(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Tuesday’s sports events:
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION Brooklyn 130, Utah 96 LA Lakers 94, Memphis 92 Denver 123, Minnesota 116 San Antonio 116, LA Clippers 113 Chicago 106, Portland 103 TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL Texas 78, Iowa St. 72 Texas Tech 82, Kansas St. 71 Clemson 74, NC State 70 TCU 82, Kansas 71 Mississippi St. 78, Missouri 63 Michigan St. 68, Rutgers 45 Villanova at DePaul (Postponed)
ABC Luke Combs first announced his engagement to longtime girlfriend Nicole Hocking in November of 2018, and officially put a ring on it a little less than two years later, in August of last year.
Whether you realized it or not, the North Carolina native has always given his fans a front-row seat for his romance with his bride — one that continues with his latest hit, “Better Together.”
“I wrote this song in Boone probably two years ago, something like that, and my buddies Dan Isbell and Randy Montana were up there,” Luke explains. “And ‘Beautiful Crazy’ was already done and out at that time, so I kinda felt like I needed to do another song that was kind of [in that vein]”
“I guess it’s ended up kind of turning into like a trilogy,” he observes. “It’s ‘Beautiful Crazy,’ and then it’s ‘Better Together,’ and then ‘Forever After All.’“
It’s a concept that’s clearly panned out for Luke, since “Beautiful Crazy” topped the country radio chart in March of 2019, ahead of “Forever After All” becoming a #2 hit on the pop chart in November of last year.
Right now, “Better Together” is on track to become Luke’s tenth country number one, provided his hot streak continues.
“I feel like that’s kind of our total story up to this point, in a way,” Luke reflects. “And so, you know, I just wanted her to know, you know, I’m always thinking about her, and there’s always inspiration there.”
“Better Together” and “Forever After All” are both included on the Deluxe Edition of Luke’s sophomore album, titled What You See Ain’t Always What You Get.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for dcp(LOS ANGELES) — Actress Taraji P. Henson is recalling the time she had to go through a parent’s worst nightmare, telling her young son that his father was murdered.
A preview of Wednesday’sPeace of Mind with Tarajishows the 50-year-old speaking about the difficult decision she faced upon learning that her ex-boyfriend, William Johnson, was killed.
“My son’s father was suddenly taken, murdered, when he was 9 and I didn’t know how to tell him that,” Henson admits to co-host Tracie Jade Jenkins. “I couldn’t tell him he was murdered.”
Johnson, who was 34 at the time and Henson’s high school sweetheart, was stabbed to death on January 26, 2003. Police said a confrontation over a slashed tire escalated and led to his death.
Because the Empire alum was unable to tell her child, Marcel, the truth, she lied and said Johnson “died in an accident.”
“I just didn’t have the words. I didn’t know how to tell a 9-year-old,” Henson tearfully explained. “[His dad] was stabbed to death. It was the worst way you could die.”
Marcel, who is now 26, eventually learned what happened and confronted her, said Henson.
“He came back to me and was like, ‘Why didn’t you tell me my daddy was murdered?’ And so then we had to get therapy,” she said.
The conversation was then turned over to the show’s guest, therapist Sierra Hillsma, who provided tips on how to properly have a difficult conversation with a young child.
Hillsman advised that the best way to talk about sensitive topics with children is to use age-appropriate language and to explain “there are situations where people do evil things to other people.”
Peace of Mind with Taraji airs Monday and Wednesday at 12 p.m. ET on Facebook Watch.
(LOS ANGELES) — Soccer star Alex Morgan contracted COVID-19 while in California over the holidays, she revealed Tuesday.
Morgan, a co-captain of the U.S. Women’s National Team, tweeted that her family has also tested positive, adding that everyone is “in good spirits and recovering well.”
Morgan is married to fellow soccer player Servando Carrasco. Last May they welcomed their daughter, Charlie.
“After our isolation is completed, I will follow US Soccer’s return to play guidelines to ensure my body is fully recovered and I can join my team,” she wrote.
my body is fully recovered and I can join my teammates back on the field soon. Be safe and happy new year. (2/2)
Last year, Morgan, 31, relocated to England, where she played several games with Tottenham Hotspur Women. However, it was confirmed in December that she would be returning to the U.S., where she is a member of the Orlando Pride.
The USWNT will announce the roster for its January camp soon; it is unclear whether Morgan will be a participant.
A stay-at-home order has been in place in California since early December, and all residents have been asked to remain at home except to go to work and to run necessary errands. In addition, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released guidelines prior to the holidays advising all Americans that “postponing travel and staying home is the best way to protect yourself and others from COVID-19.”
(KENOSHA COUNTY, Wis.) — The Kenosha County, Wisconsin, district attorney will not be charging any of the law enforcement officers involved in the August 2020 shooting of Jacob Blake.
District Attorney Mike Graveley told Blake, 29, of his plan not to file charges prior to announcing it to the media.
During a news conference, Graveley said Officer Rusten Sheskey, who shot Blake seven times, was justified in his use of force on Aug. 23 because Blake was armed with a knife, refused orders to drop it and made a motion as if he was going to stab Sheskey. He said the evidence shows Sheskey fired in self-defense.
Graveley said Blake admitted to investigators that he was armed with a knife throughout the entire encounter with the officers.
Answering the question of whether Sheskey’s act was an excessive use of force, Graveley said that Sheskey told investigators, “I continued to fire until Jacob Blake dropped the knife. I am trained to fire until the threat is stopped.”
