AUGUST 24-30, 2022 $1.00 Pittsburgh CourierPittsburgh Courier Vol. 113 No. 34 Two Sections Published Weekly NEW www.newpittsburghcourier.com America’s best weeklyAmerica’s best weekly thenewpittsburghcourier EXCLUSIVECOURIER To subscribe, 412-481-8302callext.136 Pittsburgh CourierNEW
THE DECISION
East Liberty Giant Eagle closes, angering many; but company says they’re committed to the community
‘GIANT’
August Wilson House opens to much fanfare
This was years in the making. And it’s now complete. The grand opening, the ribbon-cutting for August Wil son House as a state-of-the-“arts” center, just like Pittsburgh’s beloved playwright desired. A-list celeb rities, such as actors Denzel Washington and Russell Hornsby, came to Pittsburgh on Aug. 13 for the big cel ebration. The celebration lasted all afternoon and into the night on Bedford Avenue, a place that will forever be cherished as August Wilson’s childhood home. New Pittsburgh Courier reporter Marcia Liggett has the sto ry about the celebration, beginning on Page A7. (Photo by J.L. Martello)
by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer Sharon Johnson, affec tionately known as “Mick ey,” got a tip from her sis ter-in-law’s stepfather. He worked at a Giant Eagle, and told Mickey and her best friend to apply for a job at the Giant Eagle on Shakespeare Street in East Liberty.Mickey and her friend obliged. And they got the job.That was 44 years ago. The friend is no longer a Giant Eagle employee, but Mickey still is. That’s why it was such an emotional day for Mickey, as 6 p.m. approached on Saturday, July 23, 2022, about a month ago. The famous all-capital letters “GIANT EAGLE” were al ready gone from the front of the store. Most of the shelves were already emp ty. The lottery section was already closed. But people like Pitts burgh Public Schools board member Sylvia Wilson trickled into the Shake speare Street Giant Eagle one last time to say her hellos and temporary good byes to Mickey and other employees who had been there for decades. “It’s sad, I’m going to miss it,” Mickey told the New Pittsburgh Courier exclu sively. “It was family-ori ented, a community store.” As most African Ameri cans who reside on Pitts burgh’s East End already know, the Giant Eagle company decided to close its Shakespeare Street lo cation in East Liberty and build a new Giant Eagle in the same Shady Hill Plaza, as the owner of the prop erty, Echo Realty, is rede veloping the property into apartments and other re tail. There won’t be a Giant Eagle at that location for the next two years. In an exclusive interview with the Courier, Giant Eagle spokesperson Dan iel Donovan acknowledged the many concerns some residents in the area ex pressed with closing the store. Those concerns were SHARON JOHNSON, better known as Mickey, right, worked at the Shakespeare Street Giant Eagle in East Liberty for nearly 45 years until the store closed on July 23. Also pictured is Larry, the Shakespeare Street store leader. A new store will be built there by 2024. (Photo by Rob Taylor Jr.)
Page A6 Schenley’s Class of 1972 50-year reunion! SEE GIANT EAGLE A4
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1838— The first African American owned magazine, Mirror of Freedom begins publication on this day in New York City.
1924—Dinah Washington is born in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Her powerful voice would enable her to become one of the most influential singers of the 20th Cen tury. Sadly, she died of a drug overdose in 1963.
• AUGUST 28 1955— The body of Emmett Till is re covered from the Tallahatchie River near Money, Miss. The 14-year-old Chicago native had been kidnapped, tortured and murdered the previous day for al legedly whistling at a White woman. Till’s savage death became a rallying cry for the early Civil Rights Movement. Justice was never done in the case, however. The two White men responsi ble for his death were found not guilty by an all-White Mississippi jury. But both men—Ron Bryant and J.W. Milam—a few months later would brag in an interview with Look magazine that they indeed had killed Till. 1963— The historic March on Washing ton for Black rights takes place. It was the largest civil rights demonstration in American history, drawing people from throughout the nation to Washington, D.C. It was at this march that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.
THE NEW PUBLISHINGCOURIERPITTSBURGHCOMPANY Publication No.: USPS 381940 315 East Carson Street Pittsburgh, PA 15219 Phone: 412-481-8302 Fax: 412-481-1360 The New Pittsburgh Courier is published weekly Periodicals paid at Pittsburgh, Pa. PRICE $1.00 (Payable in advance) POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: New Pittsburgh Courier 315 East Carson Street Pittsburgh, PA 15219 6 9-Month21Months—$25Year—$45Years—$85SchoolRate $35 This Week In Black History A Courier Staple NATIONALA2 AUGUST 24-30, 2022 NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER Monkeypox Blacks,disproportionatelyoutbreakaffectingHispanics,CDCsays
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• AUGUST 30 1800— The Gabriel Prosser-led slave rebellion is stopped before it can start because of bad weather and betray al by two slaves who told their White masters of the impending revolt. Gabri el had meticulously planned the rebel lion and organized an estimated 1,000 slaves to participate in an attack on Richmond, Va. One historian described the 24-year-old, 6’3” rebel as “a fellow of courage and intellect above his rank in life.” After the betrayal, Gabriel and 15 of his co-conspirators were hanged on Oct. 10, 1800. (Note: Most history texts refer to him as Gabriel Prosser, but, al though he was a slave of Tomas Prosser, there is no indication that he ever used “Prosser” as his last name.)
1962—Mal Goode becomes America’s first Black network news commentator when he begins broadcasting for ABC Television on this day in 1962.
1908— The National Association of Colored Nurses is founded by Martha Minerva Franklin . At the time Black nurses were not welcomed in the allWhite American Nurses Association. 1925— Six men, led by A. Phillip Ran dolph , organize the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters—a union com posed of porters and attendants on the nation’s railroad passenger cars. The effort was the most successful Black labor organizing campaign in American history. The Brotherhood would go on to become the largest and most pow erful Black controlled union in America including more than 15,000 members by 1959. Randolph would also become a major (often behind the scenes) figure in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. He played a key role in Dr. Martin Luther King’s famous 1963 March on Washing ton. Randolph would often boast that his union was a success not because peo ple loved it, but because it knew how to “push people out of the way.” 1927— The first Black person to win the Wimble don Singles Tennis pionship,Cham Al thea Gibson , is born on this day in Silver, S.C. Gibson won Wimble don on July 6, 1957. 2003.onathleteall-aroundThediedSept.23,
• AUGUST 27 1963— Afri can giantintellectualactivistAmericanand DuBoisW.E.B. dies in Accra, Ghana, at the age of 95. Born in ofBoisMass.,Barrington,GreatDuwasonethemost dominant figures in the African Ameri can struggle against racial oppression for nearly 40 years. He helped found the Niagara Movement (precursor to the NAACP) in 1906 and helped organize the first Pan African Conference in Lon don. An educational product of Fisk Uni versity in Nashville, Tenn., he also taught at Atlanta University in Atlanta, Ga., and edited the NAACP’s Crisis magazine. DuBois was a major opponent of Book er T. Washington’s grand “compromise” with Whites and he argued frequently with Marcus Garvey’s Black separatist ideology. However, the “attacker of in justice and defender of freedom” would eventually become frustrated with the slow, legalistic tactics of the NAACP and the tenacity of American racism. He turned to socialism and late in life went into self-imposed exile in the West Afri can nation of Ghana. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would write of him: “History can not ignore W.E.B. Dubois because histo ry has to reflect the truth and Dr. DuBois was a tireless explorer of the truth.” 1975— Ethiopi an Emperor Haile Selassie dies at the age of 83. He had worked to modernize the East African na tion and rescue his land from for eign White con trol. Forced to flee Ethiopia when the Italians invaded in 1936, he would later return to lead a resistance movement which freed the country from European domination in 1941. Selass ie traced his heritage all the way back to the Queen of Sheba and King Solo mon of the Christian Bible. Many Blacks worldwide considered him a holy figure. Indeed, the Rastafarian religion gets its name from his original name Ras Tafari Makonnen. Selassie’s full title was “His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie I, Con quering Lion of Judah, King of Kings of Ethiopia and elect of God.”
JacksonMichael1958— is born on this day in Gary, Ind. The “King of Pop” was apparent25,dieddren.ninesevenththeofchilHeJune2009, ly after being given a powerful drug to enable him to sleep.
AUGUST 24 1854—Dr. John V. DeGrasse , perhaps the most prominent Black person in New England during the pre-Civil War period, is admitted to the Massachusetts Medi cal Society. DeGrasse was born in New York City in 1825 and graduated from Bowdoin College in Maine.
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1966— Prominent civil rights attorney Constance Baker Motley is confirmed to the U.S. District Court in New York. She thus became the first African Amer ican female to hold a seat on the fed eral bench. Motley had participated in the historic Brown v. Board of Education case which led to the desegregation of the nation’s schools. She was also an advisor to civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Motley died in Septem ber 2005.
ALTHEA GIBSON W.E.B. DuBOIS
HAILEMICHAELSELASSIEJACKSON
CDC REPORT: The share of cases among Black people has grown in recent weeks, according to the CDC analysis. Getty Images by CrusaderChicagoStaff Blacks and Hispanics are disproportionally af fected by the Monkeypox disease, according to a recent report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Con trol and Prevention. The report offers new insight into the outbreak, which is disproportion ately affecting men who have sex with men, es pecially those who are Black and Hispanic. “Public health efforts should prioritize gay, bi sexual, and other men who have sex with men, who are currently dispro portionately affected, for prevention and testing, while addressing equity, minimizing stigma, and maintaining vigilance for transmission in other populations,” the authors of the report say. Two months after the country’s first case was reported, there were 2,891 cases of Monkeypox reported in the United States by July 22. Case report forms with addi tional epidemiologic and clinical information were submitted to the CDC for 41percent of those cas es, though not all details were complete in all of thoseAboutforms.94percent were in men who reported con tracting the disease af ter having recent sexual or close intimate contact with another man. More than half (54 percent) of the cases were among Black and Hispanic peo ple, a group that rep resents about a third (34 percent) of the general U.S.Analysispopulation.also showed that all the patients had a rash. However, a geni tal rash was more com monly reported in the current outbreak than in “typical” Monkeypox. It was the most common location for rash (46 per cent), followed by arms (40 percent), face (38 percent) and legs (37 per cent). More than a third of cases with available data reported a rash in four or more regions. The report said early warning signs of illness are less common in the current outbreak com pared with “typical” Mon keypox. In about 2 in 5 cases, the illness started with the rash, but there were no reported prodro mal symptoms such as chills, headache or mal aise. About 2 in 5 cases also did not report fever. Authors of the report say that anyone with a rash consistent with Monkeypox should be tested for the virus, re gardless of their sexual or gender identity or the presence of other symp toms.Among those cases for which data was available, fewer than 1 in 10 (8 per cent) needed hospitaliza tion due to Monkeypox. No deaths were reported. About 14 percent of those affected were vac cinated for smallpox, in cluding 3 percent who had gotten one dose of Jynneos during this out break. At least one per son with Monkeypox had symptoms more than three weeks after their first dose of the Jynneos vaccine.A“substantial propor tion” of Monkeypox cas es have been reported among people with HIV, who may be at higher risk of severe illness. More analysis of this group is underway, according to theTheCDC.agency says it is “continually evaluating new evidence and tailor ing response strategies as information on changing case demographics, clin ical characteristics and transmission” emerges. The Biden administra tion has declared the Monkeypox outbreak in the U.S. to be a public health“We’reemergency.prepared to take our response to the next level in addressing this virus, and we urge every American to take this vi rus seriously and to take responsibility to help us tackle this virus,” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Sec retary Xavier Becerra said.Monkeypox is a poxvi rus related to smallpox and cowpox. It generally causes pimple- or blis ter-like lesions and flulike symptoms such as fever.The lesions usually ap pear on the arms and legs, but in the latest out break, they’re showing up more in the genital and perianal area. If you notice a new rash or other Monkey pox symptoms, avoid any close contact with oth er people until you have seen a doctor and gotten tested. The CDC said peo ple who see a healthcare provider should wear a mask and remind them that the virus is circulat ing in the area. If you’re diagnosed with Monkey pox, the agency recom mends isolation at home and away from family members until the rash or lesions are gone.
AUGUST 25 1862— After a disastrous loss to the South during a battle known as the Pen insular Campaign, U.S. Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton orders the arming of 5,000 Black soldiers in a bid to turn the tide against the pro-slavery forces. The Blacks (both freedmen and former slaves) fought with distinction winning 15 Congressional Medals of Honor. In fact, the Black soldiers were so effec tive, near the end of the Civil War, the Confederacy, in a desperation move, ac tually attempted to recruit Black soldiers to the pro-slavery side.
AUGUST 26 1943— In a primarily token gesture Black Chicago Congressman William L. Dawson is recommended to be the Democratic Party’s vice presidential candidate. For several years, Dawson was the only African American in the United States Congress. He would later be joined by New York’s Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Dawson served in Congress for 27 years, from January 1943 to the time he died in November 1970.
• AUGUST 29 1920— Jazz legend Charlie “Yardbird” Parker was born on this day in Kansas City, Mo. The saxophonist and composer was one of the leading and most influen tial figures of the Jazz Age.
1950— Chicago attorney Edith Spur lock Sampson is named by President Harry S. Truman as the first African American representative in the U.S. del egation to the United Nations. Sampson was also the first Black female elected judge in the United States. She was born in Pittsburgh, Pa., around 1901 and died in 1979.
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER AUGUST 24-30, 2022 A3
A RENDITION OF THE APARTMENTS AND RETAIL SHOPS THAT WILL LINE SHADY AVENUE. GIANT EAGLE WILL SIT ALONG PENN AVENUE. FROM SYLVIA WILSON, A PITTSBURGH PUBLIC SCHOOLS COURIER SHE HAD STREET BY ROB TAYLOR JR.)
