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Justice for Maleah! 4-Year-Old Still Missing

NNPA NEWSWIRE — There have been prayer vigils, balloon releases, news conferences, community-wide searches in the area where she was staying, but there has still been no sign of missing 4-year-old Maleah Davis. The disappearance of little Maleah has members of the Greater Houston community outraged, as well as fervently searching for answers as to what actually happened to her.

Published

7 years ago

May 20, 2019

Oakland Post

By Jeffrey L. Boney, NNPA Newswire Contributor

The case involving little Maleah Davis has caused a major stir across the Greater Houston area, as the details surrounding the case have gone from disturbing to downright heart wrenching.

Brittany Bowens, mother of missing 4-year-old Maleah Davis speaks (Photo: ABC News / go.com)

There have been prayer vigils, balloon releases, news conferences, community-wide searches in the area where she was staying, but there has still been no sign of missing 4-year-old Maleah Davis. The disappearance of little Maleah has members of the Greater Houston community outraged, as well as fervently searching for answers as to what actually happened to her.

It all began on Friday night, May 3rd, when 26-year-old Derion Vence, told police he was on his way to George Bush Intercontinental Airport to pick up Maleah’s mother, Brittany Bowens, who was on her way home on a return flight from a funeral in Massachusetts. Vence was driving in the vehicle with little Maleah and his 1-year-old son. Vence was Bowens’ fiancé.

According to police, Vence told them he heard a popping noise, as if from a flat tire, and decided to pull over on the side of the road to check out the status of the vehicle. It was at that time that Vence told police that a strange blue Chevrolet crew cab pickup truck pulled up behind them and two Hispanic gentlemen immediately hopped out, allegedly making a reference about the way little Maleah’s physical appearance caught their attention.

Vence told police that one of the men hit him on the head, causing him to lose temporary consciousness. After regaining consciousness, Vence then told police that he and the children had been abducted and found themselves riding in the back of the truck, where the two Hispanic men who confronted Vence and another Hispanic suspect, were inside the truck as well.

This is where the details of what happened to little Maleah get really murky and confusing.

Vence states that he had been going in and out of consciousness for hours, until around 6 p.m. on the following day – Saturday, May 4, and he then told police that the suspects randomly released him and his son in Sugar Land, Texas, which is located over 40 miles away in southwest Houston, but kept little Maleah. It was upon gaining consciousness that Vence told police that he mustered up enough strength to walk with his unharmed 1-year-old son to Methodist Sugar Land Hospital nearby, where he was treated for minor injuries.

It was also at the hospital that Vence reported Maleah missing and the drama really began.

More and more, Vence’s story began to change and unravel, making him a prime suspect in the eyes of law enforcement officials, relative to the abduction of little Maleah.

After having the silver Nissan Altima with Texas paper tags that was owned by Bowens reported stolen, surveillance video later showed the same vehicle Vence had reported stolen being used to drop him off at the same hospital Vence and his son allegedly walked to.

On Thursday, May 9th, the missing silver Nissan Maxima was found by police in a parking lot in Missouri City, Texas, and what police found in the trunk increased suspicions about Vence and began to shed light on what could have possibly happened to little Maleah.

In the truck of the car, police found a laundry basket and a gas can. What makes these items that were found so significant, is the surveillance video footage that came from a neighbor’s house that appears to paint a troubling picture about Vence and the major role he may have played in little Maleah’s overall disappearance.

Disturbing images from the surveillance video footage show the last seen or known images of little Maleah from Tuesday, April 30th, where she is seen wearing a bright pink tutu and trailing behind Vence as he is headed back into their apartment.

This happened to be the same day Bowens left to go out of town for her father’s funeral.

After several days pass, little Maleah is never seen again on any of the surveillance footage.

Vence and his young son, however, can be seen coming out of the apartment on the day that the alleged abduction took place, which raises serious questions about what happened to little Maleah and why she was never seen on surveillance video again.

In one of the clips from May 3rd, Vence is seen carrying a laundry basket with a black trash bag in it, away from the apartment where the family lived. Then in another clip, Vence is seen carrying a bottle of bleach with his son following him out of the apartment, moments before they head out to allegedly go pick Bowens up from the airport.

These findings caused police to investigate Vence further, particularly look for clues inside the apartment and the vehicle that was allegedly stolen. Police used canine officers who are trained to identify the scent of a body and as a result, the canine officers sensed human decomposition in the trunk of the vehicle. At the apartment, police used a chemical agent that can discover blood that cannot be viewed by the human eye, and found blood in the hallway leading to bathroom and on various surfaces in the bathroom.

