by Jeroslyn JoVonn

September 13, 2025

Miami Couple Arrested For Selling Over $500K Of Counterfeit Luxury Items From Home

A Miami couple faces felony charges for selling fake Louis Vuitton out of their home.

A couple is facing felony charges after authorities uncovered a $500,000 counterfeit luxury goods operation inside their home in Miami Gardens.

On Sept. 9, Yuri Velazquez-Garcia, 33, and Mayrelis Marquez Plans, 32, were arrested on felony counterfeiting charges tied to more than $20,000 in goods, CBS News reports. Authorities say over 500 counterfeit items were found at their home, which had been transformed into a mini luxury boutique.

“You were arrested for selling counterfeit goods or services over $1,000,” Miami-Dade County Judge Mindy Glazer said during their Sept. 10 hearing.

The investigation began in July when an investigator found an Instagram post advertising a home as a Louis Vuitton storefront, with handbags, clothing, and shoes displayed for sale. Authorities traced the address to Northwest 185th Street, confirming Velazquez-Garcia owned it.

Surveillance later revealed activity consistent with counterfeit sales, along with social media accounts linking Velazquez-Garcia and Marquez-Plans to the nationwide shipping of fake goods. In August, an undercover agent conducted controlled buys at the home, where Marquez-Plans escorted them into the counterfeit boutique before Velazquez-Garcia offered items for sale, according to reports.

In one instance, the agent purchased a handbag valued at $7,550 and a $1,070 shirt for just $180 cash. During a second visit, the agent bought a bathing suit, belt, cap, and shirt with a combined MSRP of $3,435 for $250 cash. A Louis Vuitton manager later verified that all of the items were counterfeit.

With a search warrant, authorities seized more than 500 counterfeit items from the home, merchandise that would have been worth over $500,000 if authentic.

“If the items were real, they would’ve been over half a million dollars,” a state attorney said.

Velazquez-Garcia and Marquez-Plans were booked on felony counterfeiting charges involving goods valued at $20,000 or more. Each was held on a $5,000 bond, which they later posted.

Kentanji Brown, Brett Kavanaugh, justices, Supreme Court

by Sharelle B. McNair

September 13, 2025

An Evening With ‘Lovely One’ Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson In Charlotte: Recap

The crowd erupted when the Justice took the stage to read an excerpt from her best-selling memoir, paying homage to her first and middle names--Ketanji Onyika--meaning “Lovely One.”

On a brisk September night, members of Charlotte, North Carolina’s, elite gathered at the newly revamped Carolina Theatre to hear from the first Black woman to ever sit on the Supreme Court, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.

The sold-out crowd could be heard whispering about how much they already loved her 2024 book, “Lovely One: A Memoir,” while others patiently waited in line to purchase it before doors opened. Lovers of politics, who currently fight for our rights, like North Carolina Democratic Congresswoman Alma Adams, took their seats as Secret Service agents could be seen scanning the onlookers. It wasn’t long before Brown-Jackson’s childhood best friend, Sunny Schleifer Binder, took the stage to introduce the historymaker.

The crowd erupted when the Justice took the stage to read an excerpt from her best-selling memoir, paying homage to her first and middle names–Ketanji Onyika–meaning “Lovely One.” For roughly five minutes, she read a section of the book that discussed her journey growing up in Miami and the honor it was to be raised by two HBCU-educated parents. Born in 1970, just five years after the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was signed into law, Brown-Jackson spoke about her early love for theater and debating, admitting that at a young age, she wanted to be the first Supreme Court Justice to perform on Broadway.

The program was put on by the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture, in collaboration with The Gambrell Foundation and the Arts + Science Council. The audience became engaged in the conversation, moderated by Gantt himself. Gantt is known for his philanthropic work in addition to being the first African American student of Clemson University in 1963 and Charlotte’s first Black mayor in 1983.

The two historymakers chatted about her journey to becoming the first Black woman justice in the Supreme Court’s 236-year history, succeeding retired Justice Stephen Breyer, for whom she worked as a law clerk. “The vision precedes the passage,” she said as she discussed how she served on every level of federal court. Graduating from Harvard University, Brown Jackson talked about her days as an undergrad, where she met her husband, Patrick, in an era during which she found herself struggling to fit in.

