What happens when you need a kidney transplant? What you need to know.
Boxing champ killed in car accident.
Today’s show was sparked from a heartfelt instagram post by former Washington NFL player, Albert Haynesworth who opened up about his kidney failure.
Today’s show was sparked from a heartfelt instagram post by former Washington NFL player, Albert Haynesworth who opened up about his kidney failure. Haynesworth took to the social media to share that he is in need of a kidney transplant and is searching for a donor.
Today we brought in John Bayton a kidney recipient, Alice Andor,Senior Director of Communications from the American Kidney Fund, and by phone Kaylin Curry from Vanderbilt University Center. They spoke about what it means to be on the receiving end of a kidney transplant and how you can become a donor and be involved.
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The Baton Rouge Police Department issued a statement recognizing Joseph and what she meant to others.
Sadie Roberts-Joseph, who was 75 years old was a known community leader. According to the Advocate, she founded the Odell S. Williams Now and Then African American History Museum in 2001 and was the creator of the organization “Community Against Drugs and Violence. ” She was a strong advocate and promoted making Juneteenth a state and national holiday.
The Baton Rouge Police Department issued a statement recognizing Joseph and what she meant to others. ” Ms. Sadie was a tireless advocate of peace in the community”, said the agency.
“Ms. Sadie is a treasure to our community, she will be missed by BRPD and her loss will be felt in the community she served”, said the agency.
Her cause of death is still under investigation. It’s unknown what led police officers to the discovery of her body in the trunk of her car.
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The CFO David Umansky says they cannot shift money from within the system to fill the shortfall.
As is it stands now in the District, no government agencies can go into the next fiscal year carrying a debt. The current school system’s budget is $900 million dollars. That means leaders have until the end of the fiscal year, September 30th to bridge that gap. The CFO David Umansky says they cannot shift money from within the system to fill the shortfall.
When asked officials say one of the reasons has to do with the increasing cost of qualified and talented staff and teachers. Umansky says the Mayor and school leaders are looking for funds from other city agencies to balance the budget.
The system already has a hiring freeze in place at its headquarters and employee travel and training has been cut back over the last few weeks. Bonuses were awarded to teachers with outstanding annual assessments. In addition, the school system had to deal with overtime pay for staff members.
School officials are confident that they will have a balanced budget by the end of the fiscal year.
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The winners received tickets to Kings Dominion, complete with parking passes, lunch, and fast passes to avoid long lines at the amusement park. The teachers received WHUR t-shirts, wristbands, and other goodies.
Bowie, Maryland (Monday, July 15, 2019) – When it comes to being kind, 5th grade students at Tulip Grove Elementary School in Bowie, Maryland say it comes easy for them. WHUR visited the school last month after the students submitted a video showing how they go about their day thinking of others. The students entered a three minute video as part of the “WHUR Kings Dominion Kindness Challenge.”
We asked 5th graders at schools in the District, Prince George’s County, and Alexandria to tell us how they define kindness. The winners received tickets to Kings Dominion, complete with parking passes, lunch, and fast passes to avoid long lines at the amusement park. The teachers received WHUR t-shirts, wristbands, and other goodies. WHUR Digital Reporter Candice Adkins made the big announcement. The reaction and remarks are priceless.
The Mosaic Theatre presents the one-man production, “Twisted Melodies”
This morning we are profiling an amazing play underway at the Mosaic Theatre. Twisted Melodies is the story of 70s soul legend Donny Hathaway’s final 24 hours, his battle with mental illness and internal struggles. My guest is Kelvin Roston, Jr. – Author, performer and musical director
Twisted Melodies is a one-man show based on the life of 70s soul singer and composer Donny Hathaway. The play is an immersive and crashing production about Hathaway’s compelling inner struggles. Twisted Melodies is underway thru July 21stat the Mosaic Theater. 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.
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Listen to this mornings segment here:
Tech companies are allowing employees to ask each other out on a date once. Is it a good idea?
Guests:
“It broke my heart, but with all the stress I went through with this baby, I don’t know how I could have done it,” Kenya said. “Even now, breastfeeding every three hours, changing diapers, being up at all hours. I just don’t think I could have been present.”
Kenya Moore returns back for season 12 of “Real Housewives of Atlanta”. Moore was shown in a sneak peak of the season 11 finale which airs on BravoTv Sunday 8/7c.
From the looks of things, Nene’s personal feelings about Kenya’s arrival is going to cause some drama between the women on the show and may put an end to Nene and Cynthia’s friendship. “This is a bunch of bulls–t that Cythia’s doing,” Nene said in the preview. “I’m really afraid that our friendship will end forever.”
Kenya told PEOPLE magazine during an interview about her sadness of not sharing her new life as a mother and wife.
“It broke my heart, but with all the stress I went through with this baby, I don’t know how I could have done it,” Kenya said. “Even now, breastfeeding every three hours, changing diapers, being up at all hours. I just don’t think I could have been present.”
However, according to the insider, both the production team and Moore wanted her to return to her life as a full-time parent and wife. Moore wanted more money than what the producers were offering. The producers also wanted to film all aspects of her life which including personal time with Kenya and her husband Marc Daly.
Since Kenya left ‘RHOA’, she has kept a good line of communication with some of the cast mates including Cynthia Bailey, Kandi Burruss, and Porsha Williams. Moore even attended Williams’ baby shower.
Kenya welcomed her first child to the world, Brooklyn Doris Daly, on November 4, 2018. The ‘RHOA’ mom continues to keep her fans up to date on her new life as a mother and wife to her husband Marc Daly on all social media platforms.
It’s easy to greet these remakes both cynically and a little eagerly. In the case of “The Lion King,” the songs are still good, the Shakespearean story still solid. And, well, Beyonce’s in it.
Close on the heels of “live-action” remakes of “Aladdin” and “Dumbo” and on the precipice of a reborn “The Little Mermaid,” ″The Lion King” is back, too. Round and round we go. Cue Savannah sunrise. Cue “Naaaants ingonyama bagithi baba!”
The remakes have themselves been a mixed bag offering some combination of modern visual effects, fresh casting and narrative tweaks to catch up more dated material to the times. Don’t count on a new “Song of the South,” but much of the Disney library will soon have been outfitted with digital clothes for the Internet era.
It’s easy to greet these remakes both cynically and a little eagerly. In the case of “The Lion King,” the songs are still good, the Shakespearean story still solid. And, well, Beyonce’s in it.
And yet Jon Favreau’s “The Lion King,” so abundant with realistic simulations of the natural world, is curiously lifeless. The most significant overhaul to an otherwise slavishly similar retread is the digital animation rendering of everything, turning the film’s African grasslands and its animal inhabitants into a photo-realistic menagerie. The Disney worlds of cartoon and nature documentary have finally merged.
It’s an impressive leap in visual effects, which included Favreau, cinematographer Caleb Descehanel and VFX chief Rob Legato making use of virtual-reality environments. Some of the computer-generated makeovers are beautiful. Mufasa, the lion king voiced again by James Earl Jones, is wondrously regal, and his mane might be the most majestic blonde locks since Robert Redford. And the grass stalks of the pride lands shimmer in the African sunlight.
But it’s a hollow victory. By turning the elastic, dynamic hand-drawn creations of Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff’s 1994 original into realistic-looking animals, “The Lion King” has greatly narrowed its spectrum of available expressions. Largely lost are the kinds of characterization that can flow from voice actor to animation. (Think of how closely fused Tom Hanks is with Woody in the “Toy Story” movies.) Here, most of the starry voice actors (including Donald Glover as the grown-up lion prince Simba, Beyonce as the older lioness Nala and Chiwetel Ejiofor as the villainous Scar) feel remote from their characters. And, in many cases, so do we.
