Daytona Times - January 29, 2015

Evening of jazz raises funds for charter school SEE PAGE 3

East Central Florida’s Black Voice

EE FR

DR. BENJAMIN CHAVIS: Black America has made significant progress in 50 years SEE PAGE 4

LADY WILDCATS RACK UP ANOTHER CONFERENCE WIN SEE PAGE 7

JANUARY 29 - FEBRUARY 4, 2015

YEAR 40 NO. 5

School Board superintendent resigns amid controversy Dr. Margaret Smith takes early retirement ‘in classy manner’

BY ASHLEY D. THOMAS DAYTONA TIMES aysheldarcel@gmail.com

Volusia County’s School Board Superintendent Dr. Margaret Smith announced last week that an early retirement was on the horizon. By Tuesday night’s school board meeting, it was a done deal.

Smith emailed top district ad-

ministrators and school principals on Jan. 22 to announce her plans.

“At the school board meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 27, I plan to request Dr. Margaret that the board approves my intent Smith to retire effective immediately after the school board meeting,” Smith began.

“I have been fortunate to work with a dedicated and outstanding administrative team. I know

that you will continue to provide leadership of each student’s success and to support teachers in their challenging work. I am proud of the administrative team and wish only the best for you.”

The board respected her wishes.

Prior accusations of incompetency Newly elected board member John Hill called on his colleagues to fire Smith at the Jan. 13 board meeting, accusing her of “incompetence.” Hill says that the district’s finances were not

www.daytonatimes.com properly monitored and encouraged a culture of fiscal irresponsibility.

Smith responded at the meeting that his claims were “outrageous and not founded.”

At Tuesday’s meeting, Smith handed school board members a folder of documents that countered claims made by Hill.

Smith will retire with severance pay and other benefits to the tune of about $90,000. She was hired by the school board 12 years ago.

The meeting, which was packed to capacity with teachers, parents and other community leaders was tense.

“We were not expecting her to retire so soon,” School Board Vice Chair Dr. Ida Wright told the Daytona Times. “I would have hoped that we could have kept her, but I honored her wishes to allow her to exit her con-

tract. It allowed us to part ways in a mutual fashion but she did it in a classy manner rather than making this a public spectacle.

Both sides decided to find an amicable way of ending the relationship.”

Search for replacement Area Superintendent Tom Russell will serve in the interim as the board searches for a longterm successor for Smith.

Russell will be paid $150,000 annually as the interim superintendent. He’s ineligible to apply as the permanent superintendent according to his contract.

Smith left the meeting immediately after the board’s vote and did not return a call for comment.

Wright says the search for a new superintendent could take up to six months to complete.

Daytonans can learn about city initiatives at mayor’s address, commission workshops

BY ASHLEY D. THOMAS DAYTONA TIMES aysheldarcel@gmail.com

DUANE C. FERNANDEZ SR./HARDNOTTS UNIVERSITY

Dr. Deborah Mack of the Smithsonian (left) speaks to a group of students and educators about a new partnership the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of African American History and Culture has with B-CU. A dress worn my Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune (far right) will be going to Washington to be exhibited in the new museum.

B-CU, Smithsonian partnership to provide national exposure for students, university

BY ASHLEY D. THOMAS DAYTONA TIMES aysheldarcel@gmail.com

B

ethune-Cookman University has formed a partnership with the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) that will offer opportunities for students and include exhibits featuring Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune.

The partnership provides a stipend

for a student to work at the B-CU Mary McLeod Bethune Foundation House. Additionally, the student will have an opportunity to work with the NMAAHC during the summer.

“We partnered with six historically Black colleges and universities in the country to provide opportunities to students of color,” said Dr. Deborah Mack, associate director for community and constituent services at the NMAAHC. “We chose B-CU because of the rigor of its programs and its rich tradition and history.”

Daytona Beach Mayor Derrick Henry was scheduled to give his ‘State of the City’ presentation at 4 p.m. on Jan. 29 at City Hall, a week after President Obama’s State of the Union address to the country.

“This is an opportunity for resDerrick idents to learn Henry about the city’s current and future initiatives, challenges and goals,” Susan Cerbone, the city’s spokesperson, told the Daytona Times. “In last November’s election, Daytona Beach voters overwhelmingly approved an amendment to the city’s charter, which requires the city’s mayor to provide a ‘State of the City’ presentation in January of each year.”

Accomplishments

The NMAAHC is currently under construction on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. It is situated on a five-acre tract adjacent to the Washington Monument and described as “a place where all Americans can learn about the richness and diversity of the African-American experience, what it means to their lives and how it helped us shape this nation. A place that transcends the boundaries of race and culture that divide us, and be-

The “One City, One Vision’’ mayor, who was elected in 2012, recently shared with the Times a few of his top accomplishments during his tenure.

They included building a cohesive commission where “respect and teamwork are the norm” and “improving the interaction between City Hall and the residents.”

He also stated the importance of shifting the paradigm to say that “we work for the residents and are open to them and are in pursuit of ways that we can improve.”

The mayor also added that he

Please see SMITHSONIAN, Page 2

Please see MAYOR, Page 2

Moving beyond the Capitol

Maya Angelou to be celebrated at Black History art event on Friday

BY ASHLEY D. THOMAS DAYTONATIMES aysheldarcel@gmail.com

Maya Angelou

ALSO INSIDE

On Jan. 30, the second annual Black History Month Juried Art Exhibition will be held from 6:30 p.m.

-8:30 p.m. at the Yvonne Scarlett Golden Center. The exhibition is titled “A Tribute to Maya Angelou.”

More than two-dozen entrants will be judged at the show, which is free and open to the public.

Born in St. Louis on April 4, 1928, Marguerite Annie Johnson was a noted poet, civil rights activist, dancer, film producer, television producer, playwright, film director, author, actress and professor. She has been credited with a list of plays, movies, and television shows spanning over 50 years and received hundreds of awards and more than 50 honorary degrees.

“If you recall last year we had

an art show that talked about 50 years of civil rights with pieces that exemplified the civil rights movement,” Percy Williamson, director of Leisure Services for the City of Daytona Beach, told the Daytona Times.

“This year, artists will celebrate the great Maya Angelou,” he continued.

Vying for cash award

her series of seven autobiographies, which focus on her childhood and early adult experiences. The first, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969), tells of her early life and brought her international recognition and acclaim.

She died in May last year at the age of 86.

Local artists used the vast array of Angelou’s poetry and stories to

Angelou is best known for

Please see ANGELOU, Page 2

COMMUNITY NEWS: B-CU TO HOST BLACK MEN AND BOYS ‘DAY OF DIALOGUE’ | PAGE 2 EDITORIAL: RAYNARD JACKSON: NEITHER OBAMA NOR REPUBLICANS HAVE VISION | PAGE 4

7 FOCUS

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JANUARY 29 – FEBRUARY 4, 2015

Daytona State to offer financial aid application help Returning and firsttime-in-college students will find a clear path to applying for federal tuition assistance during a free statewide event, hosted locally by Daytona State College, designed to help anyone planning to pursue higher education.

College Goal (Saturday) Sunday or CGS!Florida, part of the national CGS

project, takes place locally on Saturday, Feb. 28, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the Daytona Beach and DeLand campuses.

Financial aid administrators will provide any college-bound students and their families with step-bystep instructions on how to complete the Free Application for Federal Student

Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA helps students access billions in federal funds available for higher education.

In addition, information about other financial aid resources such as state government, grants, scholarships and loans will be on hand.

