Legendary Icon Prince Dies at Age 57

Prince Rogers Nelson, the legendary songwriter and performer of genres like funk, rock, R&B, died on Thursday at Paisley Park studio and estate in Minnesota.

His publicist, Yvette Noel-Shcure announcd his death but did not confirm a cause.

Carver County sheriff, Jim Olson received an emergency call at 9:43 a.m.

Prince was found unresponsive in an elevator.

He was pronounced deceased at 10:07 a.m.

 

UPDATE: Prince’s sister says that he had no known will.

 

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Reporter Rescues Man on Live TV

It was just another day on the job when Steve Campion witnessed an elderly man driving a Toyota Prius head straight into the flooded waters Monday morning.

The ABC13 news reporter was doing a live segment when the driver of the Prius plowed straight ahead.

Campion couldn’t believe what he was seeing and tried to warn the driver; however, it was too late. The car started sinking at the Studemont Street underpass.

“Dude, you’ve got to get out of the car. You’ve got to get out!” yelled Campion.

A man in his late 50’s possibly early 60’s, immediately panicked opening the door of the small car, as it was sinking fast.

He was wearing what looks like a brown trench coat while battling his way out of his vehicle.

“Leave the car, swim!” said Campion.

Just in time, the man did what Campion told him. He swam.

Campion ran into the water with news mic in his hand. He pulled the man to safety.

“I didn’t see it. I didn’t see it,” said the man.

He then navigated his way to lower water levels where Campion was standing.

The man claims he did not think the water was that deep before approaching it.

“Yeah, I didn’t think the water was that deep,” the man said.

Now, standing next to Campion, the man takes one last look at his vehicle.

By this time, the car was completely under water.

“My car is under,” the man told Campion.

The man was hesitant about leaving his car in the deep waters to sink.

“You gotta leave the car,” Campion said.

Later, the man identified himself as Andy.

 

News Reporter Miya Shay uploaded raw footage of Steve Campion saving Andy on Twitter.

You can watch the footage here:

https://twitter.com/miyashay/status/722042252420210688

 

You can also view the FULL story under the Editor-in-Chief tab.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Texas Southern University Alumni Panel

NEWS Squad

TSU Alumni Panelist spoke to students about the importance of writing as young journalists to indicate that the road to success is not always an easy task.

Each panelist emphasized on the importance of writing, and how one MUST know how to write.

“One of the most consistent things you heard throughout the panel discussion was- you’ve got to be a strong writer and that’s very, very important. That skill is transferable to any field of study,” said Malissa Wilson.

Although, the concept of writing may not come easy to many; it is very much an acquired skill to portray not only in the journalistic world, but within other career fields.

One must be able to grasp the basics of writing before learning how to critique it.

“It never dies- being a good writer,” said Erika Harris

Since journalism jobs are hard to come across now-a-days, a journalist should always carry a strong drive with them.

A drive to be successful can gain access to a lot of stray opportunities that you never knew existed.

“Honestly, I think you need to eat, sleep, and breathe journalism… You need to really write and perfect your craft,” said Nakia Cooper.

Also a good way to keep up in the journalist world, is to stay updated on all news programs such as CNN, FOX 26, Channel 13 News, Khou 11, New York Times, LA Times, etc.

Following the write sources can be beneficial to journalist with poor writing skills.

“You need to WRITE, WRITE, WRITE, WRITE and SUBMIT. Submit it to a professional; somebody who can critique it and tell you what you need to change, then you change it,” said Cooper.

As a journalist, writing should be your craft.

 

To see live discussion with the panelist click the link down below:

TSU Alumni Live Discussion

To see individual interviews with panelist click one of the links down below:

Ruben Dominguez

Malissa Wilson

Erika Harris

Nakia Cooper

CONGRATULATIONS Areal Star!

Areal Star

It’s here…

The moment you have all been waiting for.

The winner of 2016 ERM Alliance showcase is… AREAL STAR!

“I’M SO BEYOND EXCITED AND WORDS CAN’T EVEN EXPRESS WHAT THIS MEANS TO ME,” said Areal.

A huge congratulations to Areal for all of her hard work and dedication.

“I worked hard… I really did try my best to bring it…Huge thanks my dancers, Shanice Renea and Aliyah Harris for slaying the stage with me,” said Areal.

Also a huge thank you to everyone who performed at the showcase; you guys are truly talented.

Tune in tomorrow on Facebook live for an exclusive interview with Areal Star.

You can check out the live announcement of ERM Alliance showcase winner here:

2016 ERM Alliance Showcase Winner

You can also check out the first interview with Areal Star after her performance:

Areal Star First Interview

Is Blushhh Music #TheNextBigThing?

Blushhh 1

Could Mathew Knowles new music group be the next Destiny’s Child?

Mathew Knowles upcoming music group Blushhh gives insight on their journey to becoming #TheNextBigThing.

The group members consist of Tali (middle), Sunnie (right), and Bunni Ray (left).

The girls give a Destiny’s Child vibe with  a touch of TLC’s street style.

Blushhh emphasizes on their name by adding two additional h’s on the end of the word.

“Blush means Beauty Lives Under Stone Hearts… That’s why the three H’s are on there; it’s each heart in the group,” said Tali.

