By Kelsey Davis

BATON ROUGE - This weekend is Louisiana’s 200th anniversary. Cities across the state are celebrating in differ-ent ways, but the big party is right here in the Capitol City. “Happy birthday Louisiana. Get off the couch! Come on out and celebrate,” said Lt. Gen. Russel Honore.

Hundreds of people de-scended on the State Capitol’s grounds to kick off the state’s bicentennial weekend.

“This is really a celebration of everything great Louisiana,” said Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne. “We have booths from all over the state, food from all over the state, music from all over the state and it’s a great celebration. We have people from, literally, every nook and cranny of Louisiana.”

Chefs from across the Bayou State brought out favorites like jambalaya and catfish. Artists wowed the crowd with their paintings and creative wood-work. And what’s a Louisiana party without music and gators? Lt. Gov. Dardenne says his office has been planning this week-end’s festivities for quite some time now. He says he’s excited to see that their hard work has paid off and to have a great time in honor of our great state.

“There is no place in the country and, arguably, no place in the world like Louisiana be-cause of our diverse culture and our unique history and our pas-sion for so many things,” said Lt. Gov. Dardenne.

Lt. Gen. Honore says our state’s bicentennial should not only be a celebration of the his-tory and culture of Louisiana, but it should also be a time for reflection.

“As we look to the past where we’ve come from, take stock of where we are, we know where we have to go. We have to continue to improve educa-tion, continue to take care of our people and continue to end poverty in Louisiana,” said Lt. Gen. Honore.

INDEXLocal & State ...........................2Commentary ............................4Business ...................................5Religion ...................................6Health ......................................7Sports ......................................8

State & LocaL NewS buSiNeSS NewS HeaLtH NewS

cLaSSified Buying or selling a service, looking for for a good job? Check out the classifeds .

doug wiLLiamS footbaLL cLiNic The 31st annual BREC’s Doug Williams Football Clinic will be held Saturday, May 12, from 8 a.m. to noon at BREC’s Olympia Stadium, 7211 Perkins Road. The clinic is free for kids ages 6 to 18, and is open to the public....See Page 3

uS oiL StockS Hit 22-Year HigHCrude-oil futures prices dropped 0.9% Wednesday as U.S. crude-oil inventories rose to their highest lev-els since September 1990. Analysts said the market isn’t fully reflecting the weak oil supply-demand funda-mentals ..See Page 5

LouiSiaNa’S air QuaLitYThe American Lung Association’s State of the Air report was released today and demonstrates the im-provement in air quality throughout Louisiana. Several cities were listed as cleanest in the nation for particle pollution...See Page 7

On April 23, 2012 Miracle Place Church hosted the Area 8 competition Where Ashanti Witherspoon won first place in the International Speech Division and in the Evaluation..See Page 6

toaStmaSterS competitioN SportS NewSAngeles Clippers general manager Neil Olshey always knew he had to make that trade for Chris Paul. Olshey was sitting in the stands, and the noise was so deafening it reminded him of Pittsburgh Steelers games in the 1970s ..See Page 8

THEWEEKLYPRESS.COM Celebrating 36 Years Of Service To The Baton Rouge Community 225.775.2002

THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012 a people’s publication Vol. 36 • No. 50 • FRee

b a t o n r o u g e , l o u i s i a n a

Louisiana celebrates 200th anniversary

The Official Louisiana Postal Stamp.

BATON ROUGE -- State Sen. Karen Carter Peterson, D-New Orleans, a vocal critic of Republican Party policies and Gov. Bobby Jindal’s ad-ministration, ousted Lake Charles businessman Buddy Leach on Saturday to become chairwoman of the state Dem-ocratic Party.

Peterson is the first woman and the second Af-rican-American to lead the state party.

Orleans Parish Clerk of Criminal District Court Arthur Morrell was elected Democratic national commit-teeman, occupying a seat on the national party’s governing board. Deborah Langhoff of New Orleans was elected na-tional committeewoman.

Peterson defeated Leach 85-75, with 50 members of the 210-member Democratic State

Central Committee, the group that runs the state party, ab-sent or not voting.

Leach was elected chair-man without opposition in January 2010. A deep-pockets donor to Democratic causes,

karen carter peterson ousts buddy Leach as Leader of Louisiana democratic party

Sen. Karen Carter Peterson

John S. Wilson, Jr., the Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Historical Black Colleges and Universities, will be the com-mencement speaker at South-ern University’s spring 2012 graduation ceremony May 18 in the F.G. Clark Activity Center.

The event begins at 10:30 a.m.

As executive director, Wilson partners the White House, 32 federal agencies, private and philanthropic entities to work to assist 105 HBCUs across the country.

white House official on Hbcu initiative is Spring 2012 commencement Speaker

BATON ROUGE— A groundbreaking ceremony cel-ebrating two new town home developments in North Baton Rouge was held Thursday, April 12th, on the site of the 42-unit Autumn Place, which is situ-ated between the 5600 blocks of McClelland and Hollywood Streets.

Construction of Autumn Place and Willow Creek, also a 42-unit town home develop-ment to be built at the former site of Hospital Plaza Apart-ments on Quida Mae Drive, are both scheduled for completion December 2012. Willow Creek is located behind Earl K. Long Hospital.

“These town home com-munities are in highly devel-oped urban areas,” said Richard Murray, chief executive officer

of the East Baton Rouge Parish Housing Authority (EBRPHA), “which means convenient ac-cess to interstate and highway travel, as well as shopping centers, schools, churches and bus routes,” he added. “The sites will be landscaped with indigenous Louisiana plants and include a community cen-ter, playgrounds and walking paths in an effort to create safe, close-knit communities.”

The Autumn Place de-velopment is located on a pie-shaped wedge of 4.550 acres on the site of the former Colonial Courts Apartments. Both apart-ment complexes were demol-ished in January 2012. Willow Creek is on a 4.555-acre site.

The two, three and four bedroom town homes have an open floor plan with a laundry

area and first floor half baths. At least 20 percent of the construc-tion materials will be manufac-tured locally and 25 percent will

partners for progress, inc., ebr parish Housing authority partner on New town Home developments

Mark Goodson, EBR Redevelop-ment Authority Pastor Guevara

Johnson, Interdenominational Faith Assembly Brenda Evans, Louisiana

Housing Finance Agency Ronnie Edwards, Councilwoman, District 5 Tonia Dunn, Member, EBRP Hous-

ing Authority Dr. Barbara Carpenter, Chair, EBRP Housing Authority

Richard L. Murray, CEO, EBRP Housing Authority Morise

Duffin, COO, Partners for Prog-ress, Inc. Dr. Ernie Hughes, Chair, Partners for Progress, Inc. Cheryl

Williams, HUD Rick Miller, National Development of America William

Callihan, Capital One Bank

See partner, on page 2

See speaker, on page 3

See peterson, on page 2

John S. Wilson, JrPhoto by James Terry III

Page 2 • The Weekly Press • Thursday, May 3, 2012

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state & LocaL

BATON ROUGE – The Alpha Kappa Alpha Soror-ity, Inc., Nu Gamma Omega Chapter will host a Leadership Forum, the theme is “Position-ing the Community for the Next Steps in Leadership”.

Panelist for the event include: State Senator Sharon Weston–Broome; Ascension Parish Assistant Superinten-dent A. Denise Graves; State Representative Ted James, and East Baton Rouge Parish School System General Counsel Do-moine Rutledge.

On Saturday, May 19,

2012 from 9:00 a.m. -11:00 a.m. at the Nu Gamma Omega Chapter Sorority Building located at1747 Main Street.

The event is free and open to the public. Registration be-gins at 8:30 a.m. RSVP your attendance to prettynpink91@gmail.com no later than May 12, 2012. Voter registration will be available.

For more information, please contact Gina Domingue the Ivy Leaf Reporter for Nu Gamma Omega Chapter at

225-270-5700 or by e-mail at gdomin1@yahoo.com.

Leadership Forum Sponsored by Alpha Kappa Alpha, Sorority, Inc Tesa Middlebrook, age 17

August of 2009, the Centre as

we knew it changed forever.March of 2012, the Centre as

we knew it changed forever.She came in with her

mother. Tesa was less that 85

pounds. Her mother wasn’t much more.

Tesa stood and smiled. Her mother, Tarsha, sat to catch her breath.

It was apparent this mother was not well.

Tesa was one of many students waiting to register that day.

Her mother did not view her as one of many.

Tarsha Middlebrook, had come with a purpose that day and it had nothing to do with the obvious illness taking her life. She was there for one reason and one reason only…to make sure we knew what an amazing child was among us. She gasped between sentences, but the mo-mentum continued to grow.

“Tesa, play the piano. Show them how you taught yourself…Tesa, look there’s some paper. Show them how you can draw….Have you guys read her poetry? … Tesa, let them read your poetry…”

There was no doubt. This was no gloating pageant mom. This was a mother with limited time to prove to the world her baby was going places. There would be no discussion of brain tumors or the recent move from Nebraska, that day. The topic was her daughter and what did this mother need to do to make sure she was taken care of.

In less than one week, Tesa was a part of the CFTA family. Soon, people would comment on how the Centre ever existed without her. Tesa did not wait to be assigned a job as a student worker. She needed no orienta-

tion to begin what she saw as her mission at the Centre. She required no nametag and did not if ask if the job she choose to do was necessary. In fact, Tesa’s “work” between classes went unnoticed until a staff member overheard her as she approached a little girl waiting nervously on the bench.

“Excuse me. Stand up,” she said.

The, now even more ner-vous, young girl stood.

“Yep, you are tiny too. We should be friends.”

Lack of similarities did not stop Tesa from being successful in her self appointed position. This became apparent when a new teen began at the Centre.

