The plot continues to thicken surrounding Xscape’s three-member tour and why LaTocha Scott is omitted.

Apparently, David Ruffin ain’t got nothing on LaTocha Scott! While LaTocha initially claimed she opted out of touring with her group members to avoid working with a promoter who allegedly threatened her husband, Kandi Burruss is confirming reports that LaTocha dropped out after securing a solo deal.

Kandi recently responded to one fan on Instagram who seemingly expressed LaTocha’s initial claims that her group members weren’t supporting her by continuing to work with the promoter she took issue with.

But instead of letting the rumors spread, Kandi cleared the air by responding to the fan with the real reason LaTocha isn’t joining them on tour.

“I really hate that you believe that,” Kandi wrote in a comment captured by Its Only Entertainment.

“She got a solo deal back in the summer and started saying she wasn’t available for shows. You’ll see when the tv show comes out.”

Kandi’s response comes amid reports confirming LaTocha’s upcoming gospel album being released on Motown Gospel in early 2023, The Jasmine Brand reports. According to insiders, LaTocha’s solo album doesn’t mean she is leaving Xscape.

Scott reportedly still has desires to work with her group members despite the apparent rift between her and the other members. Kandi previously called out LaTocha for wearing a different outfit for the Soul Train Awards red carpet.

After LaTocha tried to claim that she didn’t “get the memo,” Kandi hopped in her comments and said she chose to work with a different stylist. Elsewhere, fans couldn’t help but notice the division when the ladies took the stage to accept the Lady of Soul award.

“Oh this was nasty,” one viewer tweeted along with the video clip.

https://twitter.com/KevinBobby/status/1596704029807038471?s=20&t=vJ_d5eMnauZpL2ByxpANWA

“Tiny knew she was wrong 😂 we get you don’t like her but In that moment PLAY IT OFF 😭,” added someone else. “This is where Media training comes in, Destinys child would NEVER.”

The saga continues, and fans will likely be tuned in when Xscape’s reality show premieres on Bravo.

Small businesses and sole proprietors in the nation’s capital negatively impacted financially during the COVID-19 pandemic could get grants ranging from $5,000 to $45,000.

Bob Marley fans, get ready to celebrate the Jamaican musician through an immersive experience coming to the U.S. in 2023.

The “Bob Marley One Love Experience” is set to open in Los Angeles early next year on Jan. 27. Following exhibits in London and Toronto, the 15,000-square-foot experience will premiere at Ovation Hollywood, according to NBC News.

“After being in London and Toronto, it’s going to be amazing bringing the experience here to the U.S. for the first time and just steps from Daddy’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame,” Cedella Marley, CEO of Bob Marley Group, said in a statement.

The exhibit will have never-before-seen photographs, concert videos, and lyric sheets. Additionally, visitors to the exhibit will witness rare memorabilia, including guitars, a soccer jersey, sneakers, and some of Marley’s influential art.

There will also be a branded pinball machine, jukebox, and some foosball tables for those who desire fun.

Observers will be able to experience an area dedicated to the legacy and philanthropy of the Marley family.

More adventurous visitors can enjoy a 2,000-square-foot One Love Forest that can be found inside the exhibit. Visitors interested in this part of the experience will be met with the multi-sensory environment as they explore a trip to Jamaica. Included in this section of the experience is a cannabis garden.

For fans who want to indulge in music, a visit to the Soul Shakedown studio provides a silent disco with headphones to listen to a groovy curated playlist.

Tickets to experience the multi-room exhibit will be available for purchase on Dec. 7, exclusively on Fever.

“The Official Bob Marley One Love Experience showcases never-before-seen Marley photographs and memorabilia while immersing you in a journey through his life, passions, influences, and enduring legacy. After a successful 2022 tour through London and Toronto, the experience makes its US debut—don’t miss this exclusive 12-week engagement in Hollywood!” the Fever website says on the exhibit’s page.

Fans who join the waitlist will be the first to be notified when tickets become available.

Greenwood Inc., which kicked off the “Bank Black” movement in 2020, announced that it has raised $45 million in venture capital funding to expand its digital banking services.

Forbes reports the Atlanta-based digital banking platform is co-founded by former entertainment executive Ryan Glover, tech entrepreneur Paul Judge, 90-year-old former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young Jr., and rapper Michael “Killer Mike” Render.

