baton rouge weekly press

8
BAYOU CLASSIC INDEX Local & State ...........................2 Business...................................4 Special .....................................5 Religion ...................................6 Health ......................................7 Other .......................................8 THEWEEKLYPRESS.COM Celebrating 34 Years Of Service To The Baton Rouge Community 225.775.2002 STATE & LOCAL NEWS BUSINESS NEWS HEALTH NEWS CLASSIFIED Buying or selling a service, looking for for a good job or a good used car? Check out the classifeds . BR DONATION TO AREA FOOD BANKS A local Baton Rouge group joined the fight against two global epidemics – hunger and obesity – by participating in the Lose For Good campaign. As local Weight Watchers members lose weight, they’ve also been collecting food to donate...See Page 3 IRS TO RETURN $2.4 MILLION The Internal Revenue Service is look- ing for Louisiana and Mississippi taxpayers who are due to receive a combined $2.39 million in the form of 2,445 refund checks that were returned to the IRS by the U.S. Postal Service ...See Page 4 MANAGING YOUR HEART Cardiovascular disease (CVD) claims the life of one American every 37 seconds according to the American Heart Association’s 2009 Heart and Stroke Statistical Update. CVD in- cludes an assortment of diseases ... See Page 7 A member of the Louisiana Army National Guard participated in the “Real Men Read” program at East Iberville School in St. Gabriel, La., Nov. 19.... Page 8 NATIONAL/STATE & COMMUNITY WATCH RELIGION NEWS UpStage Theatre Company’s summer musical Mahalia!, will be presented November 21 at 7 p.m., at the Louisi- ana State Police Academy Auditorium, located at 7901 Independence Blvd.. . See Page 6 THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2009 A PEOPLE’S PUBLICATION Vol. 34 • No. 32 BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY VS GRAMBLING STATE Go Jaguars Special Page 5 Over the past decades three volunteer groups have been created in Baton Rouge to provide an opportunity for employees, retirees and their families to give back to the community: ACE (Ambassadors Committed to Education) Volunteers work with students at a number of area schools to encourage math and science learning through tutoring and hands-on activi- ties. ExC!TE (ExxonMobil Community Involvement Through Employees) Volunteers assist local non-profit organizations with projects to raise funds and/or provide direct ser- vices to the community. EMCOT (ExxonMo- bil Community Outreach Team) Volunteers spend time working in the classroom and with local community groups to improve the qual- ity of life around our north- ernmost facilities. TEAMS (Teachers and Engineers for the Advance- ment of Math and Science) Early-career engineers are paired with area math and science teachers to bring everyday relevance to these subjects in the classroom. Company manage- ment was a driving force be- hind the founding of Junior Achievement in Baton Rouge more than 50 years ago and employees continue to be part of its success today. ExxonMobil has con- sistently been the largest corporate contributor to the Capital Area United Way, providing funding for its 49 health and human services member agencies. Now in its 18th year, ExxonMobil’s “Science Days” at the Louisiana Art & Science Museum brings North Baton Rouge students into the museum each fall, showing them that math and science can not only be fun, but lead to lifelong careers. (The company also funded the ExxonMobil Space The- ater at LASM.) ExxonMobil helped found and has consistently supported North Baton Rouge Neighborhoods United. This group con- sists of local neighbors, businesses and indus- try working together for North Baton Rouge. Annual events include “Trash Bash” ExxonMobil’s Baton Rouge Community Outreach See OUTREACH, on page 3 Louisiana is joining 20 other states in offering the federally-funded Community Living Program through its Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) network to assist individuals who are at risk of nurs- ing home placement, announced the Governor’s Office of Elderly Affairs Director, Dr. Jay Bulot. Dr. Bulot said the state program, titled “Louisiana Answers…for Liv- ing at Home”, will be piloted this year in East and West Baton Rouge, Ascension, East and West Feliciana, Iberville and Pointe Coupee Par- ishes. “Our mission is to help in- dividuals and caregivers find the supports they need to stay at home before they delete their savings,” said Dr. Bulot. With nearly $2 million in fund- ing from the U.S. Administration on Aging, and in collaboration with the Capital Area Agency on Aging, the program targets older adults, adults with disabilities, adults with Alzheimer’s or related dementias and their caregivers. “We help adults who do not qualify for Medicaid remain inde- pendent and find more options for their care,” said Capital Aging and Disability Resource Center Proj- ect Coordinator Tracy Thompson. “When someone is struggling, they need to call us.” According to GOEA, there are as many as 20,000 adults with dementia and more than 66,000 older adults who could utilize the program in the greater Baton Rouge/Florida Parishes area. “We offer a seamless informa- tion, assistance, referral and follow up process,” said Ms. Thompson, Capital ADRC. “Just make the call. We’ll do the rest.” The program also hopes to help educate caregivers of older adults with Alzheimer’s or related demen- tias learn some everyday skills to enhance the good work they are al- Governor’s Office of Elderly Affairs Launches Community Living Program in Baton Rouge Goal is to keep seniors or adults with disabilities at home and independent, says GOEA Director See LIVING PROGRAM, on page 4 BATON ROUGE - Members of Southern University’s Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps are inviting the public to come out and cheer or jog along with them when they conduct their annual State Farm Bayou Clas- sic run from the Baton Rouge campus to the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans. The officers will begin the nearly 100-mile, two-day run at 5:30 a.m. Friday, Nov. 27 at the Felton G. Clark Activity Center and complete the run in time to deliver the game ball before the coin toss at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 28, at the 36th State Farm Bayou Classic pitting Southern against Grambling State University. “The Naval ROTC’s ‘Red Stick’ battalion looks forward each year to the Bayou Classic Spirit and Motivational Run,” said Comdr. Eugene Martin, executive office, Naval ROTC Unit at NROTC Prepare for 100-Mile Run to New Orleans for the Bayou Classic See CLASSIC RUN, on page 2 BATON ROUGE - The community resi- dents attended the Annual Thanksgiving Dinner held at the Jewel Newman Com- munity Center. This year the attendance was great and local and state community leaders were on hand. Metro council Dis- trict #2 member Ulysses “Bones” Addison, Senator Sharon Weston Broome, and Joe Jenkins standing in for Representative Avon Honey, who was unable to attend Annual Thanksgiving Dinner Held at Jewel Newman Community Center THANKSGIVING HAPPY See THANKSGIVING DINNER, on page 2 Southern University’s Naval ROTC’s ‘Red Stick’ battalion runs the game ball into the Louisiana Superdome before the 34th State Farm Bayou Classic in 2007. This year, runners will carry the Bayou Classic game ball nearly 100 miles from Southern’s Baton Rouge campus through six parishes into the Superdome and present it to the head referee just minutes prior to the 1 p.m. kick-off. Pictured from left to right are Carl Slaughter, Senator Sharon Weston-Broome and Metro council member Ulysses Addison standing and Mrs. Mary O. Walker seated who is 107 years old.

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Page 1: Baton Rouge Weekly Press

BAYOU CLASSIC

INDEXLocal & State ...........................2 Business ...................................4Special .....................................5Religion ...................................6Health ......................................7Other .......................................8

THEWEEKLYPRESS.COM Celebrating 34 Years Of Service To The Baton Rouge Community 225.775.2002

STATE & LOCAL NEWS buSiNESS NEWS HEALTH NEWS

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

bR dONATiON TO AREA fOOd bANkSA local Baton Rouge group joined the fight against two global epidemics – hunger and obesity – by participating in the Lose For Good campaign. As local Weight Watchers members lose weight, they’ve also been collecting food to donate...See Page 3

iRS TO RETuRN $2.4 MiLLiONThe Internal Revenue Service is look-ing for Louisiana and Mississippi taxpayers who are due to receive a combined $2.39 million in the form of 2,445 refund checks that were returned to the IRS by the U.S. Postal Service ...See Page 4

MANAgiNg YOuR HEARTCardiovascular disease (CVD) claims the life of one American every 37 seconds according to the American Heart Association’s 2009 Heart and Stroke Statistical Update. CVD in-cludes an assortment of diseases ... See Page 7

A member of the Louisiana Army National Guard participated in the “Real Men Read” program at East Iberville School in St. Gabriel, La., Nov. 19....Page 8

NATiONAL/STATE & COMMuNiTY WATCH RELigiON NEWSUpStage Theatre Company’s summer musical Mahalia!, will be presented November 21 at 7 p.m., at the Louisi-ana State Police Academy Auditorium, located at 7901 Independence Blvd...See Page 6

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2009 a people’s publication Vol. 34 • No. 32

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

S O U t h e r n U n I v e r S I t Y v S G r A m B L I n G S t A t e

Go Jaguars Special Page 5

Over the past decades three volunteer groups have been created in Baton Rouge to provide an opportunity for employees, retirees and their families to give back to the community:

ACE (Ambassadors Committed to Education)

Volunteers work with students at a number of area schools to encourage math and science learning through tutoring and hands-on activi-ties.