He said Sheskey stopped shooting when he saw Blake was no longer a threat and immediately began to give Blake first aid. The prosecutor said there were 10 more bullets left in Sheskey’s gun.
Blake’s shooting came after Sheskey and officer Vincent Arenas responded to a report of a domestic dispute, Graveley said. The officers first deployed a stun gun three times on Blake, but it had no effect. Blake broke free from the officers and continued around to the other side of his car, reaching into the driver’s side door before Sheskey fired his weapon, the prosecutor said.
Graveley said Arenas told investigators that he would have also fired at Blake if he had a clear shot because he feared Sheskey was about to be stabbed.
Graveley said an unfolded knife was found on the driver’s side floorboard of Blake’s vehicle.
Blake’s family said through their attorney that they are disappointed by Graveley’s decision, but will not stop fighting for justice.
“We are immensely disappointed and feel this decision failed not only Jacob and his family but the community that protested and demanded justice,” Ben Crump, Blake’s attorney, said in a statement on Twitter. “This isn’t the news we hoped for, but our work is not done and hope is not lost. We must broaden the fight for justice on behalf of Jacob Blake and the countless other Black victims of racial injustice and police brutality.”
“We will continue to press forward with our own investigation and fight for systemic change in policing and transparency at all levels,” Crump added. “We urge Americans to continue to raise their voices and demand change in peaceful and positive ways during this emotional time.”
The Kenosha Professional Police Association hailed the decision and said the “facts from this incident are finally known.” The statement also blamed politicians for “perpetuating the spread of misinformation” and “fanning the flames of civil unrest.”
“The officers attempted to take Mr. Blake into custody by giving him verbal commands, physically struggling with him AND deploying their Tasers,” Pete Deates, union president said in a statement. “Mr. Blake was also armed. At any time during his interaction with the officers, Mr. Blake could have and should have complied with their lawful orders. If he had, nobody, including the entire Kenosha community would have had to endure the pain and suffering that ensued.”
The U.S. Justice Department’s Civil Rights division is still investigating the shooting, according to a statement from the department.
The shooting was captured on a cellphone video that was posted on social media and went viral, prompting days of large-scale protests in Kenosha that were mostly peaceful during the day but turned violent at night. The Kenosha Area Business Alliance reported that $50 million in damages occurred from instances of violence, looting and fires. Thirty-five small businesses were destroyed.
The anger was especially high in the wake of protests of the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky.
Graveley’s decision came after the mayor of Kenosha proposed an emergency declaration he said is intended to prevent a replay of the damage to businesses that occurred in August and led to a shooting that left two protesters dead and an Illinois teenager charged with homicide.
The Kenosha City Council voted unanimously Monday night to approve Mayor John Antaramian’s emergency declaration “regarding potential civil unrest.” Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers mobilized 500 state National Guard troops to Kenosha to support local law enforcement efforts in case violence breaks out. Evers, a Democrat, said he marshaled the National Guard in response to a request from local authorities.
Evers said in a statement Tuesday that he did not agree with the lack of action taken by prosecutors.
“Jacob Blake’s life has forever been changed and his kids witnessed violence no kid should ever see, experienced trauma no kid should ever endure, all while the world watched,” Evers said. “And yet, when presented the opportunity to rise to this moment and this movement and take action to provide meaningful, commonsense reform to enhance accountability and promote transparency in policing in our state, elected officials took no action.”
During a news conference Monday night, Blake father, Jacob Blake Sr., said he wanted to see Sheskey charged with attempted murder.
“He tried to kill my son. He didn’t try to take him down,” Blake Sr. said.
Over the weekend, Antaramian and Police Chief Daniel Miskinis released a list of “precautionary community safety measures” to be imposed for up to eight days after Graveley announced his decision, including a curfew, a designated demonstration space, road closures and limitations on city bus routes.
“Our responsibility to public safety is paramount and we are preparing for a number of possible public demonstrations and safety efforts,” Antaramian and Miskinis said in a joint statement.
Those closest to Blake, including his parents, say Blake is a loving and devoted father who did not deserve what happened to him.
Three of his children — ages 8, 5 and 3 — witnessed the shooting and were “absolutely devastated” by what they saw, Crump said. Blake’s oldest child was celebrating his birthday when his father was shot, Crump added.
“An unarmed Black man was sprayed with bullets by police. His children were watching. And once paralyzed by the gunshots, he was left handcuffed to a hospital bed,” NAACP President Derrick Johnson said in a statement.
“Today’s announcement from Kenosha is shameful and disgusting, and only proves how much work still needs to be done,” Johnson added. “This is far too familiar to the Black community.”
During a protest in Kenosha on Aug. 25, three protesters were shot, two fatally, allegedly by a then-17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse. The teenager, who is now 18, was arrested and charged with multiple counts, including first-degree intentional homicide in the death of Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, first-degree reckless homicide in the death of Anthony Huber, 26, and attempted first-degree intentional homicide in a shooting that left 22-year-old Gaige Grosskreutz wounded.
Following a Dec. 3 preliminary hearing, Rittenhouse was ordered to stand trial on the charges. His lawyers claim he opened fire with an AR-15 rifle in self-defense and cited multiple videos they say show him being chased and attacked by protesters.
He was arraigned on Tuesday in Kenosha County Circuit Court. Rittenhouse pleaded not guilty to the charges.
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