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Teens fight back against bullying 34 of 48

homicides Black lives

Beltzhoover kids, teens take a stand

by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer

It was a sunny, summer Saturday afternoon in Pittsburgh, and kids and teens could have been doing any number of things.

But in Beltzhoover, kids and teens decided to take a stand.

A stand against bullying.

They came up with rap songs against bullying, ate the grilled hot dogs and hamburgers, and walked away from the June 24 affair with an even stronger sense of direction.

“This is a success, because these kids aren’t running the street, they’re doing something positive,” said Rodney Cuspard, a liaison for the Beltzhoover Neighborhood Council.

Mz. Nik, the executive chair of the Youth for the Beltzhoover

June victims were all African Americans

by Christian Morrow Courier Staff Writer

There were two statistical anomalies in June’s homicide numbers. First, two of the victims were over 30, and one of them over 40. Second, and more to the point, none of the victims were White, or Hispanic, or Asian. All six of June’s Allegheny County homicide victims were African Americans.

SEE TEENS A4

WILLIAM LEWIS, a senior at Carrick High School, raps during an anti-bullying event in Beltzhoover, June 24.

Candi Castleberry-Singleton headed to Twitter Reveals new position in a ‘tweet’

by Christian Morrow

p.m. June 27, “Excited to announce I’m joining @Twitter as the new VP of Inclusion & Diversity. Can’t wait to help build on the company’s great progress!”

The tweet was retweeted 559 times and has nearly 3,000 likes as of July 3.

Efforts to reach Castleberry-Singleton for comment after her announcement were unsuccessful.

Castleberry-Singleton, originally from Los Angeles, is no stranger to the tech industry and its diversity challenges, having worked at Xerox, Sun Mi-

Courier Staff Writer

Candi Castleberry-Singleton is heading home—well, at least to the same time zone—to take over as vice president of diversity and inclusion for social media company Twitter.

Twitter President Jack Dorsey announced the hiring, appropriately, in a tweet: “Excited to welcome @candi to lead our inclusion and diversity efforts @ twitter. Welcome to the flock!”

On her Twitter account, Castleberry-Singleton tweeted at 12:32

crosystems, and Motorola, before joining UPMC in 2008, where she developed the Dignity and Respect campaign, which she spun off into an national initiative upon leaving the healthcare giant in 2015.

The tech industry—and the social media giants it has spawned—has suffered from diversity problems for years. More recently Twitter, in particular, has come under fire recently for its lack of Black and female employees. Not just externally, SEE CANDI A4

USSIE Games builds bridges between police, community

by Christian Morrow and J.L. Martello Courier Staff Writers

Tru Styles, a 13-year-old from the North Side, said lots of the activities at the inaugural USSIE Summer Games were fun, as was meeting and competing in a number of games with Pittsburgh police officers. But one occurrence stood out—splashing Pittsburgh Councilman Corey O’Connor into the dunk tank.

“It’s a great way for people to get together. Sometimes police are made out to be bad characters when they can actually be helpful to society,” Styles told the New Pittsburgh Courier. “And yeah, I got to dunk the Councilman—Now that was fun.”

And that was the idea, said Candi Castleberry-Singleton at the June 24 event at Highmark Stadium on the South Side.

It grew out of conversations among community members following the killing of five police officers in Dallas last year.

“This was conceived by some young people after the shootings. In a mentoring group I’m part of, this became a topic SEE USSIE A4

SONYA TOLER, City of Pittsburgh public safety spokesperson, has fun with Pittsburgh police officer Ken Stevwing at the inaugural USSIE Games, June 24 at Highmark Stadium. (Photo by J.L. Martello)

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CANDI CASTLEBERRY-SINGLETON (Photo by Emmai Alaquiva)

JUNE 2—Dedric Ellis, a 48-year-old Black male, was found in his wrecked SUV, which had flipped over on McClure Avenue. He had been shot multiple times. Five days later, Pittsburgh Police arrested Melvin Russaw of Perry South for the crime. He remains in the Allegheny County Jail awaiting trial on homicide charges.

JUNE 2—Makebia Morgan, a 34-year-old Black female, was found stabbed to death in the basement of a home on Francis Court in the Hill District. Quincy Fuqua, 31, was arrested at the scene. He remains in the Allegheny County jail pending trial.

SEE HOMICIDES A5

Geri Allen commemorated

by C. Denise Johnson For New Pittsburgh Courier

Nathan Davis wasn’t able to sleep. The retired educator and founder of the Pitt Jazz Studies program had just learned of the grave illness and subsequent passing of Geri Allen. Davis considered her his protégé.

As word of Allen’s June 27 death spread, Pittsburgh mourned an adopted daughter who solidified her standing in the world of Jazz, a tireless educator, a disciple of Mary Lou Williams and a champion of women in Jazz.

Allen, the director of Jazz studies at the University of Pittsburgh, had just celebrated her 60th birthday on June 12. She succumbed to cancer while in Philadelphia, surrounded by her family.

A product of Detroit’s Cass Technical High School, Allen was one of SEE ALLEN A12

GERI ALLEN, the director of Jazz studies at Pitt, died June 27 of cancer.

Ulish Carter says

25 Blacks shot in Little Rock, but little news coverage Opinion B3

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INTERNATIONAL

JULY 5-11, 2017

World Food Prize goes to African Development Bank president

by David Pitt Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) —The son of a Nigerian farm laborer who rose out of poverty to earn graduate degrees in agricultural economics and spent his career improving the availability of seed, fertilizer and financing for African farmers is the winner of this year’s World Food Prize announced June 26.

Akinwumi Adesina, president of African Development Bank, says the future of global food security relies on making farming in Africa a profitable business and developing local food processing that adds value to agricultural products to help move farmers out of poverty.

“I believe that what Africa does with agriculture and how it does it is not only important for Africa but it’s important for how we’re going to feed the world by 2050 because 65 percent of all the uncultivated arable land left in the world is in Africa,” he said. “To help Africa get it right in agriculture is also going to be a key part of securing food for the world.”

World Food Prize President Kenneth Quinn, a former U.S. ambassador to Cambodia, said those goals are one reason the organization’s board chose Adesina this year for the $250,000 prize.

An official announcement for the World Food Prize came in a ceremony Monday at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington, with USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue hosting the event. Adesina, 57, works in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, where the African Development Bank is based. He will receive the prize in a ceremony Oct. 19 at the Iowa Capitol.

“Dr. Adesina knows that our work is not done. The challenge of feeding 9 billion people in just a short time will continue as we address the hunger issue,” Perdue said. “At USDA we keep that in mind as the world population grows and we want to be a huge contributor in providing the food needed to resolve and to supply the global demand for that vital noble resource.”

The World Food Prize was created by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Norman Borlaug in 1986 to recognize scientists and others

AGRICULTURE LEADER—This undated photo provided by The World Food Prize Foundation shows Akinwumi Adesina, the president of the African Development Bank. (The World Food Prize Foundation via AP) who have improved the quality and availability of food. The foundation that awards the prize is based in Des Moines, Iowa.

The award recognizes several of Adesina’s accomplishments including: •Negotiating a partnership between commercial banks and development organizations to provide loans to tens of thousands of farmers and agribusinesses in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ghana and Mozambique.

Africa that farming can be profitable and can improve their lives as a way to stem terrorist recruitment efforts. He said high unemployment among young people, high or extreme poverty, and climate and environmental degradation all contribute to conditions in which terrorists thrive.

He said these factors make up “the disaster triangle.”

“Anywhere you find those you find terrorists operating. It never fails,” he said.

Adesina grew up in poverty

“I believe that what Africa does with agriculture and how it does it is not only important for Africa but it’s important for how we’re going to feed the world by 2050 because 65 percent of all the uncultivated arable land left in the world is in Africa. To help Africa get it right in agriculture is also going to be a key part of securing food for the world.”

AKINWUMI ADESINA

•Creating programs to make Nigeria self-sufficient in rice production and to help cassava become a major cash crop while serving as Nigeria’s minister of agriculture from 2011 to 2015.

•Helping to end more than 40 years of corruption in the fertilizer and seed sectors in Nigeria by launching an electronic wallet system that directly provides farmers with vouchers redeemable for inputs using mobile phones. The resulting increased farm yields have led to the improvement of food security for 40 million people in rural farm households.

Adesina said it’s vitally important to show young people in rural regions of

Breathing Life into the Community…

That’s the theme of the only Black Arts Festival in Pittsburgh.

Find out how they plan to do that, and what’s planned for the August event, on the next PittsElaine Effort burgh Profiles with KQV News Reporter Elaine Effort.

Friday, July 7 at 7:30 P.M. Saturday, July 8 at 7:00 A.M. Sunday, July 9 at 5:00 P.M. Pittsburgh Profiles heard on

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in a rural area of Nigeria and said his father and grandfather walked fields as laborers. After his father was chosen for a government job, Adesina was able to go to college. He earned agriculture economics degrees—both a master’s and a doctorate—from Purdue University in Indiana.

As a student, he said he saw that classmates were able to attend school when agriculture afforded them the opportunity, but they dropped out when it didn’t.

He said from that experience he learned making agriculture profitable so families can provide their children with an education was a key to breaking the cycle of poverty.

He said he often thinks of the hundreds of millions of young, rural African people whose opportunities are limited because of what is happening with agriculture.

“So in a way for me this is not a job,” Adesina said.

“This is a mission. And I believe that in getting agriculture to be a business —turning our rural areas from zones of economic misery to zones of economic opportunity—therein lies the future of Africa’s youth, especially those rural youths.”

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This Week In Black History

Week of July 5-11 July 5 1975—Tennis star Arthur Ashe becomes the first Black man to win the men’s singles championship at Wimbledon defeating Jimmy Connors. Ashe was born and raised in Richmond, Va. During his prestigious career he had become active in several social causes including frequent protests against the system of racial oppression known as apartheid in then White-ruled South Africa.

Ashe contracted AIDS as a result of blood transfusion in 1988. He died of AIDS complications on Feb. 6, 1993.

July 6 1853—The first novel written by an African-American is published on this day. However, the novel had to be published in ARTHUR ASHE England because the author William Wells Brown was a fugitive slave. The novel was entitled “Clotel” or “The President’s Daughter” and may have been partially inspired by the then rumored relationship between President Thomas Jefferson and the slave Sally Hemmings.

1862—One of the most pioneering and militant Black journalists in Black American history is born. Ida B. Wells-Barnett came into the world on this day in Holly Springs, Miss. The legendary journalist was also a relentless anti-lynching crusader and a fighter for women’s right to vote. She even made a stand against one of the more insulting laws of Jim Crow segregation nearly 70 years before Rosa Parks. In 1884, she refused to give up her seat on a train to a White man and move to an already over-crowded smoking car. It took the conductor IDA B. WELLS-BARNETT and two other men to drag her off the train. She was among the group of Blacks and progressive Whites who helped establish the NAACP. When she was just 25 she established her lifelong attitude towards women being submissive to men declaring, “I will not begin at this late day by doing what my soul abhors: sugaring men, weak deceitful creatures, with flattery to retain them as escorts …” She died in Chicago in 1931.

1957—Althea Gibson becomes the first Black person (male or female) to win the singles championship at Wimbledon. Gibson was born in Silver, S.C., and grew up in Harlem, N.Y. She died in September 2003. She often said she was driven to success in life by an attitude she developed during childhood. She sumALTHEA GIBSON marized that attitude as “I always wanted to be somebody.”

1971—Henry T. Sampson invents the “gamma electric cell.” His invention and other engineering accomplishments had wide-ranging applications, but he did not invent the cell phone as some histories suggest. The gamma-electric cell converted nuclear radiation from reactors into electricity without going through the heat process.

July 7 1906—Baseball legend Satchel Paige is born in Mobile, Ala. He was one of 15 children born to John and Lula Paige. Paige first learned to pitch in a reform school where he had been sent at the age of 12 for shoplifting. He spent most of his career playing in the old Negro Baseball Leagues prior to the integration of Major League Baseball. He is generally recognized as one of the greatest pitchers to ever play the game. Baseball great Joe DiMaggio once said Paige was “The best and fastest pitcher I ever faced.” Paige SATCHEL PAIGE pitched his last game in 1965 at the age of 60 throwing three shutout innings. The great Satchel Paige died on June 8, 1982.

July 8 1805—On this day in 1805, Bill Richmond becomes the first African-American to gain international fame as a boxer when he defeated Jack Holmes in a 26-round bout in England. The son of escaped slaves from Georgia, Richmond was born in New York City in 1763. He did most of his fighting in Europe. Near the end of his boxing career, he married a rich woman and retired. He died in London in December 1829.

1914—Jazz great Billy Eckstine is born in Pittsburgh, Pa. He was raised in Washington, D.C., where he began entering talent competitions at the age of 7. Eckstine would become one of the BILLY ECKSTINE dominant Jazz singers during the era of the big bands. He has been described as “an exceptional singer who never failed to impress.” Eckstine died of a heart attack in 1993.

July 9 1863—Eight Black regiments play a major role as Union troops capture Port Hudson in Louisiana. They had laid siege to the Confederate fortress since May 23.

The victory, along with the July 4 capture of Vicksburg, Miss., gave U.S. forces control of the Mississippi River, cut the Confederate army in half and laid the foundation for ending the Civil War. The Civil War would drag on for another two years but the Confederate troops fighting to maintain slavery were never able to recover from the loss of Port Hudson.

1893—Dr. Daniel Hale Williams performs the first successful open heart surgery in American history. He repaired a knife wound to the heart of one James Cornish. Cornish would go on to live for another 20 years. Williams established himself as one of the foremost African-American surgeons in the history of this nation. In addition to the surgery, his achievements were many. Born in 1856 in Hollidaysburg, Pa., he was appointed surgeon general of Freedman’s (now DANIEL HALE WILLIAMS Howard University) Hospital in Washington, D.C. He taught at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tenn. He was a surgeon at Cook County Hospital in Chicago and he founded Provident Hospital in Chicago where he trained many of the nation’s early Black doctors and nurses. Williams also co-founded the predominantly Black National Medical Association.

2009—Reports first emerge suggesting that Haiti was beginning to conquer its HIV/AIDS epidemic. According to UNAIDS, the official AIDS infection rate on the poverty-ridden Caribbean island for people ages 15-49 was 2.2 percent—down from a high of nearly 8 percent in the 1980s. The decline was attributed to the closing of blood banks, where the poor sold their blood for money; the work of the Boston-based Partners in Health; and Haiti’s own GHESKIO clinic.

July 10 1775—Shortly after taking command of the troops fighting for American independence from Britain, Gen. George Washington (the nation’s first president) has his adjutant general issue an order barring any further Blacks from joining the Continental Army. The decision would be confirmed by the Continental Congress in November of 1775. The fear was that Blacks who fought for America’s independence would be justified in demanding an end to slavery. And slave owners, including Washington, did not want that.

1927—David Dinkins, the first Black man elected mayor of New York City, is born on this day in 1927. He was born in Trenton, N.J., and served as New York City mayor from 1989 to 1993.

1943—Tennis sensation Arthur Ashe was born on this day in Richmond, Va. He would become the first Black male to win the Wimbledon men’s singles championship by defeating Jimmy Connors in 1975. Ashe would receive a contaminated blood transfusion DAVID DINKINS and die of AIDS in February 1993.

1972—The Democratic Party holds its presidential convention in Miami, Fla. New York Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, the first Black person to actively seek the party’s presidential nomination, received 151.95 votes on the first ballot. Senator George McGovern would eventually be nominated. Chisholm had been the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress, achieving the distinction in 1968. She was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., to a Barbadian mother and a Guyanese father. Chisholm’s signature phrase was “Un-bought and un-bossed.” She died in January 2005.

July 11 1905—The Niagara Movement (forerunner of the NAACP) is founded during a meeting near Niagara Falls, N.Y. Among the most prominent Blacks at the meeting were SHIRLEY CHISHOLM intellectual and activist W.E.B. DuBois and newspaper publishers William Monroe Trotter and Ida B. Wells Barnett.

1915—Mifflin Wistar Gibbs dies. Gibbs had worked on the Underground Railroad helping Blacks escape from slavery along with Frederick Douglas. He would later become publisher of Mirror of the Times—the first Black newspaper in California. He was also the first African-American elected to a municipal judgeship in the state.

2010—Gospel legend Bishop Walter Hawkins dies.

The Grammy award-winning Hawkins died at his home in Ripon, Calif. Hawkins was part of the influential Hawkins family. His brother was Edwin Hawkins and for a while he MIFFLIN WISTAR GIBBS was married to gospel great Tramaine Hawkins.

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JULY 5-11, 2017

Some say Russia ‘collusion’ investigation a distraction from Black issues

by Barrington M. Salmon

For New Pittsburgh Courier

(TriceEdneyWire.com)— During former FBI Director Jim Comey’s testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee last month, the irony of Black people cheering for Comey didn’t escape African-Americans who watched the on-going saga unfold in public view.

In more than three hours of testimony, Comey said under oath that the president repeatedly pressed him for a pledge of loyalty and asked him to drop the investigation into former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn. And after Comey failed to fulfill the president’s wishes, Trump fired him.

In casual conversations, political discussions and debates in Black communities across the country, the question has centered on how invested African-Americans should be in the hearings and their outcome given the FBI’s history of unfairness to Black leaders, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Moreover, with Black progress at stake,some wonder whether the focus on the Trump-Comey controversy is too much of a destraction.

Mimi Machado-Luces, a documentary filmmaker, photographer and mother of two, said she watched the hearing and believes Trump is a liar who lacks the skills or temperament to be president.

