Teen shot, killed after basketball game at Menchville High School in Newport News

 

A teenager has died in a shooting after a basketball game at Menchville High School Tuesday night.

Police say there was some type of altercation in the school's parking lot after the game. 

Someone fired shots, and the teen, a male, was hit.

Officers gave first aid and CPR to the victim, but he died from his injuries at the scene. 

There is currently no suspect information. 

The investigation remains ongoing.

Ex-NFL Player Phillip Adams—Who Killed 6 During Rampage—Had Severe CTE Similar To Aaron Hernandez, Doctor Says

Phillip Adams, the former NFL player who shot and killed six people in South Carolina earlier this year, suffered from the debilitating brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a team of Boston University researchers said Tuesday—the latest football player diagnosed with the disease, which can lead to sometimes severe behavioral and mood changes.

KEY FACTS

Dr. Ann McKee, neurologist and director of the CTE Center at Boston University, said Adams’ brain showed signs of Stage 2 CTE during a press conference. McKee said his brain was different from other young players who had been diagnosed with CTE, as it showed “unusually severe” damage in both frontal lobes.

The damage was similar to the brain of Aaron Hernandez, according to McKee, the former New England Patriots player who was convicted of murder in 2015, and later died by suicide in 2017. CTE is a neurodegenerative disease linked to concussions and sub-concussive hits, which puts football players and other athletes who compete in contact sports at risk, and has been associated with cognitive and mood changes, according to McKee.

Adams’ family donated his brain to the Boston University CTE Center following the mass shooting in Rock Hill, South Carolina, in April, after which Adams died by suicide during a standoff with police. Dr. Sabrina Gast, the York County coroner, said during the press conference that the study does not explain why the killings occurred, but “it does give us a small piece of a more complex puzzle that is still under investigation.”

CRUCIAL QUOTE

The Adams family said in a statement read during the press conference they weren’t surprised by the results, but added it was “shocking to hear how severe his condition was” before slamming the NFL. “After going through medical records from his football career, we do know he was desperately seeking help from the NFL, but was denied claims due to his inability to remember things and to handle seemingly simple tasks,” the family alleged. The NFL did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Forbes.

KEY BACKGROUND

Adams played professional football between 2010 to 2015, and his family said he had a 20-year career playing the sport, according to McKee. On April 7, Adams shot and killed Dr. Robert Lesslie, his wife Barbara Lesslie, and two of their grandchildren, Adah and Noah, in their home in Rock Hill, South Carolina, according to police. Adams also shot and killed two air-conditioning technicians outside of the Lesslie residence, James Lewis, 38, and Robert Shook, 38. Adams was later found dead with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in a home on the same street as the Lesslie residence. The killings added even more interest in the potential link between CTE and violence, after Hernandez was found to have severe CTE at the time of his suicide. Junior Seau, a former NFL linebacker, was also suffering from CTE when he died by suicide in 2012, and left a request for his brain to be studied for the disease in his suicide note. Mood changes related to CTE "often involve problems with depression, irritability, loss of motivation, or suicidal thinking or behavior,” according to the Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory at Harvard University, while behavioral changes can be seen “as problems with impulse control which can lead to aggressive or violent behaviors, or problems with substance abuse.”

WHAT WE DON’T KNOW

McKee said much still remains unknown about CTE, such as a way to diagnose the disease among living patients. Authorities have also not yet released a motive for the mass shooting.

SURPRISING FACT

In 2017, the BU CTE Center said 110 of the 111 players’ brains they had examined showed signs of the disease, though McKee noted during the press conference most those who had been diagnosed with CTE had not committed violence.

LLOYD BANKS, DAVE EAST & VADO FORM MC SUPERGROUP TO RECLAIM NY HIP HOP

New York City is known for its elite lyricists, and many left their mark on the regional scene before blowing up and experiencing fame firsthand. Some of those rappers have even joined forces over the years, and there’s a new group on the horizon.

On Monday (December 13), media company blklstd took to their Instagram page to announce Dave East, Lloyd Banks, and Vadowill join forces as The Council. Their partnership may be one of the most random pairings, but New York City rap fans are buzzing in wake of the announcement.