GIANT EAGLE ONE LAST TIME, JULY 23. A NEW STORE WILL BE BUILT BY 2024. (PHOTO
METROA4 AUGUST 24-30, 2022 NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
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BOARD MEMBER, TOLD THE
GIANT EAGLE
East Liberty Giant Eagle closes, angering many; but company says they’re committed to the community
Donovan said the Shake speare Street Giant Eagle was a prime location for customers who use W.I.C. The nearby locations in clude: Save-A-Lot (725 Ross Ave., Wilkinsburg); Community Market (4401 Liberty Ave., Bloomfield); Giant Eagle Shadyside (5550 Centre Ave.); Giant Eagle East Hills (9001 Frankstown Rd.); Giant Eagle Edgewood Towne Center (1705 S. Braddock Ave.); and Giant Eagle Squirrel Hill (1901 Mur rayForAve.).“Mickey,” life will have to go on at anoth er Giant Eagle; she’s now working at the Wa terworks Mall location. There are some of her fel low Shakespeare Street employees also at Water works, while others are at Shadyside. Still others are at, well, other locations, Donovan said. No em ployees from Shakespeare Street lost their jobs. “We have definitely heard from various com munity members who both very much love their ex isting store (Shakespeare) and are nervous about what a new store might be,” Donovan told the Cou rier. “What’s motivating, what’s encouraging is that while we appreciate what the store has historical ly meant, we know what we can bring with a new store...we’re really confi dent that when we get to the end of this journey, guests will appreciate and see why a new store expe rience was really best for the community.”
mirrored by some African Americans who shopped at the Shakespeare Street location one last time on July 23, telling the Cou rier they thought the de cision was “horrible,” and that it was yet another phase of gentrifying East Liberty.ThatGiant Eagle loca tion, which had been there since 1973, was a major hub for African Americans who lived in pretty much every part of the East End for the last 49 years, espe cially with its proximity to the bus lines. The Shake speare Street location was, at one time prior to the Market District Giant Ea gle coming to Shadyside, one of the top-performing locations for Giant Eagle in“I’vePittsburgh.been closely en gaged with the Shake speare Street East Liberty community on this topic since before the pandem ic,” Donovan told the Cou rier, Aug. 18. “It has been eye-opening and heart warming to know that the existing store has meant so much to so many in the community, so that’s been great and that’s been a powerful learning moment for me and for so many at Giant Eagle.” Echo Realty, which owns numerous properties in multiple states, has plans for 230 apartments across five stories above the re tail shops along Shady Av enue on the East Liberty property. Fifteen percent of the apartments are to be classified as “affordable;” the others will be mar ket-rate. The new Giant Eagle will be about 15,000 square feet smaller than the old store, but Donovan said that customers won’t see a marked difference, as the old store had a lot of “back room” space that will be eliminated. The new Giant Eagle will be built much closer to Penn Avenue and have an en trance on Penn. Parking will be “behind” the store, as a parking garage with more than 400 spaces will beInbuilt.its proposed redevel opment brochure, obtained by the Courier, Echo Re alty touts the East End as quickly becoming “the diamond of Pittsburgh’s recent revitalization. A neighborhood full of histo ry and culture is now ac companied by some of the best living, shopping and dining options the city has toHowever,offer.” that “neighbor hood” of East Liberty has been the center of atten tion in recent years, with many critics bringing out the G-word, gentrification. An East Liberty that was vastly African American in the late ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s boasted an array of stores and street vendors along Penn Avenue on a daily basis. But then, some stores closed, most notably Sears, which sat along N. Highland Ave nue. It closed in 1993 after being open there for some 70 years. Major invest ment by the region’s larg est corporations wasn’t happening in East Liberty. Crime increased, though violent crime, particular ly homicides, increased in the ‘90s in many areas of Pittsburgh and the Mon Valley. Pittsburgh Police could be seen in the late ‘90s standing at the cor ner of Penn and Highland avenues, waiting for the first inkling of trouble. East Liberty had a reputa tion for being “dangerous,” whether true or not. But in the early 2000s, change came to East Lib erty. The Home Depot opened up shop where Sears formerly was sta tioned. Then came Whole Foods. Later came Target and Trader Joe’s. There was more investment coming into the historic neighborhood, while more African Americans some how found their way on the outside. The Courier obtained a report from the University of Pitts burgh Center for Social and Urban Research from 2021 which examined population data for Pitts burgh’s various neighbor hoods. The report found that East Liberty experi enced a modest increase in population from 2010 to 2020 (5,869 to 6,187, a 318-person increase); but the neighborhood experi enced the largest decline in Black residents in the city, losing 1,362 Black residents (3,976 to 2,614), a 34 percent decline, in that same time frame. To have a neighborhood increase in population, yet lead the way in losing Black population, certain ly fired up some commu nity advocates. One of which was and continues to be Randall Taylor, who fought for years for the majority-Black Penn Plaza apartments not to be torn down in favor of building a new Whole Foods location. That fight was lost, and on Aug. 10, the larg er Whole Foods opened. Those who had never been to East Liberty before and were shopping at the new Whole Foods that day would have never known that hundreds of Black people were displaced from the location just a few years prior. Some customers who left Giant Eagle’s Shake speare Street location on July 23 labeled Echo Re alty’s plans to redevelop Shady Hill Plaza as yet another form of gentrify ing East Liberty; closing a coveted store right on bus line for two years while even more apartments with high rental prices are built, most likely to be oc cupied in the majority by people who aren’t African American.Forits part, Donovan told the Courier that Gi ant Eagle has pulled out all the stops to assist the community during this transition. It leased space down the street from the old store, inside the “Vil lage of Eastside,” 6401 Penn Ave, as a temporary pharmacy location. Hours for the pharmacy are: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.Giant Eagle’s “Mobile Market” brings healthy food choices to the Home wood YMCA (6907 Frank stown Ave.), Mondays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Kingsley Association (6435 Frankstown Ave.), Thursdays from 12:30 to 2 p.m.; and Bethany Center, in Homewood (7745 Tioga St.), Thursdays from 2:30 to 4 Giantp.m.Eagle is providing two “Community Pickup Point” locations on the East End, where residents can shop online by a par ticular Sunday, and then pick up those selections at 200 Larimer Avenue (Lar imer and E. Liberty Blvd. intersection) the following Monday from 3 to 5 p.m., or at 7049 Hamilton Ave nue, in Homewood, Mon day from 2 to 4 p.m. Con venience fees are waived at both Community Pick up Point locations. And Giant Eagle teamed with nonprofit Just Har vest to clearly identify for the community near by locations that accept “W.I.C.” (Women, Infants and Children supplemen tal nutritional program).
TO COME TO THE SHAKESPEARE
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER AUGUST 24-30, 2022 A5
METROA6 AUGUST 24-30, 2022 NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER Schenley High School’s Class of 1972 50-year reunion! THE CLASS OF 1972! FROM SCHENLEY HIGH SCHOOL! THE 50-YEAR REUNION OCCURRED AT PNC PARK ON THE NORTH SHORE, AUG. 5. (PHOTOS BY J.L. MARTELLO) THE ANNIVERSARY COMMITTEE MARGARET LANIER, DARLENE GAINEY CRAIG AND ERNEST RUFFINMARLENE TAYLOR, ERNEST RUFFIN MICHELLE THAXTON, DARLENE GAINEY CRAIG, JOCELYN COLEMAN, MARSHA SCOTT, JENICE MURRY, GAIL MOOREERVIN DICKEY AND LILLIAN BOOKER, DANCING JUDGE WRENNA WATSON
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For New Pittsburgh Courier Pittsburgh’s historic Hill District gained national attention on Aug. 13, as VIPs, dignitaries, and the community walked the iconic red carpet to cele brate the grand opening of August Wilson House (AWH). The location serves as a physical reminder of the profound impact Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson made throughout his life time. His childhood home, located at 1727 Bedford Ave., was prominently dis played, showcasing the on going strength, resilience, and heritage of Black Pittsburgh.Thecomplete restoration of the previously blighted, dilapidated property was spearheaded by Paul El lis, Wilson’s nephew. “This is surreal. I feel blessed to be able to provide this type of a monumental cultural asset to the Hill District and residents of the City of Pittsburgh. This belongs to you,” Ellis told the New Pittsburgh Courier. “I’m deeply humbled and hon ored by this event. I knew that this was going to be a long journey but to see it come to fruition is inde scribable.”Constanza Romero-Wil son, widow of Wilson and executive director of the August Wilson Legacy, LLC, joined in the celebra tion. “It’s a dream realized for him. He’s gone and I’m so sad about that, but I am here in his stead to cele brate, shed a tear even for how much his legacy has brought to all of us, and his gifts keep on giving,” she told the Courier exclusive ly. “I’m just so privileged and humbled and this is a happy day. We are marking the glorious day of open ing up the August Wilson House here on the Hill. A place for future artists to be nurtured, supported to be entrusted with the leg acy of August Wilson as be ing a voice for Black Amer ica in this theirsoofmany,soninspiration,Remarkingcountry.”onWilson’sRomero-Wilexpressed,“ItwasmanyothercitizenstheHillthatmadeitspecial.Thecadenceofspeech,themusical ity of their voices, and he (August) recorded them. As a poet he put his own spin on it. Pittsburgh is as much a part of shaping August Wilson as August Wilson is a part of shaping the legacy of Pittsburgh. I hope younger generations will be as proud of August Wilson as I am. He was a shy man but would have been very proud if he were here today. It would be keeping with his values.” Marcy Metelsky, Pitts burgh resident, volunteer, and part of the host com mittee, helped organize the event and had been involved with the project since the property was threatened to be demol ished. “This is now a for mal piece of history that no one can deny. It’s now engrained and is part of Pittsburgh’s history. This means a tremendous amount of giving back and making sure there is a place for people to culti vate their arts and truly be inspired, and to have re sources available for them. It will be a useful place. We thank the City of Pitts burgh for finally enabling this to Metelskyhappen.”alsonoted, “The older I got, the more I ap preciated August’s work. He captured the dynamic that I think everyone can relateJasirito.” X, CEO and co-founder of 1Hood Me dia, made it a point to at tend the celebration with his wife, Celeste Smith, and daughter, Jannah Smith, emphasizing the importance of celebrating Black culture as a family.
Jasiri X, the socially con scious Hip-Hop artist, com mented that Wilson’s lega cy shows that “it means you can come from here (Pittsburgh) and touch the wholeJannahworld.”Smith, a high school senior at Pittsburgh CAPA, who also serves as social media content cre ator for 1Hood Media, read Wilson’s play, “Fences,” in school and emphasized to the Courier the personal impact it had on her cre
August Wilson House opens to much fanfare
CONSTANZA ROMERO-WILSON, WIDOW OF AUGUST WILSON, WITH ACADEMY-AWARD WINNING ACTOR DENZEL WASHINGTON, AT AUGUST WILSON HOUSE’S GRAND OPENING, AUG. 13. (PHOTO BY J.L. MARTELLO)
by Marcia Liggett
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TRACEY MCCANTS LEWIS, INSIDE AUGUST WILSON HOUSE.
ativity. “The way that he does his art is inspiring,” she said of Wilson. “Being able to convey emotions through his writing is amazing.”DeniseTurner, AWH Act ing Chief Executive and board president, greet ed the audience, many of whom would be the first official visitors of August Wilson House. Turner ac knowledged the multitude of dignitaries and actors in attendance throughout the event, such as Wilso nian actor Russell Horns by; Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey and wife Michelle; City of Pittsburgh Chief of Staff Jake Wheatley; Pres ident Judge Kim Berkeley Clark; Dawn Keezer, Direc tor of the Pittsburgh Film Office; Kiya Tomlin, fash ion designer and wife of Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin; Sam Rei man, Director and Trustee of the Richard King Mel lon Foundation; Jessica Pumphrey, Senior Social Strategist for the African American Cultural Heri tage Action Fund; Pamela Lewis, Senior Program Of ficer for the Hillman Fam ily Foundations; Marimba Milliones, President and CEO of the Hill Communi ty Development Corpora tion; Janet Sarbaugh, Vice President Creativity of The Heinz Endowments; Der rick Sanders, award-win ning director and filmmak er; lywhoPfaffmanntectcontributionsrecognizedanthropicwhothankedingtontooktonactorAcademy-awardCEO24);sylvaniaLa’TashaRepresentative-ElectD.Mayes(PennHouseDistrictandMarissaWilliams,ofHEARTH.ExcitementpiquedwhenwinningDenzelWashingandRomero-Wilsoncenterstage.WashacknowledgedandindividuallythosemadegenerousphildonationsandthetremendousofarchiRobertPfaffmann(of&Associates),WashingtonjokingreferredtoasPaulEl lis’ “brother from another mother.”Romero-Wilson told of Wilson’s connection to what she referred to as the sacred ground on which she stood. “August Wilson House belongs to the Hill, to Black Americans. Be cause his stories are Amer ican stories of triumph un der oppression, it belongs to all of us Americans.”
