Daytona Times - March 17, 2016

A wild ride to Final Four SEE PAGE 7

East Central Florida’s Black Voice

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BILL FLETCHER: Here’s why ‘Diamond’ and ‘Silk’ are supporting Donald Trump for president SEE PAGE 4

‘TONEY THE BARBER’ CELEBRATES 25 YEARS AS PALM COAST ENTREPRENEUR SEE PAGE 3

MARCH 17 - MARCH 23, 2016

YEAR 41 NO. 11

www.daytonatimes.com

City tries to calm nerves about park Daytona denies giving Joe Harris Park to B-CU, but residents aren’t convinced

BY ANDREAS BUTLER SPECIAL TO THE DAYTONA TIMES

Bikers have few complaints about the park although vendors complain about the fees

The City of Daytona Beach owns Joe Harris Park.

That’s what Daytona Beach Commissioner Patrick Henry had to say Monday during an NAACP-organized forum to discuss the issue. Rumors have been swirling for weeks that Bethune-Cookman University (B-CU) was given the historic Joe Harris Park, also known as Harlem Park.

“The city owns the park. The city manager cannot give the park away. It must come from a vote from the mayor and the city commission,” Henry said at a forum held at Greater New Zion Primitive Baptist Church in Daytona Beach.

Echoed Dr. Aubrey Long, B-CU’s vice president of Business & Community Development, “The university wants to make this known. I don’t know anything about it. It would be great if the university could be a part of the future of the park. We support whatever the community decides.’’

SPECIAL TO THE DAYTONA TIMES

Historic hotspot

PHOTOS BY DUANE C. FERNANDEZ SR./HARDNOTTSPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

There were plenty of fancy bikes parked near Mary McLeod Boulevard during Bike Week in Daytona Beach.

Good finish for ‘Black Bike Week’ After a slow start in Daytona Beach’s Black community, Bike Week 2016 picked up during the final weekend of the event.

Historically, the final weekend has been a huge event in the Black community and has unofficially being named “Black Bike Week” by locals.

People of all ages, various ethnicities came out and enjoyed the festivities in the heart of Daytona’s Black community. Bike Week was March 4-13.

No problems at park Recently, Joe Harris Park, also known as Harlem Park, has been gated and locked. The park is a magnet for Black motorcyclists when Bike Week rolls around in March.

Due to its location near Mary McLeod Bethune Boulevard, thousands of bikers and locals congregate there to relax, listen to music, and patronize food and merchandise vendors.

Although a popular hangout and street basketball venue, there have been shootings and drug activity. On New Year’s Eve, two people were shot to death outside of the Biarritz Club, which is just yards from the park. After those killings, a fence was erected

Vendors had a variety of items for bikers to purchase.

Left: Bikers from around the country hang out near Joe Harris Park.

See BIKE WEEK, Page 2

But residents at the meeting weren’t so convinced, especially since they’ve recently seen B-CU’s security officers patrolling the park.

Joe Harris Park, a longtime community treasure located at 315 Pearl St., is named after Joseph Harris, one of Daytona’s leading Black politicians, activists and entrepreneurs. For years, the park has been a hotspot for local athletes. The site is a collection of multiple fulllength basketball courts, shelters, kids’ swings and green space. It sits across the street from B-CU’s new dormitory construction project.

But over the years, the park has become a hotspot for drug deals and violent occurrences.

‘No planned development’ Residents are feeling betrayed that a backroom deal has been made to give the park to the university.

“Rumor is that they gave it to B-CU, they got it. The historical part of the park is sentimental to us. People want to know what is going on,” said Cynthia Slater, president of the Volusia CountyDaytona Beach NAACP. According to community activist Norma Bland-Poole, “Something doesn’t smell right. Mr. (City Manager Jim) Chisholm told me that the city is leasing the property to B-CU. If so, is See PARK, Page 2

No major voting issues reported in Volusia during primary election

BY ANDREA BUTLER SPECIAL TO THE DAYTONA TIMES

Forty-two percent of registered voters in Volusia County cast their ballots in the Florida presidential primary, which saw former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and billionaire businessman Donald Trump as the big winners.

There were no reports of long lines in Daytona’s Black voting precincts on Tuesday while there were reports of long lines and large crowds in other places like Port Orange.

The Election Protection voter hotline received more 2,100 calls around the U.S. about problems relating to Tuesday’s

ALSO INSIDE

primarily. A call from a voter in Volusia County reported long lines at his polling location.

Issue in Ormond According to a statement from Election Protection, voters in Volusia “waited at least an hour, including many senior citizens who left because they could not stand and wait that long.’’

Volusia County Elections Supervisor Ann McFall noted that precinct 502 in Ormond Beach experienced problems with its voting machines, which meant it was the only uncounted precinct until a little after 10 p.m. Tuesday.

One voter who wished not to

be identified told the Daytona Times he had to go back and forth between Daytona and a nearby city to vote, which was frustrating.

Good turnout In Volusia County, voter turnout was at 45 percent with more than 244,210 registered voters participating and over 109,000 casting ballots.

That includes more than 117,000 Democrats (48 percent) over 122,000 Republicans (50 percent) and over 4,600 nonparty affiliation (NPA) voters.

Volusia County has 366,314 registered voters, which include See ELECTION, Page 2

JOE BURBANK/ORLANDO SENTINEL/TNS

Margo Dixon, far right, chairperson of Central Florida volunteers for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, leads a cheer at the Orlando campaign watch party at The Hammered Lamb pub on Tuesday.

COMMENTARY: ARMSTRONG WILLIAMS: FLINT RESIDENTS DESERVE BETTER THAN THIS | PAGE 4 HEALTH: ZIKA VIRUS BOOSTS DEMAND FOR ABORTIONS IN CERTAIN COUNTRIES | PAGE 5

7 FOCUS

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YMCA encourages residents to learn risks, factors for developing diabetes

SPECIAL TO THE DAYTONA TIMES

March 22 is American Diabetes Association Alert Day and with millions of Americans at risk for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes, the Volusia Flagler Family YMCA urges residents of Volusia County to learn their risk and take action to prevent the disease. Currently, diabetes affects nearly 29 million people; another 86 million Americans have prediabetes, yet only about 10 percent are aware of it.

Prediabetes is a condition in which individuals have blood glucose (sugar) levels that are higher than normal, but not high enough to be classified as diabetes. People with prediabetes are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Here in Volusia County an estimated 8 percent of the population is

MARCH 17 – MARCH 23, 2016

living with diabetes.

Understanding your risk is the first step in preventing diabetes.

Several factors including family history, age, weight and physical activity level can contribute to developing type 2 diabetes.

Learn your risk for type 2 diabetes by taking the diabetes risk test at ymca.net/diabetes.

“Diabetes Alert Day is the perfect time to not only determine our own risk for prediabetes, but also encourage our family and friends to determine their chances of developing the disease,” said Bev Johnson, executive vice president of Healthy Living, Volusia Flagler Family YMCA. “Studies show that people with prediabetes can prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes by making simple lifestyle changes that include eating healthier and increasing physical activity.”

