Urban Voice June 2017

HAMILTON COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT FINALIST ANNOUNCED

UrbanVoice Culture News Politics

CHATTANOOGA + KNOXVILLE + ATLANTA

Be Empowered!

JUNE 2017

REUNION ISSUE

roadtrip

The Family

Reunion

Howard High School Hosting Annual Alumni Week Events June 7-11

NAACP: NATIONAL PRESIDENT NAACP President Cornell Brooksvotedout NAACP national board makes dramatic move to regain relevance.

Southern Strategy

Southern States Delivered 160 Electoral College Votes to Trump.

Fifth Third Convenes National Community Advisory Forum. makes $30billion pledge Sunday Night Live: Leslie Jones to Host 2017 “BET Awards”

Power of Information.

It’s Time to Shift Our Thinking!

There’s no denying that the month of January brings about new beginnings.

But there is no reason why June or any other month can’t jump-start your desire for doing something you’ve never done before. Summertime is refreshing. It’s the ideal season to take a leap of faith and jump into something new. It’s a good time to shift the way you think; which will cause you to change the way you do things.

Technology essayist William Gibson is credited with saying, “The future is already here; it’s just not widely distributed yet.”

It’s easy to blame a failure on doing the wrong things, but rarely do leaders realize that the failure lies in their own thinking.

Here are two examples to apply this theory: First, the National Urban League’s (NUL) 2017 “State of Black America” (SOBA) report was released on May 2, 2017; it is titled, “Protect our Progress,” and again contains the “Inequality Index.

Since 1963 the NUL has used the mantra, “To be Equal,” as part of its overall goal.

NUL report is has good information, it’s informative, professionally written, and packed with statistics from which we all can learn and move forward. However, this is the same shit we’ve been reading for over 40 years.

Again, it’s good information, but Black folks continue to suffer from the same problems and have been in the same predicament for over 40 years.

Don’t take my word for it, here’s an excerpt from the report: Over the past 30 years, the average household wealth of white families has grown 85 percent to $656,000, while that of blacks has climbed just 27 percent to $85,000 and Latinos 69 percent to $98,000.

Again, we have not moved.

Second, for over a decade, the Tennessee Department of Education has been warning Hamilton County officials

of the need to turn around schools. In these schools year after year test scores have shown that students aren’t making adequate progress in reading and math, that the students continue to score below other students across the state and that they have nowhere near the aptitude to make it through college. During the same time these warning sirens were going off, the state was also allocating additional dollars to help support education reform efforts in Chattanooga, for example, the I-zone Grant.

The I-Zone Grant was restricted for use in the same five schools that are now under scrutiny. Under the grant, monies were allocated, administrators were moved around and given some discretion to make whatever changes they deemed necessary to move these schools further along. There were some positive gains.

However, as we see now, this experiment failed. Perhaps, because we did not shift our thinking? Perhaps, we should have taken a more comprehensive approach and paid attention to what else was happening in Chattanooga.

During that same period of time, our city and county officials, local foundations and business leaders were busy orchestrating the mass movement of mostly poor, AfricanAmerican Chattanoogans out of downtown and into areas like Brainerd and East Chattanooga. Everywhere you looked new condos and townhouses were springing up downtown, on the Northshore, and in other parts of our communities. Housing that the people who once lived in these areas, could no longer afford.

A 2012 Chattanooga Affordable Housing Report showed that 1 in 2 households in Chattanooga’s urban core were living in houses they could not afford were burdened by housing costs.

The same report showed that more than a quarter of all renters were severely burdened, paying more than 50 percent of their total income on housing costs.

With numbers like these and a deliberate practice and pattern designed to move the poor, Chattanooga now has two of the top 15 most racially gentrified ZIP codes in the United States – and this all happened within the past 10 years. Over the past decade, six of Chattanooga’s public housing communities have been demolished, resulting in the loss of well over 1,000+ units. A New York Times article on American’s growing poor and low-income populations featured Chattanooga as a highlight of disturbing new trends. The article found that 27 percent of the city’s residents live below the poverty line, nearly double the national average.

Poor people have been moved to concentrated areas and we then ask teachers and administrators to not only educate children, but also deal with the complicated socio-economic issues that characterize poverty and follow “gentrification” (increased crime, lack of resources, blight and unstable neighborhoods)?

The end result - poor performing schools like Brainerd, Woodmore, Dalewood, Orchard Knob and Orchard Knob Elementary & Middle.

It might just be time to shift our thinking about our local priorities and how the decisions we make in one area affects others.

Far too many people are being left behind.

We are in the midst of a massive migration in business and community development models, from managing assets and delivering services to creating technologies and orchestrating networks.

Research tells us that technology- and network-based business models are more profitable, enable faster growth, and are more rewarded in the marketplace.

The digital revolution is forcing every company to move from business models focused on products and services to those that leverage networks and platforms. This shift requires embracing

The Last Word

new organizational models, and unlearning old habits. It’s a fundamental change in how you think and what you measure. But once you align your mental, business, and measurement models, you will be well on your way to a successful digital transformation.

In this social age, people don’t like to be pushed. They don’t need brands to tell them what to buy, where to buy, or when to buy. Their social networks do this for them.

Albert Einstein once said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”

Companies that help customers shift their thinking will be more effective at solving problems and ultimately selling products.

Start thinking about news ways to do business, new ways to market your product/service and new ways to lead. Evaluate how your organization is functioning. Are you really affecting change? Are you making a measurable impact? Consider this. If your organization went away, would you be missed?

While trying something new is exciting, a sense of uncertainty is bound to linger. What’s most important is to push past that doubt in pursuit of the adventure that lies ahead. Either way, life is meant to be lived so take the jump and enjoy the journey.

Time to shift our thinking.