But it was one particular moment she shared with the audience that made some tear up, in addition to thunderous applause. The mother of two reminisced about one day walking on campus, feeling slightly down due to being away from the warm Florida weather, and celebrating her 18th birthday in the cool fall temperatures of Cambridge, Massachusetts. And out of nowhere, a Black woman started walking toward her and whispered “persevere” to her and scurried away. She took that as a sign that she was exactly where she needed to be, remembering words from her aunts of angels always being around her without knowing.

And remembering a famous quote from renowned author Toni Morrison, after fighting to have a Confederate flag removed. “The function, the very serious function of racism is distraction. It keeps you from doing your work…” the novelist once said.

It’s words such as Morrison’s that helped Brown Jackson realize that not only did she earn her seat on the Supreme Court, but she deserved it. “I have a seat at the table now and I’m ready to work,” she told the audience.

“And I feel that.”

by Kandiss Edwards

September 13, 2025

Tiger Woods-Backed Learning Lab Opens In Philadelphia

The ribbon cutting ceremony was held on Sept. 8.

The Tiger Woods-backed TGR Learning Lab is now open at Cobbs Creek Golf Course in West Philadelphia.

Woods, the legendary golfer, attended the Sept. 8 ribbon cutting.

This facility represents a key part of a $175 million project led by the Cobbs Creek Foundation. The foundation seeks to restore the historic public golf course while opening access to free learning resources.

The 30,000-square-foot Lab is one of only two TGR Learning Labs in the United States. The other is in Anaheim, California.

At Cobbs Creek, middle and high school students can enroll in after-school classes, weekend workshop, and other enrichment opportunities. Areas of education podcasting, forensic science, music production and college and career readiness.

Monday, September 8, 2025 is a day in our history we'll never forget. Watch to see highlights from our TGR Learning Lab Philadelphia ribbon-cutting on the Cobbs Creek Golf and Education Campus. pic.twitter.com/7uFcNEpfaz
— TGR Foundation (@TGRFound) September 9, 2025

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker praised the new facility as a place where “we connect our young people to these opportunities, it ignites growth.”

Woods, who attended Stanford before starting his golf career, has emphasized that the lab is meant to offer stability and inspiration. The Learning Lab will be a safe place where neighborhood kids can explore academic and creative interests without cost or barriers.

Mayor Cherelle Parker thanks Tiger Woods as they celebrate the opening of the Smilow Woodland TGR Learning Lab at Cobbs Creek pic.twitter.com/FXiS8VzpgS
— Ariel (@ArielSimpson16) September 8, 2025

Beyond education, the lab is part of efforts to improve the surrounding landscape at Cobbs Creek, reduce flooding through wetlands restoration, and build a nine-hole golf course designed by Woods’ design firm.

The golf course project will begin in the coming months.

Earlier this year, Amazon MGM Studios secured the film rights to The Tiger Slam: The Inside Story of the Greatest Golf Ever Played. Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Productions is expected to partner on the project.

That biopic plans to focus on Woods’s rise in golf, including his professional breakthrough at the 1997 Masters, the historic Tiger Slam, and his ascent from prodigy to global icon.

by Kandiss Edwards

September 13, 2025

Virginia High School Name Change Violates The Constitution Due To ‘Confederate Ties’

But the school doesn't have to change its name. Yet.

On Sep. 9, a federal judge ruled that the Shenandoah County School Board violated the Constitution when it revived a school’s former name, NBC News reports.

Stonewall Jackson High School changed its name in 2020. Once the name of the Confederate general was restored, opponents argued that its use forced students to become living representations of a Confederate legacy, which affected their education.

The decision emerged from a lawsuit brought by the Virginia NAACP along with parents and students who said the board’s May 2024 vote to restore the school’s violated their rights.

U.S. District Judge Michael F. Urbanski agreed.

“When plaintiffs’ bodies, hard work, talents, and achievements are intertwined with the name ‘Stonewall Jackson,’ plaintiffs are enlisted in conferring honor on that name,” Urbanski wrote, “and because that name conveys a message well-understood by viewers in plaintiffs’ community, plaintiffs are enlisted in conferring honor on that message by extension.”

The plaintiffs argued that students who wear the “Generals” mascot or attend the renamed high school are not simply attending a school. They are being forced to promote a message that they support the confederacy; many, of course, do not.

The court agreed, saying that First Amendment protections against compelled speech apply.