“Wow, you are really tall,” Tesa said as she walked up to him.

She reached up, hugged him, and said, “Yep. We should be friends.”

The more amazing part of her job came after the introduc-tion and declaration of friend-ship. Tesa meant what she said. Once nervous newcomers could for weeks and even months be seen scanning the lobby for their good friend, Tesa.

Tesa would get dropped off at the Centre on the bus. She could often be heard convincing her Uncle Mike to come back a little later so she could stay a while longer. Some may think it was for the meal donated by someone in the community or perhaps to just hang out and relax. The truth was, Tesa could find both good food and relaxing company at her home. Moments after Uncle Mike agreed to come back, Tesa could be found color-ing with a nervous 5 year old waiting for class, or encouraging a quiet teen to talk about their day.

When asked to describe Tesa, her fellow CFTA classmates describe her as a leader, confi-

dent, outgoing, and constantly reaching out to others. It was not until one of her mother’s many visits, that the truth about how amazing this teen was became apparent. Tarsha revealed that although the confident and out-going leader was truly the Tesa she had always known, this was not the Tesa that could be seen daily at her new school.

As it became more appar-ent that Tarsha’s days were com-ing to a close, we began one of the most intimate walks with a stu-dent we had ever taken. As this strong and wise mother began to prepare her daughter for her inevitable death, she also began to prepare those who loved Tesa most how to help Tesa continue, after she was gone. Although Tesa was deeply sorrowed by the death of her mother, the prepa-rations Tarsha had taken eased her daughter’s pain.

In August of 2011, nearly 3 months after her mother’s death, Tesa began her final year of high school. She began her senior year with a determination even stronger than before. Final deci-sions were made about colleges. Scholarships were awarded and Tesa began to see a light at the end of the tunnel.

Normal after school discus-sions, which still centered around Tesa’s struggles with bullies at school, began to take on a new hope. Now, she added a count-down to her plan of endurance. There was an end in sight and Tesa had no doubt she would make it. Her artwork, music, and writing even began to show the triumph over those that had tried to hold her back.

Tesa had successfully built a support system of friends at the Centre and church family at New Life. She had planned for her future and had taken the neces-sary steps to make that dream a reality. Her school days were numbered, her tickets needed for showcase had been counted, and her final trip with her youth group around the corner.

On Thursday, March 1st around 8:00pm Tesa left CFTA for the last time. None of her friends said good-bye. None of the staff held her just a little longer. No one gave her artwork to bring home or asked for her music books to be returned. In fact, everyone laughed as Tesa joked on her way out the door.

Less than 18 hours later, little did CFTA know, but the Centre had changed forever.

On Monday, March 5, 2012, a little girl walked into the Cen-tre. She had been a student for nearly 6 years; yet rarely spoke in front of others. She saw the photo board of Tesa and said loud enough for everyone to hear, “That’s the girl that just told me…’Everyone has a voice. I’d sure like to hear yours.’”

In the words of Tesa’s grandmother, Ms. Joann, “Thank you to everyone who has helped both Tesa’s Family and the CFTA Family through the loss of our daughter.”

Please contact Marco Ramirez at the Centre for the Arts at 210.296.6940 or at marco@centreforthearts.org for any ad-ditional information.

“Everyone Has A Voice, I’d Sure Like To Hear Yours”

Are  you  experiencing:  

Pain

Swelling

Redness

Hardness  Under  the  Skin

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Pus

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If  you  have  two  or  more  of  these  issues,  you  may  be    eligible  to  participate  in  a  research  study.    

 

For more information on this skin infection clinical study, contact:

Horizon Research Group, LLC

(225) 767-2750

Treat  your    

The Louisiana House of Representatives Ways & Means Committee passed HB 1106, without opposition, which will allow taxpayers a tax rebate for donations made to certain public schools.

This bill will support pub-lic school and has a 10 million dollar statewide cap. The bill, when amended in committee, will offer the following tax re-bates for those who donate to public schools for the purpose

of tutorial, curriculum, books, technology, Saturday school, etc.:

25% Tax Rebate for dona-tions to a “C” school

50% Tax Rebate for dona-tions to a “D” school

75% Tax Rebate for dona-tions to a “F” school

If you should have any other questions, please contact my legislative office at (318) 362-5123 or by e-mail at jacksonk@legis.la.gov.

Rep. Jackson’s Bill to Allow a Rebate to Taxpayers Making Donations

contain recycled content. The town homes are

being developed by National Development of America—Centerpointe Regional Housing Development of Baton Rouge 1.LLC, under the auspices of Partners for Progress, Incor-porated, (PFP), the affordable housing development group under the Housing Authority.

The East Baton Rouge Parish Housing Authority was awarded a $750,000.00 low-in-come housing tax credit alloca-tion for each project, distributed through the Louisiana Housing Finance Agency (LHFA). Fund-ing was made available for the projects by The U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Devel-

opment (HUD), the Louisiana Housing Finance Agency, Capi-tal One Bank, Hudson Housing Capital, the East Baton Rouge Parish Redevelopment Author-ity, and the Affordable Housing Program.

Construction is by Na-tional Development Builders, Incorporated, (NDB) and the town home a local office of NDC Real Estate Management will manage communities. Watts Didier & Associates, AIA, and SJB Engineering designed the town homes.

For more information, contact Morise Duffin, chief operating officer of Partners for Progress, Inc., at 923-8100, ext. 2005.

Partner from page 1

Leach replaced Chris Whit-tington, who stepped aside in December 2009 to devote more time to his law practice.

The 78-year-old Leach is-sued a written statement after his defeat, saying: “Today’s changing of the guard is a re-minder that I represent an older generation of Louisiana Demo-crats who believe that interest groups should all work together under the same Democratic tent and that campaigns should be based on factual informa-tion.”

Leach added, “I realize the demographics have shifted to a younger generation, and I hope they succeed in their efforts.”

He promised to “con-tinue to support the ideals of

the Democratic Party and the re-election campaign of Presi-dent Obama.”

Peterson, 42, thanked Leach for his service, calling him “a stalwart of the party. He has been an incredible human and financial resource. I look for-ward to working with him.”

She said she will not have to resign her Senate seat to chair the party and its central com-mittee. Several other states have elected officials leading their state parties, she said, although it is a novelty for Louisiana.

Peterson said she wants to emphasize more party activity at the local level.

“It is about grass roots

Peterson from page 1

See peterson, on page 3

Thursday, May 3, 2012 • The Weekly Press • Page 3

Registration now available.

Alsen Park, ages 6-12June 4-July 27

$36 per week for in-parish residents only

Greenwood Community Park “Base Camp Greenwood” Adventure Camp

June 11-July 13Fee varies by age and session.

For more information, call 225-272-9200, ext. 400or visit brec.org/summercamp.

myCamp2012 BREC SUMMER CAMPS

T H O U G H T FOR THE WEEK: Is life full of problems of disobedience or con-nections? Wilson

IT’S NATIONAL PRAYER DAY THIS THURSDAY and our community needs prayer time daily, but this week is a good time to come together. Thanks to the local organizers of this event and to those who are also at prayer for the events that affect this community. Especially do we want to pray for the govern-ment (local, state and national) of which we live and serve? It is imperative that we pray -- and not faint!

THANKS TO THE COM-MITTEES that organized Cinco De Mayo day. It is not our cul-ture or background, but learning about other cultures is healthy for all of us. We can relate in the best possible way when we know more about them and their cultures. It does not hurt to know.

SUPPORTERS OF AUTISM AWARENESS had a lot to rejoice about during Autism Month in April. Many, many agencies have taken this cause in order that the community’s show of support continues. Thanks to all who sponsored events to edu-cate people on this disease and support awareness?

DRINKING AND DRIV-ING DURING PROM EVENTS (or any other time for that mat-ter) has been known to cause many casualties. Let the youth be aware that it is not a laughing matter to engage in riotous liv-ing and not suffer consequences. Love yourself; love others. Do the following:

· Make a pledge with your friends that you will help each other avoid alcohol and other drugs. Leave the party when this happens.

· If a friend, or some-one you know, has passed out from drinking too much alcohol, turn the person on his or her side and call 911 or your local emergency number for help Too much alcohol can cause the cen-tral nervous system, which con-trols breathing, to shut down. Death can result.

· Don’t ride with some-one who has been drinking. Call a taxi, your parents, or another relative or friend for a ride.

· Encourage someone you think has a drinking prob-

lem to get help. Go with them to Alcohol-ics Anonymous meet-ings or to meet with a counselor.

· Suggest that members of any club or youth group you belong to organize an anti-drinking project-an alcohol-free post -prom, graduation, or New Year’s Eve

party.· Make a presentation to

you school’s PTA meeting about how teachers and parents can realistically help kids avoid drugs and alcohol.

· Ask for help if someone is pressuring you to try alcohol or other drugs. Talk to someone you trust.

LEST WE FORGET THAT APRIL was Child Abuse Preven-tion Month. It was good to see all the hoopla that came with it. One of the good things of the community was the one-mile fun run for all and the 5k fun races for many for all the pro-ceeds went to the advocacy. All of this is to promote awareness and help advocacy services. Thanks to the social workers for their help.

LOUISIANA’S 200 ANNI-VERSARY is being celebrated state wide with all the activities and history lessons. Look out for the singing, dancing and the many stories of how our state was founded, why we have parishes instead of counties, the black governor, the black mayor, the Indians, etc.

ANGEL AWARD NOMI-NATIONS end on Friday of this week. This is a firm deadline for any nominations that you may have for any one born in Louisiana and goes beyond the call of duty to make the state or their community better. The award carries with it a huge sti-pend of $20, 000 and this is in the form of grant money. Call Blue Cross and Blue Shield for more info or go on line for the contest rules.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Melvin Joseph Brown, Monique Hawkins, Brenetta Rankins, and in loving memory of Bernice Parker on her birthday.

