Legendary Chicago Preacher Rev. Clay Evans Dead at 94

Legendary Chicago preacher, celebrated gospel artist and longtime civil rights activist Rev. Clay Evans has passed away at age 94.

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New York Jets Sign Nat King Cole's Grandson Wyatt Ray to Practice Squad

The New York Jets signed Wyatt Ray to its practice squad this week.

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GoFundMe donations spike for SFA player after upset of Duke

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — The biggest winner in the aftermath of Stephen F. Austin’s shocking upset of No. 1 Duke might be the fundraising effort for the family of the player who hit the game-winning layup.

A thankful Nathan Bain was still in “disbelief” Wednesday — about the contributions more than his clutch basket.

Since the end of the game, the two-month-old GoFundMe page set up to help Bain’s family in the Bahamas rebuild from Hurricane Dorian damage had raised $88,281 and counting shortly after 7 p.m. EST Wednesday. It’s a massive spike from the roughly $2,000 it had raised before Tuesday night’s stunning result became the talk of college basketball.

To put that number in perspective, the fundraiser generated more in donations in less than 24 hours after the game than Stephen F. Austin pocketed from Duke for coming to Cameron Indoor Stadium and playing the game in the first place. SFA’s guarantee from the game was $85,000, a school spokesman said.

GoFundMe for Nate Bain, Stephen F. Austin player who hit layup to beat Duke, just passed $60,000. Before the shot, less than $2,500 was raised https://t.co/xh293VJfWl

— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) November 27, 2019

Bain said Wednesday the donation totals had “skyrocketed” when he checked the website several times after the game.

“I was just in disbelief at what basketball had done for my family,” the 6-foot-6, fifth-year senior guard told the Associated Press by phone. “It was truly a blessing.”

The initial fundraising goal of $25,000 was increased to $50,000 — only to have it, too, surpassed by early in the afternoon.

GoFundMe spokeswoman Aja Shepherd said the Bain family site was the second-most popular campaign Wednesday — surpassed only by one for victims of an earthquake in Albania that had killed at least 30 and injured more than 650 — with more than 1,500 donors from all 50 states giving an average of $36.

“I want them to know how much … we appreciate it, and how thankful we are that we’re alive,” Bain’s father, Norris Bain, a minister, told the AP. “As bad as it is, it could have been a lot worse.”

Norris Bain said the storm left more than 10 feet of water in the family’s single-story home in Freeport, Grand Bahama, and the house was “totally gutted” with none of their possessions recoverable.

The church he runs, the Tabernacle Baptist Church, had 5 feet of water inside and its affiliated K-12 school with an enrollment of about 800 had 4 feet of water and a hole in the roof caused by the Category 5 storm that hit the islands.

He said the roof has been fixed and enough repairs have been made to reopen the school, but among other issues, the phone system has not been fully repaired.

Dorian hammered the northern Abaco and Grand Bahama islands before giving a glancing blow to the southeastern United States. There were 67 confirmed deaths and 282 people were still missing as of late October along with $3.4 billion in losses for the Bahamas, according to a recent report.

“We just want to make sure we get the people around us taken care of at the church, at the school,” Nathan Bain said. “That’s really our main focus, to make sure everyone has a place to worship and to make sure the school is taken care of so these kids can get a proper education.”

Bain scored on a breakaway layup just before the overtime buzzer to give the Nacogdoches, Texas-based school an 85-83 victory that sent shock waves through the sport, ending the Blue Devils’ 150-game winning streak at Cameron against nonconference opponents — a run that extended nearly 20 years.

The upset that put the spotlight on the post-Dorian relief efforts came the night before the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament was to tip off in Paradise Island, Bahamas. Participants in the eight-team tournament — which includes No. 6 North Carolina and No. 13 Seton Hall — are assisting recovery efforts, with UNC senior Brandon Robinson leading a donation drive and Seton Hall raising money for hurricane relief.

Meanwhile, roughly 12 hours after pulling off the memorable upset against overwhelming odds, the Lumberjacks were back in East Texas on Wednesday morning distributing meals to the homeless for Thanksgiving — a project that was pre-planned, no matter the outcome at Duke.

