Trial for Serial Scammer Postponed After Judge and Prosecutor Test Positive for COVID
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

April 20, 2022

Trial for Serial Scammer Postponed After Judge and Prosecutor Test Positive for COVID

A serial scammer out of Chicago is still getting lucky after her trial was postponed due to the judge and prosecutor contracting COVID-19.

On Monday, Candace Clark had her trial delayed due to “unforeseen circumstances” related to a judge and prosecutor testing positive for COVID, CBS News reports. Jury selection for the trial was set to begin on Monday before the trial was rescheduled for June 3.

Clark has a rap sheet dating back decades linking her to several scams where she posed as a high-ranking state employee to secure lavish rental properties and then skip out on the rent. In 2020, Clark was charged with six counts. One for impersonating a state employee and five for theft by deception.

The jury trial results from a judge denying the 60-day grace period Clark requested in February to get her affairs in order. She asked for the extension after being offered a deal of 4 1/2 years in prison if she pleaded guilty to all six counts.

Among Clark’s scams, she reportedly lied about being crowned Miss Teen Illinois in 1987; pretended to be a real estate agent, community counselor, and state employee. She’s accused of stiffing different people and businesses for thousands, including retiree Darlene Simmons who called Clark “the devil.”

Her crimes include hosting fake productions that totaled up to $20,000 and stiffing landlords for over a decade. From 2008 to early 2020, Clark was named in 24 cases where landlords accused her of skipping out on rent. Clark, a serial squatter and scammer, reportedly owes $300,000 in lost rent and repairs for damage left behind.

Clark ended up getting the 60-day extension she asked for now that the judge and prosecutor contracted COVID. She has since been evicted from another apartment while awaiting trial.

If Clark is found guilty of the most serious counts, she could be facing a minimum sentence of three years in prison and a maximum sentence of seven years.

Roderick ‘Pooh’ Clark of ’90s R&B Boy Band Hi-Five Passes Away At 49
by Atiya Jordan

April 20, 2022

Roderick ‘Pooh’ Clark of ’90s R&B Boy Band Hi-Five Passes Away At 49

Roderick “Pooh” Clark, an original member of the ’90s R&B quintet Hi-Five, has died at 49.

According to TMZ, Clark had been in and out of the hospital while battling pneumonia over the last two weeks. On Sunday, April 18, the singer succumbed to complications from pneumonia and an infection at a hospital in Waco, Texas.

Clark has been paralyzed since 1993, following a car accident in Florida. Following the accident, Clark developed an infection that spread through his body over the years.

His death was announced on the band’s official Facebook page. Tributes have continued to pour in.

Fellow band member Marcus Sanders also shared the news of the late singer’s death alongside a photo and video of Clark on Facebook.

“Roderick ‘Pooh’ Clark Feb 27, 1973- April 17, 2022 Rest In Peace My Brother,” he wrote.

According to Deadline, Jonathan Kinloch, the band’s former manager, wrote on Facebook: “We were blessed and had a great time as a family. A huge part of what made it fun, was because of Roderick ‘Pooh’ Clark. He was the serious member, who made sure that the guys together worked hard. But also, we’re going to have a fun time as teenagers!”

The band’s musical director Martinez Little also paid tribute to Clark on Facebook alongside a photo of the late singer.

“I am saddened to find out that Roderick ‘Pooh’ Clark another member of the famed singing group ‘Hi5’, passed away on Easter Sunday,” he shared.

He added: “Pooh was the most athletic of them all. In basketball, he could stand right under the basket and jump straight up and dunk the ball,” he said. “Our play fights and Super Soaker battles were epic. We also used to battle each other hard on the Bball court in most cities. I still miss the fun times touring with my little brothers as Musical Director. My condolences to Hi5 and his family. R.I.P. Pooh.”

Hi-Five was formed in 1989 by members Tony Thompson, Roderick “Pooh” Clark, Marcus Sanders, Russell Neal, and Toriano Easley, all of whom were born in Waco. The group is well-known for several hits, including “She’s Playing Hard to Get” and the No. 1 Billboard single “I Like the Way (The Kissing Game).”

In 2007, the group suffered devastation after the lead vocalist Thompson died from inhaling a toxic amount of freon.

Hi-Five is currently performing with new band members.