Later in the program, Ellis tearfully accepted a proclamation from Mayor Gainey and City Coun cilman R. Daniel Lavelle, as August 13, 2022, was named “Paul Ellis Day” in the City of Pittsburgh. His emotional address fol lowed, explaining the ir replaceable role his uncle played in molding his life, filling the void after his father died when he was a child. August Wilson died inEllis2005.contributes a large part of the project’s success to Washington’s involve ment. “Denzel’s impact has been incalculable,” Ellis explained, having shared with Washington the vi sion for the project, which was carefully drafted and designed to be consistent with Wilson’s wishes for what would be most ben eficial to the people. “I’m very grateful to Denzel for helping me realize a longheldRecognizingdream.” the profound impact Wilson had on the arts, many Hollywood leg ends joined Washington and his wife, Pauletta, in financially ensuring the success of the restoration project. Glass plaques adorn the wall upon en trance to the house, where an inscription reads, “Au gust Wilson House has been restored by the gener ous contributions arranged by Denzel Washington and his friends.” Underneath the inscription, those friends include: The Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foun dation; Tyler Perry; The Samuel and LaTanya R. Jackson Foundation; Lau rence Fishburne; Antoine Fuqua; (Shonda) Rhimes Family Foundation; and JohnToursMcClain.ofthe house were given upon the conclusion of the formal program. Guests were able to step back in time, literally walk ing in Wilson’s footsteps as they explored his humble beginnings. The narrow wooden stairs adorned by fancy carved railings guid ed visitors to the second floor, where antiquities from Wilson’s past were reminiscent of days gone by. His meager accommo dations were indicative of the struggle and survival of Black families in the Hill during that era. Views of the iconic Heinz smoke stacks could be seen from windows in the back of the house, behind the outdoor, open-sky patio stage. Frank Hightower, Pitts burgh native, photogra pher, and playwright, met Wilson when he was in his early 20s. He photo graphed Wilson, and re marked how Wilson had a tremendous impact on his life. “I took the photograph 2-3 weeks after Dr. Martin Luther King passed away,” he said, explaining that he captured an iconic, re flective moment with Wil son smoking his cigarette while standing in the rub ble of the riot zone. “I call the photo, ‘1968’.” The photograph and oth er images of Wilson are on display at August Wilson House.Activities ensued at AWH the night before the official grand opening celebration as the first theatrical pro duction of Wilson’s “Jitney” was performed in the patio theater. Directed by Mark Clayton Southers, the Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company’s pro duction will run until Sept. plans are in the works for AWH. Ac cording to Dr. Kimberly Ellis, Wilson’s niece, who also runs the Pittsburgh office of the Buccini/Pollin Group, developers for the new Lower Hill project, the future for AWH entails a lot of arts education and arts programming. “My goal was not to create the best visitor experience that ever existed, it’s to create a true, transformative, active arts space so that people could actually come here and avail themselves of the educational oppor tunities that are typically illusive, particularly the arts of color. Experienc es for artists in residency, theatrical productions, professional development opportunities both in front of and behind the camera will be available. I’m so thankful to all our sup porters, friends, funders, and community partners. This is for you.” FROM FAMILY—AUGUST WILSON’S NIECE, DR. KIMBERLY ELLIS, HIS NEPHEW, PAUL ELLIS, AND DAUGHTER, SAKINA ANSARI WILSON. (PHOTOS BY J.L. MARTELLO)
RELIGION/METROA8 AUGUST 24-30, 2022 NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER Join our 8302,tion,ForWorshipPraisegrowingandChurchCommunity!rateinformacall412-481-ext.128. We want to feature positive youth from our Pitts burgh church commu nity. Please mail their bio and photo to: New Pittsburgh Courier 315 E. Carson St. Pittsburgh, PA 15219 emailor religion@newpittsburghcourier.us:com ST. BENEDICT THE MOOR CATHOLIC CHURCH 91 Crawford Street Pgh., PA 412-281-314115219SundayMass11AM www.sbtmparishpgh.com East Liberty Presbyterian Church Rev. Patrice Fowler-Searcy and Rev. HeatherPastorsSchoenewolf 412-441-3800SummerWorship.......10:00 a.m. Taize -Wednesdays.........7:00 p.m. Worship in person or Online on www.ELPC.churchFacebook/YouTube The Courieris THE VOICE of Pittsburgh.Black TELL CHURCHABOUTUSYOURNEXTEVENT! We want to place your event in our Church Circuit weekly calendar! Send info to: NewCourierPittsburgh 315 E. Carson St. Pittsburgh PA 15219 Rev. Thomas J. Burke- Pastor Rev. C. Matthew HawkinsParochial Vicar Rev. David H. TaylorSenior Parochial Vicar. Praise & Worship
A celebratory day at August Wilson House
AUGUST WILSON
18.Tremendous
REV. WALKER SAYS: The Word of God; For we ought to say, IF THE LORD WILLS, WE SHALL LIVE, AND DO THIS, OR THAT. (James 4:15)
“Go to now, you that say, Today or to tomorrow we will GO into such a city and continue there in a year and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas you know not what shall be on tomorrow. For what is your LIFE? It is even a va pour; that appears for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” - James 4:13-14
Ex-Steel ers and current Cleveland Browns QB Joshua Dobbs did not receive the same opportunities (at least not on the surface anyway), to ascend to a stable quarter back position on the roster of the Steelers as was Ma son Rudolph or his prede cessor, Landry “the walk ing clipboard” Jones. Given the legal trials and troubles that the newly ac quired Cleveland Browns’ “zillion dollar” QB De Shaun Watson is facing, including an 11-game sus pension and a hefty $5 mil lion fine, Dobbs, a player that the Steelers rejected not once, but twice, now has the opportunity to open up the 2022 NFL season for the Browns as the number three QB. Pete Smith post ed this report on Browns Digest on FanNation about the performance of Josh Dobbs in a close, 21-20 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles over the weekend: “Joshua Dobbs looks like he might have all but wrapped up the backup quarterback job behind Jacoby Bris sett as he led the Cleve land Browns offense to a productive half of offense against the Philadelphia Eagles. In another pro ductive preseason game, Dobbs was able to lead the Cleveland Browns offense to 20 points in the first half, which didn’t include a punt. Dobbs continues to put an effective play on tape as he makes his case to be the backup to Jacoby Brissett during Deshaun
On Saturday, Aug. 20, the Steelers traveled to play the Jaguars in Jack sonville. The Steelers pre vailed by a score of 16-15. Immediately after the game concluded, a con certed effort was made by a few prognosticators to anoint the Steelers’ back up QB Mason Rudolph as a crown prince in the Steel ers’ royal court when they realized that Rudolph was no longer worthy of sitting on the QB throne of the men of steel. A few folks armed with pens of platinum filled with gold ink took issue at the analysis of Rudolph’s performance by his boss, Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin. The following was posted on a USA Today blog site as part of their postgame report: “Ru dolph’s entire performance in the second half was very good. Rudolph showed con fidence with the football and an excellent command of the offense. In one half of action, Rudolph threw for 127 yards on 17-for21 passing and one pass ing touchdown. After the game, Tomlin was hesitant to offer any praise for Ru dolph’s performance in stead of playing it off as a ‘varsity guy in a JV game.’ If I were Rudolph, I would take exception to this char acterization. All his offen sive teammates were JV and let’s be honest, some worse and he elevated their play. This is the mark of a great quarterback and Rudolph did it. You can bet that the level of tal ent around wouldn’t have come up if he hasn’t played well.”Wait a damn minute! How could anyone suggest that a person, place, or thing take exception to the truth? Mason Rudolph has had many opportunities during the past few years to elevate his play to the varsity level when he was truly a junior varsity play er, performing with the varsity team and failing. Ladies and gentlemen, the only time that any player can be evaluated honestly is when they are competing against an op ponent’s best. Many of the Jacksonville Jaguars play ers that Rudolph competed against were second and maybe a few third-string players with questionable
talent, that may even as I write this column, be head ed back to a cashier’s gig at their local grocery store. Playing quarterback or any other position in the NFL is not a birthright, it is a privilege!
DENZEL WASHINGTON ADDRESSES THE CROWD AT AUGUST WILSON HOUSE, AUG. 13. (PHOTOS BY J.L. MARTELLO)CITY COUNCILMAN R. DANIEL LAVELLE, RIGHT, GIVES A CITY PROCLAMATION TO THE NEPHEW OF AUGUST WILSON, PAUL ELLIS.
Watson’s 11-game suspen sion. Dobbs completed 14 of 20 passes for 141 yards and ran for 41 yards on the ground, including a wild 36-yard run during the first drive that cost him part of his undershirt. As in his first outing, Dobbs didn’t set the world on fire with his arm, but his abil ity to create and extend plays with his legs and effectively decipher the de fense, it often looked easy.” It is very difficult to imagine...no, correction... it is impossible to consider that Dobbs would have re ceived such glowing press while he was a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers. It’s easy to look good when the competition is lacking. If you want to stand out, go beat up on the big boys.
I see the Steelers going 11-6 this year...
THE IMAGINARY CROWN Steelers QB Mason Rudolph looked good?
:10— Here we go, Steel ers...Here we go! And go they did, right out of the gate and in grand Pitts burgh Steelers fashion. And of course it’s early and it’s just preseason football, but “Great Balls of Fire,” what a start, preseason or not. And as a great, great man once said (his being the Em peror Chuck Noll), “If the games weren’t import ant, they wouldn’t play them.” :09— Okay, so I’ll take the hit like the man that I am. I admittedly did not think Kenny Pickett was ready for “Prime-Time.” Yes, he won the ACC and a few awards along the way and in the running for the Heisman Trophy. But I thought he would need at least a year to be ready. Wrong!!! You can give him the keys to the car now. :08— We will need to pump the brakes on that car to be sure. We have to see him go against a legit team with legit starters on defense. But I don’t care if you beat the Lit tle Sisters of the Poor at the buzzer. That’s a great win... In point of fact, that’s the Steelers way! (At least it used to be?!) :07— You beat a Seat tle team without Russell Wilson... (By the way, and I don’t have to tell you, his wife, Ciara, is finer than frog’s hair.) But I digress, my bad... And we beat a Jackson ville team that has no where to go but up. All that being said, it ends up in the “Win” column nonetheless. :06— Let me make this loud and very clear for you—and this you can take to the bank. Mitch Trubisky will be your starter until he real ly goes in the tank and rightly so. He has the experience and pedi gree and that’s why they brought him into the ‘Burgh. Pickett will be your #2 guy, as I said, until further notice. Ma son Rudolph will be trad ed, most likely for a 5thor 6th-round draft pick... but don’t cry for Mason. It will do him good in the long run to find a new home and maybe a bet ter opportunity. Chris Oladokun is just getting a paycheck and destined for the practice squad. :05— Too early to bad mouth the O-Line. Let’s just wait and see. Maybe they know something we don’t know????? :04— But what we do know is this—we’re look ing at showcasing a top 5 wide receiver crew and if that truly is the case, it will make the running game that much better in spite of the O-Line. The passing game opens up the running game. Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool, George “super star in the making” Pick ens, Pat Freiermuth, and Zach Gentry make for a top-notch squad. :03— There are a few new moving parts that will fit into what will assuredly be a top 3 de fensive unit. Cam Hey ward, T.J. Watt, Tyson Alualu, Minkah Fitzpat rick and Myles Jack will all contribute mightily to help bring back the Steeler Steel Curtain dominance. As for Devin Bush? I think the cur rent thinking on him is, “Who?” :02— Let us not forget the importance, the qual ity and the understated and greatly underappre ciated head coach. As Coach Tomlin enters his 14th non-losing season, I expect yet another sea son of the same with bet ter results. Read on and see why I predict a Pitts burgh Steelers’ 11-game winning season. :01— Week 1 - Cincin nati - L, Week 2 - NEW (not the same Patriots team), Week 3 - Cleve land - W (QB issues for Cleveland), Week 4Jets - W (not ready for prime time), Week 5 - Buffalo - L, Week 6Tampa Bay - L, Week 7Miami - W (we have their coach, Brian Flores), Week 8 - Philly - W (just because), Week 9 - New Orleans - W (regrouping, not rebuilding), Week 10 - Cincinnati - L, Week 11 Indy - W (won’t be easy), Week 12 - Atlan ta - W (man, please, we got more fans there than they do) Week 13 - Bal timore - L, Week 14Carolina - W, (just make Baker Mayfield mad), Week 15 - Las Vegas - W (‘cause it’s Vegas), Week 16 - Baltimore - W (we always win the second game), Week 17 - Cleve land - L :00— Pittsburgh Steel ers—Right Here, Right Now— GAME OVER.
Try playing against real competition
SPORTS/METRONEW PITTSBURGH COURIER AUGUST 24-30, 2022 A9
A10 AUGUST 24-30, 2022 NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
• Retirement balance is less than your an nual salary
• Credit card balances are higher than your emergency fund
The Trick CostZero-closingBehindMortgages
When closing on a mortgage the borrower will notice a long list of additional fees that they are expected to pay for. These can range from insignificant into the thousands of dollars depending on the state and the deal. When looking at these fees you will notice that some are third-party fees. This is not out of the ordinary and you are not being taken advantage of. These costs are for ser vices rendered by out side companies at the request of the mortgage lender to make sure ev erything is in order with the property, Closing Costs, You Can Expect to Pay Anybody going through the mortgage process for the first time should expect to see several odd sounding terms on the loan estimate. The first is ‘origination’ or ‘processing’ which is the primary fee the lender charges for creating the mortgage. Other fees include discount points, flood certification, title insurance, credit report and appraisal. These are all necessary for buy ing a home and should be expected to appear when closing.
(Black Information Net work)—A couple claims their appraisal increased by nearly $300,000 after they removed any indica tion that their home was Black-owned, the New York Times reports.
• Investments are highly concentrated in a few individual company stocks You don’t understand various financial products you have You focus on building your credit score instead of building your net worth You don’t know what net worth means
• Car payments are higher than 15 per cent of your net income
MONEY MOVES B2
“Dr. Connolly, Dr. Mott, and their three children were home during the visit, and their house was also filled with family pho tos, children’s drawings of figures with dark skin, a poster for the film Black Panther and literature by Black authors,” the lawsuit reads in part. “It would have been obvious to any one visiting that the home belonged to a Black family.”
• No emergency fund
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Red Flags: Sound the financial alarm!
According to the suit, a second appraiser found their “whitewashed” home to be valued at $750,000, nearly $300k more than the“Wefirst.were clearly aware of appraisal discrimina tion,” Connolly said. “But to be told in so many words that our presence and the life we’ve built in our home brings the property value down? It’s an absolute gut punch.”Thesuit against loanDe pot, 20/20 Valuations, and Lanham alleges that the first appraiser falsely cit ed that the couple’s home hadn’t been updated in 15 years. It also accuses Lan ham of purposefully choos ing “low-value homes as comps” and ignoring “legit imately comparable homes with much higher sales prices.”