It’s worth asking: Just how real do we need our talking animals? Do we need the feathered majordomo Zazu (voiced by John Oliver) to look enough like a red-billed hornbill to win the approval of avid birders? “The Lion King” may well be a pivotal stepping stone toward CGI splendors to come, but for now, it feels like realism has been substituted for enchantment.
That doesn’t stop an army of top craft professionals and an enviable voice cast from doing their best to inject some vitality into “The Lion King.” The familiar songs by Elton John and Tim Rice are back, along with a new tune by Rice and Beyonce, though this time, the score by Hans Zimmer, with Lebo M., feels more airy and buoyant.
Yet the degree to which this “Lion King” mimics the first is disappointing. (Jeff Nathanson gets a solo writing credit but scene-to-scene the film hues extremely close to the original.) There’s a sound case to be made that the tale, which has been running on Broadway for more than 20 years, needs little revision.
But the few deviations taken by the filmmakers make you want more. The role of Nala has rightfully been elevated and toughened. The most rope for riffing has been extended to the new Timon and Pumba: Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen. Taking over for Nathan Lane’s meerkat and Ernie Sabella’s warthog, Eichner and Rogen make their own shtick together and they, more than anyone else, give “The Lion King” a breath of fresh air, even as they make plenty of fart jokes.
Yet that’s hardly enough to warrant a bland, unimaginative rehash like this, let alone merit Beyonce’s imperial presence. Instead, “The Lion King” is missing something. A purpose, maybe, and a heart. The life expectancy of Disney classics has begun to feel more like a hamster wheel than a circle of life, and it’s getting harder and harder to feel the love.
“The Lion King,” a Walt Disney Co. release, is rated PG by the Motion Picture Association of America for sequences of violence and peril, and some thematic elements. Running time: 118 minutes. Two stars out of four.
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Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP
“After working together at the Hurricane Katrina Benefit Concert, I admired the undeniable depth in Jerry’s big voice,” Stewart said in a statement. “A true soul singer.”
Lawson died Wednesday at a Phoenix hospice after a long illness, longtime friend and sometime Persuasions producer Rip Rense said.
Lawson’s smooth baritone led the group of five and later six singers, who were revered as the “The Kings of a Cappella” by their small but devoted fan base.
Through 25 albums the Persuasions recorded rock, blues, gospel and pop songs, all with no sound other than their own voices, long after the doo-wop era and long before the “Pitch Perfect” movies, when a cappella was rare.
“Thirty-eight years and we still ain’t got no band, man!” Lawson told The Associated Press in 2000. “That’s the story right there.”
They had many famous fans including Rod Stewart, the Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia, the members of Boyz II Men and Frank Zappa, who gave their career a boost when he discovered them in the late 1960s.
“After working together at the Hurricane Katrina Benefit Concert, I admired the undeniable depth in Jerry’s big voice,” Stewart said in a statement. “A true soul singer.”
They began as a casual and nameless collection of singers on the basketball courts and front stoops of Brooklyn in 1962, with Lawson bringing the warm, friendly voice he developed singing gospel songs during his youth in Apopka, Florida.
“It was just five guys who used to stand on the corner or go down to the subway station every night and just do this,” Persuasions member Jimmy Hayes told the AP in 2000.
Joseph Russell, Herbert Rhoad and Jayotis Washington rounded out the original quintet.
They got their break when Zappa signed them to his independent label for their first album in 1969.
The Persuasions performed with everyone from Liza Minnelli to Joni Mitchell to the Seattle Symphony Orchestra and covered the songs of Motown, Sam Cooke and Paul Simon.
The eclecticism that made them so beloved also kept them from reaching pop stardom.
Music executives never knew how to market them and commercial radio had no clue what niche to stick them in.
“They’ve never gotten their due,” Rense told the AP in 2000. “They’re the greatest, most enduring American a cappella group. In another country like Japan they’d be declared a living treasure.”
Lawson left the group in 2002. A few years later he joined a much younger group of San Francisco acapella singers that had based themselves on the Persuasions to form “Jerry Lawson and the Talk of the Town.”
The group released an album, co-produced by Lawson and his wife, in 2007, and in 2011 they appeared on NBC’s music competition show, “The Sing-Off.”
In 2015, he released his only solo album, “Just a Mortal Man.”
A documentary on Lawson is in the works and is expected to be released later this year.
He is survived by wife Julie Lawson and daughters Yvette and Wanda Dawson.
At his request, no funeral will be held, his family said in a statement.
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Associated Press Writer John Rogers contributed to this story.
He was arrested after the indictment was handed down earlier Thursday in federal court for the Northern District of Illinois. He is scheduled to be arraigned in Chicago federal court on Tuesday afternoon.
An indictment unsealed Friday in the Eastern District of New York includes charges of racketeering, kidnapping, forced labor and the sexual exploitation of a child. It says Kelly and his managers, bodyguards and other assistants picked out women and girls at concerts and other venues and arranged for them to travel to see Kelly. They also set rules the women and girls had to follow, including not leaving their rooms — even to eat or go to the bathroom — without Kelly’s permission, calling the singer “Daddy,” and not looking at other men, the indictment alleges.
The indictment alleges that the criminal acts occurred over two decades dating back to 1999, both in the U.S. and overseas. It accuses Kelly of engaging in sexual acts with girls under 18 and without disclosing that he had a sexually transmitted disease. It also accuses him of producing child pornography, including by asking minors to send him photographs.
A separate 13-count indictment filed in Chicago federal court details efforts to cover up sexually explicit videos of Kelly with underage girls. Prosecutors say the defendants paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to victims and witnesses to make sure they wouldn’t cooperate with law enforcement. It also accuses Kelly of using physical abuse, violence and blackmail to prevent victims from providing evidence to law enforcement.
The Chicago indictment charges Kelly with child sex crimes, including producing child pornography, and conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government. It also names Kelly’s business manager and another employee.
U.S. Attorney’s Office spokesman Joseph Fitzpatrick said the R&B singer was out walking his dog when he was taken into custody about 7 p.m. Thursday and was being held by federal authorities. According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons website, Kelly is being held at the high-rise Metropolitan Correctional Center, in downtown Chicago.
He was arrested after the indictment was handed down earlier Thursday in federal court for the Northern District of Illinois. He is scheduled to be arraigned in Chicago federal court on Tuesday afternoon.
Kelly’s attorney, Steve Greenberg, said Friday that federal agents arrested Kelly on charges out of Illinois and New York. The singer hopes to be released after a bail hearing early next week, Greenberg said.
The conduct Kelly is charged with in federal court “appears to largely be the same” as what he is charged with in state court, Greenberg said, adding that Kelly “was aware of the investigations and the charges were not a surprise.”
“He and his lawyers look forward to his day in court, to the truth coming out and to his vindication from what has been an unprecedented assault by others for their own personal gain,” Greenberg said, adding that Kelly looks forward to being able to continue making music and performing “for his legions of fans that believe in him.”
The arrest was the second time this year that Kelly has been taken into custody in Chicago on sex charges. The 52-year-old Grammy winner, whose real name is Robert Kelly, was arrested in February on 10 counts in Illinois of sexually abusing three girls and a woman. He pleaded not guilty to those charges and was released on bail.
Then on May 30, Cook County prosecutors added 11 more sex-related counts involving one of the women who accused him of sexually abusing her when she was underage.
Darrell Johnson, a publicist for Kelly, said he planned to deliver a statement about the latest developments at a Friday morning news conference in Atlanta. He declined to comment ahead of that time.
Kelly’s attorneys could not immediately be reached for comment on the federal charges. Fitzpatrick said Kelly’s arraignment date and time had not yet been set.
