The Westside Gazette

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infection, to commemorate the lives that have been lost to the disease, and to raise awareness about it. A sand sculpture is created by Sudarsan Pattnaik.

Held on Dec. 1 each year, World AIDS Day is an occasion to show solidarity with the people living with the

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US Marine found guilty of killing transgender Filipino

"HIV/AIDS is not an Alone disease."

By Jim Gomez and Teresa Cerojano, Associated Press

Protesters display placards during a rally near the Presidential Palace in Manila to await the verdict for U.S. Marine Pfc. Joseph Scott Pemberton who is accused in the killing of Filipino transgender Jennifer Laude, Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2015 in the Philippines.

The Philippine court in Subic, west of Manila will deliver its verdict on Pemberton for the murdering Laude after discovering her gender when they checked into a hotel, officials said.

OLONGAPO, Philippines (AP) — A Philippine court on Dec. 1, 2015 convicted a U.S. Marine of killing a Filipino last year after he discovered she was a transgender woman in a hotel while he was on a break after participating in joint military exercises in the country.

Lance Cpl. Joseph Scott Pemberton was convicted of homicide by first strangling Jennifer Laude and then dunking her head into a toilet bowl in the hotel they had checked into after meeting in a disco bar in October 2014 in Olongapo, a city northwest of Manila. He was sentenced to six-12 years in jail and credited with time already spent in detention, said court clerk Gerry Gruspe.

The court also ordered Pemberton, who has been detained at a Philippine military camp for about a year, to pay Laude’s family 4.6 million pesos ($98,000) in damages.

- - Bobby R. Henry, Sr.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -- An estimated 1.2 million people died from AIDS-related illnesses in 2014, and about 39 million people worldwide have died of AIDS-related causes since the epidemic began. Seventy percent of all people living with HIV in 2014 were living in Sub-Saharan Africa, which bears the heaviest burden of HIV/AIDS worldwide.

Medic aid denies near Medicaid nearll y half of requests for hepat it is C dr ugs: S hepatit itis drugs: Sttudy

(Cont'd on Page 10)

In Baltimor e, distr ust of doctor s impedes Baltimore distrust doctors HIV pr evention pre The complicated history between Baltimore’s Black community and medical establishment has left many residents wary of health-care providers, making it much harder to reach at-risk populations with lifesaving HIV prevention and treatment messages.

With this in mind, on Nov. 5, 2015, the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene partnered with the National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC), the Black AIDS Institute and the Baltimore chapter of the Black Treatment Advocates Network (BTAN) to host the Baltimore PrEP Summit, a training session to help health-care workers and community-based groups improve awareness of, access to and community engagement around preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP).

Adoption of PrEP is slow The summit, one stop on the Black AIDS Institute’s National PrEP Tour, provided a forum for information about how health-care providers, AIDS service organizations and the community can better address the region’s HIV/AIDS epidemic, according to BTAN Baltimore Co-Chair Jamal Hailey, who is also the program director for Special Teens at Risk, Together Reaching Access, Care and Knowledge, or STAR TRACK. (Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

By Michelle Andrews

Javius Cain, a co-chair of BTAN Baltimore and a social worker at the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Josephine Ayankoya, the mobilization coordinator for Black AIDS Institute and Jamal Hailey, co-chair of BTAN Baltimore and the director of programs for Special Teens At-Risk, Together Reaching Access, Care and Knowledge (STAR TRACK) at the PrEP training session for health care workers at the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene in Baltimore, Md. (Freddie Allen/BAI)

10 things Black women need to know about PrEP

By LaShieka Purvis Hunter A single daily pill can reduce women’s risk of acquiring HIV through sex by more than 90 percent.

But many African American women don’t know much about pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)—the medication Truvada—taken by people who do not have HIV to reduce their risk of acquiring the virus.

So sadly, even though a lifesaving tool to prevent HIV exists, sistahs continue to be-

come infected with HIV at alarming rates.

Which Black women can benefit most from PrEP? Think: women who inject drugs, experience intimate-partner violence or have sex with someone who already has HIV, whose HIV status they do not know, whose fidelity they cannot be certain of or who also has sex with men.

Here are 10 things Black women should know and share about PrEP: (Cont'd on Page 13)

Pleading Our Own Cause

Easy to take

WWW.

People with hepatitis C who sought prescriptions for highly effective but pricey new drugs were significantly more likely to get turned down if they had Medicaid coverage than if they were insured by Medicare or private commercial policies, a recent study found.

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine analyzed the hepatitis C prescriptions from 2,342 patients in Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey that were submitted between November 2014 and April 2015 to a large specialty pharmacy that serves the region.

The drugs included Sovaldi, Harvoni and Viekira Pak, and others that are part of the treatment regimen. A 12-week course of treatment for one patient can reach more than $90,000.

The new drugs generally cure the disease in nine out of 10 cases, without the serious side effects that made many people forgo treatment in the past. But because of their hefty price tag, insurers often restrict access by limiting the availability to people whose livers show serious signs of damage, among other criteria.

Overall, insurers denied 16 percent of prescriptions for the drugs. (The figure incorporates

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the results of appeals that were filed after initial denials.) The proportion of Medicaid denials, however, was much higher: 46 percent.

In contrast, only 10 percent of patients with private insurance and 5 percent of Medicare patients were denied the drugs.

The results were presented this week at the 2015 meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

“Our hypothesis was that Medicaid patients would be more likely to receive absolute denials,” says Dr. Vincent Lo Re III, an assistant professor of medicine and epidemiology at Penn, referring to denials that incorporated appeals.

“But I was surprised by the magnitude.”

An estimated 2.7 million people in the United States are infected with hepatitis C, a viral liver infection that can lead to cirrhosis, or scarring, of the liver, liver cancer and death. The infection is often spread today by sharing needles to inject drugs, but many people have undetected disease because they were infected years ago through contact with infected blood before the virus was discovered or blood donations were screened for it.

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Westside Gazette Top photo, First Lady Michelle Obama welcomed the Official White House Christmas Tree with Bo and Sunny in tow. (Photo

by Cheriss May, Howard University News Service) Bottom photo, l to r: Ms. Menard and Ms. Harmon drive the carriage pulled by (l to r): Ben and Karry, Belgian draft horses, delivering the official White House Christmas tree.

Criminal Expungement and Sealing Workshop

By Mike Satz Broward State Attorney A criminal record may prevent a citizen from getting a job or renting a home. It can also block approval for professional certifications or special licenses.

Even though a person has been cleared of a criminal allegation, or they have successfully completed a diversion program or probation and paid their debt to society, that person can still be negatively impacted by public use of such information.

So the Broward State Attorney’s Office is expanding its service to assist qualified adults who wish to expunge or seal criminal records of a single Broward case or arrest.

Our office has been helping individuals at the courthouse with this process for years. Now we are taking the application process to the adults in the community, just as we’ve done since 2007 with workshops that have helped more than 1,000 juveniles.

The State Attorney’s Office, along with the Broward Clerk of Courts, will be hosting Expungement and Sealing Workshops for adults at locations around the community. A workshop will be held on Thursday, Dec. 10, 2015, from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Urban League of Broward County, 560 NW 27th Ave., Fort Lauderdale, Fla. For more information call (954) 5840777. Please bring photo ID. Any person who wants to know if they qualify for ex-

pungement or sealing under Florida Statute 943 should attend this workshop. Our staff will assist qualifying applicants, at no charge; prepare the paperwork necessary to obtain their Certificate of Eligibility.

To get a head start on the workshop, you can download an application from the website for the Office of the State Attorney in the 17th Circuit, or you can obtain the documents at the State Attorney’s Office at one of Broward’s four courthouses. The application will be reviewed at the workshop and a determination made as to whether the individual qualifies under Florida law and if so, whether it is for sealing or expunging the record.

The FDLE website describes its process further and also lists a number of reasons for denial, including a prior adjudication of guilt for offenses including DUI. FDLE charges a $75 processing fee that the applicant

sends directly to that agency after SAO assists with completing the application.

If your circumstances are complicated or you have questions, contact the State Attorney’s Office community liaison officer, Elizabeth Honorat at (954) 831-7209.

Understand, this expungement or sealing program is only for those who qualify under Florida law. Certainly it is not for those who have committed violent crimes or who have had a prior adjudication of guilt for offenses. It was established by the State of Florida to give those who made one-time youthful missteps as juveniles or young adults an opportunity to move beyond a minor transgression and get on with their lives. I am hopeful that those who qualify for this program under the law will take advantage of it and continue on to be productive, law-biding citizens of our community.

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Thedownsidetoholidayeating Information is the best medicine

By Glenn Ellis George Curry, Media Columnist Holiday eating can wreak havoc on many of your normal routines. Since most of you reading this column will experience some issues related to excessive food consumption this time of the year, here is a revisit to a topic that few dare to explore - bowel movements.

Your bowel movement can tell you a lot about your health.

This may not be a topic you would typically talked about at the dinner table or a party, but

actually more people are obsessed with it than you would imagine. We should be interested the appearance and/or condition of our bowel movement.

There is a reason for the large intestine to be the first organ developed in the fetus. It is the most important and influential organ of the body.

What indicates a good bowel movement is, first, that the stool floats. Floating stools are both a blessing and a curse. They can float because they are so full of bubbles and gas that they are

abnormal. On the other hand, they float because they have too much fat in them, or they can float because they are high in fiber, which is the kind we want.

It is not the weight of your stools, but rather their densities that determines their out-ofbody fate to float or to sink.

Simply put, the “floaters” are bloated by the air in them.

Sinkers need a lot more fiber in their diet.

Floaters may be caused by gas in the stool, resulting from a change in the diet. Perhaps

you’ve suddenly started eating more high fiber foods, for example. Undigested fat will also make stools float. This could be an indication that your diet is too high in fat, or there could be a problem with nutrient absorption in your diet. Stools that result from poor food absorption often leave a greasy film on the water and are rather large.

If you’re suffering from constipation, you may produce impacted stools, which will “sink” because of their density and lack of moisture. You need to include more fiber, both soluble and insoluble, in your diet to bulk out the stools and get your digestive system working properly again. And drink more water. The bowel and colon need water to work efficiently, just like the rest of your body.

The truth is, a healthy stool

December 3 - December 9, 2015 • Page 3 is neither a sinker nor a floater - it’s a combination of the two. If you’re in good general health, you’ll pass some sinkers, some floaters and some that seem to just sit in the water, neither floating nor sinking. As long as your bowel motions are soft, fairly bulky and easy and painless to pass, and there’s no sign of blood or excessive mucus in the stools, everything is well down below.

The digestive process can vary depending on what is being eaten and the person’s metabolism. For example, fat takes a lot longer to digest than sugars. Fiber in the diet speeds up transit time (the amount of time from chewing to bowel movement). Generally it can range from 24 to 48 hours for men and slightly longer for women.