This is all the more reason that Black people must escalate thier attention to Black progress.

People of African descent in America, she said, were lulled to sleep by eight years of a Barack Obama presidency and now most still can’t rouse themselves to fully confront the dangers that the Trump administration has spawned.

“I think that we’ve fallen back onto this lull of ‘Oh… good times are over.’ We’ve fallen back into this reactionary mode,” she said.

“Black Lives Matter and other groups like that are grand but I don’t see anyone coming out aggressively about things we need to be pursuing in our agenda, talking about the effects of things Trump is coming in to dismantle.”

Machado-Luces, an artist-in-residence teaching Digital Media at several DC and Maryland schools, said she wonders if and when Black people will come together and coalesce around a meaningful, substantive agenda.

“I don’t know if that will happen, probably not in my lifetime,” she said. “All I know is that there’s so much work to do. I don’t want to say we as a people lack vision. We’re psychologically lulled into accepting the oppression. I see some people trying to change things but part of the oppression is written into law. People get off when they shouldn’t.”

The intrigue and importance of the topic of possible collusion with a foreign country by a U. S presidential administration has not escaped coverage by the Black press, which has historically covered the antagonist relationship between

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is a teacher with District of Columbia Public Schools.

“It’s proxy war. They’re putting up this proxy war to distract us.”

As he’s watched the Trump White House try unsuccessfully to fend off a rising chorus of accusations of collusion with Russia and a variety of other potential misdeeds, Collins believes Black leaders have become distracted as African-Americans and people of color face more overt racism, unprovoked attacks, hostility from the Trump administration, and the reversal of hard-earned gains by regressive forces.

“We need to organize among ourselves,” he concluded. “The NAACP is going through an identity crisis and may be about to fall under. I wouldn’t be mad,” Collins said with a chuckle.

“There are no radical voicPAYING ATTENTION—Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) was among several members of the Congressional Black Caucus es...All this political starin the hearing room as Comey testified. Some say the CBC is among the lone voices currently leading on Black issues. PHOTO: Paulette dom and we have no juice to move anything.”

Singleton/Trice Edney News Wire

the Black community and the FBI as well as other law enforcement agencies. DCbased independent journalist and political analyst Lauren Victoria Burke said she was among those glued to coverage, mainly because of the gravity of the events.

Burke said unlike the Iran-Contra scandal, for example, the ethical lapses and conflicts of interests swirling around this White House is a “much more serious matter because of the possibility of the president or his people being involved in treasonous activity.”

She said, “It’s a spy-level novel situation…No. I’ve never seen anything like this. The idea that somehow this is normal—none of this is normal.”

Burke, who covers Capital Hill daily, says Black Democratic lawmakers like Reps.

Maxine Waters, D-Calif., and Al Green, D-Texas, have been leading the charge in criticizing Trump, calling for a special prosecutor and seeking impeachment.

“They’ve been a little bit more out in front than most people. Green and Waters have called for impeachment. They’re the only members to call for impeachment,” said Burke.

“Waters came out in front very early. She talked in a way that people were saying to take it back. But it’s almost mainstream now.”

Sam Collins, a millennial grassroots journalist and activist, said he watched sections of the Comey hearing with a jaundiced eye. He’s tired, he said, of the mainstream treating critical, potentially lifeand-death issues and the dysfunction and chaos emanating from the White House as a pay-per-view event. Even though he has a good handle on the inner-workings of government and its relationship with the people it purports to serve, Collins said he’s still not sure whether the entire Russia debacle is just a diversionary tactic.

“Our leaders are following Russia while districts are going through issues, such as access to quality healthcare, unemployment and other problems that were here long before Russia or Trump,” said Collins, who

TESTIFYING—Former FBI Director Jim Comey testifying before Congress. PHOTO: Paulette Singleton/Trice Edney News Wire

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JULY 5-11, 2017

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Beltzhoover teens take a stand against bullying

TEENS FROM A1

SLIM, SAMANTHA, MZ. NIK AND ONDAISHA AT THE EVENT

BRENDA L. UPSHER WITH KIDS AT THE EVENT

grade. The New Pittsburgh Courier is not naming the school or Mitchell’s daughter’s full name.

According to the Allegheny County Bar Association’s website, Pennsylvania’s laws regarding bullying “requires schools to have written policies, made available to students, which address bullying and the persons to whom complaints should be made. It also defines bullying as ‘an intentional electronic, written, verbal or physical act, or a series of acts’” which are “directed at another student or students, occurs in a school setting, that (which) is severe, persistent or pervasive, and that has the effect of doing any of the following; substantially interfering with a student’s education, creating a threatening environment, or substantially disrupting the orderly operation of the school.”

The Bar Association’s website says that if someone suspects bullying is occurring, “First and foremost, always check the anti-bullying policy of your school district. While the Pennsylvania statute does not give a great deal of guidance, it is left up to the school districts to develop and implement their own policy, and some may be much more extensive. See

USSIE Games builds bridges between police, community

Neighborhood Council, told the New Pittsburgh Courier that “some of my girls in my group were being bullied and picked on in school, and one likes to fight a lot. They wanted to speak out against bullying but they didn’t know how.

So, I prayed and asked God what he would have me to do, and this is what he put in my spirit.”

Minka Mitchell said her daughter was bullied, and “I called Pittsburgh Public Schools, and we had to write a grievance out for my daughter to tell the Board of Education what was going on. She was being threatened and bullied, and at the same time there was a lot of stress inside the house,” Mitchell said. “But at the same time my daughter made honor roll for the four quarters of the school year.”

Mitchell told the Courier her daughter was bullied and called names “just because she’s taller than all the other kids. I always told her to walk with her head up before you walk into the school, pray about it, and keep on going. Don’t let anybody stop you from doing what you have to do because you still have to survive in this world.”

Mitchell’s daughter is headed to the seventh

what you are dealing with and then go from that point on. The district hopefully will have set out the person to whom the bullying complaints should be made and what the course of action is following the initial report.”

Mz. Nik had this message for bullies: “It is not cool.

People are killing themselves, and some don’t have a whole lot of self-esteem and it makes them feel as if they don’t have a space…Please take time to look at yourself in the mirror because there may be something going on with you that is causing you to do these things.”

Cuspard, who also spends time at the Center for Family Excellence in the Hill District, said that a lot of teenagers, whether they are being bullied or are doing the bullying, don’t get the help they need in general. “I was a teenager before, and I don’t remember anybody talking to me concerning the stages of my development,” he said. “I just seemed like I was alone, but I didn’t let anybody know that.”

Cuspard said many of today’s teens are indirectly crying out for help. “A young guy came to me and said, ‘Mr. Rodney, it’s hard being a teenager.’ And he was so right. They need somebody to talk to, and help them go along with life.”

USSIE FROM A1

topic and they wanted to do something about it,” she said. “Aerion Abney (program officer of the Poise Foundation) suggested we do something like a game where police and the community could connect and build relationships and this is the outcome of that conversation.”

The games—which included three-legged races, tug of war, soccer, sack races, water-balloon tosses and dodgeball—brought together community members and officers from each of Pittsburgh’s six police zones who teamed up to compete against the others, and to have fun.

Sonya Toler summed up the festive atmosphere while spelling out her name. “It’s T as in Tigero-l-e-r, and though I’m the spokesperson for Pittsburgh Bureau of Public Safety—today I’m reppin’

a great time, too. “It’s a great opportunity to meet people,” she said. “I would never have met (Amiera) or any of these other wonderful athletes. We’re all having a good time, and now I’m going to be driving by her house to bring her some stickers—that’s the deal we made.”

Assistant Chief Larry Scirotto said he was pleased with the turnout and support from the foundations, political leaders and the community, and expects the event to grow bigger next year.

“I think the relationships built here will only get stronger, maybe not tomorrow, but in 10 years, when the kids’ kids are here,” he said. “It’s not ‘us and them,’ it’s one unified front to keep us all safe. I thought it was amazing for an inaugural event—well, other than when I got soaked in the dunk tank.”

“It goes beyond that, beyond ‘the illusion of inclusion,’” Castleberry-Singleton told the Courier in 2014.

“It’s the difference between mentorship and sponsorship—that means you have skin in the game. It takes a conscious personal commitment from everyone. If we only recommend people we know for jobs, we all need to make new friends.”

Castleberry-Singleton probably still has many old friends in the Bay Area, too. In addition to having worked in California’s tech industry, she received an MBA from Pepperdine University, a Bachelor’s degree in legal studies from UC Berkeley and completed the Stanford University Executive Human Resources program.

That was before she created The Integrated Inclusion

Model TM, a systems integration model that helps companies transition from compliance-driven processes led by human resources, to integrated activities that shift the responsibility for achieving an inclusive culture to every employee.

True to that model, during her time in Pittsburgh, Castleberry-Singleton made a lot of new friends. She served on the boards of the University of Pittsburgh’s Institute of Politics, NEED, Pittsburgh Promise, Women and Girls Foundation, Urban League, PERSAD, Hill House Association, and also volunteered on projects with Athena, Go Red for Women, Women’s Shelter, Best of the Batch Foundation, East End Cooperative Ministries, and just two weeks ago at the inaugural USSIE Games.

Twitter next stop for Castleberry-Singleton CANDI FROM A1

ALEXUS, ZIONNA, JADA AND KAYDEN

Zone 6. Woooo,” she said.

That’s exactly the spirit Abney wanted to see at the event.

“The name USSIE is like a group selfie—we wanted it to be us, not an individual event. I think it went amazingly,” he said. “We had a lot of sponsors and vendors, a lot of love was poured into this.

Police don’t get to do this.

We were intentional about creating a space where they could engage in a non-crisis situation. Seeing everyone laughing, playing and getting along together, joking—It made me feel good.

This was about positive interactions and we were able to do that.”

Amiera Blankenship, an 8-year-old from the South Side who was on the same Zone 3 team as officer Pam Deguffroy, said she had a great time. “The dodgeball was the best,” she said.

Deguffroy said she had

but from within, when Leslie Miley—Twitter’s only Black engineer in a management position—publicly complained about the company’s lack of inclusion after leaving the company in October 2015.

Twitter compounded its problem when it hired Jeffrey Siminoff, a White male, to lead its diversity efforts after Janet Van Huysse left in 2015. Siminoff stepped down in February.

Castleberry-Singleton, an African American woman, will certainly fix the optics problem created by Siminoff’s tenure. But she is far more than a “Black face in a high space.” Singleton brings a formidable reputation as an international lecturer, an innovator in the diversity field of human resources management.

WE’VE GOT MORE PHOTOS! See additional photos from the USSIE Games, Candi Castleberry-Singleton’s announcement, and the Beltzhoover event at newpittsburghcourier.com

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JULY 5-11, 2017

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34 of 48 homicides Black lives…June victims were all African Americans HOMICIDES FROM A1

JUNE 4–Shayne Abrams, a 23-year-old Black male, was found shot in his vehicle after it had crashed into a house in the 1500 block of Manhattan Street in Manchester. Police have not yet named a suspect. The investigation continues.

JUNE 19–Diaz Petty, a 24-year-old Black male, was found fatally shot on the sidewalk in the 900 block of Lysle Boulevard in McKeesport. County homicide detective have not yet identified a suspect. The investigation continues.

JUNE 23–Donald Taymer, a 17-year-old Black male, was fatally shot at the intersection of Paulson Avenue and Dean Street in Lincoln-Lemington. After a standoff a few hours later at a nearby house —which police said was “related to” the shooting—four individuals were taken into custody along with a cache of drugs.

However, charges have yet to be filed in Taymer’s death.

JUNE 24–Kelly Gunn, a 24-year-old Black male from Penn Hills, was found fatally shot at the intersection of Maple and Hunter streets in Wilkinsburg.

Police said witnesses described the shots coming from a silver sedan, possibly a Chevrolet Impala, which fled the scene. The investigation is ongoing.

May Homicides ( 10)

MAY 1—Bhim Rai, a 26-year-old Asian, was found stabbed to death in his Carrick apartment. His live-in girlfriend, 23-year-old Urmila Gurung, was arrested and charged with the homicide later that day. She awaits trial in the Allegheny County Jail.

MAY 3—Juwan Jordan, an 18-yearold Black male, was found by police at the intersection of Allendale and Adon Streets in Sheraden with a fatal bullet wound to the head. Another shooting earlier that night left bullet holes in cars, and a dozen shell casings littering the street. Pittsburgh police did not say if they believe there is a connection. The investigation is ongoing.

MAY 6—Anthony Nicassio, a 69-year-old White male, was stabbed to death by his 27-year-old Daughter

in his Plum home. According to police, Nicassio and his wife had been trying to convince their distraught daughter to go to Forbes Regional Hospital, when she grabbed a kitchen knife and stabbed him. She was arrested at the scene.

MAY 15—Angela Ceccarelli, and 80-year-old White female, was found in her McCandless Township home fatally shot in the head along with her 83-year-old husband Julius, who died from a self-in icted gunshot to the head. The deaths have been ruled a murder-suicide.

MAY 18—Robert Ford III, a 34-yearold Black male, was discovered by police in a bedroom of an East Hills home with a fatal gunshot wound to the chest. The investigation is ongoing.

MAY 18—Vallen Davies-Mack, a 17-year-old Black male, was found fatally shot in a public park playground in Swissvale some five hours after neighbors reported hearing multiple gunshots around 2 a.m. Allegheny County Police have not yet identified a suspect. The investigation is ongoing.

MAY 21—Dahrique Smith, a 25-year-old Black male, was found on a South Side sidewalk after a passer-by told police of shots inside the Rowdy Buck saloon on East Carson Street. He was transported to UPMC Mercy where he dies about 40 minutes later. Pittsburgh police have released video from inside the bar of people they would like identified.

It can be viewed here: http://apps. pittsburghpa.gov/dps/Rowdy_Buck. mp4. Anyone with information can call anonymously at 412-323-7800.

MAY 22—Richard Williams, a 35-year-old White male, was fatally shot in his car on Kelly Street in Homewood during an apparent drug deal. Police have charged 26-yearold Lavasha Johnson with homicide and tampering with evidence, and are searching for a male suspect, seen on surveillance footage, bailing out of the car immediately after the shooting apparently holding a gun.

MAY 23—Kala Thomas, a 25-yearold Black female and single mother of two sets of twins, was found dumped over a hillside in Garfield after being shot in the head. Police have not yet identified a suspect. The investigation is ongoing.

MAY 28—Antonio Wallace, a 31-year-old Black male, was found by police in the 1800 block of Wesley Street in McKeesport having suffered multiple fatal gun shots to the torso.

Police have not et identified a suspect. The investigation is ongoing.

April Homicides (4) APRIL 6—Elijah Paris, a 21-yearold Black male was shot multiple times in the 200 block of Shady Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Shadyside neighborhood. Police have not said why Paris, originally from Washington

state and living in Beechview, was in Shadyside. No arrests have been made. The investigation is ongoing.

APRIL 20—Raffel Green, a 49-year-old Black male, was found by police with a fatal gunshot wound to the neck, in a car outside building number 39 in the Crawford Village public housing community in McKeesport. Police say neither Green, nor his companion, Jessica Taylor, who was also killed, lived in the complex.

No arrest has been made. The investigation is ongoing.

APRIL 20—Jessica Taylor, a 32-year-old White female, was found by police with a fatal gunshot wound to the head in a car outside building number 39 in the Crawford Village public housing community in McKeesport. Police say neither Taylor, nor her companion, Raffel Green, who was also killed, lived in the complex.

No arrest has been made. The investigation is ongoing.

L illiam C affin, a 14-year-old Black male, was killed by a gunshot wound to the chest inside a home on Ridge Avenue in McKeesport after police said a 19-year-old he showed it to tried to get him to put it down, then tried to take it from him.

Chaffin had reportedly brought the gun to the house. Allegheny County Police said they have identified everyone involved and given all the information to the District Attorney’s office.

No charges have been filed.

March Homicides (7) MARCH 6—Bhim Rai, a 26-yearold Asian male, was found by police dead in his apartment on Brownsville Avenue in Carrick after they received a call of a stabbing during a bar fight.

Police have not named a suspect. The investigation continues.

MARCH 7—Anthony Bailey, a 27-year-old Black male from Penn Hills was found dead in a Pitcairn apartment from gunshot wounds received in what county police said was an apparent robbery. Witnesses said they saw two Black males—one with a distinct limp eeing the area. No arrests have been made. The investigation is ongoing.

MARCH 7—Sarah Villarreal, a 34-year-old White female, was fatally shot by Daniel Connelly, a 43-year-old White Male who then shot himself, in an apartment they shared in the 100 block of Watson Drive in Turtle Creek.

Police have called it a murder-suicide.

Villarreal’s 4-year-old daughter was in the home at the time but was unharmed.

MARCH 12—Christopher Dancy, a 46-year-old Black male from Ambridge, was killed after 47-year-old Joseph Goldsmith, also Black, came to his former girlfriend’s home and shot both her and Dancy twice before shooting himself in the head. The

37-year-old female, who police did not identify, survived her injuries. Her 9-year-old son, who hid in the basement, was unharmed.

MARCH 18—Michael Leonard, a 33-year-old Black male, was fatally shot while sitting in his car with his girlfriend in the 1000 block of Blackadore Street after an earlier argument with a man inside the New Brotherhood Motorcycle Club in Homewood.

He had apparently been followed from the club, but police have not named a suspect. The investigation is ongoing.