“We have so much that the school gives us,” Bain said, “it’s only right that we give something back.”

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Florida father grapples with death of his mother as 13-year-old son is accused in killing

This holiday season is proving to be a tough one for a Florida family after a grandson was arrested for stabbing his grandmother to death.

On Monday, police responded to a 911 call to a St. Petersburg home where the body of 56-year-old Gloria Davis was found with multiple stab wounds. Her 13-year-old grandson Javarick Henderson Jr., was arrested that afternoon, accused of killing her and forcing a family to grieve two losses.

READ MORE: Courtroom explodes as murder victim’s sons attack man who killed their mother

“Everybody knows my mama was a good lady, loving lady,” Javarick Henderson Sr., said of his mother. “I’ve got to deal with my son. I want everybody to know he was a good, good child, also. Never got in trouble, no fights. I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

According to the Tampa Bay Times, Henderson was a middle school student who had no history of disciplinary problems at school or trouble with law enforcement. His young brother, who was present during the stabbing, told investigators that he heard screaming coming from the kitchen and was encouraged by his half-brother not to call 911 because he “did something bad and he needed time to think.” It was unclear whether the boys were spending the night with their grandmother of if they lived there full-time.

READ MORE: Substitute teacher allegedly beats up special needs student

As of Thursday, authorities have yet to release a motive for the tragedy that took the life of a beloved grandmother and changed the life of a teenager who had yet to really live. Family members told the Times how much Davis, who worked as a mail carrier for almost 20 years, would be missed.

“She was just beautiful inside and out,” Felicia Kennedy, who said she was Davis’ cousin, remembered. “It’s a shock. It’s just shocking.”

Henderson has been charged with second degree murder and officials are deciding whether they will charge him as an adult or a juvenile.

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Kodak Black, despite a lengthy sentence, gives back from behind bars

With the holiday season coming into full swing, many people find themselves compelled to give back to those in need, and that includes rapper Kodak Black, who decided to do a good deed from behind bars.

On Tuesday, Black’s attorney Bradford Cohen took to Instagram to praise his client’s generosity. Cohen’s post featured a picture of thousands of gift cards to the grocery store Publix, which, according to Complex, are set to go out to families in Broward and Dade County in the rapper’s home state of Florida.

READ MORE: Kodak Black allegedly involved in prison fight, may have assaulted a guard

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@kodakblack as usual with every Thanksgiving and Christmas starts gifting early and this year, besides giving to charitable organizations like recently providing thanking dinner to 75 needy families for Paradise Childcare, childcare for low income families in need…he is giving away 1000s of dollars in Publix gift cards directly to needy families in Broward and Dade County for Thanksgiving. You might be surprised by someone walking up to you on the street and handing you a gift card to Publix, Walmart or Target. He cont. even from jail the determination trying to give back everyday. #kodak #thanksgiving #givingback @blast @xxl @tmz_tv @lawyerforworkers @worldstar @hot97 @pitchfork

A post shared by Bradford Cohen (@lawronin) on Nov 26, 2019 at 6:02am PST

On Wednesday, Black shared a picture of a woman, whose face was covered by an emoji, standing with Cohen and holding one of the many gift cards. In the picture, which appeared to be a screenshot of the woman’s Instagram story, she wrote, “I had the pleasure of meeting @lawronin yesterday and with his help @kodakblack blessed my family with two gift cards and toys to start my kids Christmas! I wasn’t expecting my day to go this way but God. I’m so grateful to you both. Happy Holidays.”

Black captioned the photo with a message of his own, “You Become Strong By Lifting Others Up, Not By Putting Them Down 🎯🤞🏾”

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You Become Strong By Lifting Others Up, Not By Putting Them Down 🎯🤞🏾

A post shared by KILL BILL (@kodakblack) on Nov 27, 2019 at 5:32am PST

Earlier this month, Black was sentenced to 46 months in prison on weapons charges that include him lying on applications to purchase weapons in Florida. Complex reported that the rapper is appealing his sentence.

READ MORE: Kodak Black allegedly involved in prison fight, may have assaulted a guard

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