China

May 7 2013

Trade hub and tourist destination for Chinese

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa will visit Beijing, China, later this month to tout Los Angeles as a trade hub and tourist destination, and to attract Chinese investment to the city.

Villaraigosa will be accompanied by harbor, airport and tourism officials from May 26-29 as he meets with Chinese government officials and businesses.

The Port of Los Angeles and Los Angeles World Airports will foot the bill for the $80,000 trip, using non-taxpayer funds, officials said.

May 24 2012

University plans to fight lawsuit by victims’ families

Two men suspected in the shooting deaths of two USC graduate students from China during a botched robbery were charged Tuesday with capital murder.

Bryan Barnes, 20, and Javier Bolden, 19, will be arraigned on June 25. They are charged with the April 11 killings of Ming Qu and Ying Wu, both 23.

The electrical engineering students were attacked while they sat in Qu’s double-parked, 2003

BMW in the 2700 block of Raymond Avenue, not far from the USC campus, during a downpour.

Apr 19 2012

Killer(s) of two Chinese engineering students sought

 The city of Los Angeles Tuesday, April 17, added $75,000 to reward money offered for information leading to whoever killed two USC graduate students from China.

Reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in last Wednesday’s shooting deaths of Ying Wu and Ming Qu, both 23, now stands at $200,000.

City Councilman Bernard Parks, a former police chief whose 8th Council District includes the area around USC, sponsored the reward.

Oct 24 2011

Build Your Dreams

LOS ANGELES, Calif.—Chinese automaker BYD opened its North American headquarters downtown today, marking a victory for Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s full-court press to get new businesses to locate in the city.

BYD, which stands for Build Your Dreams, makes electric and hybrid cars.

It also manufactures solar power systems, rechargeable batteries and LED lights.

Sep 2 2011

Sept. 8

LOS ANGELES, Calif.—For the second year, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa asked Angelenos to open their wallets for one night—next Thursday—to support the city’s fashion industry and give the city a small boost in sales tax revenue.

Villaraigosa said he is putting city resources behind “Fashion’s Night Out” on Sept. 8 from 6-10 p.m.
The global event to celebrate fashion and spur consumer spending will also take place in 17 other countries, including China, India, and Brazil.

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.