The Community Journal

CommunityCommunityCommunity

Www.communityjournal.info Serving Nassau County’s

MARCH 22, 2013—NASSAU EDITION African American Community VOL. 19 NO. 48

JournalJournalJournal CommunityCommunityCommunity

THE NEW COMMUNITY JOURNAL FRIDAY MARCH 22, 2013 Page 2

NASSAU COUNTY EDITION PAGE 2

Hempstead elections:

22 candidates, eight tickets

Originally published: March 14, 2013 9:32 PM

Updated: March 14, 2013 9:42 PM By AISHA AL-MUSLIM [email protected]

This year's contest for Hempstead Village mayor, two trustee seats and the village justice position has resulted in a heavily contested election, with 22 candidates on eight party tickets on the ballot.

Seven candidates are running for mayor in Tuesday's elections, including the current mayor, a former mayor, a former village judge and two incumbent trustees -- both of whom previously had been running mates of the current

mayor. Ten candidates are vying for two trustee seats, while five candidates are challenging each other for one village justice seat.

MAYORAL CANDIDATES

Incumbent Mayor Wayne J. Hall Sr., 66, who has served on the village board for 14 years, including two terms as mayor, is running for re-election on the Moving Forward Party line. Hall, who has lived in the village for 35 years, said he would continue to focus on improving the vil-lage's fiscal stability, transforming Hempstead into a thriv-ing commercial and residential hub through the downtown revitalization project and attracting development that will create permanent jobs, mixed-income housing and cultural amenities. He also wants to improve public safety and in-crease services for youth and seniors, he said.

"The village has been fiscally solvent for the last six years," Hall said. "We've had no deficits. We're looking to continue having the Village of Hempstead being financially stable and we want to continue to move the village for-ward."

Deputy Mayor Henry Conyers, 61, who has served on the village board for eight years, is challenging Hall on the Village First Party line. Conyers, a retired state correction

(Continued on page 5)



THIS WEEKS COVER PAGE

WHEN YOU SEE THIS SYMBOL CLICK TO

READ MORE ...

Community Journal

a publication of Emerging Business Group, Inc.

©2006 New York all rights reserved

The Community Journal is a weekly publication, based in Baldwin, New York, dedicated to sharing news and information among minority businesses and residents which will enable positive action - economically, socially and politically - for the betterment of us all.

From our premiere issue, July 1, 1993, we have grown to be one of the leading African heritage news and information sources on Long Island.

As a community - based publication, we intend to expand our presence and to encourage greater participation from all members of the community in forging our shared destiny.

We are a "for-profit" business and hope to extend that s p i r i t o f e c o n o m i c empowerment to many other businesses in our community.

We are published each week unless otherwise indicated and a re d i s t r ibu ted th rough newsstands, independent sales agents, and subscriptions.

Publisher: Larry Montgomery

Mailing Address: 456 New York Avenue

Baldwin, New York 11510

MAIN ADVERTISING MAIN ADVERTISING SALES NUMBERSALES NUMBER: :

((516516) ) 384384--09610961 Fax (516) 208Fax (516) 208--64786478

ADVERTISING ADVERTISING

AND SALES COMPANY:AND SALES COMPANY: Make all checks out to:

EMERGING BUSINESS EMERGING BUSINESS

GROUP, INC.GROUP, INC. EE--mail:mail:

[email protected]@hotmail.com NEWS NUMBER:

(516) 384-0961

Www.communityjournal.info

Privacy PolicyPrivacy Policy We do not accept anonymous We do not accept anonymous comments. If you do not want comments. If you do not want your comments or your name or your comments or your name or address published tell us. address published tell us. Thank you from the Mgmt.Thank you from the Mgmt. www.communityjournal.www.communityjournal.infoinfo

DEPARTMENTS: AROUND THE WORLD

AROUND THE NATION

AROUND THE STATE

NASSAU COUNTY

SUFFOLK COUNTY

TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD

HEMPSTEAD VILLAGE

FREEPORT VILLAGE

EDUCATION

JUSTICE

HEALTHY LIVING

RELIGION

SPORTS

VILLAGE LIFE:

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

PLEASE KEEP THE COMMENTS COMING AND IF YOU PLEASE KEEP THE COMMENTS COMING AND IF YOU LIKE WHAT WE ARE DOING LET US KNOWLIKE WHAT WE ARE DOING LET US KNOW

TELL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT US AND ASK THEM TO TELL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT US AND ASK THEM TO SUBSCRIBE AND CHECK OUT OUR NEW WEBSUBSCRIBE AND CHECK OUT OUR NEW WEB--SITESITE

Www.communityjournal.infoWww.communityjournal.info



READER COMMENTS Rahim Isaac

comments: So good to read the speech given by Brotha Ali at 100 Black Nen Gala. Need to give this speech to every Black child and parents in the country. Wish I was there to hear it.

a muhammad: comments: Another jewel by Brotha Ali! Good to see you back! Next time you

speak, the Journal needs to publisize it so your fans can attend! Semi Matambo : comments: Always enjoy the information your paper provides! I had to give a special

shout out Brother Khayam Ali! I really enjoyed the speech Brotha! Deep… kate boswell : comments: I really enjoyed the speech by Khayam Ali. It had some insane statistics

in it! It was a real eye opener! s Muhammad: comments: It was wonderful to see you back in the Community Journal! It hasn't

been the same without you! What an important speech you birthed! Wish I could have been there to hear it in person!

Well the Village elections are over so now what? It sometimes boggles the mind how literal some peo-

ple are. Just because you have the right to do some-thing doesn’t mean you have to exercise it. Now that point is just for the novice who choose to

run in the Village of Hempstead’s 2013 Free For All but that is also for the more seasoned candidates who ran; such as Big Jim Garner, Former Judge Lance Clarke and Senior Trustee Perry Pettus, to name a few...lol Big Jim has now set the record for most political

campaign losses ever in the United States. Former Village Judge Lance Clarke is a close second for that record as well; but what struck me was in 2009 Attor-ney Clarke also ran for mayor of the Village of Hemp-stead and lost. Then in mid 2012 he headed a secret adhoc community committee that petitioned the State to dissolve the Village. That was rebuffed for lack of community support and a few legal issues as well. So why would he run for mayor in the winter of 2013? Another peculiar happenstance was Senior Trustee

Pettus’ campaign. I am still trying to understand what his platform was all about, however this was his third or forth campaign for mayor of Hempstead. What per-plexes me is that no matter how much money he spends or time he spends campaigning he always at-tacks fewer and fewer votes. Yet each of these men does have the right to run for

the office of their choice, spend is much money as they either have or can raise and continue to loses. Go fig-ure! Interestingly enough we reported last week that De-

mocratic Party Chairman had sent a letter endorsing someone other than the incumbent Andrew Hardwick. True to form many took heed and voted for Mayor

Elect Robert Kennedy. I’ve meet Bob and I do believe he was the best choice, matter of fact the truth be told, Bob Kennedy would have been the best choice during the first term if that were possible. Hardwick a great guy when it comes to managing public parks and recreations centers was clearly in over his head and full of himself from day one. I feel sorry for those in his ad-ministration who had to put up with the arrogance and self know it all ness of Hardwick while working trying to maintain a living. And for the Hardwick voters don’t worry I’m sure he’ll be back in 2017. I just don’t think, as was the case with Big Jim Garner in the Village of Hempstead, fool me once shame on me, fool me twice, that just ain’t happen-ing. Now back to business as usual. God Bless…!

MINISTERMINISTER

LARRY MONTGOMERY, SR.LARRY MONTGOMERY, SR.

PUBLISHER AND CHIEFPUBLISHER AND CHIEF

COMMUNITY JOURNAL, INC.COMMUNITY JOURNAL, INC.

WATCH AND PRAY

God is about to release a 7 FOLD BLESSING. He is doing something new. SO WATCH AND PRAY. God Bless.

COLUMNIST:

IN THE BLACK

Larry Montgomery, Sr.

INSPIRATION

PERSPECTIVE

EDUCATION

Lisa Byers

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT:

“VILLAGE LIFE Magazine”

REASONABLE THINKING:

Jim Reed

HEALTHY LIVING

RELIGION:

Dr. Karen Deadwyler

Bishop Dr. Andy Lewter

LOCAL SPORTS:

BJ Robinson



officer who has lived in the village for 40 years, said he would work to create jobs, direct the police department to do more foot patrols, provide more street lighting to help deter crime and get more involved in what he said was the low-performing Hempstead school district.

"A mayor, if he truly understands his obligation, would automatically realize anything negatively impacting the tax-payer's quality of life also impacts the mayor," Conyers said.

Trustee Perry M. Pettus, 56, who owns several local re-pair and collision businesses, including a towing company in the village, is running on the Pettus Team Party line. The 49-year village resident, who has served on the village board since 2002, said he will work to stabilize taxes, bring jobs to the village, provide a safer community for residents and im-prove the quality of life in Hempstead.

"It's time for a change," Pettus said. "We need to im-prove the village. The quality of life has went down and the crime is just out of control right now."

Longtime former Mayor James A. Garner, 67, who is a Nassau County deputy comptroller, is running on the Unity Party line. Garner, who has lived in the village since 1969, said he would focus on economic development, job creation, youth investment, tax relief and making the community safer. He said crime has risen during Hall's tenure, citing FBI statistics that show a 31 percent increase in the total number of violent crimes committed in Hall's second term compared with his first.

"Hempstead is going in the wrong directions. The team that I have chosen will reset the compass to put it on course for the right direction," said Garner, adding that he was mayor for 16 years and a trustee for four years.

Hall cited village police department statistics that show overall crime in the village is down more than 12 percent

(Continued from page 2) from 2010, which had 1,104 incidents, to 965 incidents in 2012.

"They are doing selective statistics and they are trying to skew the truth," Hall said.

Former village justice and 15-year trustee Lance D. Clarke, 60, who is an attorney with his own firm in the vil-lage, is running for the second time for mayor, on the Good Government Party line. Clarke, who has lived in the village for 31 years, said he would fight to change the state sales tax revenue-sharing formula so that Hempstead would receive a "fair" share. He also would seek to amend the payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) law so that the Town of Hempstead and Nassau County industrial development agencies cannot award a PILOT agreement within the village's borders with-out authorization from the village board, he said.

Clarke, a volunteer with the local fire department for 22 years, said he would work to reduce crime through develop-ment of a walk-and-ride patrol program and increase the number of village police officers. He also would develop

capital improvement plans, improve street cleaning, create a resident permit-parking program and advocate for more af-ter-school and youth programs.

Theresa A. Drye, 51, chief operations officer of her family's independent senior living home business, is running on the Change Now Party line. The lifelong village resident, who is running for the first time, has been a community ac-tivist for 25 years and served as past president of Democ-racy Inspiring Voter Awareness, a women's group dedicated to increasing community activism. Drye said she would work to establish fiscal accountability, improve the quality of life, make streets safer and create affordable housing, economic opportunity and jobs.




Is hip-hop bad for black America?

This is part one of a series on theGrio and RapRehab.com, on hip-hop’s cultural impact on Black America. Click here for more of the series.

Kendrick Lamar. Nicki Minaj. Childish Gambino. Chief Keef. From the pro-found to the profane, these rap artists represent the scale of hip-hop’s status quo. They are the heirs to one of America’s most authentically black art-forms, for better or for worse.

While rap music began as a voice of youth rebellion in marginalized communi-ties, its present incarnation denotes an often times different perspective, one that may not be entirely positive for the African-American community. Though the genre has improved musically with the incorporation of new styles and sophisticated perform-ers, the good is arguably matched by the bad. Talk of drug use, squandered wealth and hypersexual behavior permeates the text of some of rap’s top lyricists, and real life philandering creates a questionable parallel to the stories told in their music.

“Rap hasn’t been a revolutionary means of protest, if it ever really was, for more than two decades now,” says Thomas Chatterton Williams, author of Losing My Cool: How a Father’s Love and 15,000 Books Beat Hip Hop Culture. “What it is now is a mellifluous soundtrack to a certain kind of lifestyle that has its roots in the black and Latino ghetto. The voice of rap today is more sophisticated, yet ultimately shallower than ever before. It does not tend to serve or represent those marginalized communities well. What it does do is conflate the notion of black authenticity with street credibility.”

Williams grew up a middle class kid from New Jersey who idolized Tupac Sha-kur. For most of his youth, he strove to be more “street” in order to keep up with the “cool posse” – until he realized in college that there were higher pursuits. Perhaps that’s why one of Williams’ biggest gripes with hip hop is the weight it carries in the minds of youth.

“The difference between rappers – even the best and smartest rappers – and seri-ous thinkers is one of kind and not degree,” he says. “So one of the real tragedies of black life today, to my mind, is that so many kids are sold this idea that the two are equivalent.”

Other rap aficionados agree. Leslie Jones, an actress and comedian who’s watched the genre evolve, says she wouldn’t even listen to rap music anymore if it weren’t for the beats.

“I was actually around when rap started,” Jones explains. “The original rap – Sugar Hill and Grandmaster Flash, and then we moved on to Whodini and Run-DMC, Big Daddy Kane. It was all raw. It was stories. It was beats. The rap now has no plot … Sometimes I listen to Lil Wayne and I go, ‘This motherf*****’s retarded.’

The music is awesome, but [he] ain’t saying sh**. I want to take my belt off and just discipline him.”

Over the past decade, the production value of rap music has increased signifi-cantly, with the rising popularity of deviations like trap music, “emo” rap and dub-step. The southern crunk artists like T.I. and Young Jeezy have found a larger niche among popular rappers like Rick Ross, Gucci Mane, 2 Chainz and Wacka Flocka Flame, and the trend carried over into the electronic scene. Similarly, emo rap has allowed hip hop to expand its margins, luring audiences from the worlds of pop and electronic into a newfound rap-alternative led by stars such as Kid Cudi, Drake and Kanye West. Yet Jones believes hip hop lyrics have subsequently veered too far from their roots to be respected, even if the production has improved.

“The way that music changed, it shows how our society also changed,” she points out. “It’s also because it’s made to look easy. Back in the day, when you were listening to it, you’d be like, ‘Can’t nobody rap like that!’ But now everybody feels like they can put a record out. I think it’s cheapened us in a way. It’s made us very nonchalant about what’s going on in our society.”

More specifically, the voice of black America has been strained. “Every person in your neighborhood should not have their own demo tape,”

writer Ferrari Sheppard points out. “I’m afraid our dependence on entertainment and art as means of gaining capital, empowerment and liberation has thrown us (so-called minorities) overboard. Examples of success are dangled in front of us like a fruit fixed to a hamster wheel. Jay-Z is one person; Diddy is one person; there are over 30 million black people in the United States. In 2011, Forbes released its list of Billion-aires of Color, and out of 1,210 billionaires worldwide, only six are people of color. Not black Americans, people of color. This is extremely telling.”

“Let’s talk about what hip-hop represented when it became the ‘hood’s CNN,’” he continues. “Or a window for white America to safely view the nightmarish effects of crack and Reaganomics on the black community. Every hip hop participant you asked back then would have told you that hip hop represents what’s happening in their neighborhoods: murders, prostitution, degradation, police brutality and harass-ment. What they couldn’t have told you was that in a decade, billions of dollars would be generated from exploiting those very realities, and that they, the disfran-chised, would not be the beneficiaries of that fortune.”

On the other hand, academics like Cornel West and Michael Eric Dyson go so far as to teach courses and write books on the philosophy and reach of hip hop. Dyson used Jay-Z as the subject of a sociology course at Georgetown University, looking at how rap globalized a conception of blackness with political impact.

The emergence of an artist like Lamar, who found commercial success without tapping into so-called rap faux pas, also suggests a story-driven, thought provoking hip hop record can prevail without succumbing to 21st century ideology. This month, MTV ranked the 25-year-old from Compton as “Hottest MC In The Game,” above Kanye, Drake and 2 Chainz. Lamar’s major label debut album good kid m.A.A.d City was described as “cinematic,” a “coming-of-age story” with “drama-filled narrative




THE BLACK INSTITUTE HOLDS 1000

PERSON RALLY IN WASHINGTON AND

LOBBYS CONGRESS TO INCLUDE THEM IN

IMMIGRATION REFORM

The Black Institute Joins CUSH and BIN for a Rally in Washing-ton Wednesday to Bolster Awareness of Black Immigration Issues

and Lobby’s Congress in Briefing and Legislative Visits

WASHINGTON, DC – (March 20, 2012) Today, The Black Institute (TBI) joined by Churches United to Save and Heal (CUSH) and The Black Immigrant Network (BIN) gathered in front of the Capitol to call on Congress to be considered in the debate on Com-prehensive Immigration Reform. In addition to rallying with 1000 people the coalition held a briefing in the Capitol and met with sev-eral Senators and Representatives.

“I stand here today with this broad coalition to ensure that our community is part of the discussion on Comprehensive Immigration Reform,” Bertha Lewis, President of The Black Institute said. “Today, we rally to encourage our Black Immigrants to come out of the shadows and fight for their place at the table. Today we lobby Congress to take action to ensure that their voices are heard.”

“While in search of the American Dream, many immigrants have made unimaginable sacrifices to create a better life for their families,” Representative Yvette D. Clarke of New York’s 9th Congressional District said. “There are over three million Black immigrants in the U.S., and an estimated 400,000 immigrants from Africa, the Carib-bean, and Latin America who are undocumented. We can no longer ignore the value, importance and significance of Black immigrants to our society. The majority of Americans agree that Congress must act on comprehensive immigration reform. Our small businesses and economy depends on it.”

“Far too many Black youth in our communities are left behind because of the broken immigration system,” Walter Mosley, New York State Assembly Member said. “Young Caribbean and West In-dian immigrants finish high school at an earlier age than American children and do not qualify for the President’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program – excluding them from crucial opportu-nities. With New York’s economic future at stake, we need immedi-

ate action on the NYS DREAM Act and other progressive immigra-tion reform to provide a vital and tangible lifeline to higher educa-tion.”

“Today is an important moment for Black Immigration. Today, were here to ensure our concerns are heard during the discussion of Comprehensive Immigration Reform. Today, we ask you to hear our unique stories on our journeys to the United States and how so many of us still have no promise of a green card.” Kira Shepherd, Cam-paign Manager for The Black Institute said. “For far too long our voices have not been considered in the discussion on Immigration. It is time for people to hear the stories and issues of the Black Immi-grant who in large part come here legally and become hard working members of our communities. Today, we address Congress to do just that.”

“It is a scary life to live when you don’t have any paperwork,” Alden Nesbitt, Caribbean DREAMER and Co-Chair of The Interna-tional Youth Association said. “I don’t have identification, and the last 11 years have been a real struggle but I have learned not be afraid of my situation if I have any hope of becoming a citizen. Fortunately, the DREAM Deferred’s mission is to make sure that Black immigrant youth, like me, are no longer invisible. Unfortunately, when people hear ‘Immigration’, they don’t think of Black Immigrants and that negatively affects our community because we’re not even considered in the discussion. We stand here today to go on the record with our stories and so our voices can finally be heard.”

“We are the children of the teachers who were brought here, we are a very highly educated group of kids and it is sad that no one hears our story,” Mikhel Crichlow, Caribbean DREAMER and Co-Chair of The International Youth Association said. “There are not a lot of people out there supporting us and it’s been challenging orga-nizing the youth to talk about their stories because so many of them are afraid and so many of them don’t want to come out of the shad-ows and actually stand up and make their voices heard. Today we ask Congress to retroactively consider our applications for Green Cards and to consider the children who have aged out of eligibility in their discussions.”

For years, several grassroots Black-immigrant rights groups have been advocating for Immigration reforms pertaining to Caribbean and African communities including family reunification, a pathway to citizenship for temporary status holders and affordable fines and fees associated with new citizenship. On Wednesday, March 20th, they are coming together to demonstrate their strength and unity when it comes to having the needs of Black Immigrants met in the Immigra-tion reform debate.

Black Africans are among the fastest-growing groups of US im-migrants, increasing by about 200 percent during the 1980s and 1990s and nearly 100 percent during the 2000s. African immigrants are the most highly educated of all immigrant groups in the U.S. However, Black migrants (from Africa and the Caribbean) and are often forgotten in the Immigration debate. African American commu-nities are also impacted by the changing demographics and have joined this coalition of groups in order to envision creative and just solutions to the Immigration system.

Goals of The Black Institute for the Outcome Immigrant Jus-tice Rally:

Comprehensive reform of Immigration policy to include protec-tions for recruited immigrant professionals and their children (e,g, an expedited pathway to Green Card status, a special cate-gory that includes recruited professionals from non-STEM dis-ciplines, etc.).




Rep. McCarthy Statement on

Committee Passage of Assault Weapons Ban

WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 14, 2013) – Rep. Caro-lyn McCarthy (D-NY4), sponsor of the Assault Weapons Ban of 2013 to restrict civilian access to assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines, issued the fol-lowing statement on today’s Senate Judiciary Committee

passage of the bill:

“Restrictions on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines were once federal law and are the law of the land in numerous states right now, but passing a new fed-eral bill will take great courage on the part of lawmakers.

“While the Senate continues to work to draft a compro-mise package of legislation to vote on, we need that major-ity of Americans that support restrictions on assault weap-ons and high-capacity magazines to speak up and urge their representatives to vote in their interest.

“We can reduce gun violence and save lives while up-holding the Second Amendment and I look forward to working with my colleagues to achieve these shared goals.”

