THURSDAY, DecembeR 20, 2012 a people’s publication Vol. 37 • No. 27 • FRee

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

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

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/btrbb-renaissance-baton-rouge-hotel/state & local News BusiNess News HealtH News

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

delta celeBrates 50tH aNNiversaryThe Southern University Chapter of Phi Delta Kappa International celebrated its 50th Anniversary in conjunction with its Annual Initiation Banquet on December 1, at the Holiday Inn South Hotel. ...See Page 3

irs offers tax tipsDecember is traditionally a month for giving generously to charities, friends and family. But it’s also a time that can have a major impact on the tax return you’ll file in the New Year....See Page 5

agreemeNts for lsu HospitalsLouisiana Department of Health and Hospitals held events in three regions of the state to announce that agreements have been reached to form public-private partnerships involving three LSU hospitals....See Page 7

Polite Stewart, Jr. received his degree in physics Friday at the ripe old age of 18. Stewart entered Southern four years ago to enormous fanfare. He was under a microscope as his classmates learned of the student on campus who was too young to get a driver’s license and actually too young to live on campus alone. ...See Page 2

youNgest su graduate sports NewsJabari Greer made a leaping, twisting interception of Josh Freeman’s short pass to the right flat, stalling a first-quarter drive deep into New Orleans Saints territory...See Page 8

THEWEEKLYPRESS.COM Celebrating 37 Years Of Service To The Baton Rouge Community 225.775.2002

The 78th Baton Rouge Police De-partment Basic Training Academy stu-dents were sworn on Monday, Dec. 17. The class consisted of 28 men and 5 women.

Family members got the chance to pin on their new officers badges.

The new officers spent 20 weeks training, but they’re not done yet. Now, they will spend an additional 16 weeks

partnered with a senior officer to finish learning the ropes.

This is the first new class of officers to graduate from the training academy since 2001.

Baton rouge police department graduates 33 New officers

BATON ROUGE, LA - The Louisiana As-sociation of Business and Industry (LABI), do-nated $10,000 to both Teach for America and the East Baton Rouge Parish Public School System’s Northdale Magnet Academy. LABI donated the $20,000 from its annual golf tournament net revenues.

Northdale Principal, Leroy Helire, and Teach for America’s Executive Director, Michael Tipton accepted the donations at a small gath-ering held at LABI’s headquarters on Friday, December 7.

“LABI has a longstanding relationship with Northdale. We support educational alter-natives for Louisiana’s children and Northdale delivers. The South Louisiana Chapter of Teach for America makes a positive impact on the lives

of children. LABI supports them wherever we can,” said Dan Juneau, LABI President.

In addition to the funds, LABI also do-nated coffee, creamer, sugar and other coffee supplies to the teachers at Northdale Magnet Academy.

LABI has donated $125,715 to North-dale Magnet Academy and $102,737 to Teach for America’s South Louisiana Chapter since 2001.

LABI, the statewide chamber of commerce and Louisiana’s manufacturing association, is the champion of economic growth and free enterprise for better business in Louisiana. For nearly 40 years, LABI is improving Louisiana’s

laBi donates funds to teach for america and Northdale magnet academy

From left to right: Bobbi and Lane Grigsby; Danisha Brumfield, Northdale student; Megan Thompson, Northdale student; and Leroy Helire, Northdale Principal.

See LABI, on page 3

By Sadie RoBeRtS-JoSeph

Join the Odell S. Williams Now And Then African-Amer-ican History Museum Wednes-day, December 26th, 2012 at1:00 PM for food, music, art, dance and an educational speaker. Tour the history columns, the Trolley and the Muse.

The museum is located at 538 South Boulevard.

it’s Kwanzaatime come and celebrate with us

BATON ROUGE - A deal to relocate at least 44 Scotlandville families living next to a foul-smelling sew-age treatment plant has been rejected.

The Advocate reports the East Baton Rouge Parish Metro Council failed Wednes-day to muster the seven votes required for approval.

Outgoing Councilman Ulysses Addison, who repre-sents University Place residents affected by the sewage plant and who also resides in the same subdivision, was among the three council members who voted against the deal to relo-cate residents at an estimated cost of $6 million.

In April 2011, Addison initiated the council action ask-ing the city-parish to craft a buyout plan for residents. But on Wednesday, at Addison’s last meeting as a council mem-ber, he said he couldn’t support the plan because, once it was approved, residents would be forced to relocate even if they wanted to stay.

“My vote was based on what I hear from my commu-nity,” he said. “If I thought it was in their best interest, I’d be the first to vote for it. No one wants them out of this

condition more than I do.” At the end of the meet-

ing, Addison ended up in a heated verbal argument with a handful of his constituents who were upset about his vote.

“Why would you bring it up if you were going to vote against it?” asked Shontelle Mitchell, a University Place resident, who accused Addison of “playing politics.”

“Well I’m not your coun-cilman anymore,” Addison responded.

In addition to Addi-son, council members Joel Boà and Scott Wilson voted against the buyout proposal. Council members Trae Welch, Mike Walker, Ronnie Ed-wards, Alison Gary, Rodney Bourgeois and Tara Wicker supported the deal. Council members Chandler Loupe, Donna Collins-Lewis and C. Denise Marcelle were absent from the meeting.

An item requires seven votes on the 12-member coun-cil to pass.

After the deal failed, an attempt to defer the item for 60 days also failed by again falling one vote short. Addison abstained on that vote instead of voting no.

Baton rouge council Kills sewer Buyout

BAKER - The Baker City Council has voted to give resi-dents more time to pay their municipal utility bills while also reducing the penalty for paying their bills late.

The new policy approved Tuesday reduces the late penalty from $60 to $30 per late bill. The

Baker alters overdue water Bill rules

See kwAnzAA, on page 2

See ruLes, on page 2

WASHINGTON -- Presi-dent Barack Obama is launch-ing an administration-wide effort to curb gun violence, underscoring the growing po-litical consensus over tighten-ing gun restrictions following the horrific massacre at a Con-necticut elementary school.

Obama is tasking Vice President Joe Biden, a long-time gun control advocate, with spearheading the effort. In remarks from the White House on Wednesday, Obama will outline a process for pur-suing policy changes following the school shooting, though he is not expected to call for specific measures.

The president has vowed

to use “whatever power this office holds” to safeguard the nation’s children after Friday’s shooting at Sandy Hook El-ementary in Newtown, Conn. Twenty children and six adults were killed at the school by a gunman carrying an arsenal of ammunition and a high-powered, military-style rifle.

The White House sees some urgency in formulating a policy response to the shoot-ing, even as Obama and his top aides are consumed with averting the “fiscal cliff” be-fore tax hikes and spending cuts take effect in January. The incident has prompted several

obama to press for policy changes after shooting

President Barack Obama wipes his eye as he speaks about the elementary school shooting in Newtown, Conn., Friday, in the briefing room of the White House in Washington.

See shootIng, on page 3

Page 2 • The Weekly Press • Thursday, December 20, 2012

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK: The love of many waxes cold. St. Mathew

WILL I SEE YOU TOMORROW? Some have said that this is our last Thursday and that Friday the 22nd is the end of the world. Some are laughing; some are crying, some are wondering, etc. Whatever you are doing I will see you tomorrow because no man knows the day or the hour the world ends. It is truth that lots of evil does abound, yet we still do not know the time of the end, and this is indeed a good thing. Think about what you would do until the day of the end!! Some would not live righteously but do their thing until the day is over. Then some just might repent. Who know? It’s just not tomorrow!!

