THE CASH STUFF FOR OCT. 3, 2013

NNPA STORIES -
http://nnpa.org/government-shutdown-harder-on-black-workers-by-george-e-curry/

CASH IN THE APPLE 10-03-13

By Cash Michaels

            100 MEN IN BLACK ANNUAL CONCERT – Anytime we can share with you the good work of a nonprofit group that benefits the community, we’re more than happy to do it. In this case the group is 100 Men in Black, Inc., which is sponsoring its 11^th Annual Gospel Concert Saturday, Oct. 12^th at Wake Chapel Church, 3805 Tarheel Club Road in Raleigh. The program begins at 5 p.m..

            Besides music from the 100 Men in Black Choir, special guest performer will be William McDowell.

            Proceeds go to aid the 100 Men in Black, Inc.’s youth mentoring program, where young black males are helped to find their way, and are given important direction and purpose.

            For more information, go to www.100mib.org, or call 919-872-7776.

            CONGRATULATIONS – Hats off and congratulations to Grady Bussey and the crew with the Raleigh Parks and Recreation Department for helping the Capital City leap into the record books once again.

            Last weekend, during the 75^th anniversary of John Chavis Park, Grady and company organized the longest Soul Train line in Guinness Book of World Record history, with 317 dancers from the community.

            The previous record was in Philadelphia with 291 people.

            But what was even more important was that throughout the day last Saturday, the entire community came out to the Chavis Recreation Center and grounds to play, eat and be with one another. True community, enjoying each other.

            I wish we could have duplicated last weekend at john Chavis Park, and shared it with everyone.

            Great job, Grady!

            And great job, community.

            NEW SHOWS – So far this new television season, some breakout hits are emerging.

            Over on Fox, “Sleepy Hollow,” which is filmed in Wilmington, is holding a solid audience of at least 9 million after three weeks. Based on the old “headless horseman” story from the 1800’s, the show, which stars Nicole Beharie (who played Rachel Robinson in “42: The Jackie Robinson Story”) and Tom Mison as “Ichabod Crane.”

            On CBS, “The Crazy Ones” starring Robin Williams (“Mork and Mindy”) and Sara Michelle Geller (from “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) drew 15.6 million viewers in its premiere episode last week. Produced by David E. Kelley (“The Practice”), “The Crazy Ones” is the perfect comic vehicle for Williams to return to television with. He may be older, but Williams is still a sight to see, laugh with, and enjoy.

            On ABC, “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” is delivering a younger audience with one of the best series premieres since 2004. From Joss Whedon, the man who brought us ‘The Avengers,” “S.H.I.E.L.D” is milking it Marvel superhero pedigree in hopes of big ratings. Hard to do when you’re up against television’s Number One show, “NCIS” on CBS. But thus far, “SHIELD is holding its own. Let’s give it a few weeks to see if the audience stays with it.

            And finally, on NBC, the biggest new hit thus far seems to be the Monday night thriller, “The Blacklist,” starring James Spader (“Boston Legal”) as a master criminal who aids the FBI. It’s been pulling 10 million viewers every Monday night at 10 p.m., across from ABC’s veteran series “Castle” and CBS’s new drama “Hostages”, which is pulling only 6 million viewers.

            We’ll know by the end of October which series will get the hook. Expect a lot of them.

SHUTDOWN – Well, well, well…what a great week to be an American. A crazy bunch of (you fill in the blank) decide that they are going to stop the Affordable Care Act, even if it means shutting down the federal government, throwing tens of thousands of federal employees temporarily out of their jobs, and hurting a still struggling American economy that is barely off its knees.

And all because these misfits, a minority for sure, are willing to do anything to stick it to an African-American president they just can’t find any other way to beat.

This is not governance, ladies and gentlemen.

This is pitiful.

These people, who proudly call themselves “Tea Party,” say that all they are doing is following the “will of the American people.”

Nevermind that when Barack Obama was first elected president, and promised voters that he would bring change by way of healthcare reform, that he was elected.

Nevermind that the then Democratic Congress passed the Affordable Care Act at the president’s behest to make healthcare more affordable.

And nevermind that just last year, despite a now Republican-led House in Congress, voters saw fit not only to re-elect the president, but help the Democrats pick up five seats in the US Senate.

So the 30 or so Tea Party members in the US House can talk about “…the American people re=elected us to Congress to do away with Obamacare…” all they want. Compared to the number of voters weighing in on the presidency and the Us Senate, those elect Tea Party voters are but a drop in the bucket.

A minority, and the will and needs of this nation should not be held hostage by a bunch of political terrorists.

Yes I used the “T” word because these folks, purely for political (and I suspect racial reasons dealing with the president) have done a superb job of promulgating false fears about “socialism” and “death panels,” and other foolishness to scare the daylights out of average Americans.

One Republican congressman actually said that Obamacare was “… worst than slavery.”

When you work overtime to strike unmitigated fear in the hearts of men (and women), for political reasons, I don’t know what else that makes you.

So what do we, the law-abiding citizens of this nation, do about fixing this problem? We can’t vote these trolls out. Their districts have been redrawn to be virtually bulletproof politically, meaning that no Democrat can win the seat.

Yes, I ask the question, because I really don’t know the answer…except to pray, and everyone stays engaged.

Clearly the future of the nation depends on what people of good will do…or don’t do.

So what will we do, ‘cause this clearly isn’t over!

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.

                                                                -30-

STATE NEWS BRIEFS 10-3-13

FEDERAL GOV’T SHUTDOWN AFFECTING NORTH CAROLINA

            [RALEIGH] Because many agencies in state government depend on federal funding to help pay for programs and salaries, the federal government shutdown by Congress earlier this week has already forced the NC Dept. of Transportation and NC Dept of Health and Human Services to begin furloughing employees until the shutdown is resolved. At presstime Wednesday, at least 22 NCDOT workers had already been furloughed, and more are expected across state government.

            Across the state, thousands of non-essential employees at military bases like Fort Bragg and Camp Lejeune have been given their furlough notices. At military hospitals, some elective medical procedures have been postponed. Many federal employees who have been furloughed were already negatively impacted by the earlier budget sequester cuts, thus they were suffering from cuts in pay.

