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URA board approves housing, business expansion in Black neighborhoods VOL. 106, NO. 33
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AUGUST 19-25, 2015
by Christian Morrow Courier Staff Writer
During its August meeting, the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh board of directors approved multiple initiatives aimed at improving economic and housing conditions in Larimer, Homewood and Manchester. In Larimer, the board approved $638,000 for the expansion of Mike’s Auto Body, including the sale of six authority-owned lots. The expansion—a new 12,000 square-
foot building with 22 bays is expected to create 36 jobs and bring new economic activity to the neighborhood. The new building was designed by Howard Graves and includes a “wrap” of the original Meadows Street building to conform to the look of the addition. The entire project is budgeted at $2.8 million, with the bulk of the financing coming from First Commonwealth Bank. Also in Larimer, the board approved the sale of 439 Larimer Avenue to a subsidiary of KBK enterprises, owned by developer
Keith B Key. Key plans to convert the existing two-story structure on the lot into three offices spaces, a reception area, kitchenette and a conference room. The project also includes a 560-square foot addition to the existing building and is budgeted at $484,000. The completed building will be leased for community/public meetings and services. The board also approved the sale of 10 lots along North Dallas Avenue in HomeSEE URA A5
KEITH B. KEY: building a new conference center in Larimer. (Photo by J.L. Martello)
Heroin ODs at epidemic levels
Rev.Dr. J.Earl Garmon Sr. passes
by Michael B. Rose For New Pittsburgh Courier
REV. DR. J. EARL GARMON SR. One of the theological icons of Pittsburgh and western Pennsylvania region has gone on to glory. Reverend Dr. James Earl Garmon Sr., the long time shepherd of Trinity Baptist Church in Lawrenceville, died on Aug. 11, and his home going services were conducted from the church on Aug. 17. Reverend Stephen Douglas Sullivan, pastor of the Victory Baptist Fellowship Church in Cleveland delivered the eulogy. Reverend Garmon was licensed to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ at the Mt. Zion Baptist church under Rev. Elijah J. Benton. He was ordained by Rev. Dr. SEE GARMON A4
UP AGAINST THE WALL—Police handcuff suspects at the Wood Street T-Station May 30, after the beating of Black passenger Kevin Lockett. Ryan Kyle, red plaid shirt, faces attempted homicide charges. (Photo by J.L. Martello)
Arraignment scheduled for five in T-Station beating by Christian Morrow Courier Staff Writer
Drunken rednecks leave a country music concert and beat an innocent Black man. While it sounds like a cliché Hollywood plot, it was all too real for Kevin Lockett, who was seen on video being thrown onto the train tracks and then severely beaten at the Wood Street T-Station in May by five White men also accused of using racial slurs. Those five, Ryan Kyle, 21, David Depretis, 21, Kenneth Gault, 21, and brothers Christopher Laplace, 23, and Matthew Laplace, 21, will be heading
to trial, but the level of guilt that can be attached to each remains problematic because, as Lockett said during a preliminary hearing last month, he can’t remember who said what. Kyle faces the most severe charges, and while there may be some doubt about what he said, there is little about what he did. He allegedly threw Lockett onto the trolley tracks and when he climbed up, he beat him to the platform, hitting him in the head at least eight times. Given his injuries—multiple fractures of
Courier Staff Writer
Healthy eating is very important, especially for kids. When taught at a young age, it can lead to a long life with few medical ailments in their adult years. There are several programs and campaigns, for instance, the First Lady of the United States’ “Let’s Move!” initiative, that promote the importance of picking a salad over a hamburger or fruits and vegetables over a candy bar or a bag of chips. UnitedHealthcare and the Salvation Army of Western Pennsylvania also recognize the important benefits of eating healthy and making healthy choices, especially at an early age. On Aug. 14, UnitedHealthcare presented the Salvation
Army’s Pittsburgh Northside Worship & Service Center with a $25,000 grant to implement its NSWSC Kid’s Cafe, a program that will teach kids
how to eat and prepare healthy meals. “As part of our mission to help people live healthier lives, UnitedHealthcare partners with community
organizations like the Salvation Army. The Salvation Army of Western Pennsylvania is an ideal partner SEE GRANT A5
JULIAN BOND (File photo by Rossano P. Stewart)
Julian Bond remembered as committed, sharp, inspiring by Christian Morrow Courier Staff writer
A HEALTHY DONATION—UnitedHealthcare executives present Salvation Army of Western Pennsylvania executives with a check to fund a youth healthy eating program at North Side location. From left: Allison Davenport, United Health Community Plan; Lts. Kenneth and Minnie Cleveland, Northside Salvation Army; Major Thomas Lyle, Salvation Army of Western Pennsylvania Division; and Heather Cianfrocco, Unitedhealthcare Community Plan. (Photo by Christina Shields)
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Salvation Army receives grant for youth healthy eating program by Ashley Johnson
There were 300 overdose deaths in Allegheny County in 2014, more than ever before. With 75 percent involving opioids. “There has been a 150 percent increase in HIV and Hepatitis C since 2010 and that is mostly through shared needle contact. The question isn’t why don’t people stop using drugs but why do people use them,” said Alice Bell of Preventive Point Pittsburgh. “Look at all of the people who are dependent on pain medication. We just need to realize the drug addict and the pain patient are the same people.”
“Opioids are being prescribed in such proliferate numbers that in 2012 259 million prescriptions were given, almost one for every person in the country,” said U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania David “Jack” Hickton. Hickton, who was appointed by President Obama in 2011, believes the opioid problem in the United States and especially in western Pennsylvania where-by law enforcement is trying to decapitate a two-headed monster. “What we have done recently is being more aggressive with street heroin deal-
Like many, Alma Speed Fox was shocked when she heard Julian Bond, educator, politician, NAACP board chairman and civil rights icon, had died at 75. “He always looked so young—he still did. I thought he’d always look that way,” she said. “Though I didn’t get to work with him, I loved seeing him at the Chicago convention. He could put people together— the NAACP, the Urban League. It was hard to build coalitions, but he could.”
Ulish Carter says
Bettis in Hall…it’s about time Opinion A6
Connie Parker, NAACP Pittsburgh Unit President, was equally shocked by the news. “I just saw him at the National NAACP convention in Philadelphia last month. It was a total surprise,” she said. “Julian had great stature. He was a solid man. And he had that southern gentleman mentality, the clothes and the mannerisms. He has to remain part of our history because we need to know what we’re working for. He knew what he was working for.” SEE BOND A4
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This Week In Black History
AUGUST 19-25, 2015
INTERNATIONAL
SHOOTING RE-ENACTED—In this photo taken Thursday, Aug. 13, actors, re-enact the scene when police, right, open fire on striking platinum mineworkers, in the musical “Marikana” in Pretoria, South Africa. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
South African musical dramatizes police shooting of strikers by Lynsey Chutel Associated Press Writer
PRETORIA, South Africa (AP)—South Africans sing and dance when they mourn, which is why a musical is a fitting way to commemorate the police shootings of striking miners three years ago, says the lead actor of “Marikana—The Musical.” On Aug. 16, 2012, a weekslong labor dispute reached a bloody climax as police opened fire and killed 34 miners in Marikana, a mining town in the North West province. Video footage of miners dropping in a hail of gunfire shocked South Africans and the world. In the days before, 10 miners, police and private security guards were killed, some hacked or burned to death. Like “Sarafina,” the world-touring musical about a student uprising against apartheid, “Marikana–The Musical” dramatizes a moment in South Africa’s history, showing the country struggling to uphold ideals of equality, dignity and nonviolence. Mavuso Magabane plays the leader of the strike who was killed in the shootings that were the largest loss of life in a police operation since South Africa achieved majority rule in 1994.
“When we celebrate we sing and dance, when we mourn we sing and dance and when we’re angry we sing and dance,” Magabane told The Associated Press. He said he prepares for each performance by watching footage of the shooting, and is often in tears by the end of the
“When we celebrate we sing and dance, when we mourn we sing and dance and when we’re angry we sing and dance,” MAVUSO MAGABANE show. In the opening scene, the actors rise from beneath the stage, as miners would from a shaft. They sit on a raised metal grid, symbolizing a hill the striking miners occupied. They brandish sticks and machetes and dance with thrusting and stomping warrior-like movements. The performers sing rousing protest anthems in rich harmonies as the play’s tension mounts. They also deliver heartfelt solos, depicting the personal turmoil of the miners, police, union officials and grieving
How did Dr. Quintin Bullock go from...
dentist to community college president? What are the chances that the standard public education, kthru-12, will be extended to cover the first two years of community college? Listen to Elaine Effort Pittsburgh Profiles with KQV Reporter Elaine Effort when Community College of Allegheny County President Dr. Quintin Bullock is this week’s guest.
families in the tragedy. The musical avoids painting the police as villains, with those in uniform often appearing comical and uncertain. The mining bosses are shown as aloof and the unionists out of touch. As the gut-wrenching shooting is re-enacted, actors in bloodied costumes leap into the audience, showing miners trying to escape death. In the three years since the shootings, South Africans are still haunted by Marikana, the word that has come to represent the killings, the preceding unrest, and the repercussions still felt. A 645-page report was issued in June this year by a government-appointed commission of inquiry. The report exonerated political leaders accused of using their influence to forcibly end the strike but blamed police leaders for making reckless decisions. The miners who survived found little closure in the report, choosing this week to sue the government for their injuries and detentions, their lawyer told the South African Broadcasting Corporation. The still mourning families were also disappointed by the report. “The families felt that despite a two year process, there was still no one held responsible,” said Kathleen Hardy, an attorney with the Socio-Economic Rights Institute, one of the legal centers representing 326 dependents of the slain miners. Now in its second run, the musical was adapted from the book “We are going to kill each other today: The Marikana Story,” written by a group of journalists who covered the turbulence. “This story is real,” said writer and director Aubrey Sekhabi. “This is not something to play about, we have to be responsible.”
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For the Week of August 19-25 August 19 1791—Benjamin Banneker writes a letter to Secretary of State (later president) Thomas Jefferson denouncing slavery. In his letter, Banneker declared, “I freely and cheerfully acknowledge that I am of the African race” and then precedes to label America’s recently achieved freedom from England a “hypocrisy” as long as Blacks continued to suffer under “groaning captivity and cruel oppression.” Banneker was a Black activist against slavery even though he is generally recognized for his mathematical achievements, designing one of the first clocks made in America and laying out the nation’s capital after Pierre L’Enfant abandoned the job. 1954—African American diplomat Ralph Bunch is named Undersecretary of the United Nations. Bunch had already received the Nobel Peace Prize (1950) for RICHARD ALLEN his work as a U.N. negotiator during the Arab-Israeli war of 1948-1949. Bunch would later become U.N. Secretary General. He was born in Detroit but raised in Los Angeles. August 20 1619—This is the most probable date that Black History in America begins. Approximately 20 Africans (the records of the day referred to them as “20 and odd Negras”) arrived in Jamestown, Va., aboard a Dutch ship. It appears the Africans were sold as indentured servants who could work and earn their freedom. Little is known about the group except that the Dutch had stolen them from a Spanish slave ship which was probably headed for the Caribbean or South America. Few names survive. But one of the men was called Anthony (or Antonio) and one of the women was called Isabella. The available records indicate the ship arrived in Jamestown in the latter part of August. Other records and some speculation have led most historians to believe the actual arrival date was Aug. 20, 1619—the beginning of Black history in America. 1830—The first National Negro Convention is held. It takes place in Philadelphia and is chaired by Richard Allen, founder of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Top on the agenda of the gathering was what could free Blacks do to help bring an end to slavery. 1942—Musician, composer, singer, songwriter Isaac Hayes is born on this day in Covington, Tenn. August 21 1831—The Nat Turner slave rebellion begins in Southampton, Va. It was the best organized and most deadly slave revolt in American history. The charismatic Turner brought together between 50 and 70 Blacks (some slave and some free) to launch his revolt prompted by what he saw as a vision from God. As many as 70 Whites (men, women and children) were killed during a two-day period. It took the local militia and a detachment of federal troops to put down the rebellion. However, Turner, known as “the NAT TURNER Prophet” by his followers was not captured until Oct. 30. He was hanged on Nov. 11, 1831. Interestingly, he became known as “Turner” after the rebellion. During his life, he was simply known as Nat and was considered a brilliant, self-taught man. After the rebellion, Virginia passed a law making it illegal to teach a Black person how to read and write. 1904—Jazz pianist and bandleader William “Count” Bassie is born on this day in Red Bank, N.J. 1936—Basketball legend Wilt “The Stilt” Chamberlain is born in Philadelphia, Pa. The 7’1” phenomenon had an amazing NBA career including being the only player to score 100 points in a single game. Chamberlain died in October 1999. August 22 1791—The Haitian Revolution begins. It was the most successful Black slave revolt in world history. Led by Toussaint L’Ouverture, a trusted house slave who initially opposed the rebellion, the slaves defeated the mighty French army led by Napoleon. They also defeated a contingent of British troops. However, L’Ouverture was tricked into attending a “peace” conference where he was captured and would later die in prison. It fell to one of his WILT CHAMBERLAIN lieutenants, Jean-Jacques Dessalines, to complete the struggle and declare the island nation an independent republic on Jan. 1, 1804. 1843—A National Convention of Black Men takes place in Buffalo, N.Y. The militant abolitionist Henry Highland Garnett called for a slave revolt and for free Blacks to launch a nationwide strike in support of the revolt. But a more moderate Frederick Douglas opposed Garnett’s plan out of fear of potential violence. 1989—Black Panther Party co-founder Huey P. Newton is gunned down in California. He was killed by a 24-year-old member of the Black Guerilla drug gang. The reason for the murder was never clearly revealed, but Newton supporters considered it a political assassination. Newton had founded the militant Black Panther Party along with Bobby Seale in 1966. The group advocated community control, armed self-defense and a mixture of Black Nationalism and socialism based on the works of Mao Tse-tung, Che Guevara and Frantz Fanon. August 23 1826—This is generally recognized as the day that the first Black person in America graduated from college. His name was Edward Jones and he received his BA degree from Amherst College in Massachusetts. Despite the general recognition, however, there is some evidence that the BLACK PANTHERS honor actually belongs to Alexander Lucius Twilight who appears to have graduated from Middlebury College in Vermont in 1823. Nevertheless, Jones would eventually leave America and help establish the African nation of Sierra Leone. August 24 1854—Dr. John V. DeGrasse, perhaps the most prominent Black person in New England during the pre-Civil War period, is admitted to the Massachusetts Medical Society. DeGrasse was born in New York City in 1825 and graduated from Bowdoin College in Maine. 1950—Chicago attorney Edith Spurlock Sampson is named by President Harry S. Truman as the first African-American representative in the U.S. delegation to the United Nations. Sampson was also the first Black female elected judge in the United States. She was born in Pittsburgh, Pa., around 1901 and died in 1979. August 25 EDITH SPURLOCK SAMPSON 1862—After a disastrous loss to the South during a battle known as the Peninsular Campaign, U.S. Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton orders the arming of 5,000 Black soldiers in a bid to turn the tide against the pro-slavery forces. The Blacks (both freedmen and former slaves) fought with distinction winning 15 Congressional Medals of Honor. In fact, the Black soldiers were so effective, near the end of the Civil War the Confederacy, in a desperation move, actually attempted to recruit Black soldiers to the pro-slavery side. 1908—The National Association of Colored Nurses is founded by Martha Minerva Franklin. At the time Black nurses were not welcomed in the all-White American Nurses Association. 1925—Six men, led by A. Phillip Randolph, organize the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters—a union composed of porters and attendants on the nation’s railroad passenger cars. The effort was the most successful Black labor organizing campaign in American history. The Brotherhood would go on to become the largest and most powA. PHILLIP RANDOLPH erful Black controlled union in America including over 15,000 members by 1959. Randolph would also become a major (often behind the scenes) figure in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. He played a key role in Dr. Martin Luther King’s famous 1963 March on Washington. Randolph would often boast that his union was a success not because people loved it, but because it knew how to “push people out of the way.” 1927—The first Black person to win the Wimbledon Singles Tennis Championship, Althea Gibson, is born on this day in Silver, S.C. Gibson won Wimbledon on July 6, 1957. The allALTHEA GIBSON around athlete died on Sept. 23, 2003.
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Heroin ODs at epidemic levels in Allegheny County CONTINUED FROM A1
ers, we also have increased our healthcare fraud work because many of the people that are trafficking in pills are violating the healthcare laws.” He said they have done so in recognition of the connection between the two, because, often times, people who start out taking prescribed Vicodin work up to a habit that spirals into Percocet and Oxycodone abuse. Eventually, as an individual’s livelihood is overtaken with addiction, heroin becomes the cheaper, more readily available substitute. A public perception nationwide is to look at drug abuse racially, categorizing crack as a drug abused by African Americans and drugs such as heroin and crystal methamphetamine as drugs abused by White Americans. In reality, according to federal statistics, African Americans make up 13 percent of the population and are 13 percent of overdoses nationwide and 14 percent of overdoses in Allegheny County. When asked about the new heroin that has been reported to be so strong that people collapse to the ground before the needle can be removed from the arm, Hickton sounded resigned as he discussed recent events. “When you talk about the new heroin, what you’re talking about is the fentanyl. We had overdoses this past week with what medical examiners said was one hundred percent fentanyl.” Fentanyl is a synthetic opiate that is so powerful it is used as anesthesia for surgery. “It should never be used without a doctor’s supervision and certainly not used unknowingly because it will kill you. And that’s what we see happening,” said Hickton. Another problem for law enforcement is the versatility of fentanyl; it can be smoked like opium, snorted, injected or used topically in a patch. Hickton said reforms are being made accordingly. “One of the problems that we are dealing with right now is that these opioids and synthetics can be used in a variety of ways. Some of the reforms put in place have been to change the packaging on some of the pill version of opioids to reduce that ability for how they can be used. If it can be ground from pills to a pow-
READY FOR SALE—Herion stamp bags called “Top Five,” pictured here in bundles of 10, go for $10 a bag.
EXCHANGE CENTER—Ronald Johnson gathering supplies for people who come in and trade their dirty needles for clean needles and supplies. The old supplies, used needles, condoms, alcohol, tourniquets, cookers and alcohol pads, are then properly disposed of. (Photos by J.L. Martello) der and snorted or as a pill swallowed, the easier it is to take the more likely it is to be abused,” Hickton said. Which is why he is going beyond conventional methods to attack the multidimensional problem, he said. “The first part works on the supply side,” he continued. “The second works on the demand side by recognizing addiction is an illness that we need to illuminate the stigma of the addiction/illness and we need to get a voice to people and families of people struggling with addiction because we can’t prosecute or incarcerate our way out of the heroin or opioid problem.” Bell and Ronald Johnson are two Prevention Point Pittsburgh workers who have given the last 20 years of their lives to rescuing addicts from overdosing and fighting the spread of blood borne illnesses. PPP is the only county-approved syringe exchange program in Southwestern Pennsylvania and considers needle exchange as a foundation for addressing a broader set of injection drug users’ needs. Bell, who started volunteering in 1997 and became staff in 2000, said she joined because “Lots of people were dying of AIDS and, disproportionately, it was affecting drug users. It was a social justice interest more than a personal story.