ExC!TE (ExxonMobil Community Involvement Through Employees)

Volunteers assist local non-profit organizations with projects to raise funds and/or provide direct ser-vices to the community.

EMCOT (ExxonMo-bil Community Outreach Team)

Volunteers spend time working in the classroom and with local community groups to improve the qual-ity of life around our north-ernmost facilities.

TEAMS (Teachers and Engineers for the Advance-ment of Math and Science)

Early-career engineers are paired with area math and science teachers to bring everyday relevance to these

subjects in the classroom. Company manage-

ment was a driving force be-hind the founding of Junior Achievement in Baton Rouge more than 50 years ago and employees continue to be part of its success today.

ExxonMobil has con-sistently been the largest corporate contributor to the Capital Area United Way, providing funding for its 49 health and human services member agencies.

Now in its 18th year, ExxonMobil ’s “Science Days” at the Louisiana Art & Science Museum brings North Baton Rouge students into the museum each fall, showing them that math and science can not only be fun, but lead to lifelong careers. (The company also funded the ExxonMobil Space The-ater at LASM.)

ExxonMobil helped found and has consistently supported North Baton Rouge Neighborhoods United. This group con-sists of local neighbors, businesses and indus-try working together for North Baton Rouge. Annual events include “Trash Bash”

ExxonMobil’s baton Rouge Community Outreach

See outreach, on page 3

Louisiana is joining 20 other states in offering the federally-funded Community Living Program through its Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) network to assist individuals who are at risk of nurs-ing home placement, announced the Governor’s Office of Elderly Affairs Director, Dr. Jay Bulot.

Dr. Bulot said the state program, titled “Louisiana Answers…for Liv-ing at Home”, will be piloted this year in East and West Baton Rouge, Ascension, East and West Feliciana, Iberville and Pointe Coupee Par-ishes.

“Our mission is to help in-dividuals and caregivers find the supports they need to stay at home before they delete their savings,” said Dr. Bulot.

With nearly $2 million in fund-ing from the U.S. Administration on Aging, and in collaboration with the Capital Area Agency on Aging, the program targets older adults, adults with disabilities, adults with Alzheimer’s or related dementias and their caregivers.

“We help adults who do not qualify for Medicaid remain inde-pendent and find more options for their care,” said Capital Aging and Disability Resource Center Proj-ect Coordinator Tracy Thompson. “When someone is struggling, they need to call us.”

According to GOEA, there are as many as 20,000 adults with dementia and more than 66,000 older adults who could utilize the program in the greater Baton Rouge/Florida Parishes area.

“We offer a seamless informa-tion, assistance, referral and follow up process,” said Ms. Thompson, Capital ADRC. “Just make the call. We’ll do the rest.”

The program also hopes to help educate caregivers of older adults with Alzheimer’s or related demen-tias learn some everyday skills to enhance the good work they are al-

governor’s Office of Elderly Affairs Launches Community Living Program in baton RougeGoal is to keep seniors or adults with disabilities at home and independent, says GOEA Director

See living program, on page 4

BATON ROUGE - Members of Southern University’s Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps are inviting the public to come out and cheer or jog along with them when they conduct their annual State Farm Bayou Clas-sic run from the Baton Rouge campus to the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans.

The officers will begin the nearly 100-mile, two-day run at 5:30 a.m. Friday, Nov. 27 at the Felton G. Clark Activity Center and complete the run in time to deliver the game ball before the coin toss at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 28, at the 36th State Farm Bayou Classic pitting Southern against Grambling State University.

“The Naval ROTC’s ‘Red Stick’ battalion looks forward each year to the Bayou Classic Spirit and Motivational Run,” said Comdr. Eugene Martin, executive office, Naval ROTC Unit at

NROTC Prepare for 100-Mile Run to New Orleans for the bayou Classic

See classic run, on page 2

BATON ROUGE - The community resi-dents attended the Annual Thanksgiving Dinner held at the Jewel Newman Com-munity Center. This year the attendance was great and local and state community leaders were on hand. Metro council Dis-

trict #2 member Ulysses “Bones” Addison, Senator Sharon Weston Broome, and Joe Jenkins standing in for Representative Avon Honey, who was unable to attend

Annual Thanksgiving dinner Held at Jewel Newman Community Center

Thanksgivingh a P P Y

See thanksgiving dinner, on page 2

Southern University’s Naval ROTC’s ‘Red Stick’ battalion runs the game ball into the Louisiana Superdome before the 34th State Farm Bayou Classic in 2007. This year, runners will carry the Bayou Classic game ball nearly 100 miles from Southern’s Baton Rouge campus through six parishes into the Superdome and present it to the head referee just minutes prior to the 1 p.m. kick-off.

Pictured from left to right are Carl Slaughter, Senator Sharon Weston-Broome and Metro council member Ulysses Addison standing and Mrs. Mary O. Walker seated who is 107 years old.

Page 2: Baton Rouge Weekly Press

Page 2 • The Weekly Press • Thursday, November 26, 2009

READER INFORMATION

How to Reach UsGeneral Information . . .225-775-2002

Fax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .225-775-4216

Email Address

. . . . . . theweeklypress@yahoo .com

. . . . . . . . . . thewpres@bellsouth .net

The office is open 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday - Friday and located at 1283 Rosenwald Road, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Correction PolicyThe Baton Rouge Weekly Press strives to be fair and accurate. The newspaper corrects any significant errors of fact brought to the attention of the editor. If you think an error has been made, call 225-775-2002

The Weekly Press

Newspaper is a published weekly in Baton Rouge and distributed every Thursday with a circulation of 7,500. Subscription rates are $38.00 per year for Louisiana residents; $42.00 for one year for out-of-state residents; half price for six months subscription: and $1.00 per single copy.

All money orders or checks should be made payable to The Weekly Press, P.O. Box 74485, Baton Rouge, La. 70874

1283 Rosenwald RoadBaton Rouge, La. 70807-41

Phone: (225) 775-2002 Fax: (225) 775-4216

E-Mail [email protected]@bellsouth.net

Office Hours: Monday-Friday 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Closed Saturday, Sunday and all Major Holidays

LocaL&State

Call the McManus law office and get all you deserve

INJURED IN A CAR WRECK?

Charles C. McManusA T T O R N E Y A T L A W

8520 Scotland Ave, Suite C • Baton Rouge, La. 225-774-5771 charlesmcmanus@

mcmanuslawoffice.brco xmail.comwww.charlesmcmanus.com

If this happens to

you call Attorney

McManus

2622 NORTH STREET BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA. 70802-3161

Web page: WTAAENGINEERS.COM Email: [email protected]

225-383-0822 office Toll free 1-866-324-9822 225-346-4023 fax 1-866-821-9822 Toll free fax

ALEXANDRIA, BATON ROUGE, MONROE, NEW ORLEANS & SHREVEPORT

Streets, Box culverts, Light rails, Structures, Airports, Sewer & Water, Drainage, Management, Evaluations, Planning and Surveys

DBE AND HUBZONE CERTIFIED

INFRASTRUCTURE ENGINEERING & PLANNING CONSULTANTS

CONSTRUCTION SUPPORT SERVICES INTELLIGENCE TECHNOLOGY CONSULTING

“Civil EnginEErs wantEd”

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK: We raise our voices in grateful praise.

H A P P Y THANKSGIVING

During these days of ingratitude, we must find ways to encourage thanks-giving.

1) Move beyond the “Turkey Day, “ the name little ones often give Thanksgiving, and teach the children what it really means to be thankful.

2) Have children and adults in the family to write a list telling what makes them thankful.

3) Develop an awareness of all that God has given by hav-ing a sense of real contentment for whatever comes our way.

4) Share some history for all family members to hear.

