Stacy BrownMedia

Washington Informer

Prosecutors: Token Black Jurors Enough for Cosby

Race has reared its head in jury selection in the sexual assault retrial of comedian Bill Cosby.
On Wednesday, prior to a female African-American juror entering the courtroom, prosecutors appeared to have objected despite the woman having completed her pre-selection requirements.
When she affirmatively answered the judge’s questions as to whether she could be fair and impartial — a question that many of the overwhelmingly white panel responded negatively — prosecutors still asked that she be ...

blackpressusa.com

Anti-Apartheid Crusader, “Mother of the Nation” Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Dies at 81

By Stacy M. Brown (NNPA Newswire Contributor)
South Africa’s “Mother of the Nation” an anti-Apartheid crusader Winnie Madikizela-Mandela has died, her family confirmed in a statement on Monday, April 2.
The ex-wife of the late Nelson Mandela, Winnie Mandela was 81.
In a statement, her family said Mandela “died after a long illness, for which she had been in and out of hospital since the start of the year.”
“I am deeply saddened by the passing of…Winnie Mandela,” California Democratic Congress...

blackpressusa.com

Civil Rights Leaders Remember Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4

By Stacy M. Brown (NNPA Newswire Contributor)
On April 3, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his prophetic but inspirational “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop,” speech at the historic Masonic Temple in Memphis, Tennessee.
One day later, the famous civil rights champion was assassinated.
While gunman James Earl Ray’s bullet silenced the legendary leader, his legacy continues to live on through contemporaries like Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. and organizations like the NAACP.
Younger organizatio...

blackpressusa.com

Costs Prosecuting Bill Cosby in Sexual Assault Trial Dwarfed by Costs to Defend Him

By Stacy M. Brown (NNPA Newswire Contributor)
Judge Steven O’Neill has warned that the retrial in the criminal case of comedian Bill Cosby will likely last longer than the first trial.
For Pennsylvania taxpayers, that means shelling out more money on top of the more than $220,000 spent on last year’s trial.
“The cost of the Cosby trial did not adversely impact the 2017 budget, and we have planned for it in our 2018 budget,” Montgomery County Chair of the Board of Commissioners Dr. Val Arkoosh...

blackpressusa.com

EXCLUSIVE: Cosby Paid Sexual Assault Accuser $3.5 Million in 2006

By Stacy M. Brown (NNPA Newswire Contributor)
Bill Cosby paid his sexual assault accuser $3.5 million in 2006 after prosecutors declined to bring charges against the legendary comedian, NNPA Newswire has learned exclusively.
Now, Cosby wants the judge in his criminal trial to let jurors know about the settlement.
“[Cosby] submits that evidence of the civil settlement and of the underlying civil litigation with Constand may be admissible,” Cosby’s lawyers wrote in court filings ahead of the he...

phillytrib.com

Are taxpayers taking hit in redistricting fight?

Millions of taxpayer dollars are being spent in the Republican-led fight to keep Pennsylvania’s old gerrymandered maps in play for this year’s election.
Senate and House GOP leaders have combined to spend more than $3.5 million in the battle while Gov. Tom Wolf and fellow Democrats have ponied up about $576,000.
And, the battle isn’t over.
Republican lawmakers have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to step in and, on Wednesday, the returned to the highest court in America to ask the justices to bl...

Baltimore Times

Busy Baltimore Actor Continues to ‘Push the Envelope’

Brown Girl Magazine, whose focus is to empower and uplift women, recently highlighted 11 reasons the magazine loves Baltimore actor Utkarsh Ambudkar, a man.
Among them: He can sing. Rap. And act. All at the same time, the magazine’s editors wrote in praise of Ambudkar, who tells the Baltimore Times that he has been busy.
In February, the musical romantic comedy “Basmati Blues” in which Ambudkar starred opposite Brie Larson was released both in theaters and on-demand.
On March 23, 2018, Netfli...

