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WATCH: The Peoples House with Nancy Pelosi

“We are pleased to host Speaker Nancy Pelosi for what will be a historic visit to Howard University,” says President Wayne A. I. Frederick. “The King Lecture Series traditionally offers a wealth of opportunities for our students to hear from leaders of the political arena and Howard is known for standing at the epicenter of thoughtful dialogue around national discourse. Hosting Speaker Pelosi at this time in our country’s history will be an incredible educational experience for everyone involved.”

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– Ramzey SmithWASHINGTON (February 25, 2019) – The 2018-2019 Gwendolyn S. and Colbert I. King Endowed Chair in Public Policy Lecture Series, chaired by political strategist and author Donna Brazile, continues this week with The People’s House with Speaker Nancy Pelosi, on Wednesday, Feb. 27, at the Howard University School of Business Auditorium, beginning at 10:30 a.m. Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi will join Brazile for a conversation on opportunity, leadership and the state of our democracy.

“We are pleased to host Speaker Nancy Pelosi for what will be a historic visit to Howard University,” says President Wayne A. I. Frederick. “The King Lecture Series traditionally offers a wealth of opportunities for our students to hear from leaders of the political arena and Howard is known for standing at the epicenter of thoughtful dialogue around national discourse.  Hosting Speaker Pelosi at this time in our country’s history will be an incredible educational experience for everyone involved.”

Speaker Pelosi joins the King Lecture Series as the 52ndSpeaker of the House of Representatives, having made history in 2007 when she was elected as the first woman to serve as Speaker of the House. Now, in her third term as Speaker, Pelosi made history again in January 2019 when she regained her position second-in-line to the presidency, the first person to do so in more than 60 years.  As Speaker, Pelosi is fighting for the people, working to lower health care costs, increase workers’ pay through strong economic growth and rebuilding America, and cleaning up corruption for make Washington work for all.  For 31 years, Speaker Pelosi has represented San Francisco, California’s 12th Congressional District, in Congress. She has led House Democrats for 16 years, having previously served as House Democratic Whip.

“Speaker Pelosi is heading up the most diverse House of Representatives in history—one that she helped to get elected. As the first, and still only woman to helm a house of Congress, she’s already an historic figure,” Brazile explains. “This will truly be a memorable moment that Howard University students should not miss.”

Among the topics expected to be discussed, are the importance of the youth vote, campaign finance reform and the 116thCongress. Howard University students are encouraged to attend and take advantage of a question and answer period that will be offered exclusively to students, following the conversation.

The People’s House with Speaker Nancy Pelosi is the latest installation of the 2018-2019 Gwendolyn S. and Colbert I. King Endowed Chair in Public Policy Lecture Series, which provides students access to experienced, senior public service executives who have developed and advanced public policy initiatives. Since 2008, six prominent public leaders have engaged students on issues related to the public interest.

This event is free and open to the Howard community via RSVP to KingLectureSeries@Howard.edu. Due to limited seating, guests are asked to arrive early. All bags will be subject to search.

Helping Our Youth Learn Important Life Lessons Through Basketball

The Lead by Example Foundation Inc, is sponsoring free trips for youth in grades 6th – 8th to this years Unity Games in New York

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The Lead by Example Foundation is using the game of basketball to teach youth some valuable skills on and off the court. That’s the key mission of an upcoming series of games taking place in New York in a few weeks and I have the details of how you can get your youngsters involved for free.  It’s the 17thAnnual Unity Games.  My guest is Antonio Beard, Co-Founder of the Lead by Example Foundation, Inc.

The 17thAnnual Unity Games is March 22nd– 24thin New York City.  Lead by Example, Inc. is sponsoring the trip for free for some youth in the DMV in grades 6th– 8th. The trip is for boys and girls. dcunitygames@gmail.comThe Unity Games combine basketball and educational workshops to foster relationships among young people of different backgrounds through a shared experience.  For more information go here:

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, instagram and twitter at @bobbygailes for updates and to stay connected.

Listent to this mornings segment here:

Red Table Talk Discusses “What Men Really Think About Love”

On the latest Red Table Talk titled, “What Men Really Think About Love,” award-winning rapper Wale and Jane the Virgin star Justin Baldoni joined the ladies to have a open dialogue about what men go through in the search for love.

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Contributed by Taylor Ardrey

On the latest Red Table Talk titled, “What Men Really Think About Love,” award-winning rapper Wale and Jane the Virgin star Justin Baldoni joined the ladies to have a open dialogue about what men go through in the search for love.

Wale opened up about his struggle with getting into a relationship growing up as a rapper in the music industry and how being in the industry exposed him to the complexities of maintaining a healthy relationship as a celebrity.

” I got famous young in D.C and I seen how women were acting around me and I think it shaped how I view women moving forward,” said Wale. You got to understand that you are talking to a rapper. All I see is promiscuous behavior… I fell head over heels for somebody in this industry and I can see how vicious it could be and how gutted I was. I was never really the same.”

Justin Baldoni explained how he had to do some soul searching before he meant his wife. When they eventually came together figuring out how they fit into each other’s lives was not an easy process.

“It was not easy. The dating process was at times painfully horrific. My wife and I we went deep; it was uncomfortable, we realized we wanted different things at times, we weren’t sure that if we were spiritually aligned, we were from totally different countries”, said Baldoni.

Baldoni opened up about the ups and downs of his marriage and how he had to put work into himself in order to be ready to settle down with his wife.

“But I jumped in and said this is me. These are my flaws, these are my insecurities. This is all of the things that are wrong with me. And she wanted to walk away and I kept chasing her. There was a balance. She needed space. I didn’t understand what space meant which because we worked through it ended up being the foundation of a beautiful healthy marriage,” he added

Watch to see what else these men think about love: Red Table Talk-What Men Really Think About Love.

 

Serena Williams Tells Women To ‘Dream Crazier’ In New Nike Ad

Tennis all-star Serena Williams collaborated with Nike for their latest advertisement titled, “Dream Crazier” to highlight the double standards women face as athletes.

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Contributed By Taylor Ardrey

“Show them what crazy dreams can do. #JustDoIt”

Tennis all-star Serena Williams collaborated with Nike for their latest advertisement titled, “Dream Crazier” to highlight the double standards women face as athletes. Women are often deemed as emotional, dramatic and “crazy” in the workplace, a struggle in which Williams can relate to after making headlines last year after a dispute at the US Open final with an umpire.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whpJ19RJ4JY&feature=youtu.be

The ad was showcased during the 2019 Academy Awards ceremony and sparked a debate about sexism and the difference of perception between men and women. Many appreciated Williams for being apart of an influential ad and for bringing major issues to the forefront for open discussion.

 

A Teen Is Struck And Killed By A MARC Train, A MD White Lawmaker Calls Prince George’s Co. the “N- district”

In the News @ 10
A teen is struck and killed by a MARC train…
A Md lawmaker calls Prince George’s Co. the N-district…
A new study shows multi-billion dollar funding difference for white school systems vs nonwhite…
Body found in a bag near Metro bus stop…

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A teen is struck and killed by a MARC train…

One day after a person was hit and killed by a MARC Train in Prince George’s County comes word of a teen killed by another train Bowie.

Officials say the incident happened last night in Laurel in the 8400 block of Holly Street. The only description given to the media by Montgomery County Fire Department Spokesman Mark Brady is that the victim is believed to be a teenager and male.

The victim was in critical condition when he was rushed to the hospital. His identity has not been released. It is also unclear if he was on the tracks or near them at the time of impact.

A MD white lawmaker calls Prince George’s County the N-district…

Another lawmaker is apologizing to African American’s and Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland for using a racial slur when talking about Prince George’s County.

Delegate Mary Ann Lisanti a Democrat is responding to allegations that during a discussion with a white colleague she talked about helping with a candidate campaign in Prince George’s County and that last fall she was door-knocking in a “N-district”.

Delegate Lisanti has apologized but says she really doesn’t remember saying it. Delegate Darryl Barnes of Prince George’s County who also chairs the Black Caucus said Lisanti seemed contrite during her meeting with them.

Lisanti, is serving her second term in office. She is a member of the House Economic Matters Committee. She also chairs the unemployment insurance subcommittee.

Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrook who learned of the incident said it was “disturbing and offensive. Alsobrooks said she would love to have her come to see the true Prince George’s County

A new study shows multi-billion dollar funding difference for white school systems vs nonwhite…

For more, it is no surprise. A new report by EdBuild, a research and advocacy company based out of New Jersey focuses on school funding.

EdBuild found that white school systems received $23 billion more dollars in funding that nonwhite school systems. The report points to property taxes being higher in the white communities versus the others and that more money goes to schools. Researchers, however, blame state leaders and budgets for not helping to bring the financial gap that could level the educational learning field.

13,000 traditional public schools were examined and of them, 7,600 had a 75% population of white students and about 1,200 more than 75% of the population were nonwhite.

In 2016 White school systems took in more than $77 billion dollars in local tax dollars or about $7,000 per student. Nonwhite systems took in close to $54 billion, which is equal to about $4,500 per pupil.

It is important to note that most states added on average about $6,900 dollars per pupil for white school systems and about $7,200 for nonwhite systems. This report did not include federal funding.

In the state of Maryland, 880,000 students were supported by only 24 districts compared a place like New Jersey, where over 1 million students were supported by over 500 districts.

Body found in a bag near Metro bus stop…

A passerby made a gruesome discovery last night. The body of a person in a bag near a Metro bus stop in Bethesda.

The body has been sent to the medical examiner’s officer. Detectives did not release the gender or race of the victim. There’s no word on the possible cause of death.

The body was discovered in the 10,000 block of Old Georgetown Road.

Follow me on Instagram and Twitter @taylorthomas963

Mary J. Blige, NAS, Pharrell On Tap For 2019 Essence Fest

“When the ESSENCE Festival was founded 25 years ago, it marked a pivotal moment of vision and reverence — a critical acknowledgement of and investment in the power of our culture,” said Michelle Ebanks, chief executive officer of ESSENCE Communications, in a news release. She said it has set a standard that other festivals aspire to, and has become an annual homecoming for black artists from around the world.

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NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The 2019 Essence Festival will feature headlining performances by Mary J. Blige and rappers NAS, Pharrell, Jermaine Dupri and Missy Elliott as Essence Magazine’s “party with a purpose” turns 25 this year.

Festival producers announced a partial lineup Monday, listing more than 80 artists for the event held during the July Fourth weekend in New Orleans, hosted by comedienne and talk show host Loni Love. Also on the lineup are Anthony Hamilton, H.E.R., Ledisi, MC Lyte, Morris Day, Musiq Soulchild, Sheila E., Teddy Riley, Teyana Taylor, Queen Naija, Timbaland, Luke James, Big Freedia and Grammy winning New Orleans native PJ Morton.

Producers said there also will be a special mainstage moment honoring Frankie Beverly for his lifetime contribution to music and special performance highlights spotlighting Blige’s “My Life” and NAS’ “Illmatic” — seminal albums marking 25-year anniversaries in 2019.

Others scheduled to participate are 702, Big Daddy Kane, Biz Markie, Brownstone, El Debarge, Elle Varner, Force MDs, Ginuwine, Jacquees, Mase, Normani, Rakim, Scarface, City Girls and more performers who will be announced later.

“When the ESSENCE Festival was founded 25 years ago, it marked a pivotal moment of vision and reverence — a critical acknowledgement of and investment in the power of our culture,” said Michelle Ebanks, chief executive officer of ESSENCE Communications, in a news release. She said it has set a standard that other festivals aspire to, and has become an annual homecoming for black artists from around the world.

The festival is scheduled July 4-7, with the three-night concert series in the Superdome and free workshops and opportunities to interact with artists in the city’s convention center.

Ticket packages are now on sale. Visit www.essence.com/festival for more details.

WWE’s Roman Reigns Announces Leukemia In Remission

He thanked fans for their support and thanked his family in a video on Instagram.

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ATLANTA (AP) — The Big Dog is back.

Professional wrestler Roman Reigns says his leukemia is in remission and he’ll be returning to the WWE ring.

The 33-year-old, whose real name is Leati Joseph Anoai, made the announcement Monday at a WWE Raw event in Atlanta. Reigns told the crowd he was terrified and scared before disclosing in October that the disease had returned.

Reigns was 22 years old when he was first diagnosed with leukemia.

He thanked fans for their support and thanked his family in a video on Instagram .

Dental Care For Your Children

Dental health tips for very young children. What you need to know as a parent.