Fulfill the promises of citizenship, education and job opportu-nity to recruited immigrant professionals and their families, including “aged-out” immigrant children.

End the criminalization and detention of Black immigrants, and implement safeguards to protect against racial profiling and ensure due process for all immigrants.

Reunite families torn apart by current Immigration policy by expanding benefits to include extended family, and altering the current DACA guidelines to allow children up to the age of 20 to enter the US.

Lessen the economic burden caused by current Immigration policy by investing resources and decreasing processing fees.

Expand the focus of the Immigration reform discourse to in-clude the needs of Black immigrants and their children, who are often marginalized and ignored. This includes amending the language of the DREAM act to include children of immi-grant professionals, and allowing the voices of Black immi-grants to be heard.

More Information About the DREAMERS:

Over twelve years ago, the New York City Department of Education recruited over 1,000 Caribbean teachers to serve here in the New York City public school system, promising a path to Citizenship to the teachers and their families. Today, most of these men and women still have not received their green cards. Worse yet, many of their children have “aged-out” of their legal Immigration status, as they are no longer dependents under their parents’ visas. Unfortunately, because the parents did not receive green cards by the time the youth reached age 21 they’ve lost their status. Moreover, because of the fact that Caribbean youth graduate high school between the ages of 16 and 17 years of age, many of them either completed their high school education before coming to this country and/or arrived after the age of 16 years and do not qualify for The President’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA). Due to our ineffi-cient and broken Immigration system, these children have fallen to the wayside – they are, invisible, and completely absent from main-stream discussions of Immigration, Immigration reform, and The Dream Act. They are stuck in limbo, unable to pursue their educa-tional and professional dreams and unable to contribute financially to their families and to society.

More Information About The Black Institute:

The mission of The Black Institute is to shape intellectual discourse and dialogue to impact public policy uniquely from a Black perspec-tive (a perspective which includes all people of color in the United States and throughout the Diaspora). The Black Institute (TBI) is an “Action Tank” – A think tank that takes action. By imploring a three-part strategy: Knowledge (research, data gathering, polling and aca-demic partnerships); Leadership (civic education, training and devel-opment); and Community (ground organizing and issue based cam-paigns), TBI changes the direction of public debate, trains and edu-cates new leadership and develops initiatives to build wealth, build power and deliver justice to Black people and people of color. Our four areas of focus are Economic Fairness, Education, Environmental Justice, and Immigration.

(Continued from page 7)



Warren Stith Jr., 44, a maintenance worker for 20 years with the village parks and recreation department, is running for the first time, by himself on the Community Party line. The village native and former star quarterback for Hemp-stead High School in the 1980s said he wants to keep streets clean, make village workers accountable to residents and improve youth and senior programs, as well as build more youth facilities.

"We have a lot of situations with kids on the streets with no place to go, and seniors need to feel safe inside our com-munity," Stith said. "I grew up through these programs and the population of the village is growing."

TRUSTEES

Incumbent trustee Livio Rosario, 60, a Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus driver, is a former running mate of Hall now running on the opposing Village First Party line. The 15-year resident, who has been a trustee for four years, said he would address public safety and quality-of-life issues and would make sure that the village uses elec-tronic scanners and electronic identification cards that track employees' hours and work schedules; the scanners, he said, are in place but not employed.

"I want to get a grasp on our policing proactive ap-proach and ensure that our public safety and enforcement agencies develop an affinity with our residents," said Rosario, citing the same statistics referenced by Garner.

Tia Morris, 43, an import specialist for a contractor of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, also is running on Conyers' Village First Party line. The 15-year village resi-dent said she would increase the police presence in local business and residential areas, provide job opportunities for residents, create more recreational activities and youth pro-grams, install brighter lights and beautify the village with more trees and flowers and cleaner streets.

Luis Figueroa, 58, owner of a local travel agency and a retired Con Edison employee, is running for the first time, on Hall's Moving Forward Party line. The 29-year resident, who is vice chairman of the Hempstead Hispanic Civic As-sociation, said he would target wasteful spending, improve village finances, see the downtown revitalization project through to completion and promote a more transparent gov-ernment.

Waylyn Hobbs, 50, senior pastor of Coney Island Ca-thedral Church in Brooklyn, is also running on the Moving Forward Party line. The 40-year village resident, who is vice president of the local board of education and a lieutenant with the volunteer fire department, said he would strive to reduce crime, taxes and unemployment rates.

Sally A. Thompson, 67, a retired Hempstead school dis-trict administrator and a consultant with the New York State Education Department, is running with Garner on the Unity Party line. The 21-year resident said she would help pro-mote economic development, jobs for village residents and safer streets by targeting drug dealers, and would provide more after-school activities, tutoring services and cultural programs. She said she would also work to provide tax relief for residents so they can maintain their homes, saying she deplores the sight of neighbors being foreclosed and boarded-up homes on many blocks in the village.

Kenneth Arroyo Roldan, 48, chief executive and manag-ing partner of an executive search firm that looks for minor-ity candidates to fill corporate jobs, is running on the Unity Party line. The eight-year resident said he would focus on spurring new commercial development projects that would reduce the burden on homeowners who pay property taxes and create new jobs for village residents. He also would cre-ate more children's programs and institute measures to fight crime, address gang violence and get drugs off the streets.

Iris D. Atkinson-Kirkland, 62, an emergency and finan-cial management expert, is running on the Pettus Team Party line. The 20-year resident said she would use her business and accounting experience in reviewing the village budget to better use tax dollars, and would be accessible to residents and work with the county to develop youth and training pro-grams.

George Knight, 64, a financial services representative, is running on the Pettus Team Party line. Knight, who has lived in the village since 1988, said he would address crime, pro-vide more after-school programs, target unemployment, hold down taxes, repair streets and enforce village codes.

CathyJo Hunt-Edmonston, 53, a registered nurse and nursing administrator at a rehabilitation facility in Far Rock-away, is running on Drye's Change Now Party line. Hunt-Edmonston, who has been a resident of Hempstead since 1977, has served on the board of Hempstead Dale House Community Center. Hunt-Edmonston said she would address unemployment, which she said is the root of the village's high crime rate. She also would investigate the community benefits agreement with the master developer of the down-town redevelopment project and make sure that 25 percent of the jobs promised will go to village residents. She also would take a closer look at the current budget and cut unnecessary expenses, she said.

Guillermo Calle, 50, a former engineering consultant who supervises a project designed to increase awareness of local environmental issues among residents, is also running on the Change Now Party line. Calle, who has lived in the village since 1981, is a veteran of the U.S. Army National Guard and a community activist focusing on commerce and social and environmental issues. Calle's campaign provided biographical information, but he did not return calls seeking details about his campaign platform.

VILLAGE JUSTICE

Ayesha Brantley, 33, works in New York City Family Court as a child protection court attorney and as a prosecutor in Hempstead Village Court. A Bronx native, she has lived in the village for eight years and is on the Moving Forward Party slate. She has a bachelor's degree from Cornell Univer-sity and a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania. Brantley serves on the executive boards of the New Hemp-stead Democratic Club and of Jack and Jill of Nassau County.

Paul R. Delle, 61, is an attorney in private practice run-ning on the Unity Party line. He grew up in Levittown and Garden City and has lived in Hempstead Village for 37 years. He has a bachelor's degree and a law degree, both from Hofstra University. Delle served as an assistant district






Islip NY: New York Communities for Change and LEEP held a press conference today to release NY Communities for Change’s study Nowhere to Swim: The Disparate Impact of Town Of Islip Pool Closures on Working- Class Communities of Color. The report highlights the communities that will be most affect by the proposed closure of Roberto Clemente and Casamento pools. The report found that the closing of these pools, but especially Roberto Clemente, would isolate communities of color in the Town of Islip and take away a necessary service that the community relies on. The report found that with Roberto Clemente closed someone without a car would find it nearly impossible to take public transportation from Brentwood to any of the pools that will stay open. Currently Roberto Clemente is only a few blocks from the nearest bus stop. The report also found that the areas in which the pools are closing have a significantly lower me-dian household income then the neighborhoods in which the pools are staying open and are larger population centers then the areas in which the pools are staying open in.

Speakers at the press conference highlighted the importance that the pool has had for their commu-nity as a safe and cheap place for them to bring their kids in the summer. “We need to stop cutting ser-vices in communities of color. The town decided to close the only pool in Black and Latino communi-ties,” said Rosa Quiles, a member of NY Communi-ties for Change and a Central Islip resident for 40 years. “The people of Brentwood and Central Islip deserve to have the same park services as everyone else in the town.”

Lorraine Jackson, a mother and Central Islip resi-dent stated, “With all the problems in the commu-nity and all the things working against parents, Roberto Clemente pool was a great resource to take my daughter. Now that it is slated to close, I don’t know what parents are going to do. The Town needs to find the money to open the pool this sum-mer, our community needs it.”

April Ortiz, of LEEP, also spoke and presented 750 petitions they got signed by community mem-bers who want to see the pools open.

Nowhere to Swim: The Disparate Impact of Town of Islip Pool Closures on

Working-Class Communities of Color”

An analysis of what communities will be most affected by pool closings

Introduction

This report uses demographic information to show that the proposed closure of either of the two public pools serving Central Islip, Brentwood, and North Bay Shore (Roberto Clemente and Casamento Parks), among others would disproportionately impact lower income neighbor‐hoods with high concentrations of people of color., is a de‐cision based on the racial concentration and economic dis‐parity of these neighborhoods. By allowing these factors to determine their decision, the Islip Town Council is setting a precedent of racist and classist policy‐making that will fur‐ther disenfranchise the already struggling communities they represent.

Background Information

� On Tuesday, Jan. 29th, the town of Islip’s board of trustees voted to close two of five public pools as a result of budget cuts.i

� The two pools slated for closure are located at Roberto Clemente Park in Brentwood, and Casamento Park in West Islip, but also serve residents in Central Islip, Brentwood, and North Bay Shoreand other communities.

� “Speakers ranging from longtime northern Islip resi‐dents and community activists to a representative from New York state Assemblyman Phil Ramos' office spoke against the closure at Tuesday's town board meeting and complained that the public wasn't informed. Bay Shore resident Mary Reid said residents would only have known had they read the finalized budget closely.”ii

� “Supervisor Tom Croci said the pools are temporarily closed in part because the town is short on cash to imple‐ment much‐needed repairs." We had assigned some capi‐tal money for that, but unfortunately due to the hurricane [Sandy], when we went through the budget we had to put those monies into repairs," he said, adding that federal of‐ficials have not yet reimbursed the town for storm expen‐ditures.”iii

� After widespread criticism from residents following the initial decision on Jan. 29th, the Islip Board of Trustees announced on March 5th the possibility of reopening one of the pools this summer.

� “There’s no guarantee either pool will reopen this (Continued on page 12)



� The neighborhoods served by the two pools selected for closure are predominantly occupied by black and His‐panic/Latino populations: 77.1% in Central Islip, 84.9% in Brentwood, and 83.3% of North Bay Shore.

� Median household income in these three neighbor‐hoods is significantly lower on average than the areas in the following section.

� Councilman Senft’s claim that these neighborhoods are somehow ‘isolated’ is not supported by the population data. Central Islip and Brentwood each have more resi‐dents than any of the areas in which swimming facilities remain open.

Demographic Information for Islip Neighborhoods Un‐affected by Pool Closures

(Areas containing, or served by a public pool not slated for closure)

� The three swimming facilities (“Hauppauge, Bay Shore and Oakdale”) suggested by Councilman Senft are all located in towns with a majority white population and, with the exception of Bay Shore, a significantly higher household income.

� Other neighborhoods served by these facilities (“Hauppauge, Bay Shore and Oakdale”) like Bohemia or Is‐lip (West and East, as well), show a similar demographic disparity when compared with areas in which pools are closing.

� Overall, this disparity shows that the poorest and least white of the neighborhoods in Islip stand to be de‐prived of their swimming facilities, while those with a ma‐jority white population and a higher household income will not.

Conclusion

In order to ensure that currently disenfranchised Islip populations are not further marginalized, the Islip Town Council must be held accountable for concealing a meas‐ure clearly based on disparate racial orientation and eco‐nomic status cutting services to minority areas while hid‐ing beneath the guise of “fiscal necessity.” Councilmen Senft’s characterization of the neighborhoods served by Roberto Clemente as ‘isolated areas’ further makes the point that the Councilman

summer, Councilman Anthony Senft said, but he added that he is optimistic. Senft said town officials are particu‐larly focused on reopening

Roberto Clemente Park pool because it serves a more isolated area that’s farther away from the town’s other six pools.”iv

Pool Closure Impact on Residential Access

� Councilman Anthony Senft said residents would be encouraged to use the town's three other pools, in Haup‐pauge, Bay Shore and Oakdale. But Brentwood Association of Concerned Citizens co‐founder Lenny Tucker said that's not viable for many families.v

� The pool at Roberto Clemente Park is equidistant from the respective centers of Brentwood, North Bay Shore, and Central Islip, which is a short commute via pub‐lic transportation for many residents. Of the four other swimming facilities in the area, it is the most centrally lo‐cated.

� The two pools at Casamento Park are similarly situ‐ated to serve the communities of West Islip, North Bay Shore, Brentwood, and others.

� Senft’s suggestion that residents use the town’s other pools (“Hauppauge, Bay Shore and Oakdale”) is impracti‐cal.

1. Hauppauge is eight miles from Roberto Clemente Park, and twelve miles from Casamento, and is not served by public transportation. Residents without a private vehi‐cle would be unable to easily access these facilities.

2. Byron Lake Park (‘Oakdale’) presents a similar prob‐lem, in that it is eight miles from Roberto Clemente Park, and ten miles from Casamento. Reaching it from the area of Roberto Clemente Park via public transport requires nu‐merous transfers, making the trip prohibitive for those without a private vehicle.

3. Currently, there is no public pool in Bay Shore. Coun‐cilmen Senft was likely referring to Shipwreck Cove Spray Park, located at the Bay Shore Marina. The attraction is not free, and requires either a membership, or payment of entrance fee to use. And, as with Byron Lake Park, the commute via public transport is arduous, especially for residents of areas in which pools are closing.

� Offloading demand for swimming facilities onto these three pools will create an issue of congestion, and access. In closing the other two pools, the Town Council is not only compelling residents to travel farther in order to swim. They are also providing minority populations in Brentwood, Central Islip, and North Bay Shore with fewer swimming areas, meaning those remaining open will be overcrowded, furthering restricting access for some who might otherwise use them.

Demographic Information for Islip Neighborhoods Af‐fected by Pool Closures

(Areas containing or served by a public pool slated for closure)



You CAN Get There From Here

Legislature Adopts Gregory Initiative directing Suffolk Mass Transit to offer trip-maker services

AMITYVILLE, NY—As gas prices continue to hover near the $4 mark, mass transit is increasingly becoming the only option for large numbers of Suf-folk County residents to travel in their daily lives. Since these bus riders make up such a large portion of the workforce, public transportation not only moves people but is an important driver of the County’s eco-nomic engine as well. That’s why last night the County Legislature unanimously adopted a measure by Majority Leader and 15th district Legislator Du-Wayne Gregory (D—Amityville) that will require Suf-folk Transit to offer trip-maker services to the riding public via an online, state sponsored transportation portal.

If you’ve ever tried to plan out a how to get some-where in the County on a bus using Suffolk Transit’s maps, you’ve probably given up. After getting lost running your finger through the maze of intertwining lines that denote the routes that connect to the numer-ous colored dots that represent various stops, you re-alize you’ll need a degree in cartography to navigate where you’re going.

Frustrated but not deterred, maybe you decide to rely on technology to solve your destination dilemma. A 2012 national Nielsen study found that more than 50% of all mobile phone owners have smart phones. A similarly veined Pew study revealed that more peo-ple use their smart phones to get directions (20%) than to get help during an emergency (19%).

So If you’re lucky enough own a smart phone per-haps you think, “No problem, I’ll just type in my loca-tion and destination addresses, hit the ‘bus’ icon and follow the directions.” Except that the Suffolk Transit isn’t available on any of the leading commercial trip-maker apps. That’s in part, because it costs tens of thousands of dollars to subscribe to those well-known, trip-maker service engines.

But the New York State Department of Transporta-tion has its own mass transit, trip planner portal. 511 New York is a one-stop, all-encompassing Web ser-vice (and telephone) offering information on trans-portation services—including a trip planner—and travel conditions throughout the entire State. This in-formation is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week via the 511NY website (http://www.511ny.org/tripplanner/default.aspx?area=8). It’s also available

a s a f r e e d o w n l o a d a b l e app on both the iOS and Android platforms.

Suffolk Tran-sit is one of al-most 70 diverse t ra ns por ta t i on providers who routes and sched-ules are available on the 511NY trip maker service. Not only are New York State mass transit sys-tems available, but public trans-portation carries throughout the entire tri-state area, including train and ferry operators, are as well. With connections from the Adirondacks to Amityville, the 511NY trip-maker helps travelers get to their destina-tion, utilizing multiple forms of transportation (if nec-essary). But Suffolk bus riders unaware of the NYS-DOT’s 511NY tool have no other access to a trip-maker to get them around the County via road-based public transportation.

That’s because currently Suffolk Transit doesn’t have a link on its website directing riders to 511NY. Westchester County’s Bee-Line Buses do link to 511NY while NICE (Nassau County’s public transportation) makes its trip-planner services available not only on 511NY but also on GoogleTransit as well.

Gregory’s common sense legislation simply requires that within 45 days the County’s Division of Transpor-tation must establish a link from Suffolk Transit to 511NY. It then also directs DIT to use existing funds within their 2013 $63 million planning budget to publi-cize the link to the NYSDOT’s 511NY trip-maker web-site and the corresponding smartphone apps.

“Whether it’s the person who bags your groceries, your waiter, or the orderly who keeps the hospital sanitary; a vital, hardworking, modest earning portion of our labor force depends on public transportation to get to their jobs and to provide for their families,” says Gregory. “So it’s imperative that we keep the service going—and along with it—our economy. Establishing this link and publicizing this service will make Suffolk Transit more useful to even more riders, all while not increasing costs. That’s something that bus riders—and non-riders alike—should be able to be on board with.”



MARAGOS ANNOUNCES FIRST-EVER NASSAU COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGE OVER 200 STUDENTS FROM ACROSS NASSAU

COUNTY WILL COMPETE FOR SCHOLARSHIPS AND OTHER PRIZES

Massapequa, NY- Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos announced that his office is hosting the first-ever “Comptroller’s Entrepreneurial High School Challenge” where over 200 business students from High Schools across the County will be competing for scholarship prizes from various sponsors.

High schools from across Nassau County have formed teams to create business concepts that can thrive in the cur-rent economy. The teams will be judged on April 17th at the Theodore Roosevelt Legislative and Executive building by industry experts. The winners of the competition will receive scholarship awards from Hofstra University and Healthplex.

“My office has created a competition where the leaders of tomorrow will be challenged today to come up with business ideas that they feel will thrive in Nassau County,” Comptrol-ler Maragos said. “We are eager to motivate young adults to pursue business initiatives that can lead to rewarding and high paying careers. The ideas of young adults are often the best source for cultivating the companies of the future. We want those new companies to be inspired here and to stay in Nassau County.”

Participants in the Challenge include: College Prep Academy for Business & Law (Hempstead) Division Ave High School (Levittown) Hicksville High School

Kellenberg High School Long Island Lutheran High School (Brookville) MacArthur High School (Levittown) Massapequa High School New Hyde Park Memorial High School Oyster Bay High School Plainedge High School (N. Massapequa) Roosevelt High School Roslyn High School Sewanhaka High School (Elmont) Sponsors Include: Hofstra University HealthPlex The New Plum Tomatoes of Mineola Sweet Karma Desserts Mineola Trophy and Awards Vision Long Island The teams that win the Competition will receive schol-

arships which include $1,500 per student from Hofstra University, and $4,000 to be split among the team that comes in second place. The new plum tomatoes of Mineola have donated pizza for all the participants on the day of the event and Sweet Karma Deserts of East Meadow will do-nate snacks as well. Mineola trophy and awards will also be donating trophies to the schools of the winning teams.

Comptroller George Maragos said, “I am confident that our competing teams will produce a number of exciting business ideas that will be patentable or immediately be used to launch new businesses.”

Follow the event on Twitter.com/nccompchallenge and on Facebook.com/nccompchallenge



DiNAPOLI: NASSAU COUNTY

NEEDS TO IMPROVE

CONTRACT PROCESS

While Nassau County is following established guide-lines for approving contracts, the authorization process of-ten misses approval deadlines, accord-ing to an audit issued today by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. Auditors found that because of the lengthy review process vendors began working on half the contracts an aver-age of seven weeks prior to the contract being signed by the county.

Auditors reviewed 29 contracts equal to or greater than $50,000 ap-proved between Jan. 1, 2010 and March 31, 2012, 22 of which were subject to approval within 45 days. All of the con-tracts auditors examined followed the approval path as mandated by the county charter; however, 7 of the 22 contracts exceeded the required 45 day limit, taking up to 156 days to be ap-proved. Nassau County is required to authorize contracts in accordance with its county charter and the directives of the Nassau Interim Finance Authority (NIFA) control board.

“The county has implemented a thorough contract approval process, but there are delays that must be eliminated,” said DiNapoli. “County officials need to identify and implement corrective actions that would make the process more efficient while maintaining proper oversight.”

