Latest news with #AtlantaJournal-Constitution
Eater
5 days ago
- Business
- Eater
Mellow Mushroom in Decatur Closes Suddenly
The Mellow Mushroom in downtown Decatur closed abruptly yesterday, June 16, following a social media announcement. The pizzeria location was open for nine years at 340 West Ponce de Leon Avenue. Co-owner Harvey Brown told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that local competition made it too financially taxing to keep the location open. 'It is with a heavy heart that I announce the closure of Mellow Mushroom Decatur. It has been an absolute pleasure working in this community and we will miss being able to be your go-to pizza place! We love you all and thank you for the years of joy you have brought to our Mellow team,' reads the Instagram post by Brown. This marks the second time the Atlanta-based pizza chain has closed in Decatur. It first closed in 2014 when it was located in the Commerce Square shopping center. It reopened and relocated in 2016 to Ponce de Leon Avenue under Brown's new ownership, replacing the New Orleans SnoBall Cafe. Brown says the location's nearly 50-person staff was informed of the closure yesterday, according to the AJC. He has attempted to find employment for the workers there. Mellow Mushroom is headquartered in Atlanta and has over 160 locations nationwide. See More: Atlanta Restaurant Closings
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Yahoo
Platinum-selling rapper gets 30 years in prison for killing cousin in 2021
Silentó, the rapper known for his 2015 smash single 'Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae),' was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the murder of his cousin in Georgia four years ago. DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Courtney Johnson sentenced Silentó, 27, on Wednesday after he pleaded guilty to charges of voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime and concealing the death of another in connection with the shooting death of his 34-year-old cousin, Frederick Rooks III, on Jan. 21, 2021. A felony murder charge was dropped, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. The shooting occurred at the intersection of Deep Shoals Circle and Corners Crossing in Panthersville, Georgia, around 3:37 a.m., according to the Office of the DeKalb County District Attorney. Responding officers found Rooks suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Ten bullet casings were found near his body as well, investigators discovered. Several neighbors told authorities they heard gunshots that night while a white BMW SUV was caught leaving the scene a few minutes after the gunfire. One of Rooks' family members told police that he was last seen with his cousin, who had picked Rooks up from a friend's home in a white BMW SUV. Silentó, whose real name is Ricky Lamar Hawk, was arrested on Feb. 1, 2021. After his arrest, Hawk's publicist at the time, Chanel Hudson, said the rapper had been dealing with mental health issues. 'Please send my client Silentó some positive vibrations,' Hudson wrote in an Instagram post at the time. 'Over the past several years, Ricky has been suffering immensely from a series of mental illnesses. We will continue in his efforts of treatment, but we ask in the meantime the public [to] uplift him and his family in immediate prayer & positive energy,' Hudson wrote. 'Ricky is a beautiful soul, and we hope that the same people who came up whippin' and nay naying with him, continue to support him and lifted in prayer. God bless.' The rapper admitted to shooting Rooks during an interview with investigators, the district attorney's office said. In addition, the bullet casings found at the crime scene matched the gun found in Hawk's possession at the time of his arrest. GPS data for Hawk's white BMW SUV also placed the vehicle at the scene of the killing. Hawk has been in custody at the DeKalb County Jail since his arrest. It is unclear where he will serve his sentence. Pop band's member, 64, falls 'seriously ill' ahead of upcoming arena tour Legendary songwriter, co-founder of iconic '60s band dies at 82 Music superstar hilariously reacts to bra thrown at him during Mass. show Popular folk rock band's frontman abruptly walks off stage mid-song Australian singer, rapper The Kid LAROI to headline The Big E Arena this fall Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Rapper Silentó Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Fatally Shooting His Cousin
Silentó, the rapper best known for his viral 2015 hit 'Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae),' has been sentenced to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to charges related to the fatal shooting of his cousin. The musician, whose real name is Ricky Lamar Hawk, pleaded guilty but mentally ill to charges relating to shooting Frederick Rooks in Jan. 2021. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the 27-year-old took a deal to plead guilty to a reduced charge from malice murder to voluntary manslaughter. He also pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and concealing the death of another. A separate felony murder charge was dropped as part of the plea agreement. Silentó will serve 30 years in prison with credit for time served since Feb. 2021. The Atlanta rapper was initially arrested after the DeKalb County Police Department found Rooks, 34, with gunshot wounds to his face and leg in January 2021. Rooks was pronounced dead at the scene. Silentó confessed to the murder shortly after, and authorities matched bullet casings to a gun that he had at the time of his arrest. Following Silentó's arrest, his publicist at the time, Chanel Hudson, shared on social media that the rapper had been struggling with mental health issues. 'Over the past several years, Ricky has been suffering immensely from a series of mental illnesses,' she wrote. 'We will continue in his efforts of treatment, but we ask in the meantime the public uplift him and his family in immediate prayer & positive energy!!' Silentó scored a massive hit with his debut single 'Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae),' which he released as a junior in high school in 2015. The song was a runaway success, reaching No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earning more than 400 million Spotify streams in the time since. He shared his struggles with mental health in the years that followed, and Hudson claimed that he had attempted suicide in 2020. He had several encounters with law enforcement, including an arrest in Aug. 2020 for domestic violence. That October, he was arrested for driving 143 miles per hour in DeKalb County. Best of Variety 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? 25 Hollywood Legends Who Deserve an Honorary Oscar New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Rapper Silentó Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Cousin's Shooting Death
