1. N.F.L. PARTNERS WITH JAY-Z FOR FUTURE EVENTS: The National Football League will consult Jay-Z’s sports and entertainment company Roc Nation on future events, including the Super Bowl halftime show, as well as on social activism. The league will work with the rapper and his company on the N.F.L. Inspire Change initiative, which was created by the league after an agreement with a group of players who protested social and racial injustice during the national anthem. Associated Press: “While the entertainment portion of the deal is important—Roc Nation’s stable includes Rihanna, Mariah Carey, Shakira and, of course, Jay-Z—much emphasis from both the league and the representation group is being placed on the social relations aspect of the agreement. For Inspire Change to succeed, it must have strong roots within the communities that are most affected by the issues the players want addressed: criminal justice reform; relationships with police; economic growth opportunities; and educational progress.”
2. THIS MUSIC FESTIVAL IS RUN BY ALL WOMEN: The Yola Dia music festival, which takes place August 18 in Los Angeles Historic State Park, isn’t an ordinary music festival; the organizers, headliners, chefs, bartenders, and security are all women. The event is co-organized and headlined by Swedish singer Lykke Li and aims to heighten the profile of women performers and create space for women creatives. Refinery29: “An all-woman security service will provide additional security on the grounds. A limited run of merch is being created by a woman-led company using recycled cotton. In short: Yola Día is aiming to be a festival run entirely by women, in every facet. … One dollar per ticket sold will be donated to the Downtown Women's Center in Los Angeles. Activist Dolores Huerta, the co-founder of the United Farm Workers Association with César Chávez and a leader in the Chicano civil rights movement, will speak. The artwork on display will be auctioned, with proceeds benefiting the A.C.L.U.'s immigration law and policy program in Los Angeles.”
3. TEXAS POLICE SEARCH FOR REPEAT WEDDING CRASHER WHO STOLE THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN GIFTS: Texas police are searching for a woman who stole thousands of dollars in gifts from at least a six weddings. According to the Comal County Sheriff’s Office, the woman would dress as a wedding guest, sneak into receptions, and steal cash, gift cards, and checks. The woman has mainly struck at the same venue in Spring Branch, Texas. New York Daily News: “A series of surveillance images released Monday shows the smirking suspect shopping at several local stores. Officer Jennifer Smith of the Comal County Sheriff’s Office told the Daily News that investigators tracked down the woman through some of the gift cards she stole. Authorities are offering up to $4,000 in cash rewards to anyone who provides information leading to an arrest in the case.”