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Posts published in “Adults”

Los Angeles Rams Help Build Playground in Inglewood Near new Stadium


Los Angeles Rams players and officials Wednesday helped build a playground at an elementary school in Inglewood, CA. Ellina Abovian reports for the KTLA 5 News at 3 on June 15, 2016.  Click through to see video of the story:
Source: L.A. Rams Help Build Playground in Inglewood | KTLA

CA Attorney General Kamala Harris Wins U.S. Senate Primary

Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris greets supporters in Sacramento on Tuesday, June 7. (Rich Pedroncelli/Associated Press)
Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris greets supporters in Sacramento on Tuesday, June 7.  (Rich Pedroncelli/Associated Press)

article by John Myers via latimes.com
California Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris  was declared the top vote-getter Tuesday night in the state’s open race for the U.S. Senate, as a bevy of primary candidates competed for the other spot on the fall ballot.
With 13% of precincts reporting, the Associated Press called the race for Harris, 51, who was long seen as the front-runner in a crowded field of 34 candidates.
The most prominent challenger, Rep. Loretta Sanchez of Orange, is a Democrat like Harris. Should they finish in the top two spots once all the votes are counted, it would mark the first time in a statewide election in which a Republican failed to make the November ballot.
Sanchez was second in early returns, followed by a trio of Republicans: former state GOP chairman Duf Sundheim, attorney Phil Wyman, and former GOP chairman Tom Del Beccaro.
To read more, go to: http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-california-primary-kamala-harris-declared-the-winner-of-1465359023-htmlstory.html

Wrongfully Arrested Ohio Man Arnold Black is Awarded $22 Million After Cop Beats Him, Locks Him in Closet for 4 Days

Arnold Black was awarded $22 million after cops wrongfully detained him, beat him and locked him in a closet for four days.
Arnold Black was awarded $22 million after cops wrongfully detained him, beat him and locked him in a closet for four days. (FOX8 CLEVELAND)

article by Meg Wagner via nydailynews.com
An Ohio man who was beaten by a drunk cop and left locked in a closet for four days without food, water or access to a bathroom was awarded $22 million in court.
Arnold Black sued East Cleveland police over his 2012 detainment, saying a pair of officers mixed up his car with that of a suspected drug dealer and wrongfully took him into custody. One of the cops reeked of alcohol — and punched Black for “messing up” his night at the bar, according to the lawsuit.
“The officer … grabbed me like this,” Black told Fox 8 while motioning with his hands. “And he held me up, and — Boom! — I just remember getting hit.”
Black said he was driving through the city in his green pickup truck in April 2012 when officers Jonathan O’Leary and Randy Hicks pulled him over and asked him where they could find drug dealers in East Cleveland.  The pair said they were hunting for a green truck carrying a load of cocaine — and Hicks, who was slurring his speech and reeked of booze, seemed upset that Black wasn’t the suspected drug dealer, the lawsuit alleged.  “I was at a bar with friends. You messed up my night,” Hicks told the driver.
The cop with the blood-shot eyes and cloudy coordination punched Black in the head, handcuffed him and then punched him again, the lawsuit alleged.  O’Leary, who did not appear to be drunk, stood back and did nothing to atop the attack.
The duo carted Black off to jail, but instead of sticking him in a cell, they locked him in a storage closet, Black said.

1st Ever Detroit Startup Week Helps Black Business Entrepreneurs and Hopefuls

The first annual Detroit Startup Week, powered by Chase, kicked off in May featuring over 100 events with some 2,500 participants attending free activities over the course of five days. Detroit’s inaugural Startup Week is expected to be largest first-year event in the global brand’s six-year history.

