Joseph Wright
OW Senior Staff Writer
Jul 29 2010

Some feel this creates other problems

The governing board of Hughes-Elizabeth Lakes Union Elementary School District recently voted to designate itself as a school district-of-choice.

The vote means that the school district can accept students from outside its boundaries without release from the students’ school district of residence. But admission must be a random, unbiased process that prohibits an evaluation of whether that pupil should be enrolled based on academic or athletic performance.

Jul 22 2010

Discount coupons available to eligible patrons

Palmdale has begun a new program of distributing Rider Relief Transportation Program discount coupons to eligible Antelope Valley Transit Authority (AVTA) bus riders from 2 to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays and from noon to 3 p.m. Wednesdays in the lobby of the Larry Chimbole Cultural Center at 38350 Sierra Highway. This is an effort to give assistance to lower income people who rely on the city’s public transportation system, officials say the program will continue indefinitely. The coupons are also only good for use on AVTA buses.

Jul 22 2010

It can happen

Melanin is recognized as the chief element that protects the skin from the rays of the sun. Because Blacks have a greater abundance of this compound (although it varies within the African American population) than their lighter complected non-Black citizens, especially Whites, it is assumed by many that they are basically immune to skin cancer and other sun damage. This is especially true, when it comes to  those who are dark-skinned. However, contrary to the widely-held belief, there are facts that Blacks must be aware of as the hotter summer temperatures approach.

Jul 22 2010

Adults could be punished for children’s criminal behavior

Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris recently insisted that a new ordinance setting fines for parents whose children repeatedly engage in deviant, criminal behavior be rewritten. He said that the possible effects on citizens would be “asinine.”

The rewriting is intended to identify the specific types of conduct to be considered punishable and to outline the process for warning parents of potential penalties. The ordinance, drafted at the request of Vice Mayor Ron Smith, was based on a measure already in place in Norwalk.

Jul 22 2010

Pioneers fought uphill battle to gain prominent roles

In Los Angeles broadcast news, the presence of Blacks on-camera has been an on-going struggle. Gaining prominent positions in front of the camera has been a battle that Black newscasters have not asked for but have had to deal with for over 50 years.

The first prominent Black on-air newscaster was the late Ken Jones, who was promoted to weeknight anchor of the KTTV (now FOX 11) evening news in 1972. A local product, who was editor of his school newspaper at Fremont High in the mid-1950s, Jones was a solid, credible newscaster.

Jul 22 2010

Legislation includes provisions to increase opportunities for Blacks

WASHINGTON, D.C.—President Barack Obama signed into law a reform of financial regulations that aims to protect consumers and ensure economic stability for the country.

Congresswoman Maxine Waters (CA-35) celebrated the enactment of the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, praising it as historic legislation that will protect the financial security of Americans.
 
She was among a select group of Congressional leaders who joined President Obama Wednesday at the ceremony, where he signed the bill into law.

Across Black America

Here’s a look at African American people and issues making headlines throughout the country.
 

Alabama
Freeman A. Hrabowski, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, will address the annual African American Business Council luncheon on June 28. Hrabowski, who is chairman of President Barack Obama’s Advisory Commission on Education Excellence for African Americans, has a national reputation for his work studying the performance of minority students in math and science. Hrabowski, named one of the 10 best college presidents in the country by Time magazine, was a child leader in the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham in the 1960s.
 

Arkansas
The Liberty Counsel filed a motion and a brief in United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas seeking to intervene on behalf of a Concepts of Life crisis pregnancy center to defend against a suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Reproductive Rights. The groups seek to impose a permanent injunction before the Human Heartbeat Protection Act goes into effect July 18. Liberty Counsel also filed a brief opposing the ACLU’s request for an injunction. The “Heartbeat” bill states that when a woman seeks an abortion at or after the 12th week, doctors must test for a fetal heartbeat before an abortion is performed and inform the pregnant mother that the child in her womb has a heartbeat. If a heartbeat is detected, a woman cannot have an abortion, except in cases of rape, incest, and if a mother’s life is in danger. “As we promised when the legislation was introduced, Liberty Counsel will defend this law without reservation for the people of Arkansas, born and pre-born,” said Matt Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel. “No right is more foundational than the right to life. Without life, all other rights are irrelevant,” concluded Staver.