Florida Courier - January 06, 2017

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PRESORTED STANDARD MAIL U.S. POSTAGE PAID DAYTONA BEACH, FL PERMIT #189

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CELEBRATING OUR 10TH YEAR STATEWIDE!

Zora Neale Hurston Festival returns this month in Eatonville See Page B1 www.flcourier.com

JANUARY 6 – JANUARY 12, 2017

VOLUME 25 NO. 1

BLACK PRESS TOP 10 FOR 2016 The Trice Edney News Wire selects the Top 10 stories covered by the Black Press of America last year.

FROM THE TRICE EDNEY NEWS WIRE

As the Obama era comes to a close, a snapshot of the top Black press stories of the past year alone reveal a need for a clear Black agenda as African-Americans still struggle for equality and justice.

“We are spending trillions in wars without end.

Inequality has reached extremes not witnessed since the eve of the Great Depression. We continue to lock up more people than any nation in the world. On an average day, 27 people die from gun violence in the United States. In Canada and other Western nations, the average is fewer than five per day,” wrote the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. in a postChristmas column.

Despite good news – the facts that unemployment

and poverty are down and incomes are rising – the African-American unemployment rate at 8.1 percent is still nearly twice that of Whites at 4.2 percent and remains consistently well above the national average, now at 4.6 percent.

This is partially the reason economic justice remains among the 10 top Black stories of 2016.

The following are synopses of other revealing stories told through the Black press last year: Donald Trump elected president: President Obama has announced a farewell address to be given in Chicago Jan. 10. The end of his eight-year tenure as America’s first Black president begins a new era for America. It is one marked by the national shock of the Nov. 8 election of business billionaire Donald Trump –

CHARLES W. CHERRY II / FLORIDA COURIER; FILE PHOTO

Southern Christian Leadership Conference members saluted crusading Black journalist George E. Curry as he was laid to rest in his Tuscaloosa, Ala., hometown in August 2016. a person who not only tormented Obama with racist questions about his country of birth until the president finally produced his birth certificate as proof that he was born in America – but also a person who won the

official endorsement of the Ku Klux Klan. He has since surrounded himself with a nearly all-White male cabinet, including his chief advisor Steve Bannon, a founder of Breitbart News, the voice of the so-called “alt-right”

with its White supremacist and racist views.

Civil rights leaders say a clear Black agenda is necessary for major progress. A Jan. 14 march planned by Rev. Al Sharpton and the National Action Network aims

toward that end. Trump will be inaugurated Jan. 20.

Sharpton said the march aims to “warn President Trump and Congress that the fight for criminal justice, voting rights, affordable See 2016, Page A2

Clearing a major hurdle

THE ‘RIVER OF GRASS’

Pythons invading the Everglades

Voting rights effort energized

BY DAN SWEENEY SUN SENTINEL / TNS

FORT LAUDERDALE – The new year could mark a major milestone toward hundreds of thousands of Floridians regaining the right to vote.

The Florida Supreme Court in March will hear arguments on a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow felons – except murderers and sex offenders – to have their voting rights restored after they complete prison and probation.

Just over 6 million felons in the United States are unable to vote, according to The Sentencing Project, a prison reform group. About 1.7 million of them live in Florida, which amounts to more than 10 percent of the state’s voting population.

One of three Florida is one of just three states that takes away voting rights for life, and the state’s population is far larger than the other two: Mississippi and Kentucky.

Most states restore voting rights after felons have served their sentences, including parole and probaSCOTT BOBACK/DICKINSON COLLEGE

South Florida Water Management District python tracker Bobby Hill captured a 14-foot python in Everglades National Park in June 2013. A park biologist discovered it had eaten three deer, setting a new record. State officials are concerned that pythons continue extending their grip on parts of South Florida in 2017.

Lottery sales set record in 2016 COMPILED FROM WIRE AND STAFF REPORTS

Florida Lottery sales hit a record $6.2 billion last year, according to the state agency. The total is up $411 million from 2015 and is expected to generate $1.6 billion for the state’s Educational Enhancement Trust Fund, the agency said in a news release. A total of $3.9 billion went to prizes.

“Ending 2016 with this never-before-

ALSO INSIDE

reached sales record is a tremendous accomplishment for the Florida Lottery,” Lottery Secretary Tom Delacenserie said in a prepared statement.

The new sales numbers follow a Sun-Sentinel analysis last August that concluded the lottery’s push to increase scratch-off ticket revenue has resulted in sales of the instant games rising three times as fast in high-poverty areas as in other areas.

Poor not targeted Delacenserie was questioned last month during a Senate Regulated Industries Committee meeting about whether the lottery was targeting minority communities, but he dismissed the notion.

“Unequivocally, we do not target anyone,”

Delacenserie replied. “We have an advertising budget. We use the same model that any consumer products company would use, whether that’s Colgate or P&G. What we do try to do is reach our demographics throughout the state.”

A measure failed during the 2016 legislative session to scale back the number of scratch-off tickets from nearly 60 to 20, and to limit the most expensive single cards to $10.

SNAPSHOTS FLORIDA | A3

State sponsors Black History Month contest Battle expected over 2019 justices NATION | A6

FOOD | B6

Police want data on people shot each year

Recipes for a healthy new year

Constantly overlooked For years and under multiple gubernatorial administrations, the Florida Lottery has been criticized for its spending relatively See LOTTERY, Page A2

COMMENTARY: JULIANNE MALVEAUX: WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM THE BLACK PANTHER PARTY | A4 COMMENTARY: MARGARET KIMBERLEY: PRESIDENT OBAMA’S PROPAGANDA GIFT TO TRUMP | A5

FOCUS

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JANUARY 6 – JANUARY 12, 2017

‘Back in the day’ is today!

On January 20, 2017, in a lot of ways, African-Americans will revisit their past. “Back in the day” will become today!

Similar to the period of governmental and legal systems labeled “Jim Crow” (or “nigger laws”), it appears Black people in the United States today should consider preparing themselves for increased targeting of outspoken Blacks in government and in Black communities, increased suppression of African-American votes and voting rights, increased physical violence against Blacks by both officers of the law and lawless members of hate groups including neo-Nazis, White supremacists, White nationalists and modern-day Ku Klux Klansmen, and increased de facto segregation and isolation!

Yes, the color of your skin will have far more significance than the color of your eyes!

They voted The friends, neighbors and coworkers that you described, for the most part, as support-

mies and unite their minds to oppose Blacks, immigrants, Muslims, poor, gay, disabled and other groups.

LUCIUS GANTT THE GANTT REPORT

ers, benefactors, comrades, colleagues and buddies cast their ballots in the last U.S. presidential election for candidates that abused women, despised Latinos, and suggested that America should deny people of certain religious faiths.

Votes cast against Hillary Clinton were merely disguised votes against the Black man she sought to use to her political advantage by encouraging him to work very hard to turn out Black votes for her. That man was your “hero,” African-American President Barack Obama.

America’s current ultraconservative political leaning is nothing new, and it is not unique to the United States. Britain, Italy, Israel and many other so called Western nations have chosen to unite their votes, unite their econo-

Ask them Ask the Native Americans if today feels like back in the day when their sovereign land was taken at will by any paleface that wanted it – back then for farming and homesteading, and today for pipelines.

When exploiters, oppressors, colonialists and neocolonialists decide to “go back,” we, the righteous people of the world, need to fight back!

How do we fight back? One good way is to go back ourselves.

We need to go back to working together, helping each other, loving each other and depending on each other!

The capitalist devil is a greedy devil. They don’t want to redistribute the world’s wealth. They don’t want to share the wealth.

They want to control the wealth, the money and the power!

Us first!

It would behoove AfricanAmericans to do for self and do for our community. We have to understand that we need to put ourselves, our needs and our issues first!

We have to do everything we can to keep and circulate our money in our community. We have to start more Black businesses and patronize more Black businesses.

We have to recognize our glorious history and appreciate our wonderful culture.

And we need to stop all of this marching and go back to doing more boycotting! Don’t act like you’ve never heard of a bus boycott!

Use money wisely Boycott! Don’t put your money into banks that redline your neighborhood and refuse to give loans to you and your businesses. Don’t shop at stores that don’t hire workers that look and think like you.

Finally, quit putting your faith in hand-picked political and community leaders that will sell you out for a title or a pat on the head!

Our people, young and old, have to read more than Twitter and Facebook posts. Give your children more books and fewer toys.

A child can make a toy. But if they are well read they can make a life, make a nation and make a better world.

Be encouraged!

Don’t be all sad because it seems the deck is stacked against you. Reach your ashy Black hands out to your brothers and sisters in Africa, South America, the Caribbean, and other places and you will find people that love you, want you and respect you – and will do business with you.

You don’t have to depend on the President-elect and his cronies to save you. Save yourself by working with your own kind.

There are more people of color on earth than there are people with no color!

Buy Gantt’s latest book, “Beast Too: Dead Man Writing,” on Amazon.com and from bookstores everywhere. “Like” The Gantt Report page on Facebook. Contact Lucius at www. allworldconsultants.net.

RIGHTS

LOTTERY

tion. Vermont and Maine even allow absentee voting from prison.

A political action committee, Floridians for a Fair Democracy, is pushing for the change and gathered the needed signatures required for a Supreme Court review. If approved, and the group can gather another 600,000 signatures, the proposed amendment could be before voters in the 2018 election.

few ad dollars in Blackowned media.

A 2014 front-page article in the Florida Courier’s occasional “Following The Money” series revealed that seven years of Florida Lottery studies on players’ spending habits ignored Black Floridians.

In a scathing commentary published statewide in February 2016, columnist Clarence McKee – also a former consultant to an anti-gambling advocacy group – took the state agency to task.

from A1

Non-incarcerated felons “Each year about 170,000 people in Florida are convicted of felony offenses, but slightly less than 25 percent are sent to prison,” said Desmond Meade, president of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition.

“So the overwhelming majority of people we’re talking about are people who haven’t spent one day in prison. They’re out in the community trying to regain their lives. They’re our family, our friends, our congregations.”

As it stands now, the only way they can get back their voting rights is through a clemency board consisting of the governor and the Florida state Cabinet – the state attorney general, the commissioner of agriculture and the chief financial officer.

Few restored under Scott That board has wide latitude in deciding who gets their rights restored. Under former Gov. Charlie Crist,

2016 from A1

health care, improvements in education and other issues around equality and justice continues.”

Racial attacks: Since the Trump election, race-related harassment and intimidation has skyrocketed across the country. In the first month alone (between Nov. 8 and Dec. 12), the Southern Poverty Law Center, a foremost monitor of hate groups and their activities, received reports of more than 1,000 incidents – mostly anti-immigrant and anti-Black.