The current contract approval process is complex. It in-cludes six separate county offices and is subject to a maxi-mum 45-day approval path. The approval process currently requires:

· Review and approval by the initiating department head;

· Certification by the county office of management and budget;

· Approval from the county attorney’s office and county comptroller’s office;

· Review by the county’s office of legislative af-fairs;

· Review and approval by the county executive and county legislature; and

· Final approval from the Nassau Interim Finance Agency.

Auditors found the average time to approve contracts was 46 days before NIFA instituted additional guidelines. After that, the contract approval process increased to an av-erage of 85 days. However, most of the increase was not attributed to NIFA’s actual review, but to the review at the county level.

Due to the lengthy process for approving contracts, county officials are allowing services to be performed by

vendors prior to the ratification of contracts. Auditors found that work on 15 of the 29 con-tracts began on average 49 days prior to the contract being signed and executed by the county. This practice could preclude the county from en-forcing the terms and condi-tions of the contract in the event the vendor’s perform-ance had been substandard.

DiNapoli said county officials should review contracts where services are provided before being signed, determine the cause of the delay and make the process more efficient.

DiNapoli also recommended county officials:

· Eliminate or combine multiple contract approval stages within the same depart-

ment;

· Develop a process for prioritizing the approval of contracts for essential services so that vendors can provide those services at the earliest possible time. This should eliminate the practice of having vendors begin work before contracts are approved; and

· Meet with NIFA officials to review and update the contract approval guidelines to ensure they are comprehen-sive, clear, concise, and consistently applied.

For a copy of the report visit: http://www.osc.state.ny.us/localgov/audits/counties/2013/nassau.pdf



Hempstead Seniors, EAC Women's History Month Program The Hempstead Senior Community Service Center, located in the United Methodist Church in Hempstead, hosted a

Women’s History Luncheon. Town of Hempstead Councilwoman Dorothy Goosby presented Certificates of Recognition to honorees, dedicated individuals who work with the seniors in the senior health program. L-R Carol O’Neill – Regional Di-rector EAC, Cynthia Johnson- Honoree, Wise Work Out, Westbury, Victoria Smith – Honoree, Arthritis Foundation Exer-cise, East Meadow, Councilwoman Dorothy Goosby, Angela Malone- Honoree, Coordinator, Senior Health Program, Oceanside, Terry DeLoney – Program Coordinator

Zeta Phi Beta Scholarship Recipients

The Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Iota Theta Zeta Chapter, held their Finer Womanhood Scholarship Brunch at the Garden City Hotel. Town of Hempstead Councilwoman Dorothy Goosby congratulated Zeta Chapter President Portia Harvey and Chairperson Miss Zeta, Whitney Alexander. The Councilwoman presented Certificates of Recognition to this year’s honorees and scholarship recipients. Pictured (L to R): Kimarah Timothy, Scholarship Recipient, Westbury, Councilwoman Dorothy Goosby Brianna Michaels, West Hempstead



HEMPSTEAD PUBLIC LIBRARY

ADULT WORKSHOP

PASSION TO PROFITS,

How to Make Money Doing What You Love

Wednesday, April 24th, 2013

7:00pm – 8:30pm For immediate release* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

advance Registration needed * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Contact: Reference* * * * * * * * * * * * *481-6990

If you have ever wondered if you could turn your inter-ests or hobbies into an income then this workshop is for you. There are people who will pay you to share your passion, skills and talents with them. This program provides the guid-ance, encouragement and support needed to discover your passion and to transform it into a money-making activity. Topics will include understanding the nature of being pas-sionate about what you know and what you do, brainstorm-ing, goal charting, mentoring, networking, and developing your passion into a business. The program will be held in the Community Room. Registration is required for this free program.

Community Development Block

Grant Program Councilwoman Dorothy Goosby hosted a Town of

Hempstead Planning and Economic Development Public Meeting on the 39th Year Community Development Block Grant Program Budget at the Nathan Bennett Pa-vilion, Hempstead Town Hall. Representatives from the Department of Planning and Economic Development dis-cussed how $2.9 million of Federal money (cut from $5 million 3 years ago) will be budgeted for ongoing pro-jects. Topics included: Affordable Housing, the Commu-nity Revitalization Program, Residential Rehabilitation (senior citizen home improvement loans and handicapped accessible renovations), Downtown Revitalization, Eco-nomic Development and implementation of Community Visioning Projects.



Lakeview Key Women Host Scholarship Awards Luncheon The Key Women of America, Lakeview Branch, hosted their 44th Annual Scholarship & Awards Luncheon at Verdi’s of

Westbury. Town of Hempstead Council-woman Doro thy Goosby was proud to present Certificates of Recognition to this year’s honorees and congratulate president Helen Graydon, offi-cers of the chapter, as well as the co-chairs. Pictured (L to R): Leg. Robert Troiano Geralynne Brandon, 1st Nat’l VP, West Hempstead, Gloria Dixon, Nat ional President, East Elm-hurst, Pres. Helen Graydon, Elmont, Councilwoman Doro-thy Goosby, Thedra McCrae, honoree, Howard Beach, Chief Apostle Ken Moses, honoree, Brooklyn, Deborah Brandon-Santiago, honoree, West Hempstead

Mangano’s State of the County, scaled-down Nassau

arena could attract more shows

Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano tackled issues of employment, property taxes and hurricane recovery in his State of the County address Wednesday night.

Speaking at Morrelly Homeland Security Center in Bethpage, Mangano boasted about the changes his ad-ministration made after inheriting a "broken Nassau County."

"Nassau's former plan was clear: Take more money from taxpayers to feed the out of control spending habits of government," he said, citing past practices of prop-erty tax increases. "Accordingly, I chose the path that made sense. No property tax increases for three con-secutive budgets."

Mangano praised local politicians on both sides of the aisle as he turned toward the devastation of Hurricane Sandy. He thanked first responders, recovery workers, and politicians who ad-vocated for suffering victims, saying together the county would "strengthen homes, mitigate mold, and provide community planning programs to engage local residents in shaping a rebuilt Nassau."

"…We now live in a post-Hurricane Sandy world. This post-Hurricane Sandy world still contains thousands of homeowners who face the financial struggle of rebuilding their lives and homes."

As expected, Mangano defended a plan for a smaller Nassau Coliseum.

The Hub, which Mangano called a "victim of the Long Island No," would be a privately funded, smaller arena with more parking to make the destination more accessible. The arena would also fea-ture twin ice skating rinks "at no cost to taxpayers" that would pro-vide for national and international sporting events.

Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano says a scaled-down Nassau Coliseum could attract more shows and minor league sports.

Mangano on Tuesday released a plan for a “right-sized” arena in a request for proposals to redevelop the 40-year-old sports arena. He’s set to formally unveil the plan in his State of the County address Wednesday night.

The announcement of the plan follows a study by Forest City Rat-ner, the firm that designed the business model for the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, which will be the new home of the New York Islanders in 2015.

“What the Ratner findings have documented is that a ‘right-sized’ arena offering appropriate amenities would be a successful family

oriented sports and entertainment venue that creates signifi-cant revenue for the county and its taxpayers,” Mangano said. “Its ability to compliment the surrounding develop-ment being planned by Renaissance Downtown would en-sure that, together, the economic sum would be greater than its combined parts. We have the means of creating a win-win for every county resident, each of whom has a direct stake in the future of the Hub.” Mangano said a smaller arena with 8,000 to 12,000 seats would attract family shows, concerts and minor league sports. The current arena has more than 16,000 seats.

Mangano called it a “practical plan” compared to “the grandiose ones over the years that have not gained approval.”

The county executive said he is now seeking requests for propos-als from throughout the real estate community to meet the new, de-sired arena parameters. The RFP will have a set deadline of 30 days for companies to respond, and the winning bidder will need to work closely with Renaissance Downtown, the firm chosen as the master developer of the Hub.

Responses to requests for proposals are due in April, he said. As the county braces for the challenges ahead, Mangano said he

believes that working together will make prosperity and recovery possible.

"While Nassau still faces fiscal hurdles and post-Hurricane Sandy challenges, most of which can be overcome through bipartisan coop-eration and hard work, I am confident that we will meet these chal-lenges head on."



Don't let the Republicans get away

with it! On March 19, 2013 the Hempstead Town Board intro-

duced "Item #33," a resolution calling for a public hearing on APRIL 9, 2013 to discuss/vote on the proposed local law entitled, "REAPPORTIONMENT OF COUNCIL-MANIC DISTRICTS" which would also create a new Chapter 7A of the Code of the Town of Hempstead.

In simpler terms this means the Hempstead Town Board plans on rubber-stamping the "new" councilmatic district lines on April 9, 2013 at 10:30am.

This is an outrage as the proposed map was created in a partisan matter, by a private Republican political strategy firm, and without any public input.

Bob Young, 1st Deputy Leader of the ToHDC, spoke out against the process. Around 3 minutes into the video Town Attorney Mr. Ra informs Mr. Young that the maps are on display in the Town Clerks office. In fact they were not. Watch Mr. Young speak out on Item # 33: http://w w w . y o u t u b e . c o m / w a t c h ?v=zVFJ9oPp9AY&feature=youtu.be

Other speakers also included members from the League of Women Voters, and local residents.

The Republicans want to maintain their authoritarian rule over the town by keeping the public in the dark. Don't let them.

Take a moment to view what the Republicans have pro-posed.

View the Towns Proposed Map:

h t tp : / /www. townofhempstead .org / / f i l es /pdfs /tb_hempsteadtownmap.pdf

Town Proposed Boundaries:

h t tp : / /www. townofhempstead .org / / f i l es /pdfs /tb_metes&bounds.pdf

Read the Town Codes on Elections (you will see there is no 7A):

http://ecode360.com/15481665

More information to follow.

Thank you for reading this email,

Your friends at the ToHDC

Denenberg Demands Insurance Companies

and Banks Release Funds Lawmaker seeks monetary relief for Sandy victims

struggling to rebuild

(MINEOLA, NY) – Legislator Dave Denenberg (D-Merrick) is announcing new legislation Thursday to help those struggling to pay for repairs to their homes following Superstorm Sandy. He has intro-duced two new bills that would potentially help release much-needed funds from insurance companies, as well as banks or mortgage lend-ers, who have delayed payment to Nassau residents having a hard time paying for heat, electricity and construction.

Homeowners are forced to dip into their savings accounts be-cause insurance companies and banks are holding up the process by delaying payment and misinforming their customers. With these two bills, Legislator Denenberg and his Democratic colleagues are hope-ful that Sandy victims can receive the money they desperately need to rebuild their homes and find some sort of normalcy restored to their lives.

“It is unconscionable that insurance companies and banks are withholding money their customers right-fully deserve,” said Legisla-tor Denenberg. “The money belongs in the people’s hands. It’s time for them to pay up so that Sandy victims can continue getting their lives back on track.”

The first bill Legislator Denenberg and the entire Democratic caucus are sup-porting would amend the County Administrative Code regarding Unfair Trade Practices to provide a more speedy approval of insur-ance claims, as carriers are suspected of purposefully delaying and denying payment to customers in dire need.

Under this law, if the insurer wrongfully denies a valid claim, fails to answer a claim within 30 days or delays payment without providing reason for doing so, they will be fined and subject to law-suit by the County Attorney. The insurance company would also be liable for the customer’s full insurance payment, plus interest, as well as reimbursement of other subsequent damages including (but not limited to) emotional distress, property damage and attorney’s fees.

The second, proposed by Legislator Denenberg, would require banks to promptly release homeowners’ insurance payments in the event of a major disaster. This would ensure that once the money is released, customers would receive their payment in a reasonable amount of time – not several weeks or months.

Banks or lending institutions that hold the mortgage on a home are considered “part owner.” Any insurance claim that is paid out for damages must be signed-off by the homeowner and bank or lending institution that holds the mortgage.

Numerous complaints from residents state that bank delays and burdensome requirements have delayed their ability to move forward with necessary home repairs. This also affects local businesses and contractors, too, as they are relying on the rebuilding of Nassau County to help them recover the business they lost as a result of Sandy. If enacted, this law would help expedite the payment of in-surance proceeds to homeowners affected by Sandy or a similar natu-ral disaster in the future.



From the Desk of Mayor Hall

I recently had the opportunity to join New York's Miss Cosmopoli-tan, Kira Kazantsev, a Hofstra University student and representative of the Miss America Organization, when she visited Hempstead Middle School to discuss domestic violence and dating abuse prevention with students. The issue of domestic violence is one that is far too prevalent, and it is a crime that we must all try to prevent and to report if we are aware of it happening.

According to the Centers for Disease Con-trol, one in four women has experienced do-mestic violence in her lifetime. Domestic vio-lence and emotional abuse are behaviors used by one person in a relationship to control the other. Eighty-five percent of domestic violence victims are women, but domestic violence is not limited to heterosexual relationships in which men are the offenders. Partners may be married or not married; heterosexual, gay or lesbian; living together, separated or dating; male or female.

Domestic violence or abuse can include ver-bal abuse, keeping a partner from contacting family or friends, withholding money, stopping a partner from getting or keeping a job, actual or threatened physical harm, sexual assault, stalking or intimidation. Violence can include physical assault (hitting, pushing, shoving) or sexual abuse (unwanted or forced sexual activ-ity). Other forms of domestic abuse include emotional, psychological and financial abuse, all of which can lead to further violent behav-ior.

The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence reports that of all types of crimes, domestic violence is one of the most chronically underreported offenses. Domestic violence or abuse will ultimately affect entire households and all persons involved, especially children. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) reports that, ‘there are approximately between 750,000 and 2.3 million victims of domestic violence each year.’ Many of them have been abused mul-tiple times. Likewise, in 2001 HHS reported some ‘903,000 children as identified by child protective services (CPS) as victims of abuse or neglect.’ Studies have found that some 50 percent of men who abused their wives also abused their children.

Domestic abuse destroys lives. Its fallout is wide-ranging and long-lasting. Children living in violent homes will be more likely to lose their focus at school and may suffer emotional damage that harms their relationships with others.

The mental, physical, and emotional health of individuals involved in domestic violence is deeply impacted, as is their work and relation-ships.

If you or someone you know someone is being abused, please

HEMPSTEAD PUBLIC LIBRARY ADULT WORKSHOP

JOB SEARCH SECRETS

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

6:30pm – 8:30pm

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE* * * * * * * * * * * * ADVANCE REGISTRATION NEEDED * * * * * * *

CONTACT: REFERENCE* * * * * * * * *481-6990

Job Search Secrets is a positive interactive workshop, focusing on a set of specific actions job seekers can take to significantly improve the effectiveness of their job search strategy. A variety of valuable resources will be shared and discussed throughout the workshop. This is an informative PowerPoint presentation and handouts will be made avail-able to all who attend. This free program will be held in the Community Room of the library. Registration is required.

reach out for help by contacting our local authorities or calling the Nassau County Coalition Against Domestic Violence hotline at 516-542-0404. The hotline is open 24 hours every day and is completely confidential. You can report your concerns anonymously. If you are afraid or unsure of what to do, the organization’s highly trained and knowledgeable staff can help to advise you. The Coalition's staff will answer questions and provide written material to your questions. For general inquiries, contact 516-465-4700.

We must all do whatever we can to prevent domestic violence and abuse. If we see something, we must say something — even if we say it anonymously. Let us join forces as a community to help stop domes-tic violence and help our families and neighbors to be as healthy and safe as they can be.

To learn more about what is going on in the Village of Hempstead, visit www.villageofhempstead.org. You may also join our electronic mailing list by send-ing your name and email address to: [email protected]. To keep abreast of the downtown revitalization, visit www.renewhempstead.com. On that site, you may share your ideas for the redevelopment and/or provide your feedback on the plan.

Sincerely,

Wayne Mayor Wayne J. Hall



Local elections: a mayoral upset

in Freeport Originally published: March 19, 2013 1:06 PM Up-

dated: March 20, 2013 12:47 AM By SOPHIA CHANG [email protected]

Freeport's controversial Mayor Andrew Hardwick was ousted Tuesday night by his former running mate, trustee Robert Kennedy, capping a heated and dramatic campaign that veered into court at one point and invoked the presi-dent of the United States at another.

The highlight of a slate of village elections across Long Island Tuesday, the Freeport race included a challenge in Nassau County Supreme Court to Kennedy's eligibility to run for office -- he was cleared -- and charges that a cam-paign flier distributed by Hardwick's team incorrectly claimed he had the "support" of President Barack Obama. Democratic National Committee officials said Obama had not endorsed Hardwick.

Kennedy said Tuesday night he's looking forward to putting the brutal campaign behind him and getting to work.

"We're going to turn the village around, and move for-ward in a positive direction," he said.

Kennedy's running mates -- sitting trustee Carmen Pi-ñeyro, another former Hardwick running mate, and Ron El-lerbe -- also won two trustee seats. They defeated Annette Dennis and James Caracciolo, on Hardwick's line.

"Our community is going to begin to heal after a brutal election fight, that at the end brought our community to-gether," Piñeyro said, adding, "I'm just glad it's over."

attorney in Nassau County from 1987 to 1996. He has also served as counsel to the New York City Police Benevolent Assocation and as a deputy village attorney in Sea Cliff. He owned a delicatessen in the village from 1976 to 1991.

Lawrence Goldstein, 88, is a lawyer with his own prac-tice in Hempstead who had a previous stint as Hempstead village justice that ended in 2001. A former resident of the Bronx and Brooklyn, he has lived in Hempstead for 40 years and is running on the Justice Party line. He received a bachelor's degree from Brooklyn College and a law degree from Brooklyn Law School. An Army combat veteran who served in World War II, he helped found the Little League in Hempstead; a field in Kennedy Park is named for him. He formerly chaired the Hempstead Cancer Society and is a member of the NAACP.

Vernadette Horne is director of career and professional development at the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University. Horne, 52, has lived in Hempstead for 15 years. She previously served as associate director of ca-reer services at Brooklyn Law School. Before that, she was an attorney specializing in asbestos litigation. She received a bachelor's degree from Hunter College and a law degree from the University of Maryland. Horne is a member of the Nassau County Bar Association, the Nassau County Women's Bar Association and the Amistad Long Island Black Bar Association. She also serves as a mentor at Al-verta B.G. Schultz Middle School in Hempstead.

Casilda E. Roper-Simpson, 50, is an attorney and ad-junct professor at Molloy College. She graduated from Ba-ruch College and received a law degree from Brooklyn Law School. She is running on the Perry Pettus line. A Brooklyn native, she has lived in Hempstead for 18 years. She is a for-mer president and board member of the Hempstead Boys and Girls Club, former president and trustee of the Union-dale board of education and also has served as president of the Duncan Estate Civic Association. She ran unsuccessfully for the State Senate in 2011.

Voting will be Tuesday from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. at 12 poll-ing locations throughout the village.




Caracciolo said, "It was a fair race and that's the way it goes in this business. They got more voters than we did."

Hardwick was not immediately available for comment.

Ten other villages had contested elections. All results are unofficial.

MUNSEY PARK

Challenger defeats 17-year mayor

The longtime mayor of Munsey Park was also toppled by a newcomer in a rare contested election, where a slate of newcomers upset incumbents including 17-year mayor Harry Nicolaides, who lost to challenger Frank DeMento.

In the race for two trustee seats, challengers Sean Haggerty and Patrick Hance defeated incumbents Albert Jaronczyk and Sheila Brennan.

"Sean, Patrick and I were all very satisfied that we won tonight," DeMento said. "The other side ran a great campaign . . . I think they should be thanked for their service," he said.

AMITYVILLE

Ex-zoning official wins mayoral race

Former zoning board of appeals chairman James P. Wandell won the mayor's seat, after running on a plat-form charging that the cur-rent administration has raised taxes too high be-cause of unwise spend-ing.

He defeated two trustees, Edward C. Johnson and Peter M. Casserly, who argued the village's roughly $700,000 budget deficit would be closed or di-minished if the village is paid money they say it is owed by Suffolk County and the developer of an unfinished condominium project.

Kevin P. Smith and Jessica T. Bernius won two trustee seats, defeating Joseph G. Morin, Bruce Jenney, Charles A. Walters, and Peter G. Himmelmann.

"We've got a lot of work ahead of us and we're going to start digging in immediately," Wandell said.

Casserly, who said he will serve out the two years re-maining in his term as trustee, praised Wandell for running an effective campaign but said incumbents had been hurt by the poor economy.

Smith said, "People were looking for some sort of a change and I'm going to be a part of it."

HEMPSTEAD

Mayor Hall, trustee running mates win

Incumbent Mayor Wayne J. Hall Sr. won his third term, defeating six challengers, including trustee Perry M. Pettus, deputy mayor Henry Conyers and former Mayor James A. Garner, who finished second.

Hall's running mates -- Luis Figueroa and Waylyn Hobbs -- also emerged with victories in a 10-way race for two trustee seats. Ayesha Brantley, also on Hall's slate, was elected village justice.

"We did it again," Hall said. "After all this stuff that was put out about us, the people voted us in . . . The Village of Hempstead is moving forward. We will focus on the down-town redevelopment."

Garner, the former 16-year mayor, said, "I congratulate Mayor Hall for doing a good job. The people have spoken. I wish him well on the redevelopment of the village."

MINEOLA

Veteran trustee Werther defeated

Longtime trustee Larry Werther was ousted from his seat, as incumbent trus-tee George Durham and newcomer Dennis Walsh claimed the two trustee po-sitions.