Until Next month, Jermaine D. Harper

JD Harper

䘀愀洀椀氀礀 爀攀甀渀椀漀渀猀㼀 吀栀椀渀欀 䌀栀愀琀琀愀渀漀漀最愀⸀

一愀洀攀搀 漀渀攀 漀昀 琀栀攀 琀漀瀀 瀀氀愀挀攀猀 琀漀 最漀 椀渀 琀栀攀 眀漀爀氀搀 戀礀 琀栀攀 一攀眀 夀漀爀欀 吀椀洀攀猀Ⰰ 䌀栀愀琀琀愀渀漀漀最愀 椀猀 琀栀攀 挀椀琀礀 眀栀攀爀攀 琀栀攀 眀栀漀氀攀 昀愀洀椀氀礀 挀愀渀 猀琀愀礀 愀琀 焀甀愀氀椀琀礀Ⰰ 愀û漀爀搀愀戀氀攀 愀挀挀漀洀洀漀搀愀琀椀漀渀猀 愀渀搀 攀渀樀漀礀 眀漀爀氀搀ⴀ挀氀愀猀猀 愀琀琀爀愀挀琀椀漀渀猀 琀栀愀琀 愀瀀瀀攀愀氀 琀漀 攀瘀攀爀礀 最攀渀攀爀愀琀椀漀渀⸀ 䌀栀愀琀琀愀渀漀漀最愀ᤠ猀 挀攀渀琀爀愀氀 氀漀挀愀琀椀漀渀 洀愀欀攀猀 最攀琀琀椀渀最 栀攀爀攀 攀愀猀礀 昀漀爀 琀栀攀 眀栀漀氀攀 昀愀洀椀氀礀 愀渀搀 琀栀攀 䌀漀渀瘀攀渀琀椀漀渀 愀渀搀 嘀椀猀椀琀漀爀猀 䈀甀爀攀愀甀ᤠ猀 爀攀甀渀椀漀渀 猀瀀攀挀椀愀氀椀猀琀Ⰰ 䌀栀爀椀猀琀椀渀愀 倀攀琀爀漀Ⰰ 漀û攀爀猀 昀爀攀攀 瘀愀氀甀愀戀氀攀 爀攀甀渀椀漀渀 瀀氀愀渀渀椀渀最 愀猀猀椀猀琀愀渀挀攀⸀

䌀栀愀琀琀愀渀漀漀最愀䴀攀攀琀椀渀最猀⸀挀漀洀 挀栀爀椀猀瀀䀀挀栀愀琀琀愀渀漀漀最愀挀瘀戀⸀挀漀洀 㠀 ⼀㤀㘀㐀ⴀ㠀㘀 砀 ㌀ ㄀㜀

Fifth Third Convenes National Community Advisory Forum to Fulfill $30 Billion Commitment Pledge by: 53.com ll CINCINNATI--(BUSINESS WIRE)-Fifth Third Bancorp convened the inaugural meeting of its newly-formed national Community Advisory Forum (CAF) on May 12. Later this month, Fifth Third will convene five regional community advisory forums in Florida, Illinois, Michigan, North Carolina and Ohio.

The convening of the Community Advisory Forums, or CAFs, fulfills a key promise made in Fifth Third’s $30 billion community commitment. The five-year plan is designed to make a long-lasting positive impact in the lives of individuals within communities served by Fifth Third, particularly those in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods. The commitment includes

mortgage lending, small business lending, micro-lending, community development lending and investments, as well as Fifth Third Impact Initiatives, including philanthropy, financial empowerment programming, branches and staffing, and inclusion and diversity.

Fifth Third’s national CAF is chaired

by Fifth Third Bancorp Executive Vice President Brian Lamb. It has 18 members who will meet three times per year. The first meeting was held in the Bank’s headquarters city of Cincinnati, Ohio. The five regional CAFs consist of 75 community leaders and meet twice per year. They are chaired by Fifth Third’s regional community and economic development managers.

The CAFs continue a long-standing tradition of Fifth Third’s engagement with community leadership. Over the course of 2016, Fifth Third leadership held 154 community engagement sessions, with the majority of those conducted with organizations affiliated with the National Community Reinvestment Coalition.

“Convening our community advisory forums is a strategic part of how Fifth Third is keeping the customer at the center of everything we do,” said Lamb. Lamb continued, “When we made our $30 billion community commitment, we pledged to assemble advisory forums and work with community leadership to affect positive change. Fulfilling this pledge brings

together a national CAF with a combined 470 years of experience in community development. We are poised to accomplish great things together.”

Dory Rand, president of Woodstock Institute, a financial justice research and policy nonprofit based in Chicago, said, “I am excited to participate in Fifth Third’s national Community Advisory Forum because their $30 billion community commitment, which Woodstock and the National Community Reinvestment Coalition helped develop, will result in significant investments in and benefits to underserved low- and moderate-income communities, including new branches and increased small business lending.

Spelman College Selects Studio Gang to Design New Center for the Arts & Innovation by: Spelman College ll

ATLANTA, May 24, 2017 /PRNewswireUSNewswire/ -- Spelman College is pleased to announce the selection of Studio Gang to design the College’s new Center for the Arts & Innovation. Founded by MacArthur Fellow Jeanne Gang, Studio Gang is an awardwinning architecture and urban design practice based in Chicago and New York.

Responsible for such lauded designs as the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership at Kalamazoo College, the recently completed Campus North Residential Commons at the University of Chicago, and the forthcoming Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, Studio Gang uses design as a medium to connect people socially, experientially and intellectually.

“With the current pace of rapid change, in which the convergence of art, technology, entrepreneurship and science more and more frequently yields solutions to contemporary challenges, we are pleased

4

www.example.com

to be working with the adventurous and innovative architectural team at Studio Gang,” said Spelman President Mary Schmidt Campbell, Ph.D. “The new facility will provide a home for the ARTS@Spelman and will also house the school’s expanding Department of Computer and Information Sciences and an interdisciplinary Innovation Lab. Studio Gang brings to the project a uniquely collaborative approach to design that aligns with our vision to provide a new and dynamic state-of-theart learning environment that encourages not only disciplinary mastery in the arts and computer science, but provides a creative intersection among art, technology, science and other liberal arts.”

This mode of collaboration, popularly known as STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) is the underlying principle for the design of the new facility.

The building will encourage experimentation, collaboration, active play, research and the imaginative use of digital technologies.

“We look forward to building on the rich history of Spelman College to design a facility that will expand opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration and learning,” said Studio Gang Founding Principal Jeanne Gang. “Working in close collaboration with the community, we hope to design a welcoming new front porch for the campus, oriented to the neighborhood.”

For the past 136 years, Spelman, one of the country’s leading liberal arts colleges and top women’s colleges, has been a beacon

of intellectual excellence for Black women.

In recent years, the College, according to the National Science Foundation, has led the nation in the education of Black women in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). As Spelman drafts a new strategic vision for the next five years, the intent is to couple the College’s documented strength in STEM with a newly conceptualized set of possibilities in the arts.

Drawing on the expertise of Spelman’s stellar faculty in the arts, this new direction is captured in the programmatic initiative ARTS@Spelman, a set of strategic opportunities for the departments of Art & Visual Culture, Dance Performance & Choreography, Theater & Performance, Music, the Digital Moving Image Salon and the Spelman College Museum of Fine Art. ARTS@Spelman’s collaborative approach recognizes the opportunity of STEAM to enhance the academic excellence of Spelman and continue the College’s ascent into the top ranks of liberal arts colleges.

