by Mary Spiller

January 15, 2024

Milwaukee Kindergartner Left On Bus For Four Hours After Falling Asleep On The Way Home

The five-year-old boy managed to flag down those searching for him by honking the bus horn and turning on the headlights, after being locked in the lot.

A Milwaukee kindergartner named Cameron Smith was left on a GO Riteway school bus on Jan. 8 after falling asleep on the ride home. The young boy’s family is seeking to take legal action against the company and district since finding him in the school bus parking lot that same night.

Cameron’s mom, Chenequa Byers-Smith, explained in the police report that he was unharmed but was exceptionally emotionally distraught.

Her five-year-old son managed to call for help by honking the bus horn while locked in the lot, but “it could have ended very differently had we not thought to go up there,” she told outlets.

Byers-Smith explained that she realized something was wrong after Cameron didn’t arrive home by 5 in the evening since that’s the latest GO Riteway ever dropped him off. After calling Milwaukee Academy of Science, his school, and the bus company, she reported him missing an hour later. She posted a photo of her son on Facebook and requested police search the school bus lot. Unfortunately, officers searched her house first to gather more information.

When the police department failed to, Byers-Smith’s family went to the GO Riteway lot and heard Cameron honking the horn. They found him after they hopped over the barbed wire fence, and Cameron figured out how to turn on the bus lights.

Byers-Smith told the outlet that her son boarded the school bus at around 3:30 and was found four hours later. She rushed Cameron to the Children’s Wisconsin Hospital to get checked out.

She said, “He was very cold and tired, but he was finally relieved that somebody knew where he was.”

“He was OK, just really tired.”

Byers-Smith learned that Cameron fell asleep on the bus ride home and woke up in the lot. She’s pushing for the bus driver and the company to be punished.

GO Riteway has released a statement about the incident, stating that the employee responsible failed to follow the required safety protocols for an end-of-shift and has been terminated. The company agreed to continue cooperating with the police as they further investigated the incident.

by Daniel Johnson

January 14, 2024

Father Moses Berry, Prominent Missouri Faith Leader And Museum Founder, Dies

Despite his focus on his Missouri hometown, Father Moses Berry became known nationwide, with the "New York Times" describing him as a "one-man racial reconciliation committee."

On Jan. 12, Father Moses Berry died in hospice care after being hospitalized for months.

As KSMU reported, Berry, who was in his early 70s, was a prominent member of the Missouri faith community, and created the Ozarks Afro-American Heritage Museum.

“All of our friends encouraged us to start a museum,” Berry told OzarksWatch in 2003. “Well, we weren’t quite ready to do that, but I’m always moved by the African-American proverb that says ‘start before you’re ready.’“

Through 2013, Berry curated the museum, which chronicled the history of the town where he was born and the place where his ancestors lived. The collection has now been digitized by Berry’s daughter, Dorothy, and features artifacts, some of which go back to the 1830s.

The collection includes quilts, furniture, portraits, horse equipment and toys which serve to paint a picture of Black American life, family traditions, and rural life. The collection also contains some of the constraints of life for enslaved people, including ankle chains, screw locks, and neck irons.

Despite his focus on his hometown and community, Berry became known across the country. The New York Times described him as a “one-man racial reconciliation committee” due to his work sharing both Black history and Orthodox Christian spirituality. In 2022, Berry was honored by the Eastern Orthodox Church with the highest honor bestowed upon a priest, the Jeweled Cross. In 2023, Missouri State University inducted Berry into the Missouri Public Affairs Hall of Fame.

Berry went on a spiritual pilgrimage for much of his life that eventually led him to return to the land that birthed him. “It’s home to me,” Berry said. “It’s, as a matter of fact, when I came back here, it was almost like coming to a mythical place. Because all my most fond memories occurred in this town. So, sort of like a little Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn town, and I grew up here. So coming back was more than just returning home. And you know the old expression, people say you can never come home. I found that not to be the case here.”

