NFL

May 19 2011

Down Syndrome Association

Former USC All-American safety and current NFL free agent Darnell Bing, pictured center, recently hosted his second annual Bowling with the Stars event at Cal Bowl in Lakewood, and the event raised more than $3,500 for the Down Syndrome Association of Los Angeles. It was held in honor of Bings’ cousin, who is affected by Down syndrome. According to the association, this is the most common survivable genetic disorder and affects one in every 733 live births.

C. Alexander Haywood   |   OW Staff Writer
Apr 7 2011

Why Jordan, Magic, Larry and Russell will continue to be the greatest players of all time

The NBA has seen its fair share of great players over the years. From Bill Russell to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to Earvin “Magic” Johnson to Michael Jordan, and every marquee performer in between. The pantheon of professional basketball has grown increasingly oxymoronic, as it is no more exclusive now than it is wide-ranging. Then again, we do live in a competitive world—a very competitive world—and therein lies the source of this timeless, yet controversial question: Who is the NBA’s GOAT—greatest player of all time?

Mar 28 2011

L.A. Convention Center West Hall

LOS ANGELES, Calif.—Angelenos will get their first chance Wednesday to weigh-in on the $1 billion football stadium a developer is willing to build in exchange for the city making about $350 million in changes to the Convention Center.

An informal Planning Department hearing, open to the public, is set from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Room 501 in the Convention Center's West Hall, which would be torn down to accommodate construction.

Mar 4 2011

Maurillio Ponce

LANCASTER, Calif.—Former Raiders defensive end Anthony Wayne Smith and one of two other men charged in the October 2008 slaying of a man in Lancaster made initial court appearances this afternoon on a murder charge.

Arraignment was rescheduled to March 17 for Smith, 43, of Fontana, who is accused in the Oct. 7, 2008, slaying of Maurillio Ponce.

Stanley O. Williford  |   OW Editor
Feb 24 2011

Traded to L.A. Rams for nine players

The best football player some say they ever saw—Ollie Matson—will be laid to rest some time in early March. Funeral arrangements for Matson are pending.

Matson’s nephew, Art Thompson III, a sports writer, said his 80-year-old uncle had been bedridden for years due to dementia, possibly caused at least in part to the pummeling he took as a running back over 14 seasons with mediocre teams. Matson died recently of respiratory failure.

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.