President Barack Obama’s 2012 budget, released on Valentine’s Day, is getting little love from either side of the ideological aisle. Republicans, who in a nod to their tea party supporters have proposed $61 billion in spending cuts for the current fiscal year ending Sept. 30, said Obama’s $3.73 trillion proposal falls short of his pledge […]
Category: National News
Pentagon Marks Blacks’ Service in Korean War
Thank you. The two simple yet indelible words were the backdrop of the U.S. Department of Defense’s 60th anniversary of the Korean War Commemoration, which celebrates African American’s contributions to the three-year battle. Held in the Pentagon’s Auditorium, the event drew military veterans, decorated service men and women, civilians, families and friends who came out […]
Boyd Gives Update on Black Farmers Settlement
Although President Barack Obama signed a measure two months ago meant to fund the settlement of a longstanding case known as the Black farmers lawsuit, no payout is in sight despite scam artists who suggest otherwise. That was the heart of the message that National Black Farmers Association president Dr. John Boyd sought to deliver […]
Haiti Issues Exiled President Aristide a Passport to Return
Following years of exile, Haiti’s former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide recently received a diplomatic passport and may return to the country soon from Pretoria, South Africa where he is currently teaching at Pretoria University. Aristide’s attorney, Ira Kurzban, told the Associated Press that Feb. 8 he was given a diplomat’s passport for the ousted leader. But […]
NAACP Legal Defense Fund Joins Abu-Jamal Defense Team
The NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund has joined Mumia Abu-Jamal’s defense team to represent him in his ongoing appeal of his capital murder conviction. “Mumia Abu-Jamal’s conviction and death sentence are relics of a time and place that was notorious for police abuse and racial discrimination,” said John Payton, director-counsel of the LDF in […]
Ky. House and Senate Pass Bills to Curb Illegal Immigration
The Kentucky House and Senate have passed bills to help eliminate illegal immigration in the state. House Bill 3 would require employers who receive public funding to use the federal government’s E-Verify system when hiring workers. Senate Bill 6 is similar in nature to Arizona’s immigration law, and would allow police to ask for a […]
Va.’s First Black Chief Justice Dies at 55
Leroy Hassell Sr., Virginia’s first Black chief justice, died Feb. 9 at a Richmond hospital, the Supreme Court of Virginia announced in a press release. The cause of his death was not released. Hassell had been a member of the court since 1989 and served as chief justice from February 2003 until shortly before his […]
Lobbying Firm of Clarence Thomas’ Wife Raises Ethical Questions
Virginia Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas who emerged as a tea party figurehead in the past year, has taken her conservative activism to another phase. The self-titled “ambassador to the Tea Party movement” recently launched a political consulting business that, according to the company’s website, libertyinc.co, will assist and advocate […]
Civil-rights Activists Mark 1961 Freedom Rides
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – Two former Freedom Riders are helping to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the trip through the Deep South that challenged racial segregation in public transportation systems. Joan Trumpauer Mulholland and the Rev. Reginald Green appeared Feb. 7 at the University of Mary Washington to honor the Freedom Rides and their organizer, […]
Drive to Repeal Health Care Reform Fails in Senate
The Senate Feb. 2 voted down a bill to repeal the Obama White House’s health care reform measure. The bill, approved in the Republican-controlled House, fell in the Senate, as expected. The vote, a 47 votes for, 51 against, tally that followed party lines, was on a measure to allow a health care reform repeal […]
Ask Your Pharmacist
Unfortunately, most people labor under the mistaken notion that what pharmacists primarily do is just put pills into bottles. Consequently, they sometimes get irritated when it either takes longer than they expect for us to put those pills in those bottles or we simply refuse to do so. Actually, our jobs are a lot more […]
Black Man Sues New York’s Famed Dakota Co-op for Discrimination
The historic Dakota apartment building in New York faces a discrimination lawsuit filed by a former president of its board. Alphonse Fletcher, Jr., who has lived in the building since 1992, is suing the building for $15 million after the board denied his application to buy an adjacent unit to accommodate his family. According to […]