WITH LOVE AND SYM-PATHY to the family of the late Cleo Brown who was laid to rest earlier in the week.

HAVE A VERY BLESSED WEEKEND!

I love you, Marge

marge's Chit Chat

MargeLawrence

Researchers from the SU AgCenter provide Hibiscus Tea, a plant high in antioxidants as part of a taste test during Southern University Day at the Capitol. Go to wwwmsuagcenter.com for more information.

Annual Day at the Capitol

Photo by Christopher J. Rogers

BATON ROUGE - The 31st annual BREC’s Doug Williams Football Clinic will be held Satur-day, May 12, from 8 a.m. to noon at BREC’s Olympia Stadium, 7211 Perkins Road.

The clinic is free for kids ages 6 to 18, and is open to the public. The clinic instructors will teach fundamentals and techniques of the game along with speed and agility drills.

Doug Williams was MVP of Super Bowl XXII while playing with the Washington Redskins. He was the head football coach at Grambling State University from 1998-2002. He joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a Personnel Executive and Director of Profes-sional Scouting. In February 2011, Williams returned to Grambling where he is presently serving as their head football coach.

For more information, call Ashton Hawkins at 225-272-9200, 402 or visit brec.org.

It is the BREC mission to provide parks and recreational opportunities for all the residents of East Baton Rouge Parish.

BREC Hosts 31st Annual Doug Williams Football Clinic at BREC’s Olympia Stadium

Doug Williams Football Clinic

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the CDC Foundation have recognized Bonnie Hughes of Shreveport as one of its first CDC Childhood Immunization Cham-pions. The award acknowledges individuals who have made im-munization successes possible in their communities. In this inau-gural year, Hughes is one of 39 champions around the country being honored for their efforts as immunization advocates.

Hughes currently serves as Director of the WK Career Institute and Project Neigh-borHealth for Willis-Knighton Health System in Shreveport. She was nominated and selected from a large pool of health care professionals, coalition members, parents, and other immunization leaders as having made a signifi-cant contribution to public health in Louisiana through her work in childhood immunization.

“Health champions like Bonnie Hughes protect Loui-siana’s children by stopping deadly diseases in their tracks through vaccination,” said Bruce D. Greenstein, Secretary for the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals. “It is important that everyone owns their own health, and every parent has a responsibility to guard their children’s health through proper and timely immunizations.”

Hughes has been an im-munization advocate since 1991, when she helped coordinate the first “Back to School Bash” for the Shots for Tots program. She then served as chairman of the state’s Shots for Tots program for 3 years and was instrumental in developing the first immuniza-tion registry in Louisiana. This registry tool provided the state with a template for the Louisiana Infant Immunization Network for Kids Statewide (LINKS), which now serves as the state-wide Immunization Registry.

“These Champion awards honor community leaders on the front lines who are ensur-ing that all children are vacci-nated,” said Dr. Howard K. Koh,

Assistant Secretary for Health, U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. “As a former state commissioner of public health, I know that state and local commitment inspires the nation, protects children and saves lives.”

“I am honored to receive this award since childhood-immunization has been my focus for the past 20 years,” said Bonnie Hughes. “One of the first assignments I was given at Willis-Knighton was a Back-to-School Bash for Shots for Tots and I have been hooked ever since,” said Hughes. “We are always looking for ways

to improve our immunization rates throughout the state and I think we have all done a great job. But there is still work to be done and I continue to welcome the challenge.”

Department of Health and Hospitals strives to pro-tect and promote health state-wide and to ensure access to medical, preventive and reha-bilitative services for all state citizens. To learn more about DHH, visit http://www.dhh.louisiana.gov. For up-to-date health information, news and emergency updates, follow DHH’s blog, Twitter account and Facebook.

Louisiana Shots for Tots Pioneer Receives Prestigious National Award

party building,” said Peterson, a major force in Obama’s Loui-siana campaign in 2008.

She said she wants to have a strong party in place not only for the fall presidential and congressional races, but also to start working for the re-election of U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu and “the election of a Democrat to the governor’s mansion” in 2016.

“We feel like working-class people are under siege,” Peterson said. “It is about working-class people who are hurting right now. ... It is about the flawed policies of the Republican Party.”

In the Legislature, Peterson has questioned the benefits of tax breaks given to some businesses and has been a vocal advocate for better schools and health care for the poor. As chairwoman of the Legislative Women’s Caucus, she has also pushed issues that would help women and children.

Peterson and Leach said the party’s top priorities this fall are re-electing Obama and holding onto the 2nd Congressional Dis-trict seat of U.S. Rep. Cedric Rich-mond, D-New Orleans, which now runs from the New Orleans area to Baton Rouge. Landrieu and Richmond are the only Dem-ocrats in the state’s nine-member Washington delegation, soon to be pared to eight by congressional redistricting.

Other priorities, they said, are trying to unseat 4th District U.S. Rep. John Fleming, R-Min-den, and to win the newly drawn 3rd District, which may pit two

incumbent Republicans -- U.S. Reps. Charles Boustany, R-Lafayette, and Jeff Landry, R-New Iberia, against each other. Boustany and Landry now represent separate parts of southwest and coastal Lou-isiana, but redistricting threw them into the same district.

Peterson said she also wants to get more voters to register as Democrats and to improve election-day turnout efforts for the party.

Other party officers elected Saturday include: Shane Riddle of Breaux Bridge, first vice chairman; Arlanda Williams of Houma, second vice chairman; and state Rep. Wesley Bishop, D-New Orleans, third vice chairman.

Ed Anderson can be reached at eanderson@timespicayune.com or 225.342.5810.

Peterson from page 2

Wilson received his bach-elor’s degree from Morehouse College, a master’s of Theological Studies from Harvard University and both a master’s and doctoral in administration, planning and social policy from Harvard Uni-versity.

sPeaker from page 1

By GeorGe e. CurryNNPA Columnist

The Department of Agri-culture recently issued a report showing that food stamps, one of the nation’s largest safety net programs, is also one of the most effective. Food stamps were responsible for reducing the prevalence of poverty by an annual average of 4.4 percent from 2000 to 2009, according to the report, Alleviating Poverty in the United States: The Critical Role of SNAP Benefits.

SNAP, an acronym for Sup-plemental Nutrition Assistance Program, was formerly called the Food Stamps Program.

According to the study, SNAP’s antipoverty effect was strongest in 2009 when benefits were increased under President Obama’s stimulus package, also known as the American Recov-ery and Reinvestment Act. That year, SNAP befits reduced the poverty rate by nearly 8 percent and the depth of child poverty by 20.9 percent.

That’s startling news. It’s also news you may have easily missed.

Media Matters, the watch-dog group, reported that a week after the release of the study on April 9, no broadcast TV outlet

had mentioned the study. And only one cable news network – Al Sharpton’s “Politics Na-tion” on MSNBC – mentioned the report.

“New evidence that food stamps help to drastically re-duce poverty has been largely ignored by the media, even as the right pursues a campaign to bully those who face food insecurity into silence and help conservatives slash funding for successful antipoverty mea-sures,” Media Matters stated.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has tried to demean President Obama by repeatedly labeling him “the most successful food stamp president in American history.” Gingrich continued to make that charge even after a couple of fact-checking sites pointed out that more people received food stamps under President George W. Bush than President Obama.

As Media Matters noted, “In fact, the U.S. Department of Agriculture began taking steps to ‘ensure that all eligible peo-ple, particularly seniors, legal immigrants and the working poor, are aware and have access to the benefits they need and deserve’ long before Obama took office.”

The attacks on food stamps recipients extend beyond poli-tics. Some of it has been nasty and deeply personal.

Charles Payne, appear-ing in a Fox News business segment, acknowledged that anti-poverty programs, food stamps and unemployment in-surance were “good programs” and then promptly proceeded to viciously attack recipients of those programs.

“I think the real narrative here, though, is that people aren’t embarrassed by it,” Payne said. “People aren’t ashamed by it. In other words, there was a time when people were embar-rassed to be on food stamps; there was a time when people were embarrassed to be on un-employment for six months, let alone demanding to be on for more than two years…”

That’s an insult to more than 46 million people who are on food stamps because they desperately need them. Approximately 85 percent of SNAP households have gross incomes below the poverty line, defined as $22,000 for a family of four. And the benefits average only $1.50 per meal, a figure scheduled to drop to $1.30 per meal in November of next year.

Media Matters says con-servatives are trying to bully society’s most vulnerable mem-bers.

“By bullying into silence those who would talk openly about their experiences with successful anti-poverty pro-grams – and whitewashing studies proving these programs to be effective – the media cre-ate an environment conducive to eviscerating the safety net,” the media monitoring group stated.

And that’s exactly what the Republican majority in the House of Representatives is already doing.

“The House Agriculture Committee, which the House-approved budget requires to quickly produce $33 billion in savings over the next decade, approved a proposal that would obtain the entire amount from cuts to the Supplemental Nu-trition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps,” said the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. “The cuts – which would come on top of another proposal in the House budget to cut SNAP by $133 billion over the next decade and convert it to a block grant –

By MarC H. MorialNNPA Columnist

“Diverse democracies depend on diverse people who know and re-spect each other.” – John Payton

Over the past century, the most powerful force behind America’s on-going struggle for equality has been an out-standing group of civil rights attorneys. Imagine where we would be today without lawyers like Charles Hamilton Hous-ton – “the man who killed Jim Crow” — or his protégé, Su-preme Court Justice, Thurgood Marshall, who in 1940 founded the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund (LDF). For over 70 years, LDF has been Ameri-ca’s first and foremost civil and human rights law firm. During that time, the organization has had just six leaders: Thurgood Marshall, Jack Greenberg, Ju-lius Chambers, Elaine Jones, Ted Shaw and the LDF’s sixth

President and Director-Counsel, John Payton who passed away last week at the age of 65.

