by Quincy Thomas | Jun 5, 2023 | Culture
During the Fourth of July weekend, the 34th annual LA BLACK PRIDE (LABP) returns to Los Angeles to celebrate all things Black and queer.
Today, LABP announced that Raven-Symoné, a Daytime Emmy Award-nominated actress, singer, and songwriter, will receive this year’s Jewel Thais-Williams Trailblazer Award for her undeniable contributions and impact on music, TV/film, and culture at ONE “Mega Party” on July 1st at Catch One from 9 PM – 3 AM.
Greg Mathis, Jr. and Elliott Cooper from the hit series “Mathis Family Matters” will host the CLSQ Kickoff Celebration on Thursday, June 29th from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. at Chapel at the Abbey.
LABP, produced by BBE Group, looks back on the previous year and the people and pioneers who paved the way. We are celebrating ourselves on a daily basis in 2023. We are honoring those who, in large and small ways, are shaping the future of our community. #MyBlackIsGold is more than a mission this year; it’s a mantra. It’s a declaration that we are deserving of equity, mental health, and the pure joy of simply being and loving ourselves.
This year’s #MyBlackIsGold events and experiences will celebrate the beauty, intelligence, and achievements of black queer and trans people. They are as follows:
Friday, June 30th
“CLSQ” Kickoff Celebration
Chapel at the Abbey
696 N Robertson Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069
10 PM – 2 AM
NO COVER w/ RSVP
DJ Monte Christo & Mike Taylor
Hip Hop – Trap – Soul – Dancehall – House – 90s & 2000s
Friday, June 30th
CROWN “A Mini Concert Serious”
The Vermont
3150 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90010
9 PM – 3 AM
Saturday, July 1st
ONE “Mega Party”
Catch One
4067 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90019
9 PM – 3 AM
Sunday, July 2nd
LEGACY “Player’s Club” Edition / Finale
HEART WeHo
8911 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069
9 PM – 2 AM
by Quincy Thomas | Jun 3, 2023 | Crimes
Authorities say they seized at least $2 million in suspected cocaine during a traffic stop in Alabama.
Melissa Dufour, of Miramar, Florida, and Racquelle Anteola, of Van Nuys, California, were arrested for cocaine trafficking, according to the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff Paul Burch said, “We are sending a clear message — we are looking for those who are trafficking drugs to our area and will do everything in our power to stop you from bringing it here.”
On Thursday, at about 9:30 a.m., the sheriff’s office and the U.S. Border Patrol arrived on the scene.
“During a roadside interview, both females told conflicting stories about their travel plans,” according to the sheriff’s office. “The MCSO narcotics K9 was deployed and detected the presence of narcotics.”
More than 217 pounds of suspected cocaine, with an estimated street value of $2.1 million, were discovered inside the car, according to authorities, who claimed to have discovered “several hidden traps” in the floorboard and side walls of the vehicle.
The investigation is still being conducted in collaboration with the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office, the Department of Homeland Security, and the U.S. Border Patrol.
by Quincy Thomas | Jun 2, 2023 | Tech
If you’re wondering when artificial intelligence (AI) will begin to replace human jobs, the answer is now.
According to data from Challenger, Gray & Christmas, artificial intelligence contributed to nearly 4,000 job losses last month, as interest in the rapidly evolving technology’s ability to perform advanced organizational tasks and lighten workloads has grown.
According to the outplacement firm’s report released Thursday, layoff announcements from US-based employers reached more than 80,000 in May, a 20% increase from the previous month and nearly four times the level for the same month last year.
The seventh-highest contributor to job losses cited by employers in May was AI, which was responsible for 3,900 or about 5% of all job losses.
Businesses have quickly adopted cutting-edge AI technology to automate a wide range of tasks, including administrative and clerical work as well as creative work such as writing. As a result, jobs have been lost.
According to Bloomberg Intelligence analysts, the AI industry will be worth more than $1 trillion by 2025, driven by significant technological advancements such as the release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT bot last fall.
The inclusion of artificial intelligence (AI) in the Challenger report is a first, but human replacement by rapidly developing technology has previously been in the news.
by Quincy Thomas | May 30, 2023 | Crimes
After a store owner shot and killed a 14-year-old, who he thought was stealing a bottle of water, the South Carolina gas station got completely demolished when many found out what the store owner did to that child.
According to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department, Cyrus Carmack-Belton entered a Shell gas station around 8 p.m. Sunday night. Rick Chow, the store’s owner, accused the teen of shoplifting water bottles.
Sheriff Leon Lott of the county department, on the other hand, claims that is not the case.
The teen was seen on video touching some water bottles before placing them back in the cooler. After an argument with the store owner, the teen fled and was pursued by the store owner’s son and the owner Chow, who was armed with a pistol. The adolescent fell near some apartments. Chow’s son allegedly told him the teen had a gun at that point. Carmack-Belton was then shot in the back by Chow.
A gun was discovered near Belton’s body, but police determined that Cyrus never pointed it at them because he was shot with his back turned. Shierff Lott said, “You don’t do what happened last night.”
“These are the facts of the case,” he went on to say. “A tragic incident occurred and the person responsible has been arrested. There’s no reason for this to happen.” Chow was taken into custody and charged with murder.
by Quincy Thomas | May 30, 2023 | News
A brave Arizona man rescued two young girls from the back of a burning vehicle on the side of a highway just before it exploded.
30-year-old Sam Heiler told Fox News that he was driving with his wife on a remote highway in Navajo County to a Memorial Day Weekend destination when the engine in the car ahead of them caught fire.
The parents of the two girls, according to Sam, got out of the front seats of the car and shut their doors, instantly locking their two daughters in the backseat.
“The parents were freaking out, screaming and punching the windows with their bare hands, both the back windows in front of the babies,” Heiler said.
Recognizing the urgency of the situation, Heiler grabbed a rock from the side of the road and hurled it at the front window, breaking the glass and allowing the doors to be opened from the inside.
Melissa stated that once the doors were opened, her husband unbuckled the girls and assisted their parents in getting them out of the car. They all retreated to the car of Heiler, which was parked about 30 feet away.
“They had about 20 seconds before the fire spread from the engine block to the cab,” Sam added. It was bad because the girls were screaming, the parents were screaming, and my wife was screaming. When the fire hit the fuel tank it made a legitimate fireball explosion.”
Following the explosion, dramatic video shows the vehicle roasting on the roadside, completely engulfed in flames.
Sam told Fox News that there was no cell phone service in the area, but he eventually flagged down another driver using a glow stick he keeps in his car and instructed them to dial 911 once they had cell service again, which would have been about 25 miles further down the road.
Police and firefighters arrived on the scene, but the fire continued to burn until an hour later, when it was safely extinguished.
As a result of Sam Heiler’s bravery, the two girls and their parents are doing well.