“Completing the FAFSA can be intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be,” said Dick Pastor, DSC’s interim vice president for student development. “When college-bound students and their families attend the College Goal event, we can help them overcome barriers to applying for funds they need to pursue a college education.”

Open to anyone The event at DSC follows a CGS!Florida day hosted

by Flagler Palm Coast High School on Sunday, Feb. 1, from 1 to 4 p.m., which includes DSC financial aid administrators who volunteered to help.

Filling out the FAFSA does not obligate the student to anything; it opens access to federal tuition support, whether students are pursuing a one-year certificate, two-year associate degree or four-year bachelor’s degree at colleges or universities around the region and the country.

The event, which is open to anyone interested in qualifying for feder-

al financial aid to attend college, takes place on the Daytona Beach Campus, in the Baker Academic Support Center/computer lab, at 1200 W. International Speedway Blvd., and on the DeLand Campus, Bert Fish Hall/Academic Support Center, room 213, at 1155 County Road 4139.

Students who attend may also be eligible for a drawing for a $250 scholarship to a Florida college, provided by CGS!Florida.

FAFSA is free service Supporters of the CGS!Florida program include Florida Association of Student Financial Aid

Administrators (FASFAA), Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA/FLDOE) and USA Funds.

The free application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the first and most important step to applying for college financial aid. It should be completed now if you plan to attend college in 2015-16.

Use the proper website to complete the FAFSA: www.fafsa.gov. Do not use other sites that charge money – the application is FREE. For more information, visit www.DaytonaState. edu/FinAid or call 386506-3015.

Dr. Deborah Mack of the Smithsonian (left), is pictured with B-CU student Shaunna Glanton and Dr. Ashley Robertson, curator of the Mary McLeod Bethune Foundation house. They are standing next to a dress worn by Mrs. Bethune.

B-CU to host Black men and boys ‘Day of Dialogue’ Bethune-Cookman University will host the Florida Council on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys “Day of Dialogue” from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Feb. 4. The event will be held in the President’s Banquet Room of the Center for Civic Engagement.

The purpose of the structured dialogues is to help identify the necessary research, best practices, additional resources and innovative policy changes needed to achieve educational access, opportunity and outcome parity for Black males at all levels of public education throughout the state of Florida.

The next council meeting is Feb. 5 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at B-CU. The purpose is to gather information necessary to conduct studies of the conditions affecting Black males. All meetings are open to the public.

The Florida Council on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys is administratively housed within the Attorney General’s Office.

Created by the Legislature during the 2006 Legislative Session, the council is charged with studying the conditions affecting Black men and boys, including: homicide rates, arrest and incarceration rates, poverty, violence, drug abuse, death rates, disparate annual income levels, health issues and school performance.

Funds available to fortify homes against the wind Volusia County’s Wind Hazard Mitigation Program can help qualifying residents prepare their homes for hurricane season.

Residents who meet income-eligibility requirements and need upgrades to improve their home’s wind resistance may qualify for assistance.

The grant-funded program can assist with hurricane coverings for window and doors, gable-end tie-downs and wind-rated garage doors. Funds cannot be used for window replacement. The maximum award per household is $10,000.

Zero-interest loans Funding can be used only for owner-occupied homes in Volusia County except in the city limits of Daytona Beach, Deltona, Port Orange and Ponce Inlet. The funds are provided as a five-year, zero-interest, deferred loan secured by a mortgage.

The owner is responsible for paying closing costs.

If the homeowner lives in the home for five years and complies with program restrictions, the loan will be forgiven.

Applicants work with the county’s Community Assistance staff to apply and determine eligibility.

For more information, visit www.volusia.org/ housing or call Affordable Housing Coordinator Lori Brown at 386-736-5955, ext. 12969.

Historic Preservation Board to meet Feb. 3 The Volusia County Historic Preservation Board will meet at 3 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 3, in the county council chambers of the Thomas C. Kelly Administration Center, 123 W. Indiana Ave., DeLand.

The board will conduct three public hearings and receive updates from staff on current projects. The public is invited to attend and participate in the meeting.

Public hearing A-15-10: The board will consider an application by the owner for a certificate of appropriateness for partial demolition and alteration of the Joseph Underhill House, 227 Lemmon Road, Barberville (parcel ID 5920-00-00-0062).

Public hearing D-15-01: The board will consider an application by the descendants for a certificate of historic designation for the Osteen War Memorial on parcel ID 9207-00-00-120 on New Smyrna Boulevard, Osteen.

Public hearing D-15-02: The board will consider an application for a certificate of historic designation for the Rio Vista Arch, constructed in 1926 as a grand entrance to the Rio Vista Country Club on Calle Grande Street, one block from U.S. Highway 1 near Holly Hill.

The Historic Preservation Board is appointed by the Volusia County Council to issue certificates of designation for eligible historic resources such as structures, archaeological sites and historic districts; and certificates of appropriateness for demolition, alteration, relocation and new construction.

The board advises the County Council on matters related to historic preservation policy, including use, management and maintenance of countyowned historic resources.

For more information, contact Historic Preservation Officer Julie Adams Scofield at 386-736-5953, ext. 12008, or jscofield@volusia.org.

JOHN REEVES/B-CU

SMITHSONIAN from Page 1

comes a lens into a story that unites us all.”

Until then, those interested in viewing the gallery are invited to the second floor of the National Museum of American History.

“A vital part of the Smithsonian’s vision is to reach audiences beyond Washington, D.C., to engage new audiences and we are grateful to be in that number,’’ said Dr. Ashley Robertson, curator of the Mary McLeod Bethune Foundation House.

“Knowing that Mrs. Bethune’s legacy will be well-preserved and accessible to people from all walks of life and from places throughout the

ANGELOU from Page 1

create art through a variety of mediums vying for a cash award.

Williamson says between 25 and 30 pieces have been entered into the competition, including paintings, sculptures, pho-

MAYOR

from Page 1

has become more “amenable to the interest of the investment community and more sensitive to those looking to the city for services and business.”

Appropriating funding and moving forward with the Orange Avenue Reconstruction Project also scored high on his list of accomplishments.

world is a testament to her greatness. Now the work begins here at the foundation through this internship program and we are ready to put our hands to the plough,” she said.

Six Bethune exhibits The museum, which will open in late 2016, is housed in a 303,000-square foot building that is the closest of all 19 Smithsonian museums to the Washington Monument. There will be six exhibits featuring Dr. Bethune, Mack said. The exhibits will include video, clothing, photos and other collectibles.

“The NMAAHC creates an opportunity for the world to learn about the culture and history of African Americans in the creation of this nation,” Mack explained. “The exhibits tell the story of African-Americans in an international context. It is a museum

tographs and mixed media.

“Judges will go out ahead of the show and then the winners will be revealed during the show. There will be a first, second, and third prize given as well as an honorable mention,” he added.

Not just athletics Williamson says that an-

Strategic planning meeting Henry’s presentation precedes the city commission’s annual Strategic Planning Workshop, which starts at 4:30 p.m. in room 149-B. Commissioner Patrick Henry explained the need for the planning workshop.

“All cities have a strategic planning session,” he began. “The purpose of the session is for all the commissioners to sit down and discuss plans for major concerns or initiatives that will take place or possibly

for all Americans.”

Large membership base Though the NMAAHC has not officially opened, it already has the second largest membership in the Smithsonian system, Mack said. So far, 72,000 people have signed up as members.

Shaunna Glanton, a B-CU senior history major from Jacksonville who is the first intern to participate in the program, said she is honored for the opportunity to work at the Bethune Foundation House and the Smithsonian.

