies.
A spokesman for the NFL declined to comment, but the Patriots said the league told the team it will launch an investigation.
“We are aware of the civil lawsuit that was filed earlier today against Antonio Brown, as well as the response by Antonio’s representatives,” the Patriots said in a statement. “We take these allegations very seriously. Under no circumstance does this organization condone sexual violence or assault. The league has informed us that they will be investigating. We will have no further comment while that investigation takes place.”
The 31-year-old Brown, a Miami native, was released by Oakland last week after clashing with the team throughout training camp. He agreed to a contract with New England on Saturday but has yet to play for the Patriots.
Brown and Taylor met through a Fellowship of Christian Athletes group at Central Michigan University, according to the lawsuit.
Taylor said Brown reached out to her via Facebook in June 2017 and asked the former gymnast for help with improving his strength and flexibility.
According to the lawsuit, Taylor was sexually assaulted by Brown on separate training trips to Pittsburgh and Florida that same month. The suit includes what it says are text messages from Brown bragging about the second assault.
Taylor says in the suit she then cut off ties with Brown. But she agreed to work with him again after she says he apologized and agreed to provide hotel accommodations for each training trip.
According to the lawsuit, Taylor and Brown were in Miami in May 2018 when he raped her in a bedroom at his home. Taylor says she shouted “no” and “stop,” but Brown refused.
Heitner said in his statement Taylor invited herself to join Brown and his friends on a night out on the town, and then came on to Brown before they engaged in consensual sex at his residence.
Brown was approached by Taylor in 2017, according to Heitner, about making a $1.6 million investment in a business project. But he declined.
Heitner said Taylor reached out to Brown again last year, and she traveled to his residences on multiple occasions. Heitner said she asked for tickets to a Pittsburgh Steelers game.
“Mr. Brown, whose hard work and dedication to his craft has allowed him to rise to the top of his profession, refuses to be the victim of what he believes to be a money grab,” Heitner said in his statement.
Brown was originally traded from Pittsburgh to Oakland in the offseason. But a bizarre foot injury, fight with the NFL over his helmet, skipped practices, multiple fines, a run-in with general manager Mike Mayock and his social media posts ultimately led to the decision to release him.
Brown agreed to a deal with the defending Super Bowl champions hours after the Raiders let him go, granting his request.
___
AP Sports Writers Bob Lentz and Kyle Hightower contributed to this report.
“As long as the city will gift us this moment, I will be here,” Margie Miller, who lost her husband, Joel, said at the ceremony, which she attends every year. “I want people to remember.”
NEW YORK (AP) — Americans commemorated 9/11 with solemn ceremonies and vows Wednesday to “never forget” 18 years after the deadliest terror attack on American soil.
Victims’ relatives assembled at ground zero, where the observance began with a moment of silence and the tolling of bells at 8:46 a.m. — the exact time a hijacked plane slammed into the World Trade Center’s north tower.
“As long as the city will gift us this moment, I will be here,” Margie Miller, who lost her husband, Joel, said at the ceremony, which she attends every year. “I want people to remember.”
After so many years of anniversaries, she has come to know other victims’ relatives and to appreciate being with them.
“There’s smiles in between the tears that say we didn’t do this journey on our own, that we were here for each other,” she said.
Elsewhere around the country, President Donald Trump laid a wreath at the Pentagon, saying: “This is your anniversary of personal and permanent loss.” And Vice President Mike Pence was scheduled to speak at the third crash site, near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
The nation is still grappling with the aftermath of 9/11. The effects are visible from airport security checkpoints to Afghanistan, where the post-9/11 U.S. invasion has become America’s longest war.
Earlier this week, Trump called off a secret meeting at Camp David with Taliban and Afghan government leaders and declared the peace talks “dead.” As the Sept. 11 anniversary began in Afghanistan, a rocket exploded at the U.S. Embassy just after midnight.
The political legacy of the 9/11 flowed into the ground zero ceremony, too.
After reading victims’ names, Nicholas Haros Jr. used his turn at the podium to tear into Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota over her recent “Some people did something” reference to 9/11.
“Madam, objectively speaking, we know who and what was done,” Haros, who lost his mother, Frances, said as he reminded the audience of the al-Qaida attackers.
“Our constitutional freedoms were attacked, and our nation’s founding on Judeo-Christian values was attacked. That’s what ‘some people’ did. Got that now?” he said to applause.
Omar, one of the first Muslim women elected to Congress, has said she didn’t intend to minimize what happened on Sept. 11, and she accused critics of taking her words out of context.
Haros’ remarks weren’t the only political message to draw applause at ground zero. So did Debra Epps’ plea for tighter gun laws.
“This country — in 18 years, you would think it had made changes to bring us to more peace. However, gun violence has gone rampant,” said Epps, who lost her brother, Christopher.
The anniversary ceremonies center on remembering the nearly 3,000 people killed when hijacked planes slammed into the trade center, the Pentagon and the field in Pennsylvania on Sept. 11, 2001.
All those victims’ names are read aloud at the ground zero ceremony by loved ones — now, quite often, ones too young to have known their lost relatives.
“Uncle Joey, I wish I got to know you,” Joseph Henry said of his uncle and namesake, firefighter Joseph Patrick Henry.
Others made a point of spotlighting the suffering of firefighters, police and others who died or fell ill after exposure to the smoke and dust at ground zero.
A compensation fund for people with potentially Sept. 11-related health problems has awarded more than $5.5 billion so far. More than 51,000 people have applied. Over the summer, Congress made sure the fund won’t run dry.
The sick gained new recognition this year at the memorial plaza at ground zero, where the new 9/11 Memorial Glade was dedicated this spring.
Sept. 11 has become known also a day of service. People around the country volunteer at food banks, schools, home-building projects, park cleanups and other charitable endeavors on and near the anniversary.
___
Associated Press writer Michael R. Sisak contributed.
DC Public Schools say it is their policy to permit qualified students to receive medical marijuana treatment from a licensed registered nurse at school. Charter and private schools, however, do not have to comply and they can determine how they want to handle this medical matter individually.
Posted by
Posted on
DC Public School officials held a press conference Tuesday to address a growing debate over whether they can allow kids to take medical marijuana on campus.
