American Airlines CEO Speaks Out After Black Passengers Kicked Off Flight - Illinois news - NewsLocker (2024)

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American Airlines CEO Robert Isom is speaking out after a discrimination lawsuit alleged that eight Black passengers were kicked off a flight over a complaint about body odor.
In a letter sent on Tuesday (June 18), Isom called the January incident “unacceptable,” per CBS News.
“I am incredibly disappointed by what happened on that flight and the breakdown of our procedures,” the CEO wrote. “We fell short of our commitments and failed our customer

COLUMN: How Angel Reese Outshining Caitlin Clark Flips The Script

On Sunday (June 23), the media darling of women’s basketball, the athlete tabbed as the central protagonist in her sport’s revival, got upstaged by the so-called villain.
And it was glorious.
Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky triumphed over Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever by a score of 88-87. It was another thrilling chapter in the rivalry between two rookie stars that has propelled the WNBA to unprecedented popularity.“bUt wHy dO ThE ChIcAgO SkY HaTe tHe fE

Taxpayers to Benefit from IRS Program

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire
The Internal Revenue Serviceannouncedthat its Direct File program will become a permanent option for federal tax returns starting in the 2025 tax season. Biden-Harris administration officials said the move follows a successful pilot program and positive feedback from a broad range of stakeholders.
The IRS plans to broaden Direct File’s availability to make more taxpayers eligible by 2025 and beyond. Officials said the expansion includes examinin

Donald’s Ultimate Pandering ‘Trump Card’ Might Be Choosing a Black Man for His VP Candidate

Donald Trump seems hellbent on convincing people that he’s gotten the support of Black voters – particularly Black men – as we head into the 2024 presidential elections.
He’s making his rounds across the country to some predominantly Black cities, meeting with rappers, pastors, civic leaders, and residents, touting of his “accomplishments” as it pertains to the promotion of Black prosperity and liberation.
He has repeatedly boasted about his record on Black is

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Roderick K. Hawkins: Southern Roots and Leadership in LGBTQ+ Advocacy

Roderick K. Hawkins (Credit: Powell Creative Services).
In 2024, many emerging leaders are paving the way for future generations to follow in their footsteps. Their impact is improving the community in even bigger and better ways. Roderick K. Hawkins, a Southern gentleman at heart, has achieved numerous accolades. His family’s support has shaped him into who he is today: a legendary Black man of excellence who stands for equality for everyone, especially for the LGBTQ community.
Southern R

Video Released of Suspects in Fatal Shooting of Retired CPD Officer Larry Neuman

Chicago police released a video on Saturday showing two suspects wanted in connection with the shooting death of retired CPD officer Larry Neuman.
Neuman, 73, was fatally shot Thursday at about 1:27 p.m. in the 4300 block of West Monroe Street in the West Garfield Park neighborhood. According to police and family friends, Neuman and his wife were working on their lawn when several men approached.
“He was at home in the yard and three young men came up. That’s what I understand happen

Community Unity Shines at Third Annual Juneteenth Village Fest

Common performing at It Takes A Village Family of Schools’ Juneteenth Village Fest at Douglass Park (Credit: Ethan Davis).
By Ethan Davis
Last Saturday (June 15), It Takes A Village Family of Schools (ITAV) held the 3rd annual Juneteenth Village Fest at Douglass Park.
The festival on the West Side was headlined by Nola Abde, Bella Bahhz, the rap group Dead Prez, and artist Domani. The lineup included Chicago’s own DJ Boolumaster and Grammy award-winning artist Common. Common performe

The Best Reactions to Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Pop Out’ Show

Screenshot of Kendrick Lamar performing at The Pop Out: Ken and Friends (Credit: Amazon Music, X).
Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” is the song of the year and the best diss track in Hip-hop history. Much to its target’s detriment—Drake—it’s been played everywhere, from sporting events and school functions to cookouts and bar mitzvahs.
Its omnipresence was evident during Lamar’s “The Pop Out: Ken & Friends” show at the Kia Forum

