LAWT 06-14-2012 by LA WATTSTIMES

W E E K E N D E R

Vol. XXX, No. 1288

www.lawattstimes.com

Thursday, June 14, 2012

L.A. Watts Times

SEE PAGES 8-9

Thursday, June 14, 2012

HOROSCOPES RIES ~ Your mate has a sweet surprise. Open up to receive it. Choose your words carefully around a sensitive pal. Listen for good news about a loan or financial matter. Soul Affirmation: I let others toot my horn this week. AURUS ~ Enjoy the great insights you have in the area of career objectives. Take a look at what’s out there! An unanticipated financial matter may arise, find the good in it. Soul Affirmation: A cheerful soul should be wrapped in a cheerful package. EMINI ~ This week is a good week to get in touch with your emotional self. You will respond well to what people close to you will ask from you. Your loved ones will appreciate your kindness when they find out how highly sensitive you are to their needs. Soul Affirmation: My life itself is my greatest creation. ANCER ~ You know what you want and you have the ability to make it happen. Step into action at work this week and you will get a lot done. You can get what you want without being too demanding. Enjoy the time you have with your family. True rewards come from those who are related to you by blood. Soul Affirmation: Truth is revealed in the smallest grain of sand. EO ~ Live this week with an adventurer’s spirit. Trade in the comfortable for the exciting; the reliable for intriguing; the familiar for the new. Perhaps a change of scenery will get you started. You will rediscover feelings that you have denied yourself for a while. Soul Affirmation: Communication is a skeleton key that fits many doors. IRGO ~ If you’ve just made a power move in your work life or love life, you couldn’t have timed it any better. There will be a new level of appreciation and admiration for your leadership and forcefulness. Soul Affirmation: I work hard to combat envy this week. IBRA ~ Don’t respond to situations in a hasty manner this week. Your impulsive

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$50k reward announced in cold case L.A.P.D., Crime Stoppers Los Angeles, and Councilmember Bernard Parks Announce $50k Reward in Cold Case Involving 1989 Hit-And-Run of Three-Year Old in South L.A.

Photo credit: CoverUp Photos

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L.A. Watts Times WEEKENDER Published Weekly – Updates 3800 S. Crenshaw Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90008 Administration – Sales – Graphics – Editorial 323.299.3800 - office 323.291.6804 - fax Beverly Cook – Publisher, Managing Editor 1976 – 1993 Charles Cook – Publisher 1976 – 1998 Melanie Polk – Publisher 1998 – 2010

In South Los Angeles at the intersection of 65th Place and Van Ness Avenue, LeCresha Gipson (center) is comforted by her husband Carson Councilmember Mike Gipson (left), family, and friends, as she makes an emotionally plea for the hit-and-run driver that killed her son three-yearold D’Ancee Nathanial Barnes to come forward. Los Angeles, CA—The Los Angeles Police Department (L.A.P.D.), Crime Stoppers Los Angeles, and 8th District Councilmember Bernard Parks announced a $50,000 reward on Saturday, June 9 in South Los Angeles at the intersection of Van Ness and 65th Place. The reward is for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the driver involved in the March 18, 1989 hitand-run killing of 3-yearoldD’Ancee Nathanial Barnes. An emotional Councilmember Mike Gipson and his wife LeCresha participated in the press conference announcing the reopening of the unsolved case and along with family and friends pleaded for the driv-

er to come forward. To help bring attention to the 23-year-old crime, donated billboards from Clear Channel Outdoor and CBS Outdoor will be erected near the intersection where the accident took place and on June 30 at 11:30 p.m. KCAL 9’s Crime Stoppers Case Files will air a re-enactment of the crime. After the press conference, volunteers and family members went door to door in the neighborhood passing out flyers with the reward information asking for help in finding the driver. According to the L.A.P.D., at approximately 8:55 p.m. on March 18, 1989, a motorist in a 19741985 2-door white or light brown See COLD CASE REWARD, page 4

WWW.LAWATTSTIMES.COM Danny J. Bakewell, Sr. ............Executive Publisher & Executive Editor Brenda Marsh Mitchell ..................................Executive Vice President Tracey Mitchell ......................................................................Controller Brandon I. Brooks ..................................................Co-Managing Editor Yussuf J. Simmonds ..............................................Co-Managing Editor Joy Childs ....................................................................Assistant Editor Bernard Lloyd ....................................................Director of Advertising Benjamin Samuels ....................................................Graphic Designer Chris Martin ..........................................................Production Designer EMAIL: wattsweekender@yahoo.com Circulation ..................................................................................50,000 The opinions expressed by contributing writers are not necessarily those of the L.A. Watts Times. The L.A. Watts Times is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs, CDs or tapes. CIRCULATION AUDITED BY CIRCULATION VERIFICATION COUNCIL

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side is strong. Suppress it. Play a game called self-control. You know that this is the kind of game that you can win easily. Smile as you play at not being emotionally affected by an important matter, and eventually you’ll really won’t be emotionally affected. Soul Affirmation: I give my mind a holiday again this week. CORPIO ~ Offer to help someone in your office who is struggling with a difficult project that you have mastered in the past. There will be several birthday celebrations that you are invited to. Attend them all! Celebrate! Soul Affirmation: I give thanks for who I am this week. AGITTARIUS ~ Think of who you like to have fun with. Give them a call. Plan something that diverts you from your unexciting tasks. Spend some money. Find a place that jumps. Jump with it. Flirt. Even serious people flirt once in a while, especially if you’ve worked your buns off all week. Soul Affirmation: The true path is mapped out by my impulses. APRICORN ~ You’re likely to experience a blast from the past. An acquaintance will meet up with you again. Don’t be shy in establishing a more solid friendship this time. It could lead to something important professionally or personally. Love sometimes works better the second time around. Soul Affirmation: Smooth communications is the key to my success this week. QUARIUS ~ Who are the people who are empowered to assist you? The material objective you are focused on right now is very do-able. All you need is some assistance. Ask for it. It’s coming soon. Soul Affirmation: I let positive emotions carry me through the week. ISCES ~ Don’t let worry put a strain on your relationships. Concentration is key, but be as light hearted as possible. Open up to romantic feelings. Let love come to you. It may come from inside. Soul Affirmation: Shining brightly is something that I can do even in shadows.

Inside This Edition

ANSWERS FROM 6-7-12

June 14 - 20

If you found a wallet with over $100 dollars inside, would you look to return it or keep it? 79.8% 14.1% 6.1%

Return the wallet Keep the money and mail back the wallet Keep the wallet

Visit www.lasentinel.net to vote for Weekender polls.

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Athens Park/Rosewood Citizens: House Planning Commission hearing panel ‘Unfair’, ‘Imbalanced’ schedules June 20 contempt vote on AG AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

Attorney General Eric Holder speaks at the League of Women Voters National Convention in Washington, Monday, June 11, 2012. BY PETE YOST | ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON (AP) A House committee looking into a flawed gun-smuggling probe in Arizona announced Monday that it will consider holding Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt

of Congress next week for failing to produce some documents the panel is seeking. The committee has scheduled a contempt vote for June 20. To date, the Justice Department has produced 7,600 pages of material to the committee. See AG VOTE, page 5

Randy Hughes (3rd from right) instructs community volunteers who collected nearly 1000 signatures in opposition to the Avalon project BY LARRY BUFORD LAWT CONTRIBUTING WRITER After pounding the pavement and knocking on doors to garner nearly a thousand signatures in opposition to a proposed low-income housing project, citizens of the Athens

Park/Rosewood communities in South Los Angeles were defeated at a County Planning Commission hearing last week. A developer called A Community of Friends (ACOF) presented a plan to construct a 55-unit apartment complex for lower income and very low

income households on a 1.72-acre property located on Avalon Boulevard near 132nd Street, which is classified as a C-2 (Neighborhood Business) Zone. Seventy percent of the units are earmarked for heads of See PLANNING COMMISSION, page 15

Thursday, June 14, 2012

In time for Father’s Day First Annual – Child Support Payment African Diaspora Cultural Carnival Adjustment Bill Passes SACRAMENTO, CA — Assembly bill 2393 (Davis) passed the California Senate Judiciary Committee today by a vote of 4-0. The bill would 1) increase to $1,500 the monthly net disposable income level required for a low-income adjustment; and 2) require the Judicial Council of California, on March 1, 2013 and annually thereafter, update the lowincome adjustment based on the California Consumer Price Index. “The current formula used by the California Department of Child Support Services that determines child support orders is outdated. In an effort to improve compliance for low-income parents that are obligated to pay child support a revision to the low-income adjustment threshold of $1,000 needed to be increased to $1,500,” said Assemblyman Mike Davis. The low-income adjustment has not been increased since it was first introduced in 1993, even though the cost of living increased by 50% during that same period. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, if $1,000 in 1993 was adjusted for inflation, it would

represent $1,576 in today’s dollars. This bill’s increase to $1,500 is entirely consistent with inflation. “In light of Father’s Day, AB 2393 will enable fathers to successfully meet their obligations and provide more consistent child support payments, improving the income stream for families, promoting family self-sufficiency and improving the overall wellbeing of children living in single-parent households,” Assemblyman Davis concluded. Assemblyman Mike Davis is the current vice chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus and serves on the Appropriations, Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials, Local Government, and the Rules Committees. He was elected to serve the 48th District in November of 2006. Located in Los Angeles County, the district is home to a myriad of diverse communities including: Arlington Park, Athens, Chesterfield Square, King Estates, Korea Town, Lafayette Park, Magnolia Square, North University Park, University Park, Vermont Knolls, West Adams, West Park Terrace and Wilshire Center.

Assemblyman Mike Davis

metro.net/expo

Watch for trains on Metro Expo Line tracks.

Please remember to: > Obey all tra;c signals and warning devices. > Be alert at all times. Watch for a “TRAIN” signal. > Always push the button and wait for a “WALK” signal before entering the crosswalk. Never jaywalk across the tracks. > Never sit or stand on tracks. > Do not go around lowered gates. > Never make a left turn on a red arrow. This tra;c rule will be enforced by cameras at intersections. > Right turns are allowed while an Expo Line train is passing through, but may be restricted at certain intersections.

For more safety tips, visit metro.net/ridesafely.

use their own unique perspectives and fresh take to develop a viable business plan that can empower their own Los Angeles area community and the Ghanaian community partner. Travel arrangements for this custom Student Exchange Program have been handled by African Express Travel & Tours (Hesham Elswify, President). The exchange portion of the trip also includes touring a nearby diamond mine, visiting with Ghanaian local leadership, and participating in a night of authentic African celebration, including a special naming ceremony. An added bonus to the Student Exchange Program comes at the commencement of the journey when the youths will land in Egypt for half a day — just enough time to see the Great Pyramids. The First Annual African Diaspora Cultural Carnival will take place June 21-24 from 5 p.m.10:30 p.m. weekdays; 2 p.m. – 10:30 p.m. weekends. Presale tickets may be purchased by calling (626) 710-6676. Mothers for Africa raises money, establishes resources for education, and pro-actively seeks to provide solutions for poverty, disaster, and war-stricken individuals, families and children across the African Diaspora. For more information or to donate online for the Student Exchange Program and other projects, please visit our website www.mothersforafrica.org or call us at 626-710-4304. 626-710-6676. All donations provide a tax rightoff.

