A Tampa, Fla. woman who was sentenced to 20 years in prison for firing a warning shot at her husband during a heated dispute will receive a new trial. Marissa Alexander, 32, was sentenced in May 2012 in connection with an August 2010 incident involving her then-husband, Rico Gray Sr. According to ABC News, Alexander […]
Author Archives: Courtney Jacobs
AFRO Staff Writer
Posted inSports
Former ESPN Analyst & NFL Star Faces Assault Charges
Former pro football standout and cable television sports analyst Hugh Douglas is scheduled to appear in a Connecticut court Oct. 21 to face third-degree assault and second-degree strangulation charges. He is free on $50, 000 bail after being arrested and charged with the assault of a woman in a Hartford, Conn. hotel Sept. 24. Police […]
Posted inPrince George's County News
Md. Housing Agency Headquarters Plans Clear P.G. County Council
The Prince George’s County Council ratified a plan on Sept 23 for a state agency headquarters to be built at Carrollton Station, paving the way for a state agency to be sited in the county for the first time. The Carrollton Station will include the new Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development. It is […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
At Maryland Appearance, President Obama Pitches ObamaCare’s Young Adult Benefits
President Obama told a cheering crowd of thousands in Largo, Md. Sept. 26 that the Affordable Care Act is “here to stay,” despite the intense congressional debate that has linked defunding of the national health care law to a possible government shutdown. Obama denounced as “irresponsible” Republican critics of the law and vowed to beat […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Street Violence and Navy Yard Slayings Bring Total Killings to 22
The month of September is stacking up to be the bloodiest month of the year, with 22 homicides reported through Sept. 21. The killings included the deaths of a dozen people at the Navy Yard at the hands of a sniper. Others include the killing of a man who died a month after he allegedly […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
NBA Hall of Famer Johnson Creates “Magic” in Chicago
NBA Hall of Famer Earvin “Magic” Johnson launched a new Chicago-based initiative, “Friends of Magic,” on Sept. 18, aimed at helping at-risk students, including students who have dropped out of school, graduate from high school. “God is so good,” Johnson said during a press conference to announce the organization. “All you want to do is […]
Posted inPrince George's County News
Prince George’s County’s Online Anti-Bullying Reporting Process
The Prince George’s County school system has created an online bullying/harassment reporting form now available on its website (www.pgcps.org). The form was established to “report alleged bullying harassment, or intimidation that occurred on school property; at a school-sponsored activity or event off school property; on a school bus; or on the way to and/or from […]
Posted inPrince George's County News
Md. Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown to Make Campaign Announcement Sept. 22
Maryland Lt. Anthony Brown and his running mate, Howard County, Md. Executive Ken Ulman, are poised to make a major campaign announcement Sept 22 in Silver Spring, Md. Brown announced his gubernatorial candidacy May 10 at Prince George’s County Community College. The following month, he named Ulman as his running mate. Governor Martin O’Malley, Senator […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
A Young Magician’s Long Walk Home
A Landover teenage was robbed at gunpoint Aug. 10, a day Victor G. Jones, 17, will remember for the rest of his life. Around 9 p.m., Jones’ shift at his second job, McDonalds’s, was over. Jones’ primary job was being a magician, in which he can make predictions about people by looking at and examining […]
Posted inSports
Wrestling Restored to the Olympics After Enthusiasts Protest Dismissal
Despite being one of the oldest events in the Olympics Games, wrestling had to wage an uphill battle to regain a spot in the quadrennial summer games. Nasir Wilkinson, 11, is passionate about the sport and told the AFRO he hopes to compete nationally one day. He may get the opportunity. The sport was originally […]
Posted inSports
Brooklyn Nets to Retire Jason Kidd’s Jersey
The Brooklyn Nets have announced that new coach Jason Kidd’s No. 5 jersey will be retired on Oct. 17, before their game against the Miami Heat. Kidd is a first-time head coach after a 21-year playing career. He was hired June 3 two weeks after he announced his retirement. The all-star guard spent six and […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
LeBron James to Produce New TV Show
Four-time NBA MVP and two-time champion LeBron James will be one of the executive producers for a new show on premium cable network STARZ called “Survivor’s Remorse.” The show will detail the lives of two men from the streets who attain fame, one an NBA star and one not. The storylines will deal with friends […]