Manalo used the Miss Universe platform to shed light on her own experiences. In a YouTube video aired by Empire Philippines, the pageant queen, who began her modeling career at 14 years old, described her life as being like a “rollercoaster ride.” In the “HER STORY” segment, she shared how she grew up being bullied because of her skin and hair type. “My self-confidence became poor, and I started to become indifferent.” However, Manalo credited her support system for helping her “understand her individuality” and making her realize that her beauty is extraordinary.
Gazing into a mirror, Manalo spoke affirmations, declaring herself a woman who embraces herself and knows her worth. The production company highlighted Manalo’s advocacy for youth empowerment with a focus on children’s education, especially among Indigenous communities.
As the victorious representative, the print, ramp, and commercial model will bear the Philippines’ banner at the Miss Universe pageant scheduled for September in Mexico. CNNnoted that her mission is to etch the nation’s name as a five-time crown holder, following the trailblazing footsteps of Gloria Diaz, who captured the prestigious title in 1969.
This year’s Miss Universe spectacle will witness a landmark shift, as over 100 countries grace the stage without any age caps imposed on the contestants, abolishing the previous 18-28 requirement. However, the organization has recently found itself under intense scrutiny amid the resignations of the reigning Miss USA and Miss Teen USA titleholders, who cited allegations of mismanagement, an unsettling toxic workplace culture, and conditions that detrimentally impacted their mental well-being.
Watch the live recording of Miss Universe Philippines 2024, here.
Manhattan Federal Judge Lorna Schofield rescinded Whitehead’s bail on May 19, keeping him in the custody of the United States Marshal. In a memo dated May 14 to Schofield, according to Patch, prosecutors argued that Whitehead’s attempted extortion was a “crime of violence” and “this is, in sum, a mandatory detention case.” Schofield agreed.
Prosecutors say Whitehead scammed Pauline Anderson to invest her retirement money into a house that she assumed he would buy and renovate for her. Instead, Whitehead purchased luxury clothing and a BMW. He also attempted to extort money from a Bronx body shop owner — for $500,000 — and, in return, promised favors from Mayor Adams.
Because of Whitehead’s actions and subsequent behavior, prosecutors labeled him a “significant risk to the community,” citing recent threats against Anderson and her son on social media, accusing them of being FBI informants. They also allege Whitehead violated a restraining order by showcasing sealed documents during a Patreon livestream.
Whitehead’s defense attorney, Dawn Florio, says she plans on appealing the judge’s decision. “While we respect the court’s authority, we firmly believe in Bishop Whitehead’s innocence and are committed to pursuing justice on his behalf,” Florio said. “Bishop Whitehead plans to appeal the verdict and will continue to fight for the truth. We have full faith in the legal process and are confident that justice will ultimately prevail.”
Despite being out on bond, the pastor’s bail was revoked after he allegedly continued to make false accusations against prosecutors, the FBI, and his alleged victims. Prosecutors moved for immediate action, citing that Whitehead has yet to take accountability for his actions.
Facing up to 85 years in prison, the bishop pleaded with Schofield and expressed concerns about his family’s well-being in a letter to the jury. “It would be devastating to take me away from my two 16-year-old children, my nine-year-old daughter, and my two-year-old baby girl.”
Decreased Crawfish Harvest Could Foreshadow Grim Future
According to the Louisiana State Agricultural Center, a drought in 2023 has affected the crawfish haul, and a future drought could have a disastrous effect on the state’s and by extension, the nation’s crawfish industry.
The higher prices consumers have paid during the 2023-2024 crawfish season may become a normal occurrence over the next few years as the crawfish shortage in Louisiana, where the majority of America’s “mud-bugs” are sourced, continues to rage on.
According to the Louisiana State Agricultural Center, a drought in 2023 has affected the crawfish haul, and a future drought could have a disastrous effect on the state and, by extension, the nation’s crawfish industry.
“Louisiana’s crawfish aquaculture industry will experience impacts from the 2023 drought for several seasons before an economic recovery is complete,” the Agricultural Center’s Greg Lutz wrote on TheFishSite.com. “Should drought conditions return before that takes place, the industry will be drastically transformed from the one we have come to know.”
