Monday, February 23, 2015

THE CASH STUFF FOR 2-26-15

NNPA STORIES -

http://nnpa.org/critics-say-gop-education-reform-would-hurt-poor-and-black-students-by-freddie-allen/

http://nnpa.org/indictment-of-nypd-officer-for-killing-unarmed-black-man-raises-hope/

http://nnpa.org/civil-rights-leaders-upset-over-non-voting-rights-act-hearing/


CASH IN THE APPLE 2-26-15
By Cash Michaels

            EVELYN JERVAY – You can tell when history is opening some doors and closing others when you see loved ones passing on. In our Carolinian/Wilmington Journal publishing family, we have seen several members pass on – some after long illnesses, others long before their time.
            Last weekend, the associate publisher of The Carolinian Newspaper, Rev. Evelyn Jervay, joined that roll.
            Evelyn was a strong, visionary and spiritual black woman who never forgot from where she came from, and insisted that no matter what she was involved in, that GOD and young people were in with her.
            Evelyn’s heart was always with the people, the folks who lived a life of struggle and somehow found a way, through the grace of GOD, to overcome. Her upbringing wasn’t easy, but the lessons which life taught Evelyn sustained her, made her strong and determined. Though her heart was always about helping the little man, Evelyn never lost sight of the big picture. She was an astute businesswoman, and while our leader and Carolinian publisher Paul Jervay Jr. was out on the streets selling advertising to keep our doors open on lights on, Evelyn was holding down the office, making sure that administratively The Carolinian was on-time and on-point to serving its readers, and its community.
            Those of us who work for The Carolinian could have no better cheerleader than Evelyn Jervay, someone who pushed us and always came up with new ideas for the writers to pursue. And if something we wrote in the paper didn’t make sense to her, she thought nothing of challenging us, to make sure that we understood that The Carolinian remained a respected institution of journalism because it always maintained a high standard of excellence in seeking the truth in service to the African-American community.
            Evelyn would always remind us that in all we did, that GOD was watching us, and expected more from us than we expected from ourselves.
            But again, the one area where there can be no question about where Evelyn Jervay’s heart laid was with nurturing young people. Through her Nay-Kel program, Evelyn taught young people about important lessons of life, exposing youth to various ways of thinking and doing so that they could have the proper foundation to go forward and build good, productive successful lives for themselves, their families and communities.
            Those young people are today young adults, and indeed living monuments to the tremendous love and caring of Evelyn Jervay.
            A few years ago Evelyn took ill, and had to leave her daily duties at The Carolinian office, but she was never forgotten. And though she is now gone to be with her heavenly Father, Rev. Evelyn Jervay is still not forgotten.
            In truth, she never can, and never will.
            Thank you, Evelyn, for coming through our lives, and being there for us when we needed you the most. Our deepest and heartfelt prayers and condolences go out to Evelyn’s entire family, friends and others who were blessed to know her.
            NO OSCAR SURPRISES – It should be no surprise that “Glory,” the outstanding theme from the stellar motion picture “Selma” by John Legend and Common, won an Academy Award Sunday for Best Original Song. The award was the least the Academy could do after pretty much disrespecting the film, its tremendous director Ava Duvernay, and its brilliant starts David Oyelowo and Carmen Ejogo.
            What we’ve learned through the “Selma” experience this awards season is that Hollywood, for all of its so-called “liberal” leanings, is still very much afraid of its own shadow when it comes to truly recognizing the value of diversity in front of and behind the camera. All of the major nominees this year at the Oscars were white, despite the many extraordinary performances by actors of color that graced the screen last year.
            The Academy must do better in recognizing the work of these artisans. I’m not just talking black, either. All filmmakers and artists whose work is worthy of note should be considered fairly.
            It’s the only way we all learn and grow.
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.waug-network.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).
           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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STATE NEWS BRIEFS 2-26-15

BRUNSWICK COUNTY WOMAN COLLECTS POWERBLL PRIZE
            [RALEIGH] Marie Holmes of  Brunswick County says she’s moving, going to take care of her four children, and will give to her church, and it’s all thanks to the lump sum $188 million she’s taking after being one of three people across the nation to match all six numbers in the latest Powerball lottery jackpot of $564.1 million on Feb. 11th. Holmes purchased her ticket at a Shalotte Scotchman convenience store. Holmes says she also wants to study to be a nurse.

