NNPA STORIES -
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TRUCK DRIVER CHARGED
IN DEATH OF SEVEN-YEAR-OLD GIRL
[HARRELLS]
The driver of a tractor-trailor truck has been charged with involuntary
manslaughter in the death of a seven-year-old child in Sampson County who was
killed by the vehicle allegedly driven by the suspect. Alyiah McKenzie Morgan,
7, was struck and killed on US 421 as she exited a legally stopped school bus.
The State Highway Patrol says the driver of the truck, Johnny Allen Spell, 37,
kept driving and never stopped after the accident, until he was found home and
arrested. His is charged with DWI, felony hit and run, and felony passing a
stopped school bus. Witnesses say the truck, which was hauling lumber, came up
behind the stopped school bus, and then went around it, striking the child.
STATE HOUSE PASSES
VOTER
PHOTO ID BILL
By Cash Michaels
Staff writer
With
five Democrats joining them, the Republican majority in the NC House Wednesday
once again passed a voter ID bill that requires, if now ratified by the state
Senate, that all North Carolina voters produce official government photo
identification when casting a ballot on election day.
House
Bill 589, known as the “Voter Identification Verification Act,” passed 81-36
along party lines, with the exception of the five Democrats who voted with
Republicans. Gov. Pat McCrory has always vowed to sign the bill once the full
Legislature passes it.
Those
five Democrats were Rep. William Brisson (D-Bladen); Rep. Ken Goodman (D-Richmond);
Rep. Ken Waddell (D-Columbus); and Rep. Paul Tine (D-Dare).
The House version would begin in January 2016 in time for the
next presidential and gubernatorial elections.
Democrats, along with
progressive activist groups like the NCNAACP, have blasted the voter ID
legislation as an attempt by Republicans to suppress the Democratic leaning
votes of African-Americans, young people and the elderly. They pointed to other
efforts like redistricting; shortening One Stop Early Voting; and ending
same-day registration, “Souls to the Polls” Sunday voting and straight-ticket
voting; in addition to a bill to punish parents of college students who
register to vote at their schools and not in their home counties, as proof.
Republicans
countered that voter ID was necessary in order to prevent voter fraud and
maintain the integrity of the electoral system, even though there is very
little evidence of voter fraud in the last number of statewide or local
elections.
"We know
voter fraud exists elsewhere, and we should not think we're immune," said
Rep. Larry Pittman (R- Cabarrus)
The House GOP notes that they
conducted a “transparent” process of numerous public hearings, and changed the
bill several times to take into account the criticisms and concerns of those
who opposed it.
In
the crowded House gallery, NCNAACP Pres. Dr. William Barber watched the
proceedings along with members of the NAACP Youth and College Division, some of
whom reportedly had tape over their mouths as a symbol of defiance and voter
suppression.
Rev.
Barber vowed to have the law, when passed, challenged in court. He also
promised more nonviolent civil disobedience.
House
Democrats worked feverishly, but ultimately in vain to offer amendments to
lessen the blow of photo IDs, but all but one were defeated. The one that did
pass allowed tribal photo ID’s for Native Americans to be allowed at the polls.
This
is the second time the Republican-led House passed a voter ID bill. The first
one in 2011 was vetoed by then Democratic Governor Beverly Perdue.
The
bill passed Wednesday will costs taxpayers $3.7 million to pay for possibly
200,000 registered voters statewide who, according to NC Division of Motor
Vehicle records, do not have a driver’s license, as well as educate the public
about voter ID.
Under
this voter ID measure, those who vote via mail-in absentee ballot, will not be
required to show a photographic identification. They will just sign the form,
apply their Social Security or driver’s license number, and send it in.
House
Speaker Thom Tillis (R-Mecklenburg), defended passage of the voter photo ID
bill.
“North Carolinians
consistently and overwhelmingly support photo ID requirements for voting,”
Tillis said in a statement. “This bill not only responds to the opinions of our
constituents but also provides individuals without photo IDs with an
opportunity to acquire them at no cost. This common-sense measure will protect
the integrity of the ballot box and restore confidence in our election system.”
