Author Archives: Merdies Hayes

Posted inLocal Politics

Summer concert lineups set

by Merdies Hayes

The Antelope Valley is among the southland’s most warm and inviting locales for outdoor music. This summer, the BLVD in downtown Lancaster will present a variety of acts as part of the Sierra Toyota Summer Concert Series co-sponsored by BeX Bar and Grill.
The weekly music festival begins at 6 p.m. June 15 with Queen Nation, a tribute band to the late Freddy Mercury and Queen. Look for renditions of your favorite Queen songs such as “Somebody to Love,” “Killer Queen” and “Crazy Little Thing Called Love.”

Posted inCovers

Early athletics can provide children with many important life lessons

by Merdies Hayes

In Ancient Greece, Aristotle promoted the benefits of a “sound mind and a sound body.” That correlation is true today, especially for young people. Allowing your children to participate in youth sports is an outstanding opportunity to explore and develop lifelong skills. Youth sports not only play an important role in exercise, but can promote mental and psychological advantages that will serve them well.

Posted inLocal Politics

Jordan Downs plan underway

by Merdies Hayes

The long anticipated redevelopment of the Jordan Downs housing project got underway this week with Mayor Eric Garcetti and Councilman Joe Buscaino proclaiming a turning point for Watts.
The $1 billion plan seeks to convert the 700-unit site into a mixed-use, mixed-income neighborhood of 1,410 units with 160,000 square feet retail space, nine acres of green space and a new recreation center.

Posted inCovers

Fun reading during summer break can improve child’s classroom work

by Merdies Hayes

Summer reading can provide a wealth of help to any student returning to school in the fall. Every school district nationwide and their partners with the city library will agree that students who pick up three to four books during the months-long break will be better prepared academically, when they return to school.
The Palmdale Library has been an advocate of summer reading for many years, and will conduct a “Reading By Design” program through July 29.

Posted inCovers

Mental illness is still an issue that causes silent suffering

by Merdies Hayes

About one in five American adults—roughly 43.8 million people—will experience some form of mental illness in any given year. As Mental Health Awareness Month winds down, the statistics are startling regarding how pervasive the many aspects of mental illness can be.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) reports that approximately one in 25 adults (9.8 million people) will experience a serious mental illness this year that substantially interferes with one or more major life activities. About one in five youth ages 13 to 18 years are projected to experience a severe mental disorder at some point in their life. Possibly more stunning is that 16 million Americans have had at least one major depressive episode—including a suicide attempt—in the past year.

Posted inEntertainment

‘Beast Side’ provides rare look into peril of American ghetto

by Merdies Hayes

The latest in a series of short books about the peril of the inner city has the literary world talking. D. Watkins’ “The Beast Side: Living and Dying While Black in America” (Skyhorse Publishing, New York, New York, 2016) takes the reader on a brief but informative tour of not only the author’s hometown of East Baltimore, Md., but maintains a “dispatch” style of writing that uncovers both the inflicted and self-inflicted wounds of Black youth.

Posted inLocal Politics

LED lights may bring savings

by Merdies Hayes

It was about one year ago when Lancaster began a project to improve both traffic and pedestrian safety and reduce operational expenses. The first step was to acquire new streetlights from Southern California Edison (SCE) and begin converting them from high-pressure sodium (HPS) lighting to light emitting diode, commonly known as LED lighting.

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