Thousands of relatives of the 9/11 dead gathered in a park near ground zero on Saturday morning for the ninth annual reading of their names as a nation debated whether a mosque and Islamic community center should be built near ground zero and a president pleaded for religious tolerance.

They filled a makeshift plaza in Zuccotti Park, beside a construction site sprouting cranes and American flags where 4 World Trade Center is rising, carrying cups of cof-fee and bouquets of flowers, wearing the sweatshirts and T-shirts and ball caps of the Port Authority police, the New York State emergency medical technicians, the New York Fire and Police Departments and many

THURSDAY, SepTembeR 16, 2010 a people’s publication Vol. 35 • No. 20

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

INDEXLocal & State ...........................3

Business ...................................5

Classified .................................5

Religion ...................................6

Health ......................................7

Commentary religion news HealtH news

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

aids orpHans figHt stigma In Ethiopia, 5.4 million children are considered to be orphaned or vul-nerable, according to government estimates. Many of these young people, who represent 6 percent of the country’s total population, live with sick parents ...See Page 7

a sCHolar and a gentlemanRon Walters was a gentle man. Yes, he was brilliant, insightful, a political genius with a passionate love for African-American people and for our advancement. But he was also gentle and kind in a way that many with genius are not. ..See Page 4

myron williams is ‘tHankful’Award winning producer Myron Wil-liams is back with his sophomore CD, Thankful. Scheduled for an October 5, 2010 release, the project is sure to please his fans with his signature style and songs of unwavering Wor-ship & Praise....See Page 6

Members of La Capitale Chapter of The Links, Incorporated provided a jumpstart to the school year when they donated backpacks to students residing at Youth With A Mission\ Vision, a shelter for women and their children. The donation culminated the Chapter’s recent “Pack the Backpack” campaign, spearheaded by Services to Youth and chaired by Mavis Henderson-Lewis....Page 3

national/state & Community watCH religion newsThe Coalition Against Domestic Violence, a Denver, Colo.-based nonprofit organization working to combat domestic abuse, offers alarming statistics of which we need to be aware....See Page 6

THEWEEKLYPRESS.COM Celebrating 35 Years Of Service To The Baton Rouge Community 225.775.2002

By Spc. Scott D. LongStreet Louisiana National Guard Public Affairs Office

PINEVILLE, LA – Sgt. Jor-dan Jones, of Monroe, La., re-cently competed in the National Guard National Best Warrior Competition at Fort Benning, Ga. Having tested the limits of

both his physical stamina and his mental toughness, Jones placed second overall for noncommis-sioned officers.

Jones previously won both the state and regional competi-tions held at Camp Cook, in Ball, La., earlier this year.

“It was truly a great honor and privilege to represent both

the state and region at Fort Ben-ning,” said Jones, the Recruit Sustainment Program supply sergeant. “I fought hard and am very proud of my performance.” The monumental accomplish-ment will help the Louisiana National Guard recruit new Soldiers and retain existing ones. As a reward for his success at

the national competition, Jones will soon head to Air Assault School.

“An accomplishment like this is important for recruiting,” said Command Sgt. Major James Mays, senior enlisted advisor, Army. “It will be a great tool to

The Press BOXmonroe native places second at national Best warrior Competition

See competition, on page 7

Southern univerSity & LouiSiana State univerSity

Don’t Miss The Bayou Classic Special Edition • Call For Details 225.775.2002Go JaGS & Go tiGerS

9/11 memorial Ceremony loss, tension

Two-year-old Luke Pavlenishzili, riding on the shoulders of his father George Pavlenishzili, offers a rose to New York firefighter Joe Huber, who was standing at the reflecting pool at ground zero during a memorial service commemorating the ninth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center Saturday, Sept. 11, 2010 in New York. (AP Photo/Chang W. Lee

A rose floats in the reflecting pool at Ground Zero during

the annual 9/11 memorial service September 11, 2010 in New York City.

See 9/11 memorial, on page 2

BATON ROUGE – Oil rig workers suffering financial hardship because of the fed-eral moratorium on deepwater drilling are urged to apply for a hardship grant offered by the Gulf Coast Restoration and Protection Foundation.

The Rig Worker Assis-tance Fund was established with a $100 million donation from BP. Under an agreement with BP, the program is limited to people who were working aboard 33 deepwater rigs on May 6, when the moratorium began.

Applications will be ac-cepted through Thursday, Sept.

30, 2010. Grant awards will range from $3,000 to $30,000, and grants will be awarded by Oct. 31.

Rig workers who be-lieve they are affected by the moratorium can call (866) 577-8141 or apply online at www.gcrpf.org <http://www.gcrpf.org> .

The hotline is staffed Monday-Friday 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

The Gulf Coast Restora-tion and Protection Foundation was created to help people af-fected by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and provide for the long-term sustainability of wildlife in the coastal eco-system.

Please contact Mukul Verma, Baton Rouge Area Foundation, mverma@braf.org, (225) 387-6126

A n n E d e l m a n , Zehnder Communications, aedelman@z-comm.com, (225) 242-9000.

oil rig employees urged to apply for financial reliefProgram Offers Grants to Workers Affected by Moratorium

BAKER, LA - Elaine G. Davis announces her candi-dacy for election to the City of Baker School Board District 1. The election will be held on October 2, 2010. Mrs. Davis is a career educator who be-lieves in a quality education, first class learning environ-ments and safe schools for all children in the Baker School District. She also says that a strong relationship should be built between the School District and the community at large.

Mrs. Davis is a retired school administrator from Special School District in the Louisiana Department of Edu-cation and she taught for 11 years in East Baton Rouge Par-ish as a helping teacher and speech pathologist.

She feels that her prior

experience on the Baker Board from 1 9 9 9 - 2 0 0 6 helps her un-derstand the needs and new chal -lenges that lie ahead.

Mrs. Davis has been given a favorable endorsement by the Greater Baton Rouge AFL-CIO and SEIU Local 21LA.

She is a member of the Louisiana Association of Ed-ucators, National Education Association, Life Member of the PTA, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and Greater Mount Carmel Baptist Church.

She is married to Dr. Leroy Davis and they have twin sons and four grand-children.

elaine g. davis announces Candidacy for City of Baker school Board district 1

Elaine G. Davis

Page 2 • The Weekly Press • Thursday, September 16, 2010

LocaL&State

After more than 45 years Mel-rose East area residents expressed their hopes and desires in July for the future of their neighbor-hood, initial results show that the community shares common ideas about both the positive aspects and challenges of their area.

“The residents are one of the best resources we have for garnering ideas to improve the economic conditions of an area,” said Walter Monsour, President & CEO of the East Baton Rouge Redevelopment Authority (RDA). “We were happy to see residents come out and tackle the difficult task of identifying the needed improvements to their neighbor-hood in a coordinated and unified manner.”

The RDA and its consultant team, led by Phillips-Davis Legacy of New York and Brown+Danos landdesign of Baton Rouge, are designing five Community Im-

provement Plans, or CIPs, in the Baton Rouge area in 2010. The RDA’s Community Improvement Plan Visioning workshop for Mel-rose East was conducted at the BREC Headquarters on July 22nd. In addition to the Melrose East area, other areas undergoing com-munity improvement planning include Scotlandville Gateway, Choctaw Corridor, Northdale and the Zion City & Glen Oaks.

Baton Rouge Council-woman Donna Collins-Lewis was in attendance at the workshop and worked side-by-side with her constituents to identify the area’s unique assets and challenges.

“While the Melrose East area has many needs, it also has an upper hand in that there is strong community leadership from its business owners and residents,” said Councilwoman Collins-Lewis. Melrose East is bordered by North Ardenwood to

the west, North Lobdell Boulevard to the east, Renoir Avenue to the north, and Florida Boulevard to the south. This is approximately a 1.5 mile area populated by ap-proximately 5,500 residents. The area was once anchored by retail merchants including the now closed Bon Marché Mall, which has since been converted into an economic development project, Bon Carré Technology Park, hous-ing corporations including Cox Communications and Louisiana Center for Educators.

When asked to list what they believe are assets and chal-lenges in their community, resi-dents who attended the July 22nd visioning workshop voiced the Bon Carré Technology Park as an asset, as well as area churches and the police substation, while vacant and blighted properties and crime were noted as the big-gest challenges.