SUPERBUG KILLS TWO IN CHARLOTTE HOSPITAL
            [CHARLOTTE] Among the 15 patients being treated for contracting CRE, otherwise known as the “superbug,” at least two have reportedly died in recent months in Charlotte hospitals, say local health officials. Patients are now being screened for the anti-biotic resistant bacteria and being isolated if they have it.  Details about the deaths were delayed in being made public because of privacy laws.

ECONOMIC IMPACT OF NC COLLEGES, UNIVERSITIES TAPPED AT $63 BILLION, SAYS REPORT
            [RALEIGH] According to a new study, the 110 institutions of higher learning throughout North Carolina contribute roughly $63 billion to the state’s economy annually. That’s 15 percent of North Carolina’s economic output, according to the report by Economic Modeling Specialists International, and analysts say a sound investment in North Carolina’s college students. "We are pleased that this study demonstrates clearly that the taxpayers of North Carolina receive a significant return on their investment year after year, and we are proud that that is true for all the citizens of North Carolina, whether or not they attended one of our institutions," said Tom Ross, UNC System president.
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TRIANGLE NEWS BRIEFS 2-26-15

WAKE SCHOOLS DECIDE SNOW MAKEUP DAYS
            The Wake County Public school System  has announced four snow makeup days and adjustments to its spring calendar. For traditional, year-round Tracks 1 and 3, and modified calendar schools with early release days scheduled between March 6 and April 17 will be extended to full school days. Year-round Track 4 will have a full day on March 6, and Track 2 will have a full school day on April 17.
            The Wake Early College of Health and Sciences, Wake STEM and the Vernon Malone College & Career Academy will also have early release day scheduled between March 6 and April 17 extended to full school days, as will the Wake Young Men’s Leadership Academy and Wake Young Women’s Leadership Academy.

HUNDREDS PAY TRIBUTE TO COACH DEAN SMITH
            Hundreds of fans joined family, friends and former players in paying tribute Sunday to the late UNC Tar Heel Basketball Coach Dean Smith at the Dean Smith Center. Smith died Feb. 7th after a long illness at age 83. He is hailed for winning two national championships and racking up 879 career wins during his tenure. But Smith was also highly regarded for being the first Atlantic Coast Conference coach to recruit African-Americans to play on his team. "We are all so honored to have been in his presence for so many years," said Brad Daughtry, who played for Smith.

NC STATE ESTABLISHES SCHOLARSHIOP FUND FOR THREE STUDENT VICTIMS
            NCSU has established a scholarship fund commemorating three Muslim students who were murdered Feb. 10 reportedly over parking spaces at a condo complex. The “Our Three Winners” scholarship fund is named in memory of Deah Shaddy Barakat, 23; his newlywed wife, Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, 21; and her sister, Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, 19. NCSU has contributed to the fund, and urges alums and others to contribute.