Prevention Point is a place where people get treated with respect,” she said. Johnson is with Bell every Sunday in Oakland from 12-2:50 p.m. He gives every person a sheet that asks their neighborhood, gender, and needs, everything from syringes, cotton, cookers, condoms, tourniquets, filters to bleach containers for disposal, Hep C tests, HIV Chlamydia, gonorrhea and wound care as well. “Some people who come in are diabetic and they don’t have the ability to keep enough 25-29 gauge needles. Some people go through 8 needles a day,” said Johnson After receiving their sheet, he has them report where they have seen people overdose and he writes it on a board that everyone who walks in can see so that people can be warned where the bad stuff is. “They might come in and say it’s bad in Clairton. And say they were taking Sand Bag, Joe Boat, or Top Five. What date it was found and how bad it was,” said Johnson. “For somebody who might need further assistance, like getting treatment, I’m a case manager so I will see what type of help they need, they will let me know, whether shelter, food, need assistance getting social security or S.S.I.” No using happens in the facility. “On Wednesday I’m on the Hill in a van (with) no markings on Addison
Bond remembered as committed, sharp, inspiring CONTINUED FROM A1
Bond is remembered for founding the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee at age 20 in 1960 and leading student protests of Jim Crow laws throughout Georgia, Al-
ALMA SPEED FOX
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abama, Mississippi and Arkansas at a time when Blacks were being shot or hanged for such activity. Following the passage of the Voting Rights Act, Bond was elected to the U.S. House from Georgia and later elected to the Senate. At the 1968 Democratic convention, he became the first African American nominated for president by a major party. “He was one of my influences in the 1960s,” said Tim Stevens, former Pittsburgh NAACP president. “I was proud when he integrated the Georgia legislature. He always had a cerebral approach, but was direct to issues dealing with race. And as a spokesperson, he was a riveting icon. Another one of my heroes, he’ll be missed.” Rick Adams, longtime Civil Rights activist and assistant vice president of the Frieda Shapira Center at Community College of Allegheny County said Bond would be remembered for his courage. “Julian Bond will be forever remembered as the erudite, soft spoken revolutionary that played a pivotal role on the front lines as a courageous soldier in the fight to topple the decades old edifice of Jim Crow as a SNCC organizer at a time when to just call for voting rights could get you killed,” he said. “He publically criticized the notorious FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover when others would not even men-
tion his name in private for fear of retribution. Julian was unquestionably one of the greatest champions of human rights bar none.” (Send comments to cmorow@newpittsburghcourier.c om.)
TIM STEVENS
CONNIE PARKER
Terrace. You can come in get your supplies and it’s quicker,” he said Finally, and just as importantly, there is Narcan training in the back. Narcan has been used for 50 years by paramedics. Respiratory distress is what causes people to die from overdoses so Narcan blocks the opioid effects and gets them breathing again. As Bell explained, “It takes four minutes without oxygen before brain death starts to occur. That is why it’s so important to have it on site. With the new laws that allow police, firefighters and EMTs to carry it, that’s great, they can save a lot of lives, but people who
are using drugs are with other people who are using drugs, they are the ones that really need to have it.” The Naloxone, also known as Narcan, program started in 2005. “To this point we have reports of over 1300 overdose reversals due to narcan. 1300 times someone said I need more Narcan because they used what they had,” said Bell, who also does trainings in the county jail and said she hopes Allegheny Health Network, which is taking over healthcare services for the jail, will allow her to administer it there as well. “I had a man come to me after a session and said if I would’ve had this a year ago my daughter would be alive today. It takes 10 minutes to learn how,” she said. “A few months back everyone was allowed to get it.
They are going to start giving it out at Giant Eagle. That’s big man. You will need a prescription and you will have to pay for it without insurance. But hey, that’s showing you that people are aware of if you can’t stop the problem but you can save someone’s life. But here it’s free,” said Johnson Narcan has no psychoactive effects. The cost of generic Narcan is cheap. A few years ago 10 doses were $3 but Bell said it has gone up a lot since then. No matter, the fight will continue, as Hickton puts it, “There is no question that we are in an epidemic it’s everywhere and it’s touching all groups and that’s why we are working so hard on it.” Currently, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia are the only areas in the state that have needle transfer.
Arraignment for five in T-Station beating
LOCKETT ROLLED OUT—First responders roll Kevin Lockett out of the Wood Street T-station on a gurney. (Photo by J L. Martello) CONTINUED FROM A1
his facial bones—it’s a wonder Lockett remembers anything. At the hearing before Judge Oscar Petite, Lockett said he had gotten on the T at the North Side station May 30 and meant to get off at Gateway, but the crowd blocked him, so he continued on to Wood Street. During the ride, he said he heard racial slurs coming from someone in the group, but he could not say whom. When he got off, the others left through a different door. Video from the station camera shows Kyle grabbing Lockett and throwing him onto the tracks. Lockett gets back up and tries to retrieve his cooler full of food and beer; Kyle hits him, knocking him to the platform where he continues hitting him. Port Authority police testified they arrived almost immediately thanks to a 9-1-1 call from a witness, and arrested the men. Though each was charged with ethnic intimidation, Petite dismissed that charge against Depretis after Port Authority Detective Lee Niebel testified he never made any slurs. That was not so with all of them, Niebel said. When he initially stopped them in the station, two asked him “why do you care about a nigger?” Kyle is charged with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, conspiracy, robbery and ethnic intimi-
dation. Matt Laplace face assault robbery conspiracy and intimidation charges. His brother, Christopher, faces robbery, intimidation and conspiracy. Gault is charged with assault, intimidation and conspiracy; and Depretis with robbery assault and conspiracy. Kyle’s attorney Al Burke, who is Black, said the video evidence is hard to refute, but because there is no audio some of the intimidation charges could be dropped. “My client never touched the cooler, but the prosecutor argued that everyone
acted in concert, so they conspired and are all guilty of the charges,” he said. “I don’t think it was ever in doubt that this would go to trial though.” The suspects are scheduled for formal arraignment Sept. 14. Burke, previously a longtime Washington County prosecutor, said he expects a trial date in November. “Sometimes with a highprofile case, they’ll try to do it sooner,” he said. “But we also have five defendants and that means five defense attorneys and that could slow things down. So we’ll see.”
Rev.Dr.J.Earl Garmon passes CONTINUED FROM A1
Allen L. Roach, pastor of the Mt. Nebo Baptist Church and moderator of the Toledo District Association in Toledo, Ohio. On Feb. 11, 1980, Rev. Garmon formerly accepted the call to pastor Trinity Missionary Baptist Church. As pastor, he has represented the church at all levels of Baptist Organizations and community organizations. During his 35 years of dedicated spiritual leadership, which ranges from 1980-2015, he served in the following organizations: the Pittsburgh Baptist Minister’s Conference & Vicinity, the Allegheny Union
Baptist Association, Pennsylvania State Baptist Convention, National Baptist Convention USA Inc., Eastside Alliance, Black Political Empowerment Project and Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission. In 2004, Rev. Garmon was appointed by former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell to the Human Relations Commission of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He leaves to cherish his memory: wife, Vera Jean Garmon; three sons, James Earl Garmon Jr., Malcolm Snyder and Evan Treadwell; and one grandson, James Earl Garmon III.
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Salvation Army receives grant for youth healthy eating program CONTINUED FROM A1
because it helps people overcome the social and economic challenges that can keep them from living a healthy life, with services including emergency disaster response, housing assistance, youth programs and much more,” said UnitedHealthcare Community Plan Northeast Region CEO Heather Cianfrocco. “The grant we recently awarded will allow the Salvation Army to extend its services even further by offering cooking classes to children to help them learn how to choose and prepare nutritious foods, even when their families on are on a tight budget.” NSWSC Commanding Officer Lt. Kenneth Cleveland said he and his wife, Lt. Minnie Cleveland, are ecstatic about receiving this grant. “It is an honor for us to just be able to partake in this and be able to continue the mission of the Salvation Army on the North Side.” Three-times a week, during the Center’s current After School program which is held Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, youth ages 6-14 will be taught the basics of good nutrition and how to make better decisions. They will learn where their food comes from, how to prepare it and which foods provide the most nutritional benefits. According to Kenneth, the Café will be set up to provide fresh fruits and vegetables, along with a soup and salad bar. To help run the Café, Kenneth said they have enlisted the help of the Children’s Table, a Pittsburgh youth-focused cooking program that strives to inspire youth to make healthy food choices through hands-on preparation. The two worked together during NSWSC’s 8-week summer camp. One day a week, Children’s Table taught participants how to make
STUFF IT—UnitedHealthcare employee volunteers and Salvation Army staff stuffing backpacks with school supplies to distribute to kids from low-income families at the upcoming Back to School Bash. (Photo by Christina Shields) healthy snacks; things they could prepare if their parents weren’t home or if they were on the run with busy schedules. Since it was a big success and the kids liked the snacks and preparing them,
Kenneth said it was only natural that they worked together. The Kid’s Café will officially begin in October and run through May, and it expects to serve 20-25 youths. Along with preparing the
food, participants will also be able to take home the foods that they made. Kenneth said while noticing that at least 80-85 percent of the youth who attended his After School program were coming in hun-
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mer Thomas & Betts Brownfield site. This phase includes the construction of four new single-family homes, and is again under development by the Manchester Citizens Corporation. The three- and four-bedroom homes range in price from $239,900 to $339,900, but the authority has committed deferred second mortgage funding to make the houses affordable to those at or below 115 percent of the area median income. Because these homes are in a city-designated “Growth Zone,” they also qualify for a 10-year tax abatement on city and school district taxes. The board also agreed to accept up to $316,000 in federal funding to construct
an East Liberty Intermodal Bike Garage as part of the renovation and expansion of the PAT Station on Penn Avenue. The authority’s largest order of business, however, concerned approval of the $35 million project to convert the former Saks Fifth Avenue building and an adjacent property into a 600space parking garage atop ground floor retail space. Approvals were also granted for funding on the Pittsburgh Technology Center’s $14 million Indigo Hotel project, as well as for projects in Garfield, Crafton Heights, Frick Park, Lawrenceville and Oakland.
URA approves housing, business expansion wood to the Pittsburgh Housing Development Corporation for the construction of eight new singlefamily, for-sale homes. The development is projected to cost $2.4 million. In Manchester, the board approved additional grant financing for phase four of the Columbus Square housing development at the for-
Community Calendar Community Cancer Screening AUG. 21—The Allegheny Health Network Cancer Institute will host a Community Cancer Screening from 12-4 p.m. at Allegheny General Hospital Cancer Institute, 320 N. East Ave., North Side. This is an effort to help residents reduce their cancer risk through early detection and learn more about the disease from medical professionals. Registration is required and space is limited. For more information, call 412-DOCTORS, option 2 or visit www.ahn.org/cancer-screening-preregistration.
Back to School Giveaway AUG. 22—State Representative Ed Gainey will host a Back to School Giveaway from 12-3 p.m. at Destiny International Ministry, 7061 Lemington Ave., LincolnLemington. This is an event to help Pittsburgh students start the 2015 school year off right. Students in grades K-5 will receive a backpack and school supplies. Students must be present to receive a backpack. For more information, call 412-655-5502 or visit www.pahouse.com/Gainey.
Meet N’ Greet AUG. 26—The Homewood Community Development Collaborative will host a Meet n’ Greet from 6-8 p.m. at the Community Empowerment Association, 7120 Kelly St., Homewood. This is a meeting to learn about the collaborative, information tables and an opportunity to participate in a committee of HCDC. For more information, call 412-371-3689 ext. 17.
FACE Benefit Banquet AUG. 27—Macedonia Family and Community Enrichment Center Inc. will host its 5th Annual Friend of Children Benefit Banquet at 6 p.m. at the Rodef Shalom, 4905 Fifth Ave., Squirrel Hill. The nonprofit social service agency, which serves hundreds of individuals and families, will honor Pittsburgh Promise
Executive Director Saleem Ghubril. All proceeds will benefit Macedonia FACE community programming. Reservations are required. For more information, call Linda Parks or Tinisha Hunt at 412-281-2573 or visit www.macedoniaface.org.
Appreciation Luncheon SEPT. 5—Purpose of Life will host its 2nd Annual Appreciation Luncheon from 12-5 p.m. at the Monroeville DoubleTree Convention Center Hotel, 101 Mall Blvd., Monroeville. This event is to recognize special individuals who serve the needs of disabled and senior citizens. For more information, call Darlene Thorton at 412-5835803.
Senior Fitness ONGOING—The Vintage will host its Zumba Gold Fitness Program at 1 p.m. at the Vintage, 401 N. Highland Ave., East Liberty. Every Tuesday this fitness program takes exciting Latin and International dance rhythms created in the original Zumba fitness program and brings them to the active older adult and beginner participants that may need modifications for success. This is a safe and effective total body workout. For more information, call Tom Sturgill at 412-3615003 ext. 104.
Summer Enrichment Academy ONGOING—5A Elite Youth Empowerment will host a Summer Enrichment Academy from 6-8:30 p.m. at the Lincoln Park Community Center, 7300 Ridgeview Ave., Penn Hills. Every Friday through Aug. 28, youth ages 10-18 will participate in sports training, dance, peace building, personal awareness workshops and dinner. This is free and registration is required. For more information, call 412-867-5889. (To have items listed on Community Calendar, send information at least two weeks in advance to: 315 E. Carson St., Pittsburgh, PA 15219; Fax: 412-481-1360 or email: newsroom@newpittsburghcourier.com.)
(Send comments to cmorrow@newpittsburghcourier.com.)
gry and that a lot of the food their program was receiving from the city was high
in saturated fat, leaving the kids still hungry and some of it even going to waste, he decided to try a different approach. “We figured maybe there’s a better way we could do this. If it looks presentable and it looks like something they would like and want to eat, then maybe we can change their mindset about nutrition,” he said. Along with the upcoming Kid’s Café and After School program, the North Side location currently holds a Sunbeams and Boys Adventure program, similar to the Boy Scouts but Christianbased, a Women’s Book Club; a Women’s and Teen Ministry; Bible Study; and Sunday School. Following the check presentation, Salvation Army staff members and UnitedHealthcare employees volunteered their time by stuffing backpacks with school supplies, which will then be distributed to children from low-income families at the Salvation Army’s Back to School Bash. (For more information on the Kid’s Café, call the Salvation Army of Western Pennsylvania Northside Worship & Service Center at 412-321-0290.)
Bettis correction
IN OUR AUG. 12-18 EDITION, on the Sports page, we incorrectly identified a Tim Brown NFL Hall Of Fame bust as Jerome Bettis. Above is the correct bust unveiled by Jerome Bettis.
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AUGUST 19-25, 2015
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
OPINION
Bettis in Hall…it’s about time
Guest Editorial
GOP should put up or shut up on college affordability Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton last week proposed a $350 billion plan aimed at making college more affordable and reducing the crushing burden of student debt. All should applaud that effort, and any reasonable plan like it, to make the cost of higher education more affordable. Clinton’s proposal takes steps to reduce the cost of four-year public schools, make two-year community colleges tuition-free and cut student loan interest rates. What’s there not to like about that, especially if you’re a parent passed out on the floor from the sticker shock of the modern cost of a college education. National student debt is near $1.3 trillion dollars and the average price for in-state students at public four-year universities is 42 percent higher than it was a decade ago, according to the Associated Press. OK, so if you say “Hillary Clinton,” you know where the opposition is coming from, right? No pun intended. GOP leaders are less than thrilled with Clinton’s plan. “Every time you add more money and financial aid, (traditional colleges) raise their tuition rates,” said Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, a Republican candidate for president, in a broadcast interview this week. “That’s what’s going to happen here again unless they have competition.” Fellow GOP presidential contender, Jeb Bush said Clinton’s proposal would “raise the cost of college even further and shift the burden to hardworking taxpayers.” OK. Fair enough. But if they don’t like Clinton’s plan, the question is where is theirs? It seems the free market is the solution for everything that ails America as far as the GOP is concerned. Clinton plans to pay for her proposal by capping itemized tax deductions for wealthy families at 28 percent, like those taken by high-income taxpayers for charitable contributions and mortgage interest, the Associated Press said. Fellow Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders is pushing a plan that would would eliminate tuition and fees for public universities. His plan to pay for it would be by imposing a tax on transactions by hedge funds, investment houses and other financial institutions. A similar plan to reduce the soaring cost of college proposed by President Obama has been bottled up in the Republican-controlled Congress. No one wants to pay higher taxes, but if the hike for those who can well afford it is tied to the greater good, shouldn’t there at least be a discussion in the Congress? It’s time for the GOP to put up or shut up to help struggling students and parents afford college. (Reprinted from the Philadelphia Tribune)
Pittsburgh Courier NEW
Founded 1910
Rod Doss
Editor & Publisher Stephan A. Broadus Assistant to the Publisher
Allison Palm
Eric Gaines
Office Manager
Advertising Manager
Ulish Carter
Ashley Johnson Associate Editor
Managing Editor
Jeff Marion Circulation Consultant
John H. Sengstacke Editor & Publisher Emeritus (1912-1997)
Jerome Bettis was recently inducted into the Hall of Fame. Congratulations Jerome. What took them so long? Could it be Steelers haters? Jerome finished his career in sixth place all time in rushing. He had a Super Bowl ring, and led his team year after year into the playoffs, and most of the time deep into the playoffs. There have been hundreds of running backs in the NFL yet he was sixth all time. So why did it take him five years after eligibility to be selected to the NFL Hall of Fame? One reason and one reason only, the media and athletes who select the Hall of Fame are Steelers’ haters. Why? Because there were 16 Steelers in the Hall before Jerome, and there’s at least three to five more that should be there. L.C. Greenwood leads that list. I’m still trying to understand why the second greatest player on that great Steel Curtain defense isn’t in the Hall. Even though the fans throughout this country love the Steelers above all other teams, including the Dallas Cowboys, the media and athletes from other cities hate them. The other athletes because Super Bowl dreams have been crushed so often by the Steelers that there is a lot of jealousy, and the media because they are reluctant to vote for a Steeler because there are so many in the Hall already, some because of the same reason of the players, jealousy. Remember these voting media people represent other cities and they want to spread the honor around. I say the best players, based on winning, should be selected regardless of what team they play on or how many previous players have made it. That entire Steelers team from the ‘70s 4 Super Bowls should have been inducted because it was the greatest team ever assembled in NFL history by far. Especially the Defense. Front line: Joe Greene, L. C. Greenwood, Dwight White, and Ernie Holmes. Linebackers: Jack Ham, Jack Lambert, and Andy Russell, with Robin Cole replacing Russell. Defensive backs: Mel Blount, J.T. Thomas, Mike Wagner, Glen Edwards, later re-
Ulish Carter
Just Sayin’
They need to leave this law alone. It’s perfectly fine the way it is. If anything they should be trying to make it easier for Americans to vote instead of placing obstacles in their way. When you look at what Blacks and women had to go through to get the vote, it should make all Americans angry with the group of people who are trying to take it away. Especially when you look at the small percentage of people who come out to vote in the first place and now we are trying to make it harder for those few who do. We need to make the Voting Rights Act permanent. *** In a recent Ed Board with Pittsburgh Police Chief Cameron McLay he laid out a lot of things he’s trying to do to improve the force here with number one being diversifying the force, while improving the quality. Many of the things he proposed, and wants to see done are the same things former chief Nate Harper wanted and was attempting to do. With the exception that McLay seems to be getting more cooperation from the Mayor, FOP, and the community as a whole. Diversity on the police force in Pittsburgh and throughout the country is a must. And it appears that the FOP, politicians, and the community as a whole are beginning to understand this and are willing to work together to make it happened. Yes, Nate Harper stole money, but he was a darn good police chief, and always had the best interest of the overall communities, Black and White, at heart. One issue they agree on is that if there are to be more Blacks on the force, there has to be a change of attitudes by the police toward Blacks as well as the community toward the police. If there is to be less crime and less violence in the Black communities these neighborhoods and the police must work together against the few who are committing the crimes of stealing, drug trafficking, and the shootings. Hopefully Chief McLay will be able to finish what Chief Harper started.
placed by Donnie Shell and Dwayne Woodruff replacing Thomas. But back to Jerome. Jerome was one of the greatest power backs of all time but he also had great moves in his younger days for a big man. He consistently gained over 1000 yards per season both with the Rams as well as with the Steelers, over several years, showing his durability. He should have been automatically selected as soon as his five years of eligibility was up, but instead he had to wait five long years for what should have been automatic. But at least the NFL Hall of Fame selectors finally got it right and voted Jerome Bettis to the Hall and it’s much better for it, because he was clearly the class of the selection. Speaking of Hall of Fame selections Hines Ward should be eligible soon, Troy Polamalu in five years along with Ben Roethlisberger depending on how long he plays and if Antonio Brown keeps playing the way he has been playing, he will be an automatic. So the Steelers will continue to keep the pressure on the Hall selectors to do the right thing. Keep those Steelers coming? One last note. There couldn’t be a nicer person than Jerome in the Hall. *** Voting Rights Act 50 years later. It’s really a shame that we are still dealing with issues that should have been done with. There have been few to no voting frauds documented throughout this country state by state yet the Republicans are determined to make voting difficult, which is everyone’s right, and what this country was built on, and why we are all over the world interfering with other countries because we say we are trying to (Ulish Carter is the managing editor of the make the world safe for democracy. New Pittsburgh Courier.)