Black Man Claims He Presented His Idea Directly To Elon Musk, Who Then Filed A Trademark Stealing It
by Derek Major

April 20, 2022

Black Man Claims He Presented His Idea Directly To Elon Musk, Who Then Filed A Trademark Stealing It

Riz Nwosu was a huge fan of Tesla’s products and a big fan of Tesla owner Elon Musk. So much so that when Tesla released its Cybertruck in 2019, Nwosu began developing a backpack based on the vehicle.

Nwosu developed the Cyberbackpack and even pitched it to Musk and Cybertruck designer Franz von Holzhausen. The Cyberbackpack comes with a bevy of features, including a TSA-approved lock, a USB charging port, and an extra-wide opening.

 

Excited about his product and the meeting, Nwosu purchased Cyberbackpack.com, began taking pre-sale orders, launched the Cyberbackpack on ProductHunt, and created a Shopify website to start receiving official orders. Nwosu even started a Twitter thread tagging Musk in it and other Tesla executives about a partnership.

While he waited for a response from Musk, Nwosu discovered that Tesla filed a trademark for the word Cyberbackpack. The news stunned Nwosu.

While Tesla is a leader in electric vehicles and clean energy, the company does have its issues, and racism is one of its most significant. The automaker has faced numerous racial discrimination claims. In fact, it’s faced so many complaints that the state of California has threatened to sue it. In many cases, Tesla denied wrongdoing but was forced to make payouts of more than $1 million, including paying Owen Diaz, a former elevator operator at a California Tesla plant, $137 million.

Although the news hurt Nwosu, it didn’t stop him. According to AfroTech, The Cyberbackpack inventor has since filed his own trademark, adding a first use date of January 2021, and is exploring his options for the word Cyberbackpack. The inventor also still wants to partner with Tesla in the future.

Musk, meanwhile, is still trying to conduct a hostile takeover of Twitter after his first attempt last week was unsuccessful. Twitter’s board members responded to the unwelcome attempt Friday by taking a so-called
‘”poison pill” designed to prevent the billionaire entrepreneur from completing his takeover—or at least make the whole process less appetizing.

Parents Outraged After Kindergartner Brings Jose Cuervo Margaritas to Snack Time
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

April 20, 2022

Parents Outraged After Kindergartner Brings Jose Cuervo Margaritas to Snack Time

Parents of kindergartners at Grand River Academy Livonia in Detroit are rightfully upset after one of the students brought a bottle of Jose Cuervo margarita mix to share with their classmates.

Alexis Smith is outraged after learning her daughter took 4 or 5 sips of ready-to-drink tequila out of a Dixie cup, Fox 2 Detroit reports. Smith and fellow parent Dominique Zanders couldn’t believe what happened.

“She felt woozy, a little dizzy,” Zanders said of her child who also drank the margarita drink.

“The girl poured it in her cup and she drank it and the girl ended up telling her what it is, and she went and told the teacher there is liquor in this cup, and the teacher gave her a funny face,” Zanders said.

A female student brought the single-serve drink to school to share with her friends during snack time. Other students claim the child knew exactly what she was drinking.

“I had a small conversation with my daughter—nothing big—and she told me the girl knew it was liquor,” Smith said.

Smith learned about the incident after the school contacted her on April 14, letting her know a kindergartner brought a premixed bottle of Jose Cuervo to school and shared it with four other students, Click On Detroit reports.

“So many thoughts (were) running through my mind like … what if it was open before the girl brought it to school? How much was it?” Smith said.

But parents are more upset at the school and wondering how the incident could take place.

“I’m not sure if they are short-staffed or whatever, it shouldn’t have happened,” Zanders said.

The school has since released a statement seemingly defending its staff.

“While we try to keep an eye on everything our students bring to school, that’s simply not possible,” the school said.

“It’s unfortunate that these types of adult beverages can be easily mistaken for child-friendly drinks.”

DJ Envy and Wife Gia Casey Get Candid About Marriage, Family, and Personal Growth
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

April 20, 2022

DJ Envy and Wife Gia Casey Get Candid About Marriage, Family, and Personal Growth

Raashaun Casey (better known as DJ Envy from The Breakfast Club) and his wife Gia Casey spoke exclusively with BLACK ENTERPRISE about their journey as a couple that’s revealed in their new book, “Real Life, Real Love: Life Lessons on Joy, Pain & the Magic That Holds Us Together.”