“Overall, anti-immigrant incidents (315) remain the most reported, followed by anti-Black (221), anti-Muslim (112), and anti-LGBT (109). Anti-Trump incidents numbered 26 (6 of which were also antiWhite in nature, with 2 nonTrump related anti-White incidents reported),” states the organization’s website, SPLCenter.org.

Guilty verdict for murderous White supremacist Dylann Roof: A fed-

from A1

Florida’s Supreme Court justices will soon decide whether voters can vote in 2018 to amend the state constitution to restore the voting rights of convicted felons. more than 155,000 nonviolent felons regained their rights. But since Gov. Rick Scott took office in 2010, that dropped to just 1,952 individuals.

With so little hope of success, even the applications to have rights restored have dropped 95 percent since 2010.

Some 500,000 of the 1.7 million Floridians who have lost the right to vote are African-American – just over 20 percent of the state’s African-American population. That makes the issue a major concern in the African-American community, but Meade points out that it also means more than a million of these disenfranchised voters are not black.

“It’s very easy for this to be pigeonholed as an African-American issue or a political issue, but our belief is that this transcends those things,” Meade said.

“This issue impacts all Americans.”

Mobilization expected

A green light With almost no financial backing, Floridians for a Fair Democracy gathered the 68,314 signatures needed to trigger a review by the state Supreme Court. As of yet, while the Florida Division of Elections has filed a brief in favor of the amendment, no one has filed against it.

The court will examine the amendment to make sure it is narrowly tailored to make one change to the state constitution and is not deceptive. If it finds the proposal meets those goals, it will approve it to be on the ballot in the 2018 election.

Then comes the hard part; the signatures already gathered are just 10 percent of the number needed to qualify to be on the ballot.

Supporters of other recent amendments that have gone on the ballot have paid millions of dollars to companies to gather signatures. Floridians for a Fair Democracy has raised just $133,000 since 2014, when the committee formed, and $121,000 of that amount has come in just the last four months, mostly from national liberal advocacy groups that took notice once the amendment qualified for Supreme Court review.

“There are 1.7 million people who can’t vote in this state. If each of them gets one family member who’s a registered voter to sign a petition, that’s more than enough, right?”

Meade said.

“With no funding, we’ve gotten to the Supreme Court. I think that speaks greatly to the amount of

eral grand jury on Dec. 15 convicted 22-year-old Dylann Roof of murdering eight Black churchgoers and their pastor last year as they attended Bible study and prayer at the historic “Mother” Emanuel A.M. E. Church in downtown Charleston, S.C. Roof, who represented himself, pled not guilty during the trial although he had confessed to the killings, saying he had hoped to start a race war. He now faces either life in prison or execution. Roof sat for an hour with Emanuel parishioners and their pastor Clementa Pinckney, also a member of the S. C. State Senate, on June 17, 2015, before firing his 45-caliber pistol. President Obama gave Pinckney’s eulogy. The shooting sparked the removal of the Confederate flag from public use from many sites across the nation – including atop the S. C. State Capitol.

Death of Gwen Ifill: Gwen Ifill, the iconic, awardwinning journalist who broke racial barriers in journalism, was laid to rest in a star-studded funeral after dying of cancer Nov. 14. President Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama and

former Attorney General Eric Holder were among those who paid their respects. Ifill, 61, spent decades climbing the ranks from print journalist to news anchor and famed political moderator. Last spring, she co-moderated the Democratic primary debate between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. Ifill had performed that role solo during vice presidential debates in the 2004 and 2008 general election campaigns.

Opening of Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC): More than a century after Black veterans of the Civil War proposed the idea of a Black history museum in D.C., the opening of the NMAAHC took place in grand style Sept. 24 on the National Mall. Led by Georgia Congressman John Lewis, it was then-President George W. Bush who signed legislation in 2003 that allowed the project to begin. President Obama officially dedicated the museum, saying, “What we can see of this beautiful building tells us that it is truly a sight to behold. But what

makes it special are the stories contained inside.”

Death of George Curry: George E. Curry, the dean of Black press columnists, died suddenly of heart failure August 20. The funeral service, held in his hometown of Tuscaloosa, Ala., drew national civil rights royalty, including the Rev. Al Sharpton who gave the eulogy, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who preached a memorial, the Rev. Charles Steele, president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Curry’s lifelong friend and comrade; and Dr. Benjamin Chavis, president/CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association, where Curry served as editor-in-chief of the NNPA News Service for a collective nine years. Before coming to NNPA, he was editor-in-chief of his beloved Emerge Magazine for seven years until it went defunct.

Curry was among the most respected voices in Black press journalism. When he died, he had founded Emergenewsonline.com, a digital version of the hard copy magazine, which he never gave up hope to revive.

people who are impacted and the breadth of people who believe in second chances. … There will be a significant mobilization of volunteers throughout this state, and I’m expecting congregations of faith to lead this charge.”

Legal change possible And if that charge should fail, there’s always the Florida Legislature.

State Sen. Jeff Clemens, D-Lake Worth, has filed a bill that would put to voters a proposed amendment similar to the one being pushed by Floridians for a Fair Democracy.

“It’s a great chain dragging down our state,” Clemens said. “We lead the nation by a large margin in the number of former felons who can’t exercise their constitutional rights.

And there really is no good excuse for it.”

Police shootings and abuse of Blacks: Black Lives Matter activists and civil rights leaders across the country continued to protest police shootings of African-Americans.

The controversy came to another peak last year after the police killings of Alton Sterling of Baton Rouge, La. on July 5 by two Baton Rouge, La. police officers Blane Salamoni and Howie Lake and the July 6 shooting of Philando Castile by Officer Jeronimo Yanez, in a suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota. Castile’s girlfriend recorded the aftermath of the shooting on Facebook Live as Castile died. Then, on the evening of July 7, 2016 – allegedly in response to the two previous shootings – Micah Johnson killed five law enforcement officers in Dallas. Johnson was then killed by police operating a robot with a bomb. In another police killing, the trial of Officer Michael Slager in the videotaped killing of Walter Scott – shot in the back as he fled from the officer in South Carolina April 4, 2015 – ended in a mistrial Dec. 5.

Slager is slated to be retried.

Death of Prince: The shocking death of Acade-

‘False promises’ “The Florida gambling industry – especially the Florida Lottery – welcomes and profits from Black patrons and lowincome customers. Unfortunately, the returns on their investment to the institutions to which they look for news and information about their community – local Black media – have been called “crumbs from tables of plenty!” McKee wrote then.

“By showing such disrespect for one of the basic institutions of the Black community, these gaming kingpins show just how little they understand and respect the very Black communities from which they seek to suck hard-earned dollars with false promises of prosperity!”

The News Service of Florida contributed to this report.

my Award winning singer, songwriter and musician Prince on April 21 rocked the entertainment world.

He died in his home after accidentally overdosing on opioid fentanyl. The 57-year-old, perhaps best known for his 1984 Academy “Best Original Musical,” “Purple Rain,” was discovered unresponsive on an elevator in his Chanhassen, Minn. home and recording studio.

Homicides: Street violence continued to be the number one cause of Black males between the ages of 15 and 34, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Perhaps no city has been hit harder than Chicago, which ended 2016 with 762 homicides, 57 percent more than last year. Gun violence plagues the streets of major cities year after year. Despite citizen pleas for new gun laws, partisan stalemates prevent Congress from moving new legislation. Other programs to deal with the social aspects of street violence appear to do little without the balance of the gun laws.

JANUARY 6 – JANUARY 12, 2017

FLORIDA

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State Supreme Court appointments could bring disorder

BY GRAY ROHRER ORLANDO SENTINEL/TNS

TALLAHASSEE – A quirk in the state constitution means Florida could be headed to a legal brawl over the ideological balance of the Florida Supreme Court that would decide the future of the court for decades to come.

Three justices – Barbara Pariente, Fred Lewis and Peggy Quince – will be forced under the state constitution’s age limits to retire on Jan. 8, 2019, Gov. Rick Scott’s last day in office.

The justices are reliable members of the liberal voting bloc that holds a 4-3 majority on the court.

Even though the appointments are two years away, Democrats and Republicans are gearing up for a fight.

Scott’s vow Scott, a Republican, believes he’ll be able to appoint their replacements on his final day in office.

“I’ll appoint three more justices the morning I finish my

term,” Scott said last month as he announced Judge Alan Lawson, a conservative, as his pick to replace outgoing Justice James Perry, a liberal, on the court.

But Democrats want the new governor elected in the 2018 to have a say.

C. Alan The appointLawson ments are not subject to confirmation by the Legislature.

“The Supreme Court is no place for political gamesmanship,” said House Democratic Leader Janet Cruz of Tampa. “If Gov. Scott follows through on this assertion, he risks setting off a contentious legal battle with his successor that would mar the transition process and throw our state’s highest court into uncertainty.”

Not a new issue If Scott names the replacements for Pariente, Lewis and

Barbara Pariente, Fred Lewis and Peggy Quince will be forced to retire in 2019.

Quince, the court could have a solid conservative majority until at least 2025. That’s when justices Ricky Polston and Charles Canady, the other conservatives on the bench, must retire.

The issue of the timing of an appointment to the Florida Supreme Court has come up before.

Former Gov. Lawton Chiles, a Democrat, agreed on a joint appointment with former Gov. Jeb Bush to name Quince to the court in 1998 — after Bush won the election but before he took office.

Amendment failed In 2014, Republican lawmakers tried to settle the judicial-appointment question by putting a constitutional amendment on the ballot that would have giv-

en Scott clear authority to fill “prospective” vacancies. But 52 percent of the electorate voted against it.

State Sen. Tom Lee, a Republican, led the push to put the measure on the ballot. He said the Legislature could try to clarify the situation again, or the Constitutional Revision Commission – a panel that will gather this year to propose amendments – could deal with it.

But because voters turned down the last attempt, there’s unlikely to be much political will to try again.

Potential conflict Lee said he thinks Scott is right to assert his position that he has the power to make “midnight” appointments. But Lee also real-

izes whoever the next governor is, especially if it’s a Democrat, won’t necessarily have the same view.

“If there were some kind of conflict there would be an immediate petition to the (Florida) Supreme Court … for a declaratory statement on the rights of an outgoing governor,” Lee said.

That, though, would raise the issue of whether the justices themselves should be able to rule on who gets to appoint their successors.

Lee admitted it’s a convoluted situation that would involve “a bit of home cooking” if Pariente, Lewis and Quince had to decide on the issue.

But, he said, “as long as the governors can work together, it’s crisis averted.”

State’s Black History Month contest entries due Jan. 20 Governor Rick Scott and First Lady Ann Scott announced last month the Black History Month contests for students and educators. Art and essay contests are open to students in kindergarten through 12th grade.

Students, parents, teachers and principals have also been invited to nominate full-time educators in elementary, middle and high schools for the Black Histo-

ry Month Excellence in Education Award.