• Overly dependent on one source of in come•Credit card balances are more than 30 percent of your credit limit
• No retirement savings
• Housing payment is more than 25 per cent of your net income
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UnderstandingThird-partyClosingCosts
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Well over 10 years ago, I was receiving so many calls and referrals from people seeking financial advice for their friends, children, family, co-workers, and church members—it inspired me to write an ar ticle entitled “I’m talking to YOU!” In this article, I made it emphatically clear that NO ONE was exempt from sound financial advice. To this day, I find it interesting how people think “other people” could use sound financial advice but never “themselves.” I’ve grown in my understanding over the years. I was right then but I know now why peo ple mistakenly think others need financial advice but think that they’re standing on a solid financial foundation. They’re either in denial, clueless, misinformed, and/or too embarrassed.Moneydoesn’t come with instructions. Couple this with the fact that we’re sold on how to manage money, not taught. We’re doomed from the start. Every day we re ceive millions upon millions of marketing messages scripting the narrative for our lives. Most of us learn from marketing mes saging what’s cool and hip, what’s trending, what to do, what not to do, what to buy, what not to buy. They prey on our dreams regard ing how we want to live our lives. They sell us into being broke—just like the Joneses. Who are the Joneses everyone is trying to keep up with? An illusionary model of suc cess. In each marketing message, the mar keter has one goal—to extract money out of our pocket and put it into theirs. Nearly 80 percent of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, robbing Peter to pay Paul, struggling to make ends meet. That was before COVID. We’re so busy trying to figure out how to make ends meet, we over look the obvious solution: Focus on reducing the E.N.D.S. (expenses and debts). In this article, I’m not focused on those who are living paycheck to paycheck. I want to talk to the people who are able to pay their bills on time, have a decent credit score, take a vacation here and there, have a few dollars in the bank, and think they’re standing on a solid financial foundation. Are you doing well financially? Are you properly insured? Do you have your spending under control? Are you adverse to debt? Are you aggres sively saving for short-term and long-term goals? Do you have a will and estate plan? Are your beneficiary designations updated? Do you understand the investments within and outside of your retirement plan? Do you understand the terms of various financial documents you signed including, mortgage, insurance, savings, investments, trust, will, and power of attorney? How long will you be able to pay your bills if you lose your job tomor row?Comparing yourself to 80 percent of Ameri cans who are living pay check to paycheck, you assume you’re doing well. Success isn’t mea sured by what you do in comparison to others. Success is measured by what you’re doing in comparison to what you have the potential to do. Are you tapping into your full potential? Here’s another startling statistic. Up wards of 90 percent of those ages 65 and over retire or die BROKE. When you hang up your working shoes, the real day of reck oning presents itself. You find out how well you managed money over your working career. Those paycheck deposits slow down and the amount of the deposits are much lower. Seniors know how hard it is when that paycheck stops and all you can bank on is that $1,500 per month social security check—assuming you qualify for the aver age amount. If you’re under 50, few of us can bank on receiving a pension in addition to social security. Average pension varies between private, state, federal and mili tary pensions. Suffice it to say, the average is right around another $1,500 per month —if you have one. Let’s assume you receive both pension and social security. $3,000 per month would be nice if you retired your credit cards, car loans, student loans, and mortgage debt before you retired from work. Most don’t. I’m reminded of a meme show ing a 101-year-old celebrating paying off his student loan debt. If you’re not a part of the 80 percent group living paycheck to paycheck, there’s a 90 percent probability you’re in the group that’s going to struggle come retirement. That is if you don’t get serious and own up to the fact that “You need to Get A Grip On Your Money”—NOW!Messagetothose of us who are in denial, clueless, misinformed, or too embarrassed. Fi nancial problems don’t show up in your abil ity to pay your bills on time or having a perfect credit score. Finan cial problems show up in your inability to consistently save and invest money with out tapping into it early. This happens as a result of overspending, undersaving and/ or not properly managing the money you work hard for. Below are some red flags that should sound off your financial alarm. Heed these warnings. Take the proper steps to get a firm handle on your money or risk struggling financially either now, tomorrow, or in retirement. If money could speak, it would say, if you save me today, I’ll save you tomorrow.•Savings account is a deferred spending account instead of a savings account where money grows
• Mortgage balance is more than 3 times your annual income You’re currently making minimum pay ments on all debts You prioritize having fun over getting se rious about your funds Inability to say no to yourself, your chil dren, and family and friends when you don’t have it (Are you looking to Beat Debt, Boost Your Savings, or Make Good Financial Decisions? Contact me. Da mon Carr, Money Coach can be reached at 412-2161013 or visit his website @ www.damonmoneycoach. com)
• Personal loan balance are more than 10 percent of annual income
Strategic money moves for young adults
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BUSINESS www.newpittsburghcourier.com New Pittsburgh Courier B Classifieds Find what you need from jobs to cars to housingB5-6 The yin to PageJ.progressivetheyangPharoahDossB4 AUGUST 24-30, 2022 ANTHONY O. KELLUM UnderstandingPROPERTYISPOWERthemathbehindyourmortgageclosingcosts
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With closing fees add ing up it may seem like a good idea to opt for a mortgage that has ab solutely no closing costs if it’s offered While no money will be required up front, it adds up in the long run. This is because the lender is making a deal. They agree to pay all the closing costs for the bor rower in exchange for a slightly higher interest rate, which will pay out for them over the course of the mortgage. The amount you can expect to pay really de pends on the cost of liv ing and real estate mar ket where you’re buying. A mortgage specialist will be able to talk to you in advance of apply ing for your mortgage to five you a better idea of what you are looking at paying for closing costs. Contact one to day for more informa tion on why you have to pay closing fees and the amount you should be budgeting for.
SEE
• No medical, life, disability, home, rental, or car insurance
Baltimore houses increas ing by 42 percent over the past five years, Connolly and Mott said they were shocked to find out that their home was valued at a mere $472,000 by Mary land-based company 20/20 Valuations.Asaresult of the low ap praisal, mortgage lender loanDepot also denied the pair’s application for a refi nance loan. The discrimination law suit alleges that 20/20 Val uations owner Shane Lan ham, who conducted the initial inspection in June of 2021, lowballed their home due to their race.
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On Monday (August 15), Nathan Connolly, a professor at John Hop kins University, and Shani Mott filed a housing dis crimination lawsuit in Maryland District Court almost a year after they sought to refinance their mortgage with loanDepot. According to Connolly, he and his wife originally paid $450,000 for their Balti more home in 2017. They have since made renovations to the resi dence that value at more than $35,000, he added. Considering the reno vations and the value of
It’s amazing that in a year with rising inter est rates being report ed around the country, closing costs are up by as much as 6 percent from the previous year. Part of the reason for this is that the strict er regulations on loans have increased the costs to banks, and they al ways find a way to pass on new costs to the con sumer.
• Car loans are higher than your retire ment savings
Following the first ap praisal, Connolly and Mott reapplied for a loan after removing all indicators of race from their home in what the suit calls a “whitewashing experi ment.”“They cleared their book shelves of works by Black authors. They asked White friends to share family photos and placed those in picture frames around the house; on their walls, they hung art bought at Ikea that showed White people,” the Times reports. The pair also had a White friend stand in for them during the new appraisal.
(NewsUSA)—For young adults starting out, mon ey management can be a challenge. You may be nav igating rent, car payments, monthly bills, food and also student loans. Many young adults are looking to re finance student loans to combine multiple debts, maximize interest rates, bring down monthly pay ments, or pay off faster. There are many benefits to refinancing and many op tions for lenders that offer refinancing. Refinancing your student loans lets you take ad vantage of the best prices as rates change. Lantern, a loan comparison plat form operated by digital personal finance compa ny SoFi, lets you compare rates and find a plan that works for you. When look ing to refinance student loans, borrowers should compare lenders and rates to find the best option for their situation. A few tips for anyone looking to refi nance this year: – Use filters when com paring online. Make a smart decision on refinanc ing your student loans by comparing multiple op tions side- by-side using filter on financing options
Black couple’s appraisal jumps nearly $300K after ‘whitewashing’ their home
• Total balance of all automobiles includ ing cards, trucks, motorcycles exceed 50 per cent of your annual income
by Christina Dello Buono
Q: What happens if mortgage rates drop after a homebuyer locks in their rate? Richardson: There isn’t an exact sci ence to timing the market, and while in terest rates have risen in recent months, it’s always possible that interest rates could fall. Some lenders offer a mort gage rate lock float down, which allows you to lock in an interest rate with the option to reduce if market rates fall during the lock period. This option pro vides you with a little more security in a volatile market and allows you to take advantage of falling interest rates. You may be able to move to a lower rate even without the float down option, but it may require additional fees. Addition ally, your lender may have particular re quirements, such as being at a certain stage of the loan process, for the custom er to be eligible to lower their rate.
Q: Is it a good idea for homebuyers to lock in a mortgage rate as soon as pos sible? Richardson: There’s no one-size-fitsall approach to locking in a mortgage rate and there are many factors to con sider. This is where your home lending advisor can provide more individualized counsel specific to your situation and yourGivenmarket.thevolatility of interest rates right now, we recommend locking in rates as soon as possible so you can be certain what your payments will look like on your loan. Many lenders require you to have a purchase contract in-hand before locking in your rates, but that isn’t always the case. Chase offers a Homebuyer Advantage Program, which allows you to get conditionally approved while you shop for a home.
The other thing to keep in mind is that the ability to move quickly in this en vironment is critical. It’s important to do your research on lender-backed re sources available to you, such as Chase’s Closing Guarantee. This guarantee com mits to closing customers in as little as three weeks, or they receive $5,000. The program offers buyers peace of mind knowing that they can close on their new home without delay or receive com pensation that can be put toward addi tionalTherecosts.are plenty of other resources available to help boost your home buy ing knowledge—especially if you are a first-time homebuyer. The Beginner to Buyer podcast is a great resource for prospective homebuyers to get answers to all their home buying questions. Ev ery episode offers conversations with real buyers and expert guests about each step of the process, from mortgage rates and application to closing.
Richardson: Mortgage rates have nearly doubled in the last six months— from 3 percent in 2021 to more than 6 percent in 2022—making it increasingly difficult for many Americans to purchase a home, especially those on a limited in come. That difference is significant by any measure, but it could result in hun dreds of dollars added to your monthly payment and thousands of dollars over the life of your loan. Despite a challenging home buying environment with high demand and historically low inventory, purchasing a home is still attainable—and you don’t have to go through the process alone. Getting connected early with a home lending advisor will better prepare you for the home buying process, help you understand how much home you can af ford and get you prequalified so you can shop with confidence.
The perfect time to lock in your mortgage rate, keep rising housing costs under control is now
Strategic money moves for young adults
A 2021 PEW RESEARCH CENTER survey found that 18 percent of Black adults had invested in, traded, or used a cryptocurrency compared to 13 percent of White adults. by Stacy M. Brown For New Pittsburgh Courier NNPA NEWSWIRE—When considering the current state of the cryptocurrency market, Dr. Tonya Evans couldn’t help but recall the reception banks gave the then-fledgling assets in 2014. “When I think back to 2013 or 2014, the second kind of big crypto was coming on the scene, and banks were really pushing back at the time on discussions surround ing regulating cryptocurrency,” said Ev ans, a law professor and founder and CEO of Advantage Evans. “Big banks feared [cryptocurrency] would become more legitimate. Back then, banks didn’t have a customer service problem, but now they do, and they realized that they were going to start losing customers if they didn’t shift,” Evans insisted. She noted that banks, especially Deut sche Bank and Bank of America, have be gun to give added attention to the crypto currency market. “With Bitcoin and Ethereum leading the way, the cryptocurrency market is boom ing and growing,” Evans stated. She called cryptocurrency a “fast-paced, fast-moving, emerging asset class.” According to Terri Bradford, who re searched Black crypto ownership for the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, cryptocurrency has gained popularity among African American consumers due to historical context and forward-looking views of young customers. “Surveys show that Black consumers are more likely than White consumers to own cryptocurrencies,” said Bradford, who penned the research article “The Cryptic Nature of Black Consumer Cryptocurren cyBradfordOwnership.”noted a 2021 Pew Research Center survey which found that 18 per cent of Black adults had invested in, trad ed, or used a cryptocurrency compared to 13 percent of White adults. “This difference between Black and White consumers’ cryptocurrency owner ship contrasts sharply with other tradi tional assets,” Bradford asserted. According to the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System’s 2019 Sur vey of Consumer Finances, 61 percent of White households owned equity invest ments compared with 34 percent of Black households—nearly a two-to-one margin. “Unlike White consumers, Black consum ers are, in fact, more likely to own crypto currencies than assets such as stocks and mutual funds,” Bradford wrote. “Leveraging the same technology is blockchain,” Bradford explained. “Crypto is digital currency offered on Blockchain while NFTs and others are dif ferent ways to leverage that currency.” She “Youngercontinued:ones are leveraging crypto as we see in research that 50 percent of Black consumers of crypto are millennials and younger, and when you think about the fact that this constituent is digital-na tive where they spend a lot of time, then we see why it’s having a great influence on the adoption of cryptocurrency. (Stacy M. Brown is NNPA Newswire Senior Na tional Correspondent) based on lowest or high est payment, lowest or highest APR, and lowest or highest term. The right refinancing strategy can help young adults save thousands of dollars over time. – Find advice, useful tips and information through curated financial articles and calculators, comparisons of lenders and products by expert journalists and reviews from others who have used these services to refinance student loans. You’ll also find financial recommendations based on your financial inter ests and current financial situation. Financially savvy young adults also are leading the way in adopting cryp tocurrency as a way to generate income streams and invest in the future. The NFT marketplace is a growing opportunity, and those who are early adopters are exploring, collecting, and minting NFTs for profit. NFTs are bought in sold in trad ing platforms much like you would buy and trade crypto or stocks. Some bonus features of the NFT marketplace that appeal to young adults include the conve nience of not have to con nect to, or withdraw from, a bank account. The NFT marketplace allows users to pay for products via cryptocurrency without additional fees. The FTX exchange is connected to multiple cryptocurrency markets including Bit coin, Ethereum and So lana. Keep these smart strat egies in mind to make the most of your money now and to enjoy greater savings and profits in the future.
