Deadly Fungal Infection Spreading Rapidly Through Hospitals
A deadly fungus has been spreading through health facilities throughout the United States.
According to several reports, Candida auris, or C. auris is spreading through health facilities and can cause severe illness in people with weak immune systems. However, the Washington Postreports that scientists believe that C. auris is no threat to people with robust immune systems.
NBC News reports that people found to have C. auris have risen at alarming rates.
Dr. Meghan Lyman, chief medical officer in the CDC’s Mycotic Diseases Branch, said, “The increase, especially in the most recent years, are really concerning to us. We’ve seen increases not just in areas of ongoing transmission, but also in new areas.”
At least 12 people have been infected with the fungus since November; it’s possible that four people have possibly died from C.auris, Dr. Paul Byers said.
“Unfortunately, multi-drug resistant organisms such as C. auris have become more prevalent among our highest risk individuals, such as residents in long-term care facilities,” Byers added
According to NBC News, from 2019 to 2022, the number of infections increased by 59%, to 756, from 2019 to 2020 and in 2021, by an additional 95%, to 1,471, in 2021.
Dr. Waleed Javaid, an epidemiologist and infectious disease expert and director of infection prevention and control at Mount Sinai Downtown in New York, said “we don’t want people who watched The Last of Us to think we’re all going to die. This is an infection that occurs in extremely ill individuals who are usually sick with a lot of other issues.
C. auris was identified in 2009 in Asia.
“It’s the pattern we’ve observed with these types of pathogens,” Dr. Graham Snyder, medical director of infection prevention at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, told NBC News. “Often they start out extremely rare, then they emerge in more and more places and become widespread.”
Daymond John Reveals His Biggest Financial Mistake
Daymond John, the founder of FUBU, made a pit stop at ABC News and The Rootto discuss his new children’s book, Little Daymond Learns to Earn. While discussing his latest project, John dropped gems, including his biggest financial mistake.
“Not having financial intelligence early enough in my life, because I didn’t know what I didn’t know,” he said. “As African Americans, you know, many of us haven’t come from legacy wealth. So we don’t have a grandfather or maybe grandmother to maybe tell us that. And when I was coming up, there were, maybe there was the encyclopedia and some other stuff that was written and was 10, 20, 30 years old.”
Added John, “[It’s] not like today when you can go online and immediately see what’s happening in the market or various other things, so my information was limited.”
John also sat with Entrepreneur to discuss Little Daymond Learns to Earn.
“I realized that I had read my daughter one too many princesses and pony books,” he said. “I also realized after all these years on Shark Tank the most common thread of all the people that needed to grow their company or even start a company, is they didn’t know how money works. So they could have had a passion, they could have a skillset, great idea, great invention, but it all went down to the basic fundamentals of not knowing how money works.”
When asked how to raise entrepreneurial children, John said it’s more about developing a business mindset.
“A business solves a problem for somebody or brings somebody joy,” the longtime savvy Shark Tank panelist told his daughter, according to Entrepreneur. “And if you solve a problem, you guarantee you’re gonna bring somebody joy.”
Alabama Defensive Back Tony Mitchell Suspended After Being Arrested For Drug Possession After Taking Police On 141 MPH Pursuit
According to USA Today, recently-suspended University of Alabama football player, Tony Mitchell, was driving over 140 miles per hour while evading police officers in Florida. When he was stopped, sheriff’s deputies discovered 226 grams of marijuana, a loaded gun, and more than $7,000 in cash.
“On March 15th, deputies with the Holmes County Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop on E Indiana St. Contact was made with the driver, Antonio Mitchell of Alabaster, AL, and passenger Christopher Lewis of Valley Grande, AL.
“During the stop, deputies detected the odor of burnt marijuana coming from the vehicle. When asked if there was marijuana in the vehicle, Mitchell produced a baggie of marijuana from the passenger floorboard. Both Mitchell and Lewis were taken into custody.”
Police officials stated that along with “an additional significant amount of marijuana,” there was also a set of scales. The loaded handgun was discovered between the passenger seat and the center console.
Both men were taken to the Holmes County Jail, where Mitchell was charged with possession of marijuana with the intent to sell and/or deliver. Lewis was also charged with possession of marijuana with the intent to sell and/or deliver, and carrying a concealed firearm without a permit.
“Everybody’s got an opportunity to make choices and decisions,” Saban said. “There’s no such thing as being in the wrong place at the wrong time. You’ve got to be responsible for who you’re with, who you’re around and what you do, who you associate yourself with and the situations that you put yourself in.”
Hard Lessons: Blogger Tasha K Apologizes To Cardi B Again After Losing $4M Appeal
Blogger Tasha K is truly paying for her words.
After a ruling in favor of rapper Cardi B, Billboardreported a judge upheld the $4 million defamation verdict against Taska K, whose real name is Latasha Kebe, after she made claims that Cardi dabbled in prostitution, contracted STDs, and used drugs. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit rejected an appeal after the blogger claimed the verdict was a result of a “very lopsided presentation of evidence to the jury.”