The Caseys have remained together through Raashaun’s growing celebrity, a devastating (and very public) cheating scandal, and the birth of six children. Now, more than 25 years into their relationship, they are stronger and more committed to each other than they’ve ever been, and their fans are clamoring to know how they’ve done it.

The couple met as two teenagers attending the same high school in Queens, NY. After 27 years of dating, with 20 as a married couple, the Casey’s are baring it all in the name of love in their new book.

As co-authors, Gia and Envy take turns providing their version of events recapping the many ups and downs that occurred over the two decades they’ve been together. The Casey’s speak openly about how they remained together over the last 25 years of their life while exploring the chronology of their love story with remarkable vulnerability, searing honesty, and a lot of humor.

They did the same while speaking to BLACK ENTERPRISE about their steps to growing together as a couple. Between opening up about the time Gia wasn’t completely satisfied in the bedroom, to revealing how Gia confronted Raashaun about his past affair, the Casey’s aren’t holding back.

The book relives defining moments from their relationship that helped them welcome and raise six children together, grow their personal brands and businesses, and stand the test of time. The narrative also serves as a guidebook on how couples can grow together and remain equals no matter the hurdles.

In addition to sharing their relationship journey in the book, their podcast The Casey Crew explores the good, bad, and ugly sides of relationships and family life. Press play below for the full candid conversation.

Travel The World at a Bargain with Dollar Flight Club
by Black Enterprise Shop

April 20, 2022

Travel The World at a Bargain with Dollar Flight Club

After two years of unprecedented travel restrictions, borders around the world are slowly reopening and allowing visitors to enjoy different countries. Airlines and hotels are seizing on the opportunity, offering mind-blowing deals to further entice potential travelers.

The summer months are one of the busiest for travelers, and after added incentive to get out this year, you can safely bet this summer will be one of the busiest on record for travelers.

With a Dollar Flight Club Premium Lifetime Subscription, save up to $2,000 on domestic and international travel deals. For a limited time, you can purchase this deal for just $49. That’s a savings of 92% from its MSRP ($690).

This product is just what you need to check off all the travel destinations on your bucket list. With Dollar Flight Club is used by more than one million travelers across the globe. Let Dollar Flight Club find the perfect travel deal for you and your family.

Here are a few deals Dollar Flight Club users have been able to enjoy: Madrid ($330 roundtrip, economy), Hawaii ($129 roundtrip, economy), Iceland ($229 roundtrip), and Cancun ($175 roundtrip).

Currently, Dollar Flight Club has a ranking of 4.5 stars from 19 reviewers.

“If you’re looking to book a weekend getaway, an international adventure, or just a flight to visit a loved one, Dollar Flight Club seems like a pretty easy way to save on your next plane ticket,” CNN.

This product can be used on desktop, iOS, and Android operating systems.

Updates to the software are included, and the program can be installed on unlimited devices. They set up travel alerts, all you have to do is set your location to your home airport and wait for the deal you want to come to your email.

With Dollar Flight Club, rest assured knowing you’ll have the best travel deals at your fingertips. Purchase it today to see the world.

Prices subject to change.

by Keka Araújo

April 20, 2022

Social Media And Lifestyle Gamechanger Maui Bigelow To Celebrate Female Tastemakers With Ninth Annual Life Styled Honors

Social media maven, influencer, boss and founder of PHAT Girl Fresh, Maui Bigelow, is taking over Atlanta for five days with upscale events throughout the city.

The ninth annual Life Styled Honors is a “world-renowned celebration of style, community, beauty and brilliance,” and its game-changing master of ceremony plans to offer participants “an ingenious meld of fashion, beauty and empowerment.” 

Maui, 44, will honor notable Black female influencers in five categories during the five-day extravaganza. Past honorees include Lisa Price, founder of Carol’s Daughter; Tarana Burke, founder of the Me Too movement; Tamika Palmer, Breonna Taylor’s mother; GooGoo Atkins, stylist and on-air personality; Mariah Huq, executive producer and on-air personality; and Jasmine Elder, creator of Jibri.

On April 15, Maui announced the extended and leveled-up Life Styled Honors on Instagram. It’s complete with an itinerary of events. The down-to-earth southern belle expressed that the honors were a labor of love for her and her goal was to celebrate women and womanhood- individually and collectively.

