A teacher at Glendale High School is on leave after video footage showing the educator using a racial slur was sent to students and parents.
School administrators say the teacher was having a conversation with a student, which the student recorded using Snapchat video.
In the video, the teacher is heard using the racial slur twice before the student lifted the camera up to capture their face.
The identity of the teacher has not been released at this time.
An investigation into the situation is ongoing, and administrators with SPS say the proper disciplinary action will be taken.
A full statement from Glendale Principal, Dr. Josh Groves, can be found below:
Dear Glendale Staff & Families:
We are aware of a Glendale teacher using offensive, derogatory language during class today. A video of the comments is being circulated and we have received several calls from concerned parents. I want you to know that the comments expressed in the video are inappropriate, inexcusable and do not meet the professional standards for Springfield Public Schools employees.
SPS took immediate action once we were aware of this situation. An investigation is ongoing, and while it continues, the staff member will remain on administrative leave. Appropriate disciplinary action will be taken.
While details of personnel matters must remain confidential, our response has followed the guidelines outlined by our Board policy and reflects the district’s zero-tolerance for this type of conduct.
We strive to ensure that every individual is treated with respect, kindness and fairness, so that all feel safe, secure and welcomed at our school.
A man from Ozark County faces several charges in the kidnapping of a woman and a child.
Aaron Perry was arrested after a 911 hang up call at a house in Isabella. Perry is charged with burglary, child kidnapping, endangering the welfare of a child, tampering or attempting to tamper with a victim and two counts of domestic assault.
Gordon Lightfoot, Canadian Singer/Songwriter, Dies at 84
In the April 28-May 4 tracking week, official on-demand U.S. streams of Lightfoot’s music ballooned 290% to 14 million, according to Luminate, from 3.6 million the prior week (April 21-27).
Additionally, Lightfoot’s catalog moved 41,000 song downloads, a 3,629% surge from 1,000 the previous frame.
His overall album consumption totaled 20,000 equivalent album units, up 511% from 3,000. Of that sum, 6,000 units were via album sales.
Lightfoot’s radio airplay audience vaulted by 317% to 3 million impressions, from 730,000.
The influx of interest in Lightfoot’s deep catalog — he first reached a Billboard chart in 1969 — sparks his appearances on multiple surveys dated May 13. That haul includes the No. 1-selling track in the United States, as “If You Could Read My Mind” bows atop Digital Song Sales with 10,000 sold, up 4,162%.
Additionally, “Sundown” (9,000 sold, up 2,976%), “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” (7,000, up 3,429%) and “Carefree Highway” (4,000, up 4,283%) also enter the top 10, at Nos. 3, 5 and 10, respectively.
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The four songs encompass Lightfoot’s career Billboard Hot 100 top 10s. “Mind” reached No. 5 in February 1971, “Sundown” reigned for a week in June 1974, “Highway” hit No. 10 that November; and “Edmund Fitzgerald” peaked at No. 2 in November 1976.
All four songs appear on Rock Digital Song Sales at Nos. 1-3 and 5, respectively. They’re joined by 1975’s “The Soul Is the Rock” (No. 12; 2,000 sold).
“Sundown” leads a trio of Lightfoot songs on the multimetric Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart (where older titles are eligible to appear if in the top half with a meaningful reason for their resurgences). The song bows at No. 11, with its download sales joined by 3.3 million streams, up 64%.
“Mind” (No. 17; 2.1 million streams, up 99%) and “Edmund Fitzgerald” (No. 20; 1.9 million streams, up 127%) also enter the survey.
“Sundown,” “Edmund Fitzgerald,” “Highway” and “Rock” reach Country Digital Song Sales, at Nos. 2, 3, 5 and 13, respectively.
On the all-format Billboard 200, Lightfoot’s Gord’s Gold collection returns at No. 95 thanks to 11,000 units, up 3,086%. It’s the set’s first appearance on the chart since January 1977, after it reached No. 34 a year earlier.