COLD CASE REWARD Continued from page 2

The Metro Expo Line, the newest addition to Metro Rail service, is now open.

Mother’s for Africa the Nana Sekyiaabea Foundation is pleased to announce the First Annual African Diaspora Cultural Carnival. On June 21, the organization will kick off the four-day event on Martin Luther King Blvd., between Marlton Ave and Buckingham Rd. behind the Baldwin Hills Mall. The exciting cultural event will include entertainment, rides, games, and plenty of cultural food. Also, attendees will have the chance to compete in a pie eating contest, a dance and sing off, as well as chess and dominoes competitions. Tickets are on sale now. Purchase 20 tickets for $10 presale or purchase at full price at the gate. Proceeds will go toward Mother’s for Africa’s Student Exchange Program. On July 26, 2012, Mothers for Africa is expanding its vision and extending its grasp to touch soil in the country of Ghana. The foundation will send at least a dozen young people, from local middle and high schools, on a summertime excursion to Ghana where they will experience being part of an international setting and have the opportunity to interact on multiple levels --- professionally, personally, and culturally. Bound and determined to introduce these local youths to a new side of life, Mothers for Africa has structured the trip to include a twoweek classroom component in which local youths will be partnered with Ghanaian students. Together the students will receive course instruction on the subject of International Trade and Commerce. Then, working together, they will

Cadillac travelling north on Van Ness Avenue towards Gage Avenue collided into three-yearold D’Ancee Barnes as he ran into the roadway. The motorist, described as being a 32-34 year old Black female with back hair, approximately 5’6” tall and weighing 110-120 pounds, stopped momentarily before continuing northbound on Van Ness

Avenue. Barnes sustained severe injuries and was transported to a local hospital where he later died. The motorist was never identified. The L.A.P.D. South Traffic Division is asking that anyone with information regarding this incident to please call Detective S. Smith or Investigator R. Mendoza at (323) 421-2500 or (877) LAPD24-7.

Thursday, June 14, 2012

5 AFRICAN AMERICAN PRIDE – Twenty-one exceptional African American high school seniors were awarded $2,000 scholarships from Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern California. Top row, from L to R: Nicole Lindsey from Wilson High School, Delia Lizarraga from Patriot High School, Zoe Mathieson from L.A. County High School for the Arts, Anthony Meadows from City Honors High School, Zina Ogunnaya from California Academy of Mathematics and Science, Dennis Ojogho from Los Angeles Senior High School, Richard Rideout from Lakewood High School, Emani Stanford from SOAR (Students On Academic Rise) High School, Easter Thames from California Academy of Mathematics and Science. Bottom row, from L to R: Sharon Bako from Foothill High School, Joseph Bassey from Carson High School, D’Jenne Edwards from Bishop Alemany High School, Brianna Ellis-Mitchell from Immaculate Heart High School, Jazmin Henderson from Summit High School, Kristen Jones from St. Lucy’s Priory High School. Not pictured: Milinda Ajawara from Katella High School, Joshua Anderson from Notre Dame High School, Kayon Brantley from Rancho Verde High School, Kiana Gleason from St. Bonaventure High School, Jordan Joseph Harris from Redlands Adventist Academy, Tarah Marshall from Millikan High School.

Black Students Receive College Scholarships Mitchell from Immaculate Heart High School, Kiana Gleason from St. Bonaventure High School, Jordan Joseph Harris from Redlands Adventist Academy, Jazmin Henderson from Summit High School, Kristen Jones from St. Lucy’s Priory High School, Nicole Lindsey from Wilson High School, Delia Lizarraga from Patriot High School, Tarah Marshall from Millikan High School, Zoe Mathieson from L.A. County High School for the Arts, Anthony Meadows from City Honors High School, Zina Ogunnaya from California Academy of Mathematics and Science, Dennis Ojogho from Los Angeles Senior High School, Richard Rideout from Lakewood High School, Emani Stanford from SOAR (Students On Academic Rise) High School, Easter Thames from California Academy of

AG VOTE Continued from page 3 Darrell Issa, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, says Congress needs to examine records regarding the Justice Department's conduct following public disclosures in early 2011 that hundreds of guns illicitly purchased at gun shops on the U.S. side of the border wound up in Mexico, many of them at crime scenes. The Justice Department says many of the documents being sought deal with open criminal investigations and prosecutions matters relating to sensitive law enforcement activities that cannot be disclosed. “The Justice Department is out of excuses,” House Speaker John Boehner said Monday. “Congress has given Attorney General Holder more than enough time to fully cooperate with its investigation into Fast and Furious,” the name of the flawed law enforcement operation. Issa said Congress has an obligation “to investigate unanswered questions about attempts to smear whistleblowers, failures by Justice Department officials to be truthful and candid with the congressional investigation and the

reasons for the significant delay in acknowledging reckless conduct in Operation Fast and Furious.” Justice Department spokeswoman Tracy Schmaler said that “from the beginning, Chairman Issa has distorted the facts, ignored testimony and flung inaccurate accusations at the attorney general and others, and this latest move fits within that tired political playbook that has so many Americans disillusioned with Washington.” In a letter to Issa, Deputy Attorney General James Cole said the move toward a contempt vote was premature because there have been productive staff discussions in two meetings over the past few weeks. White House spokesman Jay Carney said the attorney general has appeared eight times on Capitol Hill where he has undergone questioning about the problems in Fast and Furious. Sen. Chuck Grassley, whose investigation first turned up problems in Operation Fast and Furious, said the action by the House committee “is straightforward and necessary. Contempt is the only tool Congress has to enforce a subpoena.”

Mathematics and Science were selected to receive an RMHC scholarship based on a number of criteria including grade point average, community involvement, leadership skills, letters of recommendation, and financial need. The college funds were awarded through four RMHC scholarship programs: RMHC/African American Future Achievers, RMHC/Asian Pacific American Students Increasing Achievement, RMHC/Hispanic American Commitment to Educational Resources and RMHC/Scholars. Scholarship funds can be applied toward tuition, fees and other appropriate educational expenses. Since 1990, the Southern California chapter of RMHC has awarded nearly $4.1 million in scholarship funds to local students to help make their dream of a college education a reality. Funding for the scholarships is made possible through the global and Southern California chapters of RMHC and the fundraising efforts of local McDonald’s owner/operators and corporate staff. McDonald’s Operators’ Association of Southern California pays for all administrative costs of the Southern California scholarship program including producing and distributing the applications and hosting the recipient recognition event. “Every year, we continue to be impressed by the caliber of students that apply for one of our four scholarship programs,” said Rob Parker, RMHCSC Chief Executive Officer. “The young men and women that comprise this year’s scholarship class are not only role models at home but in their communities, and we couldn’t be more honored to support them as they set out to pursue their higher education.” For more than 30 years Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern California has been dedicated to creating a community where children and their families embrace life and healing with a sense of hope, enthusiasm, courage and joy. In addition to four scholarship programs, the organization operates five Ronald McDonald Houses, Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times, two Ronald McDonald Family Rooms and a Community Grants Board. For more information, visit www.rmhcsc.org or www.twitter.com/rmhc_socal. McDonald’s Operators’ Association of Southern California is comprised of more than 600 franchised and company-owned McDonald’s restaurants in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties.

Metro M etro o Briefs fs Expo Line Culver City and a Farmdale Faarmdale Stations Open The M Metro etro Expo Line’s C Culver ulver City and F Farmdale armdale stations open o June 20, making it easierr to go M etro to more attractions. As Metro with all rail lines, safety iiss key key.. Please obey all posted signss and signals, and always be b aware near crossings. F or moree For information, go to metro.net/expo. metro.net/expo.

Moree M Mor Metro etro Orange LLine ine Opening June 30, 2012 More of what you love is coming soon on the M Metro etro Oran Orange ge Line – an extension with four new stations and four miles of new bike paths. The exte nsion provides an easy connectio on extension connection between W arner C enterr, and a M etrolink and Amtrak servicee Warner Center, Metrolink at the Chatsworth Station. Station n. F or more information, go to For m etro net/projects/orangeeline. etro.n eline metro.net/projects/orangeline.

Entire Route for W Westside eestsside Subway Approved Metro’s Board of Directo Metro’s Directors ors has approved plans for the sec second cond and third phases of the W estside e Subway y. The project will run Westside Subway. through the Wilshire corridor, corridorr, extending the Purple Line fr rom from Wilshire/W Western e to the V eterans Administration Hospitall in Wilshire/Western Veterans Brentwood. More inform mation available at metro.net/westside. metro.net/westside. information

Find M Metro etro at the C California aliffornia C Construction onstruction Expo August Augu ust 2 Contractors, constructio Contractors, construction n professionals and suppliers can n learn about $150 billion iin n public works projects underwayy by attending the upcomi ng C alifornia C onstruction Expo upcoming California Construction (C alCon) at the Pasadenaa C onvention C enterr. The governm ment (CalCon) Convention Center. government sector is in need of quali fied firms to support construction n qualified programs. Learn more att calconexpo.com.

Go M Metro etro to Cleopatr Cleopatra: a The Exhibition a: Ride the new Expo Line to t Expo Park/USC Station to see Cleopatra: The Exhibition bition at the C alifornia Science C en nterr. Exhib California Center. Discover more than 100 priceless Egyptian artifacts, includ ding including colossal statues, jewelry and coins from Cleopatra’s lost palace in Alexandria. M etro t riders get a special discount on o Metro tickets Check m tickets. etro net//discounts. etro.n /discounts metro.net/discounts.

If you’d like to know w more, visit metro.net. metro.n net.