Greenwood Inc., named after the Oklahoma city where the Tulsa Race Massacre took place, was created to help Black and Brown consumers who increasingly pivot to minority-owned financial institutions as an alternative to mainstream banks, which have decades-long histories of racial discrimination.

Greenwood Inc. currently has about 100,000 accounts, with another 200,000 on a waiting list. The digital bank’s latest funding round was led by Pendulum, a firm that targets Black and Brown founders. The investment made Pendulum the largest investor on a dollar basis in the digital banking platform.

“Obviously, we need the broader capital markets to work more proportionally for Black and Brown folks,” Pendulum CEO Robbie Robinson, whose firm also serves as a strategic adviser to the Obama family, told Forbes. 

“But we’ve also got enough going on within our own communities where we can demonstrate the power of our ecosystem and our network effect.”

Last year, Greenwood Inc. raised $40 million in a funding round for the digital banking platform.

The current funding comes on the heels of Greenwood Inc.’s acquisitions of Valence, a Black professional social networking platform, and The Gathering Spot, a co-working and event space geared toward Black professionals. Greenwood Inc. has created a membership club called Elevate that offers access and expanded benefits to Valence and The Gathering Spot and other exclusive experiences, including private concerts and meet-and-greet events.

According to Glover, Greenwood believes combining banking services, networking, and career development and advancement can help Black and Brown families and entrepreneurs grow and maintain wealth.

“We will not be able to extinguish the wealth gap that exists in America,” Glover said. “But we want to put a dent in it.”

Greenwood Inc.’s standard banking platform will be free,e and its premium tier will be $10 a month. The Elevate membership will cost $200 per month.

• Politics

by Derek Major

November 30, 2022

In Historic First, Hakeem Jeffries Is Elected Democratic Party Leader Succeeding Nancy Pelosi

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House Democrats have elected New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries to lead the party in the next Congress making him the first Black person to lead a major political party in the U.S.

The Hill reports Jeffries will succeed Nancy Pelosi, who recently announced she would step down as party leader after her husband was attacked in their home. After Pelosi and her top Deputies Jim Clyburn (S.C.) and Steny Hoyer (Md.) announced they were stepping down, Jeffries quickly launched his bid for party leader.

Reps. Katherine Clark (Mass.) and Pete Aguilar (Calif.) were also voted into new positions and will succeed Hoyer and Clyburn. In a sign of Democratic unity, none of the three faced an opponent.

Jeffries, a Georgetown and New York University graduate said he hasn’t had much time to appreciate the historic significance of his leadership role, adding that he’s currently focused on the party’s transition to the minority and “the solemn responsibility” he’s about to assume.

“The best thing that we can do as a result of the seriousness and solemnity of the moment is lean in hard and do the best damn job that we can for people,” Jeffries said according to The Hill.

That didn’t stop other Democrats from celebrating Jeffries’ historic achievement, especially those in the Congressional Black Caucus including California Rep. Maxine Waters.

“As an African American, it sends a message out to this country that it’s time for real diversity and inclusion. And there are so many people of color who are capable and competent and can lead,” Waters, a 32-year congressional veteran and highly influential member of the Black Caucus told The Hill. “This will be a great image, for people of color, and for Black people and little Black boys to be able to aspire to a position as high as that.”

With Jeffries set to lead, the Democratic Party has turned Brooklyn, NY into a stronghold for the party as fellow Brooklynite Charles Schumer (N.Y.) is poised to remain the majority leader after Democrats held onto their upper-chamber majority in the Midterm Elections.

“I can’t wait to talk to my neighbor from Brooklyn four or six times a day like I did with Speaker Pelosi,” the Senate leader said on the floor Wednesday morning.

The change in leadership comes after Democrats lost control of the House but did much better than expected and leaving Republicans with a slim majority.

The Brooklyn Democrat has experienced a quick rise up the ranks of the party since 2013 when he became the co-chair of the party’s messaging group and later became chair of the House Democratic Caucus.

He was also quickly endorsed by Pelosi Hoyer and Clyburn after announcing his intent to become party leader.

• News

by Stacy Jackson

November 30, 2022

Fatal Shooting on FAMU Campus Left One Dead, 4 Injured — University President Responds

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A fatal shooting on the campus of Florida A&M University has called for a response from the institution’s president Larry Robinson.