The RDA, a quasi-govern-mental entity, works to improve the quality of life for East Baton Rouge citizens through economic development and eradication of blight. Along with community improvement planning, the RDA administers other programs to stimulate economic development and improve neighborhood con-ditions, such as gap financing, rental rehabilitation and small business façade grants.

While the Community Im-provement Plans create commu-nity-inspired design that allow for the integration of beautification and smart-growth concepts with the coming of possible new de-velopments, the RDA recognizes that plans alone do not improve a community for the better. “While we certainly have the tools to en-courage and attract commercial projects to the area, development will still be driven by the market,” reminded Monsour.

The workshop will be held at the BREC Headquarters at 6201 Florida Boulevard on Thursday, September 30 from 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. . Refreshments will be pro-vided at the workshop. Residents and businesses can learn more about the CIP project and other RDA programs, such as small business façade grants and rental rehabilitation, by visiting their website at www.ebrra.org.

Community Improvement Plan Update: Melrose East

other agencies.And on another crystal-

clear September morn, a few degrees cooler than the one engraved on a city’s heart, they held aloft posters and photos of the departed whose captions told the story of that day and of this one.

Angel Luis Jarbe Jr.: “Al-ways in our hearts.” Lt. Philip S. Petti, FDNY: “Remember-ing.”

James V. DeBlase Jr.: “Where are OUR rights?” Joon Koo Kang: “We love you!! Islam mosque ‘right next to ground zero??? We should stop this!!”

From the stage, however, the ceremony kept strictly to remembrance and steered clear of politics.

“No other public tragedy has cut our city so deeply,” Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said moments before a fire-fighter rang a silver bell at 8:47 a.m., signaling the moment the first plane hit the first tower.

“No other place is as filled with our compassion, our love and our solidarity,” Mr. Bloomberg said. “It is with the strength of these emotions, as well as the concrete, glass and steel that is brought in day by day, that we will build on the footprints of the past the foundation of the future.”

Family members of the 9/11 victims at the reflecting pool during the ceremony of ninth anniversary of 9/11.Chang W. Lee/The New York Times Family members of the 9/11 victims at the reflecting pool during the ceremony of ninth anniversary of 9/11.

After the mayor spoke, pairs of readers, some poised, some tearful, took turns read-ing a dozen or so names apiece – one reader was a victim’s son or daughter or widow, the other an iron worker or architect or electrician on the mammoth project to rebuild the area.

Periodically, other politi-cians ascended the stage and offered brief readings. Gov. Chris Christie of New Jer-sey read Langston Hughes’s eight-line poem “Dreams.” Former Mayor Rudolph W.

Giuliani recited the conclusion of Tennyson’s “Ulysses”: “To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.”

The vice president, Joseph R. Biden Jr., read from a poem by Longfellow called “The Build-ers.”: “Make the house, where Gods may dwell / Beautiful, en-tire, and clean. / Else our lives are incomplete.”

The actor Kristin Chenoweth belted out “Borrowed Angels,” a song for the fallen.

But mostly, the morning belonged to the victims and the simple litany of their names – 2,752 were read aloud, flowing unstoppably from the mouths of those who mourned them yet.

An older woman burst into tears as she finished her reading. “Let today never ever be a na-tional holiday. Let it be forever somber.”

Nearby, weeping women in funeral dress and sunglasses, men in uniform and children in T-shirts emblazoned with photographs of smiling faces dropped roses, one for each name, into a circular pool of water until the sharp blue sky reflected in it was blotted out by a carpet of bloom.

At 9:03, the bell was rung again to signal the moment the plane struck the south tower. In the silence that followed, a

9/11 MeMorial from page 1

The Football schedule for LSU and Southern universi-ties has game times incorrect 9/9/2010 publication. Please accept our apologize for any inconvence that it may have caused.

Correction

See 9/11 memorial, on page 7

• 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: wendellwoods@bellsouth.net

LAW OFFICE OF WEnDELL C. WOODS

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK: Knowing good and doing good are different things in many ways. Cecil

CONGRATULATIONS TO SHILOH’S MUSICAL HONOR-EES! All of you, and especially to my hometown musical genius Everette Parker! We know you and admire the good work you do for our community and be-yond this community. Keep up the good work and savor this moment of recognition. Remem-ber, one honor always deserves another honor! Best wishes

ANOTHER TEACHER OF THE YEAR has been brought to our attention. We salute Ms. Marissa Bulger who was named by her peer as their Teacher of the year at Ascension Catholic High School. There she teaches English 10-12 and in her first, very first full-time teaching job. (Would you believe the very first and won this covet honor?) This says a lot for the teacher and her work that she is doing. Best wishes to you!

“Beauty and the Beast”

is being put on by area stu-dents and Jarred Baker. He is a graduate of Northwestern State University and his major was theatre. His major study was musical theatre and was in several professional must productions.

THANKS TO THE ST. JO-SEPH ALTAR PARTICIPANTS, from Ms. Lorraine Smith Landry. This annual feast presented to the students the history and purpose each year. According to Lorraine lots of good food and dishes were brought and donations continue to come in. “Thanks to everyone”, she says.

HAVE YOU SEEN THE NEW OBAMA T-SHIRT with the Psalm scripture on it? If you check it out the scripture is not for Obama but against him. Do not be partisan and keep a level head about our national leaders. Don’t buy it!

THANKS TO STEVEN SCH-NEIDER FOR THE ART WORK

marge's Chit Chat

See marge, on page 5

BATON ROUGE – Michelle Hill has been appointed interim Assistant Vice Chancellor of En-rollment Management at South-ern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge. Hill previously served as Executive Associate to the Chancellor at Southern. She holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Southern Univer-sity.

Hill named Assistant Vice Chancellor of Enrollment Management

Michelle Hill 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

Thursday, September 16, 2010 • The Weekly Press • Page 3

2705 North Street Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70802

(225) 387-3355

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BoRDELoN’STHE HOURS FOR BORDELON’S PHARMACY ARE Monday-Friday

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Open 7am Mon- Sat 11am SunServing The Eden Park Community For 6 Years

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SERVICE WITH A SMILE • COLDEST BEVERAGES IN TOWN

Sept. 5, 2010 SWAC/MEAC Challenge Orlando, Fla. 12:00 P.M.(Citrus Bowl Stadium)

Sept. 11, 2010 Arkansas-Monticello Baton Rouge, La. 6:00 P.M.(A.W. Mumford Stadium)

Sept. 25, 2010 @ Alabama A&M Huntsville, Ala. 6:00 P.M.(Louis Crews Stadium)

Oct. 2, 2010 Arkansas-Pine Bluff Baton Rouge, La. 6:00 P.M.(A.W. Mumford Stadium)

Oct. 9, 2010 Mississippi Valley St. Baton Rouge, La. 6:00 P.M.(HOMECOMING) (A.W. Mumford Stadium)

Oct. 16, 2010 @ Jackson State Jackson, Miss. 6:00 P.M.(Miss. Veterans Mem. Stadium)

Oct. 23, 2010 @ Prairie View Shreveport, LA 4:00 P.M.(Independence Stadium)

Oct. 30, 2010 @ Alcorn St. Alcorn State, Miss. 2:00 P.M.(Jack Spinks Stadium)

Nov. 6, 2010 Texas Southern Baton Rouge, La. 6:00 P.M.(A.W. Mumford Stadium)

Nov. 13, 2010 Alabama St. Baton Rouge, La. 5:30 P.M.(A.W. Mumford Stadium)

Nov. 27, 2010 Southern vs. Grambling St. New Orleans, La. 1:00 P.M.(State Farm Bayou Classic XXXVII)(Louisiana Superdome)

Dec. 11, 2010 SWAC Championship Birmingham, Ala. 1:00 P.M.(Legion Field)

2010 SU FOOTBALL SCHEDULESat, Sep 18, 2010Mississippi State * - Baton Rouge, La. (Tiger Stadium) 6:00 p.m. ESPNU, 98.1 FM

Sat, Sep 25 West Virginia - Baton Rouge, La. (Tiger Stadium) 7:00 p.m. 98.1 FM

Sat, Oct. 02 Tennessee * - Baton Rouge, La. (Tiger Stadium) 7:00 p.m. 98.1 FM

Sat, Oct. 09 Florida * - at Gainesville, Fla. (Ben Hill Griffin Stadium) TBA 98.1 FM

