Authorities say they are making significant progress in curtailing the Jamaica-based cell phone lottery scam that last year bilked elderly Americans of an estimated $300 million. “We are extremely pleased with the progress being made by the Anti-Lottery Task Force,” said Karl Angell, director of communication for the Jamaican Constabulary Force. “We had some major […]
Author Archives: Zenitha Prince
Special to the AFRO
Posted inNational News
Minority & Senior Foreclosure Rates Soar in Wake of 2007 Mortgage Crisis
From 2007 to 2011, more than 1.5 million older Americans lost their homes as a result of the mortgage crisis of 2007-2008 and more than 3 million more are at risk, according to a study conducted by AARP’s Public Policy Institute. “Nightmare on Main Street: Older Americans and the Mortgage Market Crisis,” released July 19, […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
African Union Elects First Woman Chair
In an historic election, the 54-member African Union (AU) on July 15 elected the first female chairperson to head its permanent commission during a summit of leaders in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. In a fierce contest with incumbent Jean Ping of Gabon, who held the post since 2008, South African Minister of Home Affairs Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Texas Governor Accuses AG Holder of Inciting Racial Tension
Texas Gov. Rick Perry this week said Attorney General Eric Holder was attempting to incite racial tension by calling his state’s voter ID law a “poll tax.” “In labeling the Texas voter ID law as a ‘poll tax,’ Eric Holder purposefully used language designed to inflame passions and incite racial tension. It was not only […]
Posted inHealth
Global AIDS Conference Convenes in D.C.
Beginning this Sunday, more than 20,000 AIDS scientists, researchers, medical providers, patients and advocates from all over the world will convene in Washington, D.C., for the International AIDS Conference. Organizers say they are excited as the event comes at a turning point in the fight against the global pandemic. “We have the tools, for the […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Latest Pew Poll: Minor Shift Among GOP Voters Over Taxes
U.S. voters, by a two-to-one ratio, believe that raising taxes on the rich would benefit the economy and create a more equitable tax system. That’s according to a new Pew Research Center poll released July 16. Forty-four percent of adults polled say hiking taxes on those who earn $250,000 and more would aid the economy […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Willis Edwards, NAACP Beverly Hills Chief, Force Behind Image Awards, Dies
Willis Edwards, longtime president of the Beverly Hills/Hollywood branch of the NAACP, died July 13. He was one of the key forces behind bringing national television exposure for the NAACP Image Awards and gaining a postage stamp image and a Congressional Gold Medal for civil rights icon Rosa Parks. He was 66. The cause of […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Four Men Arrested for Smuggling Cigarettes Into Md.
Four men were arrested in Hagerstown, Md. for allegedly illegally smuggling $154,000 worth of cigarettes across state lines July 10. Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot touted the successful operation as a prime example of interstate agency cooperation. “Without the help of Investigator Charles ‘Chuck’ Howell with the Virginia’s Attorney General’s Office and Maryland State Police, we […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Md. State Police Graduates Largest Class of Recruits–Ever
Eighty new recruits crossed the stage of the Century High School Auditorium in Sykesville, Md. on July 13 as the largest-ever graduating class in the Maryland State Police’s 91-year history. Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown (D), an Iraq War veteran, was the keynote speaker and praised the graduates for their commitment to service. “Today, you will […]
Posted inNational News
Obama Draws Criticism for AIDS Stance
Less than two weeks away from the start of the XIX International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012), President Obama has still not confirmed whether he will visit to the D.C. convention center a few blocks from the White House, site of the conference. But Obama critics say that’s par for the course for an administration that, […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Texas’ Voter ID Law Faces Court Scrutiny
It’s Texas’ turn in the continuing battle between states and the Obama Department of Justice regarding controversial voter ID laws that activists say unfairly disenfranchise minority voters. The latest round is Texas v. Eric Holder that began July 9 in the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. Texas is asking the court to approve its […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Civil Rights Advocates Assail Wal-Mart Links to ALEC
Civil rights advocates are decrying the Walton Family Foundation’s alleged ties with the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a group responsible for advancing “stand your ground” statutes and other laws that activists say promote minority voter suppression. “ALEC is a creature of evil,” that few people understand, said Bill Fletcher, labor and civil rights activist […]