In a statement released by the University, Robinson addressed the incident that police said took place on the basketball courts on Sunday around 4:30 p.m.

According to The Miami Herald, one victim was found dead and four wounded after a gunman opened fire at least 12 times into a crowd of over a dozen people playing and watching a game on the outside courts.

Reportedly, the courts in the 1200 block of Walnash Way, near the Hansel Tookes Recreation, were closed at the time.

Robinson’s statement said the FAMU Police Department and Tallahassee Police Department investigated the shooting and provided that none of the victims involved were identified as FAMU students.

“One victim, an adult male, died as a result of this shooting. Four other victims, one juvenile male and three adult males, sustained injuries ranging from minor to serious. Based on initial reports, it appears none of the victims are FAMU students,” President Robinson stated.

FAMU President Robinson Responds to Fatal Shooting pic.twitter.com/R23UjklL3O

— Florida A&M University (@FAMU_1887) November 28, 2022

“I want to assure the FAMU community the shooting incident that occurred on campus is not an ongoing threat to the University. The safety and security of our students, and the campus is the highest priority. … Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families,” he added in his statement on Sunday night.

WUSF News reported that the University would consider surveillance footage from 1,532 surveillance cameras installed throughout the campus to aid in the investigation.

In a review of FAMU safety protocols, the University has initiated updates to its rules regarding indoor and outdoor campus recreational facilities use.

No arrests have been made as the Tallahassee Police Department is unclear who the gunman’s target was. For the time being, police are encouraging witnesses to come forward by contacting TPD at 850-891-4085 or anonymously calling Crime Stoppers at 850-574-TIPS.

• Celebrity News

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

November 30, 2022

Dwyane Wade Responds to Former Wife’s Objection of Name and Gender Change for Daughter Zaya

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In the ongoing battle with his former wife, Siohvaughn Funches-Wade, to have their transgender daughter Zaya Wade legally change her name and gender, former Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade has filed papers responding to his ex-wife’s objections.

According to Today, earlier this week, the husband of Gabrielle Union had his legal team respond to Funches-Wade’s earlier accusation of Wade wanting the legal name change for Zaya for “financial gain.”

In response to that claim, in the paperwork submitted for Wade, his attorneys state, “This Petition is not about Siohvaughn or Dwyane or their prior marriage, it is about what Zaya wants and what is in her best interest. This Petition is about empowering Zaya to live her truth.”

The documents also revealed that Wade states that his daughter has identified as Zaya since she was 12 years old. Allowing the legal change to happen on her birth certificate will allow her to live a more comfortable and honest life.

The retired basketball player also mentioned that this decision is based on a request from their daughter. He wants to ensure that his former wife doesn’t have other motives related to whatever arrangements the two have regarding the custody and/or divorce agreement.

“Siohvaughn’s allegations are libelous at their core, and are, at best, nonsensical. Dwyane filed this Petition because Zaya asked him to. It is unclear if Siohvaughn’s goal is to relitigate her divorce and custody dispute with Dwyane, or to resume her campaign of personal attacks against Dwyane, but it is clear that her objections have little, if anything, to do with Zaya’s best interest.”

Earlier this month, Page Six reported that Funches-Wade objected to Wade’s petition to legally change the 15-year-old’s name to Zaya based on “multiple factors.”

The 41-year-old Funches-Wade claimed that Wade “is positioned to profit from the minor child’s name and gender change with various companies through contacts and marketing opportunities, including but not limited to deals with Disney.”

Earlier this month, Sereena Quick opened a Chick-fil-A franchise in West Philadelphia, making her the first Black woman to own Chick-fil-A franchises in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey.

WPVI-TV reports the grand opening of Quick’s Philadelphia franchise has been in the works for months after she was selected to be the operator earlier this year. The new Chick-fil-A franchise is located at 4040 City Avenue and is expected to create more than 100 jobs.

“It really is astounding just this accomplishment to really inspire and motivate the people in our community,” Quick said according to WPVI-TV.

“The young Black boys and girls in our community, who are going to one day look at me — or even at this opportunity—and say, ‘I too can do this.’”

 

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A post shared by Sereena Quick (@srnquick)

The West Chester University of Pennsylvania alum has always had an entrepreneurial spirit, and the Philadelphia native once owned a water ice truck in Philadelphia. Quick initially joined Chick-fil-A in 2019 after meeting Jon Hooper, the owner/operator of a Chick-fil-A franchise in California.

