COMMUNITY TEA

President Joe Biden tested positive for COVID-19 again Saturday, slightly more than three days after he was cleared to exit coronavirus isolation, the White House said, in a rare case of “rebound” following treatment with an antiviral drug. White House physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor said in a letter that Biden “has experienced no reemergence of symptoms, and continues to feel quite well.” In accordance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, Biden will reenter isolation for at least five full days. The agency says most rebound cases remain mild and that severe disease during that period has not been reported. Word of Biden’s positive test came — he had been negative Friday morning — just two hours after the White House announced a presidential visit to Michigan this coming Tuesday to highlight the passage of a bill to promote domestic high-tech manufacturing. Biden had also been

The State Bar of Georgia has opened investigations into two lawyers who served on a fake slate of electors for then-President Donald Trump. The bar association informed Brad Carver of Atlanta and Daryl R. Moody of Alpharetta that it has referred complaints against them to the State Disciplinary Board. A nonprofit legal watchdog called the 65 Project filed the complaints in March, accusing Carver and Moody of violating professional conduct rules by falsely swearing to be official presidential electors for Georgia in documents that were submitted to state and federal officials. The 65 Project has undertaken similar efforts in other states against lawyers who were involved in Trump’s campaign to overturn the election. Carver, in an April letter to the bar association, accused the 65 Project of “weaponizing the bar’s grievance process and attempting to ruin attorneys’ lives and reputations for perceived political gain.”

When Grady Hospital opened in 1892, its mission was to provide medical care to Atlanta’s poorest citizens. The facility was designed to have Negro patients receive medical care on one side of the building, and whites receive care on the other — hence the “H” structural design, which continues to this day. The separation of the races concerned many of Atlanta’s first Black physician-pioneers. Many of those same physicians had been repeatedly denied admission in the American Medical Association, whose membership was restricted to whites only. In 1893, Atlanta’s Black physicians established the Georgia State Medical Association, which in 1895 birthed the National Medical Association (NMA) and opened membership to physicians of all races. This week, Atlanta hosts the 125th annual convention of the NMA, which represents more than 30,000 Black physicians from across the country. This is a masked conference that will offer networking combined with formal presentations. Topics include ethnic health disparities; updated treatment regimens for patients; the loss of practice autonomy; the need for more Blacks to participate in clinical trials; and the need for more Blacks to qualify, be accepted into and complete medical school. Young Blacks need to see more Black physicians so that hopefully there will be more who later enter America’s physician workforce.

The Frye Law Group will be offering the Frye Law Group Onward Scholarship.

This year’s theme is “How I Plan To Help My Family, Community, And World As The First Person In My Family To Go To College” and will be awarded to a first-generation college student. Applicants will be asked to share their personal experiences overcoming obstacles and adversity in their life. The scholarship is intended to help students financially with an award of $1,500 for tuition or any other education-related expenses.

To apply, visit https://fryelawgroup.com/about-the-firm/frye-law-group-scholarship-contest.

Salute to all school workers, teachers, staff, administrators, cafeteria workers, janitors, and everyone else that makes schools successful. The Cobb County School Calendar for the 2021 to 2022 school year begins on Monday, August 2, 2021, and ends on Wednesday, May 25, 2022. Please drive carefully and exercise caution around school buses as they return to the roads transporting precious cargo.  

Black Writers Weekend is August 4-7 in Atlanta. Established in 2008, the event recognizes Black creatives in publishing, film, and television with a series of panels, workshops, screenings, signings, and a formal gala. Author Terry McMillan will be in attendance to receive the Maya Angelou Lifetime Achievement Award. Other headliners are gospel singer Darlene McCoy, Atlanta YA author Kimberly Jones, and New York Times bestselling author Tia Williams. “We will have a red carpet and make it as glamorous as possible, like the Grammys,” says Newhouse, who is not one for half-measures. “It’ll be Wakanda come to life!” Black Writers Weekend features a host of events including “Cre8tiveCon” on Friday at the Auburn Avenue Research Library. There will be panels on publishing, entertainment law, social media, and audio storytelling, among other topics. “Lit Crawl” takes place on Saturday in Castleberry Hill with stops at Iwi Fresh Spa, Parlor cocktail den, and Neyow’s Creole restaurant. And it all culminates with the glam AAMBC Awards on Sunday at Frame 88 Studios in Doraville.

The Smyrna Jonquil Lions Club will host the 10th annual car show Saturday, September 17 in the Adventure Outdoors Parking Lot, 2500 South Cobb Drive, Smyrna.  Registration will be 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Trophies will be awarded at 12:30 p.m. The early car entry fee is $20 on the day of the show $25.  Proceeds benefit local Lions Club vision impaired and vision health initiatives to include mass vision screenings in local public schools, free eye exams and eyeglasses for those that cannot afford professional eyecare, as well as the continued support of the Georgia Blind Sports Association, Vision Rehabilitation Services, the Georgia Lions Camp for the Blind and the Georgia Lions Lighthouse. The car show is the Smyrna Club’s only fundraiser each year.  There will be raffles, giveaways, great cars, and fun for everybody.  Contact:  Bill Bailey, webaileyjr@msn.com.