“Black History Month is a time to honor AfricanAmericans who have had an impact on Florida’s history. I hope all Florida students take this opportunity to learn about the many influential African-American Floridians who have shaped the Sunshine State into the best place in the nation to get a great education and job,’’ Scott said.

The first lady added, “I thoroughly enjoy the Black History Month contests, and I look forward to honoring the student and teacher winners at the Governor’s Mansion. When I visit schools throughout the state, the students’ enthusiasm for learning is uplifting. I encourage all students and educators to participate and appreciate the many contributions made

by African-American Flo-

Your Gold Rush gave Kirsten her shining moment.

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ridians to make our state the wonderful place it is today.”

Art contest The theme for this year’s essay and art contests is “A recognition of the role of African-Americans in shaping Florida today.” Students are asked to share how AfricanAmerican Floridians have impacted our state’s history and culture.

Information about the contests and Florida’s Black History Month is available on Florida’s Black History Month website, www.FloridaBlackHistory.com.

The Black History Month art contest is open to all Florida students in grades K – 3. Two winners will be selected.

Art entries must be mailed to Volunteer Florida at the address below by 5 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 20.

Emailed or faxed entries will not be accepted. Contestants are responsible for all shipping costs.

Essay contest Since 1997, the Florida Lottery has been creating a brighter future for Florida through the Bright Futures Scholarship Program. Through this scholarship, more than 725,000 students have earned the opportunity to attend a Florida college. The education they have received is allowing them to give back to the

The essay contest is open to all Florida students in grades 4-12. Three winners will be selected: one elementary student (grades 4-5), one middle school student (grades 6-8), and one high school student (grades 9-12). Winners will receive a four-year Florida College Plan scholarship provided by the Florida Prepaid College Foundation.

Black History Month artist: Eluster Richardson This year’s Florida Black History Month featured artist is Eluster Richardson.

Born and raised in Tallahassee, Eluster began painting as a child in the third grade. His works have won numerous awards and have been exhibited in a variety of settings, including the Museum of Florida HisEluster tory, Lemoyne Art Foundation, FlorRichardson ida State Museum of Art, Leepa–Rattner Museum of Art and Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. More information about Eluster and his artwork can be found at elustercollection.com.

Essay entries can be mailed to Volunteer Florida at the address below or submitted electronically at www.FloridaBlackHistory. com. All entries must be received by Volunteer Florida by 5 p.m. Jan. 20. Contestants are responsible for all shipping costs. Entries submitted electronically will receive email confirmation.

Letters of recommendation must be submitted with the essay; those sent separately will not be accepted.

Excellence in Education Award Governor Scott’s annual Black History Month Excellence in Education Award Contest is open to

all full-time educators in elementary, middle and high schools in Florida. Three winners will be selected: one elementary teacher (grades K-5), one middle school teacher (grades 6-8) and one high school teacher (grades 9-12).

Educator entries can be mailed to Volunteer Florida or submitted electronically at www.FloridaBlackHistory.com by 5 p.m. Jan. 20.

Mailing address for entries: Black History Month Committee, 3800 Esplanade Way, Suite 180, Tallahassee, Florida 32311 All entry forms and guidelines for the contests can be found at www.FloridaBlackHistory.com.

community and boost Florida’s economy, while helping to fund the next generation of Florida’s students. So remember, the more you play, the more Florida wins.

ADOPTIONS

A home for Robert SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA COURIER

One Church One Child of Florida is reaching out to families and individuals in communities across the state in efforts to help find permanent homes for children.

Children featured in this spotlight are waiting for a permanent home and/or mentor.

Hundreds of children are in need of a family to call their own; many of them are minorities. One Church One Child is seeking loving, permanent homes as well as mentors for children and their siblings.

Churches are asked to partner with One Church One Child in sharing information with congregations and extending WatchCare Ministries to children.

The Rev. Beverly Hills Lane, state president of One Church One Child of Florida and vice president of the national One Church One Child, is challenging fellow pastors to get involved and is encouraging families to open their hearts and homes to children in foster care.

Robert is one of the children who needs a permanent home. flalottery.com

Must be 18 or older to play.

Play responsibly. © 2016 Florida Lottery

Likes making things Robert has a real talent for working with his hands. He takes pride in making things

COURTESY OF PEZZ PHOTO

for the people he loves the most, and thinks it would be cool to be a craftsman when he grows up.

He’s a naturally curious and thoughtful little boy, with an interest in nearly everything. He loves playing outside too. Robert wants to succeed in all he does, and hopes to find a forever family who will encourage him to do just that.

For more information about becoming an adoptive or foster parent, mentor, partner or volunteer, call 888-283-0886 or send an email to info@ococfl.org. The website for One Church One Child of Florida is www.ococfl.org.

EDITORIAL

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JANUARY 6 – JANUARY 12, 2017

What we can learn from the Black Panther Party Matthew “Peanut” Johnson was 16 years-old when San Francisco police officer Alvin Johnson killed him. The unarmed teen was said to have been fleeing a stolen car, and Officer Johnson claimed that he feared for his life, so he shot.

The September 27, 1966 slaying was too much for AfricanAmericans in the Bayview Hunters Point neighborhood of San Francisco, and folks took it to the streets in protest. Through the lens of “law and order,” the uprising was so out of control that Governor “Pat” Edmund Brown called in the National Guard.

Moderate response Some thought that calling the National Guard was an inflammatory overreaction. As the history website FoundSF writes of the scene: “Perhaps the best indication of both the essentially passive character of the response of Black males in Hunters Point and the unreasonable magnitude of White fears is the fact that, aside from long-range brick throwing, less than a half-dozen assaults

by Blacks against Whites were recorded in the course of five days of rioting.”

According to some reporters, the police were overaggressive. In one case, police officers opened fire on a community center full of children because they thought the children were armed. But when the children escaped, police reportedly entered the building looking for weapons, of which

DR. JULIANNE MALVEAUX NNPA NEWS WIRE COLUMNIST

none were found.

The San Francisco Sun Reporter, the premier African-American newspaper in the Bay Area (full disclosure – I got my start as a column writer for them in 1980), reported on Peanut Johnson’s death with a front-page headline, “Cop Kills Negro Youth; Blood Flows in SF Streets.”

Toured the exhibit I had an opportunity to see a copy of the paper when I toured the Oakland Museum of California and spent a couple of hours inhaling the exhibit “All Power to the People: Black Panthers at 50.”

In walking through the exhibit, one is struck with a sense of both progress and regress, a horrible sense of déjà vu, an ugly reminder that for all the change we have experienced, there is a rigid racism that determines the way some people treat Black people.

And our community seems to be somewhat unimaginative in managing solutions.

The young man who was killed on September 27, 1966 was named Matthew Johnson, but he could have been named Philando Castile, Tamir Rice, Michael Brown, Eric Garner – or let’s

The year 2017 is going to be fantastic!

Look forward to the new year, 2017, as light years better than 2016.

Last year’s economy was challenging. Here in Chevy Chase, Md., one of the wealthiest communities in the nation, high-end department stores closed their doors. Even rich families are cutting back on spending. They have no faith in our future economy.

Change is coming However, that is going to change. The stock market is still carrying the surprising “Trump Bump” and will soon soar over the 20,000 mark. In contrast to 2016, investors will soon have a new confidence. That means happier days ahead. Those shuttered stores will reopen under new banners and a resurgence in employment levels.

Politics in 2016 was downright ugly, the worst I have seen in my life. But in November, it came to a head and burst. We are now

HARRY C. ALFORD GUEST COLUMNIST

picking up the pieces and a new atmosphere is forming throughout the nation.

Foreign plants are moving back to the United States bringing thousands of new, good-paying jobs. The job market is active, especially with all the political positions opening due to the change in administration.

Israel rejected Foreign affairs have been a little shaky. For the first time in history, our secretary of State lambasted our closest ally, Israel, in a formal meeting at the UN and the White House agreed with him.

This betrayal is very shocking.

However, our incoming president publicly stated to Israel to

Obama’s pardons distract from mass Black incarceration President Obama, a master of public relations, now has bragging rights for having granted clemency to a record number of federal prisoners – 1,176 of them at last count – more than those set free by the past 11 presidents combined.

Looking at the number from a different angle, Obama released only one out of every 200 of the nation’s 2.3 million prison inmates, the largest incarcerated population in the world, both in raw numbers and in the proportion of U.S. society living behind bars.

In other words, Obama’s clemencies, like all other presidents’, are statistically meaningless and morally and politically distractive. But, of course, that’s what Obama’s good at – distracting people.

GLEN FORD BLACK AGENDA REPORT

Kept in prison The incompetent, lazy and White supremacist corporate media forget, or never reported, that for several years the Obama administration delayed the release from prison of five times as many inmates as he pardoned: about 6,000 federal prisoners convicted under the old crack cocaine laws.

A federal appeals court wanted to let them out, ruling that they were covered by a prison reform bill, but President Obama successful-

just call the roll. The officer who shot him was, of course, acquitted. The killing and the acquittal both galvanized people around the Black Panther Party fifty years ago, just as the killing of Michael Brown galvanized the Black Lives Matter movement a couple of years ago.

A review of the Black Panther Party “Ten Point Platform” reminds us that things like culturally-sensitive education, jobs, decent housing, food, and health care are still not accessible for all Americans, and that AfricanAmericans are far less likely to have access than others.

The platform is displayed prominently in the multi-media exhibit space, along with pictures of many of the Panther founders, a film featuring Bobby Seale and other Panther leaders including Erika Huggins, music of the times, and copies of the Black Panther newspaper.

A reminder More than a walk down Memory Lane, the exhibit was, for me, a reminder of an audacity that so many African-American young people exhibited in the face of oppression. One of the Panther newspapers had the headline, “Capitalism Plus Racism Breeds Fascism.” That is, perhaps, a timely slogan for these troubling times, but few mainstream African-American politicians will use the word “fascism” in a sentence.

The more important part of the story of the Black Panther Party is “Stay strong,” as he will be sworn in January 20 and things will become much better regarding our relations with each other. Enemies of Israel, beware!

For the first time in modern history, our Navy does not have one aircraft carrier out to sea.

This is significant and shows that our military is underfunded.

Morale is slipping; that is a scary state of affairs.

It is critical that our military returns to its previous position. If a nation like ours is not prepared for war and its leadership is unmotivated, then war is certainly what we will get. It appears that Congress is going to renew its commitment to our military via more funding and recruitment.

The sooner this is done, the better America will be.

‘Merry Christmas!’

The public is becoming increasingly optimistic. I could tell from most people this season saying “Merry Christmas” as opposed to “Happy Holidays.” It was so nice to see people proud of their religion as opposed to being politically correct. If you love Christ, shout it out!

Once again, jobs are available ly argued to keep these men and women in prison.

Several years later, Obama staged a huge public relations extravaganza, releasing many of these same inmates, supposedly out of the goodness of his heart. It was two years too late.

Some never got out.