Sat, Oct. 16 McNeese St. - Baton Rouge, La. (Tiger Stadium) 7:00 p.m. 98.1 FM

Sat, Oct. 23 Auburn * - at Auburn, Ala. (Jordan-Hare Stadium) TBA 98.1 FM Sat, Nov. 06

Sat, Nov 06 Alabama * - Baton Rouge, La. (Tiger Stadium) 7:00 p.m. 98.1 FM

Sat, Nov. 13 ULM - Baton Rouge, La. (Tiger Stadium) 7:00 p.m. 98.1 FM Sat, Nov. 20 Ole Miss * - Baton Rouge, La. (Tiger Stadium) 7:00 p.m. 98.1 FM

Sat, Nov. 27 Arkansas * - at Little Rock, Ark. (War Memorial Stadium) TBA 98.1 FM

Sat, Dec 04 TBD (if nec.) - at Atlanta, Ga. (Georgia Dome) 3:00 p.m. CBS, 98.1 FM

2010 LSU FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

x

BEEN HURT IN A CAR WRECK?Don’t Get

Hurt Twice By Trying To Handle Your

Wreck Alone!“Not an authentic wreck scene.”

Call Charles McManus, Injury Lawyer, at 225-774-5771. He Can Get You ALL You Deserve!

INjurY LAWYEr8520 Scotland Ave, ‘C’ • Baton Rouge, La. 70807 • 225-774-5771

Charles C. MCMaNUs

BATON ROUGE - Members of La Capitale Chapter of The Links, Incorporated provided a jumpstart to the school year when they donated backpacks to students residing at Youth With A Mission\ Vision, a shelter for women and their children. The donation culminated the Chap-ter’s recent “Pack the Backpack” campaign, spearheaded by Ser-vices to Youth and chaired by Mavis Henderson-Lewis. The backpack donation project is one of many activities held through-out the year, and is in keeping with La Capitale Links’ mission of service to youth and families in the Baton Rouge community. The Links, Incorporated was founded in 1946 and is one of the old-est and largest volunteer service organizations of women who are committed to enriching, sustain-ing and ensuring the culture and economic survival of African Americans and other persons of African ancestry. Those assisting in the distribution at the shelter included: La Capitale President Jacqui Vines, Vice-president Paula Clayton, Program Committee Co-

Chair Lynn Dickerson, Phyllis White, and Mavis Henderson-Lewis, Chair, Services to Youth. Sharon Green serves as Director and CEO of Youth With A Vision MIssion.

Please contact Rebecca T Cu-reau, Chair of Communications and Public Relations for La Capi-tale Chapter of the Links, Inc. at 225-775-7480, or by e-mailing her at cureau@bellsouth.net .

Top row, left to right - Velma Jackson, Mavis Henderson-Lewis (Chair, Services to Youth), Jacqui Vines (President, La Capitale Chapter), Paula Clayton (Vice-President), Lynn Dickerson (Program Co-Chair,) Phyllis White, and Sharon Green (Director and CEO, Youth With A Mission\Vision). Students: 2nd row, left to right - Michael Burrell, Ashley Tolbert, Marvin Kinsey. 1st row, left to right Megan Bonds, Titayana Wells, Christian Bonds

La Capitale Links Help to Launch the New School Year

Page 2 • The Weekly Press • Thursday, September 9, 2010

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

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

E-Mail theweeklypress@yahoo.comthewpres@bellsouth.net

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

Closed Saturday, Sunday and all Major Holidays

LocaL&State

x

BEEN HURT IN A CAR WRECK?Don’t Get

Hurt Twice By Trying To Handle Your

Wreck Alone!“Not an authentic wreck scene.”

Call Charles McManus, Injury Lawyer, at 225-774-5771. He Can Get You ALL You Deserve!

INjuRY LAWYER8520 Scotland Ave, ‘C’ • Baton Rouge, La. 70807 • 225-774-5771

Charles C. MCMaNUs

After more than 45 years Mel-rose East area residents expressed their hopes and desires in July for the future of their neighbor-hood, initial results show that the community shares common ideas about both the positive aspects and challenges of their area.

“The residents are one of the best resources we have for garnering ideas to improve the economic conditions of an area,” said Walter Monsour, President & CEO of the East Baton Rouge Redevelopment Authority (RDA). “We were happy to see residents come out and tackle the difficult task of identifying the needed improvements to their neighbor-hood in a coordinated and unified manner.”

The RDA and its consultant team, led by Phillips-Davis Legacy of New York and Brown+Danos landdesign of Baton Rouge, are designing five Community Im-

provement Plans, or CIPs, in the Baton Rouge area in 2010. The RDA’s Community Improvement Plan Visioning workshop for Mel-rose East was conducted at the BREC Headquarters on July 22nd. In addition to the Melrose East area, other areas undergoing com-munity improvement planning include Scotlandville Gateway, Choctaw Corridor, Northdale and the Zion City & Glen Oaks.

Baton Rouge Council-woman Donna Collins-Lewis was in attendance at the workshop and worked side-by-side with her constituents to identify the area’s unique assets and challenges.

“While the Melrose East area has many needs, it also has an upper hand in that there is strong community leadership from its business owners and residents,” said Councilwoman Collins-Lewis. Melrose East is bordered by North Ardenwood to

the west, North Lobdell Boulevard to the east, Renoir Avenue to the north, and Florida Boulevard to the south. This is approximately a 1.5 mile area populated by ap-proximately 5,500 residents. The area was once anchored by retail merchants including the now closed Bon Marché Mall, which has since been converted into an economic development project, Bon Carré Technology Park, hous-ing corporations including Cox Communications and Louisiana Center for Educators.

When asked to list what they believe are assets and chal-lenges in their community, resi-dents who attended the July 22nd visioning workshop voiced the Bon Carré Technology Park as an asset, as well as area churches and the police substation, while vacant and blighted properties and crime were noted as the big-gest challenges.

The RDA, a quasi-govern-mental entity, works to improve the quality of life for East Baton Rouge citizens through economic development and eradication of blight. Along with community improvement planning, the RDA administers other programs to stimulate economic development and improve neighborhood con-ditions, such as gap financing, rental rehabilitation and small business façade grants.

While the Community Im-provement Plans create commu-nity-inspired design that allow for the integration of beautification and smart-growth concepts with the coming of possible new de-velopments, the RDA recognizes that plans alone do not improve a community for the better. “While we certainly have the tools to en-courage and attract commercial projects to the area, development will still be driven by the market,” reminded Monsour.

“Our job is to give a poten-tial investor more incentive to come to Melrose East, as well as our other areas of concentration in Baton Rouge so that residents may have services they otherwise have to travel long-distances to access.” Residents will have an-other opportunity this month to return to the planning table at the Melrose East Alternatives and Implementation Workshop, where the RDA and its consultant team will ask for community feedback on development and design rec-ommendations based on input received in July.

The workshop will be held at the BREC Headquarters at 6201 Florida Boulevard on Thursday, September 30 from 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. . Refreshments will be pro-vided at the workshop. Residents and businesses can learn more about the CIP project and other RDA programs, such as small business façade grants and rental rehabilitation, by visiting their website at www.ebrra.org.

Community improvement plan update: melrose east

other agencies.And on another crystal-

clear September morn, a few degrees cooler than the one engraved on a city’s heart, they held aloft posters and photos of the departed whose captions told the story of that day and of this one.

Angel Luis Jarbe Jr.: “Al-ways in our hearts.” Lt. Philip S. Petti, FDNY: “Remember-ing.”

James V. DeBlase Jr.: “Where are OUR rights?” Joon Koo Kang: “We love you!! Islam mosque ‘right next to ground zero??? We should stop this!!”

From the stage, however, the ceremony kept strictly to remembrance and steered clear of politics.

“No other public tragedy has cut our city so deeply,” Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said moments before a fire-fighter rang a silver bell at 8:47 a.m., signaling the moment the first plane hit the first tower.

“No other place is as filled with our compassion, our love and our solidarity,” Mr. Bloomberg said. “It is with the strength of these emotions, as well as the concrete, glass and steel that is brought in day by day, that we will build on the footprints of the past the foundation of the future.”