“Sharing the history of Mary McLeod Bethune and learning about her gifts to the world brings me great joy,” Glanton said. “I cannot wait to get to the African American Museum to see our great founder in a global setting.”

other goal of the Department of Leisure Services is to move beyond the box of athletics. “A lot of people are looking for cultural things to do and we want to provide it,” he said. “The artwork will hang throughout the month of February so more people will have the chance to come out and enjoy.”

Live entertainment from comedian Devery Bro-

ox II will be provided at the show as well. Williamson says that Broox wowed the crowd at a recent book festival held in Daytona Beach and was invited to do the same at the art exhibition.

Refreshments will be served throughout the evening.

For more information, call 386-671-8331

take place in the upcoming year. Each commissioner speaks on what major initiative he or she will be tackling.”

Both meetings are open to the public. The next reg-

ular meeting of the Daytona Beach City Commission will be held at City Hall on Feb. 4 at 6 p.m. The commission also will hold a workshop at 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 4 to discuss signage.

Special Thanks There are simply no words to express the heartfelt thanks for the love and support extended to our families.

We are sincerely grateful for the cards, lovely flowers, monetary gifts, food and visits. A special thanks to the Daytona Beach Police Department.

May God bless each of you is our prayer.

The Sykes, Postell and Davis Families

“What will happen to us if we lose the house?”

If you have mortgage problems, call 888-995-HOPE for one-on-one expert advice from this free government program.

You’re not alone.

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JANUARY 29 – FEBRUARY 4, 2015 COMMUNITY DECEMBER 14 - 20, 2006

M A YNEWS OR

An evening of jazz helps raise funds for charter school in Flagler County A recipe for making up a good charter school exemplifies a recent third annual fund-raising dinner for Palm Harbor Academy, with jazz chanteuse Linda Cole performing, and attended by diverse, affluent individuals whose achievements have made them the subject of widespread interest.

The evening was made possible by the generous donations of Mr. and Mrs. Isaiah Harris Jr., William Chanfrau Sr. and William Chanfrau Jr., Mr. and Mrs. James Griffin, and other patrons.

It made for a choice of menu of chicken breast and Gulf shrimp, or beef short ribs and Gulf shrimp. The proceeds from each $100 price tag will benefit the academy‘s tutoring and enrichment program.

Founded by Dr. Glover The Rev. Dr. Gillard S. Glover is founder and chairman of the Board of Trustees of Palm Harbor Academy. The school, an outgrowth of the pastor’s vision, was organized in 2009 as a center of educational excellence and an alternative educational opportunity, where all students – especially those labeled at-risk – can be nurtured and encouraged to become excellent students. Palm Harbor Academy is a fully operational school, enrolling 3-yearold students and augmenting through the sixth grade.

Isaiah Harris, Jr., former president/CEO of AT&T Advertising and Publishing, introduced the jazz sensation. Harris has served as chairman of the Board of Directors of CIGNA since 2009, the global health-services organization.

It’s no secret that Harris, as a former NFL football wide receiver, played for the St. Louis Cardinals and the New Orleans Saints.

Jazz favorites Vocalist Linda Cole made a

PALM COAST COMMUNITY NEWS JEROLINE D. MCCARTHY

guest appearance, accompanied by instrumentalists, for the art form of jazz from the Great American Songbook at the Atlantic Ballroom of the exquisite Hammock Beach Resort.

The venue, a black-tie affair, was a backdrop of jazz phenomenon and a supportive environment for a rich learning experience at Palm Harbor Academy.

Cole rocked the mic singing Duke Ellington’s “Take the ‘A’ Train” and “Satin Doll,” and I must not forget Dinah Washington’s “What a Difference a Day Makes,” Nat King Cole’s “I Love You for Sentimental Reasons,” Louie Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World,” among other darlings.

Cole’s entertainment attributes began at age 3 in Freeport, Ill., where she joined her parents vocalizing, until later expounding in places nationwide as a musical director, vocal coach and songstress performing “straightahead jazz” and “standards.”

She’s worked with Billy “Spinner” Henderson of the superstar group, The Spinners, and Billy Davis, Jr. of the Fifth Dimension. In 1991, Cole finally settled in Central Florida, highlighting the area’s innumerable venues.

Much to her credit, she mentors young students.

“If we can get our kids to know what a quarter note is, an eighth note, and a 16th note,” advised Cole, “then by the time they get to high school, they will want to be in the marching band.” This will allow them to know what an E flat is, and what we are talking about, which ultimately will empower them.

PHOTOS BY JEROLINE D. MCCARTHY/DAYTONA TIMES

Above left: Vocalist Linda Cole made a guest appearance at the fund-raising dinner.

Above right: Palm Harbor Academy Principal Esther Hamilton spoke at the event.

‘All children can learn’ The tribute to the esteemed jazz greats - borne from racial unrest during the latter part of the 20th century - brought school principal Esther Hamilton to the mic for sharing with the audience members that “the fabulous Palm Harbor Academy tells a story in a picture that’s worth a thousand words.”

Our motto is: “Believe It Achieve It!”, which Hamilton reiterated in a past interview.

Palm Harbor Academy is an exclusive opportunity to learn in a safe and positive environment and to build good character.

“All children can learn if they are not afraid to try,” she said.

“Parents, teachers and the community must work together so that our children can soar like ‘rockets.’”

This struck a chord in that “Palm Harbor Academy is a K-6 elementary, charter school, which offers an educational environment in which all children can launch their own rocket by developing into exceptional students, committed, and equipped to impact their community,” said the Rev. Glover during a video recording after Cole’s top-flight artistry.

Palm Harbor recognizes all types of human intelligence so that students of all socio-economic backgrounds can achieve full potential.

“Not withstanding, through the many innovative approaches to education, and implemented

by Palm Harbor Academy, many of our students are still in need of an intensive, educational intervention and prescriptive tutoring,” continued the pastor.

Under the guidance of principal Esther Hamilton and the highly qualified teaching staff, the drive for educational excellence has indeed resulted in the school earning the highest FCAT score of any elementary school in the county, and awarded an “A” rating by the Florida Department of Education.

Rich curriculum Pleased by the way that things turned out and making certain that they continue upon the road of success, Dr. Betty DespenzaGreen, who often mentors the students, solicited fuel for the “Launch a Rocket Campaign.”

Checks, corporate matches, and other gifts were endorsed to Palm Harbor Academy, Inc., a 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit corporation.

Moreover, if you are interested in your child succeeding at Palm Harbor Academy and would like to tour the school, call 386-4479692. Ask about the free tuition and free transportation, smaller class sizes, K-3 classrooms equipped with interactive smartboards and in-class computer stations; the provision for looping, which involves K-3 students

remaining with their same teacher to develop trust, a sense of community, and enhancing individual learning. In-school iPads are provided for all K-3 students, one-hour extra of intensive reading and math daily, and daily breakfast, lunch and snacks.

Unlike the public school system, the curriculum provides for music and art, along with an honor society, myriad extracurricular activities – including a computer club, chorus, cheerleading, a step team, and field trips.

The teachers are not disheartened by transferring students who may be three or four grade levels behind. They accept the challenge to develop educational interventions that will enable our children to succeed.

Palm Harbor Academy is located at 95 Old Kings Road North on the campus of the First Church of Palm Coast. The web address is www.palmharboracademy.org.

••• As always, remember our prayers for the sick, afflicted and bereaved.

Celebrations Birthday wishes to Esther Hamilton, Loretta Bryant, Sondra L. Henderson, Eleanor McCray Francis, Fred Fowler, Dr. James Cauley, Jan. 31; and Kionie Jordan, Feb. 2.