MARCH 19—Sean Lyons, a 20-year-old Black male, was fatally shot in the neck and chest following an argument, again, inside the New Brotherhood Motorcycle Club at the intersection of Kelly Street and Brushton Avenue in Homewood. Despite a bar full of patrons, police have no suspects. The investigation is ongoing.

MARCH 28—Deven Holloway, a 16-year-old Black male, was fatally shot multiple times outside Linton Middle School in Penn Hills. A 22-yearold male from Plum, who claimed he shot Holloway in self-defense, was questioned and released by police.

His name will only be released if he is charged. The investigation is ongoing.

February Homicides (9) FEB. 1—Andrew McGee, a 28-year-old White male, was found fatally shot in a home in Versailles. John Robert Sethman, 29, was arrested in Ohio within hours and extradited to face homicide charges. He is now in the Allegheny County Jail.

FEB. 6—Robert Detorre III, an 18-year-old White male, and Anthony Hoots, a 19-year-old Black male, were killed in a shootout at an apartment complex on Smokeywood Drive, in Swissvale, that also sent two others to local hospitals. Charges have not yet been filed. The investigation continues.

FEB. 8–Savon Martin, a 23-year-old Black male, was found on the porch of a house on Inglenook Place, in Homewood, by police responding to a ShotSpotter alert. He had suffered multiple gunshot wounds to his head torso and extremities and was pronounced dead at the scene. Police have released no information on possible suspects. The investigation continues.

FEB. 17—Ronald Peless, a 51-year-old White male, was discovered bound in a blanket with an electrical cord in the basement of his McKees Rocks apartment building after relatives had asked police to do a welfare check. He had been stabbed multiple times. Three people; Jeffrey Tyniac, 51, Sheila Wagner, 45, and Robert Davies, 60, have been charged in connection with the killing.

FEB. 19–Derrick Brown, a 16-yearold Black male from Arnold, Westmoreland County, was found by police in the courtyard of the Northview Heights

public housing community on Pittsburgh’s North Side. He had been fatally shot in the head. No arrests have been made. The investigation continues.

FEB. 21–Jihad Cromer, a 17-yearold Black male, was shot in the head in the bedroom of a residence on Robb Avenue in McKees Rocks. William Huston, 19, of the West End, has been charged in the case. He is now in the Allegheny County Jail.

FEB. 24–Ramadhan Mohamed, a 31-year-old Black male, died at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital from injuries sustained in a beating and robbery three days earlier—which included blows to his head from a hammer. Mohamed, a Somali immigrant cab driver was found about 5 a.m., Feb. 21, facedown and unresponsive on Climax Street in Pittsburgh’s Beltzhoover neighborhood. Police said King Edwards and Hosea Moore, both 20, from Beltzhoover, called the cab with the intent of robbing the driver. Christen Glenn, 18, and Daniel Russell, 19, who had ed the area, were both arrested on Feb. 26 in Youngstown, Ohio. All four are in the Allegheny County Jail.

FEB. 25—Dominick Brown-Hill, a 26-year-old Black male, who had been missing since 2012, was identified from skeletal remains discovered in a small, wooded area behind the 900 block of Washington Street in McKeesport. He died from a gunshot wound to the head. Police have yet to name a suspect in the shooting.

FEB. 26—Raghib Dolphin, a 24-year-old Black male from Pittsburgh’s Fineview neighborhood was found fatally shot outside Zangaroos bar on Brighton Road. According to police, Dolphin and two others were denied entry because it was after “last call.” After returning to their car, Dolphin got out to talk to someone he knew. Shots were fired and he returned to the car with multiple wounds to his chest and abdomen. They drove him to Allegheny General Hospital, when he later died. No arrests have been made.

The investigation continues.

January Homicides (9) JAN. 3—Gregory McLeod, a 28-year-old Black male and father of three, became Allegheny County’s first homicide victim of 2017 when he was shot multiple times near the intersection of Frankstown Avenue and Neuman Way, in Homewood, just after 5 a.m. No arrests have been made. The investigation continues. Anyone with information is urged to call Pittsburgh’s Violent Crime Unit at 412-323-7800.

JAN. 4—Chaz Robinson, a 35-year-old Black male, was fatally shot near the intersection of Lasalle and Broadway Avenues in Dormont after allegedly stealing a bag of marijuana and running off during a drug deal. He was found in his back yard

on Espy Street the next morning. Timothy Bevan, 23, of Mount Oliver, has been charged with the shooting.

JAN. 11—Jesi Jefferson, a 21-year-old Black male, was discovered fatally shot by Garbage men on their morning rounds in the 1300 Block of Hilty Alley in McKeesport. Allegheny County Lt. Andrew Schurman said he believes the victim was shot the night before. Anyone with information is asked to call county homicide at 412-473-1300.

JAN. 14–India Stewart, a 29-yearold Black female, of Pitcairn, was found dead by police in a garage near Yew Way and Maple Alley in Braddock. She had been shot in the neck, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office. Her uncle, 48-year-old Kalvin Stewart, is charged with homicide, abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence and arson in relation to the killing.

JAN. 14—Ahmad Foreman, an 18-year-old Black male, was found by police lying along the street in the 500 block of Fannel Street in Garfield. He had been shot multiple times. Police have not released information about a suspect. The investigation continues.

Anyone with information is asked to call Pittsburgh’s Violent Crime Unit at 412-323-7800.

JAN. 22–Christopher Tompkins, a 57-year-old Black male, was fatally shot by police responding to a home invasion call. When they arrived, Thompkins was coming down the stairs firing in their direction. They fired back, killing him. Police suspect he was actually firing to scare off Juan Brian Jeter-Clark who had allegedly broken in before the officers arrived. Jeter-Clerk has been charged with criminal trespass.

JAN. 25–Alfred Diggs, a 21-yearold Black male, died of multiple gunshot wounds at Allegheny General after being transported by paramedics from the shooting scene in Pittsburgh’s Westwood neighborhood. Police have not yet identified a suspect.

Anyone with information is asked to call Pittsburgh’s Violent Crime Unit at 412-323-7800.

JAN. 25—John Miller, a 40-year-old White male from Franklin County, was found on a set of city steps in the 1000 block of Vinial Street in Spring Garden.

He had been shot multiple times. Police are reviewing surveillance footage but have not named a suspect. Anyone with information is asked to call city homicide at 412-323-7161 JAN. 27–Kyle Stauber, an 18-yearold White male, was fatally shot following a home invasion robbery in Avalon. Stauber reportedly chased one attacker off with a baseball bat before one of the robbers shot him.

County police have charged John Pignanelli, 25, Greg Scholze and Kayla Naper, both 19, in the case.

ENTERTAINER New Pittsburgh Courier

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www.newpittsburghcourier.com

Cover To Cover

‘The Boss’ is great summer escape

June 18, 2017 – Photos by Courier Photographer Gail Manker

WAMO Day 2017 at Stage AE

‘Spider-Man’ displays diversity, ‘Despicable Me 3’ shows off

by Merecedes J. Howze

by Terri Schlichenmeyer

For New Pittsburgh Courier

For New Pittsburgh Courier

Somebody needs to call the shots.

Leading by committee may seem equal, right? Everybody should have a voice, but there has to be a head honcho in the mix somewhere. Somebody has to make decisions and stand up, to lead with a big heart, a cool head, an open mind and, in “The Boss” by Aya de León, a solid backbone.

THE WAMO 100 FAMILY, including on-air talents Portia Foxx, far left, Nigel, left, and KiKi Brown, far right.

For Tyesha Couvillier, it should have been the best day of her life.

Newly-graduated from Columbia with a degree in public health, she’d just landed a job as executive director of the Maria de la Vega Community Health Clinic, focusing on the well-being of New York’s sex workers. It was a job she’d had her eye on for years, and she should have been celebrating.

Instead, there was nothing but drama: her older sister,

Summer is such an exciting time for the cinemas. Not only are the year’s best films released during this season, but the movie theater is the best place to sit back, relax, and beat the heat. I have two family-friendly flicks for you to catch this week: “Despicable Me 3” and “Spider-Man: Homecoming.”

After refusing to go back to a life of crime, the yellow cuddly minions desert their fearless leader, Gru (Steve Carrell). But, after losing his job and finding his long-lost twin brother, Dru (also Carrell), Gru is tempted to go back to his villainous ways.

“Despicable Me 3” is as cute and funny as its predecessors, “Despicable Me” (2010) and Despicable Me 2” (2013). There are so many random parts of the movie, but it all comes together for a wacky, whimsical animation.

The glue that holds this film series together is Gru.

Merecedes on…

Jenisse, was in town with her drug-dealing boyfriend and two teenage daughters.

Not that Jenisse did anything specific; just her being in town aggravated Tyesha.

It didn’t help that Tyesha’s friend, Lily, was having trouble, too: she was a dancer at the One-Eyed King, a club that was forcing its strippers to do things they didn’t want to do and one girl almost got hurt. Lily had learned that a Ukrainian mob was behind the new rules, and so she’d turned to the Clinic— and Tyesha—for help.

So much drama—and yet, it was just what Tyesha needed. Her life was uninspiring, but going to bat for the strippers was something she could totally get into.

She understood their plight: in another life, Tyesha had been a dancer/escort, too.

She had also helped run a little heist ring with her friend, Marisol, but that work was behind them both. Tyesha was respectable now; a professional with access to legal information who could help New York’s dancers form a union.

If only her love life was as clear as her work project.

Tyesha had dated rapper Thug Woofer for awhile, but he kept blowing every chance she gave him to get it right. Now Tinder wasn’t cutting it and one-night stands were no good. Really, could any man handle a relationship with a strong woman like her?

While I do have to say that it’s quite far-fetched, “The Boss” is so, in a good way.

Pure escapism is what author de León offers here with a story that actually has many separate plots—romance, family drama, a little espionage, and surprisingly righteous feminism—all of them appealing. Part of that appeal is with the character: de Leon’s Tyesha is smart but vulnerable and even though her story is over-the-top, she’s not. Real or imagined, every reader will be able to find a little of herself there, which makes this a doubly fun novel to enjoy. (“The Boss” by Aya De León, c.2017, Kensington Dafina, $9.95/352 pages.)

Movies

A PACKED HOUSE AT WAMO DAY 2017

WAMO DJS SOLO DOLO AND KODE WRED

To see videos of the performances at WAMO Day, go to newpittsburghcourier.com, search “Courier Videos!”

Carrell worked double-time in the third installment with the introduction of the new character. The audience gets twice the amount of clean comedy. Carrell is a comedic genius, and his success with “Despicable Me 3” only confirms his range and brilliance.

The film topped out this past weekend’s box office with an estimated $75.4 million, beating out “Baby Driver” and “The House.”

Before I attempt to dissect “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” here’s a disclaimer: While I am intrigued by Marvel movies, I am not a “Super Fan” and not knowledgeable of every single character and their background.

So, don’t kill the messenger!

Was this the beginning of a new Spider-Man series? Asking for a friend. Because if it was, Tom Holland did a compelling job as the new kid on the block. But, I thought it was oddly strange that we did not see more from the Avengers. If Spider-Man is actually coming home and struggling with saving the world, wouldn’t his superhero friends be more visible?

I have a lot of questions.

One of the reasons we love Marvel movies so much is the futuristic effects and advanced technology. In some scenes, “Spider-Man: Homecoming” failed miserably. The airplane scene was too much and not at the least bit realistic.

Typically, I find myself screaming, “Where’s the sistas at?” after a superhero flick. But this time, Marvel was on point with the Black Girl Magic. Zendaya, Garcelle Beauvais, and Laura Harrier were all allies of Spider-Man, while Donald Glover, Hannibal Burress, and Bokeem Woodbine also made significant appearances.

I see Marvel’s attempt to diversify their cast, and I appreciate it. More filmmakers need to take note.

“Spider-Man: Homecoming” is in theaters July 7.

LIFESTYLES New Pittsburgh Courier

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www.newpittsburghcourier.com

Debbie Norrell

Lifestyles Report ‘The Honorable’ About two weeks ago, Omarosa Manigault, the director of communications for the White House Office of Public Liaison, sent out an invite to the Congressional Black Caucus and signed her name, “The Honorable Omarosa Manigault.” Girl, are you crazy? What school did she go to? If she has come out of hiding I hope she has found a book of etiquette that explains when that title is used. According to Robert Hickey, author of “Honor and Respect: The official guide to names, titles and forms of address,” In the U.S. “the Honorable” is a courtesy title used with current and retired high-ranking federal and state officials and judges, and with some local officials. As a general rule, those appointed by the President of the United States (and approved by the U.S. Senate) and anyone elected to public office are entitled to be addressed as “the Honorable” for life. The Honorable is always used before a full name. As a courtesy title the Honorable describes an individual: This person is honorable. As such it never precedes the name of an office.

Honorable or Hon. are not used in direct address—on a letter or place card, or in a salutation or conversation —as honorifics like Mr., Mrs. Ms., Mayor, Ambassador, etc. If the guest of honor is the Honorable, and their name is being included on the invitation, the host can list their guest as the Honorable (Full Name) since the name is a reference to another person, not that person writing their own name. “Omarosa, do you understand?” And just for the record, the invite was declined by the Congressional Black Caucus.

This White House reality show is really getting to Omarosa. Normally the reality shows that Omarosa has appeared on have only lasted the length of a television season. She must think that this is a real job.

In my opinion this is just a long-playing reality show that unfortunately is affecting a lot of people. Just to give you a little background on Omarosa, she grew up in Youngstown, Ohio, in the Westlake Projects. When she was 7 years old her father was murdered. In 2011 her brother was shot dead in his own home. She has a B.A. in Radio/TV Broadcast Journalism from Central State University in Ohio and a M.A. in Mass Communication Studies from Howard University. She is also a minister. Do you remember her on “The Ultimate Merger” with mega church pastor Jamal Bryant as her spiritual advisor? You need to research this woman, she is a mess. Her bio includes: Fear Factor, The Surreal Life, Celebrity Poker, Battle of the Reality Stars and more. But she is in high cotton now working in the White House with her old boss. Several years ago Trump said of her, “Omarosa was a great personality on The Apprentice that was watched by over 40 million people as it became the No. 1 show on TV.” Donald says, “Omarosa is smart, witty and difficult, but all of those qualities will make for some very interesting entertainment.”

Stick a fork in me. I’m done.

(Email Debbie at debbienorrell@aol.com)

MEMBERS OF KSEF—Aaron Coleman, Mike Philips, Thomas Motley, Howard Russell and Eric Cofield. (Photos by Debbie Norrell)

KSEF Celebrates 27 Years of Giving

by Debbie Norrell Lifestyles Editor

On June 3 at the LeMont Restaurant, the Kappa Scholarship Endowment Fund (KSEF) held their 27th Annual High School Scholarship Luncheon. With Eric Cofield as luncheon chair and CAPA High School students providing the soundtrack, over $400,000 in financial awards were granted to some very talented students.

The 2017 Scholarship Recipients included: Liza Wilson—KSEF/UPMC Award, Noah E. Washington—KSEF/Highmark—Aaron Walton Award, Jordan E. Scott—KSEF Award, Peggy N. Phillip—KSEF Award, Mikelle C. Miles—Robert Morris Award, Amanda Talbot—Penn State Award,

MEMBERS OF KSEF—Ted Duncan, Aaron Walton, Michael Thomas and Thomas Motley

POLEMARCH ELECT PITTSBURGH ALUMNI CHAPTER—Robert Powell

Makenzie Wright —Penn State Award and Dax R. Craig Jr. receiving the KSEF Thomas Motley Award named after KSEF founder Thomas Motley.

This year three scholarships were awarded for Community College of Allegheny County.

The recipients were: Matthew Adams, Dennis Holmes Jr. and Diamond Regan, all are graduates of Westinghouse High School.

A full house enjoyed a great lunch and the energy of keynote speaker Brian Burley. Burley is

SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS—Dax Craig Jr., Makenzie Wright, Mi- KEYNOTE kelle Miles and Amanda Talbot Burley

the CEO of Burley & Company Enterprises, named a 2015 BMe Community Leader for the work he is diligently doing within Pittsburgh to promote more positive imagery to Black Pittsburgh’s future generations.

Howard Russell, KSEF Board Chair, says each year they spend significant time conducting face-to-face interviews with the students who were the finalists and many other candidates.

“I can tell you that based on our interactions with these young college-bound students I rest

much easier knowing that our future resides in their hands.”

KSEF is also busy developing young men through their Guide Right Leadership and Development Program. This is an academic and personal development program for male students in ninth through twelfth grade.

The program reaches out to young African American males in the community as a means of developing future leaders of tomorrow. Applications for 2018 scholarships will be available Sept. 1.

SPEAKER—Brian SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS—Dennis Holmes Jr., Diamond Regan, Matthews Adams

SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS—Peggy Phillip, Jordan Scott and Liza MEMBERS OF GUIDE RIGHT—Kaleb Jefferson, Javon Clark, Jordan Jiles, Williams Haden, Alphanso Wilson Warren and Markel Holt

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PEOPLE

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

Willie Stargell MVP Awards still a Home Run

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

PEOPLE

JULY 5-11, 2017

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The 43rd Annual ‘Pops’ Stargell MVP Awards Savoy Restaurant May 31, 2017 – Photos by J.L. Martello

‘Pops’ Stargell’s legacy lives on through others

by Bill Neal For New Pittsburgh Courier

Due to the breakneck speed that we often move at, it’s easy to forget why we do what we do. When we talk about the memory of Willie Stargell and the MVP Awards, aka “Night of the Champions,” be reminded of this. Stargell was the 1979 MVP, 1979 National League Championship Series MVP, 1979 World Series MVP, 1978 Comeback Player of the Year…475 career home runs, two-time World Series Champion, voted Top 100 Greatest Players of all-time, and trust me, this list could go on for another 10 pages.

