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President Joe Biden has granted clemency to Black Mafia Family (BMF) co-founder Terry “Southwest T” Flenory, who was released from federal prison during the pandemic in 2020 and ordered to serve the rest of his sentence on house arrest.

It is part of President Biden’s effort to pardon prisoners like Flenory who have been on house arrest since the pandemic, 11 Alive reported. The scripted, 50 Cent-produced BMF TV series on Starz follows the Black Mafia Family, including Terry Flenory and his older brother, Demetrius “Big Meech” Flenory

Recently, there has been an alarming increase in unlicensed dental practices and cosmetic dentistry, particularly in veneers. This trend, fueled by social media and the quest for the perfect aesthetic, has led many to cheap alternatives, which poses significant risks to public health and safety.

In October, Brandon Dillard, an individual who coined himself “Atlanta’s top veneer specialist,” was arrested for practicing dentistry for years without a license.

According to WSB-TV, Fulton County police raided Dillard’s popular “A List Smiles” office, which had operated since 2021. The arrest was highly publicized due to his long list of notable clientele, high social media following, and notoriety for holding contests such as procedure raffles.

Like Dillard, unlicensed professionals provide services for half the price, but ultimately, the patient pays the price. Unlicensed individuals have an increased chance of not adhering to proper infection control protocols and being without the proper training to perform procedures correctly. This leads to misdiagnosis, complications like nerve damage, excessive bleeding, improper healing and long-term health complications.

In most states, unlicensed practitioners can face felony charges for practicing without a license. Unfortunately, patients who receive care from these individuals may only be provided limited legal recourse.

Dr. Arlene Asante of Hyattsville, Maryland, is a cosmetic dentist specializing in oral health, implantology and cosmetic dentistry. Blavity spoke with Dr. Asante about understanding the repercussions of illegal cosmetic dentistry, its lasting impact on patient’s lives and health, and how to avoid it.

Nordstrom will soon operate under new ownership. According to the Associated Press, the retailer is being sold to Nordstrom family members and a Mexican retail group for $6.25 billion. The new ownership will operate the store as a private company while also picking up Nordstrom’s $2 billion debt, the AP reported.

R&B legend Eddie Levert is grieving the death of his 22-year-old daughter Ryan Levert, who had lupus. Granddaughter Carlysia Levert confirmed the sad news in an Instagram post.

“Thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers for my family. please send extra love up for my papa and nana,” Carlysia wrote in her Instagram Story, per Essence.

According to the Associated Press, children from around the world call the agency on Christmas Eve to ask about Santa’s location. “There are screams and giggles and laughter,” Bob Sommers, a civilian contractor and NORAD volunteer, told the AP as […]

An unidentified woman was set on fire in a New York City subway train on Sunday.

According to the BBC, a man has been arrested in connection to the fatal incident, which Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch called “one of the most depraved crimes one person could possibly commit against another human being.”

Details on the incident and the station where it happened

Tisch shared that the woman was in a stopped subway carriage at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station at around 7:30 a.m. when a man came up to her and used a lighter to set her clothing on fire. The garments were “fully engulfed in a matter of seconds.” The woman was “motionless” after the attack, and detectives are looking into whether she was asleep at the time of the attack.

“We’re not 100% sure,” the New York Police Department’s Chief of Transit Joseph Gulotta said.

Did the victim know her alleged attacker?

Gulotta explained that there was “no interaction” between the victim and her alleged attacker, leading authorities to believe the two didn’t know each other before the incident. He also shared how officers were alerted to the attack.

“Officers were on patrol on an upper level of that station, smelled and saw smoke and went to investigate,” Tisch added.

The officers found “a person standing inside the train car fully engulfed in flames” and jumped into action. While they managed to extinguish the flames, the victim died at the scene.

Is there a known motive for the incident?

Authorities are still investigating the matter in hopes of determining a motive for the attack, and charges were yet to be filed at the time of publishing. The only thing known about the suspect is that he emigrated to the United States from Guatemala in 2018, USA Today reported.

The suspect exited the train as authorities rushed to the woman. Officers didn’t believe that he went much further than the area.

“Unbeknownst to the officers who responded, the suspect had stayed on the scene and was seated on a bench on the platform just outside the train car,” Tisch said.

Police got “very clear, detailed” images of the man from the responding officers’ body cameras, which were analyzed and shared by the NYPD.

After seeing the images of the man, three teenagers called 911 after seeing him on another subway train. The tip helped officers locate the perpetrator and take him into police custody. They found a lighter in his pocket when arresting him.

“I want to thank the young people who called 911 to help,” Tisch said. “They saw something, they said something and they did something.”

According to CBS News, anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or, for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). Tips can be submitted on their website or via DM on X, formerly Twitter, @NYPDTips.

On Friday, the IRS declared that “as part of continuing efforts to help taxpayers, the Internal Revenue Service today announced plans to issue automatic payments later this month to eligible people who did not claim the Recovery Rebate Credit on […]