Sacramento Boy, 10, Arrested After Allegedly Killing Boy With His Father’s Gun
The boy and his father, 53-year-old Arkete Davis, were taken into custody.
Law enforcement officials say a 10-year-old boy in Sacramento fatally shot another 10-year-old boy with his father’s gun on Dec. 30.
The father, 53-year-old Arkete Davis, and his son were taken into custody after the boy found the weapon in Davis’ car and allegedly shot the unidentified boy.
According to a Facebook post by the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, the son went to the car to get cigarettes from the vehicle and found the gun inside. Once he saw the gun, he left the vehicle and allegedly “bragged that his father had a gun.”
He ended up shooting the victim and then ran into an apartment. The sheriff’s office stated it found the gun in a nearby trashcan and that it suspects Davis attempted to throw it away.
After deputies appeared on the scene and found the boy bleeding from his head and neck, they attempted CPR. When the Sacramento Metro Fire Department arrived, personnel took the victim to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Davis and two other children were retained after witnesses pointed to where they ran. Davis is legally prohibited from owning or possessing a gun; the gun used in the incident was reported stolen in 2017.
Davis’s son was taken to the Sacramento County Youth Detention Facility and charged with murder. Davis, who was arrested and then transported to the Sacramento County Main Jail., was as charged with multiple felony firearm-related charges, as well as child endangerment and accessory after the fact.
Davis is still in custody and is being held on $500,000 bail. He will appear in court Jan. 3.
According to KCRA, family members identified the victim as Keith “KJ” Frierson. A GoFundMe, “In memory of Keith KJ Frierson,” was set up by his godmother, Nina Trepagnier.
Indiana Mom Tries To Prevent Adopted, Disabled Son, 17, From Being Deported to Haiti
Rebekah Hubley adopted Jonah from Haiti in 2010 when he was just 4 years old.
Rebekah Hubley is fighting the United States Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS ) prevent her adopted son of 12 years, who has cerebral palsy, from being deported from Indiana to Haiti.
As reported by Newsweek, Hubley adopted Jonas in 2010 when he was 4 years old. The boy is blind, autistic, and has cerebral palsy and a seizure disorder.
Issues with his adoption arose early on in the process due to a massive 7.0 earthquake that caused his adoption papers to get lost. Although Hubley managed to procure Jonas’ citizenship, on Dec 27, she got a letter from the UCIS claiming that his Petition for Alien Relative form had been denied. Jonas has until Jan. 2 to leave the U.S. of his own volition before being called to an immigration hearing to discuss deportation. USCIS also stated Hubley could not appeal the case.
“How low can we get as a government agency?” Hubley told Newsweek. “This has to be rock bottom for immigration, that you could threaten to deport a profoundly disabled child who has been legally adopted for 13 years by two law-abiding U.S. citizens. And you can just throw around your power and threaten deportation.
“It’s unconscionable,” she added. ” It’s disgusting that it’s happening. Is that who we are as a nation? Asking him to [voluntarily leave] is the most ludicrous thing I’ve ever heard of in my life.
“How can you deport someone to a country that you have a level four travel warning on? You’ve deemed it completely unsafe, you’ve closed your embassies. You’ve pulled all of your workers out of the country and told Americans to leave, but you’re threatening to deport a profoundly disabled child back to this country? None of this makes any logical sense, whatsoever. None of it. Hollywood would not even take a script like this because it’s so preposterous.”
The USCIS request included a requirement for Hubley to show proof of adoption documents and to show that she’s had physical custody of her son for 2 years. The USCIS revealed that it denied Jonas’ citizenship because Hubley didn’t provide adequate physical evidence after only submitting school records.
Hubley told Newsweek that further records from as early as 2009 were also included in the submitted documents, and that it was an issue on the agent’s part for not thoroughly reviewingJonas’ case documents.
She posted an open letter to President Joe Biden on Facebook, begging him to “intervene on his behalf to help Jonas [become] a lawful citizen of this great nation.”
