Stacy BrownMedia
Journalist/Author
http://thetimes-tribune.com/opinion/editorials-columns/christopher-j-kelly/two-degrees-of-michael-jackson-1.91061#.UR7krCxaGjo.email
PROJECTS
blackpressusa.com
Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin Dies at 76
By Stacy M. Brown (NNPA Newswire Contributor)
Aretha Franklin, arguably the greatest voice in music history, has died.
The Queen of Soul was 76.
“She will be so missed as a mother, sister, friend, cousin,” said longtime friend Roger Friedman, who also covered the Queen of Soul for decades and originally broke the story about her cancer fight on showbiz411.com.
“Her legacy is larger than life,” Friedman said. “It’s not just that ‘Rolling Stone’ called her the No. 1 singer of all time, or that ...
Washington Informer
Lawyers Blast Cosby Conviction: ‘Backwoods Justice’
Many in the legal profession are now making their voices heard in opposition of the sexual assault conviction of comedian Bill Cosby.
While many observers, particularly those who relied on reporting by mainstream media, wrote off the trial and verdict in April as a win for the #MeToo movement, several lawyers and legal experts said Cosby was a victim of a flawed and prejudiced legal system.
John Davis, an international lawyer who lives in the south of France and writes about gender issues, ca...
The New York Times
Trump Threatens Harley-Davidson, Saying It ‘Surrendered’
President Trump lashed out at one of his favorite American manufacturers on Tuesday, criticizing Harley-Davidson over its plans to move some of its motorcycle production abroad and threatening it with punitive taxes in return.
In a series of tweets on Tuesday, the president accused the Wisconsin-based company of having “surrendered” in Mr. Trump’s trade war with Europe. He told Republican lawmakers at a White House meeting that the move amounted to a betrayal, saying, “I’ve been very good to ...
Washington Informer
Left Rails Against Trump Supreme Court Pick
If President Donald Trump’s previous Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch is any indication, his latest pick of Brett Kavanaugh will do the civil rights community no favors, many lamented after Monday night’s announcement of the president’s high court nominee.
Marc Morial, president of the National Urban League, was among those calling on the Senate to reject Kavanaugh, 53, who currently serves as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
“Judge Kavanaugh has a ...
chesterspirit.com
Cosby lawyer breaks silence about case and conviction
By StacyM.Brown
SPIRIT correspondent
Bill Cosby’s conviction on three counts of aggravated indecent assault in April was a “travesty of justice,” and politically motivated, according to the comedian’s former attorney who is finally breaking his silence about the controversial trial.
Tom Mesereau, the famed defense attorney who successfully represented actor Robert Blake during his 2004 murder trial and pop icon Michael Jackson during his 2005 child molestation trial, said the Montgomery Count...
poconorecord.com
Local artist Kresge battling dementia has family by his side
By Stacy M. Brown / For the Pocono Record
Gary Kresge has been a fixture in the region’s art scene for more than 30 years.
He grew up in Stroudsburg and became well-known for his landscapes — which are housed in many private and corporate collections — that include only the essential details in order for the viewer to access an organic experience.
Now, his family is painting a brave picture for the famed artist who, since 2014, has battled Frontotemporal Dementia or Degeneration (FTD) — or Pi...
mobile.nytimes.com
Trump Threatens Harley-Davidson, Saying It ‘Surrendered’
President Trump lashed out at one of his favorite American manufacturers on Tuesday, criticizing Harley-Davidson over its plans to move some of its motorcycle production abroad and threatening it with punitive taxes in return.
In a series of tweets on Tuesday, the president accused the Wisconsin-based company of having “surrendered” in Mr. Trump’s trade war with Europe. He told Republican lawmakers at a White House meeting that the move amounted to a betrayal, saying, “I’ve been very good to ...
blackpressusa.com
Hip-hop Legend Chuck D Praises NNPA’s Black Voter Drive; Criticizes Mainstream Media’s Coverage of XXXTentacion
By Stacy M. Brown (NNPA Newswire Contributor)
To many hip-hop fans, historians and to his peers, Chuck D is considered one of the most influential lyricists in contemporary music.
In describing the Queens, New York City-born artist in the biography pages of his new book, “Chuck D Presents This Day in Rap and Hip-Hop History,” the publisher notes that Chuck D helped paved the way for political, social, and culturally conscious hip-hop, both as a solo artist and as the leader of the ground-brea...
pagesix.com
Insiders suspect Randy Jackson is controlling Janet’s every move
In 1986, Janet Jackson had a No. 1 song all about being in “Control.” Now, her family is worried that she’s losing just that — and they blame it on her brother, Randy.
At least twice last week, the 52-year-old singer called Malibu, Calif., police to express concern that she couldn’t reach estranged husband, Wissam Al Mana, and that she feared for the safety of their son, 1-year-old Eissa, who was with Al Mana at a hotel.
“There was no evidence of any crime. The baby was fine, so there was no ...
Washington Informer
CAP Releases ‘Blueprint’ for Better Jobs, Stronger Communities
The Center for American Progress, a northwest D.C.-based progressive public policy research and advocacy organization, has released what it calls the “Blueprint for the 21st Century: A Plan for Better Jobs and Stronger Communities.”
The blueprint will create millions of jobs, with the goal of revitalizing economically distressed areas of the United States, CAP officials said in a news release.
In the report, researchers said millions of American workers — particularly those without a four-yea...
Washington Informer
Florida Co. Makes $4 Judgment for Fatal Police Shooting of Black Man
The internet remains abuzz with mostly outrage and shock that a St. Lucie, Florida, jury awarded just $4 in damages for funeral expenses and pain and suffering in a case in which a county deputy fatally shot a Black father of three through his garage door.
Deputy Christopher Newman killed Gregory Hill Jr., 30, in 2014 after a mother picking up her child at a school across the street called in a noise complaint. Newman and another deputy responded to Hill’s home, Hill partially opened the gara...
chesterspirit.com
Arraignment waived by boy in alleged school shooting plot
By StacyM.Brown
SPIRIT correspondent
An-Tso Sun, the 18 year-old Taiwanese foreign exchange student who allegedly threatened to shoot up Monsignor Bonner & Archbishop Prendergast High School in Upper Darby earlier this year, has entered an open guilty plea to terroristic threats for plotting a mass shooting at the school, announced District Attorney Katayoun Copeland.
Delaware County Court of Common Pleas Judge Barry C. Dozor sentenced Sun to four-23 months in the George W. Hill Correctional ...
blackpressusa.com
What Were They Thinking: Cosby Jurors Allegedly Talk Book Deals Before Guilty Verdict
By Stacy M. Brown (NNPA Newswire Contributor)
Before they convicted Bill Cosby on three counts of aggravated indecent assault last month, some of the jurors were already plotting on how they could cash in on the case.
People familiar with three of the jurors on the case said they had a book deal on their minds, long before evidence was presented in the courtroom.
“The 80-year-old comedian faces up to 10 years in prison on each count, but Cosby is likely to serve them concurrently,” CNN.com re...
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...