by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

January 30, 2026

Chicago Photographer Kymon Kyndred Killed In Car Accident

He was 54

Kymon Jarrett Watson Odukoya, also known as Kymon Kyndred, a man known for his work in the community, died in a car accident in his native Chicago.

According to the Hyde Park Herald, the photographer was involved in a car accident on Jan. 7, which he did not survive, and is being celebrated by the community he faithfully served. The 54-year-old was also a chef, craftsman, artist, and IT technologist who shared his gifts with the world.

“There are countless adjectives and adverbs that describe his character,” his sister, Fleur Kirksey-Knight, said. “Kymon had an infectious laugh and an almost angelic aura. Everyone that knew Kymon loved him.”

No details have been revealed on how he died or if anyone else was hurt or killed in the tragedy.

Odukoya was born in Chicago on Sept. 17, 1971, but spent his childhood in Yaba, a suburb of Lagos, Nigeria. After returning to the States and graduating from Milwaukee High School of the Arts, he attended Chicago State University.

The photographer became entrenched in the Ayodele Drum and Dance community and regularly photographed the group’s classes and practices at the Sherman Park Fieldhouse. He was also perfecting his skills while attending performances at several venues, including the recently closed Promontory in Hyde Park. After taking pictures and filming events, he would regularly cook for the participants, his sister said.

“Kymon was a true artist,” Kirksey-Knight said. To some, Odukoya was also a carpenter and spent time making original jewelry from wood, natural stones, and leather. To many others, Odukoya was a photographer and chef.

Odukoya had a strong social media presence on Instagram (@kyndredstudio), featuring photos from various events around Chicago. He was a regular contributor to Rolling Out magazine.

His celebration of life service took place Jan. 24 at the Charles Hayes Center.

LaToya Williams-Belfort, Bronx, foundation

by Ahsan Washington

January 30, 2026

5 Exercises To Do At Your Desk As You Return To The Office

Sitting for long work hours create negative effects on posture and circulation

The return-to-office mandates from companies have led workers to experience a significant disadvantage of office life: extended periods of sitting. Health experts agree that sitting for long periods during work hours negatively affects posture, circulation, and long-term cardiovascular health.

Workplace wellness initiatives have moved from providing gym memberships to also promoting practical movement activities during work hours, because of changing return-to-office policies.

Health professionals emphasize that brief physical activity breaks throughout the workday help decrease sedentary behavior risks. The positive aspect is that you can maintain physical activity throughout your workday without going to a gym or leaving your office.

These five exercises, which can be performed at your desk, will help reverse the physical impact of sitting all day working in an office environment.

Seated Leg Raises

Seated Leg Raises, a lower-body strengthening exercise that targets the quadriceps and core, are a great option for office workers who spend most of their day seated. These exercises can be performed during long meetings or while answering emails, even at your desk. Strengthening leg muscles through seated leg raises improves circulation and reduces stiffness from prolonged sitting. Here’s how it works: extend one leg straight out, hold for five-to-10 seconds, then lower and switch sides.

Desk Push-Ups

Desk push-ups enable office workers to develop upper-body strength while remaining at their desks. This exercise modifies the traditional push-up by utilizing a desk or table as a support surface. Desk push-ups allow you to exercise during brief work breaks. The chest, shoulders, arms and core muscles get worked during desk push-ups, which also helps to enhance posture. To perform this exercise, position your hands at shoulder-distance on the desk, then extend your feet backward, and execute slow push-ups.

Seated Spinal Twist

The Seated Spinal Twist stretch provides calming benefits that enhance spinal and oblique flexibility while decreasing lower back and spine stiffness. Begin by sitting upright, then hold onto the chair back as you gently twist your torso to one side before repeating on the other side. The movement helps to relieve tension while increasing spinal flexibility.

Chair Squats

Chair Squats help develop lower-body strength by using a chair to measure depth. You can do this exercise during your regular breaks at your desk or in common office areas. The exercise targets the glutes together with hamstrings and core muscles which tend to weaken during extended periods of sitting. Stand before the chair, then descend toward it as if to sit, before rising back up without making full contact with the seat.

Shoulder Rolls

Shoulder rolls are a simple mobility exercise that helps employees experiencing neck or shoulder tension. The exercise can be performed at any time when stress or stiffness starts to build at the desk. The exercise reduces muscle tension and improves posture through slow backward and forward shoulder rolls which are repeated 10-15 times.

by Kandiss Edwards

January 30, 2026

Swiss Court Rules Olympian Jordan Chiles’ Bronze Medal Appeal Can Commence

Jordan Chiles refuses to fold and will continue to fight for her Olympic bronze medal.