“​​Since about age 10, I have known that God was grooming me for something different. I didn’t know exactly what but I knew it was greater [than] I understood, and I knew it was about women and girls. I now know that is purpose. I play around and talk a lot of shit but my heart is filled with love and a tremendous desire to offer light to the world especially women. Even when the messaging is laced with profanity, it’s all love.”

She continued, “I know that we (women) aren’t always met with the energy we offer or deserve which is what motivated me to start Life Styled Honors. Life Styled Honors is about so many different communities of women because the fact is, there is no one way to be a woman. This event is about pushing past my comfort zone and hopping out of the box that society placed me in. This event is about celebrating women who contribute so much but many times receive so little. This event is about freedom; the freedom to live beyond boundaries, the freedom to live out loud, and the freedom to live unapologetically.”

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Maui Bigelow (@mauibigelow)

Lane Bryant, Carol’s Daughter, Hype Hair Magazine, and the Breonna Taylor Foundation are sponsoring the gala.

The kick-off event for the midweek festivities is Cocktails & Karaoke on April 20 at the Suite Food Lounge from 6-10 pm.  

This year’s honorees are powerhouses –  Nzinga Imani, Nse Ufot, Ramona O, Kenyatta Jones, Bee Marie and J. Ivory. Jessie Woo will also be in attendance. Maui is also doing it big with other upscale activities like the Black Women Are Lit Dinner, Curves En Blanc and The Beautiful Brown Girls Brunch (Sneaker Edition). 

When asked about how she sets herself apart from the overly-saturated influencer space, Maui made it clear that she’s in a league of her own. 

“I show up and offer myself. I show up confident because I know that no matter the space, no matter the other individuals in that space I add to the room because there is only one Maui Bigelow. My light shines differently even among other lights that shine bright. My light is specific, and you can only receive it from me and my perspective adds unique value.”

The proud Georgia peach, known for her bold red lips, blonde locs and designer sunnies, has been in the digital game since 2008– before Instagram was a thing. The Iron City native built her platform on creating a “path for women to emerge and thrive.”

As the former curator of PHAT Girl Fresh, a platform that blended feminism with social media, fashion, beauty and culture, Maui understood that Black women were not a monolith and she filled a much-needed void in the digital space. The Albany State alum also became a highly-respected voice to sisters through media outlets like Madame Noire and Hello Beautiful.

Because the good sis’ reach extended to thousands of women on her platform through a thoughtful approach to sharing her experiences in healing, personal transformations, social change work, plus style and beauty– she has been featured by Associated Press and in Buzzfeed, Yahoo, Ebony and Seventeen Magazine.

The Life Styled Honors encompasses the embodiment of how Maui shows up in the world. 

This year’s event will take place from April 20-24. Tickets are still available.

Daymond John Details How His Mom Became FUBU’s First Investor
by Derek Major

April 19, 2022

Daymond John Details How His Mom Became FUBU’s First Investor

It’s no secret how FUBU clothing founder Daymond John turned the brand from underground to mainstream, but what may be a bit less known is how much his mother helped.

John took advantage of a recent appearance on the Club Shay Shay podcast with NFL Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe to express just how much Margot John helped him achieve his dream.

During the podcast, John discussed how his mom saw him work tirelessly for five years and being denied by numerous banks before investing in her son.

“I go to my mother and tell her I got turned down from 27 banks and she says, ‘Daymond, you’ve been trying to contribute to this house as long as you were a kid. I wouldn’t do this if you didn’t have the money. Let’s take all of the money we can out of the house. You manufacture and deliver the clothes and put the money back into the house.’ And that’s how she gave me the money,” John told Sharpe.

John added that his mother took a $100,000 loan out on her home.

“To this day I haven’t asked her what she did for the rest of the money, but shout out to moms,” John said.

According to John, the struggles didn’t end there. The $100,000 was down to just $500 in months as he lacked the financial education has to juggle various costs for the urban fashion brand. Again, Margot came through for her son by taking out an ad in the newspaper looking for a strategic partner.

“There were some dark times and that’s the best part of me having three amazing partners,” John said in the podcast. “Every time they were down, I’d pick them up and vice versa. My mother was still there saying you got this and my community was behind me. I realized that I had to make it work. Everything was on the line and there was nothing else to discuss. It was just I had to make this work.”