The Brennan Center for Justice released a study last month that concluded the U.S. could set free 39 percent of its prison population with no threat to public safety. The Brennan researchers argue that you can’t make a dent in the mass incarceration system unless whole categories of prisoners are made eligible for immediate release.

Not a risk They say 25 percent of the prison population should, instead, have been sentenced to drug treatment, community service, probation or a fine. Another 14 percent of inmates have already

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: HAPPY NEW YEAR!

DAVE GRANLUND, POLITICALCARTOONS.COM

the story of resistance to injustice, resistance despite the interference of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover, and COINTELPRO. If the Panthers could develop more than 40 chapters without the assistance of the electronic media, is there any limit to what we can do now?

We limit ourselves There is an unseemly caution among African-American people.

Too many have learned how to color within the lines; many have been rewarded for it. Insanity means doing the same thing over and over, then hoping for different results. And so too many, including leaders, have taken the “go along to get along” approach, forgetting that sometimes getting along is not enough.

If you are tired and dispirited in the wake of the 2016 elections, the “Power to the People” exhibit at the Oakland Museum might be the energizer that you need.

Perhaps you need to be rebig-time in the federal government workplace. This happens every four or eight years as the new administration pushes out the political hires from the previous administration and fills those positions with their new crew. This is no secret!

If any of you want to look or try it, go on the Internet and apply for a good-paying government job with 30 days’ sick leave and 30 days’ vacation – that’s 60 days off with pay! Here is the website: HTTPS://APPLY.PTT.GOV/.

These jobs aren’t just in Washington, D.C. Every city has a noticeable amount of federal jobs.

Many of the new bosses will be looking for Republicans. There aren’t too many Black Republicans – and that could be a good thing. For Blacks, that means there is a shorter line. Opportunities will be exponentially greater. Consider that.

Get to work!

There are nine to 11 regions in the federal government structure, depending on the agency or department. Within each region are various district offices located throughout the nation. Zero in on the district you want to served enough time in prison, and are no longer a risk. Together, that comes to almost 40 percent of the prison population – one and a half million people, about half of them Black.

Prison reformers seem to think the system can be made more rational and fair. They don’t seem to understand that the system is deliberately racist, brutal, arbitrary and malevolent – it is not meant to be fair, and it cannot be reformed.

Former Black Panther Sundiata Acoli turns 80 this month. He has been in a New Jersey prison since 1973 and first became eligible for parole in 1992, but was turned down by the parole board, which set his next parole hearing for 15 years from now – when Sundiata Acoli will be 95 years old.

Thousands should be freed This system is pure meanness and race-hate. The Brennan Cen-

Charles W. Cherry II, Esq., Publisher

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minded that a group of audacious young people, facing obstacles and lacking substantial resources, were able to raise important issues and make some changes in the ways Black people thought about themselves. And the Black Panther Party may also have made a difference – if just a bit of one – in the way that Black people are treated.

When we celebrate the Black Panther Party, we celebrate the concept of resistance. In these coming years, when resistance to oppression and unfairness will be critically necessary, celebrating the Black Panther Party is an opportunity for renewal.

Julianne Malveaux is a Washington, D.C.-based economist and writer. Her latest book, “Are We Better Off? Race, Obama and Public Policy,” is available at www.juliannemalveaux.com. apply for work. Indicate that on your résumé or the online application. These job opportunities will fill up within the next three to five months. Get busy!

Section 3 of the HUD Act has been in existence since 1968.

This is a job training program for residents of public housing or people living under the poverty level. It is the best job training program the federal government has put on the books. However, no administration has ever implemented it. Something tells me that this administration will be the first one to implement this law.

Go Google “Section 3 of the HUD Act” and learn about this.

Any project with HUD funding is supposed to follow this program.

They aren’t now, but that is about to change.

Yes indeed, the times are changing for the better. Those who believe should go for it and enjoy this new ride. The year 2017 is going to be the best year for those who believe it.

Harry C. Alford is the cofounder and president/CEO of the National Black Chamber of Commerce. Contact him via www.nationalbcc.org. ter’s proposal to release almost 40 percent of prison inmates is, itself, not even a halfway measure.

As the Black Is Back Coalition for Social Justice, Peace and Reparations points out in number five of its 19-point platform on Black self-determination, the United States would have to release 80 percent of its prison population – four out of every five inmates – just to bring the incarceration rate down to 1973 levels. And remember: the U.S. was already the worst mass incarceration state in the world back in 1973.

Even the release of four out every five inmates does not change the essential nature of American mass Black incarceration. There can be no compromise with such an evil.

Glen Ford is executive editor of BlackAgendaReport.com. Email him at Glen.Ford@BlackAgendaReport.com.

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JANUARY 6 – JANUARY 12, 2017

Obama’s propaganda gift to Trump Throughout the 2016 presidential campaign the corporate media, Democratic Party operatives and the pundit class all proclaimed that Donald Trump is a fascist.

The fascistic nature of our political, law enforcement and economic systems were conveniently omitted from these warnings, but assertions of Trump’s untrustworthiness were repeatedly endlessly.

If that characterization has any validity at all then Barack Obama’s establishment of a de facto Propaganda Department is a terrible blow to democracy.

Attacking liberty On December 23, 2016, Obama signed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a federal law that is passed every year.

NDAA authorizes defense appropriations but it is also used as a Trojan horse to hide attacks on civil liberties.

In 2011. the NDAA authorized indefinite detention of anyone deemed a terrorism suspect.

Tucked inside this year’s NDAA was the passage of the Countering Disinformation and Propaganda Act, which establishes the little-known or discussed Global Engagement Center.

The title seems benign enough – until one reads its mission: “The purpose of the Center shall be to lead, synchronize, and coordinate efforts of the Federal Government to recognize, understand, expose, and counter foreign state and nonstate propaganda and disinformation efforts aimed at undermining United States national security interests.” In plain English, this act establishes an official propaganda arm of the United States government.

MARGARET KIMBERLEY BLACK AGENDA REPORT

There should be no reason for dismay or consternation when Trump appoints the Global Engagement Center chief propagandist. After all, Barack Obama, the darling of many progressives, will have laid the groundwork for his “fascist” successor.

can foreign policy. The government doesn’t even have to work very hard, because the corporate media usually march in lockstep and repeat their every claim uncritically.

But these are dangerous times for the American hegemon. Its ability to continue exercising imperial control has been damaged by foreign governments successfully resisting its efforts and by the election of Donald Trump.

Trump has questioned the need Media cooperates for NATO, pledged to end regime Of course, there has always change, and to improve relations been governmental coordination with Russia. These are reasonable used to spread lies about Ameri- policy decisions – or rather they

Fair lending to be CFPB’s top 2017 priority As a New Year arrives, fair lending will be the priority for the nation’s consumer financial cop on the beat. Mortgage and student loan servicing along with redlining and small business lending will be a triple-focus in 2017 for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

“While the Bureau has taken important strides in our efforts to protect consumers from credit discrimination and broaden access to credit, we continue to identify new and emerging fair lending risks and we will monitor institutions for compliance,” said Patrice Ficklin, CFPB’s associate director for fair lending.

CHARLENE CROWELL NNPA FINANCIAL WRITER

For all consumers, CFPB’s 2017 priorities are an encouraging sign.

But for Black, Latino and other consumers of color, heightened fair lending enforcement could signal less predatory and discriminatory lending that robs people of their hard-earned livings. With heightened monitoring and related enforcement actions, lenders and creditors who violate fair lending laws will pay a price, and consumers will hold on to more of Looking closely Specifically, CFPB will evaluate their own money. whether lenders have practiced Billions recovered one or more of the following: To date, CFPB has recovered Intentionally avoided lending more than $11 billion for 27 milin minority neighborhoods; • Whether racial or ethnic con- lion consumers who were harmed cerns affect how loan servicers by illegal financial ploys. These work with borrowers who are be- enforcement actions have affecthind on either a mortgage or stu- ed a wide range of lending areas from mortgages to student loans, dent loan; and • Whether discriminatory prac- auto finance and more.

The cumulative clout of CFPB tices affected access to credit for minority and women-owned enforcements has also attracted united support among national businesses.

Athletes’ boycott is the best sanction against Russia Western countries have been sanctioning Russia for years.

Their aim has been to punish it for everything from launching military incursions into neighboring countries (e.g., Georgia and Ukraine/Crimea) to assassinating political dissidents (e.g., Boris Nemtsov and Alexander Litvinenko).

Unfortunately, sanctions have done little to curtail Russia’s rogue behavior. Nothing attests to this quite like: • The way it hacked Democratic operatives and interfered in this year’s U.S. presidential election.

• The diabolical role it’s playing in “Syria’s meltdown of humanity.”

• Forbes magazine naming its president, Vladimir Putin, the most powerful man in the world

ANTHONY L. HALL, ESQ. FLORIDA COURIER COLUMNIST

in its signature issue.

Irrational ranking Incidentally, one of my pet peeves is the patent unfairness inherent in Forbes’ annual ranking. After all, it’s absurd to compare the unchecked, invariably nefarious power a despotic leader wields with the checked, invariably salutary power a democratic leader exercises. Henceforth I suggest separate rankings: one for the most powerful democrat and

EDITORIAL

A5

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: THE GOP-DOMINATED CONGRESS

would be if the world wide neoliberal regime didn’t feel so threatened.

What should be simple disagreements are treated as omens of the end of the world. Perhaps they do signal the end for some members of the ruling classes who believe that their survival depends on America controlling or crushing the rest of the world.

The Global Engagement Center makes real the Democratic Party plan to silence dissent and create a network of propaganda partners.

The act provides for grant-making appropriations to “civil society groups, media content providers, nongovernmental organizations, federally funded research and deDespite any differences they velopment centers, private companies or academic institutions…” may highlight before an election, they all act like “made men” in the gangster clique after the votes are BAR targeted cast.

The recent Washington Post Jeff Bezos - Democratic Party effort to name websites such as Black Mutual protection Presidents pardon one anothAgenda Report as agents of Moscow will now be official govern- er and their associates, and in so doing let criminals go free. Trump ment policy.

The anonymous minders of the won’t “lock up” Hillary Clinton, Is It Propaganda or Not site will no because he will want his succeslonger have to be invisible. They sor to let him off the hook for any can come out of the closet and crimes he should commit during apply for grant money just like a his term in office. The man whom university or a non-governmen- Obama labeled unfit for the presital organization with all the right dency will now be the propaganda connections. They can then work commander-in-chief.

While Democrats wait for Inauhand-in-hand with the bipartisan war party as it demonizes and guration Day in nervous anticipasilences anyone who refuses to tion of Trump policy changes, the make common cause with their rulers continue to ignore them.

Obama hasn’t spoken to the conschemes.

The head of this Global Engage- cerns of the rank-and-file since ment Center will be appointed by Election Day. He has, however, the president – and that means repeated warnings about “fake Donald Trump. On the one hand, news” and Russian influence.

