Antelope Valley

Aug 19 2010

Three Strikes victim is ‘representative’

LOS ANGELES, Calif.—A homeless man who was sent to prison for 25 years to life under the state’s three-strikes law for trying to steal food from a Los Angeles church was released yesterday, after a judge said his crime did not justify life imprisonment.

Gregory Taylor, 48, has been behind bars since 1997, when he was caught prying his way into the soup kitchen of St. Joseph’s Church.    

Joseph Wright  |   OW Senior Staff Writer
Aug 19 2010

Key part of Michelle Obama’s plan to end childhood obesity

In school cafeterias across the United States this school year, hamburgers and pizzas will be healthier under child nutrition legislation passed by the Senate recently. This is a key part of First Lady Michelle Obama’s campaign to reduce childhood obesity.

The $4.5 billion legislation, passed by voice vote, will create new standards for all foods in schools, including vending machine items, thus giving students healthier meal options. It would also expand the number of low-income children eligible for free or reduced cost meals.

Brittney M. Walker  |   OW Staff Writer
Aug 12 2010

AV Center creates champions

For six years, the AV Champion center has provided the community with basketball programs, tutoring, mentoring, and even home improvement supplies.

Located on the campus of Lancaster First Assembly of God Church, the Center is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of youth and nurturing productive community members.

Joseph Wright  |   OW Senior Staff Writer
Aug 12 2010

Black professors awarded undisclosed amount

Antelope Valley College trustees agreed to pay two Black professors—from district funds—to settle a racial discrimination lawsuit filed almost seven years ago. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed.

College board members recently voted 4-0 for the settlement agreement with former AVC employees Sylvia Brown and John McDonald, who sued the college in December 2003 in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

Aug 12 2010

DEA, sheriff, IRS, Immigration join forces

LANCASTER, Calif.—On Tuesday (Aug. 10), law enforcement officers in the Antelope Valley arrested 43 members and associates of a Pasadena-based street gang, 11 of whom are charged in federal indictments for allegedly trafficking in crack cocaine.

About three pounds of crack cocaine and 114 grams of powder cocaine were seized during a more than yearlong investigation, authorities said.

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.