5 Steps To Create A New Money Story For The New Year
My Fab Finance Founder Tonya Rapley shares steps you can use to leave old money habits behind and create a better money story in the new year.
What’s your money story? As one year draws to a close, with a brand new year on the horizon, many are already dreading the financial hangover that will greet them when the bills for holiday shopping and spending come due.
“We call this the most ‘won-debtful’ time of the year,” says millennial money expert and MyFabFinance founder Tonya Rapley, “because most people accumulate their debt during the Christmas season.”
Rapley created My Fab Finance to help millennials break the cycle of living paycheck to paycheck to become financially free and do more of what they love. Rapley offers valuable advice for those who want to leave past poor financial choices—including holiday overspending—behind and create a fresh, new money story for themselves. Consider her recommendation of five steps to leave old money habits behind and position yourself for a fresh start in the new year.
Don’t carry a negative money story into the new year.
“It’s important to realize that what happened this year, the money mistakes that you made, you don’t have to make next year,” says Rapley. “A lot of people allow their financial baggage to weigh them down so that it affects their self-esteem; they feel hopeless, and they think, ‘What does it even matter? Why should I even get back on track financially?”
“But the good thing about money is that you can literally create a new money story next year. People need to remember that because one of the biggest things I see people do is count themselves out because of the past money mistakes they made. Those mistakes aren’t the end of your story, and you can rebuild after them.”
Get clear about your financial situation.
“Getting clear means sitting down and assessing your entire financial picture: Here’s how much debt I have. Here’s what I have in savings. Here’s what my credit score is. Here are what my goals are. This is my investment portfolio.”
“You might be strong in investing, but you might need to boost your savings a little bit, or it might be time to tackle your debt. Especially if you’re accumulating debt over the holiday season, you need to create a plan to eliminate that, so you’re not paying this year’s holiday season debt during next year’s holiday season.”
“We’ve created a wonderful checklist at My Fab Finance for people who are like, ‘I don’t know where to get started,’ that can guide you through what you should be thinking about.”
Commit to doing something different.
“You want to think about the small things that you can do differently,” says Rapley. “It could be as simple as ‘I’m going to take a different route to work because there’s a Starbucks on that route, and I always stop [to spend money] at Starbucks.’ What are you going to do differently to increase your bottom line, bring more money into your household, but also to maintain your savings, grow your money, and allow your money to work for you? Maybe it is picking up a side hustle or part-time job at the top of the year.”
“So, we’re assessing where we need to go financially. Now we need to make a decision and determination of what are we going to do to get to where we need to get to, and what are we going to do differently from last year so that we don’t get the same result.”
Focus on healing your relationship with money.
“Understand your money story, and what has shaped and informed your relationship with money,” Rapley recommends. “Make a commitment to yourself to heal that money story, because a lot of us are carrying around financial baggage from our childhood, things we experienced with our parents.”
“For myself, graduating from college during a recession, I resented jobs and I resented money, because I felt I did everything right and I was still not in the financial position that I wanted to be in. [Moving forward] required me to heal my thoughts and heal my attitude about money.”
Achieve small goals to create a winning mindset.
“Put yourself in a position to win. One of the biggest boosters is achieving a victory for yourself,” says Rapley. “They don’t have to be big, audacious goals; it could be ‘I’m going to save $25 a week.’ Once you begin to achieve your financial goals, psychologically, something begins to click. You get the mindset of a winner, as opposed to that of someone who is struggling or losing.”
“Really focus on small victories so that you can boost your own morale. Don’t look for others to be your cheerleader and your champion. Find ways to create success in your life and your finances, so that you can be your own champion.”
How To Keep Your Healthy New Year’s Resolutions Going Strong
For millions of people, the new year is also starting with new year resolutions around health. Here are 5 tips to help keep your resolutions going strong.
Originally Published Jan. 8, 2017
It’s OFFICIAL… it’s 2024. For millions of Americans, the New Year is also starting with New Year’s resolutions around health.