ANOTHER SHOOTING AND THIS TIME IN CONNECTI-CUT. I cannot fathom why some do not talk out their problems, for this is good therapy, indeed. Why should they take up alms against their loved one and neighbors who are totally inno-cent of their problems? What a travesty to shoot innocent little children who just want to love draw, play and color? What a sad, sad situation for all families and our nation. If therapy it what is needed, parents should stop denying that their child has problems and get some help. This is not any reflection on their families. It is just good common sense. It only makes things worse when there is denial. There are many programs that are available. Get help!!

A KIND REQUEST TO FELLOW CLERGY: would you please tell children the truth about death? Stop telling them something that just appeases them only for them to find out differently later. One said that the twenty students who were killed are all angels in heaven. While this helps to ease the burden of loss this is opening up the children for some problems later, such as spiritism and séances, etc. When Whitney Houston’s daughter said that her mom turns out the lights and talks to her, etc., this is a contradictory to the Holy Word. The dead knows NOTHING and cannot act human anymore!! Students are asking many questions about death. It makes more sense to tell the truth - our beloved dead loved ones are at rest and are awaiting the call of the LIFEGIVER at the second coming of Christ.

THE EAST BATON ROUGE PUBLIC LIBRARY has a good thing going now until December 31. That is, if you have any overdue books at your home or in your car and owe a fine on them, return them on or before that date without penalty. Fine do add up and if you do not go on line to renew your books, you will be charged. Take your books back to any branch today!! No penalty, promise!!

KUDOS TO THE TRI-PARISH CHAPTER OF DELTA SIGMA THETA. Their lovely debutante affair was worth attending and beautiful on the eyes. Good planning and great working of those plans made it all possible. Congratulations!!!

CONGRATULATIONS to the students of Glasgow Middle whose artwork was on display at a downtown office. According to Teacher Dave, it was well attended and the art pieces were excellent work.

THE KREWES ARE ROLLING THROUGH THE TOWN. This time in Plaquemine as the Krewe of Cypress presented three young women at its annual debutante ball, namely Alexis White, Kathryn Miller and Emelie Barker. Congratulations to these debs.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Lilie Miller, Bertha Stewart, Frederick Hamilton, Charles Wilson, Maya Zoekayo, Kris McClendon, Sonique Swaggart, Joseph Dixon, Lonnie Dixon, Sr. Shamika Dixon, and Rhonda McFarlin.

HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY to Ms. Claudia Louise Jef-ferson-Robinson from your Best Friend Walter and love you always.

WITH LOVE AND SYMPATHY to the families of the late Ronald Brown, Dixon, and O’Quinn Families. Our thought and prayers are with you at this time.

DEATH NOTICE - Mrs. Thaddeus Williams who passed recently in Texas. Watch the media for more info.

It’s Christmas!! Have a blessed one with family and friends. Do not forget to treat yourself (yes, yourself) well. (Smile)

Love,Marge

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BATON ROUGE - Polite Stewart, Jr. received his degree in physics Friday at the ripe old age of 18.

Stewart entered Southern four years ago to enormous fan-fare. He was under a microscope as his classmates learned of the student on campus who was too young to get a driver’s license and actually too young to live on campus alone.

He had offers from col-leges across the country. Who didn’t want a child prodigy on their campus? But, it would have been difficult for his parents to send him across the country at such a young age.

Instead, he enrolled at Southern where he was familiar with the campus, where he had taken high school-level courses at the school’s famous Timbuktu Academy, and more importantly, he would only be a 10-minute drive from campus.

But with all of the local media tracing his first steps on campus, Stewart was an unwill-ing celebrity. He just wanted to get down to doing his school-work and getting to fit in with his classmates. “The attention I got died down pretty quickly,” he said.

He traces his love for aca-demics to the dinosaur books his father bought him as a young child. Later, as a toddler, Stewart said he began watching scientific documentaries where his inter-est in herpetology, entomology and paleontology grew. “I was pretty much interested in all the sciences,” he said.

Now, barely an adult, Stewart has set his sights on a career in biological and physi-cal engineering. He spent last summer doing research at North

Carolina State University, where he worked on developing self-cleaning, anti-glare glass coated with anti-reflective material and designed to repel oils and water.

After continuing his re-search in a post-grad program next summer, Stewart said he would start graduate school at one of a number of colleges that have shown interest.

His mother, Ava Stewart, isn’t surprised by her son’s suc-cess.

“His father and I could tell early on that he wanted informa-tion. There was intensity in his focus. He started reading when he was three,” she said.

Ava and Polite Stewart Sr. began home schooling their son shortly after he left daycare, she said. The couple enrolled him in different programs over the years to advance his learning and to let him be around other kids, she added.

“He was doing ninth-grade work at 10 years old, he took college credits at 12,” she said. “I didn’t have any reserva-tions when he started college. We had to let him go, we would’ve been holding him back.”

Southern physics professor Diola Bagayoko has mentored Stewart since he was around 12

years old watching him prog-ress academically and socially over the last six years. He said Stewart is destined for great things.

“He is a very brilliant young man lucky to have had highly responsible parents,” Bagayoko said. “Because of his capability and his focus, I believe he’s set to do great things in science, technology and en-gineering.”

Stewart’s stay at South-ern has included him present-ing scientific papers, conducting research and being part of phys-ics-related programs across the country and in Italy. He spent the past summer conducting re-search at North Carolina State University.

Stewart said he is ready for the next chapter in his life, which he believes will be in the field of scientific research. But, it might take another course if his interests change, he said.

“My parents and my pro-fessors have prepared me for whatever happens,” Stewart said.

Please contact either Ed-ward Pratt or Erin Fulbright with the Southern University Media Relations office at (225) 771-4545 or (225) 771-3907 for any additional information.

polite stewart, youngest student to graduate from southern university

Polite Stewart, Jr.

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

health

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2873 Mission Drive Baton Rouge, LA 70805 (225) 315-0740

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Dr Paul Matthews

Visit Us Online @www.theweeklypress.com

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

Space is not available to cover concerns of so many people

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

SyStem from page 4

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

talk Radio from page 4

ering all children.the CDF Action Council, build-

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ChildRen from page 4

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

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

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

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

Did You Know?• Compared to the general public,

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

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

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

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

Manage Your Risks• Watch the numbers. remember

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

tantRum from page 6

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

early intervention via lifestyle changes such as weight loss and

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

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

the Diabetes risk test is avail-

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

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

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

Could You Be At Risk?

Free Cancer ScreeningsNo appointment required for most screenings.

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

Presented as part of the comprehensive Cancer Program

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

made possible by donor gifts.

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

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

LSUHSC Mid City Clinic1401 N. Foster DriveBaton Rouge

Colorectal Cancer ScreeningThursday, March 1310am –2pm

Wal-Mart2171 O’Neal LaneBaton Rouge

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

Woman’s Hospital9050 Airline HighwayBaton Rouge

Prostate and ColorectalCancer ScreeningsWednesday, March 2610am –2pm

Ed Price Building Materials7835 Airline HighwayBaton Rouge

In Partnership With:

Our Lady of the LakeWoman’s HospitalYWCA Encore Plus

LSU Hospitals Health Care Services Division

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

Leo S. Butler Community Center950 E. Washington StreetBaton Rouge

Colorectal Cancer ScreeningMonday, March 1710am –2pm

Brusly Town Hall601 S. Vaughan StreetBrusly

Have You Been Screened?