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Are you taking care of your teeth?  What about your children’s teeth?  It’s a question you’re likely to get from your dentist… whether you’re going every six months or not.  Your dental health is much more than brushing regularly and it has an impact on your health beyond your mouth.  That’s also the case for your child.  This is National Children’s Dental Health Month.

Guest:

Dr. LaToya Barham, , Board Certified Pediatric Dentist, Associate Professor, Howard University College of Dentistry

About Tooth Decay (CDC.gov) (https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/about/costs/index.htm)

Cavities (also called tooth decay) are one of the most common chronic diseases in the United States. One in five children aged 6 to 11 years and one in four adults have untreated cavities. Untreated cavities can cause pain and infections that may lead to problems eating, speaking and learning. On average, over 34 million school hours are lost and over $45 billion is lost in productivity each year due to unplanned (emergency) dental care.

 

Our Best Defenses Against An Incurable Disease (thefamilydentalcenter.com)

The Power of Brushing Twice A Day: As true as water is wet and the sun is hot, brushing thoroughly for two minutes twice a day coupled with regular flossing keeps your teeth healthy and ahead of cavities.

Trust The Dental Force: Remember, your dentist is your best friend in the fight against tooth decay. Schedule twice annual cleanings and checkups so your dentist can give you a full report on your oral health, and the measures you need to take to maintain and improve your oral health. But, Dr. Rosie Roldan, director of pediatric dentistry at Miami’s Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, stresses “what happens in between (cleanings) is even more important.”

The Food Factor: Foods high in sugar give the bacteria in your mouth food to chew on. Avoiding candy, soda, juice and cookies reduces the risk of developing tooth decay. Increased sugar consumption naturally increases the risk of decay.

Fluoride Fortitude: While there is no miracle cure, fluoride, teamed with regular brushing, allows enamel to repair itself. Enamel uses the minerals from saliva and toothpaste fluoride to heal. Strong anti-cavity fluoride toothpaste and am electric toothbrush are powerful tools in the fight against tooth decay.

What is periodontal disease?

Periodontal disease is inflammation and infection of the gums and supporting bone structure, which if left untreated, can cause permanent jaw bone destruction and possible tooth loss. Untreated periodontal disease has been linked to increased risk for conditions such as heart disease, stroke, low birth weight babies, pre-term delivery, respiratory disease, and prostate cancer. An advanced stage of periodontal disease exhibits inflamed gums pulling away from your bone and teeth. Other signs of periodontal disease include:

  • Bad breath
  • Red or swollen gums
  • Loose teeth or teeth that have moved
  • Sensitive teeth
  • Pus coming from around the teeth
  • Pain when chewing
  • Tender gums
  • Bleeding gums

Treatment of early periodontal disease can be performed in-office. However, advanced stages may require surgery. Periodontal disease can be prevented and treated successfully by seeing your dentist and dental hygienist regularly and following recommended care plans.

R. Kelly (UPDATE), Trump Campaign Staffer Says Trump Tried To Kiss Her

R. Kelly update. Prosecutor Talks About Kraft Charges. Trump Campaign Staffer Says Trump Tried To Kiss Her.

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R. Kelly (UPDATE)

(Chicago, IL) — The evidence is piling up against R&B singer R. Kelly. A second videotape has apparently been turned over to prosecutors by defense attorney Michael Avenatti. It allegedly shows R. Kelly sexually assaulting an underage girl. At a courthouse in Chicago, Avenatti says the video leaves “no question as to Mr. Kelly’s guilt” on the tape that is approximately 55-minutes long. Avenatti says his team has been meeting with additional witnesses who recall a “decades-long system of abuse” from Kelly. Avenatti says this conduct is “outrageous” and his team has been investigating the matter since April of last year. Kelly pleaded not guilty in court today to 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse involving four victims, three of whom were minors.

Prosecutor Talks About Kraft Charges

(West Palm Beach, FL) — Florida officials are giving more details on the prostitution charges against New England Patriots Owner Robert Kraft. Palm Beach state attorney Dave Aronberg said Kraft could either surrender to police in person or his attorney may make other arrangements with the state. An arrest warrant for soliciting a prostitute was issued for Kraft last week as part of a human trafficking investigation. Kraft is charged with two misdemeanor offenses, which will likely result in minimal or no punishment in court.

Trump Campaign Staffer Says Trump Tried To Kiss Her

A former campaign staffer is accusing Donald Trump of inappropriate contact during the 2016 presidential campaign. Alva Johnson claims Trump kissed her on the side of her mouth without her consent in August of 2016. She has filed a lawsuit in Florida and is seeking unspecified damages for emotional pain and suffering. The White House rejects the allegations.

Oscar So White or Oscar So Black?

Could we see more actors and film workers of color receive Academy Awards on Sunday?

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We sit down with a film critic and producer to look at the Oscar contenders for the 91st Academy Awards.

Guests:

Dolly Turner, Documentary Film Producer
Tim Gordon, Film Critic

Academy Awards Categories and Nominees

Best Picture:

“Black Panther”
“BlacKkKlansman”
“Bohemian Rhapsody”
“The Favourite”
“Green Book”
“Roma”
“A Star Is Born”
“Vice”

Lead Actor:

Christian Bale, “Vice”
Bradley Cooper, “A Star Is Born”
Willem Dafoe, “At Eternity’s Gate”
Rami Malek, “Bohemian Rhapsody”
Viggo Mortensen, “Green Book”

Lead Actress:

Yalitza Aparicio, “Roma”
Glenn Close, “The Wife”
Olivia Colman, “The Favourite”
Lady Gaga, “A Star Is Born”
Melissa McCarthy, “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”

Supporting Actor:

Mahershala Ali, “Green Book”
Adam Driver, “BlacKkKlansman”
Sam Elliott, “A Star Is Born”
Richard E. Grant, “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”
Sam Rockwell, “Vice”

Supporting Actress:
Amy Adams, “Vice”
Marina de Tavira, “Roma”
Regina King, “If Beale Street Could Talk”
Emma Stone, “The Favourite”
Rachel Weisz, “The Favourite”

Director:

Spike Lee, “BlacKkKlansman”
Pawel Pawlikowski, “Cold War”
Yorgos Lanthimos, “The Favourite”
Alfonso Cuarón, “Roma”
Adam McKay, “Vice”

Animated Feature:

“Incredibles 2,” Brad Bird
“Isle of Dogs,” Wes Anderson
“Mirai,” Mamoru Hosoda
“Ralph Breaks the Internet,” Rich Moore, Phil Johnston
“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman

Animated Short:

“Animal Behaviour,” Alison Snowden, David Fine
“Bao,” Domee Shi
“Late Afternoon,” Louise Bagnall
“One Small Step,” Andrew Chesworth, Bobby Pontillas
“Weekends,” Trevor Jimenez

Adapted Screenplay:

“The Ballad of Buster Scruggs,” Joel Coen , Ethan Coen
“BlacKkKlansman,” Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmott, Spike Lee
“Can You Ever Forgive Me?,” Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty
“If Beale Street Could Talk,” Barry Jenkins
“A Star Is Born,” Eric Roth, Bradley Cooper, Will Fetters

COSTUME DESIGN (oscars.com)

NOMINEES

 

THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS

Mary Zophres

BLACK PANTHER

Ruth Carter

THE FAVOURITE

Sandy Powell

MARY POPPINS RETURNS

Sandy Powell

MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS

Alexandra Byrne

 

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)

NOMINEES

BLACK PANTHER

Ludwig Goransson

BLACKKKLANSMAN

Terence Blanchard

IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK

Nicholas Britell

ISLE OF DOGS

Alexandre Desplat

MARY POPPINS RETURNS

Marc Shaiman

 

PRODUCTION DESIGN

NOMINEES

BLACK PANTHER

Production Design: Hannah Beachler; Set Decoration: Jay Hart

THE FAVOURITE

Production Design: Fiona Crombie; Set Decoration: Alice Felton

FIRST MAN

Production Design: Nathan Crowley; Set Decoration: Kathy Lucas

MARY POPPINS RETURNS

Production Design: John Myhre; Set Decoration: Gordon Sim

ROMA

Production Design: Eugenio Caballero; Set Decoration: Bárbara Enríquez

 

Honoring Those Who Have Shown Courage Under Fire

The Greater Washington Urban League hosts it’s Whitney M. Young Jr. Memorial Gala.

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The Greater Washington Urban League is gearing up for its largest fundraising event.  It’s the 2019 Whitney M. Young Jr. Memorial Gala.  My guest is George Lambert – President and CEO of the Greater Washington Urban League

Greater Washington Urban League 2019 Whitney Young Memorial Gala is Friday, March 15th@ Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center.  The theme this year is Honoring those with Courage Under Fire. For more information go here:

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, instagram and twitter at @bobbygailes for updates and to stay connected.

Listen to this mornings segment here:

BEWARE! We Are Under “A High Wind Warning”, The Search Continues For Missing Teen

In the News @ 10
BEWARE! We are under “A High Wind Warning”…
The search continues for missing teen…
Metro’s Board prepares to vote on returning to extended hours …

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BEWARE! We are under “A High Wind Warning”…

If you live in the Metropolitan area beware we are in for some dangerous weather. The national weather service has issued “A High Wind Warning” for the entire WHUR listening area. We could see wind gust in excess of 70 mph.

Today’s strong winds could knock down trees and power lines. In fact, North Virginia has been affected. This morning Dominion Virginia had some 9,000 customers without power. The numbers were a lot lower in Prince George’s County. To the tune of just over 2,000 customers. There could be additional reports of power outages as the day goes on.

The search continues for missing teen…

Prince George’s County Police are still searching for missing 13-year-old Otto Campbell.

The teen male was last seen on February 15th in Landover. Reports indicate he was driving a car near FedEx Field. The car is described as a 2007 blue Ford Focus with NC tag number DLM-9941. It has damage to the rear bumper.

Campbell went missing Friday morning from the 1100 block of Ivy Club Lane in Landover. Investigators say they are not sure how he obtained the car. It is also unclear where he may have been headed.

Anyone who may have seen him or have information about his whereabouts should call 301-772-4911. Click here to see an image of Campbell. http://pgpolice.blogspot.com/2019/02/pgpd-searches-for-missing-teen_19.html

Metro’s Board prepares to vote on returning to extended hours …

Metro’s Board is preparing to hold a very important vote this week. On Thursday, leaders will cast their ballots either for or against a plan to resume to late night service.

The plan would return the transit system to running until 3 am on the weekends and Midnight on the weekdays. Something DC Mayor Muriel Bowser believes district residents and visitors need.

The Federal Transit Administration, however, is threatening to withhold $1.6 (billion) dollars in funding to the region if maintenance hours are cut for longer service hours. Metro leaders fear returning to the late-night hours will affect maintenance and service reliability.

Metro’s Board of Directors vote will begin at 10 am on Thursday, February, 28th.

Follow me on Instagram and Twitter @taylorthomas963

Lawyer: Arrangements Being Made To Pay R. Kelly’s $100K Bail

“He has to rely on others acting on his behalf,” Greenberg said. “And it’s just not that easy — because Kelly’s in jail.”

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CHICAGO (AP) — R. Kelly, one of the best-selling music artists of all time, remained jailed over the weekend as confidants make arrangements to pay the $100,000 bail needed to free him as he awaits trial for aggravated sexual abuse, his lawyer said.

The 52-year-old R&B star had hoped to walk out of the 7,000-inmate Chicago jail, but defense attorney Steve Greenberg told The Associated Press in a phone interview Sunday that coordination of the payment is complicated. He added that Kelly could be released as early as Monday or Tuesday.

“He has to rely on others acting on his behalf,” Greenberg said. “And it’s just not that easy — because Kelly’s in jail.”

A judge on Saturday set bond at $1 million, requiring the Grammy Award-winning singer to pay 10 percent. Among the conditions of release is that Kelly have no contact with females younger than 18.

In arguing for bail within the singer’s ability to pay, Greenberg told the judge that Kelly wasn’t wealthy despite decades of success creating hit songs. The lawyer blamed mismanagement, bad contracts and other issues for his client’s financial woes.

Greenberg said he had braced for the possibility that bail could be higher than $1 million, but was pleased when Judge John Fitzgerald Lyke Jr. arrived at the amount he did.

There are multiple logistical issues that could have thwarted Kelly’s efforts to pay over the weekend, said Joseph Lopez, a criminal defense attorney in Chicago not connected to the Kelly case.