Despite the ruling on the compelled speech claim, the court held off on ordering a name change. Urbanski denied a final judgment and deferred enforcing relief until other claims—such as violations of Title VI, equal protection, and the Equal Educational Opportunities Act—are fully examined.

A trial is set to start Dec. 8.

For many families and civil rights advocates involved, the ruling is a step toward ensuring that public symbols align with constitutional values and protections, not just tradition.

Actress ,Harvard’s American Repertory Theater, lawsuit

by Mitti Hicks

September 12, 2025

First Diversity Officer At New Jersey Hospital Suing Over Alleged Discrimination

Dr. Chris Pernell was the chief integration and health equity officer at University Hospital in Newark, the state’s only public acute-care facility.

The first diversity officer at a New Jersey hospital is suing her former employer over allegations of discrimination.

Dr. Chris Pernell, the former chief Integration and health equity officer at University Hospital in Newark, the state’s only public acute-care facility, claims she was illegally forced to leave in 2022.

According to NJ.com, Pernell, in the lawsuit, said she was subjected to sexist and racial discrimination and harassment. She alleges that she worked in a hostile environment and was the target of a “frivolous scam investigation” after vying for the stop spot at the hospital when it became open.

She also lists the State Ethics Commission as a defendant.

Pernell Says She Was Criticized For Diversity Efforts

Pernell served as chief diversity officer in one of the largest providers of care in the state for uninsured patients. NJ.com said the hospital is a 519-bed facility.

Pernell said she was criticized for her diversity efforts and found herself being scrutinized more than other senior staff. In an interview shortly after her departure, she said hostility toward her began shortly after her arrival while she was working to implement diversity and inclusion initiatives.

“I felt like I had to validate the role I was in,” she said.

In the lawsuit, Pernell said she was often asked to “quell the concerns of the Black workers.” In one incident, she stated that she was asked to participate in the hospital’s response after someone wrote “WLM” (White Lives Matter) in a common work area.

Instead of firing that employee, Pernell said the hospital reassigned him over her objections.

She said things took a turn after she expressed interest in the CEO position that opened up following Shereef Elnahal’s departure to work under the Biden administration.

Pernell claimed that even after over 100 leaders had written an open letter to the governor and hospital board of directors in support of her as CEO, she was told the governor’s office would not support her candidacy, and was “not going to be strong-armed” into offering her the position.

Pernell is currently the director of the Center for Health Equity at the NAACP.

In her lawsuit, Pernell is seeking reinstatement, back pay, benefits, compensatory damages, and legal fees. She also wants the hospital to “take appropriate corrective action to stop and prevent retaliation at the workplace.”

women's wrestling, Delaware State University,

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

September 12, 2025

Delaware State University And NYC Welcome Inaugural Class At HBCU Early College Prep High School

New York City welcomed 125 inaugural students at the city’s first-ever HBCU prep high school.

There aren’t any historically Black colleges and universities in New York City, but the city is still proudly preparing scholars to attend one with the launch of its first-ever HBCU prep high school.

On Sept. 4, HBCU Early College Prep High School (HBCUECP) opened its doors in Jamaica, Queens, welcoming 125 inaugural students to a unique program that enables them to earn college credits and graduate with an associate degree. Made in partnership with New York City Public Schools and Delaware State University, the school is designed to guide students toward attending an HBCU, a first of its kind in New York City, ABC 7 NY reports.

“You are the inaugural class of this historic school that represents years of hard work and transformation of your ancestors, who made sure the paved way was available and accessible to you,” said Melissa Aviles-Ramos, the chancellor of New York City Public Schools. “You are our future, we are turning it over to you to make it better.”

The school builds on Delaware State University’s Early College High School program in Dover, which has been operating since 2013, allowing students to earn up to 64 college credits, equivalent to an associate degree, before graduating. Led by DSU alum Dr. Asya Johnson as founding principal, the school is one of seven new NYC schools. It has attracted strong interest, receiving over 1,000 applications while accepting just 125 students.

“That’s the exciting part — the interest is there,” said Dr. Kareem McLemore, DSU vice president for strategic enrollment management and international affairs. “The tough part is knowing a thousand other students wanted this same opportunity and couldn’t get in this year because of space.”