Werther, the longtime New Line Party member and trustee -- and briefly, mayor -- was dropped from his party's ticket. The party named Walsh, a retired New York City police officer, as his re-placement in December, after which Werther mounted an independent bid.

Durham said the vote sig-naled that residents "want a board that can work together. That's a decisive factor in the village, that the board has to be able to work together. They didn't want an indecisive board," he said.

The campaign involved spirited exchanges between Werther and the mayor, Scott Strauss, who was uncon-tested. "Larry Werther's done a lot of good things for the village," Durham said. "He had a long run, and I wish him all the best."

With Aisha Al-Muslim, Jennifer Barrios, Scott Eidler, Mackenzie Issler, Nicholas Spangler and Patrick Whittle



progress.” Lamar’s success, nonetheless, is countered by the negative impact of artists like

Chief Keef, whose violence-driven lyrics and personal life have been met with scru-tiny from rap fans. Chief Keef rose to fame after releasing music on YouTube while under house arrest for dealing heroin; he eventually signed to Interscope Records. Despite the career progression, the teen rapper’s real life drama furthered when he was convicted of aggravated assault of a police officer, violated his probation, and was investigated for connection to a Chicago homicide.

“I came home one day to hear my brother blasting Chief Keef from his bedroom window, with lyrics containing themes such as killing, obscene sex acts with girls and heavy use of the N-word,” San Jose State student Lauren Hailey writes in The Spartan Daily. “My problem isn’t in the fact that we have this kind of stuff floating around in the world. My issue is that we are making it readily available to children.”

Culture writer Abdul Ali expressed his parenting concerns in a column last year for the Washington Post, which prompted an online debate of the subject. Though he says he’s still a fan of the music, he prefers it stay out of the ears of young people.

“It’s tough because in so many ways hip hop is kind of a youth-led thing, in the way that rock n’ roll was – it’s about rebellion,” he explains. “What we’re starting to see is some [interior reflection] that maybe we didn’t see before, or maybe not as unabashed like when we think of Childish Gambino. I think that this is a standout act. His voice. His content. It’s very self-critical and very anxious and very intro-spective. And I think that’s great for hip hop.”

Of course, Childish Gambino has struggled to find acceptance from hip hop listeners, who have criticized him as “not black enough” to be a rapper. In his song, “Hold You Down,” he vents about cultural alienation and the false notion of a monolithic blackness.

“We’re at a watershed moment because it’s hard to say what is ‘black’ any-more,” Ali observes. “Hip hop is such a global phenomenon now, and it has been for over a decade. You have people in war-torn countries saying, ‘I’m the real hip hop’ because when you look at its roots, it’s speaking out in rebellion and protest. I think we need to expand our definitions and be a little bit more inclusive.”

Beyond age and race, gender too remains a touchy subject, as misogyny has been prominent since rap’s inception. Women are depicted like exploits, and female rappers have likewise gravitated away from cerebral-types like Queen Latifah and MC Lyte to the sensationalized, sexualized Nicki Minaj and her predecessor, Lil Kim. These images can be troubling for parents with children who mimic their idols. Even rapper Schoolboy Q posted a photo of a young girl (presumably his daughter) on Instagram Saturday with the caption, “This why I hate being a rapper.”

“It’s gotten a lot worse,” Jones says. “For black women, it started off that we were just the ‘round the way girls, then we became straight-up hos. I don’t even date black men anymore because they don’t like us. They don’t like black women, espe-cially with rap the way the videos have shown them…I feel sorry for our young girls because they probably feel they need to be that way to get men.”

She adds, “Every time I see Jay-Z with Beyoncé and they talking about all the love, I remember back to the song [“Big Pimpin’”] when he said, “I’ll never give my heart to a woman.” It’s like, ‘Yeah ni***, yes you did.’ That sh** was unrealistic.”

Ali, however, feels more complex identities have come to light in recent times giving breadth to the field of rap. Jay-Z’s song for his baby Blue Ivy, and Nas’ track “Daughters” for example, show “maturity in the art form.”

Those working within the business also contend there is strength and meaning in this popular cultural imprint.

“Hip-hop has always been the most reliable mirror image of society since its inception,” Sene, an emerging rapper in Brooklyn, explains. “If you don’t like what you’re hearing, it’s a safe bet you don’t like what you are seeing among the youth in your city. It’s unfortunate that it has been a bit affected by the consumer-driven mental-ity of corporate America, the results of which have artists attempting to copy one an-other. That is where the truth is blurred because you would be more able to rely on hip hop as a resource to understand the youth if all hip hop artists were being honest. The more frequently artists fabricate their persona, the less reliable of a resource it becomes to understand what is going on in the country.”


Village of Hempstead’s

Bonds Receive ‘A’ Rating from

Standard and Poor’s

Rating Reflects ‘Stable’ Long-Term Outlook for Village Finances

Hempstead, NY (Thursday, March 21) - Mayor Wayne J. Hall Sr. and the Village Board of Trustees announced the Village of Hempstead was recently assigned an ‘A’ long-term rating to its series 2013A general obligation bonds and series 2013B refunding serial bonds by Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services. At the same time, Standard & Poor's affirmed its 'A' long-term ratings on the village's existing general obliga-tion debt, reflecting a ‘stable’ outlook for the Village’s fi-nances and their expectation that Hempstead Village will continue to maintain good reserve levels within the two-year outlook horizon.

“We are extremely pleased that Standard & Poor’s has reaffirmed its ‘A’ rating for the Village’s bonds,” said Vil-lage of Hempstead Mayor Wayne J. Hall Sr. “The financial outlook for our future remains strong, and will continue to improve as we embark on a downtown redevelopment project that will attract hundreds of new businesses to our commu-nity.”

In the report released Thursday, Standard & Poor’s cited the village’s strong regional economy and improved financial position since the implementation of a recovery plan that in-cluded the issuance of deficit bonds in fiscal 2007.

In fiscal 2012, the village recorded a general fund operat-ing surplus of nearly $2.3 million, which raised the total fund balance to $13.8 million. According to the report, the avail-able general fund balance of $10.6 million, or 19.3% of ex-penditures, is considered to be “very strong”.

Standard & Poor’s also recognized the village’s im-proved tax collections, bolstered by annual tax lien sales, and its “moderate” debt burden. The international credit rating agency considers Hempstead Village's financial management practices "good" under its Financial Management Assessment methodology.





Why black athletes need to use their riches to found tech start-ups

From BlackEnterprise.com:

The privilege of lifting the Lombardi trophy has always been reserved for a small group of men each year, and the Super Bowl proved to be no different. The same goes for the ranks of investors that fund a majority of today’s tech startups. However, the latter is changing and we’d like to see more African-American National Football League players, and minority athletes, get off the sideline and into the investing game.

Both rapper-turned-actor Will Smith and music mogul Jay-Z are leveraging their capital and celebrity to back BlackJet, which enables clients to book seats on luxury jets via a mobile app. Black Eyed Peas frontman Will.i.am is not only a serial in-vestor, but he’s learn-ing to write code so he can develop his own websites. Ath-letes can follow the example of Ronnie Lott, a four-time Su-per Bowl champion with the San Fran-cisco 49ers; Lott re-cently raised a fund, with other African Americans, and has already invested is several successful startups. His son (who is one of the ar-ticle’s authors) co-founded StraightCast Media after retiring from the NFL.

Diversifying your portfolio can also save you money. All of these investors benefit from what is known as the carried interest loophole. We’ll break it down: while you likely pay 39.6% on income derived from salary towards taxes, your investments face a maximum of 15-20% in capital gains taxes. This is why billionaire in-vestor Warren Buffett reportedly still pays a lower tax rate than his secretary. As one notable angel investor recently explained, “income is a sucker’s game. Carried interest rocks.”

Recent initiatives aimed at encouraging a more diverse pool of startup investors have already increased the number of women who are empowered to be more visible and vo-cal. Websites like FundersClub, with only a few clicks, en-ables its members, who are accredited investors (with a net worth of over $1 million or yearly earnings more than $200,000), to invest as little as $1,000 in venture funds that go on to finance some of the world’s top startups in ex-

change for equity. The proc-ess of connecting founders with funding is becoming more efficient and transparent than ever before, making it easier for those outside Sili-con Valley to get involved.

Investors should continue backing the technologies and teams that excite them. How-ever, an increase in the diver-sity of investors could influ-ence investing habits overall. At present, just one percent of all venture-backed startups in Silicon Valley have an African-American founder.

Professional athletes who want to learn more about the startup game, within a controlled and low-pressure environment, might consider attending an upcoming Demo Day put on by YCombinator or 500 Startups in Mountain View, California. Ashton Kutcher and MC Hammer are regulars. Demo Day is almost equivalent to the NFL Scouting Combine except, the room is filled with less anatomically im-pressive people and every-one is talking about user traction, instead of forty yard dash times.

Ronnie Lott, who has dem-onstrated a remarkable level of deft throughout his career—on and off the

field—captures our sentiments best. He noted, “Just like Jackie Robinson explored the possibilities of playing in the big leagues, we also need to explore the possibilities of play-ing where innovation and economics collide to transform the future. We cannot afford to miss this game!”

IN THE BLACKIN THE BLACK

PLEASE KEEP THE COMMENTS COMING AND PLEASE KEEP THE COMMENTS COMING AND IF YOU LIKE WHAT WE ARE DOING SHOW YOUR IF YOU LIKE WHAT WE ARE DOING SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FINANCIALLY CHECK OUT OUR NEW SUPPORT FINANCIALLY CHECK OUT OUR NEW

WEBWEB--SITE www.communityjournal.infoSITE www.communityjournal.info

Subscribe Today for only $9.95 for six monthsSubscribe Today for only $9.95 for six months



child's parents resulted in the child being left alone in the van; one parent believed infant was at home with the other’

a 6 month old 'baby died when accidentally left in hot car for 3 hrs, died when outside 90-degree temperatures rose to 130 degrees inside closed car, parents thought the other had carried the baby from the car to crib'

a 34 month old 'toddler who recently learned how to open a car door apparently climbed inside family station wagon while parent and sibling were in house'

a 23 month old died when a 'relative babysitting child, put child in car for trip to store, went back in house having forgotten something, was distracted by some-thing on television, sat on couch to watch, fell asleep, woke up two hours later'

a 2 year old died after a 'parent left child in car after returning home from errand - was left for more than an hour'

a 2 year old 'child apparently slipped away from parents and sib-lings, fell asleep atop blanket in unlocked car in driveway of home, oldest sibling found child 40 minutes later'

Remember, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 'a locked car sitting in the summer sun quickly turns into an oven,' and 'temperatures can climb from 78 degrees to 100 degrees in just three minutes, to 125 degrees in 6-8 minutes.' Visit www.nhtsa.gov for more information.

Here Are Some Safety Tips! 1. Don't leave them in a car, which can quickly heat up, especially

on a hot, sunny day 2. Always lock your car and secure the keys so that your kids can't

get to them 3. Warn your kids about playing in the car by themselves without

adult supervision 4. Install a trunk release mechanism, so that they can't get trapped

in the trunk 5. Get your kids out of the car first, and then worry about getting

the groceries, etc., out of the car when you get home 6. Make sure that child car providers and day care workers have a

plan to make sure that kids aren't left in the day care providers car or van

7. If you are afraid that you might leave your sleeping infant or toddler in their car seat when you get out of the car, place a re-minder on the dashboard.

8. Also be on alert for cars that might have an unattended child left inside. If you see a child alone in a car, be sure to call 911 and help make sure the child gets out as soon as possible.

9. When a child is missing, in addition to checking the backyard pool and any other bodies of water, check inside the car and trunk of any nearby vehicles.

10. Check the temperature of child safety seats and seat belts be-fore buckling kids up. The metal can become hot enough to cause burns.

11. Ensure that children drink plenty of fluids and are always hy-drated.

12. If you fear you may forget that you have a baby or toddler in the car, set an alarm on your phone or PDA to remind you.


ASK LISA-ANNE

Do You Know the Dangers of Leaving Children in Hot Cars? Q. I recently heard about an old grandmother who was babysit-

ting her four month old great grandchild and forgot the infant was in the car and the infant died from heat exposure. Can you warn parents about the dangers of leaving children in hot cars as the weather is be-ginning to warm up?

A. It is such a sad scenario to hear that parents, grandparents and even babysitters, have left a child or two in the car because they only planned to be in the store or post office for a few minutes. Many re-turn to find the child/children very sick or dead. In the story you have shared, it was just a sad mistake. Being older and out of her usual routine, made it easy to forget the infant was there. This is es-pecially true in these kinds of cases because many babies sleep while driving in a car so there would be no noise to remind the adult of the child’s presence.

One common thread in these types of situations is having the child in the car is not the person’s usual routine. Parents need to cre-ate a system that decreases the chance of the other parent forgetting the child. For example, the parent not taking the child that day should call and follow up with the other parent as a reminder. It takes a few seconds and guarantees the child is not forgotten.

Although experts often focus on more common safety meas-ures, like using car seats correctly and basic childproofing, there are many less well known 'hidden dangers' that may put your kids at risk. Your family car is one of these 'hidden dangers,' and it is not just be-cause of car accidents. In addition to the risk of getting hit or run over by a car, being left or getting trapped in a hot car can be just as deadly a danger. In fact, over 230 children have died after being left in a hot car (sometimes on relatively mild days with only 70 degree temperatures) since 1998. According to the www.About.com web-site, situations in which kids get hurt in hot cars include:

a. infants and toddlers are simply forgotten in their car seat b. toddlers or preschoolers sneak into the car to play and can't get

out c. kids get trapped in the trunk What's So Dangerous About It? In addition to the risk of being abducted if they are left alone in a

car, on a typical summer day, the temperature inside a car (even with the windows rolled down a little) can quickly rise above 120 to 140 degrees. Even on a relatively mild day, the temperature inside a car can get above 100 degrees. At those temperatures, kids are at great risk for heat stroke, which can lead to a high fever, dehydration, sei-zures, stroke and death. Your child could get caught in a closing power window. If a car thief decides to steal your car while you are gone, he may leave your child outside and your child could start wan-dering around looking for you, making it hard for them to be located. Another danger of leaving your child alone in a car is that they can get out of their car seat and start playing with the steering wheel, gas pedal and brake pedal, or the gear shifter, resulting in the car moving without a driver behind the wheel. If the car starts moving while your child is alone in the car, the car could be hit by another car or it could hit something like a tree or a pole. The car could also move onto the road creating a very dangerous situation for other cars on the road. Now the child’s life and other innocent drivers’ lives are in danger. www.associatedcontent.com

Don’t Think This Could Ever Happen To You? If you don't think that it can happen to you, consider these de-

scriptions from the death certificates of children from 1998 that were published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:

a 9 month old died after being 'left strapped in child safety seat in a sweltering minivan for two hours - misunderstanding between



13. If driving your children is not the normal routine of your spouse, plan a follow up call to each other to make sure they are not forgotten by mistake.

14. Make follow up calls to others who don’t normally drive your children including grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends.

Can Criminal Charges Be Brought Against Parents for Leav-ing Children in Cars Alone?

Yes, there can be penalties for leaving children unattended in parked cars.

Although there is no uniform law, local laws are currently being enacted to allow police to ticket anyone who leaves an underage child in a car without the supervision of someone who is of the re-quired age. The fee can range from $100-$300, along with costly court fees. If anything happens to the child, more serious conse-quences can occur, such as criminal charges which can include: Jail sentence Probation Community service

Parents can be charged with child neglect, child endangerment, which is a grave charge that can lead to jail time, and possibly a Child Protective Services investigation that may result in the place-ment of their children in foster care. Because of the serious repercus-sions that can occur from leaving a child in an unattended car, it is wise to seek counsel from a criminal lawyer should you be charged with this crime. Parents are advised to never leave their children in unattended cars in the summer or in the winter and not even for a few minutes. Take your child with you wherever you go. If you don’t want to carry your child from store to store then wait till your spouse is home to do your shopping or get a babysitter. The possible results are not worth risking it. Visit www.About.com, www.4rkidssake.org/hotcars.htm and www.legalmatch.com for more information.

Lisa-Anne Ray-Byers is a licensed and certified speech-language pathologist who has worked in education for over two dec-ades. She holds graduate degrees in speech-language pathology and multicultural education. She also holds certification in educational administration. She is the author of the books, They Say I Have ADHD, I Say Life Sucks! Thoughts From Nicholas, They S S Say I’m a St St Stutterer, But I S S Say Nothing! Meet Kelly and co-author of 365 Ways to Succeed With ADHD all available at www.Amazon.com! She is the Education Editor of the Community Journal newspaper in Baldwin, NY and a member of the National Education Writers Association. You may contact her at [email protected] or by visiting her website at www.AskLisaAnne.com.


VALLEY STREAM UFSD THIRTEEN PRESENTS MATH WORKSHOPS Valley Stream Union Free School District Thirteen of-

fered a pair of math workshops on March 18, including a morning session at Willow Road Elementary School and an afternoon gathering at James A. Dever Elementary School.

The workshops, which were provided for parents of stu-dents in grades 3-6, helped attendees understand the expecta-tions of the New York State Common Core Learning Stan-dards and how they can assist their children in math. Several math teachers from Valley Stream UFSD Thirteen were on hand for the event to provide parents with strategies on how they can help their children understand math. They explained

to the parents that there are many strategic thinking games they can play with their children at home to help reinforce skills in mathe-matics, including checkers, chess, Parcheesi, Mas-termind, Battle-ship, Monopoly,

Blockus, Yahtzee and card games, among others.

Parents were also encouraged to ask questions when their children come home from school, such as “How often did you use math today?” and “How did you use it?” Since a new shift in math education involves students doing things such as decomposing numbers or shapes, applying properties of numbers and going beyond simply relying on algorithms, it’s important for students to have conceptual understanding and fluency in order to complete modern-day math test ques-tions. Parents asking questions on how their children used math in other areas, such as in gym class or science, can help reinforce math strategies in a real-world context. Valley Stream UFSD Thirteen’s math department is working hard to partner with parents to ensure that all of the district’s chil-dren are ready for high school and on track for success in

college and the workforce.




WEBWEB--SITE Subscribe Today SITE Subscribe Today www.communityjournal.infowww.communityjournal.info

2) Student Inventors Scholar-ships http://www.invent.org/collegiate http://www.invent.org/collegiate/ 3) Student Video Scholarships http://www.christophers.org/vidcon2k.html 4) Coca-Cola Two Year College Scholarships http://www.coca-colaschola/rs.org/programs.html 5) Holocaust Re-membrance Scholarships http://holocaust.hklaw.com/ 6) Ayn Rand Essay Scholarships http://www.aynrand.org/contests/ 7) Brand Essay Competi-tion http://www.instituteforbrandleadership.org/IBLEssayContest-2002Rules.htm 8) Gates Millen-nium Scholarships (major) http://www.gmsp.org/nominationmaterials/read.dbm?ID=12 9) Xerox Scholarships for Students http://www2.xerox.com/go/xrx/about_xerox/about_xerox_detail.jsp 10) Sports Scholarships and Intern-ships http://www.ncaa.org/about/scholarships.html 11) National Assoc. of Black Journalists Scholarships (NABJ) http://www.nabj.org/html/studentsvcs.html 12) Saul T. Wilson Scholarships (Veterinary) http://www.aphis.usda.gov/mb/mrphr/jobs/stw.html 13) Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund http://www.thurgoodmarshallfund.org/sk_v6.cfm 14) FinAid: The Smart Students Guide to Financial Aid Scholarships http://www.fina/id.org/ 15) Presiden-

tial Freedom Scholarships http://www.nationalservice.org/scholarships/ 16) Microsoft Scholarship Program http://www.microsoft.com/college/scholarships/minority.asp 17) WiredScholar Free Scholarship Search h ttp://www.wiredscholar.com/paying/scholarship_search/pay_scholarship_search.jsp 18) Hope Scholarships &Lifetime Cred-its http://www.ed.gov/inits/hope/ 19) William Randolph Hearst Endowed Scholarship for Minority Students http://www.apsanet.org/PS/grants/aspen3.cfm 20) Multiple List of Minority Scholarships http://gehon.ir.miami.edu/financial-assistance/Scholarship/blackhtml 21) Guaranteed Schol-arships http://www.guaranteed-scholarships.com/ 22) BOEING scholarships (soma e HBCU con-nects) http://www.boeing.com/companyoffices/educationrelations/scholarships 23) Easley National Scholarship Program http://www.naas.org/senior.htm 24) Maryland Artists Scholarships http://www.maef.org/ 26) Jacki Tuckfield Memorial Graduate Busi-ness Scholarship (for AA students in South Florida) http://www.jackituckfield.org/ 27) Historically Black College & Uni-versity Scholarships http://www.iesabroad.org/info/hbcu.htm 28) Actuarial Scholar-ships for Minority Students http://www.beanactuary.org/minority/scholarships.htm 29)

International Students Scholarships & Aid Help http://www.iefa.org/ 30) College Board Scholarship Search http://cbweb10p.collegeboard.org/fundfinder/html/fundfind01.html 31) Burger King Scholarship Program http://www.bkscholars.csfa.org/ 32) Siemens Westinghouse Competition http://www.siemens-foundationorg/ 33) GE and LuLac Scholarship Funds http://www.lulac.org/Programs/Scholar.html 34) CollegeNet ' s Scholarship Database http://mach25.collegenet.com/cgi-bin/M25/index 35) Union Sponsored Scholarships and Aid http://www.aflcioorg/scholarships/scholar.htm 36) Federal Scholarships & Aid Gateways 25 Scholarship Gateways from Black Excel http://www.blackexcel.org/25scholarships.htm 37) Scholarship &Financial Aid Help http://www.blackexcel.org/fin-sch.htm 38) Scholarship Links (Ed Finance Group) http://www.efg.net/link_scholarship.htm 39) FAFSA On The Web (Your Key Aid Form &Info) http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/ 40) Aid &Resources For Re-Entry Students http://www.back2college.com/ 41) Scholarships and Fellowships http://www.osc.cuny.edu/sep/

links.html 42) Scholarships for Study in Paralegal Studies http://www.paralegals.org/Choice/2000west.htm 43) HBCU Packard Sit Abroad Schol-arships (for study around the world) http://www.sit.edu/studyabroad/packard_nomination.html 44) Scholarship and Fellowship Oppor-tunities http://ccmi.uchicago.edu/schl1.html 45) INROADS internships http://www.inroads.org/ 46) ACT-SO EUR Olympics of the Mind "A Scholarships http://www.naacp.org/work/actso/act-so.shtml 47) Black Alliance for Educational Options Scholar-ships http://www.baeo.org/options/privatelyfinanced.jsp 48) ScienceNet Scholarship Listing http://www.sciencenet.emory.edu/undergrad/scholarships.html 49) Graduate Fellowships For Mi-norities Nationwide http://cuinfo.cornell.edu/Student/GRFN/list.phtml?category=MINORITIES 50) RHODES SCHOLARSHIPS AT OXFORD http://www.rhodesscholar.org/info.html 51) The Roothbert Scholarship Fund http://www.roothbertfund.com





BABYLON HIGH SCHOOL HOSTS SCPD K-9 UNIT DEMONSTRATION

Elizabeth Quinn’s criminal justice class at Babylon High School has been busy learning about police procedures, and the students’ lesson plan “came to life” with a demon-stration by officers from Suffolk County Police Depart-ment’s K-9 Unit.