As a result of their findings, police arrested Vence on Saturday, May 11th, in connection with little Maleah’s disappearance and according to court documents, he has been charged with tampering with evidence, namely a human corpse, after the smell of decomposing human remains was detected in the trunk of a car he had driven.

After holding press conferences and interviews pleading for little Maleah’s safe return, Bowens finally broke down and told investigators that Vence had been abusing little Maleah and recently said through her spokesman, civil rights activist Quanell X, that she believes Vence harmed the girl and is not fully certain that she may still be alive.

According to CPS officials, little Maleah had been removed from the home, along with her brothers, for investigated allegations of physical abuse, this past August. Little Maleah had suffered a significant head injury, but a judge ruled that the children should be returned home under the care of Bowens and Vence in February. Bowens states that the children were returned because it had been determined that little Maleah suffered the head injury as a result of a fall, not because of any physical abuse that had taken place.

Cases like this tend to get reported quite often, and unfortunately, it takes the entire community to help identify and recognize the signs of abuse, so as to protect these vulnerable children like little Maleah and countless others. According to the World Health Organization, child maltreatment is defined as the abuse and neglect that occurs to children under 18 years of age. Every year, there are an estimated 41,000 homicide deaths in children under 15 years of age. It is important to emphasize that children are the victims and are never to blame for maltreatment.

One of the major characteristics of that increases the likelihood of a child being maltreated is the fact that they either under four years old or an adolescent.

There are three different types of people who carry out abductions – a family member, an acquaintance or a stranger.

According to statistics from the Children’s Assessment Center, 95 percent of victims of child abuse and who become unfortunate homicide victims, know their abuser.

According to statistics from the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the Department of Justice, here in the U.S., a child is abducted or turns up missing every 40 seconds, and only one out of every 10,000 missing children reported to the local police is not found alive. Going further, about 20 percent of children who are reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children as having been abducted by someone outside of their family are not found alive.

It is important and time-sensitive that abducted children are found immediately, because Department of Justice statistics also show that 74 percent of children who are killed, become murder victims within three hours of being abducted, and roughly 89 percent of those children are murdered 24 hours after being abducted. As it relates to little Maleah, we are well past the three hour timeframe and everyone is seeking answers and closure.

Vence was initially given a bail amount of $999,999, but this past Monday, May 13th, a judge reduced his bail to $45,000, according to Harris County Jail records.

Many members of the community are not only coming for Vence and demanding answers, many are also blaming Bowens for being complicit in the alleged abuse and the current disappearance of her daughter, with one person calling her a “murderer” as she got on the elevator and exited the courthouse on Monday.

In the meantime, the search continues for little Maleah. She is described as being 3 feet tall and weighing 30 to 40 pounds. She was last seen having a pink bow in her hair and wearing a light blue Under Armour zip-up jacket, blue jeans and some gray, pink and white Under Armour tennis shoes. Any information about her whereabouts at this point will bring healing to a community that is in desperate need of answers and who have embraced this little 4-year-old girl.

Crime Stoppers has currently offered a $5,000 reward for anyone with information regarding little Maleah’s disappearance. Although many tips and leads have come in, nothing has panned out and led to little Maleah’s whereabouts. Anyone that has information about the overall case and little Maleah’s whereabouts are being asked to call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-8477.

Jeffrey Boney is a political analyst for the NNPA Newswire and BlackPressUSA.com and the associate editor for the Houston Forward Times newspaper. Jeffrey is an award-winning journalist, dynamic, international speaker, experienced entrepreneur, business development strategist and founder and CEO of the Texas Business Alliance Follow Jeffrey on Twitter @realtalkjunkies.

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2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring Review — Is This $136K EV Sedan Worth It?

AUTONETWORK ON BLACKPRESSUSA — Finished in Stellar White Metallic with the Tahoe Grand Touring interior, this Lucid makes a strong first impression. The shape is sleek and low, but it still feels elegant instead of trying too hard. Features like soft-close doors, powered illuminated door handles, 20-inch Aero Lite wheels, and the Glass Canopy Roof help the car feel expensive before you even start it.

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2 weeks ago

May 3, 2026

Oakland Post

The 2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring is the kind of luxury EV that makes people stop and ask a simple question: Is this really better than a Tesla Model S, Mercedes EQS, or BMW i7? At $136,150, it has to do more than look futuristic. It has to feel special every time you get in it.