DC Public Schools say it is their policy to permit qualified students to receive medical marijuana treatment from a licensed registered nurse at school. Charter and private schools, however, do not have to comply and they can determine how they want to handle this medical matter individually.
According to a spokesperson for the school system, they have no students taking medicinal marijuana at school.
Follow me on Instagram and Twitter @taylorthomas963
Calling all my power girls. The P31 Girls Enrichment and Mentoring Program is accepting applications for girls to participate in its free workshops and activities. My guest is Tanesha Myles – Founder of P31 Girls Enrichment and Mentoring Program
P 31 Girls Enrichment and Mentoring Program is selecting girls in grades 6th thru 8th to participate in a 12-month program to help girls navigate gracefully those important tween years. All workshops and activities are free. To received an application, email taneshamyles@p31boutiques.org
Tune in to Taking it to the Streets, weekday mornings at 6:15, 7:08 and 8:40 on the Steve Harvey Morning Show on 96.3 WHUR.
Follow me on facebook and twitter at @bobbygailes for updates and to stay connected.
John Bolton is now the latest to exit the Trump administration. Bolton is out as National Security Advisor. But, was he fired or did he quit? The White House says the president demanded Bolton’s resignation, but Bolton claims he resigned voluntarily. Mr. Trump tweeted that he “disagreed strongly” with many of Bolton’s suggestions, “as did others” in the administration. Charles Kupperman has been named Acting National Security Adviser.
Today President Trump praised what he called the inspiring tradition of historically black colleges and universities. Mr. Trump’s delivered remarks at the Historically Black Colleges and Universities conference held in the District. Trump noted HBCUs’ “amazing legacy of success” dates back to the post-civil war era. The President added that HBCUs always inspire students to dream bigger and aim higher. In 2017, Trump signed an executive order renewing the White House Initiative on HBCUs.
Surprisingly, in the District African American’s only make up about 46% of the cities population. DC’s Police Chief Peter Newsham asked people not to rush to judgement saying that one should not compare the percentages of those stopped with the District’s general population because most of the people stopped were not from DC.
Posted by
Posted on
The Metropolitan Police Department has released a report on who they have been stopping. It shows that African Americans are stopped more than any other race.
According to the study between July 22nd and August 18th officer stopped a little over 11,500 people. Of that number 70% were African American. Whites made up 15 % of the stops and Hispanics were stopped 7% of the times. It also reflected that the gender of the person stopped was male. The report did show that 88% of the times the person was not frisked.
Surprisingly, in the District African American’s only make up about 46% of the cities population. DC’s Police Chief Peter Newsham asked people not to rush to judgement saying that one should not compare the percentages of those stopped with the District’s general population because most of the people stopped were not from DC.
The study was ordered by a DC Superior Court judge over the summer following complaints from originations that accused the department of profiling blacks. The courts also ordered the MPD to explain what happened during each stop.
Follow me on Instagram and Twitter @taylorthomas963
Officials say the fall happened around 4:15 at the Park Ritchie Apartments on Maple Avenue in Takoma Park. The child fell on some mulch. It was just inches away from the concrete side walk and a parking lot.
Posted by
Posted on
A 2-year-old little boy is clinging onto life this hour at Children Medical Center. He fell yesterday afternoon from an 11th floor apartment window.
Officials say the fall happened around 4:15 at the Park Ritchie Apartments on Maple Avenue in Takoma Park. The child fell on some mulch. It was just inches away from the concrete sidewalk and a parking lot.
Detectives say there was an adult inside of the home at the time. The probe into the cause is still ongoing. The Child’s condition is unknown.
Follow me on Instagram and Twitter @taylorthomas963
Helping women to heal and live their best lives. That’s the goal of an upcoming conference set to take place this weekend in Prince George’s County. It’s the 3rd Annual Healing Is Beautiful Women’s Conference. My guest is Sheila Malloy-Hall – Founder and CEO of Healing2Grace, Inc.
The 3rd Annual Healing Is Beautiful Women’s Conference is Saturday, September 14th from 8am to 5pm at Crowne Plaza Hotel in Greenbelt, Maryland. The theme is The Evolution of You. It’s hosted by Healing2Grace, Inc. More information here:
Tune in to Taking it to the Streets, weekday mornings at 6:15, 7:08 and 8:40 on the Steve Harvey Morning Show on 96.3 WHUR.
Follow me on facebook and twitter at @bobbygailes for updates and to stay connected.
School has been in session now for all children for about a week or more. Yet some children are having trouble settling in for the new school year. New schools and new school year jitters are age-old problems. But are there other issues… more serious… that parents and teachers should be aware of?
Guests:
Chandrai Jackson Saunders, School Psychologist
Dr. Jeff Mensizes, Doctor Child Psychology
(Baltimore, MD) — Several buildings near the Inner Harbor in downtown Baltimore are being evacuated after a suspicious vehicle was found with 1,000 gallons of gasoline. Police and ATF are on the scene after a call about a suspicious van in the garage of the T. Rowe Price building around 11:00 a.m. A four block radius around the area has been evacuated and several streets have been closed. Drivers and pedestrians are being asked to avoid several streets.
Police have not released his identity and they are working to get the description of the vehicle involved. Investigators are asking anyone who may have been traveling on the road and seen something to contact them.
Posted by
Posted on
Prince George’s County Police are investigating two fatal pedestrian accidents in as many days.
The most recent happened this morning around 4 a.m. in the Westbound lane of Central Avenue. The male victim was found in the roadway.
Police have not released his identity and they are working to get the description of the vehicle involved. Investigators are asking anyone who may have been traveling on the road and seen something to contact them.
On Saturday, a man was hit and killed in District Heights. In this case, the man was hit not by just one car but two. Both drivers, however, stayed at the scene on Silver Hill Road.
The victim has not been identified and it’s unclear if any charges will be filed in this case.
Follow me on Instagram and Twitter @taylorthomas963
It’s CBC week and that means a host of activities and events to help inform and engage communities of color. The Airport Minority Advisory Council is hosting a forum designed to explore opportunities in the aviation industry. My guest is Anthony Barnes – COO of the Airport Minority Advisory Council
BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport is hosting the Airport Minority Advisory Council’s Economic Opportunity and Policy Forum September 11thand 12thduring Congressional Black Caucus Week. The forum will be held at the Washington Marriott Metro Center. To register, go here:
Tune in to Taking it to the Streets, weekday mornings at 6:15, 7:08 and 8:40 on the Steve Harvey Morning Show on 96.3 WHUR.