Whether your goal is to lose weight, build muscle, better manage your blood pressure, or just eat healthier, it’s difficult for most people to sustain those good intentions throughout the year. In January, resolutions are in full effect, but over the course of as little as 3-4 months, most healthy New Year’s resolutions are long forgotten. Don’t fall into that trap. Here are five simple tips to help you keep chugging along, just like the little engine that could.
Out with the old & in with the new
Say goodbye to the old you and meet the new person you want to be. Take pictures of where you are today and find an image to visualize who you want to be. Place these reminders in places you frequent, preferably by a mirror so you can see progress and be reminded of your goals.
Use the power of words
How you word your resolutions and say them aloud sets the tone from being impossible into one that empowers you to believe “I’m possible.” Don’t be afraid to share your goals with others so they can help keep you accountable and support you along the journey. Fellas, take it from the ladies who are always great with the girlfriend power.
Set the stage
Just like you prepare to make a meal, ensure you have all the ingredients, and supplies, and have preheated the oven–everything is in place. Same with your resolutions. Do you have everything in place? Do you have a T-shirt and jogging pants ready to go? Did you place your running shoes by the door? Did you block out time to exercise on your schedule? Do you have healthy snacks or food choices in the refrigerator? (Better yet, did you stop buying the cookies, chips, and soda?)
Reward yourself for milestones
Be realistic with layered goals. For example, instead of saying you’ll lose 30 lbs. this year, try losing 5 lbs. every month for the first six months and sustain that weight loss the latter half of the year. This layers your goal into manageable and achievable bite sizes. This positive reinforcement will also keep you motivated along the way. And if by chance you don’t reach your weight loss goal, you will have still celebrated the weight you did lose along the way. **Disclaimer** Celebrate in moderation! There is no point in totally derailing your new healthy diet by binge eating your once favorite sweets.
Find a reason beyond the obvious
Tell yourself why these healthy New Year’s resolutions are important to you. Make them meaningful. Although many just want to look better, knowing these changes will lead to a healthier you is even more meaningful. An example of this would be a father deciding to exercise more and eat healthier, not only because he wants to lose weight to look better but because he wants to be healthy and here to walk his daughter down the aisle when she gets married. Do some soul searching as to why these changes are important to you. Once you find that reason, you will be less likely to give up on your resolutions as easily.
MyHR Partner Founder Predicts 2024’s Top Workforce Adaptations
What are some of 2024 top workplace trends? An expert chimes in.
Founder and CEO of myHR partner Tina Hamilton revealed some of her most highly anticipated business trends for 2024.
Hamilton called upon her extensive knowledge from her human resources outsourcing firm, one of Inc.’s Best Workplaces this year, to advise the current workforce for the future.
Hamilton said there would be big changes to the dynamics of the workplace, citing the big jumps in technique and globalization. She expects companies will be pushed by the concept of sustainability, implementing policies of renewable energy, eco-friendly production, and implicit environmental waste responsibility.
In the same vein of climate change alterations, Hamilton suspects that the role of government—local, state, and federal—will become more involved in the workforce.
“Policymakers must proactively address the evolving needs of the workforce, implement regulations that protect workers’ rights, support retraining initiatives, and promote diversity and inclusion,” she said.
This increased level of collaboration will help to bridge the gap between public and private sectors of businesses, which will help to foster an environment that allows for both innovation and, furthermore, a sustainable avenue for big economic growth.
With a greater emphasis on “gig economy” which will include “platforms facilitating freelancing and short-term projects…offering individuals flexibility and diverse income streams” companies will be more likely to look for broader global talents to bolster their internal workforce. According to Hamilton, this will help companies to create more diverse, but equally skilled, teams.
In regards to hiring processes and the format of how business days will likely go, Hamilton explained that it would be largely dictated by artificial intelligence and automated data analytics program. As more processes becomes artificial, companies will look for applicants with critical thinking, creativity, and high EQ.