The principle of the day is Umoja, a Kishswali word meaning unity.

Kwanzaa celebration is free and open to the public.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR

from Baton Rouge’s only Af-rican American Museum: Odell S. Williams Now And Then African-American History Museum.

For information, call Sadie Roberts-Joseph 225-343-4431.

Kwanzaa from page 1

$25 reconnect fee will remain the same.

Residents will also have until 8 a.m. on the eighth day after their bills become overdue to pay before they are put on the “cutoff list.”

Under the old rule, late

payments had to be received before 4:30 p.m. one week after the bill became overdue.

Public Works Director Julie McCulloch explained that pay-ments are overdue the day after the “regular due date” as listed on the bill.

Rules from page 1

ViSiT US ONLiNe @www.theweeklypress.com

Thursday, December 20, 2012 • The Weekly Press • Page 3

Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne is appointing Baton Rouge native Mark Tullos to lead the Louisi-ana State Museum system. Tullos will begin his duties as assistant secretary of the Louisiana State Museum Jan. 21. He has served as Director of the Hilliard Uni-versity Art Museum at the Uni-versity of Louisiana at Lafayette since 2005. Tullos has worked as a museum executive for more than 27 years. He has been the Director or Executive Director of museums in Waco, Texas; West Pal m Beach, Fla.; Alexandria, La.; Ocean Springs, Miss. and Lufkin, Texas. He has also served the mu-seum community as a member of the honors committee and a peer reviewer for the American Alliance of Museums, a panelist for the National Museum Service Board and a member of the state arts councils of Louisiana, Missis-sippi, Texas and Florida.

“Mark brings extensive e experience in museum manage-ment and national accolades to the State Museum,” Lt. Governor Dardenne said. “His skill set, man-

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BATON ROUGE, LA – Ma-rine Corps Recruiting Station (RS) Baton Rouge is pleased to announce the graduation and commissioning of Officer Can-didate Olaolu Oguyemi, who was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps following his com-mencement at Grambling State University, Grambling La., in the Frederick C. Hobdy Assembly Center.

Officer Candidate Olaolu Oguyemi was the first Marine Officer to commission from Grambling State in more than three decades. In attendance was Major Gen. Ronald Bailey, commanding general of the First Marine Division, Camp Pend-leton, Calif., who rendered the oath of office to Oguyemi after he received his degree on stage. In attendance was U.S. Senator Mary L. Landrieu’s office.

Oguyemi is graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Information Systems from the college of business, and is a graduate of Simsboro High school in Simsboro, La. After his graduation and commissioning into the Marine Corps, Oguyemi will report to The Basic School (TBS), Quantico, Va., where he will learn the art and science of Marine officer military tactics and planning processes prior to his Military Occupational Specialty

(MOS) School. The Marine Corps Recruit-

ing Command’s enduring rela-tionship with Historically Black Colleges and Universities contin-ues to evolve. For example, the Marine’s enduring commitment to support the Bayou Classic. Additionally, Marines are rais-ing awareness of the Frederick C. Branch Leadership Scholarship. The Branch Scholarship, named after the first African-American Marine officer, is a Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps scholar-ship available to eligible students, regardless of ethnic background, who attend one of 17 historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) participating in the program. While Grambling currently doesn’t participate in the program, some of the schools included are Clark Atlanta, How-ard, Hampton, Texas Southern, Tuskegee and Xavier universi-ties.

Since the Frederick C. Branch Leadership Scholarship began in 2006, 68 have been made available each year. An-nually, each of the 17 schools has potential to award one two-year scholarship, one three-year scholarship and two four-year scholarships. However, many of them have gone un-awarded, especially the four-year scholar-ships.

In 2011 changes were made

to the submission process for four-year Branch Scholarships. Executive officers from the 48 re-cruiting stations across the nation began forwarding packages of regular Marine-option NROTC scholarship prospects to MCRC for consideration.

In 2012 and for the first time since the program began in 2006, Marine Corps Recruiting Command awarded all 34 allot-ted four-year Frederick C. Branch Leadership Scholarships to quali-fied men and women who attend or plan on attending participating historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs).

The Marine Corps is com-mitted to making concerted ef-forts to attract, mentor, and re-

tain the most talented men and women who bring a diversity of background, culture and skill in service to our Nation.

Investing in a diverse and representative officer corps will help generate and sustain a fu-ture force that has the cultural expertise, language skill sets and a variety of philosophies needed to meet the operational requirements of the Marine Corps.

Please contact Capt. Barry Morris, Public Affairs 6th Ma-rine Corps District Recruiting Station in Baton Rouge, Loui-siana at 843-737-2500 or by e-mail at barry.morris@marines.usmc.mil for additional infor-mation.

first marine in three decades to commission from grambling state university

The Southern University Chapter of Phi Delta Kappa International celebrated its 50th Anniversary in conjunc-tion with its Annual Initiation Banquet on December 1, at the Holiday Inn South Hotel. Over 100 Kappans and guests were in attendance. Theme for the event was “Celebrating 50 years of Excellence in Lead-ership, Research, and Service.” Speakers for the occasion were Phi Delta Kappa International President-Elect, Dr. Patricia Williams, and East Baton Rouge Parish School Superintendent, Dr. Bernard Taylor. They were introduced by Mary I. Thomas, SU PDK Chapter President, and Dr. Saundra McGuire, respec-tively. Annette Yancy served as Mistress of Ceremonies for the event. The Shiloh Baptist Church Male Quartet under the direction of Everett Parker

provided musical selections. Joel Jackson, Alcorn State Uni-versity college freshmen and former Istrouma High School SU PDK FEA Leader also pro-vided musical selections.

Ten outstanding educa-tors were initiated into the Southern University Chapter of Phi Delta Kappa Interna-tional during the anniver-sary celebration and they are: Helen Batiste-Gonzales, Tonya Bethley, Clara Clark-Brooks, Rodney Coates, Charles Etta Coleman, Colleen Eames, Dr. Ken Ford, Melvin Hollins, Ei-leen Kennedy, and Susie Minor-Boudreaux.

Janifer Peters chaired the 50th Anniversary Program with assistance from Juanita Culbert, Mary I. Thomas, Nita Ridley, Patricia Witson, Dr. Tonya Rose, Leroy Washington, and Bernard Williams.

phi delta Kappa celebrates 50th anniversary

Pictured from left standing next to the Southern University Chapter of Phi Delta Kappa International 50 Year Charter are Dr. Christopher Hunte, Patricia Witson, Chairwoman Janifer Peters, Chapter President, Mary I. Thomas, and Phi Delta Kappa International President-Elect Dr. Patricia Williams.

congressional gun rights sup-porters to consider new legis-lation to control firearms, and there is some fear that their will-ingness to engage could fade as the shock and sorrow over the Newtown shooting eases.

Biden’s prominent role in the process could be an asset for the White House in get-ting gun legislation through Congress. The vice president spent decades in the Senate and has been called on by Obama before to use his long-standing relationships with lawmakers to build support for White House measures.