American gymnast Jordan Chiles has been granted a new opportunity to challenge the decision that stripped her of the bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Switzerland’s highest court ruled there is enough cause to proceed with Chile’s challenge of the decision. The Swiss Federal Supreme Court ruled that Chiles’ appeal should be sent back to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which had previously upheld a decision to invalidate her medal. New evidence presented to examine whether the inquiry submitted by Chiles’ coach during the women’s floor exercise final was filed within the required time limit will be permitted.

In its ruling, the Swiss Federal Tribunal said the case should be reconsidered because newly submitted audio and video evidence could demonstrate that the inquiry was made on time. The court determined the evidence was not fully examined during the original arbitration process.

“la base ă di una registrazione audiovisiva scoperta dopo il lodo emanato dal TAS, il Tribunale
federale riconosce che questa nuova prova è suscettibile di giustificare una modifica
della decisione attaccata.”

Translation: Based on an audiovisual recording discovered after the award issued by the CAS, the Federal Court acknowledges that this new evidence is capable of justifying a modification of the contested decision.

In a statement, USA Gymnastics said it supports Chiles’s appeal and welcomes “a fair arbitration,” CBS reported.

“USA Gymnastics will continue to support the efforts of Jordan and her team to retain her bronze medal in the 2024 Olympic women’s floor exercise,” USA Gymnastics said in a statement. “We look forward to a fair arbitration that includes the clear evidence proving the inquiry into Jordan’s score was filed well within 1 minute as required by FIG rules.”

The Swiss Federal Supreme Court has accepted Jordan Chiles and USA Gymnastics’ requests for revision in the Olympic floor bronze medal case, referring the case back to CAS. They “acknowledged that this new evidence may justify a modification of the contested award.”

Ruling:… pic.twitter.com/piqLh9vb9e
— Gymnastics Now (@Gymnastics_Now) January 29, 2026

Similarly, Chiles’s attorney, Maurice M. Suh, said he was pleased by the opportunity to prove Chiles is, indeed, the proper 2024 Bronze medalist.

“We are delighted that the Swiss Federal Supreme Court has righted a wrong and given Jordan the chance she deserves to reclaim her bronze medal,” Suh said in a statement. “We appreciate that Jordan will receive a full and fair opportunity to defend her bronze medal.”

At the Paris Olympics, Chiles finished third in the women’s floor exercise final after her score was raised following a coach’s inquiry. Days later, CAS ruled the inquiry was submitted four seconds after the one-minute deadline. Due to claims that the inquiry was late, Chiles’s appeal was invalidated, and the judging body reinstated her original score. The bronze medal was reassigned to Romanian gymnast Ana Maria Bărbosu.

Chiles has not publicly commented since the latest ruling, but the decision marks a rare procedural reopening in an Olympic medal dispute. If CAS rules in her favor, the bronze medal could be restored nearly two years after the Paris Games concluded.

The outcome of the rehearing remains pending, and CAS has not announced a timeline for issuing a new decision.

Sha’Carri Richardson, Sprite Commercial, Anthony Edwards, obey your thirst,

by Kandiss Edwards

January 30, 2026

Sha’Carri Richardson, The Fastest Woman In Track And Field, Arrested For Speeding

Richardson’s arrest comes with increased scrutiny following past off-track legal incidents.

Sha’Carri Richardson was arrested in Orange County, Florida, for speeding after deputies said she was driving more than 100 miles per hour.

On Jan. 29, Richardson was stopped by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office on State Route 429 near Stoneybrook Parkway after a patrol deputy clocked her vehicle traveling 104 mph. In addition to the excessive speed, the 25-year-old was accused of tailgating and weaving across lanes to pass vehicles. As a first-time offender under Florida’s “Super Speeding” laws, Richardson can face up to 30 days in jail, a $500 fine, or both.

Richardson was booked into the Orange County Jail and later released on a $500 bond, Florida Today reported. The Olympian is scheduled to appear in court in February 2026 on the dangerous speeding charge.

Richardson’s arrest comes with increased scrutiny following past off-track legal incidents. In July 2025, she was charged with a fourth-degree domestic violence offense after an altercation with fellow sprinter Christian Coleman at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Coleman and Richardson were reportedly in a relationship at the time. She avoided repercussions from the incident as Coleman declined to press charges and Richardson later issued a public apology.

https://twitter.com/Raindropsmedia1/status/2017010379667259421

On the track, Richardson is one of the sport’s most visible and popular figures. She won gold in the women’s 4×100-meter relay and silver in the 100-meter dash at the 2024 Paris Olympics, achievements that came after her return from a suspension that kept her out of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics following a positive test for marijuana.