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SOCIAL CHANGE INSTITUTE AT
NCCU ON CHOPPING BLOCK
By Cash Michaels
Editor

            Why is a working committee of the UNC Board of Governors recommending the closing of a much-heralded social change institute at North Carolina Central University in Durham? A decision could be made Friday when the full board meets at UNC-Charlotte.
            The obvious reason, say supporters of the Institute for Civic Engagement and Social Change, is politics. The UNC Board is now dominated by Republican appointees put there by the GOP-led Legislature and Republican Gov. Pat McCrory, and it’s no secret that conservatives have railed for some time about 16-campus system being a major bastion of “liberal thinking”. So much so that Gov. McCrory has made numerous public statements over the past two years about how UNC’s predominate liberal arts curriculum does little to outfit its graduates with the adequate skills to get a job.
            Indeed, many observes have teased that McCrory wants to turn the UNC System into a “trade school.”
            Then there was the recent ouster by the UNC Board of UNC President Tom Ross, who has been credited with steering the system through tough budgetary times. Ross still has his job until 2016, but the board gave little reason for his dismissal, saying only that the UNC System needs new leadership.
            But most telling was the friction between UNC School of Law Prof. Gene Nichol, who is also the director of the UNC – Chapel Hill’s Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity, which has also been recommended for discontinuation, along with East Carolina University’s NC Center for Biodiversity.
            Prof. Nichol, who has frequently worked closely with the NCNAACP and others over the years on the issues of poverty in North Carolina and social justice, has also been a staunch critic of the Republican-led NC General Assembly and Gov. McCrory in biting editorials published in the News and Observer.
            After “reviewing” 240 research centers and institutes in the UNC System, the UNC committee announced recently that it will recommend to the full Board of Governors that those three be closed now, while 13 others warranted closer review.
            The committee also wants the board to consider adopting a policy banning political advocacy by centers and institutes associated with UNC System schools.
            So the question remains – why was the Institute for Civic Engagement and Social Change at NCCU chosen as one of the three that the UNC Board committee wants terminated now?
            According to its website, “Founded in April 2006, the mission of the Institute for Civic Engagement and Social Change (ICESC, pronounced Ice-ic) is to promote civic engagement on campus, the surrounding community, and the state in order to engender social change.  Therefore, the Institute seeks to increase the community's level and quality of participation in civic affairs and, thus, its efficacy in addressing racial, gender, economic, and other social injustices.”
            Part of ICESC’s work has been getting NCCU students involved in voter registration and education; examining the role of the black church during elections; and examining political empowerment in communities of color.
            NCCU Prof. Jarvis Hall, the institute’s only director since its inception, says he has no idea why ICESC has been targeted, since the center has been nonpartisan in all of its work, and gets its funding from grants and private donations, not from the state, the UNC System or NCCU.
            “I’m unaware of anything we have done to bring this about,” Hall told The Carolinian Tuesday. Despite  the expressed concerns of many supporters, Prof. Hall did not want to speculate.
Like UNC’s Poverty Center, which gained support this week from the American Association of University Professors, supporters of ICESC’s are gathering petitions decrying the fact that according to UNC Board of Governors policy, the trustee boards at each of the system’s 16 campuses have the authority to start and stop institutions and centers, not system board.
            The attached resolution speaks to the usurpation of historical campus authority by the UNC Board of Governors for the sole purpose of destroying lawfully created centers and institutes on UNC campuses which board members disagree,” wrote an NCCU faculty member who circulated an NCCU Faculty Assembly resolution to save ICECS earlier this week. “The Board of Governors would have people to believe that they already had authority to review the work of the campus units which they now seek to destroy when, in fact, such authority does not exist within BOG regulations and rules. This is another example of under-handed efforts by conservative forces in this State to stifle faculty members' freedom to speak, teach and dissent.”
            The last two paragraphs of the resolution minced no words.
            Therefore be it Resolved…that the Faculty Assembly calls upon the Board of Governors to act in keeping with established UNC policy that exclusively designates campus based leadership with the authority to discontinue a center or institute; and   Be it Further Resolved…that the Faculty Assembly opposes the insertion of the authority of president or Board of Governors into the process for the establishment, management and discontinuation of centers and institutes which currently is assigned by policy solely to campus based leadership.”
            The UNC Committee presents it recommendations to the full UNC Board of Governors in Charlotte on Friday.
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Tuesday, February 17, 2015