According to the Springfield News-Leader, Berry returned to Ash Grove after he inherited the family farm built by his great-grandfather in 1875. Berry’s antecedents created the space following their freedom from enslavement after the Civil War. Part of the property includes a cemetery, which was renamed Resurrection Cemetery.

Originally dedicated in 1875 to “Slaves, Indians, and Paupers,” all groups who were traditionally denied spaces to be buried in Missouri’s segregated cemetery system. Resurrection Cemetery is currently listed on both the national and Greene County registers of historic places.

by Daniel Johnson

January 14, 2024

Jonathan Majors Reportedly Out as Dennis Rodman In Upcoming Film

The film, tentatively titled “48 Hours In Vegas,” had cast Jonathan Majors to portray Dennis Rodman early in 2023.

Jonathan Majors is no longer expected to be part of a movie focusing on former NBA star Dennis Rodman’s infamous trip to Las Vegas in the middle of the 1998 NBA Finals.

The film, tentatively titled 48 Hours In Vegas, had cast Majors to portray Rodman early in 2023, but after the actor was convicted of assaulting and harassing former girlfriend Grace Jabbari, that role is the latest to go.

According to CNN, a source close to the film says although Majors has not been officially dropped from the project, he is out. Other sources indicated to CNN that the film’s original director had plans that exceeded the film’s budget, so Lionsgate let the producers shop the film around.

Even though William Morris Endeavors still counts Majors, 34, as a client, the actor and his management and publicist split in April 2023 as the accusations began to swirl. Marvel, which had plans for Majors to lead “Phase 5” of its connected Marvel Cinematic Universe as Kang The Conqueror, dropped Majors immediately following the verdict.

Just before his arrest in March 2023, Majors was cast in a Spike Lee film produced by Amazon Studios, Da Understudy, but according to a source, the details of that project were preliminary and no deals had been finalized. A representative for Spike Lee and a spokesperson for Amazon Studios both declined comment to CNN.

A few months before his arrest, a film Majors starred in, Magazine Dreams, was receiving major buzz on the festival circuit. Disney’s Searchlight was going to release the film in December 2023, but it was shelved in October before Majors’ trial began.

Majors, who maintained his innocence in a January Good Morning America interview, faces up to one year in jail for the conviction. The jury acquitted him on more serious charges of intentional assault in the third degree and aggravated harassment in the second degree

Marilyn Mosby, divorce, trial, fraud, NAACP

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

January 14, 2024

Defense For Marilyn Mosby In Mortgage Fraud Case Urges Divorce Agreement Revealed In Trial

Defense in Marilyn Mosby's mortgage fraud trial are calling for prosecutors to allow her divorce settlement to be shown to the jury.

Prosecutors in Marilyn Mosby’s upcoming trial want to block the jury from being made aware of her divorce settlement to Nick Mosby, Baltimore’s city council president. Her lawyers want the information to be revealed. Mosby, the former city state’s attorney, is facing trial for allegedly lying on mortgage applications for her vacation homes in Florida.

According to CBS News, Mosby was already charged with perjury in October 2022 for lying on COVID-19 financial relief applications established under the CARES Act. Regarding the mortgage fraud, Mosby is being tried for not disclosing a tax lien and renting one of the properties despite being given a lower interest rate for not doing so.

There have been several points of contention between the prosecutors and the defense in Mosby’s trial, with the latter recently claiming that the divorce settlement is relevant to the trial since her husband revealed his culpability for the tax lien.

However, the prosecutors argue that the revelation is not permissible given it was signed after the fraud initially occurred years prior, and believe that the settlement’s inclusion in the trial is ultimately unnecessary. Nick Mosby remains a potential witness in the trial.

In another complication, the defense is calling for a complex verdict form, wanting to have jurors “check whether they unanimously agree about specific false statements if they find her guilty,” which prosecutors claim will only confuse them.

Mike Hellgren, an investigative reporter for CBS News Baltimore revealed the documents on the proposed verdict form.

