Smokey Robinson turns 83
William “Smokey” Robinson recently celebrated his 83rd birthday. He was born on February 19, 1940. He founded the “Miracles” and later became vice president of Motown, which launched his career. He also lived next door to Aretha Franklin.
Read MoreGovernor Ron De Santis to speak to Illinois cops
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will speak Monday in Elmhurst to “Law and Order Illinois†to members of Chicago Lodge 7 of the Fraternal Orders of Police, which backs Paul Vallas for mayor of Chicago. The event in suburban Chicago is being promoted but not hosted by Lodge 7—the meeting is only for members of law…
Read MoreFormer police officers pleaded not guilty to the murder of Tyre Nichols
Five former Memphis cops who beat Tyre Nichols to death following a traffic stop pleaded not guilty to his murder. The Memphis Police Department identified the five dismissed officers as Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr., and Justin Smith. All of the former cops are Black. All five were members of…
Read MoreHitmaker Barrett Strong has died
Barrett Strong was tinkering with Ray Charles’s song on the piano when he wrote “Money (That’s What I Want),†which sold a million copies and helped ignite the Motown fortune. Strong died at 81 on January 29, a week before his 82nd birthday. Mr. Strong was an artist and songwriter who was present for the…
Read MorePharrell Williams is named Louis Vuitton’s creative director
Louis Vuitton has hired Grammy award-winning music producer, songwriter, and Oscar-nominated Pharrell Williams as creative director, succeeding Virgil Abloh. Abloh, who died November 28, 2021, of cancer, grew up in Rockford, Illinois, to Ghanaian immigrant parents. Williams’s return to Louis Vuitton is being called a homecoming. “I am glad to welcome Pharrell back home, after…
Read MorePayton Gendron pleads guilty to the mass murder of 10 mostly Black people in a Buffalo supermarket
Payton Gendron on Wednesday pleaded guilty to the mass murders of 10 mostly Black people during a shooting spree in and around Tops Friendly Market in Buffalo, New York. Gendron was indicted on 25 counts, including murder and domestic terrorism motivated by hate. All the charges were state charges. He will face life in prison…
Read MoreLeBron James breaks Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s scoring record
Kareem Abdul -Jabbar walked out to center court Tuesday to pass the basketball and scoring torch to LaBron James. Jabbar congratulated and embraced James for breaking his all-time scoring record in the Lakers’ game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Lakers lost the game. LeBron needed 38 points, or 38,390 points, to pass Jabber’s longstanding…
Read MoreConfederate flag bearer gets prison time to think about what he did
A Delaware man who carried a Confederate battle flag through the Senate chamber during the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and his son were sentenced to prison Thursday. Kevin Seefried, 53, was sentenced to three years in prison followed by a year of supervised release for obstructing a joint session of Congress and…
Read MoreEarthquake kills more than 33,000 in Turkey and Syria
More than 34,179 people have been killed so far by the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria on Monday. The quake also rocked parts of Lebanon. The death toll in Turkey has climbed to 29,605, the Turkish Emergency Coordination Center said Sunday. The total number of deaths in Syria stands at 4,574, including…
Read MoreThis Super Bowl was really Super
The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in an exciting Super Bowl game in which two Black quarterbacks played against each other. No one was disappointed, especially up to the last second when the Chiefs sealed the win. The Chiefs defeated the Eagles 38 to 35. Their win constituted the Chiefs’ second consecutive Super…
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