But
NCNAACP Pres. Rev. William Barber disagrees, saying that voter ID is just one
of many repressive changes the GOP-led Legislature is imposing.
"Our legislature is launching an attack on
education, voting rights, the poor and the sick," Rev. Barber said in a
statement. "This attack comes from the policies of the old south which
requires a clear moral response, in the deepest tradition of the nonviolent
movement to inspire public outcry and protest. When legislatures work to limit
the voices in one group for political gain it is bad for our communities, North
Carolina, and our country. It is a moral imperative that our elected officials
act in the best interest of all constituencies. We encourage leaders in the
faith community to engage their members and implore those officials to act as
one for the sake of all. Just one person without a voice or influence is a
detriment to his or her state."
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RACE REASON BEHIND
WAKE
SCHOOL BOARD
REDISTRICTING
By Ca
sh Michaels
Editor
To
hear State Sen. Neil Hunt (R-Wake) tell it, the reason for changing the Wake
School Board voting districts is to maximize voter participation and make sure
that every voter in the county has a representative on the board.
But
just before the NC Senate passed the local measure Monday evening that, if the
state House agrees, will change Wake’s current nine voting district setup to just
seven, with two at-large districts that all voters would in, state Sen. Dan
Blue took to the Senate floor and charged that racism was really the driving
factor in the GOP wanting the redistricting.
"It
really ought to offend you to," Blue said of Sen. Hunt’s bill. "It
offends me to the quick. It makes me want to yell. But I think that at some
point race has to stop playing a role in what we do."
Pointing
to District 4 ( Southeast Raleigh, Knightdale and parts of Garner) as Hunt’s
proposed maps would redraw them, Sen. Blue said they would “peel out black
parents and black citizens,” adding that the maps would “pack them into a
single district.”
Blue
said the Republican bill would hurt “a great school system” and urged lawmakers
to reject it, but it passed 33-17.
All
Senate Democrats voted no.
Sen.
Hunt later told reporters that Blue’s remarks about racism were “absurd.”
Wake
Democrat Sen. Josh Stein also joined Sen. Blue is charging that race was a key
element in Hunt’s redistricting plan.
This
is an affirmatively race based district Sen. (Neal) Hunt has that is the basis
for one of his super-regional districts," Stein said. "He is racially
polarizing the electorate for school board purposes. That is outrageous."
Tuesday night, the Democrat-led
Wake School Board defiantly passed a resolution, 7-2, rejecting the state
Senate measure, and reaffirming the current election map, which ironically was
created and adopted by the former Republican-led school board in 2011 for the
expressed purpose of maintaining the GOP-board majority then.
Their
map backfired, however, when Democrats stunned them by sweeping all five open
board seats, capturing the majority. When two of the four remaining Republicans
on the board left earlier this year, the Democrats expanded their majority to
seven.
But
it was the firing last September of former Wake Supt. Anthony Tata that angered
Republican leaders on the Wake County Commission Board, who then reportedly
enlisted Sen. Hunt to sponsoring a bill that dramatically changed the school
board election districts to usher back in a Republican majority.
Hunt
also sponsored a bill allowing local county commission boards to takeover and
manage all school system properties, saying that since they have to fund their
purchase them, they should have ownership.
Keith
Sutton, chair of the Wake School Board, has called both bills “a power grab.”
The
Wake redistricting bill comes as the state House now debates the $3.7 million
voter ID measure. Floor debate began Wednesday after the House Appropriations
Committee signed
off on it by party-line vote. Debate, and a final vote, was expected today, and
House Republicans are expected to pass it.
Critics,
like the NCNACP and the NC Legislative Black Caucus, have charged that voter
photo ID is how Republicans plan to suppress the votes of blacks and young
people.