Whether he was defend-ing affirmative action before the United States Supreme Court or leading the fight to reauthorize the Voting Rights Act, John Payton was one of the most brilliant and fearless civil rights champions of our genera-tion. A graduate of Pomona Col-lege and Harvard Law School, Payton’s commitment to civil rights led him from a career at WilmerHale, one of Wash-ington, DC’s most prestigious law firms, to his leadership of LDF beginning in 2008. It was at WilmerHale that Payton laid the foundation as a great civil rights attorney.

According to a statement on the firm’s website, “Begin-ning in 1997, he led the firm’s representation of the University of Michigan—from the district

By BenjaMin F. CHavis, jr.NNPA Columnist

For more than 45 million Black Americans, there are many issues that unite or divide us. Undoubtedly, the issue of reparations for African people in general and in particular for Black Americans is an issue began as a divisive topic but now receives support from a board cross-section of Blacks in America.

Of course, there are some who wanted to table a national discussion of reparations in the aftermath of the election of President Barack H. Obama. Yet, there were many others who have argued that now is the most propitious time to ac-celerate the national dialogue about reparations because there is a “brother” in the White House.

This is a pivotal year be-cause of the November elec-tions. Any issue that is related to race will be used by those who oppose to President Obama. The goal of conservatives is to po-larize American voters to vote their racial prejudice instead of voting their conscience about the future of the nation as an inclusive participatory democ-racy.

Given the recent polar-

ization around the calls for equal justice and fairness in the Trayvon Martin killing, it would be naïve to think that race will not play a factor in the upcoming elections. The truth is race is just not a prob-lem that crept onto the national scene accidentally. Race has been a social, economic, and political problem in America for more than 200 years. This is nothing new. What is new, however, is how the victims of racism see themselves, and how the perpetrators of racism view themselves.

Fortunately, renowned legal scholars such as Har-vard’s Charles Ogletree and others have articulated a ra-tional defense for reparations, which would be therapeutic not only for Black Americans, but also for all Americans.

I have consistently sup-ported the call and the demand for reparations that go beyond whatever monetary compensa-tion. Reparations are also about “repairing the damage” that was done to millions of Afri-can people, not just in America, but in the Caribbean, Central and South America, in Africa and throughout the rest of the world.

The United Nations is slowly working on establishing

a permanent memorial to the victims of the infamous trans-Atlantic slave trade. In Wash-ington, D.C., the construction of the African American Museum has begun. The United States Senate has issued an “apology” for slavery. And in my home state of North Carolina, Gov. Bev Perdue has just called for the state to spend $10.3 mil-lion in “reparations” to the victims of a vicious eugenics state program that sterilized thousands of people against their will. Most of those who were unjustly and savagely sterilized were Black. Again, no amount of money could ever justify or rectify that awful and callous past. Still, Gov. Perdue’s actions are the right steps at the right time. Healing is a long term process. It takes time. The perpetrators of racism need a “repairing” of their minds and hearts.

It is interesting to note that even amid a recovering of the American economy from the threshold of severe economic ruin, billions of dollars are being spent by candidates and campaigns for political office throughout the U.S. like they have unlimited money-trees to spend without reservation or limitation. The point here is so much of the “old money” and

ingrained wealth of the nation came directly from the system-atic economic exploitation of African people during 500 years of slavery and post-slavery institution-building. That is why it will take a tremendous calculation to determine a full accounting of the financial and human toll of the slave trade and its aftermath. Harper ’s magazine did a study that concluded that the U.S. owes Black Americans more than $100 trillion in reparations. It is probably more than that.

This may not be the perfect time to raise this issue. Judg-ing by the past, there is never a perfect time. Today is as good as any time. Let’s work harder on the issue of reparations. We can begin by supporting the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America (NCOBRA), which will hold its national convention in Philadel-phia, June 22-24. Reparations for Black Americans should be supported by all Americans.

Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. is president of the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network (HSAN) and Edu-cation Online Services Corporation and serves as the national director of Occupy the Dream and can be reached at drbenjamin.chavis@gmail.com

CommentaryThursday, May 3, 2012 • The Weekly Press • Page 4

Media Ignores Success of Food Stamps

The views expressed in the editiorial columns are not necessarily the veiws of The Weekly Press or its staff. Address all opinions and comments to: Letters to the Editior, P.O. Box 74485 Baton Rouge, La. 70874 or E-mail them to: theweeklypress@yahoo.com

By WilliaM jones

Some years ago I offered the idea of going to smaller buses during off peek hours for the CATS bus system. For me, it is difficult to determine what are the peek hours for the CATS bus system be-cause I see the buses during what I would think as peek hours running with only three or four people aboard.

The answer that was given to me was that it cost the same amount of money to operate the larger and smaller buses alike. That brings me to the law en-forcement community. Because they have been using the SUV’s in their fleet and I know that they are not saving any money with these vehicles being contracted

out rather than purchasing them out right. As long as we have empty buses rolling through the Baton Rouge community we are indeed wasting money.

Now, that the tax amendment has been passed, I hope a “Watch Dog Committee” is formed to oversee the CATS’ board spending. And I hope the money is

not spent on higher administra-tive cost.

Personally, the only things that will keep our bus system roll-ing smoothly is by increasing the rider ship, expanding it routes, and expand the time schedule of the buses.

I say that if new waters are not discovered Baton Rouge will end up in the same shape in due time.

That is the way I see it.

Consolidate School Buses and CATS Routes

The Time is Right for Reparations

By lee H. HaMilton

The role of money in politics

needs to be better understood. Does it make the political system work better, or is it a problem — and if so, how much of one?

Most voters are convinced that campaign contributions buy results, as poll after poll over the years has shown. About half think that members of Congress are cor-rupt. Many say we have the best Congress money can buy. And they certainly don’t like the huge amounts of money that are pour-ing into the system.

Yet the view looks very dif-ferent when it comes to those most closely involved in the system. Most members of Congress find the chase after campaign contri-butions annoying, but they don’t believe it is corrupting. They don’t believe that they’re selling their votes or that money influences their behavior. Look a member of Congress in the eye and he will tell you, in all sincerity, that he can’t be bought. I never met a politician who thought he was corruptible.

The lobbyists who provide so much campaign cash make the same argument. Most lobbyists are hard working, honorable,

well-informed experts in their particular fields. They do not, with the occasional rare excep-tion, go around bribing members of Congress — I can speak only for myself, but in all my years in Con-gress only once did I get an offer I considered improper, and that came from a foreign national.

This is not to say that lobby-ists don’t seek influence, however. They do, and money helps. One way they establish good relations with members of Congress is by providing campaign money to those who agree with their posi-tions or to the opponents of those who disagree. In this way they help shape and reinforce a mem-ber’s views and what he does. There is nothing nefarious about this: if as a freshman member of Congress I cast a few votes in favor of, say, free trade, the lob-bying community will pick up on this quickly and I’ll suddenly find myself getting contributions from those with an interest in free trade.

In this way, lobbyists help to set the political agenda. By sup-porting members who advocate their views, they inevitably make it more attractive to members to do

Is Money a Problem in Politics? Depends on Where You Sit

The Way I See IT

See stamps, on page 7

See money, on page 5

To Be equal

Civil Rights Community Mourns the Loss of John Payton

See payton, on page 7

WilliamJones

Thursday, May 3, 2012 • The Weekly Press • Page 5

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just that — support their views. On the large issues, of course, lobbyists sometimes cancel each other out. So the influence of the lobbyist declines the bigger the issue is. But on the small matters that are their bread and butter — an obscure tax change or a shift in the regulatory code that will help their clients or a bill the public has little interest in — they may well have the field to themselves.

So this is the essential co-nundrum of political money: Americans as a whole believe it’s pernicious, but those who are closest to the system do not. Some say we just need to get money out of politics, but I see no way this can be done. That is why many reform advocates favor finding ways to reduce the impact of money in the system, say by requiring broadcasters to devote a certain amount of air time to free campaign advertis-ing. Others, including myself, favor public financing of cam-paigns, as a way of reducing the role of campaign contributions in politics. I don’t believe either proposal stands much chance of enactment anytime soon.

So we should instead

focus on the most troubling aspect of the system. Money may not usually be corrupting, but it does provide donors and lobbyists with disproportion-ate influence — sometimes in support of the common good, but often not. It diminishes the power and the role of ordinary voters.

While most voters can’t hope to compete with all the money coming from deep-pocketed donors, they can do their own bit to tilt things back in their own direction by remain-ing engaged in the process — let-ting their member of Congress know what they think, becom-ing involved in organizations that represent and amplify their views, and joining together with like-minded Americans to make sure their voices get heard. It takes time and hard work, but these are tools available to every American no matter how mod-est their means.

Lee Hamilton is Director of the Center on Congress at Indiana University. He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for 34 years.

Money from page 4

BATON ROUGE - The state’s largest farm organization is backing a bill in the Louisiana Legislature that would allow both landowners and the oil and gas industry to mediate cleanup issues created by years of drilling on private lands.

Sen. Bret Allain, R-Frank-lin, introduced substitute lan-guage to Senate Bill 731 that would allow farmers and land-owners to have their property returned to pre-drilling con-ditions, while drillers and oil companies would not be held liable for pollution issues they did not have a direct hand in creating. The so-called “legacy cases,” pollution issues dating back decades as a result of con-ditions created by multiple drillers, have been tied up in the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources` Office of Conservation for years.