THE CASH STUFF FOR 2-19-15

NNPA STORIES -

http://nnpa.org/plans-for-2-separate-selma-marches-cancelled-as-groups-unify-by-george-e-curry/

http://nnpa.org/hud-chief-seeks-broadband-access-for-the-poor-by-freddie-allen/

http://nnpa.org/jail-population-overlooked-in-reform-efforts-by-freddie-allen/


CASH IN THE APPLE 2-19-15
By Cash Michaels
Editor

            “PARDONS” SCREENING THIS SATURDAY – If you haven’t had a chance to see the NNPA – CashWorks HD Productions documentary, “Pardons of Innocence: The Wilmington Ten,” you’ll have another chance this Saturday, February 21st at 11 a.m. at Watts Chapel Baptist Church, 3703 Tryon Road in Raleigh. Get off at the I-40 Gorman Street exit, and turn towards Cary, not NCSU. Admission is free.
            Folks attending this screening are in for a different version of the film than has ever previously been shown.
            As you’ll recall last week, this newspaper broke the story upon news of the death of UNC Tar Heel basketball Coach Dean Smith that in 1977, Smith wrote then NC Gov. Jim Hunt a letter on UNC letterhead, asking him to pardon the Wilmington Ten, calling their false convictions an “injustice.” 
            The reaction to the exclusive story was tremendous, with readers saying on Facebook that the new revelation further proved how committed Coach Smith was to equal rights and social justice. That convinced us to re-edit the film so that Coach Smith’s letter is visually referenced.
            We also added the name of Katherine Jervay Tate to the “In memory of…” list at the end of the film.  Mrs. Tate was a daughter of Wilmington Journal founder/publisher Thomas C. Jervay Sr.. She passed on January 27th, and we wanted her memory acknowledged in the film from this point forward.
            So audiences will see that new version this Saturday at Watts Chapel Baptist at 11 a.m.
            Also, right before we went to press, the Raleigh-Apex Chapter of the NAACP contacted us and asked if we could do a presentation on the Wilmington Ten at their Black History program for this Sunday, Feb. 22nd at 4 p.m. at Martin Street Baptist Church in Raleigh. We’ll show the 26 minute condensed version of the film that we used two weeks ago at the NC Museum of History, and then answer questions for the remainder of the hour.
            So we’re looking forward to being with you both Saturday at Watts Chapel at 11 a.m., and Sunday at the Raleigh-Apex NAACP Black History program at 4 p.m.. It’s always good to be in the community to share, and learn.
            THANK YOU – So much happening of late, and so many people to thank for their kindness and assistance.
            First, many, many thanks to Marian Fragola of NCSU Libraries and Prof. Sheila Smith McKoy, director of NCSU’s Africana Studies Program, for their invaluable leadership in producing last week’s “WLLE Remembered” program at the Hunt Library on NCSU’s Centennial campus. Along with the mini-documentary that CashWorks HD Productions produced and extraordinary panel discussion conducted afterwards with former WLLE personality Jimmy “JJ” Johnson, former WLLE listener Thad Woodard, and former WLLE newsman Rick High, all of us had a great time indeed with a tremendous audience on hand.
            I hope that we can bring the same program to somewhere in Southeast Raleigh in the near future. That was the proud home of WLLE, and I know that many people who could not make it to the program last week would love to remember the old “Wonderful WiLLiE” radio station again. I’ll let you know when that is planned.
            And by the way, many, many thanks to The Carolinian staff, and especially Kelvin Jervay, or all of the help with stories and pictures. Couldn’t have done it without you.
            Special thanks to filmmaker Rebecca Cerese and NCSU English Prof. W. Jason Miller, producers of a new documentary about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and poet Langston Hughes titled “Origins of the Dream,” based on Prof. Miller’s just released book, for their support and attendance
            Next, a special thanks to everyone who came out to support “Pardons of Innocence: The Wilmington Ten” during the Hayti Heritage Film Festival in Durham last Saturday. We had a good turnout, and a great discussion afterwards.
            Special thanks to two of the most talented artists on the scene today, Anita Morgan Woodley and Demetrius Hunter, for coming out in support of both events. I absolutely appreciate it.
            In March and April, we’re hoping to hear that our film will be featured during the NC Black Film Festival in Wilmington, and the Full Frame Documentary Festival in Durham.  They’ve been entered, so wish us luck.
 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.waug-network.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).
           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.
                                                                              -30-


