1+ hour, 52+ min ago (415+ words) Preparing for all the merry and bright holiday festivities " from hosting a food and beverage-filled holiday bash to checking loved ones" gifts off your shopping list " can get expensive. Many financial institutions offer short-term "holiday loans" to help you cover those extra seasonal costs. But are holiday loans naughty or nice? If you"re considering getting one, it"s a good idea to explore the pros and cons before applying and signing on the dotted line. With soaring inflation rates and costs rising everywhere, you won"t be alone if you haven"t set aside holiday funds this year. That said, it doesn"t look like consumer holiday spending is slowing down. Specifically, the consumer research experts predict total U.S. holiday retail sales "will grow 4.4% year over year (YoY), reaching $1.05 trillion in 2025." Online U.S. retail sales "will grow at 6.7% YoY, reaching $270 billion....

11+ hour, 32+ min ago (602+ words) By Hillel ItalieAP National Writer His wife, Latifa Chambers, confirmed his death Nov. 24. Chambers and Cliff's three children also posted a message on his social media sites that he died from a "seizure followed by pneumonia." Additional information was not immediately available. "The Harder They Come," delayed for some two years because of sporadic funding, was the first major commercial release to come out of Jamaica. It sold few tickets in its initial run, despite praise from Roger Ebert and other critics. But it now stands as a cultural touchstone, with a soundtrack widely cited as among the greatest ever and as a turning point in reggae's worldwide rise. For a brief time, Cliff rivaled Marley as the genre's most prominent artist. On an album that included Toots and the Maytals, the Slickers and Desmond Dekker, Cliff was the featured…...

12+ hour, 32+ min ago (132+ words) Prince George's County Council Chair Edward Burroughs III has started a new partnership with Vet for Vet and Victory Church International to help District 8 veterans with the process of applying for and receiving Veterans Affairs benefits. The post New partnership to aid Prince George's veterans with VA benefits appeared first on AFRO American Newspapers. By Brandon HenryAFRO Intern This past Veterans Day, Prince George's County Council Chair Edward Burroughs III launched a new partnership with Vet for Vet and Victory Church International to aid veterans in District 8 with applying for and receiving Veterans Affairs benefits." Burroughs announced the partnership on Nov. 11 at a press conference, alongside Deborah Nelson from Vet for Vet, veterans that will benefit from this partnership, and Victory Church International representatives."...

14+ hour, 47+ min ago (429+ words) Mayor Brandon M. Scott received one of the world's most distinguished recognitions, earning a spot on Time magazine's 2025 list of the 100 most influential people, and also landed on Ebony's Power 100. Yet, in typical fashion, Scott redirects the spotlight back to his hometown. "For me it's truly a humbling experience and an honor," Scott said. "But I think about it as not just Brandon Scott being influential in the world, but Baltimore being influential in the world. And that's what I want people to understand." Accompanying Scott on the Ebony Power 100 list is Mayors Randall Woodfin of Birmingham, Ala., and Brandon Johnson of Chicago. He expressed gratitude that his work was noticed by such a meaningful publication, which has highlighted and celebrated the beauty, culture and achievements of Black people since its inception. "I am deeply proud of the work that we…...

15+ hour, 50+ min ago (289+ words) A federal judge on Nov. 24 dismissed the criminal cases against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, concluding that the prosecutor who brought the charges at President Donald Trump's urging was illegally appointed by the Justice Department. The rulings from U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie halt" at least for now" a pair of prosecutions that had targeted two of the president's most high-profile political opponents and amount to a stunning rebuke of the Trump administration's legal maneuvering to install an inexperienced and loyalist prosecutor willing to file cases. "All actions flowing from Ms. Halligan's defective appointment," including securing and signing the indictments, "were unlawful exercises of executive power and are hereby set aside," she wrote. Halligan, the judge said, has been serving unlawfully in the role since September 22, the day she was sworn in by…...

19+ hour, 43+ min ago (953+ words) Some officials say they have begun scrambling to fill the anticipated gaps. "We do not have a sense of whether we can rely on CISA for these services as we approach a big election year in 2026," said Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon, a Democrat who until recently led the bipartisan National Association of Secretaries of State. Simon said secretaries of state are still waiting to hear about the agency's plans. "I regret to say that months later, the letter remains very timely and relevant," he said. An agency in transition CISA, as the agency is known, was formed under the first Trump administration to help safeguard the nation's critical infrastructure, from dams and power plants to election systems. It has been undergoing a major transformation since President Donald Trump's second term began in January. Public records suggest that roughly…...

1+ day, 11+ hour ago (834+ words) By D. Kevin McNeirSpecial to the [email protected] On Monday, Nov. 17, the House Rules Committee considered 13 D.C.-related bills, considered as threats by city officials to Home Rule " the law which has allowed the District to self-govern since 1975." Ahead of the vote, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) released a statement which criticized the motivations of legislators, specifically Republicans in the House, who continue to promote bills which speak to their own self-interests even though they represent constituents in districts other than Washington, D.C." "D.C.s local legislature, the D.C. Council, was elected by D.C. residents," Norton said. "Its members are accountable to D.C., and they are the appropriate elected officials to dictate D.C. laws. It is paternalistic and condescending for Republican members of Congress to substitute their own judgment for that of D.C.s local legislature." "D.C. residents have all the obligations of American citizenship, including paying federal taxes, serving on…...

1+ day, 12+ hour ago (434+ words) Families receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) in Washington, D.C., are starting to see an increase to the child support payments they receive. According to Meridel Bulle-Vu, managing attorney for Legal Aid D.C.s Family Law and Domestic Violence Unit, the D.C. Council law that became effective on Oct. 1 is a step in the right direction. The increase means the portion of child support that the government returns to the family, known as the pass-through, is higher. This money is provided to the family in addition to their regular TANF cash assistance. "We already had a pass-through of $150 a month," said Bulle-Vu. "The change makes it up to $200 a month'thats an additional $50. Its the first step towards correcting the cruelty of our cost recovery system that the federal government has imposed on states and the District of Columbia. Its making sure that…...

1+ day, 13+ hour ago (1224+ words) By Chianti MarksAFRO Intern At the age of 30, Akosua "Sua" Bamfo found a small lump in her breast. It was October 2022. She immediately scheduled an appointment with her OB-GYN. After undergoing an MRI and ultrasound, she was told her breasts were too dense for clear imaging and that they would follow up in a few months. "My doctor told me that it was most likely nothing since I had just turned 30, and it was normal for my breast tissue to change around this age," Bamfo said. "I didn't worry about it until something in my spirit wasn't sitting right. I knew something else was up, but I also knew I wasn't a professional, nor did I know anyone with breast cancer." She later found out, after doing genetic testing, that a history of breast cancer ran in the family. Bamfo…...

1+ day, 14+ hour ago (311+ words) Bowie State University received notification of a $50 million grant from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott" on Nov. 14. The unrestricted grant represents the largest philanthropic gift in"Bowie State's history and doubles the size of a $25 million gift Scott granted to Bowie in 2020." "Her generosity arrives at a pivotal moment in our 160-year story," said Dr. Aminta Breaux, Bowie State University's president in a statement announcing the gift. "It empowers us to expand access, elevate our research and academic excellence, and uplift generations of students who will lead, serve and innovate." University administrators have stated the newest gift from MacKenzie Scott will build on the momentum leveraged from Scott's initial 2020 investment in Bowie State University." Brent Swinton, vice president for philanthropic engagement said that the first gift from MacKenzie Scott inspired other philanthropists" to take notice of this storied institution." University officials have…...