A Baltimore family is suing a Sesame Street-themed amusement park for $25 million over claims of racial discrimination, alleging multiple costumed characters ignored a 5-year-old Black girl during a meet-and-greet event last month. The lawsuit comes in the wake of a video showing two other Black girls apparently being snubbed by a costumed employee during a parade at the park near Philadelphia. Sesame Place has apologized in a statement. 

“Jeopardy!” is giving itself two answers to the question of who gets to host the quiz show — Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings. Bialik and Jennings have been serving as rotating hosts since Mike Richards exited the show amid controversy after a short tenure as the late Alex Trebek’s replacement. Executive producer Michael Davies said in an announcement posted online Wednesday that deals were signed with Bialik and Jennings “to be the hosts of Jeopardy! moving forward.” 

Someone beat the odds and won the $1.28 billion Mega Millions jackpot. According to megamillions.com, there was one winning ticket bought in Illinois. The winning numbers were 13-36-45-57-67, Mega Ball: 14. The jackpot was the nation’s third-largest lottery prize. It grew so large because no one had matched the game’s six selected numbers since April 15. The $1.28 billion prize is for winners who choose the annuity option, paid annually over 29 years. Most winners opt for the cash option, which for Friday night’s drawing was an estimated $747.2 million

The Powder Springs Library, 4181 Atlanta Street in Powder Springs, will host the Craft Club for Adults with Disabilities on Aug. 2 from 11 a.m. to noon. Adults with special needs are invited along with caregivers for the free program offered on the first Tuesday of each month. Registration is required. Register at the library or call 770-439-3600.

Cumberland Mall, 2860 Cumberland Mall SE in the Cumberland area, will have a Community Touch a Truck Event on Aug. 19 from 3 to 7 p.m. Participants can grab a lunch or balloon animal, have their faces painted, dance with the DJ, dig into some free cotton candy, bounce and joust, and Touch a Truck while meeting local public health and safety officials. The event will take place in the corner lot near Dicks Sporting Goods. For more information, visit https://www.cumberlandmall.com/en/events/health-and-safety-touch-a-truck-event-37212.html.

Sunscreen products from the popular brand Banana Boat are being recalled after traces of a chemical known to cause cancer was found inside bottles. Banana Boat Hair & Scalp Spray SPF 30 is being recalled after benzene, a human carcinogen, was not found in the sunscreen itself, but in the propellant that sprays out the sunscreen, the Food and Drug Administration announced on Friday. The chemical is commonly found in gasoline and cigarette smoke, according to the National Cancer Institute.  “(Benzene) potentially can result in cancers including leukemia and blood cancer of the bone marrow and blood disorders which can be life-threatening,” the FDA said. Edgewell Personal Care Company, which makes the brand, said the products affected are in six-ounce spray cans and were distributed nationwide through retailers and online shopping. Affected products will have expiration dates of December 2022, February 2023, or April 2024. Lot numbers are 20016AF, 20084BF and 21139AF.

53 nutritional and beverage products are being recalled due to the potential for microbial contamination. These are all products under the Lyons Magnus Company. Recalled products include items under brand names like Oatly and Premier Protein. FDA officials say the list of recalled products does not include products intended for infants. If you have these products, you should either throw them away immediately or take them back to the store for a refund.

A company is expanding a nationwide recall of its flavored laxatives, because of microbial contamination, which it said could be behind three reported cases of serious adverse reactions. Consuming the laxatives is unsafe and risks infection that could lead to “serious, life-threatening adverse health consequences,” according to a news release from the Food and Drug Administration. Anyone who’s immunocompromised and consumes Vi-Jon LLC’s infected laxatives is at increased risk of serious health complications. The recall includes all three flavors of Vi-Jon’s Magnesium Citrate Saline Laxative Oral Solution, available at nationwide wholesalers and retailers including CVS, Rite Aid, Walmart, Walgreens, Harris Teeter, Kroger, Publix, and others. Check to see if your laxatives are affected by looking at the National Drug Code (NDC) and the Universal Product Code (UPC):

BMW is recalling 83 iX and i4 vehicles after investigating multiple battery fire incidents involving the two EVs. In an advisory spotted by Autoblog, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration warns owners of select iX xDrive 50, iX M60, i4 eDrive40, and i4 M50 vehicles not to drive their cars, charge them or park them inside. After first investigating an overseas incident involving a 2022 i4 eDrive back in April, BMW found a manufacturing defect with select Samsung SDI battery cells in iX models produced between December 2nd, 2021, and June 30th, 2022, and i4 models built between November 22nd, 2021 and June 13th, 2022. BMW has already notified dealers of the recall. The automaker will replace the batteries in affected vehicles free of charge. BMW adds it’s not aware of any accidents or injuries due to the battery defect. Affected owners can expect a notification letter by September 19th. You can also contact BMW support ahead of time for more information. For those worried about a potential repeat of the situation Chevy Bolt owners went through with GM, it’s worth noting BMW sources batteries for its iX and i4 EVs from two manufacturers: CATL and Samsung SDI. By contrast, GM single-sourced the Bolt’s battery from LG Chem before it announced a worldwide recall in 2021.

Have a wonderful week…