The court said Kebe failed to properly make that argument to the trial judge, meaning she gave up her right to do so before an appeals court. “Defendant Latasha Kebe asks for a new trial, saying that there was insufficient evidence for the jury verdict against her,” the appeals court wrote. “But as she all but admits, she didn’t make either of the required post-verdict motions in the district court.”
After her loss, Kebe took to Instagram to apologize to the Grammy-winning rapper. Using the caption, “Talk about a check my mouth can’t cash!,” the YouTuber talked about learning her lesson. “Today, we throw in the white flag. What happened will never happen again,” she wrote. “To Cardi & her team, I apologize sincerely. We Live & Learn…”
She seems to have a sense of humor regarding her $4M debt. Tagging several fast food giants, Kebe used the hashtag #TashaKGetAJOB, and posted photoshopped images of herself in a McDonald’s uniform, telling fans she would update them on how she decides to get her money up.
The feud started in 2019, after the “Bodak Yellow” rapper, whose real name is Belcalis Almánzar, sued Tasha over what the rapper’s lawyers called a “malicious campaign” on social media and YouTube, trying to hurt Cardi’s reputation. Following a trial in January, jurors held Tasha liable for defamation, invasion of privacy, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Cardi was awarded over $2.5 million in damages and another $1.3 million in legal fees.
Attorney Ben Crump Hired To Represent Family of Glorilla Concert Stampede Victim
After a GloRilla concert turned into a nightmare, the family of the late Aisha Haskins-Stephens has hired Ben Crump to get justice.
Haskins-Stephens, 35, was trampled to death when chaos broke out after a concert in Rochester, New York. ABC 13 reports that her family has hired Crump, the prominent civil rights attorney, since family members feel the incident was preventable.
“It is disturbing that after the deaths caused by a crowd stampede at the Astroworld Festival, more precautions have not been taken at concert venues,” the family said in a statement. “…Concert venues and organizations have a significant responsibility to ensure the safety and health of those in attendance–individuals who just want to enjoy music and have fun with their friends.”
Haskins-Stephens was one of three concertgoers who died from injuries sustained at the Main Street Armory. Seven other people were treated for injuries. The announcement of Crump’s hiring was made shortly after one victim, Brandy Miller, was laid to rest, earlier this week.
GloRilla, the Memphis-born rapper, tweeted her support for those affected by the chaos at her show. Officers were called when there were reports of gunfire at the Main Street Armory shortly after the March 5 concert ended around 11 p.m. As concertgoers rushed to the doors, Haskins-Stephens, Miller, and another women, Rhondesia Belton, were trampled.
Medical officials said, “The injuries appear to be as a result of a large crowd pushing towards the exits following accounts of individuals hearing what they believed to be gunshots.” However, Rochester Police Chief David M. Smith said there was no evidence of gunshots.
Last week, Miller’s family announced their plans to sue GloRilla, concert promoters, and Main Street Armory. According to the Democrat & Chronicle, the city of Rochester will not renew the Armory’s entertainment license, meaning the venue is shut down indefinitely.
It’s Official: The Weeknd Named Most Popular Artist by Guinness World Records
Celebrated music artist The Weeknd has officially been named the world’s most popular artist by Guinness World Records. After recently reaching the 111-million monthly listeners mark on Spotify, the Canadian-born singer became the first act in any genre to accomplish the feat.
To put his stunning rise and subsequent popularity into perspective, the next artist on the list of the streamer’s monthly listeners list is Miley Cyrus (who rakes in 82.4 million spins), followed by Shakira (81.6 million), Ariana Grande (80.6 million), Taylor Swift (80.2 million), Rihanna (78.5 million), and Ed Sheeran (77.5 million). The Weeknd’s numbers not only stand out among his peers, it greatly exceeds them.
The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, joins the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, as the only artist to have No.1 singles from three separate albums. The Weeknd’s track “Die For You (Remix),” featuring Grande, steadily climbed the charts before taking the top spot.
Since his memorable, headlining stint at the Super Bowl halftime show two years ago, The Weeknd’s fans have made sure that his music continues to dominate. His 2020 single, “Blinding Lights,” has achieved the most Spotify streams in history while also being the longest charting song on the Billboard Hot 100. With over 90 weeks on the charts, the song itself is headed towards a Guinness World Record of its own.
Recently, The Weeknd dominated the Juno Awards, Canada’s version of the Grammys, walking away with four awards: artist of the year, song of the year, songwriter of the year, and pop album of the year. The wins come on the heels of a long legal battle over his 2018 track “Call Out My Name.” The song, from his My Dear Melancholy album, was said to have infringed upon a song entitled “VibeKing” produced by Suniel Fox and Henry Strange. Earlier this week, a settlement was reached.
Racist White Man Places Swastikas in his Yard After Black Woman Moves Business Next Door
A Black woman who had dreams of running a mobile hair styling business has been stifled by a racist neighbor in her town.
