Florida Sentinel Bulletin

Patricia McGill

Nationwide — Meet Patricia McGill, an African American woman from Houston, Texas, who recently celebrated her 80th birthday despite living with sickle cell disease. She is one of the oldest people with this condition, which affects Black people disproportionately.

Diagnosed at the age of 13, McGill surpassed the average life expectancy for someone with sickle cell disease, which is around 52 years. Reflecting on her journey, McGill recalled it all started with frequent and severe illnesses that set her apart from her siblings.

Despite the obstacles, McGill pursued her dreams. In the 1970s, she enrolled at Hampton University, an HBCU in Virginia, to study education. With determination to overcome distance and health challenges, she achieved her goal of becoming a teacher.

Her career spanned 37 years, where she dedicated herself to students with learning disabilities, a cause close to her heart due to her own challenges with orthographic dyslexia.

“I knew there were others like us who needed support and understanding,” McGill told NBC News. “I always made it a point to show them that they were not alone and that they could overcome their challenges.”

McGill, who also became a mother of 3, credits her longevity to her faith, family support, and proactive health practices, such as staying well-hydrated and maintaining a nutritious diet.

Beyond managing her own health, McGill is a vocal advocate for those with sickle cell disease, encouraging openness and raising awareness about the condition. Her recent 80th birthday party doubled as a fundraiser for the Sickle Cell Association of Texas Marc Thomas Foundation, raising $16,000 to support affected children and families.

A Quiet Place: Day One A Quiet Place: Day One , Inside Out 2 and Sony’s Bad Boys: Ride or DieSony’s Bad Boys: Ride or Die put the theaters back into business.

Paramount’s A Quiet Place: Day One not only set a domestic opening record for the franchise, it also did it at the international box office. Of the $98.5M global start, $45.5M is from 59 overseas markets, well exceeding expectations.

Overall, on a like-for-like basis, the offshore result on AQPD1 is 4% above A Quiet Place: Part II. When excluding China, it’s 20% higher.

The launch is also the biggest opening weekend in the franchise in 24 markets including Brazil, France, Mexico, Spain, Thailand, UAE, Portugal, Turkey, Colombia, Malaysia and Vietnam.

As previously noted , Disney/Pixar’s Inside Out 2 crossed the $1B mark globally this frame, and was the biggest movie internationally this weekend with an additional $108M. The worldwide cume is $1,014.8B which includes $545.5M from overseas. It is currently the No. 18 animated film ever at the international box office, and the highest grosser of the year. Still to come on IO2 is Japan on August 1.

Sony’s Bad Boys: Ride or Die topped $300M globally during the week and now counts $332M worldwide.

Daniel Muir

Authorities in Indiana have spent the last two weeks searching for Bryson Muir, the missing 14-year-old son of former Indianapolis Colts defensive tackle Daniel Muir.

Indiana State Police issued a Silver Alert Friday for Bryson, who was last seen by relatives on June 16, with his mom driving him away from his grandmother’s Ohio home.

Within minutes of Bryson’s mother driving off, though, Indiana State Police said her vehicle was stopped by local cops, who said the boy was nowhere to be found.

Authorities recently launched an investigation into the teen’s parents, Daniel and Kristin Muir, after his grandmother provided officials with a photograph allegedly showing the boy’s eye blackened and swollen.

Bryson Muir

Bryson, who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs approximately 185 pounds, is believed to be in immediate danger. He was last seen wearing an orange Under Armor shirt and a pair of blue jeans.

His parents have been labeled persons of interest in the case.

His son, Bryson Muir, has not been seen since June 16. FOX 59

Local reports claim the onetime NFL player and his wife told cops they’d be bringing Bryson to Indianapolis State Police headquarters to meet with detectives and prove he was ok. However, they “backed out” of the arrangement an hour before, which state police said “signaled an unwillingness to cooperate.”

The Muirs live in Logansport, on land owned by the Straitway Truth Ministries , a religious sect based in Tennessee that some have called a cult.

The Straitway Truth Ministries website claims the group is a “nation of Hebrew Israelites who are commandment keepers; obedient to Yah and our savior, Jesus the Christ. We are blessed with a vibrant deliverance ministry and life changing truth from a true Jeremiah 3:15 Pastor.”

Hooters

The iconic restaurant started in Clearwater 1983 and has grown to more than 420 locations worldwide. But just like other restaurant chains, Hooters is closing a bunch of restaurant locations including what locals think is the second Hooters location ever made.

They said in a statement “Like many restaurants under pressure from current market conditions, Hooters has made the difficult decision to close a select number of underperforming stores.” Curbside Pickup and delivery services really took a hit on many restaurants throughout the country, but can these closings help current restaurants?

Hooters hasn’t released an official list of the closing restaurants, but according to News Press.com about 40 restaurant locations closed around the country, including at least four in Florida and six in Texas.

This past Sunday employees showed up to work at the location in Lakeland. This is said to be the second location ever, which opened in 1984 and they found that the restaurant was closed.