As for the other namesake recognized on this May 31 evening, the star status continued. The legendary Connie Hawkins…“The Hawk,” New York schoolyard legend, NBA Hall of Famer, ABA Championship winner, ABA MVP (with the Pittsburgh Pipers, Pittsburgh’s first-ever championship), celebrated Harlem Globetrotter, first- round NBA draft pick with the Phoenix Suns, nine-time NBA All-Star, and recognized as one of the 50 Greatest Players of all-time.

I’ll name all the awardees and inductees in a moment, but first, this fabulous evening at the Savoy Restaurant began with words from keynote speaker Judge Dwayne Woodruff. That was followed by the introduction of the Mistress of Ceremonies, noted actress Rita Gregory. Award presenters and models were Kathy and Priscilla, and special guest legends

were Ricky Coleman and BB Flenory.

During the event, we honored veteran members of game officials and referees, and all of the groundbreaking and historic contributions of African Americans in that field.

We also saluted officials in the public sector who’ve had a major impact in Pittsburgh.

Let me personally congratulate all of our 2017 Willie “Pops” Stargell MVP Award winners, along with Connie Hawkins Summer Basketball League Hall of Fame Inductions.

Pittsburgh Urban Officials: Ray Morton, Greg Smith, Paul Dorsey, Rich Alsberry, and Dan Robinson and MVP Awardees —Chelsa Wagner, Mayor William Peduto, Richard Stewart, Emmitt Miles, Stephanie Turman, James Conner, Dr. Bonnie Tatar, Dr. Regina Holley, and Margo Hinton.

Connie Hawkins Hall of Fame Inductees: Hosea Champine, Kevin Price, John “Ringo” Saunders, Dave Burris, Shawn Harvey, Corey Gadson, Eric Carter, Joe Barlow, Vince Lackner, Kenny Lewis, Brian Carroll, and Rico Appendanza.

Special thanks goes out to Chuck Sanders Charities, Highmark, UPMC, Frank Fuhrer Wholesale Co., County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, B-Pep, DA Stephen Zappala and most importantly, the Pittsburgh Pirates, who have graciously supported the event for 43 years.

Last and certainly not least…Thanks Pops, we are still Fam-i-lee!!!

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PEOPLE

JULY 5-11, 2017

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

They’re our future—McAuley Ministries’ ‘Generation NEXT’ For the past two years, McAuley Ministries, the grant-making foundation of Pittsburgh Mercy, sponsored “Generation NEXT,” a se-

ries of articles highlighting area youth, featured in the New Pittsburgh Courier.

On June 6 at Carlow University, the foun-

dation held its “Celebrating Youth Changemakers” event, which brought together many of the youth that were featured in the

ROSS TEDDER, WITH FAMILY

JORDAN SCOTT AND JORDAN BLACKWELL

articles.

Courier photographer J.L. Martello captured the event in pictures.

JASMINE JONES, WITH FATHER, MELVIN

CIARA SING AND JASMINE JONES

ROSS TEDDER AND AYDEN HARBIN

Thomas, Baker among new McAuley Board of Directors

SISTER KATHLEEN McGRADY, SC

SEAN D. THOMAS is a student success coach at CCAC. He earned his Master of Education degree in student affairs and higher education from Slippery Rock University. “Growing up in the community, I have had the privilege of participating in the School2Career program, which was funded by McAuley Ministries,” Thomas told the New Pittsburgh Courier. “It is truly an honor for me to now have the opportunity to sit on the McAuley Ministries Board.”

TIA L. BAKER is CEO of Crown Cut Concierge, and COO of Cupcakes Most Wanted. “As a Hill District resident, I have strong ties and a distinct love for my community,” Baker told the New Pittsburgh Courier. “I feel it’s a duty, honor, and privilege to serve on McAuley Ministries Board of Directors. It is with great humility that I proudly give back to the community which has supported me, both professionally and personally.”

SISTER RITA HARASIUK, RSM

SISTER BONNIE HEH, RSM

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

Church Circuit NEW ZION DEACONESS DAY

JULY 9 – New Zion Baptist Church, 1434 Juniata St., North Side, invites you to the Deaconess Annual Day, at 3:30 p.m at the Church.

Guest Preacher will be Rev. Lucas Boxley, pastor of Christian Light House Church. For more information, call 412322-3838.

RELIGION

JULY 5-11, 2017

Odessa Fowler,

the life of the party

ST. BENEDICT THE MOOR CATHOLIC CHURCH Crawford & Centre Ave. Pgh., PA 15219 412-281-3141 Mass Sunday 9:00 A.M. & 11:00 A.M. Sunday (Gospel Choir Mass) 11:00 A.M. www.stbtmchurch.org

22 Sampsonia Street, Northside Pittsburgh, PA 15212 412-231-2554 FAX 412-231-6395 Rev. Lacy F. Richardson, Ph.D., Pastor

JULY 9 – The Triedstone Baptist Church of Rankin cordially invites all to their 71st Church Anniversary, at 11 a.m. at the Church, 18 Harriet Street. Guest preacher will be Rev. Michael Rhue, pastor of Good Samaritan Baptist Church. Afternoon worship service begins at 3 p.m. with Rev. James D. Burwell of Clark Memorial Baptist, Homestead, as guest preacher. For more information, call 412-271-3000.

Church School.................................9:30 A.M. Worship Service.................8:00 & 10:45 A.M. Bible Study/ Prayer Wednesday...................6:30/7:30 P.M. www.metropolitanbaptistchurch.com metropolitanbaptist2224@gmail.com

East Liberty Presbyterian Church Rev. Dr. Randy Bush, Senior Pastor 412-441-3800 116 S. Highland Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15206

NEW ZION VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL

www.cathedralofhope.com

Summer Worship.........10 a.m.

ODESSA FOWLER, seated in the front, third from right, surrounded by family at Fowler’s 100th birthday celebration, June 25.

New Destiny CME Church 1018 Bidwell St. Pittsburgh, PA 15233 412-231-7882 Rev. Kornelus Neal, pastor The Rt. Rev. Marvin Thomas Sr., presiding bishop

BAPTIST TEMPLE GOSPEL VOCAL QUEST

JULY 15 - Baptist Temple Church, 7241 Race Street in Homewood, is pleased to announce its 2017 Gospel Vocal Quest, a gospel singing and rap competition. The event will be held at 3 p.m. at the Carnegie Library, Homewood Branch, 7101 Hamilton Ave. Donations are $15 for adults and $7.50 for youth 18 and under. No charge for children 2 and under. For more information, call 412-2411624, or visit www.eventbrite. com/e/2017-Gospel-VocalQuest-tickets to purchase tickets.

Praise & Worship

METROPOLITAN BAPTIST CHURCH

TRIEDSTONE RANKIN ANNIVERSARY

JULY 10-14—New Zion Baptist Church is holding Vacation Bible School for ages 3 to adult from 6 to 7:30 p.m. each weekday. There will be good fellowship, snacks, and fun, fun, fun! New Zion is located at 1434 Juaniata St., North Side. For more information, call 412-322-3838.

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Sunday School....................................9 A.M. Morning Worship Service............11:00 A.M.

To have your church included in the Praise & Worship section, contact Ashley Johnson at 412-481-8302 ext. 128 for rates.

THE BIG 100—Odessa Fowler celebrated her 100th birthday with a huge celebration at the Grayson Center in the Hill District, June 25.

Fowler was born June 28, 1917. (Photos by J.L. Martello)

Join our growing Praise and Worship Church Community!

For rate information, call 412481-8302, ext.

128.

INEZ THOMAS (BREWER) MIMMS

“A Centenarian,” 100 years old, and long-time Pittsburgh resident, passed away May 4, 2017 in Hardeeville, South Carolina. Inez was born September 2, 1916 in Dallas County, Alabama and at age 2, her family moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Inez attended the Wilkinsburg Public Schools, graduated from Turtle Creek Union High School in Turtle Creek, PA and received a Licensed Practical Nurse Degree from Passavant Hospital’s School of Nursing in 1960. Her nursing career included working at Montefiore Hospital and VA Hospital in Pittsburgh where she retired from in 1979. In 1938, Inez met and married the late Henry Brewer, Jr. To this union two daughters were born, Sandy and Arline. In 1955, she married George Mimms, who preceded her in death.

She was a member of Homewood AME Zion Church in Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Harriet Tubman Guild until 2000 when she joined her daughter, Sandy, in Chicago, IL. In 2009, she joined her daughter, Arline in Hardeeville, SC. Inez was a lover of nature and studied butter ies, owers and birds.

She enjoyed crocheting, knitting, needlepoint and gardening.

Reading poetry and mystery novels were a favorite past time, too. Her memory will be cherished by her daughter, Sandra Harris; 4 grandchildren, 5 great grandchildren, 6 great great grandchildren, one sister, Eunice “Honey” Snowden, a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. Her daughter, Arline Farris, two brothers, Clarence and John Thomas; and two sisters, Mary Alice Snowden and LaVerne Jackson preceded her in death. Memorial Services will be held on Saturday, July 15, 2017, 1 P.M., Trolley Station Oral History Center at The Greater Pittsburgh Coliseum, 7310 Frankstown Ave., Pittsburgh, PA. Family visitation and reception immediately following service at The Coliseum.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR NEXT CHURCH EVENT! We want to place your event in our Church Circuit weekly calendar!

Send info to: New Pittsburgh Courier 315 E. Carson St. Pittsburgh PA 15219 Or Email us! religion@ newpittsburgh courier.com

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JULY 5-11, 2017

METRO

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

Geri Allen, a ‘powerful force’ in Jazz, dies at age 60 ALLEN FROM A1

to graduate from Howard University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Jazz studies. It was at Howard where she began to embrace music from all cultures and it greatly influenced her work.

She met Davis through one of her instructors who had studied under him. After graduation from Howard, and while studying under Kenny Barron in New York City, Davis encouraged her to attend Pitt. She followed Davis’ advice and earned her Master’s degree in Ethnomusicology in 1982.

Davis remembers Allen as a relentless student who immersed herself in music. “I remember one night I played in the city and around midnight I saw her walking down the street; she’d lock herself in (a rehearsal studio) and practiced into the wee hours. I insisted she get in my car so I could take her home— it wasn’t safe for her to be out alone at night.”

Kenneth Powell, adjunct saxophone instructor at Pitt, was in the same program with Allen. “We performed together in a group called The Sounds of Togetherness,” he recalled.

“Upon her graduation, Geri very quickly developed and substantially, becoming an innovative and influential force in the mainstream and post-modern jazz genres.”

Allen was ever mindful of the trailblazers who left signs along the path for her GERI ALLEN, middle, with Margie Burley, left, and Geri Garnett, right. Burley and Garnett are the suviving sisters of renowned Jazz legend to follow. “Flying Toward Mary Lou Williams. (Photo credit, Nelson Harrison) the Sound” (a solo piano

suite in eight refractions) is an original composition inspired by three great pianists—Herbie Hancock, Cecil Taylor and McCoy Tyner, after Allen received a 2008 John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship for Music Composition.

“I would like to think the creative process was more about refracting the admiration and love I have for them through my own muse, and allowing the music to reflect the ways they’ve enriched my journey through the years,” Allen said at the time.

That journey included a 2012 fundraiser concert for the Hill House featuring trio compatriots Terry Lynne Carrington and Esperanza Spaulding (ACS) in the new Elsie Hillman Auditorium.

When she assumed leadership of Pitt’s Jazz studies, Allen hit the ground running. She curated the 2013 Jazz Seminar & Concert bringing vocalist Carmen Lundy and tap dancer Brinae Ali. Allen revamped the program with additional faculty and outstanding staff and students, according to Deane Root, professor and department chair. “Geri also quickly took a role across campus in many capacities, including diversity initiatives, the Year of the Humanities, outreach programs, the development of resources and archives, and collaboration with other institutions,” Root said.

In March 2014, she conducted a cyber-symposium on Mary Lou Williams with participants in five locations simultaneously across the country. That same year, she helped found the All-Female Jazz Residency, a summer program at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center for young Jazz musicians in their teens and twenties.

“Geri has done much to elucidate the legacy of Mary Lou Williams both as a performer and clinician,” said Dr. Nelson Harrison of the Pittsburgh Jazz Network. “She was music director of the Mary Lou Collective. She also played the role of Mary Lou Williams in the 1996 Robert Altman film ‘Jazz 34: Kansas City.’

Unique to this film was the fact that the musicians were actually playing.”

“Geri was very pro-active in honoring the great Pittsburgh jazz piano tradition,” Harrison told the New Pittsburgh Courier. “She told me how honored she felt to have the opportunity to play a tribute at Billy Strayhorn’s Centennial concert on the same stage that he played when he was a student at Westinghouse High School. She recently spoke with Ahmad Jamal about honoring him at the 2017 Pitt Jazz Seminar to be held in November.”

Allen was co-producer of the recently-released 3-CD set “The Complete Concert

By The Sea,” an expanded version of the best-known album by Pittsburgh Jazz great Erroll Garner, which was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Historical Album last year. Allen also helped to secure the donation of the Erroll Garner Archive for the University Library System.

“She embedded her presence in the Pittsburgh Jazz community in the very short time she was with us and will be remembered by all who were fortunate to have known her is one way or another from students, colleagues and community,” said Harrison.

“When you look back at women in Jazz,” said Powell, “she’s going to be among the greatest ever. The synergy of her creativity and technical proficiency made her a powerful force that will be acknowledged for years to come.”

(Geri Allen’s visitation will take place on Friday, July 7 from 6 to 8 p.m. and the funeral is scheduled for Saturday, July 8, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Bethany Baptist Church, 275 W. Market St., Newark, New Jersey. Afterwards, attendees are invited to a repast in the lobby of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, 1 Center St., Newark.)

BUSINESS New Pittsburgh Courier

I know why

the Caged Virgin sings Forum B4

JULY 5-11, 2017

www.newpittsburghcourier.com

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Find what you need from jobs to cars to housing B5-B6

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African American Chamber hires COO The African American Chamber of Commerce of Western Pennsylvania has announced the hiring of marketing executive Keeshia Muhammad as Chief Operating Officer.

This is a new position within the Chamber and Muhammad will report directly to President and Chief Executive Officer Doris Carson Williams.

“We look forward with much anticipation to Keeshia joining our team,” said board Chir Samuel Stephenson. “I expect her background as a product leader and marketing professional will strengthen

our outreach to the Chamber’s membership and our partners throughout the region. Keeshia is a senior marketing professional with a proven track record of successfully commercializing products, and creating and implementing strategic marketing plans.”

According to a chamber press release, effective July 6, Muhammad will assume responsibility for marketing, operations, and developing programs with non-profit member organizations as part of her new role.

Additionally, she will be updating the

Chamber’s operating policies, and developing and maintaining a sound plan of organization. A former executive in the pharmaceutical industry, Muhammad has experience in brand maximization strategies, as well as in the areas of marketing and therapeutics. She also serves as an industry consultant on respiratory and women’s health issues.

Originally from from Central New Jersey. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the College William and Mary and is currently a Washington County resident.

KEESHIA MUHAMMAD

RCI , Urban Innovation21 invests in North Side entrepreneurs

by Diane I. Daniels For New Pittsburgh Courier

Black marks fall off credit reports in July

by Liz Weston For New Pittsburgh Courier

Starting July 1, the credit scores of up to 14 million people could begin to rise as credit reports are scrubbed of nearly all civil judgments and many tax liens.

Consumer advocates hail the data’s deletion as a long-overdue victory for people whose scores were unfairly dinged by inaccurate information. Others worry the changes could inflate the scores of risky borrowers and have a catastrophic impact on lenders.

People shouldn’t expect an immediate jump in their scores, however.

On July 1, the three major credit bureaus—Experian, Equifax and TransUnion—will exclude new records of civil judgments and tax liens that don’t have minimum identifying information including Social Security numbers or dates of birth as well as any record of judgments or liens that hasn’t been updated within 90 days. The bureaus also will begin to remove old records of judgments and liens that don’t meet the enhanced standards, a process that’s expected to take several weeks, says Francis Creighton, president and CEO of the Consumer Data Industry Association, a trade group that represents the bureaus.

Credit scoring company FICO estimates that 6 to 7 percent of people who have FICO scores will have a tax lien or civil judgment purged from their records. Tax liens stem from unpaid state or federal tax bills, while civil judgments are court rulings from lawsuits filed over old debts, unpaid child support, evictions and other noncriminal matters. Judgments and liens show up in the public records section of credit reports and can seriously damage credit scores.

DOES A JUDGMENT OR LIEN MAKE YOU MORE OF A RISK? The credit bureaus aren’t being forced to delete this information. They’re doing it voluntarily, in large part because these public records weren’t properly verified or updated, generating many consumer complaints and disputes.

The credit bureaus might have found a way to keep the SEE CREDIT B2

Nine years ago, Alichia Parker proclaimed that she would one day own and operate an educational center. In 2007, she established A PAR Educational, LLC with the mission to inspire and promote learning throughout the world, the belief being that the organization could make a positive difference and impact children’s lives by providing quality services and resources. Four years later, she opened Malaika Learning Center, where she has serviced over 100 youth.

