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Soul Singer “No Pain No Gain” Betty Wright Has Passed Away at 66
Celebration of LifeDaily BriefsEntertainmentMusicNationalNewsNews (Entertainment)

Soul Singer “No Pain No Gain” Betty Wright Has Passed Away at 66

Sentinel News WireMay 10, 2020

Soul singer, Betty Wright has died at age 66, according to her family. The “No Pain (No Gain)” and “Tonight Is the Night” hitmaker passed away on Sunday morning, her niece confirmed. ‘I just lost my aunt this morning…. and now my mood has changed…. sleep in peace aunty Betty Wright. Fly high angel,’ she tweeted. Her niece added in a tribute on Twitter: ‘My auntie was a legend…. she helped me get my first paychecks singing background….. and I didn’t make it to see you this past week and that’s going to haunt me …. R.I.P. Betty Wright.’ Developing

Los Angeles County Sheriff Villanueva Subpoenaed Regarding COVID-19 Jail Policies
Daily BriefsNews

Los Angeles County Sheriff Villanueva Subpoenaed Regarding COVID-19 Jail Policies

Sentinel News WireMay 9, 2020

Civilian Oversight Commission issues its first Subpoena, only months after voters approve Measure R. Los Angeles, CA – The Justice LA COVID-19 Response team commends the Civilian Oversight Commision for utilizing their subpoena power provided by Measure R during the COVID-19 health crisis. Sheriff Villanueva is legally required to appear on May 21st. The commission exercised its newfound subpoena power to obtain information from the Sheriff’s Department regarding the current situation inside the jails. The spread of COVID-19 inside of LA County jails is a systemic problem and requires immediate investigation by the Civilian Oversight Commission. Sheriff Villanueva has refused repeated requests to appear

Little Richard, Flamboyant Rock ‘N’ Roll Pioneer, Dead at 87
Celebration of LifeDaily BriefsEntertainmentMusicNewsNews (Entertainment)

Little Richard, Flamboyant Rock ‘N’ Roll Pioneer, Dead at 87

Associated Press - KRISTIN M. HALLMay 9, 2020

NASHVILLE (AP) — Little Richard, the self-proclaimed “architect of rock ‘n’ roll” whose piercing wail, pounding piano and towering pompadour irrevocably altered popular music while introducing black R&B to white America, has died Saturday. He was 87. Pastor Bill Minson, a close friend of Little Richard’s, told The Associated Press that Little Richard died Saturday morning. Minson said he also spoke to Little Richard’s son and brother. Minson added that the family is not releasing the cause of death. Born Richard Penniman, Little Richard was one of rock ‘n’ roll’s founding fathers who helped shatter the color line on the

Andre Harrell, Who Discovered P. Diddy and Founded Uptown Label, is Dead at 59
Celebration of LifeDaily BriefsEntertainmentMusicNationalNewsNews (Entertainment)

Andre Harrell, Who Discovered P. Diddy and Founded Uptown Label, is Dead at 59

Niele Anderson, Digital EditorMay 9, 2020

Andre Harrell, the longtime music executive who founded the hip-hop label Uptown Records and mentored Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs, died Friday at age 59, DJ D-Nice announced on his Instagram Live. Uptown Records was the soundtrack of black culture in the late 80’s and the 90’s. Andre is credited to opening the the door for Mary J. Blige, Heavy D, Jodeci, Al B. Sure, Father MC, Al B. Sure, Teddy Riley and many others. Harrell was  also was apart of the Def Jam foundation as apart of Rush Productions with Russell Simmons. Harrell was currently working on a BET Original Series about

UPDATE: Father and Son Bail Denied in Shooting Death of Ahmaud Arbery After Outcry
NationalNews

UPDATE: Father and Son Bail Denied in Shooting Death of Ahmaud Arbery After Outcry

Sentinel News ServiceMay 7, 2020

BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP) — More than two months after a black man was fatally shot while running through a Georgia neighborhood, the white father and son arrested in the case were arraigned on charges of felony murder and aggravated assault Friday. The investigation by local authorities had seemed stalled until this week, when a video of the Feb. 23 shooting of Ahmaud Arbery was shared widely on social media, prompting outrage across the nation. “All that matters is what the facts tell us,” Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Vic Reynolds said Friday, noting that his agency brought charges a day

Ahmaud Arbery Family Demands Arrests 2 Months After Son Shot Dead
Daily BriefsNationalNews

Ahmaud Arbery Family Demands Arrests 2 Months After Son Shot Dead

Sentinel News ServiceMay 6, 2020

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — The parents of a black man slain in a pursuit by two white men armed with guns called for immediate arrests Wednesday as they faced the prospect of waiting a month or longer before a Georgia grand jury could consider bringing charges. A swelling outcry over the Feb. 23 shooting of Ahmaud Arbery intensified after a cellphone video that purports to show the killing surfaced online Tuesday. Following the video’s release, a large crowd of demonstrators marched in the neighborhood where Arbery was killed, and the state opened its own investigation, which the governor and attorney

Activist Group Sues LA County and Sheriff Over Jail Conditions Due to COVID-19
COVID-19Daily BriefsNews