Family members of the 9/11 victims at the reflecting pool during the ceremony of ninth anniversary of 9/11.Chang W. Lee/The New York Times Family members of the 9/11 victims at the reflecting pool during the ceremony of ninth anniversary of 9/11.

After the mayor spoke, pairs of readers, some poised, some tearful, took turns read-ing a dozen or so names apiece – one reader was a victim’s son or daughter or widow, the other an iron worker or architect or electrician on the mammoth project to rebuild the area.

Periodically, other politi-cians ascended the stage and offered brief readings. Gov. Chris Christie of New Jer-sey read Langston Hughes’s eight-line poem “Dreams.” Former Mayor Rudolph W.

Giuliani recited the conclusion of Tennyson’s “Ulysses”: “To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.”

The vice president, Joseph R. Biden Jr., read from a poem by Longfellow called “The Build-ers.”: “Make the house, where Gods may dwell / Beautiful, en-tire, and clean. / Else our lives are incomplete.”

The actor Kristin Chenoweth belted out “Borrowed Angels,” a song for the fallen.

But mostly, the morning belonged to the victims and the simple litany of their names – 2,752 were read aloud, flowing unstoppably from the mouths of those who mourned them yet.

An older woman burst into tears as she finished her reading. “Let today never ever be a na-tional holiday. Let it be forever somber.”

Nearby, weeping women in funeral dress and sunglasses, men in uniform and children in T-shirts emblazoned with photographs of smiling faces dropped roses, one for each name, into a circular pool of water until the sharp blue sky reflected in it was blotted out by a carpet of bloom.

At 9:03, the bell was rung again to signal the moment the plane struck the south tower. In the silence that followed, a

9/11 MeMorial from page 1

See 9/11 memorial, on page 7

Paid for by the Committee to Re-Elect Judge John Michael GuidryPaid for by the Committee to Re-Elect Judge John Michael Guidry

Paid for by the Committee to Re-Elect Judge John Michael Guidry

Paid for by the Committee to Re-Elect Judge John Michael Guidry

CommentaryThursday, September 16, 2010 • The Weekly Press • Page 4

By Julian MalveauxNNPA Columnist

(NNPA) - Ron Walters was a gentle man. Yes, he was bril-liant, insightful, a political ge-nius with a passionate love for African-American people and for our advancement. But he was also gentle and kind in a way that many with genius are not. He balanced life skillfully, caring for issues, but also for people. He was my friend, sometime my partner in activism. I will miss him.

Indeed, I cannot my disbe-lief upon learning of his death. He was sick, and in these last months, even frail. We were together when dr. Ron Daniels convened a Capital Hill meeting of the Shirley Chisholm Commis-sion on Presidential Account-ability, a group on which Ron Walters and I both served. He came in, looking a bit thinner than usual, with a voice softer than usual, and when I voiced concern, he said he had been ill. While there was evidence of illness in his physical coun-tenance, there was none in his spoken presentation. Indeed, he was awesomely incisive in raising questions about issues of accountability and questions that must be raised to judge the Obama Administration. Always fair, he was also clear that the Chisholm Commission was not

about holding this administration to a harsher standard than any other. Indeed, he was clear that account-ability is something that is to be expected of any leader.

On Saturday morning, at the Na-tional Council of Negro Women prayer breakfast, the gather-ing was abuzz with news of Ron’s Friday evening death, voices somber and shaken at the mag-nitude of our loss. We have lost a phenomenal analyst, a caring advocate, an inspirational men-tor, and a dazzling teacher. Ron Walters was not only a leader; he was an advisor of leaders. His relationship with the Rev. Jesse Jackson, whose 1984 and 1988 campaigns he played pivotal roles in, is an example of the groundbreaking work he has done, both as a political scien-tist and as a political activist. At the NCNW breakfast, someone asked how long I’d known Ron Walters. After some reflection, I had to reply that I simply didn’t know.

I do remember a call from him, though, back in 1984. We didn’t know each other well, then. I was a professor in San Francisco and had been involved in the Jackson campaign. He was one of the campaign lead-

ers and keeping things together. One of the San Francisco radio sta-tions had asked that a Jackson, Mondale, and Hart representative do a morning conversa-tion each day during the convention about its happenings. Ron Walters asked me if I’d speak for Rev. Jackson and I, of course, en-

thusiastically agreed. I’m as volatile as Ron is calm, so after my first radio appearance I got some coaching on how to “tone it down”. The coaching was of-fered so gently that it had to be considered. I still chuckle at the memory.

We worked together, again, during the 1988 Jackson cam-paign. I’m not sure what all Ron Walters had me doing, but I remember both writing about the convention and running from one meeting to another to be helpful to the campaign. Our paths continued to criss cross over the years, more so when I moved to Washington in 1994 and we saw each other more frequently. We presented on panels together, worked on causes together, and sometimes connected just because each of us needed to bounce ideas off a like-minded colleague. Whether we spoke one on one or in a group, my recollection is that Ron had

plenty to say and was measured in how he said it. Again, the word “gentle” comes to mind.

Our gentle friend left a leg-acy of excellent and thorough po-litical analysis. He was more than a political analyst and teacher, though. He was the “scholar activist” that WEB DuBois so often spoke of, the person who takes information and data and uses it to empower a people. Ron Walters was not about the blood-less political analysis that ma-nipulated numbers to come up with results. Nor was he about the passionate pronouncements some pundits offer that often come out of nowhere. Instead, he balanced the two with gentle grace. He cared about black peo-ple, about inequality and injus-tice. He cared about historically black colleges and universities. (A graduate of Fisk University, he spent much of his career at Howard University. When we last spoke, he was considering an invite to come to speak at Bennett College for Women in the spring). We will miss his gentle caring. We will miss a gentle man. And we are so very aware of how blessed the African American community has been to have him with us for the 72 years of his amazing life.

Julianne Malveaux is President of Bennett College for Women in Greensboro, North Carolina.

By BenJaMin F. Chavis Jr.NNPA Columnist

(NNPA) - Be careful on what you pray for, because God will answer your prayers. Millions of African Americans and oth-ers prayed for a President of the United States who would lead America in a more just and fair direction both domestically and internationally. Many believed two years ago that the world would never witness a Black man and woman in the White House.

Unless we are too quick to forget, prior too November 2008, the U.S. economy, world image, and national social divisions were all in pretty bad shape after eight years of failed lead-ership from President George W. Bush. Today as we approach the mid-term 2010 elections across the United States, it is very im-portant for us not to lose our memory or sense of perspec-tive. This is also certainly not the time to become complacent or to take the importance of vot-ing for granted.

Yes, the vast majority of African Americans are proud of the leadership and progress that has already been accomplished by President Barack H. Obama.

Once again, the vital role of the Black press re-emerges on the na-tional scene. Most of the established media in the U.S. thrives off of cynicism and nega-tive media coverage. We believe in objec-tive reporting and constructive criti-cism. Yet, the prob-lem is there appears to be more subjective criticism of President Obama than is warranted after only two years in office.

We pause, therefore, to salute the excellent and thor-ough broadcast of the Tom Joyner Morning Show that featured President Obama live on Friday, September 10, 2010. Joyner’s skilled interview of the President exemplified the best of the Black press tradition of providing timely and crucial in-formation to the African Ameri-can and other communities who demand more objective truth in the media. Most of all, what was clear from that broadcast was the outstanding leadership of President Obama on a number of key issues critical to improv-ing the quality of life of African Americans.

The leadership of a presi-

dent is not to be judged solely by media cover-age or by sheer popu-larity. Presidential lead-ership should be judged by how well a president leads the nation for-ward, not backward. In 2010, even with the persistent economic and unemployment challenges, the U.S.

under Obama’s leadership has moved in a forward, progressive manner in terms of foreign and domestic policies.

It goes without saying that we understand that the Presi-dent of the United States has the responsibility to act and lead in behalf of all the people of the U.S. One of the reasons why we attest to President Obama’s strength as a national and world leader is that while he has held the office with high dignity and integrity, and has well represented all of the people in the U.S., he has not forgotten about the Black American community in terms of public policies, budget alloca-tions, and other governmental actions.

