BALTIMORE — Civil rights activist and Emmy Award-winning actress Cicely Tyson will join an illustrious list of Black luminaries this summer, when she is awarded the NAACP’s 95th Spingarn Medal, the association’s highest honor, July 15 during the NAACP National Convention in Kansas City. The Spingarn Medal, instituted in 1914 by then-NAACP Chairman Joel E. […]
Category: NEWS
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Transit Subsidy Program Excludes the Needy
Many of the District of Columbia’s neediest residents are missing out on a program that allows thousands of workers in the area ride the Metro nearly free of charge as they commute to and from their jobs. The SmartBenefits program, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation and provides subsidies for commuters through […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Surplus Contradicts Deficit in Rhee Budget
The president of the Washington Teachers Union and the City Council have joined forces calling on Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee to rehire the 266 teachers she abruptly fired last fall after claiming there was a deficit in her 2009 budget. The chancellor, who claims to have discovered otherwise in February, actually had a $34 million […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
‘Race to the Top’
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan’s plan to reform the public school system in America is coming under fire from community groups. With many inner city school systems floundering, “Race to the Top” is being crucified as an unfair indictment of schools. “There’s a tremendous problem with Race to the Top and it’s fundamental,” said Nathan […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Local, Federal Agencies Accused of Poor Planning
WASHINGTON — Residents, who live near and around the Walter E. Washington Convention Center where President Obama’s two-day Nuclear Security Summit was held April 12-13 are accusing local and federal agencies of poor planning. For two days, changes to public transportation routes, pedestrian walkways and school schedules transformed a bustling stretch of life into chaos. […]
Posted inNational News
Retiring Supreme Court Justice Stevens will be Missed
In a widely-expected move, U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens announced April 9 that he plans to retire this year, giving President Obama another chance to place his stamp on the nation’s highest court. Stevens, who turns 90 on April 20, said he wanted to give the president enough time to find and confirm […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Ethics Investigation Clears D.C. Council Chair
The dark cloud that hovered over D.C. Council Chairman Vincent Gray for four months lifted on April 7 after officials cleared him of two alleged ethics violations. The D.C. Office of Campaign Finance ruled that Gray did not receive special favors for work done on his house last year, nor did he violate campaign laws […]
Posted inNational News
Father of 7-Year-Old Rape Victim Claims Lewis, Leary and Another, “had nothing to do with nothing”
The case against five men charged in the gang rape of a 7-year-old girl in New Jersey has taken an unexpected turn. According to the Associated Press, the child’s stepfather appeared at the Trenton courthouse April 8 claiming that three of the five accused men were actually trying to help the girl. “These […]
Posted inHealth
Ohio-Based Cosmetologist Helps Women Battle Baldness
Gimmick commercials, dry shampoos and mythical greases aside, hair loss can be a complex problem to combat. While baldness is traditionally common among men, the idea that it’s a rarity among women is a fading tale. Over 21 million women are affected by hair loss and the matter has become increasingly common in African-American women. […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Early Census Returns Metro Area Fall Short
Despite a concerted effort to get the word out, Baltimore City lags in returns of U.S. Census Bureau forms. The national participation rate is 62 percent, but Baltimore is lowest in the state of Maryland with 55 percent as of April 6. However, Kimberly Manns within the Mayor’s Office of Communication and Policy is “cautiously […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Battle Engaged to Keep Pools and Centers Open
A couple weeks after the mayor proposed closing half of the city’s recreation centers and almost all pools for the summer, Councilman Carl Stokes called for an audit of the Department of Recreation and Parks. He said he believes there may be funds in the department that are unaccounted for and substantial enough to keep […]
Posted inBaltimore News
AFRO Security Guard Murdered
Charles Bowman, 72, was the source of smiles, assistance, goodwill and friendship at the Afro-American Newspapers and with his family. In the early morning hours of Thursday, April 8, that was taken away when he was killed during a robbery. Bowman headed to work at the AFRO for his 1-9 a.m. shift […]