Bond can be paid by credit card, cash or check. Court officials must be able to talk to bank officials directly to confirm that an amount written on a check is covered, and that’s not possible when banks are closed, Lopez said.

Records on the Cook County sheriff’s website say Kelly is in Division 8 of the county jail, where the medical unit is located but also where inmates considered at risk from the general inmate population are held, Lopez said.

Kelly was charged in a grand jury indictment unsealed Friday with 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse involving four victims, three of whom were minors.

Greenberg said a judge will assign a trial judge to the case at a brief Monday morning court session that Kelly is expected to attend.

Disturbing details of the allegations against Kelly emerged Saturday when the prosecution released four detailed documents — one for each accuser — outlining the basis for the charges. The allegations date back as far as 1998 and span more than a decade.

A 16-year-old girl who attended Kelly’s child pornography trial in 2008 got his autograph after a court session. He later invited her to his home in the Chicago suburb of Olympia Fields, where they had sex multiple times, according to the documents, which said he also slapped, choked and spit on her.

In 1998, another girl reported meeting Kelly at a restaurant where she was having a 16th birthday party. Kelly’s manager gave her the singer’s business card and suggested she call Kelly. The girl’s mother heard the exchange, took the card and told the manager her daughter was 16.

But her daughter later retrieved the card from her purse. She contacted Kelly, who gave her instructions and money that she assumed was for the taxi fare to his studio, where they had sex periodically for a year, the documents said.

In early 2003, a Chicago hairdresser told prosecutors that she thought she was going to braid Kelly’s hair, but he pulled down his pants and instead tried to force her to give him oral sex. The woman, who was 24, was able to pull away, but Kelly ejaculated on her and spit in her face, the documents said.

Prosecutors also described a witness who had access to videotapes showing Kelly having sex with a 14-year-old girl. The witness turned a tape over to authorities and identified the girl, who repeatedly stated her age on the footage, according to the documents.

Kelly’s DNA was found in semen on one of the accuser’s shirts, and semen found on a shirt worn by another was submitted for DNA testing, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx said. It was not clear when the accusers turned the shirts over to authorities — whether it was shortly after the abuse or more recently.

At the bond hearing, Greenberg said his client is not a flight risk. He told the judge, “Contrary to the song, Mr. Kelly doesn’t like to fly.” One of Kelly’s best-known hits is “I Believe I Can Fly.”

After the hearing, Greenberg told reporters that Kelly did not force anyone to have sex.

“He’s a rock star. He doesn’t have to have nonconsensual sex,” Greenberg said.

The judge ordered Kelly to surrender his passport, ending his hopes of doing a tour of Europe in April. Kelly defiantly scheduled concerts in Germany and the Netherlands despite the cloud of legal issues looming over him. Greenberg denied that any tour was planned.

The recording artist, whose legal name is Robert Kelly, has been trailed for decades by allegations that he violated underage girls and women and held some as virtual slaves.

Kelly has consistently denied any sexual misconduct. He broke into the R&B scene in 1993 with his first solo album, “12 Play,” which produced such popular sex-themed songs as “Your Body’s Callin’” and “Bump N’ Grind.”

He rose from poverty on Chicago’s South Side and has retained a sizable following. Kelly has written numerous hits for himself and other artists, including Celine Dion, Michael Jackson and Lady Gaga.

In 2008, the jury acquitted Kelly of child pornography charges that centered on a graphic video that prosecutors said showed him having sex with a girl as young as 13. He and the young woman allegedly seen with him denied they were in the 27-minute video, even though the picture quality was good and witnesses testified it was them, and she did not take the stand. Kelly could have been sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Charging Kelly now for actions that occurred in the same time frame as the allegations from the 2008 trial suggests the accusers are cooperating this time and willing to testify.

Because the alleged victim 10 years ago denied that she was on the video and did not testify, the state’s attorney’s office had little recourse except to charge the lesser offense under Illinois law, child pornography, which required a lower standard of evidence.

Each count of the new charges carries up to seven years in prison, and the sentences could be served consecutively, making it possible for him to receive up to 70 years. Probation is also an option.

The walls began closing in on Kelly after the release of a BBC documentary about him last year and the multipart Lifetime documentary “Surviving R. Kelly,” which aired last month. Together they detailed allegations that he held women against their will and ran a “sex cult.”

The Final List Of Winners At The 91st Academy Awards

The final list of the winners at the 91st Academy Awards…

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The final list of the winners at the 91st Academy Awards:

Best picture: “Green Book”

Best actress: Olivia Colman, “The Favourite”

Best actor: Rami Malek, “Bohemian Rhapsody”

Best director: Alfonso Cuaron, “Roma”

Best supporting actress: Regina King, “If Beale Street Could Talk”

Best supporting actor: Mahershala Ali, “Green Book”

Foreign language film: Mexico’s “Roma”

Original screenplay: “Green Book,” Nick Vallelonga, Brian Currie and Peter Farrelly

Adapted screenplay: “BlacKkKlansman,” Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmott and Spike Lee

Original Song: “Shallow” from “A Star Is Born,” music and lyrics by Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando and Andrew Wyatt.

Cinematography: Alfonso Cuaron, “Roma”

Best animated film: “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”

Original Score: “Black Panther,” Ludwig Goransson

Costume design: Ruth Carter, “Black Panther”

Production design: “Black Panther”

Sound Editing: “Bohemian Rhapsody”

Sound Mixing: “Bohemian Rhapsody”

Film Editing: John Ottman, “Bohemian Rhapsody”

Animated short film: “Bao”

Documentary short subject: “Period. End of Sentence”

Visual effects: “First Man”

Live action short film: “Skin”

Documentary feature: “Free Solo”

Makeup and hairstyling: “Vice”

5 Things Entrepreneurs Should Know Before Taking The Leap

Author, life coach, and entrepreneur Ari Squires shares five things entrepreneurs should know before taking the BIG leap to become their own boss with WHUR 96.3’s Candice Adkins. This is some good stuff! Take a listen…

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Author, life coach, and entrepreneur Ari Squires shares five things entrepreneurs should know before taking the BIG leap to become their own boss with WHUR 96.3’s Candice Adkins. This is some good stuff! Take a listen…

R Kelly Charged with 10 Counts of Sexual Abuse

R. Kelly Indicted

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CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago prosecutors have charged R&B star R. Kelly with 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse, according to media reports citing court records.  Friday’s charges come after years of allegations directed at Kelly, accusing the now 52-year-old of sexual misconduct involving women and underage girls. Through his lawyers, he has consistently denied them.
Kelly, whose legal name is Robert Kelly, is one of the top-selling recording artists of all time. He has won multiple Grammys, including for his hit-song, “I Believe I Can Fly.”  Jurors acquitted Kelly of child pornography charges at a 2008 trial. Those charges stemmed from a video prosecutors alleged showed Kelly having sex with a girl as young as 13.  Attorney Michael Avenatti said last week that he recently gave Chicago prosecutors new video evidence of Kelly having sex with an underage girl.

School Kids Portray Runaway Slaves, Smollett Suspended, New Smoking Ban In Virginia

School kids as runaway slaves
Smollett done for the season
Smoking ban in Virginia

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Slavery misstep at local school

Slavery is not a game. That’s been made clear to officials at a local school. With Black History Month in mind, 3rd, 4th & 5th graders, some black, at Madison Trust Elementary in Ashburn, were told to pretend to be runaway slaves as they advanced through an obstacle course that represented the Underground Railroad. The school’s principal has apologized saying the exercise was intended to stress team building, adding that a committee of parents and school staff will be established to help avoid similar incidents.

Empire star out, for now

Jussie Smollett is out at Empire, at least for the rest of the season. The Fox Network issued a statement saying it is “placing its trust in the legal process,” adding”we are also aware of the effects of this process on the cast and crew members who work on our show and to avoid further disruption on set, we have decided to remove the role of Jamal from the final two episodes of the season.”   Smollett was on the set yesterday, reportedly addressing cast members and pronouncing his innocence. He appeared in court yesterday and released on bond,  charged with filing a false report. Chicago police say Smollett staged an attack to get attention because he was unhappy with his Empire salary.


A new law in Virginia bans people from under 21 from buying tobacco and nicotine products. Active members of the military are exempt.

 

Jussie Smollett’s Character Off ‘Empire’ For End Of Season

“Empire” Executive Producers Lee Daniels, Danny Strong, Brett Mahoney, Brian Grazer, Sanaa Hamri, Francie Calfo and Dennis Hammer released a statement saying Smollett’s character, Jamal, was being removed from the final two episodes of the season “to avoid further disruption on set.”

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CHICAGO (AP) — The producers of the TV show “Empire” say Jussie Smollett’s character will be removed from the final two episodes of this season.

The announcement Friday comes after Smollett was charged with felony disorderly conduct for filing a false police report. Police say he faked a racist and homophobic attack in Chicago because he was unhappy with his salary and wanted to promote his career.

“Empire” Executive Producers Lee Daniels, Danny Strong, Brett Mahoney, Brian Grazer, Sanaa Hamri, Francie Calfo and Dennis Hammer released a statement saying Smollett’s character, Jamal, was being removed from the final two episodes of the season “to avoid further disruption on set.”

“Empire” is filmed in Chicago.

Meghan Markle’s Royal Baby Shower In NYC

Meghan Markle had a royal baby shower with the help of her friends. Serena Williams and Amal Clooney hosted and paid for the Duchess of Sussex first baby shower at an upscale penthouse in New York City.

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Contributed by Taylor Ardrey

Meghan Markle had a royal baby shower with the help of her friends. Serena Williams and Amal Clooney hosted and foot the bill for the Duchess of Sussex first baby shower at an upscale penthouse in New York City. The fancy shower took place at the Mark Hotel on the Upper East Side of Manhattan which costs $75,000 a night.

The shower was decorated with an abundance of expensive flowers including peonies and roses. The friend duo hired harpist, Erin Hill as entertainment for the event. The guests enjoyed cotton candy while receiving gifts that is rumored to be trendy travel away luggages.

 

According to EOnline, excluding gifts, the total of $83,665.50.

Some of the exclusive guests included , Gayle King, Misha Nonoo, Markus Anderson, Daniel Martin, Taryn Toomey, Jessica Mulroney.

Octavia Spencer and Gabrielle Union Team Up For Book Adaptation

Get your popcorn ready! Octavia Spencer and Gabrielle Union are set to star in the new movie based on April Sinclair’s novel, Coffee Will Make You Black. 

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Contributed by Taylor Ardrey

Get your popcorn ready! Octavia Spencer and Gabrielle Union are set to star in the new movie based on April Sinclair’s novel, Coffee Will Make You Black.

According to Deadline, the two actresses are not only expected to be in front of the camera, but are orchestrating the production behind the scenes as well.  Union’s production company I’ll Have Another will team up with Spencer’s production umbrella, Orit, to bring the film to life. Wyolah Films’ Tate Taylor and John Norris will also have their hands deep in this project.

There are so many unheard stories and voices in the African American community that speak to universal themes and the humanity in all of us. I wanted to use my platform to create more opportunities for directors and writers of color to tell these stories. This project has women of color in lead roles in front of and behind the camera,” said Spencer.

Written and directed by Deborah Riley Draper, Coffee Will Make You Black, showcases the struggles and life experience of a young Black teenage girl through her relationships, racism, colorist and sexism in the 1960s.

 

“A smart, funny, poignant coming-of-age film with a young black female protagonist is important to see. And it is equally important to see the complicated relationship between a black mother and her daughter as they try to succeed and assimilate in a change-resistant America,” said Union.

 

 

Lawyer Likens R. Kelly To Beethoven To Explain Studio Move

R. Kelly is moving out of his Chicago recording studio because a judge has stymied his creativity by barring him from working there overnight due to building-code violations, his lawyer said Wednesday.

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CHICAGO (AP) — R&B singer R. Kelly is moving out of his Chicago recording studio because a judge has stymied his creativity by barring him from working there overnight due to building-code violations, his lawyer said Wednesday.

Cook County Judge Patrice Ball-Reed has effectively ordered the Grammy Award-winning artist “not to be creative between 9:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m.,” attorney Steve Greenberg said.

“R. Kelly can never be creative and do his job under these circumstances,” he said in a statement .

He compared Kelly to Ludwig van Beethoven, Winston Churchill, Sigmund Freud and one of the Beatles, who he said did some of their best work overnight, too.

“John Lennon,” Greenberg said, “spent 24 hours a day in bed while recording.”

Among the violations cited by inspectors was evidence the industrial space was used as a residence.