Help is available For those at risk for diabetes, the next step is to make the necessary changes to help prevent the disease.

Programs like the YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program

can help. Facilitated by a trained lifestyle coach, the yearlong program provides a supportive environment where participants work together in a small group to learn about behavior changes that can improve overall health.

The goal of the program is to help adults at risk for diabetes reduce their body weight by 5 percent to 7 percent and increase their physical activity to 150 minutes per week. Studies have shown that programs like the YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program can prevent or delay new cases of type 2 diabetes in adults by 58 percent and by as much as 71 percent in those over age 60.

Over 100 have improved their health through the program at the Volusia Flagler Family YMCA. The YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program uses a CDC-approved curriculum and is part of the CDC-led National Diabetes Prevention Program.

The program is available at more than 1,400 sites in 44 states.

To learn more, contact Randolyn Haley at 386-425-5210 or via email at rhaley@vfymca. org.

City’s youth board seeks award nominees

Attorney to discuss long-term care during seminar at library

The nomination process is underway for the 2016 Youth Achievement Award. Administered by the Port Orange Youth Advisory Board, the award recognizes youth who have made a significant contribution to the community.

To be eligible, the youth must be enrolled in grades 8-12, and a resident of Port Orange or attend a Port Orange school. Completed nomination forms must be received before 5 p.m. on March 25 in the Port Orange City Manager’s office, 1000 City Center Circle. Applications are available on the city’s website at www.portorange.org.

The Youth Achievement Award program was developed by the Youth Advisory Board, which is comprised of middle and high schools students from Port Orange schools.

For questions or additional information, call 386-506-5522.

Would your family be protected financially if you become incapacitated and require long-term care?

Daytona Beach attorney Michael Pyle will discuss financial planning for long-term care at 10 a.m. Wednesday, March 30, at the Daytona Beach Regional Library at City Island, 105 E. Magnolia Ave., Daytona Beach.

He will explain the types of care covered by long-term-care insurance and Medicaid, including assets owned by single and married people. He will also address assets Michael Pyle versus income, when to plan, and techniques for qualification.

The free program is sponsored by the Friends of the Daytona Beach Library.

For more information, call Lorri Davis at 386257-6036, ext. 16154.

JOE BURBANK/ORLANDO SENTINEL/TNS

Marco Rubio supporters react with shock at a watch party in Orlando as the GOP presidential contender announces the suspension of his campaign on Tuesday.

ELECTION from Page 1

124,690 Republicans, 132,477 Democrats, 96,619 registered as NPA, and 12,528 voters in other parties.

In Volusia, more than 15,000 people voted early, including over 6,000 Democrats and over 8,000 Republicans. At the Daytona Beach Regional Library 2,542 people voted early.

In Flagler County, voter turnout was at 49 percent.

‘Our civic duty’ Sophia Huger-Baldwin was one of the Volusia residents who was proud to participate in the process.

“Voting is important. It is our civic duty. Many have fought for us to vote and we need to carry the torch.’’

King Mallory remarked, “People fought and died for us to vote. Voting carries our voice.

If we don’t vote, it gives the other side freewill to do what they want with us.’’

He added, “People often feel that their vote doesn’t count.

Many elected officials don’t do anything and show us anything to show that things are getting better. Look at us four years after Obama was elected. Many things haven’t changed.”

And Debra Boyd related, “It’s my right to vote. It is our right as U.S. citizens. It is our opportunity to make changes. We can’t just sit around and expect for things to happen.’’

Their candidates Mallory is a Clinton supporter; he believes she is the best option.

“Hillary is the best to carry on some of the progress that Barack Obama started and to come up with more. Republicans really handicapped Obama,” commented Mallory.

Boyd voted for Bernie Sanders.

She likes his track record on equality.

“I checked the history with Bernie marching in the civil rights movement with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other leaders.

I think that he stands for the disproportionate people in this country,” she said.

PARK

BIKE WEEK

the city also going to transfer the park’s liability to B-CU?” “B-CU President (Edison) Jackson and City Manager Jim Chisholm haven’t discussed with any specifics or no final plan or deal on the future of Joe Harris Park. There is no planned development,” said the Rev. Ronald L. Durham, who was appointed by Chisholm last year as the city’s asset management director/special projects.

“We are letting B-CU monitor it with their security,” Henry said about the university’s officers patrolling the park.

around the city park.

The park was open for motorcyclists during the final weekend of Bike Week.

“We’ve had no problems accessing the park. Bike Week has been good as usual,” responded biker Joe James of St. Augustine.

“There has been no problems.

It’s crowded and congested. It could always be better,” echoed biker Byron Hayes of Tallahassee.

from Page 1

from Page 1

Started slow

Fenced out The park is in close proximity to the Biarritz Club, where two people were shot to death on New Year’s Eve in the nightclub’s parking lot. Those killings and other shootings in the area have heightened concerns.

Anthony Brockington, owner of the Biarritz, said his club shouldn’t get the blame.

“Everything that happens here are mostly not because of our customers. We get the blame. Many of these offenders weren’t even our customers, like the New Year’s Eve event. What happened was it was a party nearby. The police ran people away from the party and they flocked to the park. We were closed at 12:30 that night,” he said Monday.

Since the Dec. 31 shooting, a fence has been erected around the park. Residents have complained that the fence has hindered vehicle access to the park.

“After the last shooting, I got with others and decided it was time to do something,” said Henry.

Daytona Police Captain Jakari Young called the security measures “a matter of public safety.’’

“Since we have fenced the park, things have calmed. We could do more patrols, but if we do there will be calls of harassment,” he added.

Open to bikers During Bike Week, motorcyclists were allowed in the park for free but not other vehicles.

Bikers even weighed in last weekend and said the park should be open to residents.

“We’ve had no problems accessing the park. Bike Week

PHOTOS BY DUANE C. FERNANDEZ SR./HARDNOTTSPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

A fence has kept vehicles – except motorcycles – out of Joe Harris Park.

Vendors were glad to see larger crowds for the final weekend but some complained about the fee charged to participate.

“This is my first time here. It’s interesting. This weekend has been good. It started slow but picked up. Many don’t buy items until the end of the event,” Yvonne Washington of Oklahoma told the Daytona Times. She sold T-shirts.

Avery Upshaw of Norfolk, Va., sold frozen beverages.

“It is my first time here. Things have been pretty good. Traffic has been flowing and people are coming,’’ Upshaw said.

But vendors had mixed reviews about their vendor fees.

Oliver Sam of Michigan is a 10-year veteran vendor of Bike Week. He sold oils, incense and other items.

“The crowd is OK, but it’s slow.

They do charge us too much to work this event. I have to go and try to make some money,” he remarked.

‘They overcharge us’

Traffic picked up tremendously the last weekend of Bike Week on Mary McLeod Bethune Boulevard. has been good as usual. I don’t know what they’ll do next year. I think they should keep it open.

Don’t know if the school needs parking but most students on campus don’t have cars anyway, especially those just starting,” responded biker Joe

James of St Augustine.

“There’s been no problems.

I don’t think that they should close it. They could have campus security and police be more visible,” echoed biker Byron Hayes of Tallahassee.

