Firefighters were called to battle a four-alarm fire at the Tyler Perry studios in Atlanta on Tuesday night. Nearly 100 firefighters came to the scene, according to officials. There is no word on what caused the fire, and no reported injuries. The studios are over 200,000 square feet in size, containing five sound stages, a post production facility, a back lot, a 400-seat theater and much more. President Ba ...

ARIES Love, joy and hope fill the air around you this week. Three of the greatest intangible assets that one can experience will be given to you in abundance this week. Use them to overcome the bad vibes being given out by a co-worker this week. Lucky Numbers: 1, 23, 42 TAURUS Live this week especially in a celebratory mode and count your blessings for you are wealthy in ways that are above materialistic le ...

By George E. Curry NNPA Editor-in-Chief  WASHINGTON (NNPA) – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has issued updated recommendations that urge employers not to misuse criminal background checks in filling job openings. By a vote of 4-1 last week, the commissioners noted that African-Americans and Latinos may find it more difficult to find employment because of the widespread use of background ch ...

By ELLYN FORTINO Austin Talks Austin police successfully took down a drug hot spot at the corner of Adams and Laramie avenues last month, which resulted in 17 arrests, said police Cmdr. Barbara West (15th) at the district’s community stakeholder meeting Wednesday morning. The police are still “actively searching” for another suspect, who has a warrant out for his arrest, West said. West told the group, made ...

By Dwight Brown NNPA Film Critic   When we think of music icons that died tragically and way too early, Michael Jackson, John Lennon and, more recently, Whitney Houston, come to mind. But let’s not forget Bob Marley. He brought reggae music to the world, was a social activist and lived a controversial life that rivals any of the aforementioned. His legacy is on view in this thoroughly revealing documen ...

By: Shaneka Smith   The collaborate efforts of AfterSchool Matters, DMI Youth CanProject V.O.I.C.E. and Studio 5090 provided 30 local teens from Michele Clarke, Christ the King, Chicago Academy for Advanced Technology and other Westside schools the opportunity to visit WGCI Studio through Project V.O.I.C.E program. Program instructors Clarence Clayton and Valencia Lake describe Project V.O.I.C.E as an ...

By Freddie Allen NNPA Washington Correspondent WASHINGTON (NNPA) – “Well, who are they coming to get now?” That’s what Norman Murray thought as police officers ran in his direction with guns drawn. Murray, a native Washingtonian with a slim build and matted dreadlocks, looked around to see who the cops were chasing through his neighborhood in the Trinidad section of Northeast Washington, D.C. Then the offic ...

Marian Wright Edelman NNPA Columnist   Millions of children in America are denied the opportunity to receive a fair and high quality education. In March, the U.S. Department of Education released new information showing that children of color face harsher discipline, have less access to rigorous course offerings, and are more often taught by lower paid and less experienced teachers. Inequities in fundi ...

By Alexis Taylor Special to the NNPA from the Afro-American Newspaper Republican Conference Chairman Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, right, and House Majority Whip Rep. Kevin McCarthy of Calif., left, leave a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, March 29, 2012, after Republicans pushed an election-year, $3.5 trillion budget through the House on Thursday that relies on biting spending cuts ...

The Atlanta Police Department said it is now investigating into Tyler Perry’s recent claim that he was racially profiled by two Atlanta officers during a recent traffic stop. The police department told E! News that its office of professional standards is investigating whether the claims “can be substantiated, and whether any departmental policies or procedures were violated during the stop.” As previously r ...