Former Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby’s defense is proposing a more complex verdict form than the prosecution. You can see their proposal and that of Mosby’s public defender below. ⬇️ The prosecutor says the defense form would confuse the jury. @wjz pic.twitter.com/iQexSYD77b
— Mike Hellgren (@HellgrenWJZ) January 12, 2024

The defense also wants potential jurors to designate whether they will consider the testimony of a person convicted of perjury.

Prior to her own conviction, Mosby was known for leading an investigation into the Baltimore police officers involved in the killing of Freddie Gray in 2015. However, her legal advocacy in the Black Lives Matter movement has since been overshadowed by her convictions. Mosby’s sentencing for perjury will be held after her fraud case.

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

January 14, 2024

Ex-NFL Player Ryan Shazier Files For Divorce Amid Cheating Allegations

Former NFL linebacker Ryan Shazier files from divorce from his wife, Michelle, months after she accuses him of infidelity.

Ryan Shazier, a former linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers, has filed for divorce from his wife of seven years, Michelle. The news comes months after Michelle accused the professional athlete of cheating.

According to the New York Post, the divorce announcement stems from Michelle making their marital woes public, exposing text messages allegedly exchanged between her husband and another woman last November. The mistress, revealed by name as Marie, was conversing with the 31-year-old as he sent her books to guide one on sexual acts.

In the since-deleted post, Michelle referred to the NFL player as a “liar and a cheater.”

“A person that loves his family … this is what they do to their family … the WIFE.. that has been there for him since day 1,” she relayed to her following on Instagram. “Infidelity at its finest! I can’t sit here and keep hiding anymore. You can have it. I deserve better. This is Ryan… he’s a liar and a cheater!”

The divorce is a follow-up to Shazier’s statement to TMZ that the couple was separated.

“Michelle and I have been living apart and are currently separated,” Frazier said. “As we work through what comes next for our family, I ask for privacy and prayers.”

As for Shazier’s professional life, the 2014 NFL draftee retired from the league in 2020 after a spinal injury left him temporarily paralyzed. The linebacker faced the life-threatening incident while on the field during a Dec. 4 game against the Cincinnati Bengals in 2017. Shazier underwent spine stabilization surgery days later but had to regain his ability to walk.

Shazier went on to marry the mother of his 9-year-old son, Lyon, two years later, in 2019. Court documents which may contain insight into why it was Shazier who pulled the plug on his marriage are sealed to the public.

by Daniel Johnson

January 14, 2024

Extreme Winter Weather Disrupts Iowa Campaign Events Ahead Of Jan. 15 Caucus

According to the National Weather Service, the forecast for Jan. 15 could be the coldest ever on record.

The extreme winter weather in Iowa derailed campaign events as the state handled freezing temperatures coupled with strong winds that could create dangerous conditions for those who would attempt to brave the elements to vote on Jan. 15 in the Iowa caucus. As The Associated Press reports, some Republicans, like South Carolina’s Nikki Haley, pulled campaign events and converted them to tele-town halls instead. Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis postponed four events set for Jan. 12, citing weather concerns, but he did have a scheduled campaign event in Des Moines, Iowa’s capital city.

Ahead of DeSantis’ event, the state patrol of Iowa warned Iowans about the weather on social media. “Please, don’t put yourself or others in danger,” the patrol warned before saying that conditions on Iowa’s roads were “extremely dangerous!” The National Weather Service’s Des Moines office posted images of jackknifed tractor-trailers from interstates across Iowa; most of the state was on a blizzard warning. According to the National Weather Service, the forecast for Jan. 15 is the coldest ever on record, besting the previous record of 16 degrees, posted on Jan. 19, 2004.

District 11 – We are thankful tonight that our Trooper was able to walk away from this crash without serious injuries. The incident occurred on I-80 near MM 220 (Williamsburg) when a semi was unable to stop on the icy roadway. This area of the interstate is now impassable. pic.twitter.com/VuFavRVqIF
— Iowa State Patrol (@iowastatepatrol) January 13, 2024

🚨 Multiple Interstate Closures 🚨

These are just a few of the areas currently CLOSED or blocked due to crashes. Unless you have an essential need to go out, PLEASE STAY HOME!