Hamilton said remote work will become more common as companies shift to a more flexible option for employees. “The hybrid approach combines the flexibility of remote work with the benefits of in-person collaboration,” she said.
Biden Administration Pursues Loan Repayments Following Policy Reversal
The federal government will be recovering past-due loan payments following a policy reversal.
The Biden administration has stepped up its efforts to recover business loans distributed during the COVID-19 pandemic, The Washington Post reports.
Previously, the federal government declined to pursue small businesses that had withdrawn funds under the COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan, also called EIDL. In conjunction with the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), the EIDL initiative has generated upwards of $1 trillion for borrowers since its inception and helped sustain the country’s economy during the COVID-19 outbreak.
However, the Small Business Administration has changed its tune, and it’s one that not everyone is going to like.
Business owners who had taken out PPP funds could request loan forgiveness, but borrowers under the EIDL program were initially expected to pay off their existing loans. However, in April 2022, the Small Business Administration established a policy that would disregard some past-due reimbursements of $100,000 or less, citing how costly it would be to pursue each delayed payment.
Despite this reasoning, the agency’s inspector general, Hannibal Ware, voiced concerns about the decision, saying such a rationale might persuade other COVID-19 EIDL borrowers to forgo paying off their loans.
Following an investigation, the SBA determined that roughly $30 billion in PPP and EIDL loans of up to $100,000 could be subject to additional sanctions in 2024. These numbers indicate a substantial program loss, about 2.5 percent of their total portfolios. Since the discovery, the U.S. government has heightened its recovery efforts to relieve some of the financial burden on federal taxpayers and crack down on fraud, which has exceeded $200 billion, according to an SBA OIG report.
The SBA has since announced plans to address these resounding issues in 2024 by referring pandemic borrowers to the Treasury Department following a 60-day grace period ending in early March. The department will be charged with administering penalization, which can include strict sanctions.
Change of Heart: Francis Howell School District Reinstates Black Studies Courses
Standing up for what's right works....
Just a week after an all-white Missouri school board ditched Black studies courses, officials announced a change of course.
The school board at Francis Howell School District announced on Dec. 28 that both Black history and Black literature electives will be available for the 2024-25 school year, KSDK reports. On Dec. 21, the board, led by Adam Bertrand, decided to remove the classes in a 5-2 vote, citing its inclusion of content from “Social Justice Standards: The Teaching Tolerance Anti-Bias Framework.”
“After thorough discussions, we believe there is an appropriate path forward to offer Black History and Black Literature with an updated curriculum standard in the 2024-25 school year,” a joint statement from Board President Adam Bertrand and Superintendent Kenneth Roumpos said.
The board claimed there was some confusion with their decision. Roumpos said district leadership, including himself, sees great value in the courses and wanted to ensure they returned somehow.
“We’re committed to finding a way to do that in a way that hopefully the board would be supportive of, Roumpos said. ” We think they are important and can be offered for all of our students throughout the district.”
As the issue created headlines, the NAACP of St. Charles County planned on hosting a press conference on the same day of the reversal.
“We are confident in our academic team’s ability to bring forth a curriculum that is rigorous and largely politically neutral—one that will meet the Board’s approval on a timeline that prevents interruption of course offerings,” the district said.
The initial decision is still raising some eyebrows from parents. According to Fox 2 Now, Miranda Bell said she was furious and questioned the motives. “Along with taking down the antiracism resolutions, just like what are you saying? What are you saying? Were OK with racism? That’s the message that’s coming across,” she said.
In July 2023, the same board revoked an anti-racism resolution adopted after the 2020 killing of George Floyd and had copies removed from school buildings.
Swatting happens after an emergency call to law enforcement is made to someone else’s house on false pretenses.
“Dekalb County Chief of Police Mirtha Ramos and her team of investigators are working diligently to find the person who made the call,” Jackson said in a statement. “I’m grateful for the responsiveness of both Chief Ramos and Sheriff Melody Maddox to this situation.”
