The Prince George’s County School Board on Feb. 25 unanimously approved a $1.75 billion budget that provides for increases in funding for full-day pre-kindergarten in a few high poverty communities, expanding art and foreign language programs and restoring some parent liaison positions to improve interaction between school administrators and parents. It was the first budget […]
Category: NEWS
Posted inWashington D.C. News
D.C. Council Member Wants Marijuana Testing Banned from the Hiring Process
Mayoral candidate and Council member Vincent Orange (D-At-Large) wants to amend a measure currently under consideration by the D.C. Council to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana to prohibit testing for marijuana by potential employers. Orange has proposed an amendment to the “Simple Possession of Small Quantities Of Marijuana Decriminalization Amendment Act of 2013,” […]
Posted inNational News
President Obama Launches ‘My Brother’s Keeper’ Initiative
Throughout his tenure in the White House, President Obama has come under fire for seemingly distancing himself from Black concerns and failing to create programs that targeted the unique challenges of the African-American community. But on Feb. 27 – with the specter of a re-election no longer hanging over him – Obama introduced an initiative […]
Posted inHealth
D.C. Health Insurance Cos. Directed to Cover Transgender Health Care Expenses
Mayor Vincent Gray (D) announced on Feb. 27 in a press conference that insurance plans regulated by the D.C. government must cover transgender health care expenses, including gender-reassignment surgery. D.C. Department of Insurance, Securities, and Banking (DISB) issued a bulletin that prohibits discrimination based on gender identity and expression by insurance companies writing health insurance […]
Posted inNational News
Holder Released from Hospital after Feeling Faint
WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Eric Holder was hospitalized for several hours Thursday and treated for an elevated heart rate after experiencing lightheadedness and shortness of breath, the Justice Department said. Holder arrived as a precaution at a Washington hospital around 10:30 a.m. and was given medicine to restore his heart rate to a normal […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Baltimore Robocalls Convict Julius Henson May Be Out of Senate Race, Ordered Back to Jail
BALTIMORE (AP) — A judge has ruled that a political consultant convicted in a robocall conspiracy violated his probation by filing to run for state Senate. Baltimore Circuit Court Judge Emanuel Brown ruled on Thursday that Julius Henson must serve four months for the probation violation. Brown suspended his order for 30 days so Henson […]
Posted inHealth
GOP Obamacare Fix Would Harm, Not Help, Says Non-Partisan Budget Analysis
A Republican-sponsored “fix” for Obamacare would do more harm than good, an analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has concluded. The Save American Workers Act (H.R. 2575) would change the definition of full-time employment from 30 hours per week to 40 hours per week to reduce the number of employers subject to penalties […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Baltimore Corner Stores Targeted to Expand Healthier Inner City Food Choices
Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake’s battle against childhood obesity is being boosted by a program that will also storm part of the West Baltimore food desert and provide city residents—and their children—with healthier food choices. The mayor Feb. 26 launched Baltimarket Health Stores, a Baltimore City Health Department (BCHD) initiative funded by a three-year, $750,000 grant, […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Fuel Fund, Baltimore Mayor Rawlings-Blake, BGE Help Homeless Clear Utility Debt
Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake Feb. 25 announced she has joined with the Fuel Fund of Maryland and Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE) to help local homeless persons overcome a major obstacle to permanent housing—overdue (BGE) bills. The mayor unveiled the Power of Home, a Fuel Fund program to address unpaid utility bills that block the […]
Posted inNational News
LBJ Library to Commemorate President Johnson’s Role in 1964 Civil Rights Act
This July will mark the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, arguably the most important legislation of the Civil Rights Movement. While there were several key players who contributed to the landmark legislation, and many more nameless ones, President Lyndon Baines Johnson played an indisputably central role. “Without Johnson’s support and skill, […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
D.C. School Chancellor Unveils $5 Million Program to Boost Student Approval of School System
District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) Chancellor Kaya Henderson confirmed her commitment to increasing student satisfaction Feb. 25 with the announcement of a $5 million award to be used toward that end for the 2014-2015 school year. “With this new award, we will help our schools meet the needs of our students beyond the classroom,” […]
Posted inNational News
Holder Hospitalized as Precaution for Faintness
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department says Attorney General Eric Holder was taken to the hospital Thursday as a precaution after experiencing faintness and shortness of breath at work. A department statement said said Holder was “resting comfortably and in good condition” at a Washington hospital after feeling the symptoms during a morning meeting with […]