Ten learning tracks will be offered to entrepreneurs at all levels: technology, entrepreneurship 101, mobility, music, food-preneurship, art+design, civic innovation, neighborhood collaboration, social entrepreneurship, and the Internet of Things (IoT).
“Our city is unlike any other, with both ingenuity and a welcoming spirit, brilliance and grit, and opportunities abound. Detroit Startup Week is designed to glue together those opportunities, celebrate what’s already working, and lay the groundwork for what’s to come,” notes Kyle Bazzy, lead organizer.
“Entrepreneurs are playing an invaluable role in Detroit’s comeback,” adds Jennifer Piepszak, CEO of Chase Business Banking, whose firm has committed $100 million over five years to Detroit’s economic recovery. “Detroit Startup Week is a great opportunity to recognize small businesses’ importance to the city’s recovery and to ensure they gain access to the necessary resources to support and grow.”
To read more, go to: http://www.blackenterprise.com/small-business/first-ever-detroit-startup-week-helps-black-business-hopefuls/

WATCH: Harvard Graduate School of Education Graduate Donovan Livingston Delivers Powerful, Poetic Speech On Overcoming Injustice

U.S Supreme Court Rules Georgia Prosecutors Violated Constitution's "Equal Protection" Clause by Rejecting Black Jurors in Murder Case

SCOTUS building (photo via wikipedia.com)
SCOTUS building (photo via wikipedia.com)

article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (follow @lakinhutcherson)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a 7-1 decision issued today, the Supreme Court of the United States held in Foster v. Chapman, No. 14-8349, that Butts County, Georgia prosecutors violated the Equal Protection Clause of the United States Constitution by rejecting two prospective African-American jurors because of their race in the capital murder trial of  Timothy Foster, an African-American man who was convicted of capital murder in 1987 by an all-white jury.

Chief Justice Roberts’ majority opinion, which was joined by five of his colleagues, cited several pieces of evidence from the prosecutors’ files that supported the Court’s conclusion, including the first five names of a “Definite NO” list of six prospective jurors containing the only five African-Americans in the jury pool; multiple documents that identified the African-American prospective jurors by their race; and notes with “N” for “no” appearing next to the names of all the African-American members of the jury pool.

The Court also found that the race-neutral reasons the prosecutors offered for rejecting two of the African-American prospective jurors did not withstand scrutiny because (1) the prosecutors offered shifting rationales at different stages of the proceedings and (2) the reasons offered for excluding the African-American jurors did not result in the prosecutors rejecting white prospective jurors who had the same characteristics that led to the dismissal of the African-American jurors. The Court dismissed one of the prosecutors’ rationales as “[n]onsense.”

“The systematic exclusion of African-Americans from juries, particularly in serious criminal and capital cases, is a problem that we continue to see today,” stated Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.  “The Lawyers’ Committee is pleased with the Supreme Court’s ruling which affirms the longstanding, fundamental constitutional principle that prospective jurors cannot be rejected because of their race. The evidence in this case was overwhelming that prosecutors were determined to try Mr. Foster, an African-American man, before an all-white jury.  All defendants are entitled to a fair trial and excluding prospective jurors based on their race taints the process because it means that defendants are not tried by a jury inclusive of their peers.”

The Supreme Court’s decision reversed the Georgia Supreme Court and sent the case back to the Georgia Supreme Court for further proceedings consistent with the opinion. Though he did not join in Chief Justice Roberts’s opinion, Judge Alito concurred in the judgment.  Justice Thomas dissented.

Elaine Welteroth Named as Editor-in-Chief of Teen Vogue

488193588-elaine-welteroth-poses-for-a-photo-during-alcon-air
Elaine Welteroth poses for a photo during Spring 2016 New York Fashion Week, Sept. 14, 2015, in New York City. (ROBIN MARCHANT/GETTY IMAGES)

article by Angela Bronner Helm via theroot.com
Elaine Welteroth, who made headlines when she became Teen Vogue’s first African American beauty director, has been made the title’s new editor-in-chief.
She will be the youngest editor in the company’s 107-year history. She is also the second black woman named to head a Conde Nast book; Keija Minor has been at the helm of Brides magazine since 2012.
According to her Linkedin profile, Welteroth, 29, has held editorial positions at Glamour and Ebony magazines, and has been at Teen Vogue for more than three and a half years. She received her degree in Mass Communications/Media Studies with a minor in journalism from Cal State Sacramento.
The current EIC of Teen Vogue, Amy Astley, will be moving to the head position at Architectural Digest.
To read more, go to:  African-American Woman Named as Head of Teen Vogue

