4-28-2016-ERNIE ALLEN’S-TOP STORY- NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee’s Republican governor said Wednesday that he signed a bill into law that allows mental health counselors to refuse to treat patients based on the therapist’s religious or personal beliefs. “As a professional I should have the right to decide if my clients end goals don’t match with my…… MORE
4-27-2016-ERNIE ALLEN’S-TOP STORY- Dancing with the Obamas is one thing, but getting a non-drivers’ photo ID from the Washington, D.C. Department of Motor Vehicles is a whole different thing. That difference was apparent for Virginia McLaurin, the 107-year-old woman who became an Internet sensation after the White House posted a video of her dancing with…… MORE
4-26-2016-ERNIE ALLEN’S-TOP STORY- CLEVELAND (AP) — The city has reached a $6 million settlement in a lawsuit over the death of Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old black boy shot by a white police officer while playing with a pellet gun outside a recreation center. An order filed in U.S. District Court in Cleveland on Monday says…… MORE
4-25-2016-ERNIE ALLEN’S-TOP STORY- Billy Paul, the Philadelphia based singer has died at the age of 81, his website and manager confirmed. Paul, born Paul Williams, is best known for the Philadelphia International hit “Me and Mrs. Jones,” written by the legendary Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. Paul had been diagnosed with cancer and was hospitalized…… MORE
4-22-2016-ERNIE ALLEN’S-TOP STORY- CHANHASSEN, Minn. (AP) — Prince could play guitar like Carlos Santana or Jimi Hendrix, sing like James Brown, turn out pop melodies worthy of Motown or lay down the deepest grooves this side of Sly and the Family Stone. But no one could mistake his sound for anyone but Prince. The dazzlingly…… MORE
4-21-2016-ERNIE ALLEN’S-TOP STORY- WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. paper money is getting a historic makeover. Harriet Tubman, an African-American abolitionist born into slavery, will be the new face on the $20 bill. The leader of the Underground Railroad is replacing the portrait of Andrew Jackson, the nation’s seventh president and a slave owner, who is being…… MORE
4-20-2016-ERNIE ALLEN’S-TOP STORY- SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A group of mostly black women who filed a racial discrimination lawsuit against the Napa Valley Wine Train have settled the case for an undisclosed amount. The group’s attorney, Waukeen McCoy, told the San Jose Mercury News on Monday the two parties reached a settlement last week. He…… MORE
4-19-2016-ERNIE ALLEN’S-OP STORY- SAN DIEGO (AP) — The stepfather of a 2-year-old boy who disappeared in San Diego 14 years ago has been arrested in North Carolina and faces a murder charge, officials say. Tieray D. Jones was arrested Monday by U.S. Marshals and Raleigh Police Department officers in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, a small…… MORE
4-18-2016-ERNIE ALLEN’S-TOP STORY- A former school officer in Knox County, Tennessee has filed a $250,000 lawsuit against the district and the city, charging that he was wrongfully terminated because his supervisor took offense to his marriage to a Black woman, writes USA Today. The lawsuit claims that John Smelser, who is White, was fired in…… MORE
4-15-2016-ERNIE ALLEN’S-TOP STORY- AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A 17-year-old runaway who’s been arrested in the campus killing of a University of Texas student claimed he left home in August because his grandmother’s religious beliefs demanded that teenagers his age go “make their own way in the world,” according to court records obtained by The Associated…… MORE
A big development is delaying the Diddy trial, which will be the entertainment trial of the century, as he disputes new claims in a revised indictment. After a March 14 pre-trial hearing with Diddy, the trial was rescheduled from May 5 to May 12. The delay gives both parties extra time for jury selection, pre-trial…
Chris O’Donnell is headed back to the small screen to star in the 9-1-1 spinoff series, 9-1-1: Nashville on ABC. We don’t know many plot details yet, but the show will follow first responders in the Tennessee-based city. Chris will play Captain Don Sharpe, who Variety describes as “a rugged fire captain and rodeo rider…
Will Smith announced his new album, Based On A True Story, will be released on March 28, 20 years after his last album. The album features DJ Jazzy Jeff, Teyana Taylor, and Smith’s son Jaden. The tracklist is divided into “episodes” instead of songs. He also recently revealed that he and Prince discussed launching an…
SZA is feeling speechless after her album SOS managed to tie Michael Jackson’s classic Thriller. The two artists are officially tied at 79 total non-consecutive weeks spent in the Top 10 on the Billboard 200. According to Luminate, that’s the most for a Black artist. TMZ Hip-Hop caught up with SZA after her appearance on…