AFFORDABLE CARE ACT IN NORTH CAROLINA BEGINS

            [GREENSBORO] All over the nation on October 1^st, people began applying online to qualify for the low-cost health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. Numerous health insurance companies in several states that have setup exchanges compete to provide health coverage at low costs, thus driving the price down. But in Republican-controlled states like North Carolina, the exchanges are run by the federal government because Republican governors and lawmakers are actively blocking any assistance one needs. As a result in North Carolina, only two companies are competing on the federal exchange, and one of those companies doesn’t even cover all of the state. For more information go to www.healthcare.gov.

FORMER NCCU COACH CLEARED BY JUDGE, WANTS JOB BACK

            [DURHAM] A Durham judge has ruled that former NCCU head football coach Henry Frazier III in innocent of charges that he violated a protective order in contacting his estranged wife, the reason why NCCU then fired him in August. Now that he has been cleared, Frazier says he wants his coaching job back. The school has already turned down Frazier’s appeal, citing the criminal arrest. Attorneys for Frazier say they will now appeal once again. Frazier had been arrested in May 2012 after a domestic dispute with his wife.

                                                            -30-

TRIANGLE NEWS BRIEFS 10-3-13

RALEIGH COULD UNVEIL NEW CITY MANAGER FRIDAY

            Published reports say once all of the paperwork is done, the Raleigh City Council may unveil its new city manager Friday. The contract of previous 12-year City Manager Russell Allen was not renewed last spring. Mayor Nancy McFarlane said while Allen did a good job, the city needed someone with the vision to take the city to the next level. Four finalists were chosen from among 80 applications from across the nation.

FORMER SCHOOL HEADMASTER FOUND GUILTY OF SEXUAL BATTERY

            The former school headmaster found guilty Monday of sexual battery on a school employee will serve 120 days in jail. Brandon Smith, the former top administrator at East Wake Academy, was also convicted of assaulting a female employee. Smith must also register as a sex offender. Smith was fired last year after two teachers alleged that he inappropriately touched them, and made lewd remarks.

TWO SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED IN MEMORY OF SLAIN NC A&T STUDENT

            Two Wake County students, Courtney Dunn and William Lashley IV, will receive the $1,000 Derek E. Hodge II Memorial Scholarships each to attend NC A&T University during the foundation banquet this Saturday, October 5, 6 p.m., at the Crabtree Valley Marriott in Raleigh. Derek Hodge was a NC A&T student who was murdered during an off-campus robbery. His parents promised to honor him with scholarships to deserving students attending NC A&T.

                                                -30- 

NCNAACP HAILS FEDERAL 
LAWSUIT AGAINST NC

By Cash Michaels

editor

            Having filed its own lawsuit against North Carolina’s new voting restrictions, the NCNAACP hailed the US Justice Dept. announcement earlier this week that it will also be suing the Tar Heel state for its new voter photo ID law.

"We need every resource, including the U.S. government, to help us expose the national conspiracy behind this movement to suppress targeted constituencies in the new southern electorate,” Rev. William Barber, president of the NCNAACP, said during a press conference in Durham Monday, shortly after the announcement was made.

 “The good people of North Carolina are disgusted when they learn that the far-right created the myth of voter fraud, then repeated over and over again, intentionally creating the main pretext for this naked power grab by the extremists,” Rev. Barber continued.

It was indeed expected, especially after the US Justice Dept sued the state of Texas in August for its allegedly discriminatory voter photo ID law, that North Carolina would be next. US Senator Kay Hagan and Congressman G. K. Butterfield of North Carolina, both Democrats, had written US Attorney General Eric Holder shortly after the Republican-led NC General Assembly passed their omnibus elections reform bill, asking him to litigate against it for what they believed to be its unconstitutionality.

The bill, which Republican NC Gov. Pat McCrory signed into law, not only mandated voter photo ID starting in 2016, but also cut the early voting period in half, stopped same-day registration, “Souls to the Polls” Sunday voting and straight ticket voting, and empowered registered voters in a county to challenge voters they suspect of voting illegally.

When he announced the federal lawsuit Monday in Washington, Attorney General Holder said the NC General Assembly was actively trying to suppress the voting rights of African-Americans.

“The Justice Department expects to show that the clear and intended effects of these changes would contract the electorate and result in unequal access to participation in the political process on account of race,” Holder told reporters in prepared remarks.

“In the 2008 and 2012 general elections, African-American voters dramatically increased their participation rates across the state – and more than 70 percent of African Americans who voted in those elections cast ballots during the early voting period,” Holder later continued.  “Just months after North Carolina saw the highest overall turnout in sheer numbers in its history – in November 2012 – and within days of the Supreme Court’s Shelby County decision to strike down key provisions of the Voting Rights Act – the state legislature took aggressive steps to curtail the voting rights of African Americans.  This is an intentional attempt to break a system that was working.  It defies common sense.”

            Governor McCrory was not pleased. Within two hours of Eric Holder’s announcement, the governor rushed back from Asheboro, telling reporters that the lawsuit was politically motivated and “an overreach.” He added that North Carolina’s voter ID law was legally sound, and reminded all that in the 2012 presidential elections, President Obama had to show his voter ID in Illinois when he went to early vote.

            “If its good enough for the president, then its good enough for North Carolina,” McCrory told reporters, adding that the state would secure legal counsel beyond the Democrat-controlled NC Attorney General’s office to fight the federal lawsuit in court.

            NC Republican legislative leaders also expressed outrage.

            Black conservatives with the right-wing think tank Project 21, blasted Holder’s announcement as well.

"For Attorney General Holder to sue North Carolina for trying to make sure the state has fair and honest elections is insane," said Project 21's Council Nedd II, the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Missionary Church. "It seems apparent that Holder must think his department has run out of meaningful and substantive issues to address. Really? After all, President Obama — Holder's boss — routinely usurps congressional authority in the implementation of ObamaCare. Prosecute that before prosecuting a good government measure such as voter ID."

            But attorney Irving Joyner, professor at North Carolina Central University’s School of Law and chair of the NCNAACP’s Legal Redress Committee, applauded the US attorney general for his action.

