City News Service
Feb 27 2013

Street is the second former group member to die this month

Former Temptations member Richard Street has died, his widow told CNN Entertainment on Wednesday.

The 70-year-old soul and R&B singer died early Wednesday at St. Rose Dominican Hospital in Las Vegas, Cindy Street said.

Richard Street experienced back pain and breathing difficulties Friday. When he went to a hospital, doctors found he had a clot in a lung, she said.

“He was really fighting for his life,” she said. “He’s a fighter.”

Feb 27 2013

Strong claims against Wesson

LOS ANGELES, Calif.—An attorney representing people in three Los Angeles council districts accused city officials today of illegally using race as the basis for redrawing council district lines.

Leo Terrell, who is Black, said the redrawn boundaries were created to strengthen the Black voting bloc in the 10th District represented by Council President Herb Wesson, while carving Koreatown into several different districts, effectively diluting the voting power of the predominantly Asian neighborhood.

Feb 27 2013

Foot pursuits ensued

LOS ANGELES, Calif.—A pair of suspects in a San Bernardino County burglary led authorities on a chase today that hit speeds of more than 100 mph, ending in South Los Angeles, where a female suspect was quickly arrested and a male suspect was arrested after a short search.

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Major Crimes detectives conducting an investigation observed two suspects burglarize a residence in the 2900 block of Olympic View Drive in Chino Hills, Sgt. Rich Peña said.

Feb 27 2013

Panel discussion on improving schools

LOS ANGELES, Calif.—Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa will be joined today by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Mayor Cory Booker of Newark, N.J., in a discussion at the Los Angeles Convention Center on the challenges of urban education reform.

Villaraigosa will also be honored at the United Way of Greater Los Angeles’ 2013 Education Summit for championing education reform. Although the mayor of Los Angeles has no formal role in education, Villaraigosa has made education one of his priorities since taking office in 2005.

Feb 27 2013

Emanuel Alberto Pleitez

CANOGA PARK, Calif.—Emanuel Alberto Pleitez will begin the get-out-the-vote efforts of his campaign for mayor today by starting a six-day, 100-mile running and bicycling trip across Los Angeles.

Pleitez will travel the 15.4 miles from the Canoga Park Community Center to Mestizo Restaurant in Mission Hills today in three hours.

Feb 27 2013

To be acquired by E.Land World

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.—Tennis shoe manufacturer Kswiss Inc. today reported losses for the fourth quarter of 2012 and for the entire year, although they were not as severe as the year before.

The company said in an earnings statement issued from its Westlake Village headquarters that it recorded a net loss of $14.5 million, or 41 cents per diluted share, in the fourth quarter, compared with a loss of $25.1
million, or 71 cents per share, in the previous fourth quarter.

Across Black America

Here’s a look at African American people and issues making headlines throughout the country.
 

Alabama
Freeman A. Hrabowski, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, will address the annual African American Business Council luncheon on June 28. Hrabowski, who is chairman of President Barack Obama’s Advisory Commission on Education Excellence for African Americans, has a national reputation for his work studying the performance of minority students in math and science. Hrabowski, named one of the 10 best college presidents in the country by Time magazine, was a child leader in the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham in the 1960s.
 

Arkansas
The Liberty Counsel filed a motion and a brief in United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas seeking to intervene on behalf of a Concepts of Life crisis pregnancy center to defend against a suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Reproductive Rights. The groups seek to impose a permanent injunction before the Human Heartbeat Protection Act goes into effect July 18. Liberty Counsel also filed a brief opposing the ACLU’s request for an injunction. The “Heartbeat” bill states that when a woman seeks an abortion at or after the 12th week, doctors must test for a fetal heartbeat before an abortion is performed and inform the pregnant mother that the child in her womb has a heartbeat. If a heartbeat is detected, a woman cannot have an abortion, except in cases of rape, incest, and if a mother’s life is in danger. “As we promised when the legislation was introduced, Liberty Counsel will defend this law without reservation for the people of Arkansas, born and pre-born,” said Matt Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel. “No right is more foundational than the right to life. Without life, all other rights are irrelevant,” concluded Staver.