McDonald, Kerri Harper-Howie
by Rafael Pena

March 22, 2024

McDonald’s Franchisee Grapples With Wage Hike, Vows To Keep Prices Affordable

McDonald's franchisees in California are at the forefront of a contentious debate surrounding the state's new minimum wage law.

Kerri Harper-Howie, the proprietor of 21 McDonald’s franchises in California, finds herself at the forefront of a contentious debate surrounding the state’s new minimum wage law, which mandates a significant increase for fast food workers. However, Harper-Howie’s frustration stems not only from the financial implications but also from what she perceives as unfair targeting of franchise owners like herself, according to KTLA 5.

The new law, set to take effect on April 1, will raise the minimum wage for McDonald’s and other fast food workers to $20 an hour, a substantial jump from the current rate. While this increase is hailed as a victory for low-income workers, franchisees like Harper-Howie face challenges in adjusting to the higher labor costs.

The legislation, Assembly Bill 1228, emerged from negotiations between the Service Employees International Union and the California Restaurant Association, ultimately resulting in the $20 hourly rate. However, franchise owners like Harper-Howie feel excluded from the decision-making process.

“At the end of the day, this law came to pass as a result of negotiations. We were not a part of those negotiations,” Harper-Howie lamented. “We did not feel as though we had someone in the room advocating on our behalf.”

Harper-Howie, whose family has a deep-rooted history with McDonald’s, is committed to keeping prices affordable for her customers, many of whom reside in lower-income neighborhoods. Despite the looming wage hike, she vows to explore alternative efficiencies rather than resorting to significant price increases.

“It’s not the only thing that we’re doing because the truth of the matter is, you can’t raise prices enough. It would be unaffordable,” she explained. “There are cost savings that we can implement behind the scenes, and other ways to be more efficient … but this means less profitability for us, and we will absorb that. We will take less.”

As the deadline for the wage hike approaches, Harper-Howie’s stance reflects broader concerns within the fast-food industry about balancing labor costs with affordability.

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Tim Scott, Donald Trump
by Sharelle B. McNair

March 22, 2024

What Did He Say?! Tim Scott Gets Dragged On Social Media Over Bizarre Trump Pitch

Can't he just go away?

Failed presidential candidate Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) went on a confusing rant about his former nemesis, Donald Trump, that has made the rounds on social media.

Scott appeared on Fox News with host Sean Hannity to answer some questions surrounding the GOP’s strategy for the 2024 presidential election. When asked how Republicans can “fight back” against the “left’s” treatment of Trump, Scott went into full campaign speech mode, saying “we have the right candidate.”

“This is our time to stand up for what America is today, not this utopian American dream that is our nightmare,” he said. 

With that statement alone, potential voters were lost and took to Twitter to inform the Senator that he made no sense. 

One user said, “Tim Scott as a potential VP candidate is a dystopian nightmare,” while another pointed out how weird he was becoming as the days go by. “Tim Scott has been getting weirder and speaking out more, but he is always so negative these days,” @murrayb560sl wrote. 

https://twitter.com/murrayb560sl/status/1770487672022208827

Some picked up on how much more he is talking now than when he ran his campaign. “Scott, you didn’t even do this much talking on your own Presidential Run,” @LisaCampbell102 said with a disgusted emoji. 

https://twitter.com/LisaCampbell102/status/1770499315053535342

While some users called Scott an “embarrassment” and the “epitome of self-hatred,” others took a moment to point out his lack of proper grammar. Calling the American dream a “utopian nightmare” means the opposite of what he may have been referring to. According to Merriam-Webster, “utopia” is “a place of ideal perfection, especially in laws, government, and social conditions.” 

Voters corrected him. “Did he mean to choose the word ‘utopian’? Or would he really prefer the opposite, which is ‘dystopian?’” In definition, the word means “of, relating to, or being an imagined world or society in which people lead dehumanized, fearful lives.” 

The rumored vice-presidential candidate didn’t stop there. Scott carried on, claiming that Trump represents the working class of America. “He represents the victim who understands clearly the only thing standing between the liberal elite and the everyday American is former President Donald Trump,” Scott said.

That’s different from what analysts are saying. The New Republic called Trump “no friend to the working class,” especially when it comes to labor policies. It called Biden’s labor efforts “aggressively pro-worker,” while “Trump’s were anything but.”