To be a leader in dynamic campus engagement, relevance, collaboration and innovation, Spelman is heightening its emphasis on the arts and technology— envisioning an arts curriculum that is informed by innovative digital media, multiple arts languages, world artistic practices, multicultural influences, courses that build entrepreneurial skills, and technology integration into the arts. These changes to the arts curriculum will result in a broader range of employment opportunities for

Spelman graduates, including careers outside of the arts.

Many of today’s careers require an interdisciplinary approach. As a space for the convening of multiple disciplines, the new facility will bring together visual arts, art history, curatorial studies, photography, documentary filmmaking, dance, theater, music, an innovation lab and parts of the Museum. Along with the consolidation of arts disciplines on campus, the College will relocate the Department of Computer and Information Sciences to the building, where there will also be a laboratory for the SpelBots (the student robotics team), student collaboration areas, living spaces for visiting artists-in-residence and computer and information science professionals and a cyber café.

The Center provides an opportunity to formalize alliances and collaborations that already exist by creating a multi-disciplinary gathering space that allows faculty-tofaculty and faculty-to-student extracurricular conversations.

Another goal is to enhance the connections between the College and the Westside Atlanta community. The new facility will have an entrance that faces out to the Westside community that serves as a “front porch” to Spelman through programming and invitations to public activities and amenities.

The College expects to approve a conceptual design for the Center this in the fall.

In the 2016 elections, Southern states delivered 160 Electoral College votes to Donald Trump, more than half of the 306 total that propelled him to the White House.

ll Now, 100 days into Trump’s presidency, Southern Republicans have emerged as key figures in the new administration and the GOP-controlled Congress, giving Southern states growing influence in shaping the nation’s political agenda.

The South provided a strong base of support for Trump in 2016. Of 13 Southern states, only Virginia voted for Hillary Clinton last November, and several Southern politicians became key supporters of Trump’s insurgent campaign.

The South was also important to ensuring that Republicans maintained control of the U.S. House and Senate: GOP

candidates won 73 percent of the South’s 147 House races in 2016 and all of the region’s eight Senate races, even as Democrats achieved modest gains in both chambers elsewhere in the country.

After helping fuel the nation’s rightward shift in last year’s elections, Southern conservatives find themselves in key positions of influence in both the executive and legislative branches in Washington and in the president’s cabinet.

President Trump’s cabinet features several key Southern Republicans, including a handful of conservatives who became important endorsers of Trump’s run for the White House. So far, 19 of Trump’s 23 cabinet picks have received confirmation by the U.S. Senate, with Southerners taking leadership of influential posts including attorney general, secretary of state, and Trump’s top budget official at the Office of Management and Budget.

The New York Times describes Trump’s cabinet as “more white

and male than any cabinet since Ronald Reagan’s.

MICK MULVANEY, Office of Management and Budget Another South Carolina Republican with Tea Party roots, former U.S. Rep. Mick Mulvaney was one of the most conservative members of Congress after being elected in 2010 and a founder in 2015 of the right-wing House Freedom Caucus.

RICK PERRY, Secretary of Energy Early in the 2016 campaign, former Texas governor and “Dancing with the Stars” competitor Rick Perry called Donald Trump a “cancer on conservatism,” and the presidentto-be’s politics a “toxic mix of demagoguery and meanspiritedness and nonsense.” But by May, Perry had decided Trump was “one of the most talented people who has ever run for the president I have ever seen,” and became a vocal Trump supporter throughout the rest of the campaign.

TOM PRICE, Secretary of

Health and Human Services An orthopedic surgeon and sixterm congressman from Georgia, Price endorsed President Trump’s campaign in May 2016. Like Trump, Price has been a vociferous critic of the Affordable Care Act. Price was also a member of the right-wing Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, a group founded in 1943 that opposed Medicaid and Medicare and that continues to “fight socialized medicine and to fight the government takeover of medicine.”

JEFF SESSIONS, Attorney General By far one of the most bitterly-contested of the new administration’s cabinet picks, former U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama was an early endorser of Trumps’ candidacy, famously donning a “Make America Great Again” hat at an August 2015 rally. Sessions’ long-time communications director Stephen Miller was an early hire of the Trump campaign.

REX TILLERSON, Secretary

of State In a cabinet marked by unusual choices, Texas native and oil executive Rex Tillerson has had one of the most unique routes to a key post in Trump’s administration.

As Southerners have taken important leadership positions in Trump’s White House, southern states have also seen their influence grow in Congress.

One of the notable states that has seen its clout skyrocket in the new political landscape, despite its modest size, is Tennessee.

One of the reasons is seniority.

As Roll Call notes, “[A]ll but one of the Volunteer State’s lawmakers have been in office longer than six years.” That longevity has given them access to key leadership roles: The state’s two senators in their third years of leading premier panels — Bob Corker at Foreign Relations and Lamar Alexander at Health, Education, Labor and Pensions — and Reps. Diane Black (Budget) and Phil Roe (Veterans Affairs) also chair key committees.

NAACP President Cornell Brooks Ousted as Group Looks to Regain Relevance

By Lauren Victoria Burke (NNPA Newswire Contributor) ll BALTIMORE — Why did the NAACP’s national board vote to part ways with their president, Cornell William Brooks? Several longtime members contacted by the NNPA Newswire were shocked to hear the news. Brooks, 56, has served in the position

since May 2014. Some NAACP insiders said that there was a lack of communication between the NAACP’s large board of directors and Brooks. Others say that a lack of fundraising prowess was the reason.

On the day the board voted to end Brooks’ tenure as president (his current contract expires on June 30), NAACP Board Chairman Leon Russell announced that the 108 year-old organization is “re-tooling” and embarking on “an organization-wide refresh” in response to the “audacious challenges” in “today’s volatile political, media and social climates.”

During an interview with American Urban Radio Networks, Brooks was asked why he was being let go. He responded: “I can’t point to any substantive reason.

What I can point to is this: the NAACP over the course of less than three years, is more visible, more vocal, growing in members, donors, presence in the courts and in communities across the country.”

Brooks continued: “We’ve had nine court victories against voter suppression in ten months. We not only demonstrated in Flint, we filed suit in Flint…online membership is up 87 percent and online paper membership is up seven percent.

Online donations are up 800 percent,” Brooks added. On May 21, Brooks was bombarded on Twitter with positive praise from well-wishers for his three years as NAACP President.

Brooks was also instrumental in spotlighting the damage President Donald Trump’s Attorney General Jeff Sessions

will likely do to voting rights with a demonstration in Alabama that resulted in Brooks’ highly publicized arrest.

During a May 19 media call on the end of Brooks’ presidency, NAACP National Board Chairman Leon Russell and Vice Chair Derrick Johnson told reporters that the search for a new leader will start immediately and focus on, “renewed nimbleness and vigilance so that we can aggressively respond to the current climate of political unrest as well as the assault on human rights.”

