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Julu 07, 2017
The Spoken Word is Like The Air -- But The Printed World is Always There
The Official Voice of the Church and Community
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Volume 68 Issue 28
Telling it like it is!
The INTERVIEW Miles Freedom pg 4
Half The Year Is Gone pg 2
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July 07, 2017
Bon Appetite Mozelle’s Special
Kimberley’s Easy & Healthy Version Mexican Pasta Recipe
Whom Do You Choose For Church Woman of the Month? Send Your Choice to elite.production@aol.com
Ingredients • Egg Noodles • Tomatoes • Onion • Jalapeño • Avocado • Cilantro • Sun Dried Tomato Salad Dressing Instructions
Minister Of The Month Whom Do You Choose For Minister of the Month? Send Your Choice to elite.production@aol.com
• Boil Egg Noodles (Time depends on brand you buy). • Once egg noodles are cooked drain them and rinse with cold water. • Dice onions, tomatoes, jalapeños, avocados, and cilantro. • Add diced vegetables in to bowl with egg noodles. • Add sun dried salad dressing to pasta mix. • Seasoning is not necessary, the dressing will be seasoned enough. (Brand of your choice, but I used Kraft) • The amount of ingredients depends on the number of individuals you are serving.
Photo Of The Past Lee Roy Young Jr, The First African-American to Become a Texas Ranger
Bexar Street July Member Of the Month
Half the Year Is Gone! by Kimberley Blair Pleasant
Half the year is gone, have you accomplished any of the New Year’s Resolutions or Goals you set for yourself? Well, if you haven’t, it’s not too late. Today is a good day to put your plan into action to either lose weight, get yourself organized, find that special someone, or simply de-stress your life. Even if you started out really strong but
Favorite Song: “Something is Bound To happen when you Pray” Mrs. Mary Farris Favorite Scripture: 23rd Psalm found along the way your energy for whatever opportunity for you to work on yourself and goal you started on has fizzled out, don’t be enjoy getting to know who you are as an indidiscouraged. Today is a new day for re-estabvidual. In the meantime, Mr. or Mrs. Right is lishing your goals and JUST DO IT! on the way. If you’re trying to lose weight, start Finally, if you take all these small steps slow by cutting out a few portions of food and I guarantee this will help to de-stress your life. adding more water and green vegetables to Success is not determined by how many goals your eating plan. Remember you’re not dietyou have accomplished, success is determined ing; you’re changing your lifestyle. by how you sustain the goals and accomplishWhen it comes to your surroundings ments you have set forth for yourself. Rememand daily life and you can’t seem to stop being ber ever successful person had some failures unorganized, start by cleaning off your desk along the way but them not giving up and and getting a daily planner. Write things down continuing the fight is what makes them sustain in one area so you know where everything is. their accomplishments. And, if that special someone hasn’t Happy Half New Year! called upon you yet, it’s ok, this is a great
July 07, 2017
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ESTABLISHED IN 1960
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LITE NEW THE OFFICIAL VOICE OF THE CHURCH AND COMMUNITY
VOLUME 68
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EDITION 28
214-372-6500 903-862-4079 fax
Management Publisher Debra Blair Abron Assistant Publisher Darryl E. Blair Sr. Administrative Assistant Sherry Christian Leslie White Marketing Director Arielle Johnson Sports Casey”Hott Doc” Blair Production Tamara Amos Photojournalist Derric Taylor North Texas Media Group Christian Wallace Graphic Designer Distribution James Gray Columnists Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson Writers Arielle Johnson Community Calendar: elite.calendar@aol.com Advertisement: elite.production@aol.com Stories: elitearticles@aol.com elite.writers@aol.com elite.sports@aol.com
All checks, money orders or cashier checks made payable to Elite News shall be mailed to 5258 County Rd. 3110 Campbell, Texas 75422. Physical address 5787 S. Hampton Rd. Suite 340 Dallas, Texas 75232. Elite News Accepts all major credit cards and check debit cards.