Richardson has also been a prominent presence in professional track and field outside major championships. In 2025, Forbes reported she was named a founding adviser-owner of the new team-based Athlos track-and-field league, a role that reflects her influence in the sport beyond competition.

Her legal issues and athletic accomplishments continue to draw national attention as she prepares for future competition and legal proceedings related to the speeding charge.

Amazon To Close Its Fresh And Go Grocery Stores After Announcing 16K Job Cuts

by Mitti Hicks

January 30, 2026

Amazon To Close Its Fresh And Go Grocery Stores After Announcing 16K Job Cuts

Amazon announced its changes after announcing that it would cut 16,000 corporate jobs, its second round of mass layoffs in three months.

Amazon plans to close nearly all of its Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh locations soon, refocusing on food delivery and its grocery store chain, Whole Foods Market.

The company said in a blog post that the shuttered stores will be converted into Whole Foods Market. Amazon announced its changes after announcing that it would cut 16,000 corporate jobs, its second round of mass layoffs in three months.

“While we’ve seen encouraging signals in our Amazon-branded physical grocery stores, we haven’t yet created a truly distinctive customer experience with the right economic model needed for large-scale expansion,” the company said Tuesday about the store closings.

According to the Associated Press, Amazon purchased Whole Foods Market in 2017 and has since seen more than 40% sales growth, with expansion to more than 550 locations. Amazon opened its first Amazon Go location in Seattle in 2018, allowing customers to purchase items such as milk and ready-to-eat items from its shelves and simply walk out using revolutionary technology that allowed customers to bypass cash registers. Customers were charged upon leaving the store.

Amazon Plans To Expand Whole Foods Locations Amid Go, Fresh Closings

According to Amazon, the company is one of the top three grocers in the U.S., with over $150 billion in gross sales and more than 150 million customers shopping for groceries each year.

“Everyday household essentials represent one out of every three units sold on Amazon.com, as customers increasingly look to our broad selection, low prices, and fast delivery to fill their fridges and pantries,” the company stated.

The e-commerce giant said it plans to open more than 100 new Whole Foods Market stores over the next few years.

Simultaneously, Amazon said more shoppers are choosing online delivery. The online retailer said it now delivers to 5,000 U.S. cities. Customers can access the same-day delivery of fresh produce.

The last day of operation for Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go stores is Sunday, Feb. 1, except for its California location. The stores in California will remain open longer to comply with state requirements, Amazon said.

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

January 30, 2026

Journalist Georgia Fort Arrested In Connection With Minneapolis Anti-ICE Church Protest

Independent journalist Georgia Fort was among those arrested in connection with reporting at an anti-ICE protest at a church in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Georgia Fort, a journalist and vice president of the Minnesota NABJ chapter, was among those recently arrested in connection with an anti-immigration protest at a Minneapolis church.

On the morning of Jan. 30, Attorney General Pam Bondi took to X to announce the arrests of Fort along with Don Lemon, Trahern Jeen Crews, and Jamael Lydell Lundy in connection with what she called a “coordinated attack” at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, earlier this month. Unlike Lemon, Fort was able to record and share a video on social media as federal agents arrived at her home to serve her arrest warrant.

“I wanted to alert the public that agents are at my door right now,” Fort said in a video shared online. “They’re saying that they were able to go before a grand jury sometime, I guess, in the last 24 hours, and that they have a warrant for my arrest.”

Georgia Fort, an independent journalist and vice president of the Minnesota NABJ chapter, was also arrested by federal agents this morning pic.twitter.com/ESJYOVekgQ
— zamohappy (@zamohappy) January 30, 2026

“I’ve talked to my attorney, and I’m being advised to go with them, I guess, down to Whipple,” she added. “And my children are here. They’re impacted by this. This is all stemming from the fact that I filmed a protest as a member of the media.”

The arrests came two weeks after Fort and Lemon reported from the front lines of an anti-immigration protest at Cities Church in St. Paul, sparked by the revelation that the church pastor, David Easterwood, was also the acting field office director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Minnesota.

In the aftermath, federal agents arrested three protesters and charged them with violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, a 1994 law that bars obstruction of abortion clinics and places of worship. A federal magistrate judge, however, declined to issue arrest warrants for Lemon and the video producer who accompanied him, ruling that prosecutors failed to establish probable cause that either had broken the law.

But in recent days, the Justice Department took the unusual step of filing emergency requests asking Chief U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz—and later the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals—to overturn the magistrate’s decision. Schiltz rejected the move, admonishing prosecutors and stating that if they disagreed with the ruling, they would need to seek an indictment from a grand jury before arresting Lemon.

