By A.R. Cabral Capital News Service ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Maryland hospitals are seeing an uptick in ransomware and other cybersecurity threats, mirroring a national trend, and a federal agency is investigating a dozen breaches among healthcare providers in the state. There are seven breaches currently under investigation from this year alone but there are 12 current investigations […]
Category: Afro Briefs
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Abortion bans disproportionately impact marginalized communities, activists say
By BRITTANY N. GADDY and KELLY LIVINGSTON Capital News Service WASHINGTON – As reproductive rights are being restricted in nearly two dozen states, marginalized communities, including people of color and LGBTQ people, are being disproportionately impacted, according to activists. A variety of abortion restrictions have been passed in 21 states, with others pending in state […]
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DOJ reaches $88M settlement with Charleston massacre survivors, families
By J. K. Schmid Special to the AFRO Fourteen survivors of the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church shooting have come to an $88 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). DOJ announced the settlement in an Oct. 28 release. The parceled out payments range from $6 million to $7.5 million dollars for victims […]
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Pushing for Reparations at The White House
By Ezinne Onyedum Special to The Afro The cries for justice through reparations continue to be heard around the country, including in the nation’s capital. The reparationists U.S. Freedmen On Code held a demonstration in front of the White House to push for attention on this. The October 16 demonstration began with four members, but […]
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Covid collateral damage: The rise in cost of education
By Megan Kirk The Michigan Chronicle School is back in session and for some parents, back-to-school shopping has been yet another aspect of life affected by the pandemic. Shortages in apparel, supplies and other school necessities are making the return to in-person learning more difficult. Parents are having to use additional resources to source goods […]
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Facebook to shut down face-recognition system, delete data
By Matt O’Brien and Barbara Ortutay AP Technology Writers Facebook said it will shut down its face-recognition system and delete the faceprints of more than 1 billion people amid growing concerns about the technology and its misuse by governments, police and others. “This change will represent one of the largest shifts in facial recognition usage […]
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Ahmaud Arbery trial heats up, only one black juror selected
By Roz Edward, The Chicago Defender Jury selection which began on Oct. 18 has concluded 8 in the trial of three white men accused of chasing and gunning down Ahmaud Arbery, an unarmed Black jogger in Brunswick, Georgia. Jury selection finished at the beginning of November, with only one black member on the 12-person panel. […]
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Globe bounces back to nearly 2019 carbon pollution levels
By SETH BORENSTEIN, Associated Press GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — The dramatic drop in carbon dioxide emissions from the pandemic lockdown has pretty much disappeared in a puff of coal-fired smoke, much of it from China, a new scientific study found. A group of scientists who track heat-trapping gases that cause climate change said the first nine months […]
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New virtual reality course lowers stress at recovery centers
By RACHEL LOGAN Capital News Service ANNAPOLIS, Md. — At two Maryland substance use disorder treatment facilities, patients can use music, yoga and even a virtual reality lesson plan to practice mindfulness and decrease stress. When a patient dons a proprietary wireless and light headset and noise-canceling headphones, they are immersed in a new world. […]
Posted inBUSINESS
Black-owned platform ‘Know Your Politician’ educates the underrepresented voter
After the election of Donald Trump, Kabir Oshodi and Evan Higgins decided underrepresented voters were in need of a platform that makes understanding politics easy. They launched Know Your Politician in 2021 to help people become more engaged in the voting process. (Courtesy Photo) By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member […]
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Jury hears opening statements in ‘Unite the Right” trial
By The Associated Press Jurors heard opening statements Oct. 28 in a civil lawsuit that accuses White nationalists of conspiring to commit violence at the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville in 2017. Karen Dunn, a lead attorney for nine people who are suing over physical and emotional injuries they received, told the jury that […]
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Albert Pannell’s digital reach has gone from zero to Zoom
Albert Pannell possessed no digital knowledge before joining Comcast’s Internet Essentials Partnership Program. In working with staff from Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, he learned how to access Zoom and communicate with his relatives. (Courtesy Photo) By Megan Sayles AFRO Business Writer Report for America Corps Member msayles@afro.com According to a Pew Research Center study, […]