Los Angeles

Jan 10 2009

Pilot program allows a bigger voice at City Hall

Under a pilot program approved Tuesday, Los Angeles Neighborhood Councils (LANC) would be able to hand up motions or resolutions to the City Council.

The two-year program would allow the 89 LANCs to introduce three motions and/or resolutions per year, of which must be seconded by another LANC before being filed with the City Clerk’s office for inclusion on an agenda.

The program will come before full City Council for a vote next Tuesday.
 

Cynthia E. Griffin-  |   OW Managing Editor
Jan 10 2009

African Americans numbers nearly double national total

The national unemployment rate inched up .03 percentage points to five percent in December compared to 4.4 percent a year earlier.

The rate for African Americans was nine percent, up .06 percentage points over November, and .07 points above the same time last year.

The nation-wide figure reflects some 7.7 million people without jobs plus another 363,000 so-called discouraged workers—people who are outside the labor force and or no longer searching for work because they believe their job hunting efforts would be unsuccessful.

Jan 10 2009

Founder/co-owner of Catalina Bar & Grill mourned

On January 5, Bob Popescu, founder and co-owner of Catalina Bar & Grill Jazz Club, died at home of a heart attack. Bob, who always operated behind the scenes and out of the limelight, was instrumental in the conception and development of the Tasty Tuesdays series at the club. He helped launch and nurture countless music careers. On behalf of the entire Tasty Tuesday family, we share our grief with everyone whose life Bob touched.

The funeral will be held Thursday at 1 p.m. at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, 6000 Santa Monica Blvd. (at Gordon) in Hollywood.

Jan 10 2009

Jason Lewis

TV anchor apologizes for “Lynch Tiger Woods” remark
Golf channel anchor Kelly Tilghman has apologized for comments that she made a week ago. Tilghman said that any golfer trying to test Tiger Woods might have to “lynch him in a back alley.”

Mark Steinberg, Woods’ agent, issued a statement saying that “This story is a non-issue,” and that “Tiger and Kelly are great friends and Tiger has a great deal of respect for Kelly.”

Jan 8 2009

Urges ‘urgent’ adoption of countywide violence reduction strategy

Los Angeles, CA – Describing the public safety concerns about gang violence in his district as “urgent,” Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas Tuesday urged approval of the County’s long-awaited plan to deal with gang violence.

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.