MISSING CHILD: Alfa Ousmane Barrie

The family of 11-year-old Alfa Ousmane Barrie is pleading for help and his safe return after the child went in Harlem.

Barrie was last seen Friday, May 12 wearing a blue Democracy Prep uniform collard shirt, grey uniform pants and grey Yeezy shoes.

Anyone with information about his whereabouts is being asked to call 646-875-0341 or call the 32nd Precinct at 917-803-4169.

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US seeks dismissal of corruption charges against Florida 2018 Democratic governor nominee Gillum

Andrew Gillum (267284)

Federal prosecutors asked a judge Monday to dismiss the remaining corruption charges against Andrew Gillum, the Democratic nominee for Florida governor in 2018, after a jury deadlocked on all but one count following a trial earlier this month.

Prosecutors had said they intended to retry Gillum after the trial concluded on May 4, but reversed course in a one-paragraph motion that also seeks dismissal of the case against his co-defendant, Sharon Lettman-Hicks.

Jurors acquitted Gillum of lying to the FBI but could not reach a verdict on more than a dozen fraud and conspiracy charges contending Gillum and Lettman-Hicks diverted tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions for his personal use.

Gillum’s defense team, led by Miami attorney David O. Markus, said in an email that he can now “resume his life and public service.”

“Andrew Gillum had the courage to stand up and say ‘I am innocent.’ And that is finally being recognized. We want to thank the hard working jury who did their job and explained to the government why it should drop the case,” the statement said.

U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor, who presided over the trial, did not immediately rule Monday on the motion but generally judges give deference to prosecutorial discretion. There was no comment from the U.S. attorney’s office beyond the court filing.

Gillum, 43, is a former Tallahassee mayor who sought to become the first Black governor in Florida history when he ran in 2018. He lost to Republican Ron DeSantis by less than 34,000 votes, which triggered an automatic recount.

Prosecutors had claimed Gillum committed fraud because he was struggling financially after quitting his $120,000-a-year job with the progressive People for the American Way group when he decided to run for governor. Lettman-Hicks, a longtime political adviser to Gillum and former executive with the group, was accused of conspiring with Gillum to divert the contributions to his personal accounts. Jurors also deadlocked on those counts.

The jury found Gillum not guilty of charges that he lied about his interactions with undercover FBI agents posing as developers who paid for a 2016 trip he and his brother took to New York, which included a ticket to the hit Broadway show “Hamilton.” Gillum contended his brother provided the ticket.

Gillum’s attorneys had argued that the indictment was politically motivated, but Winsor refused last year to dismiss the case, ruling that Gillum and Lettman-Hicks had to be tried together because their actions were so closely intertwined.

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* This article was originally published here

Audrey’s Society Whirl Harlem School of the Arts honors Phylicia Rashad with President’s Award By Audrey J. Bernard Society Editor

Audrey’s Society Whirl Harlem School of the Arts honors Phylicia Rashad with President’s Award By Audrey J. Bernard Society Editor On Monday, May 1, 2023, the Harlem School of the Arts (HSA) hosted its Annual Benefit Gala at The Plaza Hotel, consisting of a networking reception, dinner, entertainment, and awards presentations. Young people excelled throughout

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“In the Company of Grace: A Veterinarian’s Memoir of Trauma and Healing” by Jody Lulich REVIEW by Terri Schlichenmeyer, Harlem News contributor

“In the Company of Grace: A Veterinarian’s Memoir of Trauma and Healing” by Jody Lulich REVIEW by Terri Schlichenmeyer, Harlem News contributor You are a product of what your parents do. They nurtured you, and you learned to nurture. They yelled, and you discovered that shouting was the way to communicate. From them, you got

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“Fat Ham” Is A Modern, Black Family Feast on Broadway! By Linda Armstrong

“Fat Ham” Is A Modern, Black Family Feast on Broadway! By Linda Armstrong Broadway has a very tasty treat in the 2022 Pulitzer Prize winner for Drama, “Fat Ham,” playing at the American Airlines Theatre on W 42nd Street. This hilarious production by James Ijames serves up a new take on William Shakespeare’s classic story

* This article was originally published here