The bill was approved by the Senate Natural Resources Committee and now goes to the full Senate for debate.

“The bill allows them (oil companies) to do an omission of regulatory responsibility, with-out admitting private damage,

provides for public hearings at the department (of Natural Resources) upon their admis-sion and makes the process of the public hearing admissible in a court of law,” Allain said.

Allain, a farmer and land-owner, said his family farm has experienced issue over the years involving pollutants left behind by drilling companies, or con-ditions that, while considered “cleaned up,” didn’t meet some state Department of Environ-mental Quality standards.

“Farmers have expressed to me their concerns over the years about these kinds of issues,” Allain said. “If the (cleanup plan) program that DNR comes up with fits within the regulatory standards that provides for the oil and gas in-dustry to clean up these sites, then there’s no need for over-sight because they’re in com-pliance with the (current) law. The problem comes in when variances are granted. They’re often granted to allow lower standards. These sites need complete cleanup of all pol-

Farm Bureau Backs Landowner Cleanup Bill

See bill, on page 7

NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--Crude-oil futures prices dropped 0.9% Wednesday as U.S. crude-oil inventories rose to their highest levels since September 1990.

Analysts said the market isn’t fully reflecting the weak oil supply-demand fundamentals as it awaits further signs on the direction of the U.S. economy.

“We shook some of the weaker ‘longs’ out of the market, but some of the new ‘longs’ may hold their guns if the U.S. econ-omy is starting to strengthen,” said Gene McGillian, broker and analyst at Tradition Energy. He was referring to investors who have been buying crude-oil fu-tures in recent days, anticipating that an improving economy will spark oil-demand growth and boost prices.

“The market is not taking direction from fundamentals, clearly,” he said, referring to the relatively muted price reaction to bloated inventories in the world’s biggest oil consumer.

Light, sweet crude oil for June delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange settled 94 cents, or 0.9%, lower at $105.22 a barrel. The contract had settled at a one-month high of $106.16 a barrel a day earlier.

“Until there are signs that the U.S. economy is going south or that all of Europe is in recession, we’ll see some buoyancy,” McGil-lian said. “For now, the market is avoiding the fundamentals, but I don’t think it can do that for very long.”

U.S. crude-oil inventories rose by a higher-than-expected 2.8 million barrels in the week ended April 27 and now stand at the 19th highest level on record since the Energy Information Administration began tracking weekly inventories in August 1982. The last time crude-oil stocks were higher than they currently are, Nymex crude oil was near $30 a barrel, up from the low $20s just weeks earlier before Saddam Hussein sent Iraqi troops into Kuwait.

Inventories at Cushing, Okla., the delivery point for the Nymex contract, hit a record high near 43 million barrels last week, having climbed 11.5% over the past six weeks. Companies have been rushing oil to Cush-ing ahead of the reversal of the Seaway Pipeline later this month, which will allow the crude oil to flow from landlocked and hard-to-access storage in Midwest to the key Gulf Coast refining re-gion.

The Gulf Coast will then have the advantage of more domestic crude oils being able to compete with higher-priced international crude oils, such as North Sea Brent, the European benchmark. ICE Brent futures have fallen about $7 a barrel in recent weeks in anticipation of the coming competition.

The record-high Cushing level features in the Midwest regional crude-oil stocks that are at their highest since May 2011.

Gulf Coast crude-oil inventories also are at a one-year high, near 185 million barrels and about 15 million barrels below their re-cord high near 200 million barrels set three years ago. Stocks in the Rocky Mountains area were at the highest level since June 2010 and 8.2% above a year ago.

The rising inventories are due in part to increased domes-tic production. EIA data show crude-oil output of 6.121 million barrels a day last week, up 8.9%,

or about 500,000 barrels a day, above a year ago and the most since November 1999. Year-to-date crude-oil output is up 5.7%, or 315,000 barrels a day, from the same period in 2011.

The EIA said gasoline stocks nationwide dropped by two mil-lion barrels, more than the ex-pected 900,000-barrel decline. Distillate stocks--diesel fuel and heating oil--fell 1.9 million barrels, far more than the 300,000-barrel fall that was expected.

Meantime, gasoline inven-tories on the East Coast remain above year-ago levels, despite being the lowest since Novem-ber 2011. In the Northeast, stocks of 31.5 million barrels are 15.6% above a year ago, even as worries persistent about the impact of refinery closures and potential shutdowns on supply.

“Stocks are holding up fairly well even with the refinery out-ages and such,” said EIA analyst James Beck. “We’re higher than we were last year at this time.”

Nymex June reformulated gasoline blendstock futures fell 2.14 cents to settle at $3.0757 a gallon, the lowest level since Feb. 21. June heating-oil futures settled 3.46 cents lower, at $3.1425 a gallon.

OIL FUTURES: Crude Drops As US Oil Stocks Hit 22-Year High

Page 6 • The Weekly Press • Thursday, May 3, 2012

Call Walter for Details TODAY! 225.775.2002. Ask about internet radio broadcast specials.

The Baton Rouge Weekly Press Church Directory is a great place to let the com-munity know about your church!

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BATON ROUGE – On Sat-urday, May 5, 2012 the Star Hill Church and Straight from the Heart Ministry will host their Annual Living an Abun-dant Life Conference from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. This confer-ence will be held at 1400 North Foster Drive.

This conference is plac-ing emphasis on prayer, faith relationship, the program highlight Morning Glory,

Straight Talk, and Drama, cli-maxing with spoken word.

Participating pastors are as follows: Raymond Jetson, Melissa Dunn, Issac Hamilton, Marlon Webb, Milton Coats, Darlene Moore and Merthell Sanders along with other ministers will be attending the conference.

For more information, please contact the church at 225-925-3133.

Annual Living an Abundant Life Conference

By SuSan WitherSpoon

On April 23, 2012 Miracle Place Church hosted the Area 8th competition where Ashanti Witherspoon won first place in the International Speech Di-vision and in the Evaluation Division. Jimmy Wells, also of the Miracle Place Toastmasters came in second. Both competed again on Saturday, April 28, 2012, where they squared off

against representatives of the GSU and Downtown Toast-masters. The competition was held at the Jones Creek Library. The winners will moved on the District 68 competition, which will be held in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

Toastmasters Interna-tional is organizations that exists in over 125 countries around the world and is geared toward helping people

develop to become effective communicators and leaders. Twice a year competitions are held around the world where its members compete in speech contests, with the best of the best meet in a des-ignated location for the final standoff.

For more information on Toastmasters visit www.toastmasters.org, or call Glenn Boyette at 225-978-9598.

From l to r standing: Mark Thompson, Gregory Nero, Daniel Boyette, Marie Davis, and Patricia Noble. (Seated l to r) Glenn Boyette, Jimmy Wells, Shameka Holliday, Davis Breaux and Ashanti Witherspoon.

Miracle Place Church Holds Toastmasters Competition

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Viewing: 8:00 AM until services begin

Service time: 10:00 AMNew St. Luke B.C. 538 South Blvd.

Baton Rouge, LA 70802Eulogy: Bishop Joseph

Armstrong, Pastor

By DonalD lee With the divorce rate ---

roughly 50 percent of marriages in the United States --- continuing to threaten the family unit, we must do everything we can to reverse the abysmal pattern many homes are falling into.

The best way to combat this epidemic is to lay down the foun-dation for a wholesome home by sharing the biblically based, yet practical, principles that lead to changed attitudes toward self and relationships. And it is for this reason that I am teaming up with a fellow Christian author, Dr. Aimee (pronounced I-may) Colbert, to host the Christian Couples Conference in the north Fort Worth suburb of Haltom City on July 7.

“The purpose of the confer-ence is to help each individual, married or not, to increase his or her emotional intelligence and self-awareness,” says Colbert, an evangelist, faith-based coun-selor and author of the upcoming book “Reality Check: Relation-ships”.

“I hope that attendees come to a better understanding of themselves, get answers and go forward with a passion to change and a new perspective on love.”

The conference will be at Grace Church, 4740 Western

Conference To Reinforce Positive Self-Worth, A Key Element In Strong Love Connections

See conference, on page 8

For a decade now, Veda Brown’s BlackGospelPromo.com marketing e-blasts have served as one of the most ef-fective and popular online marketing methods to reach the black gospel consumer. They reach nearly 200,000 people daily and advertise everything from Tyler Perry movies to Marvin Sapp’s CDs.

For a few years now, Brown has had the desire to create a compilation CD of gospel songs to market via her firm and now the time has finally come. “I’ve been wanting to do this for years,” says Brown, who is based in Philadelphia, PA. “So many of my friends

Habakkuk Music And Blackgospelpromo.Com Partner For New Gospel CD Series

See cd series, on page 7

BATON ROUGE – There will be a tent revival at 3538 Plank Road, which is next to Istrouma Mattress Factory from May 14th through May 18th, 2012 starting a 7:00 p.m.

nightly. Reverend Donald Britton will be the host pas-tor.

For more information, please contact Reverend Don-ald Britton at 225-235-6955.

Gospel Unlimited Ministries to Hold Big Tent Revival

Thursday, May 3, 2012 • The Weekly Press • Page 7

health

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cally pointed out that changes which occur in a human being is redirected to pull from the core of his own humanity to reaffirm self worth and purpose. he will then by nature acquire the will to do for himself and others.

Space is not available to cover concerns of so many people

concerned with the conditions at Jetson. it is happening there. What i do know is that most of these youth can be changed, from contrition in a prepatory school for Angola to rehabilitation for a positive life that may lead to a life of meritorious glory. That is the Way I See It!

SyStem from page 4

all funny or remotely appropri-ate about the use of a lynching reference about Michelle obama,’’ he said. ‘’it’s - i’m speechless.’’