5) Read about the his-

tory and recount the story for this season, like “Squanto and the Miracle of Thanks-giving” by Tommy Nelson. The story of Pocahontas will give children a better un-derstanding of the cir-cumstances surround-ing Thanksgiving.

6) Plan a Pilgrim scavenger hunt of sorts in your home to teach

what they had endured. Ob-jects such as dried corn, small pumpkins, pine cones, a toy boat, small Native American figures, etc. can help in the hunt to drive the point home.

7) Tell a story to reinforce the importance of gratitude in our lives. Testify, share, act out praise.

Love, Marge

marge's Chit Chat

MARGE LAWRENCE

BATON ROUGE - The Ladies of the 100 Black Men of Metro Baton Rouge at-tended a Candlelight Tea on Sunday, November 8, at the Highland Porch given by Mrs. Doris Brown, wife of the 100’s president Dr. Adell Brown, Jr. This was an opportunity for the wives and ladies of the 100 membership to get acquainted and develop strategies for sup-port the mentoring programs of the 100. Greetings and oc-casion were provided by Doris Brown; get acquainted and ice breakers were conducted by the hostesses, LaJoyce Brown, Janet Brown, Connie Sibley, Kathy Victorian, and Johnell Rogers. Other in attendance included: Effie Carter, Glenda Llorens, Stacy White, Patricia Smith, Gail Grover, Lucinda Johnson, Barbara Morris, Sarah Spland, Gloria Butler, Quinesha Morgan, Deadra Hughes, Tracy Wilson and Eloise Morgan. The ladies of the 100 was treated to an evening delectable dishes and royal tea and. Adele Trinee Brown also assisted in making the evening a success.

Ladies of “The 100” Attend Candlelight Tea

(Left to Right) LaJoyce Brown, Janet Brown, Connie Sibley, Doris Brown, Kathy Victorian and Johnell Rogers – Photo by Fred Sibley

BATON ROUGE - Dr. ValaRay Irvin, Director of the Southern University Counsel-ing Center, has been elected President of the International Association of Counseling Services, Inc.’s Board of Ac-creditation.

Dr. Irvin has been in-volved with IACS since 2003, first serving in the role of rep-resentative for the Southern Region before becoming Vice Chair in 2008.

Dr. Irvin received her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Southern Univer-sity and her doctorate degree in Counseling Psychology from the University of North Caro-lina at Chapel Hill. She became

director of the University’s Counseling Center in 1998.

IACS was founded in 1972 to encourage and aid coun-seling agencies to meet high professional standards through peer evaluation and to inform the public about counseling services that are competent, reliable, and confidential.

Southern’s Counseling Center was initially accredited in 2001. It was re-accredited for an additional four years in 2005. The Counseling Center will be required to go through an on-site visit in the Spring of 2010.

The Southern University Counseling center is a Title III sponsored program.

SU’s Irvin Elected President of International Board of Directors

the dinner.Carl Slaughter the Direc-

tor of at the Jewel Newman Community Center and Dr. Rosa H. Williams, the Presi-dent of the local AARP Chap-ter was present for the Annual Thanksgiving Dinner.

Mrs. Mary O. Walker was in attendance and she is 107 years old.

Thanksgiving baskets were given away by Scotland-ville AARP Chapter #1828 this story will be in a later edition of the newspaper.

Thanksgiving Dinner from page 1

Southern. “Running the game ball 91 miles from Southern University to the Superdome is our way of showing support for Southern University and the rich tradition of the Bayou Classic.”

“The relay run pro-vides an opportunity for our 87-member “Red Stick” Battal-ion to have some great physical training, demonstrate Navy and

Marine Corps pride and show our commitment to Southern University’s values of education and personal development,” Martin said.

The unit will exit the campus via Harding Boulevard, continue on to Scenic Highway, then turn onto Airline Highway and head to New Orleans. They

ClassiC run from page 1

See classic run, on page 3

(Left to Right) Effie Carter, Glenda Llorens, Stacy White, Patricia Smith and Gail Grover - – Photo by Fred Sibley

Page 3: Baton Rouge Weekly Press

Thursday, November26, 2009 • The Weekly Press • Page 3

“We Also Sell Men & Women Shoes”

S H O E S H O P

932 Progress Street • Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70802

(225) 343-6896

Leroy Turner

A local Baton Rouge group joined the fight against two global epidemics – hunger and obesity – by participating in the Lose For Good campaign. As local Weight Watchers members lose weight, they’ve also been collecting food to donate to area food banks, in-cluding the Baton Rouge Food Bank to help their neighbors in need. Within seven weeks, the group lost 8,881 pounds, and col-lected 4,434 pounds of food.

“The Lose For Good cam-paign provides a chance for folks to adopt a healthier lifestyle, reduce their weight and help someone in need,” says Margie Moore, Weight Watchers Terri-tory Manager. “Some members have brought in food donations equivalent to their weight loss so they can make sure their loss is someone else’s gain.”

Food banks across the nation are reporting that the

demand for assistance has in-creased as much as 40% this year, leaving many food banks unable to fill their shelves and help those in need. On a national level, for every million pounds Weight Watchers Members lost between August 31st and October 17th, Weight Watchers pledged to donate $250,000 dollars – UP TO ONE MILLION DOLLARS – to two hunger fighting organiza-tions – Share Our Strength and Action Against Hunger. Early es-timates show that Weight Watch-ers has reached its donation goal by losing approximately four mil-lion pounds across the country. In addition, Weight Watchers staff and members participated in more than 3,300 voluntary food drives in meeting rooms throughout the country where they collected and donated an estimated two million pounds of food to local food banks.

Baton Rouge Residents Lose For Good; Donate Over 4,400 Pounds to Area Food Banks

You won’t want to miss the U.S. EPA’s Environmental Health Fair

When Wednesday, December 9, 2009 3:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Where Alsen Recreation Center 601 Old Rafe Meyer Road Baton Rouge, LA 70807

More than 26 local agencies will provide:

→ Basic health screenings → Information booths about health-related

programs, services, and providers that serve the area

The Environmental Health Fair is FREE, and activities for children will be available to keep the little ones entertained.

This Environmental Health Fair is being held at a fully accessible facility that is in full compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

For more information about the Environmental Health Fair contact Bill Little, EPA Community Involvement Coordinator/SEE, at 214.665.8131 or 1.800.533.3508 (toll-free).

You’re Invited!! Alsen Environmental Health Fair Wednesday, December 9, 2009

and “Meet Your Neighbor Day.”

ExxonMobil was a major underwriter of the Mary Bird Perkins “Early Bird” mobile medical clinic in 2006, which provided more than 4,500 free cancer screenings to area residents last year, alone.

Following Hurricane Gustav, ExxonMobil was quick to respond with a $1.5 million contribution to the American Red Cross and the United Way, helping to spur the recovery process.

In 2008, the company was recognized with Volunteer Baton Rouge’s Outstanding Corporate Volunteerism Award for its long-time partnership with Habitat for Humanity, having provided funding and labor for a total of 13 homes for low-income residents. An-other house will be sponsored by ExxonMobil in North Baton

Rouge next year. Each summer, the company

funds more than 20 internships at a variety of non-profit agen-cies – many of whom are rep-resented here tonight.

This year, ExxonMobil will sponsor LPB’s “Sid the Science Kid” program, bring-ing science learning concepts to young students, parents and

teachers across Louisiana. Next week, the company

will launch a new volunteer partnership with LRCE (LA Resource Center for Educa-tors). TEAMS (Teachers and Engineers for the Advance-ment of Math and Science) will partner ExxonMobil engineers with math and science teachers across Louisiana.

Outreach from page 1

will travel through Ascension, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Charles, Jefferson and Orleans Parishes before entering the Loui-

siana Superdome. For more information,

contact Lt. Patrick Cooke at 225.771.4370.

classic run from page 3

Baton Rouge, LA - Our Lady of the Lake College recently con-cluded a year-long celebration of 85 years of service to the com-munity with an Anniversary Luncheon on November 7, 2009 at Boudreaux’s. The luncheon included the presentation of the annual Distinguished Alumni Awards and the Franciscan Impact Award. This luncheon also featured “The 85 Who Have Made a Difference,” saluting alumni who have made an im-pact and touched thousands of lives in the Baton Rouge region and beyond.