American Quilter’s Society to convene in Daytona American Quilter’s Society, the largest quilting membership organization in the world, is bringing its AQS QuiltWeek event to the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach Feb. 2427, 2016. The events also are booked at the county-run convention center for 2017 and 2018. Each event is expected to draw 15,000 attendees.

“We’ve been reaching out to the American Quilter’s Society for several years and we are thrilled to bring their premier events to Daytona Beach,” said Ocean Center Director Don Poor. “This is a great piece of business because not only does it bring thousands of people to the area for several days, it provides a quality event for the community and region to enjoy.”

Hundreds of quilts will be on display with prizes awarded for quilting excellence. In addition, AQS QuiltWeek will host a series of workshops with some of the top talent in the quilt industry and an extensive Merchant Mall composed of local and national vendors.

2016-2018 bookings “AQS looks for convention centers in communities where art and culture are part of the fiber of the community,” said Executive Show Director Bonnie Browning. “Daytona Beach has a convention center with the right size exhibit hall and number of meeting rooms for our event.

“We like to be the only event happening at the facility when we are there. The Ocean Center meets all of our criteria, and the fact that it is on the beach doesn’t hurt either. It is a great location for northern quilters to spend a week in sunny Florida, and southern quilters will be able to attend an event closer to where they live. We look forward to holding AQS QuiltWeek in Daytona in 2016, 2017 and 2018.”

Special exhibits QuiltWeek – Daytona Beach will feature many special exhibits intended to provide inspiration and entertainment for quilters attending the event. AQS-certified quilt appraisers will be available to appraise new and antique quilts for insurance replacement or fair market values. The event is open to the public.

AQS presented its first quilt show and contest in 1984 in Paducah, Kentucky, and has expanded to produce seven QuiltWeek events in 2015 and eight in 2016. The QuiltWeek 30th anniversary season in 2014 attracted 133,000 attendees, including quilters, crafters and fiber art enthusiasts.

For more information on the American Quilter’s Society, visit www.americanquilter.com or call 270-898-7903.

The cost of driving on the beach in Volusia County goes up on Feb. 1.

Volusia increases daily beach vehicle access fee to $10 The Volusia County Council has approved ordinance changes that increase vehicular beach fees for the first time in 20 years. The fees will become effective Feb. 1.

The new fees are $10 for a daily pass, $25 for a county resident annual pass and $100 for a nonresident annual pass. A daily pass will allow the purchaser to re-enter the beach once without additional charge.

The fees will be collected yearround, but county residents will continue to have free access in December and January.

The County Council also approved increasing the daily fee at Lighthouse Point Park in Ponce Inlet and Smyrna

Stetson Jazz Ensemble to perform at library on Valentine’s Day Stetson University’s Jazz Ensemble will trace the history of jazz during a free performance at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 14, at the Daytona Beach Regional Library at City Island, 105 E. Magnolia Ave. The program will include a narrative description of why this musical genre, which originated in African-American communities during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, has proven to be so difficult to define.

Since the Jazz Ensemble was formed in the early 1970s, members have been selected by audition. The musicians,

Dunes Park in New Smyrna Beach to $10. The annual park pass will remain at $20.

Super passes and twilight passes have been eliminated.

Unchanged since 1993 Vehicle access fee revenue helps to offset the cost of beach operations including lifeguarding, law enforcement, garbage collection, and maintenance of public restrooms. The county’s annual beach budget is funded in large part by countywide property taxes.

The fees, which have been collected from Feb. 1 through Nov. 30, have remained unchanged since 1993, while

led by music professor Dr. Patrick Hennessey, have played at Walt Disney World and jazz festivals across Florida.

The event is part of the library’s Connecting with the Community series, a two-year program funded in part by a partnership grant from the Florida Humanities Council. In 2014, programs focused on the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

For more information, call Deborah Shafer at 386-257-6036, ext. 16264.

Business and professional women to meet Feb. 10 The Halifax Business and Professional Women’s Club (BPW/Halifax) will host its monthly business meeting on

costs to maintain and protect the beach have increased to $10.5 million a year. Beach vehicle access fee revenues currently bring in $2.6 million a year. It’s expected that revenues will increase to $4.2 million, reducing the burden on the county’s general fund.

According to county officials, $2 of each daily pass will go toward beachrelated capital projects.

Credit and debit cards will be accepted at the International Speedway Boulevard, Silver Beach Avenue, Dunlawton Boulevard, Flagler Avenue, Third Avenue and Beachway Avenue ramps. Credit and debit cards also will be accepted at Lighthouse Point Park and Smyrna Dunes Park.

Tuesday, Feb. 10 at Malcolm’s Restaurant, 1000 Champions Drive at LPGA, Daytona Beach.

Following networking from 5:30 to 6 p.m., Holly Wehde will talk about how, through her business Trades of Hope, she empowers women out of poverty by bringing jobs and hope to artisans in Costa Rica, Nepal, Peru, Uganda and many more places while providing opportunities to women in the U.S. to start their own businesses.

The meetings are open to the public and there is no cost to attend.

Contact Vice President of Membership Cynthia Ramirez at cynthiaramirezbpw@gmail.com to RSVP or obtain more information about the organization.

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7 EDITORIAL

JANUARY 29 – FEBRUARY 4, 2015

Neither Obama nor Republicans have vision Last week I thought Stevie Wonder gave a great State of the Union Speech. Oops, did I say Stevie Wonder, I meant to say President Obama. But like Stevie Wonder, I couldn’t see the America the president was describing in his speech.

Listening to Obama, you would have thought that America, especially Blacks, had full employment. But according to the Labor Department, the national unemployment rate is 5.6 percent and 10.4 percent for Blacks – nothing to brag about in either case.

The Hispanic unemployment rate is 6.5 percent. Well, this stands to reason since Obama has bent over backward to address issues uniquely impacting Latinos, but has done nothing to address the myriad of pathologies negatively affecting the Black community.

Anyone else notice?

Am I really the only one who has noticed that the Black unemployment rate is almost twice that of the Hispanic community? If not, why does no one seems to be angry? How ironic it is that the first Black president has done more to help every other community more than his own – Hispanics, illegals, homosexuals, etc.

When Obama began talking about the obstructionist Republicans, I thought he was talking to an all-Black audience. He was condescending, arrogant, dismissive, and professorial in his lecture to Republicans. Listening to Obama, you would have thought the Democrats had just won a resounding victory in the November

RAYNARD JACKSON NNPA COLUMNIST

elections.

While Obama has failed Democrats and Blacks, Republican leaders in Congress have proven that they are equally blind to the needs of their followers. They have done absolutely nothing to inspire confidence within the rank-andfile of the party. They have caved on bedrock issues, including homosexuality, amnesty for illegals, and foreign labor at the expense of American workers just to name a few.

Knockoffs need not apply If Republicans are going to be “Democrats light,” why settle for a knockoff when we can have the real brand? It is becoming more difficult to distinguish the Republican leadership from the Democrats because Republicans are too busy trying to be liked instead of standing up for the party’s beliefs based on a core set of principles.

For example, Obama wants to mandate paid leave for those who have a baby or adopt. While this sounds good and all touchy feely, can someone explain to me what is the rationale or legitimate role for government intervention on this issue? I thought Republicans believed in keeping the government out of our lives.

Obama wants to increase minimum wage. He said, “If you truly believe you could work full-time

and support a family on less than $ 15,000 a year, go try it. If not, vote to give millions of the hardest-working people in America a raise.”