As President Bush pointed out so eloquently during the Black history Month event, the noose represents ‘’more than a tool of murder but a tool of intimidation’’ to generations of African-Ameri-cans. Nooses not only robbed some of their lives but many of their peace of mind.

‘’As a civil society, we must understand that noose displays and lynching jokes are deeply offensive. they are wrong. And they have no place in America today,’’ he said.

Neither o’reilly nor ingraham has been reprimanded by their re-spective employers even though the Fox News personality did offer a half-hearted apology.

At least ingraham didn’t drop the l-word but her suggestion that Sharpton, a former presidential candidate and respected member of the African-American community and beyond, is a petty thief reeks of race-baiting and negative ste-reotyping of African-Americans and black men in particular.

But it’s hardly the first time ei-ther has ventured into questionable and offensive territory. how can

we forget o’reilly’s less-than-informed comments regarding a dinner he shared last year with Sharpton at Sylvia’s in harlem? o’reilly expressed surprise over how similarSylvia’s was to other restaurants in New York restau-rants.

‘’there wasn’t one person in Sylvia’s who was screaming, ‘M-Fer, i want more iced tea,’’’ he said.

As the Washington Post’s rob-inson sadly observed on MSNBC in February, ‘’All you can go by is his words and his actions. And he keeps saying these things that sound pretty darn racist to me.’’

has talk radio learned anything from imus’ decline and fall? of course not, because it didn’t take imus too terribly long to get a new gig.

our nation’s media outlets should not provide a platform for racialhostility and hateful speech now or in the future. What kind of messageare we sending to our chil-dren, our nation and our world?

in such an historic election year, we cannot stand aside and allow individuals to use the airwaves as an outlet for insensitive and misguidedcommentary. if you hear something that offends you, speak up.

talk Radio from page 4

ering all children.the CDF Action Council, build-

ing on the best practices in states and lessons learned about children falling through the bureaucratic cracks of Medicaid and SChiP, strongly urged Congress to enact the All healthy Children Act, S. 1564/h.r. 1688, introduced by representative Bobby Scott (D-VA) in the house and Senator Bernie Sanders (i-Vt) in the Sen-ate. the measure would provide comprehensive benefits including dental and mental health, simpli-fied bureaucracy, and a national eligibility plan for families up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level. We thank the 62 house co-sponsors for their support. how-ever, we regret that neither a single house republican nor any other Senator joined them to push for coverage for all children.

the CDF Action Council strongly supports long overdue health cov-erage for everyone in America as soon as possible—because children cannot wait. As SChiP comes up again for reauthorization in early 2009, we hope every Member of Congress will insist on covering every child and pregnant mother now by enacting and adequately funding the provisions of the All healthy Children Act.

Specious claims that we could not find the money—$70 billion over five years—to cover all children is belied by that amount spent in eleven months for tax cuts for the top one percent of richest Americans and in seven months for the iraq War. We do not have a money problem in America: We have a priorities and political will deficit. it is time for all adults to protect the health of our children.

the citizens of the nation must demand that our leaders free our children from the false ideological and political tugs of war among those who put excess profits ahead of children’s lives.

how well did Congress protect children in 2007? Not well enough: 276 Members of Congress had good CDF Action Council Con-gressional Scorecard scores of 80 percent or higher, and 198 of those had stellar scores of 100 percent. But 231 members scored 60 percent or lower—a failing grade from our school days.

Whether Members of Congress are liberal, conservative or mod-erate; Democrat, republican or independent, children need all of them to vote, lobby, speak for and protect them. Adults need to listen carefully to what candidates say they will do for children and fami-lies and, once they are in office, we need to hold them accountable. Please thank your Members of Con-gress with scores of 80 percent or above and let those with scores of 60 percent or below know you are dissatisfied with their performance. And please convey that same mes-sage to each presidential candidate. We must demand that our leaders commit to children as a condition of our vote.

Marian Wright Edelman is Presi-dent of the Children’s Defense Fund and its Action Council whose Leave No Child Behind® mission is to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities.

ChildRen from page 4

(NAPSM)-A survey commissioned by two leading health organizations found that although two out of three African Americans (61 percent) ex-pressed concern about developing heart disease and two out of five (40 percent) expressed concern about developing Alzheimer’s, only about one in 20 are aware that heart health is linked to brain health.

the Alzheimer’s Association is joining forces with the American heart Association to educate African Americans that by managing their cardiovascular risk, they may also strengthen their cognitive health.

“What’s good for your heart is good for your brain,” says Jennifer Manly, Ph.D., Alzheimer’s Associa-tion spokesperson. “every healthy heartbeat pumps about one-fifth of your blood to your brain to carry on the daily processes of thinking, prob-lem solving and remembering.”

“By the year 2030, the number of African Americans age 65 or older is expected to more than double to 6.9 million,” said emil Matarese, M.D., American heart Association spokes-person. “Although Alzheimer’s is not part of normal aging, age is the greatest risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. So it is important that Af-rican Americans take steps now to decrease their risk of heart disease, which research has shown could also decrease the risk of cognitive decline.”

Did You Know?• Compared to the general public,

African Americans have a higher risk of diabetes, high blood pressure and vascular dementia.

• More than 40 percent of African Americans have high blood pres-sure (hBP) and are at risk for stroke, which can lead to greater risk for developing Alzheimer’s or other vascular cognitive dementias.

• every year, more than 100,000 African Americans have a stroke.

• having high cholesterol increases the risk for stroke and may increase the risk for Alzheimer’s.

Manage Your Risks• Watch the numbers. remember

that desirable blood pressure is less than 120/80 mmhg. Keep your body weight in the recommended range and make sure that the total choles-terol is less than 200mg/dL.

• healthy lifestyle choices include staying mentally and physically ac-tive, staying socially involved, reduc-ing your intake of fat and cholesterol and not smoking.

Visit www.alz.org/heartbrain or call the American Stroke Associa-tion, a division of the American heart Association, at (888) 478-7653 or the Alzheimer’s Association at (800) 272-3900 and you’ll receive a bro-chure with heart and brain health information and a free pedometer, while supplies last.

What’s Good For Your Heart Is Good For Your Brain

Research shows a link between heart and brain health, which means impaired heart function could lead to impaired brain function.

apart. You must continue to hold on to your faith and stay before the Lord. But, it may be that the time has come when you may need to take some quality time for yourself and spend some of that time with God.

Get on your knees before God and tell him of how you are feel-ing inside. And maybe the words wont come out exactly as you wish but you can have a good weeping, wailing crying falling, out tantrum and give all those problems to him.

While you are praying, you might forget some of the things that vexed you but God knows what you are going through. he can read the pain, which flows through your tears. even though he knows what’s troubling you, he still wants to tell him about it and bring your problems and burdens to him.

therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hands of God, that he may exalt you in due time, “casting all your cares upon him, for he cares for you,”(1st Peter 5:6-7).

After you finished having your tantrum. You may have a stopped up nose and swollen eyes and mucus running down your lip and dried tears on your face, but you’ll feel better after emptying yourself of those things which had been heavy on your heart.

Sometimes we go for weeks or months trying to take matters into our hands and try to solve our own problems. We are not super humans; we can’t handle every-thing alone. We need God’s help. We have to let go of those situ-ations and let God handle them. there are some things we can’t humanly do anything about.

tantRum from page 6

(NAPSi)-here’s an alert worth paying attention to: According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), learning your risk for type 2 diabetes could save your life.

Diabetes is a serious disease that strikes nearly 21 million children and adults in the U.S. it is named the “silent killer” because one-third of those with the disease--more than 6 million--do not know they have it.

For many, diagnosis may come seven to 10 years after the onset of type 2 diabetes. early diagnosis is critical for successful treatment and can delay or prevent some of the complications such as heart diseases, blindness, kidney disease, stroke and amputation.

that’s one reason the ADA holds the American Diabetes Alert® Day, a one-day wake-up call to inform the American public about the serious-

ness of diabetes, particularly when it is left undiagnosed and untreated. the day is held on the fourth tuesday of every March.

on that day, people are encour-aged to take the Diabetes risk test, either with paper and pencil or online. the risk test requires users to answer seven simple questions about age, weight, lifestyle and family history--all potential risk factors for diabetes. People scoring 10 points or more are at a high risk for type 2 diabetes and are encouraged to talk with a health care professional.

An estimated 54 million Ameri-cans have pre-diabetes. those with pre-diabetes have blood glucose lev-els higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

early intervention via lifestyle changes such as weight loss and

increased physical activity can help delay or prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes.

Among the primary risk factors for type 2 diabetes are being over-weight, sedentary, over the age of 45 and having a family history of diabetes. African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, Asians and Pacific islanders are at an increased risk, as are women who have babies weighing more than 9 pounds at birth.

the Diabetes risk test is avail-

able in english and Spanish by call-ing the ADA at 1-800-DiABeteS (1-800-342-2383) or online at www.diabetes.org/alert.

though the Alert is a one-day call to action, awareness about type 2 diabetes is important anytime of the year, so free Diabetes risk tests are available online and by calling ADA all year long.

A free Diabetes risk test is avail-able all year long to determine the risk for developing type 2 diabetes.

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court through the Supreme Court—in the Gratz and Grutter cases, which hold that public institutions of higher education may consider race as a factor in admissions in order to achieve the educational benefits that flow from having a racially-diverse student body.”

Payton continued his ex-emplary defense of civil rights at Ldf where, in 2010, he won a Supreme Court employment discrimination case on behalf of a group of Chicago African American fire fighters. He also won a Supreme Court victory in Northwest Austin v. Holder, which upheld the constitution-ality of a core provision of the Voting rights Act of 1965.