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Review: Kinds of Kindness

Yorgos Lanthimos paints a chilling portrait of humanity, where sinister impulses tentacle across every facet of life. Those who have seen Lanthimos’s filmography unravel—from his breakout film Dogtooth through his unsettling, outrageous debut in English, The Lobster, to his latest bewilderment, Poor Things—understand that he threads our darkest caprices into his characters. He is unforgiving, […]
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Review: Thelma

People who have reached a certain age are often depicted in films as wise, cautious, and totally harmless. In the new comedy Thelma, those characterizations are ditched for something much more nuanced. Played by Academy Award nominee June Squibb in her first leading role, Thelma is a heartwarming adventure that takes a novel look at […]
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Review: I Used to Be Funny

There’s a long list of comedians who have given dazzling, star-making dramatic performances, and Rachel Sennott has joined this illustrious group in the new film I Used to Be Funny. Sam Cowell (Sennott) is a comedian suffering from debilitating PTSD. She is no longer performing, barely leaves her apartment, and feels that she is a […]
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Review: Fancy Dance

Lily Gladstone appeared in two films in 2023. Martin Scorsese’s white-centered Killers of the Flower Moon received all the attention, but Erica Tremblay’s Fancy Dance is so far superior that it feels like an insult to even compare them. Gladstone plays Jax, a Cayuga woman whose sister, Wadatawi, has disappeared from the rez. Jax is […]
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Oakland death-metal trio Necrot make the macabre fun on Lifeless Birth

Necrot emerged from Oakland’s underground metal scene in the early 2010s and quickly earned a reputation for reliably tight, ferocious old-school death metal. They were already operating in fifth gear, and their third album, April’s Lifeless Birth (Tankcrimes), somehow ratchets things up even further. The brutality of “Winds of Hell” and “Drill the Skull” (along […]
The post Oakland death-metal trio Necrot make the macabre fun on <i>Lifeless Birt

Improvisation and friendship power sophisticated songwriting on Caroline Davis and Wendy Eisenberg’s first duo LP

Caroline Davis and Wendy Eisenberg are not an obvious musical pairing. Davis is an alto saxophonist whose extramusical interests—cardiac and cognitive functions, the films of Ingmar Bergman—shape the rhythms and dynamics of her compositions, which are also informed by the harmonic architecture and improvisational spirit of Wayne Shorter, Lee Konitz, and Von Freeman. Eisenberg is […]
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Chicago’s Taste Rubber make uncomfortable surrealist rock

Do you like freewheeling antirock with subtle circus vibes? If so, Chicago’s Taste Rubber might be the band for you! Their sound is like choking on a handful of helium balloons—certain elements evoke the sensation of having strings jammed into your throat or the sharp, acrid tang of latex. In that sense, it’s exactly what […]
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Celebrated bluesman Charlie Musselwhite returns to his adopted hometown for a special show

It must be strange to have an epic music career but have your fame eclipsed by a fictional character inspired by your work and persona. Though some folks dispute the connection, blues harmonica master Charlie Musselwhite is the probable model for Elwood Blues, the harmonica-slinging bluesman Dan Aykroyd invented for the Blues Brothers, his comedy […]
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UK producer Om Unit brings his ever-evolving dance sound to Chicago

In the 2000s, UK producer and DJ Jim Coles was up to his eyebrows in hip-hop culture—under the name 2tall, he’d mastered turntablism, battling, and sampling. But as he moved into the 2010s, he shifted his attention back to dance music (he’d produced jungle tracks as a teenager in the 90s) and changed his stage […]
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The Logan Square Arts Festival features an eclectic mix of local and touring talent

The Logan Square Arts Festival has evolved significantly since its founding in 2009 as the Milwaukee Avenue Arts Festival. It now occupies the intersection by the Illinois Centennial Monument with vendors, food trucks, and two stages showcasing local and touring up-and-comers in a variety of genres. This year’s music lineup is pretty sweet. On Friday […]
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Queens MC AJRadico makes songs as effervescent as summer dreams

Queens rapper, producer, and engineer AJRadico approaches the textures of his music like an inventive architect. He takes great care to be sure every subtle detail is exactly where it should be, and he arranges all the elements so they sound fresh—he can convince you, even against the evidence of your memory, that you’re hearing […]
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Cooling stations, reparations, housing bonds