The
GOP counters that voter photo ID fights voter fraud and maintains the integrity
of the voting process. Republicans dismiss claims that North Carolina does not
have the requisite number of voter fraud cases to merit requiring voter photo
ID.
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BARBARA BAYLOR
RALEIGH NATIVE
CANDIDATE FOR
BROOKINGS INSTITUTION
HONOR
By Cash Michaels
Editor
A Raleigh native has been selected for a
prestigious Congressional candidacy in public health.
Barbara
Baylor, a Shaw University alumna who was married to the late Rev. Ralph C.
Baylor, has been selected as the 2013 American Public Health Association’s
candidate for the renowned Brookings Institution’s Congressional Legis Fellow.
The Brookings Institution is
a private, nonprofit organization, founded in 1916, committed to
independent research and innovative policy solutions.
Ms.
Baylor is currently working in a House Congressional office for one year,
focusing on legislative and policy issues dealing with gun violence, Medicare,
the Affordable Care Act, among others.
Baylor
lives by the words of the noted health specialist Dr. Guy Stuart, who once
said, “Only some things are health-directed, but everything is health-related.
As a public health practitioner, she believes that a “bottomup” approach to
improving community health and wellness is the most effective strategy. That
means the patients must be empowered, and establish their own networks to be
better served.
Baylor
has a Master's Degree
in Public Health from the Department of Health Behavior at the University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology
from Shaw University in Raleigh. She is a member of the Theta Chapter, Delta Omega Honorary
Public Health and formerly Certified as a Health Education Specialist.
Barbara was also a member of (SOPHE) the Society of Public Health
Education. Ms. Baylor has over twenty-five years of public health practitioner
experience. Her early experiences in public health began as a Health Educator
at the Wake County Department of Health in Raleigh, NC. During her ten-year
employment at the Department of Health, Barbara advanced to become the Director
of Health Education followed by the Minority Health Program Manager. She was
later hired, as a full-time Health Education Instructor at North Carolina
Central University in Durham, N.C. Baylor has been a member of APHA for over
twenty years. Currently she serves as the Chair of APHA’s Equal Health
Opportunity Committee and is a past Chair of the Caucus on Public Health and
the Faith Community.
Ms. Baylor is currently
employed by the national offices of the United Church of Christ (UCC)
Cleveland, OH, a mainline progressive Protestant denomination with 5,300
churches nationwide and over 1.2 million members. Baylor has served for fifteen
years as the Program Minister for Health Care Justice in the Division of
Justice and Witness Ministries. She provided leadership and guidance to the
United Church of Christ in identifying and understanding the political
landscape of health care reform as well as some of the emerging and unresolved
social and political ideologies related to this issue. She recommended public
policy positions for the UCC on health and health care issues and encouraged an
understanding of health and health care as issues of social and economic
justice. In this position, Ms. Baylor traveled nationally and globally to learn
and understand how social, economic and cultural conditions affect health and
health outcomes. Additionally, Baylor served on numerous boards and committees
of several national, state and local organizations that work on health care
reform and other health and health-related issues.
The two children
of Rev. Ralph and Barbara Baylor, JaMelia Baylor Stroud and JeMal Baylor, are
now married and currently living in Georgia.
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STATE NEWS BRIEFS 4-25-13
DR. MAYA ANGELOU
RECOVERING AT HOME
[WINSTON-SALEM] Author and poetess Dr. Maya Angelou is
recovering at home after a “brief hospitalization” her doctors say. Angelou, 85,
the author of “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” has been ordered by doctors to
forego any travel for at least three to four weeks, forcing her to cancel a
planned appearance at Butler University in Indianapolis previously scheduled
for this evening. Dr. Angelou authored the now classic poem, “And Still I Rise.”