Crawfish season is off to a drastically slow start this year because a severe drought has made it harder to find the beloved crustaceans, driving up prices. @JanetShamlian has more on the crawfish shortage. pic.twitter.com/DzOvdrpaVK
"It's going to be the worst season ever in terms of crawfish supply," LSU AgCenter crawfish specialist Mark Shirley said. "We have very, very few crawfish surviving to come out in the fall, and that's why we have such a short supply right now."https://t.co/L65y1U7E52
In January, farmers and fishermen were concerned about this year’s harvest, as Josh Trahan, a fifth-generation crawfish farmer, told PBS Newshour. “We just don’t have enough water. Normally, at this time, I’m doing fairly well. I’d be catching at least half a pound to the trap. With 3,000 traps, I can’t catch five pounds. Normally, I’d be pulling 50 to 60 sacks out a day. I mean, there’s nothing.” Trahan said. “We got a lot of things going against us right now. You don’t know what to plan for. For my farm, if I don’t catch any crawfish at all this year, I don’t know what my future is for next year. It’s that big. It’s that detrimental.”
LSU’s AgCenter warned as far back as August 2023 that the drought conditions presented a worrisome prognosis for crawfish production. In a report, they warned, “Expectations of reductions in both the number and size of crawfish harvested would result in lower revenue while increased irrigation demands have and will continue to result in higher production costs.”
Avery Davidson, a communications director for the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation, told Newshour in January that improved disaster response was critical to ensuring the survival of the crawfish industry in Louisiana. “What would help most to get them through a tough year is having a good year,” Davidson said. “But beyond that, improving disaster programs would go a long way because some farmers are concerned that they’re not going to make it to the next year.”
Another wrinkle in the crawfish shortage has been the emergence of Asian producers of crawfish, which Food & Wine reported are not held to the same safety standards as American crawfish. Those crawfish, they report, are being marketed as Louisiana crawfish and also serve to undercut local producers because they can sell their crawfish for cheaper.
Christopher Bonvillain, an associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, who specializes in crawfish at Nicholls State University, told the outlet that the quick fix of farmers pumping water into fields containing crawfish burrows is insufficient. That solution, Bonvillian warned, can also be deadly to the crawfish. In addition, he worried that the increasing climate issues are a harbinger of the new normal of crawfish production. “Climate issues are becoming more common, not less,” Bonvillain said. “Some people think farmers can just manually add water to help the crawfish survive, but that’s expensive, and, also droughts result in higher salinity in much of the state’s water. That will kill the crawfish, too.”
Restaurateurs, like Jason Seither, who owns Seither’s Seafood in Harahan, Louisiana, hope that the industry can find a solution before their way of life and their local traditions, end. “Crawfish aren’t just essential to my restaurant; they’re central to our culture here in south Louisiana,” Seither explained. “And when crawfish prices get as high as they got this season, it threatens an entire way of life.”
Seither continued, “In Louisiana, food is how we gather and how we celebrate. When I was a little kid, my dad and my uncle would host family and neighbors for these big Friday night crawfish boils,” he said. “I watched them build community and make people happy through food. That’s why I wanted to own a restaurant…We have grandparents and grandkids all at the same table, listening to live local music and peeling their crawfish. It’s our tradition down here.”
Memphis’s Black Cemeteries Are In Disrepair, But There Is A Path Forward
The path of Olivewood charts a potential course for Hollywood Cemetery and the other Black cemeteries of Memphis to take, but it will take community involvement as well as applied pressure and vigilance
In 2021, the City of Memphis promised to clean up its blighted cemeteries following an investigative report from WREG that indicated the Hollywood cemetery, a historically Black cemetery, was among several in dire need of upkeep. However, a new report suggests that the city has not lived up to that promise and has left Memphis’s Black community holding the bag after it initially received hope that something would be done.
As MLK 50 reports, it has been nearly three years since the City of Memphis and Shelby County, which is the county that houses Memphis, promised to allocate $30,000 to help with the upkeep of five cemeteries, including Hollywood. So far, allegedly, nothing has been done. The situation in Memphis is similar to other cities, where Black cemeteries are either in disrepair or outright hidden by cities and counties who are not motivated to show the dead the respect they deserve.
At a time when Black bodies weren't valued in life or death, nine men united to fill a void. The resulting South-View Cemetery, which they founded in 1886, was among the first cemeteries in the U.S. to offer African Americans funerals with dignity.https://t.co/7eZX5EUAQEpic.twitter.com/L9YXllqyOK
As to why this is the case, the answer in Memphis changes depending on who you ask and if the cemetery is connected to a church or not. In Tennessee, laws exist that require commercial cemeteries to establish a separate fund for upkeep, but the law is not applied to churches. According to Shelby County’s official historian, Jimmy Rout III, that provision is also not the only one that convolutes the funding for Black cemeteries connected to churches.
Tennessee only allows 4% of a church-connected cemetery’s trust fund to be used for upkeep, which Rout told MLK 50 is insufficient to meet the actual maintenance costs. Hollywood and Rose Hill, another church-connected Black cemetery, each have $360,000 in their funds but can only use $12,000 to take care of the grounds.