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July 07, 2017
The INTERVIEW:
Richard Miles, Founder of Miles of Freedom
Debra Abron
By Arielle Johnson
conditions in the big house.
Around 3 a.m. on May 16, 1994, two gentleman drove into at a Texaco Gas Station on Northwest Highway in Dallas, Texas, so the passenger of the car, could talk to a woman who was walking by on the sidewalk. As they were sitting there, a young black male pointed a 9-millimeter gun inside the car began to shoot, killing the passenger and severely injuring the driver. The perpetrator who was initially on foot, then fled to a White Cadillac which was used as the getaway car, after emerging from some nearby bushes. Richard Miles, was just a young black man who happened to be in the area AFTER the crime was committed, was sentenced to 40 years for murder and attempted murder.
In 1997, Mr. Miles met an inmate who had been studying law books in the prison library for 10 years, in an effort to build a case to set himself free. He had found an organization interested in helping him appeal his case and encouraged Mr. Miles to do the same. However, after writing a letter to Centurion Ministries, he was informed it could take them up to 10 years to get someone to look into his case. So instead of allowing himself to become discouraged, he continued to spend as much of his spare time as possible, reading law books, until eventually he was able to file a writ of habeus corpus as part of his appeal process.
Mr. Miles was sentenced to Tennessee Colony where he says he read a lot of books to keep his mind occupied. In fact, prior to 2000, before funding was cut off by the State, he was able to obtain an Associates Degree in Science. But the reality of prison life, was a hard one, with hard labor. Tennessee Colony prison has a huge agricultural business on its prison grounds and the work was and still is grueling. Before Mr. Miles was assigned to work in the Infirmary and mailroom, he spent years working in the fields. He compares the difference between the two work environments as sort of a promotion from the plantation to the big house; and everyone preferred the working
awarded what most people would consider a large sum of money. A huge press conference was held and the sums owed to him for the wrongful conviction were announced. The average person might say to themselves, “Wow...I’m set for life and if I don’t want to work ever again, I’ve got enough to live a life of comfort for the rest of my life.” However, Mr. Miles decided he was going to make a change, and instead set up a foundation called “Miles of Freedom”. The foundation exists because there isn’t any structure in the real world, for a former inmate to return to, once they are released to society. Being released with no structured program to return to feeds the whole cycle of recidivism. “Miles of Freedom” is located at 2922 Martin Luther King Blvd. in Dallas, Texas, and offers a number of different services to formerly incarcerated men and women and their family members. Some of the programs are job readiness workshops, a shuttle service, which provides transportation for loved ones to visit family members and friends who are imprisoned, a lawn service and a program designed to equip young children between the ages of 10 and 18 with the tools needed to avoid the so-called, “School to Pipeline” path to prison.
Elite News had an opportunity to sit with Mr. Richard Miles and speak with him about being wrongfully convicted. We were mostly amazed by his tireless efforts to ease the pain of families suffering from the loss of loved ones, due to incarceration, and to help former inmates get reintegrated back into the real world. He has made this possible through his program called, “Miles of Freedom”. Mr. Richard Miles was only 19 years old when he was incarcerated. He had been raised in a two parent household and the majority of his closest family members had never seen the inside of a jail. The young Mr. Miles sat in the county jail for a year before he was sentenced to prison and he describes the process initially, as being confusing. His life was at somewhat of a standstill as he waited to go to trial so he could be freed; but, many of the more seasoned inmates kept telling him, he might as well prepare himself to do hard time, because this was usually the result after awaiting trial for a period of months.