The rapper Silentó, who scored a major hit with his 2015 single 'Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)' — and the two dance crazes it combined — has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for charges related to the shooting death of his cousin, Frederick Rooks. Per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, on Wednesday, June 11, Silentó, born Ricky Lamar Hawk, pleaded guilty but mentally ill to voluntary manslaughter stemming from the January 2021 killing. Police found Rooks' body abandoned on a road outside a home near the Atlanta-area community of Panthersville. Though Hawk was originally charged with malice murder, a felony murder charge was dropped as a part of his plea deal. Hawk also pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and concealing the death of another. More from Rolling Stone 'How Much Does My Body Cost?': Sean Combs' Ex Faces Fiery Cross-Examination De La Soul Dig Into Their Long Island Roots in 'The Sixth Borough' Doc Clip Lil Durk Denied Bail Again in Murder-for-Hire Case While Rooks' siblings reportedly were underwhelmed with the sentence at the hearing, another expressed mutual sympathy. 'I'm sorry for both sides,' they told DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Courtney L. Johnson, according to the AJC. Hawk was a teenager when 'Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)' took the internet and world by storm. It became popular on the now defunct micro-video app Vine, a predecessor of sorts to TikTok. The song hit Number Three on the Billboard Hot 100 and its music video has earned nearly 2 billion YouTube streams. However, over the years, Hawk and a representative have attested to the rapper's mental health issues, including depression, anxiety, and childhood trauma. In 2021, former publicist Chanel Hudson told the AJC that the rapper had attempted suicide the year prior. Later, he faced multiple arrests, including two in California for domestic violence and gun charges. Best of Rolling Stone Sly and the Family Stone: 20 Essential Songs The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked
Newsweek
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Marjorie Taylor Greene's Popularity as She Weighs Governor's Bid—Polls
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Georgia Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene declined to rule out running for governor in a new interview published by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, as polls suggest she remains a polarizing figure in the battleground state. Newsweek reached out to Greene's office for comment via email. Why It Matters Georgia emerged as a new battleground state in the past decade and will likely be one of the most competitive states of the 2026 midterm elections as popular GOP Governor Brian Kemp retires at the end of his current term. The state narrowly backed President Donald Trump in last year's presidential election after flipping to Democrats in the 2020 election—underscoring how competitive the state has become. What to Know Greene, a conservative who rose to national prominence over her support for Trump, told the Atlanta-based newspaper in an interview published last week she is not ruling out a gubernatorial run. She remains a favorite among conservatives but has attracted strong criticism from Democrats over her past statements. "It's definitely something that I think is smart for me to consider, but it's not a decision I take lightly," she told the Journal-Constitution. "I absolutely love my district. I cannot say that enough times. I think Georgia's 14th District is wonderful. and I have a very powerful position in Congress. But I love my state. I really do." Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene speaks during a subcommittee hearing on May 7, 2025 in Washington, D.C. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene speaks during a subcommittee hearing on May 7, 2025 in Washington, poll from the Tyson Group earlier this year suggests she is viewed less favorably than other Georgia politicians. The poll, which surveyed 600 likely voters in Georgia from January 30 to January 31, 2025, found that 43 percent of Georgia voters view Greene unfavorably, compared to 27 percent who view her favorably. Attorney General Chris Carr, who is running in the GOP primary, is less known than Greene—with 54 percent of respondents saying they had never heard of him. Twelve percent said they viewed him favorably, while 8 percent said they viewed him unfavorably, the poll found. Greene may face a challenge in a Georgia general election because she is a "polarizing politician," William Hatcher, chair and professor of social sciences at Augusta University, told Newsweek on Tuesday. He noted the statewide electorate will be "more moderate" than that of Greene's deeply conservative district. "The Republicans will be more competitive with a candidate who demonstrates broad appeal to the statewide electorate, which in recent election cycles have become more competitive," he said. "The main challenge to candidates from both parties will be demonstrating that they're not too far to the left or right for a state that is increasingly competitive in elections." Meanwhile, a YouGov poll of American voters found that Greene is among the least popular politicians with a net favorability of -22. Of the 120 politicians surveyed, only Kentucky Republican Senator Mitch McConnell, former Vice President Dick Cheney, New York Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer, former Democratic New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, former Republican New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, former Vice President Mike Pence and California Representative Nancy Pelosi fared worse. Greene was first elected in 2020 and has easily won reelection since in her northern Georgia district. She won reelection by nearly 30 points in 2024. In May, she declined to run in the Senate race against Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff, describing Congress' upper chamber as "where good ideas go to die." An AJC poll suggested that race would have been an uphill battle for her, as she trailed Ossoff by a 17-point margin. Trump won Georgia by about two points in 2024, while Biden won the state by less than half of a percentage point four years earlier. What People Are Saying Hatcher told Newsweek: "Georgians are concerned with a host of issues, including the economy, healthcare, education, protecting democracy, etc. The economy, education, and healthcare are often the most influential issues listed by voters in the state. Going into the gubernatorial election, I think a main concern will be how to keep the state's economic momentum heading in the right direction, in particular supporting the state's filming industry and its emerging green technology sector. Voters will want to hear how candidates will respond to potentially negative economy trends, such as the Trump administration's tariffs that may adversely affect the state's industries and cause the cost of consumer products to increase." Greene told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "I don't think anybody should run on their relationship with President Trump, because I certainly could run on that probably better than anyone. I think they should run on their track record, and I think they should run on their own platform — and what they're going to do for the people and the businesses of Georgia." What Happens Next Greene hasn't made any formal announcement about whether she plans to run or not, and candidates could make their final decisions in the coming months. The Cook Political Report classifies Georgia's gubernatorial race as a pure toss-up.