Multiple Lightfoot songs dot Billboard’s LyricFind charts, which rank the fastest momentum-gaining tracks in lyric-search queries and usages globally and in the U.S., provided by LyricFind. “Sundown” leads the way at No. 1 on LyricFind U.S. with an 884% increase in lyric searches and usages following Lightfoot’s death, according to LyricFind.
Lightfoot died of natural causes in Toronto May 1 at age 84.
Madonna‘s ongoing 30h anniversary celebration of her infamous 1992 erotic coffee table book Sex will continue this summer and fall thanks to a Christie’s auction of select photos from the volume. “Madonna x Meisel — The SEX Photographs” will honor Yves Saint Laurent’s 2022 reissue of the photo book from the singer and fashion photographer Steven Meisel with a series of public displays and an auction in which more than 40 works will go under the gavel in New York on Oct. 6.
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Ahead of the auction, a curated selection of photographs will be on view in London (May 23-June 2), Paris (June 27-July 6) and New York (Sept. 30-Oct. 6). The original book sparked a sensation — and lots of pearl clutching — at the time of its release thanks to the explicit photos of the pop icon and erotic text in which she introduced her dominatrix character Mistress Dita amid images of Madonna with rappers Big Daddy Kane and Vanilla Ice, as well as model Naomi Campbell, gay porn star Joey Stefano and others.
It became the fastest-selling coffee table book of all time and in 2022, Madonna and Saint Laurent’s creative director, Anthony Vaccarello, honored the 30th anniversary with the fist-ever re-edition of the book with 800 limited-edition copies and a first-time gallery show at last year’s Miami Art Basel.
“The much-deserved hype and white-hot energy given off by Madonna in the early 1990s was conveyed and immortalized through Steven Meisel’s photographs,” read a statement from Christie’s deputy chairman and international head of photographs. “He knew how to capture the allure and sexuality of pop’s reigning queen in a way that was unrivalled. In the intervening 30 years since her infamous SEX book was released — shot exclusively in collaboration with Meisel — what has become clear is how truly iconic those photographs remain. They sit at a moment in art history of the late 20th century that both summarizes a moment, playful and prescient, and hints at the future of public stardom driven by image-conscious figures. These images are nothing short of brilliant. ”
Styles P shocked fans when he took to his Instagram in October 2022 to announce he would be hanging up his microphone as a solo artist.
As surprised as fans were, there was a feeling that his decision wouldn’t be permanent — as history has shown rappers never truly retire. Music is his first love, but the Ghost has been prepping for this moment for some time now, and he’s as serious as ever because the stakes are even higher.
“If you look at the amount of solo albums I have compared to artists my age, I think I’ve done my job, and I’ve done it well,” Styles tells Billboard about retiring. “I’ve provided fans with so much music, and it consumes a large part of my life. But there’s a lot of other things I want to do, and now I’m ready to do that.
“At this point in my life, I’m focused on other things, like helping people through my creativity in a way outside of my music career,” he continues. “I’ve always been a messenger, whether it be for the streets or my people, and now I’ve grown into being a different type of messenger.”
Throughout his 29-year music career, Styles P became a prominent voice of the streets as a member of The LOX alongside his Yonkers brethren Jadakiss and Sheek Louch. He took things further when the trio embarked on solo careers in the early 2000s that kept their run going for 20-plus years.
Styles reached people through his music, and his devoted fanbase proved that with all the love and support they’ve shown him over the years. But while that was happening, the 48-year-old discovered he could serve people in other ways.
“I found myself going down so many avenues since I knew there was more I wanted to do,” Styles says. “I’m somebody that once I start or explore something, I’m going to dig deep and finish it, which is really what’s fueling this next chapter for me. My curiosity and determination to chase what I want for myself.
“It’s all about completing goals now,” he adds. “You can’t do that without using your talents, energy, creativity and passions. I’m putting myself in a position to say, ‘All right, here’s what I’m working on, here’s how I’m going to do it.’ And once I see I’m going to do something, I like to complete the mission.”
Whenever he clocked out of his job as a respected lyricist, Styles P discovered opportunities to reach more people and extend his creativity beyond music. According to Styles, he wasn’t wasting time putting his talents or passion to good use.