Well, maybe these “hardestworking” people should have worked harder to reach for some birth control to avoid having kids.

Minimum wage was never meant for adults; it was created to give high schoolers their first job to prepare them for adulthood.

On the surface, offering a free community college education sounds like a great idea. But how is it going to be paid for? Will Congress allot new money or merely re-direct what’s already in the pot, meaning other programs will suffer.

And what about Obama’s point about equal pay for women? He said, “That’s why this Congress still needs to pass a law that makes sure a woman is paid the same as a man for doing the same work.

Really. It’s 2015. It’s time.”

Obama should clean up his own home before pointing to dirt in others. The Washington Post reported last July that males get paid 13 percent ($10,200) more than women in the Obama White House.

Even when it comes to politics, both Obama and Republicans are short-sighted.

Raynard Jackson is president & CEO of Raynard Jackson & Associates, LLC., a Washington, D.C.-based public relations/government affairs firm.

Click on this story at www.daytonatimes.com to write your own response.

50 years of Black progress Has Black America made significant progress politically, socially and economically over the past 50 years? This is not only an important question to pose, it is equally important to answer. And the answer is a resounding yes. In fact, 1965 to 2015 has been a remarkable period in the history of Black America. But make no mistake about it: all of our progress has come as a direct result of a protracted struggle for freedom, justice and equality.

The universal right to self-determination is a fundamental human right recognized by the United Nations. We have too often allowed non-Blacks to mis-define our reality with distorted myths, negative stereotypes and cynicism.

Black representation This year will mark the largest Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) with 46 members. In 1965, there were only five African-Americans in the Congress. We have come a long way politically in the past 50 years at the federal, state and local level. In addition to representation in the House and Senate, we have served as mayors of big cities, as governors, as lieutenant governors, as speakers of state legislatures, as county commission chairs, as city council chairs, as school board presidents and as national party chairs. Black participation in state legislatures alone

DR. BENJAMIN F. CHAVIS, JR. NNPA COLUMNIST

has increased five-fold over during past five decades.

We are grateful that Sister Jeri Green and others at the U.S. Census Bureau that have assembled the latest social and demographic statistics for Black History Month observance: • As of July 1, 2012, there are now 44.5 million Black Americans, either alone or in combination with one or more other races, in the U.S, up 1 percent over 2011; • New York is the state with the largest Black American population with 3.7 million. The District of Columbia has the highest percentage of Black Americans at 51.6 percent, followed by Mississippi at 38 percent. Texas has the highest numeric increase in Black Americans since 2011 at 87,000. Cook County, Ill. (Chicago) had the largest Black American population of any county as of 2012 at 1.3 million; • The percentage of Blacks 25 and older with a high school diploma or higher was 83.2 percent; • The percentage of AfricanAmericans in that same age group with a bachelor’s degree or higher in 2012 was 18.7 percent;

• There were 3.7 million Blacks enrolled in college as of 2012, a 28 percent increase over the 2.9 million in 2007; • The annual median family income of Black households was $33,321 in 2012, compared to the national figure of $55,017; • The poverty rate for AfricanAmericans was 27.2 percent in 2012, compared to 15 percent nationally; • There were 9.8 million family households in 2013 and among Black households, 45.7 percent contained married couples Yes, we have made progress over the past half-century, but future progress will not happen by osmosis. Rather, it will happen when we become wiser about how we spend more than $1 trillion each year. We will also need to focus on strengthening Black-owned businesses and grow a new generation of committed young entrepreneurs.

To be blunt, Black Americans cannot afford to entertain any ideas of not moving forward to make more progress over the next 50 years. We have come too far to turn back now.

Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. is the President and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA). Click on this story at www.daytonatimes. com to write your own response.

Terror in the name of religion It has been deeply disturbing to hear and read suggestions that there is something inherently violent in Islam that distinguishes it from other religions. It is also a false notion, and one which we must dispel immediately.

Let’s start with the obvious facts. Islam has somewhere around 1.2 billion followers on planet Earth. All one has to do is to count the number of terrorists who have been involved in various actions over the years to see that we are talking about a minuscule percentage of adherents to extremism. The recent killings in France involved less than a dozen terrorists, for instance.

Thus, a reasonable person would ask who, in their right mind, would suggest that on the basis of such small numbers, that an entire religion is extreme, violent and outside of the human family?

Christianity implications Let’s think about another religion. Consider for a moment that official Christianity endorsed the slave trade. What conclusions should we draw from that? Here’s another example: What about the Ku Klux Klan that, again, in

proach of the Mongols.

BILL FLETCHER, JR. NNPA COLUMNIST

the name of Christianity, carried out open terrorist warfare against African-Americans and their allies. What are the implications of this for Christianity?

These are only three examples, but one can go on with many more. Rarely do I hear such a discussion in the mainstream media.

How can anyone suggest that Islam is any more violent than any other religion?

The simple answer is that one cannot. Unless one wishes to ignore key facts, it does not add up.

But if you need one more story to convince you that we should be very careful about allegations suggesting that Islam is particularly violent, consider this. When the Mongols invaded Europe in the 1200s, they caught Eastern Europe by surprise. The Europeans did not know who the Mongols were and they could not figure out how to stop them, given the superiority of the military ap-

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: ONES WANT MORE

STEVE SACK, THE MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE

Selma: White savior not required The fierce and aligned, if not coordinated, campaign to smear the motion picture “Selma” by suggesting it inaccurately portrays the role of President Lyndon Johnson in the fight for Blacks’ civil rights is par for the course. Critics of the movie that focuses on the campaign for voting rights in Selma, Ala. suggest that Johnson was a champion for civil rights and is principally responsible for securing voting rights for African-Americans.

At best that point of view is a misunderstanding, and at worst, and what I firmly believe, it is a deliberate attempt to create a false narrative to diminish the principal and central role of Blacks in advocating for their own freedom.

‘Ironic and sad’ It is ironic, and sad, that the first full-length theater released movie chronicling the leadership of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is being trashed in an attempt to exalt a White president. The criticism of “Selma” betrays the truth and common sense. Lyndon Johnson was a southerner; a Texas politician firmly entrenched as a Dixiecrat. His selection as John F. Kennedy’s vice presidential running mate was a political calculation to secure southern votes and resulted in an uneasy alliance between the Texan and the young Bostonian.

The tragic assassination of JFK thrust Johnson into the Oval Office and placed upon the Texan the late president’s agenda.

Lyndon Johnson was no civil rights champion. He was a pragmatic politician who was smart enough to read the moment and self-absorbed enough to recognize history would judge his legacy based upon a historical movement for Blacks’ rights.

Common sense makes plain that in the turbulent 1960s, no occupant of the White House, the seat of world power and White domination, saw their role as a liberator of the descendants of enslaved Africans. The rights of Blacks were not central to the maintenance of power for

WALTER FIELDS NNPA COLUMNIST

a president though it became a necessary consideration for the preservation of order.

The truth hurts What also challenges the Johnson-as-savior narrative is the truth. As president, he walked gingerly in taking on southern governors who were using their powers to oppress African-Americans and deny them their constitutional rights.

He reluctantly used his power to protect Blacks who were being subjected to violence in the south. Johnson ‘negotiated’ civil rights, and used his considerable skill as a legislator, to win in the margins. And even while proving successful in moving civil rights legislation LBJ co-existed with FBI director J. Edgar Hoover, who was leading a campaign to suppress and eliminate Black leadership.