“The decision of the United States Justice Department to file a legal challenge against newly enacted voter suppression legislation by the North Carolina General Assembly is a huge contribution to efforts by the North Carolina NAACP to declare these laws as illegal and unconstitutional,” Joyner said in a statement. “

“By its action and statements, the Justice Department recognizes that these regressive enactments have absolutely nothing to do with any legitimate effort to identify properly registered voter, but instead, is a carefully orchestrated campaign to suppress minority voters and to allow right wing forces and their supporters to intimidate minorities whenever they attempt to vote in the future.”

             Prof. Joyner continued, “The Department of Justice's decision to join with the NAACP, plaintiffs and lawyers in this legal challenge evidences their legal conclusion that our claims are meritorious and adds significant resources and muscles to our case. Of importance is DOJ's conclusion that these right-wing voter suppression laws demonstrate an intentional pattern by forces to negatively impact minority voters and that these efforts violate the 1965 Voting Rights Act.”

             “We have always believed strongly in the merits of our case. That faith and determination is significantly strengthened by this intervention by the Department of Justice,” Joyner concluded.

                                                            -30-

LOCAL ELECTIONS FEATURE

SCHOOL BOND, CITY COUNCIL

AND SCHOOL BOARD RACES

By Cash Michaels

Editor

            With Election Day, Oct. 8^th, finally here, voters in Raleigh and Wake County have some key decisions to make concerning the future of school construction, four seats on the Wake School Board, and the races for mayor and District C, among others on the Raleigh City Council.

            The big ticket issue on Tuesday’s ballot will be Wake’s $810 million school construction bond referendum, where voters will be asked to approve bond funding to covert the costs of constructing sixteen new schools, major renovations to six existing schools, and standard renovations to 79 other schools in the system.

            Bond supporters and school system administrators say the bond funding is needed in order to adequately meet the increasing number of students that are being added to the system’s 150,000 pupil population.

            Administrators estimate that at least 20,000 new students are expected by 2018, so new school construction must begin shortly.

            The Democrat-led Wake County Board of Education and Republican-controlled Wake Board of Commissioners, despite their deep differences, are united in pushing passage of the bond referendum, even though the conservative Wake Taxpayers Association and Wake County Republican Party have come out vehemently against it.

            Their objections range from the Wake School System wants to build “palaces” to the system’s growth projections are way off, to simply admitting that they don’t like the bond referendum because the Democrats still control the school board.

            Voters get to decide on Tuesday.

            The four races for the Wake School Board will only decide whether Republicans increase their number on the nine-member board, but they will not threaten Democratic control of the board in what are supposed to be nonpartisan races.

            In District 1, incumbent Tom Benton, a Democrat and retired school principal, is fighting to hold onto the seat he was appointed to earlier this year when former board member Chris Malone, a Republican, won election to the NC House. Benton is being challenged by attorney Don McIntyre, a Republican.

            In District 2, Monika Johnson-Hostler, a Democrat, is up against auto executive Matt Scruggs, a Republican to claim that seat. Johnson-Hostler is the executive director for the NC Coalition Against Sexual Assault. She believes in “putting students first.” Scruggs says he wants students to have the same good opportunities he had growing up. The GOP incumbent, John Tedesco, decided not to run for re-election after one term.

            In District 7, Republican incumbent Deborah Prickett, a state education consultant, is being challenged by Democrat Zora Felton, a retired teacher. Prickett was one of the four Republicans who took over the majority of the Wake School Board in 2009. The resulting controversy from their ending the system’s student diversity policy resulted in Democrats reclaiming the board majority in 2011. Felton promises that if elected, she will promote sound educational policies, “not politics.”

            And in District 9, two Republicans are running, though one is seen as a moderate. The Wake County Republican Party refused to endorse incumbent school board member Bill Fletcher because of his support for the student diversity policy, and instead endorsed conservative businesswoman Nancy Caggia. Caggia says she will be nonpartisan if elected, despite the Wake GOP support.

            In the race for Raleigh mayor, incumbent Nancy McFarlane is hoping that the city’s tremendous growth and good standard of living is something voters want to see more of, and will re-elect her for a second term. Challenger Venita Peyton has blasted McFarlane, especially for the firing of former City Manager J. Russell Allen. The third challenge in the Raleigh mayoral race is Robert Lewis Weltzin. Weltzin, A US Army Reserve officer who moved to Raleigh in 2010.

            In the race for the District C seat on the Raleigh City Council, there are two challengers to incumbent Councilman Eugene Weeks – Marcus Hill and Racquel Williams.

            Hill, 36, a researcher at NC State University, is a strong believer in protecting property rights from corporate interests.

            Williams, 37, is an author and motivational speaker. She says the city needs to come together to work for a common vision for all.

            Councilman Weeks, 72, is vying for his second elected term in office. He says in his short time in office, he has delivered for Southeast Raleigh, and wants to continue to do so.

            Mary Ann Baldwin and Russ Stephenson are also running for re-election to their at-large seats.

                                                                        -30-

THE CASH STUFF FOR 9-26-13

NNPA STORIES -

http://nnpa.org/insurance-exchanges-will-extend-coverage-to-millions-by-freddie-allen/

http://nnpa.org/black-media-slighted-as-spending-power-exceeds-1trillion-by-george-e-curry/

http://nnpa.org/obama-reignites-push-for-gun-legislation-by-george-e-curry/

****[PLEASE NOTE - IN "CASH IN THE APPLE" AND THE ITEM ABOUT REV. WRIGHT AND THE WILMINGTON TEN DOCUMENTARY, I MISTAKENLY WROTE THAT THE FILM WOULD PREMIERE IN MARCH 2014. THE FILM IS ACTUALLY SCHEDULED TO BE RELEASED IN FEBRUARY, 2014. THAT WAS AN ERROR, PLEASE CORRECT ON YOUR PAGES, AND THANK YOU MARY ALICE FOR POINTING THAT OUT.]****
                                                                   -30-
****[NO STATEWIDE STORIES THIS WEEK, JUST LOCAL TO RALEIGH]

****[NO PICTURES]
                                                                    -30-

MAYOR MCFARLANE SAYS

SE RALEIGH SHOULD SHARE IN

RALEIGH’S BENEFITS

By Cash Michaels

Editor

            The city of Raleigh needs to look at progressing in a more “holistic way,” says Mayor Nancy McFarlane, and that means predominately-black Southeast Raleigh must better share in the growth and benefits that are making the Capital City a success story.