Healthy living piqued Styles’ interest, and led him to launch a juice shop with Jadakiss called Juices for Life in 2011, which offers healthy food choices to underserved families. Styles P then opened a local health food store with his wife Adjua Styles, called Farmacy of Life, which sells several herbal supplements to improve physical wellness.
In 11 years, Styles Pinero built a successful health and wellness brand, and he accomplished that by sticking with his vision and following what he loves — which is helping others. And people haven’t held back when it comes to thanking Styles for shining a light on health.
“I couldn’t truly tell you how I went from being one of the most hardcore rappers to the guy spreading the word about healthy living,” says Styles P while sitting behind the cash register at his Farmacy for Life shop in Scarsdale, New York. “But I can say that I took one big step in a certain direction and never looked back.”
In addition to his health businesses, Styles launched a line of organic peanut butter and jelly spread with Eleven Madison Park called Styles PB&J, collaborated with gourmet vegan shop Cloudy Donuts, created a health-focused Web 3.0 community called Farmacy Fantoms and much more. The rapper has so much on his plate outside of music that he tells Billboard he’s also stepping down from running Juices for Life to figure out “the things and ways of the business” that he can add to the company, and retirement is giving him time to do that.
“I have to reevaluate how I do the business and find a smarter way to do it so I can accomplish the goals I set out for myself with that. My retirement is letting me dedicate time to helping people with their health and other areas of my creativity,” says Styles. “All these businesses I’m involved with are ones that I love because it’s what I do, and it’s what my heart is into, and we’re just getting started.”
He continues: “I’ve written a fiction novel and want to write more scripts. I’m doing things I love — and the best part is, I’m serving others. The transition was easy, too, because it’s not like I’ve completely stopped rapping. I’m still with The LOX and doing work with them. But on the solo side, I have other things I want to do.”
Styles’ retirement party kicked off with his 15th studio album Penultimate: A Calm Wolf Is Still a Wolf, which released at the top of the year. He plans to drop one more album before officially shutting the lights off on his solo career, and he’s going to make it the best music experience for his fans.
“I put out a lot of music, and you never know how it’s going to go — but I certainly want you to appreciate the music,” Styles says about having a “grand closing” on his solo career. “I’ll probably do more features than I ever have with people that I’ve wanted to work with since it’s the last one.”
With Styles P embarking on this new journey in his life, he’s looking to accomplish so much more than what he’s done in his 48 years of living, and the most important thing for him is to continue being a messenger to his fans.
“My goal is to amplify the first part of my journey and grow even more while also highlighting that,” says Styles. “I started branching out to help my community, which are people of color in poor areas. But as I’ve matured, I see there are more people I have to help out. I’m a human and spiritual being, and it’s my job to care for others, period.”
Ed Sheeran’s sixth U.K. chart title is within reach, as – (Subtract) stockpiles a massive midweek lead.
Based on sales and streaming data at the halfway mark, Sheeran’s Asylum LP is already the U.K.’s fastest-selling album of 2023, the Official Charts Company reports.
With no major new titles threatening Sheeran’s pursuit of the crown, the English singer and songwriter should nab his sixth consecutive U.K. No. 1 – a streak that includes all four of his mathematics-themed sets, and 2019’s No. 6 Collaborations Project.
Subtract has already racked-up more than 56,000 combined units, more than any album has notched during a full-frame this year, according to the OCC.
The previous mark was owned by Lana Del Rey’s Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd, which accumulated 41,000 chart units during its first week.
Sheeran appears to be everywhere, all at once. The singer and songwriter performed on American Idol last Sunday, he won a high-profile copyright lawsuit last week, he’s the subject of a special four-part Disney+ docuseries, The Sum Of It All, he’s set to perform at the 2023 ACM Awards, and, yes, he’s currently on tour.