Lyndon Johnson should be credited for a few things. He courageously appointed two African-Americans to positions of authority in the federal hierarchy, historical appointments that were impactful in their significance. Former NAACP legal counsel Thurgood Marshall was named to the United States Supreme Court and the brilliant economist Robert Weaver was made the first Black to serve on a presidential cabinet when Johnson made him secretary of the newly-created Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

While I admire LBJ’s tenacity, the campaign to canonize him as a civil rights saint is farfetched.

Walter L Fields is executive editor of NorthStarNews.com.

Click on this article at www. daytonatimes.com to write your own response.

Opinions expressed on this editorial page are those of the writers, and do not necessarily reflect the editorial stance of the newspaper or the publisher.

THE CREDO OF THE BLACK PRESS The Black Press believes that Americans can best lead the world away from racism and national antagonism when it accords to every person, regardless of race, color or creed, full human and legal rights. Hating no person, fearing no person. The Black Press strives to help every person in the firm belief...that all are hurt as long as anyone is held back.

Extremism not limited The Christian East Europeans concluded that the Mongols were actually devils, of some sort, and that they had been sent to Europe to destroy the Christians. Guess who they blamed for this? Jews.

And, as a result, massive pogroms (lynchings) of Jews took place, including the incineration of entire villages of Jews.

The point here is not an attack on Christianity. In every religion there are examples of extremism in the name of that religion. Extremism is not limited to one religion; it can always fly the banner of this or that religion in order to advance its nefarious objectives.

For this reason we should step away from blind, ahistorical indictments of a religion because of the insane actions of some who would use its name.

Bill Fletcher, Jr. is the host of The Global African on TelesurEnglish. He is a racial justice, labor and global justice writer and activist. Click on this story at www.daytonatimes.com to write your own response.

W W W.DAY TONATIMES.COM Central Florida Communicators Group, LLC, P.O. Box 48857 Tampa, Fl 33646, publishes the Florida Daytona Times on Thursdays. Phone: 877-352-4455, toll-free. For all sales inquiries, call 877-352-4455; e-mail sales@ flcourier.com.

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Subscriptions to the print version are $69 per year. Mail check to P.O. Box 48857 Tampa, Fl 33646, or log on to www.daytona.com; click on ‘Subscribe’.

Charles W. Cherry II, Esq., Publisher

SUBMISSIONS POLICY SEND ALL SUBMISSIONS TO NEWS@DAYTONATIMES.COM. Deadline for submitting news and pictures is 5 p.m. the Monday before the Thursday publication date. You may submit articles at any time. However, current events received prior to deadline will be considered before any information that is submitted, without the Publisher’s prior approval, after the deadline. Press releases, letters to the editor, and guest commentaries must be e-mailed to be considered for publication.

The Daytona Times reserves the right to edit any submission, and crop any photograph, for style and clarity. Materials will not be returned.

Dr. Glenn W. Cherry, Cassandra CherryKittles, Charles W. Cherry II, Managing Members

Dr. Glenn W. Cherry, Sales Manager Dr. Valerie Rawls-Cherry, Human Resources Cassandra Cherry Kittles, Willie R. Kittles, Circulation Jenise Morgan, Senior Editor Angela van Emmerik, Creative Director Ashley Thomas, Staff Writer Delroy Cole, Kim Gibson, Photojournalists MEMBER National Newspaper Publishers Association Society of Professional Journalists Florida Press Association Associated Press National Newspaper Association

JANUARY 29 – FEBRUARY 4, 2015

PERSONALMFINANCE AYOR

DECEMBER 14 - 20, 2006

Decoding your taxes, health care law

Taxpayers get help with IRS Free File FAMILY FEATURES

You don’t need to be an expert on taxes or the new health care law to get it right. The Internal Revenue Service, in partnership with industry-leading companies, is offering free tax software that will do the hard work for you.

It’s called Free File, and it’s available only at IRS.gov/freefile. Learn more at freefile.irs.gov.

If you earned $60,000 or less — and 70 percent of us do — you are eligible for Free File’s brand-name software. If you made more than $60,000, you still have a free option in Free File Fillable Forms. This is the electronic version of IRS paper forms. It’s pretty basic, so this program is best for people comfortable doing their own taxes.

Free File’s software programs will help you find the tax benefits you are due, help pick the right tax forms, and do the math for you. This year, Free File also helps you complete information on your return that is related to the Affordable Care Act. When it comes to the health care law, almost everyone will need to do something new when filing a tax return this year.

For each month in 2014, you and everyone on your return will need to do one of the following: • Report health care coverage • Claim an exemption from coverage • Make a shared responsibility payment with your tax return Most people will simply have to check a box to indicate they maintained health care coverage for the entire year.

Free File software will ask all the right questions; you supply the answers. More than 43 million people have used Free File since it started in 2003. They have saved $1.3 billion in

tax preparation fees — simply by doing it themselves. Getting started is easy:

Gather your tax-related documents Collect the tax materials needed to do your taxes. Here’s what you’ll need: • A copy of last year’s tax return • Valid Social Security numbers for yourself, spouse and children • All income statements, i.e. W-2 forms, from all employers • Interest and dividend statements, i.e. 1099 forms • Form 1099-G showing any state refunds • Unemployment compensation amount • Form 1095-A, Health Insurance Marketplace Statement, if you purchased coverage from a Health Insurance Marketplace • Records of your own and your family members’ health care insurance coverage, including employer provided, government, Marketplace or private coverage

Choose a brand-name software product Once you’ve gathered your materials, go to IRS.gov/freefile to review the 14 company offerings. Each company sets its own criteria, usually based on age, income or state residency. You can either use a “help me” tool that will match software with your situation or you can review each of the company offerings. Most companies also offer state returns, some for free.

Again, if your income was higher and you are comfortable preparing your own taxes, Free File Fillable Forms may be right for you.

Find tax credits

Then, let Free File do the hard work for you. Free File software can guide you through finding tax breaks, and help you receive a more accurate refund. Some people may not even be aware that they qualify for a tax credit.

For example, the IRS estimates that one out of every five taxpayers eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit, a refundable credit for taxpayers with moderate income, fail to claim it.

If you or anyone on your return purchased health care coverage from the Health Insurance Marketplace, you may qualify for the premium tax credit. If you chose to have advance payments of the premium tax credit sent to your insurance provider in 2014, you must file a tax return. You must reconcile, or com­pare, the advance credit payments with the actual premium tax credit you are allowed to claim on your return. Learn more at IRS.gov/aca.

Get your refund faster Once you’ve completed your return, you can also print a copy and e-file your federal taxes, absolutely free. With electronic filing, you will receive a confir­mation within minutes that the IRS has accepted your return. Or, if it’s not accepted, you can easily find out why. E-file helps make your tax return even more accurate, which means a quicker refund. To get your refund even faster, combine e-file with direct deposit.

The Free File software — designed to provide a fast, safe and free filing option — is available online 24/7, giving you the freedom to choose when and how you do your taxes.

Health care law Everyone needs to understand how the health care law affects tax returns. You will need to complete one of the following steps, and using Free File, brand-name software makes it easier for you.

Reporting health care coverage If you and everyone on your tax return had health care coverage for all of 2014, simply check the “full year coverage” box when completing your return in the Free File software. For most people, that’s it!

Claiming a coverage exemption If you did not have health care coverage for all or part of 2014, you may qualify for a coverage exemption. Free File will help you complete Form 8965 and file it with your tax return.

Making a shared responsibility payment If you or your dependents had neither health care coverage nor an exemp­tion, you may need to make a payment with your tax return. Free File will help you calculate your payment and report it on your tax return.