Baltimore Times

Dr. Leana Wen Leads Baltimore’s Health Department

Under the direction of Dr. Leana Wen, the Baltimore City Health Department is leading the country in health innovations, including “B’More for Healthy Babies,” a collective impact strategy resulting in a 38 percent reduction of infant mortality in just seven years.
Wen, whose parents immigrated to the United States when she was eight, has formed and led programs like “Vision for Baltimore,” an initiative to provide glasses to every child who needs them and “Healthy Baltimore 2020,” a blueprin...

Washington Informer

Supreme Court Rejects Trump’s DACA Appeal

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear the Trump’s administration’s challenge of a federal judge’s decision requiring the government to continue its Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program — a decision that, at least temporarily, protects from deportation as many as 700,000 immigrants brought into the United States illegally by their parents.
“It is assumed the court of appeals will act expeditiously to decide this case,” the court wrote in its decision Monday.
Trump has ca...

Washington Informer

Ensa Cosby, Daughter of Bill Cosby, Dies at 44

Ensa Cosby, daughter of legendary comedian Bill Cosby, has died, a family spokesman said Monday. She was 44.

Ensa died Friday in Massachusetts of renal disease, Cosby spokesman Andrew Wyatt told The Informer.

“The Cosby family thanks many people for their prayers for their beloved and beautiful Ensa,” Wyatt said.

Her death comes just one week before hearings in her father’s criminal retrial are set to begin. The comedian is accused of sexually assaulting a former Temple University employee mo...

Washington Informer

Lawmakers Who Received Millions from NRA Under Fire

On Monday, students from D.C. and surrounding areas held a demonstration at the White House in response to last week’s fatal school shooting in Parkland, Florida.
The event, where students lay on the ground as a way of representing the victims while calling for gun change laws, served as a precursor to two other scheduled events, the March 14 National School Walkout and March 24’s “March for Our Lives.”
Both events have the same theme: Enough is enough.
“Students and staff have the right to t...

Washington Informer

Harris, Booker Could Be Front-Runners in 2020 Election

The general perception of African-Americans and most minorities is that President Donald Trump should be impeached.
Short of that, the damage done by the current administration should be limited to one term.
And as important as the coming midterm elections are — the results could usurp some of Trump’s power and ability to carry out what many see as a destructive agenda — the 2020 presidential election is paramount for Democrats.
They must win back the White House.
Recent published reports hav...

New York Post

Janet Jackson’s family is still mad at Justin Timberlake

When Justin Timberlake takes the stage at Super Bowl LII for the halftime show Sunday at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, there is at least one famous name who thinks he needs to make reparations.
“If he’s such a gentleman, he’d make sure Janet [Jackson] is there,” Joseph Jackson told The Post.
The singer’s father is not the only one who thinks that Timberlake should make amends for Nipplegate — the infamous 2004 Super Bowl scandal that bruised Jackson’s career and her ego, after a planned stu...

pagesix.com

Michael Jackson’s family is furious with Quincy Jones

Quincy Jones has a history of dropping hits — having produced Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean,” “Beat It,” “Thriller” and countless other iconic songs. But the music legend dropped a bomb when he recently spoke to Vulture.com.
“Michael stole a lot of stuff. He stole a lot of songs. [Donna Summer’s] ‘State of Independence’ and ‘Billie Jean.’ The notes don’t lie, man. He was as Machiavellian as they come . . . Greedy, man. Greedy.”
Michael’s family isn’t taking the comments of his mentor and lon...

phillytrib.com

Concern mounts over weak status of state finances

Weakened financial stability and growing deficits erode the essential services that government provides to people and Pennsylvania is mired in many years of financial mismanagement by the state legislature, according to state Sen. Art Haywood (D-4).
Haywood counted among other Philadelphia-area lawmakers to weigh-in on a January report that revealed Pennsylvania’s tendency in recent years to cover deficits through borrowing has led to a failure to build up a rainy-day fund.
A recent study not...