STATE NEWS BRIEFS 2-19-15

NC FORECLOSURES DROPPED IN 2014
            [GREENSBORO]  Foreclosures in North Carolina during 2014 drooped to their lowest levels since 2001, say realty experts. According to the Administrative Office of the Courts, there were 32,775 foreclosure filings in 2014, compared to 2010, when there were 66,277 at the peak of the housing crisis. There are also several older foreclosure cases still in the system that were delayed because of government-sponsored programs designed to help people from losing their homes.

NATIONAL NAACP PRES. JOINS HK ON J PROTEST
            [RALEIGH] Among the thousands of marchers during the Ninth Annual HK on J March and People’s Assembly last weekend was Cornell Brooks, the new national NAACP president. Brooks told the gathering in front of the State Capitol that the civil rights organization would continue to fight all efforts at voter suppression. March leader NCNAACP Pres. Rev. William Barber, assured demonstrators that the Moral Monday movement would continue to put pressure on the Republican-led NC General Assembly on the issues of economic justice, education and health care for the poor.

STATE REVENUES TO FALL SHORT BY $271 MILLION
            [RALEIGH] There will be $271 million less revenue for state lawmakers to work with in the 2014-15  $21 billion state budget, according to state analysts. The Fiscal Research Division reports that revenues only grew by 2.9 percent, rather than the projected percent. The rate of personal income tax revenues has fallen 3.8 percent short of projections. Part of the blame is being placed on “slower than expected wage growth.”

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TRIANGLE NEWS BRIEFS 2-19-15

RALEIGH POLICE CHIEF SAYS MORE OFFICERS NEEDED
            As the city of Raleigh grows, so does the number of police officers on the street needs to , says Raleigh Police Chief Cassandra Deck-Brown. Chief Deck-Brown told The News & Observer this week that the city’s population is far outpacing the number of police officers available to adequately keep it safe. That could result in slower response times to crime and other emergencies. City officials say that while they concur, the budget is now so tight, it will be difficult to hire more police personnel in the near future.

DURHAM GRAND JURY INDICTS ALLEGED KILLER OF THREE STUDENTS
            A Durham grand jury has indicted Craig Hicks, the Chapel Hill who allegedly shot three Muslim students to death execution-style over what he says was a dispute over parking spaces in the same housing complex. Hicks was indicted on three counts of murder and one count of discharging a firearm into an occupied dwelling in the deaths of Deah Barakat, 23; his wife, Yusor Abu-Salha, 21; and her sister Razan Abu-Salha, 19. Thousands of students from both NCSU and UNC came together in prayer vigils, as the murders were condemned in Middle Eastern nations. The FBI is investigating  whether the victims’ religion played a role in their murders.

STATE PANEL CONSIDERS REVOKING  A RALEIGH SCHOOL’S CHARTER
            Saying that a Raleigh charter school for disabled children has serious financial management problems that may not see relief, The NC Charter School Advisory Board has voted to begin the process of revoking the Dynamic Community Charter School’s charter, in effect putting it out of business. The school opened last year, and is the only charter school for middle and high school students with learning disabilities. The school is already $250,000 in debt, which state officials say could double by June.