Twenty one African American high school seniors are among 104 Southern California recipients awarded $2,000 college scholarships from Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) of Southern California. The charity awarded more than $328,000 in scholarship funds to deserving high school seniors who reside in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties. These students were recently honored at an awards luncheon hosted by the McDonald’s Operators’ Association of Southern California. Milinda Ajawara from Katella High School, Joshua Anderson from Notre Dame High School, Sharon Bako from Foothill High School, Joseph Bassey from Carson High School, Kayon Brantley from Rancho Verde High School, D’Jenne Edwards from Bishop Alemany High School, Brianna Ellis-

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Calif. jury finds ex-police Big US insurers officer guilty of rape to keep parts of health care law

board

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. (AP) — A former police detective who blamed the antidepressant Zoloft for his behavior was found guilty Wednesday of kidnapping and raping a waitress at gunpoint in a brutal attack. A San Bernardino County jury will now have to determine whether Anthony Nicholas Orban was sane at the time of the attack. Orban’s attorney argued during trial that his client suffered a psychotic break because he was taking Zoloft and was effectively unconscious when he kidnapped the woman in the Ontario Mills mall parking lot in San Bernardino

County. Prosecutors say the off-duty officer used his service weapon to force the woman to drive to a selfstorage lot, where he sexually assaulted her and shoved a gun in her mouth on April 3, 2010. The woman escaped when Orban was distracted by an incoming cellphone call, prosecutors said. Deputy District Attorney Debbie Ploghaus declined to comment on the verdict, noting the sanity phase of the trial begins Tuesday. Orban, a 32-year-old who served in the Marines in Iraq, had pleaded not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity to eight counts, including

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kidnap and rape. Defense attorney James Blatt said the crux of the case is not the elements of the crime but whether his client was aware of what he was doing. Blatt said his client had been taking Zoloft for six months, but had gone off the medication and recently restarted it. Orban does not recall the incident, Blatt said. “This is something that appears to be totally out of character for him,” Blatt said. If Orban is found to have been sane, he could face a life sentence, Blatt said. If he is found to have been insane, he would be sent to a mental institution for treatment. The woman, who was 25 at the time of the attack, testified that Orban sexually assaulted her, punched her, choked her, stuck a gun in her mouth and took cellphone photos of her. She told jurors that the attacker did not appear disoriented or unconscious, the San Bernardino Sun reported. But she also testified that at the end of the attack, he looked at her and asked: “Who are you? How did I get here? Whose car is this?” A friend of Orban’s, Jeff Jelinek, testified against him. Prosecutors said the former prison guard and Orban had been drinking at the mall and Jelinek was standing next to Orban during the kidnapping and picked him up after the attack. In a plea deal with prosecutors, Jelinek pleaded no contest last year to being an accessory, false imprisonment and assault.

BY TOM MURPHY | ASSOCIATED PRESS Some of the nation's biggest health insurers will keep some popular parts of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul even if the law fails to survive Supreme Court scrutiny later this month. UnitedHealth Group, Humana and Aetna all said Monday that they will continue to cover preventive care such as immunizations and screenings without requiring patients to pay a set fee called a co-payment. They also said they'd still cover adult children up to age 26 through their parents' insurance plans. Additionally, they all pledged to continue to offer a simple process for patients who want to appeal when their health insurance claims have been denied. WellPoint, the nation’s second largest insurer behind UnitedHealth, said it will announce its plans after the Supreme Court’s ruling. The company runs Blue Cross Blue Shield plans in several states.

The announcements come after insurers initially fought to block passage of the overhaul, which aims to provide coverage for millions of uninsured people. Challenges from states and other groups opposed to the law, which was passed in 2010, made their way to the Supreme Court. Justices are expected to rule later this month on whether to uphold the law or strike down parts or all of it. That major insurers are keeping some of the early provisions of the law underscores the popularity of those requirements. Patients have already gotten used to the benefits, and the insurers have already factored the cost of the provisions into the premiums that customers have to pay for coverage. Bob Laszewski, a consultant in the insurance industry, said insurers have probably added about 3 percent to a patient's bill for the early provisions, depending on the type of coverage. As a result, he said it makes sense for insurers to See HEALTH CARE LAW, page 7

Black Facts.com June 16, 1976 Hector Petersen, a 13 year old Soweto schoolboy is the first to die in what will become the “Children’s Crusade”, the first nationwide black South African uprising in the 1970’s. The violence will last 16 month and result in 5700 death, 3,900 injuries, and 5,900 detentions. June 19, 1865 Although the Emancipation Proclamation was issued in 1863, slavery continued in Texas until June 19, 1865, when word reached Galveston, Texas that all slaves in Texas were free. One third of the people in Texas were slaves at that time. Juneteenth was celebrated annually with picnics and barbecues at public emancipation grounds, some of which are used to this day. Juneteenth became a legal state holiday in 1980.

AP Photo/Jim Mone, File

This July 16, 2007, file photo, shows the headquarters of UnitedHealth Group Inc. in Minnetonka, Minn. UnitedHealth Group Inc., the nation’s largest health insurer, said Monday, June 11, 2012, it sees some parts of the health care overhaul as sound medicine and plans to keep them even if the law fails to survive an upcoming Supreme Court ruling.

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Californiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s prison population eclipsed by Texas BY DON THOMPSON | ASSOCIATED PRESS SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Everything is bigger in Texas, the saying goes, and that is now also true of its prison system. California used to have the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest state prison system, topping 173,000 inmates at its peak in 2006. But since a law took effect last year that shifts responsibility for less serious criminals to county jails, the state has reduced its prison population and is no longer the largest in the nation. California now has fewer than 136,000 state inmates, eclipsed by about 154,000 in Texas. Florida previously was third, according to 2010 figures from the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics, and currently has about 100,000 inmates. The reduction in California was ordered by federal judges in a decision backed last year by the U.S. Supreme Court. The courts

ruled crowded prisons were causing poor care of sick and mentally ill inmates. The news comes as the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation on Wednesday announced a new round of layoffs because fewer guards and other employees are needed as the inmate population shrinks. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I believe weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re No. 2,â&#x20AC;? said Jeffrey Callison, the departmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s press secretary. The population dropped by nearly 25,000 inmates from about 160,000 inmates when the law took effect last fall. The courts ordered the state to reduce the population by about 33,000 inmates in the state's 33 adult prisons by June 2013, though corrections officials now argue they can provide acceptable inmate care without meeting that deadline. The 33,000 inmate reduction is larger than the entire 2010 prison population in 37 other states.

Person Of The Week | Crystal Barnes Nielsen names Crystal Barnes vice president of industry relations Crystal Barnes, formerly Director of Industry Relations, was named Vice President of Industry Relations for Nielsen, a leading global provider of information and insights, effective immediately. In her role, Barnes is responsible for expanding the reach of Nielsenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s thought leadership efforts across the media and consumer industries, focusing on the increasingly diverse and connected consumer. Barnes began at Nielsen in 2004 as part of the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Emerging Leaders Program (ELP). As an Emerging Leader Associate, she was exposed to various industries and expertise across the company. Upon completion of the program, Barnes worked in public affairs and was instrumental in the expansion of Nielsenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s multicultural outreach efforts, strength-

Crystal Barnes

ening the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s communications and public affairs program. Since her appointment to the industry relations position, she has developed and managed strategic alliances with industry and business associations within the global business community. Barnes applies significant strategic and tactical skills to expand and transform the company's position in the industry, both with traditional and new associations in the digital space. Prior to joining Nielsen, Barnes held production and communications positions at WHP, a CBS affiliate in Harrisburg, Penn. and Comcast SportsNet in Bethesda, MD. A native of Pennsylvania, she received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Broadcast Telecommunications and Mass Media from Temple University.

How can social workers

HEALTH CARE LAW help our children when the paperwork

Continued from page 6 keep the early provisions because if they didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t, customers probably would expect a corresponding drop in the premiums they have to pay. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It would probably be more trouble to roll these things back than go ahead with them,â&#x20AC;? said Laszewski, a former insurance executive. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It just makes common sense to leave these things in there and not take these benefits away since theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re already priced in UnitedHealth Group Inc. and Humana Inc., the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s No. 5 insurer, went further than No. 3 Aetna Inc. by saying theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d keep several early provisions of the law.â&#x20AC;? Both companies said they wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t impose lifetime dollar limits on how much an insurance policy pays out to cover claims. That helps people fighting cancer and expensive, chronic illnesses. The two insurers also both said they would not pursue rescissions, or the cancellation of a personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s coverage retroactively, except in limited instances such as cases of fraud. Both companies said in separate statements Monday that they decided to keep the provisions because they make sense. Humana said that its customers should â&#x20AC;&#x153;have the peace of mindâ&#x20AC;? knowing that the company will keep the provisions even if the law isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t upheld. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The protections we are voluntarily extending are good for peo-

pleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s health, promote broader access to quality care and contribute to helping control rising health care costs,â&#x20AC;? UnitedHealth CEO Stephen J. Hemsley said. Still, the insurers stopped short of promising to extend an important initial overhaul provision that requires the coverage of children up to age 19 with pre-existing conditions. This gives children with expensive medical conditions a chance to land some sort of insurance coverage on the individual market to help pay bills. A lone insurer keeping that provision might get overwhelmed with applications from children with expensive medical conditions who want the guarantee of coverage. UnitedHealth said it recognizes the provisionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s value, but one company alone cannot extend the provision if the law is struck down. The provisions that the insurers did keep donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t apply to everyone. UnitedHealth and Humana both say the ones theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re keeping apply largely to customers who have individual policies or smallgroup health insurance through their employer. Big employers that pay their own medical claims and then hire an insurer to administer coverage generally make their own decisions on what to cover, and Laszewski, the consultant, expects them to extend some overhaul provisions as well.

we make them do weighs more than the kids we hired them

to protect? WE

are LA County Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Social Workers. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re the last line of defense for protecting children from neglect and abuse. But too often, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re buried in bureaucracy. Each LA County Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Social Worker is responsible for 6,000 pages â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 60 pounds â&#x20AC;&#x201D; of rules, procedures and paperwork. As a result, we spend too PXFK WLPH Ă&#x20AC;OOLQJ RXW IRUPV DQG QRW HQRXJK WLPH GRLQJ social work. Dozens of frontline workers at LA Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Department of Children and Family Services have come together and analyzed the real-world problems IDFHG E\ ZRUNHUV LQ WKH Ă&#x20AC;HOG

these problems could be solved with a little common VHQVH 0RVW RI DOO VROYLQJ WKHVH SUREOHPV ZLOO UHTXLUH that policy makers listen to those of us who are out in the trenches, involve us in planning and decisionmaking, and empower us to improve our communities. 2Q 0D\ WK FRXQW\ HPSOR\HHV FRPPXQLW\ leaders and child advocates joined more than 300 social workers on the steps of the LA County Hall of Administration to ask policymakers to come to the front lines with us. We invited them to ride along with us and do hands-on social work so the laws and policies they write are based on UHDO ZRUOG H[SHULHQFH

Join the conversation with us. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time to cut the red 6RPH RI WKHVH LVVXHV DUH KDUG WR Ă&#x20AC;[ 2WKHUV UHTXLUH WDSH DQG JHW VRFLDO ZRUNHUV EDFN RXW LQ WKH Ă&#x20AC;HOG WR additional funding in lean budget times. But many of keep LAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s children safe. +

MORE SOCIAL WORK s LESS PAPERWORK

CUT THE RED TAPE NOW!