Russell also added that, “we don’t have a job description in front of us.”

Russell also said that he and Johnson would manage the dayto-day NAACP operations on an interim basis until a replacement

for Brooks is found. They also announced a NAACP “listening tour” in an effort to be informed “by the people we serve” and to “harness grassroots energy” while at the same time listening also to current staff, past leaders in the Civil Rights Movement and “philanthropic” groups.

The NAACP makes this startling leadership change at an incredibly crucial time.

President Donald Trump is reeling amidst accusations of collusion with the Russian government, during the 2016 election season and obstruction of justice involving former FBI Director Jim Comey’s investigation of it. Attorney General Sessions easily represents one of the biggest threats to policy issues disproportionately impacting African Americans.

URBANVOICE 2017 | 5

REGIONAL

URBAN VOICE

Sunday Night Live: Leslie Jones to Host 2017 “BET Awards” “BET Awards” to Air Live on Sunday, June 25 from Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles at 8 p.m. ET feathers. Leslie starred in Paul Feig’s reboot of “Ghostbusters”, with other film credits that include Chris Rock’s “Top Five,” Judd Apatow’s “Trainwreck”, the animated film “Sing” and the upcoming “Masterminds”.

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-BET Networks, a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIA.B sted NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), today revealed comedian and actress Leslie Jones as host for this year’s “BET Awards.” Her first major award show gig, Leslie joins a long line of stand-up comedians that have rocked the role, including Chris Rock, Mo’Nique, Kevin Hart and Chris Tucker. This year’s broadcast marks 17 years of unexpected performances, trailblazing moments, super dope talent, and entertainment’s most provocative players. The iconic show continues to be a cultural rule breaker steeped in reinvention with some of the most memorable moments in Award show history. The “BET Awards” has set the standard for one of the most intently unconventional, news-provoking broadcasts. The 2017 “BET Awards” will air LIVE on Sunday, June 25 at 8 pm ET from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, CA on BET. A staple on the Saturday Night Live writing team, Leslie Jones gained on-camera popularity after a memorable performance during the show’s “Weekend Update” segment where she played herself. Now in her third year on the cast, Jones is known to be a talented and fiercely independent performer whose brash and unapologetic riffs can ruffle

6

“I am so excited to be hosting The BET Awards this year,” said Saturday Night Live star Leslie Jones, “BET was the first network and place where I was on TV - I am looking to turn this whole experience into a joyful homecoming.”

As previously announced, Beyoncé dominates this year’s nominations with a total of seven including ‘Best Female R&B/Pop Artist,’ ‘Best Collaboration’ with Kendrick Lamar for “Freedom,” ‘Video of the Year,’ and ‘Album of the Year’ for Lemonade. Bruno Mars follows with five nods including ‘Album of the Year,’ ‘Best Male R&B/Pop Artist,’ and ‘Video of the Year’ for “24K Magic.” Other nominees include Solange, nominated for four awards and who is up against sister Beyoncé for ‘Best Female R&B/Pop Artist.’ Chance the Rapper and Migos receive four nominations as well, Chance the Rapper nominated for ‘Best Male Hip-Hop Artist’ and ‘Best New Artist’ and Migos for ‘Best Group’ and ‘Best Collaboration’ for their #1 hit “Bad and Boujee” with Lil Uzi Vert.

BET Networks recognizes artists, entertainers, and athletes across 19 categories with the “BET Awards” 2017 nominations. The nominations are selected by BET’s Voting Academy, which is comprised of fans and an esteemed group of entertainment professionals in the fields of television, film, music, social media, digital marketing, sports journalism, public relations, and the creative arts.

The 2017 “BET Awards” will premiere around the world on BET’s international networks. It will air in the UK on Tuesday,

www.theurbanvoice.org

Attorney general calls for a return Booker T. to mandatory Washington minimum sentences State Park Pool associated with lowOpens For The level drug crimes Season

The Booker T. Washington State Park pool opens for the season on Saturday.

The Olympic-sized pool features a diving board and a children’s wading pool.

Admission is $5/person and overnight guests swimming as a group pay half price.

Seasonal passes are available for $80 for 40 visits. More information can be found here.

Operating hours are as follows: · Open Wednesday-Sunday from 11 a.m.-6:30 p.m. · Closed Mondays and Tuesdays

Cleveland State To Offer New CNA Program Cleveland State Community College is now accepting applications for its new Certified Nursing Assistant program.

This is the Tennessee approved Nurse Aide Training class for individuals desiring to become licensed as C.N.A.’s in the state of Tennessee.

This is an eight week training program that will begin on Monday, June 19. Registration for the program is going on now through May 31, with acceptance interviews being conducted on June 5-6. The course fee is $900 and includes tuition, books, scrubs, liability insurance, TB test, background check, drug screen and CPR certification.

For more information or to register for the C.N.A. program, contact Continuing Education Coordinator Keri Eyler at 473-2270

WASHINGTON—Mandatory minimum sentences, which have been vilified by some as a war against African-American men, just got a strong push from the U.S. attorney general after a short-lived hiatus during the Obama administration, sparking angry objections by some, though it remains to be seen if the black community feels the same way given their mixed feelings about the issue.

In a May 10th memo to all 94 federal prosecutors, Jeff Sessions, the U.S. Attorney General, wrote that prosecutors should charge and pursue the most serious and readily provable offense.

“This policy affirms our responsibility to enforce the law, is moral and just, and produces consistency,” Sessions wrote. “This policy fully utilizes the tools Congress has given us. By definition, the most serious offenses are those that carry the most substantial guidelines’ sentence, including mandatory minimum sentences.”

Sessions’ action reverses a policy by former President Barack Obama and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder that encouraged federal prosecutors not to pursue mandatory minimum sentences usually associated with low-level drug arrests. Sessions’ memo does not mention drug arrests.

Under Holder, the move away from mandatory minimum sentences, usually linked to low-level drug arrests, was called “smart on crime,” said Marc Mauer, executive director of The Sentencing Project.

“In recent years the Department of Justice had achieved a substantial population reduction in its overcrowded prison system,” Mauer said in a statement. “The decrease was produced by several policy changes orchestrated by the U.S. Sentencing Commission and through the now-rescinded DOJ directive known as Smart on Crime. Reversing the directive will exacerbate prison overcrowding, increasing spending and jeopardize the safety of staff and prisoners.”

The Sentencing Project, a Washington, D.C.based organization that promotes sentencing reform, noted that the federal prison population has dropped 2.9% since 2011.