            “ I think we need to make sure that when we are sending out economic development recruiters, we need to make sure that we’re looking at the whole city,” McFarlane told The Carolinian in phone interview Saturday.

            For instance, noting the closing of Kroger Supermarket over a year ago, Mayor McFarlane suggested attracting kid-friendly businesses or activities to struggling shopping centers in Southeast Raleigh that would attract families, and thus, “increase foot traffic” to area stores.

            That’s what it’s about, increasing foot traffic,” she maintained.            

With municipal elections Oct. 8^th, and early voting starting this week, McFarlane is seeking her second term in office after succeeding Charles Meeker, who spent five terms leading the city towards tremendous growth with major renovations in downtown, and improvements to the park system.

“The city is in great shape,” McFarlane said. “We continue to have people [moving here; we continue to attract business; we have a Triple A bond rating; we’re growing…all in all when you compare us to cities across the country, we’re doing well.”           

“But of course we can do better,” McFarlane quickly added, especially since Raleigh is expected to double in size in the next 25 years.

The closing of Kroger’s is but one of several challenges that have cropped up during Mayor McFarlane’s first term in office. The recent controversy about the Raleigh police stopping charitable groups from feeding the homeless in Moore Square made national headlines.

Mayor McFarlane moved quickly to have the City Council suspend the city regulations authorizing that police action, and vowed to have a new, more flexible policy in place by November.

And allegations of corruption have now closed the once heralded Raleigh Business and Technology Center, the over decade-old business incubator that featured the successful Pacesetters program for new entrepreneurs, that allegedly was mismanaged.

As Raleigh police detectives continue their forensic investigation of the RBTC’s financial records, the center’s officials have filed suit against the city.

Because of that litigation, Mayor McFarlane couldn’t say much more than that “it was a shame” that an “invaluable” program like Pacesetters “got wrapped up in all of this other stuff,” and that the “pieces that were working well” need to be somehow preserved so that the efforts of creating new businesses continues in some form apart from the RBTC.

But that can’t happened, McFarlane maintained, until “everything shakes out in court and the District Attorney’s office.”

The quality of life in Raleigh is good these days, says Mayor Farlane, and the tremendous growth has played a key role in that. But with growth comes challenges, and the need to meet them head on.

She points to the need for an improved public transportation system, saying that it’s essential to get people to their jobs more efficiently, and cutting down on the traffic congestion currently on the road. A really good public transportation system also helps “guide how we grow,’ Farlane said.

Protecting the city’s water supply and providing affordable housing amid rising housing prices are also two key challenges the next mayor and City Council must continue to wrestle with.

“You have to really work hard to plan to keep ahead of those things,” Mayor McFarlane says.

The key towards moving Raleigh effectively forward, Mayor McFarlane said, is securing an experienced and visionary new city manager.

“We really want someone who understands that the city is here to serve the citizens, and we really want someone who can look at the city holistically,” McFarlane said.

Though it is apparent that former Raleigh City Manager J. Russell Allen did not leave on the best of term, when his contract was not renewed after 12 years, McFarlane nonetheless expresses admiration and regard for how far and how fast Raleigh grew under his leadership.

“Russell was a very good manager for the 12-year-period that he was manager he was very detail-oriented, his work ethic was legendary…but Raleigh has changed, and it’s at the point where it needs to change systemically,” McFarlane said.

“It really was time for a new set of eyes for the city,” she maintained.

Mayor McFarlane’s chief critic is her primary challenger to re-election, Venita Peyton, who has run for mayor before.

In a recent forum, Peyton blasted McFarlane for both the termination of city manager J. Russell Allen, and some of the decisions made by the City Council.

“I have lived in Raleigh almost thirty years, and I am so disappointed in the leadership that we have now, “ Peyton told a forum audience at Martin Street Baptist Church two weeks ago.

Peyton said she wants to determine what the city’s plans are for vacant properties in Southeast Raleigh; work to get more jobs for local residents with local businesses and large projects; and if she could get five votes on council if elected, would “fire” any new hires until she got answers about what happened with Allen.

Besides McFarlane and Peyton, the third candidate in the race is Robert Lewis Weltzin. Weltzin, A US Army Reserve officer who moved to Raleigh in 2010, is a chiropractor who is throwing his hat into the political ring for the first time.

                                                -30-

RWCA Endorses School Bond Referendum, Candidates

Special to The Carolinian Newspaper

The Raleigh-Wake Citizens Association, M-PAC recently voted to support the 2013 School Bond Referendum in the upcoming election, calling it  "vital to the Wake County community."

In October, voters will decide whether the referendum will provide funds totaling $983.754 million for capital projects in Wake County Public Schools (WCPSS), the largest in North Carolina. The amount is made up of $43.8 million of funds currently available and $939.9 million of new funds financed by a combination of general obligation bonds and cash funding to be appropriated.

Under the School Bond Referendum, WCPSS has plans to build 16 new schools by 2018 and add additional seats in six major school renovations.

"While the RWCA is deeply concerned about the increase in property taxes for those who may be experiencing a tough time, we also believe that passage of the upcoming  bond is vital to the Wake County Community," according to RWCA President Dr. Earl C. Johnson.

"It is projected that 8,158 new elementary students will arrive by 2017 and another 11,700 middle and high school students will arrive by 2018. The proposed building program will address this continual growth. It is an opportunity that our citizens cannot afford to ignore." 

RWCA also announced its candidate endorsements for various races, including Raleigh's Incumbent Mayor Nancy McFarlane. 

"The RWCA is delighted to endorse the following candidates for mayor, school board and city council seats," said Dr. Johnson, who is Pastor of Martin Street Baptist Church in Southeast Raleigh. "The residents of Wake County have very specific concerns that are vital to improving their respected communities. We believe that each of these candidates will represent the needs of all citizens in Wake County."