Commented Diamond Pierre,

“This is the best Bike Week that I have seen in a minute. As for the park, it is crazy and inhumane.

We’re fenced in like we’re in jail.

It’s nice that they opened it for now, but what about the rest of the year?’’

Angela King of Fort Lauderdale is a Bethune-Cookman University (B-CU) grad. In the past, she has worked B-CU’s Homecomings with other vendors. This year she was an independent food vendor.

“Traffic needs to be more organized. People parked in areas that were designated for vendors to access our lots. I’m not coming back. They overcharge us,” King said.

“They charge us for a 10-day event when it is really only three days in this part of town. We pay a $300 fee plus $600 to $1,000 for a spot. We have to make money.

Many of us do this for a living.

We also must buy supplies and merchandise,” she added.

Washington differed, “I don’t think that the fees are too bad.

I’ve paid higher at other events in other cities.”

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MARCH 17 – MARCH 23, 2016 COMMUNITY DECEMBER 14 - 20, 2006

M A YNEWS OR

‘Toney the Barber’ has spent 25 years locally shaping heads, lives Ernest Robinson Sr. is living a happily ever after, consistent with opening his own shop 25 years ago for cutting, styling and grooming men’s, ladies’ and children’s hair. Toney’s Barber Shop debuted 25 years ago after closing Robinson’s Brooklyn, N.Y., barbershop, and relocating his wife, Joan, and son, Ernest Robinson Jr., to Palm Coast. Straightaway, “Toney the Barber” is the name behind Ernest Robinson Sr. Toney earned the international name, faring well with White sailors and the tourist trade that docked on the Caribbean island of Jamaica, Toney’s native land, where he skillfully trained on different types of hair.

Naysayers predicted that a Black barber having a business in Palm Coast would be unsuccessful. But they proved to be wrong because Toney’s establishment was not limited to Blacks. “Toney the Barber,’’ as he’s fondly called, has a customer base ranging from Daytona Beach to St. Augustine. For years, Toney was the only licensed African-American barber in the county. Moreover, today, there are newbies all around.

From fades to ’fros Toney opened his doors Dec. 6, 1991, at 218 St. Joe Plaza, Palm Coast. The barbershop is a mainstay on the cutting edge in style – fades, flat tops, and ’fros – awesome for boys, young guys and older men, and a place of social interaction.

Toney’s Barber Shop stays busy!

“The difference between now and then is I have more helpers, more barbers,” said Toney.

“We have a larger team of four,” said Joe Turner, a 10-year barber, joining Toney upon returning from Tampa to Palm Coast, where he’s a graduate of Flagler Palm Coast High School. Toney’s sister, Pat Cunningham, still answers the telephone.

Toney’s phone number remains the same at 386-446-5603.

However, there might be a time when you can slip into Toney’s chair, but don’t count on it!

Influenced many others Soft-spoken and having a strong presence, Toney has for years cut the locks

PALM COAST COMMUNITY NEWS JEROLINE D. MCCARTHY

of a range of doctors, lawyers, preachers, college professors and the like – including actor/preacher Dr. Clifton Davis, who was singing at a celebratory banquet at the most glamorous venue that Palm Coast has to offer. There’s been so many wonderful people who Toney has welcomed to his shop.

“I was an inspiration to a young man when he was in high school, expressing interest in becoming a barber,” said Toney.

That young man was Shuntin McCall, a master barber today, operating his own Legends Barber and Salon in Bunnell.

Loida Dehaney is another of a few hairstylists who worked at Toney’s Barber Shop. She decided to strike out on her own and establish a lucrative hairstyling business. These recapitulate but a couple of entrepreneurs who Toney has influenced to go the extra mile in owning their businesses.

Two years ago, Toney suffered a mild stroke.

And since having the stroke, “I see that my business has grown. I still work, had therapy; yet, I’m still going through therapy on my shoulder,” he said. “The pain shifts from one side to the other. But for the goodness of the Lord, I could not have had this shop. God called me back.”

And so, Toney’s customers - and even others to come - will find themselves hangin’ with Toney the Barber and opting to look good every day.

Easter events at First Church Pastor Gillard S. Glover has announced that the Easter events for the First (A.M.E.) Church of Palm Coast have been scheduled to reflect: Maundy Thursday, March 24, 6 p.m.,

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JEROLINE D. MCCARTHY/DAYTONA TIMES

Juwuan Green, 17, likes rockin’ a cut at the hands of barbers Ernest “Toney’’ Robinson Sr. and Joe Turner. celebrating “The Last Supper,” and prefaced as the celebrant, Presiding Elder Eugene E. Moseley, Jr., South District, East Conference, 11th Episcopal District of AME Churches. It will make for a memorable evening with a seder meal served for the occasion.

Good Friday, March 25, noon to 3 p.m., with sermonic presentations by preachers on “The Seven Last Utterances of Christ,” which will include: The Rev. Dr. Randolph Bracy Jr., dean of the School of Religion, Bethune-Cookman University; the Rev. Latanya Floyd, Mt. Zion A.M.E. Church, Hastings; the Rev. Mattie Riley Hayes, New Zion A.M.E. Church, Williston; the Rev. Dr. Kevin James Sr., Palm Coast United Methodist Church; the Rev. Cheryl Daniels, First (A.M.E.) Church of Palm Coast; the Rev. Dr. E.J. Parker, Hurst Chapel A.M.E. Church, Riviera Beach; and the Rev. Dr. G. Vincent Lewis, Preacher-in-Residence, First (A.M.E.) Church of Palm Coast.

Some powerful preaching will take place, augmented by the First Church Choir and members of the Edward Waters Concert Choir.

Easter Sunrise Service, Sunday, March 27, 6 a.m., with both Pastor Gillard S. Glover and the Rev. Dr. G. Vincent Lewis preaching jointly, and dynamically preaching at the 10 a.m. Resurrection Sunday Celebration.

On Easter as well, national recording artist Kathy Williams will bring her wonderful voice to the Gospel. Williams, a graduate of Edward Waters College, is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and Williams Temple Church of God in Christ.

She’s described by Dr. Samuel Shingles, former Director of Music and Fine Arts at Edward Waters College, as having the

ability to change her range and style, and having “a mixture of Aretha Franklin, Mahalia Jackson, Tramaine Hawkins, or any one of the modern-day, hip-hop or pop stars.’’

The Sunrise Service will be followed by a sumptuous Easter breakfast and a children’s play starting at 9 a.m.

First (A.M.E.) Church at 91 Old Kings Road North, Palm Coast, can be reached at 386-446-5759.

Palm Coast releases 2015 progress report

Updates on economy and environment

SPECIAL TO THE DAYTONA TIMES

The City of Palm Coast has released its Annual Progress Report for 2015, an overview of accomplishments, achievements and progress based on the goals set by the Palm Coast City Council.

The report is now available online at www.palmcoastgov.com/progress-report, or members of the public may now request a printed copy.

The report includes a section on each of the six goals: Expansion, Economic, Finance, Environmental, Quality of Life, and Workforce Talent, along with results from the annual Citizen Survey. This year, there is a special report on the opening of the new Palm Coast City Hall.

