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Raelene Castle Becomes First Woman to Take Charge of a Rugby Governing Body
It was a historic moment in world rugby when Raelene Castle was named as the first woman chief executive of a national governing body Tuesday. New Zealander Castle was announced as the new boss of Rugby Australia and will also become the first woman to oversee a major Australian sporting code.
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Biden for President Announces Key Staff Hires in Texas
Today, Biden for President announced key staff hires in Texas, including alumni of Joe Biden’s successful primary campaign in Texas, the Texas Democratic Party, and some of the Lone Star State’s most competitive Congressional and Gubernatorial elections.
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Angela Means, aka “Felicia” in ‘Friday,’ Now Owns and Runs Vegan Spot, Jackfruit Cafe
Angela Means made it in entertainment. She walked runways for Jean-Paul Gaultier and Betsey Johnson, did stand-up and opened for Chris Rock, Jamie Foxx and Sinbad, and appeared in the Nickelodeon show Cousin Skeeter and the movie Friday. (She’s Felicia.)
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This company says it can make top-shelf whiskey in just a few days
Bespoken Spirits says it is using science to produce better whiskeys. Now, it has several million dollars to prove it can.
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New Orleans Begins Removing Second Confederate Monument
By Madison Park, Keith Allen and Jason Hanna CNN (CNN) -- As police stood between opposing crowds, a crew lifted a statue of former Confederate President Jefferson Davis from its pedestal before dawn Thursday in New Orleans -- the latest in a contentious plan to dismantle four Confederate monuments in the city. The statue, which stood for 106 years, is the second Confederate monument to come down after the New Orleans City Council voted to remove the four landmarks in 2015. After years of heated public debate and legal battles, recent court decisions paved the way for the city to relocate the four monuments. Dozens of people -- a crowd opposed to the monument's removal as well as those backing it -- gathered early Thursday at the Davis statue before the operation began, at times screaming insults and threats at each other. Police separated the sides with barriers. As the statue was lifted shortly after 5 a.m. (6 a.m. ET), those who wanted it removed cheered and sang the chorus from "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye." One person held a sign that read, "Bout Time." The monument's supporters at that point watched mostly in silence, some holding up Confederate banners. Earlier, some monument supporters chanted, "President Davis," and one man saluted the statue. It wasn't immediately clear how long it would take workers to remove the pedestal. The city government kept quiet about the timing of the removal, citing what it said were threats that some had made toward contractors who would do the work. But word about the plans spread Wednesday when the principal of a nearby school told parents in a letter that she'd been told the removal would happen overnight, and that they should know a street would be blocked off in the morning, CNN affiliate WGNO-TV reported. Part of a larger controversy The New Orleans monuments are part of the larger controversy surrounding Confederate symbols, which some say represent slavery and racial injustice. Supporters say they represent history and heritage. The issue became especially prominent after the 2015 massacre of nine black parishioners in a Charleston, South Carolina, church by a self-described white supremacist. "These monuments have stood not as historic or educational markers of our legacy of slavery and segregation, but in celebration of it," New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu said in a statement released Thursday morning. "To literally put the Confederacy on a pedestal in some of our most prominent public places is not only an inaccurate reflection of our past, it is an affront to our present, and a bad prescription for our future. We should not be afraid to confront and reconcile our past." Jefferson Davis statue dedicated in 1911 The Davis statue stood on top of a roughly 12-foot column and depicted the Confederate president with his right arm outstretched, towering over the street also named after him. Davis lived in New Orleans after the Civil War and died there in 1889. The statue was dedicated in 1911. In 2004, the words "slave owner" were painted on the base of the monument. How they extracted the statue Police had cordoned off the 6-foot tall bronze statue of Davis with a chain-link fence to keep protesters out. Workers wore helmets as well as what appeared to be tactical vests and face masks. Cardboard and tape covered contractors' names on equipment involved in the controversial operation -- the same methods used during the first Confederate landmark removal April 24. Around 4 a.m., two workers approached the Davis statue in a work lift and wrapped part of it in green plastic. They tied the statue's torso with yellow straps, securing it to a crane. One worker dislodged the statue's base from the column using a long flat tool. Two more statues scheduled for removal Last month, the city dismantled the first of its four monuments scheduled for removal -- an obelisk commemorating the Battle of Liberty Place. The monument marked a deadly fight between members of the Crescent City White League, a group opposed to the city's biracial police force, and state militia after the Civil War. The remaining two monuments -- those of Confederate generals Robert E. Lee and Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard -- are also scheduled for relocation. Landrieu's office has not revealed when the two remaining statues will come down. The mayor's office said the city has secured private funding to remove the moments. Landrieu said the statues will be put in storage while the city looks for a suitable place to display them, such as a museum. CNN's Nicole Chavez and Emanuella Grinberg contributed to this report.
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Election officials’ homes ‘swatted’ as presidential race heats up
Heavily armed officers ordered the homeowner to walk outside with his hands up. From the doorway, a middle-aged man emerged. It was Jay Ashcroft, Missouri’s Secretary of State who minutes earlier was gearing up for a workout on his home treadmill.