Follow me on facebook and twitter at @bobbygailes for updates and to stay connected.
Purposeful Unconditional Service to Others Foundation invites you to its Unity Music Fest September 14th at Drury Ball Park. www.omoutfoundation.com
Ivy Vine Health Walk Run
Feel empowered. Join the Ivy Community Charities of Prince Georges County for its 24th Annual 5k Health Walk Run September 28th at Watkins Regional Park. www.iccpgc.org.
Movie and Conversation
Enjoy a movie and conversation. Come out September 14th to the Panorama Room in SE for a social justice event. The discussion will center around the movie Central Park Five. www.olphsedc.com
Celebrate Black Women
Celebrate Black Women in the Media. Join the Afro American Newspapers for its 2nd Annual High Tea September 28th at the Masonic Temple in NW. www.afroevents.net
HU Middle School
Howard University Public Charter Middle School of Mathematics and Science provides healthy and nutritious meals for its students in partnership with the USDA. www.hu-ms2.org
Sickle Cell Move Event
Be a part of the solution. Join WHUR and Howard University Hospital for the Stomp Out Sickle Move On Event September 21st at Howard University Hospital. www.sicklecell.howard.edu
Gate Way Second Chance
The Gate Way Second Chance Foundation invites you to the musical “Lifting Our Youth In Song” September 28th at Martin’s Crosswinds in Greenbelt. www.secondchance.org
Kappa Kids Fun Run
Lace up your sneakers and join the brothers of Kappa Alpha Psi for their Kappa Cares Annual 5k kids Fun Run and Walk September 21st at the Anacostia Trail in College Park. www.hlkapsi.org
Financial Literacy Conference
Get your money right. The Society for Financial Education and Professional Development is hosting its 12th Annual Financial Literacy Leadership Conference October 7th in Arlington. www.sfepd.org
On part two of this episode, Dr. Wayne Frederick chats with Taylor Ellison and Raina Henderson, the second-ever female President and Vice-President slate in Howard University Student Association history (or herstory).
Inspired by their joint passion for driving impactful change as student leaders, it is their differences that make this duo truly dynamic. If there was ever a question, their campaign slogan “Wake Up HU” foreshadows what we should expect from the 59th HUSA administration. On part two of this episode, Dr. Wayne Frederick chats with Taylor Ellison and Raina Henderson, the second-ever female President and Vice-President slate in Howard University Student Association history (or herstory).
Are you a dog lover? That simple title may be difficult for those who are not to understand. It’s an obsession. They are part of the family. Big or small… they love their dogs. We’re talking about the love of dogs. What you need to know, if you’re going to get one for your household, especially if you have children.
Howard University students from The Bahamas held a vigil on campus today. The vigil is intended to serve as a time for prayer and reflection in the wake of Hurricane Dorian. A relief planning strategy session was held in the Carnegie Building immediately after the vigil. Over the coming weeks… the university will update the community with information on how to assist directly and in conjunction with the University.
“To be in yet another final, it seems, honestly, crazy,” said Williams, a six-time U.S. Open champion who will face 19-year-old Bianca Andreescu of Canada on Saturday. “But I don’t really expect too much less.”
NEW YORK (AP) — By no means was Serena Williams perfect at the start of her U.S. Open semifinal.
She faced three break points in the opening game and managed to pull it out. She trailed 40-love in the second, then came through again. Another trio of break points arrived later in that initial set. Once more, Williams was up to the task. Soon enough, she was on her way to yet another final at Flushing Meadows — and yet another shot at Grand Slam singles trophy No. 24.
Williams turned in an increasingly impressive performance for a 6-3, 6-1 victory over No. 5-seeded Elina Svitolina of Ukraine at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Thursday night, reaching her fourth final in the past six major tournaments.
“To be in yet another final, it seems, honestly, crazy,” said Williams, a six-time U.S. Open champion who will face 19-year-old Bianca Andreescu of Canada on Saturday. “But I don’t really expect too much less.”
Nor does anyone else at this point.
“That’s why she is who she is. You are playing in front of the best tennis player in the world,” Svitolina said. “If you don’t take it, she just grabs it. And there’s no chance to take it back.”
Since returning to the tour last season after more than a year away while having a baby, she was the runner-up at Wimbledon twice, losing to Angelique Kerber in 2018 and to Simona Halep in July, and was also the runner-up, of course, a year ago at the U.S. Open, losing to Naomi Osaka.
That one in New York was, and forever will be, overshadowed by Williams’ extended argument with chair umpire Carlos Ramos, who docked her a point, then a game — and was barred by the U.S. Tennis Association from officiating any matches her or her older sister, Venus, played in this year’s tournament.
Asked whether she prefers to find motivation from that final against Osaka or would rather forget it, Williams stared straight ahead and replied, “I mean, it hasn’t really crossed my mind.”
The 15th-seeded Andreescu reached her first major title match in only her fourth appearance at a Slam by eliminating No. 13 Belinda Bencic of Switzerland 7-6 (3), 7-5.
“If someone told me a year ago that I would be in the finals of the U.S. Open this year, I would have told them, ‘You’re crazy,’” said Andreescu, who took her semifinal’s last five games after trailing 5-2.
She is the first player to get this far in her debut in New York since Venus Williams was the runner-up in 1997.
“It’s just surreal,” Andreescu said about the prospect of facing Serena Williams next. “Like, I really don’t know what to say.”
So much of what the younger Williams does nowadays must be seen through the prism of tennis history, and that is certainly the case in this instance. Her 101st career match win at Flushing Meadows tied Chris Evert’s tournament record.
“It’s just impressive, I guess,” Williams said. “I don’t think about it. I just come out here and do what I can.”
By getting to the final, Williams set a mark for longest gap between first career Grand Slam title match and most recent such appearance: It’s almost exactly 20 full years since she won the 1999 U.S. Open as a teenager.