Among the accomplishments highlighted in the report are completion of the six-laning of 1.23 miles of Palm Coast Parkway, the third phase of the Seminole Woods Multi-Use Pathway, two major water treatment projects, and safety improvements on Royal Palms Parkway.

The report also provides updates on various projects that are still underway.

NAACP to meet at sheriff’s center The Flagler NAACP has changed the venue of its meeting place for March 22, 6 p.m., to the Sheriff’s Operations Center, 901 East Moody Blvd, Bunnell. The April meeting typically will be held at the African American Cultural Society.

Dr. Alma Yearwood Dixon, former Community Engagement director of Bethune-Cookman University and now a caregiver advocate at VITAS Healthcare, will be the March speaker focusing on caregiving.

For further details, contact the Flagler County NAACP at 386-446-7822.

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

Celebrations Birthday wishes to Devin M. Price, Maxine Hicks, Patrice Henderson, March 17; Miles Baker, March 18; Reggie Pincham, March 19; Christopher Robinson, March 21; Master Mason Sword, Rory Ragoonan, and Arthur Pete, March 22.

The report provides an update on the local economy, including the upward trend in building activity, employment, and revenues from sales taxes, bed taxes and building permits. It highlights new construction and the Palm Coast Business Assistance Center’s new retail recruitment strategy to help attract retailers and other commercial entities to our community.

The report also celebrates awards received by the city, including Mayor Jon Netts receiving the Regional Leadership Award from the Northeast Florida Regional Council. It provides information on the improved ISO rating for fire safety an improved rating for Palm Coast’s floodplain management activities.

There are sections on quality of life and the environment, especially showcasing the City’s recertification in the Florida Green Building Coalition’s Gold Level Certification for local governments’ environmental practices and programs in pursuit of long-term sustainability and environmental stewardship.

For more information or to request a printed copy, contact Palm Coast Communications & Marketing Manager Cindi Lane at clane@palmcoastgov.com and 386-986-3708.

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Flagler offering employment seminars for veterans SPECIAL TO THE DAYTONA TIMES

The Flagler County Veterans Services Office has arranged for a series of veterans’ employment seminars to be held at the Emergency Operations Center this month.

The Veteran Infused Employment Workshop, also known as VIEW, is provided through the Orlando VA Medical Center. The seminars are aimed specifically at the needs of veterans looking for jobs in the Central Florida area.

“We get a lot of requests for help finding employment,” said Sal Rutigliano, Flagler County Veterans Services Officer. “These seminars were being held regularly in South Daytona,

so I asked about having them come here. We have 12,537 veterans here who could benefit from this.”

The first seminar, “Creating Your Job Search Tactics and Network,” will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on March 29. “Goals, Resumes and Interviewing” will be covered from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on March 30. The longest seminar, “Performance Excellence, Mock Interviews and Graduation,” will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on March 31.

The seminars will be limited to about 30 people.

“We want these to be a typical class size so participants get individual attention,” Rutigliano said. “We expect this to be successful, and then we will schedule additional seminars.”

To sign up for the seminars, contact Annie Artis at 407-629-1599, ext. 28846, vhaorlhvces@va.gov. For information about Flagler County Veterans Services, contact Sal Rutigliano at 386-313-4014, srutigliano@flaglercounty.org.

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7 EDITORIAL

MARCH 17 – MARCH 23, 2016

Flint residents deserve better than this As the proud owner of NBC 25 in Flint, Mich., it is important for us to understand the community and to become a part of it as much as we can. We have the ability to elevate the needs and concerns of the downtrodden, hold those in power accountable and showcase the resilience of Flint.

I wanted to feel the emotions on the ground, to understand the crisis through first-hand experience. Too often in reporting, the people are ignored for political spin.

And after our day in Flint, we can tell you that the personal resilience of the people of Flint is highly under-reported.

To City Hall When we first arrived on Feb. 29, we went straight to City Hall.

Many were there in search of answers. At the counter for free water filters, we met a young single mother, who is also a student, and her young daughter.

The mother said her daughter had elevated levels of lead. She didn’t know what to do, but she knew she had to get the water filters for her daughter. She was worried about her daughter’s future. It reminded me that this is not a temporary crisis, but one whose effect will reverberate throughout Flint for a generation or more.

City Hall was littered with people who wanted their stories heard. There were women there who had done their own research into the crisis and dug up documents that proved officials

ARMSTRONG WILLIAMS NNPA COLUMNIST

knew about the dangers of the lead levels long before the public.

All of the people we met wanted answers, but more importantly, they were trying as best they could to help the community they love. This is how we started to love the people of Flint.

From City Hall, we went to a firehouse. The men and women of the National Guard were standing outside on a cold, damp day handing out cases of water to anyone who drove up. They did not complain about the weather, or the heavy lifting, or about being on their feet all day. They were there for the community.

Loaded water We watched then helped load the water into cars, speaking to as many of the drivers as possible. We wanted to hear their stories. Most came daily to pick up multiple cases of water. Many had children who they worried about; most did not have the money to move away. We came to understand why the National Guard did not complain about being outside in the freezing cold – they were the lucky ones.

After spending time with people at the firehouse, we wanted to see firsthand the living conditions of the city, where 40 percent of the population lives

Severing the prison-toprofits pipeline America is addicted to incarceration. No nation holds as many people behind bars as America does, and the numbers tell it all.

The United States imprisons 716 people for every 100,000 residents. That is more than any other country on this planet.

Our nation has the largest prison population in the world – both in terms of the actual number of inmates and as a percentage of the country’s population.

While the United States has less than five percent of the world’s population, we lock up almost 25 percent of the world’s total prison population.

Numbers don’t lie Well-meaning people will differ on the question of whether America’s war on crime has truly benefitted the American taxpayer.

But because numbers don’t lie, we cannot question the fact that our criminal justice obsession with retribution (not rehabilitation) has profited private prison operators

MARC H. MORIAL TRICE EDNEY WIRE

in our nation’s sprawling prison industrial complex to the tune of billions of dollars.

The country’s two largest private prison operators, Corrections Corporation of America and GEO Group, recently posted their earnings. Combined, the two forprofit prison companies collected $361 million in profits last year.

According to In the Public Interest, a research and policy center, CCA made $3,356 in profit for every person they incarcerated and GEO Group made $2,135.

Incarcerating Americans at the staggering rate of one in every 110 adults has become a profitable business that promotes the bottom lines of CEOs, but fails to promote effective public safety

Here’s why ‘Diamond’ and ‘Silk’ support Trump On Facebook, I saw two Black women at a Trump rally expressing their support for “The Donald.” I realized that there is a certain type of emotional naiveté that I possess when it comes to our people.

I assume that in light of the history of White supremacy – including indentured servitude, slavery, Jim Crow segregation, and de facto segregation, as well as the ideological demonization of our people at the hands of an assortment of characters – that we can look a racist in the eyes and know their stand.

BILL FLETCHER, JR. NNPA COLUMNIST

How is it?

I found myself staring at these two Black women backing Trump and I realized that I felt the same emotions about the candidacy of Dr. Ben Carson. How is it, I have asked, for a Black person to utter some of the most ridiculous statements known to humanity?

