Towson University has fired Professor Allen Zaruba for using the “N-word” during class. Zaruba, 58, used the racial slur in referencing himself as a worker on a “corporate plantation.” He said he takes full responsibility for using the word, but thinks the university may have gone overboard in his firing. “Yes, I made a mistake. […]
Category: NEWS
Posted inNational News
Economy Shows Strength, as Retail Sales Increase
The U.S. economy is showing renewed strength thanks to an increase in retail sales and orders to goods manufacturers, but it remains unclear whether that growth will lead to more hiring soon, the Associated Press reported. Sales rose in February by the largest amount since November 2007, retailers reported during the week of March 1. […]
Posted inNational News
Black Methodists Meeting a Family Reunion
COLUMBIA, S.C. – It had been more than 45 years since the nation’s three Black Methodist churches came together for one shared purpose, organizers said, making this month’s Great Gathering a historic reunion. The three-day conclave from March 1 to March 3 in Columbia was intended to both find solutions to the plight of African-American […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
D.C. Named Finalist for Federal Education Funding
Washington, D.C. was named on March 4, a finalist in Race to the Top, a competition for a portion of the $4.35 billion President Obama has dedicated to fund education. The nation’s capital faces 15 states nationwide for the funds. District Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee and D.C. charter school leaders plan to reduce the […]
Posted inBaltimore News
ACLU Rallies for City’s Education Budget
Around 600 students, parents and advocates rallied for education funding in Annapolis on March 1. Led by the Baltimore Education Coalition, protesters demonstrated against a proposed $60 million cut to Baltimore City’s education budget as well as a drop in the amount of money allocated by the state to individual schools based on student enrollment. […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Mayor Initiates New Era of Ethics
The last bill Stephanie Rawlings-Blake signed as City Council president has become one of her first priorities as mayor — restoring trust in city government. By introducing what she calls “some of the most sweeping ethics legislation in two decades,” Rawlings-Blake said taxpayers can expect their elected officials to be held accountable. She began the […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Baltimore Mayor Hospitalized
After awaking to numbness and minor chest and abdominal pains around 3 a.m. on Thursday, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake felt as if she was going to pass out and was taken to Sinai Hospital by her husband, Kent Blake. She was then transported to University of Maryland Medical Center where she underwent testing and observation by […]
Posted inNational News
Rangel Resigns Chairmanship Amid Controversy
After a series of ethics inquiries threatened to mar his more than 40-year career, New York Rep. Charles B. Rangel, head of the New York Congressional delegation, announced March 3 that he would temporarily leave his post as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee. “I have, this morning, sent a letter to Speaker Pelosi […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
District Enacts Same-Sex Law
The enactment this week of the District’s Religious Freedom and Civil Rights Equality Amendment Act, which gave same-sex couples the nod to apply for marriage licenses, signaled a coup for that community but downplayed the latest efforts of a local group that vehemently opposes those unions. “I hope this sends the message that the District […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Council Expects First Vote on Medical Marijuana in Spring
After a decade’s worth of wrangling to get marijuana legalized for medicinal purposes, the District of Columbia City Council appears to be moving closer to acquiescing the will of the people. The measure has been derailed three times by Congress, but the Council recently convened a public hearing to further discuss Initiative 59, which in […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Still No Closure in Drag Racing Case
A mistrial was declared for the most serious charges facing Tavon Taylor, one of the men accused of participating in street race which killed eight people in Feb. 16, 2008. His sentencing date for the lesser traffic offenses has been pushed back to a date not yet to be determined. Darren Bullock, the alleged co-conspirator, […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Norton Hearing
A hearing convened last month by Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton on the operation of the city’s halfway houses has revealed that when it comes to reducing crime and recidivism among ex-offenders, the privately-run facilities could do a better job. “The hearing revealed counterproductive inflexibility among some personnel at halfway houses, frustrating offenders’ efforts to comply […]