For more information: www.protectLAchildren.com

Thursday, June 14, 2012

F E AT U R E

L.A. Watts Times WEEKENDER

Cedric “The Entertainer” and Niecy Nash bring Soul to TV Cedric “The Entertainer” and Niecy Nash star in new sitcom “The Soul Man,” premiering June 20 at 10/9 central on TV Land. BY BRANDON I. BROOKS Co-Managing Editor Cedric “The Entertainer” is coming back to television with his own new original series, “The Soul Man.” Starring alongside Cedric will be the very funny and charismatic Niecy Nash. Both Cedric “The Entertainer” and Niecy Nash caught up with the Sentinel and Watts Times for an intimate interview on the set of their new series, at the CBS Studios in Universal City, California. LAWT: Tell me about the new sitcom and what attracted you both to the series? Cedric “The Entertainer” (CTE): The show is called “The Soul Man.” It’s a show I created, produced and starring in. In the show I play Boyce Ballentine or Reverend Boyce Ballentine, an ex-R&B superstar who gets the calling late in life and moves my family, my wife, and my daughter away from Las Vegas back to St. Louis and become the minister of my dad’s church. It’s just basically a story of transition, how you go from one lifestyle or one life to another. Niecy Nash (NN): I play Lolli Ballentine and I loved the life my husband Boyce had when he was an R&B singer, I loved the shiny lifestyle, Vegas the Bellagio. Not crazy about coming back to St. Louis but supportive of my husband and there I am. And it’s so funny because this particular story mirrors a life I use to live with

Visit www.lawattstimes.com for video interview

www.lawattstimes.com

my ex-husband who was an R&B singer, who got called into the ministry. So I have been a first lady before. It wasn’t easy then and it’s not easy now. LAWT: When did each of you know this project was right for you? CTE: I developed it and wrote the script with Susan Martin from “Hot in Cleveland.” So really when developing the world out, I knew we would have a lot of fun. When looking for a TV wife Niecy’s name came up. We had worked together before on a movie I had done called, “Code Name: The Cleaner.” But it was also the idea was really fresh too me. You knew her talent from “Reno 911” as well as her reality shows but I just thought it was going to be really unique. So we met for lunch and she told me this story about her real life and I couldn’t believe it. She thought I was making it up, I thought she was making it up; I’m like wait a minute? It just ended up being a perfect match. It’s been dynamic and I’m really thankful and blessed that she was available and wanted to play along and we have been having a great time. NN: I have never been a TV wife before. Been a lot of things, concubine, girl on the side, you know freak of the weak, but no now I am oƥcial. I am a TV wife and I have to say Cedric creates an environment where the set is so much fun. You know and I said if I knew it was going to be this much fun being a wife I would have been a TV wife a long time ago. But I didn’t know. LAWT: We have not seen a show like this, and when I say a show like this, this type of theme (family theme) for African Americans in a while. There have been similar attempts for instance with Damon Wayans (My Wife and Kids), but it’s refreshing to see a family oriented show for not just Black families but all families on television. Was that your goal when you approached this project? CTE: Definitely, for me I try to build a brand that is inclusive with my comedy and one that allows everybody to come and watch the show. Being a family man myself you know raising kids’ living that particular lifestyle I thought the image was something that could be really refreshing. The story line of being able to kind of show the generational things like having a grandfather involved on the show in a regular basis and that kind of relationship of the extended family with the younger brother who is a little diơerent in age group. Like all of these things were things that I thought would be interesting story points of view to tell about our community and so for me, that was something I definitely wanted to run at and again probably not since Cosby in a real way have you seen something that resembled a fun-loving family that is having a good time but also has challenges and struggles or whatever they have to deal with. So that’s the world I thought would be really fun. CAST OF “THE SOUL MAN” ΈLͳRΉ Wesley Jonathan, Niecy Nash, Cedric “The Entertainment”, Jazz Raycole, John Beasley

Thursday, June 14, 2012

NN: I was excited to show Black love on TV. You know because a lot of time with the programming we have now, even if it has wife in the title, the girls aren’t wives. If there is a man involved it’s a lot of yelling and arguing. And even in a traditional sit-com, you know usually the husband and wife are each other’s foil. It’s like that’s who you get your cheap shots in with but I love the idea that we just love each other. You get to see a couple that loves each other not that there perfect but they are perfect for one another and they are trying to be better so that is what I am happy about bringing. LAWT: Even though the show is based in a church atmosphere the series still incorporates many diơerent real – world problems. Niecy, tell me a little bit more about your character and what you are trying to bring because we are seeing you in a new light? NN: Even though it’s a new light in TV, it’s an old light for me. I’m on my second marriage; I got it down pact now. I have an ex-husband, a new husband and a TV husband. I got more husbands than I could shake a stick at. And now I understand what being a wife is. So playing a wife on television now is really another extension of who I am. I have my own children, my own family so to be able to bring that motherly love. But the truth of the matter is who we are outside of our character’s they blend together a little bit. So there is a bit of extra mothering. We are able to move around and bring so many real elements and nuances to what we do because it’s not far from our truths in a sense. LAWT: What advice do you have for up and coming actors and actresses or anyone looking to make it in the business? NN: To the new generation that’s coming, they

move around, a lot of them, like there is a sense of entitlement. You know doing what you doing hook me up! And you know, I am scared of the hook up because if you don’t have someone to help you will you really know how to hustle. The other thing is I don’t think you need anybody else to believe in your dream. And that is why they call it self-esteem. When you believe, that is enough to carry you to the next point in it all. CTE: I definitely try to tell people to love what you do first and don’t worry about blowing up. Most of the time it’s kind of to that same point, what you hear is people really want to have that star experience right away. “I did a play last week man, put me in a movie I’m ready to go, I did it I rocked it.” The thing is that you got to be able to know the diơerent rungs on the ladder so if ever you go up and you have to come down, you don’t have to fall down to the bottom. You can fall for or five steps get yourself together and then climb back up. So you know its okay to do the journey. The journey is going to be far more valuable than the rocketing to the top. LAWT: Why should people tune in and watch “The Soul Man?” CTE: You got to watch “The Soul Man,” Wednesday’s on TV Land, it’s funny, I’m on it, and Niecy’s on it, and then I said so…It’s a great show of family values, the struggle of changing your life, going from one life to another, growing up getting smarter, getting wiser and then having people recognize that and is it okay to be known for one thing and mature to something else. Watch it for that reason. NN: I would tell everyone to watch “The Soul Man” because I think that this is a show that could be appointment TV. Where everyone in your family can find some character in here they relate to, something funny that they identify with. I definitely think you will either see yourself or someone in this family and you can watch it with your entire family. LAWT: What else do you guys have going on outside of television, anything we should be on the lookout for? CTE: I’m still touring. I’m scheduling a show in the Los Angeles area for August. But usually I’m on out on the road on the east coast. But creating producing other shows, I got a very cool movie called coming out called “Grass Roots,” it’s a little more of a dramatic role for me. I play a Seattle politician in this film. NN: There is a lot going on. God has been very kind so I have my hands in a bit of everything. I just launched an accessories line on the Home Shopping Network. I have a book coming out. Producing, creating and developing a lot of things.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF TV LAND

Thursday, June 14, 2012

WR Chad Ochocinco signs with Dolphins

Judge to decide about easing Mayweather jail stay

BY STEVEN WINE | ASSOCIATED PRESS MIAMI (AP) — Out of work and not ready to retire, Chad Ochocinco found a job back in his hometown. The former Pro Bowl receiver signed with the Miami Dolphins on Monday, four days after being released by the New England Patriots. The signing came after Ochocinco had a tryout with the Dolphins, who are thin at the position and dropping a lot of passes in offseason drills. He’s likely to join the team for this week’s OTAs, which continue through Wednesday. “Congrats to Chad,” tweeted his agent, Drew Rosenhaus. “It’s nice to come home.” The 34-year-old Ochocinco, a Miami native, made the Pro Bowl six times, most recently in 2009. He had only a minor role in his lone season with the Patriots, catching 15 passes for 276 yards. The Dolphins traded Pro Bowl receiver Brandon Marshall to the Chicago Bears in March for two thirdround draft picks, and didn’t draft a receiver until the sixth round. Following a practice Monday, coach Joe Philbin conceded there has been room for improvement in the pass-catching during offseason workouts. “You would like to have some players make it easy and distinguish themselves, maybe make the picture a little bit clearer,” Philbin said. “We have to catch the ball more consistently at every position on offense, because it is not quite where it needs to be.” Marshall’s off-field issues wore on the Dolphins, and

Chad Ochocinco Ochocinco can be high-maintenance, too. His antics have sometimes annoyed his teammates and coaches, and his touchdown celebrations led to an NFL crackdown. In his career, Ochocinco has caught 766 passes for 11,059 yards and 67 touchdowns. All of the Dolphins' returning receivers have less than a dozen career TDs.

AP Photo/Julie Jacobson, File

This Sept. 17, 2011 file photo shows Floyd Mayweather Jr., left, punching Victor Ortiz during their WBC welterweight title fight in Las Vegas. Lawyers for Mayweather say the undefeated champion boxer may never fight again if he’s not released from the Las Vegas jail he entered earlier this month. BY MICHELLE RINDELS | ASSOCIATED PRESS LAS VEGAS (AP) — A judge in Las Vegas said she’ll decide later this week whether to ease jail conditions for Floyd Mayweather Jr., after his lawyers argued that the undefeated champion is getting out of shape in solitary confinement and may never fight again. Justice of the Peace Melissa Saragosa made no immediate ruling Tuesday on an emergency motion asking the court to move Mayweather into the general jail population — something that jail officials had avoided out of fear for the celebrity's safety — or put him in house arrest for the rest of his three-month sentence. Mayweather lawyer Richard Wright said he'd be willing to have the boxer serve the sentence in an apartment or somewhere less luxurious than Mayweather’s posh Las Vegas-area home. “I’m not looking for special treatment for Floyd Mayweather,” Wright said. “I’m looking for fair treatment.” But prosecutor Lisa Luzaich said softening the sentence would be just another accommodation, similar to when Mayweather’s jail surrender date was postponed for months after sentencing so he could fight Miguel Cotto in May. “They keep chipping away, chipping away, chipping away,” Luzaich said. Mayweather pleaded guilty in December to misdemeanor domestic battery and no contest to two harassment charges that stemmed from an attack on his ex-girlfriend while two of their children watched. He was sentenced to three months and entered the jail June 1.

Mayweather’s jail stay will be capped at 87 days because the judge gave him credit for three days previously served. It could be reduced by several weeks for good behavior. In the motion, which was first reported by the Las Vegas ReviewJournal, lawyers say Mayweather’s personal physician, Dr. Robert Voy, visited the jail Friday and was concerned the 35-year-old fighter appeared to have lost muscle tone. Voy estimated the boxer was consuming fewer than 800 calories a day — a drop from his usual 3,000 or 4,000 calories — and wasn’t drinking enough because he isn’t allowed bottled water and doesn’t usually drink tap water. Mayweather has been getting a little more than 30 minutes twice a day in a couple of barren recreation areas in the administrative segregation unit. His cell, no larger than 7by-12 feet, has barely enough floor space for pushups and situps. But prosecutors argued he’s “deconditioning” by choice, and declining much of his food. “He has the ability to exercise, he just chooses not to,” Luzaich said. “It’s jail. Where did he think he was going? The Four Seasons?” Voy and Wright also pointed to Mayweather’s declining emotional state. “I am concerned about Floyd withdrawing, developing anger he cannot dissipate through the usual means of dedicated exercise and training,” Voy wrote in an affidavit. “Boxing has been Mr. Mayweather’s life since he was a young man and we need champions of this type to continue to their natural retirement and hopefully their contributions to society thereafter.”