Most importantly, if she can beat Andreescu, Williams will equal Margaret Court with 24 Grand Slam singles titles, more than anyone else in a sport that dates to the 1800s.
“I watched her win most of her Grand Slam titles. I think she’s fighting for her 24th on Saturday. I’m sure she’s going to bring her ‘A’ game,” Andreescu said. “I’m going to try to bring my ‘A’ game, too. Hopefully, I guess, may the best player win.”
At the start of the first semifinal, it was the 24-year-old Svitolina who was steadier. She earned those three chances to break from the get-go — but failed to convert. Let the second game slip through her fingers, too. In all, Svitolina held eight game points across that opening pair, and was left with nothing to show for it. Quickly, it was 3-0 for Williams.
“I don’t think she played amazing today,” Svitolina said, “but she played (at a) very high level at the beginning, where you had to make a difference.”
Williams’ assessment?
“Today was solid,” she said. “It definitely wasn’t my best tennis.”
Still, she launched serves at up to 119 mph and saved every break point she faced. She smacked three return winners in one game alone. She held a 10-3 edge in points that lasted nine or more strokes. She finished with a 34-11 advantage in winners. She showed no lingering effect from a rolled ankle earlier in the tournament.
As if for good measure, Williams even threw in a serve-and-volley approach while facing break point in the first set — and, naturally, it worked, thanks to a swinging putaway.
“Don’t expect that again,” Williams said, joking that this was going through her mind: “What am I doing at the net?! Let me get back to the baseline!’”
Maybe Svitolina, whose one upset of Williams in five previous matchups came at the 2016 Rio Olympics, was too passive, content to stay back and try to chase down everything sent her way.
Wasn’t the proper strategy. At least not against this opponent, in this match, on this day.
“On the important moments, she steps up, always steps up,” Svitolina said, “always brings her best game.”
That’s usually the case for Williams, even as her 38th birthday approaches in three weeks. It just wasn’t in the three most significant matches of her return so far: three Grand Slam finals, three losses.
She’ll try again Saturday.
One more for 24.
“Obviously, there’s a lot of things that I’ve learned in the past,” Williams said, “but I just have to go out there (and), above all, most of all, just stay relaxed.”
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Is Nicki Minaj really hanging up the mic?
The chart-topping rapper announced Thursday on Twitter that she “decided to retire & have my family.” Her announcement comes as a surprise after she recently made a guest appearance on Megan Thee Stallion’s “Hot Girl Summer.”
In the tweet, Minaj she took a jab at her critics and asked her fans to “keep reppin me, do it til da death of me.”
In July, Minaj announced she was pulling out a show in Saudi Arabia to show support women’s rights, gay rights and freedom of expression. She also canceled her appearance at the BET Experience Concert earlier this year.
Last year, Minaj released her fourth studio album “Megatron.”
A representative for Minaj didn’t immediately reply to messages.
“I leaned on my mom, and my mother has the saying, ‘God didn’t bring me this far to let you go.’ And so at some point I could not just keep regurgitating the line leap of faith — I had to believe it,” she recalled, laughing, in a recent interview. “I’ve got to believe in something, so why not believe in myself?”
NEW YORK (AP) — When Tamron Hall decided to leave NBC after the network gave her prime “Today” co-hosting slot to Megyn Kelly, the journalist threw herself a party — a pity party.
That included plenty of tears and a bit of feeling sorry for herself— to the point that “my mother said to me, ‘You can always come back to your room here,’ and I’m like, ‘Mom that’s not in the plan!’”
She didn’t have a specific plan when she left in 2017. All she had was faith that something bigger had to be on the horizon.
“I leaned on my mom, and my mother has the saying, ‘God didn’t bring me this far to let you go.’ And so at some point I could not just keep regurgitating the line leap of faith — I had to believe it,” she recalled, laughing, in a recent interview. “I’ve got to believe in something, so why not believe in myself?”
That belief has paid off with amazing dividends for Hall, who not only now has a husband and a 4-month-old son Moses, but her own eponymous show that will debut across the nation on Monday.
“She loses her job, her dream job of her life, and at that moment, she’s what, 45, 46? She doesn’t have a job, she doesn’t have the kid she thought she was going to have, she doesn’t have the husband she thought she was going to have,” said Bill Geddie, “The View” creator who came out of retirement to be executive producer on “Tamron Hall” with Hall.
“Instead she rebuilds herself just through force of will,” he added, “and everything comes together in 2019. So, it’s kind of an amazing story, one you don’t see a lot, and a lot of people relate to it.”
Hall was hosting the successful third hour of the “Today” show with Al Roker when NBC decided to make room for Kelly; Hall decided to opt out of her contract instead of taking a lesser role. Kelly later imploded in the slot after making racist comments.
“Tamron Hall” will enter an already crowded talk space when it debuts in syndication, including a new entry from Kelly Clarkson, whose talk show bows the same day.
Hall, 48, is not concerned though, because what she thinks “Tamron Hall” will provide is a unique factor —herself.
“At one point I was on four networks at the same time. I was doing MSNBC, the ‘Today’ show, ID (Investigation Discovery network) and TLC, coupled with Bear Grylls and regularly hosting the Macy’s Fourth of July. So at any given time, people know me from six different, versions of my career,” she said, while enjoying a glass of wine while sitting at the Harlem restaurant Ruby’s Vintage. “And we thought, it’s a range of an audience. Let’s bring all of those people into one location.”
To that end, “Tamron Hall” might focus on a newsy topic one day, and fashion the next. Another show could focus on motherhood. Perhaps dating and relationships. Or crime, which speaks to Hall’s work on ID and her personal experience from being the sister of a murder victim.
“The beauty about the show is that it’s not about one lane, it’s a reflection of who she is in her entirety,” said co-executive producer Talia Parkinson-Jones, a veteran of the Wendy Williams show. “We know exactly what she wants, which is to inspire people.”
Don’t expect a show with a lot of shouting about politics. Says Geddie: “I’ve had enough of that, and I’d like to do something different now.”
It also won’t be heavy on celebrity guests.
“We both are from the middle of the country, I’m from Oklahoma, she’s from Texas,” Geddie said. “I think both of us are aware that most of television is New York talking to Los Angeles. We find that most of television talks past or through the middle of the country, and we hope to change that.”