I remind myself that Black

below the poverty line.

A couple of people welcomed our team into their homes. We heard and saw firsthand what it was like not to be able to take hot baths or drink tap water. We saw cases of water stacked up everywhere. We heard tales about how it took hours to fill up baths with enough clean hot water so they could clean themselves. A hot bath, something we take for granted, was so precious to them.

They also relayed to us how many of their neighbors did not own cars, so they could not go to the fire stations to pick up the water. Instead, the community pitched in. Those with cars drove those without cars, or just picked up a couple of extra cases for the elderly or infirmed.

After witnessing the strength of the people, we headed to a town hall my WEYI-NBC25 Flint station hosted. Elected officials, doctors, and professors all gathered to talk with the community about the water crisis. The goal was to bring together the community so the citizens could have their voices heard and so the people could learn what they could do to help.

Large crowd The passion surrounding the crisis was evident. The auditorium was nearly packed and from the first question, it was evident that the residents were sick of excuses and wanted action. There was blame enough to go around; the time for answers was now. Occasionally, emotions rose to a fevered pitch

strategy. Research has shown that investing in social programs and education – resources that can help keep people out of jail in the first place – is far more effective at improving public safety than investing in incarceration.

Policies that promote prison over education, incarceration over mental health services and jail over job services comes at the long-term cost of our collective well-being and safety.

Prisons over schools

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: MARCH 15 MAP

NATE BEELER, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

– for good reasons.

After being in Flint for nearly twelve hours digging into the issue, I found myself getting upset. I saw the pain and suffering the residents were enduring, and at the town hall, I experienced the hopelessness they felt. No one had answers. No one could tell the residents when the crisis would be resolved, how the city was going to deal with the longterm health issues, when they would be able to drink the water, or when the pipes were going to be replaced.

The town hall allowed us to hear every side of the issue. We expected we would have a better feeling about the crisis facing the residents, but sadly we felt worse.

There was nothing we could do at the moment to help, other than listen to the citizens and give them a platform. But we could not change the pipes, we couldn’t fix all of their problems – and no one on the stage could either.

nation’s over-reliance on jails to combat our entrenched social ills – and the taxpayer money that keeps the system thriving – should be re-routed into education and the social institutions that serve the public good and are aligned with public safety goals.

America’s incarceration addiction is devastating wide swaths of already socially and economically vulnerable communities. Statistically, AfricanAmericans are incarcerated at nearly six times the rate of Whites.

Combined, African-Americans and Latinos represent well over 50 percent of our national prison population.

Crime induced by a lack of opportunity cannot be solved by punishment.

people are not monolithic, and that – despite our history – there is a very conservative if not outright reactionary minority among Black Americans that are convinced that we ourselves are the problem; or that there is some other group (like Latinos, Muslims, etc.) who can take some of the racist heat away from us that we have experienced for so long.

It is not simply self-hatred that we are facing. In some respects, that would be easy to address.

It is that there are people who honestly believe that their personal future or our collective future resides in conforming to the worst caricatures that White America has of us.

against Latinos and Muslims, for instance, that we will somehow become accepted as ‘real’ Americans. It will never happen.

Some Black folks tried that after 9/11. It does not work. We are still hated.

It is the revelation that the Adolph Caesar character has at both the beginning and end of the classic film, “A Soldier’s Story,” i.e., the ‘game’ has been rigged and masses of Whites still hate us – even when we get on our knees and do everything that they ask.

They seem to believe that by joining in on the pile-on

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.

Julia T. Cherry, Senior Managing Member, Central Florida Communicators Group, LLC Dr. Glenn W. Cherry, Cassandra CherryKittles, Charles W. Cherry II, Managing Members

Our current sentencing policies and prisons have not proven themselves capable of fixing mental illness, drug addiction, homelessness or unemployment.

They only hide these pressing social issues from view.

We must decide, as a nation, if we are going to continue to turn to blind mass incarceration as a solution for the problems in our society, or if we are going to invest in individuals – not incarceration – and make these private prisons obsolete.

Marc Morial is president and CEO of the National Urban League.

Donald Trump called for the execution of five Black men who were accused in the Central Park brutal rape of a White woman in 1989, only for them to be exonerated. Trump

Bill Fletcher, Jr. a talkshow host, writer and activist.

Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. Contact him at www.billfletcherjr.com.

Dr. Valerie Rawls-Cherry, Human Resources

Charles W. Cherry, Sr. (1928-2004), Founder

Can’t fix it

Is he serious?

Dr. Glenn W. Cherry, Sales Manager

W W W. DAY T O N AT I M E S .C O M

Armstrong Williams is the manager/sole owner of Howard Stirk Holdings I & II Broadcast Television Stations and executive editor of American CurrentSee online magazine. Follow him on Twitter @arightside.

calls for excluding and expelling Mexicans for allegedly bringing crime to America, as if no other ethnic group has ever been or is associated with crime.

Trump calls for banning Muslims from entering America for allegedly bringing terrorism, despite the fact that most terrorist attacks since 9/11 have been carried out by White supremacists.

What am I missing? Is there any reason to take anyone who supports Trump seriously? I think not.

Charles W. Cherry II, Esq., Publisher

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 elected officials need to stop seeking blame and start seeking solutions. They need to act now, because the people of Flint cannot wait any longer. The government failed them when it created the crisis and is failing now with their lack of response.

After we left the town hall, we came to one conclusion: the people of Flint are resilient; their elected officials are not. But that isn’t stopping the citizens of Flint from trying to save their community.

America’s incarceration addiction is devastating wide swaths of already socially and economically vulnerable communities. Statistically, AfricanAmericans are incarcerated at nearly six times the rate of Whites. Combined, African-Americans and Latinos represent well over 50 percent of our national prison population.

Over the past four decades, state spending on corrections has outpaced funding for public education, with states spending three times as much on prisons than schools. Private prisons – which began cropping up as an alternative for cash-strapped states attempting to save money by outsourcing the building and running of prisons to private companies – are incentivized to keep cells full at the lowest possible cost, not to keep cells empty.

Every occupied bed represents a broken family, communities torn apart, diminished future job prospects, a potential loss of voting rights and the increased risk of returning to crime. Our

Still hated

People deserve better

Jenise Morgan, Senior Editor Angela van Emmerik, Creative Director Cassandra Cherry Kittles, Willie R. Kittles, Circulation Penny Dickerson, Staff Writer Duane Fernandez Sr., Kim Gibson, Photojournalists

MEMBER

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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’.

SUBMISSIONS POLICY SEND ALL SUBMISSIONS TONEWS@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.

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5 7

M AHEALTH YOR

MARCH 17 – MARCH 23, 2016 DECEMBER 14 - 20, 2006

Zika boosts demand for abortions in certain countries Medication to end pregnancy being encouraged in nations that legally permit it

BY ANN M. SIMMONS LOS ANGELES TIMES TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE

As the Zika virus, which has been linked to birth defects, spreads across Latin America, the demand for abortions is increasing in countries where there are few legal avenues to obtain one.

