tobacco

Feb 26 2013

$1 per pack

LOS ANGELES, Calif.—Backers of an initiative to increase the cigarette tax by $1 per pack and raise taxes on other tobacco products to expand financial aid for California residents enrolled at public universities received permission today from Secretary of State Debra Bowen to begin gathering signatures.

Aubry Stone  |   OW Guest Columnist
May 24 2012

It discounts the African American community

It’s that time of year again. Our mailboxes are full of flyers asking us to vote for someone or something for one reason or another. I just wonder when the powers that be will figure out the importance of bringing the African American community to the table long before the mailers to support propositions hit the airwaves and land in our mailboxes.

May 13 2011

First 5 LA

LOS ANGELES, Calif.—A state commission is suing Gov. Jerry Brown over legislation he signed to shift nearly $1 billion from early childhood programs to close the state's budget deficit, it was announced today.

The Superior Court lawsuit, filed Thursday by First 5 LA, alleges a recently passed bill that diverts $1 billion in Prop. 10 funds is illegal because it redirects money in a way that is not consistent with the proposition's voter-mandated purpose.

A call to Brown's office for comment was not immediately returned.

May 12 2011

Would benefit public health, especially African Americans

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Food and Drug Administration continues to weigh a potential menthol cigarette ban. The American Academy of Pediatrics, American Public Health Association, Center for American Progress and Legacy® called for menthol cigarettes to be taken off the market, citing key findings published in the American Journal of Public Health (AJPH).

May 4 2011

"Operation Villainz Ink"

LOS ANGELES, Calif.—Law enforcement officers today arrested 19 people for alleged firearms and drug violations in an anti-gang sting that involved a Venice tattoo parlor run by undercover agents.

"ATF will aggressively pursue these violent gangs that occupy our communities and will continue to work with our partners to ensure that they know we are coming for them,'' Torres said.

"Operation Villainz Ink" targeted gang members in an area controlled primarily by the Venice 13, Chris Hoffman of the ATF 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.