June 27 – July 2, 2010 | FREE
Volume 79 Number 35
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IN MEMORIAM:
Justice for all?
Bud Johnson 1934-2010
DEFENDER NEWS SERVICE
To many in the African-American community, he was known as the “African Warrior.” But to those who knew and loved “George “Bud” Johnson, Sr. he was more than a talented journalist, he was a loyal friend. Johnson died on June 19. He was 76. George Johnson, Sr. was born in Houston, Jan. 7, 1934 to Sam and Winnie Johnson. Name He attended Wheatley High School, before transferring to Aldine’s George Washington Carver High, where he graduated in 1953. After graduation,
Pilot Public Defender endorsed By Aswad Walker
2008 per capita
Washington DC Texas Harris County
★BUD JOHNSON, Page 4
Texas Southern University’s Board of Regents is issuing a stern warning to the state’s top higher education official that plans to change the way universities are funded could hurt their students. Public universities now receive state money based on how many students are enrolled on the 12th day of class. Higher education officials are asking that funding be based on how many students are enrolled on the final day of class. Raymund That would encourage schools to try Paredes harder to keep students on track, since graduation rates remain low. Statewide, 57 percent of students earn a college degree within six years. At Texas Southern, it’s about 13 percent, although TSU officials say that’s up from 11 percent two years ago. Gary Bledsoe Higher Education Commissioner Raymund Paredes has also proposed that money from the Texas Grant financial aid program be allocated based on merit, as well as financial need. That would ensure the low-income students who are most likely to succeed in college — deter★TSU REGENTS, Page 4
$108.14 $7.22 $6.11
Dallas Public Defender Review
State funding changes could impact TSU DEFENDER NEWS SERVICE
H
ouston/Harris County is by far the largest city in the nation with no public defender program. Many believe this fact puts the city’s poorer citizens at greater risk of losing their freedom due to wrongful convictions. As a result there has been a movement afoot in the city, trying for several years now to establish a Public Defender Office (PDO). An application for a pilot Public Defender program is currently under review by the Texas Task Force on Indigent Defense, with its proponents hoping it will not only be approved, but lead to a fully-funded branch of Harris County operations. Currently, Harris County operates with a courtappointed counsel system for indigent defense. Under
Indigent Defense Spending
July 2008 - Average Cost
Misdemeanor Cases Felony Cases
Public Defender
Private Counsel
$77 $314
$150 $380
★JUSTICE Page 4
Public Defender Private Counsel
Hurricane season threatens Haiti recovery By Zenitha Prince SPECIAL TO THE NNPA FROM THE AFRO-AMERICAN NEWSPAPERS
(NNPA) - At first glance, you wouldn’t think much has changed in Haiti since an unprecedented tremor ravaged Port-au-Prince five months ago. “There are piles of rubble everywhere and some parts of Port-au-Prince look like Armageddon,” said American Red Cross spokeswoman Julie Sell.“People who work in the humanitarian and disaster relief field for years have said this is possibly the worst destruction of an urban area since World War II.” But despite the ragged landscape, aid workers and officials say, the country is steadily eking out a recovery that some hope will make the northern hemisphere’s poorest country better than it was before the disaster. “We’ve had good successes,” said Paul Weisenfeld, coordinator of USAID’s Haiti Task Team. “The response has been robust and extensive and comprehensive but it’s a challenge when you’re Photo:Jonathan Ernest
Haitians continue to pick up the pieces after the devastating earthquake six months ago.
★HAITI, Page 3
INTERVIEW
Norah Jones knows why By Kam Williams CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Norah Jones was born Geethali Shankar in Brooklyn on March 30, 1979 to Sue Jones and Ravi Shankar, the legendary Indian sitar player. At the age of four, she and her mom moved to groovy Grapevine, Texas where she started singing in the church choir at an early age, while learning to play the piano, guitar and alto saxophone. At 16, she changed her name to Norah Jones while attending Booker T. Washington High School. After graduation, she majored in piano at the University of North Texas until she decided to return to New York City to form a band. In 2002, she made a mellow debut with “Come Away with Me,” a universally-acclaimed CD, which won eight Grammy Awards and is the best-selling jazz album of all time at over 20 million copies and counting.
Norah’s next couple of records, “Feels Like Home” and “Not Too Late,” also went platinum, and she’s currently on tour for her fourth, “The Fall.” Besides singing, songwriting and playing multiple instruments, this gifted Renaissance woman is also an actress who has enjoyed a starring role in “My Blueberry Nights” and appeared as herself in “Two Weeks Notice” and “Life Support Music.” Here, the sultry siren talks about life, music and her latest screen outing in “Wah Do Dem,” a road comedy where she cameos as the ex-girlfriend of a just-dumped slacker who gets mugged while vacationing in Jamaica. Kam Williams: Hi Norah, thanks for the time. Norah Jones: Hi Kam, everything cool with you? KW: Yes, thanks. What interested you in “Wah Do Dem?” NJ: Well, I had taken some time off, and wasn’t really doing much at the time, just sort of hanging out in New York. I get lots of random requests, which might be cool,
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Marian Wright Edelman
Relationship Matters
Ron Walters
Fighting Child Obesity
Cheating With No Remorse
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★NORA JONES, Page 2