Kelly has faced mounting legal troubles this year after Lifetime aired a documentary “Surviving R. Kelly,” which revisited allegations of sexual abuse of girls. The series followed the BBC’s “R Kelly: Sex, Girls & Videotapes,” released in 2018, that alleged the singer was holding women against their will and running a “sex cult.”
Soon after the release of the Lifetime documentary, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx said her office had been inundated with calls about the allegations in the documentary. Her office’s investigation led to the charges in February and additional counts added in May.
Kelly avoided prison after similar allegations were made more than a decade ago. A jury in 2008 acquitted him of child pornography charges that stemmed from a videotape, obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times, allegedly showing Kelly having sex with a minor.
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This story has been corrected to reflect that Kelly was arrested Thursday, not Friday.
Taddesse is being held in a District jail without bond.
Prince George’s County Police say the assault happened just after 12:30 pm. The victim was alone on the platform at the time.
Detectives say the suspect boarded a train and got off at the next stop which was the Deanwood Metro Station. The suspect has been identified as 45-year-old Abraham Berhanu Taddesse of Cheverly, Maryland. He was apprehended a short time after the incident near the metro station.
Taddesse is being held in a District jail without bond. He faces first rape charges and his extradition back to Maryland is pending.
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Barry is expected to arrive either tonight or early Saturday morning. Officials say it could turn into a hurricane before then.
At last check it had 50-mile-an-hour winds and it was in the Gulf of Mexico. Its just 90 minutes south of Louisiana. Heavy rain is expected in much of Louisiana and Mississippi. Some experts predict between 20 and 25 inches of rain over the next few days could overwhelm places like New Orleans. Other area’s that will be hard hit include Arkansas, Alabama and Florida.
The National Weather Service which issued the highest alert that they could say there is a life threatening danger of rising water moving inland from the coast within the next 36 hours.
Barry is expected to arrive either tonight or early Saturday morning. Officials say it could turn into a hurricane before then. Tornadoes are possible.
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It’s a Star Studded Weekend around the DMV with some exciting shows to catch
Bethesda Blues and Jazz Supper Club presents the legendary Peabo Bryson, tonight at 8pm and tomorrow night at 7pm.
Jeffrey Osborne is at the Birchmere tonight for a 7:30 show.
Also tonight, The Birchmere presents Ledisi “Nina & Me”at The Music Center at Strathmore. Show time is 8pm.
At City Winery, Vivian Green performs on Saturday for two shows, 7pm and 10:15pm. Then on Sunday, DC’s own Carolyn Malachi takes to the stage for an 8pm show.
Jean Carne is at Blues Alley through Sunday for two show each night, 8pm and 10pm.
Tune in to Taking it to the Streets, weekday mornings at 6:15, 7:08 and 8:35 on the Steve Harvey Morning Show on 96.3 WHUR.
Follow me on Facebook and twitter at @bobbygailes for updates and to stay connected.
Sixteen-year-old Lakira Youngblood was last seen on Wednesday in the 200-block of 45th Street in Southeast.
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Preparing emotionally, financially and logistically to take care of aging parents.
Flash Flood Watch Issued For Today
(Washington, DC) — More rain is on the way for the DC area. The National Weather Service has issued a Flash Flood Watch starting at 2:00 p.m. today and going through 2:00 a.m. Friday. Much of the DC area is expected to see scattered, severe thunderstorms with excessive rain and flash flooding. Some storms could bring damaging winds and isolated hail. This comes after heavy rains caused flooding all around the DMV Monday.
House Panel Authorizes More Subpoenas In Trump Probes
Kushner is the President’s son-in-law. Others on the subpoena list include former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and former Trump campaign chief Corey Lewandowski.
“We’re doing a bunch of tests and they’re saying I have some nerve damage going on throughout my body,” August explains. “It’s like my immune system went on vacation. So, I’m just waiting on it to come back and we can get together and it can do what it do, man.”
On July 8, August Alsina made an Instagram video update about his health explaining why he couldn’t make it to this year’s Essence Fest.
“Hi guys. As you can probably tell I’m in the hospital. So, here’s the stitch. I woke up one day and wasn’t able to walk. I couldn’t feel my legs and my doctor ended up admitting me into the hospital.” Alsina remains positive throughout the video.
“We’re doing a bunch of tests and they’re saying I have some nerve damage going on throughout my body,” August explains. “It’s like my immune system went on vacation. So, I’m just waiting on it to come back and we can get together and it can do what it do, man.”
In 2017, August opened up about having an autoimmune disease that attacks his liver. This illness has led to several incidents including a collapse on stage during a 2014 performance. He has disclosed the details of the disease to his close friend Jada Pinkett-Smith. August Alsina isn’t letting his health get the best of him and promises new music in the future.
August Alsina became a popular artist in mainstream music in 2014. He has been featured on the Billboard Hot 100. He also had a hit single titled “I Luv This Sh*t” and won Best New Artist and BET’s Viewer’s Choice Award in 2014.
Monica and Shannon secretly got married in L.A. of November 2010 and kept their marriage under wraps. In January 2011, they went public with their marriage and had a second ceremony for family and friends in July 2011.
Earlier this week singer Monica discussed the infidelity that ended her marriage with Shannon Brown as well as her feelings towards the other woman.
The multi-platinum artist shared her thoughts on Instagram Live, along with her musical colleague Tank.
“Typically when people find out their mate is cheating, they will blame the other person more harshly than their mate, and I just find that to be insane. You realize how stupid that is because at the end of the day, the person that you either took vows with or made a commitment.”
Monica makes it clear that the end of their marriage was not caused by infidelity. She explains that motherhood gave her a new outlook.
“Yeah, it’s nobody that’s going to meet somebody that I’m with that don’t know that they my somebody, but they still don’t owe me what the person that I’m with does. I may get some information from, or be resourceful towards or maybe just want to know a little bit about, but I’m not confronting or running up on somebody else that’s been with somebody. It’s your husband. She ain’t take no vows with you.”
Although Monica is known for handling business with the side woman based off of her hit song “So Gone”, she has grown and now believes that fighting the other woman is a crazy way of thinking.
“Because everybody ain’t married, but if I live with you it’s the same thing for me. So it’s like the commitment that you’ve made and the requirements and responsibility of taking care of the other person’s heart only belongs to your mate.”
The Grammy Award-winning artist believes that it is no woman’s responsibility to keep a man in check and that he should always provide for and protect his woman.
She closes the live video stating, “When somebody disrespects you like that, it’s sometimes a lack of love. People assume it’s just a lack of love towards you, but a lot of people, when they’re moving around like that, they don’t really love themselves and sometimes they don’t even feel worthy of who it is they have and they don’t even know how to care for that. Sometimes you can’t do what you weren’t taught.”
Monica and Shannon secretly got married in L.A. of November 2010 and kept their marriage under wraps. In January 2011, they went public with their marriage and had a second ceremony for family and friends in July 2011.
Monica and Brown have a 5-year-old daughter, Laiyah Shannon. Monica also has two sons, 13-year-old Rodney and Romelo, 11, from a past engagement; Brown also has a son, Christopher, from a previous relationship.
City leaders are making this a major priority.
The complaints include slow and unreliable service as some of the biggest issues. The study was conducted by Coalition for Smarter Growth and the MetroHero app. ‘
Data was collected from 34 routes in nine top priority ridership area. They are 16th Street NW, Anacostia/Congress Heights, Seventh Street, 14th Street NW, Georgia Avenue/ H Street/Benning Road, Rhode Island Avenue, North Capitol Street, U Street and Wisconsin Avenue/Pennsylvania Avenue.