On a personal note, John Payton was a dear friend and colleague. i had the pleasure of working closely with him on a number of initiatives, including a new effort just underway to develop a collective voice on education among civil rights leaders. He also recently ar-ranged for the National Urban League to sign onto an amicus brief on the Health Care case that will be argued before the Supreme Court beginning this week.

i admired John’s sharp in-tellect and enjoyed the lively talks we had about the law and Supreme Court strategy. He was a seasoned, thoughtful litigator who earned a place alongside great civil rights lawyers like Charles Hamilton Houston and

Thurgood Marshall. Presi-dent Obama called Payton “A true champion of equal-ity who helped protect civil rights in the classroom and at the ballot box.” i will miss his friendship, his partner-ship and his humanity. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, Gay Mcdougall, and his wide circle of family and friends.

Marc H. Morial is the President and CeO of the National Urban League

Payton from page 4

would reduce or eliminate ben-efits for all SNAP households, including the poorest.”

The Center observed, “No other program under the Committee’s jurisdiction would face any cut under the proposal, despite frequent calls for reform of the nation’s farm subsidies – 74 percent of which go to the largest, most profit-able farms…[that] received an average annual government payment of more than $30,000 a year in 2009, while having an average annual household income of over $160,000.”

Those corporate welfare

recipients are the ones who should be ashamed, not peo-ple who are down on their luck through no fault of their own.

George E. Curry, former ed-itor-in-chief of Emerge magazine, is editor-in-chief of the National Newspaper Publishers Associa-tion News Service (NNPA) and editorial director of Heart & Soul magazine. He is a keynote speaker, moderator, and media coach. Curry can be reached through his Web site, www.georgecurry.com. You can also follow him at www.twit-ter.com/currygeorge.

StamPS from page 4

lutants, not just some.”Currently the department

of Natural resources` Office of Conservation has been the landing zone for such cleanup disputes in the past. The office currently has a backlog of 280 such cleanup cases that date back more than a decade.

“Many landowners granted these leases in good faith and hoped their land would be returned in the con-dition it was found,” said ron-nie Anderson, president of the Louisiana farm Bureau fed-eration. “farmer’s and other landowners don’t want these issues to end up in court, but unless this bill is passed these

sites could be in ligation for years and the land unproduc-tive.”

Anderson said the bill also calls for the creation of a multi-jurisdictional oversight committee made up of the de-partment resources, the de-partment of Agriculture and forestry, the department of Health and Hospitals and the department of environmental Quality to review mediation is-sues between landowners and oil companies.

for more information contact: Michael danna at 225-922-6226 or 225-603-0923 for more information.

Bill from page 5

BATON rOUGe – The Amer-ican Lung Association’s State of the Air report was released today and demonstrates the improve-ment in air quality throughout Louisiana. Several cities were listed as cleanest in the nation for particle pollution, known as PM 2.5, with Monroe-Bastrop listed as one of the top seven cleanest cities in the nation for PM 2.5 and ozone combined.

No parishes were listed in the top 25 for most polluted for PM 2.5. However, the Baton rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) was listed as the No. 24 most ozone polluted city. This MSA includes east and West Baton rouge, east and West feli-ciana, St. Helena, Pointe Coupee, Livingston, Ascension, Assump-tion and iberville Parishes. This same area is listed as one of the

cleanest cites for PM 2.5. “The data shows that the

air quality in the state continues to get better,” said deQ Secre-tary Peggy Hatch. “even though the Baton rouge area is listed by the ALA as ozone polluted, the number of actual high ozone days have decreased significantly.”

for the period used in the ALA report, 2008-2010, east Baton rouge parish had 27 orange days, which is unhealthy for sensitive people and no red (unhealthy for all) or purple (very unhealthy). in last year’s ALA report, which consisted of data from 2007-2009, east Baton rouge had 33 orange days and 1 red. That same report had iberville with 30 orange days and 2 red, while in this year’s re-port iberville had 18 orange and 0 red.

Other cities on the 2012 list

include Los Angeles, which was No. 1 on the list, which had 185 orange, 14 red and one purple during that time period; No. 2 Bakersfield, 209 orange, 48 red and 2 purple; and No. 8 Houston, 61 orange, 8 red and 0 purple. The ALA scale has no relationship to ePA air quality standards and with just one orange Air Qual-ity index day, a city will auto-matically get a B with the ALA scale.

“Looking at the numbers, you can see that the number of ozone days on the Air Quality index chart continues to decrease, even though the ePA standards have become stricter during this period,” Hatch said. “in fact, the air quality is the best it has been since the Clean Air Act was en-acted. ePA recognized Louisi-ana for this accomplishment in 2011.”

in 2008, deQ’s ambient air quality monitoring data showed that, for the first time, Ascension, east Baton rouge, iberville, Liv-

ingston, and West Baton rouge Parishes met both the original 1-hour standard as well as the more stringent 1997 8-hour stan-dard. On November 30, 2011, ePA redesignated these parishes as attainment areas with respect to the 1997 ozone NAAQS, effective december 30, 2011. ePA has also recognized the state as meeting the federal air quality standards for PM 2.5.

The Louisiana cities listed as cleanest in the nation for PM 2.5 are: Alexandria; Baton rouge-Pierre Part; Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux; Lafayette-Acadiana; Lake Charles-Jennings; Monroe-Bastrop; and Shreveport-Bossier City-Minden.

Please contact Jean Lock-wood kelly the Public informa-tion Officer with the Louisiana department of environmental Quality at 225-219-3966 or by e-mail at

jean.kelly@la.gov for more information regarding this mat-ter.

American Lung Association Report Shows Improvement In Louisiana’s Air Quality

despite spending more than any other nation in the world on health care, Americans are in-creasingly willing to leave the country for medical treatment, polls suggest.

A Pew research Center poll shows that only 15 percent of Americans believe the nation’s healthcare system is the “best in the world.” Additionally, a Gal-lup poll found that 29 percent of American adults are willing to travel outside the United States for medical treatment.

“Our health-care system is one with competing interests – financial profit versus health and well-being,” says J. Thomas Shaw, author of The rX factor (www.therxfactor.com), a novel dramatizing what many see as a crisis in our health-care system. “Believe me, i am not advocating some sort of communist-based system, but i do think there is a sort of out-in-the-open conspiracy where true medical solutions

are tossed aside in favor of lu-crative prescriptions that treat only symptoms.”

One of the wealthiest people in the country, Steve Jobs, reportedly traveled outside the country for treatment after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The Gallup poll reveals nearly a quarter of Americans are willing to do the same specifically for cancer diagnosis and treatment. experts attribute these high per-centages to a steady increase in health-care costs and the rough estimate that nearly 48 million Americans remain uninsured, according to the kaiser Com-mission on Medicaid and the Uninsured.

“Contrary to myth, the United States does not have the world’s best health care,” says physician Timothy Shaw, no re-lation to J. Thomas Shaw, in a report by HealthreformWatch.

More Americans Willing to Cross Borders for Health Care

See health care, on page 8

in the industry have stepped up and allowed us to use their songs for this project and i’m grateful,” says Brown. “indie labels and artists have become a major force in music so we’ve

selected some of the best indie tracks to create a must-have Cd compilation. “

Habakkuk Music has

CD SerieS from page 6

See cd series, on page 8

Page 8 • The Weekly Press • Thursday, May 3, 2012

Let us put your business in the streetplace your business card before thousands people each week.

sports

com. “We’re No. 1 in health-care spending, but No. 50 in life expectancy, just before Albania. In Japan, people live four years longer than Americans. Cana-dians live three years longer. Forty-three countries have bet-ter infant mortality rates.”

Uninsured Americans are more likely to seek treat-ment abroad than those with coverage – 37 percent versus 22 percent, according to the 2009 Gallup poll.

“In a significant measure, the United States private health system has changed into ‘Big Business,’” says Timothy Shaw, recounting several experiences with fellow doctors. “In some measure the humanitarian em-phasis has eroded.”

J. Thomas Shaw says the debate over health care has be-come a game of politics and money, leaving the “little guy” to suffer.

But he remains optimis-

tic that the nation can create world-class system for all, referencing Thomas Jeffer-son’s appeal for “unalienable rights:” “And for the support of this declaration,” Jeffer-son writes, “… We mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.”

There are no “easy an-swers” to the problem of “Big Pharma,” Shaw says, referring to the nation’s most power-ful pharmaceutical companies. “They are the entities funding most of the research, including that of universities. Research without the interests of “Big Money” would be a good start, perhaps on a grass-roots level.”

Please contact Ginny Grimsley at 727-443-7115 ext 207 or by e-mail at Ginny@newsandexperts.com for more information regarding this issue.

HealtH Care from page 7

Center Blvd., in Haltom City. There’ll be two sessions, one from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the other from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on July 7, which will be on a Sat-urday.

“It’s not only for couples. It’s for couples and anyone seeking to be married some day, and it’s free,” Colbert says of the conference.

The idea is to reinforce the need for individuals to understand themselves, to have a healthy appreciation of their own self-worth and discern whether someone else has the wholesome spirit that is needed to best complement them. Strong relationships are built on wisdom and humility. And they thrive when those entering into them have genu-ine, sincere hearts rooted in the spirit of giving.

When someone ap-proaches a relationship with the mindset of seeing what they can add to that relationship to help make the other person’s life easier, better, that produces a powerful connection, one that reflects the attributes of God. But when someone enters into relationships with a “gimme” attitude, always seeking to make withdrawals from the other person’s heart and rarely (if ever) making deposits, then that not only strains the rela-

tionship, but it gradually tears down the other person.

So, we want to stress that people have a healthy attitude toward themselves. A person can’t be sufficiently good to someone else if he (or she) has a negative view of himself (or herself).