Other endorsements include:

CITY COUNCIL-AT-LARGE: Mary Baldwin and Russ Stephenson

 CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT SEATS:

            District A:             Randy Stagner

            District C:            Eugene Weeks

            District D:            Thomas Crowder

            District E:            Bonner Gaylord

SCHOOL BOARD

            District 1:            Tom Benton

            District 2:            Monika Johnson Hostler

            District 9:            Bill Fletcher

            District  7:      Zora Felton

WAKE COUNTY SCHOOL BOND:            Yes

TRANSPORTATION BOND:                        Yes

                                                                   -30-            

                                                               

CASH IN THE APPLE -09-26-13

By Cash Michaels

            REV. WRIGHT – Last weekend on the statewide TV show, “NC Spin” hosted by Tom Campbell, Tom asked his “panel of experts” – one of which, by chance, was me – to tell him something he didn’t know.

            So when it was my turn, I shared something he and the rest of the panelists found interesting, indeed.

            In 1977, a group of ministers from the United Church of Christ came to Raleigh to meet with then-Gov Jim Hunt, to ask him to grant pardons of innocence to the Wilmington Ten.

            The UCC had put up over $500,000 to help pay for the legal defense for the Wilmington Ten during their trials in 1972.

            One of those UCC ministers was the Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Wright Jr., pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, Ill., and church, under his leadership, that taught “Black Liberation” theology.

            And yes, it would be that same Rev. Wright who would be made infamous by the big media in this nation when a prominent member of his congregation, Sen. Barack Obama, announced he was running for president in 2007.

            So what does all of this have to do with what Tom Campbell asked me on his program?

            About a month ago, Rev. Wright back came to Durham for a two-day session at the Apex School of Theology. The school placed an ad announcing Rev. Wright’s appearance there in The Carolinian, and the rest is history. I did everything I could to contact Rev. Wright through AST to ask him for an on-camera interview for our Wilmington Ten documentary.

            And he very graciously granted it. Thank you, Rev. Wright.

            That interview is just one of the many powerful moments we’re producing for “Pardons of Innocence: The Wilmington Ten,” the first documentary ever to document the entire Wilmington Ten story. Watch for it when it makes its premiere in Wilmington the first week of February 2014.

            The film is presented by the National Newspaper Publishers Association, and produced by CashWorks HD Productions.

            OBAMA AND THE REPUBLICANS – If you’ve been watching the news (and I know it’s been mighty painful to do so in recent weeks), then you know that once again, the extremists in the Republican Party are about to, attempt to get their way by black mailing the country.

            All because they want to show up President Barack Obama. Actually, that’s not accurate.

            The Republicans want to DESTROY President Obama, and they way they want to do it is to force him and the Democrats to stop the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as “Obamacare.”

            So last week, the House Republicans passed a law that would forestall a government shutdown until December (the federal budget is supposed to be renewed by September 30^th), but also defunded Obamacare.

            That law was then sent to the Democrat-led US Senate, which is expected to strip the Obamacare provision out, vote up the temporary funding mechanism, and send it back to a GOP House which will most likely not to ratify the Senate version unless the “end Obamacare” provision is put back in.

            This is fiddling while Rome burns, and the president knows it.

            He’s been traveling the nation, telling everyone what the Republicans are up to, and why it’s all about trying to cripple his legacy.

            The president is doing all he can do. He can’t stop the Republicans from acting like idiots (especially the rabid Tea Party members who have clearly taken over the Republican Party), so all he can do is leverage the American people to pay attention to what is going on, and brace themselves in the event of a government shutdown.

            But the calamity doesn’t stop there.

            The Republicans are holding the nation’s ability to pay its bills hostage by demanding that Obama kill Obamacare if he really wants the country’s debt ceiling raised. We are told that if that happens, our struggling economy will be enormously harmed, and the negative economic ripple worldwide will be substantial.

            The president needs this mess like a hole in the head. He’s got the economy, and Syria and gun control…and so many other issues that are filling his already overflowing plate of problems.

            So as much as it may bother you, as much as it may pain you, pay attention to what happens next in the political drama. It does matter, and it does affect you and your family.

            If the government is shutdown, or the debt ceiling is not raised, or Obamacare is somehow stopped, ALL of us will feel something one way or another.

            The question is, how long will we tolerate it?

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.
                                                            -30-

STATE NEWS BRIEFS 09-26-13

BANK OF AMERICA ORDERED TO COMPENSATE DENIED BLACK JOB SEEKERS

            [CHARLOTTE] The ruling can be appealed, but for now, a federal judge has ordered Bank of America to compensate over a thousand qualified black Charlotte job applicants $2.2 million who were unfairly denied employment at BofA banks because of the color of their skin. The US Labor Dept. made the announcement this week. Qualified blacks were denied teller, entry-level clerical and administrative positions in 1993, and again between 2002 and 2005. BofA insists that the company values diversity, but hasn’t said whether it will appeal the federal court ruling.

TRIAL FOR MURDERED FIVE-YEAR-OLD’S MOTHER POSTPONED

            [FAYETTEVILLE] Add two weeks to when the first-degree murder trial of Antoinette Davis, mother of slain five-year-old Shaniya Davis, will begin. The Davis trial was originally scheduled to begin Oct. 14^th, but now has been pushed back to Oct. 28^th. Davis is charged with selling her young daughter to drug dealer Mario McNeil to satisfy a drug debt. McNeill, 32, was convicted last May raping the child, and then killing her, leaving her body in the woods. The delay is to provide more time in getting the transcripts of the McNeil trial for the Davis trial.

AUGUST JOBLESS RATE DROPS IN NC

            [GREENSBORO] The good news is that the statewide unemployment rate dropped in August to 8.7 from July’s 8.9, according to the state Dept. of Commerce. The bad news is North Carolina is losing more jobs than it’s gaining, signaling that economic recovery is slow indeed. The jobless numbers shrank simply because more people stopped looking for work, a bad sign of lackluster growth, state economists say.  Nationally the jobless figure is 7.3 percent.