Many pro-gun lawmakers also have called for a greater focus on mental health issues and the impact of violent enter-tainment. White House aides say stricter gun laws alone are not the answer.

“It’s a complex problem that requires more than one solu-tion,” White House spokesman Jay Carney said Tuesday. “It calls for not only re-examining our gun laws and how well we en-force them, but also for engaging mental health professionals, law enforcement officials, educators, parents and communities to find those solutions.”

Still, much of the immedi-ate focus after the shooting is on gun control, an issue that has been dormant in Washington for years. Obama expended little

political capital on gun issues during his first term, despite sev-eral mass shootings, including a movie theater attack in Aurora, Colo., in the midst of this year’s presidential campaign.

The White House has begun to signal that Obama may be more proactive on gun issues following the murders of the elementary school youngsters, ages 6 and 7.

Carney said Obama was “actively supportive” of legisla-tion to reinstate a ban on assault-style weapons that expired in 2004. The president long has supported a ban, but exerted little effort to get it passed dur-ing his first term. Obama also would support closing a gun show loophole allowing people to buy arms from private deal-ers without background checks and would be interested in leg-islation limiting high-capacity ammunition magazines, Carney said.

The policy process Obama was announcing Wednesday was expected to include input from the departments of Jus-tice, Education, and Health and Human Services. The heads of those agencies met with Obama at the White House on Mon-day.

The Department of Home-land Security is also expected to play a key role in the effort the president will announce.

shooting from page 1

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agement style, energy, enthusiasm and personality will enable him to provide excellent leadership for our museum and to help develop a long term strategic plan for the system.”

lt. gov. dardenne appoints tullos as museum chief

This isn’t an official Mo-veOn response or anything, but I wanted to personally compliment you on your excel-lent interview piece. . . that’s really what it was, rather than a standard opinion or analysis column. . . with Louis Reine of the Louisiana AFL-CIO in yes-terday’s Advocate. My history of involvement with unions is sketchy at best, including some time as a member of AFGE while working for the Veterans Ad-ministration in the late sev-enties and early eighties. But more instructive was a closely contested unionization vote in 1977 at a Silicon Valley micro-film factory. The union in ques-tion, Oil Chemical and Atomic Workers, had been approached by senior workers in this com-pany about the issue of “top-ping out” wages and benefits. Many of them had been with the Wunderkind founders of the company from the git-go when they broke off from Memorex with a new coating process that revolutionized the manufacture of Diazo microfilm (how dated that sounds) but also ended up as a key element in the newly burgeoning manufacture of micro processing circuit boards. They expressed their concern to management one on one, but were told the way out was for promotion within the compa-ny’s planned expansion. What they came away with however, was the uncomfortable realiza-tion that even within expansion mode, there were only so many positions to promote people up to who had served their time in the company.

The union lost that very narrowly, missing by four votes in a company of about 300 em-ployees. There was later a “lay off” of an entire shift, where many of those senior employ-ees worked, and that was later determined by the NLRB to be a retaliatory action on the part of the company against the cadre they considered the instigators of the unionization campaign. I was not one of the senior em-ployees by a long shot, but I was a union supporter on that particular shift and the resulting lay off led me into a long string of adventures that you could say continue to this day, but that’s rather beside the point.

I was struck by Mr. Reine’s thoughts on how people cuss out unions. . . as if they are somehow single-handedly re-sponsible for the hard times some companies or government agencies go through. Even at the time of that election in 1977, I was hearing from an awful lot of rank and file workers at the plant about their misgivings regarding union representa-tion, and I found it difficult to

believe the persistence of a lot of misconceptions. There were some issues in those days related to certain unions’ involvement with organized crime entities, which was a reality being dealt with at the time, but I think that was certainly a red herring in our instance. Others expressed concerns about union leaders and reps feathering their own nests in some fashion or another, focusing on the power exercised over labor decisions by local of-ficers and shop stewards, but I was not ready to swallow that either. I have heard these argu-ments ever since, in a whole range of situations, from people I think should know better, as-cribing to unions as organiza-tions the failings of individuals within particular work environ-ments. I don’t think unions as large bureaucracies are any more or less inclined to that kind of inefficiency than corporations or government agencies are them-selves. We can look to works like Parkinson’s Law to understand that, which is a phenomenon that affects companies, educa-tional systems, medical centers, the military, and so on and so forth.

What I do understand is that unions are responsible for safety and health regulation, a reasonable approach to com-pensation and benefits such as health insurance and retirement, and such niceties as the week-end. I also found the point made about business and industrial groups pooling their resources into representative organiza-tions to negotiate with both commercial and governmental entities to be very salient in this discussion. Why anyone would think labor should not in like fashion look to the interests of their members is beyond me, but it also surprises me how often you hear that from working class folks who somehow think they will be ill used by union orga-nizations, even as they kvetch about how bad their situation is at work.

This issue, and the phe-nomenon of intense anti-union campaigns by the conserva-tive and industrial elite even as union membership is seem-ingly in decline, is something that is going to be affecting our political discourse for the next several years. I am glad you could lend Mr. Reine and the union movement the space to put some of the key facts of the matter before the public eye. I suspect you’re gonna catch hell for it, but at the very least it was appreciated in one corner of Baton Rouge. Keep up the good work.

Ed Behan Baton Rouge, Louisiana 225-769-9223

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By geoRge e. CuRRyNNPA Columnist

Over the span of one week, two different sides of President Obama emerged in different yet unforgettable terms. This first was political, involving Susan Rice’s decision to withdraw her name as a candidate for Secre-tary of State. The second was deeply personal in the wake of mass murders in a Newtown, Conn. elementary school.

In a column explaining her decision to withdraw her name, Rice said:

“ …As it became clear that my potential nomination would spark an enduring par-tisan battle, I concluded that it would be wrong to allow this debate to continue distracting from urgent national priorities — creating jobs, growing our economy, addressing our deficit, reforming our immigration sys-tem and protecting our national security.”

That was the public percep-tion: A loyal UN Ambassador declining to fight for a promo-tion so that an embattled presi-dent could avoid a showdown with Republican hypocrites in

the Senate.

Just as Rice withdrew her name to give Obama a way out, I believe that if the presi-dent had insisted, Rice would have kept her name in the ring and ultimately would have been confirmed by the Senate to succeed Hillary Clinton as the next Secretary of State. But evidently Obama would rather switch than fight, to paraphrase an old cigarette commercial.

According to the Washing-ton Post, “When asked if Obama had tried to dissuade her, [Rice] said that he ‘understood that this was the right decision, and that I made it for the right rea-sons.’”

In his statement accepting Rice’s decision, Obama said, “While I deeply regret the unfair and misleading attacks on Susan Rice in recent weeks, her deci-sion demonstrates the strength of her character and an admi-rable commitment to rise above the politics of the moment to put our national interests first…”

Obama didn’t demonstrate any strength of character when he abandoned Rice. And this is one of the troubling things about

Obama: He frequently caves in to Republican extremists, even when he has public opinion on his side.

When Obama first defended Rice, we all thought he had fi-nally discovered some politi-cal backbone. He said at a news conference, “If Senator McCain and Senator Graham and others want to go after somebody they should go after me. For them to go after the UN ambassador who had nothing to do with Beng-hazi…to besmirch her reputation is outrageous.”