About the premium tax credit If you or anyone on your return purchased insurance coverage from the Marketplace, you may be eligible for the premium tax credit.

If you chose to have advance payments of the premium tax credit sent to your insurer in 2014, you must reconcile or compare the advance credit payments with the actual premium tax credit you are allowed to claim on your return.

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R6

JANUARY 29 – FEBRUARY 4, 2015

BOOK PEOPLE UNITE

Help us get books to kids in need.

TAKE THE PLEDGE BookPeopleUnite.org All trademarks and copyrights are properties of their respective owners.

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Publications Newspaper

Who would have thought? William Purvis did in 1897. The Fountain Pen, developed by William Purvis,

is just one of the many life-changing innovations that came from the mind of an African American.

We must do all we can to support minority education today, so we don’t miss out on the next big idea tomorrow. To find out more about African American innovators and to support the United Negro College Fund, visit us at uncf.org or call 1-800-332-UNCF. A mind is a terrible thing to waste.

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JANUARY 29 – FEBRUARY 4, 2015 DECEMBER 14 - 20, 2006

Lady Wildcats rack up another conference win SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

Kailyn Williams posted a double-double effort of 12 points and 14 rebounds as Bethune-Cookman defeated Howard, 61-53 in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) women’s basketball action inside Moore Gymnasium on Monday evening. For the Daytona team, the win marked their fourth consecutive in league play.

The Lady Wildcats were led in the scoring column

by Jasmine Knowles with 15 points followed by Hollis with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Hollis added two assists, two blocks and three steals. Kailyn Williams added 12 points and 14 boards, posting a gamehigh six blocks and two steals. Also reaching double-figures was Cooper with 10 points, four assists and two steals.

Bethune-Cookman returns to the hardwood Saturday, Jan. 31, traveling to Florida A&M for a MEAC showdown scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.

Howard edges B-CU men’s team 45-42 James Carlton scored 27 points, including four free throws in the final 10 seconds as Howard defeated Bethune-Cookman 45-42 in a MEAC game Monday night.

Johnson led the Wildcats (6-15,2-5) with 14 points, followed by Brandon Stewart with 12.

For complete stories, visit www.bcuathletics.com.

FAMU men lose to UMES 72-65 The University of Maryland Eastern Shore men’s basketball team completed a sweep of the Sunshine State with a 72-65 victory at Florida A&M on Monday evening. UMES (12-10, 5-2) moved into third place in the MEAC standings with another close road win.

The win pushed UMES into third place in the MEAC standings behind North Carolina Central (8-0) and Norfolk State (7-1). At 5-2 in conference play, UMES has already surpassed their league win total from last season with nine games remaining. Perhaps more impressively, the Hawks are a perfect 3-0 in conference road games so far.

Meanwhile, the Rattlers remain winless at 0-20 with a 21-game losing streak dating back to last season, the longest active streak in the NCAA. The Hawks return home to face Coppin State University on Jan. 31 at William P. Hytche Athletic Center.

Lady Rattlers defeat UMES The newcomer trio of Olivia Antilla, Alicia Jones and Khaderja Young combined for 49 points Monday night to lead the FAMU women’s basketball team to its second straight win, a 64-54 MEAC victory over Maryland-Eastern Shore at the Al Lawson Center.

Antilla led FAMU with 22 points knocking down eight of 13 floor shots, including a pair of threepointers, while Jones added 15 points, cashing in a trio of three-pointers, and Young chipped in with 12 points.

Coppin State sinks North Carolina A&T While it was snowing in Maryland, it was raining treys inside of the Corbett Sports Center in Greensboro, N.C thanks to the Coppin State men’s basketball team.

The visiting Coppin State Eagles of Baltimore sank 11 3-pointers, placed four players in double figures, rallied from an early 11-point first-half deficit and took control midway through the second half to defeat North Carolina A&T, 84-71, in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) contest Monday night.

The victory for Coppin State (3-17 overall, 2-4 MEAC) was its first road triumph of the Michael Grant era. It was a solid performance for the Eagles, who rebounded from a tough Saturday setback against North Carolina Central, to beat the Aggies for the second straight season.

Coppin State returns to action Saturday afternoon when it travels across the Bay Bridge to meet in-state rival Maryland Eastern Shore at 4 p.m. The Eagles have three road games remaining this season and they don’t leave the state of Maryland for two of them.

Coppin State will have a nationally televised showdown against Morgan State on Monday, Feb. 2. The men’s game, which begins at 7 p.m. will air on ESPNU. The women’s game starts at 4 p.m.

Carolina team ekes

by Delaware 55-54 First-place North Carolina Central University got the help it needed to extend its home court win streak to 31 games.

Delaware State’s Amere May missed two-of-three free throws with 0.4 seconds left to play to allow the defending MEAC champion North Carolina Central to escape with a 55-54 victory Monday night over thee Hornets in a nationally

Daytona Beach 100 and USA Volleyball Boys Florida Fest return to Ocean Center SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

The Daytona Beach 100 and USA Volleyball Boys’ Florida Fest are spiking their way into the Volusia County Ocean Center Jan. 30 through Feb. 1. The events are among the few volleyball tournaments held in the United States that feature both junior boys’ and girls’ teams.

This will be the sixth year the combined events have been held in Daytona Beach The Daytona Beach 100 and USA Volleyball Boys’ Florida Fest are two-day volleyball tournaments with more than 4,000 players from the east coast, Can da and Puerto Rico competing for titles in eight age divisions “We are so glad to be returning to Daytona Beach, with the ocean and the (Daytona International) Speedway nearby,” said AJ Joseph, president of Joseph

Volleyball Camps. “The area offers a wide range of activities that our attendees always enjoy. With over 10,000 athletes and spectators from so many teams in Daytona Beach during the weekend, we will have an amazing atmosphere.”

PHOTOS COURTESY OF B-CU ATHLETICS

Brandon Stewart led the Wildcats with 12 points during Monday’s game at Moore Gymnasium. televised contest (ESPNU) at McDougald-McLendon Gym in Durham, N.C. The Eagles won the rebound battle 37-34, but had 18 turnovers. The Hornets turned the ball over 12 times.

DSU is back on the road for its next game Jan. 31 at South Carolina State.

Game time is 6 p.m. in Orangeburg, S.C.

Norfolk knocks Savannah 70-54 For the third game in a row, the Norfolk State men’s basketball team shot better than 60 percent overall, and the result on Monday night was a 7054 victory over Savannah State in MEAC action at Tiger Arena in Savannah, Ga. The Spartans hit 28-of45 from the field (62.2 percent) to win their third in a row and fifth in the past six games. The victory moved their record to 7-1 in conference play, with all seven victories coming by at least 14 points. NSU improved to 14-9 overall.

Junior RaShid Gaston had 17 points on 8-of-11 shooting and 13 rebounds for his second straight double-double. He had 11 points in the second half as NSU pulled away from the Tigers after SSU had cut the deficit to just six.

Savannah State shot 20of-55 (36.4 percent) for the game, including a 1-of-12 effort from beyond the arc.

COURTESY OF FLORIDA A&M SPORTS INFORMATION

Khadejra Young was one of three FAMU players to score in double figures in Monday’s win against the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. FAMU’s Lady Rattlers will face B-CU’s Lady Wildcats on Saturday.

NFL launches YouTube channel

BY PARESH DAVE LOS ANGELES TIMES (TNS)

The National Football League and YouTube launched a new video channel Monday that will bring just about everything except live games to tablets, smartphones and

computers.

The channel will feature “game previews, in-game highlights, postgame recaps as well as clips featuring news, analysis, fantasy football advice” and other content, the NFL said.

