Week-Long Search For 80-Year-Old Georgia Woman With Dementia Leaves Family Worried
DeKalb County police will conduct a search with family members and volunteers on Saturday.
A missing 80-year-old woman in DeKalb County, Georgia, has her friends and loved ones concerned since she wandered away from her home on Nov. 13.
Ricky Dawson told Channel 2 Action News that his mother, Rosa Mae Dawson, never leaves her street.
DeKalb County officers searched near the 2400 block of Jenay Court for Rosa Mae Dawson, dressed ina pink, long-sleeved pajama set and black shoes.
Rosa Mae Dawson, 80, has suffered from dementia for the past five years. Family members say “Rose” can identify her relatives and locate her home.
“Every now and then, she’d have spells like, ‘Who is that?'” Ricky Dawson said. “But for the most part, I would probably say 75% of the time she had her wits about her.”
HAVE YOU SEEN THIS WOMAN? 80-year-old Rosa Mae Dawson went missing on Wednesday from her home on Jenay Court in DeKalb County. Her family desperately wants to find her. Call @DeKalbCountyPD if you see or know where she may be: 770-724-7710. @FOX5Atlantapic.twitter.com/xq6zHpFnKo
11 Alive noted that a relative who normally spends the day with Rose came over last Wednesday to find the door to Rose’s DeKalb County home wide open, and the woman wasn’t inside.
Family members have placed missing posters across the neighborhood that read “Please Help” with a photo of Rose. Loved ones will also join Dekalb County police as they conduct a search on Saturday, Nov. 23. The search is open for anyone who would like to assist.
“We just want her back home safely,” Ricky Dawson said.
Ricky Dawson, her only child, has requested for another alert to be sent out.
“I just want their full support and help. This is an area where they have more expertise than we do on how to conduct this and how to get out,” he said.
Anyone with information about Rose’s whereabouts is urged to call DeKalb County police, (678) 406-7929.
Russell Westbrook Becomes First Player In NBA History To Record 200 Triple-Doubles
Westbrook is in his 17th NBA season.
Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook became the first player in NBA history to record 200 triple-doubles on Nov. 18.
Westbrook came off the bench for 12 points, 14 assists, and 10 rebounds to help the Nuggets beat the Memphis Grizzlies, 122-110. He also recorded two steals and one block in 32 minutes.
Westbrook extended his lead over former triple-doubles king Oscar Robertson by 19 games. He has 62 more than Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson. His Nuggets teammate, big man Nikola Jokić, sits in fourth place with 136, and LeBron James rounds out the top five with 117.
“It’s a blessing,” Westbrook said after the game. “I’m truly grateful to be able to play the game well enough to do that. But I’m also appreciative of the ones who came before me.”
Bleacher Report reported the history-making accomplishment was Westbrook’s first triple-double of the season.
Eight years ago, Westbrook became the first NBA player to average a triple-double a game since Robertson accomplished that feat in the 1961-62 season. Westbrook won the Most Valuable Player that season. He repeated the feat three more seasons (2017-18, 2018-19, and 2020-21).
According to Sportscasting, the point guard also has 1,884 offensive rebounds, the most by a point guard in league history. Coincidentally, with less than two minutes remaining in the contest, Westbrook pulled down his only offensive rebound for the game, which brought his rebound total to 10.
Westbrook, 36, is playing in his 17th NBA season. His best years were spent with the Oklahoma City Thunder. He was drafted fourth overall in the 2008 NBA Draft.
Trump Taps Linda McMahon For Education Secretary, Dr. Oz As Medicare Overseer, Howard Lutnick For Commerce Leader
Well this should be fun...
President-elect Donald Trump has added some of his friends to the roster of controversial cabinet nominees, including a Wall Street executive, wrestling mogul, and former Oprah Winfrey protege, the Associated Press reports. WWE leader Linda McMahon has been enlisted as a nominee for secretary of education. Dr. Mehmet Oz, former “Dr. Oz” talk show host, was tapped to oversee health insurance programs such as the Affordable Care Act for older, disabled, and less fortunate Americans. Wall Street tycoon Howard Lutnick was named to lead the Department of Commerce.
Despite backlash from Democratic and Republican lawmakers, Trump has praised all three nominees for their accomplishments in their fields.
McMahon once served one term on the Connecticut Board of Education in 2009 and has since served on the board of trustees for Sacred Heart University. With unknown ties to education, the wrestling executive has expressed support for charter schools and school choice. “Linda will use her decades of Leadership experience and deep understanding of both Education and Business to empower the next generation of American Students and Workers, and make America Number One in Education in the World,” Trump said.