Activist Group Sues LA County and Sheriff Over Jail Conditions Due to COVID-19

Sentinel News WireApril 24, 2020

Los Angeles, CA – The JusticeLA Covid-19 Response Team, a diverse team of more than 40 local and statewide organizations have filed a lawsuit against Los Angeles County and the Sheriff over jail conditions due to COVID-19. The lawsuit / list of demands include: 1. Communication: Effectively communicate to all incarcerated people, including low-literacy and non-English-speaking people, sufficient information about COVID-19, measures taken to reduce the risk of transmission, and any changes in policies or practices to reasonably ensure that individuals are able to take precautions to prevent infection. Effective communication must include in- person communication rather than instruction through a video only. 2. Entrance Screening: Perform

Congress Must Include African American Independent Professionals In COVID-19 Recovery
Opinion

Congress Must Include African American Independent Professionals In COVID-19 Recovery

Dr. Paulette Brown- HindsApril 22, 2020

Gig Economy Professionals Help Make Your Districts Thrive!   The term “gig” has its modern origins in music.  Jazz musicians in the early 20th century used to refer to any job that paid money as a “gig”.  They used the term to differentiate between playing with friends and playing for money because musicians, like pretty much all artists, tend to follow their passions in life and business whether it pays the bills or not.  They do what they love.   If they can string enough gigs together to make a career out of doing what they love, they’re living their dreams.

Council President Emeritus Wesson Calls on Secretary Padilla to Increase Voting Centers In Response to Working Group Recommendations
COVID-19Daily BriefsNews

Council President Emeritus Wesson Calls on Secretary Padilla to Increase Voting Centers In Response to Working Group Recommendations

Sentinel News WireApril 21, 2020

LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles City Council President Emeritus Herb Wesson has called on California Secretary of State Alex Padilla to reject the Secretary’s COVID-19 November Elections Working Group’s recommendation to waive state legal requirements for in-person voting and replace them with an alternative plan of establishing in-person voting “goals,” which would give local officials discretion to establish their own in-person voting standards. According to Wesson, the proposal could disenfranchise hundreds of thousands, if not millions of California voters, particularly from historically disadvantaged communities. Wesson joins with labor unions, election reform advocates, and environmental justice organizations throughout the state calling on Secretary Padilla

Congresswoman Karen Bass Answers the $1200 question, Where’s My Check?
COVID-19Daily BriefsNews

Congresswoman Karen Bass Answers the $1200 question, Where’s My Check?

Sentinel News ServiceApril 20, 2020

In a letter to her district and to all of America. The California Congresswoman and Chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus the Honorable Karen Bass issued this statement: “This week, about 60 million Americans received a $1,200 bank deposit as mandated by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act that Congress passed at the end of last month.

Councilman Jawane Hilton Fights To Bring Covid-19 Testing To Carson
COVID-19News

Councilman Jawane Hilton Fights To Bring Covid-19 Testing To Carson

Sentinel News WireApril 17, 2020

Carson, CA. – While the stay at home order is in place the need for testing sites closer to homes and residents is a priority.  That is the very reason that Councilman Jawane Hilton is fighting so desperately to bring a testing facility to the residents of Carson. “Right now we have over 135 residents who have tested positive for Covid-19 and that is the number we have with no testing facility anywhere near our city.  The closest testing locations to us are Brentwood, there is one in Santa Monica but what about Carson?  What about the South Bay?  We

Assemblymembers Ask Governor Newsom to Establish New State Economic Assistance Fund for Undocumented Californians
COVID-19Daily BriefsNews

Assemblymembers Ask Governor Newsom to Establish New State Economic Assistance Fund for Undocumented Californians

April 16, 2020

LOS ANGELES, California – Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer (D-Huntington Park/South Los Angeles), along with 22 members of the State Assembly, have written a letter to Governor Gavin Newsom citing economic impacts suffered by undocumented residents of the state caused by the COVID-19 outbreak. The group of legislators is asking the Governor to establish a relief fund that would provide immediate economic assistance to undocumented workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The fund would use state dollars to help undocumented workers unable to work due to COVID-19 or a Shelter in Place Order, have been laid off from work, have had hours reduced, or

LA Councilmember Marqueece-Harris Dawson Partners with Lyft to Help Thousands of Seniors Receive Free Healthy Meals from Local Restaurants
COVID-19Daily BriefsNews

LA Councilmember Marqueece-Harris Dawson Partners with Lyft to Help Thousands of Seniors Receive Free Healthy Meals from Local Restaurants

Sentinel News WireApril 16, 2020

LOS ANGELES – City Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson’s Office is partnering with Lyft to expand an emergency program providing free healthy meals to thousands of local seniors during this COVID-19 pandemic. The councilmember’s office is engaging the small business community in South Los Angeles to prepare and deliver more than 8,500 fresh meals to seniors at assisted living facilities and single-family residences. This program helps seniors stay safe at home and allows 23 (and counting) local restaurants to continue serving their communities. “Surviving this crisis will require innovation on every level,” said Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson. “This emergency senior meals program was