Tampa Bay Hooters Locations That Are Still Open:

• Petersburg, 4125 4th St N
• Tampa, 4215 W. Hillsborough Ave
• Tampa North, 13606 Bruce B Downs Blvd
• South Tampa, 4420 West Gandy Blvd

Alpha Phi Alpha

ORLANDO, Fla. — The Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity has announced it will relocate its convention that was scheduled to take place in 2025 due to new laws signed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The fraternity’s general president made the announcement on Wednesday and said DeSantis has created “harmful, racist, and insensitive policies against the Black community.”

“Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. has an unmatched legacy of social justice, advocacy, and leadership for the Black community,” General President Dr. Willis Lonzer said in a statement. “In this environment of manufactured division and attacks on the Black community, Alpha Phi Alpha refuses to direct a projected $4.6 million convention economic impact to a place hostile to the communities we serve.

“Although we are moving our convention from Florida, Alpha Phi Alpha will continue to support the strong advocacy of Alpha Brothers and other advocates fighting against the continued assault on our communities in Florida by Governor Ron DeSantis.”

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity also said the recent relocation of the convention comes after the State Board of Education approved new academic standards for instruction about African American history last week.

Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. pushed back on assertions by groups such as the Florida Education Association teachers union and the NAACP Florida State Conference that the standards “omit or rewrite key historical facts about the Black experience” and ignore state law about required instruction.

Adrian Ottah

Nationwide — Adrian Ottah, a 17-year-old African American student at University High School in Newark, New Jersey, is graduating with both a high school diploma and a college degree this year.

Born to Nigerian immigrant parents who moved to the U.S., Ottah was inspired by their sacrifices to make the most of his educational opportunities.

“My true motivation was my parents, my immigrant parents,” Ottah told 11Alive. “I know they didn’t have the opportunity to do this, so when I had the opportunity, I just took it and ran with it.”

His school offers a special program where college professors teach college-level courses to a select group of students.

Juggling high school classes and college-level coursework wasn’t easy. Ottah often stayed late after school to complete his college assignments. But his hard work has paid off. Ottah has already racked up enough college credits to potentially earn a bachelor’s degree by the time he is 19 years old.

Ace-Liam Nana Sam Ankrah

Nationwide — Meet Ace-Liam Nana Sam Ankrah, who at just one year and 152 days old, breaks records as the youngest male artist ever recognized by Guinness World Records. His artistic journey started when his mother, Chantelle Ankrah, noticed his fascination with painting at 6 months old.

While Chantelle worked on her own paintings, she laid out a canvas for Ace-Liam to play on. To her amazement, he didn’t just play.

“He ended up spreading the paint all over the canvas, and in the process, he created his first masterpiece titled The Crawl. It was clear that he found a lot of joy in it,” Chantelle recalled, according to Because of Them We Can.

Since then, Ace-Liam’s talent has attracted attention from local and global media, even catching the eye of Ghana’s First Lady. With over 20 paintings under his belt, Ace-Liam’s colorful creations spark discussions on art.

“He has created a buzz and heightened the conversation about art appreciation,” Chantelle said. “As well as discovering and nurturing talents in kids.”

Flavor Flav

A hip hop and reality show icon is showing his love for Red Lobster in a huge way.

On June 3, rapper and sometimes-controversial sports arena singer Flavor Flav posted an image on Instagram that quickly went viral. In the post, the 6-time Grammy nominee truly put his money where his mouth was in expressing a desire to help the beleaguered seafood company, which filed for bankruptcy last month.

“Ya boy said he wuz gonna do everything to help Red Lobster and save the Cheddar Bay Biscuits,” the star wrote on Instagram, adding he ordered everything available in quite the benevolent display.

Anyone on the platform can see the clock-wearing meme machine standing in front of several plated Red Lobster items on a table: nachos, vegetables, Cheddar Bay Biscuits and, of course, a whole lobster are waiting to be enjoyed buffet-style along with Loads Of Other Dishes.

Baraboo High School superintendent Rainey Briggs, left, is pushed away from the stage by Matthew Eddy during a commencement ceremony on May 31.

As his daughter was crossing the stage at the Baraboo High School graduation, Matthew Eddy walked onstage and moved Rainey Briggs away, preventing him from shaking hands with the teen.

A school superintendent in Wisconsin was granted a restraining order against a parent who rushed the stage during a recent high school graduation and blocked the administrator from shaking hands with his daughter.

In a temporary order filed  last Monday, a Dane County Circuit Court commissioner ordered Matthew Eddy to have no contact with the Baraboo Superintendent Rainey Briggs pending a hearing scheduled for June 14.

In his petition for the order, Briggs says Eddy “approached the stage quickly and put both of his hands on me to push me out of the way stating ‘you are not going to touch my f—— daughter.’” Briggs said he then “created space” and told Eddy to get his hands off of him, according to the petition. Briggs says Eddy then began to “push and pry” at him and that he put his hands out to keep Eddy away.

As his daughter was crossing the stage at the Baraboo High School graduation Friday evening, Eddy walked up the stairs to the stage and moved Briggs away, preventing him from shaking hands with his daughter, video of the incident shows. Briggs can be heard telling Eddy: “You better get up off me, man. Get away from me, bro,” while another person says, “I don’t want her touching him.”

It is unclear what prompted the altercation. Briggs and Eddy did not respond to requests for comment Wednesday and Thursday.