Young Black Americans dominate the cryptocurrency market
For New Pittsburgh Courier (BlackPressUSA)—Surging mortgage rates combined with double-digit price gains are putting homeowners and po tential buyers in a tough spot. Firsttime homebuyers, in particular, are being squeezed out of the market—due to the fact they don’t have equity or an additional boost from the sale of an ex istingDespiteproperty.those challenges, buying a home may not be as out of reach as you think.Wesat down with Denise Richardson, Community Home Lending Advisor at Chase, to discuss how to navigate the mortgage process, what resources are available, and how increasing mortgage rates can impact your family’s home buying dreams.
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Q: How do increasing mortgage rates impact prospective homebuyers?
Q: Can a homebuyer potentially let the rate lock expire by pushing back their closing date? Richardson: It’s certainly possible, but it isn’t likely to be beneficial for the customer. Oftentimes, lenders will only allow you to move forward with the rate you originally lock in—or the rate on the day you relock, whichever is higher.
(Christina Dello Buono is a vice president in the Dept. of Communications, JPMorgan Chase/ Northern(ContentCalifornia.)sponsoredby JPMorgan Chase & Co. This article originally appeared in Post News Group.)
The bill will provide a $7,500 tax credit for new purchases of elec tric vehicles, though most EVs won’t qualify because the legislation requires them to include batteries with U.S. materials.
John E. Warren Commentary
The legislation also significantly expands a tax credit for home owners who invest in energy-efficient equipment, from a one-time $500 credit to $1,200 that a homeowner could claim each year.
Vin cent Barnes, senior vice president for policy at the Alliance to Save Energy, said that would allow homeowners to make new energy-ef ficient investments over several years. The Rhodium Group estimates that by 2030 the bill’s provisions will save households an average of up to $112 a year when gas and electricity become cheaper as more Americans drive EVs and houses become more energy-efficient. (Reprinted from the Philadelphia Tribune)
The vote was along party lines, with a tie-breaking vote by Vice President Kamala Harris. Pennsylvania’s other senator, Republican Pat Toomey, voted against the bill. “With inflation skyrocketing, gas prices at near-record highs, and our economy likely in a recession,” Toomey said in a statement, “the last thing Americans need are more corporate welfare, higher taxes, and more government spending.”
TriceEdneyWire.com—It is often said that the measure of character is not in how a person handles triumph, rather it is measured by how a person han dles adversity. Often the requirement for a loss is a concession. Like others, I have experienced having to offer a con cession speech when things didn’t turn out the way I had wanted or expected them to. In a civil society, especially a democracy, we are expected to lose with the presentation of honor, matu rity, and dignity—despite any feelings we might have to the contrary. Stacey Abrams had to do it in 2018. She condemned the “rotten and rigged” election system that was “managed” by her opponent and said flatly: “So let’s be clear, this is not a speech of concession because conces sion means to acknowledge an action is right, true, or proper. As a woman of conscience and faith, I cannot concede that.” What she didn’t do is proclaim victory or brood the rest of the time about how terrible the system treated her. She immediately went to work registering voters for the next election and, squarely facing her most signif icant challenge, announced that she was running again. In the face of defeat, those of low character take their hurt feelings and go home, refusing to honestly face their shortcomings while blaming anything/ anyone open to criticism. Opposite that type of petulance was the 2008 concession speech of Senator John McCain acknowledging the Presiden tial victory of then Senator Barack Obama. McCain said, “His success alone commands my respect for his ability and perseverance. But that he managed to do so by inspiring the hopes of so many millions of Ameri cans, who had once wrongly believed that they had little at stake or little influence in the election of an Amer ican president, is something I deeply admire and commend him for achiev ing.” That concession told us who the real John McCain was. In 1980, Ted Kennedy had to concede, and he did so by saying, “For me, a few hours ago, this campaign came to an end. For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die.”
Choosing principle above position by relinquishing her leadership position in the Republican conference, Liz Cheney demonstrated her charac ter. She had always voted against everything I believed in and was my political opposite, but, while recogniz ing its flaws, we both love the best of our country and place the survival of our democracy above partisan bick ering. When her choice of principle threatened her congressional seat, I found myself pulling for her and hoping that by some miracle she would win. She lost but did so rather than ‘bend the knee’ to a most vile character whose intent was to subvert the will of the American electorate. Firm in her resolve, Liz Cheney stood to present her version of a concession speech. It was not a speech of resig nation. She was in no way quitting the fight in which she plays a major role. She may be leaving Congress but she wasted no time letting us know she had bigger and better plans than returning to the U.S. Congress. For once our political goals are aligned. We both understand Don ald Trump to be a clear, present, and future threat to the stability, security, and prosperity of our nation. We are both dedicated to bringing this truth to anyone who will listen. We are both committed to doing everything within our power to prevent Donald Trump from ever occupying the White House again. (Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq. is a minister, a UN Peace Ambassador, and President of the Dick Gregory Society.) (TriceEdneyWire.com)—There are good reasons why Michael Hayden has called out the Republican Party as being extremist and dangerous on an unprecedented level. Unfortunate ly, many people will remain in total denial of this fact despite Hayden’s credentials and credibility as a retired Air Force four-star general and former director of both the CIA and NSA. As a nation, we have reached the low point where we should no longer refer to the Republican Party as a political party but rather a political cult. As we stop talking around the use of the word cult, do we fully understand why the GOP is a cult and how dangerous any cult can be when it becomes centered on the worship of one individual? Strong leaders are needed in every American institution: government, business, military, religious and edu cation. We need our leaders to be men and women who based their thoughts, words and actions on having a sound vision, principles and purpose. We need our leaders to understand the value of collaboration and communica tion which builds trust. We also need them to be men and women of char acter who are not tempted to pervert their authority for personal gain and admiration. If we find ourselves under the leadership of those who fail to meet these basic standards, how do we respond?Dowespeak truth to power by standing up for what is right? Do we eventually leave after pulling back the curtain and seeing the true motives behind the leader’s fake façade? Do we put our head in the sand and remain silent out of fear and intimidation? Do we become so mesmerized and ob sessed because the leader’s lies makes us feel good? Are we so drawn to the leader because we share the same values and beliefs regardless of the danger and damage they may cause? A cult is defined as a group or movement who practice excessive devotion to a person, object or ideology. The leader of the cult is always right. No matter how harmful, the leader’s behavior is always justified. The “truth” is defined only by the cult leader and any crit icism of the leader results in perse cution. The Peoples Temple and the Jonestown massacre in 1978 shows us that a cult never exists without some form of resistance. If Donald Trump is the latest version of Jim Jones, then the GOP is the newest version of the People’s Temple. The story of the Jonestown mass mur der-suicide is a grim but true story. It illustrates the dangers of a typical cult leader. Like Donald Trump, Jim Jones was a charismatic leader who led a de voted following of people who believed everything they were told. As a pastor, Jones established the People’s Temple in Indianapolis in the 1950’s. In 1965, Jones moved the group to Northern California, eventually settling in San Francisco. In the 1970s, his church was accused by the media of financial fraud, physical abuse of its members and mistreatment of children. In response to the mounting criticism, the increasingly paranoid Jones invited his congregation to move with him to Guyana, where he promised they would build a socialist utopia. Three years earlier, a small group of his followers traveled to the South American nation to set up a tract of land in what would become known as Jonestown. Jonestown did not turn out to be the paradise their leader had promised. Temple members worked long days in the fields and were sub jected to harsh punishments if they dared to question Jones’ authority. The members’ passports were confiscated, their letters sent back home were censored, members were encouraged to inform on one another and forced to attend lengthy late-night meetings. At this time Jones was declining in mental health and addicted to drugs. He was convinced that the U.S. govern ment was out to destroy him. He re quired Temple members to participate in mock suicide drills in the middle of the night. It is not often that a member of Congress is assassinated. We were very fortunate all lawmakers were shielded and protected from the armed mob during the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. In 1978, California Congressman Leo Ryan met a differ ent fate. Ryan became involved in the People’s Temple issue after hearing constituents’ concerns that their rela tives were possibly being held against their will in Jonestown. He wrote a letter to Jones requesting a visit to the settlement, a move Jones vehe mently opposed but later agreed. Ryan traveled to Jonestown accompanied by journalist and relatives of Temple members.DuringRyan’s visit, several members made it known they wanted to leave. An act in which Jones saw as betray al. As Ryan, the defectors and the journalist were waiting at the airstrip for planes to take them home, a truck arrived carrying Temple gunmen who opened fire on the group. The congress man and four people were killed, while several others were injured. After the attack on Ryan and his party, Jones commanded everyone to gather in the main pavilion and commit what he termed a “revolutionary act”. Many of Jones’ followers willingly took a drink of poison-laced punch while others were forced to do so at gunpoint. The final death toll at Jonestown that day was 909; a third of those were children. A few members were able to escape. Today, too many people have taken Trump’s Kool-Aid and the Republican Party we once knew is now dead. The party of Dwight Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan and Jack Kemp no longer exist. The danger is not over. Let’s hope the spread can be exposed and contained thereby saving the future of American democracy. (David W. Marshall is the founder of the faith-based organization, TRB: The Reconciled Body, and author of the book God Bless Our Divided America. He can be reached at www. davidwmarshallauthor.com.)
The recent electoral primaries are giving us important insight into the future politics of our country. All one has to do is look at the number of Trump supporters winning primary elections for a place on the Novem ber General Election ballots. Eight out of ten of the Republicans who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump have either lost their primaries or decided not to run again. Just this week, we saw Congresswoman Elizabeth Cheney lose her primary race as a Wyoming Republican to a Trump supporter of the “Big Lie” that President Biden did not win the election. Let there be no doubt that racism in the form of fear of the Black and Brown vot ing electorate is at the heart of the Trump movement of voter suppres sion and planned efforts to decertify future elections. Our vote is our most important weapon against this movement of racism cloaked in the “Make Ameri ca Great Again” movement (MAGA). When we allow low voter turnout in the primary elections, we set the stage for the big November Gener al Election Republican sweep that would not only give back control of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate, but also encourage the acceleration of Hate Crimes we are presently experiencing against people of color. If we want victories during and after the General Election of Novem ber 8th, 2022, we must get involved NOW. How? Check your Voter Reg istration. If you have moved since the last election, fill out a new voter registration form. It was our votes that gave the state of Georgia two democratic Senators, shifting the balance of power in the U.S. Senate back to the Democrats. If Black Votes Matter (BVM), then we must vote because there are enough of us to make a difference in the general elections this November. If we plan to vote then we need to be sure we are registered and at the present address. If we don’t vote, then we can’t complain about rent increases, gas prices, lack of daycare, and job opportunities. We will stay on this issue until we see some activities. We are less than 90 days from the election. What are youOurdoing?vote is our weapon because there are only three things that corporate America fears: (1) lost profits, (2) bad publicity, and (3) a vote cast against corporate interest. Our vote has been our weapon since the Voting Rights Act of 1965 which the U.S. Supreme Court has sought to dismantle. Now that Trump has stacked the Court with his conserva tive right judges, our vote for those who sit in the Congress and the Senate represents the only way to neutralize bad Court decisions like Roe vs. Wade. Again, are you prepar ing to vote or will you just leave it to others to fight for your rights?
Pennsylvanians will benefit from the legislation approved by Con gress, which would lower prescription costs, address climate change and reduce the federal deficit. Congressman Dwight Evans (D-Pa.), who voted for the Inflation Reduction Act, said the new law will help with the cost of health insurance.“Thebill extends enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies for 13 million Americans for three years, to 2025. The average enrollee will save an estimated $800 per year on premiums. “Thanks to Obamacare, the uninsured rate is at a record LOW, and the subsidy extension will prevent an estimated 3 million people from becoming uninsured,” Evans said in a statement. “This fits well with the recent agreement to keep Chestnut Hill Hos pital open. I and state Sen. Art Haywood are urging the state attorney general and the Tower Health bond holders to approve that agree ment. I want ‘No More Hahnemanns!’—and part of keeping our hos pitals open is making sure they get paid for the care they provide. So, helping people keep their coverage is also vital for our hospitals, their employees and the communities they serve,” Evans said. “This is … a bill that lowers prescription drug costs for seniors who receive Medicare,” U.S. Sen. Bob Casey said at a news conference on the steps of the Pennsylvania Capitol after the Senate passed the bill. “So many people told us, for years, we couldn’t do that.”
Integrity wins OPINION Rod Doss Editor & Publisher Stephan A. Broadus Assistant to the Publisher Allison Palm Office Manager Ashley Johnson Sales Director Rob Taylor Jr. Managing Editor John. H. Sengstacke Editor & Publisher (1912-1997)Emeritus Founded 1910 NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER AUGUST 24-30, 2022 B3 Don’t drink the Kool-Aid David W. Marshall Commentary Our vote: Our weapon against racism Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq. Commentary Guest Editorial
Congress was right to approve President Joe Biden’s signature In flation Reduction Act, although it may have little actual immediate impact on Economicinflation.analyses suggest that the new law won’t directly ad dress the price of gas, food and rent, some of the main factors in surging prices. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office concluded recently that the changes would have a “negligible” impact on inflation this year and next. The University of Pennsylvania’s Penn Wharton Budget Model concluded that over the next decade, “the impact on inflation is statistically indistinguishable from zero.” Still the legislation that received final approval August 12 i in the House could save money for many Americans over time by lessening the cost of certain prescription drugs for the elderly, extending health insurance subsidies and reducing energy prices.
Casey said Pennsylvanians will enjoy many of the new law’s poli cies directly—although some of them won’t appear for a few years.