Officers Gomez, O’Brien and Teufel spoke to the stu-dents about law enforcement duties, and how canines are used for the apprehension of fleeing criminals, bomb searches and illegal drug eradication. The officers brought three police dogs with them for the assembly to provide stu-dents with a better understanding of their playful nature and exactly how they are utilized in law enforcement. They ex-plained it’s a common misconception that police canines are vicious “junkyard dogs” that like to bite people, when in fact they are well-trained animals that will only attack when commanded to do so by an officer.

The students had the opportunity to ask the officers questions, and Officer Gomez provided advice on applying to the police academy to several students who indicated they

were interested in pursuing a career in law enforcement.



Come to an Open House on April 6 at Long Island’s #1 Arts School, Long Island High

School for the Arts GARDEN CITY, N.Y., March 14, 2013 — Voted #1 Arts School by the

Long Island Press three years in a row, the Long Island High School for the Arts (LIHSA) is where careers in the arts begin. Find out more at an Open House on Saturday, April 6, from

10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the school located at 239 Cold Spring Road in Syosset. See if LIHSA is the right place for you by sampling some of the profes-

sional-level classes that are taught by recognized artists and experienced master teachers. Sketch from a live model, sit in on a jazz jam or take a dance class. Join the theatre ‘techies’ in creating special effects, participate in an improv class, join in a film shoot on location, watch a student performance, take an art class and then be dazzled by the artwork on display in the student art gallery.

“Whether it’s making movies, performing at Carnegie Hall, dancing pro-fessionally, acting or directing films or plays — this is the place to start making your dream of a career in the arts a reality,” says LIHSA Principal Ava Favara.

Explore the school’s theatre, art and dance studios, “high tech” Digital Music and Media Production Lab and rehearsal rooms. Tour the entire state-of-the-art facility and talk with staff, professional artists, alumni and par-

NBNA

Scholarship Program For Black Nurses

Deadline is April 15, 2013 Nationwide -- The NBNA Scholarship Program

offers 14 scholarships each year to students pursu-ing a career in nursing. The scholarships are based

on merit and financial need.

Eligible students must be enrolled full-time at a two-year or four-year college or university pursuing a Bachelors, Associate, or L.P.N. de-gree with at least one year of school remain-ing. Applicants need to be active in student nurs-ing activities as well as African-American ac-tivities in the commu-nity.

The scholarships are funded by the National Black Nurses Association, Inc., founded in 1971 as a non-profit organization in the state of Ohio.

For more details and/or to apply, visit: www.scholarshipsonline.org/2013/02/nbna-scholarship-program-for-black-nurses.html

ents of students. Hear about LIHSA’s outstanding programs, from its half- and full-day high school studies to its Summer Arts Academy.

LIHSA students receive professional-level training in art, dance, theatre, technical theatre, instrumental or vocal music, film, playwriting or Digi-tal Media Production each day as a supplement to their regular courses of study. The school’s alumni have landed starring roles on Broadway and in national touring companies. They also can be found working as technicians for Cirque de Soleil and at Lincoln Center. Last year’s 84 graduates earned more

than $7.5 million in scholarships and grants to continue their education at some of the nation’s most highly esteemed colleges and conservatories. For de-tails on the open house call 516-622-5678 or visit www.lihsarts.org and like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/LIHSArts.

Long Island High School for the Arts has been offering intensive training in the visual and performing arts for more than 40 years. Students from both Nassau and Suffolk counties can attend either for half the school day, tak-ing academic courses at their home high schools, or can enroll full time and take all of their academic courses for high school graduation at LIHSA.

More than 98 percent of the LIHSA graduates go on to colleges or con-servatories, including the Juilliard School, Boston Conservatory, Cooper Un-ion and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (just to name a few).

Touchscreen Subway Maps To Be Installed In 77 New York City

Subway Stations The subway map of the future may be a touchscreen -- but after a

week, we bet it won't be pretty. In September 2011, the MTA installed high-tech touch screens at

Penn Station and Grand Central, as well as the subway stops at Bowl-ing Green, Atlantic Ave-Barclays Center, and Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Ave. The On The Go! touch screens can be used to plan trips, look up service delays and find neighborhood maps.

Now, the MTA has declared the touch screen pilot program a suc-cess, and is ready to deploy 77 more On The Go! touch screens to subway stations around New York City. The MTA will be working hand in hand with two private companies, CBS Outdoor and the Con-trol Group, to install the kiosks.

First questions first: How gross will these touch screens get after a week of germ-ridden New Yorkers poking at them? Samer Kalif of Animal New York gives us some insight: "You’ll want to know how long the N train is delayed for and have your fingers greeted with an uncomfortably warm, greasy surface." That said, many New Yorkers already deal with gross touch screens at least once a month, during the inevitable refilling of the MetroCard. So maybe that's not such a big deal.

Better question: Why is the MTA spending money on touch screens when it could be finishing up the Second Avenue subway line? Okay, so apparently the touchscreens aren't just trivial elec-tronic doodads. In addition to re-routing tourists and generating money for the MTA through ad revenue (yes, the touchscreens will display ads), the screens will also provide Wi-Fi, two-way communi-cation, and will be able to determine metrics like how many people are in a station at once, Fast Company reports.

Wi-Fi-enabled subways? iPhone-style payphones? Take note, cit-ies that aren't New York; you've got a lot of catching up to do.



During the search, however, Roth was actually alive and well and on his way to his timeshare in Orlando. Roth believed that by faking his death, his son and wife would be able to collect at least $410,000 in life insurance benefits, and that he could make a new life for himself in Florida.

On August 1, Roth’s wife discovered emails between her husband and stepson, Jonathan Roth, discussing details of Roth’s plan to fake his own death. New York State Park Po-lice were then notified of these emails.

Roth was pulled over by San-tee Police in South Carolina on August 2. Roth was identified by his driver’s license, which he had removed from his wallet before disap-pearing from Jones Beach on July 28 and had used to check into the Orlando timeshare.

Jonathan Roth, 22, of Massapequa, was arrested August 6 and his case is pending.

“This case easily could’ve turned tragic had an actual emergency occurred while this defendant sent first responders on a wild goose chase,” Rice said. “Fortunately, that was not the case, and the restitu-tion Mr. Roth is ordered to pay ensures that the taxpayers won’t foot the bill for his scam.”

Assistant District Attorney Everett Witherell of the Major Of-fense Bureau are prosecuting the case for the DA’s Office. Roth is represented by Brian Davis, Esq.

Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice

ATTENTION STUDENTS, PARENTS,

AUNTS, UNCLES, GRANDPARENTS AND

TEACHERS! IN AN EFFORT TO PRAISE AND ENCOURAGE OUR

CHILDREN IN THEIR EDUCATIONAL

ENDEAVORS, WE WOULD LIKE TO SPOTLIGHT A STUDENT A

WEEK WHO HAS ACCOMPLISHED

SOMETHING SPECIAL IN SCHOOL!

If you know a student from kindergarten - college who has

graduated, won a certificate, passed an exam, written a poem, created or invented something, has significantly improved his/her grades, wrote a fantastic essay, joined the track team, sang a solo, has a part in a play or painted a beautiful picture, let us know and we’ll show him/her off in the paper! Contact Lisa-Anne Byers at [email protected]

Raymond Roth Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy After

Faking His Own Death Roth faked death in an attempt to collect life

insurance benefits for family members

MINEOLA, N.Y. – Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice announced today that Raymond Roth has pleaded guilty to con-spiracy after faking his own drowning death in the ocean off Jones Beach last August in a bid to secure hundreds of thousands of dollars in life insurance benefits for family members.

Roth, 48, of Massapequa, pleaded guilty to Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree in exchange for a promised sentence of 90 days in jail and five years of probation. Roth must also pay restitution to the United States Coast Guard in the amount of $27,445 and the Nassau County Police Department in the amount of $9,109 for costs incurred during rescue efforts. Roth will be sentenced on May 21, 2013. If Roth is fails to remit full restitution he faces a longer jail term of one and one third to four years.

Rice said that on July 28, Roth’s son, Jonathan, called 911 and reported his father missing in the waters off Jones Beach. The NCPD dispatched its elite Bureau of Special Operations, its marine unit, and a helicopter. They were joined in their rescue efforts by resources from as far away as Boston, Bay Constables from the towns of Hemp-stead and Oyster Bay, and the New York State Park Police. The search continued into the night and lasted several days.



In 2005, I chose to run for public office for the first time in my life because I felt I had the energy and ideas to make a dif-ference in a county I care so much about. Nearly two terms later, I’m proud to have kept my promises and to have helped the district attorney’s office become one of the most profes-sional, independent and innovative prosecutor's offices in the nation.

While our strides have been bold and our progress steady, I believe I have more to contribute to an office that we all rely upon to protect our families and to ensure the integrity of the criminal justice system. That’s why I’m so excited to announce my candidacy for a third term as Nassau County’s district attor-ney.

Our work over the last two terms is something we can be proud of. our office has become a national leader in the fight against drunk and drugged-driving. We’ve cut plea-bargaining and toughened prosecutions of violent criminals and cyber predators. We’ve gone after corrupt officials who abuse the public’s trust and we've recovered millions of dollars of mis-used taxpayer money. Our community and school education programs have received widespread praise and our efforts to help rehabilitate non-violent offenders and reduce recidivism have put our office on the forefront of the criminal justice re-form movement.

We’ve done all this as non-political, independent prosecu-tors not guided by fear or favor, but instead by what’s right and what’s wrong. If you give me the opportunity to continue my public service as your district attorney, I can promise that you will get more of the same independence that has become the hallmark of our time in office. And you will always know where I stand on the issues.

My top priorities for a third term are clear: I will to continue to crack down on violent and cyber crime.

I will redouble investigative efforts targeting those who steal from taxpayers or abuse the public’s trust.

I will help lead local and state reform of the juvenile justice system so that we can reduce recidivism and redirect non-violent teen offenders to paths of prosperity.

I will fight to get illegal guns off our streets and I will lobby Albany and Washington for sensible gun-control laws.

I will continue to push for reforms that better safeguard the integrity of our criminal justice system.

I need your help to make sure that the progress that has im-proved the safety of Nassau County families continues. If you share my belief in the importance of keeping the office in the hands of prosecutors who are committed to innovation and inde-pendence, then please take a moment to contribute to our cam-paign (link below), forward this email to your circle of contacts, or visit our website, Facebook or Twitter accounts using the links below. Additionally, our first event of 2013 is next Thurs-day, January 10 at the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City. As a homicide prosecutor, as an assistant U.S. attorney, and as Nassau County’s district attorney, I have spent my entire life advocating for victims of crime and for reforms that make our criminal justice system more effective. I ask for your sup-port so that we can build on our successes and continue to make Nassau County a safer, more prosperous place for us all.

Sincerely, Kathleen Rice

Jury Convicts Queens Man of Robbing

Elmont Gas Station at Gunpoint

Thomas robbed gas station with BB gun; was shot in the neck after threatening off-duty NCPD officer with weapon

MINEOLA, N.Y. – Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice announced today that a jury has convicted Ste-ven Thomas of robbery and possession of a weapon after rob-bing an Elmont gas station at gunpoint in October 2011.

It took a jury less than two hours to convict Thomas, 26, of Jamaica, Queens, of Robbery in the Second Degree and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree yes-terday. He faces up to 15 years in prison at his May 13 sen-tencing.

Rice said that just after 7 a.m. on October 5, 2011, Tho-mas entered the Liberty gas station on Hempstead Turnpike in Elmont, pointed a handgun at the clerk, and stole several thousand dollars in cash. After Thomas walked out, the clerk ran out the door screaming for help. An off-duty police offi-cer with the Nassau County Police Department’s Fifth Pre-cinct who was getting gas saw Thomas fleeing the scene, identified himself as law enforcement, and ordered Thomas to stop.

The officer fired one shot when Thomas made a motion towards his gun. Thomas then threw aside his gun, which turned out to be a BB gun, and ran south on Stone Street, cut-ting through backyards and shedding a glove, blue hooded sweatshirt, and mask he was wearing during the commission of the robbery. The off-duty officer continued pursuing him and fired another shot when Thomas made a motion towards his waistband.

Thomas was found one block south of the gas station on Rosalind Avenue, hiding in a white Ford SUV under a sheet with his feet sticking out and a gunshot wound to the right side of his neck. Thomas’s blood and DNA was found on the discarded mask, glove, and sweatshirt. After a week-long trial, the jury rejected the defense’s claim that Thomas had not robbed the gas station.

“The quick thinking of this off-duty officer to confront and pursue this defendant is indicative of the commitment and bravery of our police officers,” Rice said. “The mountain of evidence against this defendant, coupled with his misfor-tune to rob a gas station in full view of a police officer, made this conviction inevitable.”

Assistant District Attorney Zeena Abdi of the Major Of-fense Bureau is prosecuting the case for the DA’s Office. Thomas is represented by Muhammed Ikhlas, Esq.




WEBWEB--SITE www.communityjournal.infoSITE www.communityjournal.info Subscribe Today for only $9.95 for six monthsSubscribe Today for only $9.95 for six months

Black men: Here’s your wake-up call

Have you received a wake-up call yet?

For too many of us, it takes a sudden wake-up call — in the form of a major or minor health crisis — to make us realize that we’re not invincible. And tragically, for some, that call comes too late.

As black men, we often don’t talk about our health or seek help until something goes wrong. We may exercise and eat right. We may know how our habits today affect how we feel. But what about to-morrow? Are we making the right choices to stay healthy as we grow older? Most importantly, are we having the right conversations about health and well-being with our sons and our fathers, with our broth-ers, our colleagues, our neighbors, and our friends?

According to the Office of Minority Health at the U.S. Depart-ment of Health and Human Services, black men are 30 percent more likely to die from heart disease and 60 percent more likely to die from a stroke than white men. And unfortunately, the list goes on — black men still suffer from higher rates of disease and chronic illness such as prostate cancer, diabetes and heart disease.

Unless we act now, these disparities will continue to affect gen-erations to come. Their existence should be a wake-up call for all black men. It’s time to invest not only in our own health, but in the health of our communities.

That starts by putting ourselves in the driver’s seat when it comes to our own care. The health care law signed by President Obama in 2010 is removing many of the obstacles to health care we’ve faced in the past. It provides access to preventive services – like screenings for blood pressure, cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes – at no cost to us.

It will protect those of us with pre-existing conditions like asthma or heart disease from unfair premium rates or outright denial of cov-erage. It makes major investments in America’s network of commu-

nity health centers, where over a quarter of patients served are Afri-can-American. And on October 1st, the law will open the door to af-fordable coverage for millions of African-Americans, through the Health Insurance Marketplace.

That means brothers running their own businesses will have the opportunity to get coverage for themselves, their employees, and their families. That means men working in barber shops, body shops, and construction companies across America will have access to afford-able coverage if they don’t have it now. That means when you hit a rough spot and are between jobs, you don’t have to sacrifice the well-being of your loved ones. It means greater peace of mind and finan-cial security for our families and communities.

There’s a lot of great work being done in our community to close gaps in access to quality care. I’m encouraged by the tireless work that our faith- and community-based groups are doing every day to raise awareness and push policies that will make the health care sys-tem work for all Americans. They are leading the way – but it’s up to all of us to do our part.

The wake-up call that brings better health to our communities shouldn’t be a private alarm that we hear alone. It should be a chorus of voices that speaks to us, our families and our communities. This year, let’s put our health in our own hands, and create a brighter, more secure future together for all of us.

To learn more about the Affordable Care Act, visit www.healthcare.gov.



by the defective blood cells is a leading cause of premature death among those with sickle cell disease.

Clinical trials using the anti-depressant to treat adult sickle cell patients will take place at Wayne State Univer-sity in Detroit. A pre-trial review required by the federal government is underway there; it will dictate when and with whom the clinical trials begin.

Worldwide, millions are believed to have sickle cell dis-ease. In the United States, the federal Centers for Disease Control estimates that 100,000 African-Americans have it but cautions that the precise number of people with the ill-ness is unknown. An estimated one out of 500 African-American babies and one in 36,000 Latino-American ba-bies are born with sickle cell disease, according to the CDC; one in 12 blacks carry the sickle cell trait.

Though considered less hazardous than hydroxyurea, tranylcypromine — commonly called TCP — has its own side effects, ranging from anxiety to worsened depression to uncontrollable bodily shaking. Combined with certain foods — from charbroiled steaks to red wine — TCP is po-tentially deadly, Engel said.

Nevertheless, the prospect of treating sickle cell disease with TCP represents a promising breakthrough on a disease for which there has been insufficient scientific progress over the last 60 years and that remains misunderstood even by physicians, said Dr. Andrew Campbell, who has col-laborated with Engel. Campbell is director the pediatric sickle cell program at the University of Michigan’s C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital.

“When I came to this area of work in the late 1990s, es-sentially what I saw was a lack of research … devoted to sickle cell. Number two, there’s often been a lack of com-passion from physicians taking care of people with sickle cell,” Campbell said.

Clustering sickle cells cause excruciating pain, demand relatively frequent hospitalizations and the immediate at-tention of patients’ doctors, Campbell said.

“Especially in the adult world — even though patients are actually in a tremendous amount of pain — health care providers will brush them aside.”

In the face of that, some patients grow reluctant to seek palliative care. They’re often looked upon as akin to recrea-tional drug addicts, Campbell added.

“It’s ‘Oh, you’re here again for pain medicine? You should go home. We just saw you.’”

It is a dismissal driven partly, Campbell said, by stereo-types of race and class.

More effective treatment of sickle cell will undo some of those wrong-headed presumptions, Campbell said. He lauds the Michigan researchers and is hopeful that the clini-cal trials will bear fruit. About TCP, Engel adds: “This isn’t a perfectly proven therapy yet. We need to test it in hu-mans. We need to find drugs other than TCP that work bet-ter, that are more effective at lower concentrations and have fewer side effects.”

Depression medicine: Breakthrough for

sickle cell disease? After more than three decades of studying life-

threatening sickle cell disease, the most prevalent of all he-reditary illnesses, University of Michigan Medical School researchers have discovered that an anti-depressant mar-keted since the 1960s wipes out the disorder in lab-tested human blood and mice.

If upcoming clinical trials prove it’s safe for adult sickle cell patients to ingest tranylcypromine, the anti-depressant could be an alternative to the current treatment — hydroxy-urea — which is mainly a cancer fighter.

Hydroxyurea, which also is highly toxic, is only moder-ately effective on about half of sickle cell sufferers, most of whom are of African descent. The disorder, which causes blood cells to harden, become C-shaped, and ultimately clog arteries, also strikes people of Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and South Asian ancestry.

The genetic mutation that causes sickle cell disease was the first mutation of any inherited disease to be discovered, a finding made in 1949, also at the University of Michigan. That was a “fascinating” discovery, said molecular biolo-gist and chemist James Douglas Engel, lead researcher in Michigan’s current sickle cell study, published last month in Nature Medicine.

“It prompted me,” Engel continued, “to believe that, ‘okay, here’s a disease we’re really going to be able to [soon] cure.’ It was with that idea that I began this work 35 years ago … It wasn’t until about 10 years ago that we fig-ured out what a possible mechanism for controlling [the de-fect] might be.”