As she prepared to turn herself in, Fort stated that she believes her arrest violates her constitutional freedom of the press.

“We are supposed to have our constitutional right of the freedom to film, to be a member of the press,” she said. “I don’t feel like I have my First Amendment right as a member of the press because now federal agents are at my door arresting me for filming the church protest a few weeks ago.”

Lemon was taken into custody by federal agents in Los Angeles, where he was set to cover the Grammy Awards. His attorney has since spoken out, calling the arrest an “unprecedented attack on the First Amendment.”

Civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump has commented on the arrests, stating that “press freedom is under attack.”

Independent journalist Georgia Fort was, like Don Lemon, arrested for doing her job: documenting a protest of public concern. When members of the press are taken into custody simply for filming and reporting, it sends a chilling message to every journalist in America. The First… pic.twitter.com/nmFF0pp5b2
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) January 30, 2026

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

January 30, 2026

Woman Nabbed After Walking Across Frozen Detroit River To Canada

No information was released about the woman or the reason she did so

A woman from Detroit was arrested after walking across the frozen Detroit River into neighboring Canada.

According to The Metro Detroit News, the unidentified woman was caught on a Canadian police drone near Riverside Park, which borders the Michigan city. Police officers from the Detroit Police Department arrested her after Canadian authorities notified them of the incident. Detroit police reportedly took her in after she returned from the neighboring country.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection was also summoned to the scene, but she reportedly provided no reason for taking such a risky route into Canada. No information was released about the woman’s identity or the charges against her.

A little more than two years ago, a woman was arrested after jumping into the Detroit River to save an elderly woman’s dog. Police 1 reported that the incident took place on Nov. 8, 2024, when the 49-year-old woman witnessed the 84-year-old woman walking her pet at Bishop Park in Wyandotte, Michigan and saw the dog jump into the river.

The unidentified woman saved the dog, and when the Wyandotte Fire Department arrived on the scene, they helped bring her and the dog back up. After police officers asked her for her identity, she refused to give them her name and became uncooperative, leading police to notice that she was intoxicated.

After identifying the woman, it was discovered that she had multiple arrest warrants for several misdemeanors, and her alcohol level, when tested, blew nearly twice the legal limit. Before she was arrested, the police offered to take her home, but she refused and continued to act “unruly.” This led to her being taken into custody for public intoxication.

“We couldn’t leave her out there in that state, even though she did a good deed by saving the dog,” Wyandotte Police Chief Archie Hamilton said.

She spent 24 hours in jail before being released.

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

January 30, 2026

Don Lemon Arrested After Anti-ICE Church Protest, Lawyer Calls It An ‘Attack On The First Amendment’

Don Lemon was taken into custody by federal agents for his involvement in an anti-ICE protest at a church in Minneapolis.

Journalist Don Lemon was arrested in Los Angeles two weeks after he reported on the front lines of an anti-ICE protest at a church in Minneapolis.

The former CNN anchor was arrested by federal agents in Los Angeles on Jan. 29 while in the city to cover the Grammy Awards, CBS News reports. A source says the arrest followed a coordinated effort that included a newly empaneled grand jury, with investigations by both the FBI and Homeland Security.

The arrest came two weeks after Lemon livestreamed an anti-immigration protest for his YouTube channel that disrupted a church service in Minnesota, reporting his attorney Abbe Lowell says was fully protected journalism.

“Don has been a journalist for 30 years, and his constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis was no different than what he has always done,” Lowell said in a statement.

“The First Amendment exists to protect journalists whose role it is to shine light on the truth and hold those in power accountable. There is no more important time for people like Don to be doing this work.”

Lowell also criticized the Justice Department for prioritizing Lemon’s arrest over investigating the federal agents involved in the killings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota, calling that decision “the real indictment of wrongdoing in this case.”

“This unprecedented attack on the First Amendment and transparent attempt to distract attention from the many crises facing this administration will not stand. Don will fight these charges vigorously and thoroughly in court,” he said.

Attorney General Pam Bondi took to social media to claim credit for the arrest of Don Lemon and three others “in connection with the coordinated attack on Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota,” she wrote. Prosecutors have accused Lemon of conspiracy to deprive others of their civil rights and violating the federal FACE Act, which protects access to places of worship, by allegedly interfering with the exercise of others’ First Amendment rights inside the church service.

Lemon said he attended the protest to cover it as a journalist, admitting that although he had been tipped off beforehand, he did not know activists planned to disrupt the service. Video from the scene shows Lemon engaging a parishioner over immigration enforcement as protesters targeted Cities Church in St. Paul, objecting to David Easterwood, a church pastor who also serves as ICE’s acting field office director in Minnesota.