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Savoy Magazine Announces The 2021 Most Influential Black Corporate Directors in a Landmark Dual-Edition Fall Issuw
Savoy magazine, the leading African American business, culture and lifestyle publication, announced its list of 2021 Most Influential Black Corporate Directors. Presented in two editions with dual covers, this issue features Kenneth Chenault, former Chairman and CEO of American Express, and Kenneth Frazier, Executive Chairman of Merck. With over 880 combined pages in two editions, the fall issue of Savoy ranks as the largest magazine by pages targeting the African American consumer ever published.
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'Fire is still out of control' As Massive Blaze Forces Thousands to Evacuate
Pushed by powerful Santa Ana winds, a Southern California fire spread with explosive speed to 26,000 acres on Monday night, forcing thousands to evacuate in the dark.
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For at least the third time this year, a 6-year-old has brought a gun to school. 2 adults are now facing charges
A woman in Pennsylvania and a man in North Carolina were charged this week after a six-year-old in each case brought a gun to school, officials said, marking at least three times an elementary school student has brought a weapon to campus this year, including when a six-year-old allegedly shot his teacher in Newport News, Virginia, last month.
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Jackson State University Elevates a $13 Million Economic Impact for Capital City during Back-to-Back Football Weekends
Jackson State University generated two back-to-back winning weekends for the city of Jackson as the university celebrated its 2022 Homecoming and BoomBox Classic football home games. Visit Jackson officials estimate an economic impact to the city of $8.9 million and $4.4 million respectively for the JSU events.
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Astros Hire Jose Espada as Bench Coach
Powell hired as hitting coach for San Francisco Giants
The Houston Astros have named Joe Espada as their bench coach. The announcement was made by Astros General Manager Jeff Luhnow.
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OWN Kicks Off the Holiday Season with Two Movies 'The Great Holiday Bake War' and 'A Christmas Fumble'
“The Great Holiday Bake War” Starring LeToya Luckett and Finesse Mitchell Premieres Saturday, December 3 at 9 p.m. ET/PT
OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network announced that the annual “OWN For The Holidays” tradition heats-up with two original holiday movies. “The Great Holiday Bake War,” starring LeToya Luckett and Finesse Mitchell, debuts on Saturday, December 3 at 9 p.m. ET/PT and “A Christmas Fumble,” starring Eva Marcille and Devale Ellis, premieres on Saturday, December 10 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on OWN. True to OWN’s annual holiday movie tradition, each original movie celebrates and honors the deeper meaning of the season -- giving to others and putting friends and family first.
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Michelle Obama's Healthy School Lunch Program in Jeopardy?
One of Michelle Obama's signature accomplishments as first lady may be in jeopardy under the Trump administration.
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Grammy Award-winning Superstar Lady Gaga to Launch Exclusive Las Vegas Residency at Park Theater Friday, December 28
Tickets for 27 Performances on Sale Monday, Aug. 13 at 10 a.m. PT; Citi Cardmember Ticket Pre-Sale Launches Thursday, Aug. 9 at 10 a.m. PT
Six-time GRAMMY Award-winner, Golden Globe Award-winner and Academy Award-nominated superstar entertainer Lady Gaga will launch her exclusive residency at Park Theater at the new Park MGM resort Friday, Dec. 28. Citi is proud to join Lady Gaga and Park MGM as the official credit card of this residency, presented in partnership by Live Nation and MGM Resorts International.
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Sia Beats Nude Picture Seller To The Punch
Sia may not want you to see her face, but she's apparently not as shy about her other parts. The "Chandelier" singer, who usually performs with a wig obscuring part of her face, on Monday shared an image she said was of her nude.
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Houston universities team up to boost minorities in academia
NSF grant to Rice, UH, Texas Southern will help future science, engineering professors
Rice University, Texas Southern University (TSU) and the University of Houston (UH) have won a multimillion-dollar grant to help increase the number of underrepresented minorities pursuing academic careers in engineering and science.
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Democrats, it's too soon to cheer Trump's defeat
One need not listen hard these days to hear the sound of Democratic pollsters and pundits gleefully cheering that the end of President Donald Trump's term in power is finally in sight -- Joe Biden's Inauguration Day on January 20th, 2021.
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Rep. Jason Chaffetz is not running for re-election
In a message on his Facebook page, Chaffetz thanked supporters and announced he will "not be a candidate for any office in 2018."
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H-E-B Primo Picks Quest for Texas Best Contest 2016 Finalists
Ten local food artisans have been named out of nearly 500 entries as finalists in …
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The Academy invitees include "Girls Trip," "Black Panther" stars
Tiffany Haddish, Regina Hall and Jada Pinkett Smith are among those taking a girls trip to the ranks of the Academy. The "Girls Trip" stars are among the 928 people invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences this year as the organization continues the push to diversify its membership.