Recently, her dream became closer to reality as she and six other local businesses were winners of the first Northside Inclusive Innovation Business Grant Competition administered by the Riverside Center for Innovation and Urban Innovation21. Parker, one of three recipients of a $10,000 grant, plans to utilize the funds to expand programming to provide adult training services focused on job readiness, computer literacy and communication skills.

“I am so excited,” said Parker, remembering her prediction made during a 2008 New Pittsburgh Courier interview while fulfilling an internship requirement and pursuing her Master’s degree in Education from the University of Pittsburgh at age 25.

“Innovation means many things,” said William Generett, president and CEO of Innovation21, mentioning that he was blown away by the winners of the competition with their amazing ideas. Roxanne Easley Wallace, owner of Roxanne’s Catering LLC and Verna

Arnold, owner of Arnold’s Tea, were the other two $10,000 recipients.

The three winners were in the existing business category. Easley Wallace, operating since 2006, has plans to utilize her award funds to move her catering operations to the North Side and to secure a vehicle for deliveries.

Located in the historic Deutschtown neighborhood of the North Side for the past three years, Arnold’s Tea has grown to be one of the top “coffee houses” in Pittsburgh, serving over 80 varieties of loose leaf tea.

S h e plans to u t i l i z e READY TO CONTINUE TO EDUCATE—Alichia Parker, owner of Malaika Learning Center, the funds is one of the three $10,000 grant recipients of the first Northside Inclusive Innovation to expand Business Grant Competition. (Photo by Diane I. Daniels) seating to accommodate more cus- to boost their marketing to lized to finance equipment attract new clientele. Resus and offset employee traintomers.

Marcus Jeter, CEO of Re- Technologies is a graduate ing costs. The 9-month-old business was recently feasus Technologies, James of Alpha Lab incubator.

A recipient of a business tured at Pittsburgh’s Light Morris, owner of Morris Tires, Jordan Robarge, grant from OVR to pur- Up Night.

Established last year, The owner of Revival Chili and chase equipment and make Jo Ana Vaz, owner and op- renovations to his business, PIT Shop LLC is a busierator of PIT Shop LLC, Morris plans to utilize the ness-to-business company were recipients of the Northside Inclusive In- that provides healthy snack novation Business Grant options and fruit delivery $5,000 grants.

In operation since June funding to invest in mar- services to Pittsburgh-area 2016, Resus Technologies keting and branding for his businesses. Vaz, who has expanded by six new cliis developing a MyStylist year-old establishment.

Funds granted to Revival ents since the beginning of app and website that will allow customers to submit Chili, a social venture that the year, will use the funds a hair appointment request aims to hire and entrepre- to secure a mini-warehouse to an affiliated stylist, who neurially train ex-offenders and to finance an online then meets the customer in a tiny house-style food marketing campaign. at their desired location. truck selling Robarge’s acSEE RCI B2 Jeter plans to use the funds claimed chili, will be uti-

Begin teaching kids money management skills early

by Alex Veiga AP Business Writer

A part-time summer job can teach teens the value of earning a paycheck, but not necessarily how to manage their money wisely.

That’s a job parents should take on, and the earlier the better, experts say. Teaching teens the basics of saving, following a budget and the principles behind responsibly managing checking and credit accounts can instill healthy financial habits that will serve them well as adults.

But many U.S. teens aren’t being taught these skills, according to a report released last month by the Programme for International Student Assessment. The organization, which evaluated financial literacy among thousands of 15-year-olds in 14 countries, concluded that one in five American teens lack basic-level skills, more than in Russia, China or Poland.

“Financial literacy is a key component to understanding general money management and credit basics, but a majority of American teens are not financially literate,” said Heather Battison, vice president at credit reporting company TransUnion.

“This is why it’s imperative for parents to have conversations with their teens about money in order to start a good foundation for financial literacy and help prepare teens for financial independence.”

Here are some ways parents can begin teaching their children money manage-

ment skills, even from a very young age: START EARLY Teaching kids good financial habits can begin when children are around 5 years old, or when they typically begin asking for an allowance, according to a guide for

parents published by the National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE), a nonprofit focused on financial literacy.

Parents can expect their child to spend their allowance all at once, but should use that as an opportunity to discuss how to

treat the next week’s allowance, for example.

“There are many things at actually quite a young age that children will understand,” said Ted Beck, the NEFE’s president and CEO. As children hit their preteen years, NEFE’s guide also suggests parents explain how budgets work, as well as the basic principles of investing. The lesson could include playing at being an investor by identifying a company their child knows and encourage them to track the stock’s gains or losses.

FOCUS ON SAVINGS Encourage kids to set aside money they get for doing chores or presents in their own savings account. This will help show them the importance of saving up for a big purchase, and how bank savings accounts work.

“Putting some money away reinforces that they have to make decisions and be responsible,” Beck said.

When a child is between 5 and 10 years old, it’s an ideal time to take them to set them up with a savings account, which can help them learn the value of saving and compounding interest, even at today’s low interest rates.

Many banks offer savings accounts tailored for young children as well as teens.

Ally Bank has an online savings account that doesn’t have a minimum balance requirement and currently offers a 1.05 SEE KIDS B2

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BUSINESS

JULY 5-11, 2017

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

RCI , Urban Innovation21 invests in North Side entrepreneurs

RCI FROM B1

Funding for the $50,000 in grants was made possible by a major grant from the BNY Mellon Foundation of Southwestern Pennsylvania and support from Urban Innovation21, Comcast Business, Buhl Foundation and Alloy26 emerging from the One Northside planning effort.

The Northside Inclusive Innovation Business Grant Competition is the latest in a series of initiatives designed to drive inclusive innovation and accelerate entrepreneurship on the North Side by the Buhl Foundation, Faros Properties, Comcast and Urban Innovation21.

Twenty-five entrepreneurs and business owners submitted business plan proposals in the competition and attended a A HAPPY CREW—Recipients of the Northside Inclusive Innovation Business Grant Competition share their success. (Photo by Diane I. Daniels) four-week workshop series that included coaching working with the winners Entrepreneur in Residence and access swell, president of the BNY Mellon Founand one-on-one support at in the future, along with to pro bono legal support from Reed dation for Southwestern Pennsylvania. the Riverside Center for the other 18 participating Smith, while Faros Properties, owner “We’re excited to see our grant support Innovation. business owners, to realize of Nova Place, will provide up to 20 help take their business plans to the next “RCI was honored to be their dreams.” seats in its Alloy26 co-working space level.” a part of this very exciting Urban Innovation21 free for one year. program for (the) North will provide each of the “The businessmen and women who took Side,” said Juan Garrett, grant winners with a part in this competition have inspiring BUSINESS CALENDAR executive director of the suite of services, includ- ideas that are already benefiting the RCI. “We look forward to ing coaching from its North Side community,” said Kenya Bo-

Begin teaching kids money management skills early KIDS FROM B1

percent annual percentage yield. Capital One Financial offers a savings account for kids with no fees or minimum balance and currently offers a 0.75 percent annual percentage yield.

SHARE YOUR OWN FINANCIAL MISSTEPS Parents should be open to discussing their own financial mistakes with their kids, as long as the concepts in the lesson would be something their children are old enough to understand, Beck said.

“It’s OK to show you’ve made some mistakes and what you learned, but do it as a discussion, not a lecture,” he said.

ENCOURAGE CAREFUL CREDIT USE Kids under 18 are not allowed to open a credit card account on their own. Use of prepaid gift cards in high school can help establish good credit use habits.

Parents with kids going away to college may want to add the student to their card to cover books or emergency expenses. A shared card account also can help parents keep tabs on their kids’ spending and payment habits.

Either way, parents should make sure their teen knows that credit cards are loans and that there is a cost to not paying off balances right away.

“Explain to them the importance of responsible credit management like paying bills on time and using a small portion of their available credit to maintain a low credit utilization,” Battison said. “We hear from consumers often that have low credit scores because of some misstep that they made when they were younger.”

Consumer confidence rises in June

by Josh Boak AP Economics Writer

WASHINGTON (AP)— U.S. consumers became more confident in June —with more Americans pleased by current conditions but slightly less hopeful about what the next six months hold.

The Conference Board, a business research group, said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index rose to 118.9 this month from 117.6 in May. The gains suggest that many Americans expect the economy to keep expanding, al-

though the pace of growth is unlikely to accelerate much.

More consumers described current business conditions as “good’’ and jobs as “plentiful.’’ The upbeat results may reflect the robust 4.3 percent unemployment rate. But fewer of them expect business conditions to improve over the next six months relative to the survey results in May. Economists closely monitor the mood of consumers because their spending makes up about 70 percent of U.S. economic activity. Measures of consumer

sentiment began to climb after Donald Trump was elected president in November, but the stronger confidence hasn’t led to dramatically higher spending so far.

Andrew Hunter, U.S. economist at Capital Economics, said that consumer confidence is at a “very healthy level’’ but it’s “beginning to look a little suspect’’ given other indicators.

Retail sales in May fell by the most in 16 months, as spending at gasoline stations, department stores and electronics stores declined. The growth rate in spending at restaurants and bars has declined in recent months as well.

Weaker consumer spending early this year is a key reason why the economy expanded at only a lackluster 1.2 percent annual pace from January through March.

Black marks fall off credit reports CREDIT FROM B1

records if the data were overwhelmingly valuable to lenders, their primary customers. But that doesn’t seem to be the case.

The credit bureaus, creditor scorers FICO and VantageScore Solutions and mortgage buyer Fannie Mae have all said that removing the data will have at most a minor impact on lenders’ ability to predict risk.

Almost all—92 percent— of people who have liens or judgments in their credit reports have other negative information in their files, says Ethan Dornhelm, FICO’s vice president for scores and analytics. That’s why independent studies

by FICO and VantageScore Solutions found that scores went up an average of just 10 points when liens and judgments were removed.

A much smaller group of people—about 1 million of the 200 million people with FICO scores—whose credit reports are otherwise clean

could see their scores rise more.

Not all players think the change is benign. A representative of LexisNexis Risk Solutions says the outcome could be “catastrophic.” The company is marketing reports with the deleted public records data to lenders.

The data and analytics provider found that people with judgments and tax liens on their credit reports are more than five times as likely to default on a mortgage as people without those records, says Tim Coyle, senior director for real estate and mortgage at LexisNexis Risk Solutions.

Why did FICO and VantageScore Solutions reach a different conclusion?

LexisNexis compared people with negative public records to those without.

The credit scoring companies used databases stripped of the questionable records, then calculated scores based on the information that remained.

WILL LENDERS MOVE THE GOAL POSTS? It’s an open question how many of the affected folks will look more

creditworthy than they actually are and how many are actually good credit risks who were victimized by erroneous data.

Lenders will find out by monitoring default rates and they will adjust their lending criteria accordingly, says Jeff Richardson, a VantageScore Solutions spokesman.

That could mean raising cutoff limits for acceptable scores—which means in turn that those who see their scores improve only modestly could find the loans they want still out of reach.

Lenders’ ability to course correct varies. Credit card lenders, for example, can quickly ratchet down credit limits, raise interest rates on new balances or accept fewer applicants. Mortgage lenders, by contrast, make much larger loans that can take months or years to start going bad in significant numbers.

So it’s understandable that mortgage lenders may be a little twitchy about the change—and why Fannie Mae sent a letter urging them not to be. The mortgage buyer promised “lenders can continue to have full confidence” in its approval decisions—but it also said it will continue to monitor the situation.

That is what consumers should do as well. Knowing what your scores are, and taking actions to keep them as high as possible, is an important part of managing your finances skillfully in the 21st century.

(This column was provided to The Associated Press by the personal finance website NerdWallet.)

(Liz Weston is a certified financial planner and columnist at NerdWallet and author of “Your Credit Score.” Email: lweston@nerdwallet.com.

Twitter: (at)lizweston.)

Business Data Security Conference

JULY 13—Data Connectors will host its Pittsburgh Tech Security Conference, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Pittsburgh Marriott City Center, 112 Washington Place. Designed to showcase the broad spectrum of new and emerging information security products and services to solve business’s complex IT security challenges, the event will include educational speaker sessions, industry experts, networking opportunities, and more than 30 vendor exhibits. Cost is %50 and includes a full lunch. For more information visit http://www.DataConnectors.com.

Duquesne Training Event

JULY 18—The Duquesne University Small Business Center will host First Step: Business Start-up Essentials, 9:30 a.m. to12:30 p.m. in Rockwell Hall, rm. 108, 600 Forbes Ave., Uptown. Topics covered include: Business Structure and Formation; Fictitious Name Registration; Employee Issues; Insurance Government; Procurement; Environmental Concerns; Financing Options; Taxation, and Major Components of the Business Plan. Cost: $25. For more information, call 412396-6233.

Duquesne Export Basics

AUG. 3—The Duquesne University Small Business Center will host Export Basics, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., in 108 Rockwell Hall, 600 Forbes Ave., Uptown. Topics include: Recognizing export opportunities; Shipping & payment; Legal & regulatory aspect of exporting; Sources for information & assistance, and cultural issues. Fee: $49. For more information, call 412396-6233.

Chatham Business Workshop

AUG. 12—The Chatham’s Women Business Center in partnership with SCORE Pittsburgh present a Build Your Business Workshop to entrepreneurs interested in starting or expanding their business. From 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Eastside campus, 6585 Penn Ave. Business experts and seasoned entrepreneurs will discuss the following topics: business planning, marketing and sales, financing, legal issues and business lessons learned. A continental breakfast will be provided. Fee $10. For more information, contact Anne Flynn Schlicht at 412365-1153.

Chatham Training Program

AUG. 16—The Chatham’s Women Business Center presents a six-week “Concept to Launch” training course, on six consecutive Wednesdays from AUG. 16-SEPT. 13, at the Eastside campus, 6585 Penn Ave. The program, designed for women in the early stages of starting a business, will focus on: developing a business concept; industry and market research; identifying target customers; pricing and marketing strategies; startup financials; legal business entities, and pitching the business. Cost $95, with 50-percent, need-based scholarships made available by Bridgeway Capital. For more information and to register, call Anne Flynn Schlicht at 412-3651153.

OPINION

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

JULY 5-11, 2017

B3

25 Blacks shot in Little Rock, but little news coverage

Guest Editorial

Democrats have reasons for concern Despite spending a record amount of money, Democrats loss a Georgia special House race that some hoped would be a referendum on President Donald Trump and bolster opposition against Republican efforts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act. Instead of winning or losing by what many believed would be a razor-thin margin, Republican Karen Handel beat Democrat Jon Ossoff by a relativity comfortable 4 percentage points.

Democrats also lost in Montana where the Republican candidates won even after assault charges against him and also suffered losses in Kansas and South Carolina.

The losses are causing some Democrats to do necessary soul-searching and others to do unhelpful finger-pointing.

But the losses should be taken in perspective. The Democrats were defeated in heavily Republican districts. In the Georgia special House race, the suburban Atlanta district was previously held by Health and Human Service Secretary Tom Price. It also did not help that the Democratic candidate ran an overly careful campaign and did not actually live in the district.

Still when Democrats lose four special House elections in a row there is cause for concern.

Republicans control the White House, and House of Representatives and the Senate. Republicans also control most of the state legislative chambers, and most state governorships.

The only way for Democrats to become more politically relevant is for them to win seats now held

by Republicans.

The Democrats have to translate an energized base into some electoral wins. Coming close will not be good enough.

Some are insisting that Democrats must draw brighter contrasts with Republicans if they plan to regain control of the House in the 2018 midterm elections. Democrats will need to pick up 24 House seats to take back the majority.

“Defeating Republicans in districts that they have traditionally held requires doing something drastically different than establishment Democrats have done before—specifically, running on a bold progressive vision and investing heavily in direct voter contact,” said Jim Dean, chair of Democracy for America.

The outcome “better be a wake-up call for Democrats—business as usual isn’t working,” Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., said over Twitter. “Time to stop rehashing 2016 and talk about the future.”

Even though Trump’s approval ratings are historically low, Republicans have yet to achieve retaking any previously Republican held seats.

Democrats are clearly doing something wrong. In the weeks and months ahead, they must find what is and fix it.

(Reprinted from The Philadelphia Tribune)

Founded 1910

Rod Doss Editor & Publisher Stephan A. Broadus Assistant to the Publisher Allison Palm

Rob Taylor Jr.

Jeff Marion

Office Manager

Managing Editor

Circulation Consultant

John. H. Sengstacke

Editor & Publisher Emeritus (1912-1997)

When sitting down to write this column, I had a number of issues to write about: Bill Cosby, which I plan to do something on in the near future, President Trump Tweets and the media stupidity, the failure of the Republicans to create a Healthcare Plan that can pass a Republican-majority Senate. But I chose the issue most important to Blacks…25 Black Americans shot in a nightclub in the United States and it wasn’t the top news on any of the cable news networks.

If 25 people had been shot by terrorists it would have been the top “breaking news” story of the day and the weekend.

It was covered, but unlike the terrorist attacks in other countries, it was just a news story. No panelists, no special guests, it was not the main topic on MSNBC, FOX News, or CNN. For those of you that did not hear about it, I’m talking about the 25 Black people shot and three or more injured in a Black-on-Black gang shootout not in Chicago, New York City, Los Angeles or even Atlanta… but Little Rock, Arkansas. A gang fight in a nightclub loaded with people. Who would pull their guns and start shooting in a crowded bar of innocent people? Only a fool, and there were quite a few fools.