His legacy is dead, a sham. His we are told that Trump’s presence in the White House is a fundamen- signature achievement, the Aftal danger to democracy. But in fordable Care Act, will be repealed. true presidential fashion, Obama All of his foreign policy machinahas handed off to Trump what he tions have come to nothing. His inthinks is most important to con- terference in Ukraine and regime tinue. That is a consistent pattern change attempt in Syria succeedfrom one administration to the ed in bringing Russia and China closer together to counter Amerinext.

PAT BAGLEY, SALT LAKE TRIBUNE

can influence.

Russia, Syria, Turkey and Iran meet to discuss the future and fortunately do so without an American presence. Vladimir Putin no longer bothers with trying to engage the people he used to call “our American partners.” When Obama expelled Russian diplomats in a fit of impotent pique, Putin declined to do the same. Why bother when he knows he has won?

Fight both parties Progressives are being exhorted to protest Trump on January 20 and fight back against Republican policies. That is a good and worthy goal, but it will also mean fighting against Democratic Party treachery.

There should be no reason for dismay or consternation when Trump appoints the Global Engagement Center chief propagandist. After all, Barack Obama, the darling of many progressives, will have laid the groundwork for his “fascist” successor.

Margaret Kimberley’s column appears weekly in BlackAgendaReport.com. Contact her at Margaret.Kimberley@BlackAgendaReport.com. Click on this commentary at www.flcourier. com to write your own response.

the Department of Justice announced a $9 million settlement to end a lawsuit alleging that Union Savings Bank and Guardian Savings Bank redlined predominantly Black neighborhoods in Indianapolis and three Ohio cities – Cincinnati, Columbus and Dayton. The two banks share ownership and management from their joint base in Cincinnati.

An opposite outcome occurred in early December when 10 lawsuits filed by a group of Black businesses in Michigan were dismissed. As reported, the plaintiffs alleged that Mercantile Bank violated the Equal Credit Opportunity Act with practices and loan terms that resulted in diminished commercial lending.

According to U.S. Judge Robert Homes Bell, the charges that alleged violations occurred from 2007 to 2009 were beyond the statutory limitation. The lawsuits were filed in 2013.

“Three demographic factors affect your wealth: your race or ethnicity, how much education you have, and when you were born,” noted Lowell Ricketts, a senior analyst with the Center for Household Financial Stability, a program of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. “Wealth is distributed unequally across all three demographic categories.”

2004 and 2013, the median wealth of Black families fell by 55 percent.

In 2013, the median Black family owned 8 cents for every dollar that the median White family owned.

Another analysis, this one by the Economic Policy Institute, found that in 2015, Black workers were paid 26.2 percent less than their White peers.

This column has and will continue to share consumer victories that diminish these and other disparities that consumers of color continue to face. But as Vanita Gupta, the head of the U.S. Justice Department recently noted, “success stories alone cannot erase systemic injustices. They cannot eradicate profound inequities.”

“But they do give me faith in America’s capacity for progress,” she continued, “– the notion that we can march forward, imperfectly but unyieldingly, to build a more inclusive, more just and more free union. And they give me hope that together we can advance the cause of justice.”

Here’s hoping that in 2017 our nation’s public policies will continue the journey towards financial justice.

“International sports officials, facing a potential boycott by athletes upset over the Russian doping scandal, have decided to move bobsled and skeleton world championships out of Russia next year.

The move was announced…by the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Association, the organizer of the event, which was set to take place in Sochi in February.

The organization plans to name a new site in the coming days.”

I applaud athletes who compete in bobsled and skeleton for initiating this boycott. I urge athletes who compete in all other sports to do likewise – namely, force their respective governing bodies to either ban Russia from hosting or face boycotts. They should do this for the sake not just of clean sport but our shared humanity.

Athletes lead Meanwhile, I am constrained This is why I was so heartened to reiterate that, despite clear when I read this in the New York and compelling evidence, RusTimes last month: sia is still categorically denying

any state involvement in doping – even challenging its accusers to prove it. If this sounds familiar, it’s because Russia is still categorically denying any state involvement in hacking – even challenging its accusers to prove it.

Of course, its denial in both cases is about as infuriating as catching your child in the kitchen with cookie crumbs all over his face and having him deny that he even touched the cookie jar.

The problem is that, on the one hand, punishing a country with nuclear weapons poses far greater challenges than punishing a child with sticky fingers, while on the other hand, the categorical imperative of punishing the former is far greater than latter case.

civil rights groups. On December 21, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, NAACP, National Council of La Raza and the National Urban League released a joint statement in support of the Bureau.

“If the 2008 financial crisis showed us anything, it’s that consumers need a strong and independent regulator to look after the interests of consumers. The civil rights community stands behind Director [Richard] Cordray as he continues to lead the CFPB in the fourth year of his five-year tenure,” wrote the leaders.

“Any effort to weaken the agency or undermine its leadership would risk severe impacts on our communities – including communities of color and low-income families who are most vulnerable to financial abuse,” the leaders continued.

Unfortunately, many communities of color that were hardest hit financially during the Great Recession are also targeted for discriminatory and predatory lending. Racial disparities in earnings and income are worsened by business practices and decisions that deny consumers a chance to get ahead financially. Hence, no one should be surprised to learn that many consumers of color struggle to attain financial stability.

Charlene Crowell is the deputy communications director at the Center for Responsible Lending. Contact her at Charlene.crowell@responsiblelending.org. Click on this commenDifferent rulings Vast difference tary at www.flcourier.com to For example, on December 28, Ricketts found that between write your own response. one for most powerful despot. But I digress….

The point is that the inefficacy of sanctions provoked me to propose the following years ago as the only way to punish Russia and its macho, sports-obsessed president: The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) should enlist the governing bodies of all major sports to ban Russia from hosting any sanctioned competition, so long as Putin remains in power. Because, no matter their representations, officials in Putin’s Russia will never implement the reforms WADA deems are necessary to eradicate systemic doping…

Nothing would [be more effective in this respect] than FIFA withdrawing Russia’s highly coveted hosting gig for the 2018 World Cup.

Anthony L. Hall is a Bahamian native with an international law practice in Washington, D.C. Read his columns and daily weblog at www.theipinionsjournal.com. Click on this commentary at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

TOJ A6

NATION

JANUARY 6 – JANUARY 12, 2017 with a deadly weapon means someone was pistol-whipped or shot.

“There are all different kinds of categories, and it’s incredibly important to map hot spots, if you will, or patterns to know if people were shot at or shot or threatened in some way,” he said. “Each of those categories are important.”

Accurate data needed

ARMANDO L. SANCHEZ/CHICAGO TRIBUNE/TNS

A group of people ask a police officer to retrieve personal items inside a home where at least six people were shot, one fatally, on the 8600 block of South Maryland Avenue on Dec. 25 in Chicago.

Wanted: Data on people shot each year Police, researchers say number needed to address gun violence in US

BY JUSTIN GEORGE BALTIMORE SUN/TNS

BALTIMORE — Police chiefs, criminologists and federal officials are calling for better and more accurate data on crime as the nation grapples with gun violence but fails to keep a simple tally of the total number of people shot across the country each year.

The FBI takes a census on crime each year with data from local police departments, but many don’t specifically track when people are shot and survive. Those nonfatal shootings are often recorded under a broader category of aggravated assault, which also includes

stabbings, serious beatings and other crimes.

Without that information, police and policymakers say, they can’t gauge the full extent of gun violence in America. Homicides are tracked in a distinct category.

“The fact that we don’t count the number of people who are shot is just astonishing because that’s a better barometer of that kind of violence than just homicides,” said Chuck Wexler, the executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum, which helps police departments craft policy and strategies.

Violent crime debate Violent crime trends came up during this year’s presidential race, as President-elect Donald Trump called attention to a spike in homicides in recent years in a number of U.S. cities, including Baltimore, even as President

Barack Obama noted a long-term decline in the nation’s homicide rate.

The debate focused attention on violent crime in America at a time when policing has come under heightened scrutiny after numerous killings of unarmed black men by police.

The lack of more detailed data was flagged last month by the U.S. Department of Justice in an annual report on the state of policing in the United States.

The report noted that police chiefs during recent summits on escalating urban violence recognized that their crime analysis was limited by the fact that not all shootings, such as those that don’t result in a homicide, are tracked.

Different categories More accurate and immediate data on fatal and nonfatal shootings “could be vital in combating violent crime and in building community trust,” said the report from the department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.

Wexler said it’s difficult to discern when an aggravated assault

Some cities are grappling with targeted violence while other cities are struggling with gang warfare in which bullets are shot into crowds indiscriminately, said Daniel Webster, director of the Center for Gun Policy and Research at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Each scenario requires different policing strategies, he said, and making those decisions requires accurate data.

“We first need to define our problems accurately,” Webster said.

Police chiefs, including Baltimore Police Commissioner Kevin Davis, believe a requirement to specifically track shootings should have been implemented nationwide years ago.

‘Unfinished business’ Baltimore began recording nonfatal shootings as a separate crime category in 2000.

Davis, in a recent speech to business leaders at the Greater Baltimore Committee, referred to nonfatal shootings as “unfinished business,” stressing that in Baltimore, these crimes are often the start or part of a string of shootings that can end with homicides.

Milwaukee Police Chief Edward A. Flynn, whose department also collects statistics on nonfatal shootings, said that relying on a broad category of aggravated assault data is an ineffective way to spot and address trends in gun violence.

“If we can reliably extract nonfatal shooting data across jurisdictions,” he said, “we will have a much more useful comparative metric.”

Uniform Crime Report The information collected by the FBI from local police departments across the country is compiled in the Uniform Crime Report.

The report, which hasn’t changed significantly since it was started in 1930, is one of two crime surveys the agency conducts. Both provide incomplete information, the DOJ report said.

“The two currently available crime databases run by the federal government cannot provide high-quality and promptly available data about the incidence of crime,” the report said.

The second crime database run by the FBI, the National Incident Based Reporting System, is a program created in 1988 to record more specific national crime data than the Uniform Crime Report. But only about one-third of all U.S. law enforcement agencies use the new system, the DOJ report noted, and it doesn’t require agencies to report nonfatal shootings as a separate category.

Congressional act?

Both the Department of Justice and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provide annual estimates of nonfatal shootings, but the information is based on limited surveys.

“More accurate and complete data would definitely help efforts to prevent firearm violence,” said Garen J. Wintemute, an emergency department attending physician and the director of the Violence Prevention Research Program at the University of California-Davis Health System in California. “Our current estimates of nonfatal shootings are based on a small sample of emergency departments.”

Stephen G. Fischer Jr., FBI chief of multimedia productions, said changes to the Uniform Crime Report system could require Congress to act.

The agency also has a special policy advisory board to review issues raised by law enforcement partners and other agencies. The board can then make recommendations to the FBI director.