“It has made the issue more salient and has highlighted the cruelty behind some of these restrictive abortion laws,” said Francoise Girard, president of the International Women’s Health Coalition, a New York-based nonprofit that advocates for sexual and reproductive health and rights.

“There is an incredible amount of anxiety, fear and stress among women that are pregnant,” she added.

Leticia Zenevich, a spokeswoman for Women on Web, an international nonprofit that provides advice and drugs to women who want abortions but live in countries where the practice is banned, said that requests for abortioninducing medication have surged since the outbreak began.

Free pills In 2015, the group received 10,400 emails from women in the Spanishspeaking Americas and 9,500 emails from women largely in Brazil inquiring

about abortion medication, Zenevich said. She said the group had not yet calculated the exact increase in requests for anti-abortion drugs since the Zika outbreak, but they believe the numbers could have doubled.

The nonprofit has been providing abortion pills free of charge to women in Zika-affected countries since Feb. 1, Zenevich said.

Typically the drugs cost between $78 and $100.

Abortion rights activists and health specialists fear that the failure to loosen restrictions on abortion might force more women to undergo dangerous, clandestine abortions, which are already a problem across much of Latin America.

“During this crisis women will look for any means to have an abortion,” Zenevich said.

“The landscape is very tragic for women in Latin America.”

No exceptions El Salvador, Nicaragua, Chile, Haiti, Honduras, Suriname and the Dominican Republic outlaw abortion with no legal exceptions, not even to save a woman’s life. More than a dozen El Salvadoran women have been sentenced to as long as 50 years behind bars as a result of miscarriages or stillborn births, civil rights advocates say.

Brazil, Venezuela, Panama, Paraguay, Guatemala and Mexico are among the nations that prohibit abortion except when necessary to save a woman’s life. Saving a woman’s life as well as protecting her physical

health are the criteria for having an abortion in Ecuador, Bolivia, Argentina, Costa Rica, the Bahamas and Grenada, according to reproductive rights advocacy groups.

The outbreak has prompted calls to loosen these countries’ restrictive abortion laws. Recently, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights called for “laws and policies that restrict access to sexual and reproductive health services” to be repealed as an effective response to the Zika health emergency.

Even Pope Francis suggested to reporters during a recent visit to Mexico that artificial contraception might be permissible in the fight against Zika. But he described abortion as “a crime” and an “absolute evil.”

El Salvador’s health minister has argued for abortion laws to be revised because of the threat of birth abnormalities, but his urgings have gained little traction.

Uphill battle Activists and Colombia and Brazil have also sought to have the laws relaxed.

“We are not demanding the right to abortion in case of any specific diagnosis for the fetus,” Debora Diniz, founder of Anis, a Brazilian abortion rights group that is petitioning the country’s Supreme Court, said in an email. “We are demanding the right to be freed of the psychological torture of living an imposed pregnancy in times of an epidemic caused by a decades-old negligence of Brazilian policies in controlling the mosquito.”

Abortion laws in Latin America The Zika virus is suspected of causing birth defects, pushing the abortion debate to the forefront in countries in the region as well as some Caribbean nations. Here are the current laws on abortion:

Legal

Illegal

Illegal except to save a woman’s life

Cuba (1) Guyana

Haiti Dominican Republic

Honduras

Puerto Rico

El Salvador Nicaragua

Suriname

BALTIMORE — When 16-year-old Kirsten White is in class and feels distracted, frustrated or angry, she looks at the tiles on the ceiling or the bricks on the walls and counts them.

It gives her the chance to pause and think before she acts.

“I take a minute, and no one realizes it,” the Annapolis teenager says.

“It calms me.”

The mindfulness exercise is one of many she’s learned and embraced in a residential program at Sheppard Pratt, a psychiatric hospital in Towson, where she has been living and going to school since November.

The training has helped her cope with the burdens of her young life, which have included bullying, emotional problems and self-harm.

Mindfulness meditation is an ancient spiritual practice that was introduced into health care in the 1970s by a University of Massachusetts professor of medicine who believed it could help patients reduce stress. The practice continues to spread, with classes offered in offices, universities, hospitals and online to help promote relaxation and focus.

Now, as science begins to back up the benefits, mindfulness is being

adopted in clinical settings to help providers and patients manage a host of disorders.

The idea is to focus intensely on the present, emptying the mind of outside influences, judgments or stressors, says Tess Carpenter, clinical director of residential programs at Sheppard Pratt.

Not for everyone Mindfulness is the core of the institution’s Mann Residential Treatment Program, the behavioral training program launched in 2011 to help troubled teens tolerate distress and improve emotional and interpersonal responses in situations they find overwhelming.

The patients have diagnoses that include attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety.

Kirsten, who’s in 10th grade, says she was one of those people. When a counselor proposed the therapy, she was hesitant.

She ultimately decided to give it a try.

Using ‘wise mind’ Counselors have the teens stare at their thumbs, or blow up balloons and bat them in the air for a few minutes.

That teaches them to concentrate on an activity, Carpenter says, filtering

Guatemala Panama (6)

Venezuela

Paraguay

Uruguay

Chile Brazil (2)

Illegal with exceptions

Bahamas

Jamaica (1)

Grenada

Trinidad and Tobago

Costa Rica

St. Vincent and the Grenadines (4)

St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia (3)

Barbados (5) Belize (8)

Colombia (4) Ecuador (2) Peru Bolivia (3)

Exceptions: To save a woman’s life and preserve physical health

Argentina (2)

Exceptions: To save a woman’s life and preserve physical and mental health

Exceptions: To save a woman’s life and preserve physical and mental health and on socioeconomic grounds

Other requirements or exceptions (1) Parental authorization required. (2) Also in cases of rape. (3) Also in cases of rape and incest. (4) Also in cases of rape, incest and fetal impairment. (5) Also in cases of rape, incest and fetal impairment. Parental authorization required. (6) Also in cases of rape and fetal impairment. Parental authorization required. (7) Also in cases of rape or fetal impairment, decided at state level. (8) Also in cases of fetal impairment.

Graphic: Ann M. Simmons, Lorena Iñiguez Elebee, Los Angeles Times/TNS Source: Guttmacher Institute

Diniz, who also teaches law at the University of Brasilia, said the petition is also demanding that pregnant women receive quality information about Zika, counseling, and social protection and support if they are infected with Zika and have babies with disabilities.

The activists face an uphill battle.

The Brazilian Conference of Catholic Bishops has rejected the argument that Zika should justify a relaxation of abortion laws. And the speaker of the lower house proposed legislation to make it harder to get an abortion in cases of rape, according to Reuters.

Other opponents of abortion argue that there is still not enough proof the virus causes birth defects.

Last month a team of epidemiologists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention launched a research project in Brazil

to determine whether Zika is really to blame for the recent increase in abnormalities in newborns.

Officials: Postpone pregnancies In the meantime, some governments are urging women to postpone getting pregnant for several months, if not years.

Officials in El Salvador have suggested that women avoid conceiving until 2018, while Ecuador, Colombia and Jamaica have proposed shorter intervals, according to media reports.

Human rights advocates say such demands are unreasonable and unfeasible particularly in nations where methods to prevent pregnancies are not readily available.