YouTube has proved a popular spot to find unauthorized clips of games, though they’re typically taken down quickly.

The deal comes weeks after a similar deal between the NFL and

Facebook, which has been seeking to attract more high-quality video content.

A four-minute preview of Sunday’s Super Bowl was the YouTube channel’s featured video Monday morning.

Hans Schroeder, the NFL’s senior vice president for media strategy, said in a press release that the partnership “further expands fans’ ability to discover and access NFL content throughout the year.”

Tony Stewart says dirt tracks are out

4,000 players The Daytona Beach 100 and USA Volleyball Boys’ Florida Fest have grown to more than 300 teams and 4,000 players within the last year. Both events will be held in the Ocean Center exhibit hall, arena and ballroom as well as additional facilities in Daytona Beach. All matches are open to the public. Tickets will be sold at the door.

The Daytona Beach 100 and USA Volleyball Boys’ Florida Fest are joint booking ventures of the Ocean Center and the Daytona Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau.

The Lady Wildcats defeated Howard University on Monday 61-53.

Tony Stewart

BY GEORGE DIAZ ORLANDO SENTINEL (TNS)

In news that took no one by surprise, Tony Stewart indicated on Tuesday that he won’t be competing on

dirt tracks any time soon.

“I’m not going to be in a sprint car for a while,” Stewart said.

Stewart came out for one of his first meet-and-greets of the 2015 season looking refreshed, refurbished and ready to put a tragedy behind him.

Competing in a dirttrack event on Aug. 9 in Canandaigua Motorsports Park in New York, Stewart’s car clipped Kevin Ward Jr., who had scrambled out of his car after it became entangled with Stewart’s on the previous lap. Ward, 20, was pronounced dead shortly after the accident.

Stewart was not charged

with any crime after grand jury deliberations.

Stewart returned to NASCAR racing in Atlanta in September after missing three races but struggled throughout the rest of the season. He was winless for the first time in his Cup career, with his lowest points finish.

Physical, emotional recovery Physically, he’s also been dealing with recurring pain from another incident — Stewart broke his right tibia and fibula in a sprintcar dirt-track crash in Iowa during the 2013 season.

Stewart recently had a

minor procedure on his leg, part of the extensive rehab and repair work necessary to get him back up to speed physically.

“I can promise you that I’m way healed up enough to do what I need to do,” he said.

“It’s not going to be a factor in any race of the season.”

His emotional well-being is equally important, and Stewart seems ready to roll as well from that standpoint.

“As soon as the calendar flipped to 2015, I put the rest of it behind me and I’m not looking back,” Stewart said. “I’m not looking back at all. I’m looking forward and focused on what we’ve got coming up.”

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JANUARY 29 – FEBRUARY 4, 2015

Poor communities still underbanked, overcharged Report: Black and Latino neighborhoods lose billions a year to predatory lenders

But even if Black customers were able to meet the minimum requirements, had good credit and confidence in banks, the contraction and consolidation in the financial sector following the Great Recession have placed traditional banks out of reach for millions of Americans. AFSPs moved in to fill that void.

“Payday lenders are nearly eight times as concentrated in neighborhoods with the largest shares of Blacks and Latinos compared to White neighborhoods, draining nearly $247 million in fees per year from these communities,” the report said.

“Even after controlling for income and a variety of other factors, payday lenders are 2.4 times more concentrated in Black and Latino communities.”

BY FREDDIE ALLEN NNPA NEWS SERVICE

WASHINGTON – Predatory lenders continue to target poor, Black and Latino communities, siphoning off $103 billion in fees and interests every year, and the rest of us are paying for it, according to a recent report by United for a Fair Economy.

“This is more money lost in poor communities than the United States spends on domestic food aid annually,” the report said. “We as a society end up subsidizing that lost income (an average of $3,029 per affected household) through a social safety net that is already underfunded and overcapacity.”

In “State of the Dream 2015: Underbanked and Overcharged,” United for a Fair Economy (UFE), an independent research group that advocates for economic equality across race, gender and class lines, chronicled the disparities that continue to plague the banking industry.

History of exclusion Mike Leyba, the communications director at UFE and co-author of the report said that systemic economic exclusion, largely based on race, has existed for hundreds of years in the United States.

The free labor of kidnapped and enslaved Africans enabled White male land owners and the financial institutions that supported them to accumulate massive amounts of wealth over hundreds of years.

Following the Civil War, Jim Crow laws and “The Black Codes’’ continued to deprive freed African slaves of economic opportunities for decades.

After World War II, the GI Bill provided White male veterans a pathway to college, professional careers and a boost into the middle class, a bridge that was closed

No community banks WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Payday lenders and pawn shops are more common in poor neighbhorhoods. A report shows that nearly 40 percent of post offices are in zip codes “without a single bank’’ and about 20 percent are in zip codes with just one bank. to Black veterans who also fought and spilled blood overseas. Later, the Federal Housing Administration blocked Black families from moving into suburban neighborhoods, built with and partially funded by government subsidies.

“More than a quarter of all White families shifted from renting to owning in the twenty years following WWII,” stated the report. “Despite laws to the contrary, Black people were excluded from buying homes in White neighborhoods and were forced instead to live in urban ghettos.”

Unbanked and underbanked According to the UFE report, less than 1 percent of all mortgages from 1930 to 1960 were issued to Black people.

By 2013, the median wealth held by White families ($141,900), dwarfed the median wealth ($11,000) of Black families.

“As an estimated 80 percent of

assets come from transfers from prior generations, the history of the financial situations of prior generations is a primary cause of the racial wealth gap,” stated the report.

Leyba said that economic exclusion, largely based on race still exists, but it’s much harder to pinpoint.

“It may not be legalized or sanctioned by the federal government,” said Leyba. “But it still exists.”

Economic exclusion continues to plague the banking sector, leaving 93 million Americans “unbanked” or “underbanked.”

Alternative providers According to the report more than 20 percent (20.5 percent) of Black households were unbanked in 2013, compared to 3.6 percent of White households.

Forty percent of Black households were full-banked compared to 75.4 percent of White households.

Alternate Financial Service Providers or AFSPs include payday loans, auto title loans, rentto-own shops, subprime credit cards, high-interest rate installment loans, check cashing, prepaid reloadable debit cards, and money orders, the report said.

Researchers found that people shun traditional banks in favor of AFSPs for a number of reasons.

Fifty-eight percent said that they didn’t have enough money to meet minimum balance requirements to keep an account open while others (17 percent) said that past credit problems made it difficult for them to open new accounts.

Filling the void In recent years, following the housing crisis banks, Chevy Chase Bank, Wells Fargo and Bank of America paid out multimillion dollar settlements in mortgage lending discrimination lawsuits involving Black and Latino borrowers.

As local bank branches fade away, Leyba said, community businesses dry up.

“What we’re seeing with more large corporate banks taking over those local branches, it makes it so that there is very little incentive for them to invest in that local area,” explained Leyba. Especially, when the large corporate banks can get a much higher yield from other financial products, he added.

The report said that nearly 40 percent of post offices are in zip codes “without a single bank,” and about 20 percent are in zip codes with just one bank.

“In addition to handling money orders, transfers and debit cards, postal window clerks have experience cashing checks, processing refunds, renting post office boxes, preparing bank deposits and maintaining business accounts,” the report stated.

The report recommended reforming the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), modernizing payment technology to keep pace with the new realities of banking and adopting national standards to cap the interest rates on payday loans. Leyba said lending circles that provide small community-based loans have been successful in emerging markets.