Chewing takes five to 30 se-

First Baptist Piney Grove hosts Thanksgiving for the public

By Ciera Campbell FAMU STUDENT First Baptist Piney Grove Church (FBPGC) sponsored their first Thanksgiving sitdown meal to the tri county area on Nov. 25 from 11a.m.- 1

p.m.

FBPGC offered hot meals which included ham, turkey, and desserts with the side of fellowship.

Josephus Eggelletion Jr, director of progress ministry for FBPGC explains the importance

of hosting a Thanksgiving meal at the church.

“We (progress ministry) looked around and we knew that there were a lot of people in our community who are going without food, who are standing in food and soup lines

FDA appr oves new tr eatment for HIV approves treatment

Genvoya, a single-tablet combination antiretroviral regimen From AIDS.gov The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved Genvoya (a fixed-dose combination tablet containing elvitegravir, cobicistat, emtricitabine, and tenofovir alafenamide) as a complete regimen for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in adults and pediatric patients 12 years of age and older.

The CDC estimates that 1.2 million persons ages 13 years and older are living with HIV infection, and that more than another 150,000 persons in this age range have HIV but are unaware of their infection.

Over the past decade, the number of people living with HIV has increased, while the annual number of new HIV infections has remained relatively stable.

“Today’s approval of a fixed dose combination containing a new form of tenofovir provides another effective, once daily complete regimen for patients with HIV-1 infection,” said Edward Cox, M.D., director of the Office of Antimicrobial Products in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

Today’s approval of a fixed dose combination containing a

new form of tenofovir provides another effective, once daily complete regimen for patients with HIV-1 infection.

Genvoya is approved for use in HIV-infected adults and children ages 12 years and older weighing at least 35 kilograms (77 pounds) who have never taken HIV therapy (treatmentnaïve) and HIV-infected adults whose HIV-1 virus is currently suppressed. While Genvoya is not recommended for patients with severe renal impairment, those with moderate renal impairment can take Genvoya.

Genvoya’s safety and efficacy in adults were evaluated in 3,171 participants enrolled in four clinical trials. Depending on the trial, participants were randomly assigned to receive Genvoya or another FDA approved HIV treatment.

Results showed Genvoya was effective in reducing viral loads and co-parable to the other treatment regimens.

Genvoya contains a new form of tenofovir that has not been previously approved. This new form of tenofovir provides lower levels of drug in the bloodstream, but higher levels within the cells where HIV-1 replicates. It was developed to help reduce some drug side effects. Genvoya appears to be associated with less kidney toxicity and decreases in bone density than previously approved tenofovir containing regimens based on laboratory measures.

Patients receiving Genvoya experienced greater increases in serum lipids (total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein) than patients receiving other treatment regimens in the studies.

Genvoya carries a Boxed Warning alerting patients and health care providers that the drug can cause a buildup of lactic acid in the blood and severe liver problems, both of which can be fatal.

The Boxed Warning also states that Genvoya is not approved to treat chronic hepatitis B virus infection. The most common side effect associated with Genvoya is nausea. Serious side effects include new or worsening kidney problems, decreased bone mineral density, fat redistribution and changes in the immune system (immune reconstitution syndrome).

Health care providers are advised to monitor patients for kidney and bone side effects.

Genvoya should not be given with other antiretroviral products and may have drug interactions with a number of other commonly used medications.Genvoya is marketed by Gilead Sciences Inc. based in Foster City, Calif. agency also is responsible for the safety and security of our nation’s food supply, cosmetics, dietary supplements, products that give off electronic radiation, and for regulating tobacco products.

Medicaid denies nearly half of requests for hepat it is C dr ugs: hepatit itis drugs: Study (Cont'd from FP) A study published in August in the Annals of Internal Medicine examined Medicaid reimbursement criteria in 42 states for Sovaldi. It found that three quarters of those states limited access to people with advanced liver disease and half required people to be drug or alcohol-free for a period of time before Hepatitis C drug prescriptions could be filled.

This article was reprinted from Kaiser Health News with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.

everyday trying to find food to eat. We thought it was important for us as God has asked us to do to take care of the poor,” Eaggelletion said.

The Thanksgiving meal was dedicated to helping deplete starvation in our community.

“This is our first year doing an actual sit-down meal what we have down in the past is we provided box meals of turkey and everything that is needed to prepare a meal at home. But when we looked around the community we realized people don’t have a place to sleep or have any place to cook those meals. So perhaps this year we will open our doors and feed those individuals,” Eggelletion added.

According Feeding America, 79 percent of households buy cheaper food despite knowing it might not be the healthiest, in an effort to feed their family.

Three-quarters of Feeding America households live at or below the poverty line.

Laricka Forbes, a mother of

six children and visitor to FBPGC, states her Thanksgiving experience at the Grove.

“When I walked inside the church I felt such a great spirit.

I would like to visit again. It was really nice for the church to do this for the community,” Ford states.

Although there are many families that go without meals FBPGC additionally wanted to offer a warm welcome and meal to residents who didn’t have company and were alone.

Pastor of FBPGC Dr. Derrick J. Hughes, states the importance of sharing the church’s kitchen and to non-members.

“Today was about giving a meal to those that needed a meal and also giving fellowship for those who might otherwise be lonely on a day like today,” Pastor Dr. Derrick J. Hughes sates.

For more information regarding FBPGC visit http:// fbcpineygrove.org/staff.htm.

And for statists about hunger in America visit www.feedingamerica.org.

ELLIS conds followed by swallowing for up to 10 seconds. The food enters the stomach where it is churned and broken apart by harsh acids, namely hydrochloric acid. The food can remain in the stomach from one to four hours after which it empties in a semi liquid form called chyme into the small intestine. Here is where most of the real digestion takes place.

In other words most of the nutrients are absorbed from the small intestine into the blood stream. The highly acidic nature of the chyme is neutralized by the pancreas with bicarbonates and bile from the gallbladder and liver. This process can take about three to six hours. Finally, about 10 hours after you’ve eaten the mushy paste of undigested food enters the large intestine or colon.

Here it may take another 18 hours or even up to two days before its elimination as feces.

Water and certain vitamins are absorbed from the colon but most of the waste consists of indigestible bits of food, mostly fibers from fruit, vegetables and grains.

For a person in generally good health and eating a healthy diet, the intestinal transit time will be about 12 - 24 hours. The average American will have a transit time of 40 to 45 hours. So you see transit time for a meal can vary anywhere from 22 hours up to two days.

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

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Westside Gazette

Community Digest

Publix is Proud to Support Community News WHERE SHOPPING IS A PLEASURE

Event

Party

The annual Christmas by the Sea event, featuring the third annual Best Dressed Window Award, Thursday, Dec. 3, 2015 from 5:30 to 9 p.m., at Anglin’s Square at the Beach, Commercial Blvd., and El-Mar Drive. For additional info call (954) 640-4200.

Garage Sale

Trudy Love in partnership with the City of Lauderdale Lakes cordially invites you to our Annual Holiday Party and Toy Drive Saturday, Dec. 5, 2015 at 7 p.m. until, at Lauderdale Lakes Educational & Cultural Center, 3580 West Oakland Park Blvd., Oakland Park, Fla. A toy is required for admission. For more info or sponsorship contact Trudy Love at call (954) 328-5564 or strigglescampaign@live.com

Happening at the Fort Lauderdale Historical Society Oakland Park Community Development Center presents garage sale, Saturday, Dec. 5, 2015 from 8 a.m. to 12 noon, at 600 N.E. 38 Ave., Oakland Park, Fla. For vendor information call Rev. Johnson at (773) 320-7604 or Addie Williams at (954) 560-6141.

Jazz Brunch

JM Lexus Sunday Jazz Brunch live concert, Sunday, Dec. 6, 2015 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., along the New River in Fort Lauderdale’s scenic Riverwalk Arts and Entertainment District. For more info call (954) 468-3316.

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Fair

The City of Miami Gardens to host 5th Annual Science and Engineering Fair -Award Winning, Monday, Dec. 7, 2015 with the Science and Engineering Fair Competition, from 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. at St. Thomas University, at 16401 N.W. 37 Ave., Miami Gardens, Fla. The Fair concludes, Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2015, with the Science Fair Awards Presentation, from 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., at the Betty T. Ferguson Recreational Complex, at 3000 N.W. 199th St., Miami Gardens, Fla. For more info contact Hilary Marshall at (305) 622-8062.

Party

Fort Lauderdale Historical Society Bringing History to Life, 2015-2016 Calendar. All exhibits, events and lectures take place at the New River Inn Museum of History, 231 S.W. Second Ave., Fort Lauderdale, Fla. For time and additional info call (954) 463-4431 or www.flhc.org info@flhc.org Events * Sunday, Dec. 6 - Holiday Craft Fair * Monday, Dec. 7 - Holiday Twlight Tour * Monday, Dec. 21 - Holiday Lights Boat Tour * Sunday, Jan. 24 - (Native American History Month) Lecture Series * Monday, Jan. 11 - Governor Broward & His Legacy

Michael J. Satz State Attorney in collaboration with Howard C. Forman, Clerk of the Courts presents “ONE STOP” SEALING AND EXPUNGEMENT WORKSHOP: · Do you have an arrest record? · Do you qualify to have your record sealed or expunged?

If you were charged with a crime in BROWARD COUNTYA and the case did not result in a conviction, you may be eligible to have a single arrest record sealed or expunged. (Only cases that occurred in Broward County in State Court will be reviewed).

At the Urban League of Broward County, 560 N.W. 27th Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (954) 584-0777, Thursday, Dec. 10, 2015 from 3 to 7 p.m. (ID Required) For additional info please contact the Elizabeth Honorat at the State Attorney’s Office at (954) 831-7209.

Ali Cultural Arts hosts Brown Ballerina Block Party, Sunday, Dec. 13. 2015 at 8 p.m., at Ali Cultural Arts Center, 353 MLK Blvd., Pompano Beach, Fla. For tickets info call (954) 786-7824

Yard Sale

Sell your goods, and keep your profits!, Saturday, Dec. 12, 2015 from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Northwest Federated Women's Club, 2161 N.W. 19 St., Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Reserve your space contact (954) 7303442 or email nwwomansclub@bellsouth.net

Toy Drive

Tyga’ Bryant presents “October in December” Holiday Social/Toy Drive, Friday, Dec. 18, 2015 at 2161 N.W. 19 St., Fort Lauderdale, Fla. We are fundraising and collecting items needed for various organization for kids that’s been affected by cancer such as the Chris Evert Broward Health Children’s Hospital. If you would like to make arrangements to have your donations picked up please call (954) 661-9100 or (305) 215-7199 or go to TYGAB.COM and click on donation

Happenings at African-American Research Library and Cultural Center

African-American Research Library and Cultural Center, 2650 Sistrunk Blvd., Fort Lauderale, Fla. For more info call (954) 357-6210. · The Christmas Chocolate Nutcracker, Saturday, Dec. 5, 2015, at 2 p.m., – matinee at 7 p.m. evening. Tickets are available at the door. · Success Strategies of Caribbean American Leaders in the United States Dr. Shelly Cameron, Saturday, Dec. 5, 2015 at 2 p.m. . North Broward County Chapter of the Links Inc.; Broward County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.; Zeta Rho Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.; and the Women of Color Empower-ment Institute,: proudly pre-sents Women of Color Empowerment Series, Advocates For Change, An empowerment conversation and book signing with former supermodel, actress and enterpreneur Beverly Johnson Monday, Dec. 7, 2015 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. No cost with confirmed RSVP by December 5, 2015.