Many New York City high schools focus on trades, Macklemore notes, but college-prep high schools like those offered by DSU are rare. The institution hopes the new school will provide inner-city students with opportunities to explore HBCU pathways, particularly at DSU, which attracts its largest out-of-state student population from New York City.

“New York has the highest number of out-of-state students who choose Delaware State as their HBCU,” McLemore said. “It was only fitting that we create a pathway for these students right in their own backyard.”

NYC Mayor Eric Adams helped cut the ribbon at the new school and spoke to students about their potential futures at an HBCU.

“We need an HBCU to allow you to become who you want to become,” he said.

North Carolina, Hospital, harvest sons organs

by Kandiss Edwards

September 12, 2025

Young Man Saved From Alleged Organ Harvesting By First-Year Resident

A 22-year-old St. Louis man almost had his organs removed before he was declared brain-dead.

In 2019, Larry Black Jr. was on the operating room table at SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital due to a gunshot wound. The injury was sustained in the back of Black’s head. Consequently, he was placed in a medically induced coma. A week later, Black was being prepped for organ retrieval. His chest and abdomen were already being cleaned for organ retrieval when a neurosurgeon intervened.

Though Blacks family gave consent for the organ removal, they say they were still unsure after speaking to hospital staff, CNN reported. Black’s neurosurgeon, a 34-year-old first-year resident, interrupted the process.

“I don’t care if we have consent,” Zohny Zohny said. “I haven’t spoken to the family, and I don’t agree with this. Get him off the table.”

His actions saved the young man’s life. Black says that, though he was nonresponsive on the outside, he could hear his family. They gathered in support of their young loved one to pray and honor his life. Black attempted to get their attention to no avail.

“I heard my mama yelling,” he told KFF Health News. “Everybody was there yelling my name, crying, playing my favorite songs, sending prayers up.”

Black’s family and doctors are now navigating uncertainty about legal, medical, and ethical implications. The case is drawing attention from bioethicists, patient advocates, and legal scholars who say it raises fundamental questions about how brain death is determined, and whether protocols in hospitals give sufficient voice to patients and families before irreversible decisions are made.

Experts have noted that current guidelines rely on specific neurological tests, imaging, and sometimes set waiting periods before organ harvesting can occur. However, growing concern persists that differences in hospital practice or interpretation might lead to errors.

Civil litigation in other states has resulted from similar cases. Courts have occasionally examined whether hospitals followed accepted medical standards, whether patients’ or their families’ objections were adequately heard, and whether consent for organ donation was legally valid under the circumstances.

Black is now a 28-year-old father of multiple children. Luckily, Black’s practitioner followed his training and did not allow the impulsive actions of the hospital staff to prevail.

by Mitti Hicks

September 12, 2025

Education Dept. Ends Grants For Minority Serving Institutions

The Education Department plans to reallocate the more than $350 million in grant money for Minority-Serving Institutions (MSI) to programs it says aren't unconstitutional.

The U.S. Department of Education announced that it will end $350 million in discretionary funding for colleges that serve large populations of minority serving institutions.

The Trump administration said the grants allocated for Minority-Serving Institutions (MSI), mainly HBCUs and Hispanic Serving Institutions, are “unconstitutional.”

“To further our commitment to ending discrimination in all forms across federally supported programs, the Department will no longer award Minority-Serving Institution grants that discriminate by restricting eligibility to institutions that meet government-mandated racial quotas,” U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon wrote in a statement. “Diversity is not merely the presence of a skin color. Stereotyping an individual based on immutable characteristics diminishes the full picture of that person’s life and contributions, including their character, resiliency, and merit.”

McMahon said the Education Department plans to work with Congress to reprogram the discretionary funds to institutions that “serve underprepared or under-resourced students without relying on race quotas.”

What Led To The End of Grants at Minority Serving Institutions?

According to Insight Into Academia, the Trump administration’s decision follows a lawsuit by Tennessee and the conservative group Students for Fair Admissions, which challenged the legality of Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) programs.

The Trump administration declined to defend the initiative in court, and Solicitor General D. John Sauer argued that the program violated the “equal-protection component of the Fifth Amendment’s Due Process Clause.” Sauer cited the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision to end race-conscious admissions.

Critics argue the administration is overstepping its authority and that ending the grants does more harm than good, especially for students attending under-resourced schools.