Trump administration officials swiftly condemned the protest, accusing demonstrators of intimidating Christian worshippers, with the president himself echoing rapper Nicki Minaj in calling for Lemon’s arrest.

by Mitti Hicks

January 30, 2026

ICE Agents Will Conduct Enforcement Operations During Super Bowl LX

The announcement comes as Americans express opposition to ICE following the shooting deaths of two Americans in Minneapolis

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents will be on-site at Super Bowl LX to conduct enforcement operations. The NFL championship game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots will be held at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on Feb. 8.

The agency’s announcement comes as more Americans express opposition to ICE following the shooting deaths of two Americans in Minneapolis. In a recent YouGov poll, a majority (57%) of Americans somewhat or strongly disapprove of the way ICE is handling its job. Another 58% of Americans say that ICE’s tactics are too forceful. That’s reportedly a 5-percentage-point increase from earlier this month.

Tricia McLaughlin, a DHS spokesperson, confirmed the operations to TMZ.

“DHS is committed to working with our local and federal partners to ensure the Super Bowl is safe for everyone involved, as we do with every major sporting event, including the World Cup,” she said. “Our mission remains unchanged.”

She added, “We will not disclose future operations or discuss personnel.”

Trump Administration Previously Threatened More ICE Agents At The Super Bowl

According to WBLS, the Trump administration is following through with threats of more ICE agents at the game. The threat from Corey Lewandowski, chief adviser to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, was in response to Roc Nation, the NFL, and Apple Music’s announcement of Bad Bunny as the headliner for the 2026 Super Bowl Halftime Show.

Bad Bunny, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He’s often referred to as the “King of Latin Trap.”

“There is nowhere that you can provide a safe haven to people who are in the country illegally, said Lewandowski on The Benny Johnson Show. “Not the Super Bowl, not anywhere else.”

He added, “We will find you … apprehend you … we will put you in a detention facility, and we will deport you.”

On the podcast, Lewandowski criticized the NFL’s decision to make Bad Bunny the first Latin male to headline its halftime show.

“It’s so shameful that they’ve decided to pick somebody who just seems to hate America so much to represent them at the halftime (show),” said Lewandowski.

It’s important to note that Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States. Acquired in 1898 after the Spanish-American War, Puerto Rican residents are U.S. citizens.

Trump, approval polls, immigration policies

by Mitti Hicks

January 30, 2026

Trump Says He Wants Housing Prices To Go Up, Not Down

The median home price nationally soared to a record $433,000. Zillow predicts housing prices to increase by 1.9% in 2026.

As more Americans struggle to afford a home, President Donald Trump said he wants housing prices to go up rather than down.

Trump said his comments during a Jan. 29 Cabinet meeting. He made it clear that he wants it to be easier for Americans to buy a home, but not by lowering costs. He suggested that housing will become easier to buy with lower interest rates that he expects from his upcoming pick to lead the Federal Reserve. The president nominated former Federal Reserve governor Kevin Warsh.

“I don’t want to drive housing prices down. I want to drive housing prices up for people that own their homes,” Trump said. “And they can be assured that’s what’s going to happen.”

The president’s meeting with Cabinet secretaries added that having more opportunities to buy a home shouldn’t mean lowering the costs for people who he thinks didn’t work hard for it.

“Existing housing, people that own their homes, we’re going to keep them wealthy,” Trump said. “We’re going to keep those prices up. We’re not going to destroy the value of their homes so that somebody who didn’t work very hard can buy a home.”

He continued, “I want to protect the people who, for the first time in their lives, feel good about themselves. They feel like, you know, that they’re wealthy people.”

Housing Crisis

Since his comments, some Americans are calling out the president for being out of touch with reality.

“Has the President lost his mind? ‘We’re gonna keep those prices up’—so no one can afford them? Who in God’s name is advising him that this is anything but a terrible position?” lawyer Tom Renz posted on social media.

According to USA Today, housing prices increased by 0.6% in November over the previous month. The median home price nationally soared to a record $433,000 at the same time, and Zillow predicts housing prices to increase by 1.9% in 2026.

Trump has issued several policies aimed at expanding homeownership. On January 20, Trump issued an executive order that bans institutional investors from buying single-family homes.

The president, however, opposed a plan endorsed by his White House economic team that would allow Americans to use retirement savings from their 401 (k) accounts to make down payments on homes.

“I’m not a huge fan. Other people like it,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Washington from Davos, Switzerland, where he had attended the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting.

“One of the reasons I don’t like it is that their 401(k)s are doing so well.”

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