According to The New York Post, 21-year-old Angel Pittman spent $10,000 on unrestricted North Carolina land to us as a home base. She then spent $14,000 on three school buses, so she could hit the road to style her clients’ hair.
That plan was thwarted when a racist white neighbor allegedly displayed Confederate flags, swastikas, and KKK signs in his yard. Pittman also suspects that he was responsible for the destruction of her buses right after she moved to Salisbury last September.
She told The New York Post that her first interaction with the white neighbor was an “awkward exchange.”
“When I scouted the land the first two times before buying the property, the neighbor was not around. Our first time seeing him was the day we brought the buses over to the land and we had an awkward exchange. He asked us what we were doing there and if we were trying to get shade.”
She told The Guardian that after she purchased the land and brought the buses onto the property, the neighbor began harassing her
“He sat over there and had his gun out the whole time,” she said. “He was like, ‘Get the f**k off my lawn.’ And [that] we need to get them f**king buses off his lawn. So basically saying, my land was his.”
Soon after, she noticed racial slurs had been written on her buses and their windows had been broken, so she contacted the police. Deputies from the Rowan county sheriff’s office came to the property and reported what they saw as a hate crime. Yet, the deputies at the scene brushed it off by telling her, “Oh, yeah, they do that all the time,” Pittman stated. “The police talked to us for a little bit but they didn’t do anything. They just wrote a report and that was it.”
Since then, she started a GoFundMe account to raise money to repair the buses and to relocate to Charlotte, NC. She hoped to raise $80,000 to do so, but surpassed that goal and is currently at $93,000.
Usher Stops Show to Give Queen Latifah Her Flowers—Literally
R&B superstar Usher recently acknowledged the Queen while performing at his popular Las Vegas residency at the Dolby Live at Park MGM.
According to HipHopDX, the My Way crooner was doing his show March 18 when he paused briefly to acknowledge Queen Latifah’s birthday. He headed into the audience and handed Latifah some flowers and a hug. The multi-hyphenated star and pride of Jersey was celebrating her 53rd birthday.
The crowd gave a standing ovation as one of her best-known recordings, the 1993 song,”U.N.I.T.Y,” blared in the background.
Latifah, the star and executive producer of the dramatic series The Equalizer, has been a force in movies, TV, and music for decades. And she’s not slowing down one bit.
Last week, it was reported the New Jersey native is opening up more chances for filmmakers, specifically women of color, to express their stories through the Queen Collective. The initiative has been developed in partnership with Procter & Gamble, her company, Flavor Unit Entertainment, and Tribeca Studios.
Forbes reported the program will offer women filmmakers of color the opportunity to develop and showcase their short films in an effort to amplify gender, racial equality, and representation in the industry.
“We created this partnership, the Queen Collective, to give women of color an opportunity to create, produce, direct, and have financing for their short film and distribution. We’ll take care of everything from beginning to end and allow them to create their vision,” Latifah said.
The Queen Collective started in 2019. It provides mentorship, production support, distribution opportunities, and essential financial resources to innovative filmmakers.
Varietyreported the Queen Collective has been instrumental in helping approximately 100 people find work in the industry, noting that 75% were people of color.
Dr. Anita Thomas Named 11th President of North Central College
Anita Thomas, Ph.D., has been selected as the 11th president of North Central College beginning July 1, 2023. In North Central’s 162-year history, Thomas is the first woman and the first person of color chosen to become the long-serving president.
“Having the opportunity to become part of this extraordinary institution is truly a great joy and honor,” she said. “North Central is preparing our next generation of leaders and—in partnership with faculty, students, staff, the board, alumni, and the Naperville community—I am honored, humbled and ready to lead the College in the next phase of its storied history.”
Since 2019, Thomas has served as the executive vice president and provost at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, Minn. As chief academic officer, she provided strategic leadership for the university’s academic programs and implemented the institution’s academic master plan, including the planned launch of the Office of Intercultural Engagement and Social Justice.
Thomas was previously the founding dean of the College of Applied Behavioral Sciences at the University of Indianapolis, where she oversaw academic programs in psychology, social work, mental health counseling, and art therapy. Thomas also served for 10 years at Loyola University Chicago, where she was a faculty member and graduate program director for counseling psychology and later associate dean for academic affairs and research in the School of Education.
A native of Louisville, Ky., Thomas holds a doctorate degree in counseling psychology and a master’s degree in community counseling from Loyola University Chicago. Her bachelor’s degree in education and social policy is from Northwestern University.
Thomas is known nationally for her scholarship on racial socialization in African American families, stereotypical roles of African American women and girls, and the development of critical consciousness and resilience. At St. Catherine, she has helped to build an inclusive community of women to learn, lead, and be empowered to work for social justice.
“A college campus is the best place to address diversity and equity issues, a place to ‘unify diversity,'” she said. “As educators and lifelong learners, we have an opportunity to encourage diverse voices and leadership that will enhance the campus and serve as a model for students as they advance beyond college, bringing about more diverse perspectives around the table.”
