Sybil Wilkes ‘What You Need To Know:’ Violence Over Holiday Weekend — The Dad Facts — “Monkey On A Noose”

1. Violence Reigned Over Holiday Weekend

Violence Reigned Over Holiday Weekend

What You Need to Know:

The United States reported 311 mass shootings in 2023 as of Monday morning, with nine people killed this weekend, according to the Gun Violence Archive (GVA). 

Shootings took place all over the country, from Washington state to Washington, D.C. Mass shootings and deaths were reported in California from San Francisco to San Diego to Philadelphia, Baltimore, the nation’s capitol, and middle America including Chicago and St. Louis.

2. Black Dads Shatter Stereotypes and Celebrate Family

Black Dads Shatter Stereotypes and Celebrate Family

WRITTEN AND CONTRIBUTED BY KHAMERON RILEY

What You Need to Know:

Black fathers carry a harmful stigma of not being involved in their families’ lives. Yet according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2013 National Health Statistics Report, Black dads are more likely to play, dress and share a meal with their children. Seventy percent of Black fathers who live with their children were most likely to have bathed, dressed, changed, or helped their child with the toilet every day, compared with their White (60%) or Hispanic (45%) counterparts,

Over the Juneteenth weekend, Black dads across the United States continued to shatter stereotypes, uplift the joys of fatherhood and celebrate Juneteenth. 

3. New Alzheimer’s Diagnosis Common Among Older People Who Had COVID-19

New Alzheimer’s Diagnosis Common Among Older People Who Had COVID-19

What You Need to Know:

A recent study showed that over six million people 65 and older with COVID-19 had a higher risk of being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease within the year. They showed that COVID-19 didn’t cause the condition but could cause inflammation that may exacerbate changes in the brain.

“In the Alzheimer’s brain, the pathology starts to build up about 20 years before the symptoms begin,” said Dr. David Holtzman. However, researchers need decades of monitoring after a COVID-19 infection to determine a cause.

4. Tampa Firefighters Claim Monkey on a Noose Was a Tribute to Busch Gardens

Tampa Firefighters Claim Monkey on a Noose Was a Tribute to Busch Gardens

WRITTEN AND CONTRIBUTED BY COY MALONE

What You Need to Know:

Andrew Dixon, a Black firefighter in Tampa, Florida, and another Black firefighter on his shift at Station 13 found a monkey hanging from the station’s ceiling in February.

Dixon said, “I find it ironic how this monkey that was in the station that was over in a corner collecting dust… and now, out of the blue, we’re going into Black History Month, and now there’s a hanging monkey 30 feet up in the air with a noose tied to it.”

Dixon and his coworker reported it to their engine captain who said, “Well, technically, we all come from monkeys, so you shouldn’t feel that bad.”

5. Owe the IRS? Here Are 4 Ways to Pay Your Tax Bill

Owe the IRS? Here Are 4 Ways to Pay Your Tax Bill

 WRITTEN AND CONTRIBUTED BY CATRINA M. CRAFT, CPA

What You Need to Know:

1. Transferring money directly from your bank account

Access through your e-file software or through the Direct Pay function on the IRS portal. The date you submit the payment request is considered the date you paid your taxes. But the actual fund withdrawal can take up to two business days to process.

2. Credit/debit cards

You can use your cards to make tax payments online, by mobile device, or over the telephone. They all accept Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express, Paypal, and Click to Pay.

3. Check or money order
You can write a check or money order in the amount of your tax liability and mail it in an envelope with the form voucher corresponding to the tax return.

4. Cash
Pay your tax liability in-person at any of the nation