STUDENTS AT ELIZABETH
CITY STATE UNIVERSITY TARGET OF SENATE BILL
[ELIZABETH
CITY] A controversial state Senate bill that would penalize parents of
college-aged dependent children who register to vote at their schools, instead of
their home towns, was inspired by an ongoing situation where Republicans want
to stop students at Elizabeth City State University from voting locally, a
liberal website reports. The Progressive Pulse says the lead sponsor of the
bill that would deny parents tax deductions for those dependent children is
Sen. Bill Cook, a Republican who represents Pasquotank County. The GOP there
recently had 56 students living on the campus of the historically black ECSU
removed from the voter registration rolls there. Only two of those students
were able to have their names restored after appeal.
GOP LAWMAKER FORCES
COLLEGE RADIO STATION TO DUMP TALK SHOW
[SANFORD]
A radio station owned by Central Carolina Community College was reportedly
pressured by a Republican legislator to suspend a talk show after he was
criticized on. WDCC-FM indeed stop
airing “The Rant,” a weekly public affairs program that featured three former
Sanford journalists, after a legislative assistant to NC Rep. Mike Stone wrote
Central Carolina President T. E. Marchant on April 3rd, asking him about the
station’s programming, budget and source of funding, much of which comes from
the NC General Assembly. Marchant denies talking directly to Rep. Stone about
the matter, saying that the show was placed on “indefinite suspension” because
of other issues. The hosts insist that everything they discussed about Rep.
Stone on the air was factual.
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TRIANGLE NEWS BRIEFS
4-25-13
WAKE SCHOOL BOARD TO
CREATE OFFICE OF DIVERSITY
On
Tuesday the Wake Board of Education agreed to direct staff to amend the budget
for the purpose of creating a new office that will monitor the school system’s
efforts at diversity, and making sure that all students have access to the
resources they need to learn. Board members say diversity must be reflected
throughout the school systems efforts, not just in student assignment. A first
reading of a revised student assignment policy designed to prohibit high
concentrations of high poverty students in schools is scheduled for May 7th.
Target ranges will be set by staff per development of assignment plans.
CNN ANCHOR NCCU COMMENCEMENT
SPEAKER MAY 11
Fredricka
Whitfield, an awardwinning correspondent and weekend news anchor for CNN, will
be the commencement speaker at North Carolina Central University 2013 Spring
graduation exercises May 11, 8 a.m. at O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium. Whitfield is
based out of CNN’s Atlanta headquarters. She has previously been honored by
Sigma Delta chi, The Society of Professional Journalists, the Associated Press;
and she is also the recipient of a 2005 Peabody Award and 2007 Emmy Award.
NEW CHAVIS PARK
CAROUSEL OPENS
The
Chavis Park carousel, first opened in 1916, was finally reopened last weekend
by Raleigh city officials. With Mayor Nancy McFarlane and at least 100 others
on hand, the lights and music that entertained generations of children before
the ride broke down and was mothballed years ago, were heard and seen in a
completely refurbished facility. The cost to put the carousel back on line was
$2 million. City officials say the opening is part of a 10-year plan to
revitalize the Chavis Park neighborhood.
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CASH IN THE APPLE
By Cash Michaels
EVIL – There are those who insist
that we should have “compassion” for the teenage Russian terrorist who allegedly,
along with his terrorist brother, set off two homemade bombs at the Boston
Marathon last week. After all, he is only 19, they say, and we, as Americans,
must stand tall and strong to make sure his rights as a citizen (he became one
on September 11th of last year), are protected.
To ALL of that, I say BULL!
Our system of justice will protect
the rights of young Dzhoklar Tsarnaev, as it is designed to do, and should. But
that doesn’t mean the rest don’t have the right to express righteous outrage at
the many lives he and his brother took, and destroyed.
I proudly admit that the Boston
Marathon bombing – which killed three and injured over 200 – has touched a
nerve in me. I was especially moved by the wanton murder of eight-year-old
Martin Richards, a young boy who, along with his sister and mother, was at the finish
line of the Boston Marathon last week, waiting for his father to finish the
race.
The young boy wanted to give his
dad a loving hug, tell him how proud he was of him for finishing the race, and
give his father some ice cream. What parent wouldn’t want to have such a fine
boy as a their child?