RSVP to www.southfloridawomenofcolor.com or call (954) 768-9770.

TO HAVE YOUR COMMUNITY EVENTS POSTED PLEASE CALL -(954) 525-1489 FOR MORE INFO FAX -(954) 525-1861 OR EMAIL: wgproof@thewestsidegazette.com

Multicultural Holiday Celebrations at Broward County Library

’Tis the season to celebrate holidays from different places and varied cultures. From fun arts-and-crafts events to performances to an all-day holiday open house, Broward County Libraries offers great events for all ages and interests. All events listed below are free and open to the public.

- Wednesday, Dec. 2 - Holiday Crafts: Create holiday ornaments and share your holiday spirit by making one to display at the library, children, register at Youth Services desk, 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., North Lauderdale Saraniero Library, 6901 Kimberly Blvd., N. Lauderdale, Fla. For more info call (954) 3576660 - Saturday, Dec. 5 - Holiday Book and Bake Fair, refreshments, balloon animals, face painting and more, children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult, presented by Friends of the Lauderhill Towne Centre Library, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Lauderhill Towne Centre Library, 6399 W. Oakland Park Blvd., Lauderhill, Fla. For more info call (954) 357-6406 -Saturday, Dec. 5 - Make a Gift, children, 11:30 a.m.to 12 p.m., Pompano Beach Library, 1213 E. Atlantic Blvd., Pompano Beach, Fla. For more info call (954) 357-7595 -Saturday, Dec. 5 - Holiday Bauble Craft, make pretty ornaments for your holiday celebrations, ages 3 & up, 2 to 3 p.m., South Regional/Broward College Library, 7300 Pines Blvd., Pembroke Pines, Fla. For more info call (954) 201-8825 -Saturday, Dec. 5 - Celebrate the Holidays with Whole Foods Market Pembroke Pines: Holiday Party Planning Across Cultures, 1 to 3 p.m., Miramar Branch Library & Education Center, 2050 Civic Center Place, Miramar, Fla. For more info call (954) 357-8090 -Thursday, Dec. 10 - Holiday Decorations, 4 to 5:30 p.m., Jan Moran Collier City Learning Library, 2800 N.W. Ninth Ct., Pompano Beach, Fla. For more info call (954) 357-7670

EDUCATION MATTERS Every Child Deserves a Chance to Succeed.

NOTARY PUBLIC ON PREMISES 545 N.W. 7th Terrace, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Monday - Friday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Call for more info call (954) 525-1489

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Opinion

The Westside Gazette, under the Management of BI-ADs, Inc., reserves the right to publish Views and Opinions by Contributing Writers may not necessarily reflect those of the Staff and Management of The Westside Gazette Newspaper and are solely the product of the responsible individual(s) who submit comments published in this newspaper.

Because truth matters

By Pastor Rasheed Z. Baaith “Truth is fallen in the streets and equity cannot enter. Yea, truth is fallen. (Isaiah 59:14 – 15) “The lip of truth shall be established forever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment.” (Proverbs 12:10) There are a couple of events where truth should be the principal focus.

One is the 16-shot shooting death of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald by Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke and the other is Donald Trump telling the world he saw American Muslims celebrating in the streets as events of 9/11 unfolded. He then doubled down on that lie by telling the lie that 100 Black pastors would be endorsing him for President.

With the death of McDonald there appears to have been an intentional suppression of the truth regarding the elements of his death, like was he endangering anyone but himself, was there a knife in his hand and did that knife become the reason Officer Van Dyke shot him 16 times and how many of those 16 shots came after McDonald was on the ground?

What does the video show? Why do none of the videos from the police

December 3 - December 9, 2015 • Page 5

Westside Gazette

cameras have no sound and even more, why were these videos not released for 400 days? What may be even worse is the Chicago Police Department knew Officer Van Dyke was a problem officer but did nothing about it.

The City of Chicago seems to be imploding. Between the gangs killing more young Black people than the Chicago Police Department ever has and doing it every weekend, a mayor who should have been asking about the videos in question but didn’t, and a police department that refuses to police itself, Chicago is in trouble.

During a visit there this summer, I was struck by how people stopped talking or moving when a car drove by.

Eyes followed the vehicle, tension rose to a place where one could feel it. That atmosphere reminded me of Los Angles in ‘80s. Truth about McDonald may not change all of that, but it would be a push in the right direction.

As for Trump, it’s not that he’s appealing to the very worst of the American character; we’ve had politicians do that before. Nor is it the bombast he ego, we’ve had bombast before and anyone desiring to be President of the United States better have a strong ego. It’s not even the racist character he shows; America has had those on the national scene before, too. The greatest flaw in his moral fiber is the deliberate and outrageous lies he tells.

Not that some of his competitors haven’t lied also in what has become a circus of a campaign. Carly Fiorina lies about Planned Parenthood; Marco Rubio lied about how he spent money as a Republican leader in Florida and Ben Carson lied about himself. Truth does not seem to be much of a consideration with some of these folks. But Trump outdoes them all.

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

The Anti-American values party

By Lee A. Daniels, George Curry Media Columnist As Donald Trump marches toward the Republican Party’s presidential nomination, holding high the banner of racist demagoguery, I suggest the GOP change its name to something more accurate. Given the despicable words and proposals of its leading presidencyseeking candidates and some of its elected officials this month, it should really be called the Anti-American Values Party.

After all, isn’t closing America’s borders to refugees fleeing terror in their countries anti-American? Isn’t it anti-American to reach back to the unjustified World War II-era imprisonment of Japanese Americans in concentration camps, and the postwar “red-scare” witch hunts as models for putting “suspicious” people under surveillance? Isn’t proposing to wage a religious and race war against certain “not-like-us” Americans anti-American?

Not, it’s clear, if you’re a GOP presidential candidate or one of its leading racist provocateurs. Horrific terrorist attacks occur thousands of miles away in Beirut, Lebanon, in Paris, in Bamako, Mali, and outcome the proposals to turn away Syrian refugees, close mosques, put Muslim Americans under surveillance and force them to “register” on a government “database.”

“We’re going to have to do things that we never did before ... we’re going to have to do certain things that were frankly unthinkable a year ago,” said Trump, the man who conflated his attending a military-themed boarding school with actual service in America’s military - which he dodged.

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR GUIDELINES The Westside Gazette welcomes your letters. Letters must be signed with name clearly legible along with a phone number and complete address. No unsigned or anonymous letters will be considered for publication. The Westside Gazette reserves the right to edit letters. The letters should be 500 words or less.

Trump’s racism fuels his popularity

Change is going to come!

By George E. Curry George Curry Media Columnist It appears that every time Donald Trump unleashes another vile, racist or hateful diatribe, the more his support grows among his Republican base.

“Just in the past few days, Mr. Trump has repeated the lie that President Obama intends to admit 200,000 Syrian refugees; the correct number is 10,000. He spreads the lie that thousands of American Muslims openly celebrated the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center; in fact, there were no such celebrations. He tweeted a false statistic that Blacks are responsible for 81 percent of murders of white victims; in fact, 82 percent of whites are killed by whites,” the Washington Post noted.

“These are not random errors. All of them appeal to the basest instincts in supporters; they reinforce fears and prejudices. All of them, Mr. Trump knows by now even if he did not know when he first stated them, are false, but he does not care.”

On the phony crime stat, “The graphic cited the Crime Statistics Bureau - San Francisco - which does not exist - as its source, “said MediaMatters, the watchdog group.

Even if the bureau existed, the number is wildly off-target.

For 2014, the FBI provided the following figures: * Blacks killed by whites: 7.6 percent.* Whites killed by whites: 82.4 percent. * Whites killed

by Blacks: 14.8 percent. * Blacks killed

by Blacks: 90 percent.

As a Washington Post blogger observed: “And just to be clear, it is race-baiting, and nothing else. In neither case is there even a remote connection to some kind of legitimate policy question. When Trump says falsely that thousands of people in Jersey City (which has a large Muslim population) were celebrating the destruction of the World Trade Center, he isn’t making an argument about Syrian refugees. He’s simply saying that you should hate and fear Muslim Americans. When he tries to convince people that most white murder victims are killed by Black thugs (again, false), he isn’t arguing for some policy approach.

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

Black man asks for a light, white woman points gun at him Bill Fletcher says that the core of the gun debate in this country has very little to do with the Second Amendment.

By Bill Fletcher, Jr., NNPA News Wire Columnist The story is nothing short of remarkable. In one instant it told us more about the United States than any number of documentaries. Sherry McLain, a 67-year-old white woman from Tennessee was loading her car in a Walmart parking lot. James Crutchfield, a 52-year-old Black man approached her seeking a light for a cigarette. McLain allegedly pulled a gun on Crutchfield allegedly fearing for her life. She later stated that she had never been more afraid.

Crutchfield is quite lucky to be alive.

McLain was, interestingly enough, arrested, though she protested that this was unfair and that Crutchfield was the problem.

In reading about the case, I found myself thinking about the manner in which it illustrated so much about the reinforcement of racism. Cameras that filmed the incident apparently indicated no evidence of aggression on the part of Crutchfield, yet McLain felt that she was well within her rights to pull a weapon on an unarmed man.

The McLain incident reminds us that in the U.S., the presumption of guilt always hangs over the head of those of us of the darker persuasion.

About a year ago I was driving through South Carolina on my way to a conference in Myrtle Beach. I said to my wife that there were certain places along the route where I would fear breaking down, not because they were cell phone dead zones, but because they were white areas and that I would fear for my life knocking on the door of some resident in order to seek help.

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

By Don Valentine On Oct. 8, 1963, Sam Cooke called ahead to a motel in North Carolina to make reservations for him and his wife. When he arrived the clerk realized that they were Black and dubiously said that there were no rooms available. The accumulation of these types of insults inflamed Cooke to write the song A Change Is Gonna Come.