During the Tom Joyner Morning Show interview, Presi-dent Obama in summary stated, “What we’ve been trying to do is

build a new foundation for eco-nomic growth and prosperity in our communities… Now, what we hve done over the course of two years is laid the foundation. Put in place some key reforms… I mentioned health care reform. That’s going to mean millions of African Americans and Hispan-ics and people of every stripe across the country who did not have health care… now are going to have health care. Number twom in terms of one of the keys that we’ve always talked about in terms of job growth - long term - is education. We have done more to reform education in our communities in the last two years than had been done in the previous 20 years, and that’s at every level K-12... But it goes all the way up to higher education, where HBCUs are getting $850 million dollars over the next 10 years… So, no we’re not where we need to be. But at least we’re moving forward, and what we can’t start doing is moving backwards.”

Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. is a national civil rights leader, Senior Advisor to the Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO) and President of the Education Online Services Corporation.

President Barack H. Obama’s Strong Leadership

Ron Walters - A Scholar and a Gentleman

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 MarC h. MorialNNPA Columnist

(NNPA) - Last month, I joined the peo-ple of my beloved home-town of New Orleans in commemorating the fifth anniversary of Hur-ricane Katrina, a natural and manmade disaster of biblical proportions that claimed 1800 lives and caused more than $100 billion in damages. Katrina V, as this year’s remembrance has been called, is a tale of two cities. According to a new report from Brookings and the Greater New Orleans Community Data Center, “Despite sustaining three shocks in the last five years [Katrina, the economic downturn, and the Gulf oil spill], greater New Orleans is rebounding and, in some ways, doing so better than before.”

There is no doubt that due to the extraordinary resilience of New Orleans citizens, coupled with sustained assistance from a steady stream of volunteers, and a more effective response from all levels of government, large parts of the city are coming back. Signs of hope include the alloca-tion last week of $1.8 billion in federal funds for New Orleans schools damaged during Katrina,

notable improvements in the levee system, and a sweeping overhaul of the New Orleans police department whose actions after Katrina earned it the label as one of the worst and most corrupt in the nation.

This is especially painful for me because my successor Ray Nag-in’s inept leadership

completely dismantled the re-markable police reform that took place when I served as Mayor of New Orleans from 1994-2002. In an 8 year period of reform crime dropped by 60% and corruption was snuffed out. This will hope-fully begin to change due to the re-newed confidence in government that will come with the election in February of a capable new mayor, Mitch Landrieu. But in places like Pontchatrain Park, where I grew up and in the Lower Ninth Ward, which suffered the worst damage from the storm, progress has come much too slowly, and much more needs to be done.

I saw some of these dispari-ties first-hand last Sunday dur-ing my attendance at a rally and memorial for the people of the

Benjamin F. Chavis

JulianneMalveaux

Katrina V - A City Rebuilding Itself

Marc H.Morial

To Be equal

By Marian Wright edelMan NNPA Columnist

(NNPA) - “[Jefferson] Thomas

was just a teenager when he be-came one of the first African-American students to enroll in Little Rock Central High School. Yet even at such a young age, he had the courage to risk his own safety, to defy a governor and a mob, and to walk proudly into that school even though it would have been far easier to give up and turn back. And through this simple act of pursuing an equal education, he and his fellow mem-bers of the Little Rock Nine helped open the doors of opportunity for their generation and for those that followed. The searing images of soldiers guarding students from those days will forever serve as a testament to the progress we’ve made, the barriers that previous generations have torn down, and the power of ordinary men and women to help us build a more perfect union. Our nation owes Mr. Thomas a debt of grati-tude[.]”

This is part of the statement issued by President Obama about Jefferson Thomas, who passed away on September 5th. In 1957, he and eight fellow Black students at Little Rock Central High School made history as they helped make our nation live up to the promise of Brown v. Board of Education, the end of legal segregation in public schools. As President Obama has said before, he himself was among the next generation of Americans who were able to step through those doors of opportunity the Little Rock Nine helped open. In reminding us that Thomas and his fellow students were just teen-agers when they endured daily harassment and physical threats just to go to school each day, he raises another key point: our nation owes a debt of gratitude not just to the ordinary men and women who took a stand during the Civil Rights Movement, but to the extraordinary children and youths who were frontline sol-diers in the war to end Jim Crow in American life.

Children and young people in the Movement taught us to be courageous and stand up against injustice and showed uncommon dignity, maturity, and grace that was often a direct contrast to the hate-filled adults around them. Dr. Robert Coles, in his children’s book The Story of Ruby Bridges, describes Ruby’s loving forgive-ness and courage when faced with the ugly screaming White mobs who jeered and taunted her

as she attended alone, only six years old, a previously all-White school in New Orleans boycotted by Whites. Ruby astonished her teacher when she asked Ruby why she had paused and talked to the crowd of White adults one day. “I wasn’t talking,” said Ruby. “I was praying. I was praying for them.”

Historians like Taylor Branch and David Halberstam recount the incredible courage and de-termination and grit of children and youths like Ruby Bridges, Thomas and his classmates at Little Rock Central High, and others who subjected themselves often to the violent resistance we witnessed in Little Rock and New Orleans to end discrimination in the American South. Their names were not just in the court papers filed by their brave parents in dozens of school desegregation cases. Children were the shock troops who parted the milling, jeering, and threatening crowds and weathered daily the hateful isolation and ugly epithets encour-aged or ignored by some White adults who taught their children to spurn and insult Black children. Children faced fierce police dogs and fire hoses and filled the jails in Birmingham and Selma, Ala-bama when most adults hesitated to respond to Dr. King’s call for fear of their jobs or personal safety. Children withstood arrests and tough treatment in Jackson, Mis-sissippi and harsh treatment in Southern jails where they were detained. They were sometimes beaten by police for standing up for freedom. High school and col-lege youths sat down until lunch counters across the South were desegregated. And four little girls had to die as a sacrifice in Birmingham before the nation assured Black citizens the right to vote.

As Taylor Branch said at a Children’s Defense Fund/Black Community Crusade for Children forum, “There is no precedent that I know of in recorded history for the power balance of a great na-tion turning on the moral witness of schoolchildren…A movement that rode through in history on the spirit of children now looks to how we treat our children [de-cades] later. Now we have adults who, in effect, need to pay back children.” How will we do that? When will we do that? Giving children fair treatment, leader-ship, and protection today is our nation’s chance to honor the debt we owe young people like Jeffer-son Thomas whose life made such a difference to us all.

Jefferson Thomas and the Courage of Children

Child WaTCh

See katrina v, on page 7

Thursday, September 16, 2010 • The Weekly Press • Page 5

the state and federal guidelines in doing so,” said Peggy Hatch, DEQ Secretary. “The Ready for Reuse program brings both an environmental and an economic benefit to the state, as land that

was once contaminated can be put back into productive use again.”

Carl Edlund, Director of the EPA Region 6 Multimedia Planning and Permitting Divi-

sion, stated, “We are pleased to partner with LDEQ to deem this property Ready for Reuse. One of the key purposes of the Ready for

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NEW ORLEANS — Tax day has come and gone for most people, but your dealings with taxes may not be done, espe-cially for small businesses. Small businesses have an average of four contacts with the IRS each year. Self-employed individu-als may need to make quarterly estimated tax payments. If the business has employees, em-ployers will need to deal with quarterly employment taxes. But what if you receive a notice that your income tax return has been selected for a tax audit? Here are frequently asked questions to help you prepare:

Does the IRS ever contact a taxpayer or the tax preparer via e-mail to initiate an audit?

The IRS does not contact an individual via e-mail for an initial appointment. Contact related to being selected for an audit will be made via telephone or mail only, due to disclosure requirements.

Where will the audit be held?

It depends on the type of audit being conducted.

Audits by Mail/Correspon-dence Audit: Some audits are conducted entirely by mail. If the audit is conducted by mail, you will receive a letter from the IRS asking for additional informa-tion about certain items shown on the tax return such as income, expenses, and itemized deduc-tions.

In-Person Audits are au-dits conducted either at a local IRS office or at your business location.

Can you request the audit be conducted at the IRS office instead of at your place of busi-ness?

If the audit has been sched-uled to be conducted at your location, it will generally be conducted where the books and records are located. Requests to transfer the audit to another location, including an IRS office, will be considered but may not

be granted. Can the audit be transferred

to another IRS office? You can request a transfer

of an audit if you have moved. Several factors will be consid-ered such as your current loca-tion, the location of the business and where the books and records are maintained.