Distinguished Young Alumni, Jason Kutinac

Kutinac graduated in May of 2006 with a Bachelors Degree in Health Service Administra-tion. He currently serves as the

Cardiopulmonary Director at St. Elizabeth Hospital, previ-ously working at OLOLRMC for 5 years as a Supervisor in the Respiratory Care Department. He is an active member in the American Association for Respi-ratory Care and has received the organization’s “Department of Excellence” award.

Kutinac, who is currently the President the OLOL Col-lege Alumni Association, is involved with the Children’s Miracle Network and helps staff Camp Inspiration every sum-mer for children with asthma. He is very active with various community walks including the Asthma Walk, Heart Walk, Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, and he helped raise funds for the Relay for Life.

Distinguished Alumni, Dr. Wanda Raby Spurlock

Dr. Spurlock, DNS, RN, BC, CNS, first became licensed as a registered nurse after completing the nursing program at Our Lady of the Lake School of Nursing in 1976. Later she pursued a Bach-elors of Science Degree in Nurs-ing from Southeastern Louisiana University, a Master’s in Nursing and a Doctor of Nursing Science from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center. She cur-rently holds board certifications through the American Nurses Credentialing Center in Geron-tological Nursing Practice and Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, and has presented at numerous research conferences. Wanda was selected as a faculty participant of the Geriatric Nurs-

ing Education Institute funded by the John A. Hartford Foun-dation and administered by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.

Her service to others is demonstrated through extensive volunteerism with community-based organizations serving the special needs of persons with Al-zheimer’s and related demen-tias. She began volunteer work through the local Alzheimer’s agency over 12 years ago, serv-ing on the Patient and Family Services Committee, later chair-ing this committee, and serving on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee. She cur-rently serves on the Education Committee of the Alzheimer’s

Our Lady of the Lake College Commemorates 85 Years of Service and Recognizes Award Winners

From left to right: Distinguished Young Alumni, Jason Kutinac, currently Cardio-pulmonary Director at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Gonzales, Louisiana; Franciscan Impact Award Recipient, Sister Mary Michaeline Green, who served 32 years as superintendent of Catholic schools for the greater Baton Rouge area; and Distinguished Alumni, Dr. Wanda Raby Spurlock, an associate professor of nursing at Southern University and A&M College who is a leading expert in the care of Alzheimer’s and related dementias. Photos taken by Greig Oliver

Mary Pat Thevenot, class of 2007 and Patricia Hidalgo Amoroso class of 1951, who are mother and daughter, were featured among ’85 Who Made a Differ-ence,’ 85 of Our Lady of the Lake College’s outstanding alumni celebrated during a luncheon on Saturday, November 7, 2009.

See award, on page 7

Page 4: Baton Rouge Weekly Press

Page 4 • The Weekly Press • Thursday, November 26, 2009

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Are you buying or selling a service? Are you looking for employment? The classifieds is a good way to find what you need or to advertise your

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Are you buying or selling a service? Are you looking for

employment? The classifieds is a good way to find what you need or to adver-tise your goods and services.

Call The Weekly Press 225-775-2002 for details

BATON ROUGE – The Louisiana Workforce Com-mission will notify by mail all claimants who are eligible for the latest extension of unem-ployment benefits, state officials announced today.

On Friday, new federal legislation was signed into law creating an Emergency Unem-ployment Compensation (EUC) Tier 3 totaling 14 weeks of UI benefits for qualified individu-

als who have exhausted their regular UI benefits and Tiers 1 and 2 EUCs. An estimated 6,829 Louisianians would qualify for the extended benefits.

The Louisiana Workforce Commission will notify all qualified claimants by mail with directions on the planned process. Claimants do not need to call the LWC.

Federal funds will be used to pay the extended benefits.

Qualified Recipients of Latest Unemployment Extension to Get Mail Notification

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Small Business Administration announced today that it will ex-pand the Emerging 200 (e200), an executive-level training initia-tive for small business owners, in 2010. The initiative will continue in 10 cities that have participated in the past, and expand into 12 communities with an emphasis on Native American business owners.

“Over the last few years e200 has been a catalyst for expanding opportunities for many promis-ing small businesses in under-served communities – in particu-lar those who have been most impacted by these tough eco-nomic times,” SBA Administrator Karen Mills said. “Graduates of the program have increased their

revenue, created jobs and helped drive local economic growth in their communities. SBA’s com-mitment to not only continue, but expand the program, will build on this success and pro-vide even more entrepreneurs in underserved communities with the support, resources and skills to succeed.”

The expansion of e200 to Native American communities coincides with the President’s appearance before Tribal Leaders on November 5th in Washington, DC, during which he promised that the Administration would work with the Native American community to build economic prosperity. As the President acknowledged that some of the reservations face unemployment

of up to 80 percent and roughly a quarter of all Native Americans live in poverty, he stated his com-mitment to being “full partners in the American economy … so [their] children and … grandchil-dren can have an equal shot at pursuing the American Dream.” The expansion of e200 is part of the Administration’s pledge to achieve these goals.

Since its inception, e200 has identified business owners across the country who show a high potential for growth in under-served markets—and provided them with the training, network-ing, resources and motivation required to expand operations and create jobs.

To date, more than half of the businesses that participated

in e200 have seen an increase in revenue, and nearly two-thirds have created new jobs. Entre-preneurs who have completed the training have secured over $9 million in new financing for their businesses. Increased con-fidence in applying for govern-ment contracts among trainees has resulted in over $1.3 million awarded to participating small businesses.

The nine-month training includes approximately 100 hours of classroom time per participant and provides the opportunity for small business owners to work with experienced mentors, attend workshops and develop connections with their peers, city leaders, and financial community.

SBA Expands ‘e200’ Initiative to More Cities, Adds Focus on Native American Business Owners

NEW ORLEANS — The Internal Revenue Service is looking for Louisiana and Mississippi taxpayers who are due to receive a combined $2.39 million in the form of 2,445 refund checks that were returned to the IRS by the U.S. Postal Service due to mailing address errors.

“All a taxpayer has to do is update his or her ad-dress once and the IRS will then send out all checks due,” said IRS spokesperson Dee Harris.

Almost 1500 Louisiana’s did not receive their refund checks totaling over $1.6 mil-lion. The average undeliv-ered refund for Louisiana is $1080. In Mississippi , 951 individuals did not receive their refund checks totaling over $781 thousand. The av-erage undelivered refund for Mississippi is $822.

Average undeliverable refunds rose by 16 percent this year, which is in line with the 16 percent rise in average refunds for all tax returns in the latest filing season. Sev-eral changes in tax law likely played a role in boosting re-funds, including the First-Time Homebuyer’s Credit and the Recovery Rebate Credit, among others.

The vast majority of checks mailed out by the IRS each year reach their right-ful owner. Only a very small percent are returned by the U.S. Postal Service as unde-liverable.

Taxpayers can update their addresses with the “Where’s My Refund?” tool on IRS.gov. The tool enables taxpayers to check the status of their refunds. A taxpayer

MANDEVILLE, LA – Walmart opens its first store in Mandeville Nov. 20, with a 39,000-square-foot Neighbor-hood Market by Walmart de-signed to offer a quick and easy shopping experience on a full line of groceries, prescriptions and household products. Doors to the new store will open at 8 a.m., Friday, Nov. 20, following a 7:30 a.m. ceremony.

The store is located at 3009 East Causeway Approach

and serves as the anchor of the redeveloped Mandeville Square shopping center, near Mandev-ille City Hall.

“We can’t wait to welcome Walmart to Mandeville,” said Jean Champagne, chairman of the board for the St. Tammany West Chamber of Commerce. “We’re excited to see continued economic development and new jobs come to our community. People shop at Walmart because Walmart provides good value and gives customers what they want, and I think this smaller-sized store will be embraced by this market.”

Designed as a convenient family shopping center, the Neighborhood Market by Wal-mart will provide the local com-munity another destination for groceries at the Walmart value

price. The store will carry a full line of groceries, including fresh produce, frozen foods and dairy products. Maxwell’s Market of Baton Rouge has leased space in the meat department to pro-vide fresh seafood, USDA upper choice steaks and beef and other specialty meat items. A full-time butcher from Maxwell’s will cut meat on site and assist custom-ers with their selections.

For those on the go, the deli offers hot rotisserie chicken, freshly prepared sandwiches, hot dogs and pizza by the slice. The deli also offers a wide va-riety of meats, cheeses and freshly prepared side dishes. Customers can pick up cakes, assorted pastries and breads in the bakery. Within the store will be a Starbucks Café providing free wireless Internet access and

a gelato bar with Italian-style ice creams and sorbets.