In 2009, John became an investor on Shark Tank and has invested more than $8.5 million in businesses promoted on the show, including Al “Bubba” Baker’s boneless ribs and Bombas socks

Georgia’s First Black-Owned Hemp Farm Is Laser-Focused On Health and Wellness Products
by Atiya Jordan

April 19, 2022

Georgia’s First Black-Owned Hemp Farm Is Laser-Focused On Health and Wellness Products

The co-founders of Georgia’s first Black-owned hemp farm, The Green Toad Hemp, are striving to encourage and educate Black farmers while building their brand.

The farm’s chief operating officer, Dwayne Hirsch, and chief executive officer, Reginald Hirsch, have different backgrounds but shared goals. After discovering CBD, the eager business partners established the hemp farm in July 2019 and received its license in April 2020, the Hemp Grower reported.

Reese, a former senior-level corporate executive, found a better option in CBD products to help him relieve the chronic pain from back and hip surgeries.

Hirsch, who has an autistic son, took an interest in the plant, hoping that “CBD and cannabis could help resolve certain symptoms related to the autism spectrum,” according to the SaportaReport.

The Green Toad Hemp Farm in Metter, Georgia. (Image provided by The Green Toad Hemp Farm.)

The Green Toad Hemp was inspired by the loud green toads that lived in the fountain of Reese’s Atlanta area home. What started as a 17.5-acre plot in Metter, Georgia, has expanded to two locations in Metter and on McDaniel Street in Southwest Atlanta houses.

The Green Toad grows hemp for CBD, flower, and oil with a fully integrated operation. Hirsch and Reese have produced over 50 items, including the bestselling Delta 8 Pre-rolls, full-spectrum oil, Delta 8 CBD gummies, and a complete line of flowers, topicals, edibles, tinctures, vapes, capsules, pet CBD products, and more.

“It’s done from our sacrifice driven by our love for our own health and daily wellness. I love to see that for other people to be able to have that and for all of us to have an opportunity to advance our professional interests in the future,” Hirsch said.

As a first-generation farmer, Hirsch said that Black farmers could benefit from adding CBD to their crop portfolios to get ahead of the ongoing redlining and loan discrimination. By 2017, minorities made up less than 2% of agricultural landowners in the United States. The business partners have helped several farmers get their licenses.

“I think when Black farmers figure out how to get their businesses and farms funded in a way that would help them, we could really…become a part of this industry as Black growers,” Reese told the Hemp Grower.

Reese and Hirsch plan on franchising the company to future retail stores and to launch products in a thousand major retail locations in a thousand days. They also want to help entrepreneurs foster the importance of health and wellness that is affordable, manageable, and sustainable.

“Our intent is to be a diligent operator within our community and one that can be a platform for inspiration for others,” Hirsch said.

 

City of Durham, NC, Refusing to Pay $6 Million to Man Exonerated of Murder Charges
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

April 19, 2022

City of Durham, NC, Refusing to Pay $6 Million to Man Exonerated of Murder Charges

A North Carolina man who successfully got two murder convictions overturned after 21 years is fighting to receive the $6 million judgment he was granted for having his civil rights violated.

In December 2021, a jury awarded Darryl Howard $6 million after finding proof that retired detective Darrell Dowdy fabricated information in a questionable investigation that led to Howard being wrongly convicted of two counts of second-degree murder and one count of arson, The News & Observer reported.

Despite the judgment, Durham City Council is refusing to pay Howard the $6 million or indemnify Dowdy. Howard says the city is fighting tooth and nail to avoid paying, even though Durham officials paid $4 million to hire lawyers who slandered Howard during the trial.

“I proved my innocence. I went through every court,” Howard said. “Every judge says what this was, even the governor.”

Now Dowdy and his legal team have to organize another campaign to fight against the Durham City Council which decided in a series of closed session meetings not to pay the judgment on Dowdy’s behalf. The council also expects Howard to pay the legal fees of the two city employees who were dismissed from the case.

“I don’t understand that,” he said. “Now I have to fight again.”

Gov. Roy Cooper pardoned Howard last year following his 2016 exoneration that came after serving 21 years of an 80-year jail sentence, Fox News reported. Howard was convicted in 1995 in relation to the 1991 murders of Doris Washington, 29, and her 13-year-old daughter, Nishonda.

However, a judge vacated the convictions and ordered Howard’s release due to a lack of DNA evidence at the time. Reporter Virginia Bridges shared a tweet tallying up how much the city of Durham paid to try to take Howard down in court, only to turn around and deny the $6 million he rightfully won.

The case remains in litigation.

×