If the audit is by corre-spondence, you can request a face-to-face audit because the books and records may be too voluminous to mail.

How long should the re-cords related to a business or other long-term asset be kept?

In the case of an asset, records related to the asset should generally be kept for as long as you have the asset plus three years. If the asset was exchanged, the basis for the new asset may include the exchanged asset so the records for both assets will need to be retained until the new asset is disposed plus three years from the file date of the tax return for the year of disposition.

How long should payroll records be kept?

In general, payroll records should be kept for six years with a review of the file to see if any items relating to current employees should be retained with current records.

It’s time for my appoint-ment and I’m not ready. What do I do?

If you do not have all the information requested, contact your auditor at the number re-flected in the notification letter to discuss what information is currently available. It may be possible to begin the audit with the information available rather than postpone the ap-pointment. The quicker the audit begins, the quicker it can be resolved. In addition, if the initial appointment is scheduled beyond 45 days from the initial action, managerial approval is required.

BATON ROUGE – The Louisiana Department of Envi-ronmental Quality, the U.S. En-vironmental

Protection Agency and Rubi-con, LLC, celebrated the comple-tion of a Ready for Reuse project in Geismar today. Rubicon was awarded a determination letter and certificate by DEQ and EPA signifying that a portion of the Ru-bicon facility in Geismar is Ready for Reuse. A Ready for Reuse Determination is an acknowl-edgment by both agencies that environmental conditions on the property are protective of human health and the environment based on its current and anticipated fu-ture use.

The Rubicon facility in Gei-smar is a chemical manufactur-ing plant located along the east bank of the Mississippi River on Louisiana Highway 73 in Geis-mar. The property encompassed by this Ready for Reuse Deter-mination consists of the north and south Ponds. These former surface impoundments, with a closed area of approximately 2.75 acres, were used by Rubicon until 1988 as retention ponds for the storage of process wastewaters prior to deepwell injection. Both impoundments have achieved closure and are currently under post-closure monitoring in accor-dance with Rubicon’s Hazardous Waste Post-Closure Permit.

“Rubicon, LLC, has been steadfast in their work to demon-strate that a clean environment is important to them. This ceremony is a testament to the work many people have put into cleaning up this property while meeting

Rubicon, LLC, in Geismar is Ready for ReuseTax Challenges for small Businesses:

Preparing for an IRS Audit

See rubicon, on page 7

The Housing Authority of East

Baton Rouge Parishwill close its Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) ProgramWaiting List at 1:00 PM (CT)

September 17, 2010.

No applications will be accepted after 1:00 PM (CT) September 17, 2010.

841 N. 22nd Street • Baton Rouge, La. 70802 225-387-1717

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that provided a beautiful show-ing to all patrons of the arts. The setting was the Grapevine Cafe and viewers came from near and far. It was a sight to see and to understand. The creativity of the art was something to behold. In-teresting!

AREA LIBRARIES WANT TO SEE YOU AND YOUR

CHILDREN. After such a good summer program, librarians feel that they are on a roll with the school children as they read more and more. The summer participation was very strong. Teachers and paraprofessionals, along with parents and friends, do want children to be educated in the area of reading more and more books. Most of us find it very difficult to believe that you are a non-reader in THIS century

with all the media and millions of books and DVDs, CDs and other artifacts.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO Ms. Lula Barnes and her sister Mrs. Joyce Newsome on their birthdays Sept. 5 and 11 respectively.

WITH LOVE AND SYMPA-THY TO THE BROWN family. Have a blessed weekend.

Love, Marge

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Page 6 • The Weekly Press • Thursday, September 16, 2010

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 Worship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 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 # nhbc@nhbc.brcoxmail.com

Pastor Leo D. Cyrus Sr., Pastor

Sunday Morning Worship ................................................................10:45 AMLord’s Supper ...............................................................................3rd SundaysSunday School .................................................................................. 9:30 AMPrayer Service ...................................................................... Wed. @ 6:00 PMBible 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

CHuRCH of THe Living goD BuLwaRk of TRuTH

1042 Rosenwald Road • Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70807Telephone: (225) 775-8252

Pastor Harriet Scott

eveRy oTHeR week SeRviCeMondays & fridays ...................................................................7:30 p.m.Saturdays .........................................................10.00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.

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

1252 N. Acadian Thruway East • Baton Rouge, LA. 70802Telephone (225) 387-2926

Rev. 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.

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 thewpres@bellsouth.net

Church DirectoryNot forsaking the assembling of ourselves to-gether, as the manner of some; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see

the day approaching. - Hebrews 10:25

thewpres@bellsouth.net Radio Broadcast 1st & 3rd Sunday WXOK at 8:00 am

Reverend H. MartinPRAYeR SeRViCeWeDNeSDAY 12:005013 WiNDFALL COURTBATON ROUGe, LA. 70812FOR DiReCTiON CALL 225-358-8100We are seeking Prayer Warriors and SingersRemember Acts: 16,25-26

BATON ROUGE - The Greater King David Baptist Church (North Location) lo-cated at 222 Blount Road, Baton Rouge, Louisiana on Saturday, September 18, 2010 from 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. will be having demonstration geared toward adults and teenagers, to be pre-sented during the GKD Sister-hood Ministry 2010 Domestic Violence Seminar.

The seminar is free and open to the public

For further information contact the church at lillie.clai-borne@greaterkingdavid.org.

Award winning producer and CEO of Flow Music & En-tertainment Myron Williams is back with his sophomore CD, Thankful. Scheduled for an Oc-tober 5, 2010 release, the project is sure to please his fans with his signature style and songs of un-wavering Worship & Praise.

For almost 2 years now, Williams has found himself in a hail storm of obstacles, and battles but in the midst of it all he remained the pillar of strength and dignity God called him to be and the result of his commitment is his new offering Thankful.

“The songs on this CD speak to the hearts of people that have endured and suffered, but never moved away from their faith. I wanted to inspire others to stand when trusted friends forsake them, financial burdens overwhelm them, and their spiritual faith gets tested,” said Williams.

The Stellar Award Nomi-nated Producer says “Thankful” is similar to the formula that has made the past projects Williams produced on the independent label successful. Projects like

Juanita Bynum’s A Piece of My Passion, Gospel Goes Classical and his own Made To Worship. Taking the time he needed to

produce a project that reflected his good and bad experiences over the past 16 months he found the testimony in each defeat and

victory. A warm collection of songs that take you to church, he knows how to transform a car, living room, or office into

a place of worship.Williams is known in the

Gospel Music industry as the go to writer and producer when

projects need warmth and in-timacy. Having worked with the likes of Marvin Sapp, T.D. Jakes, Juanita Bynum, Kim Burrell, Micah Stampley, and many others he has the ability to pull the best from those he works with, and ultimately does the same for himself. Thank-ful will have people shouting and praising God all over the nation; proclaiming victory in all things.

For more information about Myron Williams, or other Flow Music & Entertainment projects visit, http://myronwilliamsmin-istries.com/home.html.

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Myron Williams Tells the World He Is ‘Thankful’

The Greater King David Baptist Church to Host Domestic Violence Seminar By DonalD lee

In Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 King Solomon writes, Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their la-bour.

For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.

With that having been said, anyone considering marriage should be mindful of this scripture, particularly, because it tells of the power of two. And when the two become one, or they’re on one accord, they can accomplish anything.

This is why it is so important that singles be very particular in the mate-se-lection process. When the two are equally yoked, they work with one another to accomplish things in life. But when they’re unequally yoked, their house is

divided. When a man uses God’s

wisdom as his guide in se-lecting the woman who best complements him and his God-ordained purpose, he chooses not only his soul mate but his teammate for the work of the ministry.

“God’s plan for couples has always been for them to co-labor together in ministry. This is one of the key reasons why we should be ‘equally yoked’ with believers in the marriage,” says Bre Eaton, an intercessor and associate pastor at God’s Guiding Light Christian Center in southeast Houston. “It’s important that we ask God to hook us up with the ‘equally yoked.’ We should also be ask-ing God for someone to complement the ministry work He has called us to.”