Follow https://t.co/QoHJUUwob0 for the latest road conditions. pic.twitter.com/ifqslaGaiD
— Iowa State Patrol (@iowastatepatrol) January 12, 2024

Life-Threatening Winter Weather Alert – In the interest of YOUR safety AND those working the roads, we STRONGLY advise everyone to refrain from ANY non-essential travel. Given the severe weather conditions, your cooperation in keeping everyone safe is appreciated! pic.twitter.com/TuJm1QvR1z
— Iowa State Patrol (@iowastatepatrol) January 12, 2024

Like Haley, former President Donald Trump, who has been busy making court appearances in Washington, D.C., and New York, converted his scheduled live events into tele-rallies due to “an abundance of caution amid severe weather advisories.” Though the campaign took those steps, a campaign rep made comments suggesting people should brave the weather and attend events in person.

Chris LaCivita, a senior adviser to Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, told the AP that the campaign has a plan for in-person events, saying, “It’s old school, you know — poll workers and people who pick up people and drive ’em to the polls, so we have all of that stuff planned.”

The weather is supposed to take an arctic turn, reaching record lows of -6 degrees in Des Moines. Still, Iowa Republican Party leaders seem unfazed by the cold. Kush Desai, an Iowa GOP spokesperson, told the AP that the party had persisted to hold caucuses “through all sorts of weather events before.” Desai added that the party was watching the weather but were “not entertaining anything drastic yet” when it came to postponing votes, and that he was in favor of making sure Iowa’s voice was heard despite the freezing weather.

“There’s no doubt on our end about our commitment to keeping Iowa first in the nation and maintaining Iowa’s critical voice, not just for Iowa but for the heartland, in the presidential nominating process,” he said. “Even through the winter.”

pastor, Knoxville, community garden, food apartheid

by Daniel Johnson

January 14, 2024

Former Knoxville Pastor Becomes Food Activist, Cultivating Community Gardens To Fight Local Food Apartheid

"I’m doing something that’s meeting a significant need in our community. I think it’s literally saving people’s lives," said the former pastor.

Chris Battle, a former senior pastor at Tabernacle Baptist Church, left his post at one of Knoxville, Tennessee’s oldest Black congregations to pursue a different calling. People reports that in 2019, Battle left the church to grow and deliver fresh food in an effort to meet the needs of his local community. The 62-year-old Battle told People, “I’m doing something that’s meeting a significant need in our community. “I think it’s literally saving people’s lives.”

Battle recounted his personal journey from preacher to food activist, telling the magazine, “My life goal was to pastor, to be of service to others, and then retire.” Working in East Knoxville for 30 years, however, reoriented his goal, as he discovered he was working in an area affected by food apartheid. “Learning that people here could not get access to food to nourish their bodies felt ridiculous to me. It started messing with my head,” he recalled.

In 2018, Battle planted a small garden on land his church owned and gave away the produce. Eventually, community members, which included many who’d never been to his church, came by to help Battle as he tended his crops. A light turned on for the pastor when he saw this, telling People, “That’s when it dawned on me that they won’t come to my church, but they will come to my garden. I knew we needed to find a way to merge the two.”

By 2019, Battle quit his job and helped launch a Sunday’s farmer’s market and coordinate deliveries of produce donated by food banks to residents of public housing. He later established four additional community gardens including Battlefield Farm & Gardens, where he holds informal church services every Sunday. Battle’s congregation now features okra, cabbage and onions, in addition to a small crossbsection of American society.

“We meet here whenever God says it’s okay — meaning whenever it’s not raining or too cold,” Battle told People. “We’ve got atheists here, gay, trans and straight people. I think we’ve even got a witch.”

He continued, “I’ve never been happier. I don’t miss pastoring. I tell people, ‘I pastor okra now—okra doesn’t give me as many problems as some people do.’”