Though she lives in Harlem and has been a New Yorker for years, there’s a universal appeal that Hall enjoys that even she didn’t realize until her time off, as she traveled the country speaking at events.
“I’ll never forget, we were in Houston, right after I had left and there were these couples who happened to be white, and it was the husbands (who said), ‘TEAM TAMRON! TEAM TAMRON!’” she said, laughing. “That’s what also I think Disney and our partners recognized too, that we were seeing this cross-section of people saying, ‘When are you coming back?’”
Hall’s comeback might have come sooner had it not been for the Harvey Weinstein scandal. She had entered into a partnership with the Weinstein company before the sexual misconduct scandal involving Weinstein broke and the #MeToo era gave way.
It was another setback.
“I couldn’t believe that, but at the same time I felt so guilty thinking about my career, and then thinking about the allegations that the women were making . I’m sitting there going like, ’I can’t be thinking about myself,” she said. “From the first words out there, I couldn’t do that. I wasn’t raised that way. . I just said maybe that wasn’t meant (to be).”
But her TV destiny was set, and soon, Disney came calling, and her TV show was put into motion. Unbeknownst to most involved with the show, Hall was also working on another project — having a baby with her husband, music executive Steve Greener, whom she married earlier this year.
Hall went through IVF to conceive and recalls getting shots to prepare for the procedure as she was crisscrossing the country while shooting “Deadline: Crime With Tamron Hall.” She laughed as she recalled getting a shot from her celebrity hairstylist Johnny Wright while in the back of an Uber.
It was a process Hall had been through several times in the past, unsuccessfully. Though some women might have postponed the process during such a busy time, Hall had learned through past experience that it didn’t really matter.
“Both (the show and the baby) were so out of my control and that was the similarity,” she said. “I can only put so much into both of those.”
Now that both have come to fruition, she finds herself doing the working mother juggle and relishing the opportunity. Tears came to her eyes as she recalled having left her son for a recent trip and returning home to find him sound asleep as her mother watched over him.
“I took that as, ’Mom, “I’m safe, I’m good, I’m going to sleep restful right here, right now, you go do it Mommy, you go get it, and that’s been satisfying for me as a working mom, because there’s been a lot of real guilt,” she said.
She recalled her own mother, a single mom at 19, working multiple jobs to provide for her children.
“So now I get this daytime talk show, far more glamorous to working in a leather factory, and I get to come home to my mom sitting right there, helping me with my son,” she said, through tears.
It’s an emotional moment, but also a very relatable one, and what she hopes to convey with “Tamron Hall.”
“That is my life. That’s the show I want to do. That’s the voice I want to have. And I think that it’s where I’m supposed to be,” she said.
“Sometimes being an O.G., you don’t get celebrated. You get penalized,” he said. “Some are like ‘He’s too old.’ So to find yourself still having a place in this game, where you can still compete and make great music, it’s an indication to allow people to know that it’s being played all over the world. It’s being accepted by our peers. It’s a blessing.”
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Johnny Gill might be considered an old-school crooner these days, but age has only been a number for the R&B veteran who is still making his presence felt.
Gill’s “Soul of a Woman” topped Billboard’s adult R&B songs chart in June and “Perfect” featuring New Edition bandmate Ralph Tresvant recently reached No. 22. The songs are lead singles for his eighth studio album “Game Changer II,” which arrives Friday.
At age 53, Gill said he’s grateful to still be musically appreciated.
“Sometimes being an O.G., you don’t get celebrated. You get penalized,” he said. “Some are like ‘He’s too old.’ So to find yourself still having a place in this game, where you can still compete and make great music, it’s an indication to allow people to know that it’s being played all over the world. It’s being accepted by our peers. It’s a blessing.”
Gill found fame with the five-member New Edition group after Bobby Brown’s departure in the late 1980s, recording three studio albums with them. He also teamed with Gerald Levert and Keith Sweat to form R&B super group LSG who had the 1997 hit “My Body.”
As a solo artist, Gill proved he could thrive on his own with the upbeat 90s dance track “Rub You the Right Way” and the smooth ballad “My, My, My.”
Despite his achievements, Gill said he didn’t enjoy big career milestones as much as he should. The singer said he learned over time to relish in his accomplishments better.
“I never really took it all in,” he said “What I’ve learned now over the years of doing this is to be in the moment, stay in the moment and embrace it. You can walk from that recognizing and realizing that you have something you can cherish, hold on and take with you.”
With his new project, Gill said he wants to offer different melodies other than his traditional R&B flavor. The 11-track album includes slow ballads and up-tempo tracks, reggae tunes along with some Latin energy from Carlos Santana and Sheila E.
The album is a sequel to Gill’s 2016 offering, “Game Changer,” which included “This One’s For Me and You,” an adult R&B chart-topper with New Edition.
Tresvant credits Gill for pushing through with another “strong project.” He said that was evident when Gill met the deadline to turn in “Perfect.”
It was a song Gill initially wanted an “all-star” lineup on that would have included Charlie Wilson, Keith Sweat and Tresvant. But Gill was unable to get Wilson and Sweat’s verses in on time, so he submitted the track with just him and Tresvant.
In hindsight, it worked out.
Tresvant said it’s another example of Gill taking authority of his career.
“He’s been doing this himself,” he said of Gill. “He’s been putting his own resources and his connections and money where his mouth is to make sure his career stays relevant.”
The plane did not attempt to take off. The pilot notified the tower and all the passengers were removed from the aircraft and flown to their destination on another plane.
Posted by
Posted on
It’s an inconceivable story but an American Airlines mechanic is under arrest and charged with sabotaging a commercial plane in the hopes of getting overtime to fix it.
Yesterday Abdul-Majeed Marouf Ahmed Alani was arrested on suspicion of disabling a planes navigation system. The alleged incident happened on July 17th at Miami International Airport. The commercial plane was filled with passengers and headed to Nassau, Bahamas. One of the pilots noticed that there was an issue after getting an error message from a system that tracks the planes speed, nose direction and other critical information needed to fly safely. There were 150 passengers on board at the time. The plane did not attempt to take off. The pilot notified the tower and all the passengers were removed from the aircraft and flown to their destination on another plane.