Also eyeing a U.K. top 10 debut is Manchester rapper Tunde with First Lap (via Tunde), new at No. 3 on the chart blast; former Kasabian frontman Tom Meighan’s first solo album The Reckoning (Destruct), at No. 4; and Therapy? with Hard Cold Fire (Marshall) at No. 9, which could net the veteran Northern Irish rock outfit a third career top 10 album, and highest-charting effort since 1995’s Infernal Love.
Finally, Katy Perry’s performance at King Charles III’s Coronation Concert over the weekend has handed an immediate boost to the U.S. pop superstar catalog. Perry’s sophomore set Teenage Dream (Virgin), a leader following its release in 2011, is set to reenter the chart at No. 40. Teenage Dream features “Firework,” with which she closed her set and dedicated to the king, saying, “Thank you for bringing out the firework in so many young people.”
All will be revealed when the Official U.K. Albums Chart is published Friday (May 12).
A man has been charged for a stabbing incident outside a Springfield restaurant.
Prosecutors have charged Shane Duvall with first-degree assault related to a stabbing in the parking lot of the Purple Burrito on South Campbell in April.
Investigators say the victim had non-life-threatening injuries.
Several of the restaurant patrons gave police eyewitness accounts of the incident.
Ahead of Thursday evening’s (May 11) Academy of Country Music Awards ceremony, two artists are already winners.
On Tuesday evening (May 9), the ACM revealed Hailey Whitters as the winner of the new female artist of the year honor, and Zach Bryan as the winner of the new male artist of the year trophy.
This marks the first ACM wins for both Whitters and Bryan.
Whitters earned a top 30 Billboard Hot Country Songs hit with “Everything She Ain’t,” featured on her 2022 album Raised, cementing her place as both a “rising” and go-to songwriter, having written songs recorded by Little Big Town (“Happy People”), Alan Jackson (“The Older I Get”) and Martina McBride (“Low All Afternoon,” “The Real Thing”). In 2015, Whitters released the project Black Sheep (via Carnival), and, later, inked a label deal with Nicolle Galyon’s Songs & Daughters imprint (Big Loud) in 2020. Whitters also released the projects The Dream and Raised, and will make her debut ACM Awards performance on Thursday evening.
Bryan earned a top 10 Billboard Hot 100 hit earlier this year with “Something in the Orange,” which was also a six-week No. 1 Hot Country Songs hit and topped the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart. His 2022 album American Heartbreak debuted at No. 1 on the top country albums chart, while his followup EP, Summertime Blues, debut at No. 7. He is launching his headlining Burn Burn Burn tour this month, and just earned a song of the year nomination at the upcoming Americana Honors & Awards for “Something in the Orange.”
The 58th annual Academy of Country Music Awards will be free to stream live on Prime Video on May 11 beginning at 7 p.m. ET from the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas.
Sia married her boyfriend Dan Bernad over the weekend in Italy, Billboard can confirm.
According to People, just four guests attended the intimate ceremony, which took place at Villa Olivetta, a private estate owned by fashion designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana in Portofino, Italy. Pictures shared by People show a candlelit ceremony, with the bride in a high-neck lace gown and her hair pulled back to show her oft-hidden face and the groom in an off-white tuxedo.
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While it’s unclear how long Sia and Bernad have been dating, they were photographed together at the red-carpet premiere of Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story remake back in December 2021. Sia also shared a picture with Bernad to her Instagram account in October 2022, with the caption: “Pride forever! #lgbtqia+#LAFC #22 also just finished my next album! A great day all round!”
The Australian singer/songwriter was previously married to filmmaker Erik Anders Lang. The pair announced their engagement in June 2014 and were married two months later at her home in Palm Springs, Calif., before filing for divorce in December 2016.
Sia hasn’t released a studio album since 2016’s This Is Acting, but that hasn’t kept her off the Billboard charts. Last year, her song “Unstoppable” from the 2016 project found new life thanks in part to TikTok, topping the Adult Pop Airplay and Adult Contemporary charts six years after its initial release and peaking at No. 28 on the Billboard Hot 100. This Is Acting also spawned Sia’s lone Hot 100 No. 1, the four-week chart-topper “Cheap Thrills.”
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