                                                            -30-

TRIANGLE NEWS BRIEFS 09-26-13

SHAW UNIVERSITY BEGINS SEARCH FOR NEW PRESIDENT

            Once again, Shaw University President Dorothy Cowser Yancy has made it clear that her second tenure as interim president is coming to a close, so a 22-member search committee, led by Rev. Dr. David Forbes, is now looking for who will take over the reins permanently. Dr. Yancy took over after Dr. Irma McClaurin resigned in 2011, the second time Yancy filled breach, having served as interim for 15 months before McClaurin arrived.  Though no date has been given for Dr. Yancy’s departure, she issued a statement saying that she was “proud” of her accomplishments while leading “this great university.”

DURHAM POLICE KILL EMOTIONALLY DISTRAUGHT MAN

            Durham police fatally shot an emotionally distraught man who friends say  “snapped” under the pressure of a child custody battle. Derek Derandre Walker, 26, held a handgun as he stood in Durham’s CCB Plaza downtown Sept. 17^th. Walker pointed the gun to his head at times. A police negotiator tried to talk Walker out of harming himself, but when he pointed the weapon at police, he was killed by a sharpshooter. Friends say Walker was a good man and father who had given up fighting for his son’s custody, and wanted to die.

SEARCH FIRM HIRED FOR NEW WAKE COUNTY MANAGER

            A Tallahassee, Fla. search firm has been hired to find Wake County’s next county manager in the aftermath of David Cooke’s announced retirement in July. Cooke, who ha been at the helm of managing the county for over a decade, will step down in November. The firm, Bob Murray and Associates, will be paid $24,000 plus expenses for a comprehensive executive search. The Murray firm was chosen from among three finalists. Officials hope to name a permanent replacement for Cooke in early 2014.

                                                            -30-

                                                                -30-

THE CASH STUFF FOR 09-19-13

NNPA STORIES -

http://nnpa.org/affordable-care-act-enrollment-stars-oct-1-by-cierra-duncan/

http://nnpa.org/frequently-asked-question-sidebar/

http://nnpa.org/four-little-girls-awarded-congressional-gold-medals/

http://nnpa.org/blacks-receive-life-sentences-at-high-rates-by-freddie-allen/

MEDIA

CASH IN THE APPLE FOR 9-19-13

By Cash Michaels

CELEBRATING JOHN CHAVIS PARK – Let me give it to you straight from the press release:

Come to the 75th Anniversary of the John Chavis Memorial Park, Friday evening September 27 and Saturday Sept.28. The reception in the Chavis Center begins at 5:30 to provide an historical overview of the park and John Chavis. Vanessa Chavis Harriston, president, NC AT&T, will be the mistress of ceremony. Dr. Helen Chavis Othow, another John Chavis descendent and author of the John Chavis biography will also be a part of the program. There will be a great video with historic photos of the park that have never been seen by the public.

             The jazz concert follows the reception on the track field featuring Sweet Dreams, Moments Notice and a jazz trio for your music enjoyment.  The concert is free. Bring your lawn chairs and have dinner provided by the great food trucks that will be on site. Representative Yvonne Lewis Holley will be the mistress of ceremony. She is the daughter of the renowned JD Lewis, radio and TV host of "Teenage Frolics", and legendary host, narrator and announcer for many athletic and social events. Rep. Holley was a lifeguard at Chavis Park during her teen years.

             On Saturday, at 12:00 the Shaw University Marching Band will march along the sidewalk from the campus along MLK to the track field to open the events for the day. Please be there to join in the peoples march around the track while the band plays for about thirty minutes to kick off the celebration. 

The carousel rides are free along with the many fun activities for all ages. At 3:30, the effort to break the record of the longest soul train line will start on the track field. Get your dancing shoes ready to break the record. Everyone must keep dancing until each person has gone through and beat the record of 250 people.

             It’s going to be a great time to celebrate and reconnect with the memories and new opportunities for enjoyment in the John Chavis Memorial Park, Friday, Sept. 27^th and Saturday, Sept. 28^th.

WHERE’S THE OUTRAGE? Once again a madman has taken what’s left of our sense of safety and sanity hostage with a horrific act of violence that claimed several lives. This time it happened in our nation’s capital, on a naval installation, where, supposedly, some of the best security in the world is headquartered.

And, to many people, it’s just another day at the office. Nothing special, once again, as if we’ve all been there and done that before.

Well we have, and it seems that the shock and novelty of it has worn very thin. So thin, in fact, that we now fail to feel any pain when these incidents occur.

What is wrong with us? Why are we becoming so desensitized by what should be outraging us over, and over and over again?

Indeed, have we given up on the idea that we can have strong, comprehensive gun control, and still maintain second amendment rights to own firearms for protection and sporting?

 Simply put, we just don’t have the political will to do legislatively what is needed to make sure that the mentally ill get the help that they need; that we keep them away from guns and semi-automatic weapons, and that we limit the capacity of gun clips to just ten, so that no one is able, ever again, to walk into a school or public place, and just relentlessly spray the area with bullets upon helpless victims.

Common sense in a civilized society would suggest that we would have figured this out a long time ago. But we haven’t, and given the deep, deep divisions in Washington and the nation, we won’t anytime soon.

And that should sadden us, as Americans, deeply.

But it doesn’t. It’s happened so much, we’ve been desensitized to it.

Even when innocent people, and worse, the lives of innocent children, are lost.

Maybe I’m wrong, but we seem to just not care anymore.

And that is shaping up to be an even greater tragedy.

GOD help us!

THE MISEDUCATION OF JADEN SMITH – I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – I like superstar actor Will Smith. He’s funny, he’s talented, and he’s built a solid career to become one of biggest box office stars in the world.

But of late, Will has been doing and saying some gosh-awful things that make you wonder if more air is coming out of his oversized ego than going in.

Like last year when he said that he didn’t take the Jamie Foxx role in “Django Unchained” because it was not the lead.

  Gee, I seem to recall that actor Leonardo DiCaprio was also in “Django,” and he didn’t play the lead. And arguably, one could say that DiCaprio is a bigger star than Will.