Here’s what they found 60 percent of buses were on time. Being on time means that they arrived within a 7 minute window of the scheduled time. On average buses traveled about 10 mph. Only one bus route got an B and that was the A7 that runs in Anacostia. Buses on that route drove about 12 mph. The route with the slowest travel times was along the 14th Street NW corridor. Buses only went about 8 mph. Some were even tracked as slow as 5 mph.
City leaders are making this a major priority. In fact, the city has added new dedicated bus lanes in parts of the metro with more to come. The ultimate outcome is that there is still alot more that needs to be done to prevent or stop riders from abandoning Metro bus all together. Some suggestions from the experts include increasing bus speed, combining bus stops and allowing all door entry and off board payments. Leaders say they are working on a number of ways to bring customers back to Metro bus.
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Today from 2 to 5 p.m. DC police will be at the 7’11 at Minnesota Avenue and Good Hope Road today handing out flyers.
Relisha Rudd was 8-years-old when she went missing in February but she was last seen on March 1, 2014, with a janitor from DC General Homeless Shelter. She was living there with her mother and brother. That shelter that had a number of issues has since been closed by DC Mayor Muriel Bowser.
Today from 2 to 5 p.m. DC police will be at the 7’11 at Minnesota Avenue and Good Hope Road today handing out flyers. Rudd would be 13 years old and they have aged enhanced pictures of how she would look today. Kids under the age of 13 will be given free Slurpees.
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In a statement, the couple said Westbrook’s mission is “to spread positive ideas, art and products that entertain and empower the greatest number of lives.”
The Hollywood power couple on Wednesday announced the launch of a new media venture.
According to a statement, Westbrook Inc. will be a cross-platform holding company “formed to execute the Smith family’s global content and commerce business strategy.”
In a statement, the couple said Westbrook’s mission is “to spread positive ideas, art and products that entertain and empower the greatest number of lives.”
Westbrook Studios will serve as the studio home to all new premium TV and motion picture projects. It currently serves “Red Table Talk,” the Facebook Watch series featuring Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith and Adrienne Banfield-Norris.
The company will also develop projects as starring vehicles for Will Smith.
The award-winning Netflix series also became a showcase for actresses of color, thanks to nuanced story lines with depth that have often proved elusive.
While it was originally centered around the privileged white character of Piper Chapman (played by Taylor Schilling), the supporting characters — some quirky, some volatile, some comic, some tragic — became the show’s breakout stars.
The award-winning Netflix series also became a showcase for actresses of color, thanks to nuanced story lines with depth that have often proved elusive.
It’s no surprise that some of them went on to become the show’s biggest draws.
Uzo Aduba won the dramedy’s only acting Emmys, while Emmy-nominee Laverne Cox, Danielle Brooks, Samira Wiley and Dascha Polanco all gave masterful performances that lifted their careers far beyond life in Litchfield federal penitentiary.
As the hit dramedy winds down with the seventh and final season on July 26, those actresses take a look back at the profound impact the series had on their lives.
ADUBA (Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren)
A not-so-funny thing happened to Uzoamaka Nwanneka Aduba on her way to audition for a different part on the show: She was late.
She thought maybe the faux pas was the universe trying to tell her that acting wasn’t her destiny. Aduba, 38, had been trying professionally for about 10 years, with small victories, but she quit after her tardiness, thinking maybe a law career was the way to go as her parents, of Nigerian descent, preferred.
That’s when the life-changing phone call came. There was bad news: She didn’t get the part of track star-inmate Janae Watson. But there was also good: She was offered Crazy Eyes instead, though only for a couple of guest appearances. She wore the bantu knots that became the signature style of the character to the audition.
Thank goodness she didn’t listen to the universe. Aduba’s role was extended and she won two Emmys, two Screen Actors Guild Awards and a Golden Globe.
Like Crazy Eyes sometimes does, she let the muses rule.
“My phone wasn’t ringing, with regards to film and television anyway, before our show came out,” she told The Associated Press. “It just felt surreal, I think, for a lot of us to even be having this sort of experience.”
Now, with her higher profile, she has a goal: “I am trying to tell the stories of the missing, the people and the voices that are missing in the tapestry.”
For so many in the cast, the Medfield, Massachusetts-raised Aduba said, “We had been living on the Island of Misfit Toys and being made to feel as though there was no place for us when the truth of the matter is space just needed to be made.”
WHAT’S NEXT: Upcoming projects include the film “Beats” and the FX series “Mrs. America.”
COX (Sophia Burset)
The LGBTQ activist didn’t quit her day job at the drag spot Lucky Cheng’s in Manhattan until after the first season of Orange wrapped. But it wasn’t long until she made history as the first trans person on the cover of Time magazine.
“I just cried,” she said.
The magazine’s story accompanying the cover on the transgender tipping point had her describing her childhood in Mobile, Alabama, growing up bullied and harassed for presenting as feminine. She came out as trans years later while working in New York City, where she took up acting.
Thanks to OINTB, where her character rode out cycles of acceptance, hatred and violence, Cox has used her star platform to educate the world and push for just treatment of LGBTQ people everywhere.
So much has changed for Cox in the show’s seven-year run.
“Seven years ago I turned 40 and I had not had the big breakthrough in my acting career that I had wanted. I was in tons of debt. I thought it was time for me to do something else,” she told the AP. “I was like, ‘I should go back to graduate school’ and I bought some GRE study materials from a friend of mine.”
Then she auditioned for Orange, “and here we are.”
Cox was the first openly trans person to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in an acting category and the first to be nominated for any Emmy since composer Angela Morley in 1990.
For years at Lucky Cheng’s she’d tell co-workers she wanted to be an actor and win awards, “and they’d be like, yeah, right whatever,” Cox recalled. “A black trans woman in 2010 saying she wants to be a big star was like, ‘Yeah right, yeah cool.’ Who knew?”
WHAT’S NEXT: She has several projects pending, including the film “Promise Young Woman.”
BROOKS (Tasha “Taystee” Jefferson)
As the brash Taystee, Brooks showed the way not just for other actors of color, but for women of size.
“Cornbread fed, baby, cornbread fed,” she laughed.
The Augusta, Georgia-born Brooks was well on her way doing theater when “Orange” happened after she graduated with a bachelor’s from the Juilliard School.
Brooks is also a singer, earning a Tony nomination for Sofia (Oprah’s film part) in the 2015 Broadway production of “The Color Purple.” She dropped a music video in February for Black History Month featuring herself all glammed up and wet in a bathtub singing “Black Woman,” which includes the lyrics: “The world tells me there is space for me, if I cinch it up and I sew it in, the world tells me it’ll all be mine, with some lashes on and some lighter eyes.”
The song, Brooks told the AP, was “my way of healing myself” while encouraging others to accept who they are.
Brooks’ mom is a minister and her dad a church deacon. Church taught her a lot about how to present herself to the world and the importance of prioritizing self-love. Now, she wants to “show the industry, look what happens when you give people opportunity.”
The 29-year-old Brooks was working as a waitress in New York City (“I was a horrible waitress”) when her agent got her an audition for “Orange,” though initially only two episodes were promised.
“I almost said no to it because I didn’t get to read the script and when I saw the scene that I was going to be in I had to be topless. I was like, oh no. I’m from South Carolina. I grew up in a very religious household. I was nervous also about playing a stereotype, of the black woman who the world might consider sassy and loud and angry. To put that on TV, I was not sure about it.”
She’s obviously glad she did.
“It has completely changed my life,” Brooks said. She believes it also opened doors for nontraditional shows featuring full casts of color on TV.
