After City Council President Jack Young invited reporters on a tour of two houses he owns in East Baltimore to clear up questions about his residency, he is now accused of purchasing a home with taxpayer dollars intended for poor people. During a news conference last week, Young defended himself by responding to what he […]
Category: NEWS
Posted inNational News
Benjamin L. Hooks: Country Mourns Lion of Law, Faith and Civil Justice
As news of Benjamin L. Hooks’ death riveted the American public, mourning turned to reflective celebration of a man who helped revolutionize the struggle for minority equality in economics, media and politics. This week, Hooks’ family, friends and colleagues honored his life and legacy at Greater Middle Baptist Church and Temple of Deliverance COGIC, both […]
Posted inBaltimore News
City Amends Wells Fargo Lawsuit
Three months after a judge tossed Baltimore City’s lawsuit against Wells Fargo, City Solicitor George Nilson announced the filing of a second complaint. The city maintains its initial claim – that African-American borrowers pay more in fees and interest rates for refinances and home loans and alleges Wells Fargo’s lending practices prompted harmful foreclosures […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Child Abuse Center Raises Awareness
Child abuse is a subject that often takes a backseat to the headlines over other “pressing” issues. While overall perception of the topic is regularly heartfelt, the matters of a listless economy, declining homeownership, murders, failing schools and other concerns typically speed to the top of most news broadcasts. So, in celebration of Child Abuse […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Community Honors Slain AFRO Employee
Members from the Baltimore community gathered April 15 at the corner of Greenmount Avenue and 29th Street to honor the life of Charles Bowman, an AFRO employee who was murdered at a nearby fast food restaurant a week earlier. “I’ve been doing these types of things for over 30 years and I’ve realized that you […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Comprehensive Budget Awaits Council Approval
Without additional revenue, Baltimore City could lose seven fire companies, sworn police officers and police helicopters, dozens of recreation centers and swimming pools and 606 filled positions to close the budget gap. But on Monday, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake released a comprehensive budget that generates $50 million in new funds, as well as $70 million in […]
Posted inNational News
Pioneering Black Businessman J. Bruce Llewellyn Dies at 82
J. Bruce Llewellyn, a Black businessman who made a name for himself in banking, broadcasting, bottling and groceries, died April 7 at the age of 82 after a long illness. But today, the Harlem native is being remembered as not only a trailblazing entrepreneur but as someone who never forgot his people or those less […]
Posted inNational News
Obama Should Appoint First Black Woman for Supreme Court, Jurists Say
WASHINGTON (NNPA) – President Barack Obama needs only to turn over in his bed to be reminded of all the Black women who are powerfully qualified to be U.S. Supreme Court justices. If First Lady Michelle Obama was not his wife, some legal scholars say she would be a clear and obvious candidate for the short list […]
Posted inNational News
Furniture Executives: All Kids should have Beds
Each night, hundreds of thousands of kids go to sleep without beds—a crisis many say has been overlooked. In a 2007 report, it was estimated that over 250,000 children nationwide would sleep on floors every night. That number was too great for National Furniture Bank Association Executive Director Don Lawrence. “If every company in the […]
Posted inNational News
NAACP Names Cicely Tyson 95th Spingarn Medalist
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. […]
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 […]