The judge recently refused a request by Kelly to let him work longer into the night at the studio, which is part of a warehouse building on the city’s West Side.

The dispute over studio access comes amid allegations of sexual misconduct by Kelly, all of which he has denied. A recent Lifetime documentary series, “Surviving R. Kelly,” looked at old allegations against Kelly and made some new ones.

Greenberg, in his statement, called the judge’s order a “vindictive and baseless reaction to unsubstantiated claims of decades old misconduct.” He added that some people are reaching conclusions about the allegations prematurely.

“There are three countries that presume an accused to be guilty and require him to prove his innocence — North Korea, China and Myanmar,” the attorney said. “The public should not rush to judgment.”

___

 

Jada Pinkett-Smith Graces Essence Cover With Willow Smith and Adrienne Norris

Jada Pinkett-Smith along with daughter Willow Smith and mom Adrienne Norris grace the cover of ESSENCE’s March 2019 issue. The issue, titled Talk Is Chic, showcases the excellence and power the Smith’s have in new age media. 

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Contributed by Taylor Ardrey

Ever since it started, Jada Pinkett-Smith along with Willow Smith and Adrienne Norris have been inviting viewers to a seat at the red table. Smith’s “Red Table Talk” has quickly become a must watch on Facebook and gives viewers personal insight into the three women’s lives as well as issues relating to women.

The show not only includes Jada Pinkett-Smith’s expertise, but introduced the audience to her wise mother, Banfield-Norris, also known as Gammy. Norris has used the platform at Red Table Talk to discuss her personal experiences with domestic violence and sobriety. The show also includes Willow Smith, Pinkett’s daughter, whom despite her young age, adds deep insight to the show’s content.

The three women had the opportunity to grace the cover of ESSENCE’s March 2019 issue. The issue, titled Talk Is Chic, showcases the excellence and power the Smiths have in new age media.

“Everybody has a place at the table because there’s not just one perspective,” Pinkett tells Essence, “that’s what makes the show awesome to me.”

ESSENCE is using their March issue to highlight Black women who are setting the standard for excellence and admiring their magic.

See the stunning cover here.

 

The Jussie Smollett Case

Examining the social justice and political impact of the Jussie Smollett case.

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Actor Jussie Smollett is out on bond after appearing before a judge for the first time. Chicago police accuse him of filing a false report when he told authorities he was attacked and beaten in a racist and homophobic attack. Investigators say Smollett staged the entire incident to promote his career.   We examine the political and social justice implications of the case.

 Guests:

Donald Temple, Civil Rights Attorney

Duvalier Malone, Political Columnist, Race Relations Expert

Jussie Smollett Bond Hearing (UPDATE), Wendy Williams To Return To TV

Jussie Smollett Bond Hearing. MD Lawmakers Considering Gender-Neutral IDs. Embattled Republican Congressional Candidate Testifies. Wendy Williams To Return To TV.

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Jussie Smollett Bond Hearing

A judge has set a $100,000 bond for “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett, who is accused of staging an attack against himself in downtown Chicago last month.

The 36-year-old actor said little other than giving his name at the beginning of Thursday’s hearing.

Smollett’s attorney asked Cook County Judge John Fitzgerald Lyke Jr. to release Smollett on his own recognizance. However, the judge said that would be inappropriate.

Police allege that Smollett hired two brothers to help stage an attack on him late last month in downtown Chicago. He told police that two masked men beat him and hurled racist and homophobic slurs during the attack.

MD Lawmakers Considering Gender-Neutral IDs

(Annapolis, MD) — Maryland lawmakers are considering giving drivers the option to choose gender-neutral driver’s licenses. The state Senate gave preliminary approval yesterday to a bill that allows applicants to identify as either male, female, or unspecified on their ID cards. The law would require the Motor Vehicle Administration to issue IDs that show an “X” instead of an “M” for male or an “F” for female if requested. Several states and the District of Columbia have allowed the designation of an unspecified gender on licenses. DC issued its first gender-neutral ID in 2017.

Embattled Republican Congressional Candidate Testifies

(Raleigh, NC) — Embattled Republican congressional candidate Mark Harris says he did not believe that one of his political operatives was tampering with mail-in ballots in November. Harris is at the heart of a contested House race in North Carolina. In sworn testimony today, Harris said he had a comfort level with operative Leslie McCrae Dowless. Harris’ son testified earlier that he warned his dad about Dowless, who is a convicted felon. Harris led Democrat Dan McCready by 905 votes after the contested race in the state’s 9th Congressional District. The State Board of Elections is trying to decide what to do with the results as Democrats have alleged voter fraud.

Wendy Williams To Return To TV

(New York, NY) — Wendy Williams is returning to her show. The 54-year-old TV host has been missing since December, but according to her production company, she’ll be returning on Monday, March 4th. The New Jersey native took a hiatus from the program to treat her Graves’ disease, but rumors circulated about troubles in her marriage. Williams also broke her silence today thanking her staff for tirelessly holding it down while she was gone.

Chicago Police Denounce Smollett, Coast Guard Officer Accused Of Terrorist Threats, DC Teacher On The Mend

Smollet Arrested
Coast Guard fficer threats
Teacher shot on New York Avenue

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Jussie Smollett arrested and charged

Jussie Smollett has turned himself into police. He faces a felony charge of filing a false report. All for money…according to Chicago authorities.  Smollett claimed he was attacked on January 29th by two men on a Chicago street, who Smollett said yelled racist and homophobic slurs, tied a rope around his neck and poured an unknown substance on him. The two men, who are brothers, say Smollet paid them $3,500 to stage the attack. Police agree, saying Smollet’s “stunt” was put forth because the actor was not happy with his salary on Empire.  And that Smollett mailed to himself the threatening letter that the actor said was sent to him by an unidentified person.  Chicago police superintendent Eddie  Johnson said the bruises and scratches on Smollett’s face were self-inflicted.  A bond hearing for Smollett is scheduled for 2:30 central time.

Coast Guard official arrested

Authorities say a local U.S. Coast Guard officer who identified as a white nationalist threatened “to murder innocent civilians on a scale rarely seen in this country” is due in federal court in Greenbelt today.  Chrispher Hasson’s Silver Spring home was raided by FBI Agents last Friday where a stockpile of weapons and ammunition were seized.

Teacher recovering

A District school teacher is recovering after being shot in the face, hit by a stray bullet Monday afternoon while on New York Avenue.  The fourth grade math teacher had just moved to DC a few weeks ago.  The teacher lost the tip of his pinky finger and needs surgery to remove the bullet from his face.  Police have not released any information on possible suspects.

Google’s Nest Hub Has A Microphone It Forgot To Mention

Google said in a statement that the omission was a mistake. “The on-device microphone was never intended to be a secret and should have been listed in the tech specs,” it said.

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Google said Wednesday it forgot to mention that it included a microphone in its Nest Secure home alarm system, the latest privacy flub by one of the tech industry’s leading collectors of personal information.

The company said earlier this month that its voice assistant feature would be available on the system’s Nest Guard, which controls home alarm sensors.

But Google hadn’t told consumers about the device’s built-in microphone when it began selling the hubs in the fall of 2017. As recently as January , the product specs for the device made no mention of a microphone.

Google said in a statement that the omission was a mistake. “The on-device microphone was never intended to be a secret and should have been listed in the tech specs,” it said.

The microphone hasn’t been active since launch, and people have to specifically enable it going forward, Google said. Business Insider first reported the microphone had been missing from the product’s description.

Google and other Internet companies are facing increasing scrutiny over their data collection practices. The forgotten microphone is not Google’s first run-in with user privacy concerns.

An AP investigation last year found the company was tracking users’ location information through its apps and search services, even if users turned the feature off.

And in 2010, Google admitted it had accidentally collected some internet activity from open Wi-Fi networks using its Street View cars.

Working To Improve The Lives of Teenage Young Boys

The Gateway Second Chance Foundation’s 4th Annual Prayer Breakfast features Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks

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The Gateway Second Chance Foundation works to improve the plight of teen males in Prince George’s County.  The Foundation is embarking on a mission to establish a boarding academy for these youth and they are hosting a fundraiser coming up next month to generate much needed dollars. My guest is Clarence Carter – Co-Founder of the Gateway Second Chance Foundation.

The Gateway Second Chance Foundation is hosting its 4thAnnual Prayer Breakfast March 2ndat 9am at The Hotel in College Park.  The Keynote speaker will be Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks. For more information go to:  www.gatewaysecondchance.org

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, instagram and twitter at @bobbygailes for updates and to stay connected.

 

 

Samsung Folding Phone Is Different – But Also Almost $2,000

The Galaxy Fold, announced Wednesday in San Francisco, will sell for $1,980 when it is released April 26.

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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Samsung unveiled a highly anticipated smartphone with a foldable screen in an attempt to break the innovation funk that has beset the smartphone market.

But it’s far from clear that consumers will embrace a device that retails for almost $2,000, or that it will provide the creative catalyst the smartphone market needs.

The Galaxy Fold, announced Wednesday in San Francisco, will sell for $1,980 when it is released April 26.

Consumers willing to pay that hefty price will get a device that can unfold like a wallet. It can work like a traditional smartphone with a 4.6 inch screen or morph into something more like a mini-tablet with a 7.3 inch screen.

When fully unfolded, the device will be able to simultaneously run three different apps on the screen. The Galaxy Fold will also boast six cameras: three in the back, two on the inside and one on the front.

After spending nearly five years developing the technology underlying its foldable-screen phone, Samsung is clearly hoping for a big payoff.

“Get ready for the dawn of a new era,” declared DJ Koh, who oversees Samsung’s smartphone division. The new phone, he said, “answers skeptics who said everything has already been done.”

If Samsung is right, the Galaxy Fold will spur more people to upgrade their phones. Overall smartphones sales peaked in 2017 ; Samsung saw its smartphone sales fall 8 percent last year, based on estimates from the research firm International Data Corp. Worldwide, smartphone sales dropped 4 percent in 2018, according to IDC.

But most analysts see a limited market for foldable-screen phones, at least in the early going. Phones like the Galaxy Fold “are likely to sell to a very limited market of technology aficionados who like big screens and have big wallets,” said IDC analyst Ramon Llamas.

Although he also believes the Galaxy Fold is more a “status symbol” than mainstream product, Moor Insights & Strategy analyst Patrick Moorhead said the device is symbolically important for Samsung, the top seller of smartphones in the world. “The Fold was icing on the cake showing that Samsung is the company driving new innovations and excitement to the market,” Moorhead said.

There’s no doubt that the Galaxy Fold is “luxury technology,” conceded Justin Denison, a Samsung senior vice president during an interview. But he also predicted that the advent of foldable screens will unleash new uses for mobile devices. “It’s a technological marvel,” Denison said. “The first time you see a flexible screen, it sort of bends your mind.”

Samsung also released new Galaxy S10 phones that echo the features in other recent models. Each device in the S10 lineup boast fancy cameras, sleek screens covering the entire front of the devices and at least 128 gigabytes of storage — important features to consumers shopping for phones.

The new phones are able take wider-angle shots than previous models and can charge other devices, including wireless headphones and smartwatches. A fourth S10 model, due out this spring, will have faster wireless speeds through the emerging 5G cellular network.

But those improvements aren’t a big leap from the smartphones released during the past few years by Samsung, Apple and other top manufacturers.

“These phones are all variations on a theme we have already seen,” Llamas said. “It’s the same song with a slightly different verse.”

With the pace of smartphone innovation seemingly locked in baby steps, consumers are holding on to their existing devices for longer periods than they have in the past. Compounding that reluctance to upgrade is smartphone sticker shock, which the Galaxy Fold seems unlikely to alleviate. Prices for some existing phones models have soared above $1,000 .

Samsung is offering a slightly smaller S10 model for $750 in an attempt to make smartphones more affordable, but the higher-end models sell for $900 and $1,000. It’s the second time in the past five months that a leading smartphone maker has positioned a $750 phone as a frugal option. Apple also priced its cheapest new phone, the iPhone XR, released last fall at $750. Other smartphone makers gaining market share, including China’s Huawei and Xiaomi, make smartphones that sell for $500 or less, as well as high-end models.

Two of Samsung’s new models, the S10 and the S10 Plus, are largely incremental upgrades of last year’s S9 and S9 Plus, although they are designed differently. They are about the same size as last year’s models, but will have more display space, as Samsung found additional ways to eliminate waste around the edges. As a byproduct, the top right of the display has a circle or oval cut out for the front-facing cameras.