“Schools [that] are in the middle of their grant periods are being given less than a month to plan as their grants aren’t being continued,” Amanda Fuchs Miller, former deputy assistant secretary for higher education programs under President Joe Biden, told The Washington Post via email. “And, just earlier this month [the Education Department] ran competitions for many of these programs, wasting time and resources for those who applied.”

The Education Department did not reveal where it plans to reallocate the funds.

by Kandiss Edwards

September 12, 2025

Michigan Woman Out On Bond As Food Stamp–Bakery Allegations Unfold

The warrant filed on June 30 charges Teneyuque with one count of food stamp fraud of $1,000 or more.

A Michigan woman accused of welfare fraud using a state Bridge Card had her hearing postponed earlier this month.

Talia C. Teneyuque’s defense attorney, Anthony S. Gonzales, requested the adjournment on Sept. 3 because her regular lawyer, Emilie K. Lyday, who had just been assigned the case, was in a trial in another courtroom.

Judge Terry L. Clark postponed the proceedings. The case will resume at a later date, according to MLive.

Prosecutors allege Teneyuque used her Bridge Card benefits, commonly known as food assistance or food stamps, to procure ingredients, which she then used to bake goods. Teneyuque then sold them for personal gain.

The operation, prosecutors said, lasted from January 2022 through September 2023. Teneyuque’s alleged misconduct was investigated by the Michigan Office of Inspector General, according to MLive.

The warrant filed on June 30 charges her with one count of food stamp fraud of $1,000 or more. If convicted, Teneyuque could face up to 10 years in prison and be fined as much as $250,000.

Authorities said they will continue gathering evidence while the court waits for Lyday to become available. Teneyuque has been released on a $50,000 bond.

Other Michigan residents have been charged with abusing food assistance benefits. In 2023, Dana Nessel, Charles Williams and Darian Palmer were charged with a multi-million-dollar food stamp theft.

According to the indictment, the three individuals traded food stamps for cash, generating a profit of $4 million. The defendants allegedly stole food stamp card information from out-of-state recipients and reproduced the cards. Then the defendants made wholesale purchases at retailers like Sam’s Club, presumably to resell.

The ring is alleged to have illegally obtained electronic benefit (EBT) card data from 8,000 cardholders, most of whom resided in California.

by Jameelah Mullen

September 12, 2025

‘Love Island USA’ Star Olandria Carthen Shows Off Her HBCU Pride In Partnership With Microsoft

The Tuskegee grad reps for her alma mater in new online campaign

Olandria Carthen was thrust into the spotlight after she appeared on Season 7 of the Netflix Series Love Island USA. Now she is shining the light on her alma mater, Tuskegee University, in her latest partnership with Microsoft.

The Decatur, Alabama, native teamed up with Microsoft to showcase Copilot, the tech giant’s AI-powered conversational tool that claims to increase productivity and improve workflow by “automating routine tasks and analyzing data,” according to the company’s website.

In a promotional video posted on Instagram, “Bama Barbie” used the tool to ask questions about her alma mater, which revealed information about the school, including its notable alumni and responses from the Copilot, as well as the histories of HBCUs in America.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Olandria (@x_olandria)

Carthen said academics weren’t the only reason she chose to attend an HBCU; the reality star said she wanted to be in an environment where she felt seen.

“A lot of people will ask like, ‘Well, why would you choose to go to an HBCU?'” she said in a TikTok Live, ClutchPoints reported.

“I’m like, ‘I have the rest of my life to be a minority. I wanted to see how it felt to be the majority when I walk around and wake up and everybody looks like me, the 27-year-old said.

Carthen, arguably the breakout star of the hit reality series, also landed a partnership with NYX Cosmetics. The brand released the Nicolandria Lip Combo, named after Carthen and her boyfriend Nicolas Vansteenberghe, the “it couple” of season 7.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by NYX Professional Makeup (@nyxcosmetics)

Carthen says that she hopes to use her platform to empower other Black women, particularly those with darker skin tones.

“Growing up, I didn’t always see women who looked like me being uplifted in mainstream media, especially on shows like this. So to hear young girls say they felt seen because of me? That’s the real win. I’m proud to represent dark-skinned Black women, because we’ve always been beautiful; we just needed the world to catch up,” the star told Ebony Magazine.

Carthen earned a bachelor’s in logistics, materials, and supply chain management from Tuskegee in 2022.