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, Arrest
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

March 22, 2024

Second Suspect Arrested In Theft Of Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial In Denver

Sixty-seven-year-old Herman Duran was arrested on March 10 and is being held on theft and criminal mischief charges.

Last month, on Feb. 20, a statue of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was discovered vandalized in Denver, and authorities started a search for two suspects.

One of the suspects, according to 9 News, 47-year-old Robert Duran, turned himself in nine days later, on Feb. 29. Now, the media outlet has reported that the second suspect has been arrested in connection with the vandalism of the statue in City Park, the Denver Police Department said.

The Denver Police Department stated that 67-year-old Herman Duran was arrested on March 10 and is being held on theft and criminal mischief charges. Police Chief Ron Thomas theorized that the thieves stole three pieces from the monument to sell as scrap metal at the time of the theft.

“We will continue that investigation to determine what their specific motive was, but it does seem at this time as though their motive was just to get money,” Thomas said at a news conference on Feb. 28.

The Denver Post reported that Herman is in custody at the Downtown Detention Center on $5,000 bail. Robert was also arrested on suspicion of criminal mischief. The men stole pieces of the memorial on Feb. 18, and parks maintenance workers reported the theft to authorities on Feb. 21 after they found that a bronze panel, torch, and angel were removed from the memorial.

According to the Denver Police Department, the men also stole bronze pieces from the Joseph Addison Thatcher memorial fountain and sold them as scrap metal to a local business. The stolen pieces from City Park were all returned to Denver Arts & Venues, the company that manages the monuments.

Initially, investigators treated the theft as a bias-motivated crime. That theory was abandoned when they discovered that the crime was not motivated by bias because the pieces were sold as scrap metal.

Texas Corrections Officer, Chicken Wings,
by Sharelle B. McNair

March 22, 2024

New $1 Billion Jail In Baltimore Will Be Most Expensive State-Funded Project In History 

They may need to go back to the drawing board with this one....

The Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services is moving forward with plans for a new type of jail with a $1 billion price tag. 

The Baltimore Therapeutic Treatment Center, described as a hybrid jail, will be used as a hospital and mental health and substance use treatment facility for incoming inmates. With an estimated completion date of 2029, the $1 billion project will be completed over five years, and operating costs are expected to exceed $100 million per year — $443 million more than initial estimates. 

Thanks to supply chain issues and inflation, the plan holds the title of “the most expensive state-run project in Maryland history.”

But the plan already has some issues. After a 2016 settlement of a lawsuit from civil rights groups challenging the quality of health care in Baltimore jails, the ongoing lawsuit says the state has yet to fully comply with any of the nine provisions of that agreement. Now those same groups are questioning if the new establishment will face those challenges they claim have the state backtracking off the terms of the settlement.

However, they are not blaming the state’s shortcomings in medical and mental health care on the physical limitations presented in the building. More so, they are wondering about the complexities behind running a health care system, specifically when the number of beds is being scaled down – from 1,462 to 854. Director of the ACLU’s National Prison Project and a plaintiff in the health care lawsuit, David Fathi, called the Baltimore jail system a “train wreck of dysfunction.”

“Building a new building is not going to fix all of the problems by any means,” he said.

Downsizing is already being deemed a red flag. Baltimore’s jail system has housed the capacity of 959 beds for several months. With the population maneuvering between 800 and 900 people, according to census numbers, a recent estimate pointed to 884 people – which is 92% full.

In a 2022 report, Fathi’s National Prison Project described the jail as men sleeping on plastic “boats” in the gymnasium. After touring the facility, his team revealed a lack of dedicated workspaces for certain nursing units and inadequate space for mental health treatmen; which raises the concern of who will actually run this new jail. 

As the state corrections department faces the issue of a staffing shortage, their private medical provider is also being listed in a bankruptcy case, threatening the company’s reputation. It also drew attention to the number of in-custody deaths within 10 Maryland detention centers. 

A study, according to The Washington Post, found 180 deaths occurred within the first ten days of incarceration. While some of those deaths were ruled to be from natural causes, it also showed they died close to 30 years younger than the state life expectancy. That revelation raised questions about whether some died because of medical or mental health issues being overlooked or ignored, or from suffered injuries. 

But the main issue parties involved are focusing on is cost. As lawmakers refer to the governor’s priorities, Sen. Craig Zucker (D-MD), who serves as chair of the General Assembly committee, says they have taken notes on the project’s rising cost. “We’re keeping an eye on it,” Zucker said. 