Republican U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky said: “Mandatory minimum sentences have unfairly and disproportionately incarcerated too many minorities for too long. Attorney General Sessions’ new policy will accentuate that injustice.

Kirk Kelly, Bryan Johnson, Timothy Gadson, Stuart Greenberg, Wayne Johnson, Are Superintendent Finalists

ll Bryan Johnson of Clarksville, Tn., was the top vote-getter on the opening round of balloting for Hamilton County school superintendent.

The chief academic officer for the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System was on the ballot of all nine school board members at a special

meeting on Thursday afternoon.

Others who made the cut were Timothy Gadson, a Minnesota educator; Stuart Greenberg, chief academic officer for Leon County Schools in Florida; and Georgia businessman Wayne Johnson.

Dr. Kirk Kelly, the interim superintendent, barely made the list of five finalists. He was initially tied with Jack Elsey Jr. of Michigan.

On the first ballot, it was Bryan Johnson 9, Timothy Gadson 8, Stuart Greenbert and Wayne Johnson 6 and Kirk Kelly and Jack Elsey 5 each.

There will be several community forums at UTC prior to the choice on June 15. They are expected to be June 5, 6 and 7.

Other finalists had been Natasha Baker from Michigan and Clifford Davis from Knoxville.

New Women’s Conference Comes To Chattanooga The Bethlehem Center is partnering with Rivers of Living Water Christian Center and is hosting a free conference for women on June 3 from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Bethlehem Center, 200 W. 38th St. The mission of the conference is that, “Every woman shall know the very essence of her being for the kingdom of God,” according to Acts 17:28.

The purpose of the Titus II Women Conference is for spiritually mature women to teach other women biblical principles on personal finance, marriage maintenance, health and fitness by Minister of Fitness and 2015 Master Physique reigning champion Linda Bolton, and more.

For more information or to register for the Titus

II Women conference, please contact member@ rlwchristiancenter.info or 551-2801, or Brandi Allen at 266-1384 x.1.

Participants may also stop by the Beth to register.

Tennessee’s Department of Economic Development Rolls out Website to Promote Transparency Staff Report ll The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development launched an online platform to provide the public with information about how it measures strategic objectives.

“This tool shares TNECD’s strategy, goals and ongoing performance with the public in a user-friendly way, outlining our programs as transparently as possible,” Chief Operating Officer Ted Townsend said in a prepared statement.

The platform features 40 interactive dashboards, tracking economic data and initiatives tied to TNECD’s long-term strategic plan, according to a news release.

The key performance indicators on the dashboards also outline historical data and trends, as well as graphics and maps that are searchable by city, county and region.

“These new dashboards enable Tennesseans to get an exhaustive look at the key economic measures and goals that drive TNECD’s long-term strategic plan,” Commissioner Bob Rolfe said in a prepared statement. “These dashboards tell the fuller story of our department and shed more light on the hard work that goes into our wide range of initiatives.”

The public can use the dashboards to view a range of key performance measures, including TNECD’s five longterm objectives, according to the news release.

TNECD has set these goals for 2025: To have the lowest unemployment of the dozen states in the Southeast To rank among the top two states in the Southeast for personal income per capita To have the highest private capital investment per capita in the Southeast To eliminate all Tennessee counties that are federally designated as distressed counties (this designation is based on poverty rates, income levels and unemployment rate) To secure predominantly high-quality jobs from expanding or newly locating businesses in Tennessee, defined as 55 percent of job commitments paying at or above the county median wage where the private investment is made.

URBANVOICE 2017 | 7

SUMMER MUSIC FESTIVALS 2017 JUNE

CAPITAL JAZZ FEST

6/02/17-6/04/17; COLUMBIA, MD

CARNIVAL HOUSTON

6/10/17; HOUSTON, TX

HEALDSBURG JAZZ FESTIVAL

6/02/17-6/11/17; HEALDSBURG, CA

CHICAGO BLUES FESTIVAL

6/9/17-6/11/17; CHICAGO, IL

AMERICAN BLACK FILM FESTIVAL 6/14/17-6/18/17; MIAMI BEACH, FL CHICAGO GOSPEL MUSIC FESTIVAL ESSENCE MUSIC FESTIVAL

6/02/17-6/03/17; CHICAGO, IL 6/29/17-7/2/17; NEW ORLEANS, LA

JULY CTASTE OF CHICAGO

7/5/17-7/9/17; CHICAGO, IL

INDIANA BLACK EXPO

7/06/17-7/16/17; INDIANAPOLIS, IN

NORFOLK JAZZ FESTIVAL

7/14/17-7/15/17; NORFOLK, VA

MACY’S MUSIC FESTIVAL

7/28/17-7/29/17; CINCINNATI, OH

NAT. BLACK THEATRE FEST.

7/31/17-8/05/17; WINSTON-SALEM, NC

AUGUST CARIBANA

8/3/17-8/7/17; TORONTO,

SATCHMO SUMMERFEST

8/3/17-8/6/17; NEW ORLEANS, LA

HOUSTON JAZZ FESTIVAL 8/4/17-8/6/17; HOUSTON, TX ART & SOUL FESTIVAL 8/19/17-8/20/17; OAKLAND, CA; LONG BEACH JAZZ FESTIVAL

8/11/17-8/13/17; LONG BEACH, CA;

VIRGINIA BEACH FUNKFEST 8/25/17-8/27/17; VIGINIA BEACH, VA;

SEPTEMBER MARTHA’S VINEYARD JAZZ & BLUES SUMMERFEST

9/01/17

MONTEREY JAZZ FESTIVAL

9/15/17

BILL PICKETT INVITATIONAL RODEO

9/22/17

NATIONAL BLACK MBA ASSOCIATION

9/26/17-9/30/17

CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS ANNUAL LEGISLATIVE CONFERENCE 9/20/17-9/24/1;

OCTOBER BLACK ENTERPRISE TECHCONNEXT SUMMIT

8

www.theurbanvoice.org

10/09/17-10/10/17

PLANNING A REUNION? CONSIDER CHATTANOOGA HISTORY/CULTURE

OUTDOOR ADVENTURE

It’s no secret that in Black families, the family reunion is one of the most anticipated events of the summer. Defined by dictionary.com as the act or process of coming together again, reunions are more than a time to reconnect with family, they are, a good time waiting to happen.

And it seems, that despite our turbulent economy, many Black families continue to come together at regular intervals no matter what. Even when money is tight and expenses are cut, they tend to focus on things that are important in life, such as family and maintaining friendships.

Family reunions are a time-honored tradition in the African-American community dating back 150 years. These multi-generational family gatherings are arguably the largest sector of the AfricanAmerican travel and tourism market, and deciding on where to host all your cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and “grand-momma and them” is an important decision.