The lowest-priced “essentials” model, the S10e, has most of the same features, but is 5 percent smaller than the S10 in volume. The S10e also lacks curved edges, a signature feature for many Samsung phones.

All three S10 models will come out March 8, with pre-orders starting Thursday.

Samsung trumpeted its 10th anniversary lineup ahead of a major mobile device conference in Barcelona next week. Huawei, which is threatening to overtake Apple as the world’s second biggest seller of smartphones, has promised to use the Spain showcase to preview its own device with a foldable screen and the ability to connect to 5G networks as they become operational during the next few years.

Met Opera To Hire All-Black Chorus For ‘Porgy and Bess’

“I think the Met is regarded as an institution that is colorblind when it comes to casting,” Gelb said. “We have many African-Americans and other black artists who are appearing on our stage in major roles.”

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NEW YORK (AP) — The Metropolitan Opera will hire an all-black outside chorus next season for its first presentation in nearly three decades of the Gershwins’ “Porgy and Bess,” which opens the season on Sept. 23.

Performances of “Porgy and Bess,” which premiered in 1935, are licensed by the Gershwin family, which specifies an all-black cast.

“Certainly it’s more complicated, but it’s worth the complications because it’s such a great piece,” Met general manager Peter Gelb.

“Porgy,” by George and Ira Gershwin, and DuBose and Dorothy Heyward, depicts a beggar in a poor African-American community of Charleston, South Carolina.

When the Met presented “Porgy” for the first time in 1985, it also hired an outside chorus — at the time, there were three black members of the Met’s regular chorus of 81. That has increased to six in a group of approximately the same total now, the Met said.

“I think the Met is regarded as an institution that is colorblind when it comes to casting,” Gelb said. “We have many African-Americans and other black artists who are appearing on our stage in major roles.”

The Hungarian State Opera created controversy last year when it presented an unauthorized production with a largely white cast.

Donald Palumbo, the Met chorus master, said about 400 people had auditioned for the “Porgy” chorus since November and 68 would be chosen for rehearsals that start Aug. 5.

“We will have two existing choruses at the same time in the building,” he said. “It’s going to be interesting but it’s going to be a lot of fun. I’m hoping that they will interact as much as possible.”

Eric Owens and Angel Blue head the opening-night cast, which is conducted by David Robertson and includes Denyce Graves, Latonia Moore, Golda Schultz and Ryan Speedo Green.

Then-Met music director James Levine insisted on an uncut version for the 1985 Nathaniel Merrill production. That staging, which appeared 54 times through 1990, was presented in three acts with 3 hours of music and two intermissions for a total of 4 hours.

This production is trimmed to about 2 1/2 hours of music plus a single intermission. The staging by James Robinson debuted at London’s English National Opera last year and was seen this year at the Dutch National Opera in Amsterdam.

“It doesn’t feel excessively long,” Robinson said. “The original version just really goes on and on and on.”

The last of the 13 performances on Feb. 1 will be broadcast to movie theaters around the world. A revival already is scheduled in an upcoming season.

“Porgy” is among five new-to-the Met stagings next season that all will have appeared elsewhere previously.

Handel’s “Agrippina” has its Met premiere on Feb. 6 and stars Joyce DiDonato in a David McVicar production adapted from one he created for Brussels’ Theatre Royal de la Monnaie in 2000. The Met premiere of Philip Glass’s “Akhnaten” on Nov. 8 is in a Phelim McDermott staging seen at the ENO and LA Opera in 2016.

Yannick Nezet-Seguin, starting his second season as the Met’s music director, leads Berg’s “Wozzeck” opening Dec. 27 in a William Kentridge production first seen at the 2017 Salzburg Festival in Austria. He also conducts revivals of Massenet’s “Werther” and Puccini’s “Turandot,” which will mark the Met’s first regular Sunday performance on Oct. 6. There will be 16 Sunday matinees next season, and the Met plans 23 in 1920-21 and 27 in 2021-22.

Nezet-Seguin plans to conduct as many as six productions in 2020-21.

Wagner’s “Die Fliegende Hollaender (The Flying Dutchman)” is an intermission-less Francois Girard staging that opens March 2 with Valery Gergiev conducting Bryn Terfel, a co-production that debuts at Canada’s L’Opera de Quebec on July 28.

Simon Rattle leads a revival of Strauss’ “Der Rosenkavalier” starting Dec. 13. Placido Domingo adds another new role a few months before his 79th birthday when he sings Sharpless in Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly” starting Nov. 6.

‘Empire’ Star Jussie Smollett Has Been Arrested And Charged

Smollett turned himself in at central booking, Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said. Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson was scheduled to hold a Thursday morning news conference to announce Smollett’s arrest and Smollett was expected to appear in court later in the day.

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CHICAGO (AP) — “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett turned himself in early Thursday to face accusations that he filed a police report when he told authorities he was attacked in Chicago by two men who hurled racist and anti-gay slurs and looped a rope around his neck, police said.

Smollett turned himself in at central booking, Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said. Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson was scheduled to hold a Thursday morning news conference to announce Smollett’s arrest and Smollett was expected to appear in court later in the day.

The whispers about Smollett started with reports that he had not fully cooperated with police after telling authorities he was attacked. Then detectives in a city bristling with surveillance cameras could not find video of the beating. Later, two brothers were taken into custody for questioning but were released after two days, with police saying they were no longer suspects.

Following three weeks of mounting suspicions, Smollett was charged Wednesday with making a false police report, a charge that could bring up to three years in prison and force the actor, who is black and gay, to pay for the cost of the investigation into his report of a Jan. 29 beating.

In less than a month, the 36-year-old changed from being the seemingly sympathetic victim of a hate crime to being accused of fabricating the entire thing.

The felony disorderly conduct charge emerged on the same day detectives and the two brothers testified before a grand jury. Smollett’s attorneys met with prosecutors and police, but it was unknown what they discussed or whether Smollett attended the meeting.

In a statement, attorneys Todd Pugh and Victor Henderson said Smollett “enjoys the presumption of innocence, particularly when there has been an investigation like this one where information, both true and false, has been repeatedly leaked.”

The announcement of the charges followed a flurry of activity in recent days, including lengthy police interviews of the brothers, a search of their home and their release after officers cleared them.

Investigators have not said what the brothers told detectives or what evidence detectives collected. But it became increasingly clear that serious questions had arisen about Smollett’s account — something police signaled Friday when they announced a “significant shift in the trajectory” of the probe after the brothers were freed.

Smollett, who plays a gay character on the hit Fox television show “Empire,” said he was attacked Jan. 29 as he was walking home from a downtown Subway sandwich shop. He said the masked men beat him, made derogatory comments and yelled “This is MAGA country” — an apparent reference to President Donald Trump’s campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again” — before fleeing.

Earlier Wednesday, Fox Entertainment and 20th Century Fox Television issued a statement saying Smollett “continues to be a consummate professional on set” and that his character is not being written off the show. The series is shot in Chicago and follows a black family as they navigate the ups and downs of the recording industry.

The studio’s statement followed reports that Smollett’s role was being slashed amid the police investigation.

After reviewing hundreds of hours of video, detectives did find and release images of two people they said they wanted to question and last week picked up the brothers at O’Hare Airport as they returned from Nigeria. Police questioned the men and searched their apartment.

The brothers, who were identified by their attorney as Abimbola “Abel” and Olabinjo “Ola” Osundairo, were held for nearly 48 hours on suspicion of assaulting Smollett.

The day after they were released, police said the men provided information that had ”shifted the trajectory of the investigation,” and detectives requested another interview with Smollett.

Police said one of the men had appeared on “Empire,” and Smollett’s attorneys said one of the men is the actor’s personal trainer, whom he hired to help get him physically ready for a music video. The actor released his debut album, “Sum of My Music,” last year.

Smollett was charged by prosecutors, not the grand jury. The police spokesman said the brothers appeared before the panel to “lock in their testimony.”

Speaking outside the courthouse where the grand jury met, the brothers’ attorney said the two men testified for about two and a half hours.

“There was a point where this story needed to be told, and they manned up and they said we’re going to correct this,” Gloria Schmidt said.

She said her clients did not care about a plea deal or immunity. “You don’t need immunity when you have the truth,” she said.

She also said her clients received money from Smollett, but she did not elaborate.

Smollett has been active in LBGTQ issues, and initial reports of the assault drew outrage and support for him on social media, including from Sen. Kamala Harris of California and TV talk show host Ellen DeGeneres.

Referring to a published account of the attack, President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House that “it doesn’t get worse, as far as I’m concerned.”

But several hours after Smollett was declared a suspect and the charges announced, there was little reaction from celebrities online.

Former Cook County prosecutor Andrew Weisberg said judges rarely throw defendants in prison for making false reports, opting instead to place them on probation, particularly if they have no prior criminal record.

Smollett has a record — one that concerns giving false information to police when he was pulled over on suspicion of driving under the influence. According to records, he was also charged with false impersonation and driving without a license. He later pleaded no contest to a reduced charge and took an alcohol education and treatment program.

Another prospective problem is the bill someone might receive after falsely reporting a crime that prompted a nearly monthlong investigation, including the collection and review of hundreds of hours of surveillance video.

The size of the tab is anyone’s guess, but given how much time the police have invested, the cost could be huge.

Weisberg recently represented a client who was charged with making a false report after surveillance video discredited her account of being robbed by three men at O’Hare Airport.

For an investigation that took a single day, his client had to split restitution of $8,400, Weisberg said. In Smollett’s case, “I can imagine that this would be easily into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.”

Winter Weather Safety Tips For Road Warriors

Winter weather driving and survival tips.

Posted by Harold Fisher
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The first big snow of the 2019 winter season was a doozy!  Northern Virginia saw more than 100 crashes and even more abandoned cars.  Maryland also saw more than 100 crashes on state roads.  If you have to drive in severe winter weather, how can you be prepared in the event of a breakdown or accident?

Guest:

John Townsend, Manager, Public Affairs, AAA Mid-Atlantic (not pictured)

Resources:

AAA recommends the following tips while driving in snowy and icy conditions:

Cold Weather Driving Tips

  • Keep a bundle of cold-weather gear in your car, such as extra food and water, warm clothing, a flashlight, a glass scraper, blankets, medications, and more.
  • Make certain your tires are properly inflated and have plenty of tread.
  • Keep at least half a tank of fuel in your vehicle at all times.
  • Never warm up a vehicle in an enclosed area, such as a garage.
  • Do not use cruise control when driving on any slippery surface, such as on ice and snow.

Tips for Driving in the Snow

  • Stay home. Only go out if necessary. Even if you can drive well in bad weather, it’s better to avoid taking unnecessary risks by venturing out.
  • Drive slowly. Always adjust your speed down to account for lower traction when driving on snow or ice.
  • Accelerate and decelerate slowly. Apply the gas slowly to regain traction and avoid skids. Don’t try to get moving in a hurry and take time to slow down for a stoplight. Remember: It takes longer to slow down on icy roads.
  • Increase your following distance to five to six seconds. This increased margin of safety will provide the longer distance needed if you have to stop.
  • Know your brakes. Whether you have anti-lock brakes or not, keep the heel of your foot on the floor and use the ball of your foot to apply firm, steady pressure on the brake pedal.
  • Don’t stop if you can avoid it. There’s a big difference in the amount of inertia it takes to start moving from a full stop versus how much it takes to get moving while still rolling. If you can slow down enough to keep rolling until a traffic light changes, do it.
  • Don’t power up hills. Applying extra gas on snow-covered roads will just make your wheels spin. Try to get a little inertia going before you reach the hill and let that inertia carry you to the top. As you reach the crest of the hill, reduce your speed and proceed downhill slowly.
  • Don’t stop going up a hill. There’s nothing worse than trying to get moving up a hill on an icy road. Get some inertia going on a flat roadway before you take on the hill.

