Author: Melodi Blackmon, DI

Melodi Blackmon is a writer, Virgo, wife, and an Atlanta native. She recently earned her Associates Degree in Mass Communications this summer. She is also a Digital Intern with Black News Alerts. Follow her on her social media to get to know her more.

Valencia Love, the woman who bonded R. Kelly out of jail earlier this year, is demanding to have the $100,000 returned back to her. What We Know: In February of this year, “I Wish” singer R. Kelly was indicted on ten counts of criminal sexual abuse. Love, who claimed to be a friend of Kelly, says she gave Cook County state jail four installments of $25,000 in order for Kelly to be released. In July, Kelly was arrested again on eighteen counts, pertaining to child pornography production, obstruction of justice and receipt of child pornography. Love has requested to have…

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Food Network TV personality and chef to the stars, Carl Ruiz has unfortunately passed away at the age of 44. What We Know: Carl Ruiz, the 44-year-old owner of New York restaurant, La Cubana and celebrity chef, was found dead in his home on Sunday, September 22. His personal friend of two years, Matt Farah affirmed the tragic news via Twitter and Instagram while sharing his memories of Ruiz and their friendship. https://www.instagram.com/p/B2t1V4DgKQ-/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link Food Network TV companion Guy Fieri contributed his own personal post for Ruiz, expressing how “heartbroken” he is over the death of another fellow celebrity chef. https://twitter.com/GuyFieri/status/1175778700475994112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1175778700475994112&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.today.com%2Fnews%2Fcarl-ruiz-food-network-star-celebrity-chef-dies-44-t163095…

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An NYPD officer was recently arrested for exposing himself to a 10-year-old girl. What We Know: Around 7 am on Thursday, September 19, 39-year-old Shaun Frazier was seized outside his Brooklyn home and charged with endangering the welfare of a child. Earlier this month, on September 5th, Frazier’s friend asked him to babysit their 10-year-old daughter and 5-year-old son. It was on this night when the little 10-year-old found Frazier in the kitchen, licking a pair of her panties. Brooklyn Assistant District Attorney Gwen Barnes told the Daily News that “He asked if he could lick her underwear.” Taken aback,…

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Cornell Medical School announced on Monday that their financial aid students will now be able to attend for free! What We Know: Starting with the 2019-2020 academic school year, Weill Cornell Medicine School will pay for tuition, housing and living expenses for all of their students that qualify for financial aid. Along with Columbia and New York University’s medical school, Cornell is the third medical school to offer tuition assistance. Many of the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates have announced plans to introduce forgiving student loan debt, making the above-mentioned schools take on the same challenge. Maurice Greenberg, the chairman of…

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Rwandan gospel singer, Albert Nabonibo, has officially announced that he is a gay man. What We Know: In August of this year, Nabonibo shocked the world when he appeared in an interview with a Christian YouTube channel, admitting that he is gay. Although central Africa doesn’t have an issue with gay citizens, there are other parts of Africa, such as sub-Sahara, that despise homosexuality. Rwanda’s penal code states that gay marriage is forbidden. This means some homosexuals have to live a lowkey life, in fear of being found out. Nabonibo, who is also a 35-year-old accountant has expressed that he…

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Wendy Williams has stated that in her next marriage, she will have a prenup. What We Know: In April of this year, Williams announced that after 20+ years of marriage, she and ex-husband Kevin Hunter were getting a divorce. She also revealed the reasoning behind the divorce: Hunter cheated on her and had gotten the mistress pregnant. Wendy made an appearance on Dr. Mehmet Oz’s show on September 11. She stated the following: “I say this all the time… I’m a wife. I’m not a girlfriend and I will get married again. There will be a prenuptial agreement. And by the…

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ESPN recently aired a new 30 for 30 documentary featuring former Detroit Pistons player, Dennis Rodman. It’s entitled “Dennis Rodman: For Better or Worse.” What We Know: This past Tuesday, the two-hour-long documentary premiered on the ESPN network. The documentary portrays the life of Rodman, including the highs and lows of his seven-year-long career with the Pistons, his close relationship with former Pistons Coach Chuck Daly and also features commentary from some of his former teammates Phil Jackson, John Salley and Michael Jordan. Narrated by actor/comedian Jamie Foxx, the documentary also shows how Rodman went from being one of the…

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Slutty Vegan restaurant founder and owner, Pinky Cole has helped one lucky Clark Atlanta University student stay in school. What We Know: The lucky student is Khalil Perry who is a junior Mass Communications major at Clark Atlanta University. With just one year left to go in his degree, Perry who is a Houston, Texas native, thought he would never graduate. “I owed close to $7,000-$8,000, man,” says Perry. At his final attempt to raise the money, he created a GoFundMe account and quickly received a DM from CAU alumni and owner of popular Atlanta restaurant Slutty Vegan, Pinky Cole.…

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As we previously reported, BET is jumping into the streaming business!  Beginning September 19th, BET will launch its new streaming service. What We Know: BET+ is the name of BET’s new streaming service, which will feature over 1,000 hours of premium content. Targeted to the African-American audience, the service was created by BET Networks and Tyler Perry Studios. BET+ will charge subscribers a monthly fee of $9.99 to stream. Devin Griffin, BET+ general manager says, “In our first year, we will release a BET+ original project almost every month, adding to our lineup of deep and diverse content. We’re focused…

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Chicago Tribune reports that there are over 16,000 students that are homeless in Chicago, Illinois. What We Know: According to the Chicago Coalition for the homeless, during the 2018-2019 school year, there were more than 16,450 students in the Chicago Public Schools system that didn’t have a permanent home. 865 of those students lived in the 27th Ward, which is where Alderman Walter Burnett lives and is also a member of the council. “We need to put the people first. We need to help the needy and not the greedy,” Burnett stated at a homeless coalition news conference last Thursday…

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