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Providing free back-to-school haircuts is a tradition for one Roanoke barber shop. This year, the popular event became a tribute to a young man whose life was cut short earlier this month in a shooting. The line was out the door Sunday at First Impressions Hair Design and Barber Shop on Melrose Avenue. For more than 10 years, the shop has opened on the last Sunday before the start of school to offer free cuts. This year, the event also honored 8-year-old Camden Brown, who was a frequent visitor before his death earlier this month.  Aleshia Myers is a stylist,...

A collaboration of a local barbershop and Greenville, North Carolina police made it possible for 150 kids to walk into classes on Monday with new haircuts and school supplies. The annual Cops and Barbers Back to School event held at Kampus Kutz, 2800 E. 10th St., provided families with one more back-to-school staple at no cost. A lot of our kids’ parents think about clothes and getting things ready for school, but haircuts are the last thing on their list,” said Greenville Police Sgt. Richie Williams, who supervises the Cops and Barbers and Police Athletic League programs. It’s his sixth...

For years, barbers and cosmetologists have not only created a safe place for Black people to gather, but have also used the profession to forge a path to entrepreneurship and financial independence.  But Tennessee regulations require 1,500 hours of training — about three times longer than required for police officers. That, coupled with high tuition at local barber and cosmetology schools and inadequate public funding and financial aid, has turned that career path into a high-debt obstacle course that too often ends in financial ruin. The majority of students attending for-profit barber and cosmetology schools — often their only choice...

Children and seniors were inside a West Side barbershop this week when two men walked in, found their target, and opened fire. Two people are dead, and a $5,000 reward is now being offered. Chicago Police said the victims were inside the Creative Salon at 3946 W. 16th St. in Lawndale around 2:15 p.m. Wednesday, when the gunmen walked in and started shooting. A 50-year-old man was shot in the chest, and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. A 22-year-old man also was shot in the chest, and was taken to Mount Sinai where he...

TROY - If you've driven on busy Pawling Avenue in Troy, you might have noticed a billboard congratulating Bill Fortin for 60 years as a barber.  "Knocked me over," Fortin said. "My wife surprised me.  Unbelievable."  Fortin has always had a beagle with him in the barbershop. His current companion is Louceil, named for his parents, Lou and Ceil.  Bill's business is Town and Country Barber on Pawling Avenue in Troy.  People like to confide in barbers; he's the keeper of secrets.  "Keeper! I forget them now!" said Fortin, laughing.  He takes walk-ins. During the pandemic, he tried scheduling the day.  "Guys...