In the Instagram post, fans can see the three New York City rappers wearing leather jackets as they pose for a quick picture. There’s very little information about the group besides the announcement, but fans expect some heat from the new supergroup.3

 

12 of 74 killed in Kentucky tornado outbreak were children; over 100 people still missing

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said Tuesday the state's death toll in what he described as one of "the worst tornado events" in Kentucky history remains at 74, and 12 of those who died were children. The youngest victim was 2 months old and the oldest was 98.

"There are unquestionably more than 100 people that are still unaccounted for," Beshear said at a press briefing.

Officials do not believe the death count will be finalized for several more days. 

Officials have started to clear away debris from the storm and continue damage assessment. Boil water advisories remain in effect for dozens of counties, and Beshear said utility companies are working to restore full power, traffic signals and clean water. 

"It feels pretty good to not just be pushing this stuff out of the way, but to be loading it up and taking it out of town," Beshear said Tuesday. "There's something therapeutic about taking that chaos and destruction and death and getting it out."

Rescue groups are still on-site at the Mayfield Consumer Products candle factory, where 8 people died during the storm. Beshear said the owners believe "they have located everyone" and body searching canines have not alerted to any more bodies, which Beshear called a miracle. 

Kentucky State Police are still investigating whether any negligence was involved in keep employees inside the plant and are asking all employees to report to a Mayfield, Kentucky church for interviews. 

At least 152 rooms have already been provided for displaced residents and families in need of emergency housing in state parks. Residents still struggling with food or housing are encouraged to reach out to their local rescue groups 

"We will take care of you," Beshear said.

At least 14 other people were killed in Arkansas, Illinois, Tennessee and Missouri. On Wednesday, President Joe Biden will travel to Kentucky to assess the damage in person and speak to state and local officials. 

 

Here Are the Best Hip-Hop Projects of 2021

If there's one thing that hip-hop artists did in 2021 it was make up for lost time. 2021 has been a solid year for rap releases. While 2020 lacked some star power, this year features the return of some of the biggest names in hip-hop. After not dropping an album since 2018’s KOD, J. Cole bounced back with his sixth solo album, The Off-Season, in May. Powered by a rollout that saw Cole actually sign to professional basketball team in Africa, Jermaine did not disappoint on the 12-song album, which features him breaking from his normal formula of no features and enlisting the likes of 21 Savage, Lil Baby, Morray and more.

Tyler, The Creator followed his Grammy-winning 2019 Igor album with Call Me If You Get Lost, in June, a bucket list project with DJ Drama. A love story at heart, Tyler delivers his most dynamic project to date with the likes of Lil Wayne, Lil Uzi Vert, YoungBoy Never Broke Again and Pharrell, among others, providing assistance on the impressive outing from the former Odd Future frontman.

 

Drake and Kanye West provided some drama at the end of the summer, which resulted in two of the biggest releases of the year. After multiple delays, Kanye West’s 10th album Donda was released in August to much fanfare. The vast 27-song is a solid inclusion into Ye’s classic body of work. A week later, Drake returned after a four-year album drought to release his sixth solo album, Certified Lover Boy, in September. The LP showcases Drizzy's typical sure-fire singles and highly repeatable anthems.

Nas' King's Disease II, Wale's Folarin II, Young Thug's Punk and plenty other respected vets and rap newcomers dropped celebrated albums.

 

With the year coming to a close, FGB Media highlights the best hip-hop projects of 2021, in no particular order. Take a look to see if your favorite project released in the last 12 months made the cut.—C. Vernon Coleman II

 

Tyler, The Creator, Call Me If You Get Lost

 

Young Thug, Punk

 

Kanye West, Donda

 

Drake, Certified Lover Boy

 

Young Nudy, Rich Shooter

 

Key Glock, Yellow Tape 2

 

Bino Rideaux and Blxst, Sixtape 2

 

Isaiah Rashad, The House Is Burning

 

A recent Saweetie performance has become the talk of social media and the subject of Twitter's unrelenting creative memes. During the Bay Area rapper's iHeartRadio Jingle Ball set at New York City's Madison Square Garden on Dec. 10, she appeared to be relatively winded while performing her hit records such as "Icy" and her new track "Icy Chain."