Most people are speculating that it was between Memphis, Tenn., gangs and Little Rock, Ark., gangs. You see, one can stand in parts of Memphis and look out over the river and see one bridge that goes to Arkansas, one to Mississippi, and one to Tennessee. The Black newspaper in Memphis calls itself the Tri-State Defender because it serves Memphis, Tenn., Little Rock, Ark., and Jackson, Miss. All three are the largest cities in their respective states, with the majority or a large percentage of the city being Blacks.

In the CNN report, the Little Rock police chief, who is Black, answered

Ulish Carter

Just Sayin’ questions and one question was, “was the shooting a continuation of the recent shootings that had occurred in the two cities?” The Chief said he believed that to be true. The questions from the local media made it clear that this was an on-going problem in Little Rock and Memphis, I didn’t hear anything about Jackson, but if there are gangs in Memphis and Little Rock, there are gangs in Jackson.

Remember all the protests and fighting for equal rights by activists and the number of people who were beaten and even died for our rights during the 1960s, and ‘70s in Little Rock, Memphis and Jackson? Yet here these fools are replacing the Klu Klux Klan by gunning down their own Black people.

Making matters worse, the city previously shut down the lounge, calling it a nuisance bar because of these fools. They had to shut down a lounge that was trying to bring summer entertainment to the city for Black people, thus providing much needed jobs and giving young Blacks something to do during the summer. Now what do they do? You have three major cities within a half hour from each other, yet Black youth from Little Rock can’t go to Memphis, and Blacks from Memphis can’t go to Little Rock and most likely neither can go to Jackson.

Civil Rights leaders must be turning over in their graves while old Klansmen are probably at their local lounge celebrating. I wouldn’t be sur-

prised if Klansmen from Little Rock, Jackson and Memphis went to a local lounge for a massive celebration of young Blacks doing what they had been stopped from doing.

Remember the Gospel Song sung by Civil Rights activists, “Ain’t Nobody Goin’ to Turn Us Around?” Well, today they can’t say “nobody” because we are turning ourselves around with all this Black-on-Black violence.

The national media as always, don’t see the importance of Black lives, so instead of addressing this major issue of Blacks killing Blacks in the Black community, they glossed over it while concentrating on Trump’s tweets.

But we can’t solely blame the White man because I see a lot of Black news anchors, reporters, and commentators on the three news networks, yet no one addressed it, not even A.M. Joy. Healthcare Plan update After eight years of blocking Health Care under the Clinton administration, eight years of the Bush administration, and eight years of the Obama administration, you would think that the Republicans would have put together a great Healthcare Plan. But so far, they haven’t been able to create a plan better than the flawed Affordable Care Act by President Obama.

They are determined to make sure Obama receives no credit for anything, so they would rather thousands suffer and die instead of just fixing the flaws in the Affordable Care Act. The three major problems are: Deductions are too high, the overall cost must be reduced and it shouldn’t be mandatory. Word to the Republicans…fix the three major problems with ACA and move on to other matters. Or is it true that you don’t care about what the American people want, you are just making sure Obama receives no credit for anything positive?

(Ulish Carter is the former managing editor of the New Pittsburgh Courier.)

Gone, but not forgotten

by Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq.

When the Obamas left us, they both expressed the need for much needed (TriceEdneyWire.com)—The only sleep and spending “quality time” time I can remember TIME moving with family. They also said that they as slowly as it has during the past six wanted to do “some normal stuff.” I months was when I was eight and had doubt that anything they do will be to wait an entire year between Christ- considered “normal,” but God Bless mases. True or not, it feels like the them with the peace and tranquility Trump Administration has slowed to regain a measure of normalcy. the progress of time and assigned Many are sad that the Obamas had each day an additional 36 hours. One to leave us, but we’re realists and unwonders how long it’ll take to lumber derstand the political game. What through his term in office. we can’t reconcile is waking each I surmise that my lack of restful morning with the ominous questions, sleeping, and similar reports from “What did he do last night? What criothers, has something to do with the sis of his making will we have to face current occupant of the Oval Office. today?” Those questions are a far cry It’s my opinion, but shared by many, from the surety that most of us had that the discord and anxiety in our upon waking in the Obama Era. current socio-political structure diWe became used to the phrase “No rectly relates to the incompetence of drama Obama!” Whether spoken with that occupant. We’re plagued with positive or negative intent, we were the question, “What are the long-term comforted by understanding that, consequences to the nation because of whatever the crisis, President Obama this mistake in the White House?” was versed on the subject and would When at my limit, I retreat to the take a thoughtful and measured apsecurity of my memories. My only so- proach to its resolution. The last thing lace is the memories of the eight years to be expected from President Obama of leadership by President Barack was a knee-jerk reaction to any event.

Obama and the Obama family. I, like We were comfortable with the “Nucleunnumbered others, miss the Obamas ar Football” in his possession. and nostalgically wonder where their More often than not, on networks judgment and demeanor have gone. other than Fox, we hear opinions Most of us recognize that our national alleging Trump’s emotional instaleadership is in drastic need of an in- bility. We’re deluged with reports of jection of the Obama character. his rants in the White House and are

audience to his “disturbed” Tweets against adversaries—both real and imagined. Rather than comfort, we’re in denial about who now controls that “Football.”

In the past few months, the Obamas have traveled to the British Virgin Islands, French Polynesia and Italy among other destinations. The world is still consumed with interest in their activities; yet, they remain connected to the imperatives of the nation. With a successor who is Hell-bent on destroying his legacy, President Obama has spoken out in the interests of common citizens and the consequences of an ill-conceived health plan—Trumpcare. To the joy of many, Michelle Obama delivered a recorded tribute to Chance the Rapper on the occasion of his receiving the 2017 BET Humanitarian Award.

Those acts exemplify the “state of normal” concern for the Obamas.

I was blessed to visit the White House many times while they were there, but I have no desire to return!

I’ve had an invitation, but I turned it down to preserve the memory of a White House as positive as it was when the Obamas lived there. No future visit to the White House could ever match the Obama years there.

(Dr. E. Faye Williams is president of the National Congress of Black Women. www. nationalcongressbw.org.)

Restore the Voting Rights Act

by Marc H. Morial (TriceEdneyWire.com)—“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”—The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776 Voting is not a privilege. It is a fundamental, constitutionally ratified right afforded to all eligible citizens. The right to elect your federal, state and local representatives and weigh in on proposed local policies via ballot measures is the very definition of democracy: rule by the people. Laws that deny eligible men and women the right to the ballot, legislation that strips the power vested in the people to elect their representatives and decide their collective fate contradicts that central definition and cripples our republic.

It is a shame that as we prepare to celebrate the 241st anniversary of that momentous occasion when our fledging nation famously declared its independence from England and pledged allegiance to a republic governed by the people, we remain caught in the clutches of a debate as old as the founding of these united states: whether to expand or limit access to the franchise.

Today, legislation and prejudicial partisan tactics that disenfranchise

communities of color and groups perceived to be progressive voters are on the rise. Restrictions on voter registration, including the elimination of same-day registration, strict voter ID laws, and limiting or eliminating early voting are some of the tools in the toolbox that dismantle our democracy.

Fifty-two years ago, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was introduced and enacted to “break the grip of state disfranchisement” by prohibiting discrimination at the polls. The act also included a provision that monitored states with established histories of discriminatory voting practices, such as poll taxes and literacy tests. Those states could not implement any change or law that affected voting until the federal government reviewed the law and determined that it neither had a discriminatory purpose or effect. Shelby County v. Holder changed everything.

In his Supreme Court opinion for the case, Chief Justice Roberts reasoned that “things have changed dramatically” since the adoption of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and with that the court struck down the provision that required pre-clearance, leaving states free to change their voting laws. The impact of the decision was immediate.

Within minutes, then Texas Attorney General Greg Abbot tweeted that the state’s voter ID law that had been blocked by the federal government would go into effect. In the year that followed the ruling, eight states that were previously monitored passed voting restrictions that disproportionate-

ly impacted Black and Brown voters.

To date, close to 100 bills to restrict voter registration and access voting have been introduced in 31 states.

In its decision, the Supreme Court instructed Congress to come up with a modern-day formula that protects voting rights, and it has: the Voting Rights Act Reauthorization, which creates a new state coverage formula that applies to states with repeated voting rights violations in the last 25 years. To restore the promise of voter equality and restore the integrity of our elections, Congress must take up this bill and pass it into law.

The ability to vote, to have a say in the policies and people we choose to represent us, is democracy. It is far too sacred a right to allow it to become weakened over a partisan lust to win at all costs. Strict voter ID laws, race-based gerrymandering, obstacles to voter registration and a current federal investigation into debunked voter fraud claims that will only serve as a front to introduce more—and likely more severe—voter suppression laws inflict grave harm on our adopted form of governance and its integrity.

As we contemplate our country’s early battles for independence, and our national struggles to expand opportunity, equality and freedoms originally denied many Americans, it is clear that we have come too far to accept any rollbacks now. We must restore and protect every American’s access to the polls.

B4

JULY 5-11, 2017

Is there no decency?

(TriceEdneyWire.com)——During the 2016 campaign, our 45th President once promised that he would be “so Presidential that it will be boring.” If only. Instead, he has managed to irk even his Republican allies by wallowing in the muck of name-calling, yet again, belittling a woman for her looks. Morning Joe host Mika Brzezinski, 45 tweeted, was still “bleeding from her facelift” when he saw her during the New Year’s holiday. He also disparaged Brzezinski’s intelligence and poked fun at her co-host Joe Scarborough.

Dozens of Republicans, including leaders like House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI), have scolded the President on his language in the June 29 tweets. Some have used terms like “civility” and “decency” to distance themselves from his comments.

It is easy to scold this president on the indecent ways he speaks to, and of, women. It is easy to shake one’s head at his juvenile tweets. Certainly, our President has the temperament of an unruly 8 year old (and that is unkind to 8 year olds). But we can spend so much time wondering about this President’s temperament that we can forget about his abhorrent policy initiatives that are far more dangerous than his mindless tweets.

Julianne Malveaux

Commentary At the same time that 45 is attacking cable news hosts, the Senate is supposed to be considering a health care plan that “repeals” the Affordable Care Act. There is no civility or decency in advocating for a health care plan that would leave more than 22 million people uninsured. There is nothing civil or decent in the President suggesting that Obamacare be repealed, even if there is no replacement for it.

So while many hours of television time will be spent excoriating 45 for his silly tweets about the Morning Joe team, far more should be spent dealing with health care, with employment creation, and with prison reform.

All eyes are on the president and his poison pen. I’m not so sure that’s a good thing. We should be equally concerned about other policy actions that are happening even as 45 is clowning on the public stage. He wakes up in the morning to send out mindless tweets, but his minions, who are neither tweeting nor clowning, are working to roll back our civil and voting rights.

Are decent Republicans an endangered species? Certainly, some Republicans will step up when 45 crosses the line on civility with his unhinged tweets. Too many others, though, are silent, not only in the face of misogynistic tweets, but also in the face of inhumane public policy. Because they have placed partisanship over common humanity, they have been silent in the face of draconian public policy, especially around health care. Those who have stood up, such as Nevada Senator Dean Heller, have attracted the ire of the big-money alt-Trump regime, those deep-pocketed PAC funders who have attempted to bully Heller into supporting Trumpcare. Indeed, those Republicans who have bucked the 45 machine have found themselves unfairly attacked. Attacks on Republicans like Heller and Collins are ways to intimidate others into silence.

While 45 is tweeting insanity, immigrants who are honorably discharged veterans are being deported. The joined the Armed Services, and served our country, both because they are patriots, but also because they were promised citizenship in return for their service. Is there no decency? While 45 is doing his best imitation of a schoolyard bully, school administrators from both red and blue states are looking at the ways Trumpcare would affect poor children and pushing back on the horrible legislation. Both Democratic and Republican governors are appalled at the ways Medicaid cuts will hurt their constituents, but 45 is too busy tweeting on posturing to deal with his natural allies in the states.

45’s tweets are simply the tip of the iceberg. They illustrate a lack of decency that is worse that the incivility of name-calling. The indecency and incivility in this administration is as much about flawed and inhumane public policy as juvenile name-calling. In criticizing 45’s decency, let’s keep our eyes on the prize. Our President is not just a clueless buffoon; he is a dangerous and clueless buffoon. We should focus on the danger more than the cluelessness.

(Julianne Malveaux is an economist, author, and Founder of Economic Education.)

FORUM

I know why The Caged Virgin sings On Jan. 21, 2017, Hirsi Ali also told the J. Pharoah Doss there was a women’s senators that politimarch in the nation’s cal Islam rejects any capital. Democratic distinction between Senator Kamala Harreligion and politics, ris addressed the aumosque and state. dience and said it was Political Islam even time for the nation rejects the modern to prioritize women’s state in favor of the issues. caliphate. She concludA week later, Presed by saying there is ident Trump issued an executive order no point in denying that political Islam as titled: Protecting the Nation from Terrorist an ideology has its foundation in Islamic Attacks by Foreign Nationals. This order doctrine and suggested President Trump’s limited travel to the U.S. from certain counadvocacy of an ideological campaign against tries considered “conflict zones.” “radical Islam” was “refreshing” compared Critics immediately labeled the executive to the previous administration. order a “Muslim ban.”

What happened next was unexpected. (But Some complained the “Muslim ban” shouldn’t have been based on Hirsi Ali’s would increase hostility toward the Unitconclusion.) ed States and make America more vulThe four female Democratic senators ignerable to terror attacks. Others felt the nored the witnesses. They never asked them threat of Islamic terrorism was exaggera single question. The New York Times ated and the executive order was unnecreported, “Because of this strategy of deessary. flection by the Democratic senators...Hirsi But in that seven-day period from the Ali and Nomani spoke for about 15 minutes women’s march to the signing of the execucombined.” tive order there were 36 Islamic attacks in Senator Harris didn’t respond to requests 11 countries. for an explanation for the silent treatment, Last month the number of attacks quabut Senator Claire McCaskill said, “Anydrupled in twice as many countries, and the one who twists and distorts religion is an U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Secuexception to the rule.” In other words, the rity and Government Affairs held a hearing female senators viewed Hirsi Ali and Noon “Ideology and Terror: Understanding the mani as extremists misrepresenting Islam, Tools, Tactics, and Techniques of Violent and these women senators remained silent Extremism.” to protect Islam’s reputation as a religion of Senator Harris was on the committee peace. along with three other women senators Afterwards, Nomani and Hirsi Ali co-aufrom the Democratic Party. The expert witthored a response published in the Times. nesses were two women born into Islam, but The women stated when it comes to the defected from the faith due to gender-relatpay gap, abortion access and workplace ed indignities. discrimination, progressives have much to The women were Arsa Nomani and Ayaan say. But they’re still waiting for a march Hirsi Ali. against honor killing, child marriages, Nomani is an India-born American activist polygamy, sex slavery, and female genital and a co-founder of the Muslim Reform mutilation…

Movement. Hirsi Ali is a Somali-born Dutch The silence of the Democratic senators American activist and author of The Caged is a reflection of contemporary cultural Virgin: An Emancipation Proclamation for pressures. Call it identity politics, moral Woman and Islam. Both Women testified to relativism, or political correctness - It’s distinguish the difference between political shortsighted, dangerous, and ultimately it Islam and Islam understood by Western is a betrayal of liberal values. concepts of religion.

In a poem called “Sympathy,” a poet stated Hirsi Ali stated the strategy from 9/11 he understood why a caged bird sang. The to the present, focusing only on Islasong was a plea for freedom, but the women mist violence, has failed. That strategy senators had no sympathy for the plea from has ignored the ideology that justifies, the author of The Caged Virgin.

(J. Pharoah Doss is a contributor to the New Pittspromotes, celebrates, and encourages burgh Courier. He blogs at jpharoahdoss@blogspot.com) violence.

Check It Out

Democrats play dog whistle politics too, just ask Bill Cosby Two weeks ago, enterSo, Steele used a cartainer extraordinaire icature of the world faRaynard Jackson Bill Cosby was handed a mous Black comedian to hung jury in his sexual convince White voters assault trial in Norrisin Montgomery Countown, Pa., a suburb of ty that he would save Philadelphia. them from thuggish Regardless of what you predators like Cosby, think of Cosby and the a blind philanthropist, allegations made against who was once called him, a jury of his peers “America’s Dad.” spoke and they concluded that they couldn’t Aren’t these the same dog whistles that reach unanimous agreement on any of the Democrats accuse Republicans of using? three charges, thus a hung jury.

Look at the 2015 campaign TV commercial That should have been the end of the case Steele ran against Castor using the allegaand the end of the story. It should have been tions against Cosby. When I saw this ad two time for everyone to move on with their years ago, I was immediately transported lives; it should have been a time for Cosby back to 1990 when segregationist Republito get back on stage and do what he does can Senator Jesse Helms ran his infamous best—to entertain and challenge America; “hands ad.” especially Black America.

In 1990, Harvey Gantt, mayor of CharBut that is not what happened on June lotte, N.C. was leading Helms in his reelec17th. Within minutes of Judge Steven T. tion bid for the U.S. Senate. Gantt would O’Neill’s declaration of a mistrial, Montgom- have become the first Black senator in ery County District Attorney Kevin Steele North Carolina’s history. As soon as Helms vehemently asserted that he would retry aired the hands ad, the race was, for all Cosby as soon as possible. By law, they have practical purposes, over.

There is absolutely no doubt that Helms’ up to four months to make a final decision ad was racist and meant to scare White to retry.

Steele said, “We will reevaluate and review folks to turnout for his reelection. Likewise, Steele did the same thing, but since he is our case and will retry it and move as soon a liberal, White Democrat, there was no as possible.” public outcry.