Blushhh Music also has a documentary in the making to talk about how they overcame their life struggles while on the road to success.

“We’re actually in the process of documenting our own story. It’s gonna be in the format of a docudrama. Something similar to what Destiny’s Child did on MTV,” said Sunni.

The documentary will share the obstacles that the girls encountered, showing a more vulnerable side that has never been seen.

You can check out Blushhh Music’s website for more tour and music updates at www.blushhhmusic.com

 

 

 

Did Rob Really Pop The Question?

I can’t help but to notice how happy both Rob Kardashian and Blac Chyna are. The two seem to have been inseparable every since Chyna posted a picture on Instagram titling the caption “New Beginning.”

Well, it most certainly is a new beginning for them. Two days ago Rob, 29, popped the question to Chyna, 27, while she was hosting a party at the Ace of Diamonds gentlemen’s club located in Los Angeles, CA after only three months of dating.

Chyna’s 7-carot diamond ring was created by Rob’s friend Ben Baller, who is also CEO of IF & CO custom jewelers.

The ring was set to cost at around $320, 000, though sources believe that Rob could have paid even more for the ring due to its clarity.

The couple was even spotted in public for the first time since the engagement and have been nothing but all smiles.

 

Carjacking

27-year-old Laura Anderson’s car was hijacked with infant still inside at a Chevron gas station located at Calhoun on Thursday morning.

The carjacking took place around 10 a.m., when Laura left her car running and went into the gas station.

Laura’s 11-month-old baby girl was in the backseat of the 2005 blue Honda Civic.

When Laura returned to her car, a 6 feet tall, light skinned man approached her vehicle.

As the man sat inside the vehicle, she grabbed the car door while wrestling with him.

Anderson fell to the ground after being pushed by the man who took off with her baby girl.

The child was wearing a pink Barbie gown.

The car was found at midnight on Louisiana street in downtown Houston near the Hyatt Regency Hotel.

The child had no injuries.

“I’m just happy that my baby is okay. I can’t believe this happened to me. I will never leave my baby in the car like that again,” said Laura.

Police Sergeant Johnny Smith arrived at the scene in search of the suspect.

“We are currently looking for a suspect in the Southeast Houston area. If anyone has any information, please contact the Houston Police Department at (713) 222-2222,” said Sergeant Johnny Smith.

“The mother and the daughter are very lucky today. There were no major injuries; however, there is a great deal of emotional trauma,” said Smith.

Guest Speaker Erica Bouttry

Erica Bouttry, Entertainment Recording Management major at Texas Southern University, spoke to students about the benefits of being involved in Communications Week as well as development of leadership skills prior to career growth.

Today, Erica spoke to TSU journalism students about how to become pro-active in the jumpstart of their careers during Communications Week that begins on April 8 through 15.

“What I’m here to do is engage the students about Communications Week. I want to tell you what it’s about, why we do it, and the most important part for me is how we benefit from it,” said Erica.

The kick- off starts on Friday, April 8, in front of MLK portico where there will be live performances from various Houston-based artists.

Communications Week is the merging of all communication departments and their professors who come together to make sure all students that are within the field to have various opportunities prior to their career path of choice.

“This year our theme is millenials, multiculturalism and mobile connectivity, as well as the establishment of #THENEXTBIGTHING. We are talking about is basically how mobile connectivity has taken over every single major that we have,” said Erica.

The hashtag #THENEXTBIGTHING focuses on new upcoming talents that are brought in by the students of TSU.

Students become involved in such activities when they volunteer their personal time and advice.

“How I got involved with it all- last year, my teacher offered students to come and I raised my hand. I was looking for a way to show how talented I was… I needed a way to get in,” said Erica.

Erica’s career developed from skills that were gained during the making of Communications Week due to people that she was able to network and build relationships with- from that she acquired several internships.

“The most important part is gaining relationships… it starts here. I can literally reach out and touch people because I made a choice to put myself out there,” said Erica.

Erica has networked with a beneficial number of people such as Matthew Knowles, Paul Wall, Lil Keke, Bun B, Serbino Walker and many more.

Erica is currently managing Houston’s first African American country artist, Shatavia Brooks.

TAVIA

 

Check out Tavia’s new hit single ‘Butterfly’ here:

Butterfly

Houston’s First Sit-in

56 years ago, TSU students marched to Weingarten’s Supermarket and fought for racial inequality and justice for African Americans in Houston.

TSU students re-created Houston’s first sit-in on Friday, March 4, to commemorate what the march was all about.

Serbino Sandifer Walker, a journalism professor at TSU, marched with her students to the actual site where the old Weingarten’s Supermarket used to be.

The overall purpose of this march was brought with the intension of the students being served at the lunch counters inside of the supermarket.

There the students filled all 30 stools, shifting other students to sit every hour or so.

The students were given the chance to walk in the shoes of the students who marched on March 4, 1960.

A lot of the students said that they felt ‘amazing’ because they too, had an actual feel of what it was actually like to fight or stand up for what was believed in.

I participated in the march, and let me just say- i have never been so appreciative of the Black Community and its people. They just always tend to do great things to help better the community that we live in.

Today, the supermarket is now a post office, but has a marker in remembrance of the very first sit-in that was led by Holly Hogrobrooks and 13 others.