Dr. Adrienne Washington Becomes 1st African American to Earn a Ph.D. in Linguistics at the University of Pittsburgh

Dr. Adrienne Washington (photo via jbhe.com)
Dr. Adrienne Washington (photo via jbhe.com)

article via jbhe.com
On May 1, Adrienne Washington of Morgantown, West Virginia, became the first African American to earn a Ph.D. in linguistics from the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh. For her thesis, Dr. Washington researched the study and redevelopment of Yoruba language practices in the city of Salvador da Bahia in modern-day northeastern Brazil.
Dr. Washington is a graduate of Hampton University in Virginia. She received a master’s degree in linguistics at the University of Pittsburgh.
Dr. Washington told JBHE, “My plan is to continue developing my research on Yoruba language practices in northeastern Brazil as well as explore other interdisciplinary topics in sociolinguistics. Currently, I am focused on writing manuscripts and applying for jobs in academia, where I see myself best contributing to society.”

DC Entertainment Promotes Animation Vet Dan Evans to VP Creative Affairs

Dan Evans Headshot
DC Entertainment VP Dan Evans (photo via deadline.com)

article by Dominic Patten via Deadline.com
Just over a year after joining from Marvel Studios, Dan Evans has a new job and enlarged portfolio with DC Entertainment. After overseeing the Warner Bros.-owned comic giant’s TV slate of Arrow, GothamSupergirlLucifer and more as Creative Director, Evans has been promoted to VP, Creative Affairs. He will report directly to Geoff Johns, DC’s Chief Creative Officer.

“I’ve known Dan for years. His passion for DC and his creative strengths and experience make him a stellar leader within my Creative Affairs Department,” said Johns Thursday in a statement. “It’s great to have him assume this new role to help me manage the tremendous DC slate across the Studio.”
In his new gig, the ex-Nickelodeon Animation exec will now handle and review creative content for all DC media that are in production with WB, including TV, film, animation and games. Evan’s focus is to ensure that the use of the DC characters and their stories stay true to the core values of the franchises, the company says.
A manager of acquisitions at the WB TV Network back in the late 1990s, Evans worked at Fox Kids TV and was a Governor, Children’s programming for the TV Academy from 2010 to late 2014.

Kevin Morton Jr., Survivor Of Michigan Shooting, Becomes Surgeon After Being Inspired By Doctors Who Saved Him

Dr. Kevin Morton (photo via nbcnews.com)
Dr. Kevin Morton (photo via nbcnews.com)

article via newsone.com
A Michigan man who was nearly killed in a 2007 shooting graduated last week to become a surgeon, much like the one who saved him after the random robbery that almost took his life.
It was Dr. Dharti Sheth-Zelmanski who was in the trauma unit when then-college student Kevin Morton Jr. was brought in with a gunshot wound to the stomach. And Sheth-Zelmanski was there again when the now 31-year-old graduated from Michigan State University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine, NBCreports.
Morton’s story is full circle; nine years ago, doctors at Detroit’s St. John Hospital weren’t sure the then 22-year-old would make it. The Oakland University of Rochester student, who was closing up after a night shift at a local Arby’s, was shot by a gunman who attempted to rob him as he was getting into his vehicle. Doctors said the young student had a 10 percent chance of surviving through the night, the report said:
Sheth-Zelmanski got a call for a Code 1 trauma patient that night. Doctors prepared Morton’s family for the worst.
“Whether we call it intuition, experience or a miracle … we put some extra sutures in and the bleeding stopped,” Sheth-Zelmanski recalled.
Morton’s life was saved. He had plans to graduate from school and go into the pharmaceuticals industry, but that all changed when doctors at St. John Hospital gave him another chance. He spent 50 days recovering there.
What’s more, Morton will begin his residency at the same hospital where he was saved.
“The compassion and drive that Dr. Sheth has shown in trying to save my life … I just wanna pay that forward,” Morton told NBC News.
SOURCE: NBC | VIDEO SOURCE: Inform