The subcommittee plans to submit a revised version of Moore’s statewide construction budget to the full Senate for consideration by the end of March 2024. The House of Delegates is also scheduled to weigh in.

Barack Obama, Jeff Bezos
by Sharelle B. McNair

March 22, 2024

Barack Obama and Jeff Bezos Battle It Out Over The Importance Of Saving Earth Over Exploring Space 

Choosing between living on Earth and Mars sounds bizarre!

Former President Obama is side-eyeing Amazon genius Jeff Bezos over his quest to colonize space and how it will affect Earth. 

During the 2024 POwR Earth Summit in Paris, Obama criticized Silicon Valley CEOs for their lack of investment to save the planet over sending humans to live in outer space. While Tesla guru Elon Musk launched his aerospace company, SpaceX, by investing $100 million of his own money, Bezos is rumored to have invested between $7.5 billion and $20 billion in his own aerospace company, Blue Origin. Obama thinks the money would be better put to use here on Earth. “I would rather us invest in taking care of this planet here,” Obama said. 

“When I hear some of the people talk about the plan to colonize Mars because the Earth’s environment may become so degraded that it becomes unlivable, I look at them like, what are you talking about?” 

Obama emphasizes the need to focus on severe environmental issues that threaten the way of life on Earth, such as climate control. According to the Associated Press, the U.N. weather agency is putting global warming in a state of “red alert,” blaming record-breaking increases in greenhouse gases, land and water temperatures, and glacier and sea ice melting in 2023. 

They warn the world’s efforts to reverse the trend aren’t good enough. 

But Bezos thinks going to space is the best way to save humanity’s growth by preserving the planet’s natural resources.

“In almost every way, life is better for almost everyone today than it was, say, 50 years ago or 100 years ago,” Bezos said on the Lex Fridman podcast. Backing his thoughts up with literacy, poverty, and infant mortality rates as examples of humanity’s progress, the billionaire said the progress of society is adding to the damage to the planet. “There’s one thing that is moving backward, and it’s the natural world,” Bezos mentioned.

“We have traded some of that pristine beauty for all of these other gifts that we have as an advanced society. And we can have both, but to do that, we have to go to space.”

Blue Origin hopes to launch its New Glenn mega-rocket on its first voyage by Q3 of 2024. The goal of the space exploration company is to allow humans to make a decision to live on Earth or in large space stations close by. Humanity’s expansion can be driven by resources from the asteroid belt and near-Earth objects. “Humans living near Earth could then opt to visit the planet on holiday in the same way that you might go to Yellowstone National Park for vacation,” he continued. 

“I would love to see a trillion humans living in the solar system. If we had a trillion humans, we would have, at any given time, 1,000 Mozarts and 1,000 Einsteins.”

Housing market, southern metros, Atlanta, Florida, equity
by Rafael Pena

March 22, 2024

Southern Metros Lead The Market In Housing Surge, Projected To Continue

The housing market frenzy witnessed since the onset of the pandemic is showing no signs of slowing down, particularly in Southern metros.

According to a new projection by Capital Economics’ property economist, Thomas Ryan, Fortune reports that the housing market frenzy witnessed since the onset of the pandemic is showing no signs of slowing down, particularly in Southern metros.

While national averages indicate a nearly 50% increase in house prices since the pandemic’s start, Ryan emphasizes the significant regional variation in this surge. Southern metros, in particular, have emerged as frontrunners in appreciation, with Miami, Tampa, and Charlotte witnessing staggering rises of 74%, 71%, and 62%, respectively, since December 2019.

Ryan attributes this phenomenon to a “boost to housing demand from strong economic in-migration” in the South. He notes that while other major and midwestern metros saw less substantial increases, Southern metros continue to outperform, driven by robust job markets and favorable tax and regulatory environments for companies.

“Employment growth in the South isn’t weakening due to its thriving job markets, partly because of more favorable taxes and regulations for companies,” Ryan explains. Moreover, the newfound ability to work remotely has spurred migration to Southern cities due to their affordability compared to pricier Western and major metropolitan areas.

According to USA Today, Bankrate’s Housing Heat Index, which analyzed 212 metro areas, reveals that the South, often hailed for its affordability and growth opportunities, continues to attract homebuyers and maintains robust housing market fundamentals despite nationwide declines.

“The momentum in the housing market has shifted to the Sun Belt, especially to Georgia, the Carolinas, and Florida,” notes Bankrate analyst Jeff Ostrowski. “This region’s comparatively affordable prices are attractive to buyers moving in from more expensive parts of the country — but the still-strong values create challenges for first-time buyers.”