This will not be a popular piece because I’m going to highlight that change has transpired in the 51 years since those lyrics were written. Typically, the opinion that gets the most press is something about how bad things are for Black folks. It should be duly noted that things have been a whole lot worse.

It has been well documented about the inconveniences and atrocities people that looked like Cooke had to deal with over the last 300 years let’s focus on the change. Clearly, in that era no one on the entire planet, in the late ‘50’s would have ever conceived of a Black man becoming President. That includes Russia, Israel, France and Great Britain. “A change is going to come”.

Since the birth of that Negro anthem the U.S. has had two Black Supreme Court justices grace the court to contribute to the interpenetration of the laws of this great country. Dr. King did not see that coming to pass before the century expired. “A change is going to come”.

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

Beyond the Rhetoric:

Giving thanks to be Black in America in 2015

By Roger Caldwell The Black experience in America for the last 450 years has been both a blessing and a curse. America is the greatest country in the world with incredible opportunities and tremendous wealth.

Celebrating the strength of the Black family in America on Thanksgiving weekend should be a focal point for our entire community.

For far too long, the older Black generation wrote off the younger generation as apathetic and indifferent toward the struggle for justice, civil rights, and equality in America. But in 2015, the younger generation created a movement “Black Lives Matter” that demanded human rights, and an end to systematic racism. As the younger generation protested the systematic injustices in the country, the lifelong Black political advocates smiled as they passed the baton to the youth.

Many in the older Black generation now understand that their struggles and fights with white Supremacy were not in vain. Our battles are still being fought by an articulate and digital generation, which is taking the struggle to the next level. In the 1960’s, there were the “sit ins” and in 2015, there are the “die ins” which reflect the changing strategy of the struggle.

Only in America, Blacks have been able to achieve tremendous levels of success in education, politics, business, entertainment, many industries, and finances. The first African American president was voted into office in 2008, and it proved that our vote matters in a democracy.

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

What does terrorism look like?

Julianne Malveaux says that campus racism has long-term consequences for young African Americans.

By Julianne Malveaux NNPA News Wire Columnist

Whether or not that title will stick to the legacy of Barack Hussein Obama will be determined in decades to come. Right now there is much doubt that the legacy will be anything that is praise worthy. The troubling aspect of his actions during the first seven years of his presidency is his inability to take responsibility and not be afraid of initiating courage and seeking the truth no matter what it may be. He never would be a subject character in President John F. Kennedy’s book Profiles in Courage. He doesn’t step forward and take the path of resolve and brings it to a conclusion that American citizens will feel secure and safe.

Instead, he ignores our populace and moves to the position of stubbornness and hides behind a press that miraculously protects his odd positions and decisions. That support is seeming to wane as his term starts to end.

The scandals of the IRS, State Department, Veterans Administration and a host of others are starting to take its affect.

I am among the tens of millions who had to be peeled away from their television set on Friday, Nov. 13, 2015 and in the days after ISIS terrorists randomly massacred at least 130 people and wounded hundreds more in Paris. Then, there was the nearly 30 people executed at a hotel in Bamako, Mali. And there were the several threats against New York City, and the presidential and police responses to those threats. This terrorism has caused fear and insecurity in France, Belgium and the United States.

Terrorism is defined as the use of criminal acts to inspire human fear.

ISIS engages in their criminal acts to create a sense of instability in parts of the Western world. Days after the massacre, those who planned and participated in the carnage were found, and some were killed (or blew themselves us). Catching these few terrorists will not stop.

Some political pundits that appeared on news programs urged the United States and others to consider the “root causes” of ISIS, while others think that actions in the West are to blame (consider the Charlie Hebdo attack and those who blamed a magazine cover for the assassination of journalists). I’m not sure that this is the most appropriate or compassionate response so quickly after the terrorist attacks.

Still, these are questions that must eventually be answered. What should our response be? Is this war? Are we prepared to endure another Vietnam, committing U.S. lives to a ground war that is perhaps unwinnable?

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

Is Barack Obama the most reluctant president in history?

Harry Alford says that support for President Obama is waning as his second term winds down.

By Harry C. Alford, NNPA News Wire Columnist

Climate change and Black America Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., says that climate change for African Americans is a matter of life and death.

By Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. NNPA News Wire Columnist Why are millions of Black American youth and elders suffering disproportionately from asthma and other respiratory illnesses much more than the national norm? Why is the overall public health status of Black Americans at a higher risk than other Americans? What do public environmental and climate change policies at both the state and federal levels have to do with the quality of life for Black America?

The foregoing are urgent and critical questions that require answers. I learned a long time ago that before you can get the right answers to social, economic and political problems, you first have to ask the right questions.

There is also an important current and relevant debate going on in the U.S. Congress and in many state legislatures about the initiatives and executive policies of the Obama Administration on climate change. Just last week, the U.S. Senate voted to oppose President Barack Obama’s flagship climate change policy, the “Clean Power Plan.”

Why would the Senate vote to prevent improving public health in America?

The Obama Clean Power Plan will set achievable standards to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 32 percent from 2005 levels by 2030.

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

Page 6 • December 3 - December 9, 2015

www.thewestsidegazette.com

Westside Gazette

Chicago police chief ousted amid tensions over Black teen’s killing “I have a lot of loyalty to what he’s done and him, but I have more loyalty to the city of Chicago and its future,” Emanuel said.

Emanuel, McCarthy and Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez have faced criticism for taking 13 months to release the video of the 2014 shooting and to charge Van Dyke.

The video shows Van Dyke gunning down McDonald, 17,

In this Nov. 24, 2015 file photo, Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy, right, speaks about first-degree murder charges against police officer Jason Van Dyke in the death of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald, as Mayor Rahm Emanuel looks on at left.

(AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

By Mary Reuters

Wisniewski,

CHICAGO, ILL. -- Chicago’s police chief was ousted on Tuesday following days of unrest over video footage showing the shooting of a Black teenager and the filing of murder charges against a white police officer in the young man’s death.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who had stood by Superintendent Garry McCarthy, announced during a news conference he had asked McCarthy to resign.

The mayor said he was creating a new police accountability task force.

The announcements came a week after the officer, Jason Van Dyke, was charged with first-degree murder in the killing of Laquan McDonald, who was shot 16 times. The video of the killing was released on the same day.

Custom coverage of the Chicago protests

High-profile killings of Black men at the hands of mainly white law enforcement officials in U.S. cities over the past two years have prompted demonstrations across the country, and have stoked a national debate on race relations and police tactics.

The mayor, a Democrat and the former chief of staff to U.S. President Barack Obama, said he was responsible for what happened in the case, the same as the police superintendent.

“I’m responsible. I don’t shirk that responsibility,” Emanuel said. He added that the creation of the task force was meant to rebuild trust in the police department of one of the country’s largest cities.

Emanuel said McCarthy had become an issue and “a distraction.” In an editorial on Tuesday, the Chicago SunTimes had called for McCarthy’s resignation. The Chicago City Council Black caucus had also called for him to leave.

in the middle of a street on Oct. 20, 2014, as McDonald was walking away from police who had confronted him.

Van Dyke, 37, was released from jail on Monday after posting bond on a $1.5 million bail.

Protests followed the charging and arrest of Van Dyke and the release of the video on Nov. 24. In a protest on Monday, the president of the National Association for the Advance-ment of Colored People, Cornell Will-

iam Brooks, was one of several protesters arrested, the organization said.

Emanuel said the new task force, which will be advised by former Massachusetts Governor and Chicago native Deval Patrick, will review the system of accountability, oversight and training in the police department.

The five-member panel will recommend reforms to improve independent oversight of police

misconduct, ensure officers with repeated complaints are evaluated and establish a process for release of videos of policeinvolved incidents, Emanuel said. Its recommendations will be presented to the mayor and city council by March 31, 2016.

(Additional reporting by Brendan O’Brien in Milwaukee and Ben Klayman in Detroit; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Howard Goller)

Is the nation’s capital still the ‘Chocolate City’?

By Danielle Ledbetter and Kaylah Waite Washington, D.C. was one of the Blackest cities in the United States during the 1970s.

The population of African Americans peaked at 71.1 percent, and everyone from residents to radio personalities began calling it the “Chocolate City.” Parliament even released an album and single titled Chocolate City as a tribute to the nation’s capital with its “vanilla suburbs.”

Since then, however, census figures have shown a steady decline in the population of Black residents — many of whom wonder whether the District of Columbia can still be labeled the Chocolate City.

Washington’s Black history can be traced back to the early 19th century. By 1830, most of

A street in the Shaw neighborhood shows the contrast between the old and new in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Kaylah Waite/TruthBeTold.news) the enslaved Blacks in D.C. had been freed. Although slavery still remained, free African Americans took it upon themselves to create churches, schools and businesses for their community. In 1862, Congress passed the District of Columbia Emancipation Act, making Washington the first free part of the nation. This was months before Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation in 1863.

During the Great Migration, at least 5.5 million African Americans left the South between the 1910s and 1970s, notes Isabel Wilkerson, a native Washingtonian and author of The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of American’s Great Migration. More than 50,000 African-Americans moved to Washington, because it was seen as a place full of educational, economical and political opportunity for black people, according to an excerpt from W.E.B. Dubois’ 1917 The Migration of Negroes.

As the Back population grew in Washington and other urban cities, so did “white flight,” or the exodus of white people to suburban neighborhoods in the 1950s and beyond. Between 1950 and 1960, Washington’s white population fell from 64.6 percent to 45.2 percent, census figures show, while the Black population grew from 35 percent to 53.9 percent.

By this point, the Shaw area north of downtown was booming with Black businesses and home to numerous landmarks such as Howard University, the Lincoln Theater and the first African-American YMCA. It was not uncommon to see prominent Black people like Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Cab Calloway, Nat King Cole and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. strolling down U Street.

The decline of African-American residents in D.C. was first noticed in the 1970s as they started to move to Maryland and Northern Virginia.

Only 8 percent of D.C.-born African-Americans lived in Maryland prior to passage of the Fair Housing Act of 1968, which provided access to housing options that were previously unavailable. By 1980, the number tripled to 27 percent, according to the University of Minnesota’s Integrated Public Use Microdata Series, using data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Meanwhile, the white

population fluctuated, inching upward from 27.7 percent in 1970 to 29.6 percent in 1990 and starting the transformation of centrally located neighborhoods. While this was only a 2 percent increase, the Black population dropped by more than twice as much, falling 5.3 percent during the same period, from a peak of 71.1 percent to 65.8 percent.

“Once the city gets home rule in 1974, Black constituents now as opposed to being subjects of the federal government now demanded that the city government do something about gentrification,” said George Derek Musgrove, history professor at the University of Maryland who is co-authoring a history of race and democracy in the District.

As a result, Musgrove said, the city passed various laws that allowed poor people to fight back against gentrification.