Pennsylvanians will benefit from new law
The legislation would spend $70 billion over a decade to extend tax credits to help 13 million Americans pay for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. Those subsidies would free up money for recipients to spend else where, potentially increasing inflation, although the effect would like ly be very small, according to economists. While the bill could have the benefit of increasing the savings of millions of households on pharmaceutical and energy costs, it’s unlikely to have much effect on overall inflation. Prescription drugs account for only 1 percent of the spending in the U.S. consumer price index; spending on electricity and natural gas make up just 3.6 per cent.Starting in 2025, the act will cap the amount Medicare recipients would pay for their prescription drugs at $2,000 a year. It will autho rize Medicare to negotiate the cost of some high-priced pharmaceu ticals. It would also limit Medicare recipients’ out-of-pocket costs for insulin at $35 a month. Insulin prescriptions averaged $54 in 2020, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. “This is a historic change,” said Leigh Purvis, director of health care costs at the AARP Public Policy Institute. “This is allowing Medicare to protect beneficiaries from high drug prices in a way that was not there before.” A study by Kaiser found that in 2019, 1.2 million Medicare recipi ents spent an average of $3,216 on drug prescriptions. Purvis said recipients who use the most expensive drugs can spend as much as $10,000 or $15,000 a year. The legislation authorizes Medicare to negotiate prices of 10 ex pensive pharmaceuticals, starting next year, though the results won’t take effect until 2026. Up to 60 drugs could be subject to negotiation byHoltz-Eakin2029. argued that while the provision may lower the cost of some Medicare drugs, it would discourage the development of new drugs or reduce new venture capital investment in start-up pharma ceutical companies. The Inflation Reduction Act’s energy provisions could also create savings, though the amounts are likely to be much smaller.
J. Pharoah Doss ItCheckOut FORUM The yin to the progressive yangDemocracy is not a partisan issue Julianne Malveaux News Analysis B4 AUGUST 24-30, 2022 NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
Secretaries of State. In most states, the Secretary of State determines how elections are run. They choose the voting machine vendors and decide on election rules regarding early voting, mail-in voting, and more. They certify election results. That’s why the former President called Georgia Secre tary of State Brad Raffensperger, asking him to “find” enough votes to overturn President Biden’s narrow victory in that state. Raffensperger declined to meddle in the election results, which resulted in the former President endorsing his opponent in the May Georgia primary. That hasn’t stopped the former Pres ident and his allies from their election denial. And it has not prevented the twice-impeached President from endors ing his supporters who might alter the course of future elections. Secretaries of State certify election results. The former President’s allies, supported by him, will likely bend the rules to “find” votes to prevail in upcom ingRepublicanelections. Jim Merchant is the Republican nominee for Secretary of State in Nevada. He is also the founder of the American First Secretary of State Coalition. Not surprisingly, this group advocates same-day voting only, purging voting rolls, and other measures to limit voting rights. There are twenty-seven Secretary of State elections this year. Currently, 22 Republicans are Secretar ies of State, compared to 20 Democrats. Every Republican Secretary of State has not pledged allegiance to the 45th President.Raffensperger is proof enough of that. Still, the Republican Party has imposed a loyalty oath on those who value integ rity over the favor of a cult-like former President. How many have the courage of Rafensperger to resist the siren call of the former RepublicansPresident?raninfourteen primary elections for Secretary of State. Many are election deniers who still think that the disgraced President won the 2020 election. Mark Finchem, the winning Re publican candidate for Secretary of State in Arizona, is an election denier who would like to “decertify” the 2020 election. He’s in bad company. Six of the fourteen people endorsed by the Amer ica First Secretary of State Coalition won their elections in Arizona, Indiana, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, and Pennsylvania. These people can change election rules to limit participation and steal elections. Too many voters look at the top of the ticket and no further. In ignoring Secre tary of State elections, they are turning the future over to the election deniers who have already said what they will do in 2024. They will change the rules, purge the voting rolls, and “find” how many votes the former President needs toDemocratswin. cede the future to those Republicans playing the long game by promoting election-denying Secretaries of State. When Democrats play checkers, we allow the chess players to claim the victory. (Dr. Julianne Malveaux is an economist, au thor, and Dean of the College of Ethnic Studies at Cal State LA. Juliannemalveaux.com)
Charles(TriceEdneyWire.com)—WhenDiggsJr.,wonelection to Congress in Michigan’s 13th District in 1954, he launched nearly seven decades in which the city of Detroit had at least one Black member of Congress. That’s likely to change this year. Because of redistricting, Detroit no longer has majority-Black con gressional districts. And in the first primary election with newly drawn district lines, a Black candidate did not win the Democratic contest in the heavily Democratic 13th. That means the city is likely to lack Black repre sentation in Congress for the first time inRedistrictingdecades. is robbing Black can didates and voters of hard fought for opportunities they have had for years. In Detroit, new districts merged Black areas of the city with White neigh borhoods across 8 Mile Road. The city stands to lose Black representation in Congress and have less representa tion in the state legislature. Knowing what the impact could be, voters have spoken out forcefully against the new redistricting maps from pulpits to street corners to the state capitol and even before the state courts. Sadly, Michigan is not alone. The New York Times reported in August that this year, “judges in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Ohio have found that Republican legislators ille gally drew those states’ congressional maps along racial or partisan lines, or that a trial very likely would conclude that they did.” But elections are mov ing forward anyway. We’ve all heard about the restrictive voter suppression laws that far-right state legislatures are passing. We’ve heard about the crackdowns on voting hours and mail-in voting, and even on giving food and water to voters in long lines. But we don’t hear enough about redistricting as another weapon being used to intimidate voters and keep us from exercising our constitutional rights. It is erasing us from Congress and state legislatures. We need to call it out and challenge it where we see it. Calling out and challenging means organizing, litigating, and legislating. It means supporting national and local organizations that unite communities against racist gerrymandering and seek justice in the courts. They might not win every case, but advocacy and activism are essential to righting this wrong.Wemust also keep voting, running for office, and educating. My orga nization, People For the American Way, houses an African American Religious Affairs network that has reaffirmed for more than a decade that “every election matters and every vote counts”—and that includes primaries. For Black ministers in our network, voting and civic participation are acts of faith and so much more. As Reverend Dr. Steve Bland, Jr., pastor of Liberty Temple Baptist Church in Detroit said, “It’s not about left or right. Splitting Detroit into two dis tricts was an insult. But we have faith and must “deal with our self-interest by voting in every election!” I know that a lot of media coverage of this summer’s primaries has focused on one big question: will Trump-style, MAGA candidates win or lose? But there’s another question that needs to be asked: how harmful are the impacts of redistricting on our communities in this year’s elections and those to come? The current reality dictates that we do not sit out any election. We need to resolutely register, educate, motivate and turn out voters. In every election. Every time. (Ben Jealous serves as president of People For the American Way and Professor of the Practice at the University of Pennsylvania.)
In the 1960s, Nikki Giovanni wrote a short story called A Revolutionary Tale where one character asked another, “How can Black people be conservative? What do they have to conserve?”
(TriceEdneyWire.com)—While the Unit ed States champions democracy across the world, our own democracy is under siege. Nothing is more fundamental to democracy than the right to vote—yet there is no ex plicit guarantee of the right to vote in the U.S. Constitution. The U.S. ranks near the bottom of industrial democracies in voter turnout. This isn’t accidental—many states purposefully create barriers that make it difficult to register to vote or to cast a bal lot. The sensible answer to this is to create —and enforce—the right to vote for every citizen.The2020 presidential election witnessed the highest turnout in recent history. Eighty million people voted for Joe Biden; 74 mil lion for Donald Trump. Yet, another 80 mil lion who were eligible by age and citizenship did not vote. In midterm elections, like the upcoming election this year, voting turnout plummets to an average of about 40 percent of eligible voters casting ballots. Part of this low turnout comes from ne glect: campaigns focus their resources and attention on targeted segments of the popu lation. Too often poor and working people get no attention. Part of this comes from intent —the purposeful suppression of the vote. At the founding of the nation, U.S. leaders purposefully limited the right to vote. Ini tially only White, male landowners could vote. After the Civil War, the 15th Amend ment outlawed discrimination on the basis of race in the right to vote, yet across the South, that right was systematically sup pressed, through organized terror, poll taxes, literacy tests, or ridiculous hurdles like cor rectly guessing the number of beans in a jar. After much struggle, the Voting Rights Act, the centerpiece of the civil rights struggle, outlawed those tactics and Black turnout surged across the South. In the wake of Barack Obama’s victorious presidential campaigns, however, the Re publican Party became ever more intent on making voting more difficult—particularly for Blacks and Latinos and the young. And after Donald Trump’s defeat—and Repub lican embrace of his Big Lie that the 2020 presidential election was stolen, Republi cans in various states have launched a con certed drive to restrict voting and to give Republican partisans more power over the casting and counting of votes. Over 400 bills have been introduced to make registration and voting more difficult. In 2020, a presidential election held in the midst of the pandemic, record numbers of voters—particularly people of color—elect ed to vote by mail or to vote early, in order to avoid crowds and lines on Election Day. Forty-three percent of voters cast a ballot by mail; only 21 percent cast their ballot on Election Day So Republicans—particularly in swing states where they control the state legisla ture—have passed measures to make vot ing by mail more difficult, to make it easier to disqualify such votes, to cut early voting days, to cut back on the number of polling stations particularly in urban areas. In all, The Voting Rights Alliance lists 61 different measures created to make voting more diffi cult, ranging from punishing voter registra tion groups to excessive purges of the voting rolls, to limits on student voting or on voting by those with a criminal record, to voter in timidation at the polls and more. These measures—pushed particularly in the so-called swing states—are given great er power because of the structural impedi ments to democracy in the U.S. For example, Democrats have won the popular vote in sev en of eight presidential elections since 1992, but because of the electoral college, have won the presidency only five times. Add to that the obscene role of big money and increas ingly dark money in politics—unleashed by decisions of the activist right-wing judges on the Supreme Court, and the principle of one person, one vote is eviscerated. Standing in the way of rectifying voter sup pression is another structural impediment to democracy—the Senate created “filibus ter rule” which requires a supermajority of 60 of 100 senators to overcome a filibuster to get anything done. In just the last two years, Republican senators have repeatedly used the filibuster to block electoral reform, tor pedoing the For the People Act, the Freedom to Vote Act, and the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. These would have limited big money in politics, made voting registration easier, policed voter suppression in the states, and revived the Voting Rights Act to impede suppression measures target ed on minorities. A minority of senators rep resenting a largely White minority of voters are blocking reforms that would empower the American people to vote and make their voicesDemocracyheard. should not be a partisan issue. Voting should be grounded on the right of citizenship, not the interests of politicians. Eligible voters should be registered auto matically. Election Day should not only be a national holiday, but early voting days should be extended, not constricted, vot ing sites should be convenient, not distant, election management should be nonparti san, not subverted. One thing is clear. Our democracy won’t survive for long unless the people demand it—and vote to remove those who are subverting it.
They have also rejected the “incremen tal step-by-step progress” advocated by the traditional civil rights movement in favor of forcing redress for historical wrongs.Thelatest example was the new contract for Minneapolis public school teachers.Theschool district and the teacher’s union agreed that past discrimination resulted in the lack of diversity amongst public school teachers. Therefore, White teachers will be laid off first, regard less of seniority. According to the school district, this will protect “underrepre sented populations” and keep the school district’s White staff from becoming more homogenous. A representative of the teacher’s union stated that the new contract was the first of its kind in the nation. It was a huge move forward for the retention of teachers of color, and it could be a national model for other schools in other states to emulate. Critics called the new contract state-sponsored racial discrimination. However, the progressive professor Ibram X Kendi proclaimed, “The only remedy to past discrimination is pres ent discrimination. The only remedy to present discrimination is future discrim ination.”Inthe21st century, Dr. King’s famous dictum of judging people by character and not their skin color has been rejected in the name of progress. Therefore, resisting forces that weapon ize the past to hold the present hostage is the necessary yin to the progressive yang.
anddown-ballotspendocraticcationsandareticketbeenareamplifiedtermthinking,internecinewhileintegrity.electionsenRepublicanstherabidbeingimplemented,but(theyyearssizetaxes,Democraticthoughpublicancampaign,introducedhold.avativeernmentconservativestrimPresidenttion,chess.play(TriceEdneyWire.com)—Democratscheckers,andRepublicansplayThat’swhytheReaganRevoluwhichkickedoffin1980,worked.RonaldReaganpledgedtogovernmentbureaucracy,installintoadministrativegovpositions,anddeliveraconseragenda.Hedidn’tdoitinadayorweek;ittookyearsforhisplantotakeNewtGingrich’sContractonAmerica,inthe1994congressionalsuccessfullyusheredaRecongressionalmajority,evenPresidentBillClintonwastheleader.Theirtheme—reduceenactwelfarereform,andcuttheofgovernment.InthenearlythirtysincetheContractonAmericacalledittheContract forAmerica,itwasanattackonAmerica)wasitsstrangefruitisstillharvested.ConservativeRepublicanshavebecomeco-signersoftheputridagendaof45thPresidentoftheUnitedStates.whoknowbetterhavechotobequietinthefaceofneo-fascistdenierswhopreferwinningtoThesefolksthinklong-term,Democratsprefertoindulgeinsquabbling,short-termandunfocusedresistance.Thus,theDemocraticfocusonmid-electionshasnotsufficientlyBiden’svictories,andtheremany.Moreimportantly,Demshavefarmorefocusedonthetopofthethanthebottom.Electiondeniersrunningforstateandlocaloffices,electingthemwillhaveramifiin2022and2024.The.DemNationalCommitteeneedstomoneyfocusingonsomeoftheseelections.CongressionalSenateracesareimportant.Soare
Jealous
Ben Commentary Secretary of State races are important Redistricting is voter suppression, too
Jesse Jackson Sr.