Tips for Long-Distance Winter Trips

  • Be Prepared: Have your vehicle checked by a AAA Approved Auto Repair facility before hitting the road.
  • Check the Weather: Check the weather along your route and when possible, delay your trip if bad weather is expected.
  • Stay Connected: Before hitting the road, notify others and let them know your route, destination and estimated time of arrival.
  • If you get stuck in the snow:
    • Stay with your vehicle: Your vehicle provides temporary shelter and makes it easier for rescuers to locate you. Do not try to walk in a severe storm. It is easy to lose sight of your vehicle in blowing snow and become lost.
    • Don’t over exert yourself: When digging out your vehicle, listen to your body and stop if you become tired.
    • Be Visible: Tie a brightly colored cloth to the antenna of your vehicle or place a cloth at the top of a rolled up window to signal distress. At night, keep the dome light on if possible. It only uses a small amount of electricity and will make it easier for rescuers to find you.
    • Clear the Exhaust Pipe: Make sure the exhaust pipe is not clogged with snow, ice or mud. A blocked exhaust pipe can cause deadly carbon monoxide gas to leak into the passenger compartment of the vehicle while the engine is running.
    • Stay Warm: Use whatever is available to insulate your body from the cold. This could include floor mats, newspapers or paper maps. Pre-pack blankets and heavy clothing to use in case of an emergency.
    • Conserve Fuel: If possible, only run the engine and heater long enough to remove the chill. This will help to conserve fuel.

Weather-related School Closings and Delays for Thursday, February 21st

School closings and delays

Posted by Harold Fisher
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These are the weather-related school closings and delays for Thursday, February 21st.  This list will be updated.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

DC PUBLIC SCHOOLS CLOSED ALL WEEK FOR FEBRUARY RECESS

MARYLAND

HOWARD COUNTY – 2 HR DELAY

MONTGOMERY COUNTY – 2 HR DELAY

VIRGINIA

ALEXANDRIA CITY – 2 HR DELAY

ARLINGTON COUNTY – 2 HR DELAY

CULPEPER COUNTY -CLOSED

FAIRFAX COUNTY – 2 HR DELAY

FALLS CHURCH CITY – 2 HR DELAY

FAUQUIER COUNTY – CLOSED

FREDERICKSBURG CITY – 2 HR DELAY

LOUDOUN COUNTY – 2 HR DELAY

MANASSAS CITY – 2 HR DELAY

MANASSAS PARK – 2 HR DELAY

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY – CLOSED

SPOTSYLVANIA COUNTY – 2 HR DELAY

Winter Storm Impacting Travel, Latest Jussie Smollett Developments

Winter Storm Impacting Travel. Kim Foxx Recuses Herself From Jussie Smollett Investigation. Trump’s Former Attorney Michael Cohen Seeks Delay in Reporting to Jail.

Posted by Harold Fisher
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Winter Storm Impacting Travel

(Washington, DC) — A big winter storm is slamming the DC region and is impacting transportation services. Metro says rail service is only running every 12 minutes on all lines for de-icing. Metrobus is running under a “Severe Snow Service Plan” with buses providing limited service on major roads. Meanwhile, the Maryland Department of Transportation says commuter bus service has been suspended and Virginia Rail Express service has been canceled as well. Officials are urging riders to only travel if it’s necessary. Air travelers at Reagan National, Dulles Airport, and BWI have had to deal with delays and cancellations.

Kim Foxx Recuses Herself From Jussie Smollett Investigation

(Chicago, IL) — A state’s attorney is recusing herself from the investigation into the alleged racist and homophobic attack on Empire actor Jussie Smollett last month in Chicago. Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s office said the decision was made to address potential questions of impartiality based upon familiarity with potential witnesses in the case. Chicago police are looking into whether Smollett paid two brothers to stage an attack on him last month in Chicago. The brothers met with detectives and prosecutors yesterday.

Trump’s Former Attorney Michael Cohen Seeks Delay in Reporting to Jail

(New York, NY) — A federal judge is agreeing to delay the date that President Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen reports to prison. Today, Cohen’s attorneys asked Judge William Pauley to delay his report day by 60 days because of his recent shoulder surgery. Judge Pauley agreed and has delayed the date to May 6th. Cohen’s attorneys also cited that their client will be called to testify before three Congressional committees at the end of the month. Cohen was sentenced to three years in federal prison for arranging hush money payments during the 2016 campaign and lying to Congress.

A Great Opportunity for High Schools Students Interested in Going To College

The 17th Annual Alfred Street Baptist Church HBCU College Festival is this Saturday

Posted by Bobby Gailes
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Grab your high school youngsters and make your way to a huge College Festival this weekend at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. It’s the 17thAnnual Alfred Street Baptist Church HBCU College Fair.  My guest is Barbara Florvil – Youth Minister

The 17thAnnual Alfred Street Baptist Church HBCU College Fair is Saturday, February 23rdfrom 8:00am-3:30pm.  www.alfredstreet.org

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, instagram and twitter at @bobbygailes for updates and to stay connected

Listen to this mornings segment here:

Winter Weather Wallop, Changes To DC Ambulance Service, Don Newcombe Dies

DMV winter weather
DC ambulance service
Passing of Don Newcombe

Posted by Andrea Muñoz
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Wintry mix hits the DMV

The weather a major focus today in the DMV. Most schools in the region closed, along with federal government offices. By noon, 3-6 inches of snow is expected to have fallen in the metro area. Icy roads a major concern once the snow stops and the sleet and rain begin.  Metro buses are running only on major roads. Metro rail is open for regular hours, but trains will run every 12 minutes to allow for de-icing along rail lines.  Hundreds of flights from Reagan National, Dulles and BWI airports have been canceled.

Changes to ambulance service in DC

Ambulance crews in Washington, DC may soon refuse to take people to the hospital.  A new policy will go into effect next month that will allow paramedics to refer some patients to clinics. Chief Dean added that Lyft drivers will take patients with Medicaid to one of 21 clinics in the city.

Influential baseball great dies 

Brooklyn Dodgers legend Don Newcombe died Tuesday following a lengthy illness. Signed out of the Negro Leagues, Newcombe was the first African American pitcher to start a World Series game; he was Jackie Robinson’s roommate with the Dodgers; and is one of only two players ever to win rookie of the year, the Cy Young, and MVP awards. Newcombe was 92-years-old.

Heart Health Month

Don’t miss the signs of a heart attack. What are they for men? What are they for women? How to be the best health advocate for yourself when it comes to heart disease.

Posted by Harold Fisher
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Each of us has had some connection to heart disease.  It could be a family member, a friend, a co-worker… even you.  During Heart Health Month we re-examine the issues and provide you with information you need.

Resources:

Dr. Yolanda Lewis-Ragland, Family, Fitness & Wellness: https://www.dryolandamd.com/

Florence Champagne, Open My Heart Foundation:  http://www.openmyheartfoundation.org/

Heart Disease In Black Women: Ring The Alarm

Heart disease is the number one cause of both death and disability in women in the U.S. As a Black woman, you have an even higher chance of dying from heart disease—and at a younger age—compared to white women, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

How big of a problem is this? About 49% of African American women over age 20 have some type of heart disease, like:

  • Clogged arteries in the heart, arms, or legs

  • Stroke

  • High blood pressure

  • Angina (chest pain)

That means nearly 1 in every 2 Black women in the U.S. has heart disease.

Think about that for a second: If you’re sitting in a room with another Black woman, that means one of you might have some type of heart disease—and you don’t even know it.

Guests:

Dr. Yolanda Lewis-Ragland, MD

Florence Champagne, Heart Disease Advocate

Weather-related School Closings and Delays for Wednesday, February 20th

SCHOOL CLOSINGS AND DELAYS

Posted by Harold Fisher
Posted on

These are the weather-related school closings and delays for Wednesday, February 20th.  This list will be updated.

CLOSED

DC

DC PUBLIC SCHOOLS CLOSED ALL WEEK FOR FEBRUARY RECESS

MARYLAND

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY

CHARLES COUNTY

FREDERICK COUNTY

HOWARD COUNTY

MONTGOMERY COUNTY

PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY

ST. MARY’S COUNTY

BOWIE STATE UNIVERSITY

 

VIRGINIA

ALEXANDRIA CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

ARLINGTON COUNTY

CULPEPER COUNTY

FAIRFAX COUNTY

FALLS CHURCH CITY

FAUQUIER COUNTY

LOUDOUN COUNTY

MANASSAS PARK CITY SCHOOLS

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY

SPOTSYLVANIA COUNTY

Empire Cuts Smollett’s Scenes After Controversy, Suspect In Arundel Mills Mall Shooting Arrested

Empire Cuts Smollett’s Scenes After Controversy Surrounding Attack. Suspect In Arundel Mills Mall Shooting Arrested. Residents Voice Concerns About Amazon HQ2.

Posted by Harold Fisher
Posted on

Empire Cuts Smollett’s Scenes After Controversy Surrounding Attack

 

(Chicago, IL) — The hit show “Empire” is reportedly cutting most scenes involving actor Jussie Smollett  following controversy surrounding his alleged attack. The actor, who plays the role of a gay singer and songwriter named Jamal Lyon on the show, was supposed to have nine scenes and a large musical performance in the second to last episode of this season. However, five of the scenes, as well as the musical number, have since been cut and the remaining four scenes no longer focus on his character. The changes come after reports claim Smollett may have paid two of his friends to help stage the assault. TMZ is reporting there’s a possibility a grand jury could begin weighing an indictment today.

Suspect In Arundel Mills Mall Shooting Arrested

(Hanover, MD) — The suspected gunman in a shooting at Arundel Mills Mall is now in police custody. Sixteen-year-old Jamari Hammond was located by Anne Arundel County police this morning and arrested. He’s being charged as an adult with attempted murder after firing a pair of shots Saturday night outside one of the mall’s entrances that injured one man. Detectives say the shooting followed a verbal dispute between two groups and characterize it as an isolated incident.

NoVa Residents Voice Concerns About Amazon HQ2

 

(Arlington, VA) — Some local Northern Virginians are voicing concerns about Amazon building its second headquarters in Crystal City. A group named “For Us, Not Amazon” held a community forum in Arlington last night to discuss some of their concerns including potential rent hikes and hopes that local opposition can stand up to Amazon. The group is calling on the Arlington County Board to vote down a 23-million-dollar incentive at a meeting next month. Monday’s gathering comes on the heels of the retailer deciding to pull its proposed HQ2 site out of New York City.

T.I.’s ‘Family Hustle’ Production Halted As Sister Recovers Following Car Crash

T.I. and Tiny paused production of “Family Hustle” after T.I’s sister, Precious Harris, got into a car crash that resulted in her being hospitalized in the ICU.

Posted by WHUR Contributor
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T.I. and Tiny paused production of “Family Hustle“ after T.I’s sister, Precious Harris, got into a car crash that resulted in her being hospitalized in the ICU. According to TMZ reports, Precious, 66,  hit a pole which caused an asthma attack.

The family ultimately decided it is best to halt production until Precious recovers.

T.I and Tiny both went to Instagram to express their love for Precious.

T.I shared a heartfelt post of his sister:

I Love You Sis…❤️
We can’t thank you enough 🙏🏽
#MyBiggestFan  

Tiny also chimed in asking people to keep Precious in their prayers:

Anybody that really know me knows how special & how much I cherish & love this lady, my sister @preciousharris1913 Pls pray for my sister & family. She’s a true fighter…always have been & God has the last word… 🙏🏽👑💔💔💔

 

 

Steve Harvey Regrets Word Choice Following Heated Discussion With Mo’Nique

Steve Harvey and fellow comedian and long time friend ,Mo’Nique, had a heated discussion on the Steve Show about her career and how she got blackballed from the industry with a lack of support from her peers.

Posted by WHUR Contributor
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Contributed by Taylor Ardrey

On February 13,  Steve Harvey and fellow comedian and long time friend, Mo’Nique, had a heated discussion on the Steve Show about her career and how she got blackballed from the industry with a lack of support from her peers.

Mo’Nique has recently been in the spotlight following her Netflix boycott earlier last year. She has also been called out by Hollywood frontrunners like Lee Daniels for her “diva” and “demanding” behavior and received backlash for refusing to campaign for her role in Precious in which she received an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. 

Harvey immediately asked Mo’Nique, why has she been labeled as “difficult” in the industry and what steps she will take to change that narrative.

“I said one word, and that was ‘no,’ Mo’Nique explained. “I said no to some powerful people — I said no to Oprah Winfrey, I said no Tyler Perry, I said no to Lee Daniels and I said no to Lionsgate. The difficulty came when people that look like me, like Oprah, Tyler, Lee Daniels — and I gotta put my brother Steve [Harvey] on the list — y’all knew I was not wrong. Each one of you said to me, ‘Mo’Nique you’re not wrong.'”

Mo’Nique expressed her disappointment in Harvey after she heard him say on- air that “my sister burnt too many bridges, and there’s nothing I can do for her now.”