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Woods WBO to review Pacquiaofacing Bradley title bout big test at Olympic for US Open

Tiger Woods hits a drive on the fourth hole during a practice round for the U.S. Open Championship golf tournament Tuesday, June 12, 2012, in San Francisco.

AP Photo/Charlie Riedel AP Photo/Chris Carlson

Timothy Bradley, from Palm Springs, Calif., left, lands a punch against Manny Pacquiao, from the Philippines, in their WBO world welterweight title fight Saturday, June 9, 2012, in Las Vegas. Bradley won the fight by split decision. BY DAVE SKRETTA | ASSOCIATED PRESS One of boxing’s major sanctioning bodies will review Timothy Bradley’s controversial split decision victory over Manny Pacquiao, the first step toward what promoter Bob Arum hopes will be “clarity” in the judging of the fight. WBO President Francisco “Paco” Valcarcel said in a statement Wednesday that the WBO’s championship committee will review video of the fight with five “recognized international judges” and make a recommendation. He said the WBO does not doubt the ability of the scoring judges. Most reporters seated ringside and the vast majority of fans inside the MGM Grand arena on Saturday night thought Pacquiao had easily defended his welterweight title against Bradley. The first surprise came when ring announcer Michael Buffer announced that there was a split decision, and the biggest surprise came in the reading of the scores. Jerry Roth had it 115-113 for Pacquiao, while judges Duane Ford and C.J. Ross had it for Bradley by the same score. The Associated Press scored the fight 117-111 for Pacquiao. “The public saw the fight and they’re outraged, and we need clarity here,” Arum told The Associated Press on Wednesday. “We need those responsible to investigate, to see what happened, how the judges could be so off. “Was there any funny business going on? Or no funny business? Did they have a conversation with each other?” Arum asked. “We need to get clarity. The public is demanding it.”

Arum’s powerful promotional company, Top Rank, has staged thousands of fights over more than four decades, including some of the most significant in the history of the sport. He said that the scoring of Saturday night’s fight was among the worst he’s ever seen. “It puts boxing in a very horrible light,” he said. “I’m looking for the sport to do damage control, and the only way it does damage control is if you do a full and complete investigation.” Arum submitted a formal request to the Nevada Attorney General's office on Monday asking for an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the fight. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, the senior senator from Nevada, also has asked for an investigation. Jennifer Lopez, a spokeswoman for the Nevada Attorney General’s office, said in an email to the AP that Arum's complaint is currently under review. “We are treating the complaint like any other complaint our office receives,” Lopez said. “We do not confirm or deny if we have an ongoing criminal investigation.” The Nevada State Athletic Commission’s executive director, Keith Kizer, said this week that he has no plans to review the fight, even though he acknowledged having Pacquiao ahead. Commission chairman Skip Avansino told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that he was content with the scoring, while Ford defended his scorecard in an interview with the newspaper. See PACQUIAO-BRADLEY, page 14

BY DOUG FERGUSON | ASSOCIATED PRESS SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Beaten down at Augusta, now the man to beat at the U.S. Open. The expectations that have followed Tiger Woods this year are a lot like the fairways at The Olympic Club — up, down, often sideways. He couldn’t close out tournaments the way he once did. He lost his putting stroke. His left Achilles tendon might be more of a problem than he was letting on. He had his worst finish ever at the Masters. He missed a cut. And in the midst of such a gloomy outlook, Woods won by five shots at Bay Hill and delivered an uppercut fist pump at Memorial when he chipped in for birdie to complete a stunning rally for his second win of the year. So when the question came up Tuesday at the U.S. Open — whether Woods had to win a major to end such prognosticating — he all but rolled his eyes. “I think even if I do win a major championship, it will still be, ‘You’re not to 18 yet’ or ‘When will you get to 19?’ It’s always something with you guys,” Woods said. “I’ve dealt with that my entire career, ever since I was an amateur and playing all the way through and to professional golf. It hasn't changed.” Even so, this U.S. Open figures to go a long way toward figuring out how close he is to returning to the top of golf. Woods couldn’t stop talking about how the U.S. Open presents the toughest test players face all year — so tough that he probably won’t be talking to Phil Mickelson, his longtime rival who will be playing with him in the opening two rounds. “This is one of those championships that I think the guys talk the least to one another because it's so difficult,” he said. Woods looks as equipped as ever. Two weeks ago, he played so well at Muirfield Village that he was ranked in the middle-of-the-pack in putting and still rallied from four shots behind to win. He has talked about playing well in spurts, and conceded after that win — the 73rd of his PGA Tour career — that

he hit the ball great all four rounds. Just like that, he became the betting favorite at Olympic Club to get his 15th major — and first since the 2008 U.S. Open — and resume his pursuit of the record 18 majors won by Jack Nicklaus. Then again, his win at Bay Hill made him the pre-tournament rage at the Masters, and he tied for 40th. “I guess lately, we don’t know what to expect from him,” Steve Stricker said. “When he wins, we’re all eager to look ahead and think that he’s going to be back to where he was in the early 2000s or whenever he was at the top of his game. I think that just shows you the ability that he has, and what people see in the type of player that he is, and the type of shots that he’s been able to hit over the years, and the uncanny ability to just get it done and win golf tournaments. “So when he does win one, I think that’s why we’re all quick to hop on his bandwagon.” Woods sees a different trend from the first major of the year. He managed his game at Bay Hill, in part because of a sloppy start by Graeme McDowell that gave Woods a cushion and allowed him to play the shots he needed to win the tournament. “When I went into Augusta, I did not feel comfortable hitting the ball up,” Woods said. “And I got back into a lot of my old patterns. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out. But that’s what made playing Muirfield so nice. I had those shots, and I was doing it the correct way. And I had compression, hitting the ball high and hitting it long. That was fun.” Olympic is all about hitting it in the fairway, and the right spots on the green. The golf course is longer than when Woods tied for 18th in 1998, though that isn't the biggest change. The greens have been resurfaced, and they roll so fast that it's difficult to get the ball close. Plus, the USGA has shaved some areas off the green to form large collection areas. A slight miss could send the ball some 30 yards away. Woods told of the par-3 13th during a practice round in which he hit the green, and the ball rolled down a slope and just inside a hazard. “I think this probably tests the play-

er more than any other championship,” Woods said. “We have to shape the ball. We have to hit the ball high. We have to hit the ball low. Our short game’s got to be dialed in.” The difference for this U.S. Open is the variety that USGA executive See WOODS, page 15

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Aretha Franklin set to perform Streep presents @ Nokia Theatre L.A. Live Davis with Women in Film award

AP Photo/Paul Sancya

Aretha Franklin performs prior to President Barack Obama speaking in Detroit, Monday, Sept. 5, 2011. Obama’s speech at the annual event was serving as a dress rehearsal for the jobs address he’s delivering to a joint session of Congress on Thursday night. BY BRANDON I. BROOKS CO-MANAGING EDITOR The “Queen of Soul” Aretha Franklin is set to perform on Wednesday, July 25 at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live. Franklin shared with the Sentinel in an exclusive interview that she is

excited about the performance and that she is “coming, slamming.” It’s been about two years since Franklin last made an appearance in Los Angeles so the anticipation has been brewing for quite some time. With a colorful catalogue of music spanning over 6 decades, Franklin shared that it’s difficult to pick a

favorite song to perform but she does favor the many renditions and twists she has put on the world famous track, “Respect” over the years. “I find new ways and new things to do to it to keep it enjoyable to me as well,” said Franklin when referring to performing and reinventing the song “Respect.” Speaking of reinvention, Franklin spoke about her new album she is working on with Clive Davis due out later this year (September). “Expect the best,” said Franklin. “Clive and I are looking for the best and the baddest material out there. Right now, we are in the process of gathering the material and talking to different writers. Ne-Yo and Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds are among the writers we are talking too and getting material from.” Being that Aretha Franklin is one of the greatest performance singers we have ever seen, male or female; I was interested in finding out what she considers her most memorable and precious performing moment? Franklin shared that no moment in her career was more precious than the experience of performing for President Barack Obama at the inauguration in 2009. Many people do not know but Senator Diane Feinstein of California, reached out on behalf of the Obama administration for her participation. “That certainly right off the top is See ARETHA FRANKLIN, page 14

Natasha Trethewey named 19th US poet laureate BY BRETT ZONGKER | ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON (AP) — A poet-historian representing a younger generation of writers will soon take office on

AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File

In this Oct. 10, 2007, file photo, Pulitzer Prize winning author Natasha Trethewey recalls her young years in Mississippi, during a break in her speaking schedule at Delta State University in Cleveland, Miss. Trethewey will be named the Library of Congress' 19th poet laureate Thursday, June 7, 2012.

Capitol Hill, overlooking the politicians, in a lesser-known post enshrined in federal law. The Library of Congress named Natasha Trethewey on Thursday to be its 19th U.S. poet laureate with a mission to share the art of poetry with a wider audience. The 46year-old English and creative writing professor at Atlanta's Emory University distinguished herself early, winning the Pulitzer Prize in 2007. Trethewey will be the first poet in chief to take up residence in Washington to work at the library’s Poetry Room for part of her term in 2013. As one of the youngest poet laureates ever selected, she also brings fresh perspective to an office more recently held by poets in their 80s. Part of her work has focused on restoring history that has been erased or forgotten from the official record and the nation’s shared memory. She has researched in the library’s Civil War archive to inform some of her writings. Trethewey won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for her collection of poems, “Native Guard.” She wrote of the Louisiana Native Guard, a black Civil War regiment assigned to guard white Confederate soldiers held on Ship Island off Mississippi’s Gulf Coast. The Confederate prisoners were later memorialized on the island, but not the black Union soldiers. A stanza reads: “Some names shall deck the page of history as it is written on stone. Some will not.” Librarian of Congress James Billington, who chose Trethewey after hearing her read at the National Book Festival in Washington, said her work explores many tragedies of the Civil War. “She’s taking us into history that was never written,” he told The Associated Press. “She takes the greatest human tragedy in American history — the Civil War, See POET LAUREATE, page 14

Photo by Todd Williamson/Invision/AP

This Tuesday, June 12, 2012 photo shows actresses Meryl Streep, left, and Viola Davis at the Women In Film Crystal + Lucy Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. BY SANDY COHEN | ASSOCIATED PRESS BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — They may have been Oscar rivals earlier this year, but there’s nothing but love between Meryl Streep and Viola Davis. Streep, who ended Davis’ awards run for “The Help” by winning the lead actress Oscar for “The Iron Lady,” lauded her friend and colleague Tuesday at Women in Film’s annual Crystal + Lucy Awards. She called Davis “a lion-hearted woman” and a gifted and determined actress who studied at Juilliard, won Tony Awards and captivated Hollywood with her eight-minute performance in “Doubt.”