Ray Charles sang about Georgia being on his mind, and Toni, Tone, Tony swooned that it never rains in Southern California, but once you get a taste of the 423, you forget about Georgia and could care less if California catches rain. Almost immediately, you understand why many couldn’t wait to hop off the Chattanooga Choo-Choo, right on track 29. Don’t just take our word, here are the top reasons why the Urban Voice thinks Chattanooga has something for everyone in your family to enjoy at the reunion this year.

For the History Buff – Soak in Historic Chattanooga We can all agree that a big part of the reunion experience involves connecting with your roots, right? I mean how many family reunion T-shirts with a family tree screen-print have we seen? Aside from 10 being the birthplace of Blues singer Bessie

GOOD FOOD

Smith, R&B superstar Usher Raymond, acclaimed actor Samuel L. Jackson, and NFL Hall of Famer Reggie “The Minister of Defense” White, Chattanooga has plenty of spaces that are significant to the history and culture of African Americans that your family will enjoy. Here are a few: First Baptist Church: Located on East Eighth Street, First Baptist was built in 1885 and is home to one of the longest standing African American congregations in Chattanooga. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the cathedral style building seats 1000 and is adorned with period stained-glass windows.

Interestingly, a young, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. interviewed for the Pastorate, but First Baptist passed over the Civil Rights leader, thinking King was too young to assume the post.

Walden Hospital: Established in 1915 by Dr. Emma Rochelle Wheeler, this 30 bed hospital staffed 19 Black doctors and served the medical needs of Chattanooga’s black population. Walden, the first black hospital in Chattanooga, was also a nursing school and operated for 37 years. It is now the site of Emma Wheeler Homes, one of Chattanooga’s largest housing projects.

The Martin Hotel was once known as the largest African American hotel in the South. Established in 1924 by Robert R. Martin, the Martin Hotel was the first African-American business to receive a legal beer license in Chattanooga, charging fifteen cents for a bottle of beer.

In 1985, the Martin Hotel closed its doors after 61 years in business. In its heyday the hotel housed fifty “steam heated” rooms and a restaurant. Its guests included many famous African Americans, including Satchel Paige, Lena Horne, Cab Calloway, and Willie Mays.

Right behind where the Martin Hotel once sat, is the Bessie Smith Cultural Center. Using interactive displays, this

WORDS: Lynn Cole PHOTO: Steven Tyler

FAMILY FRIENDLY part museum / cultural center named after the “Empress of the Blues,” Bessie Smith paints a fascinating picture of Black life in Chattanooga. Its exhibits begin in east Africa in the 12th-century and travel through time to the history of how the African people were enslaved and brought to America.

For the Thrill Seeker – Explore Adventurous Chattanooga Chattanooga has a number of outdoor activities that are sure to be a hit with adrenalin seeking family members, including: Rock City and Ruby Falls, two natural wonders that sit atop Lookout Mountain. At 145 feet high, Ruby Falls is the largest underground waterfall in the country. Rock City, located right outside Chattanooga in Lookout Mountain, GA is a breathtaking view of some of the most

magnificent, naturally occurring rock formations, but it also has many options for adventure, including the Swing-A-Long Bridge from which you can see the entire city of Chattanooga as you cross the 180 foot stretch of wood and rope. Also on the mountain is the Lookout Mountain Flight Park that offers hang gliding. For rock climbing enthusiasts, Chattanooga’s Highpoint Climbing has more than 28,000 square feet of indoor / outdoor rock climbing space right in the heart of downtown Chattanooga. However, if height isn’t your thing, Chattanooga’s waterfront location is in just the right spot for exploring adventures out on the Tennessee River. There are downtown waterfront tours via kayak, canoe, or paddleboard, as well as, the 13-mile Riverwalk along the Tennessee River for those that want to enjoy check out the river from afar.

For the Young – Discover KidFriendly Chattanooga Gathering all of your loved ones together in the beautiful “Scenic City” known as Chattanooga promises something for everyone, especially the kids who will enjoy fun places like the Chattanooga Zoo at Warner Park on Holtzclaw Avenue. With 13-acres of wildlife and exhibits, Chattanooga’s piece of animal kingdom will not disappoint.

Visitors can also catch the Zoo Choo Train, a trackless train that uses wagons to offer young children the opportunity to experience what it would be like to ride a train. For kids wanting a more hands on adventure, check out the Creative Discovery Museum, known as heaven on earth for the curious kid. Located in downtown Chattanooga, it is a great place to take the kids and let them learn by doing. With a general admission, kids can create their own artwork, participate in science demonstrations, explore the adventure of reading with interactive story-time, or even join in the surprising fun of “spur of the moment” activities such as touching a snake. You can also sneak in another fun, educational experience at the Tennessee Aquarium, also located in downtown Chattanooga. Here kids can visit the Stingray Bay and a shark touch tank, try to spot a seahorse, and explore dozens of turtle species. The aquarium houses two buildings – the River Journey which showcases fresh water fish and the Ocean Journey which features saltwater fish. The aquarium also houses the River George Explorer, a 70 passenger Catamaran trip to the Tennessee River Gorge. For some good old fashion, outdoor fun, be sure to check out one of Chattanooga’s most recognizable parks, Coolidge Park just a short trip over the Market Street Bridge from the Aquarium.

With a splash pad, $1 rides on an old restored, old fashioned carousel, and plenty of space to frolic and play, Coolidge Park is the perfect spot to blow off some steam and let loose for the day.

For the Foodie – Explore a Taste of Chattanooga It’s undeniable that many of the best barbeque and soul food joints are right here in Chattanooga. Some favorite local spots off the beaten path include Sunset Inn BBQ and Old Plantation both located on Dodson Avenue in East Chattanooga.

Sunset is a family owned restaurant that was started in the late 1940s by the Washington family. Sunset serves traditional bar-b-que that has been slow cooked in a hickory pit. The homemade sweet and spicy sauce is a hit that will have you coming back for more. Old Plantation, also family owned, is one of the few places in Chattanooga where you can get a chopped weiner plate, as well as, beef shoulder, pork ribs, or pork shoulder all cooked traditional pit-style. The sandwiches, served with or without slaw, are exactly how a bar-b-que sandwich should be - large, tasty, and sloppy. If you plan on going to Old Plantation, you should know that there is no inside seating, but don’t worry orders are prepared quickly and packaged in to-go containers. Also, credit / debit cards are not accepted.

Memo ‘s Grill, located on Martin Luther King Blvd is one of Chattanooga’s oldest Black owned businesses. Now in its second generation of family ownership, Memo’s, as the place is known by locals, has been serving its legendary chopped weiner plate for 50 years. Different from the one served at old plantation, a memos chopped weiner plate comes with a thick chili sauce served with slaw and toasted buns.