“How much has the world changed, how much has Hollywood changed where you can have shows like ‘Pose,’ you can have ‘Insecure’ and ‘Atlanta’ and a plethora of other shows out there where the lead can look different from what we’ve seen before?”
WHAT’S NEXT: She appears in the film “Clemency” and is working on an EP. She is also expecting her first child.
WILEY (Poussey Washington)
Wiley was a bartender for two and a half years after she, too, graduated Julliard when she auditioned for Orange. There were no promises that lesbian character Poussey would be a recurring role. After she got the job, she stayed at Fred’s Restaurant in Manhattan for the first couple of seasons.
“I didn’t want to be stupid about it and quit my job and then end up nowhere,” she told the AP.
Like her character, Wiley is gay. Raised in Washington, D.C., Wiley’s sexuality was embraced by her liberal pastor parents, which she considers key to her success. She’s now an advocate for LGBTQ, immigration and prison reform causes.
Wiley, 32, was not publicly out in those early seasons of Orange. She credits Poussey with giving her the strength and confidence to come into her own, both as an actor and a gay black woman. Wiley appeared on the cover of Out magazine for its 20th anniversary to seal the deal.
“I think deep down, the both of us, Poussey and I, are just like really open and honest people with our hearts,” Wiley said. “There are real Pousseys out there, in prison, not in prison, being thrown away because people think they don’t matter.”
Wiley won three Screen Actors Guild Awards for Poussey. She went on to receive an Emmy nomination in 2017 for her portrayal of Moira in the Hulu series “The Handmaid’s Tale” and won an Emmy for that part the following year.
WHAT’S NEXT: Wiley appears in the film “BIOS” and is working in a comedy, “Breaking News in Yuba County.”
POLANCO (Dayanara “Daya” Diaz)
She had dreamed of becoming an actor as a child but thought her weight might hold her back, so she put herself through Hunter College instead, going to school as a teen mother raising a young daughter.
The Dominican Republic-born Polanco went on to earn a bachelor’s in psychology and worked in a hospital as she studied to be a nurse (and eventually had a second child, a son). But over time, she decided to pursue acting.
After minor roles in two TV series, she was cast in OITNB in 2012.
“I had three jobs at the time and I was also finishing my nursing clinicals,” she told the AP of life before “Orange.”
“We are the reality.” she added. “Hollywood has been very exclusive in who they consider an actor, who they want to depict on screens.”
Polanco, who is also a songwriter, now values her versatility as an actor who doesn’t fit the Hollywood mold, though the early years were nerve-wracking.
“We can all relate to that, not feeling enough. I was very fearful of going out to auditions and being told, well you have to lose weight, well your hair is curly,” she said. “You come across this discrimination and this prejudice and you don’t realize how much they affect you. … It’s learning how to embrace those scars and how we use it as foundation and not as identity.”
It’s not always easy. While acting and music are passions, “I’m still out here not getting roles,” Polanco said.
WHAT’S NEXT: She plays Cuca in the film version of the stage musical “In the Heights” and worked in the film “iGilbert.”
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Associated Press writers Ryan Pearson and Michael Cidoni Lennox in Los Angeles and Gina Abdy in New York contributed to this story.
Speed has not been ruled out as a factor in this case.
Officials say the SUV left the roadway around Midnight and went through the small park at the intersection of 21st Street and Pennsylvania Avenues in NW hitting the two victims. The truck hit the bench that the who were sitting on so hard that is completely destroyed the concrete and wood bench and another near it. Speed has not been ruled out as a factor in this case.
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Williams has now taken her talents on the road with the Bring It LIVE Tour. The tour has all new talent, choreography & video segments, dance battles, interactive elements and audience participation (with prizes). They will be touring across the country for the next several months.
Washington, D.C. (Wednesday, July 10, 2019) – Fresh off her widely popular reality dance show “Bring It,” Diana Williams, best known as ‘Coach D,’ stopped by our WHUR studios today to talk about how she inspires young girls during some of the most challenging times of their lives.
“It’s not easy. You have to remember these are pre-teen and teen girls with raging hormones and lots of attitude. But I love every minute of working with them and watching them grow,” said Williams.
Coach D is a no nonsense dance coach 
who motivates young girls to be their best in and outside the studio. Her tough love has been captured for 5 seasons on the hit Lifetime TV series that showcases Coach D and her Dancing Dolls.
Williams has now taken her talents on the road with the Bring It LIVE Tour, which was featured Wednesday, July 10th at the Warner Theatre. The tour has all new talent, choreography & video segments, dance battles, interactive elements and audience participation (with prizes). They will be touring across the country for the next several months.
Coach D sat down and talked with WHUR Digital Reporter Candice Adkins explaining why working with youth is what she is destined to do.
“Score A Better Future” is a free financial education event to help persons improve their credit scores.
We are talking money this morning, specifically your credit. I have details about a free community education and financial empowerment event coming up designed to help persons understand and improve their FICO score. My guest is Joanne Gaskin, VP of Scores and Analytics at FICO. She heads up the Score A Better Future
On Wednesday, July 17, FICO, the leading credit scoring company, together with Operation HOPE and consumer advocacy groups, will host “Score A Better Future,” from 6:00-8:30pm ET at the Kaiser Permanente Center for Total Health. The event offers attendees the opportunity to learn the key ingredients in their FICO Score, and walk out with a roadmap for their future with free 1-on-1 counseling from accredited credit coaches from Operation Hope. 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.
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What has caused a fracture in the relationship between police and the community? Is there a way to fix it?
Courts Side With Trump On DC Emoluments Case
(Washington, DC) — A federal appeals court is siding with President Trump in a emoluments case involving his DC hotel. The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed the lawsuit today filed by attorneys general from DC and Maryland. The lawsuit claims Trump is illegally profiting off the presidency through his luxury hotel in downtown DC. The three-judge panel said the attorneys general lacked legal standing that the president violated the emoluments clause of the Constitution. Trump still faces a similar lawsuit filed by Democratic members of Congress.
Bowser Says Trump’s Salute Emptied Security Fund
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser says President Trump’s Fourth of July event emptied a special fund used to protect the city. The fund is used to protect DC from terrorist threats and provide security at events like protests and state funerals. In a letter to the president, Bowser said the fund has now been depleted and is estimated to be running a six-million-dollar deficit by September 30th. Trump’s “A Salute to America” event, combined with police costs for demonstrations through the weekend, cost the DC government one-point-seven million dollars. Bowser also noted that the account was never reimbursed for seven-point-three million dollars in expenses from Trump’s 2017 inauguration. The mayor requested that the White House fully reimburse the fund.
Chris Brown’s latest album, “INDIGO”, is the number one album in the country this week.
Chris Brown‘s latest album INDIGO is the number one album in the country this week.
With major collaborations from artists like Drake, H.E.R., and Nicki Minaj; the 32- track album reached 98 million streams according to Billboard. Brown is one of many artists who offers bundle deals when purchasing his album. Concert tickets and merchandise are included with each sale.
Despite his personal issues, Brown is no stranger to having major support from his fans. In 2011 and 2012, he topped the charts with his albums F.A.M.E and Fortune.
Check out his latest music video below.
“I still couldn’t find peace. I started seeing a therapist. I was searching for answers, and although I felt like I was making progress, I still wasn’t ready to pick up a racket. “
Contributed by Taylor Ardrey
Tennis superstar Serena Williams opened up about speaking up against injustice in her professional career and seeking therapy to deal with the backlash from the 2018 US Open controversy in the August 2019 issue of Harper Bazaar. She showcased the cover on her Instagram with unretouched photos and essay filled with an open essay of raw emotions.