If confirmed by the Senate for the cabinet position, McMahon will be tasked with aligning Trump’s vision of education — or the “left-wing indoctrination” in America’s schools — to the department that he has threatened to dismantle. The goal will be to get rid of “any school pushing Critical Race Theory, transgender insanity, and other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content on our children.”
Under his new title, once projected to go to McMahon, the CEO will oversee the 13 bureaus housed under the Department, including the Census Bureau, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Patent and Trademark Office. Lutnick will garner support from U.S. businesses and sit in as an emissary between other nations in hopes of negotiating trade deals and increasing foreign investment.
During Trump’s NYC rally in October 2024, Lutnick highlighted the last prosperous U.S. economy that occurred during the early 1900s — a time of only tariffs and no income tax. “We had so much money that we had the greatest businessmen of America get together to try to figure out how to spend it,” he said.
Trump enlisted Oz to “cut waste and fraud within our Country’s most expensive Government Agency, which is a third of our Nation’s Healthcare spend.” The outspoken supporter will serve as the administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and report to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has been nominated as the leader of the Department of Health and Human Services.
The heart surgeon and failed Pennsylvania senate candidate has been accused of promoting faulty products on his show that aired for 13 seasons. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he pushed for government officials to make hydroxychloroquine available despite heightened questions about its safety and effectiveness. Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) expressed her concern about Oz’s appointment on X, stating he is unqualified for the position. “Dr. Oz has zero qualifications, pushes alarming pseudoscience, & holds extreme anti-abortion views,” she said.
Dr. Oz has zero qualifications, pushes alarming pseudoscience, & holds extreme anti-abortion views.
CMS is a critical agency & we need serious leaders to protect Americans' health care and bring down costs—not TV hosts whose main qualification is their loyalty to Trump. https://t.co/QgbaIHV9AJ
Women Are Already Starting To Organize For The Next Election Cycle Despite Harris’s Loss
The election results have been devastating for women hoping that a woman would finally lead the nation for the first time in the country's nearly 250-year history.
The election results have been devastating for women who had hoped that a woman would finally lead the nation for the first time in the country’s nearly 250-year history. That didn’t happen, and Kamala Harris supporters are trying to figure out where to go from here.
Despite some women feeling lost, betrayed, and rejected, women are already springing into action and organizing for the next election cycle. That’s why nearly 100 women joined Vote Run Lead Action’s post-election discussion on Tuesday.
Vote Run Lead was founded in 2014 to invite, uplift, and train women to run for office. In 2023, Vote Run Lead Action emerged after the organization leaders realized a need for a stronger voice and more powerful engagement. The nonpartisan organization trains pro-democracy, anti-racist, and feminist women to address the underrepresentation of women in legislatures.
During the panel discussion, participants asked questions about the next steps and engaging and organizing more people for the next election. Some of the questions dropped in the chat included navigating the hate post-election and tips on having tough conversations that lead to solutions.
“We’re going to have to go as low as we can and build from the ground all the way back up,” Rhonda Briggins told participants. She was referring to getting women elected in their local and state legislatures. Briggins is known for her work in leading Black sororities and fraternities to organize their communities to the polls.
One thing the panel made clear on the call was not to blame the vice president for her loss, who had a little less than 100 days to campaign after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race.
“It doesn’t mean that she ran a perfect campaign. It doesn’t mean that there were things, in retrospect, you can do differently,“ said Reshma Saujani, head of Moms First and founder of Girls Who Code. “She inherited the obstacles that she faced and we need to be honest about that.”
Beyond her gender, panel leaders say Harris’s race also played a role in her loss to Trump.
“I think the Vice President did an unbelievable job in unbelievably difficult circumstances,” said Celinda Lake, a pollster and president of Lake Research Partners. “But, when the transition happened, I think we needed to remind ourselves how difficult it is to elect a woman, especially a woman of color.”
Where Women Had Gains In The 2024 Election
As noted on the call, there were some wins for women this past election. Two Black women, Angela Alsobrooks from Maryland and Lisa Blunt Rochester from Delaware will serve in the U.S. Senate together for the first time in the nation’s history.
In New Mexico and Colorado, women are now leading in the state legislatures.
“We came into this election cycle with only one state in the nation with a women’s majority, that was Nevada,” said Sabrina Shulman, chief political officer for Vote Run Lead. “We have added two more states to that column.”
Other wins for women, according to Celinda Lake, were that women gained 12 seats in the Montana state legislature. Montana voters also elected a woman to the Supreme Court.
Women on Vote Run Lead’s panel said another win for 2024: the first “childcare election,” as candidates on both sides made childcare an important issue.