When the plane was inspected a piece of foam was found glued inside of the navigation systems air data module. Security from American Airlines capture video of the person who drove up to the plane, go out and spent about seven minutes working on the system.
When Alani was questioned yesterday by an FBI terrorism task force agent he said that he did not mean to cause any harm to the aircraft or the passengers but that the stalled contract negotiations between the airlines and his union were costing him money and that he was hoping it would lead to overtime for him.
American Airlines sued two mechanics unions after accusing them of a work slowdown which resulted in the cancellation of hundreds of flights. Officials from both sides have announced that they will continue talks on September 16th. The mechanic’s union has been trying to secure a new contract for the last three years.
American Airline is cooperating with the investigation. Alani who has been charged with intentionally damaging or disabling an aircraft is due in federal court in Miami Today.
Follow me on Instagram and Twitter @taylorthomas963
Tuition for non residents ranges from $10,000 to $14,000 a year. By law the city can charge three times the unpaid tuition.
Posted by
Posted on
The District of Columbia’s Attorney General Karl A.Racine is back on the hunt for school violators. He has identified 16 parents in either Maryland or Virginia that he says gave a false address so their child/children could attend public school in the city for free.
Racine is seeking almost 3 million dollars in back tuition and penalties for the residency fraud. The accused violators include a Metropolitan police officer and five past or current federal government workers.
The announcement was made last Thursday. Racine says it’s apart of his two year pursuit of families he says it taking away seats for qualified DC residents. In a statement he said. “These lawsuits should remind non-DC residents that there are consequences for breaking the rules to avoid paying nonresident tuition.”
Tuition for non residents ranges from $10,000 to $14,000 a year. By law the city can charge three times the unpaid tuition.
The DC police officer named in the suit along with his wife are being sued for $775,733. The papers state Edward Smith and Rayna Bailey-Smith of Maryland sent four of their children to DC public schools for a decade. Also named was a former teacher LaShana Shubert of Brandywine, Lynette Broadus and Kevin Tolson who lived in either Maryland or Virginia at the time, Amanda Turner of Tokoma Park, Md and LaFonta Dublin of Capitol Height, Md. Marcus Silver and his wife Marva who live in Hyattsville, Md are being sued for $27,000 for sending their daughter to middle school in the city.
Follow me on Instagram and Twitter @taylorthomas963
Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club presents Walter Beasley tonight for an 8pm show.
Stanley Jordan performs at Blues Alley this weekend for two shows each night 8 & 10pm.
City Winery presents singer songwriter and producer Tony Terry Saturday night. Doors open at 5:30pm and the show starts at 7pm.
The Mosaic Theatre Company presents Lynn Nottage’s “Fabulation”or the re-education of undine. Running through September 22nd.
JoinWes Hall this Saturday at the Kennedy Center of Performing Arts for “The Reach” Opening Festival starting at 12noon. For more information go to: kennedy-center.org/reach
Tune in to Taking it to the Streets, weekday mornings at 6:15, 7:08 and 8:40on the Steve Harvey Morning Show on 96.3 WHUR.
Follow me on Facebook and twitter at @bobbygailes for updates and to stay connected.
When it comes to tent cities and the homeless on the streets, who has the right to be there? Who has the right to call for their removal? Are there solutions?
You don’t have to drive in the dc metro for long to see the homeless living on the streets. Some sleep in parks or on benches with all of their possessions in backpacks or shopping carts nearby. But others are seen in tent cities around The District. Some have been in these homeless street communities for years. In some cases it has caused tension for homeowners. Who is right?
Guests:
Renee Pope, Assistant Director, Community Services Division, Prince George’s County Department of Social ServicesJoeseph Mettimano, CEO, The Central Union Mission
“This was my first time at Milk & Honey. I had heard so much about the great cuisine here so I made sure I tried a little bit of everything on the menu. But the food was even tastier when I learned that WHUR and Wells Fargo were picking up my tab,” said customer Jasmine.
Posted by
Posted on
https://youtu.be/Pg0eVGxz6wE
Washington, D.C. – (Thursday, September 5, 2019) – It’s one of D.C.’s new hot-spots and today customers at Milk & Honey Cafe’ got a special treat when WHUR and Wells Fargo popped in for lunch.
Milk & Honey at 5832 Georgia Avenue, NW was the latest stop on the WHUR and Wells Fargo mission to spread kindness in the DMV with their “Pay It Forward Thursdays” initiative. WHUR’s Taylor Thomas made the announcement shortly at 12:30pm during the peak of the afternoon rush.”Good afternoon, I hope everyone is enjoying your meal. I just want to let you know that your lunch today is on us, courtesy of WHUR and Wells Fargo.”
Customers were delighted to know that they could chow down on some of their favorite cuisine like the fried red snapper or the shrimp and grits and not have to dig into their pocketbooks.
“This was my first time at Milk & Honey. I had heard so much about the great cuisine here so I made sure I tried a little bit of everything on the menu. But the food was even tastier when I learned that WHUR and Wells Fargo were picking up my tab,” said customer Jasmine .
WHUR and Wells Fargo have been crisscrossing the DMV since July popping up in local businesses to surprise unsuspecting customers and paying their bills. “Pay It Forward Thursdays is just another way we get to meet and engage with listeners and let them know we are an invested part of the community,” said WHUR General Manager Sean Plater.
You just never know where we will pop up next. In the meantime, make sure you’re doing something to make the DMV just a bit more kinder. #PayItForwardWHUR#WhereWeLiveDC #WHURFM
“I think you get to see a different side of it than somebody who sees it from the outside and gets to see the glitz and glam. I got to see the hell part of it,” said 21-year-old Abi, born Joann Kelly, in a recent interview with The Associated Press. “I didn’t want to be in the industry.”
NEW YORK (AP) — For a long time, Buku Abi ran away from pursuing music.
Although she is the daughter of one of pop music’s most popular and successful singer-songwriters, her father is also among the most infamous: He is R. Kelly, currently in jail, facing multiple charges of sexual abuse and sex trafficking.
“I think you get to see a different side of it than somebody who sees it from the outside and gets to see the glitz and glam. I got to see the hell part of it,” said 21-year-old Abi, born Joann Kelly, in a recent interview with The Associated Press. “I didn’t want to be in the industry.”