By Ariell Johnson
Mr. Miles always knew he would eventually be exonerated, however justice was not swift. If Mr. Miles never challenged the system, he would still be in prison. Thank God he had a mother and father on the outside willing to risk it all to make sure their son was freed. They were always networking with the people, one of which was wrongfully convicted Joyce Ann Brown, who was convicted for a murder she never committed. And as was mentioned earlier, Mr. Miles took it upon himself to become educated about the laws which could free him. But fighting such a cold, harsh system for 15 years before he was released on bond, nearly wiped out the family’s finances, and may have even caused his father’s death. Mr. Miles never got to hug his Dad when he got out of prison, because he passed away 6 months before he was released. Mr. Miles was eventually exonerated in 2012 and was
Before closing out our interview with Mr. Miles, we asked him, what he sort of improvements he would like to see the Texas Judicial system make approximately 25 years from now or earlier. He says he wants to see it offer more of an apology for wrongful convictions, because it makes Texas seem like a very unforgiving state. Also, he says it would be great for the system to use his program and others, as a model for providing much needed structure to former inmates’ lives. A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step, but what type of foundation, if any, is the recently released inmate stepping on today? Mr. Miles has been fortunate enough to be able to have his friend, Aubrey Jones, who served time with him at Tennessee Colony step into Miles of Freedom as a co-founder. Together they have been making an impact in the community. Also, Mr. Miles speaks with college students of UNTD regularly about his ordeal in the Texas Judicial system. For more information about the programs offered by Miles of Freedom, you may call them at 214-290-2337 or visit them online at milesoffreedom.org
July 07, 2017
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Shavon Randle : Innocence Lost
Darryl E. Blair Sr.
what police believe was retaliation for a drug theft. A 13-year-old girl from Texas was killed in what police believe was retaliation for a drug theft.
Shavon Randle A Texas girl reported missing last week was found dead, in what police believe was retaliation for a drug theft involving one of her relatives. The body of 13-year-old Shavon Le’Feye Randle of Lancaster was discovered Sunday at a house in East Oak Cliff. She was reported missing Wednesday after she vanished from her home. Also found dead inside the residence was 19-year-old Michael Titus, who had been named as a person of interest in the teen’s disappearance. An arrest warrant affidavit stated that Shavon’s kidnapping stemmed from the boyfriend of one of her relatives stealing drugs from two men, Dallas Morning News reported. Body of missing 5-year-old California boy found Two days before the girl was snatched from her home, Ledoris Randle’s boyfriend, Kendall Perkins, stole a large quantity of drugs from Darius Fields and Devontae Owens, authorities said. A 13-year-old girl from Texas was killed in
(Texas Department of Public Safety) Perkins was arrested Saturday on charges of aggravated robbery. The day of Shavon’s disappearance, Randle received a call from a man who said the teen was being held against her will. The caller demanded the stolen drugs be returned and threatened to kill Shavon if Randle alerted authorities, it stated in the affidavit. According to the affidavit, a man later identified as Owens told an FBI informant of his plan to kidnap a teen to get the drugs back. Cellphone analysis also placed Owens near Shavon’s home shortly before she went missing. Four persons of interest sought relating to missing Texas girl Authorities named Fields, Owens, Titus and a fourth suspect, Laporshya Polley, as persons of interest. (Clockwise from top left): Laporshya Polley, Devontae Owens, Darius Fields, Michael Titus
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were said to be persons of interest in a teen girl’s kidnapping. (Clockwise from top left): Laporshya Polley, Devontae Owens, Darius Fields, Michael Titus were said to be persons of interest in a teen girl’s kidnapping. (Handout) Fields and Polley were arrested Thursday at a Best Western hotel in Irving. Fields, who has a previous conviction, was charged with drug possession and unlawful possession of a firearm. Polley, who was attempting to flush marijuana down the toilet when the hotel room was raided, was charged with tampering with evidence and drug possession. Owens was arrested Saturday, along with Laquon Wilkerson. Owens faces an aggravated kidnapping charge, and Wilkerson was charged with aggravated kidnapping for ransom. No one has been charged in Shavon’s death. “We didn’t have the positive result we were looking for, but being able to let Shavon’s family know that we’ve located her was our goal,” FBI Dallas special agent Eric Jackson told Dallas News.