Chattanooga, the comeback city of the South has just the right amount of urban soul and southern flare to make your family reunion unforgettable, and have you looking to visit the city over and over again.

URBANVOICE 2017 | 11

LUPUS STILL DISPARATELY AFFECTS BLACK WOMEN

Obama Presidential Center Envisioned as Economic Engine to Revitalize Chicago’s South Side

by: Kyle Yeldell ll Many chronic diseases are the result of the body’s immune system mistakenly perceiving that the body is under attack from foreign bodies.

A counterattack is then launched— an inflammatory response meant to vanquish the intruder. In reality, the immune system has misinterpreted the threat and is actually attacking the body’s own cells and tissue.

More and more, we are all hearing about friends, family, and even celebrities, like Nick Cannon, who are “victims” of autoimmune disease – especially Lupus.

Lupus is a systemic autoimmune disease driven by inflammation in which the immune system indiscriminately attacks “self-tissues” throughout the body. It is estimated that more than 16,000 people are diagnosed with lupus each year in the United States.

Approximately 1.5 million Americans, and five million people worldwide, currently live with lupus. Anyone can get lupus, but it most often affects women.

Lupus is also more common in women of African-American, Hispanic, Asian, and Native American descent than in Caucasian women. Women of color are two to three times more likely to develop lupus than Caucasians.

Lupus autoimmunity can cause variable symptoms from person to person. Parts of the body frequently affected by lupus include the skin, kidneys, heart and vascular system, nervous system, connective tissues, musculoskeletal system, and other organ systems. Lupus is not contagious, not even through sexual contact. You cannot “catch” lupus from someone or “give” lupus to someone.

Your immune system is the network of cells and tissues throughout your body that work together to defend you from invasion and infection. You can think of it as having two parts: the innate and the acquired immune systems.

When the immune system is working

properly, foreign invaders (antigens) provoke the body to produce proteins called antibodies and specific types of white blood cells that help in defense.

The antibodies attach to the invaders so that they can be recognized and destroyed.

Normally the immune system’s white blood cells help protect the body from harmful substances, called antigens.

Examples of antigens include bacteria, viruses, toxins, cancer cells, and blood or tissues from another person or species.

The immune system produces antibodies that destroy these harmful substances.

These diseases tend to run in families. Women – particularly AfricanAmerican, Hispanic-American, and Native-American women – have a higher risk for some autoimmune diseases. The diseases may also have flare-ups, when they get worse, and remissions, when they all but disappear. The diseases do not usually go away, but symptoms can be treated.

The classic sign of an autoimmune disease is inflammation, which can cause redness, heat, pain, and swelling.

How an autoimmune disease affects you depends on what part of the body is targeted. If the disease affects the joints, as in rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis, you might have joint pain, stiffness, and loss of function.

Diagnosing lupus can be difficult.

It may take months or even years for doctors to piece together the symptoms to diagnose this complex disease accurately. Making a correct diagnosis of lupus requires knowledge and awareness on the part of the doctor and good communication on the part of the patient. Giving the doctor a complete, accurate medical history (for example, what health problems you have had and for how long) is critical to the process of diagnosis.

ll (TriceEdneyWire. com) – Former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama on Wednesday showed off a model of the Obama Presidential Center, which

will honor the nation’s first African-American president as well as help to revitalize neighborhoods on Chicago South Side where the center will call home.

The $500 million, 200,000 square-foot center is scheduled to open in 2021 in Jackson Park, near Lake Michigan, announced the Obama Foundation, which is raising money for the presidential center. The Foundation said it will strengthen its neighborhoods’ economic climate by bringing hundreds and thousands visitors to Chicago every

year and creating new jobs on the South Side.

The foundation also hopes the center will revitalize historic Jackson Park.”We believe the center will restore the promise of Jackson Park as the people’s park, building on its history as a recreational destination for gathering on the South Side for families, community members and visitors,” the Obama Foundation said in a statement.

The Obamas said they are building the presidential center on the South Side to give back to

NATIONAL

URBAN VOICE

BLACK WOMANOWNED COMPANY AWARDED CONTRACT TO REPLACE FLINT WATER PIPES by: Kirsten West Savali The Flint, Michigan, water crisis started back in April 2014 after Michigan Republican Governor Rick Snyder and other politicos fast tracked a measure to change the source of processing Flint’s water from the Detroit Water and Sewage Department directly to the Flint River–all in order to save/get money. As a result, the water became contaminated with lead and other toxins and more than a dozen people died and thousands of children and adults became seriously ill after being routinely being exposed to dangerous levels of lead based water. Since then, many studies have been done, court trials had, fundraisers created, astronomical water bills issued and a lot of the “blame game” has been played, but one thing remains: Flint residents are still without clean water.

Earlier this year, a federal magistrate approved a $97 million settlement. The order mandates that thousands of pipes made of lead and galvanized steel be replaced—a three year project. To that end, additional resources have also been allocated from federal and private sources making a total of more than $250 million being earmarked to resolve the man-made disaster.

WT Stevens Construction, a construction management and services firm based in Flint, Mich., is the only blackowned company to be awarded a service contract to replace contaminated water pipes across the city.

The Network Journal reports that WT Stevens is “one of just four companies recently contracted—under a court order— to replace more than 18,000 lead corroded pipes.”

The family-owned company was founded by W.T. Stevens in the late 1990s.

When Stevens died in 2002, Rhonda Grayer and her seven siblings joined together and began the work of continuing his legacy.

The company has already readied itself for the task ahead by hiring about 20 staff, ranging from clerical and general laborers to plumbers and machine operators. Among the added personnel are ex-offenders and youth, two segments of Flint’s population the company recognizes for unique training and experience needs. “[My father] trained many people …

This is the biggest project we’ve done,” Grayer said.

Rhonda Grayer’s husband, former NBA player Jeff Grayer, serves as project manager and shared that the project is important on several levels.

“This is home for me and my family and I wasn’t going to sit back and do nothing as a person or as a businessman,” Grayer said in an exclusive interview with TNJ. com.

“Our company is usually the only African-American-owned business to respond to request for proposals for various Flint city contracts even now after the court rulings related to the water crisis,” he said. “This is a major project that will ensure public safety and start rebuilding trust between the city and the community…something that has been missing awhile.”

Grayer said the target is to have all 18,000 lead corroded residential pipes replaced by December 2019, with 6,000 being replaced by the end of the year.”

SIGNS YOU MIGHT BE SETTLING You only have one life to live. Though such a common idiom, it’s very powerful one? When you put it into perspective, it allows you to really consider the things you will allow to add and subtract from your life. When it comes to relationships, you should want to spend your life with someone you are head over heels for, and not just in a passionate/lustful way, but in meaningful one. Unfortunately, many people haven’t experienced love like that, and what’s worse many doubt it even exists.