Williams recalls one of her early memories of her career at age 17 when she won her first Grand Slam. After her feat, she gained the confidence to move in with her sister, Venus, and pursue her career. With starting a intensive athletic carer at a young age and still remaining relevant, many would wonder what keeps Williams motivated. She states:
“I have been asked what keeps me motivated to continue playing tennis. To me, the answer is simple: I love the sport. When I’m giving speeches I always say how important it is to love what you do. If you don’t, then find something that speaks to you. Follow your passion. Of course, there are times when loving tennis is hard.”
The 2018 US Open sparked an abundance of controversy. Williams opens up for the first time about what really happened from her perspective.
“…..September 2018. It’s the final of the US Open, and I’m competing to win my 24th Grand Slam against Naomi Osaka. It’s the beginning of the second set, and the umpire thinks he spots my coach signaling me from the stands. He issues a violation—a warning. I approach him and emphatically state the truth: that I wasn’t looking at my coach. ‘I don’t cheat to win. I’d rather lose,’ I said. I walk back to the court and lose the next point. I smash my racket in frustration; he issues another violation and gives a point to my opponent. I feel passionately compelled to stand up for myself. I call him a thief; I again demand an apology. I tell him he is penalizing me for being a woman. He responds by issuing a third violation and takes a game from me. In the end, my opponent simply played better than me that day and ended up winning her first Grand Slam title. I could not have been happier for her.”
With the controversy after the US Open and the backlash Williams received, she went to a therapist to look for answers.
“I still couldn’t find peace. I started seeing a therapist. I was searching for answers, and although I felt like I was making progress, I still wasn’t ready to pick up a racket. Finally I realized that there was only one way for me to move forward. It was time for me to apologize to the person who deserved it the most. I started to type, slowly at first, then faster as if the words were flowing out of me.”
Williams then penned an open letter to her opponent Naomi Osaka to apologize for her role in the situation.
“Hey, Naomi! It’s Serena Williams. As I said on the court, I am so proud of you and I am truly sorry. I thought I was doing the right thing in sticking up for myself. But I had no idea the media would pit us against each other. I would love the chance to live that moment over again. I am, was, and will always be happy for you and supportive of you. I would never, ever want the light to shine away from another female, specifically another black female athlete. I can’t wait for your future, and believe me I will always be watching as a big fan! I wish you only success today and in the future. Once again, I am so proud of you. All my love and your fan, Serena.”
Osaka responded:
“People can misunderstand anger for strength because they can’t differentiate between the two,” she said graciously. “No one has stood up for themselves the way you have and you need to continue trailblazing.”
Faced with sexism, criticism and backlash throughout her entire career, Williams learned the importance of using her voice and speaking up for herself.
“I’ll admit, it was a long while before I picked up a racket again. There is only so much one person can take. As a teenager, I was booed by an entire stadium (I took the high road and even thanked those who didn’t want to see me win). I’ve been called every name in the book. I’ve been shamed because of my body shape. I’ve been paid unequally because of my sex. I’ve been penalized a game in the final of a major because I expressed my opinion or grunted too loudly. I’ve been blatantly cheated against to the point where the Hawk-Eye rules were introduced so that something like that would not happen again. And these are only the things that are seen by the public. In short, it’s never been easy. But then I think of the next girl who is going to come along who looks like me, and I hope, ‘Maybe, just maybe, my voice will help her.’”
Ultimately, Williams found the strength to continue because of her daughter. She then emphasizes that she won’t ever stop raising her voice against injustice. Earlier this year Williams debuted her #DreamCrazier Nike ad highlighting the issue of sexism in professional sports.
The tune comes at a pivotal moment for Nala, the character voiced by Beyoncé, in the film that comes out July 18. She also co-wrote the song.
The song, “Spirit,” was released Tuesday and should get an Academy-Award push for Academy Award consideration.
The tune comes at a pivotal moment for Nala, the character voiced by Beyoncé, in the film that comes out July 18. She also co-wrote the song.
It’s part of an album called “The Lion King: The Gift” that Beyoncé is executive producing and performing on along with other artists. It will be released digitally July 11, with the physical album coming July 19.
The collection is a companion to the main “Lion King” soundtrack, which consists mostly of songs from the animated film, along with a new number from Elton John and Tim Rice, who wrote the songs for the original.
The suit also alleges that Marriott Hotels are not properly disclosing the true cost of the hotel room online.
Racine wants the Bethesda based hotel chain to become more transparent about its pricing and fees. The official complaint was filed Tuesday against Marriott International Inc. stating that the lack of transparency violates the District’s Consumer Protection Procedures.
The suit also alleges that Marriott Hotels are not properly disclosing the true cost of the hotel rooms online. Racine called it “drip pricing”. Where after one books a room they can see an increase due to resort fees or amenity fees from $9 to $95 dollars a night. It directly affects consumers trying to price shop online by not having the total cost posted.
Racine wants the hotel chain to change how they do business, pay restitution to DC consumers and the fines associated with the act.
Marriott officials say they do not comment on current litigation’s.
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He was also responsible for the design of a number of libraries in the District of Columbia and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta.
In 2016 the well respected and talented architect was diagnosed with ALS. ALS stands for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. A-myo-trophic comes from the Greek language. “A” means no. … Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body.
Freelon was 66-years-old. He was also responsible for the design of a number of libraries in the District of Columbia and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta.
The family is asking anyone who wants to honor Freelon instead of sending flowers she is asking that you donate to Northstar Church of Arts. It was found by the two last year.
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Diner En Noir is hosting an exclusive all-black attire event
It’s usually one of the biggest kept dining secrets in the DMV and everybody is usually waiting to find out when and where. It’s the Diner En Noir, an event designed to bring together the rich culture of the District. This morning I’m unlocking some of the secrets of this coveted event. My guest is Howard Cromwell – Founder and President of Diner En Noir
Based in Washington, Dîner en Noir Corporate is the team responsible for developing these fully-curated, 3-part, black attire dining experiences held in secret locations in cities across the U.S. Proceeds for the event benefit Congress Heights Community Development & Training Corporation & NE Performing Arts Group. 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.
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Listen to this mornings segment here:
Panel of reporters discuss and dissect the tops stories of the week.
Excessive force alleged after arrest video goes viral.
GOP-led Virginia Legislature abruptly adjourns gun session.
“We are changing the course of history, hopefully, across this country by acknowledging that what has been defined as professional hair styles and attire in the work place has historically been based on a Euro-centric model — based on straight hair,” Mitchell said.
The law by Democratic Sen. Holly Mitchell of Los Angeles, a black woman who wears her hair in locks, makes California the first state to explicitly say that those hairstyles are associated with race and therefore protected against discrimination in the workplace and in schools.
“We are changing the course of history, hopefully, across this country by acknowledging that what has been defined as professional hair styles and attire in the work place has historically been based on a Euro-centric model — based on straight hair,” Mitchell said.
Stephanie Hunter-Ray, who works at a makeup counter, says she typically wears her hair braided or in an afro, but one day she showed up to work with it straightened and styled in a bob. Her manager told Hunter-Ray her hair had never looked so normal.
“It bothered me,” Hunter-Ray said in an interview at the hair salon she owns in Sacramento that specializes in natural hair styles. “What do you mean by ‘normal?’ Your normal is not my normal. My normal is my ’fro or my braids.”
Alikah Hatchett-Fall, who runs Sacred Crowns Salon in Sacramento, said she’s had black men come into her salon asking to have their hair cut off because they can’t find jobs.
The law, she said, “means that psychologically and mentally people can be at ease and be able to get the jobs they want, keep the jobs they want, and get promoted at the jobs they want.”