He went on to declare: “[Cosby’s accuser Some political insiders have suggested Andrea Constand] is entitled to a verdict in that Steele’s ultimate goal is to run for this case.” governor of Pennsylvania; a conviction in Please allow me to interpret this for you. the Cosby trial was critical stepping-stone Steele means she is entitled to a verdict to the governor’s mansion. that “he” agrees with.

It’s all or nothing for Steele. Cosby, and Constand was not entitled to a verdict; Cosby was entitled to a trial by a jury of her by extension Blacks in Pennsylvania, are simply pawns in the game that the district “peers,” nothing more, nothing less. attorney is playing to get what he wants Those who follow my writings know politically. that I rarely, if ever, invoke race into my The Congressional Black Caucus raised arguments, but I would be remiss not to holy hell in 1990 denouncing the Helms’ point out the issue of race in this particuTV ad; Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton were lar case. both all over TV screaming racism; the In 2015, Steele defeated former ReNAACP and Urban League were sending publican Montgomery County District out massive amounts of mail coming out Attorney Bruce Castor in a very heated against Helms and Republicans. race. Steele made the veiled promise of a These folks and groups all “claim” to be conviction of legendary entertainer Bill for justice and equality for all, but I guess Cosby, the central issue in the election. you have to add, “if” they agree with your In 2005, when Castor was the district politics. It is public knowledge that Cosby attorney, he declined to prosecute Cosby in the rape allegation brought forward by has opened his wallet to many civil rights Constand, because “there was insufficient groups lending his celebrity to various social causes for decades. evidence.”

So, to all the Blacks who are running So, Steele comes along in 2015 and says if away from Cosby, like the plague, and have you elect me, I will re-open the case against suddenly come down with a severe case of Cosby that was dropped nearly ten years laryngitis, I say that today Bill Cosby has ago.

According to the 2010 census, the county is been tried and convicted in the White liberal court of public opinion, but ask yourself, 79 percent White non-Hispanic, 8.7 percent who will stand up for you when it’s your Black or African American, 6.4 percent turn?

Asian, and 4.3 percent Hispanic or Latino.

(Raynard Jackson is founder and chairman of Republicans have a well-earned reputaBlack Americans for a Better Future (BAFBF), a tion for using race to scare White folks into voting for them and are rightfully called out federally registered 527 Super PAC established to get more Blacks involved in the Republican Party. on this practice, but I find it amazing when BAFBF focuses on the Black entrepreneur. For more White, liberal Democrats use the same information about BAFBF, visit www.bafbf.org. You tactic, liberals, especially Black ones, get can follow Raynard on Twitter @Raynard1223.) laryngitis.

Commentary

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

James Clingman

Commentary

Look back and see the future, Part 2 (TriceEdneyWire.com)—An excellent example of the impact our history has on the way we are today, especially economically, can be found in an article titled, The Reluctant Entrepreneurs, by Joel Kotkin, author of the book, Tribes.

The feature discusses several reasons for Blacks not going into business and being surpassed in this area by other ethnic groups. Among other reasons, the history of African Americans was cited.

The article quotes Robert Hill, a Black Historian at the University of California at Los Angeles, who traced the lack of entrepreneurial tradition to African origin and the brutality of the American system of slavery. “Africa,” Hill explained, “is more a communitarian society, where notions of private property have never been so entrenched as in Europe or North America. The culture of capitalism is just not part of our African heritage.”

The piece goes on to say, “...certainly slavery and its progeny, the sharecropper system, did nothing to foster confidence, independence, or a capitalist inclination among African Americans. Before slavery and after, White landowners believed the proper way to treat the Black was, in the words of one slave owner, ‘to create in him a habit of perfect dependence...’ And it was a system that proved to be enormously successful and enduring.”

The article continued, “we are a race of people who for generations, both before and after Emancipation, were denied freedom of movement, education, and even a rudimentary familiarity with the free market, not to mention credit, legal status, or safety from lynch mobs. That we, as descendants, have not taken naturally to entrepreneurship should hardly come as a big surprise.”

The fact still remains that despite their poorest of circumstances, some Black people engaged in entrepreneurship even before the Emancipation, and did well at it. According to John Sibley Butler, in his outstanding work, Entrepreneurship and Self-Help Among Black Americans, “They (Black entrepreneurs) became the merchant class in northern cities, and it was through their enterprises that Black income in the last third of the nineteenth century grew faster than that of Whites.”

The INC. article cited the economic protestations of Booker T. Washington, who established the National Negro Business League, exhorting Blacks to “uplift” themselves by striking out on their own.

It celebrated the “new” ministers like Adam Clayton Powell, who urged aspiring congregants to go into business on a larger scale.

While early Black businesses had to rely solely on the Black consumer market, such is not the case today. However, if we do not move collectively through the economic maze, making our monetary clout felt in the widest of circles and obtaining the reciprocity we deserve as a massive consumer army, our businesses will not achieve the growth they need to prosper in this economy. Moreover, African Americans will have abdicated our responsibility to carry forth the legacy passed on to us by our fathers and mothers.

We must never forget our history and the reasons for our attitudes on economics, business ownership, and mutual support. We must also realize that if we are going to make it in this country, we had better get down to business NOW! I think our ancestors would be proud.

Economic empowerment is a constant struggle, and if we do not view it as a struggle, we will never achieve the goals to which we aspire. No one is going to “give” us anything. If they do, it will not be without encumbrances. The economic power we seek is within us all, and examples for us to follow are everywhere.

We simply need more cooperation within our own ranks.

In seeking that economic power, remember what Frederick Douglass said: “...This struggle may be a moral one; or it may be a physical one; or it may be moral and physical; but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without demand. It never did and it never will.

Find out just what people will submit to, and you have found the exact amounts of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them...The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.”

I say: If we rise up, as Marcus Garvey exhorted us, resolving to cooperate with one another and do for ourselves, our economic manifesto would be clear. Our struggle will be easier, and the powers we face will concede to our demands.

However, if African Americans choose individuality over collectivism, yes a few of us will “make it,” but we will go down in history as a paradoxical people; a people who, with all of our wealth and knowledge, acquiesced and continued in economic oppression. And the blame will rest squarely upon our shoulders.

Let our past be the light that guides us to a brighter economic future.

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B5

JULY 5-11, 2017

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The Chief Deputy Clerk is a senior level management position that serves as second-in-command and reports directly to the Clerk of Court. Under direction of the Clerk of Court, the Chief Deputy Clerk is responsible for the managing, planning, supervision, administration of the Clerk’s Office and acts as the Clerk of Court in his absence, and additional duties.

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The notice is hereby given by the City of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, PA that it’s FY 2017 Consolidated Annual Action Plan has been prepared. The City intends to submit its FY 2017 Consolidated Annual Action Plan in the amount of $12,754,743 for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds; $1,667,573 in HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) funds; $1,148,125 in Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) funds; and $837,664 in Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA) funds. The FY 2017 Consolidated Annual Action Plan will be submitted to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on or before August 16, 2017.

The City will hold a public hearing on Monday, July 24, 2017 on the FY 2017 Consolidated Annual Action Plan. The purpose of the public hearing is to receive testimony or comments on the draft FY 2017 Consolidated Annual Action Plan document. The meeting will take place at 5:00 p.m. on Monday, July 24, 2017 in the First Floor Conference Room, 200 Ross Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219. The building is handicapped accessible through the rear.

In order to obtain the views of citi ens, public agencies and other interested parties, the City of Pittsburgh will place its Consolidated Annual Action Plan for FY 2017 on display and online from July 6, 2017 through August 4, 2017, at the City of Pittsburgh’s website (http:// pittsburghpa.gov/dcp/community-development/cdbg). Copies of the plans may also be examined during normal hours of operation at the following locations: Department of City Planning 200 Ross Street, Second Floor Pittsburgh, PA 15219 Urban Redevelopment Authority 200 Ross Street, Tenth Floor Pittsburgh, PA 15219 Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh 200 Ross Street, Ninth Floor Pittsburgh, Pa 15219 The City of Pittsburgh’s proposed activities for funding under the FY 2017 Consolidated Annual Action Plan, are on display or maybe viewed on the City of Pittsburgh’s website (http://pittsburghpa.gov/ information/budget). The entire FY 2017 Capital Budget for the City of Pittsburgh is also listed.

Information will be available for review for 30 days. Written or verbal public comments on the FY 2017 Consolidated Annual Action Plan will be received until 4:00 P.M. on Friday, August 4, 2017 and should be directed to the City of Pittsburgh’s Department of City Planning, attention Michael Petrucci, Assistant Director for Community Development, 200 Ross Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219. The phone number is (412) 255-2211, fax number is (412) 393-0151, and the TDD number is 7-1-1.

The FY 2017 Consolidated Annual Action Plan was developed after conducting an initial public hearing and receiving both written and verbal comments, requests, and identified needs from the local community. If you are interested in attending the public hearing and need special accommodations to participate in the public hearing, and/or if you wish to present testimony or comment on the document, please contact Mrs. Kelli Lewis at (412) 255-2212, by Wednesday, July 19, 2017.

If the City would undertake an activity that would result in the displacement of families or individuals, then the City would utilize its policy for minimizing such displacement. Furthermore, the City is responsible for replacing all low- and moderate-income housing units that may be demolished or converted as a result of CDBG Funds.

All interested persons, groups, and organizations are encouraged to attend this public hearing and will be given the opportunity to present oral or written testimony concerning the proposed plan and use of Federal funds under the FY 2017 Consolidated Annual Action Plan.

Michael Petrucci, Assistant Director for Community Development

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ADVERTISEMENT FOR OPEN POSITION IN THE DEPARTMENT OF DENTAL ANESTHESIOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH SCHOOL OF DENTAL MEDICINE

NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY FOR COMMENT, PUBLIC REVIEW AND PUBLIC HEARING HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH 2017 HOUSING CHOICE VOUCHER ADMINISTRATIVE PLAN

NOTICE TO BIDDERS MUNICIPALITY OF PENN HILLS ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

The University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine is seeking applications for a full- time faculty position in the Department of Dental Anesthesiology at the Assistant Professor level, outside of the tenure stream. Responsibilities will include: clinical and didactic instruction of first professional dental students in techniques of anesthesiology and sedation; clinical and didactic instruction for dental anesthesiology residents and student nurse anesthetists; clinical research capabilities; anesthetic management of pediatric patients and patients with special needs.

Qualifications for this position are: (1) DMD/DDS degree; (2) certificate of advanced training in an Advanced General Dentistry Education Program in Dental Anesthesiology; (3) Board eligibility or Board Certification from the American Dental Board of Anesthesiology and/or the National Dental Board of Anesthesiology; (4) eligibility to practice dentistry in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; (5) experience in the anesthetic management of pediatric patients and patients with special health care needs.

Salary and academic rank are commensurate with experience and qualifications. Position will become available July 1, 2017.

Please send curriculum vitae and the names and addresses of three references to: Joseph A. Giovannitti, Jr., DMD Professor and Chair University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine Department of Dental Anesthesiology 3501 Terrace Street G-89 Salk Hall Pittsburgh, PA 15261 Telephone: 412-648-8609 Fax: 412-648-2591 E-mail: jag74@pitt.edu The University of Pittsburgh is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer EEO/AA/M/F/Vets/Disabled LEGAL ADVERTISING Legal Notices

Estate of MR. ROBERT LALAMA, Deceased of 1413 Coraopolis Heights Road, Moon Township, PA 15108. Estate No. 02-17-3340.

Ms. Carolyn Lalama, 1413 Coraoplis Heights Road, Moon Township, PA 15108, Administratrix, c/o Max C. Feldman, Attorney At Law, 1322 Fifth Avenue, Coraopolis, PA 15108.

Estate of MS. MARY LOUISE JONES, Deceased, of 3 Washington Street, Coraopolis, PA 15108. Estate No. 02-17-3516. Mr. James Jones, Jr., 3 Washington Street, Coraopolis, PA 15108, Administrator, c/o Max C. Feldman, Attorney At Law, 1322 Fifth Avenue, Coraopolis, PA 15108.

Estate of MR. NORMAN R. BRONOWICZ, deceased, of 629 Seifried Lane, Pittsburgh, PA 15215. Estate No. 02-17-3518. Ms. Lynne Nichter, 202 Weaver Drive, Glenshaw, PA 15116, Executrix, c/o Max C. Feldman, Attorney At Law, 1322 Fifth Avenue, Coraopolis, PA 15108.

Estate of GARY W. GRINGEL, Deceased, of Ohio Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. No. 02-17-03644. Robin L. Rarie, Esq., Administrator. BRENLOVE FULLER, LLC, 401 Washington Avenue, Bridgeville, PA 15017 Estate of JOANNE B. OSTERGAARD, Deceased, Upper St. Clair Borough, Pennsylvania No. 03755 of 2017. Dale F. Ostergaard, Executor, 814 Eisenhower Dr., Pittsburgh, PA 15228 or to AUBREY H. GLOVER, Atty; BRENLOVE FULLER, LLC, 401 Washington Avenue, Bridgeville, PA 15017 Estate of ADELINA C. CASTILLO, Deceased, of Municipality of Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania, No. 02747 of 2017. Blanca E. Castillo and Julius A. Castillo, Executors, 13566 Waterford Hills Blvd., Germantown, MD 20874 or to AUBREY H. GLOVER, Atty; BRENLOVE FULLER, LLC, 401 Washington Avenue, Bridgeville, PA 15017 Estate of ROBERT L. WARD, III, Deceased, of 26th Ward, City of Pittsburgh, No. 02847 of 2017. Katrina N. Davic, 439 E. Burgess Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15214 Exec., or to Michael J. Saldamarco, Esq., Attys, Ste. 100, 908 Perry Hwy., Pittsburgh, PA 15229.

The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP) is revising the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Administrative Plan to include a one (1)time provision for twenty-five (25) set aside vouchers for the 811 Rental Assistance Program.

The proposed revision will be available for review from June 23, 2017 to July 24, 2017 at the following locations: HACP Operations Department 200 Ross St., 6th Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15219; HACP Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) Department, 200 Ross St., 7th Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15219; HACP Web Site www.hacp.org; Written comments on the proposed revisions to the Administrative Plan must be addressed to “Attention: Housing Choice Voucher Administrative Plan” at HACP Housing Choice Voucher Department (Section 8), 200 Ross St., 7th Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, and must be received by close of business (5:00 p.m.) on July 24, 2017.

Public hearings to receive comments on the HCV Administrative Plan will be held on Monday, July 10, at 9:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., at 200 Ross St., 9th oor board room.

Persons with disabilities requiring assistance or alternative formats, or wishing to submit comments in alternative formats, can contact the HACP ADA/504 Coordinator at 412-456-5282, Extension 1; TTY 412-201-5384.

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Sealed bid proposals are hereby solicited for the Community College of Allegheny County, 800 Allegheny Avenue, Pittsburgh PA 15233 (412.237.3020) on the following items: 1005 – Palo Alto Maintenance Renewal Proposals will be received at the Purchasing Department until 2:00 P.M. Prevailing Time on Monday, July 10, 2017.

The CCAC Purchasing Department is now publishing all bids via the CCAC website at https://www.ccac. edu/Bid-RFP_Opportunities.aspx.

It will be each vendor’s responsibility to monitor the bid activity within the given website (“Bid and RFP Opportunities”) and ensure compliance with all applicable bid documents inclusive of any issued addenda.

Failure to incorporate any applicable addenda in the final submittal may result in the rejection of your bid.

The Board of Trustees reserves the right to reject any and all bids.

The Community College of Allegheny County is an Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and encourages bids from Minority/Disadvantaged owned businesses.

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

Sealed Proposals will be received by the Municipality of Penn Hills, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania until 10:30 a.m. on July 27, 2017 to be publicly opened and read immediately thereafter for the following project: 2017 PENN HILLS CD ROAD PROGRAM This project includes the following approximate quantities: BASE BID: Mark Drive, Sampson Street, William McKinley Lot Approximately 11,200 S.Y. of 2” Maximum Depth Profile Milling, 460 tons of 3/4” 9.5mm Leveling Course, 13,600 S.Y. of 1-1/2” Superpave 9.5mm Wearing Course, 640 Lineal Feet of Asphalt Wedge Curb, 680 S.Y. of Soft Spot Repair, 410 Lineal Feet of Keyway Construction, 1 Storm Inlet Repair, and 100 Lineal Feet of 6” Curb Drain.

ADD ALTERNATE BID 1: Filmore Drive, Irwin Street Approximately 1,300 S.Y. of 2” Maximum Depth Profile Milling, 60 tons of 3/4” 9.5mm Leveling Course, 1,300 S.Y. of 1-1/2” Superpave 9.5mm Wearing Course, 660 Lineal Feet of Asphalt Wedge Curb, 70 S.Y. of Soft Spot Repair and 75 Lineal Feet of Keyway Construction.

All bidders shall be PennDOT pre-qualified and submit their PennDOT Pre-Qualification Certificates as well as the Anti-Collusion Affidavit with the Proposal in order for the Proposal to be considered responsive.

All Proposals must be in the hands of the Purchasing Department, Municipality of Penn Hills, 12245 Frankstown Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15235, by 10:30 a.m. prevailing time, July 27, 2017.

Proposals shall be delivered in a sealed envelope and clearly marked on the outside with the words “2017 PENN HILLS CD ROAD PROGRAM.” Copies of Drawings, Specifications, Instructions to Bidders, General Conditions, Forms of Proposals and Agreement are on file and open to public inspection at the Penn Hills Purchasing Office, located at 12245 Frankstown Road, Second Floor, Room 213, Pittsburgh, PA 15235 where sets of said documents may be obtained upon payment of $75.00 per set. No refund will be made for the return of any documents.