Harvey followed up, “I thought you went about it wrong. See, I felt that you had done yourself a disservice by the way you chose to go about it.[…] I was cool with your deal with Netflix. I was cool with you. The two problems that we had, number one, the boycott of Netflix- we never gave people a point of action. Okay if we’re gonna boycott, are we gonna not get subscriptions, are we gonna turn it off, are we gonna go down there and get signs?” Harvey continues, “The second point that was coming from me was, this problem you had with Netflix is rich people problems. Because they’re looking at us going, you talking about you didn’t get millions, but you got this you oughta be cool.”

Watch Part 1 of the interview here: Mo’Nique and Steve Get Real: Part 1

Following the emotional discussion, Harvey is retracting on his choice of words during the debate.

“I’ve got to slow down when I’m talking,” Harvey told PEOPLE, “I can’t get into heated discussions, and I’ve got to just guard my words more carefully.”

Watch Part 2 of the interview here: Mo’Nique and Steve Get Real: Part 2

Harvey emphasizes that he values integrity and takes full responsibility for his actions. However, he believes Mo’Nique and her husband and manager,Sidney Hicks, could of went about calling out Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry and Lee Daniels differently.

“I take full responsibility for it, it came out my mouth, so I can’t say that I didn’t say it,” he said. “But to people that really know me, I have lived my whole life as a man of integrity. So when I was referring to ‘integrity’ in that interview, I was talking about the method in which things were being done, and that is all it was.”

Harvey continues to speak to his younger audience regarding his interviewing style.

“I shouted out and it happened, I regret it, but I want young people, the kids that come to my camps, the young people that I mentor, the fans that really respect me, to know to just charge that one to my head and not to my heart,” he said. “Because in my heart, that is not what I have asked anyone to do. I have lived my whole life as a man of integrity, and I will stand on that, but I was really just talking about the method that they went about doing what they did, and that was it.”

Despite their differences, Harvey has agreed to help and do everything in his power to help his sister, Mo’Nique, mend her relationships in Hollywood in order for everyone to move forward.

Whether you agree or disagree about how Mo’Nique handled her different situations, she is still booked and busy. She is currently using her comedic talent for her Las Vegas residency at the SLS Hostel and Casino.

 

 

 

 

The Tedx LeDroit Park Event

An unforgettable event taking place at Howard University’s Cramton Auditorium…

Posted by Bobby Gailes
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LeDroit Park shares a rich and vibrant story of the District.  Coming up next week there will be a special Tedx Talk designed to bring the community together for a diverse confirmation on LeDroit’s transformation.  My guest is Maybelle Taylor Bennett – Director of the Howard University Community Association and Community Engagement Liaison

Tedx LeDroit Park 2019 is February 27th@ 6pm at Howard University’s Cramton Auditorium.  Attendees will embark on an imaginative mental journey of self-transformation thru the enlightenment of information from diverse talks, perspectives, and live performances.  Register eventbrite.com/e/tedxledroitpark-2019

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, instagram and twitter at @bobbygailes for updates and to stay connected.

Listen to this mornings segment here:

 

 

 

Gucci To Step Up Diversity Hiring After ‘Blackface’ Uproar

The announcement came after Gucci CEO Marco Bizzarri met in New York City’s Harlem neighborhood with Dapper Dan, a well-known African-American designer, and other community members to hear their perspectives.

Posted by WHUR Contributor
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NEW YORK (AP) — Italian fashion house Gucci announced a major push Friday to step up diversity hiring as part of a long-term plan to build cultural awareness at the luxury fashion company following an uproar over an $890 sweater that resembled blackface.

Gucci also said it will hire a global director for diversity and inclusion, a newly created role that will be based in New York, plus five new designers from around the world for its Rome office.

It also will launch multi-cultural scholarship programs in 10 cities around the world with the goal of building a “more diverse and inclusive workplace on an ongoing basis.”

The announcement came after Gucci CEO Marco Bizzarri met in New York City’s Harlem neighborhood with Dapper Dan, a well-known African-American designer, and other community members to hear their perspectives.

Dapper Dan, who collaborated with Gucci in 2017 on a menswear line, has emerged as a leading voice demanding accountability from Gucci over the sweater, which was black with a pull-up neck featuring a cutout surrounded by cartoonish red lips.

Bizzarri said Gucci has spent the past days conducting a “thorough review of the circumstances that led to this” and consulting with employees and African-American community leaders on what actions the company should take.

“I am particularly grateful to Dapper Dan for the role he has played in bringing community leaders together to offer us their counsel at this time,” Bizzarri said in statement.

Earlier Friday, Dapper Dan tweeted that the participants at the meeting “made great demands” of Gucci. He said he would announce a town hall meeting in Harlem “for us to talk about what they have proposed.”

In May, Gucci said it will begin conducting annual one-day unconscious-bias training sessions for its 18,000 employees around the world.

The design scholarship program will be launched in New York, Kenya’s capital of Nairobi, New Delhi, Beijing, the Chinese city of Hangzhou, Seoul, Tokyo, Beirut, London and Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The company described it as a 12-month fast-track program leading to full-time employment.

Gucci has apologized for the sweater, which creative director Alessandro Michele said was not inspired by blackface but by the late Leigh Bowery, a performance artist, club promoter and fashion designer who often used flamboyant face makeup and costumes.

“I look forward to welcoming new perspectives to my team and together working even harder for Gucci to represent a voice for inclusivity,” Michele said in statement Friday.

Wintry Weather On The Way, Vote On DC Sports Betting, Fairfax Accuser Wants Public Testimony

Snow, ice and rain on the way
Sports betting in DC
Fairfax accuser pens op-ed

Posted by Andrea Muñoz
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A winter storm warning for the DC metro region is in effect.  Snow is expected to start falling between five and seven Wednesday morning.  That snow will turn to ice and rain later in the day.   The wintry conditions are expected all along the Northeast.

Today the DC Council is expected to take a final vote on the structure of legalize sports betting in the District.  The council  may also decide who gets the contract to run the city’s sports betting enterprise. There are reports DC Lottery is being considered. Others want competitive bidding for the contract.


The woman who has accused Virginia’s Lt. Governor of rape wants him to testify under oath. Meredith Watson says Justin Fairfax assaulted her while both were students at Duke University. Fairfax has denied the claim.  In a Washington Post editorial, Watson writes that Fairfax’s call for an investigation is not enough, “investigations are secret proceedings, out of the public eye, leaving victims vulnerable to selective leaks and smears.” Watson wants the Virginia Assembly to compel Fairfax to testify in public.

I Owe How Much? Americans Shocked By Impact Of New Tax Law

The IRS reported Thursday that the average tax refund as of the second week of filing season was $1,949, down 8.7 percent from the year earlier. The total number of refunds is down 16 percent.

Posted by WHUR Contributor
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Wait, I owe the IRS?

The first tax filing season under the new federal tax law is proving to be surprising, confusing — and occasionally frightening — for some Americans, especially those accustomed to getting money back from the government.

Take Andy Kraft and Amy Elias of Portland, Oregon. The couple had grown comfortable getting a small refund each year, a few hundred dollars or more. Then they found out they owe $10,160 this year.

“I will never forget the moment, I thought ‘We look good’ and then we added in the next W-2 and my jaw hit the floor,” Kraft said. “There was no way I wanted to believe that what I was looking at was accurate.”

President Trump promised a reduction in taxes with the new law. And by most measures, the majority of Americans will see one. The nonpartisan Tax Policy Center projected the tax law would reduce individual income taxes by about $1,260 on average, although it benefits higher earners more.

Some people already saw the benefit in the form of bigger paychecks. That’s because the law forced employers to change what they withheld. But the system is far from perfect, and many workers didn’t have enough in taxes set aside. Now, the IRS wants that money.

In addition, the law also eliminated personal exemptions, increased child credits, limited popular deductions and generally upended many familiar practices that determine what happens at tax time. That has taxpayers feeling a bit unmoored.

“We were very comfortable with our tax law, it had basically been there since 1986, suddenly all these things that were very important to people changed … it’s all different,” said Howard Gleckman, a senior fellow at the Tax Policy Center.

Kraft and Elias are able to pay their tax bill but he’s still stunned. He even tried to reverse-engineer things to figure out where they went wrong, diving into page after page of IRS rules. He painstakingly put together all the numbers. The couple ultimately asked a CPA to verify the figures they were seeing on TurboTax. Crushingly, they were correct.

The couple’s effective tax rate was lower, but they still owed the government.

“I feel like I have reached a stage of grief of acceptance,” he said. “In a twisted way I should have been paying this all year and now I just have to pay it in one lump sum.”

A number of experts such as Gleckman are urging taxpayers to obsess less about their refund or what they owe when measuring the effect of the new tax law. These are just a sliver of your tax picture.

But the truth is, many Americans have come to rely on refunds. About three-quarters of U.S. taxpayers typically get one and they had averaged around $2,800. For some low-income households it is the biggest cash infusion of the year.

The IRS reported Thursday that the average tax refund as of the second week of filing season was $1,949, down 8.7 percent from the year earlier. The total number of refunds is down 16 percent.

Experts caution it is too early to draw conclusions about a tax season that ends in April. Plus, the number of returns — 27 million as of Feb. 8 — is down 10 percent from a year ago, due in part to the partial government shutdown. The picture will become much clearer as more filings are processed, refunds are issued and the IRS gets back up to full speed.

All the same, the initial results have surprised early filers and worried those who haven’t yet tackled their taxes.

Part of the problem centers around how employees and employers adjusted (or didn’t adjust) withholdings from paychecks to account for the law’s changes. The government issued updated withholding guidelines to help employers determine how much to set aside from an employee’s paycheck to cover taxes. Withhold too much and you get a refund at tax time; too little and you owe.

It is at best, an estimate. But it’s an estimate that grew drastically more difficult to make under the new law.

The Government Accountability Office estimated in a report last summer that about 30 million workers had too little withheld from their paychecks, which made their take home pay bigger but increased their tax liability. That’s about 3 million more workers than normal.

Few taxpayers appear to have heeded the IRS’ advice to do a “paycheck checkup” to make sure they had the proper amount withheld. Payroll processor ADP, which is responsible for paying one out of every six Americans, said the vast majority of people in its system didn’t update their withholdings last year.

Some taxpayers who did make adjustments found they couldn’t get it quite right.

Kevin McCreanor of Milton, Georgia and his wife normally get a sizeable refund each year — it was more than $12,000 last year. While they know waiting for a large refund isn’t the best strategy financially, they like a refund and they put anything they get back toward their daughters’ education. Their income, earned primarily from his wife’s job in telecom, can vary greatly, so there was comfort in never facing a big bill.

The couple increased her paycheck withholdings to ensure the same but found they are only getting back $519 this year. Their income and tax rate did increase, and McCreanor acknowledges there is probably more he could have done to prepare but he is very disappointed all the same.

Some surprises were welcome, however. Brian Goodell and his wife typically face a tax bill of anywhere from $10,000 to $15,000 each year. But this year the Tigard, Oregon, couple is getting a $15,000 refund. They believe they got some benefit from the increased child tax credit. They also made more charitable donations and increased their withholdings. While Goodell isn’t entirely sure why it worked out so well, he’ll gladly take the refund.

Taxpayers can get a better sense of how they fared by looking at their tax liability or effective tax rate. This information is often available on the summary received from an accountant or tax preparation software. They can also look at the “total tax” on those summaries or form 1040. These are not perfect measures either, but provide some perspective.

And remember that getting a refund is not necessarily a good thing. Breaking even is really the best outcome from an economic point of view. If you get a refund, that means the government has been holding onto your money when you could have been using it.

Additionally, consider that taxes are rarely an equal comparison from year-to-year, said Eric Bronnenkant, the head of tax at Betterment and a CPA and certified financial planner. People’s lives change in ways that can dramatically influence their taxes, such as marriages, divorces, kids, moving or job changes. The average taxpayer may not realize the full impact some of these changes might have.

“I am not surprised by the reaction people are having,” Bronnekant said. “I think for some people the reaction is more justified than others.”

Jussie Smollett Hires High-Powered Attorneys

Police said Saturday that the investigation had “shifted” after detectives questioned two brothers about the attack and released them without charges. Police say they’ve requested a follow-up interview with Smollett.

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CHICAGO (AP) — Attorneys for “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett say there are no plans for him to meet with Chicago detectives Monday for a follow-up interview about his reported assault.

Anne Kavanagh is a spokeswoman for Smollett’s lawyers. She says in an emailed statement that his lawyers “will keep an active dialogue with Chicago police on his behalf.”