#BlackLivesMatter prioritizes Black life ( N N PA ) — N i n e t e e n - y e a r - o l d Zachary Hammond was sitting in a Hardee’s parking lot in his hometown of Seneca, S.C., on a first date. An undercover agent had arranged to buy marijuana from his date and had lured her to the parking lot. What could have been a simple drug bust turned into tragedy. Zachary was killed when two bullets struck him on July 26. As always, there are conflicting stories of what happened. The shooting officer says he was in danger of being run over by Hammond, but not everyone agrees, and one Hardee’s employee witnessed officers moving Hammond’s body to place it so it confirmed officer reports. Hammond is White and his name is not as widely known as that of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, or Tamir Rice. Hammond’s family and their attorney Eric Bland, say the national media have not covered the murder of Zach Hammond because he is White. Give me a break. While activists organized to protest the murders of the unarmed African American men (and women) who have been killed by the police, no one in Zach Hammond’s circle has cared enough to organize an action to protest his killing. His town is majority White, as are the officers of the law. Citizens of Seneca, S.C. need to ask why Zach’s killing is tolerated. Approximately 350 people have been killed by police officers so far this year. We don’t know all of their names, but we do know that African Americans are twice as likely to be killed (or die in police custody) as Whites. We know about Sandra Bland, and Eric Garner, and Michael Brown, and Tamir Rice because somebody lifted them up, organized around their murders, and made their presence known. Tellingly, the protest of
Julianne Malveaux
Commentary
young women who organized it, and the thousands who have united under their banner. That movement that prioritizes Black lives in a way that they have never before been prioritized. The #AllLivesMatter seems to be a flippant answer to #BlackLivesMatter. But here’s the deal White lives have always mattered and Black lives have been historically denigrated. Our nation’s organizing principle, the Constitution, stated that African Americans should only be counted as three fifths of a person. Thousands of African American people were lynched because they dared defy “Black Codes” or simply because they had too much money, too much attitude or too much dignity for oppressive White southerners. Congress repeatedly refused to pass anti-lynching laws. If all lives matter, where are the White folks who protest the murder of Michael Brown and Eric Garner? Where are the White folks who will protest Zach Hammond’s murder? (There have been White protesters, to be sure, but have Zach Hammond’s parents ever been to a rally to protest the loss of Black life). There are many Black south Carolinians who would join in a protest against police brutality and an unjust killing. But those close to Zach Hammond will have to do the organizing to attract the national media. Because of historic oppression it is important for those who oppose needless police killings of unarmed Black people to embrace the #BlackLivesMatter movement. All lives matter, certainly, but it is the disproportionate killing of African Americans that has provided the impetus for a movement. Eric Bland, the Hammond attorney, ought to embrace it instead of being criticizing it.
Michael Brown’s murder was muted until a grand jury failed to indict murderer Darren Wilson for his crime. In the case of Zach Hammond, there has been no tape issued, no witnesses who have come forward, and a police bureaucracy that seems in no hurry to issue facts and findings. Still, everybody would know Zach Hammond’s name if that #AllLivesMatter crowd, the ones who object to the #BlackLivesMatter movement, would coalesce around Zach Hammond’s murder. Instead of criticizing the #BlackLivesMatter movement, Hammond’s attorney and his grieving parents ought to ask why more White folks aren’t outraged about young Hammond’s death. Zach Hammond’s tragic death highlights the reasons why police officers should be forced to wear body cameras. It reminds us that too many trigger-happy officers of the law should be better trained. It reminds us that some have been trained (or decided) to shoot to kill, even if the perceived threat comes from a 12-year-old child playing with a toy gun, or a young White man who (facts still to be determined) was simply driving his car. Even if Zach Hammond was trying to flee the Hardee’s parking lot, the consequence for evading arrest should not (Julianne Malveaux is a D.C. based be the death penalty. I am proud of the #BlackLivesMatter economist and author. She can be reached at movement, and excited about the three juliannemalveaux.com.)
Republicans are running against non-candidate Obama (NNPA)—I have to make a terrible confession: I simply could not watch the first Republican debate for the 2016 electoral cycle. I mean it. I could not turn on the station to listen to what they had to say. Yes, you may condemn me as narrow-minded, but after following this developing campaign I have noticed a few things about the Republicans. First, they are still running against President Obama, despite the fact that Obama’s name cannot be on the 2016 ballot. Second, they are playing to fear rather than any sense of hope. As for running against President Obama, it is to be found in their constant references to their need to allegedly taking America back, phrasing that is certainly open to a racial interpretation. In addition, what can one make of their continued fixation on overturning the Affordable Care Act (so-called Obamacare), despite poll numbers which have indicated increased support for the statute plus the fact that more than 16 million people have healthcare today who did not
Bill Fletcher Jr.
Commentary
within Planned Parenthood, have played to prejudice and an ignorance of science as a means of moving a political agenda against women and their right to control their own bodies. The attacks on immigrants-of-color, e.g., the rhetoric of Donald Trump, as being the alleged sources of the problems of the U.S.A. is not just the work of those without information, but represents mean-spirited and racist assaults on vulnerable populations, aimed at disguising those who are the real culprits behind the problems facing most people in the USA: the socalled “1 percent.” I enjoy debates when I feel that I can actually learn something, even when I disagree with a particular debater. Emotional appeals to the irrational, and efforts to hold back the future are not enlightening. Rather than raise our intellectual interest and curiosity, they are more likely to raise our blood pressure level.
have it two years ago? Added to this are their unending attacks on the proposed nuclear deal with Iran. Here the Republicans play to misinformation and fear, suggesting that the deal is equivalent to the Munich accord of 1938 that was signed with the Nazis, giving them a piece of then Czechoslovakia. There is nothing in the current situation with Iran that is analogous. The deeper problem with the Republicans can be found in their generalized appeal to fear and the irrational. The attacks on Planned Parenthood, (Bill Fletcher Jr. is the host of The Global Afrifor instance, which are based on heav- can on Telesur-English. Follow him on Twitter, ily edited tapes of alleged discussions Facebook and at www.billfletcherjr.com.)
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
Julian Bond: A dedicated life of service (NNPA)—Horace Julian Bond was born Jan. 14, 1940 in Nashville, Tenn. into a family of privilege. His father, Horace Mann Bond, was a noted educator who served as president of Fort Valley State University in Georgia, where such notables as W.E.B. DuBois and Paul Robeson were frequent guests. During their formative years, most Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), established during the Reconstruction Era to provide higher education for formerly enslaved African Americans, were headed by Whites. Bond’s father was the first Black president of Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, his alma mater. His mother, Julia, was a librarian. Young Julian was sent off to George School, a private Quaker boarding school near Philadelphia, and later enrolled in Morehouse College. At Morehouse, Bond chose a life of activism that would become the hallmark of his life. This is significant because many Blacks born into a life of privilege distanced themselves from the nascent Civil Rights Movement. I remember how incensed I became when Condoleezza Rice boasted in a Washington Post interview that “My parents were very strategic. I was going to be so well prepared, and I was going to do all of these things that were revered in white society so well, that I would be armored somehow from racism…” And it got worse, as I noted in a column on Rice. Referring to Rev. John W. Rice Jr., she said, “My father was not a march-in-the-street preacher. He saw no reason to put children at risk. He would never put his own child at
Black Lives Matter, ever since Adam and Eve The phrase tive born Black Black Lives Louis ‘Hop’ Kendrick man who has Matter is accomplishsweeping the ments that nation. The have never question that been equaled must be asked is by any Black how is Black person in the Lives Matter history of Albeing interl e g h e n y preted? In my County. Irvin estimation the overwhelming majori- Williams is his name and his organities are only relating the phrase to zation, which he and his wife own and acts of violence. Every time a Black operate, is Ebony Holding. They were person is victimized by police, White the developers and owners of two ofpersons or other Blacks there is the fice buildings in the Hill District at a outcry Black Lives Matter. cost exceeding four million dollars. Year after year Black youths, partic- The Executive Director Malik ularly young males leave school or get Bankston provided Ebony with the oparrested and their potential to be a portunity to build the eight million part of the American Dream is lim- dollar Kingsley Association. The ownited, but there is no outcry that Black ers of Ebony Holding LLC are native Lives Matter. I have written column Pittsburghers, who for some unknown after column about the limited num- reasons appear to have roadblocks of ber of Blacks or Black companies stumbling blocks prohibit their ability working throughout Allegheny to grow and be in position to hire those County, but there is only limited of us in the neighborhood who despervoices complaining. In the year of 2012 ately need jobs. It has been proven Pittsburgh City Council passed legis- time after time that in America indilation to establish a budget, where are viduals are given opportunities and the voices shouting Black Lives Mat- sometimes several, but do you have to ter? Blacks being denied an opportu- be White? Donald Trump, who is curnity for decent jobs, credit can become rently a candidate for the President of questionable which leads to denial of a the United States, who states he is mortgage, once again the question worth 10 billion dollars filed must be asked do Black Lives Matter? bankruptcy, but it provided him with Often when a Black person or orga- another opportunity. We must quesnization seeks a contract of significant tion ourselves and ask don’t the lives size they are denied with the excuse of Black businesspersons such as Irvin you have a lack of experience, but if “Irv” Williams matter? (Louis “Hop” Kendrick is a weekly contribuyou never get hired you never obtain the experience. However there is a na- tor to the Forum page.)
To Tell The Truth
George E. Curry
Commentary risk.” Julian Bond’s father, who had more blue blood credentials than Rev. Rice, obviously instilled a different set of values in him. Bond dropped out of Morehouse College to join the Civil Rights Movement, first as cofounder of the Atlanta Student Movement that organized local sit-ins on the heels of the 1960 lunch counter sit-ins in Greensboro, N.C. He was also a co-founder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. It was in his capacity as communications director of SNCC that I first met Julian Bond during the summer of 1966, after I had completed my freshman year of college. I spent that summer as a volunteer in the Atlanta headquarters, watching him interact with the media and carefully polishing SNCC’s national image. Julian also wrote poetry. I don’t remember many of his poems, but I still recall part of one we recited all summer: Look at that girl shake that thing, We can’t all be Martin Luther King. Don’t ask me why I remember that nearly 50 years later. In SNCC, Julian was not a key organizer, as some stories have suggested. The organization had legions of field organizers who became legends in the movement, including Bob Moses, Cleveland Sellers and Courtland Cox. Julian’s role was to communicate SNCC’s message to the media—and he did that well. The incident that catapulted Bond to international fame was his opposition to the Vietnam War. Dr. King did not publicly turn against the Vietnam War until his speech at Riverside Church in New York on April 4, 1967, exactly a year before his assassination. In 1965, Julian was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives. Shortly before he was scheduled to take office, he endorsed a statement by SNCC opposing the Vietnam War. The Georgia House accused Bond of treason and refused to seat him. A federal appeals court upheld the decision. But on Dec. 5, 1966, the Supreme Court unanimously upheld his right to free speech or ordered Georgia to seat him. Bond spent two decades in the state House and Senate. Perhaps his lowest point came when Bond and former SNCC chairman John Lewis competed for the same Congressional seat in Georgia. Bond’s estranged wife charged — and later recanted—that Julian was a habitual user of cocaine. Lewis challenged him to a urine test. Julian replied he would agree on one condition—that Lewis hold the cup. There was no drug test and John Lewis went on to defeat Bond and remains in office today. In one of at least four tweets Lewis sent after Bond’s death, he said, “We went through a difficult period during our campaign for Congress in 1986, but many years ago we emerged even closer.” Though he never ran for public office again, Julian Bond found other paths to public service, serving as board chairman of the NAACP for 11 years, being co-founder and a trustee of the Southern Poverty Law Center, hosting “America’s Black Forum” television program, teaching, and in demand on the lecture circuit. Several years ago, Jesse Jackson, who is not prone to giving out compliments, said to me unprompted: “Julian is always right on public policy. I can’t think of one time I have disagreed with a position he has taken.” For that, we all can all be grateful. And we can be grateful that instead of retreating to a life of privilege, Julian’s entire adult life was dedicated to fighting injustice. (George E. Curry, former editor-in-chief of Emerge magazine, is editor-in-chief of the NNPA and BlackPressUSA.com. He can be reached through his Web site, www.georgecurry.com.
AUGUST 19-25, 2015
FORUM
Confusing civil disobedience Right before protest and the Baltimore J. Pharoah Doss among the arriots Malik rested was Zulu Shabazz scholar and told a crowd of civil rights acdemonstrators tivist Cornel to shut the city West. down. (Malik After his arZulu Shabazz is rest West was former chairinterviewed on man of the New television. West Black Panther Party and National stated he went to Ferguson to get arPresident of Black Lawyers for jus- rested. (He was among the group tice.) blocking the entrance to the federal When cornered by the press, after courthouse calling for the US governthe violence began, Shabazz claimed ment to end racist law enforcement he called for civil disobedience not practices.) West said he was a part of a mass violence. collective fight back against the crimiBut what is civil disobedience? nal justice system, the economic and In 1846 Henry David Thoreau be- educational system, and a political lieved the American war in Mexico system that has been a failure. was immoral, and he refused to pay West went further and stated betaxes to a government that waged an cause of social neglect and economic unjust war. He was jailed. Afterwards abandonment there is a state of emerhe wrote: An Essay on Civil Disobedi- gency and a sense of urgency when it ence. Thoreau stated if a law made an comes to economic conditions. individual an agent of injustice then it West concluded by stating congress was a principled action to break the doesn’t realize the depth of the emerlaw. gency that’s why they will continue to The strategy of the civil rights move- go to jail and they will continue to put ment was civil disobedience. Segrega- pressure on the government and the tion was immoral and it was an act of economy until justice is done. principle to break segregation laws. Great. Now Shabazz went to Baltimore to But civil disobedience defies specific protest police brutality. Police brutal- laws not a collage of social ills. How ity is a violation by an officer (or group does one engage in civil disobedience of officers), but police brutality is not against social neglect and economic the official policy of the police depart- abandonment? West participated in a ment. People rallied in Baltimore to civil disturbance in the tradition of protest the actions of a group of offi- civil disobedience and was arrested cers that led to a man’s death not to but his arrest doesn’t have the same engage in civil disobedience. So when impact. Why? West wasn’t charged Shabazz said he called for civil disobe- with breaking an immoral law (Which dience what immoral policy or law brings attention to the immorality of was he asking demonstrators to break the law) he was most likely charged as a conscience act against injustice? with failure to comply with a lawful The laws broken in Baltimore made order or disorderly conduct and that the perpetrators lawbreakers and the doesn’t stand out as a principled act police agents of law and order. against a specific injustice. Recently in Ferguson, Mo. it was the Malik Zulu Shabazz called for civil anniversary of Michael Brown’s death unrest and told reporters he meant and a state of emergency was declared civil disobedience, but Shabazz wasn’t following a day billed as a national confused, he’s a lawyer, his comments day of civil disobedience. Protesters were carefully articulated to confuse blocked traffic, the entrance to the fed- everyone else. (J. Pharoah Doss is a contributor to the New eral courthouse, and a man was shot by the police. More than 140 people Pittsburgh Courier. He blogs at jpharoahwere arrested over several days of doss.blogspot.com)
Commentary
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Lee A. Daniels
Commentary
Trump’s trump card: The conservative mob (NNPA)—The fate of the Republican Party’s presidential sweepstakes at the moment is being controlled by two political Frankensteins—both of them of the GOP’s own creation. One, of course, is Donald Trump, the wealthy demagogue who is leading the crowded GOP primary field precisely because he doesn’t have any “platform” except crowing that he’ll dominate anyone at home and abroad who disagrees with him and be cruel to the downtrodden. The GOP’s second Frankenstein consists of Trump’s supporters among the Republican Party voters, who are also uninterested in the complexities of foreign or domestic policy issues and just want to dominate everyone else who is not like them. Besides his wealth, they’re Trump’s trump card against the GOP party regulars because, like him, they have no loyalty to the Republican Party as an institution, or to the actual ideas of American conservatism. And forget all that excuse-making about their being “angry” at the difficulties besetting American society. The plain truth is that these people want their intolerance stoked. For all their railing against “Wall Street,” they always choose to take out their anger on the easy targets—Americans of color and those with fewer resources. They want to let their bent for selfishness and callousness show, and Trump is speaking them. As I indicated, Trump and his supporters didn’t just appear out of nowhere. They’re a creation of the GOP’s own contempt for the inclusiveness and complexity of today’s American society and of the traditional political processes that have produced that result. That’s what the GOP actions of the Obama Years mean: the Republicans’ more than 50 attempts in Congress to try to block Obamacare, despite their knowing every single time they wouldn’t succeed. The GOP’s constructing an extensive campaign in states controlled by GOP legislatures to block Democratic-leaning voters access to the ballot box. Its engineering the 2010 U.S. Supreme Court Citizens United ruling that destroyed limits on contributions to political campaigns—to enable the wealthy to undermine the one-person-onevote foundation of American democracy. One could go on down a long list of policy issues, including gay rights, climate change, the crisis of undocumented immigration, re-establishing relations with Cuba, and fighting the global terror war. In each instance, one finds the reflexive, nocompromise opposition of the Republicans. Paul Krugman, the Nobel Prize-wining economist and New York Times columnist, among others, several years ago attributed that stance to a “widening wonk gap—the G.O.P.’s near-complete lack of expertise on anything substantive,” as well as its growing electoral dependence on white fundamentalist evangelical Protestants. Now, the success of Trump’s style of bluster and verbal crudeness among the GOP base goes beyond the wonk gap. He’s turned a segment of the GOP base into a mob. That achievement has stood out in sharp relief since the GOP debate of Aug. 7 when Fox News’ host Megyn Kelly’s questioning of Trump’s past misogynistic comments provoked his now infamous “blood” remarks against her. Trump’s supporters then unleashed a torrent of vile e-mails and tweets that washed over conservative social media outlets, condemning Kelly and Fox News itself for supposedly disrespecting Trump. That these ferociously bigoted, profanitylaced responses were aimed at a leading star in the conservative media constellation who hosts a top-rated show on the network conservatives trust the most indicates how much distance exists between the institutional Republican Party and a large part of its voting base. Nor was that treatment confined to Kelly and Fox alone. When another leading conservative, Erick Erickson, learning of Trump’s “blood” remark, disinvited him from appearing at his RedState Gathering conference that weekend, he too, was quickly deluged with hundreds of fiercely written e-mails from Trump supporters. According to a Washington Post report, Erickson told the conference attendees that many of them referred to him using the dreaded word, “liberal,” to President Obama using “the n-word” and to Kelly using “the c-word.” That violence of language—which bespeaks a profound, uncontrollable irrationality—is the behavior of a mob. But there’s something more about the proTrump social-media flood that’s important to consider. Given the nature of the social media, the members of Trump’s mob can be even more anonymous and “unreachable” than those who gather in physical mobs. That could present a significant obstacle to the thus far completely unsuccessful efforts by the GOP establishment to both quash the Trump insurgency within the GOP and persuade him not to run a third-party campaign. Right now, their failure is Trump’s most powerful trump card. (Lee A. Daniels is a longtime journalist based in New York City.)