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Tech-addicted parents set limits for kids See page B4

JANUARY 6 – JANUARY 12, 2017

SHARING BLACK LIFE, STATEWIDE

SOUTH FLORIDA / TREASURE COAST AREA

WWW.FLCOURIER.COM

Edmonds to host new show on Centric See page B5

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SECTION

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Nine days of arts, culture, heritage in

Eatonville Highlights of the annual Zora Neale Hurston Festival will include a national conference on communities of color in 21st-century America as well as performances by legendary artists.

Above: Located in Central Florida, Eatonville is the oldest incorporated municipality in the United States.

Left: There’s plenty of dancing at the annual event which draws festivalgoers from around the country.

COMPILED BY FLORIDA COURIER STAFF

T

he 28th Annual Zora Neale Hurston Festival of the Arts and Humanities convenes this month and a highlight will be a first-ever national conference on communities of color will include prominent race and history professors from around the country.

The Association to Preserve the Eatonville Community, a Florida-based historic preservation and cultural arts organization, will present ZORA! Festival Jan. 20-29 in the historic town of Eatonville and other venues in Orange County.

The festival is produced in honor of writer, anthropologist and folklorist Zora Neale Hurston every January. ZORA! Festival is a multi-day, multidisciplinary event that commemorates the life of Hurston; her hometown, Eatonville; and the cultural contributions people of African ancestry have made to the United States and the world.

“This 28th Annual ZORA! Festival will be recognized as one of the most impressive for outstanding programming across a broad range of offerings. Whether it’s the first-ever national conference on communities of color in 21st century America, or the superior offerings in arts, culture, heritage, and STEM for secondary school students, the festival will be dynamic,” said N.Y. Nathiri, executive director of the Association to Preserve the Eatonville Community.

“This year is the inaugural ZORA! Golf Tournament as well as the Benefit Performance on behalf of the ZORA! Festival by the New York-based Woodie King, Jr.’s New Federal Theatre.

I believe we can expect our guests to be gushing with delight,’’ she added.

Professors from Harvard, Howard The Communities Conference: Civic Conversations Concerning 21st Century American Life in Communities of Color

Below left: Singer, songwriter and guitarist Jonathan Butler will perform on Jan. 29.

Below right: HBCU Greek and Masonic paraphernalia were available at the 25th annual festival. PHOTO

BY VICTOR WATKINS PHOTOGRAPHY

For a full schedule of events, visit zorafestival.org.

For additional information on the festival, call 407-647-3307.

will be presented in partnership with Rollins College in Winter Park. The conference has been organized in recognition of the 130th anniversary of the incorporation of historic Eatonville, popularly known as the oldest incorporated African-American municipality in the United States.

The multi-day conference will explore issues and concerns which occur over and over in communities of color as well as seek to determine ways of improving the quality of life

for those persons who reside in them. It will be held at Rollins and St. Lawrence A.M.E. Church in Eatonville.

Featured presenters will include Eleanor Traylor, Ph.D., professor emerita, Howard University; Charles M. Blow, The New York Times; Khalil Gibran Muhammad, Ph.D., professor of History, Race and Public Policy, Harvard University; and Suzanne Young Murray, professor at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Studies.

‘A Theatrical Biography’ Each year, the festival includes scholars, distinguished elders, fine artists and legendary entertainers. Festival producers have put together an amalgam of educational programming, cultural presentations, artists’ talks, expert workshops, heritage talks and tours, theatrical performances, musical concerts, themed parties and special events.

Another highlight will be a benefit performance by Woodie King Jr.’s New Federal Theatre of “Zora Neale Hurston: A Theatrical Biography’’ starring Elizabeth Van Dyke and Joseph Lewis Edwards. This revival of the 1990sera, award-winning production, is being funded in part by the Ford Foundation with additional support by Hollywood heavyweights Pauletta and Denzel Washington as well as LaTanya Richardson and Samuel L. Jackson.

See ZORA!, Page B2

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CALENDAR

JANUARY 6 – JANUARY 12, 2017

STOJ

FLORIDA COMMUNITY CALENDAR Miami: The African Heritage Cultural Arts Center, 6161 NW 22nd Ave., will present “Venus,’’ a play about Saartjie Baartman Jan. 11-Feb. 5.

St. Petersburg: Smokey Robinson performs Feb. 9 at The Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg.

KATT WILLIAMS Catch the comedian on Feb. 4 at the USF Sun Dome for an 8 p.m. show.

AVANT

Tickets are on sale for a Valentine’s Music Festival on Feb. 10 at the James. L. Knight Center in Miami. Performers: Avant (left), Bobby Brown, El Debarge and Keith Sweat.

DR. CORNEL WEST

The annual free Heritage Lecture Series hosted by Mt. Zion A.ME. Church in St. Petersburg is Jan. 9-11 at 1045 16th St. S. Speakers: Dr. Charles Olgletree, Dr. Cornel West, Dr. Julianne Malveaux and Dr. Gerald Horne. Moderator: Dr. Wilmer Leon. More information: 727-894-1393, helen@greatermtzioname.org.

Book documents history of FAMU marching band Curtis Inabinett Jr. has written a book about Florida A&M University’s marching band. Inabinett, a Florida A&M (FAMU) alum, chronicles the band’s history from 1946 to 2015.

Released in November 2016, The Legendary Florida A&M University Marching Band: The History of “The Hundred” is a 296-page 8x10 color book filled with facts about the FAMU band.

Inabinett tells the story of Dr. William P. Foster, the band’s creator, and how he overcame racism while an undergraduate music major student at the University of Kansas in the early 1940s.

Foster founded the band that became the Marching 100 with around a dozen musicians in 1946. He chose the name because he envisioned reaching 100 Curtis members in the future.

Inabinett Jr. The author also explores the downside of hazing in marching bands and how the band returned after a self-imposed suspension in 2012 after the hazing death of drum major Robert Champion.

Inabinett, who has never formally studied journalism, was awarded the 2015-2016 University of Kansas’ Alyce Hunley Whayne Visiting Researchers Travel Award for his book manuscript. The South Carolina resident spent a week in December 2015 at the University of Kansas’ Kenneth Spencer Research Library completing research for this book.

The book is available through retail bookstores and Amazon.com.

Plan for Miami African Diaspora museum moves forward SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA COURIER

The Miami-Dade North Arts & Humanities Foundation is set to move forward with its goal of creating the Miami Museum of Contemporary Art of the African Diaspora (Miami MoCAAD). It would include a premier art museum, sculpture park and artist in residence program that focuses on contemporary art of the African diaspora.

Miami MoCAAD’s global reach combined with innovative local engagement will expand multicultural tourism to benefit local communities and the state.

The path for this cultural destination museum gained steam as a result of resolutions introduced

by Miami-Dade Board of County Commission Chairman Jean

Miami: The Miami Festival of Laughs is Jan. 14 at the James L. Knight Center. The 8 p.m. show will feature Michael Blackson, Benji Brown, Arnez J, Mike Epps, Jay Pharoah and Felipe Esparza.

Pembroke Pines: Kool and the Gang will perform March 10 at the Pembroke Pines City Center.

Jacksonville: See the Xtreme Motorcycles and other acts in the UniverSoul Circus on Jan. 26 through Feb. 2 at the Prime Osborn Conven-

Monestime and co-sponsored by Commissioner Barbara Jordan (District 1). The resolutions call for support and an allocation of funds for the creation of the Miami MoCAAD. “I was very proud to sponsor the resolution allocating $100,000 in county funds in support of efforts to create a museum dedicated to exposing residents and visitors to the art of the African Diaspora,” said MiamiDade Board of County Commission Chairman Jean Monestime.

“Miami-Dade County will be greatly enriched by the creation of such a museum, which will provide a year-round platform to celebrate the values of diversity and creativity.”

More support Jordan added, “I was honored to recently co-sponsor legislation supporting the efforts to create the Miami Museum of Contemporary Art of the African Diaspora in Northwest Miami-Dade County. I feel that our community is in desperate need of additional exposure to the rich histo-

tion Center Arena.

Tampa: The Tampa Bay Soul Fest featuring Brian McKnight, Johnny Gill and Al B. Sure is Jan. 15 at the USF Sun Dome.

St. Augustine: Tickets are on sale for a March 9 concert featuring Earth, Wind & Fire at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre.

Clearwater: Catch Gladys Knight on Jan. 20 at Ruth Eckerd Hall and Jan. 27 at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale.

Miami Gardens: Obamacare Awareness workshops and enrollment will be held every Wednesday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Betty T. Ferguson Center, 3000 NW 199th St. Licensed agents will be on site.

ry, art and culture of the African Diaspora.

“So many of our youth need to know about the rich African heritage from which their families were derived. This museum has the potential to be a premier national and international cultural destination.’’

The resolution allocating $100,000 for the creating of the museum recently was passed by the Miami-Dade commission.

Led by its directors, Marilyn Holifield, Sheldon Anderson and Hans Ottinot, the Arts & Humanities Foundation obtained a grant from the Knight Foundation and raised matching funds to retain museum planning consultants, the Paratus Group, and held workshops and community meetings in Opa-locka, Miami Gardens and Miami Dade College North Campus.

At this juncture, sites in Northwest Miami Dade County are preferred, including the Miami Dade College North Campus.

For more information, contact Marilyn Holifield at miamimocaad@gmail.com.

ZORA! from Page 1

Outdoor festival Always the second weekend of the nine-day event, the Outdoor ZORA! Festival of the Arts will present a strong array of arts, culture, heritage as well as science and technology offerings for secondary school students along with fine arts, the master crafters lane, an authors’ row, and an an international marketplace.

On Saturday, Jan. 27, the iconic R&B group The Whispers will marquee Center Stage and the Earth, Wind & Fire tribute band SFB will perform. On Jan. 28, Grammy Award nominated jazz, R&B and gospel artist Jonathan Butler will perform as well as Henry Turner Jr. and Flavor from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Other key events Zora’s Cosmos Mobile Tour is Jan. 25 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Guests can visit historic sites in Eatonville and Maitland that inspired Hurston. They will be treated to a traditional Southern lunch made from locally-sourced ingredients.

The ZORA! Golf Tournament takes place at 7 a.m. on Jan. 27 with breakfast; shotgun is at 8 a.m. it will be held at MetroWest Golf Club. Participants can register at zoragolf.com. The tournament provides assistance to education programs that have served the Central Florida community for over 13 years while reaching over 3,500 students.

On Jan. 28, the HATitude Party & Brunch, celebrating Hurston’s love of hats, will take place at the Maitland Civic Center. Participants will model their hats at the event.

A traditional worship service will take place at St. Lawrence A.M.E. Church in Eatonville on Jan. 29 followed by the international marketplace.

A crowd gathers at the International Food Court in Eatonville during a past Zora Neale Hurston Festival of the Arts and Humanities.