Among the standout areas is Gainesville, Georgia, which tops the index with an impressive annual home value appreciation of 21%. Despite the price surge, the median home price in Gainesville remains below the national median, offering affordability amid growth.

“Take lower-cost and lower-tax areas that continue to add population, add in limited inventory of homes for sale, and you have the recipe for housing market strength,” explains Greg McBride, chief financial analyst for Bankrate.

The allure of these Southern metros lies in their affordability, employment opportunities, and population growth. Gainesville boasts an unemployment rate of just 2.6%, reflecting its resilience amid economic challenges.

RELATED CONTENT: Lee Pelton Leads The Charge To Create More Equity For Black Boston

Coach Robert McCullum, Florida A&M University
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

March 22, 2024

Florida A&M University Won’t Renew Contract With Basketball Coach Robert McCullum

After winning the MEAC Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 2021, the past 2 seasons his team went 13-45.

Florida A&M (Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University) men’s basketball head coach, Robert McCullum will not return as the coach of the Rattlers next season.

According to a statement released by the university, Vice President and Director of Athletics Tiffani-Dawn Sykes stated that McCullum’s contract, which expires later this year on June 30, will not be renewed. He has coached the FAMU basketball team for the past seven seasons.

“I want to thank Coach McCullum for his dedication to FAMU and our basketball student-athletes,” Sykes said in a written statement. “He has led this program with integrity and has positively influenced countless young men, both players and coaches. We wish Coach McCullum and his family the very best in the future.” 

While coaching the basketball team, McCullum has compiled a losing record of 67-133 during his seven seasons. That includes a dismal 53-61 mark in conference play. Just three years ago, in 2021, McCullum was named the (MEAC) Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Coach of the Year. 

According to Clutchpoints, the coach was hired by FAMU in May 2017, and at the start of his tenure with the Rattlers, he led the team to four consecutive winning seasons in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. McCullum led Flordia A&M while the team switched conferences from the MEAC to the SWAC (Southwestern Athletic Conference). When FAMU joined the SWAC, he took the team to an 11-7 record in the conference and a seven-game win streak. One of his players, MJ Randolph, became the SWAC Player of the Year in the 2021-2022 season.

The honeymoon ended quickly for McCullum. The team struggled to win the past two years, posting a 7-22 record for the 2022-2023 season and then doing one game worse this past season with a 6-23 record.

A search committee will immediately conduct a national search for McCullum’s replacement. 

Ma$e, Jermaine Dupri, million, podcast
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

March 22, 2024

Ma$e Acknowledges Jermaine Dupri: ‘You Gave Me My First Million Dollars’

"You were the first guy to ever pay me what I was really worth, talent-wise, and that just goes a long long way."

On an episode of Cam’ron and Ma$e’s sports podcast, It It What It Is, Mason Betha, aka Ma$e, credited Atlanta producer and hitmaker Jermaine Dupri (JD) with giving the rapper-turned-preacher his “first million dollars” early in his career.

In January, during an episode of the Harlem childhood friends’ show, Ma$e and Cam had given JD props for how he helped both rappers when they were still fresh in the music game when Cam’ron was signed to Epic Records and Ma$e was a Bad Boy Records artist. The episode, which debuted on YouTube on Jan. 12, 2024, featured the Atlanta “Money Ain’t A Thing” recording artist, St. Louis rapper Nelly, and football expert Maurice Clarett, along with It Is What It Is co-host Treasure “Stat Baby” Wilson.

Ma$e, who arrived late to the episode, came in immediately and acknowledged JD by telling him that he had given him his first million.

“I want to tell you thank you from my heart. You were the first guy to ever pay me what I was really worth, talent-wise, and that just goes a long, long way. And I want you to know if there’s ever anything I could do, anything I could be a part of, I’m forever indebted to you for just allowing me to be rich. You gave me my first million dollars.”

In the program, Cam’ron acknowledged the hitmaker for providing two songs for his first LP, Confessions of Fire.

“When I was young, I was real arrogant because my man Ma$e just sold four million records, and I’m thinking I’m supposed to sell four million records,” Cam said. “And I don’t think I ever gave J.D. his flowers for even doing what he did for me.”

“It meant a lot to me that you did that for me because you invited me to your house, and you didn’t have to do that. So I just want to tell you thank you in front of everybody because I probably never even did it privately, let alone publicly.”