$35,000 is “…just keeping it (the cemetery) cut because we have a long growing season…As a business proposition, it’s a bad proposition … As a humanitarian proposition, we have to take responsibility for something that the system did not provide enough money for. That’s my view.” Rout III said.
Theresa Hill Mays, the president of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society of Memphis and the Mid-South, has a different view. While she acknowledges some of the problem is systemic, Hill Mays also suggests that some of the blame lies at the feet of Memphis’s Black community. “Some of this problem is systemic,” Hill Mays told MLK 50. “The response to Black people and Black cemeteries is not the same as with [mainly white] Memorial Park … But we ourselves have neglected our duty and allowed places like Hollywood to fall into disrepair.”
A similar story unfolded in Houston at its historic Olivewood Cemetery, the first Black cemetery incorporated by the City of Houston in 1875. Olivewood and College Memorial Park, where Jack Yates is buried, have been the focus of renovations after being neglected for years. Yates, whose name was given to Third Ward’s Jack Yates High School, was the first pastor of Antioch Baptist Church, Houston’s first Black Baptist church, and later founded Bethel Missionary Baptist Church.
As Texas Monthly reported in 2021, it was largely through the efforts of Margott Williams and Charles Cook that Olivewood was restored. “It just kept bugging me that Olivewood looked the way that it looked. For years, I came out here pushing that lawn mower and doing all of those things, and sometimes I would keep looking at where I parked at, going—nobody yet? Do it for another hour or two. I’d look around—nobody yet? Then, you come do that day after day after day,” Williams told the outlet.
Eventually, Williams connected with Cook, and the two helped create the Descendants of Olivewood nonprofit, founded to preserve the legacy of those interred at Olivewood Cemetery. In 2008, that group was given guardianship of the cemetery, and through church members, companies, and community members joining the group’s clean-up days, the old cemetery was restored.
Houston’s Olivewood Cemetery’s path charts a potential course for Hollywood Cemetery and the other Black cemeteries of Memphis.
Arthur Grand Technologies Inc.—a minority-owned firm —has been fined a civil penalty of $7,500 by the DOJ’s Justice and Labor departments. The federal contractor was also ordered to pay $31,000 in total to the 31 people who complained about the posting.
“It is shameful that in the 21st century, we continue to see employers using ‘whites only’ and ‘only US born’ job postings to lock out otherwise eligible job candidates of color,” said Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division Kristen Clarke.
An ad for a Dallas-based salesforce business analyst and insurance claims position based was posted by the company in March 2023.
The posting restricted eligible candidates to “only US Born Citizens [white] who are local within 60 miles from Dallas, TX [Don’t share with candidates].” According to NPR, the business analyst position “would serve two clients, HTC Global, an information technology company based in Troy, Michigan, and Berkshire Hathaway, the multinational holding company based in Omaha, Nebraska.”
Labor Department officials also found the company failed to keep records tracking demographic characteristics of job applicants, including gender, race or ethnicity. The company also failed to post a notice of workers’ equal employment opportunity rights in open places.
Arthur Grand CEO Sheik Rahmathullah denied “any guilt or wrongdoing” in a statement to NRP and placing the blame on a rogue employee.
“We took immediate and decisive action to ensure that this type of incident will never happen again, including the immediate termination of the responsible employee,” Rahmathullah said. “We sincerely apologize for any harm caused by this incident and are committed to making meaningful changes to maintain the trust and confidence of our community and stakeholders,” the statement continued.
Arthur Grand is certified as a Small Disadvantaged Business on the federal contractor’s roster. For status qualification, a majority of the company must be owned by “one or more disadvantaged persons,” who must also be “socially disadvantaged and economically disadvantaged.”
“We take pride in the fact that all the senior leadership positions in our company are held by persons of color, and over 80% of our staff are also people of color,” Rahmathullah told NPR.
In the agreement with the Labor Department, the company is required to send a letter to those who complained about the post, stating if they want to take part in the agreement, a document must be signed that reads in part, “I understand that AGT denies that it treated me unlawfully or unfairly in any way.”
Bryant took to the pulpit on Sunday, May 26, to update the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church congregation on this life development. An Instagram video announcement showed him gushing about the “amazingly beautiful and amazingly brilliant” woman he recently saw receive her “doctorate degree,” whom while at Turner’s graduation, the Lord told him “You big dummy! What is you waiting on?”
“I am so grateful to God that she has consented to be my wife,” he announced to a round of applause and cheers from the congregation. “Would you help me thank God for Dr. Karri Turner?”