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AUGUST 19-25, 2015
NATIONAL
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
Da ught er ha s new hea rt a nd f ight er ha s new hope
MIRACLE CHILD—In this July 22, file photo, Kennedy Cunningham, 9, the daughter of boxer Steve Cunningham, punches a bag as her father holds a media workout in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
DETERMINED FATHER—In this April 20, 2013, file photo, Steve Cunningham throws a punch during a heavyweight boxing match against Tyson Fury at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)
by Tim Dahlberg
For a few of the other children receiving transplants that week in Pittsburgh, things didn’t go as well. Steve said he knew of one that died, and another was expected to die. “Kennedy was the only one who did well,” he said. His daughter did so well she received a day pass to come home for Christmas. A week later, she was home for good, a new heart from another young girl whose circumstances Cunningham didn’t ask too many questions about. The expenses were tremendous, though most were covered by a Pennsylvania state program for uninsured children. Thanks to a fellow fighter who Steve beat last year, the family also had enough money to live on while away from home caring for their daughter. Amir Mansour had put Steve down twice in the fifth round of their fight in April 2014, only to lose a decision to him in Philadelphia. Instead of complaining about the judges in his postfight television interview, however, Mansour made a plea to help the Cunningham family and their daughter. “The interview could have been about what he should have done or what the judges should have done but it was just
AP Boxing Writer
It’s been a few months now, time that in the Cunningham household is best measured by the decreasing number of visits 9year-old Kennedy Cunningham makes to the doctor. This summer Kennedy began to grow again, and her father delights in taking her to the gym, where she likes to hit the heavy bag while he trains for one of the biggest fights of his career. “She’s doing normal little girl stuff,” Steve Cunningham said. “There are days like this when you don’t even think about those bad days.” There were plenty of those for Kennedy, who was born with a rare heart defect that hospitalized her for the first year of her life. The worst came last summer, when Cunningham and his wife, Livvy, were told by doctors in Philadelphia that the best thing they could do their daughter and her failing heart was to take her home and make her last days as comfortable as possible. “Basically we were supposed to wait for her to expire,” said Steve, who was scheduled to fight Antonio Tarver in a heavyweight bout on Friday at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. “It was like the end
of the world is happening in two hours or 10 weeks. There’s nothing you can do to prepare yourself for that.” There’s a trace of bitterness in Steve’s voice when he tells this part of the story. The doctors had given up, he said, believing even a heart transplant wasn’t an option because Kennedy would likely bleed to death in the operating room. The Cunninghams, though, weren’t going to give up as easily. They’re a fighting family, and they went to Pittsburgh, in desperate search of a second opinion. Doctors at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh gave them what they wanted. Though they warned the family there was a good chance Kennedy might die in surgery, they put her on the list to receive a new heart. On Dec. 4, they got a call to come to the hospital. The next day, Kennedy was getting her new heart. “We were in the waiting area praying, singing and enjoying each other’s company while she’s getting her heart taken out of her chest and getting another put in,” Steve said. “A lot of times that doesn’t work out well and we were preparing ourselves for the bad as well as the good. We knew it was a possibility this was the last time we saw our daughter.”
about my daughter,” Steve said. “I think in 30 days we had $20,000 in that fund. We were able to be prepared because of boxing fans who donated because of what he said. We’re grateful for that.” Kennedy Cunningham continues to do well, her father said. She loves to swim — something she couldn’t do before because she had a drip line into her heart — and likes to go to the gym with her father. The family is moving to Pittsburgh so she can be close to the doctors who saved her life, but so far all her checkups have been positive. Steve Cunningham, meanwhile, returned to the ring against Tarver in a fight he hoped would boost his heavyweight chances. He’s 39 and has mostly fought as a cruiserweight after serving four years in the Navy, never making much money in winning 28 fights against seven losses. He believes he can get another good fight or two, then begin training other fighters, including his teen-age son. For now, though, he’s not only glad for another chance in the ring, but for the chance doctors took on his daughter. “Months later here we are with a vibrant girl,” he said. “These doctors had hope and so did we. I’m feeling so blessed, it’s just beyond how I can explain it.”
Health law sign-ups keep growing; uninsured rate declines by Ricardo Alonso-Zalvidar Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP)—Nearly a million people signed up for health insurance under President Barack Obama’s law even after the official enrollment season ended, helping push the share of uninsured Americans below 10 percent and underscoring how hard it could be for Republicans to dismantle the program. The Health and Human Services Department said Aug. 13 that 943,934 new customers have signed up since open enrollment ended on Feb. 22, benefiting from “special enrollment periods” keyed to life changes and other circumstances. It’s a flexible feature also common to the coverage people get through their jobs. The sign-up opportunities are available year-round through HealthCare.gov and state-run insurance markets. The steadily growing number of Americans with coverage under the five-year-old
law could make it more difficult for Republicans to repeal “Obamacare” even if they win the White House and keep control of Congress in next year’s elections. Several of the GOP presidential candidates have insisted they would scrap the law, but they would face the prospect of stripping millions of their insurance. Republican lawmakers also talk of replacing the Affordable Care Act, but the GOP has yet to rally behind an alternative. Aug. 13’s latest numbers are the first since the Supreme Court upheld health insurance subsidies in all 50 states, turning back a challenge from the law’s opponents that would have undermined coverage across much of the country. The new figures, through June 30, are preliminary and come with a couple of caveats. The final tally could be higher, because HHS counted only the 37 states using the HealthCare.gov website. Or it could dip lower, because the initial numbers did not winnow out customers who failed to
seal the deal by paying their first month’s premium. That final count takes longer. Nonetheless, HealthCare.gov CEO Kevin Counihan said the results are “further evidence that the health insurance marketplace is working for America’s families.” Earlier this week, two separate reports documented progress on increasing insurance coverage in 2015, as the health care law’s second year of expanded coverage coincided with a steadily improving economy. However, a third study raised questions about future affordability. Two surveys documented the growing number of Americans with insurance: •The government’s National Health Interview Survey found that 7 million fewer people were uninsured in the first three months of this year, when compared to the average for all of 2014. The uninsured rate stood at 9.2 percent. Notably, there was an increase in the share of children covered by private plans, reversing a 14year trend of declining private coverage
for kids. •A large independent survey called the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index found a statistically significant drop in the uninsured rate for most states since the law’s big coverage push began at the end of 2013. States that embraced the Medicaid expansion saw bigger declines. Thirty states have done so, plus Washington, D.C., Texas, a bastion of political opposition to the law, was the only state with more than 20 percent of its residents uninsured the first six months of this year. The health care law takes a twotrack approach to coverage. HealthCare.gov and state health insurance markets offer subsidized private plans for lowincome to middle-class households who lack access to job-based insurance. About 10 million people had such coverage through the end of March. Expanded Medicaid, optional for states, provides coverage for the near-poor, mainly adults with no children at home.
New Pittsburgh Courier
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Blended
LIFESTYLES AUGUST 19-25, 2015
www.newpittsburghcourier.com
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Bethany Baptist
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Debbie Norrell
Lifestyles Report
Keep Pittsburgh stylish That is what the official tshirt says from Style Week Pittsburgh 2015. It all took place last week and it was the third annual. There were fashionable events at fashionable venues. I love to be introduced to new places to go. The second day of Style Week took place at Perlé which is next door to Nola in Market Square and I must say, I was impressed. According to their website, Perlé is a sophisticated Champagne & Tápas lounge with a European atmosphere. It is named after the French word for “Pearls,” referring to the romantic synonym for the fine effervescent bubbles in a glass of Champagne; Perlé is a uniquely cosmopolitan lounge where everything is set in order to bring you closer to enjoyment. Their concept is simple: An urbane atmosphere where our guests can unwind—a multi-faceted venue for social events, dancing, entertaining and the ability to host private banquets for large parties. You can enjoy the breathtaking view from their balcony, which sits high above the newly renovated historic Market Square in Downtown Pittsburgh. You will garner much appreciation for Champagne, as well as the finest cocktails and lounge music in Pittsburgh. I think it is a wonderful location, you can have private parties there and they have an intimate space called the Speakeasy. You should see the “Champagne closet,” it is beautiful. I just might start drinking Champagne. This is not a column about Perlé, but about the new look of Pittsburgh. Right before I began writing this column I was sitting under the dryer at the hair salon looking through magazines. I was paging through the July/August edition of Condé Nast Traveler and I came upon a feature story about Pittsburgh. Maybe that is why I see so many out of town plates in the city; believe or not this is becoming a tourist destination. If you don’t believe me read the story in Condé Nast. It talks about our museums, biking trails, shopping and dining. Did you know that about a week ago we had Restaurant Week in Pittsburgh? This week-long event gives you an opportunity to try restaurants at special pricing. They even had a kickoff event that sounded like it was a lot of fun. I ride by a lot of restaurants that I would like to try; this would have been the perfect time. Next year, I am going to be on board and I’m going to give you some advance notice. I don’t want to be alone while I’m trying out these new places. Here is something I can give you advance notice about, it is the sixth annual Pittsburgh Fashion Week. It kicks off on Sept. 21, at Highmark Stadium and concludes with the Hall of Fame Luncheon on Sunday, Sept. 27 at the Omni William Penn Hotel. This year Ahmad Sandidge will be inducted into the Pittsburgh Fashion Week Hall of Fame. There is a great week of events so please check out their website and support this great event. Keep Pittsburgh Stylish!!! (Email the columnist at debbienorrell@aol.)
FIRST TIMERS—Pat Stewart and John Clark
A TOAST TO A GREAT EVENING
FROGS celebrate 105 years by Debbie Norrell Courier Staff Writer
On July 17, at Futules’ Harmar House in Harmarville, the FROGS celebrated 105 years of having good times and being the oldest men’s social club in the city of Pittsburgh. As always, the
BLACK AND WHITE, THE PERFECT COMBO— Wendi Torbert and Margaret Burley
FROGS celebrate the entire weekend. The festivities include a dinner at the FROGS House, a formal dinner dance, a night at the races and it winds up with the FROGS picnic. While a lot was familiar the venue was new, a new member was introduced and a new FROGS queen was crowned. Guests enjoyed the ambiance of the Futules’ Harmar House and an impressive buffet. After
THE CURRYS—Agnes and Clarence, president.
CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF MARRIAGE—Pat and George Webb Sr. (Photos by Debbie Norrell)
the delightful meal, Albert Reese, the newest member of the FROGS, was introduced. His daughter, Jade Reese, a 2015 Penn Hills graduate, was crowned as the 2015 FROGS Queen. Her court included Skyler Dickinson, Baylea Anderson, Duwon Terrell, Kenya Thomas and T’Juan Williams, the queen’s escort.
Also on this evening, FROGS member George Webb Sr. and his lovely wife, Pat, celebrated 50 years of wedded bliss. They were married 50 years ago on July 17, at Wesley Center AMEZ Church by Reverend Foggie. The pair met
THE NEWEST FROGS FAMILY—Albert, Jade and Annice Reese
at Westinghouse High School where George Webb was a coach for decades. All FROGS were recognized and welcomed by FROGS president Clarence F. Curry and Theodore Roberts, vice president and chaplin.
QUEEN AND HER COURT—Skyler Dickerson, Baylea Anderson, T’Juan Williams, Jade Reese, the FROGS Queen 2015, Kenya Thomas and Duwon Terrell
FROGS WITH QUEEN
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AUGUST 19-25, 2015
Praise & Worship
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
RELIGION
Bethany Baptist Church Community Day
HILLCREST SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH 2340 Wylie Ave., Pgh., PA 15219 412-391-4334 412-566-8757
“Be Encouraged”
Elder Christopher C. Thompson Power Hour Sabbath..............8:15 A.M. Sabbath School.......................9:00 A.M. Divine Worship.....................11:00 A.M. AYS One Hour Before Sunset Prayer Meeting Wednesday....7:30 P.M.
ST. BENEDICT THE MOOR CATHOLIC CHURCH Crawford & Centre Ave. Pgh., PA 15219 412-281-3141 Mass Sunday 9:00 A.M. & 11 A.M. Sunday (Gospel Choir Mass) 11:00 A.M. www.stbtmchurch.org
METROPOLITAN BAPTIST CHURCH 22 Sampsonia Street, Northside Pittsburgh., PA 15212 412-231-2554 FAX 412-231-6395 Rev. Lacy F. Richardson, Ph.D., Pastor
On one of the hottest weekends of this summer, Bethany Baptist Church, located at 7745 Tioga St. in Homewood, kept things cool during their annual Community Day. While burgers and hot dogs blazed on the kettledrum grill, parishioners, residents and kids of the community enjoyed themselves with caricature paintings, backpacks, clothes and household items given away. Also, for the kids, there were singing toy bears and zoo animals. Every Saturday of the month, Bethany Baptist serves the neighborhood with a food bank. Reverend Dr. William R. and Angie Glaze also celebrated 25 years as pastors of the church.
Church School.....................................9:30 A.M. Worship Service.....................8:00 & 10:45 A.M. Bible Study/ Prayer Wednesday.......................6:30/7:30 P.M.
BACK TO SCHOOL—Toya West of Bethany gives backpacks to Homewood kids who were very appreciative of the gift. (Photos by Rossano P. Stewart)
www.metropolitanbaptistchurchpgh.com metropolitanbaptist2224@gmail.com
SIXTH MOUNT ZION BAPTIST CHURCH 6556 Shetland Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15206 (412) 441-7839 Church School 9:00 a.m. Worship Service 10:15 a.m. Wednesday Night Bible Study 6:00 p.m.
East Liberty PresbyterianChurch Rev. Dr. Randy Bush, Senior Pastor 412-441-3800 116 S. Highland Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15206 www.cathedralofhope.org
Sanctuary Worship.........10 a.m.
BLOOD PRESSURE CHECK—Elease Smith checks Rhonda Johnson’s vitals.
DRIVING THE TRUCK—Arion Hunter, 4, takes the wheel.
Join our growing Praise and Worship Church Community For rate information, call 412481-8302, ext 40. We are looking to
HOT DOGS AND HAMBURGERS
Church Circuit Night of Gospel Music AUG. 19—Southwestern PA Churches United will host A Night of Gospel Music from 4-10 p.m. at South Park Amphitheater, Brownsville and McCorkie Road, South Park. This will be an evening of gospel music, singing and dancing of various
musical styles from some of the region’s most gifted artists. For more information, call 412-5350040.
Bible Study AUG. 20—Silver Lake Commons will host its Bible Study’s 1st Annual Anniversary Celebration at 6 p.m. at 6935
Frankstown Ave., Homewood. The theme is “Learn in Love and Grow in Grace.” The guest will be Min. Mildred Thomas of Union Baptist Church in Monesson, Pa. A light repast will follow and all are welcome. For more information, call Rev. Etta Calvert at 412-450-8484.
Women’s Retreat
feature our positive youth in the church communities. You can e-mail, fax or mail their bios and photo to:
New Pittsburgh Courier 315 E. Carson St. Pittsburgh, PA 15219 Fax: 412-481-1360 e-mail:
egaines@newpittsburghcourier.com
AUG. 21—Mount Carmel Baptist Church, 90 Port Perry Rd., North Versailles, will host a Women’s Overnight Retreat at Kearns Spirituality Center, 9000 Babcock Blvd., Allison Park. The theme is “Wise Women’s Ways.” The two-day event will include presenters Minister Veronica Robinson of Covenant Church of Pittsburgh and Rev. Carol A. Milligan of Rodman Street Missionary Baptist Church. Registration includes a room, three meals and workshop materials. For more information, call Sister Arentha Moody at 412-216-9684.
Prayer Service AUG. 21—I Am My Sister’s Keeper Women’s Ministry Fellowship of Bethlehem Baptist Church, 716 Walnut St., McKeesport, and Zion Apostolic Assembly of McKeesport will host a Prayer Service from 9-11 p.m. at Bethlehem Baptist Church. This is an opportunity to
pray for deliverance and salvation of our cities’, government and country’s leadership. This event is open to everyone. For more information, call 412-6647272.
Day of Prayer AUG. 22—Sisters Saving Ourselves Now will host a No More Violence Day of Prayer at 9:30 a.m. at West Park, North Side. This is an opportunity for communities to pray together for the common good. For more information, email Evangelist Dorothy Stubbs at evangelistdstubbs@gmail.com.
August Revival AUG. 26—Shiloh Community Missionary Baptist Church, 6940 Frankstown Ave., Homewood, will host its August Revival at 7 p.m. Every Wednesday in August Shiloh will worship with the theme “Revive Us Again Lord.” The guest preacher will be Bishop Rudolph McKissick. All are welcome. For more information, call 412-441-8710 or visit www.scmbcpittsburgh.org.
Pastoral Anniversary AUG. 28—Rodman Street Missionary Baptist Church, 6111 Rodman St., East Liberty, will host the 5th Pastoral Anniversary of Rev. Dr. Darryl T. Canady.
The theme is “Celebrating the Laborer, Moving Forward by Faith.” The three-day event will include a Music Extravaganza, an Anniversary Banquet at the Pittsburgh Marriott City Center, and a Reception at the East End Cooperative. For more information, call 412-363-8082.
Friendship Luncheon AUG. 29—New Birth Baptist Church, 406 W. Grant St., Duquesne, will host its Friendship Luncheon from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Every fourth Saturday of the month, members of New Birth invite the community from the tri-state area to a delicious lunch, a clothing giveaway for the needy and an enlightening discussion. For more information, call 412-466-2229.
Remix Fashion AUG. 29—The Social Service Ministry of Morning Star Baptist Church, 307 Shaw Ave., McKeesport, will host the Remix Fashion Show at 2 p.m. The show will feature fashions by designer Lesa Mitchell. For more information, call 412-233-7283. (To have items listed on the Church Circuit, send information at least two weeks in advance to: 315 E. Carson St., Pittsburgh, PA 15219; Fax: 412481-1360 or e-mail: newsroom@newpittsburghcourier.com.)
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
CUISINE
Blended Bliss
Delicious and Nutritious Smoothies for the Whole Family
(Family Features) Looking for a healthy, convenient and delicious breakfast boost, afternoon refuel or sweet treat? If so, break out the blender and whip up a delicious and nutritious smoothie. Made with fruits and vegetables, smoothies provide important nutrients that our bodies need. When prepared with chocolate milk, they can also be an excellent source of protein — and a tasty treat for kids and adults alike. “Chocolate milk is a delicious and nutritious base for smoothies because it not only contains protein and minerals, it also provides calcium and vitamin D, which are essential for bone health,” said registered dietitian Rebecca Scritchfield. “Plus, combining a nutrient-rich option such as TruMoo Chocolate milk with fruits and vegetables like bananas, berries and kale is a great way to get kids to consume the nourishment they need, all in an enjoyable treat.” Made with fresh white milk—sourced from your local dairy—pure cocoa and just enough natural sugar to make it taste great, TruMoo Chocolate milk is delicious whether it’s a smoothie base or enjoyed on its own. And with no high fructose corn syrup and no artificial growth hormones, you can feel great about serving it to your family. If you’re not sure what to put in your smoothie, you can get creative with the ingredients you already have on hand. If you’re a fan of PB&J sandwiches, simply combine chocolate milk with bananas, peanut butter and jelly for a delicious take on the classic lunch staple. Trying to get your kids to eat their veggies, such as kale, is easier when they’re disguised in chocolate-y goodness. And if you’re looking to satisfy your sweet tooth, combine low-fat brownies, ice and chocolate milk. Each of the following single-serving recipes shows you how deliciously easy it is to create a unique and flavorful smoothie to fit any craving. For each recipe, combine ingredients in a blender, mix until smooth and frothy, and serve. For more delicious recipes, visit www.TruMoo.com, or look for TruMooMilk on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.
Chocolate-Berry Blast 1 cup TruMoo Chocolate milk 1 cup frozen mixed berries 1 tablespoon golden flaxseed meal
Cookies ’n Cream Smoothie 1/2 cup low-fat fudge brownies or low-fat chocolate cookies, coarsely broken 1 cup TruMoo Chocolate milk 1 cup ice cubes
Fuel Up Smoothie 1-1/2 cups TruMoo Chocolate milk 1/2 cup baby kale 1 cup ice cubes 1 tablespoon almond butter
Banana PB&J Smoothie 1 cup TruMoo Chocolate milk 1 ripe banana, peeled and cut into chunks 2 tablespoons low-fat peanut butter 2 tablespoons strawberry or grape jelly Tips: For a colder smoothie, freeze banana chunks one day ahead. If you have a nut allergy, omit peanut butter.