“She was a newcomer at 45,” Streep joked. Davis returned the love as she accepted the award. “I have a confession,” she said, sharing how touched she was when Streep sent her a card after the film wrapped. Davis also kept a photo of the two of them together on set. “OK Meryl, I framed the card,” Davis said. “So you can never come over to the house.” Other honorees at the private ceremony at the Beverly Hilton Hotel were actresses Christina Applegate and Chloe Grace Moretz, NBCUniversal Cable chief Bonnie Hammer, cinematographer Anette Haellmigk and five female executives from Fox.

Usher, 2 Chainz, Big Sean to perform at BET Awards This Feb. 24, 2012 file photo shows Usher during a guest appearance at a Romeo Santos concert at Madison Square Garden, in New York.

Usher, nominated for video of the year, will also perform at the upcoming 2012 BET Awards at The Shrine Auditorium on July 1 in Los Angeles. AP Photo/Jason DeCrow, File

NEW YORK (AP) — If video-of-the-year nominee Usher wins at the BET Awards this summer, he won't be far away: He’s agreed to perform at the show. Rappers 2 Chainz and Big Sean also will take the stage at The Shrine Auditorium on July 1 in Los Angeles. They join previously announced performers Nicki Minaj and Chris Brown. See BET AWARDS, page 14

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Grammys add changes to jazz, Latin, R&B fields BY MESFIN FEKADU | ASSOCIATED PRESS

AP Photo/Dave Martin

Rapper Kendrick Lamar performs at the Bonnaroo music festival in Manchester, Tenn., Thursday, June 7, 2012.

Rising rapper Kendrick Lamar lights up Bonnaroo BY CHRIS TALBOTT | ASSOCIATED PRESS MANCHESTER, Tenn. (AP) — Everyone loves Kendrick Lamar — from the toughest customers in Compton to the crunchiest fans at the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival. With a hard-as-nails flow and a socially conscious message, the rising star has proven he fits in anywhere. Crowned the next big thing by Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, he also moves comfortably in the tie-dyed world he encountered Thursday on his first visit to the festival. “I think it just comes from me being myself and not being scared of being myself,” Lamar said of his universal appeal. “When I talk about certain things, it’s something that I want to do and I want to talk about. So when I talk about the streets or I talk about the system or I talk about life in general, all that stuff makes up me. And it comes across in how people here. They feel it because they know it's organic, you know?” Lamar spoke with The Associated Press in his dressing room minutes before his highly anticipated set that capped what amounted to a new faces of rap segment at Bonnaroo. Detroit's Danny Brown started the run, followed by Alabama’s Yelawolf, who paid tribute to The Beastie Boys’ Adam “MCA” Yauch, who died of cancer last month, with a medley of hits, including “Brass Monkey” and “(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party).” Brown returned to the stage to join Lamar for an encore at the end of the night. That run of some of hip-hop’s most hyped newcomers fit with Lamar’s message of acceptance, one he's been spreading since the start and perfected with his last album, “Section.80.” “It definitely is a goal to have as many people listen to the music as possible, not just my own backyard

cause I’m from Compton,” Lamar said. “I want to have people over in Amsterdam to be able to relate to where I come from. I want the world to be listening to this music because I feel like it's the best music has to offer in the business. As much people as possible. When I say ‘(expletive) your ethnicity’ in the intro to ‘Section.80,’ I really mean that. I don't care where you from, your creed or your color, you’re going to enjoy this music and you’re going to relate to it.” That was the case at Bonnaroo, where the crowd finished Lamar’s verses on most songs. A musky smoke cloud billowed into the air as he performed his latest single, “The Recipe,” and ode to the best things about Los Angeles that features Dr. Dre. The song’s chorus of “women, weed and weather” fit the night’s vibe perfectly as girls in bikini tops waved joints in the air to DJ MixedbyAli’s beats during unseasonably cool weather than never got out of the 80s. With Lamar’s set out of the way, he can now return his attention to his much-discussed new album, “Good Kid in a Mad City.” He doesn’t have a release date yet but said he’s been staying tight with his Black Hippy collective of friends despite his move to a major label. And perhaps someday soon, we’ll get to hear his contributions to Dre’s long-anticipated “Detox.” Lamar spent nine days with his idol, something he spent much of his life daydreaming about. “Ah man, crazy,” Lamar said. “I’m a firm believer when you throw something in the universe, it comes back full circle depending on how much you think about it. I used to always think about these legends in the game, so when it finally hit to reality, I can always just imagine all them times I said I want to be amongst the elite and be acknowledged by the elite. Because once they acknowledge you then you know for sure they like you.”

NEW YORK (AP) — A year after the Grammy Awards cut 31 categories, sparking protests and a lawsuit by Latin jazz musicians, the music organization has made more changes by adding three awards, including the reinstatement of best Latin jazz album. The Recording Academy announced Friday in a statement to The Associated Press that the upcoming Grammys will feature 81 categories. It reduced the number from 109 to 78 last year. New entries include awards for best urban contemporary album — to honor R&B albums that may include elements of pop and rock — and best classical compendium to highlight albums “involving a mixture of classical subgenres.” The Academy shook up the music industry when it announced in April 2011 that it would downsize its categories to make the awards more competitive. That meant eliminating categories by sex, so men and women compete in the same vocal categories. But it also eliminated other niche fields and created broader ones. Some artists protested the change and others — including Herbie Hancock, Paul Simon and Bill Cosby — complained. The group that filed a lawsuit, which was dismissed in April, was led by Bobby Sanabria, the Grammy-nominated Latin jazz musician who accused the Academy of not following the proper procedures to implement the changes. Part of the class-action lawsuit called for the rein-

AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, file

In this Feb. 10, 2008 file photo, jazz musician Bobby Sanabria arrives at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. A year after the Grammy Awards cut 31 categories, sparking protests and a lawsuit by Latin jazz musicians, the music organization has made more changes by adding three awards, including the reinstatement of best Latin jazz album. Sanabria had been the loudest opponent of the academy’s decision last year to reduce its categories and fold some genres into larger fields. statement of the best Latin jazz album award. That award was consolidated, making Latin jazz musicians compete against a larger group of artists in the best jazz instrumental category at the 54th Grammys, which were held in February. “Every year we want to look at

these objectively and make a good musical decision and not be influenced by politics and pressure,” Neil Portnow, the president and CEO of the Recording Academy, said in an interview. “I will say it’s incredibly unfortunate that a very small group chose to voice their discontent with a lawsuit See GRAMMY CHANGES, page 14

Innovative blues, jazz guitarist Pete Cosey dies

Pete Cosey

CHICAGO (AP) — Pete Cosey, an innovative guitarist who brought his distinctive distorted sound to recordings with Miles Davis, Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters, has died, his daughter said. He was 68. Cosey died May 30 of complications from surgery at Vanguard Weiss Memorial Hospital in Chicago, said his daughter Mariama Cosey. Pete Cosey’s musical journey began early, his daughter said, noting that Cosey's father died when he was 9 years old. “That’s how he dealt with his father’s passing ... and if I had to pick one instance in his life that just really rocked his world, that was it,” she said. “I think he tried to spend his time trying to communicate with my granddaddy.” In the 1960s, Cosey was a member of the studio band at Chess Records in Chicago, where he played on Waters’ “Electric Mud” and Howlin’ Wolf’s “Howlin’ Wolf Album.” Cosey also worked with Etta James and Chuck Berry. He took a creative approach to stringing and tuning his guitars, and liberally applied the distortion pedal to his licks. He started to develop his unique sound as a teenager in Arizona, where he would play in the mountains near Phoenix, according to a Chicago Tribune article. His explorations of sound drew the attention of one of jazz’s legendary minds, Miles Davis. See PETE COSEY, page 14

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Paying honor to father!

POET LAUREATE Continued from page 12 650,000 people killed, the most destructive war of human life for a century — and she takes us inside without preaching.” It’s a “happy coincidence,” he said, that Trethewey was chosen during the 150th anniversary of the War Between the States. He was also impressed with her skill in translating a visual image into words and moving from rhyme to free verse — but always keeping her poems accessible. Trethewey began writing poems after a personal tragedy. While she was a college freshman, her mother was killed by a stepfather Trethewey had long feared. “I started writing poems as a response to that great loss, much the way that people responded, for example, after 9/11,” she told the AP. “People who never had written poems or turned much to poetry turned to it at that moment because it seems like the only thing that can speak the unspeakable.” She is the nation’s first poet laureate to hail from the South since the first federal poet — Robert Penn Warren — was named by the Library of Congress in 1986. She is also Mississippi’s top poet and will be the first person to serve simultaneously as a state and U.S. laureate. Her term, beginning in September, also coincides with the 75th anniversary of the poetry center and a dedicated poet-consultant position at the world’s largest library. Trethewey said she hopes to promote national activity around poetry and to engage with the library and people who visit the nation’s capital. Past poet laureates have included

W.S. Merwin, Kay Ryan, Stanley Kunitz, Robert Pinsky, Rita Dove and Warren — the Southern native who was an inspiration for Trethewey. Their agendas as the nation's chief poets have included readings across the country, newspaper syndication of poems and poetry readings over high school public address systems. Poetry lives in the Trethewey family. Her father, Eric Trethewey, is a poet and college professor. But when she went to graduate school, she was more interested in telling stories and studied fiction writing. “On a dare that first semester, a poet friend of mine got me to write a poem. I did it because I thought I would prove that I couldn’t do it,” she said. “It was at that moment that something really clicked.” Her Pulitzer-winning poems also included her personal history as the daughter of interracial parents — and the story of her mother, who died at the age of 40. In “Miscegenation,” a poem in “Native Guard,” she wrote about her parents' journey to Ohio in 1965 for a marriage that was illegal at home in Mississippi. “They crossed the river into Cincinnati, a city whose name begins with a sound like sin, the sound of wrong — mis in Mississippi.” Trethewey’s next collection of poems, “Thrall,” will be published this year. It explores her relationship with her white father and shared and divergent memory within families, along with poems about paintings and the history of knowledge from the Enlightenment.