Too hot to handle Chicago closed all but one of its cooling centers on Wednesday, even as temperatures climbed to a sweltering 93 degrees amid a nationwide heat wave. Officials opened six cooling centers this week for people without air conditioning to take shelter from a stretch of dangerously high temperatures. Only the Garfield Community […]
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Re: Gun Violence Prevention

By Christiana Castillo
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Pookie Crack Cakes: The Family Business That Has Everyone Hooked

Dedra Simmons’ passion for baking birthed Pookie Crack Cakes, a Bronzeville bakery where cakes fly off the shelves (Credit, Nicole Joseph).
There’s this saying that goes, “It’s so good it makes you want to slap your momma!”
At Pookie Crack Cakes, while the cakes slap, another kind of “slapping” also happens: cakes flying off the shelves, only to be put back onto the shelves again and selling out daily.
When Dedra Simmons started her bakery in 2014,

Funeral Arrangements, Public Tribute Set in Detroit for Dr. William ‘Bill’ Pickard

Dr. William “Bill” F. Pickard – entrepreneur, philanthropist, education advocate, business titan, mentor, and visionary – passed away peacefully at his West Palm Beach, Fla. home on Wednesday, June 12, 2024, at the age of 83. The visitation, funeral, and public tribute at the Charles H. Wright Museum have been scheduled for Dr. Pickard on June 28 and 29, 2024, in Detroit.
Born on January 28, 1941, Dr. Pickard told the 2017 Clark Atlanta University graduating class: &ldquo

Court blocks grants to Black women entrepreneurs in case that could restrict DEI efforts by companies andcharities

Fearless Fund CEO Arian Simone speaks outside the U.S. Supreme Court in March 2024. Tom Brenner/The Washington Post via Getty Imagesby Angela R. Logan, University of Notre Dame
In a 2-1 vote on June 3, 2024, a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit held that the Fearless Foundation – the charitable arm of the Fearless Fund venture capital firm – must suspend its Strivers Grant Contest. The contest is limited to Black women who are majority owners of businesses.
The C

Angel Reese Leads WNBA Rookie Class With Most Double-Doubles, Stands As Favorite To Win Rookie-Of-The-Year

Angel Reese, the former standout at Louisiana State University (LSU), is making waves in her rookie season with the Chicago Sky, proving her prowess on the court once again.
After 13 games, Reese is the only player from the 2024 WNBA Draft class averaging a double-double, solidifying her reputation as a formidable athlete.
Reese, a Baltimore native, is currently shooting 37.1% from the floor and averaging 12.1 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. Achieving a double-double in the WNBA is no e

Real Times Media Wins Eight NNPA Messenger Awards for Journalistic Excellence

Michigan Chronicle and New Pittsburgh Courier, two Real Times Media publications, won a combined total of eight awards during the National Newspaper Publishers Association Fund’s Messenger Awards, which took place on June 20, 2024, at the Four Seasons in Baltimore, Md. The awards were part of the NNPA’s national annual convention, which was hosted from June 19-22, 2024.
Michigan Chronicle took home five awards, including one first-place award in the category of Facebook Campaign; sec

South Side Healthy Community Organization to Host Inaugural Health Fair

The South Side Healthy Community Organization is excited to announce its first-ever Community Empowerment Health Fair, a free event designed to bring vital health resources and wellness activities to the community.
The fair will take place on Saturday, June 22, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Kroc Community Center, located at 1250 W. 119th Street.
This family-friendly event will feature an expert panel discussion on mental health, moderated by SSHCO CEO Kimberly Hobson.
The panel, scheduled

Planet Earth created queer-friendly spaces on and off the dance floor

In fall 2003, writer and actor Dave Awl faced a pileup of crises. His work as a freelance copywriter wasn’t going well, and because the developers who’d bought his Andersonville apartment building were turning it into condos, he had to move out by the end of October. He also had to figure out how to […]
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Can You Hear Us Now? celebrates queer history through dance

When celebrated tap dancer and choreographer Maurice Hines (elder brother and onetime stage partner of Gregory Hines) died at 80 late last year, the fact that he was openly gay didn’t factor heavily into the obituaries. But in his 2019 documentary, Maurice Hines: Bring Them Back, he explored his experiences being both Black and gay […]
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