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COLEMAN ANNOUNCED BID FOR LT. GOV.
Special to The Carolinian Newspaper

            Linda Coleman announced Wednesday that she will once again make a bid for NC Lieutenant Governor during the 2016 elections.
       “I'm running for Lieutenant Governor because we need a new approach in Raleigh. North Carolinians know that I am battle tested and ready to go to bat for the middle class and to create jobs for our future,” Coleman said. 
“I cannot sit by silently while we watch years of North Carolina’s progress upended by the Lieutenant Governor and the Republican General Assembly. My opponent has eagerly cheered on an ideological agenda that has hurt middle class families, rendered public education unrecognizable, and gutted women’s access to health care. I look forward to reconnecting with our 2 million supporters from 2012 and reaching new voters to build the campaign that leads to victory in 2016,” Coleman continued.
  As the former Director of the Office of State Personnel, former N.C. House Representative, Chair of the Wake County Board of Commissioners and classroom teacher, Linda has always fought for middle class families and that’s what she’ll do as Lieutenant Governor.
          In 2012, Coleman waged one of the most competitive statewide races as the Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor, capturing over 2.1 million votes and outperforming both the Democratic nominee for president and governor that year. Just over 6,800 votes separated Coleman from her opponent in the official vote count.

                                                                        -30-

FUTURE OF REX CLINIC UNCLEAR
AMID STONE’S WAREHOUSE PROJECT
By Cash Michaels
Editor

            A year from now, assuming that the city of Raleigh completes the $2 million sale of the Stone’s Warehouse property on East Davie Street to developers Transfer Co. LLC, where will the 1700 elderly patients who current get treatment at the adjacent Rex Senior Health Center go?
            That’s the question veteran Southeast Raleigh residents want an answer to, but may not get for a while. Neither the city nor Transfer have an answer, except to say that they are “working” to come up with a viable location for the Senior Health Center to move to. Sources at the city say there has been a lot of back-and-forth behind the scenes since the City Council agreed to sell the two-acre abandoned warehouse property to Transfer Co. several weeks ago.
            And while that sale is being finalized, as of Wednesday morning of this week, there was still no public hearing scheduled for concerned citizens, or even supporters of the project, to express themselves before council.
            Transfer Co. has made it clear that its vision for the Stone’s Warehouse site will be tailor-made for the new upper-income condominium residents of downtown Raleigh, featuring “…a neighborhood grocery store and cafĂ©, a community hall and space for a handful of small food producers”…among which would select names like Videri Chocolate Factory, Locals Seafood, Jubala Coffee, Boulted Bread and an “incubator kitchen” run by HQ Raleigh.
            Unlike the other two competing plans, Transfer Co.’s bid for the property included no affordable housing – which is what the city had originally hoped to have built on the site – and did not allow the Rex Senior Health Center, which has been at its Chavis Way location since 1997,  to remain.
            Red flags were raised by several Southeast Raleigh community leaders when The Carolinian first reported on this story in January.  Frances L. Williams , chair of the Central Citizens Advisory Council, expressed concern, as did Danny Coleman, chair of the South Central CAC, about residents being locked out of the process. Coleman said that SE Raleigh was being “gentrified” because community leaders were not aggressive in insisting on inclusion in any planning for future development.
            Transfer Co., in its winning proposal to the city, maintains that “at a minimum, we will assist Rex Senior Center in relocating,” but so far, based on published reports as recent as this week, Dr. Leroy Darkes, director of the Rex Senior Health Center, seemed not that impressed with their effort.
            A Rex Hospital system spokesperson was also quoted as saying that Transfer Co.  has “…expressed interest in helping us, but we have no idea what that might be.”
            Relocating will be expensive, which is why some of the $2 million proceeds to the city from the property sale will be used to help offset some of those costs, District C City Councilman Eugene Weeks is quoted as saying. Several city-owned locations are being considered as well. Transfer Co. is also expected to pick up some of the costs, since the center is being forced to move because of its plans.
            With this being a municipal election year, what happens to the Rex Senior Health Center, and how it happens, may become more of an issue than planned.

                                                            -30-