Incredible Ingredients Make the Smoothie Besides its creamy goodness, the best thing about a smoothie is the ability to create your own culinary masterpiece. Grab the kids and combine some of these tasty ingredients with chocolate milk for a flavor that’s 100 percent unique and completely satisfying. Apricots Baby spinach Blueberries Cherry tomatoes Pineapple Oats Tart cherries Raspberries
AUGUST 19-25, 2015
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New Pittsburgh Courier
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ENTERTAINER AUGUST 19-25, 2015
www.newpittsburghcourier.com
Cover To Cover
‘Destiny’ by Terri Schlichenmeyer For New Pittsburgh Courier
Around work, you’ve gotten a reputation as the goto person for certain things. Everybody has a talent; yours happens to be on the job. People know you’re good, they utilize your ability, and you don’t mind. It’s not a big deal to you, but could there be more to it? T.D. Jakes thinks so, and in his new book “Destiny: Step into Your Purpose,” he shows how your talents may reveal a new path. In the moments after leaving a meeting with Coretta Scott King some years ago, T.D. Jakes began to ponder something she’d said about destiny. He “lived a life to which [he] felt drawn.” That kind of success, he knew, was attainable for everyone. You have talents that are inherent inside you, says Jakes. You may not understand them. You may call them God-given, dumb luck, or fate, but those talents are your destiny and “…people must learn to live
genuine lives that allow them to perform the… tasks they are gifted to do.” In following your destiny, remember that it’s a process. That doesn’t mean things can’t happen quickly, but it’s unlikely. Time will give you the chance to grow and learn to use your talents to their utmost; just be patient and understand that few things happen when it’s convenient. Meanwhile, gather all the skills you can get, which “may be just what you need to propel you...” And remember that “the only reason we have steps is to get us to a higher level.” Learn to prioritize, not just in your tasks but in your relationships, your finances, and in your dreams. Don’t “fix every problem that comes across your radar.” Know how to handle situations that are important, and “leave behind small thinking.” Don’t confuse who you are with what you do. Remember that pain and failure are part of the journey, but don’t let them deter you from your destiny and don’t waste a second of your life. And remember that “Sometimes the best hello to a new opportunity is the good-bye you gave to a dead situation.” As I see it, there are two main aspects that set “Destiny” apart from other books that line the business shelves at the library or bookstore: it’s perhaps not surprisingly quite faith-based, and it’s very surprisingly quiet in its steadfastness. Author T.D. Jakes is almost laser-focused-insistent in his urgings for readers, in fact, and that’s not a bad thing. Jakes’ words feel like a giant hand on your back, like an industrial magnet pulling toward success and his advice, though sometimes repetitive, is startlingly intense. Again, that’s not a distraction, but there was one thing that did bother me: I saw words on responsibility but not much about what to do if a destiny is misread or, if chased, turns sour. And so, though I liked this book quite a bit, I would’ve liked to see more of balance. Still, I can’t argue with pages and pages of fierce inspiration and direction— and that alone could make “Destiny” your go-to book. (“Destiny: Step into Your Purpose” by T.D. Jakes, c.2015, Faith Words,, $25/$30 Canada, 255 pages.)
‘Straight Outta Compton’ Summer’s best movie by Merecedes J. Howze For New Pittsburgh Courier
“Cruising down the street in my 6-4…” Finish the lyrics. Regardless of age, class, gender or race, most of you can complete the rest of that line. This is just a prime example of the limitless influence N.W.A. and its members had on the most controversial issues to come “Straight Outta Compton.” Starring Jason Mitchell, O’Shea Jackson Jr., and Corey Hawkins, “Straight Outta Compton,” in two and a half hours, gaudily depicts the rise and fall of legendary West Coast rap group, N.W.A. The movie is a perfect combination of your favorite West Coast movies. The scenic block life of “Friday” (1995), the subtle intensity of “Fruitvale Station” (2013), and the hardhitting group vigilante of “Set It Off ” (1996). “It’s doper than “Dope” (2015). “Straight Outta Compton” is this summer’s best movie and F. Gary Gray’s best directorial effort yet. This film is almost not
about music at all. As tensions brewed in Compton, Calif., and across the country between law enforcement and African Americans, it was N.W.A.’s monstrous melody like “F*** Da Police” that put a spotlight on the brutality and injustice. Their raw, raunchy lyrics gave the rest of the world a glimpse into their lives of gangs, drugs, sex, and violence. O’Shea Jackson Jr. is Ice Cube. Just a little lighter, but if we are comparing all of the actors to the actual people they are portraying, Ice Cube’s first born nailed it. He was so convincing, natural, and indomitable. The most redemptive story to tell is that of lasting friendship and entrepreneurship. Even after the group’s dismemberment in 1991, they were able to reconcile before the 1995 passing of Eazy-E. On the business side, Dr. Dre and Ice Cube continued as thriving artists, but branched off into other areas. Dr. Dre started Aftermath Entertainment, introducing the world to artists
like Eminem and 50 Cent. Last year, Dre sold Beats by Dre, an audio products company, to Apple Inc. for $3 billion in a cash and stock deal. As an actor, Ice Cube’s movies have grossed over $1.3 billion. His movie production company, Cube Vision, has over a dozen movies under its belt. He
too has made a household name for himself that expands the confinements of gangsta rap. Please do not end your summer without watching “Straight Outta Compton”. This movie is a universal learning lesson and backdrop to similar dark times. The violent streets of Los
Angeles, the turbulent relationship with LAPD, and NWA’s sense of lyrical expression looks all too much like the social rampage we’ve been on lately regarding the cases of Mike Brown, Freddie Gray, Sandra Bland, and Sam DuBose. 5 STARS
Water Seed wows audience at Schenley Plaza by Genea L. Webb For New Pittsburgh Courier
The fourth time was the charm when New Orleansbased funk band Water Seed performed in Schenley Plaza Park as part of the 20th anniversary of WYEP’s Soul Show. “Our audience is very mixed and whoever likes it likes it,” explained Water Seed founder and percussionist Louis Hill. “It’s interesting to see the people that our music resonates with. Pittsburgh is one of our biggest markets. Mike Canton started playing us on the radio station WYEP and he created a buzz.” Canton, who is always on the hunt for new music discovered Water Seed and instantly knew he’d stumbled across something special. The band’s first performance was a sold-out affair at the Pittsburgh Winery. The group returned to Pittsburgh to do another show four months later. It was blessed with another sold out crowd. Then the band performed a third time in the Pittsburgh area. “My personal mission is to make the ‘Soul Show’ a conduit for great bands,” Canton said. “My focus is‘’70s soul and I want the show to explore these great independent bands.” The Soul Show airs every Saturday from 2 -5 p.m. on WYEP 91.3 fm. “I chose Water Seed as part of the 20th anniversary celebration because I wanted the station to see the minority market they were missing,” Canton said. Now Water Seed is trying to make a name for itself in other markets. The band embarked on a 10-day Midwestern tour that included Columbus, Cleveland and Detroit. “People haven’t seen us before in some of those places. We’re excited,” Hill said. Water Seed’s message of unity was like a balm for the thousands of people that packed Schenley Park Plaza. The audience danced around freely and sang along to the group’s eclectic mix of songs,
WATER SEED which included a unique cover of the Temptations “Just My Imagination” and Sly and the Family Stone’s hit, “Thank You.” The highoctane show was a mixture of New Orleans soul and ’70s funk spiced up with a lead singer who danced the whole night away and a tight band. Water Seed started as a production writing team while students at Xavier University and the band was formed in 2001. The origins of this hybridity reflecting the diverse feels and experiences of Black America begin in New Orleans, the birthplace of multi-instrumentalists Lou Hill and J Sharp, the architects of Water Seed’s cool, elemental sound. The band’s privileging of rhythm and groove, the elegant jazz flourishes, and lyrical songs deeply rooted in both alchemists’ classical education, all hint at the sacred training grounds that sharpened Louisiana jazz greats from Jelly Roll Morton to the Marsalis brothers, creators known for marrying the traditional with the modern in the creation of the new. Preternaturally aware of
their paths fairly early, Hill began playing the alto sax in fourth grade while Sharp was developing his piano chops over the three-notes of “Hot Crossed Buns” at the tender age of five. Both learned as children to respect their crafts through studious dedication, rigorous practice schedules, and trying their hand at several different instruments before landing on their primary tools of musical expression, the percussion for Hill and the keys for Sharp, each finding their home. These curators’ apprentice journeys took different paths, reflecting different exposures. Sharp reared in a home of classical music, engaged in demanding training while nursing concerto circuit dreams. Hill was immersed in the radio R&B and funk of the day and the jazz culture of his storied surroundings. Both formally trained in esteemed music programs, Sharp through the famed NOCCA, the Jazz and Heritage School at Southern University and Dillard University, Hill at the venerated Xavier University. With his first
rock/funk/jazz band, Afrodeezifunk, Hill’s finetuning came through constant club gigs, an ill-fated record deal that ended as abruptly as it started, and later on the go-go and funk stages of Washington, DC. As a nightclub gigging teen, Sharp’s refinement wasn’t too far behind Hill, after a decisive turn toward the synthesized sounds and arrangements of Quincy Jones and Herbie Hancock. Two college-age young artists—one barely out of high school—securing professional gigs, each starting their own bands, developing cult followings, and esteemed reputations in N’awlins incestuously small musical pond; there’s a kismet there. It was inevitable they would meet and discuss the Earth Wind and Fire-inspired band and production company Hill had started, Water Seed, though it would take a mutual friend’s recommendation to land the then 18-year old Sharp behind Water Seed’s trademark keys. Conceptually on the same page in training and musical direction, Hill and Sharp de-
veloped and eventually evolved a writing process that became more mutually collaborative over several independent releases. A brief creative rift followed by the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, separated the songwriting and composition team for a time, before Hill and Sharp reconvened Water Seed in Atlanta’s burgeoning music scene and really began to flourish. Enter Pasadena bred flautist, Cinese. Inspired by the legendary Bobbi Humphrey, the orchestral-trained Cinese switched to jazz after a 10-year business and school-led hiatus with music. Answering a Craigslist ad for Water Seed, Cinese learned her classical meets jazz foundation found nice complements with Hill and Sharp’s, rounding out their sound. Now, with a five-piece band that eventually included bass player Marius Tilton and lead vocalist Ryan Johnson, the concept albums soon followed. Their self-released, experimental 2006 EP debut, “Two Words,” uncovered an avantgarde Water Seed sound. Recorded live and direct at Atlanta’s Apache Café, their second indie release, 2008’s “Early for the Future,” boasted covers of Stevie Wonder’s “Higher Ground” and originals like “Dance in the Sunshine,” earning critical praise and awards nominations for Best R&B Group with respected outfits like SoulTracks.com. Positive buzz begat opening opportunities for revered musicians like N’Dambi and Janelle Monae, a three-month musical residency in Russia, and an international reputation as one of the few touring Black American bands’ offering a truly electric live experience. By the time the orchestral, “futuristic funk” of the comic book derived “Fresh” was delivered to fans in 2010, more soul-pop songs like “Magnificent” announced a sound change: exit Ryan Johnson and enter Shaleyah. (For more information on Water Seed, visit www.waterseedmusic.com.)
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
August Thursday 20 Wall Paintings The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust presents “Wall Paintings” at SPACE, 812 Liberty Ave., Cultural District. Twelve artists created a large painting directly on walls of the gallery using standard latex paint. Artists include Alphonso Sloan, Ramon Riley and Steve Prince, just to name a few. The exhibit will run through Aug. 30. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, call 412-456-6666 or visit www.trustarts.org.
Pittsburgh Improv Jam The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust presents its Pittsburgh Improv Jam at 10 p.m. at Cabaret at Theater Square, 655 Penn Ave., Cultural District. Every Thursday patrons can enjoy a night of spontaneous, comedic scenes inspired by audience suggestions and performed by experienced improvisers. This is a 21 and older event. For more information, call 412-456-6666 or visit www.trustarts.org.
Friday 21 Jazz at Andys Andys Wine Bar at the Fairmont Pittsburgh Hotel presents Jazz at Andys from 5-7:30 p.m. at 510 Market St., Downtown. Special guest DJ Malls will be spinning the vinyl as part of the VINYL Happy Hour. There will also be a musical performance by jazz legend Etta Cox. It is open to the public. For more information, visit www.andyswinebar.com.
Saturday 22 Monroeville Jazz Festival 2015 The Monroeville Jazz Festival Inc. presents 13th Annual Monroeville Jazz Festival from 6-9 p.m. at Tall Trees Amphitheater, Monroeville Community Park West, Monroeville. The event will include Bob Studebaker as the master of ceremonies and featured performances by Firm Roots and Lisa Ferraro. The event will benefit the Greater Community Food Bank. For more information, visit www.monroevillejazz.org.
Sunday 23 Reservoir of Jazz Concert Series Citiparks presents the Reservoir of Jazz Concert Series from 7-9 p.m. at the Highland Park Reservoir, Highland Avenue and Reservoir Drive, in Highland Park. Guests can sit on the lawn of Highland Park and listen to the sounds of jazz performed by Pittsburgh’s finest musicians. The featured performer will be Elevations. Following the series, there will be a Summer Soul Line Dancing session by instructor Roland Ford. He incorporates R&B music in classes that begin with basic steps and finish with more advanced moves. For more information, call 412-255-2493.
Monday 24 Savoy Jazz Savoy Restaurant presents Savoy Jazz Mondays from 5-9 p.m. at 2623 Penn Ave., Strip District. Every Monday guests can enjoy live jazz in a sophisticated atmosphere by some of the city’s most talented jazz performers. The evening will feature Judi Figel with the Roger Humphries Trio. The attire is business casual. For more information, call 412-281-0660 or visit www.savoypgh.com.
Tuesday 25 JazzLive The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust presents JazzLive at 5 p.m. at the Backstage Bar at Theater Square, 655 Penn Ave., Cultural District. Every Tuesday, guests can enjoy a free live jazz series that showcases some of the region’s finest jazz musicians. The evening’s musician will be James Johnson III. For more information, call 412-456-6666 or visit www.trustarts.org.
Wednesday 26 Jazz Wednesdays City of Asylum presents “Jazz Wednesdays: Summer on Sampsonia” from 7-9 p.m. at the Alphabet City Tent, 318 Sampsonia Way, North Side. Every Wednesday, through Sept. 16, a series of free jazz concerts will be held featuring icon Roger Humphries and his band, RH Factor. Performances are free, open to the public and BYOB. Reservations are not required, but strongly encouraged. For more information, visit www.cityofasylum.org/events.
AUGUST 19-25, 2015
ARTS & CULTURE
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Lenny Williams still making classic music (PR Newswire)—The ultimate soul crooner, Oakland, Calif., native Lenny Williams possesses one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary music. With his rich, passionate vocal style, he is rightfully regarded as one of R&B’s most influential soul men. Lenny began his musical career making records that have subsequently become R&B and pop classics, tunes like the mega-hit “Cause I Love You” (recorded on his solo album) and “So Very Hard To Go,” which he recorded as the lead singer of Tower of Power. Lenny’s style has transcended into the new millennium, influencing many of today’s newest R&B and pop vocalists. Lenny, himself, sounds better than ever as he continues to keep the focus on love. “Love is what has gotten me through all of these years. I look for love and I surround myself with it,” Lenny says. When it comes to singing love songs, one must “go there to know there,” and Lenny never left. He is able to take the listener to the heart of love with such soulful aplomb because love will never go out of style and no one does it better. Born in Little Rock, Ark., Lenny moved to Oakland at a very young age. Learning to play the trumpet in elementary school fueled his interest in music. Lenny’s skills as a vocalist were first nurtured by singing in gospel choirs and groups around the Bay Area, where he was in good company, working alongside up-and-coming artists like, Sly Stone, Andre Crouch, Billy Preston and members of the Hawkins family—Edwin, Walter and Tramaine. After winning several local talent contests, Williams signed his first record deal with Fantasy Records. He cut two singles for the label, including “Lisa’s Gone,“ now regarded as an R&B classic among British soul music lovers,
LENNY WILLIAMS (PR Newswire) and “Feelin' Blue,“ written by John Fogerty of Credence Clearwater Revival. Lenny then spent a brief time with Atlantic Records, before deciding to put his solo career on hold in 1972, when he joined the emerging funk band Tower of Power. A string of hits ensued, including “So Very Hard To Go,” and “Don’t Change Horses (In The Middle Of The Stream),“ written by Lenny Williams and Johnny “Guitar” Watson. During his two years with the group, Lenny participated in three milestone albums, the Gold LP “Tower of Power, Back To Oakland,” and “Urban Renewal,” while touring non-stop throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. At the end of 1975, Lenny returned to his solo projects. Initially signing with Motown in 1972, he later moved to ABC Records in 1977 (which was then purchased by MCA Records in 1979). Over the next four years, Lenny scored ten charted hits, including “Shoo Doo FuFu Ooh,“ “Choosing You,” “You Got Me Running,” “Love Hurt Me Love Healed Me,” and “Midnight Girl.” Lenny recorded four more albums from 1977 to 1980— “Choosing You,” his first gold LP, “Spark Of Love,” “Love Current,” and “Let’s Do It Today.” These albums established a solid and
loyal following for Lenny, and the impact of his music can still be felt, particularly the megahit “Cause I Love You,” from “Spark of Love.” This song crosses generational boundaries, and has frequently been used on “old school” and “slow jam” compilations throughout the years. In 1986, Lenny was invited to sing vocals on “Don’t Make Me Wait For Love,” a track from superstar sax man Kenny G’s multimillion selling album “Duo Tones.” When released as a single in 1987,
the song became a Top 20 pop and R&B hit. Over the past few years, Lenny has continued his solo career, touring the U.S., Europe and South Africa. In 2004 and 2005, Lenny and Kanye West were honored recipients of the BMI Songwriter’s Award for the song “Over Night Celebrity,” recorded by rapper Twista. He has recently shared stages with Aretha Franklin, Alicia Keys, K-Jon, Anthony Hamilton, The Whispers, Rick James, Boney James, Bobby Womack, The Ohio Players, Al Green, Usher and Frankie Beverly and Maze. Lenny has also expanded his multi-dimensional career to include acting, starring in several popular stage plays. As an icon of the past and the present, Lenny Williams continues
to expand his musical prowess and flex his newlyfound acting skills. He is sure to continue wowing his fans in the United States and beyond for decades to come. “I’m going to continue to evolve and grow as I learn and experiment lyrically and musically. I’ve been doing this for a long time now and I’ve been watching all of the changes going on in the music business. I have my own label now (LenTom Entertainment). Let me do my thing,” Lenny says. Yes, indeed, music lovers everywhere want him to do those things that he is the musical master of. Like a flowering perennial, prolific soul man Lenny Williams is always prepared for the spotlight that he belongs in.
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AUGUST 19-25, 2015
PEOPLE
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
TEC Performing & Media Arts Camp by Michael B. Rose For New Pittsburgh Courier
Recently The Entertainment Consortium Inc. wrapped up an extensive four-week education and training program for youth in performing and media arts at the TEC Performing & Media Arts Camp. Every weekday between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., at The Christian Church of Wilkinsburg, children ages 7-15 came together in a multi-faceted program with a shotgun approach to exposing kids to culture. In four weeks they packed theater dance music, choir, instrument lessons, music business/studio production, video production, and fun & fitness into one comprehensive camp. The theme of the camp was “We Are Victorious.” “We wanted to teach the kids that nothing is greater than them, they have the ability to become and do anything that they set their minds to,” said LaChele Banks, CEO of The Entertainment Consortium Inc. “So we set that as the theme for the camp so they could strive for excellence and we wanted to teach them not just as artists but how they lived their lives.
layer one track on top of another and each of them had to layer a track on top of another in groups of two. So the first person would lay down the drum beat and the next until they got the whole song,” said Banks. With a bachelor’s degree in music and a PhD in anthropology, Banks was a natural choice to be their primary teacher. “So we were attempting to expose the youth to a variety of art genres which is important particularly at their age as they might not have specific interest but we are trying to develop an appreciation of art. I’m very concerned about Black art and the future of Black art and we want our youth to carry that on,” he said. Robert (Bobby) Johnson, a key facilitator for the camp and MC for the wrap ceremony, was astonished they could teach kids so young so many degrees of the arts in such a compact period of time “Four weeks ago most of these kids couldn’t even read notes let alone seen an African instrument. So in two to three weeks, thanks to Dr. Banks, these kids learned to read music, the notes, the timing and everything, how to play the instruments,” he said.
All things considered, Johnson admitted they still have a ways to go as far as their musical acumen. “They aren’t ready for Heinz Hall yet, but the last week we spent just getting the show together. So you are looking at a really compressed amount of time that these guys were able to do what they did. We had recreation time, arts and crafts because you know we didn’t want to bore them the whole time (by) teaching them. We fed them breakfast and lunch, a couple Fridays we did a movie in the afternoon because it is a camp; you want to make it at least halfway fun. The bottom line is they all learned something,” Johnson said. The day completed with Aniya Anderson, Malik Jackson, and Trayvon and Dajaun Gowder, all of who were children that participated in the camp, saying they think they want to pursue their interests in the arts of dance and acting. Johnson said he’s most proud of how they made it work for everyone. “We only charged $25 a child per week. A lot of people had more than one child and the price got reduced and some paid nothing at all…we didn’t turn anyone away.”