And two years ago, when the Michigan researchers ze-roed in on a molecule involved in cell sickling, they began scouting a drug to combat that, said Engel, who directed the four-person research team and is co-director of the Univer-sity of Michigan’s Center for Organogenesis. The center studies human organ development. Organ damage caused





St. John's Mid Lenten

Prayer Brunch St. John’s Episcopal

Church in Hempstead hosted a Mid Lenten Prayer Brunch at the Mill River Manor in Rockville Centre. Town of Hempstead Council-woman Dorothy Goosby congratulated Rev. Canon Dr. Lynn A. Collins, Rector, and pre-sented a Certificate of Recognition to honoree Chris t ine Chapl in . photo; Rev. Canon Dr. Lynn A. Collins Coun-ci lwoman Dorothy Goosby Christine & Les-ter Chaplin of Freeport Starr Vinson, of Baldwin



know if we please God then we will please everyone else who truly matters in life. We realize that we can never be perfect but we can press toward the mark to maintain a good name. One of the wisest man in the world King Solomon said in Ecclesi-astes 7:1a KJV “A good name is better than precious oint-ment.” Keep your name pre-cious in the sight of people and truly in the eyesight of God and watch the loving favor that a good name can bring you.

As Leaders in the church or even as parents in the home we must all teach one another and our youth how important it is to keep a good name. See when Jesus name is mentioned it speaks of love, righteousness, peace, and hope yet it has the power to heal, deliver, set the captives free, and make demons flee. Now that’s what you call having power in a name so I charge you this day to evaluate your name….

Dr. Karen Deadwyler is a new author inspired by God. Her first book titled “His Miraculous Way” speaks of her vic-tory through Jesus Christ. For Dr. Karen is truly a miracle writing about miracles. She is the Visionary of a women’s ministry called Willing Women of Worship Fellowship and the Co-founder of Glory Temple Ministries Inc. To contact her, inquire about her book or to send comments email her at [email protected] or visit her website: www.godlypleasures.org

Life Changing Words

Keep A Good Name Proverbs 22:1 KJV “A good name is

rather to be chosen than great riches, and lov-ing favour rather than silver and gold.”

When we think about what is important in life today we never think to say a Good Name. We think more about riches such as cars, house, educa-tion, a great high paying job, or maybe even silver or gold. Let me however inform you about what the Lord says in His word (Bible), which is the in-fallible word of God. Meaning His word is true, doesn’t lie and never fails. Now let’s look at the way God sees things. God is not concerned with the inanimate objects of our life, as He is con-cerned about our person. He wants you to realize in all the things that He has created man is His most precious possession. He created you in His image and likeness and that alone is enough to give Him glory for. When you think about how important His name is and you are made in His image how important should yours be. Of course I am not say-ing that you should consider yourself or your name by no means equal to God or His name but you should care what people say and think when your name is mentioned.

What are the true thoughts from the Body of Christ and even the secular world when your name is mentioned? Do they speak well of you or do they speak bad of you or do they just not say anything at all. What are you known for in your com-munity are you a follower, a liar, a gossiper, or a peacemaker. Do you exhibit love or hate are you filled with jealousy and envy and strife follows you everywhere you go. These are some things that we need to evaluate in life to see where do you truly stand as a person. Is my name associated with good things or bad things? What is my character like? Am I known to have natural and spiritual morals or no morals at all? I am putting all of these questions out there so we can all think about what is important in life besides natural achievements. God said in His word a good name is very important and is more valuable then any riches will ever be.

Many people think in life that it doesn’t matter what people think of me and that maybe true but let us take it a step further. When your name is mentioned in Heaven what does God think of you? Is He pleased with what you have done, said, and ac-complished in your life and in His Kingdom. For ultimately we

COMING TO A PEW NEAR YOU

SOON !





Women's History Month at Congregation

Church of South Hempstead

The Congregational Church of South Hempstead hosted a Prayer Breakfast in honor of Women’s History Month. Town of Hempstead Councilwoman Dorothy Goosby presented a Certificate of Recogni-tion to guest speaker Rev. Dr. Yvonne V. Delk and congratulated Rev. Patrick Duggan, pastor, and Sister Regis Thompson Lawrence, coordinator of the event.



Dennis Rodman tells Jay Leno he ‘almost’ met the pope TODAY - Dennis Rodman, unofficial celebrity ambassador to the world? The Worm, apparently still basking in attention for his buzzy, bizarre trip to North Korea, continued to describe the experience with Kim

Jong-un in an appearance on Tuesday’s edition of “The Tonight Show.” “I was actually shocked that he’s actually nice,” Rodman said of the elusive and oppressive North Korean dictator, his new friend and an

“awesome kid.” Of Kim’s headquarters, he added: “It’s not even a palace, it’s more like a fortress. It’s just insane.”

When Jay Leno asked about the severe poverty facing the country’s citi-zens, the “Celebrity Ap-prentice” star replied: “It’s pretty much like any other country. We got the same thing here.

”Footage from Rod-man's "basketball diplo-macy" tour is part of a TV show Vice Media is pro-ducing that will air on HBO next month.

Dennis Rodman: Kim Jong-un Is 'an Awesome Kid'

Last week Rodman made an equally stunt-y excursion to Rome, where the ex-NBA bad boy was photographed riding in a faux Popemobile. He had been stumping for Peter Turkson, a cardinal from Ghana, to win the papacy.

Rodman -- sporting a signature flamboyant combination of track pants, Lacoste shirt and fur-lined coat on Leno's couch -- babbled somewhat incoherently while talking about his Italian journey. He claimed he "almost" met the pope but was cagey on the details.

SEVEN DYNAMIC WOMEN PREACHERS GATHER

All Female Holy Week Celebration reaches 9th annual milestone Our vision: We have a dream of transformed, integrated communities where opportunities are not limited by gender.

Created in response to the lack of female representation at the pulpit during church services, Utterances from the Cross, seeks to give women a more prominent voice. Women were especially absent from the Seven Last words services held dur-ing Holy week. Rev. Dr. Gloria Nixon Pone decided to fill the void by starting this event. “Utterances from the Cross: The Seven Last Sayings of Jesus in a Female Voice is important because women are forbearers of the Gospel; they were the first Evangelists as stated in Matthew 28:6-8. The female voice lends authenticity to the words of Jesus from the Cross.”

Utterances has grown into an annual event that now features pas-tors such as The Cannon Dr. Rev. Lynn A. Collins, Rev. Dr. Regina Williams and Rev A. Toni Walrond who says that “ The event was birthed in response to theological shortsightedness. Women were nota-bly absent from the local presentations of the Seven Last Words. Our voices were stilled, but we were and remain determined not to be si-lenced. We gathered together, women of faith to bring forth the Word of God as given to us”

Utterances From the Cross: The Seven Last Sayings of Jesus in a Female Voice will be held a Wednesday, March 27, 2013 at 7:00 pm at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 536 South Franklin Avenue, Hempstead, New York, 11550.

If you’d like more information about Utterances please call (516)333-3686 or e-mail Rev. Dr. Pone at [email protected] or [email protected].



Question: "What is sola scriptura?"

Answer: The phrase sola scriptura is from the Latin: sola having the idea of “alone,” “ground,” “base,” and the word scriptura meaning “writings”—referring to the Scriptures. Sola scriptura means that Scripture alone is authoritative for the faith and practice of the Christian. The Bible is complete, authoritative, and true. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).

Sola scriptura was the rallying cry of the Protestant Refor-mation. For centuries the Roman Catholic Church had made its traditions superior in authority to the Bible. This resulted in many practices that were in fact contradictory to the Bible. Some examples are prayer to saints and/or Mary, the im-maculate conception, transubstantiation, infant baptism, in-dulgences, and papal authority. Martin Luther, the founder of the Lutheran Church and father of the Protestant Reforma-tion, was publicly rebuking the Catholic Church for its un-biblical teachings. The Catholic Church threatened Martin Luther with excommunication (and death) if he did not re-cant. Martin Luther's reply was, “Unless therefore I am con-vinced by the testimony of Scripture, or by the clearest rea-soning, unless I am persuaded by means of the passages I have quoted, and unless they thus render my conscience bound by the Word of God, I cannot and will not retract, for it is unsafe for a Christian to speak against his conscience. Here I stand, I can do no other; may God help me! Amen!”

The primary Catholic argument against sola scriptura is that the Bible does not explicitly teach sola scriptura. Catho-lics argue that the Bible nowhere states that it is the only au-thoritative guide for faith and practice. While this is true, they fail to recognize a crucially important issue. We know that the Bible is the Word of God. The Bible declares itself to be God-breathed, inerrant, and authoritative. We also know that God does not change His mind or contradict Him-self. So, while the Bible itself may not explicitly argue for sola scriptura, it most definitely does not allow for traditions that contradict its message. Sola scriptura is not as much of an argument against tradition as it is an argument against un-biblical, extra-biblical and/or anti-biblical doctrines. The only way to know for sure what God expects of us is to stay true to what we know He has revealed—the Bible. We can know, beyond the shadow of any doubt, that Scripture is true, authoritative, and reliable. The same cannot be said of

tradition.

The Word of God is the only authority for the Christian faith. Traditions are valid only when they are based on Scripture and are in full agreement with Scripture. Tradi-tions that contradict the Bible are not of God and are not a valid aspect of the Christian faith. Sola scriptura is the only way to avoid subjectivity and keep personal opinion from taking priority over the teachings of the Bible. The essence of sola scriptura is basing your spiritual life on the Bible alone and rejecting any tradition or teaching that is not in full agreement with the Bible. Second Timothy 2:15 de-clares, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one ap-proved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”

Sola scriptura does not nullify the concept of church tradi-tions. Rather, sola scriptura gives us a solid foundation on which to base church traditions. There are many practices, in both Catholic and Protestant churches, that are the result of traditions, not the explicit teaching of Scripture. It is good, and even necessary, for the church to have traditions. Tradi-tions play an important role in clarifying and organizing Christian practice. At the same time, in order for these tradi-tions to be valid, they must not be in disagreement with God’s Word. They must be based on the solid foundation of the teaching of Scripture. The problem with the Roman Catholic Church, and many other churches, is that they base traditions on traditions which are based on traditions which are based on traditions, often with the initial tradition not be-ing in full harmony with the Scriptures. That is why Chris-tians must always go back to sola scriptura, the authoritative Word of God, as the only solid basis for faith and practice.

On a practical matter, a frequent objection to the concept of sola scriptura is the fact that the canon of the Bible was not officially agreed upon for at least 250 years after the church was founded. Further, the Scriptures were not avail-able to the masses for over 1500 years after the church was founded. How, then, were early Christians to use sola scrip-tura, when they did not even have the full Scriptures? And how were Christians who lived before the invention of the printing press supposed to base their faith and practice on Scripture alone if there was no way for them to have a com-plete copy of the Scriptures? This issue is further com-pounded by the very high rates of illiteracy throughout his-




LESSONS Lessons don’t always have to take place in

the classroom. I was speaking to a 12 year old; let’s call him Jamal, who attends a middle school in Suffolk County. He was telling me what a hot ball player he is and was backing up his bragging by imitating and gesturing dribble moves and from his motions, I could see he probably did have game. One of his friends heard him bragging to me about his round ball skills and so he offered that Jamal had been suspended at least three times in the last few months. Well, the bloom fell quickly off that rose. I suspect that the friend was trying to embarrass Jamal, maybe because he had grown tired of hearing Jamal’s non-stop bragging about his prowess on the court. I looked at Jamal, hoping he would deny the suspension story, but instead he admitted it, and didn’t seem to be too concerned about it. I ex-plained to Jamal that if he wants to be a suc-cessful student athlete, then he has to change his ways and he needs to change whatever behavior was finding him constantly waiting in the dean’s office for the latest suspension notice to be processed. I don’t know if my preaching to Jamal made a difference, some-how I doubt it, but I continued with my warnings and prognostications. He listened but he looked bored. Because I can see Ja-mal heading for a life of retired high school baller I felt sorry for him. What I mean is that, like so many other talented teens, Jamal is likely to remain eligi-ble during high school because of his talent, but once the high school career curtains fall, Jamal maybe left out in the cold. He is unlikely to attract college attention because of his bad behavior record, unless he attends a community college. But I find many of these kids look down on community colleges as though they are too good for them. How in the world can one be too good for a community college where you can attend classes, compete in the sport you love and come out with an associate’s degree in two years. A recent study showed that student’s graduating from community colleges sometimes got jobs making as much as or more than those graduating from four year colleges. I think our young people need to learn to appreciate the value of a community college education. If it’s a sport you want to participate in, community colleges have nearly as many sports pro-grams as four year schools. Community colleges tend to have strong tutorial assistance programs and when it comes to sports, their sched-ules of games and contests rivals four year schools. If more of our African American students opted for community colleges we’d have less students failing after a semester or two and more students pulling good first and semester grades. If they maintain decent grades for two years, they can then transfer to a four year college and have two years eligibility left. When I think back to the 12 year old who felt he had all the answers. I knew he would not listen to me because I wasn’t saying what he wanted to hear and some pre-teens and teens feel they have all the answers…spring sports at Hempstead High School and Middle School get underway soon. For now our time will be taken up with March Madness, one of the most enjoyable times of the year for sports enthusiasts. –B.J. Robinson

PLEASE KEEP THE COMMENTS PLEASE KEEP THE COMMENTS COMING AND IF YOU LIKE WHAT WE COMING AND IF YOU LIKE WHAT WE ARE DOING SHOW YOUR SUPPORT ARE DOING SHOW YOUR SUPPORT

FINANCIALLY CHECK OUT OUR NEW FINANCIALLY CHECK OUT OUR NEW

WEBWEB--SITE SITE www.communityjournal.infowww.communityjournal.info

Subscribe Today for only $9.95 for 6 Subscribe Today for only $9.95 for 6 monthsmonths

tory. How does the concept of sola scriptura handle these is-sues?

The problem with this argument is that it essentially says that Scripture’s authority is based on its availability. This is not the case. Scripture’s authority is universal; because it is God’s Word, it is His authority. The fact that Scripture was not readily available, or that people could not read it, does not change the fact that Scripture is God’s Word. Further, rather than this being an argument against sola scriptura, it is actu-ally an argument for what the church should have done, in-stead of what it did. The early church should have made pro-ducing copies of the Scriptures a high priority. While it was unrealistic for every Christian to possess a complete copy of the Bible, it was possible that every church could have some, most, or all of the Scriptures available to it. Early church leaders should have made studying the Scriptures their high-est priority so they could accurately teach it. Even if the Scriptures could not be made available to the masses, at least church leaders could be well-trained in the Word of God. In-stead of building traditions upon traditions and passing them on from generation to generation, the church should have copied the Scriptures and taught the Scriptures (2 Timothy 4:2).

Again, traditions are not the problem. Unbiblical traditions are the problem. The availability of the Scriptures throughout the centuries is not the determining factor. The Scriptures themselves are the determining factor. We now have the Scrip-tures readily available to us. Through the careful study of God’s Word, it is clear that many church traditions which have developed over the centuries are in fact contradictory to the Word of God. This is where sola scriptura applies. Traditions that are based on, and in agreement with, God’s Word can be maintained. Traditions that are not based on, and/or disagree with, God’s Word must be rejected. Sola scriptura points us back to what God has revealed to us in His Word. Sola scrip-tura ultimately points us back to the God who always speaks the truth, never contradicts Himself, and always proves Him-self to be dependable.




BABYLON EARNS NYS BOYS BASKETBALL FINALIST PLAQUE

Babylon’s Fernando Vasquez scored a game-high 27 points in the New York State Class B Boys Basketball Championship Game in Glens Falls, N.Y., as the Panthers wrapped up their historic season with a New York State finalist plaque for the first time in program history.

Despite falling just short against Watervliet in

the title game, the Panthers have nothing to hang their heads about. Babylon finished 22-4 overall, in-cluding a deep playoff run that included victories over perennial contenders such as Syracuse Westhill, Marlboro and Wheatley. Vasquez led the way in the state final four tournament, notching 67 points over a two-game span. Ray Wardell was another key con-tributor for the Panthers come playoff time, as he scored 18 points in the championship game. Standout junior Jake Carlock added nine to the Panthers’ tally.

Babylon fought all the way back from a 35-19 halftime deficit in the state championship game to force an unlikely overtime period. Despite the heart-breaking loss, the Panthers showed heart and deter-mination that will propel them to success for years to come. Congratulations on a wonderful season to re-member.

Photos: 2013NYSFinalist.jpg-(Back row, l-r): Coach Chris Morra, Kevin Smith, Ralph Rodriguez, Jacob Carlock, Ray Wardell, Brendan Laing, Andrew Watson, Dillon Kelly, trainer Darwin Tavarez and as-sistant coach William Singleton. (Front row, l-r): Jeann (Jean?) Cruz, Alec Zamet, Fernando Vazquez (spelled Vasquez above), Nick Antolini and Stephen Schweitzer.

NFL to pay $42M for using retired players images MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The NFL has agreed to pay $42 million as part

of a settlement with a group of retired players who challenged the league over using their names and images without their consent.

The league will use the money to fund a “common good” trust over the next eight years that will help retired players with an array of issues including medical expenses, housing and career transition. The settlement also estab-lishes a licensing agency for retired players to ensure they are compensated for the use of their identities in promotional materials.

“We look forward to building an unprecedented new relationship with re-tired players that will benefit everybody, especially those who need extra medical or financial assistance,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Mon-day in a statement issued by the league.

The settlement could improve the frosty relationship between the NFL and many of its retired players who have felt left behind as the league has exploded in popularity over the last decade. Former stars like Mike Ditka, Jim Brown and others have lobbied hard for more help dealing with retired players’ mounting financial difficulties and medical expenses.

Brown called the settlement a “landmark for those who really need it.” “We were able to finalize this agreement and for the first time in history

retired players will be represented at the table,” Brown said at a press confer-ence in Arizona, where owners are holding meetings this week.

Hall of Famer Elvin Bethea and five other retired players filed the federal class-action lawsuit in Minneapolis in 2009 accusing the NFL of blatantly ex-ploiting retired players’ identities in films, highlight reels and memorabilia to market the league’s “glory days.”

“The retired players who created these glory days, however, have gone almost completely uncompensated for this use of their identities,” the plaintiffs said. “Notably, while exploiting the identities of retired players for commercial gain, the NFL prohibits retired NFL players from using their own identities as players to promote themselves commercially.”

The Common Good fund will be administered by a group of retired play-ers approved by the court. And the licensing agency will for the first time mar-ket retired players’ publicity rights in conjunction with the NFL, thereby mak-ing it easier for retired players to work with potential sponsors and advertisers.

The other players listed in the suit are Jim Marshall, Ed White, Joe Senser, Fred Dryer and Dan Pastorini. In the past, if Marshall was approached by a company looking to pay him to use footage of him as a player in a commercial or advertisement, the company would have to go to the NFL for approval, to the Minnesota Vikings for more approval and to any player featured in that footage for more approval.

The new licensing agency, which will be overseen by a board of retired players, will streamline that process.

“This creates essentially a one-stop shopping for whoever wants to tap into this marketplace,” said Dan Gustafson, an attorney for the retired players. “The agency will have the ability to make that deal on behalf. And it’s up to board of directors of players to determine how to do that.”

The settlement only covers those players who are currently retired, but Gustafson said players who do retire in the future will have the chance to util-ize the newly formed licensing agency.

The NFL will also pay another $8 million in assorted costs associated with the settlement, including money needed to help set up the trust and pay attor-neys.

The settlement needs court approval and a preliminary approval hearing was scheduled for Friday. Retired players will have the chance to review the settlement and discuss it at several hearings throughout the summer. Final ap-proval is scheduled for Aug. 29.



stormed back to beat Boston 105-103 on Monday and surpass the 2007-08 Houston Rockets for the second-longest streak in NBA his-tory.

“I knew there was a lot of time, so we never panicked,” James said. “We were down 27 with 18 minutes left. That’s a lifetime in basket-ball.”

At New Orleans, Anthony Davis beat Kevin Garnett and Jeff Green to a last-second tip-in, helping the Hornets end a four-game skid with an 87-86 win over the Celtics.

Marc Gasol tipped in Zach Randolph’s miss with less than a sec-ond left in overtime, lifting the Grizzlies to a 90-89 victory over the Thunder at Memphis. After Gasol’s tip over Durant put the Grizzlies ahead, Russell Westbrook’s desperation shot from past halfcourt was off the mark and Memphis walked away with its 16th victory in 19 games.

The Knicks had a 106-94 win over the Magic, with Carmelo An-thony scoring 21 points for New York after missing the previous three games with a knee injury.

In other matches, Charlotte beat Toronto 107-101 to win consecu-tive games for the first time since November, Atlanta held off Milwau-kee 98-90, Brooklyn beat Dallas 113-96, Houston defeated Utah 100-93, San Antonio had a 104-93 win over Golden State and the L.A. Clippers beat Philadelphia 101-72.

John Wall scored 19 points as Washington beat the Suns 88-79, picking up its first victory at Phoenix in more than six years.

Nene had 17 points and eight rebounds, Kevin Seraphin added 16 points and Trevor Ariza scored 14 for the Wizards, who won for the fourth time in five games.

The Wizards played without center Emeka Okafor, who missed his first game this season with an illness. Washington ended a five-game losing streak in Phoenix and swept the Suns for the first time since 2001-02.

Heat run streak to 24 with huge comeback

vs. Cavaliers CLEVELAND (AP) — Miami’s winning streak was in danger of

disappearing — in Cleveland, of all places.