Commentary
For these characters, a conservative was someone inclined to preserve the existing system and resist change. These characters lived in a White racist society and concluded Black people had “abso lutely nothing” to conserve. Progressives believe existing systems are always in need of improvement for the betterment of humanity. Except, social progress through organic change doesn’t materialize fast enough, and ev ery progressive movement has attempted to speed up the process. For progressives, forcing change is a moral duty, and history reveals the “modern world” wouldn’t exist without theseHowever,efforts.there’s a scene in Alex Haley’s Roots when a young man from Africa refused to accept the name assigned to him by the plantation owner. Eventually, the young African was whipped until he answered to the name imposed on him. As you can tell, this scene was select ed to show that forcing change doesn’t always lead to desired outcomes and that resisting change isn’t negative in itself. But modern progressives believe conser vatives resist change out of moral duty due to their allegiance to the status quo and conclude “change” is not a “conserva tiveThey’revalue”.right, “change” is not a “conser vativeChangevalue”.isinevitable and unavoidable.
Therefore, it’s unnecessary to catego rize “change” as a value. A conservative thinker said that conservatives are not reactionaries, conservatives understand the need to reform in order to conserve. That means “resisting change” isn’t a moral duty either, but it’s vital as the yin to the progressive yang. Philosopher Will Durant explains it best, “The conservative who resists change is as valuable as the radical who proposes it. It is good that new ideas should be heard for the sake of the few that can be used, but it is also good that new ideas should be compelled to go through the mill of objections and opposition. This is the trial heat in which innovations must survive before being allowed to enter the human race.” Now, if it’s true that conservatives must “reform in order to conserve”, then progressives must reject reform in order to force change, and if Black people have nothing to conserve, then Black progres sives have everything to reject. Since the 1970s, Black progressives have rejected capitalism, individualism, meritocracy, and race-neutral policies.
TAKE NOTICE that pursuant to Sections 307 and 522 of the Pennsylvania Eminent Domain Code, 26 Pa. C.S.A §§ 307 and 522, the County of Allegheny will, on September 29, 2022 at 9:30 a.m., present to the Motions Judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Civil Division, a Petition Requesting Order for Possession Upon Condemnor’s Tender of Estimated Just Compensation to the Department of Court Records. The identity of the Motions Judge then presiding can be ascertained in the City County Building located at 414 Grant Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219 on the date of presentation either in the Department of Court Records/Civil Family Division located on the 1st floor or in the Assignment Room located on the 7th floor. At the time of presentation, the County will request the Court to authorize the payment into Court of the County’s estimate of just compensation, as identified above, and the entry of an Order granting the County possession of the subject property. The County’s Petition including a proposed schedule of distribution and proposed Court Order may be viewed in the Department of Court Records/Civil Family Division prior to the date of presentation. Any moneys which the Court may direct be paid into Court will be held by the Department of Court Records/Civil Family Division until further Order directing payment of said amounts to the Condemnees and/or persons entitled thereto pursuant to 26 Pa.C.S.A. §§ 521 and 522.
job. Preferred attributes: • Previous Pittsburgh
, headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, is seeking a ‘Digital Product Owner’. Position allows for the ability to work from home, with appropriate telecommuting systems. The Digital Product Owner will be responsible for analyzing technical feasibility of energy-saving measures, energy use, maintenance, rebates & process operations for lighting industries. Apply at: www.wesco.comCOMMUNICATIONSCOORDINATORJobOpportunity: We are looking for a Communications Coordinator to join our team. The individual in this role creates and delivers marketing and communications across all departments for Grow Pittsburgh. The coordinator creates and deploys Grow Pittsburgh communications content, including website, blog posts, social media, newsletters, mailings, and other outreach. This position is Full-time, exempt and comes with both salary and Qualifiedbenefits.candidates should submit their writing sample/portfolio, resume, and cover letter electronically to the link below by September 15, 2022. Link: https://growpittsburgh.
emergency situations. • Professional and
Job requirements include:
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in non-revenue vehicle maintenance/ •operation.Experience
CLASSIFIEDS GET RESULTS!
FT POLICE OFFICERS Penn Hills Municipality is looking to hire FT Police Officers, Act 120 not required to apply. Please visit forhttps://pennhillspa.gov/employment/moreinfo.
• Yearly firearm qualifications with a department authorized firearm. • Maintain Basic First Aid and CPR/ AED Certification. • Yearly mandatory in-service training. • Job specific training, as required. • Ability to work various shifts, pass days, weekends/holidays, as •required.Thisa Safety-Sensitive position subject to all testing provisions under the Drug and Alcohol Policy, including random drug and alcohol testing. The person
Estate of MR. ROBERT JOSEPH KUTRUFIS, Deceased of 24 Hattman Drive, Coraopolis,PA 15108, Estate No. 02-22-04932, Mr. Brian E. Kutrufis, Executor, c/o Max C. Feldman, Esquire and the Law Office of Max C. Feldman, 1322 Fifth Avenue, Coraopolis, PA 15108
•
•
cover letter (with salary requirements) and resume
•
•
Veterans’ Preference: Will be awarded to eligible candidates. Applicants must possess and maintain a valid Pennsylvania Driver’s License throughout employment.
•
Rail
job. We offer a comprehensive compensation and benefits package. Interested candidates should
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•
cover letter (with salary requirements) and resume to:
TRANSIT POLICE OFFICER Pittsburgh Regional Transit (Port Authority of Allegheny County Police Department) is seeking full-time Transit Police Officers . A Transit Police Officer is responsible for ensuring the safety of Port Authority customers, staff, and property throughout the areas it serves. Officers must enforce all local, state, and federal laws on and around our transit system. Port Authority of Allegheny County Police Department applicant testing is one three-hour session, the written police officer exam (POST) and the fitness exam will be administered on the same day. Tentative testing dates: Friday, September 23, 2022, at 12:00 PM, and Saturday, September 24, 2022, at 8:00 AM.
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Estate of DOUGLAS ALAN DAVIS, Deceased, of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Esate No. 02-22-05037 , Diane Carl, Administrator, 6904 Country Lakes Circle, Sarasota, FL 34243 or to EMILY H. HAMMEL, Atty; BRENLOVE & FULLER, LLC. 401 Washington Avenue, Bridgeville, PA 15017
charged situations. • Ability
• Ability
To place a display ad in the New Pittsburgh Courier call 412-481-8302 ext.
•
Please see career page for further information and eligibility requirements at: WESCOwww.alleghenycounty.us/careersDistribution,Inc
•employment.Successfulcompletion
• Successful
•
Division. • Training
•
IN
•
The Minority, Women, and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (MWDBE) Program provides maximum opportunities for Minority, Women, and Disadvantaged business enterprises (MBEs, WBEs and DBEs) to participate in county contracts. The department certifies business enterpris es as disadvantaged (per Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Section 49: Parts 23 & 26) and provide services and resources to help them grow their business. Office Clerk Greeting clients; Answers the telephone, responds to inquiries, or routes phone calls and takes messages for office staff; Operates office machines such as photocopies and scanners; Performs data entry; Scans documents into document control system; Completes other administrative tasks as necessary. Must be proficient in Microsoft Windows and Office Suite.
Essential Functions: Acts in accordance with rules, regulations, and procedures as a sworn police officer of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Knows all areas of Allegheny County and is able to respond to those areas in a timely manner. Be present at daily roll call, as required, properly uniformed and equipped; receive orders, details, etc.; proceed to assignment by the most direct route immediately following roll call. Investigate all suspicious persons and activity within sector as pertains to Port Authority. Job requirements include: High School Diploma or GED. Valid PA Driver’s License. Act 120 certification or candidate must successfully pass the Act 120 certification test prior to of administered written Police Officer exam. completion of administered fitness exam. clerical skills. to observe and analyze situations respond handle emotionally to act quickly and calmly in effective communication to communicate orally and in writing in a clear and concise to understand and execute and written instructions. Successfully complete/maintain following required training: selected for this be required to be tested prior to being awarded the forward a to: Amy
maintenance/ •operation.Training and/or
operating rail vehicles and signal systems. • Demonstrated ability
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NOTICE TO DEFEND been sued in court. If wish to Defend against the set forth in the following take action within days after this complaint notice served by entering a written appearance or by attorney filing, in writing, with the court your defenses or objections to the claims set forth against you. You are warned that if you fail to do so the case may proceed against you and a judgment entered against you by the court without further notice for any money claimed in the complaint or for any claim or relief requested by the Plaintiff. You may lose money or property or other rights important to you. SHOULD TAKE THIS PAPER TO YOUR LAWYER AT ONCE. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE OR KNOW A LAWYER, THEN YOU SHOULD GO TO OR TELEPHONE THE OFFICE SET FORTH BELOW TO FIND OUT WHERE YOU CAN GET LEGAL HELP. Lawyer Referral Service The Allegheny County Bar Association Koppers Building, 11th Floor 436 7th Pittsburgh,AvenuePA15219(412)261-5555
personally
Department
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The Community College of Allegheny County Board of Trustees will hold a meeting on September 1, 2022. The meeting will be held virtually beginning at 4:30 p.m. and streamed on CCAC’s YouTube page. A copy of the Board meeting agenda will be made available for review on the College’s website (www.ccac.edu) Comments regarding items scheduled for action by the Board may be submitted via email to brichardson@ccac.edu by no later than 3:00 p.m. on the date of the meeting. Comments will be read into the record, up to a maximum of three minutes each.
NOTICE OF PRESENTATION OF PETITION REQUESTING ORDER FOR POSSESSION IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA RE: THE CONDEMNATION BY THE COUNTY OF ALLEGHENY OF A CERTAIN PARCEL OF LAND LOCATED IN ROSS TOWNSHIP, ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA REQUIRED FOR THE REPLACEMENT OF THE THOMPSON RUN CULVERTS NO. 2 AND NO. 3 LOCATED ON THOMPSON RUN ROAD (COUNTY ROAD 2303-00) CONDEMNEES: WILLIAM E. COLE AND CATHERINE COLE, AS THEIR INTEREST MAY APPEAR Civil Division - GD 22- 8361 Estimated Just Compensation: $1,600.00 Name of Condemnees: William E. Cole and Catherine Cole, addresses unknown. Name & Address of Condemnor: Allegheny County, (“County”) 101 Courthouse, 436 Grant St., Pittsburgh, PA 15219. Identification of Parcel of Land: Portions of Block & Lot Nos. 282-P-65 and 282-P-96 consisting of 0.043 acres as “Required Right-of-Way, 0.041 acres as “Temporary Construction Easement”, and 0.041 acres of “Substitute Right-of-Way” (which overlaps the Temporary Construction Easement) as depicted in Plans Miscellaneous, Volume 189 at Page 7.
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WESCO Distribution, Inc. is seeking an Oracle Business Systems Senior Analyst to work in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with the ability to telecommute with appropriate telecommuting systems at least 3 days a week. The Analyst will be responsible for deploying and supporting Oracle EBS and overseeing select modules within the assigned functional track with accountability for all levels of the system support for the select modules. Apply at:
CLASSIFIED AUGUST 24-30, 2022 www.newpittsburghcourier.com New Pittsburgh Courier 8 2 5 0 3 1 7 4 SONNY BOY 9 B5 America’s Best Weekly 315 East Carson Street Pittsburgh, PA 15219 Classifieds 412-481-8302 Ext. 140 E-mail: ads@newpittsburghcourier.com Deadline/Closing/Cancellation Schedule for copy, corrections, and cancellations: Friday noon preceding Wednesday publication JOB OPPORTUNITIES Help Wanted JOB OPPORTUNITIES Help Wanted JOB OPPORTUNITIES Help Wanted COURIERWAYTHECLASSIFIEDS…ONLYTOGO! CLASSIFIEDS GET RESULTS! ALLEGHENY COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF EQUITY AND DepartmentINCLUSIONOverview:
Certification Analyst Performs analysis and investigative work in the certification process. This includes the desk and field audits that verify businesses meet the criteria set forth in the certification process regulations; Creates certification reports; Uses due diligence to make certification recommendations; Reviews business documentation and performs size analysis for continued certification eligibility; Attends and hosts meetings, workshops, counseling sessions and outreach events; Performs other duties as necessary.
• Utilizes PeopleSoft System (Human Resources Management System) to perform and maintain records od training courses. Instructs and qualifies personnel on busways and transit tunnels, as and delivers classroomtraining programs.
Estate of MAX F. ROSARIUS, JR. of Beaver, Pennsylvania, File No. 04-22-00254 of 2022 PNC Bank, National Association, c/o Paul J.Palko, Vice President, 300 Fifth Avenue, 31st floor, Mail Locator PT-PTWR-31-1, Pittsburgh, PA 15222 or to Christopher F. Farrell, Esquire, Dentons Cohen & Grigsby, P.C., 625 Liberty Avenue, 5th Floor, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222-3152
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The Contract Compliance Specialist will monitor contracts to ensure that MWDBEs are provided the maximum opportunity to obtain and perform on county contracts while in compliance with Allegheny County’s goals. The specialist will also provide outreach and technical assistance to the business community. In addition, the Contract Compliance Specialist will review and vet prime contractors’ MWDBE inclusion plans for various types of contracts (i.e., construction, services, supplies, etc.) . The specialist will monitor MWDBE commitments and utilization through contract completion, address, and monitor MWDBE concerns and assist in conflict resolution if necessary.
INSTRUCTOR – FL (HEAVY EQUIPMENT) Pittsburgh Regional Transit is seeking an Instructor – FL ( Heavy Equipment) to instruct and evaluate employee training and individual progress in the course of safe operation of Pittsburgh Regional Transit heavy, special and non-revenue vehicle equipment and vehicles.
position may
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Microsoft PowerPoint. We offer a comprehensive compensation and benefits package. Interested candidates should forward
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Estate of BENJAMIN R. SINCILINE A/K/A BENJAMIN RAYMOND SINCILINE. of Bridgeville, Pennsylvania, No. 5184 of 2022, Brian D. Sinciline, Adm.,To Jennifer Roller Chontos, Chontos & Chontos, P.C., 561 Beulah Road, Turtle Creek, PA 15145
•manner.Ability
345
George M. Janocski Acting County Solicitor ANNOUNCEMENTS Meetings BOARD OF TRUSTEES SEPTEMBER 2022 MEETING COMMUNITY COLLEGE OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY
128 or 129
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CLASSIFIEDS GET RESULTS!