Davis-Bacon Wage rates are required to be paid on this project.

There will be a non-mandatory pre-bid meeting on July 13, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. at the Municipality of Penn Hills Public Works Building, 6600 Leechburg Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15147.

Proposals must be submitted on the forms provided by the Municipality of Penn Hills. Proposals to receive consideration must be accompanied by a Certified Check or Bidder’s Bond from a Surety Company authorized to do business in Pennsylvania, made to the order of the Municipality of Penn Hills in an amount equal to ten percent (10%) of the total amount of the Proposal as a guarantee that, if the Proposal is accepted, the successful Bidder will enter into an Agreement within 15 days after Notice of the Award of the Contract.

The Proposals must be made to the Municipality of Penn Hills, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, and shall remain firm for a period of ninety (90) days. No Bidder may withdraw his Proposal during the ninety (90) day period without forfeiting his Bid guarantee.

Performance, Maintenance, and Labor and Material Payment Bonds, along with Public Liability and Property Damage Certificates of Insurance in the amounts specified, as well as Certificates of Workman’s Compensation must be filed with the executed Agreement upon acceptance of the Proposal from the successful Bidder.

The Owner reserves the right to reject any or all Proposals, or any part thereof, for any reason, and also reserves the right to waive any informality therein.

Mohammed Rayan Municipal Manager

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HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) FOR

HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) FOR Paid Up Life Insurance RFP #650-18-17

Group Term Life, Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) and Group Long Term Disability (LTD) Benefits RFP #650-17-17 The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP) hereby requests proposals from qualified Firms or Individuals capable of providing the following service(s): Group Term Life, Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) and Group Long Term Disability (LTD) Benefits RFP #650-17-17 The documents will be available no later than July 3, 2017 and signed, sealed proposals will be accepted until 10:00 A.M., July 21, 2017 at which time they will be Time and Date Stamped at 100 Ross Street, 2nd Floor, Suite 200, Pittsburgh, PA 15219.

Parties or individuals interested may obtain information from: Mr. Kim Detrick – Procurement Director/Contracting Officer Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh Procurement Department 2nd Floor, Suite 200 100 Ross Street Pittsburgh, PA 15219 412-456-5116, Option 1 or by visiting the Business Opportunities section of www.hacp.org A pre bid meeting will be held: Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh Procurement Department 200 Ross Street, 1st Floor, HR Training Room Pittsburgh, PA 15219 July 13, 2017 10:00 A.M. The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh strongly encourages certified minority business enterprises and women business enterprises to respond to this solicitation.

HACP’s has revised their website. As part of those revisions, vendors must now register and log-in, in order to view and download IFB/RFPs documentation.

Caster D. Binion, Executive Director Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh

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.

HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) FOR Collection Agency Services RFP #150-30-17

The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP) hereby requests proposals from qualified Firms or Individuals capable of providing the following service(s): Collection Agency Services RFP #150-30-17 The documents will be available no later than June 26, 2017 and signed, sealed proposals will be accepted until 9:00 A.M., July 21, 2017 at which time they will be Time and Date Stamped at 100 Ross Street, 2nd Floor, Suite 200, Pittsburgh, PA 15219.

Parties or individuals interested may obtain information from: Mr. Kim Detrick – Procurement Director/ Contracting Officer Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh Procurement Department 2nd Floor, Suite 200 100 Ross Street Pittsburgh, PA 15219 412-456-5116, Option 1 or by visiting the Business Opportunities section of www.hacp.org A pre bid meeting will be held: Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh Procurement Department 100 Ross Street, 2nd Floor, Suite 200 Pittsburgh, PA 15219 July 13, 2017 9:00 A.M. The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh strongly encourages certified minority business enterprises and women business enterprises to respond to this solicitation.

HACP’s has revised their website. As part of those revisions, vendors must now register and log-in, in order to view and download IFB/RFPs documentation.

Caster D. Binion, Executive Director Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh

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.

The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP) hereby requests proposals from qualified Firms or Individuals capable of providing the following service(s): Paid Up Life Insurance RFP #650-18-17 The documents will be available no later than June 26, 2017 and signed, sealed proposals will be accepted until 9:00 A.M., July 20, 2017 at which time they will be Time and Date Stamped at 100 Ross Street, 2nd Floor, Suite 200, Pittsburgh, PA 15219.

Parties or individuals interested may obtain information from: Mr. Kim Detrick – Procurement Director/ Contracting Officer Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh Procurement Department 2nd Floor, Suite 200 100 Ross Street Pittsburgh, PA 15219 412-456-5116, Option 1 or by visiting the Business Opportunities section of www.hacp.org A pre bid meeting will be held: Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh Procurement Department 200 Ross Street, 1st Floor, HR Training Room Pittsburgh, PA 15219 July 12, 2017 9:00 A.M. The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh strongly encourages certified minority business enterprises and women business enterprises to respond to this solicitation.

HACP’s has revised their website. As part of those revisions, vendors must now register and log-in, in order to view and download IFB/RFPs documentation.

Caster D. Binion, Executive Director Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh

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.

HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) FOR Temporary Staffing RFP #650-25-17

The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP) hereby requests proposals from qualified Firms or Individuals capable of providing the following service(s): Temporary Staffing RFP #650-25-17 The documents will be available no later than June 26, 2017 and signed, sealed proposals will be accepted until 10:00 A.M., July 20, 2017 at which time they will be Time and Date Stamped at 100 Ross Street, 2nd Floor, Suite 200, Pittsburgh, PA 15219.

Parties or individuals interested may obtain information from: Mr. Kim Detrick – Procurement Director/ Contracting Officer Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh Procurement Department 2nd Floor, Suite 200 100 Ross Street Pittsburgh, PA 15219 412-456-5116, Option 1 or by visiting the Business Opportunities section of www.hacp.org A pre bid meeting will be held: Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh Procurement Department 200 Ross Street, 1st Floor, HR Training Room Pittsburgh, PA 15219 July 12, 2017 10:00 A.M. The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh strongly encourages certified minority business enterprises and women business enterprises to respond to this solicitation.

HACP’s has revised their website. As part of those revisions, vendors must now register and log-in, in order to view and download IFB/RFPs documentation.

Caster D. Binion, Executive Director Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh

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.

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FORM OF ADVERTISEMENT

INVITATION TO BIDDERS THE PITTSBURGH WATER AND SEWER AUTHORITY ADVERTISEMENT

PUBLICATION DATE: July 5, 2017 1. The Public Parking Authority of Pittsburgh (“Authority”) shall accept sealed bids for the performance of the work described below (the “Work”) at its office at 232 Boulevard of the Allies, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15222, until 11:00 a.m. local time on Tuesday, July 18, 2017.

2. DESCRIPTION OF WORK: The Project entails vehicle barrier upgrades of the First Avenue Garage and Station. Work includes installation of structural steel elements to address existing non-code compliant vehicle barrier system.

3. The Instructions to Bidders, including the Form of Bid, Form of Agreement, General Conditions, Plans and Specifications, may be obtained after 3:00 p.m. local time on Wednesday, July 5, 2017 at the Authority’s office at 232 Boulevard of the Allies, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15222. Copies of the Plans and Specifications will be available for a non-refundable amount of $100.00.

Check or Money Order will be accepted, made payable to PPAP. 4. A Mandatory pre-bid conference will be held at the Authority’s office at 232 Boulevard of the Allies, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222 at 9:00 a.m. local time on Tuesday, July 11, 2017. The purpose of the pre-bid conference is to provide additional detail regarding the Work.

The information provided at the prebid conference will be essential in preparing a bid to perform the Work.

Persons or entities that intend to submit bids to perform the Work are required to send to the pre-bid conference at least one representative who will understand the information presented at the pre-bid conference in a manner that allows such information to be incorporated in the preparation of the bid to perform the Work. It is expected that the representative who attends the pre-bid conference will be experienced in construction matters and employed by the bidder in a supervisory capacity. Pre-bid attendance is mandatory.

5. Sealed bids received prior to the deadline will be publicly opened and read at 11:00 a.m. local time on Tuesday, July 18, 2017.

6. Each bid submitted must be accompanied by a bid guaranty of ten percent (10%) of the proposed bid in the form of a bid bond, certified cashier’s or treasurer’s check payable to the Authority.

7. The Authority reserves the right to in its sole discretion, (i) change, at any time prior to the bid deadline at 11:00 a.m. local time on Tuesday, July 18, 2017 the Contract Documents; (ii) waive any defect, irregularities, or informality in any or all submitted bids; and (iii) reject any or all submitted bids.

David G. Onorato Executive Director

THE BOARD OF PUBLIC EDUCATION OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PITTSBURGH

Sealed bids will be received in the Office Of The Chief Operations Officer, Room 251, Administration Building, 341 South Bellefield Avenue until 11:00 A.M. prevailing time JULY 11, 2017 and will be opened at the same hour for the purchase of the following equipment and supplies: WINDOW CLEANING General Information regarding bids may be obtained at the Office of the Purchasing Agent, Service Center, 1305 Muriel Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15203. The bid documents ware available on the School District’s Purchasing web site at: http://www. pghboe.net/pps/site/default.asp Click on Bid Opportunities 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.

Leon Webb Purchasing Agent We are an equal rights and opportunity school district COURIER CLASSIFIEDS

SEPARATE and SEALED BIDS for the following solicitation, will be received by the Office of Procurement, Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority, 1200 Penn Ave., Second Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, until 2:00 PM Prevailing Time July 19, 2017.

INVITATIONS FOR BIDS (IFB) FOR GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT FINLAND STREET, BETHOVEN STREET AND MELWOOD AVENUE PWSA Project No. 2016-GI-105-0 All bids must be submitted in accordance with the solicitation that can be obtained by sending an e-mail to cjuratovic@pgh2o.com. There will be no charge for the solicitation, as it will be sent via e-mail. All questions relating to the solicitation itself shall be directed to Jim Tracey, Contract Specialist, via e-mail: jtracey@pgh2o.com, no later than July 12, 2017.

All Bidders interested in submitting a bid in response to the GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT FINLAND STREET, BETHOVEN STREET AND MELWOOD AVENUE solicitation are required to attend a MANDATORY Pre-Bid Meeting to be held on July 11, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. Prevailing Time in the Authority’s conference room located at 1200 Penn Ave., Pittsburgh, PA. The purpose of this meeting is to give an overview of the contract requirements and to allow Bidders to ask questions.

Work of the Contract includes the installation of 5 systems of green infrastructure (GI) BMPs and road surface improvements to Finland Street which include installation of approximately 900 LF of concrete curb and gutter and milling and paving between Melwood Ave. and Bigelow Blvd. This includes excavation work, protecting existing utilities, installation of underdrain piping, installation of BMP storage layers (#57 aggregate and modular storage), installation of new catch basins, cored connections into existing manhole structures, sidewalk restoration, site excavation, plantings of trees, shrubs, grasses and perennials, and roadway milling and paving. The work will include the installation of new catch basins, and associated connections into the existing combined sewer system of the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority (PWSA).

Bids must be accompanied by a Bid Bond in the amount of Ten Percent (10%) of the bid for the project under construction. Said Bond shall be duly and legally executed with a Surety or Trust Company which has complied with City Ordinances/Resolutions relating thereto. A Performance Bond and Labor and Material Bond in the amount of 100% of the contract value for each awarded project will be required after award.

The Contractor must assure that employees and applicants for employment are not discriminated against because of their race, color, religion, sexual preference, sex, or national origin.

The bidders will be required to submit the package of certifications included with the contract documents relating to Equal Employment Opportunity.

The Authority reserves the right to withhold the award of the Contract for a period of 60 days after the opening of the bids.

The Authority reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, and to waive any informality or minor irregularity in any bid or bids. The Authority also retains the right to investigate the qualifications of bidders prior to any award and to award contracts only to contractors who, in the sole judgment of the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority, are qualified and equipped to properly execute the specified work.

ROBERT WEIMAR, INTERIM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR THE PITTSBURGH WATER AND SEWER AUTHORITY

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

Pick up your Courier at these locations NORTH SIDE LOCATIONS NORTH SIDE BEER AND BEVERAGE 1304 Federal St. 7-11 1001 Western Ave. RICHEY’S BARBER SHOP 1207 N. Franklin St. NORTH SIDE VALERO 820 Pennsylvania Ave. RITE AID 802 Pennsylvania Ave. MARSHALL SHELL 1500 Spring Garden Ave. SWINKO’S MARKET 2535 Perrysville Ave. MERCY STREET EXPRESS 6 Mercy St. HARV’S EXXON 2501 Brighton Rd. QUICK SCHWARTZ 3235 Brighton Rd. HANINI MARKET 3245 Brighton Rd. SOUTH SIDE LOCATIONS KEN’S MARKET 216 Beltzhoover Ave. Daily Mart 1125 Arlington Ave. SHOP N’ SAVE Brownsville Rd., Carrick WEST END LOCATIONS CRAFTON BEVERAGE 15 Foster Ave., Crafton/ Ingram Shopping Center SHEETZ 5400 Campbells Run Rd. SHOP N SAVE 2103 Noblestown Rd. HILL DISTRICT LOCATIONS SHOP N’ SAVE 1850 Centre Ave. WONG’S MARKET 2170 Centre Ave. ANN’S MARKET 2316 Webster Ave. A-PLUS MINI MARKET 2350 Centre Ave. UJAMMA BOUTIQUE 1901 Centre Ave. K LEROY IRVIS TOWERS 715 Mercer St. ABE’S MARKET 1860 Centre Ave. WYLIE TOBACCO 2152 Wylie Ave. POPULAR EAST END LOCATIONS GETGO 4924 Baum Blvd.

BP GAS STATION 11835 Frankstown Rd., Penn Hills PUFF’S DISCOUNT TOBACCO 10991 Frankstown Rd., Penn Hills SHOP N’ SAVE 3335 William Penn Hwy, near Monroeville Mall GETGO 10525 Frankstown Rd., Penn Hills CVS PHARMACY 10600 Frankstown Rd., Penn Hills SHELL GAS STATION 7619 Baum Blvd., Shadyside STANTON NEGLEY DRUG 804 N. Negley Ave., Highland Park UNIMART 5724 Ellsworth Ave., Shadyside SHELL GAS STATION 6701 Frankstown Rd., East Hills SQUIRREL HILL NEWS 5804 Forbes Ave., Squirrel Hill MURRAY AVE. NEWS 2024 Murray Ave., Squirrel Hill PUFF’S DISCOUNT TOBACCO 234 Yost Blvd., Braddock Hills DORSEY’S RECORDS 7614 Frankstown Ave., Homewood HOMEWOOD MARKET 7201 Frankstown Ave., Homewood SHEETZ 3457 William Penn Hwy., Monroeville WILLIAM PENN SMOKE SHOP 132 North Highland Ave., East Liberty DOWNTOWN LOCATIONS PENN AVENUE 7-11 (Sixth and Penn) Koppers Building (Ninth and Penn) NEWS-NUMBERS 136 Penn Avenue SMITHFIELD NEWS 115 Smithfield St. 7-11 SMITHFIELD 420 Smithfield St. FABER COE & GREGG 500 Grant St. FABER COE & GREGG 600 Grant St. NIELSEN’S STORES One Oxford Centre, Grant St. WOOD STREET 7-11 429 Wood St. NEWSTAND Sixth and Wood ONE STOP 300 Sixth & Wood OTHER DOWNTOWN LOCATIONS INCLUDE...

KWIK-E-MART 212 Tenth St. 7-11 643 Liberty Ave. ESTER’S SNAX Federal Building, Second Floor FABER COE & GREGG Fifth Ave. Place, First Floor EXTRA EXTRA NEWS 413 Seventh Ave. UTSAV NEWS 400 Cherry Way C&C NEWS 2 PPG Place EDDIE’S SNACKS 262 Fifth Ave. BIG DADDY 465 Forbes Ave.

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June 16, 2017 – PNC PARK – Photos by Chuck Coleman

Pirates African American Heritage Luncheon unites, uplifts

FORMER MLB ALL-STAR HAROLD REYNOLDS, LEFT

COURIER SPORTS COLUMNIST AUBREY BRUCE, RIGHT

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WEXFORD RESIDENTS Mikayla Logan and Kayla Dinkins, both 17, with coach Renata Silva. Both players are headed to college to play volleyball. (Photos by J.L. Martello)

MIKAYLA LOGAN

lleyball

NIA SMITH, 16, BROOKE MASON, 16, CHYNA GUBBINGS, 16

VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS Jourdan Page, jersey number 1, Emma Marthins, 35, Maya Bowkin, 58, Aenilah Watkins, 68, and Jacey Lewis, 43

Around Town with Ricco

Kumite ClassiC brings out the toughest

JOEY LIBSCOMB, a 21-year-old from Monessen, lifts 523 pounds, his personal best.

KUMITE CLASSIC FULL CONTACT SPARRING (Photos by J.L. Martello)

MASTER YUSUF OWENS brings his students from his gym in East Liberty to compete in the Classic.

JOHN JACKSON, a 45-year-old personal trainer from Monessen, lifts 501 pounds.

Pictured are Isaiah Simmons, Ruby Williams, Owens, and Jewharu Williams.

Around town with Ricco

JAKIA JACOBS, 12, with Marcus Robinson from the Pittsburgh Bullets.

TATJANA WATSON, 26, from Cincinnati, competed and won events at the Classic.

COURIER PHOTOGRAPHER J.L. MARTELLO