Even before the Zika crisis, more than half of all pregnancies in Latin America were unintended

Mindfulness exercises helping troubled teens cope with life

BY MEREDITH COHN BALTIMORE SUN TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE

Antigua and Barbuda Dominica

Mexico (7)

because of inadequate access to modern contraceptives, said Susan Cohen, the Guttmacher Institute’s vice president for public policy.

“Women need contraceptive services more than just to prevent Zika,” Cohen said. Now “the need is that (much) more urgent,” she added.

“It is the responsibility of the government in these countries to step up and address this head on.”

The Americas have one of the highest numbers of unwanted teen pregnancies in the world, and pregnancy is the third leading cause of death for women in the region, according to data from the Center for Reproductive Rights.

“Telling these women to just not get pregnant is adding insult to injury,” said Charles Abbott, the group’s legal advisor for Latin America and the Caribbean.

the real world as well as the therapy world. They are not returning to the program, or to the social service or criminal justice systems that initially referred many of them.

Other students are referred to the program by private psychiatrists or taken there by their parents.

Controlling responses LLOYD FOX/BALTIMORE SUN/TNS

Corey Johnson Jr. surveys a mural where patients have painted things they think are worth living for on Feb. 22 at the Mann Residential Treatment Center in Baltimore, Md. out distractions. In the real world, it could snap them out of an overly emotional situation and give them a window of time to rethink their response.

It’s using “your wise mind,” Carpenter said.

Dr. Carl Fulwiler, medical director and associate research director for the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, says there’s now a critical mass of studies showing mindfulness exercises are effective in helping to control stress, pain, weight and depression.

There are some problems, such as anxiety disorders in which patients can’t focus, where the practice hasn’t been proved effective, Fulwiler says. Outside a clinical setting, mindfulness can be harmful — as when it brings up buried memories or repressed feelings.

But with pain, for example, mindfulness may reduce suffering by making the brain less sensitive to what’s happening in the body, he says. In other cases, such as when people cope with stress by eating,

drinking alcohol or taking drugs, mindfulness can help people become more aware and make different choices.

“It’s how we react to things that mindfulness can help,” Fulwiler says.

“It’s not a total panacea.”

Urban youth studied In a 2014 study of 47 mindfulness-based trials, researchers at the Johns Hopkins University said they found enough evidence of its benefits that doctors should be prepared to talk to patients about it.

They also concluded that more study into who would benefit is warranted.

Fulwiler is looking at the benefits to minorities, who have not traditionally been included in studies.

Hopkins researchers are examining the effects of mindfulness on Baltimore’s urban youth.

In one study, published in January in the journal Biological Psychiatry, 35 adults who were experiencing the stress of unemployment were either taught mindfulness meditation or general relaxation techniques over three days.

Using brain scans,

researchers found only mindfulness exercises caused an increase in activity in the part of the brain responsible for reactions to stress and cognition. By looking at blood samples, they discovered a reduction in a chemical that causes inflammation, which can harm the immune system and lead to disease. Those benefits seemed to endure for months.

Handling real world While counselors believe everyone has an innate ability to practice mindfulness, they say it’s not easy for many people to master. People are accustomed to letting their minds wander, suppressing unwanted experiences and running on autopilot.

That’s why the teens in the Sheppard Pratt program stay from six months to a year, Carpenter says. The Towson program focuses on teenagers and can accommodate up to 63 at a time.

Carpenter’s team is just starting to collect data on the outcomes for those who go through the program.

But anecdotally, she says, they appear to be handling

Corey Johnson Jr., an 18-year-old from Maryland, says he no longer wants people to look at him as a “negative influence.”

He went to Sheppard Pratt in December after handling his diagnoses of ADHD, PTSD and a mood disorder poorly.

“I’m working hard not to be defined by my past,” Johnson said. “I don’t want to be the person who is in and out of residential treatment centers for the rest of my life and is viewed negatively. I want to be viewed positively.”

Johnson, who is in 11th grade, wants to become a forensic scientist. He believes he’s now better equipped to concentrate on reaching that goal.

He also believes that mindfulness has helped him better control his responses outside of class.

Instead of counting bricks, like Kristen, he often thinks of being with his older sisters.

“I always notice my heart rate goes down and I’m calmer,” he adds. “This helps me have a different outlook on life. I get 60 seconds to think about my choices, and of course, I act differently. In the past I reacted in the wrong way: impulsively.”

R6

7 CLASSIFIEDS

MARCH 17 – MARCH 23, 2016

CHOOSE CAR SEAT:

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THE ONES

WHO ACTUALLY DO.

THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE

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7

M ASPORTS YOR

MARCH 17 – MARCH 23, 2016 DECEMBER 14 - 20, 2006

We’re in for a wild ride to the Final Four Unlike last season, when undefeated Kentucky was poised as king entering the NCAA Tournament, there’s no obvious Goliath as teams prepare for their march toward Houston.

BY SHANNON RYAN CHICAGO TRIBUNE TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE

After a season full of surprises, CBS Sports’ lengthy Selection Sunday broadcast lacked intrigue thanks to a leaked bracket that circulated on Twitter during the show.

The NCAA Tournament, on the other hand, should be full of drama. It follows a season in which determining the No. 1 team from week to week was a difficult and everchanging task.

“My fourth year working with the committee, this is the hardest selection,” Dan Gavitt, NCAA vice president of basketball championships, told CBS before the bracket was revealed.

Even the top seeds were debatable. Kansas, North Carolina, Virginia and Oregon earned the No. 1 spots, leaving out Michigan State, which seemed to make a case by winning the Big Ten tournament.

Villanova was also knocked off the top line after losing to Seton Hall in the Big East championship game.

The No. 1 seeds have

CHUCK LIDDY/RALEIGH NEWS & OBSERVER/TNS

North Carolina’s Brice Johnson (11) celebrates near the end of the University of North Carolina’s 61-57 victory against Virginia in the finals of the ACC Tournament at the Verizon Center in Washington on March 12. a combined 23 losses — compared with nine for last season’s top seeds — indicating those seats aren’t so much thrones as potential trap doors.

So will all — or any — of those teams wind up in Houston for the Final Four?

It could be a wild ride.

No Monmouth Despite so many iffy resumes this year, there were plenty of arguments about teams left out and questions about the bubble teams that were invited.

T: 11.5 in

Michigan (4-12 against the RPI top 100), Vanderbilt (7-10), Tulsa (8-8) and Syracuse (8-10) earned bids despite questionable bodies of work.

The most interesting team that did not get an invitation was Monmouth, which went 3-4 against the top 100, won 17 games away from home and defeated Notre Dame, USC and Iona.

“They did exactly what you want teams like that to do,” selection committee chairman Joe Castiglione said on CBS. “Monmouth

was right there in that final discussion.”

Bubble teams such as South Carolina, San Diego State, Valparaiso and St. Mary’s were also kept out.

Also missing from the tournament will be marquee coaches Rick Pitino, after Louisville self-imposed a postseason ban in the wake of a sex scandal involving players and recruits, and Larry Brown, whose SMU Mustangs were sanctioned by the NCAA for violations including academic fraud.