Finished in Stellar White Metallic with the Tahoe Grand Touring interior, this Lucid makes a strong first impression. The shape is sleek and low, yet it still feels elegant rather than trying too hard. Features like soft-close doors, powered illuminated door handles, 20-inch Aero Lite wheels, and the Glass Canopy Roof help the car feel expensive before you even start it.

Inside is where the Air Grand Touring really makes its case. The 34-inch Glass Cockpit Display and retractable Pilot Panel screen give the cabin a clean, modern look that still feels different from other EVs. The Tahoe Extended Leather and Lucid Black Alcantara headliner lifts the sense of occasion, and the front seats are a highlight. They are 20-way power-adjustable, heated, ventilated, and include massage. That matters because luxury buyers at this price expect comfort first.

Rear passengers are not ignored either. You get 5-zone heated rear seating, a rear center console display, and power rear and rear side window sunshades. Add in the Surreal Sound Pro system with 21 speakers, and the Air feels like a true long-distance luxury sedan.

Lucid also gives this car serious EV hardware. The dual-motor all-wheel-drive system, 900V+ charging architecture, and Wunderbox onboard charger are big talking points. Buyers in this segment care about range, charging speed, and everyday ease, not just raw performance. That is where the Lucid continues to stand out.

On the technology side, the Air Grand Touring includes DreamDrive Premium, with 3D Surround View Monitoring, Blind Spot Warning, Automatic Park In and Out, Automatic Emergency Braking, and a Driver Monitoring System with distracted and drowsy driver alerts. This one also has DreamDrive Pro, which adds future-capable ADAS hardware.

There are still some real-world annoyances. Based on your notes, the windshield wiper control is hard to find and use, and that matters more than people think in a high-tech car. When controls become less intuitive, even a beautiful interior can feel frustrating.

Still, the 2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring succeeds where it matters most. It feels luxurious, advanced, comfortable, and thoughtfully engineered. For buyers who want an EV sedan that feels truly premium and less common than the usual choices, this Lucid makes a very strong case.

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Snoop Dogg Celebrates 10 Til’ Midnight at the Compound

LOS ANGELES SENTINEL — The album is paired with a film that stars Snoop Dogg, Hitta J3, G Perico, and Ray Vaughn, and one of the strongest elements of the whole project is that the production stayed rooted right here in Los Angeles.

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2 weeks ago

May 3, 2026

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Snoop Dogg celebrated the premiere of 10 Til’ Midnight at his Inglewood recording studio & multipurpose facility, The Compound, but the night felt like much more than an album release. It felt like Los Angeles. It felt like legacy. And it felt like another major move from one of the city’s greatest cultural architects as he continues to prove that he is not just dropping music — he is building moments, shaping narratives, and pushing the culture forward in real time.

What made the event so powerful was the clarity behind the vision. During a panel conversation with DJ Hed, Snoop opened up about the heart behind 10 Til’ Midnight, explaining that the project was created to help bridge older and younger generations while also speaking to the long-standing divisions between Bloods and Crips in a unique way through film. That alone gave the project a different kind of weight. This was not just about songs. This was about using creativity as a tool for connection. This was about taking a story rooted in Los Angeles and telling it in a way that could bring people together.

Snoop Congratulated By Rapper & Fellow 10 Til Midnight Cast Member G Perico (CreativeLB/KreativeKapturez)

The album is paired with a film that stars Snoop Dogg, Hitta J3, G Perico, and Ray Vaughn, and one of the strongest elements of the whole project is that the production stayed rooted right here in Los Angeles. The film was shot in the city, including at WePlay Studios in Inglewood, which gave the entire project an even deeper hometown feel. It was not just a West Coast story in content — it was a Los Angeles-made production from the ground up.

That matters because, in a city like this, authenticity still carries weight. Snoop understands how to make sure that what he creates does not just represent Los Angeles on the surface, but actually comes from it.

What also makes 10 Til’ Midnight significant is that it represents another major step in Snoop’s evolution as both an artist and executive. Public reporting around the project identifies it as his 22nd studio album, but the bigger story is what it represents in this season of his life. This is one of several consecutive moves he has made in his 50s that show he is still building, still expanding, and still finding new ways to reinvent what the next chapter looks like.