Smollett reported last month that he was physically attacked by two men who yelled homophobic and racial slurs. He said they also yelled he was in “MAGA Country,” an apparent reference to President Donald Trump’s campaign slogan.

Police said Saturday that the investigation had “shifted” after detectives questioned two brothers about the attack and released them without charges. Police say they’ve requested a follow-up interview with Smollett.

Smollett’s lawyers say the actor feels “victimized” by reports that he played a role in the assault.

Sen. Bernie Sanders Says He’s Running For President In 2020

“Our campaign is not only about defeating Donald Trump,” the 77-year-old self-described democratic socialist said in an email to supporters. “Our campaign is about transforming our country and creating a government based on the principles of economic, social, racial and environmental justice.”

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, whose insurgent 2016 presidential campaign reshaped Democratic politics, announced Tuesday that he is running for president in 2020.

“Our campaign is not only about defeating Donald Trump,” the 77-year-old self-described democratic socialist said in an email to supporters. “Our campaign is about transforming our country and creating a government based on the principles of economic, social, racial and environmental justice.”

An enthusiastic progressive who embraces proposals ranging from Medicare for All to free college tuition, Sanders stunned the Democratic establishment in 2016 with his spirited challenge to Hillary Clinton. While she ultimately became the party’s nominee, his campaign helped lay the groundwork for the leftward lurch that has dominated Democratic politics in the Trump era.

The question now for Sanders is whether he can stand out in a crowded field of Democratic presidential candidates who also embrace many of his policy ideas and are newer to the national political stage. That’s far different from 2016, when he was Clinton’s lone progressive adversary.

Still, there is no question that Sanders will be a formidable contender for the Democratic nomination. He won more than 13 million votes in 2016 and dozens of primaries and caucuses. He opens his campaign with a nationwide organization and a proven small-dollar fundraising effort.

“We’re gonna win,” Sanders told CBS.

He said he was going to launch “what I think is unprecedented in modern American history”: a grassroots movement “to lay the groundwork for transforming the economic and political life of this country.”

Sanders described his new White House bid as a “continuation of what we did in 2016,” noting that policies he advocated for then are now embraced by the Democratic Party.

“You know what’s happened in over three years?” he said. “All of these ideas and many more are now part of the political mainstream.”

Sanders could be well positioned to compete in the nation’s first primary in neighboring New Hampshire, which he won by 22 points in 2016. But he won’t have the state to himself.

Sen. Kamala Harris of California, another Democratic presidential contender, was in New Hampshire on Monday and said she’d compete for the state. She also appeared to take a dig at Sanders.

“The people of New Hampshire will tell me what’s required to compete in New Hampshire,” she told shoppers at a bookstore in Concord. “But I will tell you I’m not a democratic socialist.”

Sen. Elizabeth Warren of nearby Massachusetts will be in New Hampshire on Friday.

One of the biggest questions surrounding Sanders’ candidacy is how he’ll compete against someone like Warren, who shares many of his policy goals. Warren has already launched her campaign and has planned an aggressive swing through the early primary states.

Shortly after announcing her exploratory committee, Warren hired Brendan Summers, who managed Sanders’ 2016 Iowa campaign. Other staffers from Sanders’ first bid also have said they would consider working for other candidates in 2020.

The crowded field includes a number of other candidates who will likely make strong appeals to the Democratic base including Harris and Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York. The field could also grow, with a number of high-profile Democrats still considering presidential bids, including former Vice President Joe Biden and former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke.

While Sanders had been working to lay the groundwork for a second campaign for months, it was unclear whether he will be able to expand his appeal beyond his largely white base of supporters. In 2016, Sanders notably struggled to garner support from black voters, an issue that could become particularly pervasive during a primary race that could include several non-white candidates.

Last month, he joined Booker at an event in Columbia, South Carolina, marking the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. In 2016, Sanders lost the South Carolina primary, which features a heavily black electorate, by 47 points.

Sanders also faces different pressures in the #MeToo era. Some of his male staffers and supporters in 2016 were described as “Bernie bros” for their treatment of women.

In the run-up to Sanders’ 2020 announcement, persistent allegations emerged of sexual harassment of women by male staffers during his 2016 campaign. Politico and The New York Times reported several allegations of unwanted sexual advances and pay inequity.

In an interview with CNN after the initial allegations surfaced, Sanders apologized but also noted he was “a little busy running around the country trying to make the case.”

As additional allegations emerged, he offered a more unequivocal apology.

“What they experienced was absolutely unacceptable and certainly not what a progressive campaign — or any campaign — should be about,” Sanders said Jan. 10 on Capitol Hill. “Every woman in this country who goes to work today or tomorrow has the right to make sure that she is working in an environment which is free of harassment, which is safe and is comfortable, and I will do my best to make that happen.”

If You Were President of the United States of America

How would you lead America if you were President of the United States? How would you fix America and it better than it is now?

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It’s President’s Day, a national holiday.  But we’re asking you to do a bit of critical thinking. If you were President of the United States of America, what would you do?  How would you lead America?

Guests:

Dr. Avis Jones-DeWeever, Political Analyst

Larry Lancaster, Comedian

No Plans For Smollett To Meet With Chicago PD, Jazz Great Ethel Ennis Dies

No Plans For Smollett To Meet With Chicago PD. Allred Believes Her Client Is On New R. Kelly Tape. Jazz Great Ethel Ennis Dies.

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No Plans For Smollett To Meet With Chicago PD

(Chicago, IL) — Attorneys for “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett say there are no plans for him to meet with Chicago detectives Monday for a follow-up interview about his reported assault. Anne Kavanagh is a spokeswoman for Smollett’s lawyers. She says in an emailed statement that his lawyers “will keep an active dialogue with Chicago police on his behalf.” Smollett reported last month that he was physically attacked by two men who yelled homophobic and racial slurs. He said they also yelled he was in “MAGA Country,” an apparent reference to President Donald Trump’s campaign slogan. Police said Saturday that the investigation had “shifted” after detectives questioned two brothers about the attack and released them without charges. Police say they’ve requested a follow-up interview with Smollett. Smollett’s lawyers say the actor feels “victimized” by reports that he played a role in the assault.

Allred Believes Her Client Is On New R. Kelly Tape

(Chicago, IL) — Attorney Gloria Allred says one of her clients may be on newly discovered tape that purportedly shows R. Kelly having sex with an underage girl. Allred represents multiple Kelly accusers, some of whom have yet to come forward. Attorney Michael Avenatti, who represents others involved in the Kelly case, said last week that the video shows Kelly and a female who both refer to her as 14 years old. Avenatti turned over the tape to Chicago prosecutors. Kelly has consistently denied allegations of sexual and physical abuse leveled against him throughout the years. His attorney, Steve Greenberg, says Allred’s comments are “speculative.”

Jazz Great Ethel Ennis Dies

(Baltimore, MD) — The music world is mourning the loss of jazz great Ethel Ennis. Baltimore’s First Lady of Jazz passed away yesterday at her Greater Mondawmin home from complications of a stroke at the age of 86. Ennis enjoyed a nearly seven-decade career that began in the `50s, performing with the likes of Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Cab Calloway, Miles Davis and John Coltrane. Her final album released in 2005, a live set recorded in Prince George’s County, drew critical acclaim

Scholarship Honors Slain Bowie State Student, Car Crash Kills Bowie Man, Joe Gibbs Wins Daytona 500

Slain Bowie State student honored
Bowie man killed in head-on crash
Gibbs wins, again, at Daytona

Posted by Andrea Muñoz
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Richard W. Collins honored

There is now a scholarship in the name of a Bowie State University student killed days before he was to graduate. In May of 2017 Richard Collins was stabbed to death while waiting for a bus near the University of Maryland, in what police say was a random, hate crime attack. The new scholarship will be available to ROTC students attending historically black colleges and universities. The state of Maryland will contribute one million dollars a year to the fund.

Alleged drunk driver kills Bowie man

Police say an alleged drunk driver is responsible for the death of a Bowie man over the weekend. Authorities say 33-year-old Raymond McCarter, Jr. was killed Saturday morning when his car was struck head on by a vehicle driven by Christopher Thomas of Glen Burnie. Police say Thomas was going the wrong way on Route 32 in Fort Meade. Thomas has been charged with manslaughter and driving under the influence.

Joe Gibbs honors late son in Dayton 500 win

Sunday, Joe Gibbs’ NASCAR team won its third Daytona 500. Gibbs’ son J.D., who was president of Gibbs Racing, passed away last month.  The former Skins coach says that he felt his son’s presence at the race and believed his team’s victory at NASCAR’s biggest event was not coincidental.  Gibbs called the Daytona triumph “the most important of his occupational life.”

What Men Want Roundtable

The Men’s Rountable discusses what they want women to know.

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In the new Taraji P. Henson movie What Men Want her character develops the ability to hear men’s thoughts.  We put together a panel of men who tell women what they’re thinking about a plethora of issues.

Resources:

10 THINGS MEN WISH WOMEN KNEW ABOUT THE WAY THEY THINK. (WOMENSDAY.COM-NOV.2018)

1. We crave compliments just as much as you.

Some guys may try to play it off like they don’t need praise — they just threw on that T-shirt without thinking — but anyone who tries to tell you they don’t want a compliment tossed their way is full of crap. Yes, we thought about what you’ll think of how those jeans show off our assets. And yes, we want you to notice how the edge of our sleeves perfectly grip our biceps. (We’ve worked hard to make the muscle pop like that.) These compliments

2. And they don’t have to just be about our looks.

Just to be clear, the praise you give doesn’t need to revolve around our bodies. In fact, it’s important that women commend the things that masculinity tends to belittle, like if we’re good cooks or have insightful takeaways about foreign films. Tell us when we’re nailing the whole parenting thing, if we’re being helpful partners, or that you think we’re caring sons. These kinds of compliments aren’t something we’ll soon forget, and only make us want to further prove that we’re worth your kind words.

3. Our honesty is well-intentioned.

We know that, at times, tact can be the four-letter word that we never learned. But many times, being brutally honest is our way of showing you that we care. Think about it: Throughout the day, it’s common to lie or obfuscate with people you have no interest in. The art of BS is how we get through the day. But with you, we want to forget all that. We want to tell you why your mother bothers us and how you can stop fighting with your high-maintenance friend. Not only do we think it’ll solve a problem (more on that below), but we also want you to know that we think of highly of you. And mom taught us that you don’t lie to the ones who matter.

4. We really (really) want to solve your problems.

One of the biggest differences between men and women is how we handle difficult situations. Many times, women want to talk about what’s going on just for the sake of talking. To know that someone is really listening to them, and is here to comfort them when times get rough. And there’s nothing wrong with that. But for men, it’s our instinct to come up with as many potential solutions to the problem as possible

5. We want you to appreciate our reliability.

Similar to why we’re so damn honest, a good man demonstrates his commitment to you by showing up.  the more men feel those guys get the benefits of your time and attention, the more incentive we have to become those guys. And that’s a lose-lose for everyone involved. Instead, smile when we aren’t late to date night, or send us a text thanking us once we prove you can call at anytime. Positive reinforcement, right?

6. But don’t want to be attached at the hip.

We acknowledge the importance of couple time. We’d even go so far as to say that, in the best relationships, showing your beau some form of love each day deepens and extends the partnership. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t spend time apart

7. We love feminine touches.

While no fair-minded guy wants women to return to the life of a 1950s sitcom, neither do we want the elimination of the feminine as a virtue. So don’t be ashamed to hold on to those things that make you different from us if they make you feel good

8. You can be a boss in the bedroom.

Unleash yourself. Express your fantasies. Use your hands. Suggest toys. Show us who’s boss and give good directions. No matter how you slice it, we love when you take control behind closed doors.

9. Seeing is believing.

Want to know why men like sports? Pure, measurable success. At the end of the game, no one can dispute the number of touchdowns, home runs, or points on the scoreboard. An athlete works toward a goal and is rewarded with concrete proof of his effort. So what is the irrefutable proof of a successful emotional life? The data is less tangible. Men fear vagueness because, for some reason, it often feels like failure isn’t far behind.

10. Try not to pick out the one thing we did wrong.

How important is picking up our socks if the yard is mowed each week? Does it matter that an item was forgotten at the store when we checked off the rest of the list? If the kid went to his friend’s house with a stained shirt, yet still finished his science project, is there a point to mentioning it?

Guests:

James Marshall, Relationship Counselor

Warren Morris, Publicist

Ben Rice, Fitness Trainer