The arts and humanities program engages the next generation of artists. These drawings were created by fourth-graders.

The legendary group, The Whispers, is scheduled to entertain festivalgoers on Jan. 28.

S

JANUARY 6 – JANUARY 12, 2017

TRAVEL

B3 If you have the mind to go, then just go. Solo trips, ladies/guys getaways are growing trends for a reason: It’s freedom. Be free and travel often.”

Pack right “New travelers packing for an impending vacation in paradise need to remember that they’re not going to spend their entire time barefoot on the beach,” said Rebecca Hochreiter, All Inclusive Outlet.

“And if the plan is to take on more of the local sites, then you’ll need more than a pair of flipflops. With that in mind, we’d suggest packing a pair of comfortable walking shoes that will keep your feet happy as you hike through ancient ruins or visit a nearby winery.”

Check the resort

ELLEN CREAGER/DETROIT FREE PRESS/TNS

Hankering to tour the Colosseum in Rome? You may need to spend a little more to skip standing in line half a day.

Advice from agents for first-time travelers

BY LISA IANNUCCI TRAVELPULSE/TNS

In 2017, some travelers will be flying or cruising for the first time in their lives. If you don’t know what you’re doing, traveling can be very overwhelming and even intimidating, so we asked travel agents for some advice to get you going on the right foot.

Know your budget “My best advice for newbies is to have a full and complete budget for your trip,” said Debby Corwin, NWA Getaways Dream Vacations.

“Whether you research on your own or use a travel agent, know what food and transporta-

“Get out and explore new places. Don’t be afraid to travel. If you have the mind to go, then just go.’’

Z’Andrea English ZV Travel

tion costs for your area and don’t equate least expensive with value.

That cheap ticket to the Colosseum may cost you a half day of waiting in line, while spending a little more allows you to skip the line and move on to another attraction in the afternoon, thereby maximizing what you spent to

get to Rome.”

Research it Do your research on the destination where you want to go so you know what you want.

“Learn the value of your trip and the importance of using a travel agent,” Debbie Santiago, owner/operator of You Deserve Travel.

“Secondly, purchase insurance. Our lives are nothing but a vapor. We are not guaranteed to see tomorrow. Things happen and trips have to be canceled.

Why not have a backup plan, just in case?”

Dot your I’s Margie Lenau, travel consultant and owner of Wonderland

Family Vacations, advises her customers to go over the details carefully and make your final payments early.

“If something goes wrong with your credit card you will have time to figure out how to get that payment made,” she said. “It’s easy to think that you are finished after you have struggled to get the destination, rooms, activities, transfers, and flights the way you want them. So don’t wait until the last minute to make that final payment.”

Explore “The best advice I would give a travel newbie is to break the cycle,” said Z’Andrea English of ZV Travel. “Get out and explore new places. Don’t be afraid to travel.

Select the coupons you like and save instantly at checkout.

Sign up at publix.com/savingstyle.

Hochreiter said that depending on the destination, waterproof shoes may be a must as well. “We also encourage travelers to check on dress codes with any resorts, restaurants or clubs they plan on visiting to ensure you have the appropriate dress shoes for the occasion,” said Hochreiter.

“While you’re at it, see if restaurants require reservations in advance — especially if you have a special dinner planned at any point during the trip.”

Drink water Finally, if you’re concerned about your feet or ankles swelling while traveling, Hochreiter said that hydration will be key.

“Limit your caffeine and alcohol intake and embrace water,” she said.

“Many resorts will offer you a refreshing drink upon your arrival. Say yes. Hydrating will keep you refreshed after a long day of traveling. Remember to pack an insulated travel mug as well, which is a great way to stay hydrated with your drink of choice — you can usually fill it up for free at any of the resort’s bars.”

TravelPulse is a leading travel authority on the Web, providing consumer travel news and insider tips and advice for an ever-changing travel world. Read more stories at travelpulse.com.

B4

TECHNOLOGY

JANUARY 6 – JANUARY 12, 2017

STOJ

Tech-addicted parents to kids: Don’t do as I do

BY SHARON NOGUCHI MERCURY NEWS/TNS

SAN JOSE, Calif. – They limit their kids’ screen time, set filters on their browsers and banish digital devices from the dinner table. Then those same parents pick up their own iPhones to check email, scan Twitter and update their Facebook statuses.

Even as they fret that their kids may become device zombies, parents are setting a lousy example — and they know it.

“I’d give myself a B-minus or Cplus — and that’s up from a solid F at one point,” said Jason Miller of San Jose, about following the personal-device rules he sets for his children. “The kids have called me out on it, for which I was grateful.”

Limiting the time Miller, a product manager for the news and social media aggregator Flipboard, limits his daughters’ iPad time to 30 minutes a day, not including music. And yet, he realizes that the rules for his 12- and 10-year-old kids are hypocritical.

He’s not alone. A survey by San Francisco-based Common Sense Media of 1,800 parents, conducted in July and released last month, found that parents of teens and ‘tweens spent more than nine hours a day on screen media, including seven hours and 43 minutes for personal use.

That’s nearly every waking minute outside a normal work day — although multitasking like checking Instagram while watching TV racked up double minutes.

PHOTOS BY KRISTOPHER SKINNER/BAY AREA NEWS GROUP/TNS

Tyler Goss looks on as Dacia Mitchell gets an iPad ready for their daughter Althea Goss, 7, to make a video about her little brother Arthur, 5 months, at their home in Oakland, Calif., on Dec. 12. The Goss household has set limitations on screen time that applies to adults as well as children. ing or cleaning.

At the back of parents’ minds are stories they hear from friends or others of media-influenced wayward kids.

“My older son got into video games and played day and night,” said one parent, who did not want her name published.

At first, the parents thought he was doing homework, and then realized, as he brought home D’s and F’s, that he was obsessed with gaming. He nearly didn’t graduate from high school, but made it to state university — then flunked out.

Social media survey Dacia Mitchell of Oakland allows her 7-year-old an hour, broken into two sessions, on her iPad. In return, the Mitchells gave her policing power over Mommy and Daddy using their cell phones during family time.

“A 7-year-old will point out every single time you’re breaking the rules,” Mitchell said. “You suddenly become hyper-aware of your usage.”

Parents ruefully note that handheld computers, replete with maps, games, messages, photos, factoids and magic-like connections, have become an indispensable extension of our brains and beings.

The survey found that most parents of kids 8 to 18 are concerned about their kids’ social media use, potential addiction to technology and the erosion of their sleep time. Two-thirds monitor their child’s screen use.

White parents, believe their kids spend too much time online.

Well over half of Latino parents fear their kids share too many personal details, are exposed to images of violence, may access pornography, sexual images and hurtful comments.

Ethnic gaps

‘Facebook is scary’

The survey also found stark ethnic gaps. Latino parents are more aware and more involved in managing their children’s media use and talking with them about it.

White parents were the least involved. African-American parents were in between and Asian parents, because of their small sampling size, were not reported separately.

Sixty percent of Latino parents, compared with just 43 percent of

The reason for the differences is not certain. James P. Steyer, CEO and founder of Common Sense Media, applauds Latino parents’ vigilance. “They’re a model for the rest of us,” he said.

What the Internet may bring into the lives of her four children “is one of my biggest worries,” said Patricia Lopez of the Bay Area. She occasionally looks at what other children post online.

“Sometimes you see drugs and photos of them smoking,” she

More rules

Dacia Mitchell holds son Arthur Goss, 5 months, as she watches an iPad video produced by daughter Althea Goss, 7, at their home in Oakland, Calif. said. “Facebook is scary to me.”

She and her husband are alert, she said, and her 8-yearold twins are only allowed to use their school-issued laptops in the family room.

“We always try to advise them,” she said but realizes she can’t always control what her kids do at friends’ houses, if parents work, don’t monitor kids or allow them to play violent video games. “We can’t create rules for other houses,” she said.

Monitoring teens She herself has a cellphone, which she uses primarily for phone calls, photos, and checking her kids’ schoolwork. She doesn’t use a computer and rarely watches TV. “I’m from an older era,” she said, laughing. “I still use paper

and pencil, and keep my calendar posted in the kitchen,” despite her kids’ suggestion that she put it online.

But the push and pull of the Internet age is a tough force to navigate.

Adriana Sanchez of San Jose has given her two teenagers cellphones, but makes it clear that she can check them at any time.

She trusts her daughter, 16, and son, 15, she said, because she has built a solid relationship based on good communication.

Video-game obsession Sanchez, an office assistant and caregiver, and her husband, a construction worker, don’t have time for Facebook. They also don’t have a TV, but she’ll turn on Netflix on her phone when cook-

Sophisticated apps designed to make life a little easier FAMILY FEATURES

Just a generation ago, it was difficult to imagine a single palmsized device that could serve as a phone, camera and day planner all in one. Today, smartphone users are discovering that new technology and sophisticated apps make it unbelievably easy to manage virtually every aspect of life.

There are dozens of apps and innovative technologies that improve quality of life by helping individuals save money, stay comfortable and feel secure.

Home security Take peace of mind to a new level with an app like Lockitron.

This app not only serves as a replacement for a clunky key ring, it also allows you to control the locks on your home remotely.

It’s handy for letting in friends or family when you’re running late and keeping track of when kids arrive home from school and unlock the door.

Home cooling and heating Imagine coming home to a

house that is always the perfect temperature, no matter the season.

Controlling the climate in your house is easier than ever with an app like kumo cloud, a programmable remote control app that works with the Mitsubishi Electric Cooling & Heating Wireless Interface to manage indoor cooling and heating units from anywhere in the U.S. In addition to controlling multiple locations and units in a home, the app allows you to program cooling and heating events, monitor errors in the system and see when your filters need cleaning.

This all-in-one cooling and heating control app is available for iOS, Android or Fire OS enabled devices with the latest software. Learn more at kumocloud. com.

Grocery shopping Even making a grocery list is more convenient with smart listmaking apps. A top pick from the analysts at The Sweet Setup is Any List, which remembers historical list items to make build-

Although he’s legally an adult, “he really has no self-control,” she said, decrying purposely addictive electronic games.

That lure, plus the wild West of social networks lacking rules, acutely worry parents.

“We worry a lot about etiquette online,” said Janis Wright of San Jose. “The idea that being rude is being truthful is a horrible fallacy.”

So the family’s tablet computers are set to run out of battery power after about an hour — which means it’s time for her sons, ages 5 and 8, to do something else.

Wright, a freelance designer, tells them the time limits are designed to ensure their brains work better.

“I try to explain the cognitive theory behind it — why you have to do different things different ways, like doing handwriting as well as typing.”

And yet, like many vigilant parents, Wright concedes she’s not always the best role model: “I’m on Facebook far too much.”

Fitness tracking Many fitness gurus recommend monitoring and logging your fitness routine to create a tangible record of your progress and keep track of effective workout programs.

