Shirley Hawkins
Jul 17 2009

Inventor of remote control also serves up tasty barbecue

Who could guess that a chef who serves up tasty barbecue in a strip mall could also be the genius who invented the programmable television controller (remote control) that revolutionized the television industry?

Not only that, but the affable inventor’s early efforts in the ‘70s also led to the precursor of the V-Chip, technology that is used in the television industry to block out violent and objectionable programs that could be seen by young children.

Jul 17 2009

Joe Ella Adkins disappeared Sunday

The family of Joe Ella Adkins is seeking the public’s help to locate their relative, who suffers from Alzheimer’s and high blood pressure.

Adkins, 73, was last seen on Sunday, July 6 around 7:30 p.m. in the 6000 block of South Wilton Place in Los Angeles.

Jul 10 2009

Americans getting kidnapped in Mexico

Americans visiting border states are becoming the targets of violent Mexican kidnapping operations, according to federal agents.

FBI agents said that the kidnapping cells, described as Mexican cartels, are well-financed, organized and violent. One group does the scouting for victims, another carries out the abduction, a third keeps the victim, and a fourth handles the ransom.

Jul 10 2009

National Latino organization launching local chapters

One of the oldest and longest running national Latino and Mexican American political organizations in the country recently endorsed Illinois Sen. Barak Obama as their candidate for the Democratic Party.

“In preparation for the general election in November, the Mexican American Political Association (MAPA) has launched a campaign called ‘MAPA for Obama’ which will allow people to form chapters of MAPA specifically dedicated to the Obama candidacy,” said Nativo Virgil Lopez, MAPA’s national president.

Jun 26 2009

Angels for Sight helps the underprivileged

When it comes to angels, Shay Hamilton could certainly qualify.

Through her Compton-based, non-profit Angels for Sight organization, Hamilton helps deliver the gift of sight to hundreds of underprivileged children and adults by offering eyeglasses at no cost--and the big hearted entrepreneur pays for it out of her own pocket.

As the director of community outreach for the Los Angeles Eye Institute several years ago, Hamilton was struck by how many underprivileged children and adults needed eyeglasses.

Jun 19 2009

Honor Thy Father pays tribute to local dads

Fourteen fathers and their families were honored Sunday at the Proud Bird Restaurant for their roles as exemplary fathers, husbands, and role models.

Denise Estelle, president of Estelle and Associates, who founded the Annual Awards Dinner Ceremony which is in its seventh year, praised the husbands, brothers, uncles and male mentors who are selflessly giving back to their families and communities.

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.