“With our smaller format, our store is perfect for those on the go. Whether they’re stock-ing up or need to pick up just a few items, our customers will be able to find what they need quickly and easily,” said store manager Frank Schiro. “Our customers will be able to find familiar brands and local prod-ucts at great values, right in their own neighborhood.”

Shoppers will also ap-preciate the convenience of the store’s drive-through pharmacy, along with a full selection of health-related products and a health and beauty area. Addi-tional areas include greeting cards, paper goods, pet prod-ucts and cleaning supplies. Cus-tomers can also print their own digital photos at the store. The store will be open 6 a.m. to mid-night, seven days a week.

The Walmart Neighbor-hood Market plans to employ approximately 120 associates. “Walmart provides job opportu-nities and career choices for ev-eryone from seniors looking for supplemental income to young people wanting to gain work experience,” Schiro said.

Walmart Opens Neighborhood Market in MandevilleNew store offers customers big savings with grocery format

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must submit his or her social security number, filing status and amount of refund shown on their 2008 return. The tool will provide the status of their refund and in some cases provide instructions on how to resolve delivery problems.

Taxpayers checking on a refund over the phone will be given instructions on how to up-date their addresses. Taxpayers can access a telephone version of “Where’s My Refund?” by calling 1-800-829-1954.

The IRS encourages taxpay-ers to choose direct deposit when they file their returns because it puts an end to lost, stolen or undeliverable checks. Taxpay-ers can receive refunds directly into personal checking or savings accounts. Direct deposit is avail-able for filers of both paper and electronic returns.

The IRS also encourages taxpayers to file their tax returns electronically because e-file eliminates the risk of lost paper returns. E-file also reduces er-rors on tax returns and speeds up refunds.

E-file coupled with direct deposit is your best option; it’s easy, fast and secure.

IRS Seeks to Return almost $2.4 Million in Undeliverable Refunds to Louisiana and Mississippi Taxpayers

ready providing for their loved one, Ms. Thompson said. “The average caregiver, who tends to be an older woman caring for her aging parents, most likely doesn’t seek support and is get-ting burned out,” she added.

State Representative Pa-tricia Smith, for example, found she needed to enroll her mother, who is 95 years old and blind, in an adult-day care program so she and her husband could continue to work full-time. Representative Smith encouraged caregivers and adults to use the program. “We all want our loved ones to live at home but they often face risks to their independence and safety,” she said.

“In Louisiana, we are seek-ing more consistency in the num-ber and level of services offered to adults, as well as more timely delivery of help. This program will help,” said Dr. Bulot.

Individuals who call should be older than 60 years of age, or an adult older than 21 years with an adult-onset disability, or be the caregiver of an adult with a dis-ability, such as Alzheimer’s or a related dementia. The individual seeking help should not qualify for, but be close to Medicaid eli-gibility, said Ms. Thompson.

The Louisiana Answers…for Living at Home program will expand to the Northwest Parishes of Louisiana in January, 2010. For more information, Louisiana Answers---for Living at Home directly at (800) 280-0908.

The Governor’s Office of Elderly Affairs operates nine Aging and Disability Resource Centers in Louisiana. Find more information about this program at www.LouisianaAnswers.com. The Community Living Program is a federally-funded service lim-ited at this time to the Capital ADRC. Individuals can call

1-800-280-0908 for more in-formation.

Living Program from page 1

EMAILyour nEws

ArtIcLEs to

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• Criminal Defense • Uncontested Divorces • Consumer Disputes • Employment Discrimination

• Wrongful Termination • Inmate Litigation • Personal Injury • Landlord Tenant Disputes

8152 Scenic Hwy. Suite A • Baton Rouge, LA 70807 Office: (225) 778-0950 • Fax: (225) 774-8632 • E-mail: [email protected]

LAW OFFICE OF WEnDELL C. WOODS

Page 5: Baton Rouge Weekly Press

Thursday, November26, 2009 • The Weekly Press • Page 5

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Mobile Kitchen available for your Catering needs serving for 1 to 1000Store Hours: Monday through Thursday 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. • Saturday from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

1376 North 39th Street Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70802

(225) 388-0055

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D&W Health Services, Inc. dbaThe Oaks of Mid City4100 North Boulevard

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StoreS HourS: Mon.- Sat. 6:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. • Sun. 6:00 a.m.- 2:00 p.m.Serve Breakfast & Lunch Daily: Breakfast: 6:00a.m.-10:30a.m. Lunch: 11:00am.-3:00pm

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Page 6: Baton Rouge Weekly Press

Page 6 • The Weekly Press • Thursday, November 26, 2009

Religion

Sunday Morning Worship - 10:45 AMLord’s Supper -3rd Sundays

Sunday School - 9:30 AMPrayer Service - Wed. @ 6:00 PM

Bible Study - Wed- @ 7:00 PM

Mission Statement: New Hope Baptist Church is a family of baptized believers who worship the Lord our God in spirit and in truth, teach the saved to reach the lost and minister to the needs of others, while encouraging one another through acts of love and living in obedience to Gods Word

New Birth Full Gospel MiNistries

1283 Rosenwald Road • Baton Rouge, La. 70807Phone: (225) 775-6713 •

Fax: (225) 775-4216ivory J. payNe, pastor

order oF serviceSunday Worsh. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11:00 A.M.Holy Communion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3rd Sunday1:00 P.M.Sunday School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9:00 A.M.Bible Study. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Thursday 7:00 P.M.

“THe NeW LiFe”Therefore if any man be in christ he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold

all thing are become new. —I Corinthians 5:17

NEW HOPE BAPTIST CHURCH5856 Greenwell Springs Road • Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70806

Telephone: (225) 926-0246 • Facsimile: (225) 927-8500 • Toll Free # 1-888-700-6174

E- Mail Address # [email protected]

Pastor Leo D. Cyrus Sr., Pastor

Sunday Morning Worship - 10:45 AMLord’s Supper -3rd Sundays

Sunday School - 9:30 AMPrayer Service - Wed. @ 6:00 PM

Bible Study - Wed- @ 7:00 PM

CHurCH SCHeduLe

Mission Statement: New Hope Baptist Church is a family of baptized believers who worship the Lord our God in spirit and in truth, teach the saved to reach the lost and minister to the needs of others, while encouraging one another through acts of love and living in obedience to Gods Word

Good Shepherd Full Gospel B.C.The People’s Church

2865 Mission Drive • Baton Rouge, 70805 • Telephone (225)356-5873Bishop H. Hayes, Pastor

Hour of Power 12 NooN eacH wedNesdaySunday School 8:00 AMChurch Service 9:00 AMLord’s Supper 2nd Sunday 6:00 PMBible Study Wednesday 7:00 PMSister/ Brotherhood 6:00 PM

you will Be Blessed uNder THe aNoiNTed MaN of God

St. Mary Baptist Church“The Church that Love Built”

1252 N. Acadian Thruway East • Baton Rouge, LA. 70802

Telephone (225) 387-2926Rev. Conway L Knighton, Pastor

Sunday School 9:30 a.m.Worship Service - 11:00 a.m.

Lord’s Supper - 1st Sunday 11:00 a.m.Prayer Meeting - Wednesday 6:00 p.m.

Bible Study - Wednesday 7:00 p.m.Thursday 10:00 a.m.

Heritage Search Ministry Pentecostal Church4313 Airline Highway (located in the Metro-Aire Shopping Ctr)

Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70807 • Phone: (225) 355-1045Mackie C. Allen, Pastor

Paul Hammock, Apostle and OverseerOrder of Service

Sunday School...................9:00 a.m.Sunday Worship................11:00 a.m.Monday-Prayer...................7:00 p.m.

Wednesday-Praise and Worship.............7:30 p.m.Friday-Bible Study......7:30 p.m.

“Where your inheritance is amongst the Saints”

Jesus Name apostolic temple, iNc.2548 Weller Avenue

Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70805Telephone: (225) 356-1160

Communion 1st Sunday ........................ 1:00 p.m.Sunday School ................. 9:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.Bible Class Tuesday ...............................7:30 p.m.Mission Night Thursday .........................7:30 p.m.Deliverance Night Friday .......................7:30 p.m.