These laws regulated rent control and established cooperatives to buy apartments. Some community groups were able to do that in places like Adams Morgan.

For more than three decades, some residents have been claim-ing that the renewal and re-building in Shaw and other neighborhoods, along with the steady decline in the city’s Black population, are all part of “The Plan” for white people to “take back” D.C. Lillian Wiggins, a former columnist at the Washington Afro-American newspaper, first wrote about the conspiracy theory in 1979.

“I’ve been living here since the ’80s, and D.C. is not the same that it was in the ’80s,” says Timothy Ford. “It’s just like something in the air — like

they’re mad at us; like we’re losing our culture.”

Throughout the District’s history, Musgrove said, mayors have made it easy for white residents and businesses to buy property and invest. “Mayor Anthony Williams just says flat out ‘I’m going to bring 100,000 people back to the city, and I’m going to go into business conventions and beg everyone to come here and invest’,” he stated.

Williams put various policies in place that made it very attractive for businesses to come into D.C. The mayor gave these businesses and residents tax breaks and real estate bargains, Musgrove said. ”His efforts were helped out by the housing boom, and he meets his goal.”

Gregory McNeal, an AfricanAmerican who grew up in Washington, sees no end in sight. “They’re going to push all of the Black businesses out too, because there’s no one to support them,” McNeal says. “That’s what’s gonna happen to go-go.

It’s set up to fail.”

Once the heart of AfricanAmerican business and culture — from jazz to go-go, the congadriven music that is considered the soundtrack of D.C. — Shaw is now home to fusion restaurants and new condominiums.

The DCist labeled Shaw the “most whitened” neighborhood in the District, based on a national analysis of zip codes

by Michael J. Petrilli, president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute in Washington.

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

A growing number of Washingtonians have moved to Prince George’s County, tripling from 8 percent to 27 percent from the late 1960s to 1980.

(Graphic: Danielle Ledbetter and Kaylah Waite)

www.thewestsidegazette.com

Westside Gazette

Live musical ‘The Wiz’ to premiere Thursday, Dec. 3 on NBC

UNIVERSAL CITY,CA— NBC will debut a new live television production of the hit Broadway musical The Wiz on Thursday, Dec. 3, it was announced recently by Robert Greenblatt, Chairman, NBC Entertainment.

Entering into a unique partnership with NBC on “The Wiz” — to be executive produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron — is Cirque du Soleil, whose new stage theatrical division will coproduce the live TV event and then present it as a major Broadway revival for the 2016-17 season.

Tony Award-winning director Kenny Leon will stage both the television production and Broadway revival of “The Wiz” in collaboration with Tony winner and Broadway icon Harvey Fierstein, who will contribute new material to the original Broadway book by William F. Brown.

“We love this yearly tradition and we’re more excited than ever to not only bring another

Broadway musical to America’s living rooms, but also see it land on Broadway as well,” said Greenblatt. “It’s a natural next step for our live musical events and we’re so pleased to be in business with this award-winning creative team and Scott Zeiger, President and Managing Director of Cirque du Soleil’s new theatrical division. Cirque’s incredible imagination will help bring the fantasy world of Oz vividly to life and give this great show a modern spin on the ageold story we all love.”

“We are delighted that NBC and Cirque du Soleil will present ‘The Wiz,’” said Zeiger. “It’s a musical I have wanted to produce for years and it’s the perfect show to present under the new Cirque du Soleil Theatrical banner.”

“We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to not only produce this as our next live musical for NBC, but to then see it move to Broadway for a new generation to experience,” said Zadan. “It will be a joy to work again with

HBCU ‘turkey ‘turkey’’ talk Thanksgiving and basket give-away The HBCU Consortium consisting of Allen University, Bethune Cookman University, Florida A&M University, Tennessee State University, Tuskegee University and donations from Hampton University, Morehouse College, Jackson State University and Florida Memorial University, provided Thanksgiving baskets to over 30 families on Nov. 25, 2015 at the African American Research Library and Cultural Center (AARLCC) in Fort Lauderdale.

This yearly event provided gift certificates for a turkey or ham and important extras for a special thanksgiving meal were packaged separately for the families. Chief Moses Ball presented information on how to purchase, prepare, cook and safely store a thanksgiving meal. There were over 50 participants present for Chef Ball’s presentation.

If you are interested in your college or university participating or joining this consortium, call Chef Ball at (954) 328-2242.

Kenny Leon, who did ‘Steel Magnolias’ and ‘Raisin in the Sun’ with us,” added Meron.

Universal Television will produce. Casting for both the NBC telecast and Cirque du Soleil’s Broadway production will be announced at a later date.

“The Wiz” is adapted from “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”

by L. Frank Baum, with a book

by William F. Brown, and music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls.

The production opened on Broadway in 1975 at the Majestic Theatre and won seven Tonys, including best musical.

The musical ran for four years on Broadway. Said Newsweek critic Jack Kroll during the show’s Broadway run: “… one of the most cyclonic blasts of high energy to hit Broadway in a long time … blazing high spirits, piping hot servings of soul and sly sagacity about the pleasures and perils of fantasy.”

“The Wiz” tells the classic story hundreds of millions of people have read in the L. Frank Baum books and then saw in the much-beloved 1939 film “The Wizard of Oz,” but retold in an African-American/multicultural context. Dorothy, a young woman from Kansas, is swept up in a tornado and relocated to a fantasy world that is inhabited by munchkins, good and bad witches, and, of course, flying monkeys. She eventually takes a path down a yellow brick road to find a wizard who can help her go home and along the way meets a scarecrow, tin man and cowardly lion, who all learn to help one another.

Craig Zadan and Neil Meron produced NBC’s two previous live holiday musicals, “The Sound of Music Live!” and “Peter Pan Live!” Most recently the pair produced the 87th Academy Awards telecast, their third consecutive Oscars. In addition to Emmy Award nominations for “The Sound of Music Live!” and the Oscars, Zadan and Meron have been nominated for TV works that include “Gypsy,” “Cinderella,” “Annie,” “The Beach Boys: An American Family” and “A Raisin in the Sun.” Zadan and Meron were also Tony nominated in 2011 for their Broadway revival of “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.” On the big screen, they are the producers of two very successful movie musicals: the Oscarwinning “Chicago” and “Hairspray.”

(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)

December 3 - December 9, 2015 • Page 7

Page 8 • December 3 - December 9, 2015

AF amily T hat Prays T ogether, Stays T ogether Family That Together, Together

Church Directory

Worship T his and Every Sunday at the Church of Your Choice This

Bethel Missionary Baptist Church 2211 N.W. 7th Street, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33061 Church: (954) 583-9368 Email: bethelmbchurchfl@att.net

Reverend Jimmy L. English PASTOR WORSHIP SERVICES Sunday Worship ............................................................. 8 a.m. & 11 a.m.

Sunday School ........................................................................... 9:30 a.m.

Wednesday (Prayer Service & Bible Study) ............................... 7:30 a.m.

Saturday (Women Bible Study) ............................................................ 8 a.m.

"Baptized Believers working together to do the will of God"

New Mount Olive Baptist Church 400 N.W. 9th Ave., Ft. Lauderdale 33311 (954) 463-5126 ● Fax: (954) 525-9454 CHURCH OFFICE HOURS Monday - Friday 8:00 - 4:00 p.m.

WORSHIP SERVICES & BIBLE STUDY Sunday .................................................... 7:15 a.m. 9:00 a.m. & 11:00 a.m.

Sunday School ............................................................................ 10:00 a.m.

Wednesday Noonday Service .................................. 12:00-12:30 p.m.

Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting ............................................ 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday Night Bible Study ................................................... 7:00 p.m.

Where the kingdom of God is increased through Fellowship.

Leadership, Ownership and Worship F.L.O.W. To Greatness!

St Paul United Methodist Church 244 S.E. Second Avenue Deerfield Beach, Florida 33341 (954) 427-9407 EMAIL EMAIL:: Stpaulmeth@bellsouth.net WEBSITE WEBSITE:: saintpauldeerfield.com

Rev. Dr. Jimmie L. Brown Senior Pastor

SERVICES

Sunday School .................................................................................... 10 a.m.

Sunday Worship ................................................................................ 11 a.m.

Bible Study (Tuesday) ....................................................... 11 a.m. & 7.p.m.

WEEKLY SERVICES & EVENTS SUNDAY

Obituaries

Worship Service (Communion 1st & 3rd Sunday) ........................................................... 10 a.m.

F.A.I.T.H. Academy for Children (Spiritual Formation) K-12 ................................ 10 a.m.

TUESDAY F.A.I.T.H. Academy for Adults (Spiritual Formation) - Office Complex ...... 10:30 a.m.

WEDNESDAY Worship & Arts Ministry Rehearsals (Open Auditions) - Sanctuary .............................. 7 p.m.

First Baptist Church Piney Grove, Inc. 4699 West Oakland Park Blvd.

Lauderdale Lakes, FL 33313 Office: (954) 735-1500 Fax: (954) 735-1939 fbcpg@bellsouth.net

Rev. Dr. Derrick J. Hughes, Pastor SUNDAY SERVICES Worship Services .......................................................... 7:30 & 10:45 a.m.

Children's Church ........................................................ 7:30 & 10:45 a.m.

Communion (First Sunday) ......................................... 7:30 & 10:45 a.m.

New Members' Class .................................................................... 9:30 a.m.

Church School .............................................................................. 9:30 a.m.

Baptist Training Union (BTU) .................................................... 1:00 p.m.

Wednesday (Bible Study) ...................................... 11:15 a.m.. & 7:00 p.m.

Harris Chapel United Methodist Church Rev. Juana Jordan, M.Div E-MAIL:juana.jordan@flumc.org 2351 N.W. 26th Street Oakland Park, Florida 33311 Church Telephone: (954) 731-0520 Church Fax: (954) 731-6290

SERVICES Sunday Worship ................................................. 7:30 a.m. & 10:30 a.m.

Sunday School .............................................................................. 9:00 a.m.

Wednesday (Bible Study) ........................................... 11a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Mount Calvary Baptist Church

800 N.W. 8th Avenue Pompano Beach, Florida 33060 Church Telephone: (954) 943-2422 Church Fax: (954) 943-2186 E-mail Address: Mtcalvarypompano@bellsouth.net

Reverend Anthony Burrell, Pastor SCHEDULE OF SERVICES SUNDAY

New Member Orientation ........................... 9:30 a.m.

Sunday School ................................................ 9:30 a.m.

Worship Service ........................................ 11:00 a.m.

WEDNESDAY Prayer Meeting ............................................... 6:00 p.m.

Bible Study ..................................................... 7:00 p.m.

