A Chicago man was found guilty on Jan. 10 of first-degree murder in the videotaped beating death of a high school honors student. Silvonus Shannon, 20, faces up to 60 years in prison for his role in the attack. He was the second person convicted in the 2009 beating death of 16-year-old Derrion Albert, and […]
Author Archives: AFRO Staff
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Michael Jackson’s Doctor to Stand Trial
Dr. Conrad Murray, Michael Jackson’s personal doctor, will face manslaughter charges for his alleged role in Jackson’s death Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor ordered Jan. 11 after lifting the cardiologist’s California medical license. The action came at the end of a six-day preliminary hearing into what role Murray played in the death of […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Officials: Magnetic North Shift “Not an Event”
A shift of the magnetic north pole earlier this year generated widespread interest and some concern, but experts from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said regular, natural process is nothing to be worried about. The pole shifted 40 miles towards Russia around the first of the year. The shift can be a nuisance for planes […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
What’s Your Sign Now? Astronomer Unveils Revised Astrology Chart
After all those years of checking your daily horoscope, you may have been following the wrong astrological sign, according to an astronomer at the Minnesota Planetarium Society. Parke Kunkle, a board member with the organization, claimed that, in the thousands of years since zodiac signs were first configured, a “wobble” in the Earth’s rotation shifted […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Etta James Fighting Cancer Amid Family Court Battle
Legendary R&B singer Etta James is fighting old age and disease in Southern California while her husband and son scuffle in court over control of an estimated $1 million accumulated by the 70-year-old singer over the course of her career. James is undergoing treatment for leukemia while also battling dementia. The spunky performer is in […]
Posted inNational News
Steele Drops Out of RNC Race
Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele gave up his re-election bid on Jan. 14 after it became apparent that he did not have enough votes to win another stint at the forefront of the GOP. Wisconsin GOP Chairman Reince Priebus won with 97 votes over second-place finisher Saul Anuzis. After a fourth round of voting, […]
Posted inBaltimore Community, Baltimore News
Baltimore Honors MLK with Annual Festivities
Residents of Baltimore and surrounding areas are invited to take part in the 11th annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade, which celebrates the life of one of America’s most influential civil rights, political, and social icons. The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parade presented by Forman Mills, held on Jan. 17 at noon, is […]
Posted inNational News
Remembering a King
His imprint on the world is indelible. In life, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a poet-warrior-priest who led and inspired a movement. Armed with the cotton-covered mallet of non-violence, he led a multi-ethnic army of soldiers in a battle against the evils of injustice and inequality. For that cause he gave up family and […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
‘Everything is Everything’
Donny Hathaway was the quintessential musician and a lyrical godfather of sorts to legions of R&B artists who say his singing – an ear-melting baritone – is everything a voice ought to be. Despite his resounding impact among music aficionados and a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, […]
Posted inCollege
Red Hot Lady Firebirds Win 9 of Last 10 Games
The UDC Lady Firebirds women’s basketball team has won 9 of its last 10 games and is currently on its third three-game winning streak of the season after a big win over the Central State University Marauders on Jan. 9. UDC (10-6) used its impressive defense and three-point shooting to take out CSU, 67-54, in […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Irene Reid Dies at 78
Irene Bennett Reid, a retired city Department of Social Services employee and mother of former Baltimore Mayor Kurt Schmoke, succumbed to lung cancer and died at Sinai Hospital on Jan. 11. She was 78. Reared in the south, Reid worked much of her life as a city social worker, aiming to improve the lives of […]
Posted inD.C. Community, Washington D.C. News
Anacostia Community Museum’s Annual MLK Program Features News Analyst Juan Williams
The Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum will present Juan Williams, FOX news political analyst and “Fox News Sunday” panelist, as the featured speaker for the museum’s 26th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. program on Jan. 14, at 7 p.m. Williams’ remarks addressing the topic “King Alive: His Dream Lives on Today” will be followed by dialogue […]