BiSHOP JiMMiE & ROSE LEE WADE

Church Directory

If you would like your church to be included on the Church Directory. Please Call The Baton Rouge Weekly Press for details at 225-775-2002 or, e-mail us with your billing address to [email protected]

Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. - Hebrews 10:25

email your church event or religious organization news to the Weekly press @

[email protected]

let the community Know Whats Happing at Your place of Worship

By Carolyn Gee

BATON ROUGE - Prom-ised Land Baptist Church lo-cated at 7234 Plank Rd., Rev. Perry Wrights, will host a musical concert on Sunday, November 29, 2009 starting at 6:00 p.m. Local artists such as The Gospel Determina-

tors, Lighthouse Seniors and Voices of Distinction will perform. Special guests will be Rev. Andrew Chears and The Songbirds from Missis-sippi. Everyone is invited to come out and be a part of this worship experience. For more information, please call 358-7772.

Musical Appreciation for Reverend Andrew Chears and The Songbirds

New York, NY – Verity Gospel Music Group amassed 26 nominations for the 2010 Stellar Awards. Donald Law-rence was nominated in nine categories; Hezekiah Walker & LFC was nominated in six cat-egories and newcomer Crystal Aikin received 4 nominations including “Female Vocalist of the Year”.

Hezekiah Walker & LFC’s masterful SOULED OUT, which was produced by Donald Law-rence, was nominated for CD of the Year, Song of the Year, Contemporary CD of the Year and landed Hezekiah Walker

& LFC received nods for Artist of the Year, Choir of the Year and Contemporary Choir of the year.

Donald Lawrence & Company’s virtuosic LAW OF CONFESSION landed nomi-nations for Artist of the Year, Song of the Year, CD of the Year, Contemporary CD of the Year, Group/Duo of the Year, Pro-ducer of the Year, Contempo-rary Group/Duo of the Year, Recorded Music Packaging of the Year, and Urban Inspira-tional Single or Performance of the Year for “Let the Word Do the Work.”

Crystal Aikin, first season winner of BET’s Sunday Best, is nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year, New Artist of the Year, Contemporary Female Vocalist of the Year and Con-temporary CD of the Year.

“We are ecstatic and congratulate all of our nomi-nees,” said James “Jazzy” Jor-dan, executive vice president, Verity Gospel Music Group. “To be acknowledged by fans and SAGMA members as being

Verity Gospel Music Group Lands 26 Stellar Award NominationsDonald Lawrence and Hezekiah Walker Both Nominated in Artist of the Year, Song of the Year, CD of the Year and Contemporary CD of the Year Categories

See Stella award, on page 8

By DonalD lee

So we are always confident that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

Therefore, we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. This passage of scripture is taken from Second Corinthians 5:6-9. And the 20th verse says Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. It is with these passages of scripture that I begin to talk about a dear friend and sister in the faith, free-lance writer Catherine Carter of Fort Worth, Texas, who — on Saturday, Nov. 14 — went home to be with the Lord after a

battle with colon cancer. Carter formerly submitted inspirational columns which were published here in The Weekly Press.

Sunday morning, as I was here in Beaumont getting ready for Sunday service, I received a phone call from Kathy Ford, Catherine’s twin sister, calling from Fort Worth. Kathy, who I didn’t know at the time of the call, introduced herself to me and told me that she was honoring her sister’s request to call a list of friends who she knew would want to be there for her family.

Needless to say, I was shocked and saddened that Cath-erine, 45, was gone yet honored that in her last days she made it a point to include me on that stellar list of friends, people who were immensely blessed of the Lord to have known her and to have been called friends of hers. What I want to share with with her surviving family members, her friends and her fans — people who followed the columns she used to write in La Vida News-The Black Voice and those who enjoyed reading her book “Poetic

Testimony” — is that Catherine Carter was absent from the Lord and present with us, when she was here. As the scripture states, when we’re here in this earth, wearing these earthly suits (that we call “bodies”), we are absent from the Lord in heaven. We — those of us who have crowned Jesus Christ as both our Lord and Savior — are citizens of heaven, but we are absent from heaven because we’re here in this land (in the world) serving as “am-bassadors for Christ,” and we’re representing heaven here in the earth. Understand, too, that when Catherine gave up the ghost (that is, when her spirit and soul separated from her earthly suit, her body), imme-diately when she closed her eyes in this world, they were opened in heaven, in the presence of the Lord. So, the revelation here, for those of us who may not under-stand what happens at the point of death, is that Catherine is now absent from her fleshly body and is now (right this moment and throughout all eternity) in the Lord’s presence, doing what she

did best here in the earth — wor-shiping and praising her Lord and Savior and her heavenly Fa-ther. She’s, right this moment and throughout all eternity, living in bliss — a joy that can’t possibly be comprehended through the natural mind. And it is for that reason that those of us who loved her and are left here to honor her memory and what she stood for (which was sharing the Good News of reconciliation through Christ Jesus) should be happy. Remember how the scriptures (Second Corinthians 5:8) tell us that “we are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.”

If anyone doubts how she feels in eternity, let that scripture comfort you. She’s well pleased to be present with her God and heavenly Father.

And while she was here, she took great care to nurture re-lationships. “My mom was defi-nitely a family oriented person and nothing came above family

Former Weekly Press Writer Catherine Carter DeadServices set for Friday, Saturday

Due to the overwhelming success of UpStage Theatre Company’s summer musical Mahalia!, an encore performance will be presented November 21 at 7 p.m., at the Louisiana State Police Academy Auditorium, located at 7901 Independence Blvd.

Mahalia! is a two-act in-spiring musical that celebrates one woman’s triumph against incredible odds. As the world’s most beloved gospel singer, the audience will witness Mahalia’s life and career from her child-

hood in New Orleans to her rise to a life of wealth and interna-tional fame.

LaNea Wilkinson stars as Mahalia and brings to life some of her greatest music, including “Move On Up a Little Higher,” “Precious Lord,” and “Sooner Will Be Done.” Other cast mem-bers include Dominique Mar-tez, Brookielle Boddie, Ursaline Bryant, Shea Stephen, LeManda Jackson, Nia Vaughn and making his stage debut is Rev. Fred Jeff

Upstage Theatre Presents an Encore Performance of Mahalia! a Gospel Musical

See carter, on page 7

See Mahalia, on page 7laNea Wilkinson mahalia Jackson

Page 7: Baton Rouge Weekly Press

Thursday, November26, 2009 • The Weekly Press • Page 7

RENA HESTERAttorney At LAw • PersonAL Injury & bAnkruPtcy

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Thursday, March 6, 2008 • The Weekly Press • Page 7

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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.

Could You Be At Risk?

Free Cancer ScreeningsNo appointment required for most screenings.

If you do not have a doctor and have not been screened in the last 12 months, these cancer screenings are available to you for free.

Presented as part of the comprehensive Cancer Program

of Our Lady of the Lake and Mary Bird Perkins. Screenings

made possible by donor gifts.

(225) 215-1234 (888) 616-4687

Breast Cancer ScreeningTuesday, March 1110am – 12pm & 1pm – 4pm

LSUHSC Mid City Clinic1401 N. Foster DriveBaton Rouge

Colorectal Cancer ScreeningThursday, March 1310am –2pm

Wal-Mart2171 O’Neal LaneBaton Rouge

Breast Cancer ScreeningTuesday, March 185pm – 7pm (Appt required)

Woman’s Hospital9050 Airline HighwayBaton Rouge

Prostate and ColorectalCancer ScreeningsWednesday, March 2610am –2pm

Ed Price Building Materials7835 Airline HighwayBaton Rouge

In Partnership With:

Our Lady of the LakeWoman’s HospitalYWCA Encore Plus

LSU Hospitals Health Care Services Division

Breast Cancer ScreeningFriday, March 1410am – 12pm & 1pm – 4pm

Leo S. Butler Community Center950 E. Washington StreetBaton Rouge

Colorectal Cancer ScreeningMonday, March 1710am –2pm

Brusly Town Hall601 S. Vaughan StreetBrusly

Have You Been Screened?

and making sure that everybody was happy,” said Latisha Ware, Catherine’s 26-year-old daughter. “Even when she was in the hos-pital this last couple of months, instead of being concerned about herself, she was moreso concerned with how everybody else was doing and making sure everybody else had what they needed.” Ware is also thank-ful for the bond between her mother and her 8-year-old son, Michael. “There was no bond thicker than hers and Michael’s. They were inseparable,” Ware said. “She didn’t let anyone mess with her baby. The day before she passed away, she was fussing at somebody for messing with her baby.” Kathy Ford said Catherine was not just her sister and friend, but something more. “She was my best friend,” Ford said. “The things that I needed to go to her for, she was always there. She was always there for anyone, especially young people. She inspired them with the mes-

sage that nothing was impossible to them. A lot of them called her ‘Mama.’ She was always good with people. Nobody was a stranger to her.”

