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Volume 121 No. 45
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JUNE 15, 2013 - JUNE 21, 2013
June Marks Black Music Month By Zachary Lester AFRO Staff Writer
Pot Cultivation and Dispensary Locations Anger Ward 5 Residents By Zenitha Prince Special to the AFRO Ward 5 residents have had enough. With five medical marijuana cultivation centers and one dispensary already approved for location in their neighborhoods along the northeast edge of the city, the residents said they have accommodated their fair share. In the course of approving the first licenses, officials Continued on A4
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Bilal International Records record label. The two conceived the commemoration in
By Zenitha Prince Special to the AFRO
Councilwoman Anita Bonds (D-At Large), has introduced legislation to ease the economic lot of seniors in the District. “In my moving around talking to constituents, particularly aging persons, they pointed out how difficult it was to make ends meet…and how precious their homes are to them. A light bulb went off and I thought that maybe if they didn’t have to pay property taxes, it would help,” the freshman lawmaker said. The Senior Citizen Real Property Tax Relief Act of 2013 would grant a 100 percent property tax break for lower-income, largely retired seniors in the District. To qualify, older residents must complete and submit an application, they must be 75 years and older, must have an annual income of $60,000 or less and must have lived in D.C. for at least 25 years. “It’s really to give recognition to those who have lived here a long time…. They’ve given to the city and the city has been benefitting from the taxes they’ve paid into its coffers,”
the lawmaker said, “and it is only fair that the city should help them in their time of need.” In 2011, there were 40.3 million seniors (people 65 and older) in the United States, accounting for 13.3 percent of the total population. Almost 81 percent of them owned homes, however, 8.7 percent of them--3.6 million seniors—lived in poverty. The dire reality, manifested by an increase in the number of retired seniors who go back to work, or those who have to choose between medicine and food and other factors, reflects the 2008 Wall Street meltdown and the crippling of the U.S. economy in the recent —Anita Bonds Great Recession. “You’re having to pay for things on a fixed income and the cost of living is going up, that’s what many of our seniors are coping with more than other age group,” Bonds said. The legislator said she believes her measure can help ease some of that financial pain for at least 7,000 older District residents. The bill has not yet been given a hearing date, though Bonds said she hopes it will happen within the next 10 days. She has high expectations of how it would be received, however. “People have found this to be very favorable,” she said.
By Zachary Lester AFRO Staff Writer
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1978, according to historical accounts. One year later, on June 7,
Ex-D.C. Councilmember Michael Brown Pleads Guilty to Accepting Bribes Third D.C. Council Rep to Admit to Felony Wrongdoing
“You’re having to pay for things on a fixed income and the cost of living is going up, that’s what many of our seniors are coping with more than other age group.”
Fathers and Sons Opine About Dads’ Day
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See more Capital Jazz Fest pictures on B3.
D.C. Councilmember Seeks Property Tax Relief for Seniors
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Get ready to hit the Internet or the local box for show tickets. June is Black Music Month and venues across the nation are presenting shows ranging from blues to gospel to hip hop to jazz to R&B to give aficionados—or those who are just interested in getting their dance on—a place to celebrate. Formally called African-American Music Appreciation Month, June has existed for more than 30 years as the official time to celebrate Black music. The idea for a month to honor Black music was originally inspired by a Cincinnati radio broadcaster, Ed Wright, and Kenny Gamble, cofounder of the Philadelphia
1979, their vision was realized when President Jimmy Carter declared that June would be the month to honor AfricanAmerican music and Black Music Month was born. In the years since, several presidential administrations have acknowledged the month by holding formal events at the White House. On June 2, 2009, President Barack Obama decreed that the name be changed to AfricanAmerican Music Appreciation Month, though many still refer to the commemoration by the shorter name. “The legacy of AfricanAmerican composers, singers, songwriters, and musicians is an indelible piece of our Nation’s culture,” Obama wrote. “Generations of African Americans have carried forward the musical Continued on A3
NAACP President and CEO Benjamin T. Jealous has two little children. Prince George’s County Executive Rushern L. Baker III has a son and two Dr. Alvin Thornton and his daughters daughters. Rev. Derren A. Thompson, a Chesapeake Baycelebration does, none the less, offer families area clergyman, has two sons. a formal opportunity to thank the men whose Each has achieved a high level of success traditional role is to protect and guide us. and each said that being a father has been the “Fatherhood is a series of dynamic icing on the cake. relationships, each one dependent on the other As Father’s Day approaches on June 16, for purpose and strength,” said Dr. Alvin men, women and children across the nation Thornton, associate provost for Academic are contemplating the meaning of fatherhood. Affairs at Howard University, nationally Though Father’s Day doesn’t create the known for his education reform work in Prince same gift-giving frenzy of Mother’s Day, the Continued on A4
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This Aug. 28, 2012 image provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia shows former District of Columbia Councilmember Michael Brown during an FBI sting operation in Washington allegedly holding a mug full of cash. By Zachary Lester AFRO Staff Writer Michael A. Brown, a former member of the D.C. Council who was once a rising star in local politics, pleaded guilty to accepting $55,000 from FBI agents posing as business owners seeking a government contracting advantage, authorities said. The plea allows Brown, son of the late Clinton cabinet member Ron Brown, to avoid the minimum 15-year sentence he would have received if convicted. The plea deal dictates that he spend three years in prison and three years of supervised probation upon his release. He would also pay back the $35,000 he received in bribes, according to a statement from prosecutors in the case. Sentencing was scheduled for Oct. 3, 2013 by Judge Robert L. Wilkins of U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. According to the statement, Brown, 48, met with the undercover FBI agents several times over eight months. They told Brown they wanted to become a Certified Business Enterprise, which would have afforded their business potential advantages. A source familiar with the CBE application process said other council members have sought to expedite CBE applications, but that Brown’s behavior became criminal when he took money in exchange for his assistance. The statement also said Brown “admitted to concealing the true source of $20,000 that was secretly contributed” to his failed council bid in 2007, though he will not be prosecuted for that offense under the conditions of his plea arrangement. Brown made no statements as he left court on June 10. He held his head high as he walked out of the courthouse and was driven away. But news that he had agreed to plead guilty hit many D.C. residents like a hard punch. His plea was the third one from a member of the D.C. Council—Brown was not sitting at the
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