California’s new law, which takes effect Jan. 1, is significant because federal courts have historically held that hair is a characteristic that can be changed, meaning there’s no basis for discrimination complaints based on hairstyle. The U.S. Supreme Court recently declined to hear the case of an Alabama woman who said she didn’t get a job because she refused to change her hair.
The issue burst into public view last December, when a black high school wrestler in New Jersey was told by a referee that he had to cut off his dreadlocks if he wanted to compete. California’s Democratic governor said the video was a clear example of the discrimination black Americans face.
“His decision whether or not to lose an athletic competition or lose his identity came into, I think, stark terms for millions of Americans,” Newsom said before signing the bill alongside Mitchell and half a dozen advocates. “That is played out in workplaces, it’s played out in schools — not just athletic competitions and settings — every single day all across America in ways subtle and overt.”
Though California is the first state with such a law, New York City earlier this year issued legal guidance banning discrimination against someone based on their hairstyle. The beauty company Dove is part of a coalition pushing for more hairstyle protections, and Mitchell said she hopes other states follow California.
Mitchell’s bill adds language to the state’s discrimination laws to say that “race” also includes “traits historically associated with race,” including hair texture and protective hairstyles. It further defines protective hairstyles as braids, twists and locks.
The term locks, or “locs,” is the preferred term to dreadlocks, which has a derogatory connotation.
At Hunter-Ray’s studio, Exquisite U, on Wednesday, her stylists and customers reflected on the new law.
Shereen Africa, who was having her hair re-braided by Elicia Drayton, said she used to work at a television station in Mississippi where a black anchor quit after facing resistance to wearing her hair in locks. Africa said she did not wear her hair in braids at the job, even though she wasn’t on air, because the environment wasn’t supportive of it.
“If I’m in a professional setting, I won’t wear my hair in certain ways,” she said.
An anchor at a different Mississippi TV station made national news when she said she was fired after she stopped straightening her hair.
“You want to go to work and feel free,” Drayton said. “You don’t want to have to feel like you have to put on a wig or you have to have your hair straight to please someone else.”
“Parents think they’re going to get a bonus because day care is gone,” says Court Creeden, a North Carolina-based financial adviser whose practice focuses on parents. “They quickly realize that all the expenses that come from school add up.”
“Parents think they’re going to get a bonus because day care is gone,” says Court Creeden, a North Carolina-based financial adviser whose practice focuses on parents. “They quickly realize that all the expenses that come from school add up.”
If the unexpected expenses are for the classroom, you might be tempted to say yes, even if they stress your bank balance. But if you can’t afford it all — or the asks seem excessive — here’s what to do.
PRIORITIZE EXPENSES
When working with a limited budget , you’ll have to choose what’s worth the cash.
“Sometimes kids do things because their friends are doing it. Then that may not be as high a priority as if it’s a requirement or related to college entrance examinations,” says Samantha Gregory, who blogs about parenting and finances at Rich Single Momma. She paid for her daughter to attend aviation camp because she felt it would bolster college applications.
If you want your child to build social skills, then activities with their friends may win out. The point is deciding what’s important, and then spending intentionally. Creeden asks his clients if “where they’re spending their money is in line with the life they’re trying to create with their family.”
Setting limits upfront can also help. “I always had a rule that for every term, (my kids) could only be involved in one activity,” Gregory says. This helps head off ballooning extracurricular costs — and burnout.
SEEK ALTERNATIVE FUNDING
If you believe an expense is worthwhile but don’t think you can afford it, you might have other options.
Blogger Kumiko Love builds an emergency fund for last-minute school costs before the year starts. And when her son wanted to start wrestling, she planned meals around ingredients she already had and sold an unused couch to afford the equipment. “Having my son be involved in sports is important to me, so I gave up certain ‘wants’ for the month to compensate,” says Love, who writes at The Budget Mom.
Public school parents might find assistance with some school expenses through their Parent Teacher Association, says Heidi Emberling, director of Parents Place, a family resource center in the San Francisco Bay Area.
If you can’t afford to donate to a fundraiser or classroom event, volunteer instead. “There are lots of ways to contribute, and money is only one of those ways,” Emberling says.
USE ‘NO’ AS A TEACHING MOMENT
If you simply can’t afford a school expense, etiquette and lifestyle expert Elaine Swann recommends an “on-your-own-terms no.” That might mean offering an alternative, such as a sleepover in place of a pricey class overnight.
When her kids were younger, Gregory would explain, “We’re going to be doing this in a few months, so we’re saving the money for that.” And she suggests discussing your priorities with older kids and involving them in the decision. Sometimes “they end up telling themselves no, so I don’t necessarily have to,” she says.
Worried this sounds too sophisticated? It might not be; kids who already have an allowance are primed for a talk about financial trade-offs, according to Emberling.
SET LIMITS WITH THE SCHOOL
Other times, you might have to tell a teacher or administrator “no.”
Gregory drew the line when she was asked to help furnish her child’s classroom with supplies. A parent-teacher conference is a great time to voice concerns, she says.
If you do participate in a fundraiser or other event, you can set a cap based on your budget. “It’s perfectly fine to say, ‘Here’s what I can do. You want me to buy three reams of paper? I can buy one,’” Swann says.
Most importantly, remember that once you’ve paid tuition — if you do — further requests for money are typically suggestions, Swann notes. After-school activities, fundraisers and other extras can be valuable, but are “not a requirement for your child to attend school,” she says.
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This article was provided to The Associated Press by the personal finance website NerdWallet. Alice Holbrook is a writer at NerdWallet. Email: alice.holbrook@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @alicenerdwallet.
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RELATED LINK:
NerdWallet: Budgeting 101: How to create a budget
“The main reason I really wanted to do it is the fight against cancer,” Morgan said in a recent phone interview, explaining that his grandparents and former wife, Sabina, died of the disease. “I have an opportunity to fight their cause and I’m all in.”
The star of TBS’ “The Last O.G.” will preside over Wednesday night’s show honoring the past year’s top athletes, performances and achievements. It airs live on ABC from Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.
“The main reason I really wanted to do it is the fight against cancer,” Morgan said in a recent phone interview, explaining that his grandparents and former wife, Sabina, died of the disease. “I have an opportunity to fight their cause and I’m all in.”
Besides the laughs, The ESPYS raise awareness and funds for the V Foundation for Cancer Research. It’s the charity founded by ESPN and the late basketball coach Jim Valvano at the first show in 1993. The cable sports network has helped raise nearly $97 million for the V Foundation in 26 years.
“We’ll have a great time, but the most important thing is Jim Valvano. I’ll never forget watching him at the ESPYS,” Morgan said. “We forget sometimes the cause, we enjoy being there, but we got to understand the reason why we’re there. It’s an opportunity to give back. I’m in service to others.”
Morgan said he’s a big sports fan, dating to his childhood in Brooklyn. As a youngster, he remembers watching father Jimmy and uncle Alvin Morgan play football.
As a teenager, he met Mark Breland when the 1984 Olympic welterweight champion brought his gold medal to their shared Bedford Stuyvesant neighborhood and “all the kids running around touching the medal,” he said.
Morgan ran track in high school, competing in the 100- and 200-meter dashes and 55- and 110-meter hurdles.
“I was born into it,” he said. “I was told that my grandmother ran track against Wilma Rudolph in the Olympic trials and lost because she was pregnant with my dad.”
Last month marked five years since Morgan’s life-changing accident on the New Jersey Turnpike when the minibus he was riding in was rear-ended by a Walmart truck. The crash killed friend and fellow comedian James McNair.
“I’m 50 years old and I’ve been hit by a truck doing 75 mph,” Morgan said. “I thank god for every day.”
He said his charitable attitude isn’t the result of the accident.
