On July 29, 14-year-old basketball star Semaj Miller was gunned down in South Los Angeles.
At six-foot-seven-inches tall, the Compton teenager was expected to go far with the L.A. City Wildcats, an association that helped launch the career of NBA player James Harden.
Now the community is mourning his loss.
"Semaj was such a talented kid who lost his life too soon," Rapper Percy “Master P” Miller, a coach and part-owner of the team, told Cheddar. "We have to stop this senseless killing, gun violence in our community. It's not the police. This is us killing us."
Miller lamented that gun violence is robbing the next generation of its talent, as well as those who could find success and come back and invest in their communities.
"This kid could have been the next LeBron James, could have been the next James Harden," he said. "We'll never get to know how talented this kid could have been."
Stepping outside of the rhetoric used in recent protests against police violence, the rapper said it was the responsibility of citizens to stop the violence in their own communities.
"I know we're out here protesting for Black Lives Matter, but my thing is, 'Okay, our kids matter,'" he said. "This is our future."
Miller didn't outline specific preventive measures but emphasized parenting and education.
"It's got to start in our community. We have to stand up for these kids. We have to protect them. We have to educate them," he said.
Capitol Hill has a fox problem. And that’s not the lead-in to a joke. Rep. Ami Bera, D-Calif., learned firsthand Monday evening while walking to the Capitol for votes.
Two of naturalist Charles Darwin’s notebooks that were reported stolen from Cambridge University have been returned, two decades after they disappeared.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy makes a heartbreaking plea to the U.N. Security Council, so much Elon Musk news, and an actual fox attacks a lawmaker this time. Here is all the news you Need2Know for Wednesday, April 6, 2022.
Mattel’s Hot Wheels 2022 Legend Tour will be coming to New York City after a tour of 14 countries and five continents. The company is also launching Hot Wheels into the NFT space with the Hot Wheels Garage allowing users to customize digital cars. Richard Dickson, president and COO of Mattel, joined Cheddar News to talk about the tour and the efforts the iconic brand is taking to stay relevant in the digital age. "I think as you look at what's successful brands and toy brands in particular in this particular chapter are going to be about nostalgic brands that have longevity," he said. "We're generational in the context of our portfolio."
The pandemic has seen a historic shift in brand loyalty.
Since the beginning of COVID-19, more than 75% of shoppers have changed their buying habits, and 39% have switched brands or retailers entirely, as inflation and supply shortages have forced them to rethink their purchases, according to McKinsey. Barbara Connors, VP of Commercial Insights at 84.51°, breaks down this shift in brand loyalty and how brands are adapting to it.
Despite headwinds from COVID-19, Omni Hotels and Resorts has been able to stay on track, with many new properties in the works. The hotel and resorts chain has also seen a 50% uptick in revenue across all of its locations compared to its levels in 2019. Peter Strebel, President & CEO of Omni Hotels & Resorts, joined Cheddar to talk about how Omni was able to emerge from the pandemic stronger than ever, and give insight into the expected summer travel surge.
April is World Autism Month. Pamela Dixon, director of clinical services and inclusion at Autism Speaks, joins Cheddar News to discuss the importance of supporting people with autism this month and beyond.
Netflix has created a listing of movies, each around 90 minutes long, to appease users who might be looking for less of a time sink. This comes after a recent SNL sketch featuring Pete Davidson pleading for more "Short A** Movies" in a rap song.