"Doing God's Business God's Way, With a Spirit of Excellence"

Mount Hermon A.M.E. Church Reverend Henry E. Green, Jr., Pastor 401 N.W. 7th Terrace, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311 Phone: (954) 463-6309 FAX 954 522-4113 Office Hours: Tuesday - Friday 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Email infor@mthermonftl.com

SUNDAY CHURCH SERVICES Worship Service ..................................................................... 7:30 & 10:30 a.m.

Fifth Sunday ONLY .................................................................................... 10 a.m.

Church School ........................................................................................ 9:15 a.m.

BIBLE STUDY: Wednesday ....................................................................... 10 a.m.

Gems & Jewels Ministry Senior Wednesday Wednesday (Bible Study) .................................................... 12 Noon & 7 - 8 p.m.

Daily Prayer Line ...................................................................................... 6 a.m.

(712)432-1500 Access Code296233#

Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church 1161 NW 29th Terr., Fort Lauderdale, Fla. 33311 (954) 581-0455 ● Fax: (954) 581-4350 www.mtzionmissionarybapt.com

Dr. James B. Darling, Jr., Pastor/Teacher WORSHIP SERVICES Sunday Worship Service .............................................................................. 8:00 & 11:00 a.m.

Sunday School ............................................................................................................... 10:00 a.m.

Communion Service (1st Sunday) ......................................................................... 11:00 a.m.

Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting ........................................................................... 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday Night Bible Study ................................................................................... 7:00 p.m.

Saturday (2nd & 4th) Christian Growth & Orientation .................................. 8:30 a.m.

But be doers of the Word - James 1:22 nkjv - “A Safe Haven, and you can get to Heaven from here”

New Birth Baptist Church The Cathedral of Faith International Bishop Victor T. Curry, M.Min., D.Div. Senior Pastor/Teacher 2300 N.W. 135th Street Miami, Florida 33167

ORDER OF SERVICES Sunday Worship ........................................................ 7:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m. & 7:00 p.m.

Sunday School ....................................................................................................... 9:30 a.m.

Tuesday (Bible Study) ......................................................................................... 6:45 p.m.

Wednesday (Bible Study) ............................................................................... 10:45 a.m.

1-800-254-NBBC * (305) 685-3700 (o) *(305) 685-0705 (f) www.newbirthbaptistmiami.org

To Have Y our Chur ch placed in our Your Church Church Directory call us TToday oday (954) 525-1489

145 NW 5th Ave., Dania Beach, FL 33004 (954) 922-2529

Senior Pastor

6201 NW 57 Street Tamarac, FL 33319 954-721-1232 uccfaith@bellsouth.net faithbroward.org

Rev. Dr. Ileana Bosenbark, Senior Pastor

St. Ruth Missionary Baptist Church

Dr. Marcus D. Davidson,

Faith United Church of Christ

"Historically the First Church in the City of Tamarac!”

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McWhite's Funeral Home

Roy Mizell & Kurtz Funeral Home

JONES Funeral services for the late Douglas Dwight Jones 47 were held Nov. 28 at McWhite’s Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Timothy Jackson officiating. Interment: South Florida VA National Cemetery, Lake Worth, Fl.

KENT Funeral services for the late Deacon Demetrius K. Kent –52 were held Nov. 28 at Holy Tabernacle United Church of God, Florida with General Overseer Bishop J.L. Williams officiating. Interment: Bailey Memorial Gardens.

KENNEDY Funeral services for the late Archie Kennedy - 81 were held Nov. 28 at Springfield Baptist Church with Pastor Calvin R. Hart, Sr officiating. Interment: Sunset Memorial Gardens.

STYLES Funeral services for the late Deacon James Styles – 70 were held Nov. 28 at Mount Nebo Baptist Church with Rev. Kito D. March officiating. Interment: South Florida VA National Cemetery, Lake Worth, Fl.

MCFADDEN Funeral services for the late Cindy McFadden -57 were held Nov. 25 at McWhite’s Funeral Home Chapel with Pastor Lipton McKenzie officiating. Interment: Sunset Memorial Gardens.

WILLIAMS Funeral services for the late Za’ Mya Lila Williams – 3 ½ years-old were held Nov. 28 at The Spiritual Israel Church and Its Army with Elder David Torrence officiating.

Interment: Sunset Memorial Gardens.

A FAMILY THAT PRAYS TOGETHER STAYS TOGETHER

WORSHIP SERVICES Wednesday (NOON DAY PRAYER) ............................................. 12 -1 p.m.

Wednesday (PRAYER MEETING & BIBLE STUDY) .................... 645 p.m.

Sunday Worship Service ................................................................. 10 a.m.

Fifth Sunday Worhip Service ............................................................ 8 a.m.

Williams Memorial CME “PRAYER IS THE ANSWER” 644-646 NW 13th Terrace Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33311 (954) 462-5711(Ministry Office Line) (954) 462-8222(Pastor’s Direct Line) Email: wm_cme@bellsouth.net (Church} pastorCal50@yahoo.com (Pastor)

Rev. Cal Hopkins.

M.Div) Senior Pastor/Teacher

The WITNESS of “The WILL” Sunday Worship Experiences ................................................................ 7:45 and 11:00 a.m.

Sunday School ................................................................................................................. 9:30 a.m.

Tuesday Night Triumph {Prayer, Praise and Power} Prayer Meeting ................................................................................................................ 7:00 p.m.

Bible Study ........................................................................................................................ 7:30 p.m.

We STRIVE to PROVIDE Ministries that matter TODAY to Whole Body of Christ, not only the Believers, but also for those stranded on the “Jericho Road”!

“Celebrating over 85 Years of FAITH and FAVOR! Come to the WILL ... We’ll show You the WAY: Jesus the Christ!”

KIDS TALK ABOUT GOD

How can I accept the way I look?

By Carey Kinsolving and friends (Part Three of Three) “God created me very pretty. No one looks just like me,” says Alexis, 5.

“Beauty is transcendent. It is our most immediate experience of the eternal,” write authors John and Stasi Eldredge in “Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman’s Soul.”

Eldredge writes that beauty is also powerful. “It may be the most powerful thing on earth. It is dangerous. Because it matters.”

Why does it matter? It matters because beauty is the essence of God. King David wrote that he desired above all to dwell in the house of the Lord “to behold the beauty of the Lord” (Psalm 27:4).

Saints of the past have spoken of beholding the beauty of God as a “beatific vision.”

God gave Eve a beautiful form and beautiful spirit,” Eldredge writes. “She expresses beauty in both. Better, she expresses beauty simply in who she is. Like God, it is her essence.”

Wow! In a world that often exploits the beauty of women and a world where confusion over beautiful women abounds, this perspective is revolutionary.

“Why shame the way you look if the King of kings created you,” says Whitney, 11. “So the next time you feel your appearance is not perfect, think it over.”

We all suffer from wounds to our soul. Shame is that sense of uneasiness that a woman feels when she’s uncomfortable with her beauty.

“But few of us believe we are beautiful, and fewer still are comfortable with it,” writes Stasi Eldredge. “We either think we don’t have any beauty, or if we do, that it’s dangerous and bad.

So we hide behind extra weight and layers of unnecessary makeup.”

The good news is that Christian women don’t have to hide or feel ashamed of their beauty, says Jennie, 7: “I can learn to accept my appearance by remembering that the Lord loves me just the way I am. I know that because He made me look just the way He wanted me to look.”

Love frees us to accept ourselves as unique creatures of God. If God in his infinite wisdom created us to look a certain way, there must be a reason. Quit trying to second guess God, and believe that he knows what he’s doing. Let the inner confidence from knowing God loves you radiate from within.

“Don’t ever compare yourself to other people and then point out your strong points,” says Pierson, 10. “We need to accept the image God gives us.”

We always get into trouble by comparing ourselves to others instead of accepting what God has given us. The Lord said that to whom much is given, much is required. Do you really want the kind of pressure that comes from turning every head when you walk into a room?

“If you think of yourself as an ugly person, then you are saying God made a mistake. God doesn’t make mistakes,” says Langley, 9.

Think about this: If God unveiled the glory he will give to the most unattractive Christian you’ve ever met, you would be tempted to worship. As we age and become less attractive outwardly, our inner glory should grow.

Memorize this truth: “Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel— rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God” (I Peter 3:3-4).

Ask this question: Are you confident that God made you uniquely for a purpose?

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BUSINESS

December 3 - December 9, 2015 • Page 9

Westside Gazette

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Blackonomics Corruption plagues NAACP state elections James Clingman says that violating their own rules is an arrogant act of disdain for NAACP bedrock foundational principles.

By James Clingman, NNPA News Wire Columnist

As the year comes to an end we have the opportunity to reflect on our lives, give thanks, and plan for the coming year.

We reflect on family, our relationships with friends and community, and often our worklife. With this column we offer 10 questions you can use to reflect on your role as a professional or volunteer fundraiser.

1. Did you meet your fundaising goals and your priorities?

Note: this question has two parts. Success is about more than meeting your financial goal, it includes raising the money you need for the priorities you defined at the beginning of the year.

2. Were you able to build or enhance your organization’s fundraising capacity and infrastructure? Did you upgrade technology? Hire new staff? Create a fundraising plan?

3. Were you able to increase the size of the average gift? You may have received a few large gifts, but what about the other gifts? Are donors increasing the size of their gifts?

4. Did you reduce your donor attrition rate? This is a question you will need to ask your data specialist about. Attrition refers to donors who gave last year but did not give this year. Securing new donors is great, but can you keep donors coming back?

5. Was your fundraising plan fully implemented? If you have a plan, did you implement it, or did it sit on your shelf?

6. Were you able to reduce your fundraising costs without negatively impacting funds raised? Reducing costs and reducing revenue is not a win.

7. Did new volunteers join your fundraising team? New people bring new energy and ideas and increase the number of people spreading the word about your nonprofit.

8. Did the number of annual donors who give to your organization increase? Did you meet your goal with a few large gifts, or were you able to grow the number of donors who give to your nonprofit.

In November 2014, the Cincinnati Branch of the NAACP was scheduled to hold its election. Gill Ford, the NAACP national director of unit administration, and a few corrupt local individuals attempted to suppress members’ votes in order to assure their guy would win, and a local judge issued a Temporary Restraining Order against them to stop the election. That’s right.

The NAACP was attempting to suppress members’ votes while at the same time railing against Ohio’s voting rights laws. To deflect attention from their evil practices, the National NAACP filed a federal complaint accusing local officers of fraud and malfeasance, all of which was totally false.

After several court hearings a settlement was reached. In reference to a new election, the agreement states: “Only members of the NAACP who were eligible to vote in the Cincinnati Branch election as of October 24, 2014, will be eligible to vote in the special election.” Despite no mention of fees for this retroactive election, the NAACP is charging some of its branch members a $30.00 “Poll Tax” to cast their votes.