  But this isn’t about Will’s acting skills or box office draw. Those seem to be on solid ground…for now.

It’s Will’s philosophy on parenting that has everyone wondering if he’s serious or not.

Will and his wife, actress Jada Pinkett-Smith, say that they take a “hands-off” approach to raising the youngest of their children, Willow, and Jaden, 15.

“The way we deal with our kids is they are responsible for their lives,” Will once told E! Online. “Our concept is, as young as possible, give them as much control over their lives as much as possible, and the concept of punishment, our experience has been – it has a little too much of a negative quality.”

Oh, I get it, let your child get into trouble without any guidance or direction, and then hold him responsible for the mess he gets himself into because you never bothered to teach him anything.

So, throw your child into the water without a swim lesson or life preserve, and if he survives it, let him justify how he got out of the fix without little or no training.

Well, you and Jaden are doing a bang-up job, Will, because here’s what your son Jaden had to say.

“If everyone in the world dropped out of school, we would have a much more intelligent society,” Jaden reportedly wrong on Twitter recently. “All the rules in this world were made by someone no smarter than you. So make your own.”

Jaden later added that “school is a tool to brainwash the youth.”

So what do we have here – privileged black kid who has never had to worry about where the next meal was coming from, running his mouth to his followers on Twitter to ditch school, and live the life of a dumb bunny.

Jaen Smith is a smart young man. We can see his gifts in his performances in “The Karate kid” and “AfterEarth.” But his films prove that while the young man has natural talent, he had to sitdown and shutup at some point in order to get direction as to what to do, and how to do it.

For Jaden not to realize that the only ticket for black people is a strong education, and for him to dispense ignorant advise to forsake it, is nothing short of criminal.

So I hope that Will Smith will immediately grab by his considerable ears, sit him down, and talk some sense into him

Quickly, Will, before it’s too late.

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.

                                                    -30-

[UPDATED] CHARLOTTE NAACP HEAD CALLS

POLICE SHOOTING “MURDER”

By Cash Michaels

Editor

            The president of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg NAACP says the tragic death of an unarmed black man at the hands of a white Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer last weekend was not voluntary manslaughter as charged, but “murder.”

            “This [police officer], to me, executed this young man, for whatever reason,” Rev. Kojo Nantambu said in an interview from Charlotte Tuesday. “To me it had to be rage, or hatred or something that clicked in this [officer]…you’re trained to deal with stressful situations.

            When later asked if he felt the charge should have been murder, instead of voluntary manslaughter, Rev. Nantambu said, “ Yes, this was murder. No doubt about it, this was murder.”

             No doubt others in Charlotte’s black community agree with Rev. Nantambu’s assessment  of what happened to Jonathan A. Ferrell, the 24-year-old former Florida A&M University football player fatally shot by CMPD police in the early morning hours of Sept. 14^th.

            The officer, Randall Kerrick, reportedly fired 12 shots at Ferrell as he ran towards him following a serious traffic accident, fatally hitting him 10 times. The police were called by a startled woman after Ferrell banged on the door of her home seeking help at 2:30 that morning.

            Officer Kerrick, who has been with the CMPD since March 2010, was charged with voluntary manslaughter, a felony, after a criminal and departmental investigation determined that he used excessive force in the incident.

            Investigators did consult with the Mecklenburg District Attorney Office before charging Kerrick. Prosecutors will review the case, however, before taking it to a grand jury for indictments.

            WBT-TV in Charlotte reports that Kerrick was briefly disciplined, suspended for a day, last December by the police dept., but it is not known what for. Before becoming a Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer, Kerrick reportedly worked as an animal control officer, the TV station reported.

            Sources told WSOC-TV that video from a patrol car dashcam clearly showed not only showed that Ferrell was unarmed, but even hiked his pants to show he had no weapons.

            Ferrell’s fatal shooting took place out of camera range.

            “You took a piece of my heart that I can never put back,” Ferrell’s grieving mother, Georgia Ferrell, told reporters Monday while clutching her son’s favorite Winnie the Pooh stuffed animal from his early childhood.

            She said she never thought she would ever have to bury her son.

            Attorney Chris Chestnut, the Florida-based lawyer representing the Ferrell family, acknowledged the speed with which the Charlotte Police Dept. charged one of its own with manslaughter, but he still raised questions about police training, and how Ferrell being an African-American may have played a role in the tragic outcome.

            “The officer is white [and] Mr. Ferrell is black,” attorney Chestnut told reporters. “This might be more of a reflection of where we are as a country.”

            According to published accounts, three CMPD police officers answered the “breaking and entering” 911 call that the woman, whose home Ferrell repeatedly knocked on the door on, made in fear after his car ran off the road, crashing into some trees.

            On Tuesday, CMPD made that 17-minute 911 call public, and its clear that the woman, who tells the police dispatcher that she has a “sleeping child “ in the home, believes that Ferrell is trying to break in because of his constant pounding.

            As the officers reportedly approached Ferrell on Reedy Creek Road, he ran towards them, apparently gratified to see that help had arrived.

            The story becomes murky then, because one officer allegedly shot Ferrell with a taser, which did not work, followed then by Kerrick discharging his weapon 12 times, hitting Ferrell ten times, bringing him down.

            Kerrick was the only one to fire his sidearm.

            "The evidence revealed that Mr. Ferrell did advance on Officer Kerrick and the investigation showed that the subsequent shooting of Mr. Ferrell was excessive," Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police said in a statement Saturday. "Our investigation has shown that Officer Kerrick did not have a lawful right to discharge his weapon during this encounter. "

            A police incident report reveals that Kerrick alleged that he was “assaulted,” though it doesn’t state by whom, and had “minor injuries.” He refused medical treatment, however.

            All three CMPD officers involved have been placed on paid leave.

            There have been six other killings by CMPD officers just this year.

            Officer Kerrick turned himself in to authorities after he was charged. He is free on $50,000 bond.

            Jonathan Ferrell played safety for the FAMU Rattlers in 2009 and 2010. His family called him a “good” young man who had moved to North Carolina in February to start a new life. He worked two jobs and was engaged to be married. He had no criminal record in North Carolina, and a 2011 misdemeanor charge in Florida had been dismissed.