Game on. Or so we thought.

Had Obama chosen to fight, it would have set the tone for his second term. Instead, he re-treated behind the comfort and safety of Susan Rice’s loyalty rather than standing up to con-servative bullies. Republicans not only have Rice as a politi-cal trophy, but if Senator John Kerry is the eventual nominee as expected, they will get a chance to replace him with Republican Scott Brown in Massachusetts.

This is not the first case of political timidity by Democrats. Republicans nominate – and fight for – for extreme ideo-

logues to serve on the Supreme Court. Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas and John Roberts are but three examples. But weak-kneed Democrats are afraid to fight for liberal justices and in-stead settle for centrist nomi-nees who will be “accepted” by Republicans. The end result is a more conservative Supreme Court because Republicans nominate far-right conserva-tives and Democrats don’t have the guts to offer a liberal counter-balance. This was true of both Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.

While President Obama re-fused to fight for a Susan Rice nomination to be Secretary of State, he demonstrated in New-town, Conn. that he is at his best when serving as Comforter-in-Chief to a bereaved nation.

The president visited the city two days after the massa-cre of 20 young children and six adults at Sandy Hook El-ementary School. According to authorities, Adam P. Lanza, a 20-year-old gunman, inflicted the carnage before killing him-self.

By MaRian WRight edelManNNPA Columnist

The horrendous news from Newtown, Conn. has pierced our hearts. A black-clad man in his 20s armed with two semi-automatic handguns, entered the Sandy Hook Elementary School and made an elemen-tary school for kindergartners through fourth graders the scene of the worst mass shooting in a public school in American his-tory. Twenty children were shot and killed. Six adults were shot and killed. We don’t yet know how many were wounded. We do know dozens of parents are experiencing the worst night-mare any parent could imag-ine. We do know more than 500 young children in the school are traumatized.

Once again we are faced with unspeakable horror from gun violence and once again we are reminded that there is no safe harbor for our children. How young do the victims have to be and how many children need to die before we stop the pro-liferation of guns in our nation and the killing of innocents? The most recent statistics reveal 2,694 children and teens were killed by gunfire in 2010 – 1,773 of them were victims of homicide and 67 of these were elementary school-age children. If those children and teens were still alive they would fill 108 classrooms of 25 each. Since 1979 when gun death data were first collected by age,

a shocking 119,079 children and teens have been killed by gun violence. That is more child and youth deaths in America than American battle deaths in World War I (53,402) or in Viet-nam (47,434) or in the Korean War (33,739) or in the Iraq War (3,517). Where is our anti-war movement to protect children from pervasive gun violence here at home?

This slaughter of innocents happens because we protect guns, before children and other human beings. Our hearts and prayers go out to the parents and teachers and children and the entire Newtown commu-nity that has been ripped apart by each bullet shot this morn-ing. We know from past school shootings and the relentless kill-ing of children every day that Newtown families and the com-munity will never be the same. The Newtown families who lost children today will never be the same. The families of the teach-ers who were killed will never be the same. Every child at the Sandy Hook Elementary School this morning will never be the same.

Each of us must do more to stop this intolerable and wanton epidemic of gun violence and demand that our political lead-ers do more. We can’t just talk about it after every mass shoot-ing and then do nothing until the next mass shooting when we profess shock and talk about it again. The latest terrible trag-

edy at Sandy Hook Elementary School is no fluke. It is a result of the senseless, immoral neglect of all of us as a nation to protect children instead of guns and to speak out against the pervasive culture of violence and prolifera-tion of guns in our nation. It is up to us to stop these preventable tragedies.

We have so much work to do to build safe communities for our children and need leaders at all levels of government who will stand up against the NRA and for every child’s right to live and learn free of gun violence. But that will not happen until mothers and grandmothers, fa-thers and grandfathers, sisters and brothers, aunts and uncles, and neighbors and faith leaders and everybody who believes that children have a right to grow up safely stand up together and make a mighty ruckus as long as necessary to break the gun lobby’s veto on common sense gun policy. Our laws and not the NRA must control who can obtain firearms.

It is way past time to de-mand enactment of federal gun safety measures, including:

•Ending the gun show loophole that allows private dealers to sell guns without a license and avoid required back-ground checks;

• Reinstating the assault weapons ban that expired in 2004; and

• Requiring consumer

safety standards for all guns.Why in the world do we

regulate teddy bears and toy guns and not real guns that have snuffed out tens of thou-sands of child lives? Why are leaders capitulating to the pow-erful gun lobby over the rights of children and all people to life and safety?

I hope these shocking Con-necticut child sacrifices in this holy season will force enough of us at last to stand up, speak out, and organize with urgency and persistence until the president, members of Congress, gover-nors and state legislators put child safety ahead of political expediency. And we must as-pire and act together to become the world leader in protecting children against gun violence rather than leading the world in child victims of guns. Every child’s life is sacred and it is long past time that we protect all our children.

Albert Camus, Nobel Lau-reate, speaking at a Dominican monastery in 1948 said: “Per-haps we cannot prevent this world from being a world in which children are tortured. But we can reduce the num-ber of tortured children.” He described our responsibility as human beings “if not to reduce evil, at least not to add to it” and “to refuse to consent to condi-tions which torture innocents.” It is time for a critical mass of Americans to refuse to consent

commentaryThursday, December 20, 2012 • The Weekly Press • Page 4

one week, two sides of obama

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

dear god! when will it stop?

a short commentary on weekly options

Letter to the editor:

See deAr god!, on page 5

See oBAmA, on page 5

Thursday, December 20, 2012 • The Weekly Press • Page 5

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to the killing of children by gun violence.

Marian Wright Edelman is president of the Children’s Defense Fund whose Leave No Child Behind® mission is to ensure every child a Healthy

Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities. For more information go to www.childrensdefense.org.

DeaR goD! from page 4

“I can only hope it helps for you to know that you’re not alone in your grief; that our world too has been torn apart; that all across this land of ours, we have wept with you, we’ve pulled our children tight,” President Obama said. “And you must know that what-ever measure of comfort we can provide, we will provide; whatever portion of sadness that we can share with you to ease this heavy load, we will gladly bear it.”

Obama noted that he has attended similar services in three other cities.

“Since I’ve been president, this is the fourth time we have come together to comfort a grieving community torn apart by a mass shooting. The fourth time we’ve hugged survivors.

The fourth time we’ve consoled the families of victims,” he said. “And in between, there have been an endless series of deadly shootings across the country, almost daily reports of victims, many of them children, in small towns and big cities all across America – victims whose – much of the time, their only fault was being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

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

oBama from page 4

December is traditionally a month for giving generously to charities, friends and family. But it’s also a time that can have a major impact on the tax return you’ll file in the New Year. Here are some “Season of Giving” tips from the IRS covering ev-erything from charity donations to refund planning:

· Contribute to Quali-fied Charities. If you plan to take an itemized charitable deduction on your 2012 tax return, your donation must go to a qualified charity by Dec. 31. Ask the charity about its tax-exempt status. You can also visit IRS.gov and use the Exempt Organizations Select Check tool to check if your favorite charity is a qualified charity. Donations charged to a credit card by Dec. 31 are deductible for 2012, even if you pay the bill in 2013. A gift by check also counts for 2012 as long as you mail it in December. Gifts

given to individuals, whether to friends, family or strangers, are not deductible.

