Antelope Valley

Joseph Wright  |   OW Senior Staff Writer
Jul 8 2010

Paul George is highest NBA pick ever from the AV

Recently, the National Basketball Association (NBA) held its annual draft in New York’s Madison Square Garden. In the first round, with the 10th overall pick, the Indiana Pacers chose Fresno State forward and former Knight High School star Paul George. He is the highest drafted Antelope Valley native ever in the NBA.

Jul 8 2010

Bus it to Santa Monica Beach

Antelope Valley residents can take advantage of a convenient, low-cost way to spend the day at the beach in the summer months thanks to Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich, who is once again sponsoring the Summer Beach Bus service from the Antelope Valley to Santa Monica. The Beach Bus will operate from May 31 to Sept. 6 on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, Labor Day and Memorial Day.

The Summer Beach Bus service costs $6 per round-trip for children and adults.

Jul 8 2010

Celebrating healthy babies

Black Infant Health of the Antelope Valley (BIH) celebrated healthy babies June 26 with music, dance, laughs, and food. The event was held at the Antelope Valley Christian Center, where moms, babies, dads, and other family members enjoyed the time together reflecting on the joy they have been blessed with. The afternoon kicked off with a prayer from Elder Emmitt Murrell of Living Stone Fellowship in Sun Village.

Brittney M. Walker  |   OW Staff Writer
Jul 1 2010

Veteran teacher gets fed up with school system failure

LANCASTER, Calif.—The scores are in, and the results are staggering. Black students consistently score well below English language learners and some times below special education on some state tests.
In the Antelope Valley pupils, Black high school student Academic Performance Index (API) scores were 591 for 2009 while the base score for the district was 673. In the Lancaster Elementary School District, African American students scored 635 while their English learning peers scored 671 and White counterparts scored 767.

Joseph Wright  |   OW Senior Staff Writer
Jul 1 2010

Superintendent charges state with “under-funding” public schools

The Keppel Union School District’s Board of Trustees unanimously adopted a resolution in support of a lawsuit challenging California’s school finance system.
“This is an opportunity for the board to pass a resolution to support the fact that the state has continually under-funded us and under-supported the needs of public education in the school system,” Superintendent Steve Doyle said.

Across Black America

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

California
San Diego college students and volunteers will carry out their sixth home restoration project on Wednesday, July 10 through Sunday, July 14. as part of the “Healing our Heroes’ Homes” (H3) program created by the nonprofit Embrace. The five-day effort will take place at the home of medically retired Marine Corps Capt. Sarah Bettencourt. Bettencourt served with many different units across the country during the Global War on Terrorism and developed a rare neurological disorder in 2008. With a focus to restore the homes of disabled veteran homeowners, H3 falls in line with Embrace’s mission to mobilize college-student volunteers and community members to serve less fortunate members of civilian and veteran communities. The project for the Bettencourts’ home includes kitchen and bathroom remodeling, building ADA-compliant disability ramps, widening their driveway to ADA standards, widening doorways and landscaping.
 
District of Columbia
The 2013 Smithsonian Folklife Festival will showcase its five-year community research project on African American identity with the program “The Will to Adorn: African American Diversity, Style, and Identity.” This multicity collaboration examines the history and culture of the aesthetics of African Americans. The festival will be held June 26-30 and July 3-7, outdoors on the National Mall between Seventh and 14th streets. “Whether we realize it or not, we are all dress artists. The way we compose our look is a creative expression of our ideas about who we are and who we aspire to be,” said Diana N’Diaye, program curator. “This program explores the diversity of African American traditions of style, but also teaches young people the importance of documenting their own culture and saving that information for themselves and future generations.”