‘Going to be crazy’ The debate this season has been as much about the product of college basketball — the interest it garners and the talent it boasts.

There has been a

revolving door of No. 1 teams in the Associated Press Top 25. Unlike last season, when undefeated Kentucky was poised as king entering the NCAA Tournament, there’s no obvious Goliath as teams prepare for their march toward Houston.

A volatile regular season should translate into an unpredictable tournament in which unknown players become stars and a struggling team could become champion.

“It’s going to be crazy,” Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. “It’s proven with seven No. 1 teams getting beat, people fluctuating in the top five, in and out. You kind of lose perspective this year because so many people are beating so many people.”

‘Strange and exciting’ Izzo predicted another tournament like 2010, which saw Northern Iowa upset Kansas, St. Mary’s take down Villanova, Ohio stun Georgetown, Cornell make the Sweet 16 and Butler reach the championship game.

“That to me was the craziest,” he said. “I thought we had our worst Final Four team. I didn’t think the strongest teams were there, including Michigan State. That was one of the weirdest ones in the last 15, 16 years.”

This tournament may be just as strange and exciting for everyone — except the men running the teams.

“Really good for writers, really good for fans,” Izzo said. “Really bad for coaches.”

COURTESY OF B-CU ATHLETICS T: 21 in

After the B-CU women’s basketball team (18-12) won a share of the MEAC regular season championship, the basketball team earned an automatic bid to the 2016 WNIT.

B-CU women to face FCGU Friday in Fort Myers SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

The 2016 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) regular-season Champion’s season stays alive as BethuneCookman women’s basketball heads to Fort Myers to take on FCGU Friday, March 18 at 7:05 p.m. during the first round of the WNIT (Women’s National Invitation Tournament), the committee announced

Palm Coast to host free NCCAA youth clinic Children and teens ages 6-16 are invited to join a free NCCAA Youth Sports Clinic in Palm Coast on Saturday, March 12, 9 to 11:30 a.m.

Kicking, batting, shooting, spiking and swinging skills will be emphasized, with golf classes being held at the Palm Harbor Golf Club, 100 Cooper Lane, and all other sports at the Indian Trails Sports Complex, 5455 Belle Terre Pkwy. The free sports clinic is being offered by Palm Coast Parks & Recreation.

late Monday, March 14 following the NCAA women’s basketball selection show.

The post-season appearance marks the first in Wildcat history as B-CU (18-12) won a share of the programs first regularseason title on March 3.

FGCU (25-8) fell 56-54 in the Atlantic Sun title game to No. 2 Jacksonville snapping a 21-game win streak overall, giving FGCU its first loss against a conference opponent in 46 games.

This story is courtesy of B-CU Athletics.

Instruction will be provided by National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) student-athletes and their professional coaches.

Advance registration is recommended.

Register online at www.palmcoastgov. com/events or in person at the Palm Coast Community Center, 305 Palm Coast Pkwy NE. On-site registration will be available only if space is still available. Children may also be pre-registered at the Palm Coast Community Center, 305 Palm Coast Pkwy. NE. For more information, call 386-9862323.

R8

7BUSINESS

MARCH 17 – MARCH 23, 2016

VERNON BRYANT/DALLAS MORNING NEWS/TNS

Marvin Ellison has been CEO of J. C. Penney’s since August 2015. His first big moves when he took over were to bring in new people to head up the chain’s “omnichannel’’ – creating a seamless shopping experience across stores and online.

Online companies opening brick-andmortar stores as retail giants shrink

BY SUZETTE PARMLEY PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE

They’re the switch hitters of retail — players with a growing presence on the other side of the selling field.

Online juggernaut Amazon.com opened its first brick-and-mortar store in November in Seattle. Around the same time, retail heavyweight Macy’s announced it was shutting nearly 40 stores

this year to beef up its online presence. Same with Sears, JC Penney, and the Gap — all closing stores.

Kohl’s announced last month that it was closing 18 stores nationwide. The discount chain operates a popular loyalty rewards program for in-store and online purchases. Kohl’s said digital sales increased 30 percent in fourth quarter 2015, prompting it to re-evaluate its store footprint.

Meanwhile, some companies that began life online — such as Athleta and Fabletics (which both sell trendy sportswear and accessories for women), Birchbox (a cosmetics company), and Bonobos (a men’s online company that rented space from Nordstrom and shipped clothes to your home) — are now adding brick-andmortar stores.

In many cases, they are moving into prime real estate once reserved

for top-performing retail stores.

A new blend Birchbox opened its first physical store in downtown Manhattan in July 2014.

Warby Parker — an eyewear company conceived on the Internet by four Wharton business school students — is taking over premium space for a second downtown Philadelphia store.

“We want to be able to

reach as many customers as possible, and plan on continuing to expand our retail presence,” Wharton grad Neil Blumenthal, Warby Parker’s cofounder and co-CEO, said in late February. “We want as many people as possible to experience our brand in-store, in addition to shopping with us online.”

Blumenthal described his firm’s expansion to the other side as “organic.”

“We tested brick and mortar for months through various activations, like the Warby Parker Holiday Spectacle Bazaar (a holiday pop-up store in Manhattan) and the Warby Parker Class Trip, an old yellow school bus reimagined as a mobile showroom that traveled to 16 different cities,” he said. Those “gave us the confidence to sign our first lease and build out a proper store in New York’s SoHo neighborhood.

“Our stores offer customers an additional way to experience our brand,” he said. “We think of ourselves as a lifestyle brand. We don’t think of the future as purely online or brick and mortar, but rather a new blend of the two.”

Win-win for shoppers Eric C. Rothman, portfolio manager for CenterSquare Investment Management, based in suburban Philadelphia, said this blending of the two worlds is all “part of the evolution of retail.”

Experts say the trend will continue to gain momentum, although the impact is likely to differ by retail category — such as electronics vs. clothing.

“The reason for the accelerating shift online is the expanding penetration of online sales across more categories,” said Frank

Badillo of MacroSavvy, which provides insights about economic, demographic, or other macro-level trends. “As that penetration reaches a critical mass — doubledigit market share and higher — then the impact on the largest brick-andmortar retailers in that category becomes much more evident.”

The winner amid all of this: the shopper.

Especially “those who are omni-shoppers and who know which retail channel and retailer is the best fit for their needs,” Badillo said.

Alternative pickup spots Badillo predicted that the more likely build-out for online retailers is to create alternative pickup locations to home delivery.

“There are online retailers who are setting up locker pickups near transportation hubs where shoppers can order online and pick up at the locker location on their way home,” he said.

Moody’s senior retail analyst Charlie O’Shea said that as more business has shifted online — an estimated 8 percent of total U.S. retail sales are now online — retailers are recognizing that as they grow faster online, they need less retail-selling square footage.

The blurring of the lines is expected only to intensify in the coming years.

“For most products, consumers actually prefer to shop in store because they want to see and touch what they’re buying,” said Dave Parro, vice president of the retail technology practice at Walker Sands, a PR marketing firm. “But they also shop online regularly because of the convenience and range of products available.”