· What You Can Deduct. You generally can deduct your cash contributions and the fair market value of most property you donate to a qualified char-ity. Special rules apply to sev-eral types of donated property, including clothing or household items, cars and boats.

· Keep Records of All Donations. You need to keep a record of any donations you de-duct, regardless of the amount. You must have a written record of all cash contributions to claim a deduction. This may include a cancelled check, bank or credit card statement or payroll de-duction record. You can also ask the charity for a written state-ment that shows the charity’s name, contribution date and amount.

irs offers tax tips for “the season of giving”

IRS Special Edition Tax Tip 2012-15

See tAx tIps, on page 7

Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon and Department of Revenue (LDR) Director of Customer Service Kent LaPlace are reminding property insur-ance policyholders that time is running out to claim a rebate for the Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corporation (Citi-zens) Assessment charged on their 2008 insurance policy. The option to claim the 2008 assess-ment expires December 31, 2012. More than half, 52 percent, or $52 million of the $100 million Citizens Assessment for 2008 remains unclaimed.

Property owners having property and casualty insur-ance during any of the last four years should also claim the re-bate for the Citizens Assessment charged on their property in-

surance policy. Currently, more than $287 million or 61 percent of the total rebate amount avail-able for 2008 through 2012 is unclaimed.

“It’s a simple process,” said Commissioner Donelon. “Just fill out the Louisiana De-partment of Revenue R-540INS tax form for the year in which you paid the Citizens Assess-ment and mail it in with your insurance declaration page showing the assessment has been included in the insurance premium. It takes only a few minutes to fill out the very short form.”

Policyholders can also visit www.revenue.louisiana.gov/fileonline, register as a user, and follow the links to LDR’s new web application designed

to help individuals claim their Citizens rebate. Policyholders can choose to receive the rebate by direct deposit, paper check or a pre-loaded debit card. Indi-vidual policyholders may also claim the rebate by amending a prior-year tax return.

Businesses may claim the Citizens Rebate only by filing Department of Revenue Form R-620INS or by filing a current-year or amended tax return. A copy of the insurance policy declaration page showing proof of the assess-ment amount must be attached to any claim form.

You can choose to claim the rebate as soon as you pay the insurance premium that includes the Citizens Assessment or when filing your Louisiana state income tax return. Be careful not to claim

the rebate on both the INS form and the tax return since this will delay your refund. LDR reminds taxpayers not to claim the total insurance premium, only the Citizens Assessment. Claiming the total premium will delay the processing of the refund as well.

LDR recommends that those who pay the Citizens Assessment on more than one property send in a single INS form for all properties each year rather than a separate INS form for each property. An R-INS Supplement form should be used for more than one prop-erty. Otherwise the second claim will automatically be delayed for review.

Louisiana Department of Insurance Available Citizens Assessments Unclaimed as of November 1, 2012

deadline approaching for property owners to claim 2008 citizens assessment rebate

By JaSon aldeRMan

If you’ve ever tried to remove inaccurate of fraudulent informa-tion from your credit report and gotten the runaround, take heart: The Consumer Financial Protec-tion Bureau is now on the case.

In July 2012, the watchdog agency, formed as a result of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, gained authority to super-vise the entire major consumer reporting agencies.

The CFPB now advocates for consumers who have com-plaints regarding interactions with credit bureaus and identity theft protection services. This adds to the agency’s consumer grievance oversight, which already included mortgages, bank accounts, con-sumer loans and private student loans.

“Credit reporting compa-nies exert great influence over the lives of consumers,” said CFPB Director Richard Cordray in an-nouncing his agency’s new re-sponsibility. “They help determine eligibility for loans, housing, and sometimes jobs. Consumers need an avenue of recourse when they

feel they have been wronged.” You can seek assistance

from the CFPB if you have issues with:

Incorrect information on your credit report;

How a consumer-reporting agency is handling its investiga-tion of your complaint;

The improper use of a credit report;

Being unable to get a copy of a credit score or file; and

Problems with credit moni-toring or identity-protection services.

Here’s how the new system works:

If you believe your credit report contains incorrect or fraud-ulent information, you should first file a dispute with and get a response directly from that credit reporting company before contact-ing the CFPB. The same goes if you have an issue with how the company is handling its inves-tigation of your grievance – for example, if they don’t respond in writing within 30 days.

If, after filing your griev-ance, you are dissatisfied with the resolution, you may file a complaint with the CFPB using

any of the following methods:File online at www.cfpb.gov/

complaintCall toll-free at 855-411-

2372Fax it to 855-237-2392 Mail to Consumer

Financial Protection Bureau, P.O. Box 4503, Iowa City, Iowa, 52244.

Once your complaint has been logged, you’ll be given a tracking number to check its

status. Each complaint will be processed individually and sent to the credit bureau in question for response. The CFPB expects companies to respond within 15 days with information about the steps they have taken or plan to take. You’ll have the option to dis-pute the company’s response to your complaint.

Credit reporting compa-

error on your credit report? Here’s Help

See credIt report, on page 7

Page 6 • The Weekly Press • Thursday, December 20, 2012

reLigion

ChurCh DireCtoryNot forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. - Hebrews 10:25

EMAIL YOUR CHURCH NEWS ARTICLES TO

thewpres@bellsouth.net

vISTIT US ONLINE @www.theweeklypress.com

dR. JaMeS l. SnydeR Since the election, there has

been a lot of jibber-jabber by the kings and queens of jibber-jabber about some financial cliff we are facing. I have no idea what they are talking about, and I have a suspicion they do not either, but if I am to guess I would say, it is not a great leap of faith.

The great thing about being a jibber-jabber is you do not have to know what you are

jibber-jabbering about. In fact, the less you know the more you can jabber your jib.

As one great American consumer and I only speak for myself, I am tired of all of this nonsense.

In the light of this, I bring good news concerning this ominous financial cliff. I am always happy to bring a little bit of good news in the midst of all of the twaddle and idiotic jibber-jabbing that goes on in our

country. I know good news does not make the front page but I think it helps those of us who are tired of the bad news.

The good news concerning this financial cliff is that we do not have to worry about it at all, thanks to the Mayan’s calendar. Wherever they are, somebody needs to congratulate them on saving not only our world but also our country from a financial disaster. If we had the time, I would recommend that they be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

According to the Mayan’s calendar, the end of the world, whatever that means, is to take place on December 21. How they had the foresight to come to our rescue at such a porten-tous time we will never know. Thanks to them, we do not have to worry about any financial cliff that might be looming ahead of

us. I think this should be

enough to silence all of this political jibber-jabber the rest of us are tired of hearing.

As grateful as I am to the Mayan calendar, I do have a little bone to pick with them.

I do not mind people pre-dicting the end of the world. Really, they have nothing on me. For years I have predicted the end of the world at the end of every month. Believe me, some months I really came close to the end of the world. At least the end of my world.

If the Mayans were so smart, where in the world are they now?

I am rather suspicious of their disappearance, especially, when we come to the end of the world according to their predic-

so, this is How the world ends

By donald lee

Here’s some Good News for you (those who’ll hearken unto the voice of the Lord as He speaks through this column): The Lord wants to reveal to you the myster-ies of the kingdom and you will (if you adhere to this Word, His Word) begin to access, or take advantage of, the fringe benefits He’s laid up for you.