EAST END COMMUNITY MINISTRY CELEBRATION—Jackie Dixon headed the East End Community Ministry Wine & Tapas event held at the East End Cooperative Ministry. The event celebrated The East End Community Ministry Community House and its successful year of service to the East End. Top photo: Several people touring the building with Dixon. Middle photo: Dixon, right, with Carla E. Frost and Helen Davis. Bottom photo: Dixon with Robert Nicklos. (Photos by J.L. Martello)
LEARNING THE ARTS––The Entertainment Consortium Inc. teaching the various forms of art. Top photo: Students learning the art of music. Bottom photo: Students performing the art, in this case, dance. (Photos by Rev. Janet Hellner-Burris) The children performed for an audience of 65 parents and local residents in the church gym, showing basic competency in all of the aforementioned skills. The presentation involved a myriad of skits of the 20 children playing the Djembe, the Kalimba and Atenteben, which are essentially floor drums hand xylophones and wooden flutes; over African dance routines, a short play of the book of Job, scriptural readings from memory, a fully choreographed performance of the Temptations hit, “Just My Imagination,” and finally a video presentation of the camp told through pictures to video edited by the kids over music they produced themselves. Their little faces lit up with smiles with each applause. “They learned about tracks and how the mixing board works and how you
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BUSINESS AUGUST 19-25, 2015
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tion. Straight out of college, she landed a career in corporate America. To some, she was living the American dream, but she was unfulfilled in For New Pittsburgh her career working a job she did not Courier enjoy. She said one day, tired of dragShayla Hawkins ging herself out of bed each morning, Events, (SHE) is she decided to take a leap of faith known for and leave her corporate job, to throwing fulfill her dreams, which was some of the when SHE was initially hottest parborn. ties/events in the “I wholeheartedly becity. This thriving lieve if you don’t like on-the-rise event something then planning company change it. When has quickly made there is a vision their mark, with or dream in your every event thrown heart, it’s in your having an incredible reach,” Hawkins turn out. said. Event planning is the SHE is a boutique firm process of planning a specializing in wedding party, wedding, ceredesign and event styling coumony, festival, promopled with expert planning and coortion, commemoration, dination. Serving modern clients, fundraiser, or conference. their professional style savvy trio Event planners handle the brings a fresh and creative apdetails of location, budget, proach to the design and planning lodging, decorations, enprocess. tertainment, food, bever- ALL SMILES—SHE principal owner Shayla Hawkins (center) is flanked by her partners Ericka Taylor and Alexis Maddox. (PhoAside from the networking events ages, activities, invitations, tos by Leah Johns) SHE is putting on for the city, they and more! Shayla Hawkins have also had the opportunity to Events takes on all these collaborate with famous celebrities on tasks with grace, elegance, and poise planning events. Hawkins said SHE with a touch of girly things SHE loves believes all their clients are notable, in every event they take on. and they have been fortunate enough Their last networking mixer held at to work with Pittsburgh Steelers Ryan the Sky Bar was a hit and has made Mundy, Trai Essex, Willie Colon, and the name SHE spread like wild fire Wiz Khalifa’s mother Peachie Wimthroughout the city. The power mixer bush-Polk. was exclusively for entrepreneurs, SHE has such a huge following, and professionals, and creative people in so many people that applaud the work all industries. The purpose of the that they do. They wanted to connect event was to have those network, inand build a bridge with their clients, spire, create, and collaborate. vendors, and other professionals that have “We’re young, vibrant, and fun so we feel the same interest of inspiring, networking, some social responsibility to provide and collaborating. events to our city that are unique, firstWith such an overwhelming response class, and styled catering to young profesand amazing feedback since the networksionals,” Shayla Hawkins said, ing event, they are in the midst of planYoung professionals from numerous ning another in September. walks of life, traveling down different ca“We really appreciate everyone who reer paths was sure to attend this event. came to the #PittsburghPowerMixer! It The sophisticated crowd was impressive, was truly an evening of beautiful people but the venue and decorations took the with good vibes making good connections event to new heights. The venue was and we’re just happy to be able to bridge!,” decked out in colors of pink, blue, and Hawkins said. white; while a mermaid flawlessly swam The SHE mantra is live, love, and celethrough the pool, which were the wowbrate stylishly, she said. SHE considers factor attendees couldn’t stop talking themselves detail snobs, and has yet met a about. space they could not transform. They SHE was established in 2009, alongside enjoy putting together all of the little deHawkins two business partners plus best tails, and cater specifically to the personfriends, Alexis Maddox and Ericka Taylor. ality, style, interest, and preference of the Hawkins obtained an undergraduate client. degree in Business Management, and her WOW FACTOR—A mermaid flawlessly swam through the pool, which was one of the wow factors atBe on the look out for SHE and more hot, Masters Degree in Business Administra- tendees couldn’t stop talking about. (Photo by Leah Johns) fun, and fresh events.
by Paige Mitchell
SHE is on the rise in event planning
Apple more than doubles hiring of women and minorities by Brandon Bailey AP Technology Writer
SAN FRANCISCO (AP)—Apple says it more than doubled the numbers of women, Blacks and Hispanics hired in the last year, although that barely moved the needle in terms of improving the diversity of its total workforce. Like other major tech companies, Apple has been under public pressure to increase the number of women and minorities in a workforce that is overwhelmingly male and white or Asian. Civil rights leader Jesse
Jackson has been joined by members of Congress and other critics calling for Silicon Valley firms to make their employees more representative of the population as a whole. Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a statement Thursday that he’s proud of his company’s efforts, but acknowledged, “We know there is a lot more work to be done.” The maker if iPhones, iPads and Mac computers issued a report Thursday that follows similar reports from Google, Facebook, Intel and other large tech companies. Most of those companies only began dis-
closing their hiring numbers after Jackson began pressing them to do so last year. One exception is Intel, which has been releasing diversity statistics for more than a decade. Apple Inc. said 35 percent of its new hires worldwide last year were women, while 24 percent of U.S. hires were Black or Hispanic. As a result, Apple’s global workforce of 110,000 is now 31 percent women, up from 30 percent last year. Its U.S. workforce is 19 percent Black or Hispanic, up from 18 percent. That includes employees in non-technical jobs, such as retail positions in Apple
stores. By comparison, about 26 percent of U.S. workers across all industries are Black or Hispanic. Critics are especially concerned about low diversity rates among technical workers, such as computer software developers or hardware engineers, which are usually the highest-paid jobs at most Silicon Valley companies, outside top management. The number of Black and Hispanic workers in Apple’s U.S.-based technical jobs increased from 13 percent last year to 15 percent this SEE APPLE C2
Campaign to roll back consumer protection in auto financing (NNPA)—When it comes to public policy, most citizens tend to think in terms of what government can accomplish on their behalf. Multiple civil rights laws and the Americans with Disabilities Act are but a few such examples. There is also another side to public policy reforms: attempts to rollback or take away regulations that are often favored by industry and championed on Capitol Hill by paid lobbyists. Just last week, a U.S. House committee moved a bill that will stop the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau from taking action against discriminatory practices in auto lending. This legislative development is an example of how Washington often responds to industry and its lobbyists. The proposed rollback in consumer protection in auto financing has the support of more than 170 Members of Congress, including a number of Democrats. H.R. 1737, co-sponsored by House Members Frank Guinta, R-N.H., and Ed Perlmutter, D-Colorado, recently passed in the House Financial Services Committee. So what does this legislation
do? H.R. 1737 would require the CFPB to drop guidance it issued in 2013 that called for auto lenders to comply with anti-discrimination laws. The bill would also require the Bureau to gather public comment before issuing any other guidance related to auto lending. Supporters say it is simply about proper process. No—it is not. The bill would condone discrimination in auto lending. All of its supporters should be ashamed. The 2013 CFPB guidance took direct aim at a specific practice in auto lending. Auto dealers get bonuses from lenders for selling consumers a higher interest rate than that for which they qualify. These bonuses add up to billions of dollars in added dealer compensation. On top of these lucrative deals, this practice is completely hidden from consumers. Research by the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) found that consumers who took out loans in 2009 paid $25.8 billion in more interest over the lives of their loans—all because of dealer interest rate markups. For the past two decades, this
multaneously pursuing preservation of the Bureau’s pro-consumer actions. A late July letter sent to the entire 435-member House of Representatives on behalf of the NAACP, the National Council of La Raza. Americans for Financial Reform, the Center for Responsible Lending and other organizations, reminded lawmakers of the history and lending practice has resulted in scale of discriminatory auto a series of lawsuits and more re- lending finance. cent enforcement actions that all “This is one of the last areas alleged discrimination resulting in consumer lending where an from this practice. The data individual sitting across the from these lawsuits and related desk from a consumer makes a enforcement actions consistently decision about how much to show that borrowers of color pay charge that particular conhigher interest rates than White sumer for financing above and borrowers, solely because of this beyond the financing costs dicdealer kickback. tated by their credit worthiness. Recent CFPB enforcement acIntentionally or not, this often tions total more than $176 milleads to people of color paying lion in fines and restitution to more than their fair share,” consumers. By utilizing the wrote the advocates. Equal Credit Opportunity Act “In the mid-1990s, a series of (ECOA), CFPB has taken steps lawsuits was filed against the that no regulator to date has largest auto finance companies taken to end discrimination in in the country alleging that borauto lending. rowers of color were most likely Fortunately, just as a coalition to have their loans marked up of interests pushed for and won and paid larger markups,” conpassage of reforms that created tinued the advocates, “The data CFPB, several consumer and used in those lawsuits indicated civil rights groups are now sithat borrowers of color were
Charlene Crowell
Commentary
twice as likely to have their loans marked up, and paid markups twice as large as similarly situated White borrowers with similar credit ratings.” It is doubtful that the consumers who received restitution for faulty financing of vehicles through Ally Financial and Ally Bank, American Honda Financial and Evergreen Bank would support a regulatory rollback, either. From their perspective, monies the industry returned to consumers are financial justice. “Consumer protections in auto lending have been non-existent until the CFPB came on the scene,” said Chris Kukla, CRL senior vice president. “Auto dealers and their allies in Congress are now trying to stop the CFPB from enforcing anti-discrimination laws. Dealer interest rate markups are unfair and discriminatory, and should be prohibited entirely. With the record of discrimination tied to this practice, Congress should be thanking the CFPB for acting instead of getting in the way.” (Charlene Crowell is a communications manager with the Center for Responsible Lending. She can be reached at Charlene.crowell@responsiblelending.org.)
C2 AUGUST 19-25, 2015
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
BUSINESS
Prudential study shows Blacks faring better financially by Roz Edward For New Pittsburgh Courier
While many African American men and women have demonstrated a special talent for managing households and family budgets with skill and prudence, only recently has that competence for money management been recognized in formal studies. Prudential unveiled the results of its 2015-2016 study, “The African American Financial Experience,” which examines the financial attitudes, priorities and progress of Black consumers in the current economy. Presented by leading financial expert Delvin Joyce, at the National Association of Black Journalist Conference in Minneapolis, the findings paint a positive picture of the state of African Americans and their financial affairs. Joyce, managing director of Prudential’s South Florida Financial Group, is optimistic about the study’s findings. “I’m super DELVIN JOYCE excited to be here today and talk about the findings and insights of the newest release of ‘The African American Financial Experience.’ One of the key findings is that the majority of African Americans see continued improvement of their financial situations over time,” said Joyce, adding, “African American [adults] also anticipated continued improvement for the next generation of their families.” The Prudential study indicates that compared to the general population, African Americans are more likely to say their financial situations have improved over the last five years. A majority of respondents also indicated that their finances were better than their parents at the same point in their lives.’ The African American Financial Experience’ research also indicated that 58 percent of those surveyed expected their children to fare better in their lives. With economic confidence among Blacks growing, the focus is on ensuring that Black Americans are prepared to protect their finances as well as grow wealth. But research shows where African Americans were less successful financially is in the area of transferring wealth and saving and investing for their children’s education. “The good news is that employer sponsored plans, like 401Ks are readily available,” said Joyce, cautioning that Black workers don’t participate at the same rate as the general population. “Only 74 percent of those surveyed participated in employer sponsored plans, compared to 85 percent of the general population. The 2015 ‘African American Financial Experience’—for the first time in the survey’s history—examined the financial state of two distinct sub-sets of the African American population: caregivers and veterans. “The big difference between African Americans and the general population is that [Black people] who are caregivers tend to see their care giving responsibilities as a long-term commitment…saying they expected their responsibility to provide care would last upward of 10 years,” Joyce said. Veterans indicated that they were more financially prepared and confident about making financial decisions after detaching from the military. (To read the study’s findings in its entirety visit.prudential.com/africanamericans) (Roz Edward is National Content Director, Facebook5Twitter5EmailMore.)
Pursue your ‘Happyness’ by Willie Jolley
Lunch and Learn Series
NNPA Columnist
AUG. 20— The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh will host its Lunch & Learn Series at 12:15 p.m. at the Downtown & Business Branch, 612 Smithfield St., Downtown. The topic will be “Retirement Planning and Beyond.” Brian Bohn of Merrill Lynch will facilitate this interactive workshop that explores how 401ks, pension funds, 403bs, IRAs, social security benefits and other major retirement options fit in with one’s retirement vision. For more information, call 412-281-7141 or visit www.carnegielibrary.org.
(NNPA)—Chris Gardner wrote the book, The Pursuit of Happyness, about his story of being homeless and rearing son while working on getting into the stock industry. The book became a #1 New York Times bestseller and blockbuster movie, starring Will Smith. The movie of the same title went on to receive a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award and an Academy Award. When the term “renaissance man” was coined, they had Chris Gardner in mind. He is an entrepreneur, best-selling author, philanthropist, international speaker and proud single parent, which are all titles he fought and struggled to own. After receiving his high school diploma, Chris joined the Navy. After his discharge, he worked as a medical research associate for a scientific supply distributor. With the birth of his son Christopher Gardner Jr., he was determined to find a career that would be both lucrative and fulfilling. Chris was always fascinated by finance. With no college education or prior experience, he studied and passed the test for an entry-level position at the investment firm Dean Witter Reynolds. The first time he stepped onto the Wall Street trading floor with ticker tapes flying and bodies moving fast, Gardner knew he was home. Now, the only challenge was, he had to be willing to live on next to nothing while he learned a new trade. He lost his apartment. His wife left him. But, Chris was determined to keep and rear his 14-monthold son, a decision undoubtedly influenced by his never having met his dad. He remembered the early advice someone had given him, “Your future is the combination of all the decisions you’ve made earlier. Decide to become world class at whatever you do!” Gardner became a member of the homeless working class. He kept his small family together, often sleeping and bathing in the bus station bathrooms. It’s estimated that 18 percent of the American population find themselves in that predicament today. Calculations from different sources show that at least 2.3 million people experience homelessness at some time during an average year, most of whom have families. Consequently, during a typical year, between 900,000 to 1.4 million children are homeless.
WILLIE JOLLEY
Technology Show Over the course of 25 years, Gardner went from working for Dean Witter Reynolds and Bear Stearns to founding his own brokerage firm and going on to become a multimillionaire. Today, Gardner is involved with homelessness initiatives assisting families to stay intact, and assisting homeless men and women who are employed but still cannot get by. His book has been translated into 44 languages and the movie is the first American film ever shown in China. Chris Gardner says, “Don’t never let someone tell you what you can’t do! Let the world be your classroom. Remember, wherever you end up, you drove yourself there! Then you can drive yourself out!” Be clear, concise, consistent, and committed to your goals. Surround self with smart people, who are the best at what they do! Get smart people, and then listen to them. Here are the take-a-ways I gleaned from interviewing Chris Gardner: There is a price to pay for success, and it has nothing to do with money. It’s all about work.
Make a commitment to become world-class at whatever you do. Not good, not pretty good, but world-class. Your future is determined by the decisions you make today. So make wise choices. Wherever you end up, you must take responsibility that you drove there. But if you don’t like where you are, you can drive out. The cavalry “ain’t coming,” so you must become your own cavalry. You cannot change something until you own it. So own it, and go about the work to fix it. Commit to your Plan A and make it happen. Don’t even deal with Plan B, because if it were really good, it would be Plan A. To be successful, you must be clear-minded, concise in your plan, compelled and committed to make it happen. Surround yourself with people who are positive and committed to excellence. Keep learning. Keep growing. Learn from life, great books, great people and experiences. Let the world be your classroom.
Is it a business or hobby?
Are you always being asked to take pictures at family events because of your passion for photography? Or do you earn a steady income collecting and selling stamps or baseball memorabilia? Were you aware that there are tax implications when you earn money from a hobby? If not, or if you’re unsure of the rules, experts from the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants provide these insights on why the distinctions between hobbies and businesses matter and what you need to know if your hobby becomes a business. Define your terms According to the Internal Revenue Service, a hobby is something you do for sport or recreation, not to make a profit. A business is something you do to make a profit. The IRS considers nine factors when distinguishing between a business and a hobby. They include whether you carry on the activity “in a businesslike manner,” whether the time and effort you put into the activity indicate you intend to make it profitable, and whether you depend on the income from the activity for your livelihood. In addition, the IRS considers factors such as your qualifications to carry on the activity as a successful business, whether you’ve made a profit at similar activities in the
past, and whether the activity makes a profit and how much profit it makes. As a general rule, the IRS will consider your activity as a business if it makes a profit in at least three of the last five tax years, including the current one. Handling hobby income Even if your endeavor meets the definition of hobby, you still will have to pay taxes on any income it generates. The good news is that, within certain limits, you can also deduct expenses from that income. Generally, they include costs that can be considered ordinary; meaning they are common and accepted for the hobby, and are necessary or appropriate for the activity. You can typically deduct hobby-related expenses up to the amount of your hobby income. If your expenses exceed your income, the additional costs would be considered personal losses and would not be deductible. If you want to deduct hobby expenses, you will have to itemize. Your CPA can help you with this. Becoming a business If your hobby has the potential to turn into a full-time occupation, you may find yourself considering turning it into a business. If you plan to be a sole proprietor, your business structure and tax reporting can be rela-
(Willie Jolley is America’s #1 Inspirational/Motivational Speaker/Singer/Author!)
tively simple. You can even file for the protections offered by a limited liability company without excessive paperwork or costs. Your CPA or a lawyer can explain the choices available when creating a business, and offer advice that can help you make the best choice for your circumstances. As you make your decision, issues to consider include whether you will need to make an investment—in new equipment, work space, marketing, and more—to support new activities. Will you realistically be able to generate the income necessary to justify that investment, support the business going forward, and make a reasonable profit? Will you be able to run the business in your spare time if you plan to continue to work a regular job as well? If you expect to quit your job, will you earn enough in the early years to cover your living expenses? These are just a few of the many questions that budding entrepreneurs should ask before getting started. Fortunately, your local CPA can provide all the advice you need on any financial issues, from simple tax matters to becoming an entrepreneur. For more small business resources, or to find a find a CPA by location or area of expertise, visit www.picpa.org/moneyandlife.
Apple more than doubles hiring of women, minorities CONTINUED FROM C1
year. The number of White and Asian technical workers at Apple also increased from 77 percent last year to 78 percent this year. The increases appeared to be matched by slight declines in the number of employees who identify as multi-racial or didn’t declare their ethnicity. In another key category, Apple said the number of whites in U.S.-based leadership positions dropped to 63 percent from 64 percent, but the numbers of Asians, Hispanics and Blacks stayed the same at 21 percent, 6 percent and 3 percent, respectively. Cook said in a statement that he’s committed to hiring more women and minorities. He said Apple is also contributing funds to historically Black colleges and programs that provide technology and skills-train-
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ing to students in disadvantaged communities. “Diversity is critical to innovation and it is essential to Apple’s future,” Cook said. “We aspire to do more than just make our company as diverse as the talent available to hire.” In response, Jackson praised Apple for making “solid, measurable progress.” In a statement, he also applauded the company for releasing a copy of the detailed workforce statistics that major employers must report each year to the federal government. Apple and other tech companies have previously refused to make those reports public. But Jackson said he wants Apple and other tech companies to go beyond the federal report and provide more “comprehensive” data on hiring as well as purchasing and contracting with companies owned by
(AP Photo)
women and minorities. He said that would provide “a much clearer picture of what companies are actually doing.” While Silicon Valley companies have been reluctant to disclose such information, they are publicly embracing the notion of improving diversity. Intel issued its own report this week, showing that more than 43 percent of its U.S. hires this year were women or minorities, slightly better than the 40 percent goal the company had set for itself. Jackson also cited Hewlett-Packard for taking steps that address concerns about corporate boards in Silicon Valley, which tend to have few women and minority members. HP, which is splitting into two companies, announced that the board of each spinoff will include two Black directors and four women.
