PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID FT. LAUDERDALE, FL 33310
PERMIT NO. 1179
Westside Gazette Broward County's Oldest and Largest African American Owned and Operated Newspaper VOL. 46 NO. 10
oud PPaper aper ffor or a Pr oud PPeople...Sinc eople...Sinc Proud eople...Sincee 1971 THURSDA Y, APRIL 13 - WEDNESDA Y, APRIL 19, 2017 THURSDAY WEDNESDAY 50¢ A PrProud
Trump’s EPA awards Flint $100 million for water crisis By Lauren Victoria Burke (NNPA Newswire Contributor) Buried in the 24-hour news cycle of Russian conspiracies, presidential tweets, and White House nepotism, the Trump Administration found the time to set aside $100 million for the ongoing water crisis in Flint, Mich. According to a press release about the grant, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) $100 million to fund drinking water infrastructure upgrades in Flint. The press release said that “The funding, provided by the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act of 2016, or WIIN, enables Flint to accelerate and expand its work to replace lead service lines and make other critical infrastructure improvements.”
In the statement, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said that the people of Flint and all Americans deserve a more responsive federal government. “EPA will especially focus on helping Michigan improve Flint’s water infrastructure as part of our larger goal of improving America’s water infrastructure,” said Pruitt. During a March 22 meeting at the White House with seven members of the Congressional Black Caucus, Rep. Brenda Lawrence (D-Mich.), said that she and President Trump spoke about assistance for Flint. “He said he thought it was awful and criminal…I was surprised he understood how that happened,” said Lawrence, who represents parts of Detroit. The congresswoman added that the president also wanted to know who was responsible for the lead in Flint’s water. (Cont'd on Page 3)
Flint Mayor Karen Weaver said that the EPA grant will help her administration replace 6,000 pipes this year and make other needed infrastructure improvements. (Wikimedia Commons)
Wells Fargo Bank suffers another loss
Following a series of high profile lawsuits and allegations of misconduct, the embattled Wells Fargo Bank just suffered another loss in the form of a rating downgrade. Late last month, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency downgraded Wells Fargo’s rating from an “Outstanding” to a “Needs to Improve” rating.
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency is an independent government agency within the U.S. Treasury Department that supervises all banks and federal savings associations. The downgrade comes on the heels of an agreement by Wells Fargo Bank to pay $110 million to settle a class action suit involving customers, who discovered that the bank opened fake accounts in their names. (Cont'd on Page 3)
By Devin Heflin, Orlando Times Staff Writer & Louis C. Ward, Orlando Times Contributing Writer
Hundreds rally at Capitol in support of embattled Aramis Ayala. (Photo credit Florida Politics) Loyd’s initial evasion of capture led to week long manhunt,
Pleading Our Own Cause
I was trying to understand why was it so difficult for me to continue my exercising program when I know how important it is to my health. No one has to tell me not to over indulge on starches or to limit my intake on the consumptions of fried pork chop OR, greasy collard greens with a chunk of cracklin cornbread, all of which can be washed down with some good ole sweet ice tea. I know most of the possible outcomes-and they ain’t all that good either. However, I still find myself wrestling with my obligated duty of staying committed to keeping what little bit I have in some semblance of shape. I would hate to have to depend upon hindsight (the capacity to be aware of, subsequent to something that has come to pass) because I don’t know of anyone who has beaten that six foot hold in the ground other than God-Jesus and the Holy Spirit, and having a conversation with the Trinity is not on my immediate to do list. (Cont'd on Page 5)
Racial bias is a problem in doctors’ offices
Late last month, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency downgraded Wells Fargo’s rating from an “Outstanding” to a “Needs to Improve” rating. (Freddie Allen/AMG/NNPA)
Organizations rally to protest governor at State Capital CENTRAL FLORIDA Organizations across the state of Florida are coming together in Florida’s capital to protest the now two week old removal of State Attorney Aramis Ayala by the state’s Governor, Rick Scott. Scott’s decision to remove Ayala in place of Lake County based State Attorney Brad King has generated debate on both the legality and constitutionality of Scott’s executive powers as Governor. Ayala refused to seek the death penalty for Markeith Loyd, who is alleged to have murdered his pregnant exgirlfriend Sade Dixon and Orlando Police officer Deborah Clayton, in two separate incidents, two months apart.
“Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.” Colossians 3:23-24 (NASB) By Bobby R. Henry, Sr.
Another one: Wells Fargo Bank just got downgraded By Dr. John E. Warren (San Diego Voice and Viewpoint/NNPA Member)
When commitments work
which culminated in his capture on Jan.16, 2017.
WWW.
State Attorney Ayala has stated in previous interviews that she will not pursue the death penalty for any cases. Ayala, 41, is a former prosecutor with the ninth judicial court and is a former public defender. A Saginaw, Michigan native, Ayala graduated from the University of Central Florida, the University of Michigan and the University of Detroit, Mercy School of Law. She defeated State Attorney Jeff Ashton on Nov.9, 2016 to become the sunshine state’s first Black State Attorney. Florida law at current stipulates that Ayala is within her prosecutorial rights to not decide on a capital punishment for murder. The Florida Constitution leaves the discretion up to the State Attorney. (Cont'd on Page 10)
Black gay men are more likely to distrust the medical establishment — and to have higher rates of undiagnosed infections. Terrance Moore couldn’t breathe — just a few steps left, the 23-year-old struggling for air. His doctor in Washington D.C., had previously diagnosed him with bronchitis, but the problem persisted. When he returned for a follow-up appointment to ask about his shortness of breath, he was told to just keep taking penicillin. Something didn’t seem right, so Moore left the doctor’s office and headed to the ER. There, a full two months after he started showing symptoms, he learned he was HIV positive — and that the virus had damaged his immune symptoms, so much that he had AIDS and pneumonia, an opportunistic infection. A new doctor put him on medication, but it made him sick. And when he complained, he was essentially told to suck it up. Nobody explained there were other drugs on the market that
The Westside Gazette Newspaper
@_Westsidegazett
thewestsidegazette.com
(954) 525-1489
Thewestsidegazettenewspaper
he might be able to tolerate, he says. Internal bias isn’t just a problem with the police—it’s also an issue at hospitals. That was in 2001. Moore, a Black gay man, now understands the odds were stacked against him. According to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about half of all Black men who have sex with men will be diagnosed with HIV during their lifetime, compared with one in 11 white men who have sex with men. But Black gay men are less likely to be aware of their HIV status. According to one study, they’re six times more likely to have an undiagnosed HIV infection and 60 percent less likely to receive treatment, which means their condition is more likely to deteriorate and they’re more likely to pass on the virus to other Black men they date. (Cont'd on Page 10) MEMBER: National Newspaper Publishers Association ( NNPA), and Southeastern African-American Publishers Association (SAAPA) Florida Association of Black Owned Media (FABOM)