Snoop Dogg at the Premiere of 10 Til Midnight (CreativeLB/KreativeKapturez)

Now, as the head of Death Row Records and the newly aligned leader of Death Row Pictures, he is taking the brand into a new dimension. That is what made this moment feel bigger than music. Snoop is not just protecting the legacy of Death Row — he is stretching it. He is expanding it beyond records and into film, visual storytelling, and larger creative worlds that can continue carrying the label’s impact forward. Public reporting has noted that this project arrives as part of that broader cinematic push.

That is a major Los Angeles move because the city has always been built on the intersection of music, film, neighborhood identity, and cultural storytelling. With 10 Til’ Midnight, Snoop is leaning all the way into that intersection.

The room at The Compound reflected that. It felt like a private premiere, but it also felt like a statement — a reminder that Snoop Dogg’s staying power has never been based only on nostalgia. It comes from his ability to remain connected, remain visionary, and remain in tune with how to move the culture without losing the essence of who he is.

That is why this premiere mattered. It was not just about celebrating another album. It was about witnessing a Los Angeles legend continue to evolve, continue to unify, and continue to use art to tell stories that hit deeper than entertainment alone.

In that sense, 10 Til’ Midnight became more than a project launch. It became another example of how Snoop Dogg is still taking Los Angeles to the next level — using music, film, and legacy together to build something bigger than a moment.

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OP-ED: Small Businesses Need Minnesota to Act on Pass-Through Tax Policy

MINNESOTA SPOKESMAN RECORDER — A Twin Cities immigrant entrepreneur who built several businesses including grocery stores in underserved neighborhoods is calling on Minnesota lawmakers to extend the Pass-Through Entity tax option before it expires, warning that its loss would hit small businesses already recovering from Operation Metro Surge with higher federal tax bills.

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2 weeks ago

May 3, 2026

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A Twin Cities Small Business Owner Is Urging Minnesota to Extend a Tax Policy That Could Save Thousands of Businesses

By Daniel Hernandez | Minnesota Spokesman Recorder

I came to the United States as a teenager with a clear goal: to build something meaningful through hard work. I put in long days in construction, restaurants, and landscaping; doing whatever it took to learn, save, and eventually start my own business.

Over time, I built and ran several successful ventures, including an event photography company, a magazine, a tax and accounting firm, and now grocery stores serving neighborhoods across the Twin Cities where other retailers chose not to invest. I’ve created jobs, supported families, and committed to communities that deserve stability and opportunity.

That’s why I’m speaking out now.

Small business owners in Minneapolis and the communities we serve are recovering from serious disruptions, including the impacts of Operation Metro Surge. That event hit immigrant communities especially hard. In my own case, I lost nearly half of my 60 employees and saw revenue drop by about 85%. While I worked to provide competitive wages, health benefits, and paid time off, the real hardship fell on the people who lost their jobs and income.

Even as we rebuild, small businesses are facing another challenge. The Minnesota Legislature is considering letting an important tax policy expire: the Pass-Through Entity tax option.

Here’s what that means in plain terms.

Many small businesses, including mine, are pass-through businesses. That means the business itself doesn’t pay income tax. Instead, the owners report the income on their personal tax returns. But under current federal rules, there’s a limit on how much state tax we can deduct. That often leads to higher federal tax bills.

The Pass-Through Entity option fixes that. It allows the business to pay the state tax directly, which means the business can fully deduct those taxes on its federal return and lower the total amount of income taxed federally. The result is straightforward: small business owners pay less in federal taxes, without reducing what the state collects.

This policy is not new or controversial. Thirty-six states already offer it. It doesn’t cost Minnesota anything, it’s revenue neutral. And it benefits more than 66,000 businesses across the state.

In a state where the cost of doing business is already high, it’s hard to understand why we wouldn’t offer the same basic tax treatment as states like California and Illinois.

Small businesses have carried a heavy load in recent years, through a pandemic, rising costs and public safety disruptions. We’ve adapted, reinvested and stayed committed to our communities. What we need now are practical policies that support that work, not make it harder.

If the Minnesota House does not act soon, many businesses will face significantly higher federal tax bills. That’s money that could otherwise be used to hire workers, raise wages or reinvest in local neighborhoods.

I urge Gov. Tim Walz and members of the House Tax Committee to pass House File 3127 and extend the Pass-Through Entity election.

Small businesses are the backbone of our communities. We’ve proven our resilience. Now we need our state leaders to show the same commitment to us.

Daniel Hernandez is the owner of Colonial Market located at 2100 E. Lake St.

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