Turner joined him on stage and wiped happy tears from her face as the crowd cheered.
“I can’t tell you how happy I am, how happy my family is, how happy my children are and I hope my church is happy for me,” Bryant said.
“I’m grateful to God that today the Lord has given @mzkarribaby to be my wife and @newbirthmbc has a First Lady. My heart is overjoyed and my destiny is in clear focus. Love always wins!!” Bryant captioned his Instagram post.
“My Love! I Love You Soo much!!♥️♥️♥️” she wrote on the post.
Bryant’s ex-wife, The Real Housewives of Potomac star Gizelle Bryant, also expressed her support by writing, “Congratulations! Very happy for you!” She and Bryant share their three daughters who are regularly featured on the hit Bravo reality show.
On Monday, Turner followed up with a close-up shot of her giant diamond engagement ring.
“RHOP” fans have followed Gizelle’s post-divorce journey with Jamal where she’s openly admitted to her ex-husband’s infidelity which led to their split. Gizelle, who remains single, has even navigated rekindling her relationship with Jamal on the show, but to no avail. The former couple share their three daughters, Grace, Adore, and Angel.
The Olympics Selects Sculptor Alison Saar To Create 2024 Paris Artwork
The artist will oversee every aspect of the sculpture as the artwork is brought to fruition on French soil.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Paris 2024 Games organizers have commissioned renowned Los Angeles artist Alison Saar to create a public sculpture honoring the Olympic and Paralympic legacy.
Saar’s piece will be installed in the French capital, aligning with Paris 2024’s themes of “international diversity, equality, and the Olympic principle of promoting a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity.” According to the Olympics, the sculpture is part of its Olympic Art Visions program, an initiative where the IOC invites esteemed artists to conceive original works drawing inspiration from athletics and Olympic ideals. The pieces are intended to be public exhibits within the Games’ host city.
Saar felt “deeply honored to have been selected to create the Olympic sculpture.” The sculptor hopes “this work of art, a gift to the people and the city of Paris, will become a gathering space for the public to experience the spirit of friendship and interconnection across cultures and borders.”
The endeavor upholds a unique Olympic tradition as the IOC continues to curate an international artistic community, build connections, and pass the torch across the Games.
Saar emerged victorious from a select list of prestigious American artists who submitted proposals. Her selection was unanimously decided by an advisory board that recognized her “commitment to the Olympic values” and vision for the 2024 Paris Games. This engaging initiative reinforces art’s integral role in the Olympic movement by “building connections…through an international artistic community.” Saar’s acclaimed body of work examines injustices and individuals from marginalized and underrepresented communities.
The sculptor follows the work of Xavier Veilhan, the French sculptor of The Audience for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
From conception to fabrication, Saar will oversee every aspect of the sculpture as the artwork is brought to fruition on French soil. The highly-anticipated unveiling is scheduled for “Olympic Day” in Paris.
Virginia Woman Wins $50K Powerball With Fortune Cookie Numbers
Tierra Barley almost lost her chances at the $50,000 Powerball victory after she left her ticket in the store.
A stroke of good fortune from numbers once found in a fortune cookie has awarded Henrico County resident Tierra Barley a staggering $50,000 Powerball prize this month.
In the May 8 drawing, Barley’s lottery ticket matched four of the first five numbers along with the Powerball number, which the Virginia Lottery revealed were 7-41-43-44-51, and the Powerball number was 5. However, Barley’s big win nearly slipped through her grasp when she almost misplaced the winning ticket right before the drawing.
She recounted to lottery officials what was almost a tough loss after she had mistakenly abandoned her newly purchased ticket from Varina Superstore Supermarket on Darbytown Road store when she ventured out to take her daughter to a nearby park. Fortunately, upon her return, a fellow customer was in the midst of purchasing Powerball entries and graciously assisted Barley in recovering the misplaced ticket.
The Virginia Lottery website notes that the odds of matching all six numbers to win the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million, while the “overall odds of winning any Powerball prize are 1 in 25.” This windfall marks a significant contribution towards education in the state, as the lottery proudly declares, “All Virginia Lottery profits go to K-12 education in Virginia.” Their “Giving Back” page affirms, “At the Virginia Lottery, we take playing seriously. Fun matters. Excitement matters. And so does the education of Virginia’s youngest residents.”
The impact is substantial, with Henrico County alone receiving over $30.7 million in Lottery funds that were allocated to K-12 education last fiscal year. The Lottery accumulated a remarkable $867 million for K-12 education in fiscal year 2023. The funds comprised around 10% of Virginia’s total budget for the state’s K-12 programs.