The kingdom of God is made up of God’s people, those of us who have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and personal Savior.

As Dr. Myles Munroe, tel-evangelist and best-selling author, so eloquently shares in his book “Kingdom Principles: Preparing for Kingdom Experience and Ex-

pansion,” the Kingdom of God means God’s will executed, God’s jurisdiction, heaven’s influence, God’s administration, and God’s impact and influence.

So those of us who are the adopted children of God via the sacrifice of the Lamb Christ Jesus are under the jurisdiction or do-minion of the King of kings — the Almighty God. And as our Savior Jesus Christ says in Luke 17:21, “the Kingdom of God is within you” (if you’ve crowned Him as your Lord).

We, as Christians, must un-derstand that the kingdom is not a religion. The kingdom is our culture, our way of living. And it comes with countless benefits.

Even now, with so many ill-informed Christians speaking

against tongues — our heavenly prayer language given by God Himself through the baptism of the Holy Spirit — I’m (right now) writing in a heavenly language or a “tongue” in the sense that anybody who can read Eng-lish can read this column. But for those who are without true understanding of the kingdom and how it functions here in the earth, I may as well be writing in a non-English language (or a language that the reader of this column does not understand).

I highly recommend that you read: 1st Corinthians (chap-ter) 2: (verses) 4-7, 9-14 (with a heavy emphasis on verses 12-14). If you have an Amplified Bible, definitely read the Amplified ver-sion, which may break down the Word a tad better than the King James Version. But any version, though, will work (it’s all the Word of God).

What the above scriptures do is explain, right off the top, that it is impossible for a great many of people to understand what I’m about to say next be-cause comprehension comes by

way of the Holy Ghost operating within the believer (see verses 10 and 14). If someone does not have the Holy Ghost, then it is impossible to understand what I’m about to say. But don’t take my word for it, read the scriptures yourself.

Mature saints have got to get back to winning souls for Christ and teaching other saints about the kingdom of God here in the earth and how a complete awareness, or thorough knowl-edge acted upon, of the kingdom will prevent a lot of the destruc-tion we see on the news daily.

Exodus 12 tells us that God instructs His people how to cover themselves and their families in lamb’s blood (the lambs referred to in Exodus 12 is symbolic of the protective, hedge-forming blood of Jesus), which will spare them (even today) when everyone else around them is being killed (also see Psalm 91 [verses 5-11], which also talks about God’s protection over His people).

What happens in cases where we see people killing other people in fits of rage at a

particular location? Principali-ties, or the powers of darkness, strongly influenced one human being to go on a killing spree. In other words, demon spirits (in the unseen realm, the spiritual realm) operated through one human being and led him to kill others (Ephesians 6:12 ).

What could’ve happened to prevent such tragic chains of events? (Ephesians 6:13, Ampli-fied) “Therefore put on God’s complete armor, that you may be able to resist AND stand your ground on the evil day [of dan-ger], and, having done all [the crisis demands], to stand [firmly in your place].”

The “armor” spoken of in this scripture is referring to the Word of God. When acted upon by the believer (or King-dom citizen), the Word pro-vides protection, a covering, a hedge, divine intervention on the behalf of those who love God AND are knowledgeable of His Word and how the Word works.

Ephesians 6:16 tell us that faith (acted upon) quenches all

the fiery darts of the wicked. In other words, “faith” in God’s Word, when applied, disarms the enemy (Satan) in his attacks. How can something like this be prevented from happening again (especially to Kingdom citizens)?

To sum up what Jesus says in Matthew 16:13-19: “Revelation” knowledge (also called the “rock”) stops “the gates of hell” (represented by other people being used as Sa-tan’s instruments in the earth) from being successful.

Donald Lee, founder and pas-tor of Kingdom Living Christian Center in Dallas, is a free-lance journalist and co-author of “Mar-ried to Commitment,” the powerful book on building and maintain-ing godly relationships. He can be reached for comment at pastordon-jlee@yahoo.com or [225] 773-2248. To order your copy of “Married to Commitment,” please call Xulon Press Christian Publishing toll-free at (866) 909-2665 or order online at http://www.xulonpress.com.

saints, it’s important to Know your Kingdom Benefits

vISTIT US ONLINE @

www.theweeklypress.comSee worLd, on page 7

Thursday, December 20, 2012 • The Weekly Press • Page 7

tion. If they can predict the end of our world, why were they not able to predict the end of their world?

“But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you” (1 Peter 1:25 KJV).

I do not know how the world is going to end, but

I do know who is really in charge.

Rev. James L. Snyder is pas-tor of the Family of God Fellow-ship, PO Box 831313, Ocala, FL 34483. He lives with his wife, Martha, in Silver Springs Shores. Call him at 1-866-552-2543 or e-mail jamessnyder2@att.net. His web site is www.jamessnyder-ministries.com

HeaLtH

· Gather Records in a Safe Place . As long as you’re gathering those records for your charitable contributions, it’s a good time to start rounding up documents you will need to file your tax return in 2013. This includes receipts, canceled checks and other documents that support income or deduc-tions you will claim on your tax return. Be sure to store them in a safe place so you can easily access them later when you file your tax return.

· Plan Ahead for Major Purchases. If you are making major purchases during the

holiday season, don’t base them solely on the expectation of re-ceiving your tax refund before the bills arrive. Many factors can impact the timing of a tax refund. The IRS issues most re-funds in less than 21 days after receiving a tax return. However, if your tax return requires addi-tional review, it may take longer to receive your refund.

For more information about contributions, check out Publication 526, Charitable Contributions. The booklet is available on IRS.gov or order by mail at 800-TAX-FORM (800-829-3676).

tax tips from page 5

nies issue more than 3 billion consumer credit reports a year and maintains files on more than 200 million Americans. Among other things, they track the num-ber and types of credit accounts you use, how long they’ve been open and whether you’ve paid your bills on time.

“The consequences of er-rors in a consumer report can be catastrophic for a consumer, shutting him or her out of credit markets, jeopardizing employ-ment prospects, or significantly increasing the cost of housing,” noted the CFPB’s announce-ment.

You can order one free

credit report per year from the three major credit bureaus – Equifax, Experian and Tran-sUnion. (Order through www.annualcreditreport.com; oth-erwise you’ll pay a small fee.) Proactively ordering your re-ports on a regular basis can help identify bad credit behavior and spot fraudulent activity or errors before they can damage your credit.

To learn more about credit reports and scores, visit the CFPB’s website, www.cfpb.gov. Another good resource is What’s My Score (www.whatsmyscore.org), a financial literacy program run by Visa Inc.

CReDit RepoRt from page 5

woRlD from page 6

BATON ROUGE - Today, Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals Secretary Bruce D. Greenstein and LSU Sys-tem Executive Vice President for Health Care and Medical Education Redesign Dr. Frank Opelka held events in three re-gions of the state to announce that agreements have been reached to form public-private partnerships involving three LSU hospitals. Interim LSU Hospi-tal and its successor University Medical Center in New Orleans will partner with Louisiana Chil-dren’s Medical Center; Leonard J. Chabert Hospital in Houma has reached agreements with Ochsner Health System and Ter-rebonne General Medical Center; and University Medical Center in Lafayette has formed a partner-ship with its neighbor, Lafayette General Medical Center.