In just three years, Quick rose from Chick-fil-A’s executive director of a franchise in Malvern, Pennsylvania, alongside owner/operator Chris Walsh, to owning her own location in the state.

“Chris went above and beyond in teaching me how to think, act and lead as an Operator,” Quick said in a Chick-fil-A blog post.

“He empowered me with the autonomy to run the business as if it were my own, and I’m so grateful for the opportunity I had in his restaurant.”

After more than a decade in law enforcement, Quick is excited about her future with the fast food giant and said her time at the organization has been nothing but positive.

“I have never been a part of an organization that cares more about people,” Quick, a former federal probation officer, said in a Facebook video.

“We prepare our team members with the tools they need. We give them the leadership skills and the teamwork skills.”

Quick isn’t the only Black woman who owns and operates a Chick-fil-A franchise. Earlier this year, Amber Thomas, who was once an intern at the fast food giant, became the owner of San Diego’s only Black-owned Chick-fil-A franchise.

• Celebrity News

by Eric Moody

November 30, 2022

Woman Sues Actor Jesse Williams For Allegedly Fleeing The Scene Following L.A. Car Crash

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Actor Jesse Williams has run into legal trouble after a woman accused him of fleeing the scene following an intense car crash.

The woman has asked a judge to force Williams to appear for an in-person deposition in the case, according to court documents obtained by RadarOnline.

According to the outlet, Paula Bruce claims Williams and his team objected to an in-person deposition and will only agree to a virtual one. Bruce says Williams’ attorney has avoided having his client attend an in-person deposition for months, citing COVID-19 concerns and claims that the representing attorney had health concerns and could not be present for in-person depositions.

But Bruce said her team promised to follow all health and safety protocols.

Earlier this year, TMZ reported that the actor was sued by a woman who claimed he rear-ended her on January 20, 2020, in Los Angeles and fled the scene.

Bruce has demanded Williams be sanctioned $3,170 for his refusal and for the court to order him to appear in person, according to RadarOnline.

Photos from the scene show the alleged victim’s badly damaged Mercedes -along with the front part of Williams’ Porsche.

She claims that the crash caused her emotional distress and led her to miss work for some time. But the actor and his legal team deny the accusations and claim Williams never fled the scene. In fact, he remained on the scene, called the police, and exchanged information.

They also claim Bruce stated at the scene she was not injured when asked, and Williams left afterward to avoid the paparazzi once his assistant arrived.

RadarOnline reports that the actor followed up with Bruce days later after the crash, his lawyer said. She told him she was still doing fine, and he believed all was well until Bruce’s lawyer demanded $1.6 million. Williams later learned the victim told her insurance company that it was a “hit-and-run.”

NFL star Deshaun Watson is set to return to the football field after serving an 11-game suspension without pay following accusations of sexual misconduct by two dozen women during massages.

The suspension was part of a settlement with the National Football League where Watson agreed to undergo professional evaluation and treatment and pay a $5 million fine, the Associated Press reported.

Watson, who played for the Houston Texans at the time of the accusations, now looks ahead to his tenure with the Cleveland Browns. 

But the three-time Pro Bowl quarterback will make his return in front of less-than-supportive attendees. About 10 of the 25 women who accused Watson of sexual harassment and assault are planning to attend Sunday’s game at Houston’s NRG Stadium when the Browns take on Watson’s former team, the Texans, attorney Tony Buzbee told the AP.

Some reports state that the women will attend the game in suite boxed style seating, which raised different reactions from spectators on social media.

Buzbee said that some of the women’s intentions are to “make a statement” to remind Watson, “‘Hey we’re still here. We matter. Our voice was heard, and this is not something that’s over. (Sexual harassment and assault) happen every day in the United States.’”

While Watson has not been convicted of any criminal charges in a court of law, many share different opinions on the matter.

The AP reported that the women declined to comment ahead of Sunday’s game in Houston.

It’s still unclear if the attention Watson is expected to receive Sunday will mean continued focus on the allegations against him or a first step in shifting the focus back to his play on the field, according to experts who previously weighed on the matter.

The Browns, who were 4-7 in Watson’s absence, will play the Texans Sunday at 1 p.m. on CBS.