And then, without warning or
reason, young Martin is blown to bits, along with two other people. Tens of
others have arms and legs blown off, lying on the Boston street, stunned beyond
imagination as to what just happened.
The people who rightfully are
tasked to apply “reason” to all of the above are the investigators, the
prosecutors, the defense attorneys, and the criminal justice system. They now
have the responsibility to sought all of this out, move forward with the
charges leveled at the surviving terrorist, and make darn sure (because the
whole world is watching) that the process of determining what is fact, and
ultimately, what is the truth, is indeed fair.
That’s their job, and I expect them
to do it.
But that’s not my job as a citizen.
The terrorist suspect has certain
rights as an American citizen.
I have First Amendment rights to
passionately express how I feel about him and his rights. And I also have the
right to cheer my government on as it takes legal steps to ensure that this
monster’s reign of terror is over.
There are those who say we must
protect his rights in order to ensure that our rights are protected if any of
us get into the same situation.
That’s beyond stupid.
First of all, I don’t know anybody
who is so evil, so heartless, so filled with inhumanity as to plant bombs for
the sheer purpose of killing anyone. For that matter, I don’t know anyone
coldblooded enough to grab a semi-automatic weapon and shoot up a movie
theater, shopping center, or, yes, even a school.
So I doubt that many, if any, of
the people in my circle will ever get themselves caught up in a terrorist plot,
with hundreds of cameras capturing their movements, and plenty of people giving
eyewitness accounts of their terrorist actions.
No, the terrorist’s lawyers will
defend him vigorously, so I don’t have to worry about that.
What I am worried about is the next
tome I take my young daughter to the movies, or a public event. How safe is it?
What, and who am I seeing that gives me pause, not because of their religion or
color of their skin, but by their actions?
And that’s why I am extremely
passionate about this case. Because as of April 15th, 2013,
something precious has been taken from us and our children. Mind you, we should
always be vigilant. But now it seems we almost have to adopt a police state
mentality just to protect ourselves.
That’s the way the people of Israel
have to live, with the expectation that a bomb could go off in a restaurant,
aboard a bus, or even on a playground, any moment of the day.
I vehemently resent being made to
live that way now, and I vehemently resent the people who are allegedly
responsible for it.
And even though I’m a devout
Christian, I vehemently resent the cowardly way these terrorists wantonly killed
people, then hide behind Islam as their excuse.
Islam is an honorable religion with
millions of followers. The overwhelming number of its practitioners are
peaceful, GODfearing people who abhor violence. For anyone to plant bombs, kill
people, and then claim that “Islam told me to do it” is committing a vicious blasphemy.
In fact, this is no different from
those so-called “Christians” who blow up abortion clinics and shoot abortion
clinic doctors. For the record, I’m against abortion, and always have been. But
that doesn’t mean I approve of “Christian” terrorism (meaning people hiding
behind that faith just to justify their unchristian actions).
So don’t come to me with this
“compassion” and “reason” stuff for the alleged perpetrator. This isn’t the
Central Park Five case where investigators had no evidence. This isn’t the
Wilmington Ten case where prosecutors had to racially stack the jury to guarantee
convictions.
This is the Boston Marathon bombing
case. The evidence speaks for itself. The criminal justice system will handle
the reason and process part. I, and others like me, will handle the outrage
part.
So the only question here is, will
justice be done?
It better!
THE MEDIA – Some of my colleagues
in the media last week were beyond reprehensible in their behavior and
unprofessional actions during coverage of the Boston Marathon bombings. John
King at CNN going on TV with the utterly false report that authorities had not
only captured a suspect, but that the suspect was “dark-skinned.” Unless King’s
purpose was to racially profile someone we had absolutely no other description
of, that was the most ignorant and racist act of unprofessionalism on the air
last week.
Then there was the NY Post, which
published a picture of two men at the Boston Marathon under the title of “Bag
Men,” strongly hinting that they were the suspects the FBI was looking for.