Aside from the usual physical attraction, some peo-ple’s only other prerequisite for selecting a mate is whether the person they’re considering is “saved” or is “a believer.”

And while the Word does say that we should not be un-equally yoked with unbelievers (those who aren’t Christians), it is equally true that it is pos-sible for two “believers” to be unequally yoked. Yes, they share

the same belief --- that Jesus is Lord, but one person may be diligent in his (or her) service to God while the other shows little interest in kingdom matters.

“Someone may marry somebody because that person is ‘saved,’ but we should marry someone that’s close to our level of understanding, spiritual experience and who has the same key

desires for the things of God,” Pastor Bre says.

“Team ministry is all about how to minister to one another and keep the dia-logue going in the marriage. If a couple is going to be effective in marriage, there must be talk about their concerns and vision,” Pastor Bre says. “God wants the husband and wife to flow in unity and oneness. This requires spiritual discern-ment and being able to sit down and talk effectively at all times.

“Couples in ministry really need to make it their business to encourage one another publicly. It’s so important to use public settings to compliment your spouse or future spouse, your teammate,” Pastor Bre says. “Let others see the love you have for one another.”

When a couple works together as a

When a Couple Works as a Team, More is AccomplishedPart XVIII in Marriage, Relationships Series

See team, on page 7

DonaldLee

Thursday, September 16, 2010 • The Weekly Press • Page 7

HEALTHThursday, 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.

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Reuse Determination is to pro-mote redevelopment of proper-ties that might otherwise have remained idle or underused indefinitely.”

With this Ready for Reuse Determination, DEQ and EPA Region 6 agree that Rubicon, LLC has successfully com-pleted closure activities, and the environmental conditions

at the property are protective of human health and the envi-ronment based on their current and planned future commercial and/or industrial uses.

For more information about DEQ’s voluntary remedia-tion program, please visit www.deq.louisiana.gov or www.epa.gov to learn about EPA’s Land Revitalization Action Agenda.

Rubicon from page 5

team to strengthen its relation-ship, that unit also becomes a more powerful force in work-ing together to minister to other couples or doing whatever else God might have them to do.

And certainly, when one falls, the other is there to pick him up.

Next week: Part IXX in this XXIV-part series on mar-riage and relationships.

Pastor Donald Lee may be contacted for comment or prayer at (225) 773-2248 or pas-tordonjlee@yahoo.com. Pastor Bre is at (832) 228-5790 or king-domprayers4am@yahoo.com. You can join them for prayer seven days a week by calling toll-free (712) 432-3100 (confer-ence code: 340101). Prayer hours are 4 a.m., 9 p.m. and 10:15 p.m., Central Standard Time.

Team from page 6

Diabetes is an epidemic and seniors are particularly at risk. The risk of type 2 diabetes increases as you age, often be-cause people tend to exercise less, lose muscle mass and gain weight.

Approximately 70 percent of adults age 65 and older have diabetes or pre-diabetes; and of those with diabetes, almost half don’t know it.

Oscar-winner Olympia Du-kakis has partnered with Novo Nordisk to launch a newly-en-hanced Web site, AskScreen-Know.com, encouraging seniors to get screened for diabetes.

Site visitors can take a dia-betes risk assessment, review healthy recipes from Olympia’s kitchen and even send e-mails from Olympia reminding some-one to get tested for diabetes.

Diabetes Risk Increases For Seniors

By Janet trautwein

Federal officials recently unveiled a key component of the health reform package -- a website called HealthCare.gov.

The site aims to be a one-stop shop for health care informa-tion, briefing Americans on the insurance options available to them -- as well as the new law’s benefits. But it won’t meet that goal unless it guarantees consum-ers access to licensed health insur-ance agents and brokers.

A mind-boggling amount of information is available on the website, including details on government-sponsored programs and plans from over a thousand private insurers.

Unfortunately, the gov-ernment isn’t helping consum-ers make sense of all that new

information. That’s where professional

health insurance agents and bro-kers come in.

The insurance marketplace has grown incredibly compli-cated, and the new law will only add to the confusion. Agents and brokers can help people navigate the dizzying array of options and find the health plan that suits their needs.

Some agents even function as virtual human resources de-partments for small businesses. As the Congressional Budget Of-fice put it, agents and brokers often “handle the responsibilities that larger firms generally del-egate to their human resources departments -- such as finding plans and negotiating premiums, providing information about the selected plans, and processing

enrollees.” The individuals and busi-

nesses that rely on agents are overwhelmingly happy with the service they receive. A sur-vey commissioned by IBM found that three-quarters of those inter-viewed were very satisfied with their agents’ work.

Another survey, conducted by Assurant Health, found that 64 percent of consumers who purchased individual medical insurance through a professional agent found their experiences “helpful.”

Some argue that the gov-ernment could provide these services more effectively and at lower cost. But the federal gov-ernment has a poor track record in this regard.

Consider the federal 1-800-MEDICARE call center. A

Senate investigation found that consumers waited up to an hour to speak with someone during peak call times. Customer ser-vice representatives spoke from scripts littered with errors and jargon. Worst of all, callers often received incorrect information.

Consumers deserve the best information available when shopping for something as im-portant as health insurance. The government’s new web portal can certainly help in that effort. But this new initiative will be incom-plete without including access to licensed insurance agents and brokers -- the very experts who can help Americans make sense of an ever-more complicated in-surance marketplace.

Janet Trautwein is CEO of the National Association of Health Underwriters.

A Consumer Help File for HealthCare.gov

ETHIOPIA, AFRICA - In Ethiopia, 5.4 million children are considered to be orphaned or vul-nerable, according to government estimates. Many of these young people, who represent 6 percent of the country’s total population, live with sick parents or no par-ents or adults. They often face extreme poverty, fail to finish school or are abused by adults who are supposed to be caring for them. More than 800,000 have lost one or both parents to HIV/AIDS, and an estimated 77,000 live in child-headed households.

Abraham Mehari was one of them. Before he reached school age, he lost his father to AIDS, and when he was 12, the disease took his mother. That left him and his younger brother and sister to raise themselves in their home in the town of Shashamane, lo-cated about 150 miles south of the capital, Addis Ababa.

“Especially as a child, there was so much stigma and

discrimination,” said the now 22-year old Mehari in a recent inter-view. “They bullied me because my mother died from HIV. I was trying so hard to find an organi-zation to support me, but there wasn’t anything like that.”

So five years ago, he started one himself. Along with six other young people who had lost their parents, he founded the Fiker Behiwot Orphans and Youth Association, a name that means Love Life. The group, the only organization of its kind in Ethiopia, raises awareness about issues that orphans and vulner-able children (OVCs) face and provides assistance and support to 542 young people between the ages of eight and 17.

Most recently, Mehari turned his attention to urban gar-dening as a way to educate the children he serves and teach them life skills and lessons. Through the USAID Urban Gardens Pro-gram, he has established three

gardens in the town of Hawassa, situated in a region with more than one million orphans.

At the largest site, on two-and-a-half acres of land donated by the government, dozens of children gather after school to water, weed and add compost to the lush mini-farm overlooking Lake Hawassa. The 141 children who take part in this program not only eat the cabbage, Swiss chard, beets, lettuce, sweet potatoes and peppers they grow but also earn money by selling the vegetables in nearby markets and shops.

“The kids get psychologi-cal support by working with other kids like them,” says Mehari, standing in a patch of bright green cabbage. “Instead of spending time doing some-thing else, they are here learning to do something for themselves. Because it’s income-generating, they get both nutrition and eco-nomic benefit.”

Even before first lady Mi-chelle Obama was photographed last year breaking ground at the White House garden, urban gar-dening had grown in popularity in the United States. But it’s rare in Ethiopia.

“I didn’t like it at first,” says Emebet Getachew, a tall, thin 14-year-old with braids that graze her shoulders. Speaking in Amharic through an interpreter, her arms draped around two girls her age, she said her family has

struggled since her father died 11 years ago. She was referred to the garden program through an outreach program for vulner-able kids.

“I was afraid of the area be-cause it was so close to the water, and I didn’t know anything about it,” she says. “But once I started working and learning, I began to enjoy it.”

Mehari plans to create an-other garden in a nearby area in the next couple of months and will also begin construction on a community center later in the year. He says he’s most proud of the two dozen members of his organization who have en-rolled in colleges and universi-ties. He’s one of them: Mehari recently graduated from a post secondary agricultural education program.