            Had he lived, Ferrell would have turned 25 in October.

            Georgia Ferrell said while she forgave Kerrick for killing her son, she felt he needed to now leave law enforcement.

            "I truly forgive him. I pray for him,” Mrs. Ferrell told reporters. “And I pray that he gets off the police force."

            Attorney Chestnut was noncommittal on whether the Ferrell family would be suing the Charlotte Police Dept.

            On Tuesday, Officer Kerrick, 27, was scheduled to make his first court appearance on the voluntary manslaughter charge, but did not attend. Instead, attorneys with the  Fraternal Order of Police appeared on behalf of the officer, saying that when all of the evidence is considered, the court and the public will see that Kerick “did nothing wrong.”

            In fact one of Kerrick’s attorneys, Michael Greene, an African-American, told reporters afterwards that the officer’s actions “were justified.”

            The Ferrell family attorney, Chris Chestnut, said that he did see the video from the CMPD patrol car dashcam. Based on what he saw, he says, the charge should be raised to murder.

            “That is murder, cold blooded, badge no badge, that’s murder,” attorney Chestnut said after he, and the Ferrell family, viewed the video.

            He said for them, “It is completely devastating.”

            Kerrick’s next court date is Oct. 7th for a probable cause hearing. That’s when it will be clearer whether prosecutors intended to stay with the voluntary manslaughter charge, raise it to murder, or dismiss the charge altogether.

            At presstime Tuesday, funeral arrangements for Jonathan Ferrell, most likely to be in Florida, had not yet been announced.

                                                            -30-

             

 STATE NEWS BRIEFS 9-19-13

WILMINGTON HOUSING AUTHORITY CEO FIRED AFTER DWI CHARGE

            [WILMINGTON] Twice was not a charm for Wilmington Housing Authority CEO Michael Krause, who was fired Sept. 12^th by the WHA Board of Commissioners after his second arrest since 2009 for alleged driving under the influence. “This decision was very difficult,” Board Chairman Jeffrey Hovis told reporters,’… and our objective is to best serve our staff, residents and our community.” Krause had been with WHA since 2008. He is credited with spearheading renovations to a number of public housing projects. Krause, who was paid $142,000 annually, was given three months severance. G.Vernice Hamilton has been appointed interim WHA CEO.

NORTH CAROLINA GETS $6.1 MILLION IN FEDERAL FUNDING FOR KINDERGARTEN ENTRY ASSESSMENTS

            [WASH. DC] North Carolina is one of three states to be awarded a combined $15.1 million in Enhanced Assessment Grants (EAG), which can be used to improve the quality, validity and reliability of North Carolina’s kindergarten formative assessment system by measuring student academic achievement through various assessment instruments. North Carolina receives $6.1 million of the EAG, while Maryland and Texas share the rest. The EAG program is administered by the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education.

STATE SENATOR ASKS US ATTORNEY GENERAL TO PROBE NEW VOTER LAWS

            [CHARLOTTE]  Yet another Democratic North Carolina elected official has formally asked US Attorney General Eric Holder to looking into the constitutionality of the Republican-led General Assembly’s new voter restrictions, signed into law by Gov. Pat McCrory. State Sen. Malcolm Graham [D-Mecklenburg] wrote Holder this week, saying, “It’s a clear attempt at voter suppression, and it will disproportionately impact students, minorities, the poor and senior citizens. I urge you to come to North Carolina now and stop this law from taking our state backward. We should be approving laws that encourage every American to vote – not make it more difficult.” Sen. Graham joins fellow Democrats US Sen. Kay Hagen and US Rep. G. K. Butterfield in asking Holder to weigh in. The new restrictions include photo voter ID, slashing the one stop earlier voting period, and eliminating “Souls to the Polls” Sunday voting. Republicans say the changes were necessary to root out alleged voter fraud that there was very little evidence of.

                                                            -30-

            

TRIANGLE NEWS BRIEFS 9-19-13

FAYETTEVILLE WOMAN AMONG NAVY YARD SHOOTING DEATHS
           Among the twelve victims fatally shot Monday at the Washington D.C US Navy Yard was Mary DeLorenzo Knight of Fayetteville, published reports say and the FBI has confirmed. Knight was an information technology contractor who worked in the same building where 34-year-old Aaron Alexis, a mentally-ill ex-Navy reservist, allegedly went on a shooting rampage, before DC Metro police brought him down. Ms. Knight also taught at Northern Virginia Community College. Monday's mass shooting was the deadliest on a military installation since the tragedy at Fort Hood, texas in 2009.

“MORAL MONDAY 18” DEMONSTRATION AT GOVERNOR’S MANSION

            Over 200 protesters from the NCNAACP College and Youth Division demonstrated at the Governor’s Mansion Monday afternoon, opposing education cuts and voter restrictions he signed into law from the Republican-led General Assembly. The group also commemorated the 50^th anniversary of the bombing of the 16^th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala. , where a bomb planted by a white supremacist explode, killing four little black girls.. Rev. William Barber, president of the NC NAACP, said Monday’s demonstration was in memory of those girls, and that their blood help to pay for the voting rights of future generations. Caskets were carried during the demonstration as part of the commemoration.

DUKE CANCER INSTITUTE SPONSORS FREE MEN’S HEALTH CLINIC SEPT. 21 & 22

            With prostate cancer so prevalent in African-American men, health experts say it helps to catch it early for effective treatment. The Duke University Cancer Institute is sponsoring a free men’s clinic this Saturday, Sept. 21^st, and Sunday, Sept. 22^nd, to help black males identify if they have prostate cancer, as well as diabetes and high blood pressure. There will be no blood tests or prostate exams. Saturday’s clinic will be held at the Lincoln Community Health Center, 1301 Fayetteville Street in Durham from 8 a.m. to 12 noon. Parking is free and call Awanya Caear at 919-956-4029 for more information there.

            Sunday’s free men’s clinic will; be held at Duke Clinic 2C, 2^nd Floor, 40 Duke Medicine Circle, in Durham. There is free parking at the Trent Drive Garage. Call 919-684-0409 for more information.

                                                            -30-