City Councilwoman Demetrus Coonrod’s foster mother Vivian White testified that Councilwoman Coonrod mainly lives with her on Moss Street within District 9, though she bought a house in Harrison. “Demetrius has always been special to me and I’ve always seen how she’s tried to do the best she could,” she said. Photo by Camm Ashford. Councilwoman Demetrus Coonrod can continue serving District 9, Circuit Court Judge Michael Dumitru ruled on June 11, following nearly six hours of testimony in Hamilton County Circuit Court last Thursday. In a comprehensive 12-page ruling, Judge Dumitru stated that t ..read more

Here’s a truism if ever there was one: people sacrificed their lives for the right for others to vote. Hold that axiom for now.  In the words of Paul Harvey, “in a moment, the rest of the story”. You don’t need a reminder that the 2024 Presidential election is less than six months from now. Which takes us to Joy-Ann Reid’s best-selling, “Medgar & Myrlie,” the powerful story of the late Mississippi voter rights activist Medgar Evers and his wife Myrlie and the ultimate price they paid for the right of African Americans to vote. But first, here’s my proposition – one that’s as far-fetch ..read more

Nationwide — Southland College Prep Charter High School in Richton Park, Illinois is celebrating for the eleventh consecutive year that all members of the senior class have been accepted to college.  The school announced at its annual “All In” event in April that the class of 2024 at the predominantly African American school in south suburban Chicago was offered $50 million and counting in merit and need-based scholarships. According to administrators, the Class of 2024 is projected to exceed $60 million in scholarship offers.  Southland seniors were admitted to some of the top colle ..read more

Governor Bill Lee signed into law legislation which adds a technological protection to domestic abuse victims as conditions of a defendant’s bail, beginning July 1, 2024. Any defendant charged with the “offense of stalking, aggravated stalking, especially aggravated stalking, any criminal offense against a person in which the alleged victim of the offense is a domestic abuse victim, sexual assault victim, or stalking victim, or is in violation of an order of protection” must wear as a condition of bail a global positioning system which not only indicates to the court and its representatives th ..read more

WASHINGTON — Former First Lady Michelle Obama’s mother, Marian Robinson, has died, according to a family statement shared with NBC News. Robinson was 86 years old.  “She passed peacefully this morning, and right now, none of us are quite sure how exactly we’ll move on without her,” the family statement said.  The family statement is from Michelle and Barack Obama; Craig Robinson and his wife, Kelly; and Marian Robinson’s grandchildren, Avery, Leslie, Malia, Sasha, Austin and Aaron.  Robinson became known to Americans as the country’s first grandmother after her son-in-law, Bara ..read more

The post Chattanooga Festivals of Black Arts & Ideas appeared first on Chattanooga News Chronicle ..read more

By proclamation from the Chattanooga City Council and Hamilton County, June 8 is recognized as Coogi Doogi Day. This day is named in recognition of William Jones-Odom, stage name Coogi Doogi, for his work and contributions to the underserved communities of Chattanooga. My name is William Jones-Odom, or as many know me by my stage name, Coogi Doogi. I have lived in Chattanooga, Tennessee my whole life and enjoy giving back to our community. As a local leader I have had the privilege to serve the Westside of Chattanooga and specifically nurture our underprivileged children in the comm ..read more

Nationwide — A group of young people from Philadelphia who are a part of the National Youth Foundation are stepping up to care for and beautify the grave site for the stolen remains of 19 African Americans who died in the 1800s. Their remains were previously housed at Penn Museum which is owned by the University of Pennsylvania since 1966. However, earlier this year, the remains were given a proper final resting place in a private ceremony held at Eden Cemetery in Collingdale, Pennsylvania.  The remains of these deceased men and women are collectively referred to as the “Black Philadelphi ..read more

High blood pressure – sometimes referred to as “the silent killer” because it can do serious heart and brain damage before symptoms appear – is common in adults. But what about children? Among U.S. children and adolescents, up to five percent have high blood pressure – also known as hypertension – and as many as 18 percent have elevated blood pressure, according to a scientific statement from the American Heart Association published recently in its journal Hypertension. Until recently, medical experts weren’t focused on hypertension as a childhood issue, says Dr. Bonita Falkner, writing commit ..read more

By Tori Gessner NASHVILLE, TN (WKRN) — A change in Tennessee law that formally defines bullying and cyberbullying and ensures the acts would be treated the same as harassment will go into effect July 1. The amendment, HB 2590, expands the offense of harassment to include bullying and cyberbullying, according to the language in the legislation, and it will require law enforcement to notify the victim’s parents and/or guardians of the bullying situation at school if the victim is a minor. “There’s an enormous amount of shame that comes from the impact of bullying,” Rodger Dinwiddie, CEO of Stude ..read more