The world's greatest entertainer, Michael Jackson, made one final jaw dropping and tear drawing appearance when Andrae Crouch's gospel group brought him into the Staples Center to the melody of "Soon and Very Soon," in an emotional memorial televised to billions on July 7
For the estimated 20,000 on hand at the same arena where Jackson rehearsed for the final time just days before his death, his celebration of life brought home the harsh reality that the most generous entertainer the world has ever known is gone.

Nancy Hicks Maynard, the first Black female reporter at The New York Times who, with her husband, became publisher of the Oakland Tribune and the founder a renowned institute that trains minority journalists, has died. She was 61. ...