“My message to everyone on this call, as we enter this new phase, as painful as it is, do not lose sight of who you are fighting for,” Saujani added. “We cannot sit out the next four years, no matter how much we want to turn off that television and crawl up in bed.”
Young Thug Accused Of Breach Of Contract After Negotiating $16M Publishing Deal
AEG (Anschutz Entertainment Group) claims Young Thug defaulted on a loan it gave his YSL label in 2017.
Atlanta rapper Young Thug has escaped one legal issue just to be embroiled in another after leaving jail after his RICO case.
According to AllHipHop, the YSL recording artist is being sued by AEG (Anschutz Entertainment Group) after the company accused Young Thug of defaulting on a loan it gave his recording label in 2017. The company also stated that it was left out of a $16 million sale of his catalog, which they were entitled to share in the profits because the copyrighted music sold was supposed to be collateral for the loan given to YSL.
The entertainment company claims Young Thug violated an agreement when he sold over 400 compositions.
Young Thug’s label, YSL, was given a loan of $5.25 million in exchange for exclusive global rights to promote live shows the artist would have performed. AEG expected the label to pay back the money, including interest while sharing concert revenue that involved third-party promoters.
AEG also claims that Young Thug and YSL defaulted on the $5 million loan and misrepresented their finances to fulfill the repayment promises they agreed to.
It claims that in 2021, the “Hot” rapper made over $16 million when he sold his stake in several hundred songs, leaving it out in the cold once the ownership of the copyrights shifted hands. They stated that Young Thug breached the contract when he informed the buyers of the songs and that he claimed the works were free of legal entanglements.
AEG is now pursuing the original loan amount and any connected earnings that may have been raised from selling the songs to the company that purchased the compositions from Young Thug.
It is also considering possibly including other parties in the lawsuit in the next six months or exploring other means of recovering the collateral attached to Young Thug’s music catalog.
Toxic ‘Fresh & Fit’ Podcast Segment Targeting Black Women Goes Viral
After clips from the episode began circulating, some questioned the wisdom in Black women appearing on their podcast, given the type of 'manosphere' content the two men produce.
Myron “Fit” Gaines and the Fresh & Fit podcast made more waves on social media after a series of clips showing singer Nia McKenzie, a guest on their podcast, being demeaned and attacked by the show’s producers went viral.
According to Atlanta Black Star, the clips that are circulating are emblematic of the content of the show Gaines shares with Walter “Fresh” Weekes, wherein the pair regularly trade in racial slurs and misogyny, particularly targeted to Black women.
In 2023, YouTube demonetized the pair’s content due to their history of violent outbursts between the show’s guests and hosts. However, they have since moved their show onto Castle Club, an independent subscription-based hosting site.
im trying to understand why, as a black femme, she would go on the fresh and fit podcast. to prove that they hate black people? we know that. the host goes on racist rants every week https://t.co/P1eph82UOO
After the clips from the episode began circulating, some questioned the wisdom in Black women appearing on their podcast, given the type of “manosphere” content the two men produce.
In October, an episode of NPR‘s “Code Switch ” discussed the Black manosphere. As one of the hosts, Gene Demby, explained, the Black manosphere is a sprawling universe connecting Black men who are hostile toward Black women.
“The manosphere — this whole sprawling universe of media and podcasts and books and YouTube channels — I guess those are all media — subreddits that are made by and consumed by men and men who are deeply suspicious of — if not, like, hostile towards — feminism and who also champion all sorts of other kinds of patriarchal ideas around sex and gender,” Demby explained. “There are men’s rights groups. You’ve got incels. You’ve got pickup artists. You’ve got alpha men. It’s dudes like Andrew Tate, who is really popular among a lot of young boys and men.”
According to Young’s long-form piece, Black men and other men of color like Gaines are united by their open disdain for Black women.
“Within the Black Manosphere’s fiefdom, there are many subgroups, rival influencers, competing philosophies, and myriad content creators. But each of them contains one common thread: a concerted, explicit disdain for Black women,” Young wrote.
According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, Young’s depiction of the Black manosphere is correct as it was created as an offshoot of the wider manosphere and functions as a way for Black men to castigate Black women under the guise of Black male empowerment.
“The misogynoir of the Manosphere is on full display on the popular podcast “Fresh and Fit,” hosted by Walter Weekes and Myron Gaines. The podcast covers ‘females, fitness, and finances,’ and boasts more than 1.5 million subscribers on YouTube –- though the show was demonetized by the platform in 2023 after repeatedly violating community guidelines,” the SPLC explained, “The hosts are known for mistreating the Black women who appear as guests on their show and for their comments about Black women.”