Jamie Foxx, African American Film Critics Association, luncheon

by Daniel Johnson

January 14, 2024

African American Film Critics Association To Honor Hollywood Luminaries At 7th Annual Special Achievement Awards Luncheon

Oscar-winning actor Jamie Foxx and famed choreographer Fatima Robinson are among those to be honored.

The African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) is gearing up to honor several Hollywood luminaries at its 7th Annual AAFCA Special Achievement Awards luncheon. Deadline reports that on March 3, in the Centennial Room at the Los Angeles Athletic Club, the AAFCA will honor Jamie Foxx and Datari Turner of Foxxhole Productions; Fatima Robinson, the legendary choreographer who has worked with Beyoncé, Michael Jackson, and was head choreographer for the recent reboot of The Color Purple; Deon Taylor, a rising filmmaker; the late Michael Latt; and the feature film Killers of the Flower Moon. Delta Airlines will receive the association’s Film Advocate Award.

Foxx and Turner are receiving the AAFCA’s Producers Award for work their production company performed on three standout releases in 2023: They Cloned Tyrone, Story Ave, and The Burial. Robinson will receive the Salute to Excellence Award in recognition of her work in the field of choreography, which includes her work on the film adaptation of the stage musical based on Alice Walker’s 1982 Pulitzer-winning novel. Taylor will be given the Horizon Award, which celebrates and acknowledges a rising talent in the film industry.

Filmmaker Taylor, who is founder of Hidden Empire Group, has directed The Intruder as well as Fatale and will be helming Free Agents, a film centered on a group of professional athletes who hatch a plot to get revenge on the team owners they feel are underpaying and exploiting them. According to Deadline, Taylor is also attached to forthcoming biopics about John Lewis and Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

Latt will be honored with the inaugural Freedom Award, which the AAFCA created to honor his work as a marketing strategist, thought leader, and the founder of Lead With Love. Latt’s organization has worked with some of the biggest names in Hollywood, including Ryan Coogler, the Fruitvale Station director Marvel tapped to helm its Black Panther franchise. Latt’s family will be accepting the award on his behalf.

Killers of the Flower Moon is being honored with the Stanley and Karen Kramer Social Justice Award due to the film’s depiction of the true story of the Osage Nation murders.

Lastly, Delta is receiving AAFCA’s Film Advocate Award as thanks for the airline’s dedication to including diverse content and spotlighting up-and-coming directors as part of its in-flight entertainment options.

AAFCA President and Co-Founder Gil Robertson told Deadline that his organization looks forward to celebrating the honorees, saying, “Our list this year includes titans and trailblazers whose work has transformed the cinematic arts.”

Robertson continued, “Their work leaves us in awe of their incredible achievements and inspires us to move forward in all our endeavors with passion, creativity and determination. AAFCA looks forward to celebrating them.”

Target, Washington Wizards, Ryan Rollins

by Daniel Johnson

January 14, 2024

Former Washington Wizards Player Ryan Rollins Charged With Shoplifting From Target

Rollins allegedly stole groceries, soap, and candles from Target.

Ryan Rollins, a 21-year-old guard who was with the Washington Wizards until Jan. 8, has been charged with multiple counts of petit larceny in connection with shoplifting multiple times at Target stores. The Athletic first broke the story, writing that that the basketball player allegedly stole groceries, soap, and candles from a Target in Alexandria, Virginia, between Sept. 9 and Nov. 9.

According to Monumental Basketball President Michael Winger, “We just recently learned of the charges against Ryan. We cannot comment on that matter, or the basis for our roster decisions.” Winger continned, “We do take our role very seriously as citizens of the DMV, representatives of our fans and a team our community can be proud of. These are expectations, not aspirations. We’re eager to move forward with our team as constituted and pursue excellence on and off the court.”