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July 07, 2017
Elite Community Calendar
Prayer Closet
There seems to be a lot of reality in the habit of going into our prayer closet to seek the hand and face of God. We are consistent in doing this Pastor Henderson because we are possibility thinkers. Possibility thinkers are people who look for the impossible and place it in the hand of God, who will in turn convert our impossible situation. Many times, God will use you, the believer, to carry out His divine order, to make possible the impossible. God could have parted the Red Sea without Moses’ help, but God included him in His plan of saving Israel. Let’s listen to the divine order. Moses was wondering, “How in the world are we going to cross this deep water without drowning?” And God said, “Moses, lift up your rod”, and the water parted, crating a dry path for God’s people to cross over. With divine order, “We can do all things through Christ who gives us strength”. Philippians 4:13
Please Join us For Glow in Jesus Vacation Bible School: Let your light shine, July 10-14, 2017, 7:00 P.M. Nightly, Greater Mount Olive Baptist Church, 4127 Biglow St. Dallas, TX 7 5216 Phone: 214 371 7275 Rev. Lionell A. Alexander, Pastor Web: gmobcdallastx.org Sherri Renee Young sherrirenee24@aol.com
The Legislature Has Failed Our Youngest Students
By: State Rep. Eric Johnson
The single greatest investment we can make in Even the Texas Association of Business agrees budget passed for the 2018-19 the future of our state is in prekindergarten. Nu- and has consistently come out in favor of inbiennium. All additional money merous studies have shown the positive impacts vesting in full-day prekindergarten. The reasons for prekindergarten was stripped Eric Johnson high quality, full-day prekindergarten can have for investing in prekindergarten are indisputfrom the budget, leaving only on closing achievement gaps for socioeconomi- able. the basic half-day funding for school districts. cally disadvantaged children. With a high qual- Despite this, the state of Texas has yet to make What’s even worse is that at the eleventh hour, ity, full-day prekindergarten program, children a meaningful investment in prekindergarten. the Legislature decided to attach an unfunded are more likely to be reading on a third-grade In 2015, Gov. Greg Abbott named prekindermandate to the existing prekindergarten money level by the time they reach the third grade and garten as one of his emergency items, citing school districts receive every biennium, stating are then more likely to not repeat grades, more its positive benefits for at-risk children. I filed that districts must achieve the “high-quality” relikely to not drop out of high school and more a bill that would have completely overhauled quirements set by the governor’s bill passed in likely to have jobs later on in life as opposed to the current half-day program, turning it into a 2015 — but must do so without any additional facing unemployment and incarceration. gold-standard, high-quality, full-day program funds. Instead of investing in prekindergarten, A study conducted by the Obama Administrawith research-backed national best practices the Legislature is penalizing local school distion found that every $1 invested in prekinderto ensure maximum benefits for our youngest tricts for its own failure. garten yields $8.60 in economic return. The students. The 84th Texas Legislature and Gov. It is clear the Legislature is not willing to invest Urban Child Institute also conducted a study Abbott favored a much more minimal approach, in prekindergarten. We had a real chance in and found prekindergarten can have a return of which is what was passed. The grant program 2015 to make a meaningful investment in our $10 for every dollar invested. The economic created as a result barely provided any money youngest students, but instead decided to shortreturn is based on increased school and career for school districts to make real improvements change them. The 85th Texas Legislature made achievement by the child, resulting in decreased to prekindergarten. it even worse. remedial education costs and reduced health The 85th Texas Legislature decided to comand criminal justice expenditures by the state. pletely eliminate the grant program from the July 07, 2017 Page 6
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July 07, 2017
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Sports With Bill
MAYWEATHER VS McGREGOR
Casey�Hott Doc� Blair
August 26, 2017 Rest In Peace to Dallas Legend Fat Al Benson
Caught You Doing Something Good By Arielle Johnson
This past Saturday, July 1, the Elite News was invited to attend the Grand Opening of Impact House, which is located in the heart of Fair Park at 827 Exposition Avenue. Impact House, is a shared community working space, designed to help small businesses gain access to angel investors and the information needed to grow their businesses. These entrepreneurs will be able to attend
different levels of business workshops, designed to meet their immediate needs. Benjamin Vann, the founder, has already taken into account how diversified their needs may be, therefore each of the businesses will have to receive a thorough assessment, before a plan of action is devised. A big shout out to Benjamin Vann for finding a way to make doing business in Fair Park, an accessible dream for up and coming entrepreneurs. If you would like to know more about the Impact House, please reach out to Mr. Vann at bvann005@gmail.com
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July 07, 2017
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Internships Are you interested in learning about the world of journalism? If so, there are internships available and there is no age limit. It does not matter if you are a writer or not, because there are other areas of the newspaper business we are able to teach you, such as marketing, public relations, event planning and sales. Use your affiliation with our paper to gain the experience you need to advance in your future career.