• High School Diploma or GED. Ability to work various shifts, and pass days, as needed. Subject to pass day and shift candidates must have been a qualified heavy equipment/ special equipment operator maintainer for a minimum of five (5) years.
•
•appropriately.Abilityto
Transit supervisory experience preferred,
Contract Compliance Specialist
skills to include: • Ability
the
AGiammanco@portauthority.org345EmploymentGiammancoDepartmentSixthAvenue,3rdFloorPittsburgh,PA15222-2527
Essential Functions: Instructs, qualifies, and performs evaluations and follow-up evaluations of personnel in the operation of heavy, special and non-revenue maintenance equipment and vehicles.
• Obtain and maintain a valid Commercial Driver’s License (minimum of Class A with ”N” endorsement and Air Brake Restriction “L” removed). Must also obtain and maintain a current Third Party Examiner Certification conducting CDL training and testing. Successful completion of administered •Assessments.Professionaland effective communication •skills.Must be available for travel. Demonstrated ability in the use of Windows, Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint. This is a Safety–Sensitive position subject to all testing provisions under the Drug and Alcohol Policy, including random drug and alcohol testing. The person selected for this be required to be tested prior to being awarded the Regional otherwise, prior supervisory experience in and Facilities of Pittsburgh Regional Operations and/or experience in equipment experience with in the use of a Holly A. Jenkins Employment Department Sixth Avenue, 3rd Floor Pittsburgh, PA 15222-2527 HJenkins@portauthority.org
• Current
www.wesco.comMS.JANETE.KLAGES, Deceased, of 1516 Vance Avenue, Coraopolis, PA 15108. Estate No. 02-21-03184 , Mr. John C. Schwartz, Executor, c/o Max C. Feldman, Esquire and the Law Office of Max C. Feldman, 1322 Fifth Avenue, Coraopolis, PA 15108
LEGAL ADVERTISING Legal Notices
Equalbamboohr.com/jobs/view.php?id=22OpportunityEmployer: Grow Pittsburgh is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, gender identity/ expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability or belief. We encourage a diversity of candidates to apply for the position.
heavy or special
Residency: Must become a resident of Allegheny County within one (1) year of appointment.
EOE FLOOR SUPERVISOR at East Liberty Presbyterian Church See full job description and application information at: https://cathedralofhope.org/careers/. LEGAL ADVERTISING Legal Notices ANNOUNCEMENTS Public Notice ANNOUNCEMENTS Public Notice TO: BERARDI SIVESTRO, HIS UNKNOWN HEIRS AND ASSIGNS IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA CARLTON CREATIVE SOLUTIONS, LLC, ) CIVIL DIVISION ) Plaintiff, ) No. GD-22-009658 ) vs )) BERARDI SILVESTRO, his unknown heirs ) and assigns and CAPITAL ONE BANK, )) Defendants. )
The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP) hereby requests bids from qualified Firms or Individuals capable of providing the following service(s): Trash Compactors and Chute IFB#300-17-22Repair
Questions or inquiries should be directed to: Mr. James Harris, General Counsel/ Chief Contracting Officer Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh Legal Department 100 Ross Street 2nd Floor, Suite 200 Pittsburgh, PA 15219 412-456-5007 (for questions only) A pre-submission meeting will be held via Zoom meeting; on August 25, 2022 at 9:00 A.M. Please see meeting information below: Join Zoom Dialhttps://us06web.zoom.us/jMeeting/81358702501?pwd=UTg2bWRPZHJYVHI4TDVrT0NMbGdBdz09MeetingID:81358702501Passcode:920649in:+13017158592US(WashingtonD.C)
To join by Microsoft Teams call-in number: • 412-927-0245 United State, Pittsburgh (Toll) Conference ID: 368 000 514#
The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh strongly encourages certified minority business enterprises and women business enterprises to respond to this solicitation. HACP has revised their website. As part of those revisions, vendors must now register and log-in, in order to view and download IFB/ RFPs thedocumentation.CasterD.Binion,ExecutiveDirectorHousingAuthorityofCityofPittsburgh
THE BOARD OF PUBLIC EDUCATION OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PITTSBURGH Sealed bids will be received in the Bellefield Avenue Lobby, Administration Building, 341 South Bellefield Avenue until 11:00 A.M. prevailing time August 30, 2022 and will be opened at the same hour in the administration building cafeteria: 3 PLY DISPOSABLE MASKS General Information regarding bids may be obtained at the Purchasing Office, 341 South Bellefield Avenue, RM 349 Pittsburgh, PA 15213. The bid documents are available on the School District’s Purchasing web site at: www.pghschools.org
The documents will be available no later than August 15, 2022 and signed, sealed bids will be accepted until 9:00 AM on September 6, 2022 The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh will only be accepting physical bids dropped off in person from 8:00 AM until the closing time of 9:00 AM on September 6, 2022 in the lobby of 100 Ross St. Pittsburgh, PA 15219. Bids may be uploaded to the Authority’s online submission site, the link is ac cessible via the HACP website and within the IFB. Sealed bids may still be mailed via USPS at which time they will be Time and Date Stamped at 100 Ross Street 2nd Floor, Suite 200, Pittsburgh, PA 15219.
Michael Lichte P.E. Director of ConveyanceRegional REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
Due Date:
RFQ/RFI).aspx.-Business/Solicitations-(RFP/-Services/Resources/Doingwww.alleghenycounty.us/HumanErinDaltonDirector OFFICIAL ADVERTISEMENT OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OF ADVERTISEMENTPITTSBURGHFOR BIDS Sealed
Team video conference: https://bit.ly/3QrWA6W
Subscribe to
Parties or individuals interested in responding may download a copy of the Solicitation from the Business Opportunities page of www.HACP.org.
30. For more details and submission information,
ALLEGHENY COUNTY SANITARY AUTHORITY LEGAL EMERGENCYCONTRACTNOTICENO.1772SEWERCONTRACT2022-2023
and 4:00 P.M. The cost of the Project Manual Documents is non-refundable. Project details and dates are described in each project manual.
Attendance at this meeting is not mandatory, but is strongly encouraged. Questions regarding any of the above bids will not be entertained by Pittsburgh Regional Transit within five (5) business days of the scheduled bid opening. These contracts may be subject to a financial assistance contract between Port Authority of Allegheny County d/b/a/ Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) and the United States Department of Transportation. The Contractor will be required to comply with all applicable Equal Employment Opportunity laws and regulations. Contractor is responsible for expenses related to acquiring a performance bond and insurance where applicable. All items are to be FOB delivered unless otherwise specified. Costs for delivery, bond, and insurance shall be included in bidder’s proposal pricing. Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) hereby notifies all bidders that it will affirmatively insure that in regard to any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, disadvantaged business enterprise will be afforded full opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, or national origin in consideration for an award. The Board of Port Authority of Allegheny County d/b/a/ Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) reserves the right to reject any or all bids.
for: Service & Maintenance Contracts at Various Schools, Facilities and Properties: - Chillers and Refrigeration Systems Service, Maintenance and Repairs - Concrete Maintenance - Extraordinary General Maintenance and Repairs - Extraordinary Masonry Maintenance and Repairs - Extraordinary Electrical Service, Maintenance and Repairs - Extraordinary Roofing Maintenance and Repairs - Fire Extinguisher and Fire Hoses Service and Maintenance - Gas and Oil Burners, Boilers and Furnaces Inspection, Service, and Repairs - Integrated Access Control, Intrusion Detection, and CCTV Surveillance Systems Service, Maintenance, Repairs, and Programming - Plumbing Maintenance and Repairs - Vertical Transportation Systems Preventative Maintenance and Service Project Manual and Drawings will be available for purchase on August 22, 2022, at Modern Reproductions (412-488-7700), 127 McKean Street, Pittsburgh, Pa., 15219 between
The Allegheny County Department of Human Services recently issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for RFP for Extended Acute Inpatient Care for Children and Adolescents. 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time September visit: proposals shall be deposited at the Administration Building, Bellefield Entrance Lobby, 341 South Bellefield Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pa., 15213, on September 13, 2022, until 2:00 P.M., time 9:00 A.M.
D/B/A/
HACP conducts business in accordance with all federal, state, and local civil rights laws, including but not limited to Title VII, the Fair Housing Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act, The PA Human Relations Act, etc. and does not discriminate against any individuals protected by these statutes.
items
ALLEGHENY COUNTY SANITARY AUTHORITY
ALCOSAN encourages businesses owned and operated by minorities and women to submit bids on Authority Contracts or to participate as subcontractors or suppliers to successful Bidders. Successful Bidders are to use minority and women’s businesses to the fullest extent Contractpossible.Documents may be examined and obtained at the Engineering office of the Authority. A non-refundable fee of One hundred dollars ($100) (no cash or credit cards will be accepted) will be charged for each set of Contract Documents received. Bid Security shall be furnished by providing with the Bid a Certified Check or Bid Bond in the amount of 10% of the Bid Price. Contract documents must be purchased directly from ALCOSAN to qualify as an eligible bidder. Any questions regarding the Technical Specifications should be directed to Zachary Hughes, Project Engineer I, ALCOSAN, via email at zachary.hughes@alcosan.org . Any questions regarding the Purchase of Contract Documents should be directed to Kathleen P. Uniatowski, ALCOSAN, via email at contract.clerks@alcosan.org.
To join by Microsoft Teams call-in number: 412-927-0245 United State, Pittsburgh (Toll) Conference ID: 899 970 403# No bidder may withdraw a submitted Proposal for a period of 75 days after the scheduled time for opening of the sealed A Pre-Bid Conference will be held via tele-conference on each of the above at 10:00 am August 31, 2022, as well as through your web browser via Microsoft Teams video conference.
local prevailing
CLASSIFIEDSB6 AUGUST 24-30, 2022 NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER SONNY BOY America’s Best Weekly 315 East Carson Street Pittsburgh, PA 15219 Classifieds 412-481-8302 Ext. 140 E-mail: ads@newpittsburghcourier.com precedingDeadline/Closing/CancellationScheduleforcopy,corrections,andcancellations:FridaynoonWednesdaypublication CLASSIFIEDS…COURIERTHEONLYWAYTOGO! America’s Best Weekly 315 East Carson Street Pittsburgh, PA 15219 Classifieds 412-481-8302 Ext. 140 E-mail: ads@newpittsburghcourier.com Deadline/Closing/Cancellation Schedule for copy, corrections, and cancellations: Friday noon preceding Wednesday publication GETCLASSIFIEDSCOURIERRESULTS! LEGAL ADVERTISING Bids/Proposals To place a display ad in 412-481-8302PittsburghNewtheCouriercallext.128 LEGAL ADVERTISING Bids/Proposals LEGAL ADVERTISING Bids/Proposals LEGAL ADVERTISING Bids/Proposals The Courier is THE VOICE of Black Pittsburgh. LEGAL ADVERTISING Bids/Proposals HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH INVITATION FOR BIDS (IFB) FOR TRASH COMPACTORS AND CHUTEIFB#300-17-22REPAIR
412-481-8302,todayCourierthebycallingext.136.SupportthepublicationthatisALWAYSfocusedonPittsburgh’sAfricanAmericancommunity.
To join by Microsoft Team video conference: • https://bit.ly/3QtTKhD
Click on Our Community; Bid Opportunities; Purchasing - under Quick Links. The Board of Public Education reserves the right to reject any and all bids, or select a single item from any bid. DISTRICT
COURIER CLASSIFIEDS COURIER CLASSIFIEDS GET RESULTS! COURIER CLASSIFIEDS
on Friday,
bids.
Sealed Bids for CONTRACT NO. 1772–Emergency Sewer Contract 2022-2023 shall be received at the Engineering Department office of the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority, 3300 Preble Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15233, until 11:00 A.M., Prevailing Time, Thursday, October 6, 2022 and then shall be Publicly Opened and read via Microsoft Virtual Teams Meeting. A Pre-Bid Meeting will be held via Microsoft Virtual Teams Meeting on Thursday, September 15, 2022 at 10:00 A.M., Prevailing Time. A Invitation will be required to access this meeting. If interested in obtaining a Invitation to the Pre-Bid Meeting, contact Kathleen P. Uniatowski via email at Kathleen.uniatowski@alcosan.org .
The Authority reserves the right to reject any or all bids, to waive any informality in any bid and to accept any bid should it be deemed in the interest of the Authority to do so.
WE ARE AN EQUAL RIGHTS AND OPPORTUNITY SCHOOL
PORT AUTHORITY OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY PITTSBURGH REGIONAL Microsoft
TRANSIT (PRT) Electronic Proposals will be received online at the Port Authority of Allegheny County d/b/a/ Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) Ebusiness website (http://ebusiness.portauthority.org) Proposals/bid submittals will be due 11:00 AM on September 14, 2022 and will be read at 11:15 AM., the same day, at Pittsburgh Regional Transit’s Heinz location (345 Sixth Avenue, Third Floor, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222-2527) as well as through your web browser via Microsoft Teams video conferencing, for the following: Electronic Proposal - Ebusiness (http://ebusiness.portauthority.org)website Bid Number Bid Name 1 B220864 Cisco WIFI and Switch Equipment 2 B220866A Brake Drums - Coach 3 B220867A Nitrile Gloves 4 B220868A Environmental Sampling, Testing and Reporting 5 B220869A Magnetic Track Brake Suspension Replacement Parts 6 B220870A Trash Removal & Landscaping - Park & Ride Lots 7 B220871 Highspeed Digital Copier Replacement To join by
