Author: Jessica D. Bullock, DI

Two former Hot 107.9 employees file lawsuit regarding wages, gender discrimination, and claims of sexual harassment. What We Know: Two women, former employees at Urban One filed lawsuits against the company over unpaid time. Urban One is the entity that represents Atlanta hip-hop station, 107.9. The women allege that they were sexually harassessed at the hands of former Radio One Atlanta vice president of programming “Hurricane” Dave Smith. Smith was fired last August after a previous lawsuit was filed against him alleging that he sexually assaulted and harassed a former female employee. Smith countered that with a defamation lawsuit of…

Time Magazine will honor basketball star, Kobe Bryant by releasing a new cover commemorating his life. What We Know: Photographed by CPi Syndication’s Michael Muller, the black-and-white Time cover features an image of Bryant from the back wearing his famed number 24 jersey taking a final bow. Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven other passengers tragically lost their lives on Sunday morning following a helicopter crash in Calabasas, Calif., just 30 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. TIME’s new commemorative cover: Kobe Bryant, 1978-2020 pic.twitter.com/zGlEToV3OM — TIME (@TIME) January 27, 2020 Fans replied to Times, honoring his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna…

The joint venture label launched by actress Issa Rae and Atlantic Records, has acquired the music supervision firm Bonfire Collective. What We Know: Stephanie Diaz-Matos, founder and creative head of Bonfire Collective will now join Raedio as head of music supervision and its production music library. Bonfire’s offices in Los Angeles, New York and New Orleans will operate under Raedio. The acquisition goes hand and hand with what can be called Raedio’s philosophy of being “an audio everywhere” company. In an exclusive statement to Billboard, Issa stated “Music in TV and film has long been a passion of mine. Raedio…

Though Kobe Bryant never played for the Dallas Mavericks, the team will retire No. 24 in honor of his tragic death and legacy. What We Know: Though he played exclusively for the Los Angeles Lakers during his 20 years in the NBA, the death of him and his daughter and the overall impact of his legacy remains felt throughout the world. Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, will hang up jersey no. 24 indefinitely in honor of the late NBA legend who wore the number throughout his career with the Lakers. “We are shocked and saddened by the devastating news of the passing…

A second case of the Coronavirus has been confirmed in a woman in Chicago. What We Know: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the second infection of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus. The patient recently returned from Wuhan, China, where an outbreak of respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus has been ongoing since December 2019. After the woman returned from Wuhan, China on January 13, 2020, she contacted her health care provider after experiencing symptoms days later. Infection control measures were taken and she remains hospitalized in an isolated room in stable condition. She is doing well. Coronaviruses are…

The official portraits from the National Portrait Gallery of former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama will begin a five-city national tour in Chicago next year. What We Know: The gallery announced Tuesday that the Art Institute of Chicago will host the portraits from June 18, 2021, to August 15, 2021. Kehinde Wiley’s photo of Barack Obama and Amy Sherald’s photo of Michelle Obama were both unveiled in February of 2018. The artists both made history by becoming the first African-American artists chosen to paint the gallery’s official president and first lady portraits. Kim Sajet, director of…

Kim Kardashian West has found herself on the wrong side of a lawsuit after she shared a candid photo of herself and husband Kanye West on her Instagram. What We Know: A photographer by the name of Saeed Bolden claims he shot the photo that the Keeping Up With The Kardashians reality star posted to her Instagram. Bolden allegedly owns the copyright to the photo and says Kim posted without his permission. The photo was captioned “We got love,” and shows Kim gazing up at rapper husband, Kanye West. It is believed to be have taken during a listening party…

A college basketball game between two rivalries turned physical, resulting in Silvio De Sousa getting suspended indefinitely by the Big 12 Conference. What We Know: Kansas forward, Silvio De Sousa is one of four players suspended after they were involved in a brawl on Wednesday between Kansas and Kansas State. De Sousa was seen raising a stool over his head in attempt to use it as an instrument during the fight. The stool was recovered by the assistant coach. Kansas Coach Bill Self made the decision to suspend De Sousa indefinitely after he promised there would be consequences following the…

Congressman Hakeem Jeffries of New York closed out his impeachment trial statement by quoting lyrics from Notorious B.I.G.’s hit record “Juicy”. What We Know: In an opening statement by Donald Trump’s lawyer Jay Sekulow, he asked “Why are we here?” The question prompted impeachment manager Rep. Hakeem Jeffries to give a very clear and precise reason to that question.  “We are here, sir, because President Trump corruptly abused his power and then he tried to cover it up,” Jeffries said. “And we are here, sir, to follow the facts, apply the law, be guided by the Constitution, and present the…

An NAACP official says she was asked to give up her seat without explanation on an Amtrak Train. What We Know: Sherrilyn Ifill, head of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund says shortly after she boarded train 80 in Washington D.C., she was asked to change seats. In her original tweet on Friday detailing the encounter, she noted that there were not any assigned seats on Amtrak trains. The agent said that other people were coming who she wanted to give the seat to. .@Amtrak I’m being asked to leave my seat on train 80 which I just boarded…