Catherine was a member of Great Commission Baptist Church, 7700 McCart Ave. in Fort Worth. The Rev. Douglas E. Brown will deliver the eulogy at her funeral.

The wake was Catherine is from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday at Spencer’s Funeral Home, 4000 Miller Ave., and the funeral was at 12 noon Saturday at Great Commission Baptist Church. The Rev. Donald Lee is founder and pastor of Kingdom Living Christian Center, a multi-ethnic, Word of Faith ministry in Beau-mont, Texas. Lee also is former columnist and copy editor of The Advocate and co-host of The God Factor with Guy Brody on KQXL 106.5 FM (www.thegfactor.org). He may be reached at (225) 773-2248 or [email protected].

Carter from page 6

Smith, pastor of Greater Mount Carmel Baptist Church.

The production is written by Tom Stolz, and directed by UpStage’s Artistic Director, Ava Brewster-Turner. Darrow Lan-than is the musical director.

Tickets are available at Up-Stage Theatre, HAIR ARTIFICE

SALON, and London’s Acces-sories, located at 1713 Wooddale Blvd.

For more information call 225.924.3774, or visit the website at www.upstagetheatre.biz” or “blocked::http://www.upstag-etheatre.biz/” www.upstageth-eatre.biz.

Mahalia from page 6

With Black Friday quickly approaching, millions of Ameri-cans are already preparing for the holiday “shop ‘til you drop” marathon. But for the 24 million Americans living with diabe-tes, it is critical to plan beyond getting the best sale to ensure diabetes doesn’t interfere with holiday shopping.

Marc Wolf, registered pharmacist and CEO of Dia-betic Care Services (http://www.DiabeticCareServices.com), provides the following tips to help people with diabetes prepare for the holiday shop-ping season.

1. Dress for success. Crowded parking lots and long-lines are a given when holiday shopping. It is important to wear comfortable, supportive closed-toe shoes and special diabetic socks to protect feet.

Also, be sure to give careful consideration to how you will carry extra diabetes test-ing supplies and medications. With numerous shopping bags

to tote during an extended shop-ping trip, consider storing sup-plies in a purse or satchel with a long strap that you can sling over across your chest. Secur-ing your bag this way will help you avoid setting it down at a cash register and accidentally leaving it behind.

2. Arm yourself to battle lows. In addition to diabetes testing supplies and medications, pack several healthy snacks that are proven to quickly battle low blood glucose levels. If you feel a low coming on while in a store that does not allow food or drink, products like Glucose RapidSpray, available at http://www.DiabeticCareServices.com, deliver glucose in spray form that is quickly absorbed.

3. Make a list…and check it twice! Cut down on the time and energy spent holiday shop-ping by preparing a list of items before leaving the house. To shave even more time off your trip, comparison shop online to determine which stores have

the prices and selections you want.

4. Balance is key. Before embarking on a shopping trip, eat a balanced meal that includes protein and fat. Protein and fat help balance energy and prevent low blood sugar.

5. Multi-task. When shop-ping for friends or family mem-bers that also have diabetes, shop for gifts and for yourself at the same time. Online dia-betes suppliers and pharmacies like Diabetic Express, http://www.DiabeticExpress.com, sell items that make great holiday gifts, including fashion-forward diabetes supply cases and the latest meters.

6. Relax. According to the American Diabetes Asso-ciation, stress hormones can directly alter blood glucose levels. Incorporate small tasks into your shopping routine that make the process less stressful, including:

• Read advertisements carefully to ensure you under-

stand limitations on special deals.

• Only use cash to avoid spending more than you should.

• Always ask for a gift receipt.

• Schedule shopping trips at the beginning of the week and later in the day, when stores are less crowded.

Diabetic Care Services, headquartered in Cleveland is one of the nation’s leading mail order durable medical equip-ment suppliers dedicated ex-clusively to diabetes supplies and prescription medications for patients with diabetes. For both Medicare and private insurance customers, Diabetic Care Services delivers one-stop shopping, 24/7 personalized customer service and free doorstep delivery on more than a 1,000 brand name diabetes supplies and prescrip-tion medications. For more in-formation, call 800.633.7167 or visit http://www.DiabeticCa-reServices.com.

Managing Diabetes While Holiday Shopping

By: P., Piero D.D.S. Cardiovascular disease

(CVD) claims the life of one American every 37 seconds ac-cording to the American Heart Association’s 2009 Heart and Stroke Statistical Update.

CVD includes an assort-ment of diseases that are often used (or misused) in reference to the general term “heart disease”. Among those are Atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries caused by Ar-teriosclerosis, calcium depos-its, and/or Atherosclerosis fat deposits), Heart Attack (sud-den death of part of the heart), Stroke (damage to part of the brain caused by lack of blood oxygen or leakage of blood outside the vessel walls), Ar-rhythmia (abnormal rhythm or rate of heart beat), Angina (heavy, tight squeezing pain in the chest), Hypertension (high blood pressure), Con-gestive Heart Failure (weak heart pumping action causing a buildup of fluid lungs and other body tissues).

There are risk factors for CVD that one can’t control. These include age, gender, and family history. Roughly 80%

increases the levels of C-Reactive Protein (CRP) in the body. CRP is released by the body in response to an injury or infection. A 2002 study published by The New England Journal of Medicine concluded that increased levels of CRP are strong predictors of Cardiovascular Diseases.

Second, studies published in the Journal of Periodontology have pointed to the likelihood that bacterial infections promote plaque in arteries. Over time, ar-teries are hardened and narrowed leading to the increased risk of heart attack. Periodontal Disease is a chronic infection of the soft tissue around the teeth.

Periodontal Disease is one risk factor that can be managed successfully by individuals. Al-though oral surgical procedures may be necessary for severe cases, most treatment plans require sound oral hygiene. Currently there is a home dental cleaning system that uses the technology of the dental office Prophy-Jet® to power wash between your teeth and around the gum line. This Dental Air Force® system uses air, water and cleaner to combine tooth brushing and flossing.

Dr. Piero is a practicing den-tist for over twenty years and can be reached at 616-399-8511 or [email protected]

of the people who die of heart disease are 65 and older, but it is the leading cause of death for all Americans over the age of 35. And those with a parent with heart disease are at a higher risk of developing the disease themselves.

There are risk factors, how-ever, that everyone can control and of which we have heard about for many years - stop smoking, eat more fruits and vegetables, eat less fat, exercise, limit alcohol. Some of these lifestyle changes may feel painful and best efforts can be sabotaged by setbacks.

One risk factor, that is linked to increase chances of Cardiovas-cular Diseases, and has just be-come more evident in the research findings, is Periodontal Disease. This information is not currently widespread due to the relative newness of the research.

There has been growing evidence, although up until re-cently, inconclusive, that a strong link was present. Now, accord-ing to the American Academy of Periodontology, “Researchers have found that people with peri-odontal disease are almost twice as likely to suffer from coronary artery disease as those without periodontal disease.” (http://www.perio.org/consumer/mbc.heart.htm)

The researched explanation can get very technical and often only understandable to a profes-sional in the medical field. How-ever, an attempt will be made to simplify and summarize the information in order to provide an understanding of the cause and effect relationship between Periodontal Disease and Cardio-vascular Disease.

Periodontal Disease is a bac-terial infection of the gums. This infection causes two things to happen. One, the inflammation

Managing Your Mouth Helps Manage Your Heart

HOUSTON- Whether you smoke three cigarettes or three packs of cigarettes a day, kick-ing the habit is difficult. Various nicotine replacement products are on the market to make quitting easier. But which product is right for you? Experts from The Uni-versity of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center are here to help.

“Quitting smoking is a wonderful thing to do for yourself and your loved ones, but it can be really hard without help,” said Jennifer Irvin Vidrine, Ph.D., assis-tant professor in the Department of Health Disparities Research at M. D. Anderson. “A great way to reduce withdrawal symptoms while you are trying to quit is to use some sort of nicotine replace-ment therapy.”