To add insult to injury, the national office suspended the current President, allowing Rob Richardson, the candidate in cahoots with Ford, to run unopposed for the top position; and his son, Rob Jr., is in charge of the election committee. Is this an election or “selection?”

Additionally, members were supposed to get a 15-day advance notice of the election to be held on December 2, 2015. As of November 20, 2015 only some had received the notice, and that’s only a 12-day notice. NAACP officials even violate their own rules.

The NAACP is immersed in a disgusting, embarrassing, and troubling environment that has the stench of corruption, collusion, and greed in many cities across this nation. The venerable organization is embroiled in what seems to be a pervasive evil that has emanated from being what many call “the Big Dog,” and having the ability to commit its malicious acts with impunity. The national office of the NAACP treats its members like peons whose only purpose and worth are couched in how much money they can send to the “Big Dog.” After all, big dogs have big appetites.

NAACP “Dirty Tricks,” aided by crooked state officers, are taking place in other Ohio cities as well as across the country. Like Cincinnati, Cleveland and Columbus have either been in court, in chaos, and/or in a state of confusion due to corrupt elections. In full-blown hypocrisy, the NAACP uses elections to keep its proletariat class in check. That’s right. The inviolable, sacred, put-onyour-marching-shoes, “Let’s get ready to rumble,” precious vote is used and misused by the NAACP to maintain their fiefdom in Baltimore and their mini-fiefdoms in various states.

In two consecutive Ohio state elections, Jocelyn Travis defeated Sybil McNabb (2013 and 2015). National officials overturned both elections. McNabb, the national office’s chosen candidate (Or should I say lackey?) challenged each election and was reinstalled as President.

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FUNdraising Good Times How would you rate yourself as a fundraiser?

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Page 10 • December 3 - December 9, 2015

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Donald Trump and the failed opportunism of 1 00 100 Black pastors

By Charing Ball There is a name for a Black person who supports people who have blatantly shown no regard for us. And it is not the word you are thinking of.

Of course, I am talking about the 100 Black pastors who went to meet Donald Trump and some who eventually endorsed his candidacy for office.

One of those such pastors is Rev. James Davis from Cleveland who appeared on CNN yesterday to discuss his support and said that while pastors “technically” can’t endorse candidates for office, as James Davis, the man, he stands behind Trump 100 percent.

He also added: “We are in a very serious time in this country where our community is on fire basically and no one is talking about sending a fire truck. Basically, what is going on now is a bunch of rhetoric about sound blurbs and what the media is putting out to paint a picture of Mr. Trump. So in that case, those of us who have enough sense and intelligent enough, we can get passed these sound blips or retweets or whatever they are and hear the substance.”

The “sound blips or retweets or whatever” Davis speaks of, include erroneous statistics on Black-on-Black crime, which Trump shared on Twitter. The crime stat controversy happened just a couple of days after the presidential candidate publicly supported the vicious attack on a Black protestor at a

Trump campaign rally in Alabama.

And both of those incidents are par the course for Trump, who has a long history of making derogatory statements against Black people specifically.

In spite of all of the evidence to the contrary, Rev. Davis said that he does not believe that Trump is a racist nor does he feel like Trump’s “token.” Instead, he said that Trump’s policies will be good for the Black community. When asked which ones, he said the one about cutting taxes for job creators in

Black communities, which will help give Black people jobs.

I know what you are thinking, but trust me, it ain’t that word.

Anyway, also on the CNN segment was Rev. Jamal Bryant of Baltimore, who offered a counterargument to Davis’s endorsement. No, he didn’t scream out, “These H**s Ain’t Loyal!” But close.

He called his brother in Christ, as well as the 99 other clergymen and women who met with Trump, “pawns.”

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US Marine found guilty of killing transgender Filipino

1961 – Riot at the University of Georgia On this date in 1961, two Black student at the University of Georgia were suspended by the University after a riot erupted protesting their enrollment.

Hamilton E. Holmes and Charlayne HunterCharlayne Gault were the first two African-American Hunter-Gault students admitted to the University of Georgia. The two were high school classmates and after they were denied entrance to the University in 1959, the two were the subjects of a lawsuit brought against the University, the result of which found the University compelled to admit them. The two registered for classes amid a protest by white students. A few days later, Charlayne’s dorm was surrounded by almost 1,000 whites who threw rocks, bottles, bricks and firecrackers at it.

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U.S. Marine Pfc. Joseph Scott Pemberton, center, the suspect in the killing of Filipino transgender Jennifer Laude, is escorted inside a court at Olongapo City, Zambales Province, northwest of Manila, Philippines on Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2015. A Philippine court is expected to deliver its verdict Tuesday in the emotion-charged case of a U.S. Marine accused of murdering a transgender Filipino after discovering her gender when they checked into a hotel, officials said.

(Cont'd from FP) Laude’s mother, Julita, said that while she was happy the verdict detailed everything that had transpired, she was not pleased with the length of the jail term because she had hoped Pemberton would be found

guilty of murder, a more serious crime than homicide.

“But the important thing is he will be jailed,” she said, crying. “My son’s life is not wasted.”

The Laude family’s private lawyer, Harry Roque, said that

(AP Photo) “this is a bittersweet victory because it is not murder,” adding that “if what he did isn’t cruelty, I don’t know what is.”

Witnesses had testified that Pemberton squeezed Laude’s neck, dragged her to the toilet and dunked her head into the bowl. Two of Pemberton’s U.S. Marine colleagues testified that Pemberton told them, “I think I killed a he/she.”

The killing sparked anger in the Philippines and reignited calls by left-wing groups and nationalists for an end to America’s military presence in the country at a time when the U.S. is reasserting its domi-nance in Asia and Manila has turned to Washington for support amid an escalating territorial dispute with China.

Half a block from the court, dozens of left-wing protesters rejoiced after the verdict was announced by burning an effigy of Uncle Sam and yelling “Justice for Jennifer!” Police, fire trucks and iron railings were used to prevent them from getting closer to the courthouse.

Pemberton, an anti-tank missile operator from New Bedford, Mass., was one of thousands of American and Philippine military personnel who participated

in the joint exercises last year.

He and a group of other Marines were on leave after the exercises and met Laude and her friends at a bar in Olongapo, a city known for its nightlife located outside Subic Bay, a former U.S. Navy base. At least two witnesses testified that Laude was a sex worker.

Pemberton and Laude left the bar and checked in together at a nearby hotel. About 30 minutes later, Pemberton walked out, leaving the room’s door ajar, according to hotel staff.

Pemberton testified in August that he had choked Laude during a fight that erupted when he discovered she was a transgender woman, but said she was still alive when he left her in a shower, according to his lawyer, Rowena Garcia Flores.

Lawyers for Laude’s family, however, said Laude was dead when Pemberton left her. Police have said that Laude had apparently been drowned in a toilet.

In the decision, Regional Trial Court Judge Roline GinezJabalde ordered Pemberton temporarily jailed at the New Bilibid Prison, a national penitentiary in suburban Muntinlupa City.

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December 3 - December 9, 2015 • Page 11 Westside Gazette B-CU’S T erry Sims named Miami Hurricanes: Why you should be proud of Brad Kaaya & the Hurricanes Terry of expectations behind this the beginning of the season quarterback Kaaya plays with.

MEAC Coach of the Y ear Year team and we can say after an 8- didn’t expect Miami to have a After Golden got fired, Miami

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By D’Joumbarey A. Moreau The Miami Hurricanes this year have had a topsy turvy type of season. There were a lot

Bethune-Cookman University’s (B-CU) first-year head coach Terry Sims was honored as the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Coach of the Year, announced Monday afternoon by the league office in Norfolk, Vir. In addition, five B-CU student-athletes were named to the all-conference first team, while another five were selected to the second and third team, respectfully.

Sims, having taken over the reins of the Wildcats program on Dec. 22, 2014, guided the Wildcats to a share of the MEAC title in 2015, including a 9-2 overall finish and 7-1 mark in league play. For the Maroon and Gold, the title represented the school’s fourth consecutive (eighth overall), matching South Carolina State (1980-83) for the second-longest streak in MEAC history.

The Wildcats were victorious over in-state rival Florida A&M, 35-14 in the annual Florida Blue Florida Classic to secure their stake in the conference title. B-CU led the MEAC in several statistical categories, including scoring of-

fense (31.4 avg/g), total offense (445.0 avg/g), rushing offense (191.8 yds./g), pass offense (253.2 avg/g), and pass efficiency (164.1 efficiency). The Cats also hold top 10 positions in the FCS in passing yards per completion (6th) and team passing efficiency (3rd). B-CU entered the STATS FCS Top 25 poll in the final ranking of the season (25th) and have slowly climbed the FCS Coaches Poll to reach No. 21 following the last game of the regular season.

Also representing BethuneCookman on the All-MEAC First team was quarterback Quentin Williams (Tampa, Fla.), wide receiver Jawill Davis (Miami, Fla.), offensive lineman Dariusz Bladek (Kissimmee, Fla.), linebacker Robert Way(Belle Glade, Fla.) and defensive back Marquis Drayton (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.).

Representing the Cats on the AllMEAC Second Team was running back Anthony Jordan (Atlanta, Ga.), tight end Ja-Quan Lumas (Orlando, Fla.) and linebacker Donald Smith (Tampa, Fla.). On the third team was running back Michael D. Jones (Sarasota, Fla.) and junior punter Jonathan Cagle (Pensacola, Fla.).

Miami Dolphins: Is it time to shut down their best players?

By D’Joumbarey A. Moreau It truly is tough being a Miami Dolphins fan. Any time after a game when your leader and head coach says this, there’s a bit of a problem in the locker room. ‘’I see progress. After what happened today, I don’t have a leg to stand on. There’s nothing

LEGAL NOTICES PUBLICATION OF BID SOLICITATIONS Broward County Board of County Commissioners is soliciting bids for a variety of goods and services, construction and architectural/engineering services. Interested bidders are requested to view and download the notifications of bid documents via the Broward County Purchasing website at: www.broward.org/purchasing.

Dec. 3, 10, 17, 24, 31, 2015

I can say that’s going to make that look better. We got whipped,” said Interim Head Coach Dan Campbell. “There’s nothing I can say that’s going to make that look better. We got whipped. We got whipped the first time and we got whipped the second time. Those are the facts.”

Since the Dolphins went up to New York to play against the New York Jets and got turned back with their tails between the leg losing the contest 38-20 many people know that it is officially the end of the Dolphins season. There are only five games remaining and the Dolphins are nowhere near the playoff team that people expected.”