AUG. 27—Toshiba Business Solutions will host its Annual Technology Show from 11 a.m.3 p.m. at Heinz Field, 100 Art Rooney Ave., North Shore. This event includes tours of the stadium, lunch and raffle prizes all while learning about the latest advances in Toshiba Technology. Attendees will learn how Toshiba’s solutions can help reduce expenses and increase efficiency in their office. The guest speaker will be former Pittsburgh Steeler Tunch Ilkin. Reservations are required. For more information, call Elliot Wagner at 412-290-4967 or email elliot.wagner@tbs.toshiba.com.
Strategic Tax Planning AUG. 27—The University of Pittsburgh Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence will host a Strategic Tax Planning Seminar from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at Cefalo’s, 428 Washington Ave., Carnegie. Tax planning is critical to a business financial plan because it encompasses everything from real estate, to investments, to corporate structure and the importance of budgeting. A representative from Wilke & Associates LLP will discuss how aligning one’s financial goals with strategic tax planning can help their business. Registration is required. For more information, visit www.entrepreneur.pitt.edu/events.
Final Fridays AUG. 28—The Hill Community Development Corp. will host its Final Fridays Happy Hour at 5:30 p.m. at Savoy Lounge, 2623 Penn Ave., Strip District. The last Friday of every month through August, the Hill CDC will welcome guests to learn more about their programs and the Hill District community. For more information, call 412-765-1820.
Business Institute SEPT. 2—The African American Chamber of Commerce of Western Pennsylvania, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Black Chamber of Commerce will host a Business Institute from 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Omni William Penn Hotel, 17th floor, Monongahela Room, 530 William Penn Place, Downtown. The topic is “The Impact of Ozone Regulations on Jobs in Our Community.” This will be an informative discussion of the proposal to lower the national air quality standard for ozone, including the potential employment and economic impacts on Pennsylvania. Registration is requested. For more information, call 202-822-2475.
Women Business Breakfast Series SEPT. 11—Chatham University’s Center for Women’s Entrepreneurship will host its Women Business Leaders Breakfast Series from 89:30 a.m. at Chatham University, James Laughlin Music Hall, Woodland Road, Shadyside. Meredith of Wigle will discuss the methods implemented by her company to breed innovation, filling its new product pipeline with compelling services, products and programs to meet consumer’s needs and grow the business each year. Breakfast will be served starting at 7:30 a.m. Reservations are required. For more information, visit www.chatham.edu/cwe/events/wbl bseries.
PowerBreakfast Meeting SEPT. 18—The African American Chamber of Commerce of Western Pennsylvania will host its PowerBreakfast Meeting at 7:30 a.m. at One Oxford Centre. 301 Grant St., Downtown. The guest speaker will be Frank Coonelly, president of the Pittsburgh Pirates. The chamber’s corporate sponsor will update the audience on procurement opportunities within the Pirates’ organization. Reservations are required by Sept. 16. For more information, call 412-392-0610 or email information@aaccwp.com. (To have information on Business Calendar, send information at least two weeks in advance to: 315 E. Carson St., Pittsburgh, PA 15219; Fax: 412-481-1360 or e-mail: newsroom@newpittsburghcourier.com.)
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Decisions and daring
Top 10 pitchers by Bill Neal For New Pittsburgh Courier
:10—We swept the Mets…we swept the Mets…weeeeeee swept the Mets!!! That’s all you need to know. :09—This goes out to all the pretenders. All the people who say they care, that they want to make a difference. That they’re sick and tired of seeing our kids suffer and have nothing to do. Yeah, right! And trust me this isn’t personal. It’s about people who suggest one thing and do another. It sickens me to no end and it continues to show why our kids do suffer. And since I have “The Power of the Pen” here goes. And I hope to God the message gets delivered to the deserving ears. For all those who said they were coming to the Armon
by Aubrey Bruce For New Pittsburgh Courier
THE DARLINGS—From left: Christa Sims, Nia Jones, Gabrielle Layne, and Amina Josephs. (Photos supplied)
‘The Darlings’ of Steel City Express Track Club by Paige Mitchell BILL NEAL Gilliam “Memorial” Hard Work Basketball Camp at the Penn Hills YMCA this weekend and blew it off…you should be ashamed of yourselves. Now don’t get it twisted. I am not talking about those who said from the gate that they couldn’t come. I can respect that. But those of you that made the commitment and backed out, you’re surely suffering from a serious case of memory loss. You’re forgetting how many people sacri-
Overtime ficed for you, or that you came to my camp for free when you were a kid, or that my organization honored you at some point or another, or that someone is spending time helping your child to better opportunities…Armon Gilliam Would Be Greatly Disappointed in You!!! Not to worry “Hammer,” me and the skeleton crew of 12 coaches took care of the 87 kids in grand fashion. :08—I said it before and I’ll say it again, winning breeds winning. As “The Emperor” Chuck Knoll said, “If the preseason games weren’t important, they wouldn’t play ‘em.” Beat Jacksonville Mannn! :07—This just in, Janet Jackson is coming. Yeah, I know (Big, big smile here.) :06—The U.S. Women’s Soccer Team came to Pittsburgh to beat up on Costa Rica 8 - zip. Great job ladies. And by the way, MAKE THAT - MONEY! :05—Say what you want Tom Brady, aka “Tom Terrific” is going toe to toe with the NFL on “InflateGate.” Hey, maybe the guy is innocent like he said. :04—Here’s your Top 10. Shut up and take it like a man. Top Ten Major League Pitchers of All Time. #1 Nolan Ryan, #2 Sandy Kofax, #3 Bob Gibson, #4 Jim Palmer, #5 Tom Seaver, #6 Roger Clemons, #7 Randy Johnson, #8 Greg Maddox, #9 Pedro Martinez, #10 Steve Carlton. Think you can do better? Text me at 412-628-4856. :03—Michael Sam is depressed and is leaving the CFL. The first openly gay pro football player is about to be a trivia question. Word to the wise, sign the contract, get paid, then announce you’re gay. I’m just sayin’!!! :02—To that point, David Denson, a minor league player for the Brewers, announces he’s gay to become the first active player in baseball. Word to the wise!!! :01—School starts next week. Let’s get ready to get ready. Make sure they’re safe. Drive carefully and support your high school football teams from a distance. Dad, your time has come and gone! :00—Here’s to the great Dane Tart, quite possibly one of the greatest athletes out of Donora, Pa., the home of champions, for that matter, the entire Mon-Valley. A great time had by all at the Tart Family Reunion last week. Great to see all my old friends, Dane, Popeye, Rodney, Joyce, Homie, Charlie, Frankie, Valetia and the grand Mrs. Bee Lyons. God Bless you all. ~ GAME OVER ~
For New Pittsburgh Courier
Four young talented girls prove that big things can come in small packages! Nia Jones, Christa Sims, Gabrielle Layne and Aminia Josephs; all 8 years old are the new Steel City Express Track Club sensations. At the age 8, this mind-blowing Relay Team “The Darlings” have broken athletic track records that have existed for 20 plus years, and are on their way to compete in the nationals in Jacksonville, Fla. The Darlings currently hold the title as Regional champions! The Regional record has firmly stood for 23 years at a time of 1:04.50, and the girls were determined to run record breaking times and did just that; beating the record with a time of 1:04.12. The relay team broke both records at the Association Championship in the 4X100, beating the former winning time of 1:06.59 by clocking in at 1:03.47. Also breaking the former record in the 4X400 by beating the record of 5:47.32, the girls clocked in at 5:34.27. Steel City Express Track Club plans to bring home the gold after competing in their final competition of the summer of 2015. First leg is Christa Sims, a student of Manchester Charter; second leg is Nia Jones of Penn Hills Elementary; third leg is Gabrielle Layne of Penn Hills Elementary; and last leg is Aminia Josephs of Winchester Thurston. “An important aspect to my coaching style, is getting to know them,” coach Carlson Christian said. “When you build relationships with the kids, it becomes easier to coach them and to pull out their athletic skills to its full magnitude. When they believe in you and trust you, they trust that you want them to be the best athletes they can be.” Nia and Aminia were a part of Steel City Express Track Club last summer, and Christa and Gabrielle recently joined this summer. Coach Christian expressed that he wanted to put a relay team together, and after Christa and Gabrielle joined the track club he quickly learned how special the relay team was. “Being apart of Steel City Express has been fun, and I like competing and traveling with my teammates,“ Sims said, The relay team competes in 4X100 and 4X400. “Coach has a tough coaching style, but he also makes it fun,” Jones said. “I like running with my friends because they always make me laugh. Coach
pushes us to run at our best.” “I decided to put Aminia in track because I discovered that she ran fast while at a Barbecue at my dad’s house, while she was playing with family and nobody could catch her,” Aminia’s mother Donminika Brown said. “Then I expressed to Coach Carlson that my daughter was fast, and I was ready to place her in track, so as soon as Aminia was old enough to join, she joined Steel City Express. I like Steel City Express because it’s a small club that allows you to build relationships with the coaches and parents. I also knew Coach Carlson before placing my daughter in Steel City, so I knew I could trust him.” Steel City Express Track Club has existed for 15 years, molding men and women, boys and girls into running machines. After holding a series of fundraising events, Steel City Track Club raised enough money to attend the national competition in Jacksonville, Fla., happening this August 2015. “I ran for Steel City Express back in the day when I was younger, Coach Channing Richardson said. “Coach Carlson is my dad, so he asked me to come coach and help out with the club this year. My dad has dedicated to keeping the club going, and Steel City Express is an important part of my family’s legacy. I coach the boys 9-10 years old 4X100 relay, who are also competing in the nationals. The Darlings carry something special. Were excited about Nationals and are hoping for the best.” “I enjoy running track, and I’m excited about going to compete in Florida. I want to run good times!” Aminia Josephs said. “I’m enjoying track so much that, I want to be a track coach when I grow up,“ Gabrielle Layne said. The talent these girls have shown have earned them the track nicknames, Lil’ Dynamo, Lil’ D, Gabbitastic, and the Jamaican Beast! They are continuing to chase association records in their events. Steel City Express Track Club is where winners are made, because the whole club exudes pure raw talent. Other members of the team include; Marquis Carter, Julian Dugger, Derek Selby, Brandon Jones, Nataiah Dutrieuille, and Dawntazzia Dutrieuille. Dugger has not lost a race all year, Nataiah is a two time Regional Champion in the triathlon and Long Jump, while Dawntazzia Dutrieuille was second in the Regionals. Another one bites the dust, when competing with Steel City Express Track Club.
COACH CARLSON CHRISTIAN WITH GIRLS
Wah, wah, wah, well whadda ya know. When the Pittsburgh Pirates brought third baseman Aramis Ramirez back to Pittsburgh, there was plenty of hemming and hawing to go around, but as I have said a few times before, I may not always totally agree with the personnel decisions of Pirates GM Neil Huntington or Skipper Clint Hurdle but it doesn’t matter what I think or anyone else thinks because in the end that is why both of these great baseball minds command a few decent paychecks. This past Sunday the Pirates beat the rain soaked New York Mets 8-1. Aramis Ramirez got out of his “rocking chair” and almost beat the “junior” MLB team f r o m Gotham City, singleh a n d e d l y. AUBREY BRUCE Ramirez had four hits and three RBI’s. The Pirates are described by some as resilient. That may be true but I define their personnel decisions as sometimes eclectic but consistent. Whatever chess pieces that the Neil Huntington provides Clint Hurdle with makes it fun to watch Hurdle maneuver throughout the ball game. As of Sunday, if the Pirates were not competing in the “bloodthirsty” NL Central Division sporting a record of 69-46, 23 games above .500, they would be comfortably leading every MLB Division with the exception of both the American and National
Inside Conditions League Central Divisions. The Pirates are beginning to jell at the right time and if their pitching staff follows suit and the St. Louis Cardinals stumble briefly, it may just turn into a true dogfight to determine the champion of the NL Central Division. A representative from the NL Central should win the 2015 MLB World Series because they beat up on almost every other division so they should be ready to face any other team with confidence the postseason roll around. The bottom feeders of the NL Central the Milwaukee Brewers, now knows what the former perennial bottom dwellers of the division, the Pittsburgh Pirates used to feel like. The Steelers and Mr. Jones Remember the old Billy Paul love ballad “Me and Mrs. Jones?” The song depicted infidelity as sort of a “groovy” activity to engage in back in the day. Now hear this; the way that Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Landry Jones is performing, it appears that his romantic period with the city of Pittsburgh and the Steelers may soon be over because Mr. Jones seems to not quite be what the Steelers expected when Pittsburgh drafted him as the second of two selections that Pittsburgh had in the 4th round of the 2013 draft. Whatever their intentions were in drafting “Mr. Jones,” the love affair doesn’t seem to have worked out as planned. The Steelers may be going back home. Okay, preseason games may not hit a nerve with some people but the “games that may not mean diddly” are the lifeblood of those players that are in danger of being handed a pink slip. If Ben Roethlisberger or Bruce Gradkowski goes down a friend of mine said recently that; “the Steelers might as well finish their 2015 season playing in the Arena Football League.” It is time to move on and get away from any athlete on offense or defense that may not now or ever “cut the mustard” as a Steeler or NFL player. P.S: Since the voices have become amplified in regards to the Pirates divesting in infielder Pedro Alvarez he seems to be a bit more attentive, both offensively and defensively. Is this a coincidence or does the potential threat of job insecurity aid any athlete in becoming and remaining focused? (Aubrey Bruce can be reached at: abruce@newpittsburghcourier.com or 412-583-6741.)
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DIRECTOR OF BANQUETS
Levy Restaurants at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center is currently seeking a Director of Banquets. Interested candidates can apply at www.levyrestaurants.com/careers EOE
ASSISTANT TRACK AND FIELD COACH California University of Pennsylvania seeks to hire one full-time Assistant Track & Field Coach to assist with, but not limited to, the coaching, training and recruitment of student-athletes. Visit www.calu.edu/employment for more information and to apply on line. Cal U is M/F/V/D/AA/EEO. DIRECTOR MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES ALLEGHENY COUNTY
Allegheny County is accepting applications for a Director, Mental Health Services for the Allegheny County Jail. For application requirements and job description check our website at www.alleghenycounty.us/jobs or visit us at our Human Resources office at 102 County Office Building, 542 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA.
HARDWARE ENGINEERS (Multiple Openings)
Dynamics, Inc. in Cheswick, PA be respnsble for contribtng to devʼt future paymnts & card technlgy from desgn through productn phases. Collabrte w/ devʼt team to defne reqs & estimte completn times; devlp next genertn hardwre platfrm incorprtng EMV app for MChip, VSDC, & PayPass technlgies; integrte softwre w/ associatd hardwre; devlp test methds for all aspcts of prodct; contribte to projct docmnt revws & desgn/code revws; work w/ small team of devlpers in hardwre desgn actvties, inclg architctre, implemnttn, debuggng, documnttn, & maintnnce. Reqs: Bachelorʼs in Electrcl Engʼg & 5 yrs progrssvely respnsble empʼt exp in position offerd or relatd. Empʼt exp must inclde RF antennae desgn & simultn, RF testng, digitl & analg desgn, schemtc captre & PCB Layout, componnt selectn & prototypng, preprtn of documnttn inclg user guides & test reprts, desgn RF power transmttrs, & embedded C progrmmng for microcontrllrs. Send resume via US mail to Dynamics, Inc., Attn: HR, 493 Nixon Rd, Cheswick PA 15024.
APPLICATIONS ARE NOW BEING ACCEPTED FOR THE POSITION OF POLICE OFFICER - ALTOONA POLICE DEPARTMENT
Applications for Police Officer for the City of Altoona may be obtained from the Human Resources Department at City Hall, 1301 – 12th Street, Suite 301, Altoona, PA, weekdays between 8:30 A.M. and 4:30 P.M. Applicants or their designees must file completed, NOTARIZED applications with accompanying documentation NO LATER THAN NOON ON THURSDAY, September 24, 2015. Return IN PERSON OR BY MAIL to: Human Resources Department Altoona City Hall 1301 - 12th Street, Suite 301 Altoona, PA 16601-3491 A $25.00 processing fee (check or money order) must be paid at the time the application is filed. Applications that are incomplete for any reason will not be accepted, and will be returned to the applicant. Falsification, concealment or misrepresentation of material fact on the application form may result in disqualification. All previous applicants will be required to reapply and repeat the entire application process in order to be considered for employment. REQUIREMENTS: •Must pass a physical agility test scheduled for Saturday, October 3, 2015, at 8:00 A.M., in Altoona. •Must pass a written Civil Service Test to be administered on Saturday, October 10, 2015, at 8:30 A.M., in Altoona. •Must have successfully completed a Pennsylvania Act 120 basic training program prior to the end of 2015. •Must be 21 years of age on or before the date of employment. •Must be a United States citizen. •Must have graduated from an accredited high school or have a Graduate Equivalency Diploma (G.E.D.) acceptable to the Commission. •Must be licensed to operate a motor vehicle in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. •Must be of high moral character and free of felony or misdemeanor convictions. •Must be physically and mentally fit for the full duties of a Police Officer. •Must submit to a Computerized Voice Stress Analysis (CVSA). •Must agree to psychological and physical examinations if offered employment. Starting salary: $41,047.92 The City of Altoona is an Equal Opportunity Employer
ASSISTANT SOFTBALL COACH
California University of Pennsylvania seeks to hire one full-time Assistant Softball Coach to assist with, but not limited to, the coaching, training and recruitment of student-athletes. Visit www.calu.edu/employment for more information and to apply on line. Cal U is M/F/V/D/AA/EEO.
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE/ MEDIA SALES
WPXI-TV (Cox Media Group) seeks a motivated and energetic Account Executive who thrives on multi-platform sales and new business development. Prefer 1-3 years experience. Outstanding communication and presentation skills along with strong computer literacy. Outstanding compensation and benefits package. Please send cover letter and resume to: Bob Liga, Local Sales Manager: bliga@wpxi.com and apply at CoxMediaGroup.com/careers. EOE
SENIOR ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT United Way of Allegheny County
The United Way of Allegheny County is seeking a professional administrative support individual for the United Way Forward project and to the Next Generation Philanthropy program. Reporting to the Vice President of Campaign, the Senior Administrative Assistant will provide support through a wide range of executive assistant duties applying administrative expertise towards complex assignments within defined parameters in a well-organized manner. Must maintain confidentiality regarding donor information and successfully manage a high level of interaction with major donors. Visit our website at http://united waypittsburgh.org/careers to view job description and apply for this position. Submissions will only be accepted electronically. United Way of Allegheny County is an equal opportunity employer committed to workplace diversity.