Quitting smoking is one of the absolute most important things you can do to improve your health. It significantly reduces your risks for cancer and other diseases, such as heart and lung disease. M. D. Anderson experts share the lowdown on nicotine replacement products.

Patches The patch gives you a

steady stream of nicotine that helps cut down on the highs and lows of nicotine withdrawal. Side effects: Some people with sensi-tive skin can develop a skin rash when using this product. Moving it to a different spot on your body each day usually helps.

Gum Gum is a great way to keep

your mouth busy without a ciga-rette. It gives you small doses of nicotine when you need it. Gum and lozenges also are good for people who are habitual about when they smoke cigarettes. Side effects: The most common problem with the gum is that it is often misused. You need to chew the gum, tuck it between your cheek and gum, and let it sit for a while. If you don’t chew as directed, your body won’t get the full dose of nicotine.

Lozenges Lozenges came onto the

market after the gum to help people who have trouble using the gum correctly. It is great for habitual smokers to indulge in while having a cup of coffee or to soothe themselves during a stressful moment. It also is for people who aren’t thrilled about the idea of having to tuck the gum between their gum and cheek, which can leave an unsightly bulge. Side effects: Although easier to use than the gum, the lozenge can leave a film in the mouth. It also can leave users

with stale breath.

Nasal Spray The nasal spray is like many

sprays you might use for a runny nose or allergies. With the gum or lozenge, what you eat or drink can affect the amount of nicotine you get. The nasal spray is a single shot of nicotine. It works faster than the gum or lozenge, and un-like the patch, it can be used ex-actly when your craving hits. Side effects: The nasal spray can sting the inside of your nose. It also is just one shot, so if you smoke because you like the habit, this isn’t the tool for you.

Inhalers Inhalers work fast like the

nasal spray and certainly faster than the gum and lozenge. Like an asthma inhaler, you put it to your mouth and breathe deeply. Like nasal spray, inhalers gives you a measured amount of nico-tine the instant you need it, but, it isn’t quite as harsh as the nasal spray. Side effects: The biggest trouble with the inhaler is that it is impractical or awkward to use in real life. Using the inhaler in social situations can be awk-ward, if not alarming, for your company. It also is fairly bulky to carry around.

A nicotine replacement product for every personality

“You really can’t go wrong with any nicotine replacement therapy,” said Damon J. Vidrine, Dr .P.H., assistant professor in the Department of Behavioral Science at M. D. Anderson. “I recommend, however, trying the patch first. The patch delivers a steady, low-dose stream of nicotine to your system that reduces cravings.”

While you can buy the gum, lozenge and patch over-the-counter at your local drugstore or supermarket, you need a pre-scription from your doctor to get the inhaler or nasal spray.

“To help yourself quit, I strongly recommend a nicotine replacement product in combina-tion with counseling,” Jennifer Vidrine said.

Although going to see a private counselor might be impossible because of time or money, there are several free smoking quit lines such as 1-800-QUIT NOW (American Cancer Society) and 1-877-44U-QUIT (National Cancer Institute).

“Your goal should be com-plete cessation,” Damon Vidrine said. “It shouldn’t be just to cut back. This can be difficult, but nicotine replacement products, non-nicotine medications, and counseling really do help people who want to quit.”

Read more about smoking cessation and get linked to M. D. Anderson tobacco cessation studies, some of which offer free treatment methods, at www.mdanderson.org/focused.

M. D. Anderson Offers Guidance on Choosing Tobacco Cessation ProductsConsumer reviews and top-doc’s picks to help you kick the habit

Services of the Capital Area and as a member of the Respite Center Advisory Board and Speaker’s Bureau.

Most recently, Dr. Spur-lock was the recipient of the Louisiana State Nurses Associ-ation, 2009 Nightingale Award for Outstanding Community Service by a Registered Nurse. She is currently an associate professor of nursing at South-ern University and A&M Col-lege, School of Nursing, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Franciscan Impact Award Recipient, Sr. Mary Michaeline Green

Sr. Michaeline graduated in 1953 from Dominican High in New Orleans, where she was known as Ellen Green. She en-tered the Dominican Sisters, Congregation of St. Mary in New Orleans after graduation, and graduated from St. Mary’s Dominican College in 1958. In 1966, she earned a master’s de-gree in education in curriculum and teaching from Marquette University in Milwaukee. Sr. Michaeline served for a decade as principal of Holy Ghost El-ementary School in Hammond, and a remarkable 32 years as superintendent of Catholic schools for the greater Baton Rouge area.

“For these 32 years, Sister, you are the face of our Cath-olic schools, you are the face of our commitment to serve God and to serve the church, to serve our diocese, to serve our parents and our parishes,” said Bishop Robert Muench at Sr. Michaeline’s retirement celebration.

award from page 3

Page 8: Baton Rouge Weekly Press

Page 8 • The Weekly Press • Thursday, November 26, 2009

other news

By Sgt. Michael l. OwenSLouisiana National Guard State Unit Public Affairs Representative

CARVILLE, LA – A member of the Louisiana Army National Guard participated in the “Real Men Read” program at East Iberville School in St. Gabriel, La., Nov. 19.

LANG Guardsman Capt.

Lance T. Cagnolatti, a St. Ga-briel police officer and two male teachers read to first, second and third grade students as part of an effort to teach kids the importance of reading.

Although the program was originally designed for male kids, East Iberville School has allowed its female students to participate.

“I believe that every kid, male or female, should under-stand the importance and power of reading,” said Janet Ham-monds, a reading specialist at East Iberville School.

“Real Men Read” encour-ages and improves literacy, provides mentoring opportu-nities and demonstrates the importance of students achiev-ing everything they can. The program recommends that men of all walks of life come and read to students for one hour a month.

“We really enjoy having the volunteers here at the school,” said Hammonds. “The kids are very attentive and enjoy this learning experience. This is what education is supposed to be like.”

For more information con-tact: Public Affairs Office at (866)-275-8176 or by e-mailing to [email protected].

La. Guardsman Helps School Promote Reading

ST. GABRIEL, La. – Louisiana Army National Guardsman Capt. Lance T. Cagnolatti reads to a groups of students at East Iberville School in St. Gabriel, La., as part of the “Real Men Read” program that teaches kids the importance of reading. (U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. Michael L. Owens, Louisiana National Guard State Unit Public Affairs Representative)

among the best in Gospel music this year is a great accomplishment.”

The total list of Verity’s nominees is:

ARTIST OF THE YEARDonald LawrenceHezekiah WalkerSONG OF THE YEAR“Back II Eden ” (Donald Lawrence &

Company)“Souled Out” (Hezekiah Walker)FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEARCrystal AikinGROUP/DUO OF THE YEARDonald Lawrence & CompanyKurt Carr & The Kurt Carr SingersNEW ARTIST OF THE YEARShari AddisonCrystal AikinCD OF THE YEAR

The Law of Confession (Donald Law-rence & Company)

Souled Out (Hezekiah Walker)CHOIR OF THE YEARHezekiah Walker & LFCPRODUCER OF THE YEARDonald LawrenceCONTEMPORARY GROUP/DUO OF

THE YEARDonald Lawrence & CompanyTRADITIONAL MALE VOCALIST

OF THE YEARDonnie McClurkinCONTEMPORARY FEMALE VOCAL-

IST OF THE YEARCrystal AikinTRADITIONAL FEMALE VOCALIST

OF THE YEARShari AddisonCONTEMPORARY CD OF THE

YEARCrystal Aikin (Crystal Aikin)The Law of Confession (Donald Law-

rence & Company)

Souled Out (Hezekiah Walker)TRADITIONAL CD OF THE YEARShari Addison (Shari Addison )URBAN INSPIRATIONAL SINGLE

OR PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR“Let The Word Do The Work” (Donald

Lawrence & Company)CONTEMPORARY CHOIR OF THE

YEARHezekiah Walker & LFCINSTRUMENTAL GOSPEL CD OF

THE YEARMercy, Mercy, Mercy (Ben Tankard)RECORDED MUSIC PACKAGING

OF THE YEARDeitrick Haddon – Revealed (art

direction:Chris Fieldman)Donald Lawrence – The Law of Confes-

sion (art direction:Denise Trotman) For More Information, Contact Verity

Gospel Music Group Publicity:Kymberlee Norsworthy/ 212-833-6640 or

[email protected].

Stella award from page 6

Louisiana Army National Guard participated in the “Real Men Read” program