ARETHA FRANKLIN

BY REV. MARK WHITLOCK, SENIOR MINISTER CHRIST OUR REDEEMER AME CHURCH, IRVINE, CA Exodus 20:12 states: “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.” Consider these reasons we should give honor to all fathers: • God knew we are more prone to honor mother every day, so God gave one day just for Dad. Unless you were a test tube baby, we are commanded to pay honor to our fathers! • We pay tribute to father for troubling us to stay out of turmoil. • We pay praise to father for

The Rev. Mark Whitlock

preparing us to prosper. • We pay respect to father for the demonstrated reverence for God, family, and country. • We pay credit to father for creative seeds birthing a harvest of happiness. • We pay nobility to father for existential nihilism freeing us to become all for all in all and with all and without all. It’s really all right! • We pay honor to our fathers by birth, breathe, and being. • Thank you, father, for loving the unlovable us. It does not take a man of honor to make a baby, but it takes an honorable man to raise a baby. • Praise God for all past, present, and future fathers!

GRAMMY CHANGES Continued from page 13 that had no basis.” He continued: “Not only is it distracting from a time standpoint, but it costs a great deal of money to have to defend something that we knew was completely defensible.” The new decisions were made at the Academy’s annual Board of Trustees meeting last month. Roger Maldonado, who filed the lawsuit on behalf of Sanabria and others, said he was elated at the reinstatement of the Latin jazz category. “I want to thank the academy for having the maturity to make the decision despite a yearlong fight,” he said. While Maldonado had filed notice of appeal for the lawsuit, he expected the legal battle would now end.

“We didn’t sue for money, we sued for reinstatement of the award. That has happened I see no reason for continuing the lawsuit,” he said. “Instead my clients can stop worrying about this and instead focus on preparing and recording music for consideration of the Latin jazz award.” Other changes include splitting up the best Latin pop, rock or urban album honor into two awards, now known as best Latin pop album and best Latin rock, urban or alternative album. However, the best Banda or Norteno album and best regional Mexican or Tejan album have been combined into one award: best regional Mexican music album. Portnow says a number of propos-

als were filed, noting that “the volume was definitely up” this year compared to past ones. “I don’t hold anything against the Latin jazz community for the passion that they have for their music,” he said. “The (Latin jazz) community put a good proposal together this year, and we see the results of that.” Maldonado said he hoped that the academy would reconsider the reinstatement at other categories at some point as well. But he called the decisions a victory for his clients. “For them, it's vindication not of the lawsuit but of their belief in the music, which is wonderful,” he said. The 55th Grammy Awards will air on CBS on Feb. 10.

Continued from page 12 unforgettable,” said Franklin. “That was off course as you know a historical moment and something that just will never happen again in history. That was a first and it will just never happen again. That was the ice cream on the cake in my career.” With all that she has accomplished in her music career, Franklin was asked how she enjoys her time outside of music. She shared that like most women, she loves to “shop and peruse the market.” More importantly, she is watching and keeping up with her health. “I am working out trying to maintain my weight loss for sure,” said Franklin. “And I use to play tennis a little bit. I haven’t played though in a good little while. I love tennis though, I love watching it and I am sorry to hear that Serena is out of the game so early this year and her sister Venus.” It was fascinating to learn how much she appreciates and adores sports. Not only was she aware of what’s going on in the sport of tennis, but she was up to date with the current NBA finals series as Oklahoma City Thunder face the Miami Heat in the 2012 NBA finals. She even had time to weigh in on the result as she predicts the Miami Heat will win the championship. With all of the traveling Aretha Franklin has done over the years it was interesting to find out what are some of her favorite destinations to

visit or places she enjoys the most? “Places I enjoy the most are Detroit, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, New York, Miami and love going to Florida but it’s a long drive,” said Franklin. “The last I came to Los Angeles from Miami, do you know we crossed the country from Florida to Los Angeles and I was talking to Tom Joyner as we were driving and like four days later he said, ‘where are you now?’ And I told him where I was and he said, ‘you are still driving from four days ago?’ I said, ‘we sure are!’ Anyway, by the time I got to Los Angeles I laid down and I had a terrible time getting up, my back was killing me. I’m telling you I really had a bad time. I had to have an ice pack on my back.” Franklin hopes her journey to Los Angeles will be more pleasurable this time around. From the looks of things and the excitement brewing up to the show, the stage is set for an unforgettable and evening. In addition to working on her new album, she is working and producing her son Eddie. Franklin says that we can anticipate a really good R&B album that is radio friendly and has crossover potential. She plans to appear on the album in a duet with her son so we have to stay tuned to hear what’s coming. For more information on Aretha Franklin’s performance at the Nokia Theatre visit http://nokiatheatrelalive.com/events/festival-detail/163.

PACQUIAO-BRADLEY Continued from page 11 “I thought Bradley gave Pacquiao a boxing lesson,” Ford said. “I thought a lot of the rounds were close. Pacquiao missed a lot of punches and I thought he was throwing wildly.” Arum believes the decision — along with the Nevada commission’s reluctance to conduct its own investigation — could provide the impetus for a federal commission to provide oversight for the sport, which has long battled the perception that it is rife with corruption.

BET AWARDS

“If the commission here in Nevada will be in intransigent, and won’t cooperate, we have to have a federal commission,” Arum said. “We have to examine who these are on the commission, how they got there, how they operate. Something is broke.” Stats compiled by Compubox showed Pacquiao landing 253 punches to 159 for Bradley, and having a 190-108 edge in power punches. Pacquiao landed at 38.5 percent to 27.7 percent for Bradley. The decision ended Pacquiao’s 15-fight winning streak, but also

sets up a potential rematch later this year. There has been talk that it could happen in November. Perhaps by then, Arum will have the clarity he is seeking from their first fight. “Any other sport — football, baseball — the commissioner’s office would investigate,” he said. “I’m not saying hang anybody, but let’s get clarity here. Let’s get a complete report as to what happened. They could say, ‘Hey, all three judges had a bad night.’ That's possible, too. I’m not leaping to conclusions. I want to know as well as anybody else.”

Continued from page 12 Comedians Kevin Hart and Cedric the Entertainer will present awards. Samuel L. Jackson will host. Kanye West has the most nominations with seven. Beyonce follows with six, and her husband, Jay-Z, is up for five. Usher's competition for the top award includes two collaborative songs by Jay-Z and West, and two songs by Beyonce. Lil Wayne, Drake and J. Cole also have multiple nominations. The show airs at 8 p.m. EDT on BET.

PETE COSEY Continued from page 13 In an interview with music writer George Cole, published on Cole’s “The Last Miles” website, Cosey said Davis sought him out, wanted him at the front of the band and told him to turn up his guitar’s volume. Cosey ended up playing on many of Davis’ boundary-pushing recordings in the 1970s, including “Dark Magus,” “Agharta” and “The Complete on the Corner Sessions.” Cosey was also in Martin Scorsese's 2003 blues documentary,

“The Blues: A Musical Journey.” In recent years, health problems had slowed Cosey, but he had been playing music in children’s hospitals and schools, according to the Chicago Tribune. Cosey’s daughter said that, to her father, music was a language. “He taught me that music is not genre-specific. It’s one way that everyone around the world communicates,” she said. “It wasn’t about being black or white, but it was about making notes universally.”

Thursday, June 14, 2012

FOR RENT Dbl. Rm. Share rm. with 1 other male occupant. Clean and quiet home/ Crenshaw area. No Drugs or Alcohol. 323-293-9495

WOODS Continued from page 11 director Mike Davis brings to the toughest test in golf. Instead of mangled rough around the greens, he has created areas of tightly mown grass that sends errant shots down the slope and gives players options of putting, chipping, flop shots, anything to get it close. The tees can change. The 16th measures 670 yards, though there is an option to play it 100 yards shorter. “He throws wrinkles at you,” Woods said. “But overall, I think this is just the most demanding test that there is in golf.” Another wrinkle was putting Woods and Mickelson together, along with Masters champion Bubba Watson, for the opening rounds. Together, they have won 113 and 18 majors, with Woods doing most of that damage. Woods and Mickelson last played together at Pebble Beach, where Mickelson dusted him and rallied to win in February. In the majors, Mickelson topped him in the final round of the 2009 Masters (won by Angel Cabrera), though Woods beat him soundly at Torrey Pines on his way to winning the U.S. Open. “I don’t think we’re going to talk about a lot,” Woods said. “This is a major championship. We’ve got work to do.” Mickelson seems to have embraced the grouping. His only concern is feeling “mentally lethargic” on Thursday and Friday of PGA Tour events, though he promises that won't be the case at the U.S. Open, where he has finished second a record five times.

Qualified “A”, licensed Contractors are invited to submit sealed bids by 2:05 PM, July 26, 2012 to the BurbankGlendale-Pasadena Airport Authority for Project Number E12-04, AIRCRAFT RESCUE AND FIRE FIGHTING BUILDING EXTERIOR - ROOF. The Work in general consists of, but is not limited to, installation of a new polyurethane foam roof system on Hangar 35 including other miscellaneous roofing tasks at the Bob Hope Airport Fire Station. Plans and specifications can be obtained directly from the Bob Hope Airport Web site at www.bobhopeairport.com under Business Opportunities. All bidders shall register with the Airport Engineering Department either via web site or in person. Bids submitted by firms who have not registered with Airport Engineering will be considered non-responsive. Call Bobbi Greenspahn at (818) 565-1305 for more information. A pre-bid conference will be conducted on July 12, 2012, at 10:00 A.M. at the Bob Hope Airport Engineering Office, 2800 Clybourn, Burbank, California, 91505. Located at the corner of Sherman Way and Clybourn. Certified Disadvantage Business Enterprises and Small Businesses are strongly encouraged to participate.

Playing with Woods should cure whatever ails him. “I get excited to play with Tiger. I love it,” he said. “I think we all do. He gets the best out of me. I think when it's time to tee off on Thursday I’ll be ready to play. ... The one player I’m most concerned about, if I play my best golf that may have a chance to beat me, is Tiger.” This is far from a two-man show at Olympic, and it goes beyond the other guy in their group with a pink driver and a green jacket — Watson. Rory McIlroy is the defending champion and got a shot of confidence from the St. Jude Classic last week, despite a double bogey from the water on the last hole that cost him a chance at winning. Giving his recent run of

LOS ANGELES COUNTY METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY (METRO) INVITATION FOR BIDS Metro will receive bids for IFB No. OP37902941, Hybrid Sport Utility Vehicles , per specifications on file at the LACMTA Office of Procurement & Material Mgmt, One Gateway Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90012 (9th Floor). All Bids must be submitted on forms furnished by Metro, and must be filed at the reception desk of the Office of Materiel on or before 2:00 p.m. on Monday, July 9, 2012 Pacific Time, at which time bids will be opened and publicly read. Bids received later than the above date and time will be rejected and returned to the bidder unopened. Each bid must be sealed and marked Bid No. OP37902941. You may obtain bid specifications, or further information, by faxing Lily Lopez at (213) 922-1005. 6/14/12 CNS-2331273# WATTS TIMES LOS ANGELES COUNTY METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY (METRO) INVITATION FOR BIDS Metro will receive bids for IFB No. OP39602953 , Metro Blue Line Feeder Cable, per specifications on file at the LACMTA Office of Procurement & Material Mgmt, One Gateway Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90012 (9th Floor). All Bids must be submitted on forms furnished by Metro, and must be filed at the reception desk of the Office of Materiel on or before 2:00 p.m. on Monday, July 9, 2012 Pacific Time, at which time bids will be opened and publicly read. Bids received later than the above date and time will be rejected and returned to the bidder unopened. Each bid must be sealed and marked Bid No. OP39602953. You may obtain bid specifications, or further information, by faxing Lily Lopez at (213) 922-1005. 6/14/12 CNS-2331271# WATTS TIMES

three missed cuts, McIlroy was happy to be playing Sunday, much less contending. Luke Donald is No. 1 in the world and knows he will be taken more seriously if he can finally add a major. Ditto for Lee Westwood, No. 3 in the world, who has given himself more chances than Donald in the majors and still hasn’t won one. But it starts with Woods, as it has since he won the first of his 14 majors as a 21-year-old at Augusta. “It’s going to be a wonderful test,” he said.