 

During the Bay Area rapper's iHeartRadio Jingle Ball set at New York City's Madison Square Garden on Dec. 10, she appeared to be relatively winded while performing her hit records such as "Icy" and her new track "Icy Chain."Snippets of the performance emerged online on Dec. 11 and began circulating to the point of going viral this week with numerous people calling out Saweetie's stage presence and her lack of endurance.

One person typed, "Saweetie it went from worse to worser." Another person addressed the double-standard that exists in the music industry, comparing Saweetie's eating habits and the impact it may have on her performances to Lizzo, who receives hateful comments about how she sometimes carries herself as a full-figured woman and artist but is able to give an energetic and quality performance.

"Not so hot take: Saweetie can’t perform without being out of breath because of the crap she eats yet people assume she’s healthy. Those same people strain their voices yelling about Lizzo’s size yet she can run and perform circles around Miss 6 Piece Nugget Meal," the Twitter user typed. Saweetie recently had a deal with McDonalds, but prior to this, she would share her fast-food and junk food recipes and concoctions via social media. The 2021 Jingle Ball tour has made stops in several cities such as the Dallas/Fort Worth, Tex. area, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Minn./St. Paul, Minn., Philadelphia and New York City. The tour features Lil Nas X, Doja Cat—who recently announced she won't appear at upcoming show dates due to contracting COVID-19 again—and more.

The tour will hit Washington, D.C. and Atlanta next, before wrapping up in Miami.

See more reactions to Saweetie's Jingle Ball performance at Madison Square Garden below.

Here’s How NFTs Could Disrupt a Heavily Centralized Music Industry

“Artists are excited about a new way to connect with their fans, [one that] doesn’t involve a buffer or a middleman,” Josh James, co-founder of One Of, told Blockworks World-renowned music producer Justin Blau sold his first tokenized album, Ultraviolet, as a collection of NFTs for $11.7 million in February. A month later, Kings of Leon made north of $2 million through NFT sales of their album, When You See Yourself. 

Along with a booming and speculative non-fungible token market for visual art, fashion and even virtual real estate this year, the demand for tokenized music is notching never-before-seen highs as well.

“There’s never been a way for [musicians] to mint their own work or provide value directly to the fans while simultaneously being able to pull value directly from their fans [until NFTs],” Austin Virts, head of crypto marketing at Audius, told Blockworks.

Historically, the music industry generates roughly $42 billion in annual revenue and less than 12% goes to artists, according to a report from Audius. Additional data shows that around 90% of streams on platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music are from the top 1% of artists. Therefore, most artists get paid fractions of pennies per stream.

Seeking to disrupt this system that has often failed artists, Audius launched a peer-to-peer NFT music streaming service that allows users to upload their own music and monetize through tokens instead of royalties.

Audius allows creators and consumers to both upload and listen to content for free and without a third party. “We provide a UI and a UX, and then everything else on the back end is fully decentralized,” Virts said. 

“There hasn’t really been anywhere [until] now for individuals who are not signed to a major record label to develop and grow an audience. Audius [is] utilizing blockchain technology to provide the platform for the 90% of artists who are being pushed around and not catered to by massive record labels.”

Currently, monetization for artists on Audius primarily comes from “trending tracks” on the platform via their token AUDIO. However, Virts said that a major focus moving forward for the platform is finding ways to increase monetization strategies.

“We’re not here to [just] make these artists millions of dollars,” he said.

“If you’ve never monetized your music before, and you upload to Audius and make $5,000 to $10,000 in one month, that can be life changing for a lot of people.”

Other startups such as One Of are challenging the way musicians have historically interacted with their fans as well, co-founder and COO Josh James told Blockworks. The Quincy Jones-backed marketplace allows users to buy NFTs from certain musicians that gives them access to a “vault” where the artist can communicate with the NFT holders. One Of has sold NFTs for big names such as rapper Pitbull, Doja Cat and Alesso.

“Artists are excited about a new way to connect with their fans, [one that] doesn’t involve a buffer or a middleman,” James said.