But LeBron James wouldn’t give up, and the second-longest winning streak in NBA history has now increased to 24 games.

“That guy right there doesn’t want to lose in this building,” team-mate Dwayne Wade said, nodding toward James, who left many an-gry Cavaliers fans behind when he left for Miami as a free agent three years ago. “Not tonight.”

James scored 25 points as the Heat overcame a 27-point deficit in the third quarter before beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 98-95 on Wednesday night.

Miami is within nine games of matching the record of 33 con-secutive wins held by the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers. Once be-lieved to be untouchable, the mark is now within reach.

James and his teammates have insisted the record isn’t one of their goals, and for more than 30 minutes the defending champions seemed disinterested and on the verge of losing for the first time since Feb. 1. Miami trailed 67-40 with 7:44 left in the third quarter.

But behind the irrepressible James, who added 12 rebounds and 10 assists in 42 minutes, the Heat inched closer to history and matched the NBA’s biggest comeback this season.

“This was one of the most bizarre, unique days of my life with everything that happened,” said James, referring to a homecoming in which a fan ran onto the floor and the opening tip was delayed 35 minutes by a leaky scoreboard. “It also was one of the best come-backs I’ve ever been a part of.”

James had 14 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals in the fourth as Miami rallied to win for the second game in a row. The Heat were down 17 points — 13 in the fourth quarter — and



PLEASE KEEP THE COMMENTS PLEASE KEEP THE COMMENTS COMING AND IF YOU LIKE WHAT WE COMING AND IF YOU LIKE WHAT WE

ARE DOING SHOW YOUR ARE DOING SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FINANCIALLY CHECK OUT SUPPORT FINANCIALLY CHECK OUT

OUR NEW OUR NEW WEBWEB--SITE TAKE A SUBSCRIPTION SITE TAKE A SUBSCRIPTION

communityjournal.infocommunityjournal.info

Denver Broncos’ Von Miller tackles poor

eyesight with charity foundation

Von Miller is the Denver Broncos’ tackling machine. He’s al-ready been to the Pro Bowl twice after only being in the league for two years. Aside from his punishing hits, he’s also known for his fashionable eye glasses, which have fans and style mavens talking.

Von took his love for eyewear and used it as a platform to pro-mote his charity Von’s Vision, which gives underprivileged youth free eye exams, glasses, and even offers free lasik surgery.

He sat down with theGrio at the unveiling of AXE’s Face range and Shave line to discuss how having good vision contributed to his career success and what he’s learned about leadership from teammate and Denver Quarterback Peyton Manning.

What about good vision made you want to pursue it as a charita-ble effort?

I feel like society puts emphasis on maintaining your senses, eat-ing the right foods, and personal hygiene, yet I feel not enough is not dedicated to your eyes. While you’re able to get your teeth fixed or replaced when they’re not cleaned properly, you only have one pair of eyes you know?

If you start off having a bad foundation in relation to your eyes at an early age, you’re starting off on the wrong foot as a kid. You’d be amazed to know how many kids need glasses, but aren’t aware that they have eye problems. I’m here with my foundation to solve that.

You’re known for your colorful eyewear off the field, but when did vision become a priority for you?

For me, coming out of college, that’s where I began to have the financial means to invest in my frames. I’ve always had the interest in fashion and it wasn’t until I started meeting and networking where

the idea came in to my head that more than a few people grew up with similar eye problems.

Growing up, did your eyesight ever hinder your play on the foot-ball field?

My brother and I both found out early we had bad eyesight; but our mother was on top of it. We got annual eye exams and checkups and as I got older, I got to see the benefits of having strong vision and what it did for me on the field. That also improved my performance in school. I wasn’t able to see the chalkboard during the school day, which holds a lot of kids back as well. They just don’t talk about it.

The video game company Ubisoft donated $1,000 to your charity every time you sacked the quarterback. You had 18.5 which adds up to $18,500. How did it feel to have them support your cause?

It was a blessing. Ubisoft wanted to help elevate my platform to reach the masses. I’m also a huge gamer, who loves Assassin’s Creed, so it was an honor to have them in my corner.

What knowledge have you received from quarterback Peyton Man-ning since he became the leader of your team?

Transitioning from Tim Tebow, who was a great guy, to someone like Peyton Manning, who’s arguably one of the best players to ever play the game, it was definitely a difference. The way he lead our team on the offensive end is the way I want to establish us on the defensive end for many years to come.





Arts

, Cul

ture

and

Ent

erta

inm

ent M

agaz

ine

Arts

, Cul

ture

and

Ent

erta

inm

ent M

agaz

ine

Vo

lum

e 1

Nu

mb

er

48

Vo

lum

e 1

Nu

mb

er

48

VILLAGE LIFE MAGAZINE FRIDAY MARCH 22, 2013 Page 2

ONLINE EDITION PAGE 2



.Man pleads not guilty in death of Usher’s stepson

GAINESVILLE, Ga. (AP) — An Atlanta man has pleaded not guilty to charges in the boating col-lision death of music star Usher’s 11-year-old step-son.

The Times of Gainesville reports that Jeffrey Simon Hubbard entered the not guilty plea Tuesday to all charges, including first-degree homicide by vessel.

The boy, Kile Glover, was the son of Usher’s ex-wife, Tameka Raymond.

Authorities say Kile and his father, Ryan Glover, were vacationing at Lake Lanier when Hubbard crashed a personal watercraft into the boy’s raft July 6. Kile died at a hospital July 21.

Hubbard, whose lawyer, Jeff Talley, entered the plea on his behalf, also pleaded not guilty to charges of reckless operation of a vessel, unlawful operation of a personal watercraft, boat traffic violation and serious injury by vessel.

Bobbie Smith, former lead singer of music group The

Spinners, dies at 76 ORLANDO, Florida (AP) — A former lead singer of

the soul music group The Spinners has died in Orlando.

A statement released Monday by the manager of the rhythm and blues group said Bobbie Smith passed away Saturday morning due to complications from pneumonia and influenza. He was 76.

The statement says Smith had been diagnosed with lung cancer in November.

Smith was the group’s original lead singer and was the voice on their first hit “That’s What Girls Are Made For.” Also called the “Detroit Spinners,” the group earned nearly a dozen gold records and half a dozen Grammy award nominations.

The group’s biggest hits in the 1970s included: “I’ll Be Around,” ”Could It Be I’m Falling In Love” and “Games People Play.”



Omarosa on ‘Oprah: Where Are They

Now?’: ‘I don’t serve the world, I serve God’

Tomorrow the Oprah Winfrey Network will premiere a new season of Oprah: Where Are They Now? featuring up-dates on some of the biggest news makers and most memo-rable Oprah show guests of all time.

The new season offers a revealing, never-before-seen look into the private lives of Dennis Rodman, “Octomom” Nadya Suleman, Sinbad, Marion Jones, Mike Tyson, Oma-rosa Manigault from The Apprentice, just to name a few.

The series promises a glimpse into where the celebrities are now, and “how their lives have changed after sudden fame and notoriety turned their worlds upside down.”

A decade ago Omarosa shot to fame as the winner of the first ever season of The Apprentice on NBC. With her con-troversial behavior, she quickly became TV’s #1 “bad girl”.

In July, 2012 Omarosa’s fiance, Oscar nominee Michael Clarke Duncan, unexpectedly died, after suffering a heart attack, leaving her behind to carry out his legacy.

Now, just months after Duncan’s death, Omarosa opens up on Oprah: Where Are They Now?, and talks about how she first met him, their three year romance, and how she was called to enter into the ministry.

“I decided to do the OWN special now because of the historical place where Oprah’s show is,” Omarosa said dur-ing an interview with theGrio. “Being on The Oprah Win-

frey Show back in 2004 was the highlight of my public ca-reer.”

“My appearance on her show 10 years ago was controver-sial because Oprah seemed very engaged with me, although I was made out to be this TV villain,” Omarosa confessed. “She understood what I was doing with my TV persona. To have that affirmation from someone as great and amazing as Oprah back then, was just the boost that I needed to catapult me into this decade long television career.”

Since appearing on The Apprentice in 2004 Omarosa has starred in more than 20 reality shows including Fear Factor, The Ultimate Merger, The Surreal Life and now All-Star Ce-lebrity Apprentice.

“Ten years later I’m back on The Apprentice. It’s like a full circle. I’m back where I started at. I’ve gone through so many incredible and amazing life experiences and I’ve had my tragedies, and so I think that the audience will be very interested in watching the evolution of Omarosa.”

A year ago reports surfaced that Omarosa had become an ordained minister, which left many people skeptical as to whether “the woman America loved to hate,” had truly turned over a new leaf.

“I really could care less about what people think about my relationship with God, because my relationship with Christ is so intimate that I have to work out my own soul sal-vation,” Omarosa said. “I accepted my call whole-heartedly without worry, concern, or care about what the world had to say about it, because I don’t serve the world. I serve God.”

The new season of Oprah: Where Are They Now? pre-mieres Tuesday, March 19 at 10/9c on OWN and Omarosa’s episode premieres April 2.



TNA IMPACT WRESTLING’S

‘ROAD TO SLAMMIVERSARY

WORLD TOUR’ MAKES SPECIAL WESTBURY, NY

STOP PACKED LINEUP FRIDAY, APRIL 5 FEATURES EXCLU-

SIVE APPEARANCES OF STING, JEFF HARDY DURING PRO WRESTLING’S BIGGEST WEEKEND

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (March 12, 2013) – TNA IMPACT WRES-TLING brings a loaded lineup to the NYCB Theatre in Westbury, NY on Friday, April 5 as part of "The Road To Slammiversary World Tour." Tickets are on sale now at the NYCB Theatre box office, at all Ticketmaster locations, online at www.ticketmaster.com or charge by phone at 800-745-3000.

The Road To Slammiversary stop in Westbury will feature the only New York-area appearances from "The Icon" STING and "The Charismatic Enigma" JEFF HARDY during pro wrestling's most an-ticipated weekend in the area in history.

STING and HARDY will team to face current TNA World

Heavyweight Champion BULLY RAY and fellow ACES & EIGHTS co-hort DEVON, with the match stipulation announced that night by IMPACT WRESTLING's General Manager, "The Immortal" HULK HOGAN.

The action-packed card also includes hard-hitting grudge matches between some of IMPACT WRESTLING's biggest names:

"The IT Factor" BOBBY ROODE takes on "The Cowboy" JAMES STORM in a New York Street Fight.

CHRISTOPHER DANIELS renews his long-running rivalry with "The Samoan Submission Machine" SAMOA JOE.

Knockouts Champion VELVET SKY faces GAIL KIM. The Olympic Gold Medalist KURT ANGLE pairs off against

former protege-turned-Aces & Eights-member WES BRISCO. JOSEPH PARK squares off against ROBBIE E. (Card subject to change.) Tickets are on sale now, and fans who purchase a $75 ticket will

receive an early entry autograph session with select IMPACT WRES-TLING Superstars at 5:30 p.m. (Redeemable with ticket the night of the show.)

We encourage you to follow us on Twitter @IMPACTWRESTLING, @TNADixie, and @TNAPR and on Face-book at www.fb.com/IMPACTWRESTLING for our latest social news.

About IMPACT WRESTLING IMPACT WRESTLING is the world’s most innovative experience

in professional wrestling, airing in over 120 countries worldwide. Join Hulk Hogan, Rob Van Dam, “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles, Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle, Sting, Bobby Roode, Brooke Hogan, the lovely and lethal TNA Knockouts and the no-limits X-Division for “IMPACT WRESTLING” every Thursday night LIVE at 8:00pm ET on SPIKE.

For more information on IMPACT WRESTLING, visit www.IMPACTWRESTLING.com. TNA Entertainment, LLC is a pri-vately held company headquartered in Nashville, Tenn.





ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES, MUSIC, LITERATURE, MUSEUM, RADIO, CABLE TELEVISION, RELIGION, CULTURE, HOME AND GARDEN, DINING

Village Life Is a publication of

Emerging Business Group, Inc. ©2012 New York all rights reserved

Village Life Magazine is a weekly publication, based in Baldwin, New York, dedicated to sharing business, cultural, entertainment and religious information among minority residents which will enable positive action - economically, socially and politically - for the betterment of all.

Village Life is a footprint of the Communi ty Journa l newspaper which premiered on July 1, 1993, since then we have grown to be the leading African heritage news and information sources on Long Island.

As a community - based publication, we intend to expand our presence and to encourage greater participation from all members of the community in forging our shared destiny.

We are a "for-profit" business and hope to extend that s p i r i t o f e c o n o m i c empowerment to many other businesses in our community.

We are published each week unless otherwise indicated and a re d i s t r ibu ted th rough newsstands, independent sales agents, and subscriptions.

Publisher:

Larry Montgomery Mailing Address: 456 New York Avenue

Baldwin, New York 11510

MAIN ADVERTISING MAIN ADVERTISING SALES NUMBERSALES NUMBER: :

((516516) ) 384384--09610961

ADVERTISING ADVERTISING AND SALES COMPANY:AND SALES COMPANY:

Make all checks out to:

EMERGING BUSINESS EMERGING BUSINESS GROUP, INC.GROUP, INC.

EE--mail:mail: [email protected]@hotmail.com

NEWS NUMBER: (516) 384-0961

Www.communityjournal.info

Privacy PolicyPrivacy Policy We do not accept anonymous We do not accept anonymous comments. If you do not want comments. If you do not want your comments or your name or your comments or your name or address published tell us. address published tell us. Thank you from the Mgmt.Thank you from the Mgmt. www.communityjournal.www.communityjournal.infoinfo

NEW DATE

THE TEMPTATIONS & THE FOUR TOPS AT THE NYCB THEATRE AT WESTBURY – FRIDAY, MARCH 15



Radio Show host Don Durant of Living,

Caring, and Sharing Hosts Live Show in New York

Link -

http://www.prlog.org/11933857



Rapper Tone Loc collapses on stage in Iowa DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Rapper Tone Loc collapsed on stage while performing in Iowa this week-

end. Loc, whose real name is Anthony T. Smith, collapsed after finishing a song during a Saturday night con-

cert on a bridge in downtown Des Moines, according to the Des Moines Register. Three of the newspaper’s employees who were at the show said people attended to Loc, 47, for several minutes before fans were asked to leave.

Loc’s condition wasn’t immediately clear Sunday. He wasn’t listed publicly as a patient at any Des Moines hospital, and no one answered the phone Sunday morning at the bar that spon-sored the concert.

Loc’s representative did not immediately respond to phone and email messages Sunday.

It wasn’t the rapper’s first time collapsing on stage. Loc, who is best known for his 1980s hits “Funky Cold Medina” and “Wild Thing,” collapsed and had a seizure during a 2009 con-cert in Pensacola, Fla. Authorities said he had apparently overheated.

Loc also collapsed in 1995 while attending a Los Angeles Lakers game. The reason he col-lapsed wasn’t given.

Loc has also appeared in a number of televi-sion shows and movies, including “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective” with Jim Carrey and “Heat” with Al Pacino. Loc has also been the voice of several animated characters.

better, I sleep better, I can con-centrate so much better, my natural functions are so much better, and, I am happy to say, I have a much better outlook on life and continuing to be a useful part of society. So, no more feelings of being SUPERMAN, and now I realize that in order to continue my active lifestyle, I must comply with what has been a proven method of health and wellness. WOW, what an awak-ening, what a revelation. I thank the Lord above for bringing me to this realization and a return to almost vibrant health.

And, how was your week?

so man of us have to fear – nausea, light-headedness, vomiting, tremor, shakes, blurred vision, shortness of breath, diarrhea, constipation, and who knows what else!

When I take something that is supposed to help me, I don’t expect it to cause other problems that may be a major interruption to my ex-pected good health. I am shocked and dismayed by the allowance of these drugs into the marketplace.

Yes, they help in one way, but they hinder and harm in another! I can tell you that on more occasions than not, that the “side effects” are really direct effects upon my health. That warning in RED really happens to me. I don’t know ow “lucky” I am that I can be the one human being in the world who feels and experi-ences ALL the side effects listed on a prescription! It certainly is not a comfortable feeling. Often, I read the labels two and three times to make sure that I haven’t missed any-thing, and that I fully understand, if possible, all the ill effects that could be mine should I choose to take the prescribed drug.

How many of you have this kind of experience? How many of you live with the fear that the recom-mended drug could be the last thing you’ll ever ingest before meeting your Maker?

Being the can-do guy that I am, I decided to do my own research. With the internet, we can research

“REASONABLE THINKING” By Jim Reed

Ah, no prescription drugs for me. Been that way for about 10 years and glad to excape the problems associated with the little red printing on the “side effects” portion of the drug write-up that

just about anything and come up with viable solutions to our health prblems. My idea was to look for natural sup-plements that would supplant or re-place the prescription drug that has side effects.

Painfully, and fastidiously, I search for natural solutions to my health problems --- high blood pres-sure, cholesterol, diabetes, eyesight, hearing, tremor, arthritis, and any number of other afflictions. So, for years, I’ve been taking karela, red yeast rice, gymnemma sylvestre, lu-tein, saw palmetto, alpha lipoaic acid, ginger,, curcumin, etc. to overcome my health problems. And, I’ve been quite successful in doing so.

So, about 8 months ago, this veritable genius somehow slips away from his regimen of natural supprements and un-consciously decides that I’m feeling so good that I can abruptly stop my natural solutions and just go on living without thinking about my former well-thought-out supplements for survival. So, here I am eight months later, feeling very tired, almost lifeless, weak, and definitely feel-ing worse for my actions!

Being the “thinking man” that I am, I thought and thought about what could possibly be wrong with me and what changes I might have made to my daily routines. Well, I figured out the BIG PROBLEM, and have now returned to my natural supplements. Believe it or not, I noticed changes almost immedi-ately, or at least within three days of re-turning to my former routine. I can walk



PLEASE KEEP THE COMMENTS PLEASE KEEP THE COMMENTS COMING AND IF YOU LIKE WHAT WE COMING AND IF YOU LIKE WHAT WE

ARE DOING SHOW YOUR ARE DOING SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FINANCIALLY CHECK OUT SUPPORT FINANCIALLY CHECK OUT

OUR NEW WEBOUR NEW WEB--SITESITE www.community journal.infowww.community journal.info

Subscribe Today for only Subscribe Today for only

NYCB THEATRE AT WESTBURY SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Save the date for these exciting new shows:

ALABAMA

WEDNESDAY, MAY 1 at 8 PM

Tickets are $99.50, $59.50, and $49.50

Tickets on Sale Friday at 10 AM

ZZ TOP

WEDNESDAY, MAY 15 at 8 PM

Tickets are $89.50, $39.50, and $49.50

Tickets on sale Friday at 10 am

KEVIN JAMES

THURSDAY, MAY 30 at 7 PM

Tickets are $66.50, and $56.50

Tickets on sale Sunday at 10 am

NYCB THEATRE AT WESTBURY

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

THE SPINNERS

LITTLE ANTHONY and THE IMPERIALS

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16 at 8 PM

Tickets are $69.50 and $49.50

CHRIS YOUNG

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 17 at 8 PM

Tickets are $29.50

ARTIE LANGE LIVE!

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 23 at 8 PM


HOW I BECAME A PIRATE

SATURDAY, MARCH 2 at 1 PM


Family Four Pack Tickets available at $19.50 each.

FITINGO MUSIC presents

An Evening of Sophisticated Soul

EN VOGUE, LILLO THOMAS & FRIENDS


Tickets are $69.50, $49.50, and $39.50

DEMETRI MARTIN

FRIDAY, MARCH 8 at 8 PM


MARTIN SHORT


Tickets are $79.50, $49.50 and $39.50

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

& DOODLEBOPS LIVE

SUNDAY, MARCH 10 at 1 PM

Tickets are $49.50, $39.50 and $19.50

THE TEMPTATIONS & THE FOUR TOPS



RON WHITE: A LITTLE UNPROFESSIONAL


Tickets are $52.75

DAVID CASSIDY Presents

The World’s Greatest TEEN IDOLS

Starring DAVID CASSIDY,

PETER NOONE of Herman’s Hermits

And MICKY DOLENZ of The Monkees

Friday, March 22 at 8 PM

Tickets are $69.50, $49.50 and $29.50

Dick Fox’s DOO WOP EXTRAVAGANZA

Starring BOBBY RYDELL, LOU CHRISTIE,

Willie Winfield & THE HARPTONES,

Vito Picone & THE ELEGANTS,

THE KNOCKOUTS, THE TOYS,

and THE BROOKLYN REUNION

(The Mystics - The Passions – The Classics)


Tickets are $59.50, $49.50 and $39.50

RODNEY ATKINS

Special Guest JOSH THOMPSON


Tickets are $49.50, $34.50, and $29.50

CHRIS TUCKER


Tickets are $75.50, and $55.50

PETER RABBIT

SATURDAY, MARCH 30 at 11AM


LONG ISLAND APRIL FOOL'S COMEDY JAM


Tickets are $110, $90, $70, $50, and $35









TIME MAGAZINE’s #1 Musical of the Year "Porgy and Bess is a glowing tribute to a phenomenal stage production that transcends time and race: polished, respectful and packed with the

creme de la creme of Broadway talent." -BET

The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess has triumphantly returned to Broadway, in an electrifying new staging as timeless as ever presenting themes that reflect the cultural landscape of America, featuring such leg-endary songs as "Summertime," "It Ain't Necessarily So" and "I Got Plenty of Nothing," plus a remarkable cast led by four-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald, Drama Desk nominee Norm Lewis, and two-time Tony nominee David Alan Grier. Experience the show TIME Magazine declares, "Exquisite, intimate and musically ravishing. A don't-miss theater event!" and The Associated Press calls,“A gor-geous version of The Gershwin Masterpiece!”