Integrating that data into your smartphone is instantaneous when you sync your data to your phone with a device such as Fitbit.

The app lets you set and monitor progress toward daily goals, create reminders and track trends over time.

Budgets and finances

Smart devices bring a new world of convenience and reassurance to modern consumers. ing new lists progressively easier with time.

One of the app’s list-building shortcuts is the integrated recipe manager that populates your list with ingredients based on the

dishes you’re planning to prepare.

The app also lets you share and export lists, making it simple to hand off the shopping to another member of the household.

Whether you’re a busy parent or a recent college graduate, apps can do wonders for keeping close tabs on your finances.

An app like Mint puts your entire financial status at your fingertips – from a budget that helps you track income and expenses to a credit monitoring feature that lets you know where you stand.

Smart devices bring a new world of convenience and reassurance to modern consumers. Finding the right apps to fit your interests and lifestyle make it possible to manage your day, from home to work to play and back home again.

STOJ

JANUARY 6 – JANUARY 12, 2017

FINEST & ENTERTAINMENT

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University of Florida defensive back Chauncey Gardner received the Outback Bowl’s MVP award after the Gators defeated the Iowa Hawkeyes 30-3 on Monday at Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium. A freshman at UF, the 5-foot11, 204-pound Gardner is a Cocoa native. Above, he runs with the ball after picking off a pass intended for an Iowa Hawkeyes wide receiver.

Naomie Harris was among British notables to be recognized in Queen Elizabeth’s New Year’s Honors list, which celebrates those who have made a significant contribution to British society, business or culture. Harris, a Golden Globe nominee for “Moonlight,” received the rank of Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to drama. She is shown above at the Critics’ Choice Awards on Dec. 11 in Los Angeles.

ANDRES LEIVA/TAMPA BAY TIMES/TNS

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Beyoncé, Springsteen post top-grossing tours of 2016 per show, however, the Stones dwarfed the competition, taking in a staggering $9.1 million from just 14 performances in 10 cities.

Beyoncé finished second with an average of nearly $5.6 million at 49 shows in 46 cities, then Coldplay at just under $5.5 million from 60 shows in 44 cities and Guns N’ Roses at almost $5.4 million from 44 shows in 35 cities.

Brooks can claim the most affordable tour among the Top 10 finishers, tickets averaging just $69.29 for the 102 performances he gave in 25 cities.

BY RANDY LEWIS LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS

Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band navigated “The River” 35th anniversary tour all the way to the bank in 2016, pulling in $268.3 million globally to score the top-grossing concert trek of the year worldwide, according to Pollstar, the concert industry-tracking publication.

Beyoncé nipped close at the E Streeters’ heels, grossing $256.4 million from her Formation world tour, followed by Coldplay ($241 million), Guns N’ Roses ($188.4 million) and Adele ($167.7 million) to round out Pollstar’s top five.

“In what has been a banner year for the concert business, the Top 10 Tours alone grossed a combined $1.67 billion,” Pollstar editor Gary Bongiovanni noted in a statement. “That is significantly better than the $1.5 billion in 2015.”

It is, in fact, an 11.3 percent increase.

Bieber at No. 6 Adele is one of just two performers to have emerged in the new millennium to make the Top 10, the other being Justin Bieber, whose tour grossed $163.3 million, placing him at No. 6 on the list.

More rankings coming

FRANK MICELOTTA/PARKWOOD ENTERTAINMENT PICTURE GROUP/SIPA/USA/TNS

Beyoncé performs during her Formation World Tour at Dodger Stadium on Sept. 14 in Los Angeles.

That’s a bit of a come down from 2015, when Taylor Swift had the topgrossing tour of 2015 worldwide and the Top 10 also include such relative newcomers as One Direction and Ed Sheeran.

Edmonds to host ‘Queen Boss’ on Centric

BY NY MAGEE EURWEB.COM

Tracey Edmonds is teaming with Centric for a new eight-episode series called “Queen Boss,” which aims to find the sharpest African-American female entrepreneurs and have them compete for the business opportunity of a lifetime.

Black women represent the fasting-growing group

of entrepreneurs in America, and “Queen Boss” will field contestants to determine whose concept will net them the title of CEO. According to a press release, three new female entrepreneurs will step into the “Queen Boss Conference Room” each week, where they’ll pitch their products to a panel of celebrity judges including Vanessa Simmons, Lauren Lake, Kandi Burruss, Car-

Pollstar is still finalizing figures for its annual ranking of the Top 200 tours globally and in North America; results were to be posted in its Jan. 6 edition.

Bongiovanni noted that Beyoncé took top honors for the highest-grossing North American tour of 2016, but the figure for that portion of her world tour was not released.

Both Springsteen and Beyonce surpassed Swift’s field-leading gross of $250.1 million in 2015.

Following Bieber on the 2016 roster, Paul McCartney posted a worldwide gross of $110.6 million; Garth Brooks, $97 million; the Rolling Stones, $90.9 million; and Céline Dion, $85.5 million.

Ticket sales Coldplay, however, sold the most tickets, moving almost 2.7 million during the year, followed by Springsteen at 2.4 million and Beyoncé at 2.2 million.

Dion easily had the top average ticket price of $146.26, followed by McCartney at $127.43, the Stones at $122.33, Beyoncé at $114.59 and Springsteen at $111.48.

In terms of average gross

la Hall, Mikki Taylor, Lisa Price, Rakia Reynolds, Angela Benton and Robin Wilson.

The entrepreneurs will put them to the test to see who has the product, passion, and potential to win the competition.

social media.

The ladies will take their skills out of the boardroom and into the streets of New York City to prove they have what it tales to win the competition.

The six winners return for a semifinal and final round episodes, as the judges narrow the field and ultimately select one woman to win the grand prize of $25,000 — the “Queen Boss Start-Up Fund” to get her business off the ground and the title of “Queen Boss.’’

“Queen Boss” premieres Jan. 14 at 10 p.m. on Centric.

Tracey Edmonds, a businesswoman, media mogul and TV personality, will host a new show that will feature Black female entrepreneurs.

Jan. 14 debut Each episode features two rounds of competition, and the business challenges will range from executing the perfect elevator pitch, out-trading the local professionals working the SoHo flea market, and creating a viral marketing on

FOOD

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JANUARY 6 – JANUARY 12, 2017

STOJ

Simply add watermelon to see resolution results FROM FAMILY FEATURES

The start of a new year is the perfect time for new beginnings, including a fresh start on eating healthy. The trick to making this year’s resolution stick is introducing smart eating habits so tasty and easy that your eating plan becomes more a way of life than a short-lived commitment. One easy way to achieve that habit is by adding watermelon to your daily diet, giving your body a low-calorie option to curb an appetite for unhealthy snacks.

Set reasonable goals. A deprivation diet is destined to fail because eventually your body will rebel. Instead, aim for well-rounded meals with moderate portions. If weight loss is your ultimate goal, know that losing two pounds a week is generally considered the maximum.

Satisfy your sweet tooth. Everyone, even the most dedicated health food fans, experience cravings from time to time. Most experts agree that it’s OK to answer your sweet tooth – in moderation of course.

Before you take the plunge, think about whether there are other options that could be a good substitute. For example, instead of a sugary candy bar, consider a naturally sweet slice of watermelon for a cholesterol-free, fat-free way to satisfy cravings at only 80 calories per 2-cup serving. Watermelon contains fiber and water, and packs a wealth of health benefits, including strong levels of vitamins A, C and B6.

Stay well hydrated. During the cooler winter months, it’s easy to let water con­sumption slide because you’re not feeling the heat and thirst you do in warmer weather. However, the dry winter air can also be hard on your body, so it’s impor­tant to keep that water flowing year-around. Most adults should aim for eight glasses of water each day, but you can also boost your water intake with foods that have a high water content, such as watermelon, which is 92 percent water and contains protein and fiber so you are satisfied on fewer calories while boost­ing your overall hydration.

Find more inspiration for health-conscious habits in the new year at watermelon.org.

WATERMELON PROTEIN BITES Recipe courtesy of Anya Shinall of Anya’s Eats 1 cup pitted dates, soaked purified water 1 1/2 cups sprouted watermelon seeds, divided, plus additional for garnish 1 tablespoon coconut butter 1 cup fresh watermelon, chopped 1/8-1/4 cup roughly chopped beets (optional) Chop dates in half.

Place dates in bowl of purified water and soak 1-2 hours.

Remove dates from water bowl and place them into food processor.

Pulse a few times then add 1 cup water­melon seeds, coconut butter and watermelon.

Add chopped beets, if using.

Blend until well combined, scraping sides of food processor as you go.

Add remaining watermelon seeds and pulse, leaving some seeds chunky.

For smoother texture, continue to blend.

Remove mixture from food processor, place in small bowl and cover, allowing to cool in refrigerator 30 minutes.

Remove mixture from fridge. With fingertips slightly wet, roll mixture into balls and place on a plate.

Once done rolling, add watermelon seeds to top.

Place watermelon bites in freezer 1-2 hours, or until frozen.

STEEL-CUT OATS WITH WATERMELON Servings: 2 1 cup 1 percent milk, plus additional (optional) 1 cup water 1/2 cup steel-cut oats 3/4 cup diced seedless watermelon 2 tablespoons dried tart cherries or cranberries 2 tablespoons chopped pecans 2 tablespoons maple syrup In medium saucepan over high heat, bring 1 cup milk and water to gentle boil. Pour in oats. Stir; return to gentle boil then reduce heat to simmer, stirring occasionally, 20-30 minutes.

While oats are cooking, in small bowl, combine watermelon, dried fruit, nuts and maple syrup.

Portion out oats and top with watermelon mixture. Add additional milk, if desired.

ISLAND FRUIT SALAD Servings: 2 2 tablespoons water 2 tablespoons coconut sugar 1/2 lime (1 tablespoon), juiced 1 1/2 teaspoons rum extract 2 kiwis, peeled and diced 1 orange, sectioned and halved 2 cups seedless watermelon, chopped

2 teaspoons flaked, sweetened coconut In small bowl, combine water and coconut sugar; microwave 20 seconds. Stir to completely dis­solve sugar. Let cool. Once cool, add lime juice and rum extract.

In medium bowl, add kiwi, orange and watermelon. Pour rum juice over top and thoroughly toss. Let sit 30 minutes to allow flavors to blend.

Divide fruit salad into two bowls and sprinkle with coconut.

Make water mouthwatering A simple infusion of flavor gives water an instant upgrade, whether you’re looking to add some variety to your daily water consumption or you’re hosting an event and want to offer guests a unique and nutritious beverage. Use your favorite herbs and fruits to create one-of-a-kind combi­nations that provide refreshing rehydration. Try these pairings: • Watermelon with basil, mint or lime • Strawberry with lime and basil • Cucumber and rosemary • Mixed berries and mint • Pineapple with coconut