“I’ve always been like that,” Morgan said. “My father survived Vietnam. He told me the only way out of the darkness is to be in service to others. That’s why I do comedy.”
He becomes the fifth “Saturday Night Live” alum to host The ESPYS, joining Seth Meyers, Rob Riggle, Dennis Miller and Norm Macdonald.
Bailey is half of the sister duo Chloe x Halle. She will star in the live-action version that will include songs from the 1989 animated Disney hit as well as new tunes from original composer Alan Menken and “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Freeform posted an open letter on Sunday in support of Bailey after some on social media used the hashtag #NotMyAriel to object to a black woman portraying the red-headed mermaid princess of the animated film. But the network says “Danish mermaids can be black because Danish (asterisk)people(asterisk) can be black.”
Bailey is half of the sister duo Chloe x Halle. She will star in the live-action version that will include songs from the 1989 animated Disney hit as well as new tunes from original composer Alan Menken and “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Bailey will join Jacob Tremblay and Awkwafina in the film.
The issue is that the Supreme Court originally ruled that charging a fine for people who do not have insurance is a tax and that is within the guidelines of Congress and Constitutional. Well in 2017 Congress repealed the fine. A lower court stated that change should invalidate the entire law and that’s why the law is going before an appellate court today.
If the Affordable Care Act is ruled unconstitutional an estimated 20 million Americans will lose their health insurance and people with pre-existing health conditions will lose protection under the health care law.
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The former County Executive of Prince George’s County is well versed in health care.
The former County Executive of Prince George’s County is well versed in health care. Baker was also instrumental in getting the University of Maryland Medical System to take control of Dimensions. Dimensions was a private nonprofit that ran the county’s hospital for years amid years of controversy. He’s also credited with bringing a new hospital to the county which is scheduled to open in 2021 in Largo. The board is being reconstructed after an ugly scandal in the spring. It among other things involved a book deal made with then Mayor of Baltimore Catherine Pugh who later resigned for selling her children’s books to organizations that the city did business with.
Baker served as the leader of Prince George’s County for 8 years until he decided in 2018 to run for Governor under the Democratic ticket. He lost his runoff election to Benjamin Jealous.
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan has also named 11 appointments to the board. They all require Senate confirmation.
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The National Association for Kidpreneurs works with youngsters who have a desire to own or start a business.
Helping young entrepreneurs soar even higher. That’s the goal of my guest this morning. Her organization is called the National Association for Kidpreneurs. My guest is Tameka Young – Founder of National Association for Kidpreneurs
KidPreneur Central is the “hub” of all things Kidpreneur!!! Whether you’re looking to attend an event, read up on the latest Kidpreneur news, see our featured Kidpreneur for the week, or join our private community of Kidpreneur members…. You’re in the right place! More information here:
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How should social media mischief makers be dealt with?
Accused of creating and maintaining a network that allowed him to sexually exploit and abuse dozens of underage girls.
(New York, NY) — Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein is pleading not guilty to sex trafficking charges. New York U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman today charged Epstein for the sex trafficking of underage girls and also for conspiracy. Epstein is accused of forcing underage girls to perform sex acts on him at his mansion in Manhattan and creating a network allowing him to sexually exploit and abuse dozens of underage girls. According to Berman, the victims were as young as 14 and were particularly vulnerable to exploitation. Epstein faces up to 45-years in prison.
“Well the last time I faced a fellow American I lost, so I definitely want to do well this time,” Williams said. “And yeah, she’s great on the grass. She took out the No. 1 player in the world who just won a grass-court tournament. I watched that match, so I’ll be ready for her.”
The 15-year-old American, who became the youngest player to qualify for Wimbledon’s main draw in the professional era, lost to former No. 1 Simona Halep 6-3, 6-3 in the fourth round on Monday.
Gauff knocked out five-time champion Venus Williams in the first round, and then saved two match points in the third round to reach the second week of a Grand Slam tournament in her debut.
Playing on No. 1 Court, the second biggest stadium at the All England Club, Gauff had plenty of support from the crowd. But Halep, the 2018 French Open champion and a Wimbledon semifinalist in 2014, had the better shots. She broke Gauff five times and took advantage of 29 unforced errors.
Gauff did manage to save two more match points when serving at 5-2, but Halep won the next game to reach the quarterfinals.
Earlier, Serena Williams advanced to the Wimbledon quarterfinals for the 14th time, beating Carla Suarez Navarro 6-2, 6-2.
Even though she is short on matches this year, Williams is still big on grass.
The seven-time Wimbledon champion, who missed about a year of play while she had a baby in 2017 but returned to the tennis tour in 2018, entered the tournament without having played since the third round of the French Open — skipping the grass-court warm-up tournaments.
“I definitely haven’t had enough (matches),” said Williams, who had been dealing with an injured left knee. “I have more matches this week than literally the past five months. So, yikes.”
Williams reached the quarterfinals at the Australian Open, then retired from a match at Indian Wells, withdrew from matches in Miami and Rome, and then played at the French Open.
“I know that I can play, and now that I’m feeling better physically I almost feel a relief more than anything,” Williams said. “Like, OK, finally I can play tennis.”
Against Suarez Navarro, Williams won six straight games from 3-2 in the first set and broke for a 5-2 lead in the second. She easily closed it out from there.
Williams, who lost to Angelique Kerber in last year’s Wimbledon final, will next face Alison Riske, an unseeded American who upset top-ranked Ash Barty.
Williams’ last loss was also against American opposition, Sofia Kenin in the third round at Roland Garros.
“Well the last time I faced a fellow American I lost, so I definitely want to do well this time,” Williams said. “And yeah, she’s great on the grass. She took out the No. 1 player in the world who just won a grass-court tournament. I watched that match, so I’ll be ready for her.”
Riske ended Barty’s 15-match winning streak, and her chances of winning a second straight Glam Slam title.
Riske beat the French Open champion 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 and will play in the quarterfinals of a major tournament for the first time.
“I haven’t been starting out fantastic in all my matches, but I knew I had the confidence that if I could manage my service games I was going to get looks on her serve,” said Riske, whose best previous showing was reaching the third round at Wimbledon and the fourth round at the 2013 U.S. Open. “I had to play aggressive. I had to take it to Ash.”
Barty was playing her first tournament as the No. 1-ranked player, and she started off by winning points with her serve against Riske.
In the opening service game, the top-seeded Barty won all four points with aces. She won two more points in her next game with aces, as well. She finished the match with 12 of them.
But Riske took her chances when she got them, breaking Barty four times on four attempts, including to take a 5-3 lead in the deciding set before serving it out.
“I was sticking to how I wanted to play,” Barty said. “Then in the second set, I think my serve let me down. I let Alison get back into the match too many times, having looks at second serves.”
Also, No. 8 Elina Svitolina beat No. 24 Petra Martic 6-4, 6-2, Zhang Shuai defeated Dayana Yastremska 6-4, 1-6, 6-2, Karolina Muchova beat No. 3 Karolina Pliskova 4-6, 7-5, 13-11, and Barbora Strycova came from a set and break down to beat Elise Mertens 4-6, 7-5, 6-2.
Svitolina won six straight games from 4-4 in the first set. Martic called for medical treatment on her left leg after the first game of the second set and her movement appeared to be hampered the rest of the way. She asked for treatment again at 4-1.
In the men’s draw, two-time champion Rafael Nadal beat Joao Sousa 6-2, 6-2, 6-2, No. 21 David Goffin beat Fernando Verdasco 7-6 (9), 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, and Roberto Bautista Agut defeated Benoit Paire 6-3, 7-5, 6-2.
Later on “Manic Monday,” Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic were on the schedule as Wimbledon resumes after its traditional day off.