According to Alexandria C. Onuoha, a community organizer and scholar with expertise in digital misogyny, the great irony in spaces like Fit and Fresh is that they are harmful to and for the Black men that they claim to uplift, at the greater expense of Black women.
“At first glance, it is clear why Black men and boys are attracted to these spaces because they need spaces that affirm them,” Onuoha explained to the SPLC. “Black men and boys deserve spaces where they can be authentic, and these spaces offer a false idea of what community is. This is harmful for them, too.”
Homeowner’s Property Sold For Unpaid Taxes Even Though She Paid
A Chicago homeowner’s property was sold due to unpaid taxes, even though she has receipts proving payment. Robin McElroy, a Cook County resident, received a notice stating her tax payments were delinquent.
Cook County Circuit Court informed McElroy she was no longer the owner of her home and owed three years’ past-due rent to the new owners, CBS Chicago reported.
McElroy bought her property in 2012 and says she has diligently paid her taxes every year since. However, this is not the first time the Morgan Park resident has faced issues with the tax assessment office.
In 2019, McElroy began receiving letters alerting her of tax delinquency and warning of possible consequences. It was discovered that the tax assessment pin, a number assigned to each individual property, was swapped with her next-door neighbors. The swap caused the system to apply tax payments to the neighboring property.
“I just started receiving letters just from different tax buyers,” McElroy said.
McElroy reached out to the office and was told the issue would be resolved. A note was added to her account stating that an internal correction should be made.
“They actually told me, ‘Don’t worry about it,'” she said.
Unfortunately, the issue was not fixed, and five years later, McElory is in an even more precarious position. She has had to hire a lawyer to respond to the notice of sale for her home.
McElroy has receipts proving she’s made consistent payments on the property. She is outraged at having to fight for her own home and also has empathy for the new “homeowner.”
“This lady should not have to be put in this position to go through all of this headache and heartache,” she said. “I want what’s rightfully owned to me.”
Property ownership is a great step toward securing a stable future. Still, the details can be a bit daunting to navigate. BLACK ENTERPRISE recently reported on a new homeowner who faces a lien against his new purchase. After buying the foreclosed property, the new owner was hit with a $71,000 water bill. The new owner was unaware of a leak that skyrocketed the water bill to such heights. Now, he is responsible for settling the bill of the previous homeowner to receive services.
Buying a home or investment property is a decision that can greatly benefit anyone. However, researching the property and any litigation, liens, or county grievances is a potential homeowner’s second-best decision. In order to protect an investment, sign up for alerts with the local county clerk. This will allow potential buyers to be notified if any action is taken on their property. Allowing the property owner time to correct any errors that may jeopardize their home.
Mississippi College Eliminates Football Program And Changes Name
Mississippi College is embracing it's Christian ideology with its name change.
Mississippi College, a private institution, is instituting a name change to Mississippi Christian College. The decision was approved by the Mississippi Board of Trustees on Nov. 18.
The college is also eliminating its Division ll football team in an effort to prioritize its academic offerings. In a statement, the college cited its upcoming bicentennial as the inspiration for the change.
According to President Bake Thompson, Mississippi Christian College wants to lean into its Christian ideology.
“These transformational and necessary changes are extremely important to the future of this institution. As we look ahead to the institution’s bicentennial in 2026, we want to ensure that MC will be a university recognized for academic excellence and commitment to the cause of Christ for another 200 years.”
The college is rededicating itself to creating a space where a Christian education remains the priority.
“The institution will also be restructuring. A new structure will be implemented that consolidates the School of Christian Studies and the Arts with the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, and the School of Education will be renamed the School of Education and Human Science. The Provost has been charged with evaluating the potential consolidation of a limited number of academic departments on campus.”
Mississippi Christian Athletic Director Kenny Bizott reaffirmed his dedication to the former student-athletes.
“We will support our current student-athletes as they seek to continue their education at MC, as well as those who wish to transfer,” added Bizott.
Many may see the changes as extreme, but Mississippi Christian believes each new organizational alteration will help the institution fulfill its core functions.
Another Mississippi institution is also in the news for its failures on the legislative level. BLACK ENTERPRISE reported on the Mississippi State Senate’s failure to pay Legislative Service Office (LSO) attorney Kristie Metcalfe a salary commensurate with her peers.
The Department of Justice filed suit against the Mississippi LSO on behalf of Metcalfe. An investigation into the office found Metcalfe earned half the pay of white LSO attorneys. The investigation also found that Metcalfe is the only non-white employee hired in the office’s 34 years of operation. The race-based discrimination is a violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Al Sharpton Expresses Concern Over Lack Of Black Leadership Within Trump’s Cabinet Selection
He has a point....
Civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton is blasting President-elect Donald J. Trump for not adding Black leaders to his cabinet selection so far, The Hill reports.
During a segment of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Sharpton pointed out that Trump has yet to announce anyone Black to his controversial panel. The National Black Network founder blasted the GOP leader for courting Black voters during the campaign but promoting a predominantly white Cabinet in the two weeks following the 2024 Election Day results. “We should ask Donald Trump, you talked about Black men would be with you, where’s the Black man being nominated by you for your cabinet? Has anyone noticed there’s no Black has been nominated on his cabinet? That needs to be raised,” he said.
“Rather than who’s talking, let’s deal with what we’re talking about.”
Several Black Trump supporters and legislators trailed along with the four-time indicted businessman to push for voter support. Florida Congressman Byron Donalds, Rep. Tim Scott of South Carolina, and former Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development Dr. Ben Carson all highlighted Trump as the right candidate for the job. However, none have been named as potential cabinet nominees. Other names mentioned promoted red flags on Capitol Hill before the president-elect is even inaugurated.
Anti-vaccine advocate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been tapped to lead the Department of Health and Human Services despite his history of spreading heavy COVID-19 misinformation. Tulsi Gabbard, once a Democratic presidential candidate, was named a nominee for director of national intelligence, and former Rep. Matt Gaetz, who is under federal investigation for sex with minors, has his name thrown in for attorney general.
The only person of color named for a cabinet position is failed GOP presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy as co-leader of the “Department of Government Efficiency” — a made-up agency where he will work alongside billionaire Elon Musk. Sharpton feels the lack of Black appointees is telling, given the President-elect’s troubling history of harsh comments toward Black Americans. “Right now, it appears that the self-proclaimed ‘best president for Black America since Abraham Lincoln’ has lost interest in us,” the reverend said.
“The president-elect needs to put his money where his mouth is if he wants to deliver for Black America.”
Select comments have prompted the civil rights leader to host a protest of Trump’s inauguration scheduled for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Jan. 20, 2025. According to the New Pittsburgh Courier, Sharpton’s rally will be on the same day and time and has been described as nonviolent, unlike the Jan. 6 insurrection. “While Trump supporters will be on one side of Washington watching him take the oath of office, I will be at the nation’s capital working to keep the dream alive,” he said.
“There has never been a more important time to peacefully organize and mobilize.”
The goal of the protest is to cater to people who “still believe in what Dr. King stood for.” Trump has caused issues by falsely claiming his 2016 inauguration speech drew the same number of people to the National Mall as the legendary “I Have a Dream” speech. He also compared former North Carolina GOP gubernatorial candidate Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson to the civil rights icon.
Sharpton says now is the time to fight, so “we won’t go back.” “We fought too hard. We suffered too long. We took too many beatings. We spent too many nights in jail. We’ve been to too many funerals,” he said.
Federal Judge Orders Georgia Company To Shut Down For Alleged ‘Phantom Debt’ Collection Scam
The companies collected over $7.6 million through the scam.
A federal judge has ordered a Georgia-based company to shut down after accusations of a “phantom debt scam collection.” The company allegedly harassed people to pay off debts they did not actually owe.
WSB-TV reported the Federal Trade Commission’s filing, which detailed the debt collector’s alleged actions. The legal document claims the company lied to thousands by making empty and illegal threats of jail time. They even harassed family members to pressure victims to send the money.
The complaint explicitly named Kenneth Redon III as the perpetrator of the scheme. Redon III allegedly used multiple business names, like Global Circulation and Consumer Impact Recovery, to harass people to pay debts. The companies collected over 7.6 million through the scam.
The complaint stated, “Their scheme is predicated on convincing consumers that a lawsuit or other legal action has been, or will soon be, filed against them and will result in dire consequences unless consumers pay defendants promptly that they do not actually owe.”
A judge determined that the businesses preyed on vulnerable customers and “falsely represented” that they were behind on certain loans. Moreover, companies often had no legal authority to collect these payments, with the intimidation tactic a core part of phantom debt collection.
“Debt collectors should know that harassing families and making empty threats of jail time is illegal,” said Samuel Levine, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “This action should send a clear message that illegal collection practices will come with heavy consequences.”
Georgia Watch Executive Director Liz Coyle emphasized that people have legal protections in how debt collectors approach them. Coyle noted that regardless of whether one has debt or not, pressuring someone to pay up is against the law.
“You have a right, under the law, to ask the caller to produce evidence in writing that you owe said debt,” Coyle shared with the news outlet.