“We have a huge respon-sibility,” he says, surrounded by a knot of giggling, barefoot children. “The mentality of the society is that OVCs don’t support themselves or others; they only need support. But the work we do shows that we can take care of ourselves. Once we show our strengths, we can do anything.”

Linda Villarosa is the pro-gram director of the journalism department at the City College of New York and is contributing to a documentary about HIV/AIDS in Black America.

Ethiopian AIDS Orphans Fight Stigma With Self-Sufficiency

show Soldiers what can be ac-complished in the Guard, and in the military.”

At the conclusion of the national event, the competi-tors spent a week in Washing-ton D.C., touring the Pentagon, the National Guard Association of the United States Museum, Capitol Hill, Arlington Cem-etery and Fort Myer. The Guardsmen concluded the two weeks of travel and competition at the 39th Annual Enlisted As-sociation of the National Guard of the United States Conference in St. Louis, Mo., where the win-ner was announced.

“This was my first trip to D.C. and it was all so over-whelming,” Jones said. “There is so much history in this area. To tour the Pentagon was re-markable and humbling. It is a good promotion for what the National Guard can do if you continue your training. You as a Soldier can get where you want to go.”

Jones’ wife Paula was able to join him on the trip. They are parents to a 14 month old son, Luke.

“They have been behind

me every step of the way,” he bragged about their support. “I am so proud of my family and they made this so much easier. The training was challenging enough, but they made it toler-able, and she was able to join me in D.C. and St. Louis after the competitions were over.” Jones competed in events that included: land navigation, urban assault missions and weapons qualification. Events were scheduled during the day and night, starting some morn-ings at 3:30 a.m. after only a couple hours of sleep.

“The competition worked the Soldiers hard,” Mays said. “Most of the competitors pushed until they dropped. They were running night and day on little sleep. It was tough and a good competition to test their physical and mental tough-ness.” Other events crammed into the 72 hour competition included a road march, an obstacle course, a combatives competition with two minute bouts, a warrior combat water training course and the Army Physical Fitness Test.

compeTiTion from page 1

sparrow twittered. The muf-fled roar of traffic reached the plaza. Police officers on the roof of the building across the street scanned the skies with binoculars.

Families gather at Zuc-cotti Park where names of the victims are read on the ninth anniversary of 9/11.Suzanne DeChillo/The New York Times Families gather at Zuccotti Park, where names of the victims are read on the ninth anniversary of 9/11.

Before the ceremony began, even amid the hugs and tears, the divisions were apparent.

Around 7:25 a.m., as a choir finished “The Star-Spangled Banner” and families trickled in to the plaza, a blond woman faced the media riser and held up a photograph of a woman with short brown hair.

“Today is ONLY about my sister and the other innocents killed nine years ago,” read the text beside the photo.

As the cameras snapped, the woman began to cry. An older man came over and gave her a hug. She said something about the impossibility of clo-sure, and he told her, “I know exactly how you feel.”

Alyson LowSuzanne DeChillo/The New York Times Alyson Low, whose sister was a flight attendant on American Airlines Flight 11, hugs Nick Chiarchiaro, whose wife and niece worked in the north tower.

As it turned out, the wom-an’s sister was a flight attendant on American Airlines Flight 11, which crashed into the north tower, where the man’s wife and niece were working.

Then the woman, Alyson Low, 39, a children’s librarian in Fayetteville, Ark., explained what she meant by her sign.

“I’m tired of talking about everything else, tired of the poli-tics,” she said. “Today is only about loss.”

For the man, Nick Chiar-chiaro, it wasn’t.

After he told the story of his last morning with his wife

before she went off to work at Fred Alger Management on 93rd floor of the north tower, Mr. Chiarchiaro, 67, a designer of fire alarm systems, segued into the other topic of the day.

“A mosque is built on the site of a winning battle,” Mr. Chiarchiaro said. “They are symbols of conquest. Hence we have a symbol of conquest here? I don’t think so.”

Hours later, after the sun had cleared the skyline and flooded the plaza, the reciting of the names continued. Each bereaved reader finished his or her list with the name of the loved one lost. A boy named Joseph Scparta read out his com-plement and concluded, “and my uncle, Firefighter Leonard Ragaglia.”

A man named Roman Gertsberg read out the name of his daughter, Marina Gerts-berg. “May God bless you,” he said.

After Geraldine Halder-man made it through her list, her voice thickened for the final name.

“And my son, my hero, Fire Lieut. David Halderman,” she said, bursting into tears. “I love you forever, Dave. Watch over us.”

Just after noon, the last name was read, and the Young People’s Chorus of New York City trooped onstage in sashes of blue and orange and yellow and purple and red, and performed “Keep Me In Your Heart” to a plaza that had already mostly emptied.

The mayor spoke again. A trumpeter faced ground zero and began to blow taps. A sec-ond trumpeter joined him in a round, and then a third – three men from the New York Police Department, the Fire Depart-ment and the Port Authority police, their clarion calls rising to the sky.

Then the firefighter at the silver bell struck it one more time and departed, and the last of the families filed out into the brightness of midday.

9/11 memoRial from page 2

Lower Ninth who lost their lives during the storm. While the high spirit of the community remains unbroken, there is no doubt that the pace of the neighborhood’s recovery is lagging behind. By most accounts only one-fifth of the Lower Ninth’s 20,000 resi-dents have returned since 2005. There is evidence that inequities in reconstruction funding along with arduous bureaucratic hur-

dles and the exclusion of many of the neigborhood’s surviving and displaced residents in recovery planning has resulted in large patches of the community still languishing in shambles. So, even as we celebrate New Orleans’ re-markable resilience, this is no time for “irrational exuberance.” As I told the crowd at the rally, “Until the Lower Ninth is back, New Orleans is not back.”

KaTRina V from page 4

Visit Us Online @ www.theweeklypress.com

Page 8 • The Weekly Press • Thursday, September 16, 2010

© 2010 BP, E&P

No oil has flowed into the Gulf for weeks. But we know this is just the beginning of our work. BP has taken full responsibility for the cleanup in the Gulf and that includes keeping you informed.

Restoring Gulf CommunitiesWe can’t undo this tragedy. But we can help people get back on their feet. We have been working with impacted communities since day one.

Partnering with local governments and community organizations, my job is to listen to people’s needs and frustrations and find ways to help. We have 19 community centers and teams in four states, listening and helping.

Restoring The EconomyBP is here in Gulf communities with shrimpers, fishermen, hotel and restaurant owners, helping to make them whole.

More than 120,000 claim payments totaling over $375 million have already gone to people affected by the spill. We have committed a $20 billion independent fund to pay all legitimate claims, including lost incomes until people impacted can go back to work. And none of this will be paid by taxpayers.

BP has also given grants of $87 million to the states to help tourism recover and bring people back to the Gulf beaches.

Restoring The EnvironmentWe’re going to keep looking for oil and cleaning it up if we find it. Teams will remain in place for as long as it takes to restore the Gulf Coast.

And we’ve dedicated $500 million to work with local and national scientific experts on the impact of the spill and to restore environmental damage.

Thousands of BP employees have their roots in the Gulf. We support over 10,000 jobs in the region and people here are our neighbors. We know we haven’t always been perfect, but we will be here until the oil is gone and the people and businesses are back to normal. We will do everything we can to make this right.

I was born in New Orleans. My family still lives here. We have to restore the Gulf communities for the shrimpers, fishermen, hotel and restaurant owners who live and work here. - Iris Cross, BP Community Outreach

®d pbeyon etroleum

Making This RightBeachesClaimsCleanupEconomic InvestmentEnvironmental RestorationHealth and SafetyWildlife

For general information visit: bp.comFor help or information: (866) 448-5816

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Client: BP Campaign: GOM Ad#: BP_10_308R_LA AdTitle: Communities Ad Version/Revision#: V1 DateModified: August 20, 2010 Operator: AC SchawkDocket#:896872A01

MediaVendor/Publication:Various Publication

Live: 12.85” x 21.50” MechanicalScale: 100% Format:Full page 4C Printer:

896872_BP_10_308R_LA_V1.indd 1 8/20/10 4:58 PM