In fact, according to research conducted by University of Chicago sociologist John Cacioppo, “20% of Americans in 2013 (60 million) feel alone and are doubtful of finding love.”

Consequently, what ends up happening is many people settle. Several factors can drive one to settle such as fear of being alone, satisfying a relative like worrisome parents hoping for grandchildren, and financial stability.

Whatever the reason, in order to truly find real love, it has to be based upon organic and mutual desire to be together. If you have ever questioned if you need to reconsider your current relationship, be on the lookout for these signs.

1. Sex with your partner is nonexistent or at least NOT enjoyable, so you handle that part yourself…and look forward to it.

2. You entertain the idea of having a long distance marriage. You have envisioned your spouse living in one city and yourself in another….and you are totally fine with it because they are not someone that you want to spend time with on a daily basis.

3. Sleeping in separate rooms frequently is a sign. Health reasons aside, if you are with the right person, you would rather put up with their midnight judo kicks in the back than sleep in a different room.

INFO PUBLISHER URBAN IMPACT, INC. EDITOR IN CHIEF JD HARPER JD.URBANVOICE@GMAIL.COM MARKET MANAGER CHATTANOOGA CHUCK BEARD ADVERTISING ADS.URBANVOICE@GMAIL.COM ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE/ CONTRIBUTOR SAMANTHA RAJAPAKSE MARKET MANAGER LOS ANGELES BRIAN ARCHIE LEGAL CONSULTANT SHARETTA T. SMITH CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER B. ARCHIE PHOTOGRAPHY DIGITAL DIRECTOR JONATHAN GRAY CONTRIBUTOR ALEXANDRA ANDERSON

BUSINESS DIRECTORY/LEGAL Attention Small Business Owners $50 per month, single spot Call 423 635-0722 STITCHING THE EMBROIDERY

STOP

AUTO REPAIR

DUNSON AUTO REPAIR

EMBROIDERY, SCHOOL AND ALUMNI SHIRTS DIRECT TO GARMET, HEAT TRANSFERS, VINYL LETTERING, GREEK APPAREL AND MORE

1807 East 23rd Street Chattanooga, Tennessee 37404 napoleondunson@comcast.net

CALL (423) 400-4557

CALL (423) 622-8941

MEETING NOTICE The Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) Technical Committee will meet on Tuesday, June 13th at 9 a.m. in the Small Assembly Room of the City/County Building, 400 Main Street, Knoxville, TN. The full Agenda will be available on the TPO website approximately one week prior to the meeting and can be found here: www.knoxtrans.org/meeting.

If you would like a copy of the final Agenda please contact the TPO. If you need assistance or accommodation for a disability please notify the TPO three business days in advance of the meeting and we will be glad to work with you in obliging any reasonable request. 865-215-2694 or dori.caron@knoxtrans.org.

INVITATION TO BID

Legal NoticeBids will be received by the City of Chattanooga Purchasing Department, 101 East 11th Street, Suite G-13, City Hall, Chattanooga, Tennessee, untilDate: June 8, 2017Time: 2:00 PMRequisition: R154121At that time Bids will be received to:Strip and Wax Floorsat Head Start CentersBid documents may be obtained by contacting the Purchasing Department.

Call 423-642-7230.A non-mandatory Pre-bid Conference will be held at 10:00 AM on June 5, 2017, in the Purchasing Conference Room, Suite G-13, City Hall, 101 East 11th Street, Chattanooga.The City of Chattanooga, at its discretion, may not open a single bid. The City of Chattanooga reserves the right to reject any and/or all bids received, waive any informalities in the bids received, and to accept any proposal that, in its opinion, may be for the best interest of the City. The City of Chattanooga will be nondiscriminatory in the purchase of all goods and services on the basis of race, color, or national origin. City of ChattanoogaWilliam Tucker, Buyer20170527

INVITATION TO BID

PUBLIC NOTICEGRANT FUNDS AVAILABLEFor Private & Non-Profit Housing Developers The City of Chattanooga, Department of Economic and Community Development is now accepting applications for HOME Investment Partnership Act (HOME) grant funds for construction or rehabilitation of single and multifamily affordable rental housing units and homeownership housing development (only non-profits can develop homeownership housing). All development activities must serve households meeting income eligibility guidelines and be located within the city limits of Chattanooga. Prospective applicants are required to attend a TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE WORKSHOP for an overview of program features and requirements. The workshop will be held on Thursday, June 1, 2017, from 9:00 A.M. - 11:00 A.M. Location:City of Chattanooga101 East 11th Street, 3rd FloorMayor’s Conference RoomChattanooga, TN 37402The Application for Funding and Program Guidelines will be available starting May 24, 2017 at www. chattanooga.gov\ecd-home-application Please read through the Application and Program Guidelines. For more information, contact Countess Jenkins at 423-643-7333 or Regina Partap at 423-643-7335, you may also email: cjenkins@chattanooga.gov

such business as may lawfully come before them.

Wednesday, June 7, 2017, 9:30 AM, Regular Meeting.

Committee Meetings Board of Commissioners Committees may meet prior to said meetings at 8:30 AM and/or immediately following said meetings.

Meeting Locations: Regular and Agenda meetings, Courthouse, Room 402, 625 Georgia Avenue, Chattanooga, Tennessee Committees, 8:30 AM meetings, County Commission Office, Room 401, County Courthouse. Committees, after Regular meetings, Commission Conference room adjacent to Room 402, County Courthouse.

To discuss auxiliary aids or services needed to facilitate participation, those with disabilities may contact the ADA Coordinator, Equal Employment Opportunity Officer Ken Jordan, 317 Oak Street, Suite 220, Chattanooga, Tennessee, 37403, (423) 209-6146.

Hearing impaired callers may use the Tennessee Relay Service, (800) 848-0298 or (423) 209-6131.

W.F. (Bill) Knowles County Clerk Public Notice: The Hamilton County Beer Board will hold a meeting on Tuesday June 6, 2017, at 10:00 a.m. at the Development Resource Center, 1250 Market Street, Room #1A. At this time the following application (s) will be considered for a New Beer License. For questions please contact Sherry Moore, Building Commission 209-7860.Circle K #360713424 Dayton Pike Off Premise

Public Notice of Meetings Public Notice of Meetings Committee Meetings and Regular Meetings Hamilton County Board of Commissioners Hamilton County, Tennessee Pursuant to TCA 8-44-103, public meetings of the Hamilton County Board of Commissioners and Commission Committees will be held, and will transact

URBANVOICE 2017 | 15