As Baltimore City suffers from a $121 million budget deficit, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said the city has three choices: do nothing, cut services or trim government expenses. None of the options are good, but the third alternative is the best way to move Baltimore City forward, she said in a statement released Wednesday. On that […]
Category: NEWS
Posted inNational News
Kweisi Mfume to Head National Medical Association
Kweisi Mfume, former U.S. congressman and past president and CEO of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), was named chief executive officer of the National Medical Association (NMA) this week. The NMA is the nation’s oldest and largest medical association representing the interests of more than 30,000 African-American physicians and their […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Rhee Testifies on DCPS’ Performance
When it comes to accounting for the performance of District of Columbia Public Schools, Chancellor Michelle Rhee officially reports to the mayor. But that was hardly the case earlier this week as she patiently acquiesced to the City Council members, who pummeled her in an hours-long hearing about the state of the city’s 123 schools. […]
Posted inNational News
CBC Spotlights Chronic Unemployment
On March 17, the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) held a hearing to discuss the alarming unemployment rates among African Americans. Many in the hearing said there is funding out there, it’s just not getting to the places that need it most. “The national recession is certainly not over for mainstream America,” said Mayor Douglass Palmer […]
Posted inNational News
Immigration Reform Supporters Swarm D.C.
WASHINGTON — Thousands of people descended upon the National Mall on the afternoon of March 21 for the March for America rally, and while jobs and immigration reform were supposed to be the dual themes of the event, the latter seemed to dominate. Marchers carried signs saying “We’re All Americans” and “Latinos Aren’t Slaves” while […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
County Executive Candidates Spar over Campaign Finance
Controversy over Rushern Baker’s campaign finance has become the first big issue of this year’s election season. While Baker may have formally announced his candidacy for Prince George’s County executive on March 17, controversy had been following him well beforehand. In January, Baker posted a $206,000 campaign contribution, but at the time there was no […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Prince George’s Town Meeting Draws Thousands
About 1,000 people were expected to attend but the “Envision Prince George’s 21st Century Town Meeting,” by the end of the event, at least 2,000 more had shown up, setting a milestone in Prince George’s history. Residents, concerned about the growth and well-being of their communities, eagerly participated in the free event that was open […]
Posted inNational News
Black Lawmaker among ‘No’ Votes on Health Care
Rep. Artur Davis, D-Ala., a Congressional Black Congress member and gubernatorial candidate, has long been a staunch opponent of President Barack Obama’s transcendent health insurance reform, which will increase Americans’ access to health care. One day after the bill passed a narrow 219-212 victory in the House, Davis released a statement slamming the president’s health […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Ward 8 Residents Demand Re-Opening of Turner Elementary
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A group of Ward 8 residents have joined forces with Councilman Marion Barry in denouncing the stalled renovations of three schools that have been closed since 2008. According to Barry who convened a press conference Tuesday at Anita J. Turner Elementary School in Southeast Washington, parents and community stakeholders are upset over […]
Posted inNational News
Education Secretary Duncan Proposes Postseason Ban for Low Graduation Rates
This year’s NCAA Tournament might have been played without popular schools including Maryland, Kentucky, Louisville or Tennessee under a plan advanced by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan aimed at increasing the current player graduation rates of each of those programs. Duncan announced a proposal on March 17 to restrict men’s college basketball teams from […]
Posted inNational News
Detroit Plans to Close 44 Schools in June
Detroit plans to close 44 city schools in June to help cut a deficit near $220 million, city officials said March 17. The city’s school system is facing declining enrollment as families leave the city for better opportunities. Detroit closed 29 schools last summer. According to the Associated Press, school data shows that enrollment in […]
Posted inNational News
Teen Arrested for Racial Comment on N.J. Wal-Mart Intercom
A 16-year-old boy is accused of making a racial remark over a New Jersey Wal-Mart’s public-address system. The teen allegedly grabbed one of the phones in the Washington Township, N.J. store and said, “Attention, Wal-Mart customers: All Black people leave the store now.” If convicted, the boy could face a year in a juvenile detention […]