July 07, 2017
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Window Air Condition
Units Available Thru Sept 30th. North Texas Air Conditioning Initiatives provides/installs free window AC units to area residents who meet eligibility requirements. (Not available for apartment dwellers). Contact: Yvette Traylor; 214-444-0028.
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Forex Trading: Learn How to Flip $10 Into $50 or More By Arielle Johnson
Forex trading involves the trading of u.S. And foreign currencies and allows the trader to take advantage of the differences in the exchange rates. For example, if you exchanged $10 u.S. Dollars for jamaican currency today, you would have $1,282.22. Tomorrow, the exchange rate could be lower, meaning, if you had invested in the jamaican dollar today, you would have a gain in the market tomorrow. There are plenty examples of people investing as little as $10-25 per week, and converting these amounts into hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars. Of course, you have to gain knowledge about how this market works, before you invest your money, because there is definitely some risk involved. How much you decide to risk is entirely up to you, but remember, the higher the risk, the higher the gain.
of master traders and traders of both intermediate and beginner levels and provides a number of innovative ways to help those eager to learn the ins and outs of forex trading, become master traders themselves. One of the ways in which those interested in trading, and becoming more knowledgeable about the market actually learn, is by watching instructional videos. Also, traders can attend trade houses, which involves live trading presentations and in person instruction. Last, but definitely not least, future traders can set up online demo accounts which allows them to trade without risking their own funds. Instead, they are trading virtual dollars. By trading in this manner, they are learning to trust their instincts about trading. But, if all this fails, and you still wish to get in on the action, you can have master traders, trade your money for you.
Imarketslive was created by ceo, christoAs was mentioned by dr. Jewel tankard, pher terry and the company has been debt an economist and presenter at this past free since its inception. It is a network weekend’s imarketslive presentation, the Page 11
difference between the rich and the poor is education. Now that you have been educated about forex trading, wouldn’t it be fun to have the funds to dream again? Many of us have forgotten how to dream because we are trying so hard to survive. This struggle to survive through funds juggling can last until your senior years; statistics show, 75% of seniors approaching retirement, have less than $5,000 in the bank. If you are serious about building wealth, and having more control over your life, make plans to attend the next presentation here in dallas. For further details, call mr. Bo scott at 469-583-3297. Disclaimer: results vary from person to person. There is no guarantee you will gain any money in the market, therefore it is wise to reserve as much of your earnings as possible to minimize possible losses.
July 07, 2017
“Tell
Them You Saw This Ad In The Elite News’ For Your Special” July 07, 2017
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July 07, 2017
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Irving, Texas 75062 Office: (972) 891-1429 Fax:(972) 619-8789 July 07, 2017
17th Annual William "Bill'' Blair: Memorial Scholarship Golf Classic Monday August 14, 2017 Registration Times: 7:00am-Registration 8:00am-Shot Gun Start Registration Fees: 4 Man Teams: $360 Individuals: $90 Each Player Will Receive: Bag Stuffers Awards Dinner
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825 W. Interstate 30 To Become a Sponsor or Register You or Your Team Mesquite, TX. 75150 Call Elite News or Darryl Blair @ 214-372-6500 or (972) 270-7457 July 07, 2017 Page 16 214-641-3295