Washington Wizards G Ryan Rollins was released from the team Monday after being charged with 7 counts of petit larceny. He allegedly stole items like groceries, soap, & candles from an Alexandria, VA Target on multiple occasions in the fall. His salary was set at $1.7m this year. pic.twitter.com/8OGQf9QO0E
— DMV News Live (@DCNewsLive) January 12, 2024

Recently waived Washington Wizards guard Ryan Rollins has been charged with multiple counts of petit larceny in Virginia, according to court documents obtained by The Washington Post.https://t.co/PsWPY16thZ
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) January 12, 2024

Rollins was a mid-second round pick of the Atlanta Hawks who traded his draft rights to the Golden State Warriors on draft night. Rollins appeared in 12 games for the Warriors before being dealt to the Washington Wizards as part of the Jordan Poole trade that landed Chris Paul in Golden State in the aftermath of Warriors forward Draymond Green punching Poole during a practice session. Rollins was making $1.7 million on a minimum deal, with the entirety of that deal being guaranteed as well as $600,000 of his salary next season.

Until the details of the allegations surrounding Rollins became public, his release from a struggling Wizards team didn’t make much sense, say sports pundits, because he is exactly the kind of player that a young rebuilding team like the Wizards would covet.

According to Virginia state law, petit larceny of goods worth less than $1,000 is a Class 1 misdemeanor that’s typically resolved by paying a fine; jail time is usually not necessary in such cases.

Rollins has not yet entered a plea and is due back in court on Feb. 7, according to court documents obtained by NBC Sports.

by Daniel Johnson

January 14, 2024

Goldman Sachs Ends ‘Launch With GS’ Diversity Initiative, Vows Continued Commitment

However, Goldman Sachs says it is not abandoning its commitment to diversity.

Goldman Sachs is shuttering its 2018 Launch with GS diversity initiative after claiming it has fulfilled its promise of investing $1 billion into companies that are led, owned, and founded by women and people of color. As Fortune reported, when it committed to invest in diverse companies, Goldman Sachs also said it would only help companies make initial public offerings with at least one diverse director on its boards.

In the 2018 blog post that announced the program, Stephanie Cohen, then chief strategy officer, wrote that the goal of the Launch with GS program was to “generate strong investment returns,” which was backed by research indicating that companies with at least one diverse board member outperformed companies with no diverse board members.

Goldman Sachs said it was not abandoning its commitment to diversity, even though some staff members who worked on Launch with GS have been moved to other projects. Regina Green, who was named head of Launch with GS in 2021, announced her plans to exit the company earlier in January via a LinkedIn post. Green wrote, “I’m so proud of the work we’ve done, the founders and managers we’ve partnered with, and the impact we’ve had so far.”

Green went on to say that she wanted to “partner with and invest in emerging managers funding innovative solutions for our most challenging problems.”

Goldman Sachs is continuing its work on its One Million Black Women initiative, a 10-year promise it made in 2021 to give $10 million in investment capital and $100 million in aid to address the “dual disproportionate gender and racial biases that Black women have faced for generations.” It currently has four designated team members working on the program. So far, $2.3 billion has gone toward that goal. Goldman Sachs Global Head of Corporate Engagement and Foundation President Asahi Pompey told Fortune, “We have integrated the sourcing and ecosystem into our existing [asset and wealth management] business. Our investors are always thinking opportunistically about finding fantastic investments … and we know that diverse companies outperform … Launch was a way to widen our aperture.”

Pompey also said that the firm was focused on what lies ahead rather than what it previously accomplished through Launch with GS, telling the outlet that its “focus is very much on the $8 billion that lies ahead of us”: an allusion to its One Million Black Women program.

Goldman Sachs’ focus on diversity currently flies in the face of a broad pushback on diversity and inclusion initiatives in the business world that was emboldened by the Supreme Court’s decision to end affirmative action, citing the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment.

Founders and emerging managers, and specifically those who are women or people of color, have found it more difficult to raise funds in recent years. Between 2021 and 2022, fundraising by managers declined by nearly 35%, and in 2023 the depressed fundraising market continued, resulting in emerging managers receiving less than $20 billion in committed funds. That was the first time that had occurred since 2016.