They weren’t, and when confronted
with the truth, instead of fessing up, the Post doubled-down on their
falsehood.
These were just two of the many
egregious acts on the air last week, acts for which there can be no excuse
for. On the flip side, hats off to
the local Boston media, both television and the Boston Herald newspaper. They
knew their communities inside and out, knew where to look for answers, and
covered the immediate aftermath of the bombings with respect and dignity.
Indeed, when the national networks couldn’t find anything to report, they went
to the local Boston media for their coverage, and it was fascinating.
Many people fail to realize that
when an extraordinary incident like the bombings take place, the situation is
so fluid, it’s hard to get a bead on exact information for some time beyond
what we know has already happened. And yet, an information vacuum is created
that television feels it needs to fill as soon as possible because they don’t
want you changing the channel looking for something no one knows. Thus, that’s
why you get the sometimes over-the-top coverage that you get – the TV station
doesn’t want to admit that it doesn’t know anymore than it did ten minutes ago.
There’s nothing messier to see than
a work in process, and in the aftermath of a major catastrophe, that’s exactly
what we see on television news.
LAW ENFORCEMENT – I have nothing
but tremendous praise for all of the law enforcement involved in the Boston
Marathon bombings case. From the FBI down to the Boston and Watertown police,
and even the MIT police officer who lost his life, they moved quickly to
identify the terrorist suspects, and moved decisively to capturing them.
But I can’t laud law enforcement
without also pointing to the tremendous support that came from the public in
assisting the investigation. Without the public’s cooperation, this case would
not have been solved in the manner that it had.
And yes, the people of Boston who
immediately cared for the wounded after the bombs went off, that was a
beautiful thing to see. In a day where our country is being torn apart by
ignorant partisan bickering, it was good seeing Americans helping one another
when in dire need.
That was good, indeed.
OBAMA AND PATRICK – Something that
was very unusual during the events of last week. Two of the primary leaders
were African-American chief executives. Obviously Massachusetts Gov. Deval
Patrick, and then of course, President Barack Obama. Both leaders were sturdy
in their poise, and clear in their leadership, giving the people of Boston, and
the nation, the strong sense that authorities were doing all they could to find
the marathon terrorists, and would indeed have them brought to justice.
What was striking to me was that
while these two black leaders were prominent at the top, I didn’t see that many
black police officers or FBI agents. Yes, there were a few, but so few that
when I did see one, I was surprised. Some may ask why was this important?
Because anytime our country is involved in a major endeavor, as a citizen, you
always want to be represented on the righteous side. You want to feel that
indirectly, you are making a contribution.
Don’t believe me? Then let’s try
the flipside.
How many black people reading this
column said to themselves once they heard word about the marathon bombing,
“Hope it’s not one of us [responsible]?”
Translation – If we’re so worried
about being represented negatively when bad news comes, then you know it’s
important to us to be represented positively.
Since I know little about the
Boston or Waterford police departments, I can’t say what the deal is. But
seeing Gov. Patrick and President Obama leading the way made me proud.
I hope it doesn’t take another
tragic loss of life for me, or any of us, to see that again.
Make sure you tune in every
Thursday afternoon at 4 p.m. for my talk radio show, ''Make It Happen'' on
Power 750 WAUG-AM, or online at www.myWAUG.com.
And read more about my thoughts and opinions exclusively at my blog, ‘The Cash
Roc” (http://thecashroc.blogspot.com/2011/01/cash-roc-begins.html).
I promise it will be interesting.
Cash in the Apple - honored as the Best Column Writing
of 2006 by the National Newspaper Publishers Association. Columnist Cash
Michaels was also honored by the NNPA for Best Feature Story Journalist of
2009, and was the recipient of the Raleigh-Apex NAACP’s President’s Award for
Media Excellence in Sept. 2011.
Until next week, keep a smile on your face, GOD in your
heart, and The Carolinian in your life. Bye, bye.
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