PLANNING COMMISSION Continued from page 3 household who have mental challenges as a result of substance abuse for many of them. During the meeting as pros and cons were brought before the committee, ACOF was commended by those in opposition for their cause in addressing homelessness, but that the proposed site – next door to a senior citizens home – is not the right place. Cited were concerns about diminished property values, lack of security services on the premise, and the enormity of the overall project placed in a community that already has a very fragile infrastructure. Residents along the stretch on Avalon from 132nd to 135th streets are perplexed by the fact that the parking issue with commercial trucks and households with multiple vehicles is a constant game of musical chairs. ACOF has been granted a discretionary housing permit which allows them to reduce the required parking spaces at the proposed site from 103 to 62 – presuming that the majority of their tenants will not own cars. Avalon residents sense that ACOF is under-estimating and that eventually the parking will bleed outside the complex onto the street adding to the existing problem. In a neighborhood fraught with

vagrancy and loitering, where policing is more reactive than proactive, there is even concern about the safety of the seniors and children who will be walking past the complex to go shopping or to school. Police protection for that unincorporated area bounded by the cities of Gardena to the southwest, Carson to the south, and Compton to the east is limited to three patrol cars, and there are no known plans to increase. After hearing the arguments, one of the planning commission members moved to postpone the hearing because the committee member who represents the second district was not present. An ACOF representative retorted that if the hearing were to be postponed they may not qualify for a tax credit in July, and would not qualify again until March 2013. The move was withdrawn, and just as quickly, the project was unanimously approved by the commission. Although several community meetings were held leading up to the hearing, Randy Hughes, President and Founder of Friends and Neighbors Community Club (FNCC) feels ACOF has not given sufficient notice to the community where he resides based upon the feedback from the signature campaign. In January

2012 ACOF by their own admission sent out only 50 notices and none of them were in Spanish for the Latino residents. The Public Hearing Notice posted on the fence at the proposed site is barely visible on Avalon, and visibility is usually blocked by trucks to passersby. Hughes says, “ACOF made an unsupported statement that the multimillion dollar project would not affect property values, but in fact a lowincome housing unit compounded with the discovery of toxic waste at nearby Magic Johnson Park and Ujima Village will eventually become a factor. We are appealing the decision, and we’re asking for donations to cover the cost.” FNCC’s monthly meeting will be held Saturday June 16th at 10AM at Greater Mount Hermon Baptist Church, 2302 W. 132nd Street near Central. Says Hughes, “We are asking all concerned citizens to attend not only to discuss the Avalon project, but also the Ujima Village building demolition that contains asbestos, and a requested code variance to establish a full-blown slaughter house on Figueroa – both of which will affect our air quality and our health.” For further information please contact FNCC at (310) 5322761 and www.fnccla.com.

Accounts Payable/Human Resources Specialist The Los Angeles Sentinel is seeking Payable/Human Resources Specialist

Accounts

Duties will include: • Process all accounts payables w/Quickbooks software • Process service requests for computer and office equipment • Maintain accounts payable files • Create excel spreadsheets as needed for billing and expense items • Process payroll, benefit administrator • Inventory control • Other duties as assigned Requirements for this position are: • High School Diploma required. Must have at least two years of college in business or accounting field. • Must have three years or more general accounting experience • Must have strong computer skills and experience. • Must be detailed oriented. Experience in human resources a plus. • Sound decision-making and communication skills are necessary Please submit your resume attention Human Resources to tracy@lasentinel.net or pamela@lasentinel.net or fax resume to (323) 299-9896

Thursday, June 14, 2012

6 / 2012

e v e n t LISTINGS

L.A. Watts Times Calendar, Compiled by Brandon I. Brooks, Co-Managing Editor 6/14 Films @ CAAM Presents: Beats, Rhymes and the Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest. WHEN: 7 p.m. WHERE: California African American Museum 600 State Drive, Exposition Park Los Angeles, CA 90037. A Tribe Called Quest is considered one of the most influenest Qu tial and lled Ca be A Tri groundbreaking groups in music history regarded as iconic pioneers of hip-hop, the film chronicles the past, present and their uncertain future. The film features interviews with Kanye West, Mos Def, De La Soul and Common, among others. For more information on Films @ CAAM call, (213) 744-2022 or visit www.caamuseum.org.

6/15 5th annual The Mixed Roots Film & Literary Festival: The City Council will proclaim June 15th to be Loving Day in Los Angeles to kick off the 5th annual The Mixed Roots Film & Literary Festival. WHEN: June 15-17. WHERE: The Japanese American National Museum in downtown Los Angeles (369 East First Street). The Festival, a free three-day public event, hosts the largest West Coast gathering for Loving Day, a nationwide grassroots celebration of the anniversary of the Supreme Court decision that legalized interracial marriage in 1967. The Festival will screen the Oscar shortlisted documentary, The Loving Story, which chronicles the lives of the interracial couple that fought their state’s unjust anti-miscegenation laws, on June 15 at 7:00 p.m. Other Festival highlights include: Mixed Unplugged, a live event hosted by acclaimed actress Erica Gimpel (Fame, Nikita) and featuring Comedy Central’s Key & Peele; a full day of family activities including craft-making, storytelling, and youth-oriented workshops; and filmmaking and writing workshops. Admission is free, but registration is strongly encouraged. www.mxroots.org.

6/16 5th Annual Fatherhood Solutions Conference: The Children’s Institute (CII) will host their 5th Annual Fatherhood Solutions Conference. WHEN: 8:30 a.m. 4:30 p.m. WHERE: The Sheraton in downtown Los Angeles. Themed, “Strengthening Relationships Between Fathers and Their Children,” America’s Court television judge Kevin Ross will be this year’s keynote speaker for an audience of over 400 Los Angeles based community service providers including probation officers, social workers, policy advocates, governKevin Ross ment representatives,

mental health professionals, public health professionals, and concerned community members. To attend this year’s conference and for more information, please call (213) 260-7604. A complete schedule including topics and speakers can be found online at http://www.childrensinstitute.org/events/details/ 68.

Let’ s Move California!: Fitness Feria:

from people during the Civil War. By the time most slaves during, during this period, heard about the Emancipation Proclamation and the "freedom" granted to enslaved black Africans in America at that time, the news of this momentous occasion was said to have arrived in the month of June. Thus, it was a cause for celebration. For more information call (323) 290-2233.

A free SoulCylce West Hollywood: Join actress community event filled with physical activities Jurnee Smollette and singer/musician Josiah and fun designed to engage children and eduBell and “Ride for Hope.” If you love the enercate parents about nutrition, exercise, health and gy and fun of spinning this event is for you! resources for a healthier lifestyle. WHEN: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. WHERE: The Robert F. Kennedy Schools located at 701 South Catalina Street, in Los Angeles. Anticipating 7,500 guests, the event will feature English, Spanish and Korean speaking instructors for 40+ hands on sports activities, health screening areas, cooking demonstrations, tastings, nutritional education, and exciting raffle prizes, which will include Wolfgang Puck’s line of kitchen appliances. For Jurnee Smollette / Singer/musician Josi ah Bell more information please call (323) 730-7727 or visit us online at www.letsmoveca.org. Enjoy an hour long session full of music and fun and help raise funds to Fun-Raising & Juneteenth Festival: It’s a fun- transform the lives of deserving families. Ride filled day of food, fun, entertainment and celefor Jenesse and ride for hope. One hour that can bration just for you. WHEN: 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 change a life. WHERE: SoulCycle West p.m. WHERE: Guidance Church, 7225 Crenshaw Blvd., Los Angeles 90043 (corner of Crenshaw and Florence). Come celebrate with us. Bring your own bag for a bag of books for only $1.00. For more information contact the A TEAM, 310 -753-5823, E-mail: laywa@aol.com or guidance_church@yahoo.com.

4th World Sickle Cell Day: A United Nations resolution made June 19 World Sickle Cell Day, to promote awareness because “Sickle Cell is a Global Health Problem!” The African American Blood Drive and Bone Marrow Registry for Sickle Cell Disease Awareness and Friends will cell-a-brate while bring awareness to our So Cal Community. WHEN: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. WHERE: The LRH Community Center Auditorium, 8039 S. Vermont, Los Angeles CA 90044. The blood mobile will be there 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.. Marrow registration will be from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. We invite everyone to join us and learn the truth about sickle cell, blood and marrow/stem cell and cord blood donations. Our enormous request is for everyone who can, to donate your life saving blood and register your marrow to cure someone within your same genetic make-up / race that is diagnosed with Sickle Cell, and other blood diseases. The silence about Sickle Cell has led to the ignoring of Sickle Cell. This must change. Become aware and help save lives. Contact Nita Thompson at AA4SCDAwareness@aol.com or (323) 750-1087 to register for this event and for blood donation sign ups. Leimert Park’ s 3rd Annual Juneteenth Festival: WHEN: June 16 and 17. WHERE: Leimert Park. Produced by Black Arts Los Angeles and a team of great co-sponsors, including Council District Eight, Manchester Communities Technology, Community Build, the Institute for Maximum Human Potential, Arts Culture Entertainment (ACE) and the countless volunteers working to bring this event to you. Juneteenth is another special time in the history and culture of America. As you might be aware, information was slow getting to and

Hollywood 8570 Blvd. at Sunset Plaza. Sunset Plaza has a parking garage, $2 with validation. Enter on Alta Loma Rd. WHEN: 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Registration 1:45 p.m. WHY: Help Jenesse Center continue to provide lifesaving opportunities. Minimum Donation: $50/per rider. Ask your friends/family to support the cause and your fundraising goal. Register with your donation for this FUN event as space is limited. For more information call (323) 299-9496.

6/19 Free N One Faith base drug and alcohol training: WHEN June 19th - 22nd. For more information call (323) 855-4695. Go to our Website at www.free-n-one.org.

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