This educational allocation stems from a 1987 voter referendum to establish a state-run lottery. Proceeds were initially directed towards capital projects before taking an educational turn in 1999 when a state budget amendment mandated the funds be channeled directly to local public school districts. This directive garnered support from Virginians the following year, with over 80% of voters approving the creation of the State Lottery Proceeds Fund.
Powerball drawings are held on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays at 10:59 p.m.
Raleigh Teen Wins Million Dollar Lottery With Sister’s Lucky Pick
McLean won with the help of his sister's lucky pick of scratch-offs.
An 18-year-old in Raleigh, North Carolina won the lottery with the help of his sister. Jalen McLean earned a million dollars after his sibling picked a lucky ticket.
McLean spoke toABC 11 on how his sister’s choice in scratch-offs made him a millionaire. McLean gave Dasha Silas the option to choose a ticket that would change their life, with Silas picking the $10 Jumbo Bucks at gas station in Fayetteville on May 21. Upon realizing they won the jackpot, McLean bursted into glee.
“He had a huge smile on his face,” explained Silas to the news outlet. “Like so big. it looked like the movie character Venom.”
As for McLean, the shock has yet to wear off. With his young age in mind, he is well aware of the enormous opportunity this money can provide.
“I feel like the luckiest guy in the universe…How many 18-year-olds win something like this” questioned McLean.
The teenager had two options to receive his lottery earnings. He chose the $50,000 a year allotment instead of the $600,000 lump sum. He will take home the payout annually for the next 20 years. However, his first check took out nearly $15,000 in taxes, leaving him with nearly $36,000.
Despite this, McLean has big plans for his money, hoping to buy a luxury car with the stash. However, the outlet did not report if he will slide any of the funds to his sister, yet his sibling seems in full support of her brother’s win.
McLean is among the youngest lottery winners in the country, as the legal age to do so remains at 18. The youngest in U.S. history was also a fellow Carolinian, according to Oldest.org. At 19-years-old, Jay Vargas won over $35 million in 2008 after playing the Powerball in South Carolina.
In the meantime, McLean looks forward to driving around a new Audi as one half of the lucky sibling duo.
According to data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health released on May 21, an intensive level of cannabis intake surpassed alcohol usage for the first time in 2022. Jonathan Caulkins, a cannabis policy researcher at Carnegie Mellon University and the study’s author, says alcohol is still in the running but not at the level it once was. “A good 40% of current cannabis users are using it daily or near daily, a pattern that is more associated with tobacco use than typical alcohol use,” Caulkins said.
There were approximately 17.7 million people who used marijuana daily or almost daily in 2022, in comparison to over 14 million drinkers. Between 1992 to 2022, the rate of every day, or close to, marijuana use increased 15-fold.
Policy changes in states can be looked at as a driving force. As recreational marijuana is legal in 24 states, according to CBS News, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is reclassifying the drug to a less dangerous category. On the upcoming ballots in November 2024, Florida voters will decide on a constitutional amendment to allow recreational cannabis to be legal. But some experts feel the new data shows how addictive the drug can become.
Dr. David A. Gorelick, a psychiatry professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, says the growing number of daily users suggests a rise in people being at risk of developing problematic cannabis use. “High-frequency use also increases the risk of developing cannabis-associated psychosis,” a severe condition where a person loses touch with reality,” the professor said.
Addiction psychiatrist Colin Reiff attributes schizophrenia to excessive cannabis use in some young people, particularly young men, as their brains are still maturing at a young age. “The legalized age for cannabis should be around 33 years old, when people are outside the window of developing schizophrenia and bipolar disorder and a lot of other things,” Reiff said.
“Or most certainly it should be after 26, once the prefrontal cortex is done developing.”
Numbers from the University of Mississippi’s potency monitoring project show the average level of the main component of weed that triggers psychoactive effects, THC, increased from 4% in 1995 to over 15% in 2021.
However, that doesn’t seem to bother a certain demographic — people aged 18 to 24, with 69% preferring marijuana to alcohol. “I transitioned over into cannabis cause I saw that there’s limitless possibilities with the flavors,” said Matthew Everett, a smoker and Work ‘N’ Roll patron. “And I found like, hey, I don’t have a hangover the next day, too.”
Work ‘N’ Roll is an NYC-based cannabis-friendly coworking space where members, for as little as $15 a day, can smoke and work freely at the same time. Alcohol is banned on the premises, but bringing your own cannabis or having it delivered is allowed. Other members, Golda Moldavsky and Ellis Sudak, also in their twenties, say they don’t miss alcohol at all.