Even before she was born, her father was under scrutiny for his interactions with young women: He had secretly married his then-protege, Aaliyah, when the late R&B sensation was just 15 in 1994. But by the time Abi was a child, while Kelly was still a multiplatinum star raking up hit after hit, he was also on trial, accused of child pornography (he would eventually be acquitted in 2008).
Abi said going to public school for the first time as an early teen was challenging — there she heard stories about her father that she had not heard before.
“At home it’s normal, you’re living a life with your parents; your dad and mom aren’t going to go into all the bad things that might be going on outside of home,” she said, “but kids in school don’t necessarily care. Fifth and sixth grade is when I started learning the sore part of it, the not so good part. I think that was the hardest part for me because for so long I went with this image of who my dad (was) and what my family (was).”
Things were so bad in school, she even contemplated suicide. But though school is where her life almost ended, it’s also where she felt it truly began: She recalls singing onstage in high school during a performance, which she said “literally felt like drugs.”
“I needed more of this,” she added. “Clearly I can’t keep running from this anymore. Ever since then, I’ve been in it and it’s literally saved my life.”
Entering the music business comes with a different challenge for Abi: She can’t escape the fact that R. Kelly is her father. She is no longer in touch with him and says being his daughter is like “a double-edged sword.”
“I definitely run across challenges — people wanting to work with me to spite him or people not wanting to work with me just because of who he is,” she said. “I’ve definitely come across turmoil … being judged for really no reason at all, just based off associations. I’ve been pushing through it. Me making the art, it saved my life so there’s nothing really that would be able to stop me.”
Abi decided not to use the name her parents gave her in her career. She settled on the stage name Buku Abi about three years ago after first going by the name Ariirayé. In the last five years she’s been hard at work on her debut EP, “Don’t Call Me,” released this March. Her sister Jaah Kelly produced the album, which echoes SZA and other millennial artists in the alternative R&B world.
When it comes to making music, she doesn’t deny that’s where she and her father connect: “There’s a lot about him as an artist that inspires me.”
“He has made mistakes in his life and other things that he’s dealing with, but when it comes to that, I can’t take that away from him,” she said. “That’s the one thing that will always keep us connected.”
Abi once thought she and her father would mend things. Under her former stage name Ariirayé, she collaborated with him on the song “Wanna Be There,” a plea to restore their broken relationship. It appears on his 2015 album, “The Buffet.”
“When you conquer the world I just wanna be there/But no matter how successful baby girl/When you need someone to lean on I just wanna be your shoulder,” R. Kelly sings to Abi on the song.
“At that time I was in a place where I was genuinely trying to have a relationship with my father,” she said. “But it was so complicated at that time, as it always is. It was a great experience, I’m glad that I did it, but it just wasn’t like what everybody assumed, and that’s the part that sucks. It wasn’t this big kumbaya moment.”
R. Kelly is currently in a Chicago jail. He pleaded not guilty in federal court to charges that he sexually abused women and girls who attended his concerts there. He has been accused of using his fame to recruit young women and girls into illegal sexual activity, and has also been charged in Chicago and Minnesota for separate incidents. While he had been dogged by allegations that he abused women for years (a charge he denies) , scrutiny from January’s highly rated Lifetime documentary “Surviving R. Kelly,” which detailed multiple allegations against him, led to new investigations and new charges (among his legal troubles is also a backlog in child support for his children, including Abi).
Abi said she tries not to pay attention to the daily updates about her father: “I don’t let that be a part of my every day (life).”
″(We) don’t have a relationship, so it’s not like me to check in on him,” she said. “I don’t personally go look it all up and read. I keep myself out of it.”
Abi currently lives in Atlanta and appeared on the WEtv reality series “Growing Up Hip Hop: Atlanta” alongside her mother and R. Kelly’s ex-wife, choreographer Drea Kelly.
“Just watching my baby grow into this young woman and be unapologetic about who she is and what she stands for and what she believes, really just being her own artist and owning her artistry and not coming out trying to be or ride the tail of being R. Kelly’s daughter — she’s really going at this alone and that’s what brings her pride,” Drea Kelly said. “I’m elated.”
But Drea Kelly, who was featured in “Surviving R. Kelly” and has accused her former husband of domestic abuse, has also been disheartened by what she sees as the public blaming Abi for Kelly’s alleged misdeeds.
“If your mom has an addiction, should everybody judge you off your mom’s addiction? … Everyone would say no, but then why is it OK for people to do it to my children simply because of who he is?” said Kelly, who has three children with the singer. “I’ve taught Buku, I’ve taught all my children … you don’t wait for the world to give you a shot, you go out there and take your shot.”
Abi says the foul words she heard in school that almost caused her to end her life has prepared her for what’s to come: “Growing up has given me an armor, almost.”
“I just want people to know that, at the end of the day, the stereotypes that you may have for other people, whether it be about race, sexuality, their financial status, don’t judge a book by its cover because nine times out of 10 you’re completely wrong,” she said. “I want to be an example of that.”
___
This story has been corrected to show R. Kelly is in a jail in Chicago, not New York.
Reportedly the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs are now looking over more than 70 cases that investigator in the Kennedy Street fire closed recently.
Posted by
Posted on
Weeks after the death of a man and a 9-year-old boy in an illegal boarding house on Kennedy Street in Northwest, DC’s Police Chief Peter Newsham has announced some major changes to what officers must do if they feel a home has fire code violations.
Tuesday, Chief Newsham released his signed executive order setting up new guidelines for his officers who come across safety violations at homes or businesses.
Under the new rules, officers must immediately report possible fire code violations to a supervisor. That person will send the complaint to the Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department District’s dispatch center. At that point, a fire battalion chief will immediately go to the site and perform an inspection.
Fire Chief Gregory Dean says their goal will be to inspect the home within 30 minutes of the notification. Reportedly the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs are now looking over more than 70 cases that investigator in the Kennedy Street fire closed recently. DC Mayor Muriel Bowser has called for an independent criminal investigation into the fatal blaze.
City officials confirmed four city employees, two fire and two DCRA workers have been placed on leave as a result of how the Kennedy Street matter was handled following repeated notifications from a DC police officer.