“AN INDISPENSABLE TICKET! It’s hard to imagine any hurricane matching the tempest that is the extraordinary Audra McDonald.” -The New York Times “AS RAPTUROUS AS EVER! Norm Lewis is a revelation.” -USA Today “A luscious piece of musical Theatre! David Alan

Grier is terrific!” -Newsday GET YOUR TICKETS NOW AND SAVE!

Sunday through Friday performances: Orchestra & Front Mezz - $89(Reg. $139) Rear Mezz, Rows A to F - $69 (Reg. $87) Rear Mezz, Rows G & H $49 (Reg. $67) Saturday performances: Orchestra & Front Mezz - $99Reg. $139) Rear Mezz, Rows A to F - $69 (Reg. $87) Rear Mezz, Rows G & H $49 (Reg. $67) Three easy ways to get your discounted tickets: CALL 877-250-2929 and mention code: PBDWK Visit Ticketmaster.com and enter code: PBDWK Bring this e-mail to the Richard Rodgers Theater Box Office, (226 West 46th Street, between 8th Avenue and Broadway). Valid for performances through 7/8/12. Offer subject to availability and prior sale. Limit 12 tickets per order. Offer valid on select seat loca-tions. All sales are final. No refunds or exchanges. Offer may be modified or revoked at any time without notice. All phone and internet offers subject to standard Ticketmaster.com service fees. All above prices include a $2 facility fee. Not valid on previously purchased tickets and may not be combined with other offers. For group sales please call 718-703-2260 For more information, visit PorgyandBessonBroadway.com



Blame for negative messaging in hip-hop should start at the top This is part three of a theGrio series on hip-hop and its cultural

impact on Black America. Click here for part one of the series. Is hip-hop destroying black America? To answer this question

fairly, we must first discard the distorted image of hip hop that main-stream media has passed off for the past 20 years.

Hip-hop is a movement consisting of four main artistic elements: DJ’ing, rapping, breaking and graffiti. But at its core, it is a philoso-phy based on the idea that self expression is an integral part of the pursuit of peace, love and unity. It was created by young visionaries who tapped into their greatest potential and gave birth to one of the most important cultural phenomenon the world has ever seen.

Shaped by the spirit of Africa, The Carribean and black America, it is a culture that binds us under the belief that we must strive for excellence through our respective art forms, as well as within our souls. It’s a lifestyle that unites people from the U.S to Nigeria, France to Brazil, Japan to Mexico, often unable to speak each other’s language but fully capable of understanding all that makes us who we are.

True hip-hop is the MC who raps from the heart or enlightens the people. It is the DJ who speaks with his hands. It is the 6-year-old B-girl who break dances like her life depends on it or a group of young dancers whose moves defy gravity effortlessly. It is the graffiti artist whose shapes and colors breathe new life onto gritty city landscapes or the beatboxer who manipulates sounds like a one-man orchestra. It’s the aspiring politician who genuinely reflects the people she represents, the progressive educators who give voiceless youth a plat-form to express their deepest thoughts and the grassroots activists who launch campaigns against the negative messages promoted by the music industry.

For millions of people here and abroad, that is hip-hop, the way it was meant to be…and it is NOT destroying black America.

If this doesn’t sound like the kind of hip-hop you’re familiar with, blame the music industry and mainstream media for bombarding you

with a steady diet of rappers talking about drugs, sex and violence for over two decades. Blame MTV, BET, and other networks for trying to redefine what hip-hop is in order to sell it to unsuspecting consum-ers.

It’s easy to blame simple minded rappers for promoting negative messages and images while multi billion dollar companies and shrewd businessmen who market these artists are free from criticism. It’s easy to blame someone like Chief Keef who becomes the obvious poster boy for mindless rap while Jimmy Iovine, the head of Inter-scope Records, keeps a low profile and avoids having to address his part in promoting “death through entertainment”. It’s easy to protest flavor of the month Trinidad James who raps about Molly, the indus-try’s latest fashionable drug, while Def Jam’ president Joie Manda proclaims his new discovery as “the cutting edge of what’s happening in the culture today.” It’s easy to blame talentless top 40 rappers for dominating the airwaves of so called hip hop radio stations like L.A.’s Power 106 or New York’s Hot 97 while Rick Cummings, president of programming for Emmis Communications, which owns both stations, isn’t held accountable for his part in broadcasting filth to millions of listeners.

Time and time again, the real decision makers get away with mur-der while rap artists are projected as the embodiment of everything that is wrong with Hip Hop and young Black males.

Kind of how gangs are perceived as the lone cause of urban vio-lence while those who bring guns and drugs into the community re-main anonymous.

Kind of how so many young Black men are written off as crimi-nals and sent to prison in disproportionate numbers while the system that causes this tragedy is profiting from growing incarceration rates.

Kind of how Black students are labeled as troubled underachiev-ers while school districts across the nation, including Philadelphia and Chicago, continue to close down schools in predominantly Black communities to save money.

And all of it devalues the lives of Black people in exchange for financial gain.

So is Hip Hop really destroying Black America? No. The chal-lenges facing Black America are much bigger than Hip Hop. But for what it’s worth, when untainted by outside influences and corporate vultures, Hip Hop in its purest form is about empowerment, unity, culture, creativity and hope. And God knows we need it.



NOW ONLYNOW ONLY

$9.95$9.95 AVAILABLE ATAVAILABLE AT

WWW.USMARSHALHARRYBAILEY.COMWWW.USMARSHALHARRYBAILEY.COM



ABOUT THIS BOOK: “THE WAY STATION” (Genre: Christian fiction) By Minister Larry Montgomery, Sr. Author of the ‘U.S. Marshal Harry Bailey Parables of Life Series’ The Way Station is a fictional account of what could happen immediately following a person’s death. This book is about the mo-ments’ right before the souls of six strangers transitions to either the other side of life, better known as the ‘hereafter’ or to the next phase of life, known as the second chance to get it right. This book was written on the the-ory that either you learn the les-son you were sent into this world to learn, or you can be recycled, given another chance to get it right before it is finally too late. Seven people take an elevator ride together, each from a differ-ent walk of life, but unbeknownst to them; they are each riding into either their next destiny or a sec-ond chance. In their minds, they are all going to the top floor of an office building owned by a world renowned charitable or-ganization, to receive a cash re-ward for doing something good but none of them really remem-bers exactly what. None of the six awardees are known to one another but during the elevator ride to the top-floor office they each have a chance to talk about that part of his or her life, they believe earned them this recognition. As they tell their story, they recollect the trials and tribulations they went through which they believe made them worthy of this honor. Each per-son’s story is of no consequence to any of the other recipients, but the seventh person on the elevator seems to know a lot more about their lives then even they realize. Once each of the awardees reaches their individual destination they are ushered off the elevator to confront life’s ultimate choice; to choose their soul’s next destination. Each awardee is left to choose between two doors. Each door holds a different destiny behind it. So, don’t be fooled by the majesty or outward appearance of either, the one selected is the one each recipient is most worthy of. One door is made of solid OAK1 and the other solid Birch2 wood. Ride with these six people to their final destination and read how each of them chose their soul’s next resting place based on the trials and tribu-lations that made up their lives. Then think how your life compares to theirs; if at all, and you just may find out more about what really awaits you at the ‘Way Station.’

I hope you will consider my first Christian Fiction effort about the after

life. Available for only $4.99 for a limited time. Just click and enjoy...

http://www.amazon.com/THE-WAY-STATION-ebook/dp/B00AVECUM6/ref=la_B00AVKMARA_1_1?

ie=UTF8&qid=1357229984&sr=1-1





LISTEN TO: www.blogtalkradio.com/usmarshalharrybaileycom Friday afternoon’s at 2:30 PM for live readings or visit

www.usmarshalharrybailey.com for archived readings and purchases.







AVAILABLE NOW

AMAZON.COM

eBOOKS



WE DID IT AGAIN! IF YOU REMEMBER LAST YEAR THIS TIME

OVER 80 ADHD EXPERTS AND COACHES, INCLUDING ME,

COMPILED THEIR BEST ADHD STRATEGIES INTO A BOOK TITLED

365 WAYS TO SUCCEED WITH ADHD! WELL, WE DID IT AGAIN WITH THIS FASCINATING BOOK CONTAINING 365+1 IDEAS ON

HOW TO SURVIVE WITH ADHD. IF YOU’RE INTERESTED IN

PURCHASING EITHER BOOK JUST LET ME KNOW!

Lisa Byers [email protected]

The ADHD Awareness Book Project: The ADHD Awareness Book Project:

365+1 new ways to succeed with ADHD365+1 new ways to succeed with ADHD



SISTAS ON FIRESISTAS ON FIRE New Talk Show:

Station: Cablevision Channel 20Station: Cablevision Channel 20 Day: Tuesdays Time: 10:30 AMDay: Tuesdays Time: 10:30 AM

Plus, we're still on Saturdays at 3 AMPlus, we're still on Saturdays at 3 AM

Jurnee Smollett-Bell on ‘Temptation’ film:

‘Kim Kardashian wanted to learn from Tyler Perry’

Jurnee Smollett-Bell is back on the big screen for the first time in six years, starring alongside Vanessa Williams, Kim Kardashian, Brandy Norwood, and Lance Gross in Ty-ler Perry’s Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Coun-selor. In the movie, Smollett-Bell stars as Judith, a marriage counselor whose life becomes complicated after she has an affair behind her husband’s back.

“I honestly wasn’t concerned about how people would receive me as this character,” Smollett-Bell told theGrio’s Chris Witherspoon. “Because it’s not like she’s all bad… she’s very complex. And those are the elements that in-trigue me as an artist; those shades of grey.”

Kim Kardashian c0-stars as Smollet’s stylish and opin-ionated co-worker in the film.

When asked to assess Kardashian performance as an ac-tress, Smollett revealed that Kardashian was very eager to learn from Perry, and she thinks people should see the film and then judge her performance.

“She was so sweet to me on the set,” Smollett says of Kardashian. “She was very open, she wanted to learn from Tyler, she was so eager to really try to make this the best that she could. Honestly her character is kind of similar to her little sassy relationship that she has with her sisters, so Tyler and I tried to draw that out of her, and just pretty much told her to think of me as one of her sisters.”

In 2007 Smollett received critical acclaim for her role in The Great Debaters, a film which Denzel Washington both starred in and directed. Smollett says working with Wash-ington was like “a master class in acting,” and attempted to compare her experience with Washington to being on the Temptation set with Perry.

“Great Debaters we shot in three months, Temptation we shot in 17 days,” Smollett said. “Tyler’s quick, but both know what they want. It’s really hard to compare the two because they’re so different with their approaches and yet they both know what they want. They both had a vision with an end result in mind.



ORDER YOUR BLACK YOUR BLACK EXPRESSION HOLIDAY DAY GIFTS FROM US GET A FREE SIX MONTH SUBSCRIPTION TO THE COMMUNITY JOURNAL.

INBOX US AT [email protected] FOR DETAILS



Museum Mission Statement The mission of the African American Museum of Nassau County

[AAM] is to provide programming and events that foster the intellectual development of community members and visitors with an interest in Af-rican-American art, history and culture. A primary goal is to dissemi-nate the history of African-Americans on Long Island and the African-American contribution to the social and cultural development of Ameri-can society through material and visual culture. The AAM, located in

Hempstead, New York, opened in 1970, at the height of the black power movement, as the Black History Exhibit Center. It is the only African American history museum on Long Island, and is located to serve Nas-sau County’s largest African-American population. The museum is a multi-disciplinary cultural institution that provides art installations, historical exhibitions, film programs, commu-nity service events, and educational program-ming. This 6,000-square-foot facility, offers a rotating series of exhibits showcasing local and national African American artists. The Afri-can American Museum also houses the African Atlantic Genealogy Society. This organization provides workshops and individual research instruction in family genealogy. The museum has installed a new E-Learning Program that offers an innovative pedagogical approach, using subject headings relative to Americans of African descent, for con-ducting research on the internet. The AAM is currently working on methods to expand the community’s understanding of knowledge or-ganization methods, literary warrant, and information retrieval and how these relate to African-American social history.

African American Museum and

Center of Education and Applied Arts

110 North Franklin Street

Hempstead, New York 11550

516-572-0730 fax: 516-572-032

Mr. David Byer-Tyre, Museum Di-rector/Curator

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.theaam.org

Hours of Operation

Monday: by appointment,

Tuesday-Friday: 12-8, Saturday: 10-5, Sunday: Closed

ONLY ON CABLEVISION CHANNEL 18

Roots & Culture Sunday at 7:00 am

The Minority Report Monday at 5:00 pm

The Nassau Channel Tuesday at 9:00 pm

The Brain Child /Diaspora

Wednesday 5 & 8 pm

L.D. 1 Report Thursday at 9:00 pm

About the Town Thursday at 6:00 pm

What’s Going On Friday 6:00 pm

Reporters Roundtable Saturday 8:00 pm

PLEASE KEEP THE COMMENTS COMING AND IF PLEASE KEEP THE COMMENTS COMING AND IF YOU LIKE WHAT WE ARE DOING SHOW YOUR YOU LIKE WHAT WE ARE DOING SHOW YOUR

SUPPORT FINANCIALLY CHECK OUT OUR NEW SUPPORT FINANCIALLY CHECK OUT OUR NEW WEBWEB--SITE www.communityjournal.infoSITE www.communityjournal.info

Subscribe Today for only $9.95 for six monthsSubscribe Today for only $9.95 for six months





SPRING BREAKS OPEN AT LONG ISLAND

CHILDREN’S MUSEUM Spring has officially arrived

and LICM is celebrating with a schedule filled with colorful art workshops, vibrant performances and activities to engage all family members. School’s out, so head on over to the Children’s Museum for play, discovery and wonder!

Bonus Monday: LICM will be open March 25 from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Feeling Color with de Kooning

Monday, March 25 and Tuesday, March 26 at 11 a.m., 1 and 3 p.m.

Red, Indigo, Violet, Tan-gerine, Periwinkle! How many different colors can you imagine? Take a journey where art and poetry come together in a beautiful color-ful adventure. Play with the sound, feel, and story of color. Be inspired by art, poetry, and music as we brainstorm what mood you think Willem de Kooning was in when he created some of his abstract paint-ings. Create a colorful ab-stract painting using different mediums and shapes that ex-press your feelings for the day.

This program is funded by The Willem de Kooning Founda-tion.

Ages: 3 and up. Fee: $3 with museum admission ($2 LICM mem-bers)

Aesop’s Fables Adaptation by Mike Kenny Monday March 25 and Tues-

day March 26 at 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m.

In the tradition of comedy teams like the Marx Brothers and Abbott and Costello, wacky sib-lings Wolfie, Syd, Barry and Har-riet tell us classic tales with a slap-stick twist. They invite everyone into their magical world where any-thing is possible when you use your imagination. Whether it’s The Tor-toise and the Hare or The Boy Who Cried Wolf, everyone knows at least one of Aesop’s great fables. In this spell-binding production, sto-rytellers use song, dance and drama to bring these famous fables to life.

Ages: 5 and up. Fees: $8 with

Museum Admission ($6 LICM members), $12 Theater Only, $7 for Groups over 10 members

Knitting and Crocheting with Loving Hands

Wednesday, March 27 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 to 4 p.m.

Have you ever wanted to learn to knit or crochet? Join members of Loving Hands as you learn some

basic stitches used in the art of knitting and crocheting. Learn about the process of making yarn and see wool spinning demonstra-tions by Bethpage Village Restora-tion. Loving Hands is an ongoing community group that meets monthly at the East Meadow Li-brary to knit and crochet for char-ity.

Ages: 5 and up. Free with mu-seum admission.

Flamenco Workshop Wednesday March 27at noon Join us for an introduction to

the rhythms and emotions of fla-menco, its origins in Southern Spain, and its multicultural influ-ences with members of the Fla-menco Vivo II dance com-pany. View the colorful, traditional flamenco costumes, and musical instruments used in this vibrant dance form.

Ages: 3 and up. Fee: $4 with museum Admission ($3 LICM

members), $10 Theater only. Flamenco Vivo II Wednesday March 27 at 2 p.m. Experience the passion and

excitement of flamenco dance with Flamenco Vivo II, one of the na-tion's premier flamenco and Span-ish dance companies. During its 30 year history, the company has used this multicultural art form to build bridges between cultures and in-spire audiences from diverse back-grounds. Ages: 3 and up. Ages: 3 and up. Fee: $4 with museum Ad-mission ($3 LICM members), $10 Theater only.

Treehouse Shakers presents “Hatched”

Thursday, March 28 and Fri-day, March 29 at 11:30 a.m. Welcome back the cast of “Hatched,” an early childhood drama created by Treehouse Shakers for the smallest of children. “Hatched” takes place in a farmyard where the audience will meet the ba-bies of the farm. Handcrafted puppets feature chicks, calves, kit-tens, lambs and much more. The interactive per-formance allows children to touch, feed and dance with the menagerie and event be a baby chick your-self. “Hatched” was developed and

premiered this past April on the LICM Theater’s stage. It is coming back after a successful run in New York City. So

Ages: 1 and up. Fee: $4 with museum Admission ($3 LICM members), $10 Theater only.

Community Gallery Tuesday, March 5 through

Sunday, March 31 Stop by the Community Gal-

lery and enjoy the mixed media artwork created by students from North Babylon Schools. Students were inspired by lighthouses on Long Island and the world

All ages. Free with museum admission

KaleidoZone Gallery- Don’t Play with Your Food!

Through Sunday, April 28 Don’t play with your food!

We’ve all heard that phrase at the dinner table as we grew up. Artist and Art Educator Julianne Zegers challenges that notion by making

sculpture out of her food. She ar-ranges food sculptures to look like landscapes and portraits. She then makes oil paintings and mono-types of her sculptures. Julianne Zegers’ playful narrative paintings and prints are appealing to chil-dren of all ages who have tried to resist playing with their food.

All ages. Free with Museum admission.

Traveling Exhibit – Attack of the Bloodsuckers!

Through May 5, 2013 Explore the science of what’s

eating you in this skin-crawling exhibition! Examine the what, why, when and how of mosqui-toes, fleas, ticks, leeches and other parasites known as sanguinivores (creatures that eat blood). Learn why bloodsuckers are important to the ecosystem -- and how to keep them out of your system!

Attack of the Bloodsuckers! offer visitors the chance to:

Look a real leech in the mouth;

• Pull off your socks and test your bug-appealing foot odor;

• Receive a big hug from a giant, inflating tick;

• Get itchy and knotty with the life-size game of "Twitcher" — a buggy variation on Twister™!

Attack of the Bloodsuckers! is produced by EEC! -- the Environ-mental Exhibit Collaborative (ECHO Lake Aquarium and Sci-ence Center, Burlington, Vermont; EcoTarium, Worcester, Massachu-setts; and the Children’s Museum of Maine, Portland, Maine) -- and made possible by grants from Jane's Trust, Cabot Family Chari-table Trust, and the Institute for Museum and Library Services.

All ages. Free with museum admission.

Early Childhood Programs* Holiday Schedule: Messy Af-

ternoons will be offered Monday, March 25 – Friday, March 29 from 1–3 p.m.; and March 30-31 from 3:30-5 p.m.

†Fee: $3 with museum admis-sion ($2 LICM members).

All activities will be held at the

Long Island Children’s Museum, 11 Davis Avenue, Garden City, NY. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Museum Hours: Tuesday-Sunday from 10 am.-5 p.m. and most school holidays. Museum admis-sion: $12 for adults and children over 1 year old, $11 seniors, FREE to mu-seum members and children under 1 year old. Additional fees for theater and special programs may apply. For additional information, contact 516-224-5800.



Kentucky hospital throws wedding for dying patient 52-year-old Evonne Lee has been hospitalized ever since she

learned of her deadly leukemia prognosis. Yet, that unwelcome surprise in February of last year met its

match yesterday when one of Lee’s biggest hopes came to fruition. “One of her wishes was to get married before her time was up,”

says Nurse Melissa Pritchett. And it was a wish come true when Ken-tucky’s University Hospital helped stage a wedding ceremony as Lee married her partner of eight years, 53-year-old Don Tyler.

“When we first met and got together, we decided we [were] in it for life,” says Tyler, who proposed to Lee on Dec. 25.

The staff arranged a special service for the couple complete with cake, food and flowers donated on behalf of the town’s local busi-nesses. Lee’s hospital room and neighboring space were also trans-formed into the reception hall.

“I’ve done many things on this floor, but not wedding planning,” says Pritchett. But the team managed to pull off a day filled with fam-ily and friends, including a visit from Lee’s daughter who traveled from Japan where she has lived for the last six years.

“I know I don’t have long to live,” says Lee. “But the time I have, I will still enjoy.”

MISS ISREAL meets PRES.

OBAMA President Obama meet Miss

Isreal, Yityish Aynaw

U.S. President Barack Obama, right, walks out with Rabbi Meir Lau, left, after visiting the Hall of Remembrance at the Vad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem, Israel, Friday, March 22, 2013.



Documents

The Community Journal