LSU has been working to accelerate a system redesign through public-private part-nerships over the past several months due to Congress’s sud-den action in July that reduced Louisiana’s Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) rate to the lowest it has been in more than 25 years. The FMAP

reduction eliminated $126.9 mil-lion in State General Funds from the LSU Health System’s budget, which amounts to a total reduc-tion of $329.2 million when fed-eral funds that would have been used for match are considered. This funding loss has prompted immediate and significant re-form of the State’s health care programs.

LSU officials in October an-nounced a plan for bringing their budget to balance with these un-expected FMAP reductions that keeps all hospitals operational and maintains critical services, including the medical home-model clinics that provide much of the care to recipients in the public hospital system today. The final, and most instrumental, part of this plan involved establish-ing public-private partnerships. Three of those partnerships are part of today’s announcement.

In the first stage of these partnerships, the partner hospi-tals will collectively make pay-ments totaling $12.1 million in the LSU system, allowing them to avoid previously planned staff layoffs at the public hospitals and maintain patient services at the existing locations as the partners involved progress toward final agreements. These payments are part of the hospitals investment to strengthen the local health sys-tems and lease the public hospital property from LSU.

“Today we are taking a monumental step toward mod-ernizing our public hospital and medical training systems in Loui-siana,” Opelka said. “By partner-

ing our responsibilities with local resources and providers, we are able to protect patient care, pro-vide more training opportunities for students, and operate a more efficient and integrated health system.”

“Since Congress unexpect-edly reduced Louisiana’s Med-icaid funding in July, we have worked with LSU to accelerate a redesign of our public hospital and medical education training programs. These partnerships keep core services intact and offer exciting opportunities to enhance both patient care and medical education,” said Loui-siana Department of Health and Hospitals Secretary Bruce D. Greenstein. “Thanks to the invaluable contributions of the legislative delegation members in the regions where these hospi-tals are located, we’ve been able to establish relationships that are home grown and tailored to the dynamics and needs of each re-gion, which puts local leaders in stronger control of the future of health care in their communi-ties.”

The terms of each of the public-private partnerships announced today preserve the patient services and graduate medical education programs al-ready in place at the three public hospitals, while providing op-portunities for increased access to specialty care and enhanced medical training through work with the partner hospitals.

The partner hospitals will lease the property of Interim LSU Hospital and its successor Uni-

versity Medical Center - New Orleans, Leonard J. Chabert Medical Center in Houma, and University Medical Center - Lafayette, including the hospitals and their affiliated outpatient clinics, from LSU. The LSU staff will continue working at these facilities to maintain academic and clinical services, with the partner hospitals assuming re-sponsibility for facility upkeep and operations.

Each of the partners will expand their roles in the clinical care, medical research and educa-tion programs provided through the LSU hospitals. The public hospitals will continue serving as the safety-net hospital in their regions for people who are un-insured and high-risk Medicaid recipients, who will continue to have access at the existing LSU hospital locations.

Each partner will make a series of milestone payments, when the memorandum of un-derstanding is formally executed, when the cooperative endeavor agreement is executed and when the partnership is formally en-acted. These payments are non-refundable. Once the Cooperate Endeavor Agreement (CEA) is finalized, the payments can be credited toward the cost of the lease of the public hospitals and their related facilities.

Local officials and hos-pital leaders from each of the respective regions praised the agreements as a positive step in creating a stronger, more sustain-able public hospital and graduate medical education system.

state Health officials announce landmark public, private partnership agreements for lsu HospitalsAgreements preserve services, strengthen medical training, and expand specialty care in regions

Page 8 • The Weekly Press • Thursday, December 20, 2012

To All of our Advertisers and Readers. Thank You for Your Support!

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

a P e o P l e ’ s P u b l i c a t i o n

SuppoRT ouR AdveRTiSeRS

MerrychristMas

Ivory J. PaynePublisher/Founder

a Joyous new year

NEW ORLEANS — Jabari Greer made a leap-ing, twisting interception of Josh Freeman’s short pass to the right flat, stalling a first-quarter drive deep into New Orleans Saints territory.

In the fourth quarter, Greer outran receiver Tiquan Underwood along the sideline to pick off Freeman’s deep pass to the end zone.

In between, the rest of New Orleans’ defense did about everything right to secure the franchise’s first shutout in 17 years, while Drew Brees and the Saints’ offense made their share of big plays in a 41-0 rout of the Tampa Bay on Sunday, eliminating the Buccaneers from playoff contention.

What was easily New Orleans’ most com-plete performance of the season probably came too late, with the Saints (6-8) needing to win out and needing four teams to lose their last two games to sneak into the last NFC wild card spot. Yet, for Greer, playoff possibilities were beside the point.

“We are accountable to one another and no matter what situation we’re in, we’re going to band together,” Greer said. “We were going to play for the men in our locker room and the fleur-de-lis on our helmet, and that’s what we did.”

New Orleans’ defense produced five turn-overs in all, four on interceptions of Freeman and one on defensive end Cameron Jordan’s strip and

recovery on his sack of Freeman. The fans who stayed in the Superdome until

the end got an additional moment to celebrate as the Saints stopped Tampa Bay one last time at the New Orleans 10, preserving the club’s first shutout since a 12-0 win in the 1995 season finale against the Jets in New York.

The shutout meant a lot to a unit that came in ranked last in the league, in large part because of high yardage totals allowed early in the season while adjusting to the scheme of new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.

“We’ve come a long way. Our defense the first four or five games was on pace to be one of the worst defenses ever,” Saints linebacker Jonathan Casillas said. “It’s just good to finally get a game to where we can be like, ‘All right, defense. This is us. This is what we’re really all about.’”

The Saints’ offense also looked more like the unit that set a slew of records last season.

Brees passed for 307 yards and four touch-downs. He avoided an interception for the first time in three games and connected on his scoring passes with tight end David Thomas, running back Darren Sproles and receivers Lance Moore and Joe Morgan. Mark Ingram added an 11-yard touchdown run.

“Even though maybe that Super Bowl trophy

can’t be ours this year, we still have a lot to play for,” Brees said. “We have a very prideful group of guys, but also we have a group of guys that understand the big picture, and that is that we’re going to be together for a long time and we can start building the foundation of something now that will carry over for years to come.”

Freeman by contrast, was pulled in the fourth quarter with the game out of reach.

“It’s my job to make sure everybody is edu-cated as to what the play is. I’ve got to do a better job,” Freeman said. “Some of those turnovers were really odd. Chalk it up to miscommunication.”

Rafael Bush intercepted a pass thrown di-rectly at him at the New Orleans 9, returning it 40 yards to set up a Saints touchdown drive. Isa Abdul-Quddus intercepted a long pass that Free-man seemingly threw up for grabs.

New Orleans also bottled up standout rookie running back Doug Martin, holding him to 16 yards on nine carries as the Buccaneers lost for the fourth straight time and suffered by far their most lopsided drubbing this season.

“We got our butts whipped, and that’s it,” Bucs guard Donald Penn said. “You can’t sugar-coat it. We didn’t perform today, and it’s really tough and frustrating because we have so much talent.”

saints defense shines in 41-0 win over BucsSPORTS

New Orleans Saints strong safety Roman Harper, left, hugs cornerback Jabari Greer (33) after Greer’s second intercep-tion in the second half of an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012.