Topics Colbert and I will cover at the conference include: “Twenty Questions You Must Ask Your Mate Before You Get Married”; “Twenty Signs That He/She is Not the One”;

“Are You Addicted to Bad Relationships?” and “Evaluat-ing Your Expectations in Your Relationship,” just to name a few.

The conference will be re-corded on CD and some video. The content will be available following the conference.

“The conference will be very eye-opening,” Colbert says. “Couples and singles should come prepared to learn. They should invite as many people as they possibly can, as we will be sharing information that they will probably never hear anywhere else. This will be a life-changing event in their lives.”

For more information about the free conference, including registration, visit http://www.christiancouple-sconference.com.

ConferenCe from page 6

signed on to release not just one installment but also a series of compilation CDs with BlackGospelPromo.com. The first CD is entitled, Got Gospel? The Best Indie Tracks, Yesterday, Today & Forever. The project hits stores June 5, 2012 and fea-tures this exciting mix of both evergreen and future classics:

1. God is Great - Ricky Dillard and New G

2. Lord, You’re Mighty - Youthful Praise featuring J.J. Hairston

3. I Want To Say Thank You - Lisa Page Brooks

4.Window - Canton Jones

5. No Looking Back - Damita

6. I Give Myself Away - William McDowell

7. You That I Trust - The Rance Allen Group

8. The More I Seek You - Gail Holmes

9. Big -Valencia Lacy & Unquenchable Worshippers

10. Send Your Rain -

Clint Brown featuring Mar-vin Winans

11. Alright - Gerald Scott

12. Mario Winans’ “Over-comer” Remix - Vickie Win-ans

13. Be Like You - Cheneta Jones

14. The Best Time of My Life - Bryan Wilson

The set is the second release in Habakkuk Music’s Got Gospel? Six Sounds of Summer marketing campaign that launches with Cheneta Jones’ debut CD, Transformed, on May 22nd. Other CDs in the summer series include new albums by Clint Brown, Gerald Scott & Company, Lisa Page Brooks and Valen-cia Lacy & Unquenchable Worshippers. To learn more about Habakkuk, visit www.habakkukmusic.com for more information.

Media Contact is Bill Carpenter who can be reached at (202) 506-5051 or by e-mail at carpenterbill@me.com for more information.

CD SerieS from page 7

By AdriAn WojnAroWski

For this night, this moment, this is why Los Angeles Clippers general manager Neil Olshey al-ways knew he had to make that trade for Chris Paul. Olshey was sitting in the stands, and the noise was so deafening it reminded him of Pittsburgh Steelers games in the 1970s with the terrible towels everywhere. This was a biblical beat-down in Memphis, the kind that can demoralize a franchise with the demons connected to these Clippers.

Olshey couldn’t hear his point guard pleading with coach Vinny Del Negro for a chance to return to a fourth-quarter blow-out, but Olshey had come to be-lieve in the power of Paul’s voice. Once the rollicking, rowdy sellout Memphis crowd transformed into a hushed whisper, Olshey could almost hear Paul barking out di-rections on the floor. This is how change sounds, the roar of 20,000 dissolving into the determined, defiant declarations of a franchise point guard.

Finally, the Clippers had a voice.

“Here’s a guy nursing a groin injury that’s limited him in practice time, and he’s not going back into the game to get his numbers or make it look like a more-palatable loss,” Olshey told Yahoo! Sports late Sunday. “Chris doesn’t go back into that game unless he thinks we can win.

“What it proves to every-one else: If Chris Paul still thinks we can win this game, then we still have a chance.”

Somehow, the Clippers did it. From 27 points down in the third quarter, from 21 down in the fourth, against all odds, and all reasonable belief, the Clippers made a hellacious, historic come-back for a 99-98 Game 1 victory. The Clippers scored 28 of the final

31 points in a furious fourth-quar-ter comeback out of nowhere, out of the anger, embarrassment and sheer will of Chris Paul. After six years away from the playoffs and decades as a punch line, the Los Angeles Clippers made a stand Sunday.

[Also: Andrew Bynum reaches new heights with Lak-ers]

Olshey started watching the final minutes from the arena concourse, walking portal to por-tal for peeks of the court. He wan-dered back into the locker room, watched on the video equipment and finally emerged on the floor of the arena to watch the final seconds bleed away on the most improbable victory in franchise history.

What stayed with him on that wild comeback was the way that every one of these Clippers did the job they were asked to do. When they were losing a lot of games last month, everyone tried to do too much. They went outside of themselves.

“Now, Reggie [Evans] is rebounding his face off and Ke-nyon [Martin] is defending and [Eric] Bledsoe is pushing the ball and stopping dribble penetration and Nick Young is making shots,” Olshey said. “Vinny went with the energy guys, and, hey, it’s not always going to be strategic or fundamentally sound, but those guys are going to play for you. But Chris was policing everyone. He made them stay in their lanes, made them do what they do well. And we kept coming.”

Across the final days of the season, the Clippers lost an op-portunity to secure home court. They had to travel to Memphis for Game 1 on Sunday, and hours before tipoff Olshey was talk-ing with team president Andy Roeser, telling him that maybe it wasn’t the worst thing in the

world that this lineup with three starters making playoff debuts would begin away from home. When Game 1 was over, Olshey was sure of it.

“If we had gotten down like this at home, it could’ve killed us for the series,” Olshey said. “Sixty percent of our lineup has never been in the playoffs before, and if you’re down on the road, you don’t have anyone giving up on you in the crowd. You’re in a hostile environment anyway. But now we’ve demystified the playoff process for Blake [Griffin] and DeAndre Jordan and Nick Young. We’ve sped up the process a little bit.”

For so many of these Clip-pers, this season delivered them something they never had in their careers: expectations. As a rookie, the Clippers needed Griffin to be a show, a ticket seller, and he did the job. This year, everything changed. Olshey did a terrific job of surrounding his young stars with excellent role players. Only, Chauncey Billups was lost with an Achilles injury. And then Sun-day night, Caron Butler broke his hand. This is a well-constructed, well-considered team, and Olshey went out of his way to make sure Del Negro had a prominent part in selecting the players.

Perhaps Del Negro’s job has been in jeopardy with own-ership, but several sources say Olshey never considered firing him. He hung in there with Del Negro, the way Del Negro hung in there with this young, develop-ing team. This season isn’t built for overnight successes, and con-sidering everything, a fifth seed in the Western Conference was a significant achievement.

“I’ve watched too many times where a front office brings in its own players, and the coaches aren’t on board and you end up with a separation of church and

state,” Olshey said. “This was always our team.”

When the comeback was complete, the GM didn’t march into the locker room. He never does. It isn’t fair to his coach to come say something when emo-tions are snarling after a loss be-cause those conversations are best at breakfast in the morning, after a night’s sleep. “And so, I’m not going in there to take a victory lap after we’ve won a game either,” Olshey said.

For the Clippers, this game meant so much. They spared themselves a 1-0 hole, the em-barrassment of a blowout loss and the inner doubts that exist when a young team’s never done anything in the playoffs. Well, they did something. They made one of the great comebacks in NBA history, and they did it because Chris Paul’s greatness, his will, declared it possible. That’s why Neil Olshey always knew he had to make that trade with New Orleans for Paul, why it was destined to transform the franchise.

And as the Clippers cel-ebrated in the winning locker room, Neil Olshey marched out the door amongst those loud, wild Grizzlies fans who had suddenly turned so sullen. As the Clippers GM walked around in Memphis, he knew this night would be remembered for that single, solitary voice amidst all that mayhem. Somewhere, some-how, a franchise has to make a stand. Finally.

“Without Chris, we’re not getting there tonight,” Olshey said.

Yes, Neil Olshey knew he had to make that trade for Chris Paul. He just didn’t know how badly until late Sunday, until all hell was breaking loose in Memphis, until no one was laughing at the Los Angeles Clippers anymore.

Chris Paul Gave Clippers Reason To Believe In Historic Comeback Over Grizzlies

Chris Paul

MERIDIAN — The Merid-ian Community College Eagles completed their three-game series sweep of Baton Rouge Community College on Sun-day afternoon 8-4. The Eagles improved to 32-19 overall and closed out the Miss-Lou Conference portion of its

schedule with an 8-4 record. Baton Rouge dropped to 25-29 overall and also closed out its Miss-Lou schedule with a 5-7 record.

Brandon Smith picked up the win for the Eagles by working six innings, while al-lowing three earned runs and

collecting four strikeouts. MCC finished the game

with 10 hits and the Bears had nine in the loss. Tanner Vande-vere led the way for the Eagles with three hits and a pair of RBIs. Ryan Heim added a hit and three RBIs in the game, while Mike Williams added

a solo home run. Charles Morton had a

pair of hits in the victory and former Meridian High stand-out Luke Stanley had a pair of hits and an RBI.

MCC returns to action Tuesday on the road against Mississippi Delta at 2 p.m.

Eagles Finish Off Miss-Lou Series Sweep From School Reports

BATON ROUGE - The Louisiana House has nar-rowly refused to extend an existing tax break given to the New Orleans Hornets that saves the team $3.7 million a year.

The extension proposed by Metairie Rep. Cameron Henry, a Republican, fell four votes short of passage in a 49-46 vote Wednesday.

The NBA team gets a tax break through the state Quality Jobs Program. Henry

proposed continuing that for the length of the Hornets’ new lease with the state, which is set to go through 2024.

Henry says the exten-sion is part of the deal for keeping the team in New Orleans. But critics say the state doesn’t have enough money to continue offering multimillion-dollar tax cred-its to wealthy team owners.

Henry plans to bring the proposal up again for another vote.

Tax Break For The Hornets Fails In La. House

Call 225.775.2002