Check out the full interview below:

Louisiana Slave Plantation and Home of The 1811 Revolt Now Owned By Two Black Women
by Sharelle B. McNair

March 22, 2024

Louisiana Slave Plantation and Home of The 1811 Revolt Now Owned By Two Black Women

The ancestors are smiling!

For the first time in history, two Black women are owners of the land where their ancestors were once enslaved. 

Co-founders of the Descendants Project, Dr. Joy Banner and her sister Jo Banner, are now the proud owners of the Woodland Plantation in LaPlace, Louisiana – the first time the plantation has been under Black ownership in 231 years. 

While other grounds have been renovated to host events such as weddings, the nonprofit feels the historic land can be preserved for better use. In February 2024, the Banners announced that they plan on using the property for educational purposes, including archeology, museum studies, heritage, and tourism. “This is an extremely important historic site to this legacy of resistance,” Joy said. 

“We believe that preservation of these sites are more important than ever because of the attacks on Black history in our education system in particular. Sites like these will have to be the ones telling these stories.”

The land itself has an incredible story to tell. Woodland is the place where slaves escaped a LaPlace plantation and marched along the Mississippi River toward New Orleans in the 1811 Revolt, also known as the largest slave revolt in American history. Jo says the nonprofit plans to use Woodland to tell the story of the revolt “in a way that hasn’t been told.”

“We want to tell the full story, the true story, and who better to tell this story than the descendants of the people who were enslaved at the plantation. The goal is to tell the story in an honorable way that doesn’t retraumatize Black visitors and makes them feel safe.” 

Working to eliminate the repercussions of slavery that still exist, the group’s mission has moved from protecting the burial grounds of the enslaved to opposing river parish industrialization projects like the Wallace grain elevator. The preservation of Woodland is a great addition to those efforts.

“Throughout St. John the Baptist Parish, important sites like this one were in danger of being erased,” Joy said. 

The Banner sisters want the land to be a genealogical resource for “Black people to have access to their history.” On top of working with descendants of enslaved people from the plantation, the site is expected to feature an exhibit dedicated to jazz trombonist Edward “Kid” Ory. Ory was born on the plantation grounds and was the inspiration behind the recent use of a dual-purpose museum highlighting the 1811 uprising and his life. 

The Banner sisters hope to open the grounds by the summer of 2024, as ticket prices and other details are still being worked out.

Wendy Williams, Guardian, Manhattan Penthouse
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

March 21, 2024

Wendy Williams Reportedly Earned $100,000 Per Episode Of ‘Where Is Wendy Williams?’

She was also given a daily $1,000 stipend to “glam” up the former radio show for the filming of the documentary.

The amount of money that former talk show host Wendy Williams made from the Lifetime documentary, Where Is Wendy Williams, was revealed via court documents seen by Radar Online.

The media outlet reported that Williams was supposed to be compensated $100,000 per episode for the four-part docu-series aired last month on the Lifetime Network over the weekend of  Feb. 24 and 25.

Williams inked the contract in early 2023, revealing the payment plan between her and the network. The filming started amid reports of her health heading downward, but before the disclosure of her being diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia. (According to the Alzheimer’s Association, frontotemporal dementia affects “language skills, speaking, writing and comprehension.”) Her team revealed that she received the diagnosis last year.

Radar Online also disclosed that she was also given a daily $1,000 stipend to “glam” up the former radio show personality for the filming of the documentary.

The contract stated, “Producer shall pay Artist a fee of One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) per shoot day that is pre-approved by Producers that glam is required for the shoot day, as a reimbursement for all of Artist’s and Artist’s associates’ hair and makeup.”

The contract offerings were revealed after Williams’ temporary guardian, Sabrina Morrissey, filed the lawsuit against Lifetime (the network showcasing the film) and A+E Networks. She filed the paperwork in hopes of stopping the documentary from airing, but A+E Networks formally filed an appeal on Feb. 23, the day before the airing. Morrissey also sought injunctive relief for Williams.

Radar Online reported that Morrissey also stated that Williams didn’t know what she was signing and would have been against anyone seeing her disorientated, under the influence, and “in an obviously disabled state,” according to court documents.

“She was not, and is not, capable of consenting to the terms of the documentary Contract.”

“And no one acting in [Wendy’s] best interest would allow her to be portrayed in the demeaning manner in which she is portrayed in the Trailer for the documentary.”

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