if my brother had lived. He died at the end of August.

He loved birthdays. He called everyone in our extended family on their birthday.

When I called my uncle to tell him my brother had passed, he commented on that. He was just about to turn 91. He told me that he always looked forward to my brother's call. He said, "I am going to miss that call."

I won't be here much for awhile.

I do not watch it often.

Before the show began, there was a PSA with all four of the former Presidents, Carter, Dubya, Clinton and Obama. They were all rolling up their sleeves and getting the vaccine. They were encouraging others to get vaccinated.

The former guy was nowhere to be seen in that PSA. He is nothing and nobody.

on Monday!

I will be there to greet her, with a welcoming sign.

https://www.shawlocal.com/sauk-valley/news/breaking/2021/04/14/first-lady-jill-biden-to-visit-sauk-valley-community-college/

Moline, Illinois - A Black football player at an Illinois high school captured on video sitting in a locker littered with banana peels after a teammate threatened to break his knees if he didn't comply, says he's "fine" and wants people to "stop talking about the incident."

The Moline High School student, who was not identified because he's a juvenile, also said in a statement released through the Rock Island County State's Attorney's Office that those football team members involved in the incident have apologized, Davenport Iowa TV station KWQC-TV reported.

An 11-second video that's been shared widely on social media shows another football player, whose hand can be seen but face doesn't appear, threatening the Black player to sit in the locker "or I'll break both your knees." When the player sits down, others can be heard shouting, "Yeah!"

Moline Police Chief Darren Gault called the incident a "disturbing racist scene." He said the department's investigation determined that the people involved were teammates "of both different and similar races to the victim."

https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2021-04-13/black-prep-player-told-to-sit-near-banana-peels-im-fine

With a high-stakes head fake, Rep. Robin Kelly won the 10-day campaign to replace scandalized Mike Madigan as chair of the Democratic Party of Illinois, the first new leader in 23 years.

Kelly beat Ald. Michelle Harris (8th) 51.7% to 48.3% in the Wednesday night balloting among the 36 members of the party's state central committee. This first in generations power change in the party turned into a proxy battle between Sen. Dick Durbin, with Kelly, and Sen Tammy Duckworth and Gov. J.B. Pritzker, up for reelection in 2022, supporting Harris.

snip

Kelly also told me that for the first time in decades, Illinois Democrats with participate fully in Democratic National Committee activities.

Madigan famously wanted nothing to do with the DNC - to the point of not attending the 2018 national DNC meeting in Chicago.

https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/2021/3/4/22314537/how-rep-robin-kelly-won-the-democratic-party-of-illinois-chair-pritzker-durbin-duckworth

My son and I have been checking every pharmacy website in the area. I signed us up with the county health department. I signed us up with the senior center.

We have appointments Friday, Feb. 19 for the first dose, and March 19th for the second dose. We are going to a Hy-Vee pharmacy about 48 miles away. In Illinois, one can go anywhere in the state for the shots, as long as you have proof of residence.

I am so relieved.

Source: LA Times

Eric Jerome Dickey, bestselling author of "Milk in My Coffee," "Friends and Lovers," has died at age 59.

The celebrated author died Jan. 3 in Los Angeles.

snip

After his short story "Thirteen" was published in the 1994 collection "River Crossings: voices of the Diaspora: An Anthology on the International Black Experience," Dickey went on to write a host of works centering on the experiences of contemporary Black characters. His 29 novels entertained millions of readers with quick pacing a conversation style and fluency in genres ranging from crime to romance.

Read more: https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2021-01-05/eric-jerome-dickey-death-milk-in-my-coffee

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Dickey had a strong following among black women. He portrayed strong, black women and wrote about American life from a black perspective.