Jackson is the fifth state lawmaker to fall victim to swatting on Christmas Day or the day after, including four Republican officials. U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said this was the eighth occurrence at her home in Rome. Senator John Albers wasn’t home when police arrived, but his son was. He is pushing for the people behind the calls to be arrested.
“This is a serious crime, and these people who are doing this need to be arrested,” Albers said. “They need to understand the consequences of their actions.”
Dixon was home in Buford with his wife and children on Christmas Day when “all of a sudden, I heard her, you know, start yelling, ‘There’s police running at the door.’ She saw on our Ring doorbell,” he said.
State and city officials across the country have experienced swatting., including Senator Rick Scott (R-FL), Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost.
Ohio Governor Vetoes Bill Banning Gender-Affirming Care For Trans Kids
This is a huge win for trans rights!
Ohio governor Mike DeWine is standing up for transgender kids.
The Republican governor vetoed a bill Dec. 29 that would ban gender-affirming care for trans youth, CNN reports. Passed by lawmakers shortly before the holiday break, DeWine said signing the legislation would “be saying that the state, the government” knows what’s better for youth than their parents.
The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ advocacy group, praised DeWine’s decision, calling it a “huge win for trans youth and their families in Ohio” on Twitter.
BREAKING: @GovMikeDeWine has vetoed HB 68. This bill would have banned gender-affirming care and banned trans youth from participating in school sports that match their identity. This is a huge win for trans youth and their families in Ohio. pic.twitter.com/zhfzTiqmgN
Close to 20 other states have already passed laws prohibiting youth gender-affirming care. Data from HRC state about 30% of transgender youth between 13 and 17 live in those banned states.
“Parents have looked me in the eye and told me, but for this treatment, their child would be dead,” DeWine said in a press conference. “I have also been told by those who are now grown adults that but for this care, they would have taken their lives when they were teenagers. Ultimately, I believe this is about protecting human life.”
The American Medical Association lists gender-affirming care as a necessity to improve the physical and mental health of transgender people. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, trans youth are less likely to have episodes of anxiety, ideas of suicide or suicide attempts because of discrimination and gender dysphoria.
“These are gut-wrenching decisions that should be made by the parents and should be informed by teams of doctors advising them,” DeWine said. “These are parents who have watched the child suffer sometimes for years and have real concerns that their child may not survive.”
Black Amazon Delivery Driver: I Was Attacked By White Women On the Job
Imagine just trying to do your job.
A Texas Amazon delivery driver has opened up about being racially harassed by two white residents of a luxury apartment complex while she was making her deliveries.
A video of the Dec 16 incident went viral on TikTok, prompting Houston Police to open an investigation.
As reported by Law & Crime, Jamaiya Miller was assigned to deliver an Amazon package to a resident’s door. When she arrived at The Belle Meade at River Oaks, Miller reported being stopped by two white women.
“I was let into the building by a resident,” Miller wrote in an Instagram post. “I have an Amazon vest and a package in hand, so she lets me into the elevator.”
Miller said the woman physically accosted her, repeatedly telling her to deliver the package to the concierge desk, even though her customer had instructed her to bring it to their door.
“I [decided] to go with what the delivery instructions say and proceed to try to find the customer’s door on the second floor,” she wrote. “This resident, who let me in the elevator, then starts freaking out and runs and tells another lady that I am not listening to her about going to the concierge. The lady she told is who ends up harassing and assaulting me.”
Miller recalled that the woman began attacking her, shoving her against the wall and screaming, “She’s attacking me! We’ve had thieves here, and you’re a thief.”
“Both of these were older white women, who I assume were rich based on the neighborhood and fancy apartment building, and I absolutely believe their vitriol towards me was racially motivated,” Miller explained.
Eventually, another woman showed up and threatened to call the police on the Amazon driver, and Miller encouraged her to. Finally, a security guard intervened.
The assault division of the Houston police are investigating the incident.