Additionally, the Grammy Awards announced in November that next year’s show would be commemorated via a collection of NFTs in a partnership with One Of, signaling further adoption of the digital assets in the multi-billion dollar industry.

Although it is unclear whether music NFTs will ever achieve mainstream status, it’s hard to deny that digital collectibles have changed the lives of many whom the traditional music industry has failed. 

Independent artist Daniel Allan, who previously only made hundreds of dollars per month from Spotify despite racking up millions of streams, is now making thousands from minting NFTs of his electronic pop songs, TIME previously reported.

“I felt that a lot of my career was making a certain type of music that I had to make — and at times I didn’t really connect with,” Allan said to TIME. “From an artistic standpoint, I just feel like NFTs and Web3 in general can create a much brighter space for art.”

 

Dubai becomes world’s first paperless government

Officials in Dubai acknowledged on Saturday that the emirate had become the world’s first paperless government. Thereby, achieving the goals of the Dubai Paperless Strategy. It was established in 2018.

The Dubai Paperless Strategy is fully implemented across Dubai. No Dubai government employee or consumer will require to print any paper documents or transactions unless they wish to do so. Printing can be done at a variety of locations, including service and typing centers.

The Dubai Paperless Strategy was conducted in five phases. Each involves a distinct set of Dubai government organizations. The strategy had fully implemented throughout all 45 government entities in the emirate. It is executed through five phases. More than 1,800 digital services and over 10,500 important transactions are provided by these organizations. Collaboration among participating entities enabled the automation of customer-facing operations and services, resulting in a 336 million paper reduction. The technique also saved the Dubai government more than Dhs1.3 billion and 14 million man-hours.

Phase one

The Roads and Transport Authority, Dubai Police, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), Department of Economic Development, Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, and Department of Land and Property are the initial six entities. They launched the Dubai Paperless Strategy in 2018.

Then, stage one resulted in a reduction of almost 72.5 million sheets of paper.

Phase two

The second phase then began in 2019, with the addition of eight more entities. Dubai Courts, Dubai Municipality, Dubai Public Prosecution, Knowledge and Human Development Authority, Dubai Health Authority, Community Development Authority, Dubai Customs, and the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs.

Phase three

Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services, Islamic Affairs & Charitable Activities Department, Dubai Media Incorporated, Department of Finance, Dubai Government Human Resources Department, Dubai Culture, Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Al Jalila Cultural Centre for Children, and the Government of Dubai Legal Affairs Department were likewise the third phase of the strategy at the end of 2019. More than 12.9 million sheets of paper saved as a result of the group’s efforts.

World’s first paperless government

Phase four

In March 2020, phase four began, and also a new group of ten entities joined the effort to implement the strategy. The Dubai Statistics Center, the Awqaf and Minors Affairs Foundation, the Dubai Women Establishment, the Security Industry Regulatory Agency, the Mohammed Bin Rashid Housing Establishment, the Dubai Sports Council, the Ports, Customs, and Free Zone Corporation – Trakhees, the Dubai Maritime City Authority, Dubai Air Navigation Services, and Dubai Airports. The group’s efforts saved more than 11.9 million sheets of paper.

The ‘100% Digital Stamp’ program also launched in the fourth phase; with the goal of honoring government institutions who make considerable efforts to fully implement the Dubai Paperless Strategy and provide smart services.

Phase five

Then in June 2020, the fifth and final phase of implementation began. Nine new organizations also joined the effort. Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre, Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects, Dubai Future Foundation, Supreme Legislation Committee, Nedaa Professional Communication Corporation, Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation, Dubai Government Workshop, and the Directorate General of Civil Defense Dubai. In total, the organization saved almost 8.2 million sheets of paper.

The Financial Audit Authority of Dubai and Dubai Chamber are two more government bodies that joined the Dubai Paperless Strategy. The two organizations met their strategic objectives 100 percent of the time and saved over 938,000 sheets of paper.

“Four years ago, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, had a vision that no Dubai government employee or customer would need to print any paper document after 2021,” said Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. He is the Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai. “Today, that promise has been fulfilled.”

The government’s DubaiNow app now provides access to more than 130 smart city services. It is likewise across 12 major categories as part of its digitalization ambitions and to help users adapt.