Follow me on Instagram and Twitter @taylorthomas963
Also in the vehicle were Jared Black, who was driving, and his fiancee, Rebecca Broxterman. The report said Black was not under the influence of alcohol.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A 911 call released Wednesday describes the moments after Kevin Hart was seriously injured after his muscle car crashed on a mountainous Southern California roadway.
The witness describes a man believed to be Hart and telling a dispatcher that he “looked like he’s hurting.”
The eyewitness account is part of 911 audio recordings released by the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
A California Highway Patrol collision report said Hart was a passenger in a 1970 Plymouth Barracuda that went off Mulholland Highway and rolled down an embankment early Sunday.
Also in the vehicle were Jared Black, who was driving, and his fiancee, Rebecca Broxterman. The report said Black was not under the influence of alcohol.
The witness also described Black as appearing to be seriously hurt. The witness also said the roof of the totaled vehicle was “crushed” with smashed in doors. He said he was at the accident “with another car that pulled over to help” adding “only one car” went off the highway.
The CHP said Hart, 40, and Black, 28, suffered “major back injuries.” Hart’s wife has said the actor-comedian will be fine.
Broxterman, 31, only complained of pain.
The report said Hart had left the scene to his nearby residence to get medical attention. He and Black were ultimately taken to different hospitals.
It remains unclear how the accident will affect Hart, who has emerged from his roots in standup comedy to become one a major Hollywood star. His next major release, “Jumanji: The Next Level,” is scheduled for release in December.
The accident, which remains under investigation, occurred on a stretch of road in the hills above the city of Malibu.
Leaving at least 20 people dead in its wake in the devastated Bahamas, Dorian made its way up the Eastern Seaboard, sweeping past Florida on Wednesday at a relatively safe distance. From there, the Category 3 storm apparently grazed Georgia, then hugged the South Carolina coast with more serious effects.
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Re-energized at 115 mph, Hurricane Dorian raked the Southeastern U.S. coast with howling, window-rattling winds and sideways rain Thursday, knocking out power to more than 200,000 homes and businesses as it pushed northward toward North Carolina’s dangerously exposed Outer Banks.
Leaving at least 20 people dead in its wake in the devastated Bahamas, Dorian made its way up the Eastern Seaboard, sweeping past Florida on Wednesday at a relatively safe distance. From there, the Category 3 storm apparently grazed Georgia, then hugged the South Carolina coast with more serious effects.
An estimated 3 million people in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas were warned to evacuate as the storm closed in with the potential for life-threatening storm surge. Navy ships were ordered to ride it out at sea, and military aircraft were moved inland.
At least two deaths were reported on the U.S. mainland, in Florida and North Carolina, both involving men who fell while getting ready for the storm.
The National Hurricane Center’s projected track showed Dorian passing near or over the Outer Banks on Friday, lashing the thin line of islands that stick out from the U.S. coast like a boxer’s chin. Dorian was then expected to peel away from the shoreline.
In an assault that began over Labor Day weekend, Dorian pounded the Bahamas with Category 5 winds up to 185 mph (295 kph), obliterating entire neighborhoods and triggering a humanitarian crisis. It weakened to a Category 2 before strengthening again late Wednesday.
About 830,000 people were under mandatory evacuation orders on the South Carolina coast alone.
More than 1,500 people sought refuge in 28 shelters in South Carolina, where rain began falling late Wednesday in the historic port city of Charleston, situated on a peninsula that is prone to flooding even from ordinary storms.
As Dorian crept dangerously closer, the wind picked up, sending sheets of rain sideways. Thunder boomed in the night sky, and power flickered on and off. More than two dozen blocks were closed by flooding in the city, where stores and restaurants downtown were boarded up with wood and corrugated metal.
Dorian remained a force to be reckoned with, its swirling circle of winds and rain wrapped around a large, gaping eye visible on photos taken from space.
At 8 a.m. EDT Thursday, the hurricane was centered about 70 miles (115 kilometers) southeast of Charleston, moving north at 8 mph (13 kph) with winds of 115 mph (185 kph) extending about 60 miles (95 kilometers) outward.
Hurricane warnings were in effect for the coasts of both South and North Carolina.
Hundreds of shelter animals from coastal South Carolina arrived in Delaware ahead of the storm. The News Journal of Wilmington, Delaware, said 200 were airlifted early Tuesday from shelters in danger of flooding. About 150 more were expected to arrive via land.
Hundreds of thousands of people also were ordered off the Georgia coast. But the mayor of Tybee Island, Georgia, said Dorian inflicted little damage overnight on the small beach community. Jason Buelterman said the storm spared the 3,000 residents from flooding, with high tide about 3 feet lower than predicted.
The lone highway linking the island to Savannah on the mainland remained open throughout the night.
“If the worst that comes out of this is people blame others for calling evacuations, then that’s wonderful,” Buelterman said.
Tybee Islander Bruce Pevey went outside to take photos of unscathed homes to text to neighbors who evacuated. The storm, he said, turned out to be “a bunch of nothing.”
___
Associated Press reporters Russ Bynum in Savannah, Georgia; Gary Robertson in Raleigh, North Carolina; Jeffrey Collins in Carolina Beach, North Carolina; Jay Reeves in Birmingham, Alabama; Michael Schneider in Orlando, Florida; David Fischer in Miami; and Meg Kinnard in Charleston, South Carolina, contributed to this report.
Looking for caring families and individuals. That’s the message this morning from the National Center for Children and Families. They are in need of foster parents for youth and teens in the DMV.My guest is Tanya Sherman – Director of Recruitment and Training for Foster Parents for the National Center for Children and Families
National Center for Children and Families is looking for persons to become foster parents in the DMV, mainly for teens. More information here:
Tune in to Taking it to the Streets, weekday mornings at 6:15, 7:08 and 8:35 on the Steve Harvey Morning Showon 96.3 WHUR.
Follow me on facebook and twitter at @bobbygailes for updates and to stay connected.
Drug abuse and recovery are no laughing matter. As difficult at recovery is… it can be done. We recognize National Recovery Month and talk about overcoming serious addictions.
Dr. Janice Davis, Director of Clinical Education, Howard University
Dr. Sandra Crewe, Dean, Howard University School of Social WorkHorace Anding, Addiction Counselor