EDUCATION PROGRAM MANAGER
United Way of Westmoreland County, a part of the United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania The United Way of Westmoreland County located in Greensburg, is seeking a responsible individual to organize and provide oversight of United Wayʼs early education efforts, specifically working with school districts and preschool centers in Westmoreland and Fayette counties, as well as parents and the community at large. The Education Program Manager will establish goals and action plans with identified school districts and translate these plans into tactical and measureable outcomes. This individual will provide visible community leadership for the program and will serve as the individual to link all aspects of the program. The program aligns with United Wayʼs strategic objectives and role in the community and requires significant collaboration and interaction with school district staff to make this program a success. Visit our website at http://united waypittsburgh.org/careers to view the job description and apply for this position. Submissions will only be accepted electronically. United Way of Westmoreland County, a part of the United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania, is an equal opportunity employer committed to workplace diversity. MERCHANDISE Wanted to Buy
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Looking to buy a used Alto Saxophone, please contact Lewis Colyar at 412-961-1268. ANNOUNCEMENTS Meetings
MEETING ANNOUNCEMENT
Community College of Allegheny County A regular meeting of the Board of Trustees of the College will be held on: Thursday, September 3, 2015 4:00 p.m. Board Meeting CCAC Allegheny Campus Byers Hall 808 Ridge Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15212
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INDEPENDENT AUDITORʼS REPORT
Board of Directors Stadium Authority of the City of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
We have audited, in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in the United States, the statement of net position of the Stadium Authority of the City of Pittsburgh as of March 31, 2015 and the related statements of revenues and expenses, and changes in net position for the year then ended, and, in our report dated July 1, 2015, we expressed an unmodified opinion on those financials statements. As described below, the accompanying summary financial information of the Authority as of and for the year ended March 31, 2015, is not presented in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. In our opinion, however, the accompanying summary financial information is fairly stated in all material respects, in relation to the financial statements from which it has been derived. McGee Maruca & Associates, P.C. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania July 1, 2015 STADIUM AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH Statement of Net Position March 31, 2015 Assets Cash and cash equivalents Capital assets, net of accumulated depreciation Restricted assets Other assets
$ 8,223,710 24,802,757 5,072,197 1,584,185
Total assets
$39,682,849
Liabilities and Net position
Liabilities Deficiency in net position: Investment in capital assets, net of related debt Restricted for capital activity and debt service Unrestricted Total deficiency in net position
$ 40,211,333
7,561,739 12,047,181 (20,137,404) ( 528,484)
Total Liabilities and net position Revenues: Parking Interest Total revenues
Statement of Revenues and Expenses For the Year Ended March 31, 2015
Expenses: Salary reimbursement Development fund Administrative Operations and development Insurance Interest Amortization and depreciation Total expenses Excess of revenues over expenses
Statement of Changes in Net Position For the Year Ended March 31, 2015
$39,682,849 $ 6,627,282 4,566 6,631,848
47,566 263,047 135,734 2,062,058 39,978 613,494 830,036 3,981,913 $ 2,649,935
Deficiency in assets, March 31, 2014 $ (3,389,350) Capital transferred from the Sports and Exhibition Authority 210,931 Excess of revenues over expenses 2,649,935 Deficiency in assets, March 31, 2015 $ (528,484) The summary financial information shown above differs from accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. Differences include amounts grouped, captions summarized, footnote disclosures are omitted. Members of the American and Pennsylvania Institutes of Certified Public Accountants
LEGAL ADVERTISING
LEGAL ADVERTISING
Legal Notices
Bids/Proposals
Estate Notices
Letters have been granted on the estate of each of the following decedents to the personal representative named who request all persons having claims against the estate of the decedent to make known the same in writing to him or his attorney, and all persons indebted to the decedent to make payment to him without delay:
Estate of KLOBCHAR, FRANCES P., a/k/a KLOBCHAR, FRANCES, deceased of McKees Rocks, PA, No. 02-15-03617, Carol Napotnick, Executrix, 7 Newgate Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15202 or to Rosemary L. Corsetti, Esquire, Buchanan, Ingersoll & Rooney, One Oxford Centre, 20th Floor, 301 Grant Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219.
Estate of FENNELL, WILHELMINA D., deceased, of Pittsburgh, PA. No. 4030 of 2015. David N. Fennell, Executor, c/o A. Jean CasonWynter, Esq., 905 Western Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15233. Estate of KRANJCICH, EDWARD W., deceased of Pittsburgh, PA, No. 02-15-04557, George Kranjcich, Executor c/o Judith A. Lehnowsky, Atty., 820 Evergreen Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15209. Estate of MURPHY, WILLIAM JOHN a/k/a MURPHY, WILLIAM J., deceased of Munhall, No. 4262 of 2015, Kurt William Weisbecker and Mary Peg Miller, Extr. or to c/o Molly A. Myers, Esq., Scolieri Law Group, P.C., 1207 Fifth Avenue, Suite 200, Pittsburgh, PA 15219.
Estate of MCCRACKIN, ROBERT W., deceased of Mars, Pennsylvania, No. 02-1504037, Timothy G. McCrackin, Co-Executor, 150 Silver Creek Drive, Mars, PA 16046 or to Patricia A. McCrackin Gottschalk, Co-Executor, 3750 Shoreline Drive, North, Milford, MI 48381 or to Timothy F. Burke, Jr., Esquire, Tener, Van Kirk, Wolf & Moore, P.C., One Oxford Centre, Suite 2100, 301 Grant Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219. Estate of ROBERTSON, JR., VIRGIL, deceased of McKeesport, PA, No. 04276 of 2014, Angeline Anderson, Administratrix, 1725 Flagler Street, McKeesport, PA 15132 or to Thelma C. Spells, Esquire, 1533 Bidwell Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15233. Estate of LOJEWSKI, THOMAS L., deceased of Pittsburgh, PA., No. 02-15-03633, Lawrence J. Ryan, Executor, c/o Tener, Van Kirk, Wolf & Moore, P.C., One Oxford Centre, Suite 2100, 301 Grant Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219 or to Nancy L. Rackoff, Esquire, Tener, Van Kirk, Wolf & Moore, P.C., One Oxford Centre, Suite 2100, 301 Grant Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219.
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ALLEGHENY COUNTY SANITARY AUTHORITY LEGAL NOTICE CONTRACT NO. 1650
The Allegheny County Sanitary Authority is soliciting Bids for CONTRACT NO. 1650, REFURBISHING SLUDGE GRINDING EQUIPMENT. Proposals will be received until 11:00 A.M., Prevailing Time, Thursday, September 10, 2015 at the office of the Authority. ALCOSAN encourages businesses owned and operated by minorities and women to submit bids on Authority Proposals or to participate as subcontractors or suppliers to the successful bidders. Successful Bidders are to use minority or womenʼs businesses to the fullest extent possible. The Authority reserves the right to reject any or all Proposals, to waive any informality in any Proposal and to accept any Proposal should it be deemed in the interest of the Authority to do so. Bid Security in the amount of Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) is required. Documents pertaining to the submission of Bids are available at the office of the Authority, 3300 Preble Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15233. Any questions regarding this contract document should be directed to Benjamin J. Heilman, Contract Supervisor at (412) 734-6204. ALLEGHENY COUNTY SANITARY AUTHORITY Benjamin J. Heilman Contract Supervisor
To place a display ad in the New Pittsburgh Courier call 412-481-8302 ext. 128 or 129
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
The Allegheny County Department of Human Services (DHS) recently issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Rapid Re-Housing Programs. Proposals are due by August 28, 2015. For more details and submission information, visit: http://www.alleghenycounty.us/ dhs/active-solicitations.aspx. Marc Cherna, Director Allegheny County Department of Human Services
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
The Sports & Exhibition Authority of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County (the “Owner”) will receive proposals for Structural Facility Assessment Services at PNC Park, Heinz Field and CONSOL Energy Center (the “Project”) in the City of Pittsburgh. The contract for this work will be with the Sports & Exhibition Authority of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. The Request for Proposals may be obtained from Mr. Taylor Blice, Email: tblice@pgh-sea.com, Telephone: 412-393-0200. This Advertisement applies to the following Request for Proposal: Project: PNC Park, Heinz Field and CONSOL Energy Center, Structural Facility Assessment Services Pre-proposal Conference: 2:00PM, Tuesday, August 25, 2015,SEA Offices Time/Date for Proposals: 2:00PM, Tuesday, September 1, 2015
HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH INVITATION FOR BIDS (IFB) FOR COMPACTOR / CHUTE REPAIR AT VARIOUS HACP LOCATIONS IFB#300-26-15
The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP) hereby request proposals from qualified Firms or Individuals capable of providing the following service(s): COMPACTOR / CHUTE REPAIR AT VARIOUS HACP LOCATIONS IFB#300-26-15 The documents will be available no later than August 17, 2015 and signed, sealed bids will be accepted until 10:00 A.M., September 4, 2015 at which time they will be Time and Date Stamped at 100 Ross Street 2nd Floor, Suite 200, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, at which time they will be opened and read aloud. Parties or individuals interested in responding may download a copy of the Invitation for Bid from the Business Opportunities page of www.HACP.org. Questions or inquires should be directed to: Kim Detrick Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh Procurement Department 2nd Floor, Suite 200 100 Ross Street Pittsburgh, PA 15219 412-456-5116 Opt 1 A pre bid meeting will be held: Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh Procurement Dept. 100 Ross Street 2nd. Fl. Ste. 200 Pittsburgh, PA 15213 Thursday, August 27, 2015 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. HACPʼs has revised their website. As part of those revisions, vendors must now register and login, 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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NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
CLASSIFIEDS
LEGAL ADVERTISING Bids/Proposals
ALLEGHENY COUNTY SANITARY AUTHORITY LEGAL NOTICE CONTRACT NO. 1651
The Allegheny County Sanitary Authority is soliciting Bids for CONTRACT NO. 1651 - FURNISHING AND DELIVERING INCINERATOR BED SAND. Proposals will be received until 11:00 A.M., Prevailing Time, Wednesday, September 9, 2015 at the office of the Authority. ALCOSAN encourages businesses owned and operated by minorities and women to submit bids on Authority Proposals or to participate as subcontractors or suppliers to the successful bidders. Successful Bidders are to use minority or womenʼs businesses to the fullest extent possible. The Authority reserves the right to reject any or all Proposals, to waive any informality in any Proposal and to accept any Proposal should it be deemed in the interest of the Authority to do so. Bid Security in the amount of $2,500.00 is required. Documents pertaining to the submission of Bids are available at the office of the Authority, 3300 Preble Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15233. Questions regarding this contract document should be directed to Benjamin J. Heilman, Contract Supervisor (412) 734-6204. ALLEGHENY COUNTY SANITARY AUTHORITY Benjamin J. Heilman Contract Supervisor
HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) FOR Uniform Physical Conditions Standard (UPCS) Inspections RFP #250-21-15
The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP) hereby request proposals from qualified Firms or Individuals capable of providing the following service(s): Uniform Physical Conditions Standard (UPCS) Inspections RFP #250-21-15 The documents will be available no later than August 10, 2015 and signed, sealed proposals will be accepted until 2:00 P.M., August 28, 2015 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 Office 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 August 20, 2015 2:00 P.M. The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh strongly encourages certified minority business enterprises and women business enterprises to respond to this solicitation. HACPʼs 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.
America’s Best Weekly 315 East Carson St., Pittsburgh, PA 15219
Classifieds 412-481-8302 Ext. 140 E-mail: ads@newpittsburgh courier.com Deadline/Closing/Cancellation Schedule for copy, corrections, and cancellations: Friday noon preceding Wednesday publication
To place a display ad in the New Pittsburgh Courier call 412-481-8302 ext. 128 or 129
SONNY BOY
AUGUST 19-25, 2015
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Pick up your Courier at these locations Pittsburgh Courier NEW
On Sale Wednesdays WESTERN AREA: CRAFTON BEVERAGE CRAFTON/INGRAM SHOPPING CENTER GIANT EAGLE CRAFTON/INGRAM SHOPPING CENTER SHEETZ #353 5400 CAMPBELL’S RUN RD SHOP N’ SAVE #1686 2103 NOBLESTOWN RD SAFRANS SUPER MKT 429 WALNUT ST GIANT EAGLE #74 PARKWAY CENTER MALL SOUTHERN AREA: KEN’S 216 BELTZHOOVER AVE NELSON’S 92 SYLVANIA AVE GIANT EAGLE #61 2021 WHARTON AVE COGO’S 2400 EAST CARSON ST COGO’S 925 EAST CARSON ST DAILY MART 1125 ARLINGTON AVE SHOP N SAVE CARRICK SOUTH EASTERN AREA: SUPER STOP 403 KENMAWR AVE CARL’S CAFE 337 FIFTH AVE COMET NEWS 540 BRADDOCK AVE PUFFS DISCOUNT TOBACCO 1722 GREENSBUR AVE A-PLUS SUNOCO 7403 WASHINGTON ST COGO’S 1050 BRINTON RD COGO’S 2003 S BRADDOCK AVE EDGEWOOD EXPRESS 253 EDGEWOOD AVE BRAD EXPRESS 1101 S BRADDOCK AVE GIANT EAGLE #619 1705 S. BRADDOCK AVE CVS 7406 CHURCH ST HANINI MARKET 1105 SWISSVALE AVE DUKE’S SUNOCO 825 DUQUESNE BLVD 7-11 818 N. DUQUESNE BLVD GIANT EAGLE #6379 420 EAST WATERFRONT DR GIANT EAGLE—MCKEESPORT 3812 O’NEILL BLVD J & S FOOD MART 625 W GRANT AVE RITE AID PHARMACY 100 WILLIAM MARKS DR GIANT EAGLE 1356 HOFFMAN BLVD BP GAS STATION LYSLE & WALNUT DS FOODMART 929 UNION ST RITE AID PHARMACY
725 LYSLE BLVD CHARLIE’S CORNER STORE 500 LOCUST ST NEIGHBORHOOD DOLLAR 333 5TH AVE GIANT EAGLE #38 1901 MURRAY AVE JACK’S E 8TH AVE EASTERN AREA: WATERWORKS GIANT EAGLE #72 1005 FREEPORT RD— DIVINE HAIR STUDIO 10 DUFF RD GIANT EAGLE 9001 FRANKSTOWN RD GIANT EAGLE #78 230 RODI RD SHELL GAS STATION 11835 FRANKSTOWN RD THE SPOT 11675 FRANKSTOWN RD MASH MINI MART 4341 OLD WM. PENN HWY GIANT EAGLE #60 4004 MONROEVILLE BLVD GIANT EAGLE #76 AMES PLAZA, ROUTE 22 GET IT QUICK 500 GARDEN CITY JT RIB SHACK 1 RAQUET LANE DESTINY’S HAIR SALON 408 RODI RD PUFF’S DISCOUNT TOBACCO 10991 FRANKSTOWN RD MIKE’S SPOT 815 UNIVERSAL RD CREAMY CREATIONS 144B JEFFERSON RD SHOP N SAVE 3335 WILLIAM PENN HWY SHEETZ 3457 WILLIAM PENN HWY GETGO 10525 FRANKSTOWN RD CVS PHARMACY 10600 FRANKSTOWN RD SHELL OIL 7619 BAUM BLVD KIWI SUNOCO FRANKSTOWN AVE WILLIAM PENN SMOKE SHOP II 132 NORTH HIGHLAND AVE MARATHON GAS 6680 FRANKSTOWN AVE PENN AIKEN DAIRY 5401 PENN AVE GIANT EAGLE #17 6320 SHAKESPEARE ST HOMEWOOD MARKET 7201 FRANKSTOWN AVE SALIK HARDWARE 607 NORTH HOMEWOOD AVE NEGLEY A PLUS 123 NORTH NEGLEY AVE BAKER’S 7203 HAMILTON & STERRETT AVES DORSEY’S RECORDS 7614 FRANKSTOWN AVE HOSPITAL CORNER 4201 PENN AVE PEOPLES GROCERY 5136 PENN AVE
A&M MARKET 5224 PENN AVE A-PLUS MINI MART 7701 PENN AVE WOOD & PENN 902 WOOD ST AL’S FISH & CHICKEN 1000 PENN AVE SAVE A LOT 725 ROSS AVE CVS PHARMACY 520 PENN AVE GETGO 408 PENN AVE QUICK STOP LIBERTY 3349 LIBERTY AVE K-2 CONVENIENT STORE 4900 PENN AVE SHUR SAVE 4120 MAIN ST SHELL GAS 6701 FRANKSTOWN RD UNIMART 5724 ELLSWORTH AVE GIANT EAGLE #77 254 YOST BLVD PUFF’S DISCOUNT TOBACCO 234 YOST BLVD SPEEDY MART 2131 ARDMORE BLVD SQUIRREL HILL NEWS 5804 FORBES AVE MURRAY AVE. NEWS 2024 MURRAY AVE GIANT EAGLE MURRAY AVE & LORETTA ST DISCOUNT TOBACCO & NEWS 1929 MURRAY AVE UNIVERSITY OF PGH BOOKSTORE 4000 5TH AVE DANA’S BAKERY 720 N. HOMEWOOD AVE DA STORE 606 & 1/2 N. HOMEWOOD AVE FLOSSYS HAIR DESIGNS 5927 PENN AVE BONUS TIRE SERVICE 4349 VERONA RD KANDY CAFE 4291 VERONA RD GIANT EAGLE SHADYSIDE 550 CENTRE AVE MARATHON GAS 4010 PENN AVE STANTON NEGLEY DRUG 804 N. NEGLEY AVE RON’S CORNER DRUG MT. CARMEL RD CENTRAL AREA: GET GO #64 4924 BAUM BLVD SCHWARTZ MARKET 1901 5TH AVE SMOKER FRIENDLY 906 5TH AVE HILL DISTRICT: WONG’S MARKET 2170 CENTRE AVE ANN’S MARKET 2316 WEBSTER AVE A-PLUS MINI MART 2350 CENTRE AVE UJAMMA BOUTIQUE 1901 CENTRE AVE K LEROY IRVIS TOWERS 715 MERCER ST SHOP & SAVE SUPERMARKET 1850 CENTRE AVE ABE’S MARKET
1860 CENTRE AVE WYLIE TOBACCO 2152 WYLIE AVE DOWNTOWN: KWIK-E-MART 212-10TH ST 7-11 #167 643 LIBERTY AVE 7-11 #165 SIXTH & PENN AVE 7-11 #170 429 WOOD ST ESTER’S SNAX FEDERAL BUILDING, 2ND FL SMITHFIELD NEWS 115 SMITHFIELD ST CITY NEWS & ARCADE 422 WOOD ST FABER COE & GREGG 500 GRANT ST FABER COE & GREGG FIFTH AVE. PLACE FABER COE & GREGG 600 GRANT ST NIELSEN’S STORES #09 301 GRANT ST— ONE OXFORD CENTER NIELSEN’S STORES #13 437 SEVENTH AVE— KOPPERS BUILDING 9TH & PENN NEWS-NUMBERS 136 PENN AVE EXTRA EXTRA NEWS 413 SEVENTH AVE NEAL NEWS 400 CHERRY WAY CVS PHARMACY #4120 610-612 WOOD ST C&C NEWS 2 PPG PLACE NEWSTAND SIXTH & WOOD ONE STOP 300 SIXTH & WOOD EDDIE’S SNACKS 262 5TH AVE BIG DADDY 465 FORBES AVE 711 SMITHFIELD 420 SMITHFIELD ST NORTHERN AREA: W. N. GROCERY 1018 NORTH AVE. NORTH SIDE BEER & BEVERAGE 1304 FEDERAL ST ALLEGHENY GIFT SHOP— AGH HOSPITAL 320 EAST NORTH AVE GIANT EAGLE #652 318 CEDAR AVE 7-11 #158 1001 WESTERN AVE RICHEY’S BARBER SHOP 1207 N. FRANKLIN ST QUIK-IT 820 PENNSYLVANIA AVE RITE AID #3459 802 PENNSYLVANIA AVE MARSHALL SHELL 1500 SPRING GARDEN AVE SWINKO’S MARKET 2535 PERYSVILLE AVE MERCY STREET EXPRESS 6 MERCY ST HARV’S EXXON 2501 BRIGHTON RD QUICK SCHWARTZ 3235 BRIGHTON RD HANINI MARKET 3245 BRIGHTON RD
Duquesne celebrates Community Day 2015
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AUGUST 19-25, 2015
PEOPLE
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE COMMUNITY—Once again, the good Lord blessed family and friends of the city of Duquesne with gorgeous weather and good food. The weekend made for fun, family and worship with the largest gathering of relatives, friends and residents of this community in 25 years. Twins Darryl and Dale Simmons celebrate 47 years with Carla Harris, Dwan Simmons and 6-year-old Nevaeh Owens. (Photos by Rossano P. Stewart)
WINNERS STICK TOGETHER––Former Steelers Defensive Back Russell Stuvaints, second from left, with local Duquesne High School coaches.
McKEESPORT BLACK BERET DRILL TEAM—Children 6-14 years old performed while being coached by director Helene Phillips.
SONGS OF PRAISE—The Jerusalem Baptist Church Choir sang with heart and soul.