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Miami Heat : Big games mean big wins available

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SEVENTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT, IN AND FOR BROWARD COUNTY, FLORIDA CASE NO: FMCE 15-13154 DIVISION: 33 ORRETTE SHAWN FLOWERS, Petitioner and LORI-ANN DACOSTA, Respondent

NOTICE OF ACTION FOR DISSOLUTION OF MARRIAGE (NO CHILD OR FINANCIAL SUPPORT) TO: LORI-ANN DACOSTA Respondent's last known address 6613 Pebble Beach, North Lauderdale, FL 33068 YOU ARE NOTIFIED that an action for dissolution of marriage has been filed against you and you are required to serve a copy of your written defenses, if any, to it on Orrette Shaen Flowers whose address is 6613 Pebble Beach North Lauderdale, FL 33068 on or before January14, 2016 and file the original with the clerk of this Court at 201 Southeast Sixth St., Fort Lauderdale, Floirda 33301 before service on Petitioner or immediately thereafter. If you fail to do so, a default may be entered against you for the relief demanded in the petition.

Dated November 30, 2015 HOWARD C. FORMAN As Clerk of the Circuit Court Edna Edmond, Deputy Clerk Dec. 3, 10, 17, 24, 31, 2015

Riley

By D’Joumbarey A. Moreau If you’ve been impressed by the Miami Heat this season then good for you because their success is validated.

The Heat have been playing great basketball, not good, but great basketball. Miami this season has turned back the hands of time for a bit and they’ve started to play basketball with more confidence especially on the defensive end of the basketball.

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4 record they lived up to the hype. For everyone who thought this team would fail...well, they were wrong.

They were partly wrong because they didn’t expect Miami’s quarterback Brad Kaaya to take his game to the next level like he did.

There was so much adversity this season for this roster it was amazing they rallied around their leader to have a great season. Firstly, a lot of people before

competitive team after losing so many impactful players to the NFL. Then we got to see Florida State win the fifth straight game in the Al Golden Era. Then we got to see the Golden Era end after the worst loss in school history because of the Clemson Tigers. We even sadly had to hear the unfortunate news of Artie Burns’ mother passing away to go home with the Lord.

However, this team played with the same heart that their

won their last four out of five games and eclipsed a better record than their previous year.

During an interview with Matt Porter of the Palm Beach Post, Kaaya said this.

“It means a lot, just because this team, this program, made something out of nothing.

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Page 12 • December 3 - December 9, 2015

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Westside Gazette

New Orleans gets one step closer to building “low-barrier” homeless shelter

By Della Hasselle Special to the NNPA News Wire from the Louisiana Weekly A new “low-barrier” homeless shelter, an initiative led by Councilwoman LaToya Cantrell and the Downtown Development District, moved one step closer to reality this month after the New Orleans City Council approved operating funding and officials met with San Antonio officials to discuss a similar shelter that had been built there.

The progress comes a little more than a year after members of the New Orleans City Council passed an ordinance making it illegal to block public rights of

way with tents and large furniture, effectively clearing large swaths of homeless encampments under the Pontchartrain Expressway.

“It’s been a main priority for awhile,” said David WinklerSchmidt, a spokesman for Cantrell. “A lot of complaints have taken place in the district about the homeless, and we understand where these homeowners and businesses are coming from, but these are human beings.

They need compassion and they need help.”

Generally, low-barrier shelters require the homeless to follow fewer rules for them to stay, which allows the shelter to serve a greater population, Kurt Weigle, president and

CEO of the Downtown Development District, has said.

Without requiring restrictions such as sobriety or having an ID, more people – especially the mentally ill and chronically homeless – can access services by just walking in.

The New Orleans low-barrier shelter is slated to be built downtown and modeled after a $101 million homeless camp in San Antonio, called Haven for Hope, which includes an addiction recovery-based Restoration Center and a mental health facility.

Like San Antonio’s, the New Orleans shelter will become a multipurpose center for the homeless, according to a press release sent out by Cantrell’s office, and will include a detox

center and mental health care.

Those two main components are “critical for New Orleans,” Winkler-Schmidt said, adding that the detox center will enable officers with the New Orleans Police Department to bring people who are passed out or who are unruly and intoxicated somewhere besides Orleans Parish Prison.

It will allow homeless people a place to store their personal belongings, shower and to be safe, he said.

On Monday, Councilwoman LaToya Cantrell and other New Orleans representatives met with San Antonio officials to find out more about that city’s low-barrier shelter for the homeless. The “fact-finding” trip was initiated to find out how the shelter works and figure out how to model the New Orleans shelter from it, according to Winkler-Schmidt.

Councilmember Cantrell was accompanied fellow New Orleans City Councilmember Nadine Ramsey, Sam Joel from the Mayor’s Office, DDD’s President Kurt Weigle, New Orleans Police Department Officer BB St. Roman, who is in charge of the NOPD Homeless Assistance Unit, two representatives from the business community and Ellen Lee from the City’s Office on Community Development.

Officials announced that like the San Antonio model, the New Orleans shelter development would be an organized public private partnership working with the business community, government and homeless advocates.

“We need to identify and open a temporary shelter while working on establishing a permanent one,” Cantrell said. “We are also going to assess and then plan for opening a permanent shelter within the old VA Hospital as well as producing a five-year development plan for the site and operations.”

The trip came just a few days after the Council approved the 2016 budget, which included funds for the shelter.

For more than a year, Councilwoman Cantrell has been building support and securing funding for the shelter. During budget hearings in November, the Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s office announced the city was allocating $1 million from City budget for operating funding, matching $1 million that the Downtown Development District (DDD) had pledged for capital funds for the shelter.

In the past, officials have estimated that the outdoor shelter would cost about $4.5 million to build and incur annual operating expenses of about $3.5 million.

On Wednesday, WinklerSchmidt said he couldn’t say what the total project would ultimately cost, but did say that Cantrell had been actively fundraising, to see if more people in the community were willing to help out with the project.

In the release, Cantrell affirmed that the low-barrier shelter had been one of her “biggest priorities” during the recent budget hearings.

In 2011, the City announced a Ten-Year Plan to End Homelessness and created the New Orleans Interagency Council

New Orleans Councilwoman LaToya Cantrell.

(Courtesy Photo/ www.latoyacantrell.com) on Homelessness to oversee its implementation. Last year, Mayor Mitch Landrieu announced a plan to end veteran homelessness altogether by the end of the year.

In 2007, there were 11,619 people living on the street in Jefferson and Orleans parishes on any given night, according to UNITY of Greater New Orleans.

A UNITY report released earlier this year found that the number had reduced by 85 percent to 1,703, which is below the pre-Katrina number of 2,051.

In Monday’s release, however, Cantrell said there’s still work to be done.

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Westside Gazette

December 3 - December 9, 2015 • Page 13

FPL marks the end of 2015 hurricane season having invested more than $2 billion during the past decade to make the electric grid stronger, smarter JUNO BEACH, FL -Nov. Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) recently marked the end of the 2015 hurricane season by reminding its customers to stay vigilant despite the fact they were spared the devastation of a major hurricane this year. Tropical Storm Erika, however, did provide a stark reminder of the need for ongoing preparation and continued investment in strengthening FPL’s electric grid.

“It’s difficult to imagine that it’s been a full decade since a major hurricane struck Florida,” said Eric Silagy, president and chief executive officer of FPL. “While we are fortunate to not have experienced a major storm this year, we can never forget the importance of being prepared, and Tropical Storm Erika provided us with an opportunity to test our storm readiness.

At FPL, we train and prepare year-round, and continue to make the electric system more resilient to severe weather by making the necessary investments in poles, wire, and vegetation management as well as state-of-the art smart grid technology.”

FPL began its gridstrengthening efforts following the historic 2004-05 storm sea-

10 things Black women need to know about PrEP (Cont'd from FP) 1. PrEP is not just for men: Some misconceptions exist that PrEP is only for gay and bisexual men, but the drug is an excellent option for women and works well for those who take it according to directions. When taken every day, PrEP can reduce the risk of getting HIV during sex by more than 90 percent and by more than 70 percent through injection drug use.

2. Negotiation is not needed: PrEP can help women protect themselves when they are unable to negotiate condom use and/or are having unprotected sex even though they aren’t certain that their partner is HIV negative or monogamous. A woman’s partner doesn’t even have to know she’s taking PrEP. It can also help women who experience intimate-partner violence to reduce their HIV risk, which is elevated.

3. The risk of toxicity is low: Some hear “daily pill” and immediately wonder how toxic the drug is. Truvada has low toxicity levels; however, those on PrEP should have their kidneys monitored every three months.

4. Side effects decline: Common adverse effects, such as headaches, nausea, diarrhea and vomiting, usually go away within the first month.

5. Resistance risk is low: PrEP is for people who do not have HIV; however, some HIVpositive people could end up on PrEP if they don’t know their status. A person who has HIV but who starts taking PrEP is likely to develop drug resistance. So getting tested for HIV periodically and seeing your physician regularly once you’re on PrEP is important.

6. Education is the key: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as many as one in three doctors and nurses don’t know about PrEP or are not recommending it to their patients.

Some health-care providers have a bias against PrEP. Therefore, it may be up to you to school your doctor on its benefits and its significance. These tips can help you have a positive and productive health-care experience.

7. PrEP is an option for pregnancy: If you are in a serodiscordant relationship (in which one partner is HIV negative and the other is HIV positive) and you want to conceive, PrEP can be a viable tool for ensuring a safer conception through a process known as PrEP-ception.

8. It doesn’t prevent pregnancy: PrEP lowers your risk of HIV, not your chances of getting pregnant. So if you are not trying to have a baby, use a condom or another means of birth control.

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son, when seven hurricanes struck the company’s service area in an 18-month span.

Since that time, FPL has invested more than $2 billion to strengthen its system, including upgrading poles and power lines serving critical community facilities, such as police and fire stations, hospitals and 911 centers that are essential to getting a community back on its feet following a major storm.

By 2016, FPL plans to strengthen every main power line serving critical community facilities in its 35-county service area.

How FPL strengthens the grid FPL employs several strategies to strengthen or “harden” its infrastructure, including: · Strengthening more than 600 main power lines (feed-

ers) serving key community facilities, including hospitals, police and fire stations, 911 communication centers · Clearing vegetation from 120,000 miles of power lines · Inspecting 1.2 million utility poles, restoring or replacing those that no longer met FPL’s standards for strength

· Installing advanced smart grid and cutting-edge technologies – including 4.8 million smart meters and more than 12,000 other intelligent devices – to reduce power outages, speed restoration and provide customers with unprecedented information to manage their energy use · Installing flood mitigation and monitoring equipment at certain flood-prone electric

substations, an industry lesson learned following Superstorm Sandy.

“Customers are experiencing first-hand the benefits of our stronger, smarter grid,” said Silagy. “As an example, during Tropical Storm Erika, and this year’s especially active season of thunderstorms and lightning, the investments we have been making to strengthen our overhead lines.

For more information, visit these websites: www.NextEraEnergy.com, w w w . F P L . c o m , www.NextEraEnergyResources.com.

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Westside Gazette

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